Rogue Valley News update, from RogueValleyMagazine.com
THURSDAY, OCT. 17, 2019
Rogue Valley Weather
Today
Showers likely today and tonight, high of 62, overnight low of 42.
Friday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 61. More rain or showers overnight with a low of 45.
Saturday
Rain at times much of the day, high of 58.
Sunday
A slight chance of showers with a high near 60.
Monday
Patchy morning fog, then sunny and a high of 71.
Today’s Headlines…
Geraldine Hendricks Found Alive.
The search for missing 80 year old Geraldine Hendricks came to an end at noon yesterday. Jackson County Sheriff’s Office search and rescue personnel say Gerry was located on a forest road approximately 2 miles from her home.
Hedricks, who suffers from dementia was found walking on the road when SAR found her.
She was cold and dehydrated but in surprisingly good condition after spending three days and nights in the forest. She was transported to the hospital by Mercy Flights helicopter for evaluation.
Governor Kate Brown announced that she will appoint Joshua J. Eastman to be District Attorney of Josephine County, effective immediately.
Eastman fills a vacancy created by the resignation of Ryan A. Mulkins. Eastman earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Oregon. He is a longtime resident of southern Oregon, and currently serves as senior deputy district attorney in the Josephine County District Attorney’s Office, where he has worked since 2015. Before that, he worked at the Curry County District Attorney’s Office.
Eastman has served as the Josephine County Drug Court prosecutor since 2017, and has been instrumental in implementing Josephine County’s Justice Reinvestment Programs. Earlier this year, he was recognized by the Oregon Narcotics Enforcement Association as the outstanding narcotics prosecutor for 2018.
Late Monday 46 year old Freddie Tillett from Grants Pass, was arrested for Manslaughter I and Driving under the Influence of Intoxicants.
Tillet was arrested in the Springfield area and lodged at the Lane County Jail. This arrest is in connection with the September 27, 2019 Fatal Crash on Highway 99 in Josephine County. Preliminary investigation at that time revealed that a gray 2003 Audi, operated by Freddie Tillett was traveling southbound on Hwy 99. Tillett was reported to be driving recklessly, crossed into oncoming traffic, and collided head on with a northbound 2013 Nissan sedan operated by 39 year old Brenda Reinert of Grants Pass.
Reinert was transported to the hospital where she was pronounced deceased. Tillett was transported to the hospital with serious injuries.
Pump prices are decreasing for the majority of drivers across the country as crude oil prices remain relatively low. It’s a different story here on the West Coast where prices are still climbing after a number of unplanned refinery outages. Relief here should come soon. For the week, the national average for regular gasoline slips half a cent to $2.64 a gallon. The Oregon average jumps nine cents to $3.28. This is the largest weekly jump in the nation.
Today at 10:17AM, the Oregon Shakeout will occur. It’s the Earthquake Preparedness Drill.
The Earthquake Country Alliance has put together 7 steps to earthquake safety. The 7 steps are simple things you can do to make yourself safer before, during, and after an earthquake.
The information in the steps will help you learn how to better prepare to survive and recover, wherever you live, work, or travel.
Step 1: Secure your space by identifying hazards and securing moveable items.
Step 2: Plan to be safe by creating a disaster plan and deciding how you will communicate in an emergency.
Step 3: Organize disaster supplies in convenient locations.
Step 4: Minimize financial hardship by organizing important documents, strengthening your property, and considering insurance.
Step 5: Drop, Cover, and Hold On when the earth shakes.
Step 6: Improve safety after earthquakes by evacuating if necessary, helping the injured, and preventing further injuries or damage.
Step 7: Restore daily life by reconnecting with others, repairing the damage, and rebuilding the community.
Earthquake Hazards in Oregon
Oregon lies at a convergent continental boundary where two tectonic plates are colliding.
The Cascadia Subduction Zone is actually a 600-mile long earthquake fault stretching from offshore northern California to southern British Columbia. This fault builds up stress for hundreds of years as the Juan de Fuca and North America Plates push against each other. Eventually, the two plates rip apart, creating some of the largest earthquakes and tsunamis on earth. Where the Juan de Fuca oceanic plate and the North American continental plate meet is called a subduction zone because the denser Juan de Fuca Plate is being pulled under North America. The Juan de Fuca Plate is moving to the northeast at about an inch a year as the North American Plate moves west. The Oregon coastline is actually bulging upward from the two plates pushing against each other.
There are over 1000 earthquakes over magnitude 1.0 in Washington and Oregon every year, with at least two dozen being large enough to be felt. Approximately 17 people have lost their lives due to earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest. Since 1872, there have been 20 damaging earthquakes in Washington and Oregon. The Pacific coast poses special risk from tsunamis associated with a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake. In addition to Subduction zone earthquakes, Oregon is also susceptible to crustal earthquakes.
The two largest earthquakes in recent years in Oregon, Scotts Mills, (magnitude 5.6) and the Klamath Falls, main shocks (magnitude 5.9 and magnitude 6.0) of 1993 were crustal earthquakes.
Around the state… the Oregon Lottery Scoreboard the state’s first and only legal online sportsbook launched yesterday offering players myriad opportunities to wager on their favorite professional sports.
A Scoreboard mobile app is available for both iOS and Android devices, and a desktop version is accessible from the Lottery website. This is the Oregon Lottery’s first entry into online sales and gameplay with plans to add in-venue sports betting at select Oregon Lottery retail locations in 2020. Upon online registration and verification, players may fund their accounts and set wagers on a variety of professional sports including NFL, NBA, MLS, NWSL, MLB and even NASCAR. Betting options cover a wide variety as well, including single-game wagers, parlay, live, in-game betting and more.
The patient reported missing Monday by Oregon State Hospital has been located. Late Tuesday an employee of the hospital recognized the patient at Washington Jefferson Park in Eugene.
The staff member called police who took him into custody at about 6:30 p.m. The patient is at the Lane County Jail awaiting transport back to the hospital.