News and Weather update from around the Rogue Valley and the state of Oregon from RogueValleyMagazine.com.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 9 2019
Rogue Valley Weather
Monday Areas of fog before 10am. Otherwise partly sunny with a high of 52.
Tuesday A slight chance of rain during the day, with a high near 50. Light and variable wind. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Tuesday Night Showers likely, mainly before 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 37. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Wednesday Mostly cloudy, with a high near 52.
Thursday Rain. Cloudy, with a high near 53.
Friday A chance of rain. Cloudy, with a high near 52.
Today’s Headlines
The Jackson County Sheriff’s office has confirmed that one person was killed in a crash in Ashland on Saturday.
The crash happened in the 7PM hour on Eagle Mill Road. Apparently two cars were involved in the crash and it is still under investigation at this time with no further details available.
Next of kin has been notified, but a name has not been released at this time.
Missing Person Jeffrey Owen Boone Located.
California Highway Patrol reports they have located Mr Boone in his vehicle near Burney, California. He is reported to be talking with officers on the scene. Friends and family are arranging to bring him back to his home.
No further details are available at this time regarding Mr Boone.
Last Wednesday, a neighbor reported Boone had not returned from an errand in Medford. An Attempt to Locate bulletin was issued in Jackson County for Boone. A ping of his phone showed the last location was at 5pm on December 4th in White City. He was not located that night.
The investigation lead to two incidents of Boone’s license plate being run in California. On Thursday, authorities run the plate in conjunction with a report of the vehicle side-swiping a guard rail near Yreka. At 0600 Redding CHP ran the plate for unspecified reasons.
Mt. Ashland Ski Area opened yesterday one week early for the season. The lower mountain lifts will operate from from 9am until 4pm.
Due to wind effects on the upper mountain, coverage is too thin on the summit to open the Ariel lift. All skiing will be on the lower mountain from Windsor Lift down. With more than 26″ at the base Mt. Ashland is please to be open and operating.
DUII Enforcement for the holidays begins in Grants Pass.
This Holiday Season, the Grants Pass Department of Public Safety has once again joined forces with other Oregon law enforcement agencies participating in High Visibility Enforcement Operations. Increased patrols will be aggressively looking for impaired drivers throughout our community.
The Grants Pass Police are hoping the increased enforcement will discourage impaired drivers and help make our roads safer this holiday season. To help keep this season a “wonderful time of the year”, the Grants Pass Department of Public Safety encourages the motoring public to plan ahead and designate a sober driver. We also encourage citizens who witness suspected impaired drivers to contact police immediately.
Crater Lake National Park is offering their popular ranger-guided snowshoe walks which began this last weekend for the 2019-20 winter season. The walks take place on Saturdays, Sundays, and most holidays through April 26.
They will also be offered daily from December 26 through January 5 and from March 20 through March 29. Snowshoes are provided free of charge and no previous snowshoeing experience is necessary. Walks start at 1:00 pm, last 2 hours, and cover 1 to 2 miles of moderate-to-strenuous terrain. Routes vary, but most walks begin at Rim Village and explore the forests and meadows along the rim of the lake. Along the way, participants discover how winter affects Crater Lake and the park’s plants and animals.
Crater Lake National Park is one of the snowiest inhabited places in America, receiving an average of 43 feet of snow per year. Snowshoeing with a ranger is a fun way to experience this winter wonderland. Space on each tour is limited and advance reservations are required. For more information and to sign up, call the park’s visitor center at 541-594-3100.
A new federal rule could push at least 19,000 people in Oregon off food stamps next year, according to projections released by the state Department of Human Services. The rule change will leave states with less flexibility in allowing able-bodied adults without children to receive food stamps if they are not working or in a training program at least 20 hours a week.
Such adults typically can only get food stamps for up to three months in a 36-month period. But states can get waivers to provide aid longer if the recipient is in an economically depressed area. The new rule which takes effect April 1 would put in place more stringent requirements for when states can receive waivers for counties. Between January and April, Oregon would go from having 31 counties eligible for a waiver to six.
The rule change doesn’t affect benefits for children, adults with children, adults older than 50, or people who are disabled.
Around the state of Oregon…
One person was shot and killed by police in Southeast Portland Sunday afternoon.
The names of the suspect and officers were not immediately released. Authorities have not release more information on the incident at this time. Injuries to the person were not known to the media.
According to police, the shooting happened near Southeast 103rd Avenue. Witnesses say about 30 police units at the scene, and several city blocks were closed off to traffic for the investigation.
One witness said “I hear gunshots. I turned to my left and then I see a man fall right over there,” said Raphael Israel, who then gestured across the street from where he was standing.
Crab Season delayed again.
Oregon large group of commercial crabbers will have to wait until at least Dec. 31 to pick up the season, after testing found crabs are still too low in meat.
The testing was done in late November and these early days of December in Oregon, Washington state and California. The state had delayed the traditional Dec. 1 opening of the commercial season because of low meat yield. Stay tuned.