The latest news stories and stories of interest in the Rogue Valley from the digital home of Southern Oregon, from Wynne Broadcasting and RogueValleyMagazine.com.
Wednesday, November 4, 2020
Rogue Valley Weather
This Afternoon Sunny, with a high near 74. Light north northwest winds, Overnight will be clear with a low around 45.
Thursday A 30% chance of rain after 4pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 71.
Friday Showers likely, mainly before 10am. Snow level 4200 feet. Cloudy, with a high near 51. West northwest wind 3 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. Overnight a 20% chance of showers before 10pm. Snow level 3800 feet. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 35.
Saturday A 20 % chance of showers after 10am. Snow level 3700 feet. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 49.
Sunday A slight chance of showers before 10am. Snow level 2500 feet. Partly sunny, with a high near 47.
Monday Partly sunny, with a high near 49.
Today’s Headlines
ELECTION RESULTS
In the U.S. Presidential election, Joe Biden wins the Oregon vote. it is at the moment still very close in several battleground states as vote counting continues. Both President Trump and Joe Biden have several paths to victory in the days ahead. Stay tuned.
U.S. House – District 4
Peter DeFazio
U.S. Senate
Jeff Merkley
Oregon Attorney General – General
Ellen Rosenblum
Oregon Secretary of State
Shemia Fagan
Oregon Treasurer
Tobias Read
Portland, Oregon Mayor
Ted Wheeler narrowly wins re-election
Voters in Oregon voted to raise taxes on cigarettes and cigars.
Oregon will become the first state in the nation to allow, the psychoactive ingredient of hallucinogenic mushrooms, in therapy use.
Oregon also becomes the first state to decriminalize small amounts of heroin, cocaine, and other drugs in lieu of a program to accept pre-paid help paid for by marijuana tax revenue.
COVID-19 has claimed nine more lives in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 701 . Oregon Health Authority reported 495 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of yesterday, bringing the state total to 46,460.
Jackson County, according to the OHA, reported a record 70 new cases. Three new cases of COVID-19 have been identified in Josephine County, bringing the county’s total number of cases to 281.
One of the nine deaths reported yesterday was from Douglas County in Roseburg, with underlying conditions. Lane County in the Eugene area adds a record new 70 cases of Covid-19 overnight.
Covid cases around the state are in the following counties: Baker (8), Benton (9), Clackamas (56), Clatsop (8), Columbia (4), Coos (1), Deschutes (12), Douglas (10), Grant (4), Hood River (1), Jackson (70), Jefferson (1), Josephine (3), Klamath (7), Lane (26), Linn (21), Malheur (16), Marion (64), Morrow (1), Multnomah (61), Polk (13), Sherman (2), Tillamook (2), Umatilla (16), Union (8), Wallowa (2), Wasco (1), Washington (57) and Yamhill (11).
Around the state of Oregon
The Oregon Ducks football team are preparing for Saturday’s game against Stanford.
Coming off a 12-2 season and a Rose Bowl win last year, the Pac-12 Champions are looking forward to a competitive, albeit shortened season.
The Ducks have been practicing under different protocols and have had to alter many things throughout their preseason.
With the loss of star quarterback Justin Herbert to the NFL’s L A Chargers, graduated seniors, and four players opting out to prepare for the NFL draft, the Ducks need new faces to step up and fill vacant positions.
A Lakeview woman died Monday when the truck she was driving in crashed off Highway 395 in Lake County. The driver of the vehicle has been charged with manslaughter. The passenger, Clarea Lasley, 37, died at the scene. Daniel Decker, 22, also of Lakeview, was driving northbound about 9:45 a.m. when, according to Oregon State Police, he failed to negotiate a corner, overcorrected and rolled his vehicle.
Decker was taken by ambulance and later flown to St. Charles Medical Center in Bend for serious injuries. According to police, Decker will be referred to the Lake County District Attorney’s Office for charges of manslaughter and DUII.
Becky Hultberg, President and CEO of the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems, released the following statement on voter approval of Measure 108:
“Because of the commitment of community hospitals across our state, Oregonians overwhelmingly passed Measure 108, providing critical revenue to fully fund the Oregon Health Plan. Community hospitals drove a winning strategy that included a coalition of more than 270 health care organizations, nurses, doctors, businesses, organized labor and community-based organizations. Together we invested in a comprehensive campaign structure that kept our opponents out of the race and on the sidelines. Our victory shows that from securing funding for vital health care services, to combating the COVID pandemic, to helping our neighbors in need during the fire season, hospitals will always stand up for the health of our communities.”
Nike said Monday it expects to eliminate 700 jobs at its Oregon headquarters near Beaverton by early January as part of a broader restructuring the company announced during the summer.
The footwear and apparel company had previously estimated its Oregon layoffs at roughly 500, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. The cutbacks announced Monday, in a brief legal filing with state workforce officials, appear to include that tally. Nike did not immediately respond to a message seeking confirmation. Nike’s layoffs, however, aren’t a response to the coronavirus pandemic downturn – its sales are strong. Rather, Oregon’s largest company is changing strategies.
On Tuesday, November 3, 2020 at approximately 12:15 P.M., Oregon State Police Troopers and emergency personnel responded to a three vehicle crash on Hwy 26 near milepost 112.
Preliminary investigation revealed a Nissan Pathfinder, operated by Bonnie McCoy (71) of Milwaukie, OR. was traveling westbound when it attempted to pass a Dodge Ram towing a travel trailer, operated by Deborah Dunne (65) of North Plains, and collided with an eastbound Infinity operated by Ryan Gile (26) of Vancouver, WA.
McCoy was transported to St. Charles Madras and then to St. Charles Bend via air ambulance. Passenger in the Pathfinder, Barry Barber (71) of Milwaukie, OR. was flown via air ambulance to St. Charles Bend.
Gile was transported to St. Charles Madras where he was pronounced deceased.
Homeownership is becoming less and less attainable due to rising home prices. But while the cost of homeownership is high, renters often face an even heavier financial burden.
New data from the Census Bureau shows that American renters spend a median 31.0% of income on housing, compared to just 16.5% for homeowners. These figures vary widely throughout cities and states across the country. The high cost of rent impacts low-income renter households more than any other group.
Over 75% of households with annual income below $50,000 per year spend 30% or more of their income on rent and utilities. Among renter households with an annual income below $20,000, almost 90% spend over 30% of their income on rent.
At the state level, the proportion of income spent on rent varies from a high of 35.6% in Louisiana to a low of 24.7% in North Dakota. Renters in the Midwest tend to allocate the lowest proportion of their income toward housing costs. The opposite is true for renters in states scattered throughout the Northeast, West Coast, and South. In Louisiana, Florida, California, and Rhode Island, the typical renter spends more than one-third of their monthly income on housing.
To identify the most unaffordable cities for renters, researchers analyzed the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS). For each city, researchers calculated the median share of income allocated toward rent and utilities by dividing median gross rent by median household income for renters.
The Oregon State Police Fish & Wildlife Division is asking for the public’s help with identifying the person (s) responsible for the killing of a wolf in the Pine Creek Wildlife Management Unit, located in the Wallowa Whitman National Forest, on or about October 29, 2020.
This incident occurred in the Grouse Flat area off of the USFS 3990 RD, northeast of Halfway, OR.
An elk hunter found the deceased wolf and reported the incident to OSP. The hunter then led OSP and ODFW personnel to the location of the deceased wolf. The investigation determined the wolf was shot with a firearm.
ODFW stated the wolf was a non-breeding sub-adult female wolf approximately 1.5 years of age. The wolf was in the Pine Creek Pack territory.
Anyone with information regarding this case is urged to contact OSP Sergeant Isaac Cyr through the Turn in Poachers (TIP) hotline at 1-800-452-7888 or *OSP (mobile).