The latest news stories of interest in the Rogue Valley and around the state of Oregon from the digital home of Southern Oregon, Wynne Broadcasting’s RogueValleyMagazine.com
Tuesday, September 7, 2021
Rogue Valley Weather
Today– Widespread smoke. Mostly sunny, with a high near 95. Calm wind becoming north northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Wednesday– Patchy smoke. Sunny, with a high near 92. Calm wind becoming northwest around 6 mph in the afternoon.
Thursday– Areas of smoke. Mostly sunny, with a high near 89. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Friday– Areas of smoke. Mostly sunny, with a high near 86.
Saturday– Areas of smoke. Mostly sunny, with a high near 87.
Josephine County Covid Death Rate Worst in Oregon
Oregon reported more than 15,600 new cases of COVID-19 last week which was the 9th straight week of rising cases. While the number of new cases is slowing down, the death toll is still rising sharply in counties with lower vaccination rates.
An average of 65 cases per day were reported in Josephine County, a 42 percent decrease from the average two weeks ago. Since the beginning of the pandemic, at least 1 in 11 residents have been infected, a total of 7,629 reported cases. Right now, Josephine County is at extremely high risk for unvaccinated people.
August 2021 was the month with the most reported cases in Josephine County.
Hospitalizations are up 7% and the number of new vaccinations administered dropped slightly. That’s the first time in 6 weeks new vaccinations dipped.
In the tri-county area, 77% of all adults are now vaccinated. Since July 13, the death counts are less than 3.5 per 100,000 people. Combined in the metro counties, the rate is 2.2 people died of COVID for every 100,000 people. 84% of recent COVID cases among unvaccinated Oregonians
But in the most populous counties in southwestern Oregon, where vaccine rates are far lower, the story is much grimmer. Only 57% of adults have been vaccinated in those counties and the death rate since July 13 is far greater in these counties.
In Josephine County, 60 people are dying of COVID for every 100,000 residents. This is the worst death rate in the entire state.
On Saturday, Josephine County Public Health reported that five more lives have been claimed by the coronavirus including a 25-year-old woman who was unvaccinated. This is one of the youngest deaths from COVID-19 in the county. On Monday they reported 10 Josephine County individuals have died from complications relating to COVID-19 infections. Also, a death reported Sept. 4 had been previously reported.
Josephine County now has a total of 154 COVID-19-related deaths. Of those patients, 153 died from complications relating to COVID-19 infections. Of the 154 COVID-19 patients who died, 137 were unvaccinated.
Combined, the southwestern counties of Oregon have a COVID death rate 17 times greater than they more vaccinated metro tri-counties.
Medford Police Issue Warnings After Thief Charges Over $7K On Card Stolen From Purse
The Medford Police Department is warning “women shoppers,” to watch their purses closely after a thief lifted a wallet from a woman’s purse and racked up a total of $7,700 dollars in charges on her credit card in under 20 minutes.
“Please keep your purses/wallets secure while shopping,” the department said in a Facebook post. “This has been an ongoing problem, where the suspect, often a nicely dressed woman, will take the wallet out of an open purse in the shopping cart, and go on a shopping spree.”
The department provided a picture of the suspects along with the car they drove off in noting that they are likely from out of town. Tips on their whereabouts should be called into the Medford Police Department referencing case number 21-14062
“The suspects are buying gift cards and other electronics, often through the self check out,” the post reads. “They work quickly and often are in tandem.”
Suspect in Custody After Shots Fired and Stand-Off
On September 4th, 2021 at about 9:02 p.m., two officers responded to the 3100 block of Juniper Ridge Drive in Medford for a report of a home burglary.
The complainant, Carlos Sanders, 60 years old, confronted a neighbor accusing them of the crime.
While officers were walking up to the apartment, Sanders fired a handgun several times into the air. The suspect retreated back into his apartment, and barricaded himself. Nearby neighbors were evacuated.
SWAT and crisis negotiators responded to the scene, but negotiations were not effective. At approximately 3:00 a.m., SWAT forced entry through the front door. The suspect was taken into custody using less lethal options.
Sanders was lodged in the Jackson County Jail for Disorderly Conduct and Unlawful Use of a Firearm. Medford Police Dept.
Oregon reports 2,379 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 24 new deaths
There are 24 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 3,272, the Oregon Health Authority reported Friday afternoon. Data from the long weekend will be released later on Tuesday.
Oregon Health Authority reported 2,379 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 bringing the state total to 283,873.
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (12), Benton (21), Clackamas (105), Clatsop (6), Columbia (27), Coos (39), Crook (16), Curry (20), Deschutes (157), Douglas (151), Grant (8), Harney (8), Hood River (2), Jackson (195), Jefferson (15), Josephine (103), Klamath (61), Lake (2), Lane (205), Lincoln (37), Linn (154), Malheur (27), Marion (249), Morrow (11), Multnomah (285), Polk (41), Sherman (1), Tillamook (31), Umatilla (72), Union (15), Wallowa (23), Wasco (23), Washington (211) and Yamhill (46).
A group of police officers and firefighters, including some in Jackson County and Klamath County, are suing Gov. Brown over the state’s vaccine mandate.
The lawsuit, filed in Jefferson County Circuit Court, seeks to deter the state from mandating all employees of the executive branch to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The group is asking a judge to declare Brown’s order as “unenforceable.”
They claim the executive order clashes with existing Oregon statutes of free expression and could result in the wrongful termination of employees. Among those suing Brown are the Oregon Fraternal Order of Police, along with troopers from around the state and several firefighters in Klamath County.
In August, Oregon became the first state to reintroduce statewide outdoor masking requirements as the Delta variant began driving a sharp new surge in cases. Masks are required in public outdoor settings “where physical distancing is not possible, regardless of vaccination status,” according to Brown’s mandate.
A blanket of thick wildfire smoke made the air in and around Central Oregon’s largest city the state’s least breathable on Labor Day and among some the worst in the entire U.S., according to multiple sites that monitor air quality.
The air quality index for the Bend area reached as high as 386 on Monday morning, a level deemed “hazardous” to all residents regardless of their health , data compiled by the website IQAir.com shows. Smoke affected most of the state of Oregon over the weekend.
Meanwhile, a pair of maps maintained by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency suggested that only a few pockets of Northern California — where large-scale blazes have raged for much of the summer — could rival the Central Oregon region for the nation’s most noxious air. There are several active wildfires burning up and down the Cascade Range, including the nearly 25,000-acre Middlefork Complex Fire west of Bend, which is only 20% contained.
According to data collected by Cal Fire, the 2021 Fire Season has become the second-worst fire season on record. More than 7,000 wildfires across the state have already destroyed more than one point nine million acres of land
(1,984,677). Statically, the 2020 Wildfire Season still stands as the worst wildfire season on record, as more than 9,600 fires burned more than four point three million acres of land. However, Cal Fire is reporting that on all of their protected lands, along with the U.S. Forest Service, wildfires have destroyed more land this year than that of 2020 (1,863,324 acres).
Currently five wildfires across California have burned more than a hundred thousand acres. All of which are still active. These fires include: The Monument, River Complex, McFarland, Caldor and Dixie Fires. The Dixie Fire is the
largest of them all and is estimated at 898,951 acres with 56% containment.
Skies were cloud-free across the Oregon/Washington geographic area, but smoky skies helped keep temperatures down in southern and eastern Oregon. Temperatures were in the 80’s to low 90’s in all but the cooler coastal areas. East of the Cascades saw another day with relative humidities in the single digits to high teens. Winds were generally light with higher gusts in eastern Oregon and the Columbia Gorge. Conditions were favorable for firing operations on many of the large fires.
Another warm, dry, and mostly calm day is in store as high pressure remains over the region, but a change starts tonight as an upper-level trough approaches, bringing light showers to the west side, along with a slight chance for thunderstorms for western Washington and northwestern Oregon. Winds will be breezy through Cascade gaps and to the east each afternoon Wednesday into the weekend, as further shortwave disturbances move through the region. Thursday could bring some thunderstorm chances to the eastern third of Oregon. Temperatures should cool gradually through the latter half of the week.
With continued warming and drying, fire danger will continue rising today for western PSAs and through tomorrow on the east side. The warm, dry conditions result in elevated potential for new significant fires for most of Oregon today, spreading north into eastern Washington over the next couple days. Potential will relax back toward normal heading into the weekend, as cooler conditions take effect.
Here are links to be able to see updated info on the larger fires still burning in Oregon:
- Bull Complex InciWeb
- Devil’s Knob Complex InciWeb
- Jack Fire InciWeb
- Rough Patch Complex InciWeb
- Middle Fork Complex/Knoll Fire InciWeb
This public lands link is super helpful to check before you head outdoors. The Keep Oregon Green website carries ODF’s public use restrictions. Click the link for up-to-date information: https://keeporegongreen.org/current-conditions/
Pandemic Unemployment Benefits Come To An End For Thousands Of Oregonians
Up to 80,000 unemployed Oregonians face aid cutoff after Labor Day. As many as two-thirds of Oregon aid recipients will lose their benefits. They’re currently collecting $64 million in federal support each week.
Two primary anchors of the government’s COVID protection package are ending or have recently ended. Starting Monday, an estimated 8.9 million people will lose all unemployment benefits. A federal eviction moratorium already has expired.
Between 70,000 and 80,000 Oregonians were still receiving assistance as of last month under the federal unemployment programs that just ended, representing up to two-thirds of all those receiving unemployment assistance.
The major programs include the $300 weekly bonus (the payout was $600 a week early in the pandemic), a benefits extension program called Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), and a new program for self-employed workers called Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA).
The number of Oregonians actually collecting benefits each week has been falling for several months, reflecting Oregon’s resurgent economy. The unemployment rate dropped to 5.2% in July — still elevated compared to before the pandemic but continuing a steady decline.
President Joe Biden’s administration believes the U.S. economy is strong enough not to be rattled by evictions or the drop in unemployment benefits. Officials maintain that other elements of the safety net, like the Child Tax Credit and the SNAP program (which Biden permanently boosted earlier this summer) are enough to smooth things over. On Friday, a White House spokesperson said there were no plans to reevaluate the end of the unemployment benefits.
Labor Secretary Marty Walsh said he believed the country’s labor force was ready for the shift. “Overall the economy is moving forward and recovering,” Walsh said in an interview with The Associated Press. “I think the American economy and the American worker are in a better position going into Labor Day 2021 than they were on Labor Day 2020.”
The end to these protections while the economic crisis persists could have a devastating impact on lower-middle class families that were barely holding on through the pandemic. Potentially millions of people “will have a more difficult time regaining the foothold in the middle class that they lost,” Stettler said.
Biden and the Democrats who control Congress are at a crossroads, allowing the aid to expire as they focus instead on his more sweeping “build back better” package of infrastructure and other spending. The $3.5 trillion proposal would rebuild many of the safety net programs, but it faces hurdles in the closely divided Congress.
States with higher levels of unemployment can use the $350 billion worth of aid they received from the relief package to expand their own jobless payments, as noted by an Aug. 19 letter by Walsh and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.
The sudden lapse of a crucial element of the pandemic safety net has fueled calls for a re-evaluation of the entire unemployment benefits system. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the chairman of the Finance Committee, said in an interview it’s crucial that Congress modernizes the unemployment insurance system as part of the package.
“It’s heartbreaking to know it didn’t have to be this way,” Wyden said. One of the changes he proposes is to have jobless benefits more linked to economic conditions, so they won’t expire in times of need. “We got to take the unemployment system into the 21st century,” he said.
Oregon 2020 Elections
Ready or not, Oregon, the 2022 election season is here. Labor Day weekend of odd-numbered years is the traditional kickoff of serious campaign activity aimed at the ballot voters will mark in 14 months. If anything, 2021 is off to a running start.
The busy summer needs a primer to catch up on what’s happened and what’s coming up that will have an impact on the ballot voters will see for the general election on Nov. 8, 2022.
• A wide-open governor’s race that for the first time in 20 years won’t feature an incumbent or former governor on the ballot. Gov. Kate Brown is barred from seeking a third consecutive term.
• A new open congressional seat — Oregon’s first in 40 years. With all five current U.S. House members from Oregon seeking re-election, the new district is a chance to join a club that rarely has vacancies.
• U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, is marking 40 years since he first came to Washington as a 31-year-old U.S. House member from Portland. He’s running for another term and already has $6.3 million in the bank for the race.
• New political topography in Oregon created by a legally required redrawing of lines for 96 House, Senate, and congressional seats might not be finalized until as late as January 2022.
• A slew of proposed initiatives, constitutional amendments, referendums and referrals
working their way through the long process of qualifying for the November 2022 ballot.
Search Warrant Shuts Down Criminal Marijuana Operation in Yoncalla
A large-scale criminal marijuana grow operating under the guise of a legal hemp operation has been shut down by law enforcement in Douglas County.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and Douglas Interagency Narcotics Team (DINT) executed a search warrant in the 1000-block of Scotts Valley Road Wednesday, September 1, 2021. The warrant stemmed from an investigation into a large-scale black-market marijuana grow. Law enforcement became aware of the operation on tips from concerned citizens.
When law enforcement arrived approximately 30-50 workers began fleeing the location on foot. An individual identified as “the manager” of the operation, 44-year-old Jose Francisco Figueroa-Aguilar of Modesto, California, was ultimately arrested and lodged at the Douglas County Jail on charges of Unlawful Possession and Unlawful Manufacture of Marijuana.
Deputies located multiple vehicles, tents, and two RVs concealed under greenhouses and in the timber. The property was also found to be littered with garbage, fertilizer, containers, and human waste; all of which were adjacent to Elk Creek.
Two large swimming pools were being utilized as water holding tanks being fed by water pumps from Elk Creek. The water pumps are required to be metered, but were not.
Approximately 150 greenhouses containing 49,152 marijuana plants were located on the property. Testing conducted on the marijuana throughout the grow revealed high levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). There were no hemp plants located anywhere on the property. The street value of the marijuana located is estimated to be to $50,000,000.
Harvesting of the marijuana plants had begun, however, it did not appear that any of it had been released into the community before the execution of the search warrant.
Due to the sheer size of the illegal operation, law enforcement spent two days conducting eradication and destruction of the marijuana plants. The investigation is ongoing and additional charges may be pending.
Douglas County, as well as multiple other Oregon counties, are seeing a large number black-market marijuana grows which have been disguised as sanctioned hemp grows popping up in local communities. These operations are being financed and ran by organized crime enterprises. If you have concerns about a possible illegal marijuana operation in your community, contact the Douglas Interagency Narcotics Team at (541) 440-4474.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by DINT, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC), the Douglas County Water Master and the Douglas County Public Works Department. Douglas Co. Sheriff’s Office
Theft at Keizer’s Lowe Store
A video of shoplifters stealing thousands of dollars worth of electrical wires from a Lowe’s store in Keizer has angered local residents. “It was so blatant, that’s what riled me up,” Keizer resident Andrew Sullivan, who filmed the incident, and posted on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1359390342/videos/826137151419495/
The incident unfolded in broad daylight on Aug 25, with the video showing two men pushing shopping carts loaded with electric wire walking out of Lowe’s doors as two employees are helpless to stop them.
A Lowe’s employee standing at the door asked the men to show their receipt as they approached, but they kept moving. Another Lowe’s employee is then seen approaching the men in the video, to which the first employee said, “Hey don’t do this. It’s not worth it.”
“I think these guys have done it before because they seemed to have a good system. One guy with the car and two guys with the carts. They knew no one was going to touch them,” said Sullivan, who also recorded the men loading a red Subaru with the merchandise.
Many commenters on the video expressed outrage and wondered if local police would investigate the situation. Lowe’s eventually reported the incident, and an investigation is ongoing, but Keizer Police Lt. Andrew Copeland noted that in Oregon, many jails aren’t taking offenders such as shoplifters, in order to cut back on their populations during COVID-19.
Copeland said the men would likely face fines, citations, and then be released.
“Once you’ve stolen from Lowe’s once and know they can’t stop you, there’s no real consequence,” Copeland said, noting employees at many chain stores aren’t allowed to stop shoplifters. “Second thing is, these people know they can’t go to jail.”
Sullivan, who is an electrician, and Copeland valued the merchandise at about $2,000. Copeland said the suspects would likely strip the Romex wire for its valuable copper inside.
Fatal Crash Interstate in Lane County Closes Down I-5 Near Coburg
On September 5, 2021, at approximately 8:15 A.M., a single-vehicle rollover crash occurred just south of the Coburg interchange on Interstate 5, southbound, near Milepost 199.
Initial investigation revealed a red Toyota Tacoma was traveling SB on Interstate 5 when the driver, Kristan Birni (26) of Portland, fell asleep and the Tacoma veered onto the shoulder of Interstate 5, striking a sign. The Tacoma then rolled over a series of times before coming to rest in the southbound lane.
The driver and front passenger, Patrick Dorme (33) of Portland, were using safety belts and suffered serious injuries. They were transported to River Bend Hospital by ambulance. The rear seat passenger, Alexander Haluk (26) of Sherwood, was not using a safety belt and was ejected from the vehicle. The rear seat passenger was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The driver advised he fell asleep while driving. Toxicology at the hospital combined with in-person observations and statements determined impairment was not a contributing factor.
OSP was assisted by Lane County Sheriff’s Office, Coburg Fire, and the Oregon Department of Transportation.
Fatal Crash on Hwy 38 in Douglas County
On Friday, September 3, 2021 at approximately 8:43 PM, Oregon State Troopers and emergency personnel responded to a two-vehicle crash on Hwy 38 near milepost 3.
Preliminary investigation revealed a Nissan Pathfinder, operated by Robyn Loonam (50) of Eugene, was eastbound when it lost control and crossed into the westbound lane and collided head-on with a Toyota 4-Runner, operated by Joely Jimenez (32) of Bronx, NY. The Nissan Pathfinder had been the subject of a driving complaint several minutes prior to the crash.
Loonam sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased. Jimenez was transported by air ambulance to PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at Riverbend. A passenger in the Toyota 4-Runner, Levi Rodriguez (46) of Redway, CA was transported via ground ambulance to a local hospital with injuries.
Hwy 38 was closed for approximately 2 hours. OSP was assisted by Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Reedsport Police Department, Reedsport Fire Department, Lower Umpqua Ambulance, Southern Oregon Public Safety Chaplains and ODOT.
Eugene Woman Dies in Fatal Head-On Collision near Reedsport
A Eugene woman was killed after her car veered into oncoming traffic near the Oregon Coast and slammed head-on into another vehicle, authorities said. Robyn Loonam, 50, was heading east on Oregon 38 outside of Reedsport when her Nissan Pathfinder lost control, drifted into the westbound lane, and crashed into a Toyota 4-Runner on Friday night, the Oregon State Police said in a news release Monday.
Judge Orders Immediate Action to Help Salmon and Steelhead in Oregon
A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to take immediate action to improve fish passage at dams in Oregon’s Willamette Basin.
In a final opinion and order issued last week, U.S. District Judge Marco Hernandez said the Corps had for years failed to provide adequate passage for threatened chinook salmon and winter steelhead trout at dams it operates in the basin.
The order comes after the court decided in favor of three environmental organizations that sued the Corps and the National Marine Fisheries Service, arguing the agencies weren’t doing their part to protect the species.
Chinook salmon and steelhead in the Upper Willamette River system are both listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Environmentalists say dams on the Willamette and its tributaries have blocked access to spawning grounds for the fish, contributing to population declines.
The Corps said it will review the judge’s order to ensure compliance.