Rogue Valley News, Thursday 10/7 – Jackson County Commissioners Draft State Of Emergency Declaration Over Illegal Marijuana Grows, Missing Roseburg Woman’s Body Found

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.

Thursday, October 7, 2021

Rogue Valley Weather

Today– Patchy fog before 11am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 67. Calm wind becoming north northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Friday– Patchy fog between 8am and 11am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 65. Light and variable wind.

Saturday– Sunny, with a high near 67. Light and variable wind.

Sunday– A 50 percent chance of rain, mainly after 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 61.

Monday– A chance of rain. Patchy fog before 10am. Snow level 4000 feet. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 53.

Jackson County Commissioners Draft State Of Emergency Declaration Over Illegal Marijuana Grows

Jackson County Commissioners have drafted an emergency declaration over illegal marijuana grows. It is set to be formalized and sent to the state’s emergency management office after Thursday’s regular business meeting.

Commissioners said they hoped the action would prompt a more targeted response to the county’s problem from Gov. Brown.

“The county shall request the assistance of the State of Oregon, through Governor Brown and the Oregon legislature, to provide the revenue and resources necessary to properly enforce County Codes and State criminal laws, State criminal laws, State laws on the licensure and registration of cannabis-related activities,” the draft declaration reads.

County Administrator, Danny Jordan explained that the way marijuana taxation is currently distributed statewide is not equitable because it does not provide extra resources to the Southern Oregon counties where illegal marijuana production is most prominent.

Commissioners noted that actions taken at a state level have impacted the county’s ability to tax the production of marijuana at a local level thus mitigating the impacts of legalization.

When ballot measure 91 passed in 2014 legalizing cannabis in Oregon the county had passed a resolution that sent an ordinance to voters allowing them to decide whether or not the county should tax marijuana producers. That ordinance was ultimately passed but became null and void in 2015 when the state legislature passed House Bill 3400 centralizing taxation of marijuana at a state level and prohibiting counties and municipalities from adding any other taxes save from a 3% local retail sales tax.

Commissioners pointed out that while HB 3000 creates avenues for the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission to help the Department of Agriculture investigate licensed hemp (less than 1% THC) grows that are actually growing marijuana (over 1% THC), it does not address the many illegal marijuana grows that are unlicensed.

It does however make the unlicensed growing of marijuana a class A misdemeanor which allows for law enforcement to apply for search warrants. Commissioners however complained that this does not address the issue of resources.

“We don’t have the resources to actually issue those but it gave us at least the engine…we need fuel,” said Commissioner Rick Dyer. “This is a problem that we have had for a long time but it’s just absolutely exploded because of the cartel activity and all of these hoop houses. The increase in numbers there has just been exponential.”

Some of the major impacts the county is hoping to enlist the state’s help with is an increase in calls for service relating to grows that the Sheriff’s Office deals with, an increase in complaints of water theft and an increase in complaints to the code enforcement office.

Jordan estimates the county would need to triple the size of code enforcement staff from three full-time staff members to nine in order to deal with an estimated 65% increase in cases that the department has seen since legalization.

He estimates that the Watermaster’s Office would need to add about three more full-time positions to deal with over five times the number of complaints that it dealt with prior to legalizations. He said the Sheriff’s Office has estimated that it would need about 18 more detectives to address crimes relating to illegal marijuana.

The declaration goes beyond just asking for resources, it requests the Governor and legislature to consider revising the 2015 law (ORS 475B.345) that prohibits counties from taxing their own marijuana producers.

It noted that this would “allow Jackson County to derive its own fund to develop the necessary resources to enforce County Codes and State criminal laws.”

Jordan told commissioners that declaring an emergency may not in and of itself invoke a response from the governor. “If the governor will assist us, if she and the legislature will step up and say yes you have an emergency, they can help us but they have to accept what we are saying and I will tell you that typically we have been seeing a lot out of our county that has not been paid attention to,” Jordan said.

Commissioners noted that the declaration would be a way to demand some accountability from the governor’s office. “We’ve heard nothing from the governor’s office about it, that’s a huge problem and how are we going to address it,” Jordan said.

Body of Branda Hoyle Has Been Found

Searchers have recovered the body of Branda Hoyle who went missing on Saturday, September 25, 2021.

43-year-old Branda Hoyle was on an outing with family members when she walked away from the group. When she didn’t return, the family became concerned and began looking for her. They later called 9-1-1 when they hadn’t located her.

On Monday, October 4, 2021, at approximately 1:00 pm, a 9-1-1 caller reported finding a deceased body along the North Umpqua River approximately 2.5 miles northeast of the Umpqua Hot Springs on the North Umpqua Trail. Deputies and searchers responded and determined the body was that of Branda Hoyle.

The Douglas County Medical Examiner’s Office is investigating the death. At this time there are no indications of foul play and prolonged exposure to the elements are considered to be the highest concerning factors. 

A large-scale search operation had been underway since her disappearance but revealed no clues as to her whereabouts. Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue crews requested and received assistance from the Oregon State Police, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue, Lane County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue, the Oregon State Search, and Rescue Coordinator, and the United States Coast Guard.

Efforts included ground searchers, mountain rescue searchers, K9 teams, 4×4 teams, and air resources to include aircraft and drones. Pacific Corp and the US Forest Service also provided support. Douglas Co. Sheriff’s Office

Accident on Hwy 199 near Gold Canyon in Illinois Valley

10/6/2021 at 12:05, At approximately MP 23.5 (Just south of Gold Canyon Dr), IVFD, AMR, Sheriff, ODOT and OSP responded to a two vehicle head-on crash.

Arriving units found both lanes of Hwy 199 blocked. Both drives were transported by AMR with injuries. Traffic was later open up to one lane. Illinois Valley Fire District 

Fire Danger Level Decreases to Low in the City of Grants Pass and the Southwest Oregon District Following Widespread Rain, Additional Forecasted Weather Systems

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Consistent fall-like weather and widespread rain has made it possible to ease off on some public fire prevention regulations within the City of Grants Pass and the Oregon Department of Forestry Southwest Oregon District.

Effective Wednesday, October 6, 2021, at 9:00 a.m., the public fire danger level will decrease to “low” (green).

Beginning Wednesday, the following restrictions will take effect:  

  • Smoking in areas of flammable vegetation is prohibited.
  • Open fires are prohibited, including campfires, cooking fires, and warming fires, except at locations designated by the Fire Marshal. Still allowed will be natural gas, propane, and charcoal BBQ’s, smokers as well as natural gas and propane ornamental fires.
  • Power saw use is permitted all day during low fire danger. Each power saw is required to have one shovel and one fire extinguisher of at least 8-ounce capacity. A Firewatch of at least one hour is required following the use of each saw.
  • Cutting, grinding and welding of metal in areas of flammable vegetation is permitted all day during low fire danger.
  • The mowing of dried, cured grass is permitted all day during low fire danger.
  • Motor vehicles, including motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles, are only allowed on improved roads free of flammable vegetation, except for the culture and harvest of agricultural crops.
  • Any other spark-emitting internal combustion engine in areas of flammable vegetation not specifically mentioned is permitted when conducted in a cleared area and a charged garden hose or one 2 ½ pound or larger fire extinguisher is immediately available.
  • The City Fire Marshal or an authorized representative may, in writing, approve a modification or waiver of these requirements.

For more information about the City of Grants Pass Fire Season regulations, please call the Fire Prevention Division at 541-450-6200 — Grants Pass Fire/Rescue

Oregon reports 1,564 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 33 new deaths

There are 33 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 3,900. The Oregon Health Authority reported 1,564 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 bringing the state total to 338,130.

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (8), Benton (21), Clackamas (85), Clatsop (13), Columbia (11), Coos (32), Crook (27), Curry (7), Deschutes (130), Douglas (49), Grant (15), Harney (16), Hood River (19), Jackson (102), Jefferson (16), Josephine (19), Klamath (70), Lake (4), Lane (112), Lincoln (19), Linn (69), Malheur (29), Marion (167), Morrow (8), Multnomah (128), Polk (121), Tillamook (6), Umatilla (58), Union (12), Wallowa (22), Wasco (13), Washington (101), and Yamhill (55).

 Arrows show that cases and hospitalizations are decreasing. Delta is the only variant circulating.
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Half of Oregon is officially free of fire season, while the state’s eastern and southern regions need significantly more rain before they’re in the clear, experts say. Record-breaking September rainfall, longer nights, and more humid air have signaled the beginning of the end of a historic 2021 fire season.

But fall rains have a decades-long drought to overcome in most of the West, meaning thicker fuels like timber aren’t yet saturated by the season’s precipitation.

The Oregon Department of Forestry has announced an end to the fire season in five of its 10 districts. Those districts include Washington, Clatsop, Columbia, Tillamook, Lane, Benton, Lincoln, Polk and Yamhill counties, as well as the southern part of Linn County.

The five districts that include most of southern and eastern Oregon still remain in fire season.

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Oregon Employment Department Economic Update

When federal pandemic-related unemployment benefits expired on Sept. 4, about 81,000 people in Oregon saw their unemployment benefits end. This includes about 49,000 workers whose Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) claims ended, and about 32,000 whose Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits ended.

Last week’s statistics

  • Last week we paid about $26.5 million in benefits to 32,000 Oregonians.
  • From Sept. 28 – Oct. 1, 2021, the Department answered 92.4% of calls in under 15 minutes. Of these, 79.6% were answered in under five minutes.

Workers whose PEUC claims ended had jobs with a payroll employer prior to the pandemic. By contrast, about four out of five PUA claimants were self-employed (not on an employer’s payroll) before the pandemic. For the workers whose PEUC benefits ended in September, the largest group, at 8,400, had jobs in Oregon’s hotels, restaurants, and bars before becoming unemployed. Healthcare and social assistance and retail trade were the next largest groups, at about 6,000 each.

There’s been some speculation that the end of federal pandemic unemployment benefits would also mark the end of recent labor shortages in Oregon and across the U.S. However, even though these benefits ended, it’s still likely to be difficult for employers to hire as many workers as they’d like to in the coming weeks and months. Some industries have bigger job deficits to overcome than others. 

For example, the accommodation and food services industry is about 35,000 jobs below its pre-recession jobs level. So, even if each of the 8,400 claimants who lost their PEUC benefits went back to payroll jobs in hotels, restaurants, and bars, it would only fill 24% of the industry’s gap to a full jobs recovery.

Another challenge specific to accommodation and food services is that many workers moved on to other industries. Nearly 37,000 of the people who worked at Oregon’s hotels, restaurants, and bars between January and March of 2020 had moved on to a job in a different industry by the winter of 2021. That’s a concern for an industry rapidly trying to recover jobs lost to the pandemic.

Another 36,000 former accommodation and food services workers were no longer found working for any payroll employer in Oregon, and they weren’t on a UI claim either. These workers likely either moved out of the state, or they dropped out of the labor force. There are many reasons someone may be out of the labor force, including retirement, going back to school, health concerns amid an ongoing pandemic, child care or self-employment constraints.

Research from the Employment Department, a prominent academic study, and private-sector findings all suggest that a combination of ongoing COVID-19 concerns, increasing retirements, and other labor force factors are contributing to continued worker shortages. 

Helping Oregonians Get Back to Work

Through ongoing Return to Work efforts, WorkSource Oregon centers refer people to jobs, connect job seekers to resources that reduce barriers to returning to work, help people explore career options and training opportunities, assist with iMatchSkills® and work search requirements, and more. Here are just a few highlights for this week:

  • Hiring Heroes for Healthcare in Oregon,” is a statewide virtual job fair that occurred today, Wed., Oct. 6. Nearly 50 employers participated in the event and it was promoted nationally to recruit talented health care professionals to come, live and work in Oregon.
  • multiple-employer job fair is scheduled from 3 to 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 8, at the Salem KROC Center. 
  • Apprenticeships lead to high-paying jobs, and there is a great demand for workers in construction fields. An apprenticeship virtual webinar for Jackson and Klamath counties is scheduled for 9:30 – 10:15 a.m., Friday, Oct. 8, 2021. Registration is required.
  • Drive-thru job fair hiring events are scheduled Oct. 20-21 for job seekers in Clatskanie, Rainier and Vernonia.

Employer Payroll Tax Break

The Employment Department has notified businesses that were initially determined as eligible for the pandemic-related employer payroll tax relief provided by HB 3389, which passed earlier this year. 

The state is rolling back employers’ UI tax experience ratings for years 2022 through 2024 to the tax ratings they had pre-pandemic 2020. This means employers’ UI tax experience rates (benefit ratio) will be based on their experience rate prior to the pandemic, offsetting any increases they would otherwise have experienced due to safety measures they took to keep customers and employees safe from the virus.

Employers who meet all conditions of the relief plan are eligible to defer up to one-third of their 2021 UI taxes until June 30, 2022, without accruing interest or penalties on the deferred amount.

Local help is available during Medicare Open Enrollment

Every October, open enrollment begins for Medicare Advantage and Part D prescription drug plans. Medicare plans and coverage for prescription drugs change each year, so it is important for Oregonians who are enrolled in Medicare to evaluate their plan options and make changes during open enrollment.

Open enrollment for the 2022 Medicare plan year is from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, 2021.

The Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance (SHIBA) program with the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) is available to help Oregonians understand their Medicare options and benefits, provide enrollment guidance, and answer any questions related to Medicare benefits. 

“Medicare is a critical benefit for older adults and people with disabilities and navigating the options available can be confusing,” said Jane-Ellen Weidanz, ODHS Long Term Services and Supports Administrator. “SHIBA is here to help Oregonians make the right choice for them.”

Local SHIBA counselors are available to help and can be found by visiting SHIBA.Oregon.gov or calling (800) 722-4134 (toll-free). To accommodate COVID-19 safety precautions, SHIBA counselors are providing telephone and limited in-person support. 

SHIBA’s 2022 Oregon Guide to Medicare Insurance Plans is expected to be available on SHIBA.Oregon.gov on or about Oct. 15. 

SHIBA provides trained counselors to educate and advocate for Oregonians with Medicare. Get local Medicare help visiting SHIBA.Oregon.gov or (800) 722-4134 (toll-free). — Oregon Department of Human Services

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department Gearing Up for Centennial Celebration

In 2022, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) will kick off a year-long celebration that commemorates 100 years of Oregon State Parks. It all began with a 5-acre land donation in 1922 that became Oregon’s first official state park. A century later, the state park system comprises 254 properties and more than 100,000 acres. 

From the first 5-acre land donation in 1922 until 1989, Oregon’s state park system grew within the Oregon Department of Transportation and its predecessor agencies. Oregon Parks and Recreation officially became an independent agency in 1990 with much fanfare and public engagement. 

In 1998, when some state parks were on the verge of closing, voters passed Measure 66, dedicating a portion of Oregon Lottery funding to OPRD. That vote provided the funding stability needed to keep parks open. That year, Oregon celebrated its first annual State Parks Day with free day-use parking and overnight camping.

State parks visitors are encouraged to post photos of their favorite state parks with hashtags #oregonstateparks and #oregonstateparks100. Follow Oregon State Parks on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for the latest centennial updates, and to participate in digital engagement opportunities. 

California Company Buys Oregon Wood Products Company

A California forest products company has bought Seneca, a Eugene, Oregon-based company that had owned more than 100,000 acres of land in southwestern Oregon.

Sierra Pacific Industries announced last week it had completed the acquisition. The combination of the two companies means Sierra Pacific Industries will have more than 2.3 million acres of timberlands, 18 sawmills and eight renewable biomass energy cogeneration facilities, along with millwork and windows operations.

Sierra Pacific Industries is based in Anderson, California. It owns and manages timberland in California, Oregon and Washington and is one of the largest U.S. lumber manufacturers. The company also produces millwork, windows and renewable energy.
Seneca was founded in Eugene in 1953. Seneca owned 131,000 acres of land in Douglas County.

Voting is underway for more than 3,0000 nurses and health care workers for Kaiser Permanente on whether to go on strike.

Members of the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals will vote over the next several days after voting began last night. The union and the hospital network are at odds over key issues, including safe staffing levels and wages. The final tally on the strike vote may not be known until next week.

The Oregon Zoo has a new director. The zoo announced yesterday that Heidi Rahn will replace Don Moore, who retired last year after a 45-year career in animal welfare science and wildlife conservation.

Rahn previously worked at the zoo from 2013 to 2018 as head of Metro’s 125-million dollar zoo bond program. Under her leadership, the zoo opened some of its most iconic areas including Condors of the Columbia, Elephant Lands, and the Education Center.

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