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, December 7, 2021
Rogue Valley Weather
Today– Patchy fog before 7am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 53. Calm wind.
Wednesday– A 40 percent chance of rain. Snow level 5200 feet lowering to 4300 feet in the afternoon . Cloudy, with a high near 47. Light west northwest wind.
Thursday– A chance of rain and snow between 10am and 4pm, then rain likely. Snow level 1400 feet rising to 2200 feet in the afternoon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 40. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.
Friday– Mostly cloudy, with a high near 42.
Saturday– A chance of rain and snow before 10am, then rain. Snow level 1900 feet rising to 3700 feet in the afternoon. Cloudy, with a high near 45.
UPDATE: Medford Plane Crash
An investigation continues after a plane crashed into an auto dealership in Medford, killing at least two people. The crash at Airport Chevrolet happened Sunday night.
The plane was a Piper PA-21-350. The dealership was closed at the time of the crash and no one on the ground was injured. The National Transportation Safety Board is on scene today. In all, over 20 vehicles at the dealership were destroyed.
Update December 6th, 2021 at 6:00 p.m.The Medford Police Department had previously confirmed one fatality, the aircraft pilot. But the FAA’s incident notice lists two — one flight crew and one passenger.
The Medford Police Department are working with the Medford Fire Department, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). We can confirm two people were on the plane when it crashed and they did not survive. Next of kin have been notified. They are identified as:
Pilot: Sefton, Donald Harbert, 69 years old. He had an address in Fallon, Nevada.
Passenger: Serpa, Valorie Jean, 67 years old, also of Fallon, Nevada.
Further media inquiries can be directed to NTSB Senior Aircraft Accident Investigator Zoe Keliher. Phone: 310-589-0808. Email: zoe.keliher@ntsb.gov
Prior Press release from December 5th, 2021 below.
On December 5th, 2021, at about 4:52 p.m., several Medford Police officers and rescue personnel responded to a plane crash in the parking lot adjacent to Airport Chevrolet, 3001 Biddle Road. Initial information indicates one person was on board the plane when it crashed and they did not survive. It is not believed anyone on the ground was injured. The plane involved is reported to be a 9 passenger propeller plane. Medford Fire and Rescue has the scene under control at this time.
Holiday Food Drive for Victims of Almeda Fire
Jackson County Sheriff’s Department is honored to be part of a Holiday Food Drive to support families still recovering from the Almeda Fire. With your help we can deliver a holiday dinner and essential household items to these families. Please drop off the non-perishable items listed below or make a monetary donation. Thanks much for your support. https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=268488048655208&set=a.222916653212348
Controlled Burn Tuesday, December 7th in Ashland Watershed
On Tuesday, December 7th, the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest will manage a controlled burn of burn piles on behalf of the Ashland Forest Resiliency project in the Horn Gap area of the western Ashland Watershed. Due to the location away from town and trails, we do expect smoke impacts except along the main 2060 road, though this area is not well used at this time of year. Check weather and smoke on the watershed camera. Smoke may be visible during the day if clearing allows.
Burning of brush piles lowers fire danger and is an important step in restoring forest resiliency and preventing severe summmer wildfires. Our Smokewise Ashland site has all the resources you need to stay healthy when smoke is in the air.
Please sign up for our burn alerts, particularly for smoke sensitive people who need to take precautions.
To receive non-emergency burning and smoke alerts:
Text WATERSHED in the message line to 888777 for non-emergency notifications, or register for the AFR email list.
Oregon State Police Arrest Wanted Homicide Suspect-Josephine County
On Monday, December 6th, 2021, at approximately 12:00 PM, Oregon State Police received information from the Federal Bureau of Investigation regarding a wanted subject, Murray Maurice Edwards, who was traveling south on Interstate 5 near Wolf Creek. Information provided indicated the subject had an active warrant from Pierce County, Washington for homicide and was traveling in a 1999 GMC Suburban with California plates.
Oregon State Police located a vehicle matching the description at the southbound Manzanita Rest Area. With the assistance of the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office, Troopers and Deputies attempted contact with the vehicle at the rest area but when approached the suspect fled south on Interstate 5 at a high rate of speed. A Trooper attempted to deploy spike strips to disable the vehicle, but the suspect saw the spike strips thrown and swerved aggressively to avoid them. The speed and evasive maneuver caused him to lose control of the vehicle and crash into the concrete center divider. Edwards was taken into custody without further incident.
Edwards was evaluated at the scene by AMR and then transported to Three Rivers Community Hospital. Following evaluation, he was interviewed by FBI agents and later lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the outstanding warrant. Local charges will be forwarded to the Josephine County District Attorney for consideration.
Oregon reports 2,041 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 25 new deaths
There are 25 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 5,268. Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported 2,041 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 bringing the state total to 396,501.
The 25 new deaths and 2,041 new cases reported today include data recorded by counties for the three-day period between Dec. 3 and Dec. 5.
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (7), Benton (69), Clackamas (214), Clatsop (18), Columbia (32), Coos (41), Crook (9), Curry (3), Deschutes (190), Douglas (84), Harney (4), Hood River (8), Jackson (111), Jefferson (17), Josephine (77), Klamath (11), Lake (7), Lane (132), Lincoln (20), Linn (115), Malheur (3), Marion (127), Morrow (6), Multnomah (351), Polk (22), Tillamook (18), Umatilla (11), Union (7), Wasco (11), Washington (276), Wheeler (2) and Yamhill (38).
Oregon reports 1,041 confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases on Dec. 3, 596 confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases on Dec. 4 and 404 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases on Dec. 5.
Due to delayed reporting, a large volume of approximately 7,000 backlogged electronic laboratory reports (ELRs) were received on Dec. 3. Results were from Nov. 1 through Nov. 30. As a result, test counts and case counts are higher than anticipated for Dec. 3.
Armed Suspect Shot And Killed On I-5 near Portland After Spree of Crimes and Carjackings
Authorities say an armed suspect was shot and killed on Interstate 5 Monday by Portland police after a spree of crimes, including robbery and carjackings.
Portland police first responded to what they believed was a home invasion robbery Monday morning, authorities said. During the robbery, the suspect stole the victim’s vehicle and fled, according to police.
Within the next 30 to 40 minutes, the suspect appeared to commit several other carjackings, police said.
Officers located the suspect, who drove onto Interstate 5 southbound — the wrong way.
According to authorities, the suspect got out of the vehicle and attempted another carjacking, shooting one of the car’s occupants in the process. Police said the victim is recovering in the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Rose Roberts, a 30-year-old woman who lives in an encampment near the highway, told The Oregonian that she heard three or four gunshots and saw what appeared to be a family — a man, woman, a young child, and an infant in a car seat — running from the freeway.
Police then shot and killed the suspect, authorities said. “This is a complex investigation involving the use of deadly force,” Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell said on Twitter .
Portland, like many cities across the United States, has seen a staggering increase in crime this year. The city broke a 34-year record for homicide numbers earlier in 2021, surpassing the most violent year in Portland’s modern history. Interstate 5 was closed in both directions and police said there was no further danger to the public.
State Housing Agency Accidently Sends Bad Checks To Oregonians Seeking Emergency Rent Assistance
The Oregon Housing and Community Services department sent out hundreds of bad checks bearing incorrect routing numbers to Oregonians seeking emergency rent assistance.
Delia Hernández, a spokesperson for the state agency, said there was an accounting issue with one batch of checks, and that the routing numbers were missing a digit. Hernández said the agency issued 468 checks with incorrect routing numbers. As of Friday morning, 173 of the checks had been cashed, but 295 hadn’t.
“Many people were able to cash the checks if the bank verified it through the ‘Positive Pay’ process,” Hernandez said, referring to a system many banks use to identify fraudulent checks. “We are reaching out to the affected tenants and landlords individually with information on how to cash the check or get it reissued if needed.”
Carl Benda, a Portland-based property manager who manages about 60 properties across Oregon, said his company has received about 10 checks through the Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program since mid-November that he was unable to cash with his bank.
He said the checks came from Public Partnerships LLC, a contractor Oregon Housing and Community Services hired in August to help the state tackle its backlog of rent assistance applications.
Benda said he tried to call the phone number listed on the check and also contacted Public Partnerships LLC directly, but didn’t receive a response. He also tried emailing a staff member at Oregon Housing and Community Services, who said the agency would look into the issue. But Benda said he never heard anything more after that.
”It’s just the latest in a litany of snafus,” Benda said.
While Benda said he understands the state is trying to deliver an unprecedented amount of rent assistance in a short period of time, he said the lack of communication or acknowledgement from the state about the mistake was frustrating. He said he wants to know when the problem will be corrected and he can expect to receive new checks.
Hernández did not say how long it would take for people to receive new checks. She said those who have received bad checks can call 844-378-2931.
The agency had just stopped taking applications for emergency rental assistance last Wednesday, after announcing that it had already spent or allocated all of its $289 million in federal emergency rental assistance.
The agency reports it has sent rent aid to 23,155 households so far and has pledged assistance to another 3,265. It has received nearly 56,000 completed applications.
Gov. Brown announced last week she would call a special session of the Oregon Legislature to address preventing evictions for renters over the winter.
That session, set to begin Dec. 13, will largely focus on extending evictions protections for those who have applied for rental assistance, paying landlords for the rent they’re owed, and allocating additional rental assistance to support low-income tenants throughout the winter. Brown said she also hopes to devote about $100 million to long-term renter protections.
Pacific Power Blue Sky renewable customers turn holiday lights green throughout Northwest
Community lighting festivals glowing with commitment from Blue Sky renewable energy participants, providing more hope and less carbon. In addition, Pacific Power is supporting a wide range of local community events this season
Local holiday celebrations — from Prineville’s Christmas in the Pines to Medford’s Winter Lights Festival, to the 100,000 lights adorning downtown Lebanon — will help illuminate the importance of renewable energy this season, thanks to Pacific Power’s Blue Sky renewable energy program participants.
Pacific Power also supports seasonal community events throughout the areas it serves such as the Small Business Shopping Saturday in Yakima, the Toppenish Holiday Light Parade and the Rogue Winterfest in Grants Pass. Learn more at Making Spirits Bright (pacificpower.net)
Throughout the Northwest, 14 Pacific Power communities will have the power used by their local lighting celebrations matched with renewable energy. Overall, community lighting programs are being supported with almost 225 megawatt hours of Blue Sky renewable energy. That amount of renewable energy reduces the carbon footprint of these community lighting displays by 313,993 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2e), which is the environmental equivalent of not driving the average car more than 353,412 miles, which is a bit more than a trip to the moon.
“Bringing light to the holidays has been part of Pacific Power’s involvement in the communities we’ve served now for more than a century,” said Cory Scott, vice president of customer and community solutions for Pacific Power. “With the growing commitment to renewable energy throughout the region, we’re proud again this year to ‘green’ these traditional festivals, helping light the season with more hope and less carbon.”
Customers can find out more about Blue Sky renewable energy by calling Pacific Power at 1-800-769-3717 or by visiting www.pacificpower.net/bluesky .
Communities greening their holiday lighting displays this year include:
- Albany
- Astoria
- Cannon Beach
- Corvallis
- Cottage Grove
- Dayton, Wash.
- Grants Pass
- Josephine County
- Lebanon
- Medford
- Portland
- Prineville
- Redmond
- Seaside
- Umatilla
- Yakima, Wash.
About Pacific Power
Pacific Power strives to promote innovation and works with customers and communities to increase the visibility of renewable energy generation technologies through education and community outreach. Pacific Power is headquartered in Portland and provides electric service to 770,000 customers in Oregon, Washington and California. As part of PacifiCorp, one of the lowest-cost electricity producers in the United States, Pacific Power and Rocky Mountain Power provide 2 million customers in six western states with reliable, efficient energy. The company works to meet growing energy demand while protecting and enhancing the environment.
Oregon State Police Detectives seeking public assistance in shooting death on Hwy 38-Douglas County
On Tuesday, November 30, 2021, at approximately 1:30 PM, Oregon State Troopers and Douglas County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a medical assistance call on Interstate 5 near milepost 153. Officers learned a male had been struck by a bullet while driving on Hwy 38, west of Drain.
The male victim, Larry Eugene Mell (72) of Cottage Grove, was transported to Mercy Hospital in Roseburg, then transported by air ambulance to Riverbend Hospital in Springfield. In the early morning hours of Wednesday, December 1, 2021, investigators learned Mell, did not survive his injury. The Douglas County Major Crimes Team was activated to assist in the investigation. The Douglas County Major Crimes Team is comprised of members from the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office, the Oregon State Police, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and the Roseburg Police Department.
The area between Putnam Valley Road and Roaring Camp Lane on Hwy 38 is where investigators believe the victims red, 2003 Ram 2500 4-door pickup with a black ladder rack was struck by gunfire. Detectives don’t believe there is an ongoing threat to the community at this time and are looking for any additional witnesses or information that can help with the investigation.
Investigators are asking anyone who was recreating in the area on Tuesday, November 30, 2021 or has specific information that might be helpful to call the Oregon State Police at 1-800-442-2068 or OSP (677). Please reference OSP Case #SP21-335049. — Oregon State Police
Gov. Brown Orders Flags to be Flown at Half-Staff to Honor US Senator Bob Dole
Governor Brown on Monday ordered that all flags at Oregon public institutions be flown at half-staff to honor veteran and former US Senator Bob Dole, who died Sunday at the age of 98. The order to fly flags at half-staff is effective immediately until sunset on December 9. After fighting and receiving serious wounds during WWII, Dole received the Purple Heart twice and two Bronze Stars with an oak leaf cluster for his service.
Dole served for 27 years as a US senator from Kansas, including two stints as the Senate majority leader, and made an unsuccessful run as the Republican presidential nominee against Bill Clinton in 1996 — his third attempt at the White House
Intel Trying to Rebuild its Business
Intel’s new chief executive told an audience of Oregon business leaders Monday that the state’s economic fortunes are tied to the future of his industry, pitching a $52 billion federal aid package that would fund new computer chip factories and research.
Intel is Oregon’s largest corporate employer, with 21,000 workers at its factories and campuses in Washington County. It’s the company’s largest site anywhere, but no Intel CEO had made a public appearance in Oregon in more than a decade before CEO Phil Gelsinger’s address Monday.
Intel is trying to dig out of a decade of manufacturing failures under Gelsinger’s predecessors, a miserable stretch that cost the company its technological leadership. Two Asian companies, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing
Co. and Samsung, now make the most advanced chips.
Gelsinger, hired in June, has committed tens of billions of dollars to new factories and research in hopes Intel can
claw its way back into the technological race. He’s counting on several billion dollars from the CHIPS Act to offset the company’s costs.
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