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
Wednesday, December 8, 2021
Rogue Valley Weather
Today– A 40 percent chance of showers, mainly before 4pm. Snow level 5800 feet lowering to 4000 feet in the afternoon . Cloudy, with a high near 46. Light west northwest wind.
Thursday– A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 4pm. Snow level 1900 feet. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 39. Calm wind.
Friday– Mostly cloudy, with a high near 43. Calm wind.
Saturday– Rain, mainly after 4pm. Snow level 2100 feet rising to 3500 feet in the afternoon. High near 46. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Sunday– Rain. Snow level 3300 feet. Cloudy, with a high near 42.
UPDATE: Medford Plane Crash Investigation
The last closed roadway outside of Airport Chevrolet in Medford reopened on Tuesday as investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board continued the investigation into a fiery plane crash on the dealership lot that claimed the lives of two people Sunday evening.
Airport Chevrolet said on Monday morning that it had reopened its Sales Department, but its Service Department remained closed due to the damage caused by the crash and the adjacent investigation. Automation Way, the street to the north of the dealership off Biddle Road, was back open as of Sunday night following the initial crash response
Medford Police announced Tuesday that Chevy Way, the street to the south that was closest to the crash, was back open for through traffic.
The pilot and a single passenger killed in the crash were identified Monday as 69-year-old Donald Harbert Sefton and 67-year-old Valerie Jean Serpa, both of Fallon, Nevada, a small city located east of Reno and Carson City. The aircraft, a Piper PA-31-350 “Navajo Chieftain” twin-propeller plane, was manufactured in 1977. It was registered to
Sefton. Video provided to NewsWatch 12 from two sources shows that the plane descended rapidly and at a near-vertical angle before slamming into the Airport Chevy lot, creating a plume of smoke and then exploding into flame seconds later.
SWAT Team Apprehends Barricaded Domestic Violence Suspect Without Incident
SHADY COVE – Emergency Communications of Southern Oregon (ECSO) dispatch received a call at 8:25 this morning for a victim menaced with a firearm during a domestic disturbance. Jackson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) patrol deputies responded to the 100 block of Birch St. in Shady Cove and the suspect barricaded himself alone in the residence.
JCSO SWAT Team, K9 units, and the Crisis Negotiators Team responded. The suspect was uncooperative, telling deputies he wouldn’t be taken alive, and refusing to exit the residence. At 10:55 a.m. the SWAT Team deployed a noise flash diversionary device (flashbang) and the suspect surrendered without incident.
The suspect, Bart Anthony Tardif, 62, of Shady Cove, is booked in the Jackson County Jail and charged with Menacing DV, Assault 4 DV, Harassment, and Felon in possession of a firearm. Bail is set at $22,500.
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
Oregon reports 945 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 31 new deaths
| There are 31 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 5,299. Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported 945 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 bringing the state total to 397,421. |
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (6), Benton (14), Clackamas (67), Clatsop (4), Columbia (11), Coos (48), Crook (16), Curry (4), Deschutes (52), Douglas (30), Grant (1), Harney (2), Hood River (14), Jackson (57), Jefferson (13), Josephine (30), Klamath (24), Lake (1), Lane (58), Lincoln (12), Linn (39), Malheur (5), Marion (103), Morrow (5), Multnomah (98), Polk (36), Sherman (2), Tillamook (8), Umatilla (23), Union (5), Wallow (2), Wasco (11), Washington (107) and Yamhill (37).
More Than 50 Earthquakes Strike Off Oregon Coast Tuesday; No Tsunamis Expected
Dozens of earthquakes above magnitude 5.0 struck about 200-250 miles west of Newport on Tuesday and are still happening into this morning 12/8. The quakes hit roughly 200 to 250 miles off the coast of Newport.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is reporting dozens of small-to-moderate earthquakes that started yesterday (December 7, 2021) and continued through this morning, off the coast of the U.S. state of Oregon. The largest reached magnitude 5.8, according to USGS. Earthquakes in the ocean sometimes cause tsunamis. But no tsunamis were ever expected from these earthquakes, and none are expected at this writing.
The earthquakes occurred more than six miles below the surface of the water, none of them were felt on land and no tsunamis were expected, according to the National Weather Service and the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network.
Earthquakes often happen in a series, although it’s unusual to see so many earthquakes (at least 40 by my count) as in this series. They’re of special interest because they’re happening off the coast of a heavily populated region. We often see a dozen or so foreshocks and aftershocks around a primary earthquake. The small-to-moderate quakes off the Oregon coast on December 7-8, 2021, can be considered foreshocks and aftershocks of each other. The terms are relative. It’ll be easiest to sort out which are foreshocks and which are aftershocks (and which are both) once the earthquake series has stopped.
The Pacific Northwest Seismic Network tweeted that this area — the Blanco Fracture Zone — is one of the most seismically active near North America, and the high activity is not a cause for concern.
The United States Geological Service (USGS) latest earthquake map shows all earthquakes 2.5 magnitude and above over the last 24 hours.
Earthquakes are relatively common off the coast of Oregon, a reminder of the state’s close proximity to moving fault lines. The Juan de Fuca plate off the coast is building up pressure and subsiding under the North American plate and has not produced a major earthquake in more than 300 years. Scientists predict a 37% chance of a 7.1 magnitude earthquake or higher in the Cascadia Subduction Zone in the next 50 years, likely to trigger a major tsunami and potentially devastate many parts of the Northwest.
ShakeAlert, an early earthquake warning system, launched in Oregon earlier this year. The system is made up of a network of sensors that shares information about the magnitude, location and expected shaking from earthquakes on the West Coast.
The last earthquake as of this writing took place at 2:50 am this morning, December 8. It was a 5.2-magnitude quake. So it’s unknown yet how many more earthquakes might occur in the Pacific, off the Oregon coast, today.
Earthquakes happen every day. As of this writing, USGS is showing 80 earthquakes – all around the globe – over the past 24 hours. More than 40 of them happened off the coast of Oregon.
Trucking Industry In Oregon Struggling With Supply Chain Issues and Driver Shortage
One in 17 jobs in Oregon is related to the industry. One crucial part of the supply chain issue is trucking.
80% of the communities in Oregon are only serviced by truck, and 88% of Oregon’s manufactured goods are shipped by truck. The supply chain issues hurt more than just the trucking industry.
“There’s a real shortage of truck drivers. I’ve got 25 trucks out of my 500 truck fleet sitting for lack of drivers,” says Mike Card, President of Combined Transport. “These are $150,000 trucks with trailers that I could be hauling freight with, that I cannot.”
Industry leaders say the truck driver pool has shrunk almost 6%. But a lack of drivers is just one symptom of a bigger problem. Equipment shortages like diesel exhaust fluid sensors have contributed to the supply chain issues.
These sensors control the truck, so if you don’t have DEF it shuts the truck off. When the sensors go bad, it causes a lot a problems when you can’t replace them.
“We had a driver, we had a truck, but we couldn’t roll because there were no DEF sensors available,” Card says. “We tried to get them to give us software so we could run our trucks without sensors, but it was a mess and we lost many minutes.”
Congestion is also a factor. The I-5 bridge and the Rose Quarter choke points are in the top 30 bottlenecks in the country.
Card says legislation like lowering the minimum age for drivers, can help. You have to be 21 or older to be a truck driver. So the trucking industry can’t recruit younger workers. Nationally, the average age of a truck driver is 46.
Local workforce boards are another way they’re trying to fix the issues. The Oregon Trucking Association is working to get more people on the workforce boards to make people aware of the issues and recruit more workers.
Rare sea otter that was found injured on the Oregon Coast last week has sadly passed away
The sea otter that was found injured on the Oregon Coast last week has sadly passed away, the Oregon Coast Aquarium said Monday. The otter – a rarity on the coast – was first spotted at Yaquina Head, just north of Newport.
Once word got out, crowds started gathering to watch the otter groom itself and eat purple sea urchin. Then last Thursday, the aquarium said the otter was being treated for infection and multiple wounds – likely from a shark bite – after a park ranger with the Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area found him hauled ashore with limited mobility and poor fur quality.
Aquarium veterinary staff tended to the otter’s wounds, treated him for infection, and provided him with incrementally larger portions of food to combat emaciation. The aquarium said the otter was initially alert and accepting food, but his status quickly changed.
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