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 15, 2021
Rogue Valley Weather
- Winter Weather Advisory in effect from December 15, 08:00 AM PST until December 16, 08:00 AM PST
- Wind Advisory in effect from December 15, 07:00 AM PST until December 15, 01:00 PM PST
TodayA slight chance of rain and snow before 11am, then rain. Snow level rising to 2500 feet in the afternoon. High near 40. Breezy, with a southeast wind 13 to 22 mph, with gusts as high as 33 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
ThursdayA 50 percent chance of showers. Snow level 3200 feet. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 42. Light and variable wind.
FridayPartly sunny, with a high near 39. Light southeast wind.
SaturdayA 40 percent chance of rain, mainly after 11am. Cloudy, with a high near 43.
SundayRain likely, mainly before 11am. Snow level 3000 feet rising to 3800 feet in the afternoon. Cloudy, with a high near 41.
Grants Pass Woman Missing
Police are trying to find another missing woman in Josephine County
The Grants Pass Police Department said 39-year-old Rachael Behnke was last seen dropping her child off at a Grants Pass school on Friday, December 10. She was reported missing on Monday.
According to investigators, Behnke left her cellphone at home and her current whereabouts are unknown.
Behnke was last seen driving a white 2016 Ford Explorer with Oregon plate 684 MTH.
Last known location was at North Middle/Highland Schools area. Please check security cameras and Ring door bells.
Anyone with information regarding Behnke’s whereabouts is asked to call Grants Pass police at 541-450-6260.
UPDATE: Missing Douglas County Woman Found Deceased
A woman who has been missing for over two weeks was found dead in rural Douglas County.
Investigators said 77-year-old Bonnie Jo Short drove away from her Myrtle Creek home at about 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 27. After that, she did not contact anyone and her cell phone appeared to be turned off.
On the night of Monday, December 13, a person searching for loose cattle stumbled upon Short’s unoccupied vehicle off an old logging road near South Umpqua Road.
The next day, search and rescue crews scoured the area. Just after noon Tuesday, Short was found dead about 320 yards from her vehicle.
According to the Myrtle Creek Police Department, there were no signs of anything suspicious and foul play was not involved.
No further information about the case was released.
Anyone with information about Bonnie’s whereabouts is asked to call the Myrtle Creek Police Department at 541-440-4471.
Missing Prospect Woman Found Stranded in Snow off Forest Road
Jackson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) Search and Rescue (SAR) saved a missing Prospect woman last night stranded in the snow off a forest road.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office noted in a press release that the 46-year old woman had been missing for nearly 24 hours when she was reported to ECSO Dispatch.
“Six teams of SAR volunteers and JCSO deputies conducted a hasty search of her last known area,” the department said. “A SAR search truck team found the woman three hours later off of Rancheria Road near Butte Falls.”
The department noted she was “cold, tired and nearly out of gas” when found her and said she likely “would not have survived another night in the elements.”
The search was delayed due to deep snow in much of the Rogue River National Forest search area.
“This search was one of three SAR call-outs last night to rescue stranded motorists,” the press release notes. “As weather conditions worsen in much of the higher-elevation areas of Jackson County, it is important to avoid going off-road during the winter season.”
The department warned motorists that winter weather is expected most of this week, with a greater chance for heavy pass snow and a possibility of valley snow mid-week.
” Driving conditions will only get worse with the coming weather. Plan accordingly in your travels and be prepared for winter conditions,” the press release reads.
Grants Pass Police Department: Due to the weather, a large tree has fallen blocking M Street and causing localized power outages.
Medford Airport Upgrading Fiber Optic Internet
The Medford Airport is upgrading its high-speed internet just in time for the holiday season. It is installing new fiber-optic internet cables that city and county officials say makes MFR one of the fastest internet-capable airports in the country.
“This upgrade is a great example of how the community can adapt and provide the best access for remote workers and improve the work-life balance for many of our employees in the city of Medford,” said Mayor Randy Sparacino at a press conference announcing the changes.
The upgrades were made with remote work in mind, as more people opt for jobs that can be done from any location. Eli Matthews, the President and CEO of the Medford Chamber of Commerce, says the improvements will allow the city to move forward in the digital age.
“The way that we live, the way that we work and the way that we play has really dramatically changed over the last few years. Now, this new era demands technology advancements in connectivity,” he said.
According to a recent survey by the job search site FlexJobs, 58% of people who have been working remotely during the pandemic said they would “absolutely” look for a new job if their current employer did not allow them to continue working remotely. Offering flexible work schedules has become a competitive edge for companies that could determine the future success of their business.
“These technology upgrades not only benefit the employer, but also the employee and the rest of the community at large. The increased technology will support better productivity for business,” Matthews said.
The upgrades were made in partnership with Hunter Communications, a telecom service company founded in 1992 and headquartered in Medford. Travelers will have access to fast internet speeds in order to download videos or take last-minute video calls before boarding their plane.
“I know how vital this airport is to the economic vitality of this region, and it is a gem that we must treasure. This type of upgrade is putting us to the forefront of our other communities of our size,” Sparacino said.
Oregon reports 883 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 49 new deaths
PORTLAND, Ore. — There are 49 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 5,469, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported at 12:01 a.m. today.
OHA reported 883 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 402,436.
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (4), Benton (11), Clackamas (64), Clatsop (7), Columbia (8), Coos (46), Crook (17), Curry (5), Deschutes (46), Douglas (39), Harney (2), Hood River (4), Jackson (57), Jefferson (2), Josephine (16), Klamath (18), Lane (54), Lincoln (5), Linn (50), Malheur (4), Marion (102), Morrow (1), Multnomah (85), Polk (33), Tillamook (13), Umatilla (22), Union (28), Wallowa (1), Wasco (8), Washington (83), Wheeler (8) and Yamhill (40).
Oregon Adds 10,000 Jobs in November
Nonfarm payroll employment in Oregon rose by 10,000 in November, following a revised gain of 6,400 jobs in October. In November, gains were largest in leisure and hospitality (+4,100 jobs), construction (+1,800), professional and business services (+1,600), and retail trade (+1,100). These gains were partially offset by a loss of 1,100 jobs in health care and social assistance.
Several industries added enough jobs to reach all-time highs. Construction employed 113,800 in November, which was 500 jobs above its prior record reached in February 2020 during the peak of Oregon’s prior economic expansion. Similarly, wholesale trade, which added 400 jobs in November, reached 77,400, enough to boost it to a record high for the first time since February 2020. Professional and business services rose to 257,500 jobs in November, which was 100 jobs above its pre-COVID record.
Leisure and hospitality added 4,100 jobs in November, following a gain of 3,600 in October. Despite these gains, leisure and hospitality still accounts for a large share of Oregon’s jobs not recovered since early 2020, with 25,400 jobs left to recover to reach the prior peak month of February 2020. The industry has regained 77% of jobs lost early in the pandemic.
Education and health services was 16,000 jobs — or 5% — below its pre-recession peak. Within this broad industry, nursing and residential care facilities was 6,900 jobs below its pre-recession peak, and private educational services was down 3,900. Employment in hospitals was down 2,700 jobs, and ambulatory health care services was down 1,200.
Oregon’s unemployment rate dropped to 4.2% in November, down from 4.4% in October. The U.S. unemployment rate was also 4.2% in November. Oregon’s unemployment rate has declined rapidly over the past six months; it was close to 6% throughout the first half of the year. Oregon’s unemployment rate is now close to the state’s historically low unemployment rates which averaged 3.9% during 2017 through 2019, the three calendar years at the end of the prior economic expansion.
The Oregon Employment Department plans to release the November county and metropolitan area unemployment rates on Tuesday, Dec. 21, and the next statewide unemployment rate and employment survey data for December on Wednesday, Jan. 19.
Notes: All numbers in the above narrative are seasonally adjusted except for the components of health care.
The Oregon Employment Department and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) work cooperatively to develop and publish monthly Oregon payroll employment and labor force data. The estimates of monthly job gains and losses are based on a survey of businesses. The estimates of unemployment are based on a survey of households and other sources.
The Oregon Employment Department publishes payroll employment estimates that are revised quarterly by using employment counts from employer unemployment insurance tax records. All department publications use this Official Oregon Series data unless noted otherwise. This month’s release incorporates the April, May, and June 2021 tax records data. The department continues to make the original nonfarm payroll employment series available; these data are produced by the BLS.
The PDF version of the news release can be found at QualityInfo.org/press-release. To obtain the data in other formats such as in Excel, visit QualityInfo.org, then within the top banner, select Economic Data, then choose LAUS or CES. To request the press release as a Word document, contact the person shown at the top of this press release.
To file a claim for unemployment benefits or get more information about unemployment programs, visit unemployment.oregon.gov.
Equal Opportunity program — auxiliary aids and services available upon request to individuals with disabilities. Contact: (503) 947-1794. For people who are deaf or hard of hearing, call 711 Telecommunications Relay Services.
Weekend Storms Helped Oregon Snowpack Considerably
On December 6th Oregon’s statewide snowpack average was roughly 13%. But after the stormy weekend, the region saw that figure has jumped up to 73%.
Scott Oviatt with NRCS Oregon said much of that fell in the Cascades, but he noted some of the snow made it over the mountains to central and eastern Oregon. He added when looking at the entire state, the northern portion of the state enjoyed a great weekend.
“If we drew a line essentially from Eugene to Ontario, those areas received the brunt of the storm impacts. Southeastern Oregon, the Klamath Basin eastward, not so much. Just due to the nature of the storm.”
When it comes to snow basins across Oregon:
- Rogue-Umpqua 131% of average
- Willamette 107% of average
- Hood-Sandy-Lower Deschutes 92% of average
- Upper Deschutes-Crooked 78% of average
- Klamath 62% of average
- Lake Conty-Goose Lake 64% of average
- Harney 55% of average
- John Day 75% of average
- Umatilla-Walla Walla-Willow 93% of average
- Grand Ronde-Burnt-Powder-Imnaha 87% of average
- Malheur 76% of average
- Owyhee 26% of average
While the numbers have improved considerably, Oviatt called it a step in the right direction.
“In order for this trend to continue, obviously we need cooler temperatures. As you recall in October, November and into early December, we were above normal temperature wise. So, what precipitation we were receiving came in the form of rain, so we saw very little snow accumulation, if any. So, we did have this cooler system, the hope would be that would continue as we move through January, February and into early March.”
Oviatt added part of the hope is for a cool spring so whatever snowpack the state gets will slowly melt off, meaning more water during the heat of the summer irrigation season.
Oregon State Police seeking public assistance in the killing of Bald Eagle- Lane County
OSP Fish & Wildlife Troopers from the Springfield Area Command are seeking the public’s assistance in the identification of a person(s) who are responsible for killing a Bald Eagle in the Junction City area. On November 30, 2021, a citizen reported finding a dead Bald Eagle in the Cox Butte area west of Junction City, Oregon.
Bald Eagles and other raptors are protected in Oregon. They commonly inhabit the Willamette Valley and are an important part of the wildlife ecosystem. It is illegal to harass, injure or kill a Bald Eagle. The penalties for killing an eagle can be a maximum fine of $6250.00 and a sentence of up to a year in jail. Additionally, upon conviction, the court can order the person who illegally kills a Bald Eagle to pay an additional $5000.00 in damages.
OSP is asking anyone with information related to this investigation to contact the Oregon State Police through the OSP TIP Hotline: 1-800-452-7888 or OSP (677) or TIP E-Mail: TIP@state.or.us. Please reference Case #SP21335107.
Report Wildlife and Habitat Law Violators
The Oregon Hunters Association TIP reward offers preference points or cash rewards for information leading to an arrest or issuance of a citation for the unlawful take/possession or waste of Bighorn Sheep, Rocky Mountain Goat, Moose, Elk, Deer, Antelope, Bear, Cougar, Wolf, Upland Birds, Waterfowl, Furbearers, Game Fish and Shellfish. Cash rewards can also be awarded for turning in people who destroy habitat, illegally obtain licenses/tags, and for the unlawful lending/borrowing of big game tags.
Star Stolen From Top Of Oakland Oregon’s 20-Foot Christmas Tree
Someone climbed the 20-foot community Christmas tree in this Douglas County town and stole the star from the top just after midnight December 9, 2021.
“The large lighted star was stolen from the top of the tree,” said the Sutherlin Police Department, which also serves the City of Oakland. “The tree, the lighting and the decorations were damaged as a result of the incident.”
According to police:
The City of Oakland and numerous volunteers work very hard every year to erect their community Christmas Tree in the downtown area for everyone to enjoy.
The tree is always neatly decorated with ornaments and lights.
The community Christmas Tree and their tree lighting ceremony has been a tradition for at least 50 years, and possibly longer than people know.
Police shared video of the suspects and their car, which police say appears to be a 1990s Honda Civic hatchback.
“There is a reward for information leading to the identities and the ultimate prosecution of the persons involved,” police said. “If you have information, you can call the Sutherlin Police Department at (541) 440-4471. You can also contact us by e-mail at policerecords@ci.sutherlin.or.us.”
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