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
Friday, December 17, 2021
Rogue Valley Weather
Today– Areas of fog before 10am. Patchy freezing fog before 10am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 39. Calm wind.
Saturday– Areas of freezing fog before 10am. Cloudy, with a high near 42. Calm wind.
Sunday– A 50 percent chance of rain. Cloudy, with a high near 46. Southeast wind 3 to 5 mph.
Monday– Rain likely, mainly after 10am. Snow level 3500 feet rising to 4800 feet in the afternoon. Cloudy, with a high near 45. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Tuesday– Rain likely. Snow level 3500 feet rising to 4700 feet in the afternoon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 44.
Dispatch, Law Enforcement Work Together to Rescue Armed Suicidal Subject
BUTTE FALLS, OR. – At 8:40 Thursday morning, Emergency Communications of Southern Oregon (ECSO) dispatch received a call for an armed suicidal woman lost in the woods overnight after ingesting pills.
Jackson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) deputies and an Oregon State Police (OSP) trooper found her vehicle stuck in the snow 90 minutes later near the intersection of 3738 Forest Service road and Butte Falls-Fish Lake Road.
An ECSO dispatcher was able to establish phone communications and kept the woman engaged by being compassionate, emphasizing her self-worth, and giving her someone to talk to. The dispatcher stayed on the line for nearly an hour until law enforcement arrived.
JCSO deputies and the OSP trooper talked her into disarming herself and receiving the help she needed. Due to snowy conditions on the road they walked her to an awaiting Mercy Flights ambulance. The patient is receiving care at a local hospital.
During the holiday season it is especially important that we reach out to our loved ones and get them the help they need before it is too late. You’re not alone. Help is available. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. – Jackson Co. Sheriff’s Office
Illinois Valley Fire District Structure Fire
Illinois Valley Fire District was dispatched to an early morning Structure Fire at 39xx Rockydale Road.
Arriving units found an out-building fully involved with fire and mostly on the ground.
Units on scene, IVFD, AMR, and Rural Metro Fire Department moved up to cover the IVFD District.
Mop-up was completed and the scene was turned over to the person’s on scene. Fire is under investigation at this time.
Family trying to find another missing woman in Josephine County
The family has started a Facebook page and asking for help with searching for Rachael. https://www.facebook.com/rachaelbehnkeSG/
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.
Rentec Direct Supports Southern Oregon Children Through Salvation Army Angel Tree Program in Grants Pass
For the third year, property management software company hosts local Angel Tree to brighten the holiday season for children in need
Rentec Direct, the highest-rated property management software solution, is supporting children in need this holiday season by participating in the Salvation Army’s annual Angel Tree program. The Angel Tree program gives donors in local communities the opportunity to provide new clothing, toys and other gifts to children in need to help brighten the holidays. This year, Rentec was able to support nearly 30 children through its local Angel Tree.
“The holidays should be a time to celebrate, but unfortunately our community is still working to recover from the impacts of the pandemic,” said Nathan Miller, President of Rentec Direct. “With so many Americans behind on housing payments and struggling to make ends meet, we are proud to support both the Angel Tree program and the Salvation Army Grants Pass Corps to do what we can to help families in our own community who are in need of assistance this holiday season.”
The Salvation Army Angel Tree program allows anonymous donors to “adopt” children who would otherwise go without gifts during the holiday season. Found in local malls, businesses and churches, Angel Trees are decorated with angel tags displaying the name, age and gender of a child in need. Donors can remove as many tags as they wish from the tree and purchase gifts to donate to the child described on the angel tag. Thanks to the Salvation Army’s partnership with Walmart, the program provides new clothing and toys to more than one million children and families in need each year.
This is Rentec’s third year hosting an Angel Tree in the Grants Pass community. Rentec Direct prioritizes philanthropy as a company and carefully selects organizations to support that will benefit its local community. Several angels from the Rentec tree were adopted on behalf of the company, and Rentec employees also participated in the program individually.
About Rentec Direct
Rentec Direct offers industry-leading property management software and tenant screening solutions for real estate professionals. Features include online rent payments, tenant and owner portals, the industry’s largest vacancy listing syndication network, full property, tenant, and owner accounting, 1099-MISC reporting and more. Rentec Direct was recognized as Real Estate Company of the Year in the 2021 American Business Awards®, was named one of the Most Customer Friendly Companies of the Year in the 2021 Best in Biz Awards, has been named to the Inc. 5000 List of Fastest-Growing Private Companies for five years in a row (as of 2021), and was also included on the 2017, 2018 and 2019 Entrepreneur360 list for Best Entrepreneurial Companies in America. www.rentecdirect.com
Report streetlight issues to Roseburg Public Works
ROSEBURG, OR – As we near the shortest and darkest day of the year on the winter solstice, you may take more notice of streetlights around Roseburg.
There are about 2,000 streetlights in town. Of those, 90% are owned and maintained by Pacific Power. The rest are owned by the City.
If you see a streetlight that is out or not working properly, please call the Roseburg Public Works Department at 541-492-6730 to report the issue.
It is helpful if you can include a street address or the pole number, which can be found on a tag about 5 feet up on the pole.
Public Works staff will send the report to the power company if necessary, or to a local electrical contractor the City uses to maintain the City-owned lights.
Please be aware that streetlight repairs may take 3 to 6 weeks to complete.
For more information, check out cityofroseburg.org/departments/public-works/faq.
Library to host a virtual visit with Oregon author
ROSEBURG, OR – Roseburg Public Library invites the community to an online Facebook Live event at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 6, with Oregon author Pat Sherman to discuss her new book, “American Tapestry: Portrait of a ‘Middling’ Family, 1746 – 1934.”
According to the author’s website, “Spanning the years between 1746 and 1934, ‘American Tapestry’ is a ride through American history” alongside a “middling” family of community leaders. This family exemplifies the type of people who served on foundational democratic institutions, and, although imperfect, “each of the identified family members” is seen responding to “challenges that embody the universal experience of the human condition,” the website reads.
Writing is a new departure for Sherman. After uncovering an ugly truth to her great-grandfather’s history, she said on her website that she felt “compelled to come to terms with the disparity between flattering biological sketches and the reality” of her family’s past. This quest for answers and the question “How could this be?” is what led Sherman to write “American Tapestry.”
Sherman grew up in Buffalo, N.Y., before moving to Oregon for school. She attended the University of Portland and Oregon State University before continuing her families’ centuries-long commitment to public service. Sherman served as the mayor of Brookings, Oregon; worked as a nurse and an accountant; and owned a seed business specializing in sweet peas. Sherman now spends her time with her family and two terriers in rural Oregon, where she practices photography, swimming and gardening.
Copies of the book are available through the library. Place holds on a physical copy of the book by logging into the library’s online catalog at roseburg.biblionix.com with a 14-digit Roseburg Public Library card number. The default password is the phone number used to register the account.
Sherman’s virtual visit will be livestreamed at Facebook.com/RoseburgLibrary. A Facebook account is not required.
Speaker questions may be submitted before the event to Lydia Rathe at lrathe@cityofroseburg.org or 541-492-7052. Viewers with Facebook accounts may post questions during the event by commenting on the livestream.
Oregon reports 909 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 19 new deaths
PORTLAND, Ore. — There are 19 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 5,527, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported at 12:01 a.m. today.
OHA reported 909 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 404,229.
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (3), Benton (15), Clackamas (88), Clatsop (17), Columbia (11), Coos (29), Crook (5), Curry (4), Deschutes (60), Douglas (25), Hood River (3), Jackson (67), Jefferson (9), Josephine (25), Klamath (10), Lake (1), Lane (65), Lincoln (16), Linn (36), Malheur (2), Marion (76), Morrow (3), Multnomah (133), Polk (28), Tillamook (10), Umatilla (14), Union (1), Wallowa (1), Wasco (5), Washington (121), and Yamhill (26).
It’s been one year since Oregon started administering the COVID-19 vaccination
Now, 70% of the state has had at least one shot. That’s equal to three million Oregonians.
Here’s how the numbers look now:
- 73.5% of adult Oregonians are fully vaccinated.
- 64.1% of the population as a whole is fully vaccinated.
The latest group to become eligible are kids 5 to11 years old. The Kaiser Permanente doctor says the vaccine rate with that age group is a bit concerning. It’s at about 26%. It’s worrisome because when you look at pediatric case rates in Oregon, the 5-to-11-year-old group currently has the highest rate.
The omicron variant is looking to be highly transmissible, and that’s partly why Dr. Dillon says getting vaccinated and boosted is so essential.
Oregon Governor Kate Brown has called a press conference for Noon on Friday to address the state’s ongoing response to COVID-19.
She’s expected to be joined by representatives from the Oregon Health Authority and Oregon Health and Science University. You can watch conference here:
Nearly 27,000 Oregon households have received rental assistance relief due to hardship from pandemic
State issues more than $187 million in federal emergency rental assistance
SALEM, Ore. — Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) announced today that as of Dec. 15, OHCS and local program administrators (LPAs) have paid $187.5 million in federal emergency rental assistance to 26,940 households, up from $170.2 million and 24,705 applicants last week, through the Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program (OERAP).
OERAP continues to be one of the nation’s top-performing programs and is ranked fourth in the nation, up from sixth last week, in the percentage of federal Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) funds paid out and obligated, as tracked by the National Low Income Housing Coalition.
During today’s media briefing, OHCS announced that with the recent legislation passed, there will be additional funding to continue helping Oregon families. The agency plans on accepting new applications in mid-January.
There was also important information on the new protections for tenants. Eric McClendon, director of Referral and Information Services at the Oregon State Bar, shared the following:
- Renters who fall behind on current or future rent now have until June 30, 2022, to apply for rental assistance to access the safe harbor period ending on Sept. 30, 2022. If they apply before June 30, they cannot be evicted before their application is processed. Renters must show their landlord they applied for the program to receive the protections.
- The new legislation overrides the previous safe harbor period of 60 days statewide and for some local jurisdictions (except in Multnomah County, unincorporated Washington County, and Lane County when it’s 90 days) that was previously passed by the Oregon Legislature.
- As a result, tenants have protection from eviction for nonpayment of rent by showing their rental assistance application to their landlord.
The Oregon State Bar has several programs that can assist with housing issues. Tenants can call 503-684-3763 or email legalhelp@oregonstatebar.org for more information.
Progress and updated numbers
Through its three-point plan, OHCS and its processing partner, Public Partnerships LLC (PPL), have made significant strides in the past several weeks to speed up application processing. Currently, 257 PPL staff are processing applications. In the past week alone, PPL processed 1,733 applications, far exceeding its target of 1,000. This is in addition to the applications processed by LPAs working across the state to finish paying out ERA 1 funds.
To date, OHCS and LPAs have:
- Paid $187,522,949 to landlords and tenants to help 26,940 Oregon households.
- Processed and obligated an additional $21.3 million in funds for 2,597 households.
- Received more than 53,361 completed applications.
Visit the OERAP dashboard for more data.
Fred Meyer Employees In Oregon And Washington Ready To Strike Friday Morning
Members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555 union are set to strike against Fred Meyer and Quality Food Centers starting at 6 a.m. Friday if a last-minute deal isn’t reached.
The strike is scheduled to last seven days.
The union represents more than 29,000 workers in Oregon and Washington. Members voted a week ago to authorize a strike, citing what they say are unfair labor practices and salary issues. The two companies are both subsidiaries of The Kroger Co .
“These employers refuse to acknowledge that their worker’s wages are not keeping up with the cost of living, leaving them and their families at risk while providing food for our community,“ UFCW 555 secretary-treasurer Sandy Humphrey said in a news release Dec. 11.
The union has been in negotiations with the companies for a new contract since July. Fred Meyer locations statewide could be impacted.
OSU Marching Band Delayed on Snowy I-5 Pass on Way to Bowl Game in LA
Both directions of I-5 are back open after whiteout conditions forced the Oregon Department of Transportation and Caltrans to shut the roadway down which caused major headaches for travelers.
That included Oregon State University’s marching band who were heading to Los Angeles for Saturday’s bowl game.
The delay forced the band to cancel a gig they were supposed to play Thursday night in Santa Monica but their biggest concern was making it in time for the big game on Saturday.
The band is also slated to play in the pep rally Friday at the Chargers/Rams stadium in L.A.
The Oregon State Beavers and Utah State Aggies will meet Saturday night in the first-ever Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl. Utah State won the Mountain West championship game in its first season under coach Blake Anderson. Oregon State is playing in a bowl for the first time since 2013.
Heavy snow, blizzard conditions and stuck vehicles prompted the closure of a portion of the West Coast’s major interstate linking California to Oregon as the latest of back-to-back storms pushed through, authorities said.
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