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
Monday, December 20, 2021
Rogue Valley Weather
Today– A 30 percent chance of rain after 10am. Snow level 4000 feet. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 50. Calm wind.
Wednesday– Showers likely, mainly after 10am. Snow level 3600 feet rising to 4300 feet in the afternoon. Increasing clouds, with a high near 50. Southeast wind 7 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Thursday– Showers, mainly before 4pm. Snow level 3500 feet. High near 44. South southeast wind around 6 mph becoming west southwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Friday– Showers. Snow level 2300 feet rising to 2800 feet in the afternoon. High near 42. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Christmas Day– Snow showers before 10am, then rain and snow showers. Snow level rising to 1900 feet in the afternoon. Cloudy, with a high near 40.
Multiple WINTER STORM WATCHES have been issued ahead of our next winter storm. Several rounds of heavy rain and snow will move through the area this week. Snow is poised to make travel treacherous later this week. If you plan on traveling for the holiday weekend, be sure and plan ahead, keep your eyes on tripcheck.com in the state of Oregon, and particularly if traveling into Northern California, carry chains or traction devices.
Missing Grants Pass Woman’s Family Hopes For Help as Search Continues
It’s been more than 10 days since Rachael Behnke went missing and her family hopes for help as they continue to search for her.
Behnke went missing December 10th. The Grants Pass Police Department indicates that she is now considered endangered — no one has spotted her or her car since the day of her disappearance.
After hours of searching on Saturday and coming up empty, her family is still doing what they can to keep her face in the public eye.
“My goal is that no one forgets her face,” said Kevin Behnke, Rachael’s brother. “If we can get the people who are out in the community just looking out for her, we can increase our odds in finding her.”
Mental health issues seems to be the reason the family believes she went missing, saying that the COVID-19 pandemic took a toll on her mental state.
“I believe this to be the reason, mental health issues have just been exacerbating since the pandemic. We wanted to search in areas where she has happy memories,” said Kevin Behnke.
The Grants Pass Police Department has been working with the Behnke family to help find her — but since there is no solid evidence of her whereabouts, a search has been difficult. GPPD says that a community search is something that the department is glad to see, and says it will help with the investigation.
Behnke is described as 5’5” with long blonde hair and blue eyes. Kevin Behnke also says that new surveillance has picked up photos of her wearing a blue hoodie, blue jeans and brown shoes.
Contact the Grants Pass Police Department with any information relating to this case: (541) 450-6260 Grants Pass Police Department
If you would like to get involved with the search for Rachael, you can contact her brother Kevin on the ‘Rachael Behnke Search Group’ Facebook page. You can also reach Kevin directly at (541) 450-9443.
Josephine County Man Arrested for Theft of Trailers
On December 20, 2021, the Grants Pass Police Department, acting on a lead regarding a theft of a trailer from the day before, identified a suspect vehicle and coordinated a traffic stop made by the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office. At that time Tyler Adair was identified as the suspect.
Police Detectives responded and continued the investigation that led to Adair’s residence on Monument Drive. At the residence, the Grants Pass Police Department and the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office located and recovered six stolen trailers.
Additional stolen property was recovered resulting in a total recovered value of over $10,000.00. At least ten victims were contacted and had their stolen trailer or property returned to them. Tyler Adair was arrested for Grants Pass cases and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on three counts of Unauthorized Use of a Motor vehicle, three counts of Theft in the First Degree, and Theft in the Second Degree. The Josephine County Sheriff’s Office lodged Adair for numerous additional charges.
Anyone having information regarding these thefts is asked to contact Grants Pass Police Detectives at 541-450-6260
Guilty verdict reached in the 2019 arson/murder of Donald M. Thomas- Josephine County
On January 16, 2019, the Illinois Valley Fire District and Arson Investigators from the Oregon State Police responded to a residential fire at 150 E River Street in Cave Junction. Investigators found the deceased body of then, 66-year-old Donald M. Thomas in the burned residence. The Oregon State Police Criminal Division responded to investigate the death of Mr. Thomas.
The investigation went cold until November 2019, when Clarabelle Compton came forward. She provided a statement, naming all the individuals involved. On November 26, 2019, investigators located and interviewed the four suspects. The suspects were arrested for Arson, Burglary, and the Murder of Mr. Thomas.
One of the suspects, Justin Mason (31), plead guilty and is currently serving his sentence.
On December 14, 2021, the two-week trial ended, and the jury found Richard M. Webb (39) guilty on all four charges: Arson in the First Degree, Murder x 2, and Burglary in the First Degree.
The other two suspects, Kenny Webb (37) and Dakota Crow (26) have trials set for next year.
Oregon reports 1,941 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 3 new deaths
There are three new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 5,534. Oregon Health Authority reported 1,941 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 bringing the state total to 407,153.
The three new deaths and 1,941 new cases reported today include data recorded by counties for the three-day period between Dec. 17 and Dec. 19.
State health officials are hoping to get COVID-19 booster shots into the arms of one-million Oregonians by the end of January. The Oregon Health Authority announced the goal late last week as part of an effort to combat the new Omicron variant. The agency says it’s adding three high capacity vaccination sites to the current six locations to help
reach the goal. Oregon is also set to receive an additional 140-thousand doses of vaccine from the federal government.
Grants available for main street building projects statewide
The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) is offering grants for up to $200,000 in matching funds for downtown revitalization efforts in communities participating in the Oregon Main Street Network. The Oregon Main Street Revitalization Grant funds may be used to acquire, rehabilitate, and construct buildings on properties in designated downtown areas statewide.
Funded projects must facilitate community revitalization that will lead to private investment, job creation or retention, establishing or expanding viable businesses, or creating a stronger tax base. Projects may include façade improvement, accessibility enhancement, basic utilities, second floor renovations and more. Only organizations participating in the Oregon Main Street Network are eligible to apply. Projects must be within approved Main Street areas. Eligible organizations may collaborate with the local governments and private property owners to apply for projects that will have the biggest benefit to the downtown. The grant application deadline is March 15, 2022.
In 2019, the second grant cycle, SHPO awarded 30 matching grants worth $5,244,261 to Oregon Main Street Network organizations across the state for building projects that encourage economic vitality. Projects ranged from façade improvement to housing and awards ranged from $56,731-$200,000. 63% of the requests were funded, with 93% going to rural communities.
“While all of the 2019 projects are not complete, we are thrilled to see the impact this grant program is having in communities that have worked hard to make downtowns a strong asset despite the pandemic,” notes Sheri Stuart, Oregon Main Street Network Coordinator. Adaptive reuse of a bank building brought apartments to downtown Coos Bay. And structural enhances stabilized a building for retail and event space in Baker City. “We are looking forward to proposals for the new cycle,” adds Stuart.
In 2015, legislation established a permanent fund for the grant and provided an initial $2.5 million of funding as part of a larger lottery bond package. In the 2017 legislative session, an additional $5 million was approved and was funded through the sale of the 2019 lottery bond package. The 2021 bond sale was canceled due to the economic impact of COVID-19, but the Oregon legislature included Oregon Main Street Revitalization Grant in the bond packages slated for 2022 and 2023.
Preservation office staff is happy to talk with applicants about potential grant projects and review applications. A free online workshop specific to the Oregon Main Street Revitalization Grant will be January 14, 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Registration is required.
Other resources available include:
- Prepping for the Oregon Main Street Revitalization Grant – with tips for organizational preparation and project planning and selection.
- Heritage Bulletin: Board Involvement with Grants – with tips on organizational success for grant management.
To learn more about the grant and workshop, visit www.oregonheritage.org or contact Kuri Gill at i.Gill@oprd.oregon.gov“>Kuri.Gill@oprd.oregon.gov or 503-986-6085. To learn more about the Oregon Main Street Network contact Sheri Stuart at i.Stuart@oprd.oregon.gov“>Sheri.Stuart@oprd.oregon.gov or 503-986-0679. Oregon Parks and Recreation Dept.
Grocery workers in Oregon and Southwest Washington are back on the job following a one-day strike over failed contract negotiations
The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555 says it reached a settlement agreement with Fred Meyer and QFC over the weekend. The union says the agreement includes significant wage increases as well as added workplace protections, a secure retirement program and quality healthcare benefits.
Union members still need to ratify the settlement agreement through a vote. Employees at nearly 40 stores formed picket lines on Friday, accusing the grocery chains of disregarding federal labor law, engaging in unfair labor practices and failing to negotiate in good faith with the union.
Oregon Jobs Since Start of Pandemic
Oregon shed more than 250,000 jobs almost overnight at the start of the pandemic, and the jobs that remained changed dramatically — and indefinitely. A year and a half later, the vast majority of the lost jobs have returned, but many of the workers who filled those roles have moved on. And the shock of the intervening months has
spurred many others to reassess their priorities, often starting with their work.
A historic number of job openings – 107,000 across the state as of the summer – paired with rising wages and the rapid normalization of remote work have made it easier than ever for employees to switch jobs. While it’s clear more workers are leaving their jobs,, it’s less obvious where they are going next. Some could be leaving the workforce
entirely; most are probably going to new jobs, but it’s not clear whether they’re staying in the same industry or moving into a whole new one.
In September alone, an estimated 67,000 Oregon workers — or about 3.6% of the state’s workforce — quit their jobs, according to the most recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. That number appears unmatched going back at least a decade. That follows trends observed nationally. About 4.2 million workers across the country quit their jobs in October, according to the federal data, part of a sweeping phenomenon that’s been called the “Great Resignation.”
In a sense, it’s a return to normal. The number of Oregonians quitting their jobs was near an all-time high before the pandemic, too, when the economy was strong and unemployment in the state was at an all-time low. About 61,000 Oregon workers quit their jobs in October 2019, according to the federal data.
But what’s noteworthy about the rising number of people leaving their jobs now, said Gail Krumenauer, an economist at the Oregon Employment Department, is how quickly those numbers have surpassed pre-pandemic levels. Before the pandemic, she said it took years of economic growth to create an environment where workers were quitting at higher rates because they knew they had strong job prospects elsewhere.
Oregon State Police Detectives make arrest in 2018 murder of Jack Hasbrouck- Klamath County
On December 16, 2021, arrests were made in the 2018 murder of Jack Hasbrouck.
On March 21, 2018, Jack Hasbrouck’s body was discovered in a wooded area north of Beatty, OR, in Klamath County. It was apparent Mr. Hasbrouck had died as the result of homicidal violence. The Klamath County Major Crime Team was activated to investigate the murder of Mr. Hasbrouck.
Investigators followed up on multiple leads until they developed suspects in the murder of Mr. Hasbrouck. In late November of 2021, a Klamath County Grand Jury indicted Jeremy Milton Lacy (43) and Eileen Gay Lacy (51), a married couple, for the murder of Mr. Hasbrouck.
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office assisted the Klamath County Major Crime Team with determining Jeremy and Eileen Lacy were living near Willow Creek, CA, in Humboldt County.
On December 16, 2021, a California Highway Patrol officer located Jeremy Lacy driving on Highway 299, east of Eureka. Jeremy Lacy was taken into custody without incident. Eileen Lacy was located a short time later and taken into custody without incident. The Lacy’s were transported to the Humboldt County Jail where they were lodged on the warrants.
The Klamath County Major Crime Team consists of the Oregon State Police, the Klamath County Sheriff’s Office, the Klamath Falls City Police Department, Klamath County Community Corrections, and the Klamath County District Attorney’s Office.
The Klamath County Major Crime Team would like to express their gratitude to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office and the California Highway Patrol for their assistance in this long and difficult investigation.
One man is dead after his boat capsized off the Oregon coast near Newport.
The U.S. Coast Guard says two men and one woman were onboard the 22-foot boat when it flipped about a mile form the Yaquina Bay’s north jetty Friday morning. Coast Guard crews rescued one of the men and a woman, who showed signs of hypothermia. The second man was pronounced dead after being found unresponsive.
No Threat of Tsunami after 6.2 Earthquake off Coast near Eureka
Officials at the National Weather Service say that there is no threat of tsunami after a 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Petrolia, just southwest of Eureka, California. According to the US Geological Survey, the earthquake epicenter was 24 miles west of Petrolia, relatively close to the coastline, and at a depth of four miles.
It occurred shortly after noon. The quake triggered the ShakeAlert system, sending out alerts to cell phones of people in the area. USGS indicated that it might have been felt weakly as far north as Brookings or Gold Beach, or Redding in the Northern California interior. Stronger readings would have been limited to the immediate coastline, which is not a highly populated area.
There were no immediate reports of damage, though the Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services said that Caltrans and public works had deployed crews throughout the county to check for impacts to roadways. There were
several road closures in effect for rockslides.
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