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 31, 2021
Rogue Valley Weather
Today– A chance of snow showers before 10am, then a chance of rain and snow showers. Patchy fog between 10am and 1pm. Patchy freezing fog between 7am and 10am. Snow level rising to 1700 feet in the afternoon. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 40. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
New Year’s Day– Patchy freezing fog before 10am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 36. Calm wind.
Sunday– A 30 percent chance of rain after 4pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 39. South southeast wind 5 to 7 mph.
Monday– Rain. Snow level 4400 feet. High near 44. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Tuesday– Rain. Snow level 4100 feet rising to 5800 feet in the afternoon. Cloudy, with a high near 44.
Body Found Under Central Point I-5 Overpass
On Wednesday, December 29, 2021, at approximately 2:19 PM, Oregon State Police Troopers and emergency personnel responded to a report of a deceased subject on Interstate 5 at milepost 33.
Preliminary investigation revealed a deceased adult male under the E. Pine Street overpass. The identity of deceased will be released pending next of kin notification. The cause of death is under investigation.
Interstate 5 was not affected and remained open during the investigation. Oregon State Police
Grants Pass Finally Opens a Warming Shelter
Amid frigid overnight temperatures and the potential for another round of winter storms next week, the City of Grants Pass announced that it will at last open a warming shelter for those without other alternatives to escape the cold.
Grants Pass City Council narrowly approved the warming shelter proposal on Monday, but the logistics at that time were far from sorted out.
According to City officials, the warming shelter will be held at the Grants Pass High School Commons located at 830 NE 9th Street on Friday and Saturday. The doors will be open from 6 to 9 p.m., with the shelter closing at 7 a.m. each day.
“The Center is open to the general public and has a 30-bed capacity,” the City said.
GPHS complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and is a non-smoking facility, officials continued. Service and emotional support animals may be permitted if capacity allows, but pet owners should expect to toilet and feed their animals.
The warming shelter in Medford, which has been open regularly since freezing temperatures first hit in early December, has neared or met its current 50-person capacity several times within the past week.
Medford Police Department Asking for Help in Fatal Hit-and-Run That Happened Monday Near Walmart
The Medford Police Department is asking the community for any information regarding a fatal hit and run that occurred around 6 p.m. on Monday.
Officers and medical personnel were dispatched to a man down in the parking lot west of McDonalds at 3611 Crater Lake Hwy. The individual reported he was run over by an unknown vehicle. He was transported to a local hospital where he later died from his injuries, according to a MPD press release.
“Medford Police Detectives and Officers from the Serious Traffic Accident Reconstruction team (STAR) assumed the investigation,” the press release notes. “The victim appears to have been homeless and was panhandling on the concrete median at an intersection in the parking lot, when he was run over by an unknown vehicle.”
Since next of kin has yet to be notified, the victim’s name will not be released at this time.
If anyone has any information about the incident, please call MPD dispatch at 541-770-4783 and reference case 21-21029
Oregon reports 2,948 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 15 new deaths
PORTLAND, Ore. — There are 15 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 5,655, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported at 12:01 a.m. today.
OHA reported 2,948 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 421,263.
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (4), Benton (61), Clackamas (269), Clatsop (12), Columbia (15), Coos (39), Crook (26), Curry (11), Deschutes (286), Douglas (57), Gilliam (1), Grant (9), Harney (2), Hood River (19), Jackson (185), Jefferson (12), Josephine (48), Klamath (35), Lake (2), Lane (244), Lincoln (37), Linn (75), Malheur (24), Marion (148), Morrow (6), Multnomah (641), Polk (39), Sherman (3), Tillamook (15), Umatilla (121), Union (11), Wallowa (5), Wasco (10), Washington (418) and Yamhill (58).
Public health officials insist that a wave of omicron infections is about to sweep the state, as it already has on the East Coast and across Europe. The OHA on Wednesday reported 2,331 new cases of coronavirus, a number that has shot up in the past two weeks and is quickly approaching the peak of the pandemic in late August, when new cases reached a high of about 2,600. The agency also reported nine new deaths.
The OHA also released a report for the week ending Dec. 26 showing that cases jumped 25% over the previous week, to 6,798, even as test results reported for the holiday week dropped by 7.1%. The percentage of positive tests increased to 7.4% from 4.8% the previous week. But the report also showed a decline in the number of new hospitalizations, from 286 to 185.
Oregon orders 12 million at-home COVID-19 tests
Record order for 6 million two-test kits comes as Omicron continues pace to become dominant variant
PORTLAND, Ore. — Oregon has made its largest order yet of COVID-19 tests that will be offered to people around the state for free so they can find out, at home, if they are carrying the virus, and take steps to prevent its spread.
Oregon Health Authority placed an order Wednesday with iHealth Labs for 6 million of its COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test kits. Each kit contains two tests – amounting to a total of 12 million tests coming to the state – that can be performed at home, with results available in 15 minutes.
OHA’s previous largest order was for about 1.46 million Abbott BinaxNOW rapid tests. Of that, the agency has distributed nearly 1.3 million tests to almost 400 community partners and more than 1,300 K-12 schools.
“Oregon learned during the Delta surge that we must be prepared for the unpredictable – we knew we had to be ready for future variants so we could continue to protect the most vulnerable in our communities while keeping our schools, businesses and communities open,” said Gov. Kate Brown. “As cases rise in Oregon and across the nation due to the Omicron variant, we are applying the lessons we have learned to support our hospitals and health care workers, and arm Oregonians with the information and tools they need to keep themselves and their families safe. Through vaccination, wearing masks, and utilizing widespread testing, we can make it through this latest surge the same way we have before – working together to protect each other.”
The kits will be distributed throughout January and will begin arriving next week at OHA’s warehouse in Wilsonville, where they will be disseminated to numerous OHA partner agencies and organizations.
OHA does not have the capacity to individually send out tests, so it will prioritize distribution to the following partners that can disseminate them to their communities as they see fit:
- Local public health authorities and Tribes, based on population size and some health equity metrics.
- Migrant and seasonal farm and agriculture workers.
- Head Start and some other high-risk early learning settings.
- K-12 schools to support at-home test to stay.
- Health care workers.
- Shelters.
- Community-based organizations.
From Jan. 3 to Jan. 7, the OHA warehouse will receive six trucks delivering about 1.1 million test kits. Starting Jan. 10, the warehouse will receive five trucks per week – for five consecutive weeks – until the order is fulfilled. Since iHealth Labs is planning to ramp up product of the test kits, Oregon’s order may be fulfilled ahead of schedule.
The test kit order comes as Omicron continues its steady overtake of Delta as the state’s dominant COVID-19 variant. With its high transmissibility, Omicron is already thought to be driving a steady increase in hospitalizations over recent days.
As the number of cases increase, rapid testing will be critical to efforts to encourage people to take steps that reduce transmission, including isolating and quarantining at home, wearing masks and face coverings, keeping their distance from others and getting vaccinated as soon as they’re healthy.
Health Care Workers at Risk as OSHA’s COVID-19 Safety Rules Expire
(TUALATIN, Ore.) – The news that the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has failed to adopt a permanent standard to protect health care workers during COVID-19 is extremely disappointing. OSHA’s health care emergency temporary standard (ETS)–which OSHA recently allowed to expire–was designed to protect frontline health care workers who faced extreme COVID-19 risks in hospitals, assisted living facilities, nursing homes and other health care facilities. The ETS provided essential safety rules for workers and employers, including regulations around infection prevention protocols, exposure notifications, disease education, personal protective equipment (PPE) standards, and support for health care workers who contract COVID-19 at work.
Health care workers–and in particular frontline nurses–are experiencing unprecedented levels of physical and mental fatigue. They do not feel valued, protected or supported by their employers. In fact, frontline nurses are leaving the profession at a rate that has never been seen before. OSHA’s failure to extend COVID-19 safety protections will only exacerbate our country’s nurse staffing crisis.
Health care workers in Oregon are fortunate to have a state COVID-19 safety standard through Oregon OSHA which holds companies accountable to several common sense precautions. Oregon nurses believe every health care worker in the nation deserves these same permanent safety protections.
Unfortunately, Oregon OSHA’s safety standard fails to provide paid time off when frontline health care workers contract COVID-19 at work. Nurses across the state are being denied benefits by hospitals and health care companies who claim COVID-19 infection did not occur in the workplace. These blanket denials place an impossible burden of proof on frontline caregivers and ignore the risks of ongoing patient exposures. The federal ETS remedied this problem and offered additional protections to frontline health care workers who have faithfully served our communities during this pandemic. It is abundantly clear that companies will not do the right thing unless compelled to. Federal OSHA’s failure to extend safety measures gives health care corporations permission to continue devaluing nurses and other caregivers.
Nearly two years into this pandemic health care workers are still without any federal law, rule, or standard that protects them from economic harm if they become infected with COVID-19. Considering OSHA’s failure to support and protect healthcare workers, the Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) is calling on the Governor, Oregon OSHA and health care companies to honor frontline health care workers’ commitment by unconditionally providing sick leave and other medical removal benefits to frontline workers when they contract COVID-19.
“We can’t allow safety standards to disappear while COVID-19 cases skyrocket. Frontline health care workers who contract COVID-19 while caring for sick patients deserve companies’ full protection and support,” said ONA spokesperson Kevin Mealy. “Every Oregonian needs permanent job protections that are responsive to the crises we’re facing.”
The Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) is the state’s largest and most influential nursing organization. We are a professional association and labor union which represents 15,000 nurses and allied health workers throughout the state. Our mission is to advocate for nursing, quality health care and healthy communities. For more information visit: www.OregonRN.org.
Western States’ Traffic Safety Coalition New Years Impaired Driving Enforcement Initiative
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The Western States Traffic Safety Coalition (WSTSC) will initiate a special effort this New Year’s Eve to ensure the dangerous driver behaviors of impaired drivers don’t result in the senseless loss of life and injury due to collisions on our roadways. The “Coalition” is made up of 11 states that include the Arizona Department of Public Safety, California Highway Patrol, Colorado State Patrol, Idaho State Police, Montana Highway Patrol, Nevada Highway Patrol, Oregon State Police, South Dakota Highway Patrol, Utah Highway Patrol, Washington State Patrol, and the Wyoming Highway Patrol. These law enforcement agencies that make up the WSTSC are committed and unified to keeping the people of their communities safe during this Holiday.
This New Year’s Eve Initiative will be the third one the WSTSC has partnered for participation. Often time, some may feel New Year’s Eve is the ultimate party night and engage in risky driving behavior, but the “Coalition’s” officers will be alert throughout the Western region for impaired drivers. We receive public feedback that continually underscores and echoes that law enforcement should strictly enforce those laws that protect our loved ones. Impaired driving enforcement is one such law. Impaired driving has a devastating impact on the quality of life for those in all communities. Thoughtful and professional traffic law enforcement activity with a targeted public safety focus is the purpose of this partnership.
Nationally, over the past five years, an average of 300 people have died in impaired driving crashes the week between Christmas and New Year. Last year, there were over 10,000 people killed nationwide in impaired driving crashes accounting for nearly one-third of the yearly driving fatalities. These deaths are 100% preventable. The tragedy of these deaths is felt year-round, but for many, most strongly during the holidays.
In recent years, specifically, drug-impaired driving has become a major highway safety issue. Driving impaired by any substance—alcohol or drugs, whether legal or illegal—is against the law in all states. Law enforcement officers are trained to observe drivers’ behavior and to identify impaired drivers. Additionally, these law enforcement agencies have provided specialized training to some of their officers (drug recognition experts-DRE) to identify those drivers impaired by drugs other than, or in addition to, alcohol.
Even in states where marijuana laws have changed, it is still illegal to drive under the influence of the drug. All the state law enforcement agencies involved have ensured their officers/ troopers and DREs are properly trained to recognize and handle drug-impaired drivers as a direct investment in safety.
The WSTSC encourages everyone to plan ahead, especially when celebrating any holiday, and to never drive impaired or high. We want everyone to ring in the New Year safely. Our goal is zero deaths due to impaired driving on the New Year’s holiday. There are numerous driving tactics you can use to keep yourself, your family, and your friends safe. The WSTSC encourages drivers to follow these 10 driving tips for safe travel during the holidays.
1. Don’t drive after consuming alcohol or any impairing substance;
2. Keep a safe distance between you and the car in front of you;
3. Yield the right of way rather than take it;
4. If frustrated or angry, take deep breaths and focus;
5. Drive the speed limit and all occupants wear a seatbelt;
6. Eliminate distractions like cell phones;
7. Always have your eyes on the road;
8. Pay attention to road signs and weather conditions;
9. Have two hands on the steering wheel; and
10. Be aware of erratic drivers
New Law Protects Against Surprise Medical Bills
Salem – The situation happens all too often: You go to an in-network hospital, but receive a surprise medical bill from an out-of-network doctor. However, starting Jan. 1, 2022, a new federal law – the No Surprises Act – will protect consumers from many types of these surprise bills.
Surprise billing happens when you get an unexpected bill after you receive care from an out-of-network provider or at an out-of-network facility, such as a hospital. It can happen for both emergency and nonemergency care. Typically, patients don’t know the provider or facility is out of network until they receive the bill.
Surprise medical bills typically are sent by your health care provider for the remaining charges for services you received that are not covered by your insurance (known as balance billing). The new law protects consumers from either of the following situations:
- Emergency services provided out of network, including air ambulance services (but not ground ambulance services)
- Nonemergency services provided by an out-of-network provider at an in-network facility
In an emergency situation, a facility or provider may not bill you more than your in-network co-insurance, co-pays, or deductibles for emergency services as outlined in your plan documents, even if the facility or provider is out of network. However, if your health plan requires you to pay co-insurance, co-pays, or deductibles for in-network care, you are still responsible for those.
In a nonemergency situation, out-of-network providers (such as an anesthesiologist) may not bill you more than your in-network co-insurance, co-pays, or deductibles for covered services performed at an in-network facility without your consent.
If you believe you have received a surprise medical bill from a health care provider that meets either of the above criteria, contact the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to file a complaint by calling 800-985-3059 (toll-free) or going to https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises/consumers.
If you have received a surprise bill you believe is not allowed under the new law, you can file an appeal with your insurance company, then ask for an external review of the company’s decision after the initial appeal is completed with your plan. You can also contact Oregon’s Division of Financial Regulation to speak with a consumer advocate or file a complaint in any of the following ways:
- Phone: 888-877-4894 (toll-free)
- Email: .InsuranceHelp@dcbs.oregon.gov“>DFR.InsuranceHelp@dcbs.oregon.gov
- Website: https://dfr.oregon.gov/help/complaints-licenses/Pages/file-complaint.aspx
The law applies to most health insurance plans, including those offered by an employer. It includes group health plans, health insurance companies for group and individual health coverage, grandfathered health plans, ERISA plans, and self-insured government plans. Medicare and Medicaid have their own protections against balance billing.
The law also has the following protections:
- Health plans and their facilities/providers must send you a notice of your rights under the law.
- Insurance companies must keep their provider directories updated. They must limit co-pays, co-insurance, or deductibles to in-network amounts if you rely on inaccurate information in a provider directory.
- Health care providers must provide a good faith estimate for services to anyone who is uninsured or self-pays (without insurance).
The Division of Financial Regulation is hosting No Surprises Act: Provider Requirements, a Zoom webinar, on Wednesday, Jan. 5, from noon to 1 p.m. PST. In the webinar, staff members from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will present on provider requirements and answer questions from stakeholders. To view the webinar, go to https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1603031760.
More information about the new law is available at dfr.oregon.gov.
The Division of Financial Regulation is part of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, Oregon’s largest business regulatory and consumer protection agency. Visit dfr.oregon.gov and dcbs.oregon.gov. — Oregon Dept. of Consumer & Business Services
Oregon Cannabis Rules Change Next Year
New year, new cannabis rules. In response to the rapid growth of the legal cannabis market, the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC) has greenlit several changes regarding recreational marijuana regulations in a meeting on December 28, 2021.
For the past year and a half, the commission has partnered with the legal cannabis industry to develop new changes which will decrease violations, streamline oversight, increase THC potency limits, and develop regulations and child safeguards for hemp products.
The new rules will be adopted by the OLCC on New Year’s Day, though some of the changes won’t go into effect until 2023.
“These rules try to balance a number of different concerns – consumer health and safety, interests of small and large operators in our industry, and public safety concerns around loopholes in the Federal Farm Bill of 2018, and the illicit farm production taking place in Oregon,” stated OLCC Executive Director, Steve Marks.
Many of the changes were driven by the Oregon Legislature’s recent approval of House Bill 3000 , which addressed the unregulated sale of THC-hemp products in the state, and Senate Bill 408 , which gave the OLCC a template to re-define violation penalties.
To avoid mixing products with high amounts of THC with other items, hemp edible products will be limited to 2mg THC per serving, and 20 mg THC per container starting July 1, 2022.
As a part of the new rules, the OLCC will have 18 months to bring non-intoxicating artificial cannabinoids in compliance with the same review process and standards, currently required for ingredients in food products and dietary supplements.
“It may not make everybody happy, but it’s a pathway, and I think it solves a lot of the issues,” said OLCC Commissioner Matt Maletis.
For cannabis connoisseurs, the new changes include some major perks for consumers, which include doubling the marijuana purchase limit from one ounce to two ounces, effective January 1, 2022.
The commission has also approved the increase of edible concentration limits from 50 mg THC to 100 mg beginning April 1, 2022.
Oregonians can now have at-home delivery of cannabis products from across county and city lines with officials’ approval.
“We did listen to the public and did make significant changes to these rules and I want to reiterate that we have come a very long way,” said Marks. “And this industry established success for Oregon. We are creating a successful business market, a successful consumer market. This is another big turn of progress.”
The OLCC’s changes will have the greatest impact for licensees, with a massive re-categorization of violations that will reduce penalties and decrease the number of violations resulting in license cancellation.
Under the new guidelines, licensees will be able to better self-distribute products and reduce the time and cost needed to report plant and harvest details to the Oregon Cannabis Tracking System.
New Transportation Laws in Oregon
On Jan. 1, a series of new laws will take effect that will increase the equity in Oregon’s transportation system, improve safety, increase local control and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The Oregon Department of Transportation is responsible for implementing these new laws.
“These new laws will help us move quicker toward building a modern transportation system that minimizes negative impacts to the environment and serves all Oregonians equitably,” said Kris Strickler, ODOT director.
Increasing safety and local control
HB 3055: ODOT has statutory authority for setting the speed limit on all roads in Oregon. While this has ensured consistency in statewide application of relevant laws and rules, this legislation will allow some local governments to set speeds on their roads which will result in greater local control, more expedient speed reductions and increased safety on local road networks.
This legislation allows ODOT to delegate its statutory authority for speed setting to a city or named county for roads under their jurisdiction.
“Local governments across Oregon are doing what they can to build a transportation system in which no one has to lose their life on the road,” said Strickler. “Excessive speed is a consistent factor, among others, in traffic deaths. Reducing speed limits, in conjunction with road design changes and increased enforcement, can improve the safety of our roads. We don’t have to accept the loss we see on our streets. This legislation allows ODOT to remove a major impediment to adopting safer speeds and increases local control over local roads.”
HB 3125: With today’s speed of online information, especially with mobile phones, video and pictures through social media, there is a risk a family could learn someone was in an emergency before law enforcement can contact the family.
Starting in 2022, Oregon driver license and ID cardholders will be able to register up to two people at DMV2U.Oregon.gov, age 18 and older, as emergency contacts for situations where they can’t communicate.
Only Oregon law enforcement personnel will be able to access the emergency contact information.
Improving access and equity
HB 2498: This bill enhances the safety of Oregonians who are deaf or hard of hearing by creating an option to add a notification to their driver license and vehicle registration card.
“This significant milestone is geared to build trust and cooperation between more than one million Oregonians with hearing loss and our law enforcement,” said Chad A. Ludwig, Executive Director of Bridges Oregon, “It will foster a better understanding of communication needs while protecting and facilitating a strong relationship with law enforcement officers.”
Ludwig said over half (51.7%) of deaf and hard-of-hearing Oregon residents had difficulties communicating with police, according to a survey by Denise Thew Hackett, a Ph.D. at Western Oregon University.
The indicator will be voluntary, and drivers can sign up any time through DMV2U.Oregon.gov.
HB 3026: According to Pew Charitable Trusts, many people experiencing houselessness lack photo identification because of the cost and difficulty of maintaining the required personal documents.
A study from the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty (NLCHP) indicated that 36 percent of clients could not obtain photo identification because they could not afford it, and homeless persons were denied Supplemental Security Income, Temporary Aid to Needy Families, food stamps, access to shelters or housing services, and Medicaid or medical services.
The NLCHP’s study also found that people without identification face increased difficulty with law enforcement.
Beginning later in 2022, individuals experiencing houselessness will no longer need to pay a fee to receive, renew, or replace their identification cards.
ODOT will be developing rules and partnering with homeless service organizations to certify an individual’s eligibility for the waiver and provide a form to bring to DMV to apply. More information on how this program will be administered will be available soon.
HB 2985: The legislation directed ODOT to diversify specific advisory committees to reflect the racial, ethnic, and ability composition of Oregon. ODOT’s actions have an enormous impact on communities across Oregon.
To ensure all Oregonians have their voice heard in the process, we intend to apply this direction not only to the committees listed in the measure but across ODOT’s various advisory committees as recruitments for new members are conducted.
Reducing greenhouse gases
HB 2165: Now Oregonians looking to switch to an electric vehicle, and dramatically reduce their carbon emissions, can do so knowing that rebates will be available to subsidize that purchase. This legislation removed the sunset on funding Oregon’s Charge Ahead EV rebate program, funded through a vehicle privilege tax created by passage of HB 2017 (transportation funding package). The program originally was set to expire in 2024. The eligibility and value of the Charge Ahead rebates were modified to make the program more accessible. Electric vehicle adoption has lagged state goals, but has recently jumped with a 70% increase in registration in 2021 compared to 2020.
Mount Thielsen Glacier Has Disappeared
Until recently, Oregon’s southernmost glacier was on Mount Thielsen, an extinct volcano mountain in the Cascade Range, east of Diamond Lake in Douglas County. But sometime over the past half decade, Lathrop Glacier disappeared.
Oregon Glaciers Institute President Anders Carlson said Lathrop Glacier was a little less than half the size of a football field, just 0.002 square kilometers in area. It was Oregon’s smallest glacier. The glacier formed two arms going down steep chutes. There’s likely enough buried ice to keep the creek going another 10 or 20 years, but then it will dry up and the little ecosystem will disappear.
A 17-year-old was reported missing in Salem and detectives say the teen might be the victim of an online catfishing scheme.
Ezra Mayhugh, 17, was last seen on October 15, 2021 after being dropped off in downtown Salem by a friend, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said. He was reported as a runaway the following day when he did not return home.
Investigators say he might be in Washington or California. They hope to reunite Ezra safely with family members.
He’s described as about 5-foot 11-inches tall, weighing 130 pounds, with blonde hair and brown eyes.
If you have had contact with Mayhugh since October 15 or have other helpful information on his whereabouts, the sheriff’s office asks you to contact Detective M.J. Sphoon at 503-588-6808 or to submit a tip by texting TIPMCSO and your tip to 847411.
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