Rogue Valley News, Wednesday 3/9 – Escaped Debris Burn Near Gold Hill Prompts Fire Officials To Remind People About Safety, Rent Deadline and Adjusted Rates Announced For Wildfire Survivors In FEMA Housing

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, March 9, 2022

Rogue Valley Weather

Today– A 20 percent chance of showers. Snow level 2800 feet rising to 3700 feet in the afternoon. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 52. Calm wind becoming northwest 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon.

Thursday– Sunny, with a high near 59. Light north northeast wind.

Friday– Mostly sunny, with a high near 67.

Saturday– A chance of rain after 11am. Snow level 3000 feet rising to 5000 feet in the afternoon. Partly sunny, with a high near 63.

Sunday– A chance of rain, mainly before 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 61.

Escaped Debris Burn Near Gold Hill Prompts Fire Officials To Remind People About Safety

Per ODF’s Southwest Oregon District, firefighters stopped the forward spread of an escaped debris burn, reported on the 1300-block of Sardine Creek Road, northwest of Gold Hill. Oregon Department of Forestry Southwest Oregon District, Jackson County Fire District #1, Jackson County Fire District 3, and Evans Valley Fire District #6 all responded and were able to quickly line the fire, and complete mop-up operations.

The fire was first reported around 4:15 Monday afternoon by the landowner. It was caused by a debris burn pile that escaped and started to move uphill following a wind direction change.

The landowner had a water source at the ready and tried to stop the fire, however, due to the dryness of the vegetation, the wind and topography, it spread beyond control.

The landowner called 911 to report it, and then used their excavator to begin lining the fire. When firefighters arrived, they were able to build on that work and quickly stop the forward spread of the fire.

Fire officials say this is a great example of how to handle an escaped debris burn; the landowner had a water source at the ready, did what they could, and reported it by calling 911 right away. With the current lack of substantial rain, fuels are dry and ready to burn.

If you have debris burning to do, consider the following:

As you begin spring clean-up, Keep Oregon Green, the Oregon Department of Forestry and the Oregon State Fire Marshal urge you to consider chipping or recycling your yard debris. If burning is the only option to dispose of woody material, fire officials urge landowners to follow safe burning practices.

“If you do burn your debris, use common sense and follow safety rules,” said State Fire Marshal Jim Walker. “This can prevent most debris burn-caused wildfires, and keep lives and property safe.”

Escaped debris burns are the leading human cause of wildfire issues in Oregon, particularly during the early- and late-season periods when people think it is safe and permissible to burn. In 2015, backyard debris burns that escaped control resulted in 133 wildfires burning 224 acres at a cost of nearly $381,000.

Oregon experienced severe fire seasons in 2013-15. Extreme conditions those three years set the stage for any debris burn that got away to spread rapidly.

A burn pile is less likely to escape control if these simple safety tips are followed:

CALL BEFORE YOU BURN – Burning regulations are not the same in all areas and can vary with weather and fuel conditions. If you’re planning to burn, check with your local ODF district, fire protective association, or air protection authority to learn if there are any current burning restrictions in effect, and whether a permit is required.

KNOW THE WEATHER FORECAST – Never burn on dry or windy days. These conditions make it easy for open burning to spread out of control.

CLEAR A 10-FOOT RADIUS AROUND YOUR PILE – Also make sure there are no tree branches or power lines above.

KEEP YOUR BURN PILE SMALL– A large burn may cast hot embers long distances. Small piles, 4×4 feet, are recommended. Add debris in small amounts as existing material is consumed.

ALWAYS HAVE WATER AND FIRE TOOLS ON SITE – When burning, have a charged water hose, bucket of water, and shovel and dirt nearby to extinguish the fire. Drown the pile with water, stir the coals, and drown again, repeating till the fire is DEAD out.

STAY WITH THE FIRE UNTIL IT IS COMPLETELY OUT – Monitoring a debris burn continually from start to finish until dead out is required by state law, to ensure that any escaped sparks or embers can be extinguished quickly. Go back and recheck old burn piles, as they can retain heat for several weeks and then rekindle when the weather warms and wind begins to blow.

NEVER USE GASOLINE or other accelerants (flammable or combustible liquids) to start or increase your open fire. Every year, 10 to 15 percent of all burn injuries treated at the Oregon Burn Center in Portland are the result of backyard debris burning.

BURN ONLY YARD DEBRIS – State regulations prohibit the open burning of any material that creates dense smoke or noxious odors.

ESCAPED DEBRIS BURNS ARE COSTLY – State law requires the proper clearing, building, attending and extinguishing of open fires any time of year. A first-time citation carries a $110 fine. If your debris burn spreads out of control, you are responsible for the cost of fire suppression and very likely the damage to neighboring properties. This can range from a few hundred to thousands of dollars.

More tips on wildfire prevention, including campfire safety, use of motorized equipment, and fire-resistant landscaping can be found on the Keep Oregon Green site, www.keeporegongreen.org

Rent Deadline And Adjusted Rates Announced For 2020 Wildfire Survivors In FEMA Housing

Oregon Senior U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said rent for 2020 fire survivors who are living in FEMA temporary housing will not be due until May 1st.

In February, FEMA sent letters to survivors of the 2020 fires who are in direct temporary housing notifying them that they will pay “market rate” to continue staying in FEMA trailers, starting April 1st. 

FEMA had advised people living in FEMA trailers in Jackson County, OR they’d need to pay rent to stay in the trailers beyond 18 months after September 2020 wildfires — Almeda, South Obenchain and Slater Fires — burned their homes.

Wyden says wildfire survivors are mostly low-income residents who’ve not paid rent to FEMA since they moved in.  Temporary-housing duration limits triggered the letter alerts to survivors that they may need to pay $1,687 for rent.

Following his call with the FEMA administrator, Senator Wyden said the announcement that market-rate rent would be due April 1 was an error and the price will be lower than the market rate for families that can’t afford it.

“For Oregonians needing FEMA housing, the flames of the 2020 fires have been extinguished, but the road to recovery after the devastating fire remains a long and winding challenge,” said Wyden. “I made it very clear when I spoke with Administrator Criswell that fire survivors in Oregon need the proper time and support to afford their stay in temporary housing. I will continue to hold FEMA accountable to its commitment to a proactive rent adjustment process, prompt communication with state and local partners, as well as accessible outreach to multilingual families.”

Wyden’s office states that of the 179 families in temporary housing, 43 have started the rental agreement process, and five have qualified for the minimum rent of $50 per month.

Phoenix and Medford Look To Expand Urban Growth Boundaries

Land inside the UGB supports urban services such as roads, water and sewer systems, and the boundary serves to protect forest and farmlands from urban development.

Phoenix started the process to expand its Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) around the city. “Phoenix is looking to expand its UGB,” said Jackson County Counsel Joel Benton at a Board of Commissioner’s work session on Tuesday. “The board order will be coming next Wednesday to start the process from the county’s end.”

Tuesday’s session was the first step in exploring this process, According to Ted Zuk, building official with Jackson County, a larger, more comprehensive plan will be presented to the board next week. The initial proposal mentioned by Zuk would increase the boundary by 478 acres around the city.

The City of Medford also recently began moving forward with a UGB expansion to allow for more development. Officials hope to increase the zoning for more homes and ease some of the housing struggles that many continue to face in the Rogue Valley, an issue Ashland struggles with as well.

“Both the city who wants to initiate it and the county where the lands are currently zoned have to take action to move land into the UGB,” Benton said.

Oregon reports 397 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 29 new deaths

PORTLAND, Ore. — There are 29 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 6,772, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported at 12:01 a.m. today.

OHA reported 397 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 698,127.

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (1), Benton (15), Clackamas (22), Clatsop (2), Columbia (4), Coos (9), Crook (6), Curry (4), Deschutes (24), Douglas (19), Gilliam (1), Grant (8), Jackson (31), Jefferson (6), Josephine (20), Klamath (5), Lake (5), Lane (33), Lincoln (4), Linn (25), Malheur (6), Marion (28), Morrow (2), Multnomah (57), Polk (7), Sherman (1), Tillamook (1), Umatilla (2), Union (4), Wasco (5), Washington (34) and Yamhill (6).

Arrows show that cases increased and hospitalizations have decreased over the previous day. The 7 Day Moving Average shows a decrease.
Illustration of a magnifying glass with coronaviruses with different colored spikes. Text: BA.2 small proportion of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. <1% in OR. BA.2 33% more transmissible than BA.1. Researchers learning, but BA.2 severity doesn't seem to differ from BA.1. Per W.H.O. BA.1 infection seems to offer protection from BA.2 reinfection. Best protection is vaccine, booster if you can, mask in crowded indoor spaces.
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Oregon Residents Only Have Until March 14th to Apply for Rental Assistance Funds

The window to apply for assistance is quickly closing. If you’re an Oregon resident who needs help catching up on overdue rent, you’ll need to get moving before you lose that opportunity — and potentially lose your home.

More than $289 million in rental assistance funds has been paid out to Oregon residents in need of aid. All told, over 40,000 households have gotten assistance — and that help may be making it possible for them to stay in their homes rather than face eviction.

But soon, Oregon’s rental assistance program will end. Renters who haven’t yet requested relief have until 11:59 p.m. on March 14 to submit an application. From there, Oregon’s application portal will close so the state can work on processing existing applications and distributing the remainder of its limited funds.

As of now, the state still needs to process 18,000 applications for rental assistance. But those who haven’t yet applied for help aren’t necessarily going to be bumped to the back of the line. That’s because applications will be approved based on need — not based on order received.

To qualify for rental assistance in Oregon, you must have someone in your household who meets at least one of these qualifications:

  • Been on unemployment due to the pandemic
  • Experienced a loss of income since the start of the pandemic
  • Incurred added expenses due to COVID-19

You may also need to prove you’re at risk of homelessness in the absence of getting assistance. And you’ll need to provide some form of income verification (or a certification of no income) to meet income eligibility requirements.

Applicants can request aid to cover past-due rent payments dating back to March 13, 2020. Applicants may also be eligible for up to three months of future rent.

If you qualify for rental assistance, the state will request approval from your landlord or property manager. If approved, that money will be sent to one of those parties directly, not to you. But even if your landlord or property manager doesn’t accept those funds, you may still be eligible for relief, so it pays to apply for rental assistance if you think you qualify.

Baby Found In Springfield Hotel Room Several Days After Mother Dies Of Drug Overdose

Springfield Police state that a woman died of a heroin overdose in a Springfield hotel room leaving her 6-month-old son alone in the room for four to five days.

The baby was found Monday at about 7 p.m at Quality Inn and Suites, 3550 Gateway Street.

The child was found inside the hotel room in a stroller, police said. The body of the child’s mother was also in the room. 

Kirkpatrick said they used the assistance of Department of Human Services agents who were doing a check on the mother for an unknown reason.

The woman was not scheduled to check out until Wednesday, so it’s possible the two would not have been discovered until at least then had it not been for DHS.

“The child wouldn’t have made it. It was that touch and go. Having been unattended to for four to five days,” Sgt. Pete Kirkpatrick with SPD said, “But we’re lucky that DHS, that things happened how they did.”

He said the child’s lips had turned blue, and they were barely responsive when officers entered the room.

The child was taken to Riverbend Hospital, then flown to a hospital in Portland for treatment. Despite severe dehydration and several other ailments, the child is on the path to a full recovery according to police.

Springfield police said this is an ongoing investigation. The woman placed the privacy sign on the door, which is why housekeeping did not enter the room. It’s unclear if the baby could be heard from outside of the room. A noncriminal amount of heroin and other drug paraphernalia was also found inside of the room.

Sen. Wyden Leading Charge To End Banks, Credit Card Companies’ Forced Arbitration Rules

U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden is leading a charge to get rid of forced arbitration and lawsuit waivers that banks and financial firms have consumers sign and agree in order to avoid litigation. Wyden is chair of the influential Senate Finance Committee. He is a top sponsor of the Arbitration Fairness for Consumers Act along with U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio. Other Democratic lawmakers and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, are also co-sponsors of the bill.

Bank, credit card firms, and other companies frequently have customers agree to required arbitration in disputes. The policies help the business avoid class-action lawsuits and other litigation. The rules also help companies avoid turning over emails, communications and other evidence to consumers’ attorneys. The Oregon senator also pointed out that arbitration agreements are often nestled inside lengthy agreements signed by customers.

The federal legislation would prohibit “pre-dispute arbitration agreements and class-action waivers in contracts for consumer financial products or services. Under the legislation, such agreements would be neither valid nor enforceable,” according to the lawmakers.

Airfares and Gasoline Prices Reaching New Highs

As COVID-19 cases drop, mask protocols ease and more Americans venture out to beaches, theme parks and other tourist destinations, travel is bouncing back to levels not seen since the pandemic took hold, industry experts say. The bad news: Airfares and gasoline prices are also reaching highs not seen in years.

AAA of Oregon says Nearly 40% of Americans are planning to travel during spring break, up from the 29% who said they were traveling for spring break 2021, according to a survey commissioned by the vacation rental company Vacasa. The home rental business Vrbo has also reported a nearly 50% increase in demand for vacation homes this
spring, compared with spring of 2021.

Road trippers are not catching a break either. Already-high gasoline prices have been pushed to near-record levels due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has sent shockwaves through the oil market.

Nationwide, the price of a gallon of gas rose to an average of $3.61, about 90 cents higher than a year earlier, with prices in California climbing to $4.82 per gallon, according to AAA. Oregon had the nation’s fourth-highest gas prices as of Monday.

Doggie Dash will return to Tom McCall Waterfront Park in downtown Portland!

After two years of virtual celebrations, the Oregon Humane Society’s Doggie Dash returns to Waterfront Park this year. Doggie Dash is the largest celebration of people and pets on the West Coast and the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Oregon Humane Society.

It’ll be held Saturday May 14th. Some changes have been made, because of the pandemic. The traditional pancake breakfast has been replaced with individually wrapped items. There will be two Libation Stations, so people can spread out. And there will be more waves of start times. FOR MORE INFO: https://www.oregonhumane.org/get-involved/events/doggiedash/?gclid=CjwKCAiAvaGRBhBlEiwAiY-yMKOJfFEDljPZcima5JdYi8KVXFk5jAQe6n9O26NhuRSJEn1d_mloABoCkH0QAvD_BwE

Oregon Farm Bureau FFA Video Contest

Students can submit videos featuring projects, programs or farm and ranch happenings

The following is a release from the Oregon Farm Bureau

Oregon Farm Bureau (OFB) invites FFA students to participate in its second-annual #GrowingOregon video contest — for a chance to win at least $400!

“This year the winner will earn a generous cash prize for their FFA chapter,” said Anne Marie Moss, OFB communications director.

To participate, FFA members should create a video up to a minute long that features the #GrowingOregon hashtag and something interesting about Oregon agriculture.

Video topic ideas include an overview of an FFA project or program, what’s happening on the farm or ranch, or highlighting an Oregon agricultural product.

Students have until April 30 to submit their videos to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The contest winner will be determined by which video gets the most likes and views on OFB’s social media platforms by May 31. The winner will receive a cash prize that will be donated to their FFA chapter. The prize amount will be at least $400.

“We can’t wait to see the students’ creativity. There are so many aspects to Oregon agriculture that are fascinating, so the possibilities truly are endless,” said Moss.

For more information about the #GrowingOregon video contest, visit https://oregonfb.org/growingoregon/

Police Ask for Public’s Help in Search For Victim’s Roommate In Albany Homicide

 A 42-year-old woman, the roommate of a 75-year-old man whose death was ruled a homicide, is wanted for questioning in the case, Albany police officials said.

Elvin “Al” Pierce was found dead by officers around 9:10 p.m. Friday after a 911 caller reported a man was unconscious and not breathing. Investigators at that time said the circumstances surrounding his death were suspicious.

APD said Pierce’s roommate, 42-year-old Elizabeth Nicole Tyler Jimenez, wasn’t there at the home when officers found Pierce dead and they don’t know where she is. Authorities did not specifically state whether Jimenez is a suspect or if there are any charges against her.

Pierce’s car, a tan 2004 Buick Park Avenue with Oregon license plate 081FAX, is also missing.

Jimenez, who investigators believe is currently without a job, is described as often visiting local soup kitchens. She also has skills as a masseuse and a seamstress, officials said.

Anyone with information is urged to contact APD at 541-917-7680 or APD Lt. Buck Pearce at 541-917-3209.

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May be an image of 2 people and text that says 'MISSING PERSON VINTAGE 1940 Donald Stockwell Donald Stockwell 80 yrs old, grey hair and beard. Weight 240, height 6 Vehicle: White 2019 GMC door crew cab. Oregon License no, 851LVC Missing from Grants pass Oregon. Last seen in Goldhill Oregon February 3, 2022 If seen contact josephine County Sheriffs Office at (541)474-5123 X3'
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Klamath County Sheriff’s Office Asks for Public’s Help in Search For Trucker Suspect

The first real clue to come in on all the missing person cases in the area. Help Klamath Falls Oregon Sheriff Office ID this trucker. He was the last to see this woman alive and could be the key to not only solving this woman’s disappearance but a number of the hundred other women missing in PNW. IF you have any information, please call (541) 883-5130

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https://www.facebook.com/pg/Have-You-Seen-Me-Southern-Oregons-Missing-People-161249961222839/posts/

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