Rogue Valley News, Monday 5/16 – Josephine County Rural Metro Fire Responds To Five Crashes In Three Hours, Senator Merkley Visits Jackson County Pipeline Project

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, May 16, 2022

Rogue Valley Weather

Josephine County Rural Metro Fire Responds To Five Crashes In Three Hours

Rural Metro Fire and AMR were dispatched to five crashes that spanned from Merlin to Wilderville, to New Hope in a span of about three hours Saturday afternoon.

Each crash varied from non-injury to serious injury, including a rollover in the 1400 block of Jaynes Drive, according to RMF.

“The pickup hit a tree and the driver was pinned inside when the dash was crushed down on the driver’s legs,” RMF stated. “RMF crews were assisted by Grants Pass Fire crews in removing the doors and roof, as well as pushing the dash away, using heavy-duty rescue tools commonly referred to as the “Jaws of Life”. Once freed, the driver was transported to the hospital with leg trauma.”

The cause of each crash is being investigated by law enforcement.

Senator Merkley Visits Jackson County Pipeline Project

Senator Jeff Merkley visited the new water pipeline project in the works in Jackson County on Friday. The development of the 13.6 mile-long pipeline marks a significant investment in water-moving infrastructure in Southern Oregon that could benefit both farms and fish.

“It helps everyone by conserving water and making more water available throughout the irrigation district,” Merkley said, during his visit in Eagle Point.

The pipeline will be used by the Rogue River Valley Irrigation District and Medford Irrigation District. It will upgrade the existing cement and earthen system known as the Hopkins Canal which stretches from Eagle Point to Little Butte Creek. The system supplies water to thousands of acres of agricultural land.

Under the Omnibus Spending Bill recently passed by congress, $5 million is headed to the Joint System Canal Piping Project. The project is part of a broader system improvement plan to modernize the irrigation system for the Medford Irrigation District and Rogue River Valley Irrigation District.

“This will be the biggest irrigation infrastructure project in Jackson County,” said Paul DeMaggio with the Jackson Soil and Water Conservation District.

The purpose of the pipeline is to prevent water from leaking out of the aging canal system that hasn’t seen significant improvements since the 1950s, DeMaggio says. A pipeline, instead of an open canal, will also prevent evaporation and allow more water to be kept in smaller tributaries in the Little Butte Creek watershed, which supports Chinook salmon, steelhead trout and coho salmon, among fish species.

The Little Butte Creek basin “produces more of these fish than any other tributary of the Upper Rogue,” according to the Southern Oregon Land Conservancy.

“By making the canals more efficient, they can just divert a little bit less and leave more water in-stream for fish, rather than diverting their full amount and letting that water seep out uncontrolled,” DeMaggio said.

As a member of the congressional appropriations committee, Merkley helped secure $5 million for this initial funding phase of the pipeline. The full cost to modernize the canal is expected to be $56.2 million.

“If we’re going to keep our agriculture strong, we have to use water more efficiently,” Merkley said. “These types of projects are essential to a future of climate change where we’re anticipating that we’re going to have a lot less water than we’ve had in the past.”

Unlike millions of dollars in recent federal investments for Western water projects, the Jackson County pipeline has been in the works for several years. After an initial feasibility and engineering stage, it will take several more years to be built during winter months when the canal is kept dry.

Additional benefits of a pipeline will include preventing flooding from breaks in the canal and increased water pressure to allow farmers to use sprinklers, rather than less efficient flood irrigation, according to members of the irrigation districts. The piped system could also potentially support micro-hydroelectric energy generation.

The 13.6-mile pipeline will tie into an existing 3.5-mile pipeline created by the Rogue River Valley Irrigation District several years ago.

Much larger pipeline projects have already been built in arid Central Oregon, DeMaggio says. With ongoing droughts, similar investments are starting in Southern Oregon.

MORE INFO on PIPELINE PROJECT: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/or/newsroom/stories/?cid=nrcseprd1499265

Eight Oregon communities will share in $4.4 million from the federal Environmental Protection Agency to clean up contaminated buildings and industrial sites. 

The money comes from the EPA’s  Brownfields Program. These are sites across the country where communities haven’t been able to expand or create development projects because of contamination such as asbestos, lead and hazardous waste.

The vacant Markwardt Brothers Garage in Chiloquin today.
The city will get $500,000 from EPA to clean the site up of hazardous auto chemicals. (Courtesy, City of Chiloquin)

EPA estimates there are more than 450,000 such sites in the U.S. There are 474 current and former brownfield sites in Oregon, according to the state Department of Environmental Quality. 

Most of Oregon’s recipients will use the money to survey and study their contaminated sites. Clatsop County, Hillsboro, Lincoln City, Portland, Rogue Valley Council of Governments and Tillamook County will each get $500,000. 

The city of Chiloquin will get $500,000 to clean up a vacant 1929 Markwardt Brothers automotive garage so it can be used for another purpose. Though it also served as a second-hand store in the 1960s and a wood products store in the 1980s, it suffers from contamination left over from its days as a garage, when there weren’t many regulations around the storage and disposal of oil and auto chemicals, according to the city’s grant application. 

At least $1.5 million of the money coming to Oregon’s brownfield sites comes from the Infrastructure and Investment act passed by Congress in November, which included $1.5 billion to “advance environmental justice, spur economic revitalization, and create jobs by cleaning up contaminated, polluted, or hazardous Brownfield properties,” according to EPA. More than 80% of that funding will go to historically underserved areas.

Rogue River Closure: Marathon Boat Race

2022 USA Marathon World Championship Jetboat Race


IMPORTANT NOTICE: 
During the Marathon Jetboat Races, the Rogue River will be closed in designated areas and during designated times (Refer to the race schedule listed below). All spectators will remain off the water until the races are over. All spectators will remain 50 feet from the waterway at all times. 
Movement on the water is Restricted to Law Enforcement, Rescue personnel and Authorized Race Officials during the closures. Private boats are not allowed to assist with crash/rescue operations for safety reasons.

Boats can be anchored on the shoreline if it is deemed safe by Race Officials and Law Enforcement. All users shall be OFF the water and in an approved area 1 hour prior to the start of the race. Any unauthorized boat on the water during the closure may be cited for Reckless or Unsafe Operation (ORS 830.315 & 305 / $421.00). Law Enforcement will be patrolling the waterways during the race events. 

RIVER CLOSURES: Closed Thursday May 26, 2022, the Rogue River from Baker Park to Almeda Park including all boat ramps will be CLOSED during race events scheduled from 7:30am to 3:00pm.

Counterfeit at-home COVID-19 tests are circulating throughout the United States. Counterfeit tests are not authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and may not function properly.

At this time, the FDA has identified two counterfeit tests that are made to look a lot like Flowflex COVID-19 Test Kits and iHealth Antigen Rapid Test Kits. (iHealth tests distributed by Oregon Health Authority are NOT counterfeit.)

Per FDA, two counterfeit tests made to look like Flowflex COVID-19 Test Kits and iHealth Antigen Rapid Test Kits. OHA distributed iHealth tests are NOT counterfeit. Counterfeit signs: poor print quality of text or images, missing information on outside box label such as lot number, expiration date, barcode/QR code, grammar or spelling errors on product label and kit components that don't match box description.

For examples of counterfeit at-home COVID-19 tests, what to do if you have one and other testing resources, visit http://ow.ly/cZtL50J82sf.Before using an at-home COVID-19 test, make sure it’s on the FDA’s list of authorized at-home tests: http://ow.ly/l1W950J82sgYou can also order free COVID-19 tests directly from the federal government which are not counterfeit: http://ow.ly/n64n50J82se

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U.S. Marshals Capture Oregon Escaped Prisoner in Nevada

U.S. Marshals say a 38-year-old fugitive that escaped from a Federal Prison camp in Sheridan at the end of April was captured Friday, May 13 in Nevada.

Courtesy Carson City Sheriff

Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong states that Andrew Cain Kristovich was staying in a tent on a property, that ironically was only a 100 yards from a prison. Kristovich was armed with an AR and five magazines, but he surrendered when he saw his tent surrounded by deputies.

After escaping the FCI Prison Camp in Sheridan on April 25, Kristovich traveled to an ex-girlfriend’s house in Clark County, WA, where he allegedly assaulted and raped her. He then fled with her debit card, cell phone and car. Kristovich told deputies in Carson City he had driven to Nevada in a stolen car, but authorities have not located it.
Originally, Kristovich was arrested in 2018 for manufacturing ghost AK-47s for a Mexican drug cartel. He was sent to the minimum security prison he escaped from, because it was his first offense.

Important Election Information

  • May 17, 2022 – County Clerk’s office open 7 am – 8 pm. Official dropsites open until 8 pm, for minimum of 8 hours. (Primary Election)
  • May 17, 2022 – Last day to file write-in declaration or write-in nomination for precinct committeeperson. Must be filed no later than 8 pm. (Primary Election)
  • May 17, 2022 – Last day for voter to return ballot. Ballots that are mailed must be postmarked by election day. Ballots deposited in an official drop box must be received by 8 pm on election day. (May Election)

MORE INFO: https://sos.oregon.gov/elections/Pages/election-information.aspx

10-Year-Old Girl Struck and Killed By Motorist In Klamath Falls

A 10-year-old girl was struck and killed by a motorist on Friday afternoon in the city of Klamath Falls. Just after 4pm, emergency personnel responded to the area of North 3rd and McKinley street, where a vehicle had struck a pedestrian.

Upon arrival of medical teams, it was determined the victim was not breathing and CPR was administered. She
was then transported to Sky Lakes Medical Center. Unfortunately, after intensive efforts by emergency room personnel, the victim was pronounced deceased.

The driver of the vehicle in the crash remained on scene and was fully cooperating with authorities in their investigation of the incident. Anyone with information or those that may have witnessed the crash are asked to call the Klamath Falls Police department at 541-883-The victim’s name is Katie Fridenfelt. She was a student at Conger Elementary.

Governor Declares Drought In Douglas County Adding It To 15 Of Oregon’s 36 Counties On Drought List

Governor Brown declared a drought in Douglas County on Friday. Now 15 of the state’s 36 counties are subject to active drought declarations.

Brown included Douglas in a drought declaration Friday along with Baker and Wallowa counties in northeastern Oregon and Wheeler County.

“Drought, severe weather conditions, and the upcoming fire season pose significant threats to the local economy, agriculture and livestock, natural resources, and recreation in Baker, Douglas, Wallowa, and Wheeler Counties,” according to the governor’s office. “Governor Brown’s drought declaration unlocks a number of drought-related emergency tools for water users, including assistance to local water users. Drought declarations also allow the Water Resources Department to expedite review processes and reduce fee schedules. Declarations are intended to be short-term emergency authorizations to address water supply challenges.”

MORE INFO: Oregon Water Resources Department Public Declaration Status Report

First Meeting Of The Task Force On Cannabis-Derived Intoxicants And Illegal Cannabis Production in Oregon

Officials from all over the state came together Thursday for the very first meeting of the Task Force on Cannabis-Derived Intoxicants and Illegal Cannabis Production. The goal of the task force is to improve Oregon’s cannabis and hemp markets while keeping the public and environment safe and illegal growers held accountable. The meeting took place over Microsoft Teams.

During the meeting, the Oregon State Police, local cannabis and hemp growers, agriculture scientists, state representatives and more voiced their concerns about illegal marijuana operations in Oregon. Representative Pam
Marsh was elected Chair and Representative Lily Morgan was elected Co-Chair.

Illegal marijuana is a significant problem in southern Oregon, according to police. Sergeant Tyler Bechtel with OSP shared his concerns during Thursday’s task force meeting.  “There is a massive problem in southern Oregon,” Bechtel said.

Other issues discussed during the meeting included labor trafficking, water, and environmental impacts, cross pollinization, and protecting legal growers and operations. 

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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

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

Must Read

Rogue Valley News, Tuesday, Feb. 11 – Gov Brown Reaches Agreement to Protect Oregon Forest Lands

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Rogue Valley News, Monday 5/2 – Josephine County Sheriff’s Office Serves Another Marijuana Search Warrant, Man Arrested for Armed Robbery in Ashland, Riot at Grants Pass Juvenile Justice Center

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Rogue Valley News, Thursday 1/13 – Skeletal Remains Discovered off Roxy Ann Peak Trail, Purple Parrot Armed Robberies

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