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, June 3, 2022
Rogue Valley Weather
Manufactured Home Replacement Resources GRANT for Almeda Fire VIctims
The Rogue Valley was already in a housing crunch when the Almeda Fire hit. Eighteen mobile home parks were largely or fully destroyed, burning 1,500 to 1,700 manufactured homes and RVs, according to state Rep. Pam Marsh of Ashland.
If you are one of the thousands of fire victims who lost a mobile home in the Almeda Fire, and you are low-to-80% of median income, good news! The new Manufactured Home Replacement Resources GRANT pays the ENTIRE AMOUNT between someone’s insurance/FEMA $ & the cost of a new mobile home.
So this can be even more funds than the forgivable loan, which is just $50,000 if you had a single-wide that burned, or $75,000 if you had a double-wide that burned. Flyer is attached below. Contact ACCESS Homeownership Center to get started on your application~541-774-4305, HOCinfo@accesshelps.org.
Josephine County Sheriff’s Office Warns of Telephonic Scam
DETAILS: The Josephine County Sheriff’s Office has received a report of a new telephonic scam. A citizen reported that they received a phone call from a subject claiming to be a DEA agent from another state.
The fake DEA agent told our citizen that drugs had been mailed to their house and an infusion of money had been placed into their bank account. The scammer then asked the citizen for their banking information which the citizen refused to provide. The scammer told the citizen that the Sheriff’s Office would be contacting them.
The citizen then received a phone call from a scammer who claimed to be a Sheriff’s Deputy. The phone number on caller ID was the Sheriff’s Office number however, the citizen still refused to provide personal bank information and reported the phone calls to the Sheriff’s Office.
Scammers use a technique known as caller ID spoofing. Caller ID spoofing is the practice of falsifying the information about an incoming call on the receiver’s caller ID display. Scammers will manipulate the caller ID so that the call appears to be coming from a local or well-known phone number, making it more likely to be trusted or answered.
The Sheriff’s Office would like to remind you that law enforcement does not operate in this fashion. We would also like to remind citizens to remain vigilant and report any potential scams that come their way. Persons should never provide financial or personal information to anyone until they are certain who they are speaking to. It appears many of these types of thieves try to target members of our senior citizen community. Please be aware of these scams and call the Sheriff’s Office if you have questions or concerns. Josephine Co. Sheriff’s Office
UPDATE: Missing 81-Year-Old Man Last Seen Near Applegate Lake Found Deceased
After a multi-agency response including members with Siskiyou County Search and Rescue (SAR), Jackson County Search and Rescue and the California Highway Patrol, Edison’s ATV was located at the bottom of a 300 ft. embankment off USFS Road 1050 at approximately 3 p.m. Wednesday, June 1.
The SAR team quickly descended down the cliff in an effort to rescue Edison. Unfortunately, he had succumbed to his injuries and was found deceased.
At this time, Edison’s family has been notified and there is not further information.
The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office put out a notice that 81-year-old Zed Edison IlI has been missing since he went gold panning on Monday.
Edison was last seen the afternoon of May 30 around 2:30 pm on USFS Road 1050 in Siskiyou County, just south of Applegate Lake, OR.
The sheriff’s office said Edison left a residence on a black and green 2003 Artic Cat ATV to go gold panning and did not return home.
He is most likely wearing a flannel shirt and blue jeans. If located, please contact the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office at (530) 841-2900.
How Gas Prices Have Changed in Medford in The Last Week
The price of regular gasoline reached a record high on Thursday, June 2, hitting $4.71 per gallon. All 50 states now have average regular gas prices above $4.00 per gallon, according to AAA .
Stacker compiled statistics on gas prices in Medford-Ashland, OR metro area and created free to use gas price widgets for every metro area using data from AAA . Gas prices are current as of June 2.
State gas tax data is from World Population Review . Three states—Connecticut, Georgia, and New York—have temporarily suspended gas taxes to defray costs for consumers while prices are up.
You may also like : Free to use gas price widgets
Medford by the numbers
– Gas current price: $5.31
— Oregon average: $5.27
— Oregon gas tax: $0.36 per gallon (#10 highest among all states)
– Week change: +$0.10 (+2.0%)
– Year change: +$1.77 (+49.8%)
– Historical expensive gas price: $5.31 (6/2/22)
– Diesel current price: $5.96
– Week change: +$0.15 (+2.6%)
– Year change: +$2.46 (+70.0%)
– Historical expensive diesel price: $5.96 (6/2/22)
Metros with the most expensive gas
#1. Napa, CA: $6.50
#2. San Francisco, CA: $6.49
#3. San Rafael, CA: $6.49
Metros with the least expensive gas
#1. Lawton, OK: $4.07
#2. Albany, GA: $4.10
#3. Warner Robins, GA: $4.11
DMV in Dire Need to Fill Job Openings in Your Area
“DMV has been experiencing the same shortage of applicants for job openings as other employers statewide and nationwide,” Joyce said. “The people working at your local DMV live in your community – and could use your help.”
Apply for a job at ODOT today at www.odotjobs.com – select “Department of Transportation” under the Company menu.
We want to keep you informed about COVID-19 in Oregon. Data are provisional and change frequently. For more information, including COVID-19 data by county, visit our dashboard: http://ow.ly/otU050JoGot
OHA releases biweekly COVID-19 reports
The COVID-19 Biweekly Data Report, released today, shows an increase COVID-19-related cases, hospitalizations and deaths since the previous biweekly period.
Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported 22,845 new cases of COVID-19 from May 16 to May 29, a 24% increase over the previous biweekly total of 18,447.
There were 549 new COVID-19-related hospitalizations during the biweekly period, more than double from the 208 reported during the previous two-week period.
“The increases we are seeing with COVID-19 cases statewide confirm that the virus is still widespread through Oregon, even though many of us are ready to move on,” said Dr. Paul Cieslak, medical director for communicable diseases and immunizations at OHA. “With our healthcare partners, we continue to monitor hospitalization numbers that are rising gradually. We anticipate, based on the latest modeling, that hospitalizations will peak around the second week of June and then start to come down.”
There were 58 COVID-19-related deaths, up from the 50 reported during the previous two weeks.
During the two-week period of May 15 through May 28, 196,549 tests for COVID-19 were reported to OHA; of those, 12.1% were positive — up from the 10.5% positivity rate reported during the previous two-week period.
“Being up to date with your vaccinations and boosters is still your best way to prevent serious disease,” added Cieslak. “Persons who are at higher risk should make a plan for getting tested and treated quickly should they develop COVID-19 symptoms despite vaccination. Paxlovid and other treatments are now widely available in Oregon with a doctor’s prescription or through test-to-treat sites.”
Today’s COVID-19 Biweekly Outbreak Report shows 153 active outbreaks in care facilities, senior living communities and congregate care living settings with three or more confirmed COVID-19 cases or one or more COVID-19-related deaths.
OHA updates COVID-19 Data Reports
OHA has identified a discrepancy in its labeling of age groups in tables and charts published in the COVID-19 Data Reports. The age group labels in the Data Reports indicate ages 0-9 and 10-19, but the case counts are from people ages 0-10 and 11-19. Information on the COVID-19 dashboards was not affected.
The error started in late 2020, when OHA transitioned from manually creating the reports to an automated process. OHA identified the scripting error in late May this year.
OHA will update all affected archived Data Reports, in both English and Spanish, with statements noting that data labels for the age groups should be for ages 0-10 and 11-19, and include a link to the dashboards for up-to-date information. OHA also will update its 2020 Annual COVID-19 Data Report to incorporate these changes.
Age groups and case counts in this week’s and all future Data Reports will align with OHA’s Case Demographics, Hospitalizations and Deaths dashboards. OHA also has updated its quality control processes to provide additional levels of review for all reports.
Law To Combat Water Theft Used For Illegal Cannabis Grows Goes Into Effect Today
Water suppliers and haulers for agricultural purposes, nurseries, and garden irrigation throughout the state will be legally required to document each sale, what the crop of the water was used for, and other information related to the water transaction starting today June 3rd.
In February, House Bill 4061 was unanimously passed through the Oregon House and Senate after the state saw thousands of illegal cannabis grows pop up, either stealing water or providing false licensing documents to purchase it.
“Water, really, is owned by everyone in Oregon, and the state really wanted to take a look at what we can do to curtail that illegal use of water,” Alyssa Rash, the public information and resiliency specialist for the Oregon Water Resource Department (OWRD) said. “For an unlicensed cannabis operation, if they don’t have a water right in Oregon, they are stealing water by applying it to their cannabis.”
She explained the new law requires water supplies and haulers to document the purchase’s location, date, name, and contact information for the person the water was delivered to, the quantity, and the water’s use (including the plant type).
“We will also have rules that those water haulers are checking to see if they providing water to cannabis, is this a licensed cannabis operation,” Rash said.
The bill also establishes new penalties for those that break the law, depending on what role the individual played in the illegal purchase of water.
If a person is found to use water illegally for an unregistered grow, they can receive Class A misdemeanor, which is punishable by up to one year in prison with a maximum fine of $25,000.
She explained that the law will not apply to certain water transactions, including firefighting efforts.
Rash said OWRD provides water suppliers and haulers with resources to be able to identify if a buyer is using fake licensing documents. The first objective the agency will take is to educate water suppliers.
“We recognize that this is a pretty big lift that is now going to be required of them under this new law,” Rash said. “We are really partnering with them and helping them understand what new requirements they have.”
Rash added the agency will request the required records when investigating possible illegal use and/or responding to a complaint.
The new law, which officially goes into effect June 3, 2022, requires water suppliers and haulers to save all their records and documents for one year.
Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal launches grant opportunity to bolster wildfire response staffing
SALEM, Ore. – As the heat of summer nears, and the threat of wildfire increases, the Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal (OSFM) is announcing a grant to help bolster capacity at local fire departments across the state.
As part of the OSFM’s Response Ready Oregon Initiative, roughly $4 million is available to local fire districts and departments to bring on additional staff during the 2022 wildfire season. When applying for this grant, local fire agencies can request up to $35,000 to support upstaffing.
This additional funding will increase on-duty capacity throughout the fire season at the local level and allow agencies to mobilize quickly to fires at the local, regional, and state (conflagration) level. Having more on-duty firefighters will help keep fires small before they can impact communities.
“The Office of State Fire Marshal is taking a multipronged approach to combating wildfire in Oregon,” Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said, “We’re investing in communities through risk reduction programs and firefighting equipment and people to keep Oregonians protected from wildfire. This grant opportunity will give the Oregon fire service much needed capacity during a critical time of year.”
All 306 of Oregon’s local fire service agencies are eligible for this grant opportunity. For additional information or the grant application please visit https://www.oregon.gov/osp/programs/sfm/Pages/OSFM-Grants.aspx.
Current staff and volunteers would be eligible for additional hours under the grant using the current agency staffing model and pay scale. The application review will begin June 6, 2022. Applications may be considered through August 12, 2022, subject to the availability of funds. Applications will be periodically reviewed during the application window. Funding awards will be distributed on a rolling basis as applications are reviewed and approved.
Funding for this upstaffing grant opportunity was made possible through the Oregon Legislature and Senate Bill 762.
ABOUT RESPONSE READY OREGON
The OSFM’s Response Ready Oregon initiative was created to help bolster capacity and modernize wildfire response within the Oregon Fire Mutual Aid System (OFMAS). The goal of Response Ready Oregon is to attack fires while they are small and keep them out of communities.
Few Oregon Schools Have Opted To Ban Guns On Campus
Every public school district in Oregon last year was given the option to ban guns from their properties, but most have declined to do so. Since a change to Oregon law in September, only 13% of the state’s public school districts have opted to close an exemption that allows holders of a concealed handgun license to carry weapons onto public property where possessing a gun would otherwise be a felony, OPB reported.
According to an analysis by OPB, the list of districts that have banned guns includes some in the Portland metro area — though not yet Portland Public Schools — along with more rural school systems. Among the 25 that have banned guns are districts in Klamath Falls, Myrtle Point, Tillamook, Pendleton, Tigard-Tualatin, Lake Oswego and Woodburn. The vast majority of the state’’s 197 public school districts have, to date, taken no action.
Phil Knight Makes Offer to Buy Portland Trail Blazers
Nike founder Phil Knight has made a $2 billion-plus offer to buy the Portland Trail Blazers and negotiation discussions are ongoing, according to ESPN. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports the offer is being discussed with the trust of Paul Allen, the Trail Blazers owner who passed away in 2018.
The report says it is a written offer made by Knight in tandem with Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Alan Smolinisky,
sources tell ESPN. Wojnarowski writes the presence of Phil Knight in the proposed ownership group speaks to its desire to keep the Blazers in Portland. Knight, 84, is the chairman emeritus of Nike, Inc., and was previously CEO of the company. According to Forbes, Knight is the 27th-richest person in the world with an estimated net worth of
$47.3 billion. He was born in Portland.
Two Oregon Men Sue Google
Two Oregon men — including one from Klamath Falls — have filed a class action lawsuit against Google and YouTube over automatic renewal fees. Victor Walkingeagle, of Portland, and Nathan Briggs, of Klamath Falls, filed the suit in federal court in Portland on May 25.
They are represented by Stanton Gallegos, an attorney with the Oregon-based law firm Markowitz Herbold PC, according to court documents. Gallegos has not yet responded to a request for comment on the civil lawsuit. The suit alleges Google and YouTube automatic renewal procedures for various subscription services mislead consumers and violate Oregon’s automatic renewal law.
The social media platforms offer paid subscription services for ad-free content for music, videos and special programming. Oregon and California have aggressive renewal laws that require clear disclosures from companies aimed at helping consumers. They have also sparked some lawsuits. Briggs and Walkingeagle are seeking $5 million in damages, according to court filings. Google and YouTube — which are both owned by parent company
Alphabet Inc — did not respond to a request for comment.
ODFW Says Many Oregon Wildlife Rehabilitators Are Not Accepting Waterfowl Due To Avian Flu Risk
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) says many wildlife rehabilitation facilities are not accepting waterfowl due to the spread of avian flu in wild birds.
ODFW reminds the public that if they see healthy ducklings or goslings without a parent, to leave them alone and let the parents find them.
Injured ducks and geese may be brought to an ODFW office for euthanasia. ODFW asks that you call ahead if you are bringing in injured waterfowl.
If you see sick or dead wild birds, ODFW says, “do not collect or handle them but report the incident directly to your local ODFW office or the Wildlife Health lab at 866-968-2600
In Oregon, avian flu was first detected in wild birds in Canada goose goslings at Alton Baker Park in Eugene and it was also found in several red-tailed hawks in May. Infected birds can shed avian influenza A viruses in their saliva, nasal secretions, and feces.
Free Fishing Days This Weekend
Grab your crab pots, fishing rods and your bait! Oregon celebrates Free Fishing Days this weekend. You don’t need a license to fish, clam or crab in Oregon Saturday, June 4, or Sunday, June 5.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife designates the first weekend in June for free fishing. Area closures, bag limits and all other fishing regulations still apply. Free fishing opportunities are available for both state residents and non-residents.
Families who would like to practice together can attend one of ODWF’s Family Fishing events.
Saturday June 4
- Estacada, Small Fry Lake, Promontory Park, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Directions: 7 miles east of Estacada on Highway 224.
- Eugene, Alton Baker Canoe Canal, 9 a.m.- 2 p.m.
- Hebo Lake, 9 am.-2 p.m. Directions: Take Hwy 101 to Hwy 22 at Hebo. Travel 1/4 mile east on Hwy 22 to Forest Service Rd. 14. Travel east 4.5 miles on Forest Service Rd. 14 to the entrance of the Hebo Lake Campground.
- Forest Grove/Washington County, Henry Hagg Lake, 7 a.m.-4 p.m. Directions: From Hwy 47 south of Dilley near Forest Grove, follow Scoggins Valley Rd. about 3 miles to the lake.
- Silverton Reservoir, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. There is no on-site parking at this event. Free shuttles will run every half hour 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. from Roth’s Market, Robert Frost School, Library, Church of the Nazarene in Silverton.
- Toledo/Newport, Ollala Lake, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Directions: 9 miles northeast of Newport. From Newport, take Hwy. 20 east for approximately six miles, then head north on Olalla Road for about three miles.
Sunday, June 5
- Forest Grove/Washington County, Henry Hagg Lake, 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Directions: From Hwy 47 south of Dilley near Forest Grove, follow Scoggins Valley Rd. about 3 miles to the lake.
- Klamath Falls/Medford, Lake of the Woods, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Directions: Lake of the Woods is located off of State Rte. 140 mid-way between Medford and Klamath Falls.
- Free fishing opportunities are available for both state residents and non-residents.
Learn More: Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations – Recreation Report Southwest Zone – Crabbing and Clamming
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