Rogue Valley News, Monday 6/13 – Hundreds Turn Out For Medford’s First Pride Celebration, Suspect Arrested After Brush Fire In Medford

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, June 13, 2022

Rogue Valley Weather

Hundreds Turn Out For Medford’s First Pride Celebration

Hundreds of people came out to Medford’s first pride event on June 11th. The event featured performances by poets and drag performers, along with over  50-vendors selling food and art.

There were also activities and booths from local businesses and non-profit organizations. Organizers said it was great to see people of all ages come out to celebrate in the name of loving everyone for who they are.

“It has been months of really hard work making this thing happen and when I first came here and saw everyone here I just started crying because I was just so overwhelmed with just how beautiful it is seeing this community show up and show out for all of us its amazing,” said Payton Henderson, a member of the Pride Planning Committee.

She said she was happy to see kids at the event having a great time. Organizers stated the goal of the event is to celebrate the diversity of the local queer community and the people who support and uplift them.

MEDFORD TO CELEBRATE PRIDE WITH EVENTS THROUGHOUT JUNE

PRIDE Month in Medford kicked off June 2nd with a flag raising at City Hall.

Month-long events series to include “Dinner, Drinks, & Drag,” an outdoor dance/skate/mingle party, youth story time and teen Zine workshop, PRIDE celebration & more.

Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Director Frances Nwajei, and the Medford PRIDE Planning Committee are proud to announce a month-long series of events in celebration of PRIDE Month. For the first time, the City of Medford is planning to celebrate PRIDE with a combination of events, workshops, interfaith gatherings, and more. PRIDE Month in Medford will kick off with a flag raising event outside of City Hall on June 2nd and culminate with a PRIDE celebration at Andrews Field on June 26th.

In early 2022 Mayor Lungo-Koehn convened a PRIDE Planning Committee, led by Nwajei, to help plan for the City’s celebrations. Six committee members along with numerous volunteers and City staff have worked to plan a series of events across multiple platforms and media to allow Medford community members of all ages and interests to participate. The celebrations will include:

  • Friday, June 17, 11:00am: LGBTQ+ Story Hour hosted by Book Wonder at 4GoodVibes
  • Saturday, June 18, 7:30pm: Dance/Skate/Mingle Party in City Hall parking lot
  • Tuesday, June 21, 3:00pm: PRIDE Zine Workshop for Teens hosted by the Medford Public Library
  • Friday, June 24, 3:30pm: Lindsay Munroe Sings at the Medford Public Library
  • Sunday, June 26, 1:00pm: Medford PRIDE Celebration at Andrews Field

A full, updated list of events will be available at www.medfordma.org/city-events.

“We have an incredible and well-rounded series of events planned for the month of June, with even more to be announced soon. I am so thankful to Frances Nwajei and the entire PRIDE Planning Committee who have worked tirelessly to design a new logo and materials, partner with community organizations and businesses, and launch Medford’s first ever PRIDE Festival,” said Mayor Lungo-Koehn.

Suspect Arrested After Brush Fire In Medford

One person was arrested and is in custody after a vegetation fire broke out in Medford on Saturday evening.

At around 8:00 pm, Medford Fire Department (MFD) crews were dispatched to a small grass fire at 1234 Corona Avenue.

MFD arrived on scene at 8:07 pm. Two units from Medford Police Department (MPD) were also on scene.

Structure Fire on 645 Royal Avenue In Medford

Medford Fire & Rescue and Medford Police Department responded to a structure fire at 645 Royal Ave. in Medford at approximately 11:35 am Saturday morning.

According to Medford Fire Battalion Chief, Jason John, there are no reported injuries and nobody was inside the apartment. The fire was extinguished by the first responding company of Medford Fire.

Authorities evacuated the 3rd floor and spent most the time trying to get the smoke out.

Medford Police assisted with evacuations. According to MFD fire chief, Allan Rogers, the structure fire was human-caused and still under investigation.

Car jacking suspect arrested for multiple vehicle thefts and assault in Grants Pass

On 06-12-2022, at approximately 7:29pm, Officers from the Grants Pass Police Department responded to the area of Annabelle Lane and Redwood Avenue after a citizen called and said her vehicle was stolen at gun point.  Officers had been in the area looking for a vehicle with possible stolen plates.  Officers responded quickly to the residence and located the vehicle with the stolen plates, which had been abandoned and the driver, who had forcefully taken another vehicle. The suspect fled the area in a Ford Escape and was last seen heading toward Redwood Avenue on Annabelle Lane.  

While officers were being provided information on the suspect and the stolen vehicle, it was located travelling in the area of Allen Creek Road and Redwood Avenue.  The suspect vehicle fled at a high rate of speed from the area.  Due to the reckless disregard for the safety of the public by the suspect, officers terminated the pursuit and began setting up a perimeter to locate the vehicle.  Additional reports were received about the vehicle driving at a high rate of speed, possibly heading toward Williams Highway. .  

Shortly after officers were attempting to locate the suspect off of Williams Highway, a caller reported that another vehicle was stolen in the area of Skycrest Lane and the suspect had discharged a round from a firearm while stealing the vehicle.  Officers located the stolen Ford Escape abandoned and another vehicle, a PT Cruiser, had been stolen.  Prior to officers arriving on scene, there was yet another report of a vehicle being stolen in the area of Skyway. It was later determined the shots were fired while the second vehicle was being stolen by the suspect.   

With the report of shots being fired and multiple vehicles being car jacked, deputies with the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office and Troopers from the Oregon State Police responded to assist with the investigation.  As officers arrived on scene, they learned the suspect had crashed the stolen PT Cruiser then forcibly stole a GMC Canyon truck.  Information about the truck was relayed to partner agencies in Jackson County. A short time later, there was a report of a vehicle that crashed near the Valley of the Rogue State Park on Interstate 5.  The vehicle matched the description of the stolen GMC Canyon. 

Deputies and Troopers from Jackson County responded and learned the suspect who had crashed the GMC had taken yet another vehicle, a yellow Dodge Ram, by force.  The truck was located by officers responding and a pursuit followed.  The suspect attempted to elude the officers and eventually stopped at a residence and was taken into custody by the Oregon State Police and Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. (Further information on the arrest is referred to the Oregon State Police.)

The suspect was turned over to detectives with the Grants Pass Police Department and was later lodged in the Josephine County jail.  The investigation is ongoing and due to the multiple crime scene and victims, no further information is available at this time.  One person was transported for minor injuries as a result of one of the vehicle thefts.  All vehicles have been recovered and the original vehicle with the stolen plates has been impounded for further investigation. The suspect is charged on the above crimes and further charges will likely follow.  It is expected that the suspect will face crimes in Jackson and Josephine Counties due to the location of the incidents.  

The Grants Pass Police Department would like the thank all of our partner agencies for their work and dedication to the citizens of Josephine and Jackson Counties. We would also like to thank all of the citizens who were witnesses to these incidents and called to provide critical information that assisted with ensuring this suspect was arrested and no longer in a position to harm anyone.  Anyone with information about the case or who may have witnessed any of the incidents is asked to call the Grants Pass Police Department at 541-450-6260. 

Illegal Marijuana Task Force Raids Three Separate Properties, Seizing 15 Firearms, 4k Plants, 1k lbs. Processed Black-Market Cannabis; Code Enforcement Fines Total $80k

JACKSON COUNTY, Ore. – Illegal Marijuana Enforcement Team (IMET) detectives served multiple search warrants this month on properties throughout Jackson County. The warrants resulted in the seizure of 15 firearms, nearly 4,000 plants, and more than 1,300 lbs. of processed black-market cannabis. At this time there is no evidence suggesting the cases are connected.

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The first case was the result of a four-month long investigation into an illegal cannabis grow site. IMET detectives served a search warrant May 25 on the 900 block of Dry Creek Road in Eagle Point. Detectives seized and destroyed 839 plants and approximately 1,000 lbs. of processed marijuana at the property. Detectives also seized 15 firearms including an illegal short barreled rifle. The primary suspect was not present when the warrant was served. The suspect, Martin Quintero Cabrera, 61, is wanted for unlawful manufacturing of marijuana, unlawful possession of marijuana, and unlawful possession of a firearm. Jackson County Code Enforcement fined the property a total of $16,000 for the five illegal greenhouses and solid waste.

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The second case was the result of a one-month long investigation stemming from a citizen complaint. IMET detectives served a search warrant May 26 at the 3600 block of Beagle Road in White City. Two Mexican nationals were detained at the time of the warrant service and one fled on foot. Charges are pending review by the Jackson County District Attorney’s office. Code Enforcement issued citations totaling $47,000 on the property for violations related to 12 greenhouse structures, unpermitted electrical, unsafe dwelling, solid waste, and an occupied camp trailer. Oregon Water Resources Department District 13 Watermasters issued a Notice of Water Violation (NOV) to the responsible parties for using water from a well for irrigation purposes without the benefit of a water right. Water violations of this kind are subject to both civil and criminal penalties. According to records for the local Watermasters office, neighboring landowners have been concerned about groundwater use in the area.

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The last case involved a grow on the 1300 block of Upper Applegate Road in Jacksonville on June 3. IMET detectives seized and destroyed 832 black-market marijuana plants and 314 lbs. of processed cannabis. The property is part of an ongoing criminal investigation and the main suspect is still outstanding. Code Enforcement issued citations totaling $17,000 for unapproved structures, unapproved marijuana production, and solid waste. Watermasters conducted their own investigation and issued an NOV to the responsible party for using water from a well for irrigation purposes without the benefit of a water right. According to the local Watermasters, the responsible party claimed that irrigation was served by bulk water delivery and “questionable” proof of delivery had been submitted, however upon recent site visit evidence of well water use was present. Oregon Water Resources Department staff was able to collect evidence that both irrigation use and water volume exceeded an amount that is legally allowed.

While regulatory agencies investigate permitted cannabis operations, IMET is focusing on the black-market marijuana trade in the Rogue Valley. IMET is a multi-agency task force funded by a grant from the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission. The task force includes personnel from Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Medford Police Department, and the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office. Investigations are open and ongoing with detectives working additional leads. Cases 22-8608, 22-8318, 22-9105 No further information is currently available for release.

UPDATE: Medford Fatal Motor Vehicle Accident

This investigation has been completed and determined to be non-criminal in nature.  No charges are pending.  The deceased pedestrian has been identified as Jerold Gene Hobbs, date of birth 2-3-60, and his next of kin have been notified.  

On 6/8/22 at 10:39 P.M., patrol officers responded to the 600 block of Crater Lake Avenue to investigate a motor vehicle accident involving a pedestrian.  Upon arrival, officers determined the accident involved one motorcycle and one pedestrian.  The driver of the motorcycle suffered non-life threatening injuries and was transported to the hospital via ambulance for treatment.  The pedestrian suffered fatal injuries and died at the scene. 

The Medford Police Serious Traffic Accident Reconstruction team (STAR) and a Medford Police Detective responded to the scene to investigate the accident.  Their investigation revealed the motorcycle was traveling south on Crater Lake Avenue when it collided with a pedestrian who was in the middle of the number 2 lane.  The pedestrian was not crossing the street within a crosswalk.  The incident was determined to be non-criminal and no arrests or citations were issued. Medford Police Dept.

North Entrance Road at Crater Lake National Park is Open

After delays caused by late-season heavy snow, the North Entrance Road at Crater Lake National Park is open.
Opening the North Entrance is significant because it allows park visitors to either enter the park from the north or from the South Entrance near Mazama Village off Highway 62. The North Entrance provides connections with Highway 97 north towards Bend and with Highway 138, which connects with Diamond Lake
and Roseburg.

Earlier this year it appeared the North Entrance would open much earlier than usual because of unusually low snowfall. Those hopes were squashed when heavy snow followed – more than 9 feet in a week and then nearly another foot over the Memorial Day Weekend.

Until opening the North Entrance, visitors could only enter the park by the South Entrance and, once at Rim Village, could drive only a mile on West Rim Drive to Discovery Point. West Rim Drive connects Rim Village with the North Entrance Junction.

East Rim Drive and Pinnacles Road will open in sections as the roads are cleared of snow and necessary road repairs are completed. The entire 33-mile-long Rim Road around the lake will likely not be open until sometime in July, depending on possible snow and the clearing of rock slides. Road crews are currently clearing snow to Cleetwood Cove, where a 1.1-mile-long trail provides the only access to the lake.

Oregon map shows Douglas, Jackson & Lane Counties at "high" community level. Low level: Stay current on vaccines & boosters. If symptoms, get tested. Medium: If you're at high risk, consider mask and other precautions. Stay current on vaccines & boosters. If symptoms, get tested. High: Masking indoors in public recommended. Stay current on vaccines & boosters. If symptoms, get tested. If high risk, more precautions

The CDC‘s COVID-19 Community Levels tool, updated every week, uses multiple factors to rate the level of COVID-19 spread in your county and can help you make decisions about how to approach activities such as grocery shopping, masking, travel and more.Three Oregon counties are at “high” community level, as of June 9.To learn more how to use regional CDC and OHA data to help make decisions about masking and taking other precautions, visit http://ow.ly/2Nsk50JvbQz.

Two ways to get Paxlovid and Molnupiravir, available for people at risk for severe COVID-19 and taken within 5 days of symptoms onset: Health care provider prescribes and you pick up at a pharmacy that carries them. The federal Test-to-Treat program is another option if you don't have access to a health care provider. For help in English and 150+ other languages, call 800-232-0233 (TTY 888-720-7489)

One Community Health (OCH), with locations in The Dalles and Hood River, is now participating in the federal COVID-19 Test to Treat (T2T) program.At this time, the two OCH sites are open only to current OCH patients and individuals from underserved communities. In the coming months, OCH plans to expand its T2T access to the entire Columbia Gorge community.The OCH sites are located in:◌ The Dalles – 1040 Webber Street◌ Hood River – 849 Pacific AvenueOregon now has 13 T2T sites. Appointments are required.To find an Oregon T2T site: http://ow.ly/iWk350JvfkzFor more information about COVID-19 treatments: http://ow.ly/o2qj50Jvfok

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Oregon’s Drought Improves Slightly As Rain Continues

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, between May 31 and June 7, the area over central Oregon listed with the worst level of drought, shrunk in half. That’s thanks to all the new rainfall.

On Friday alone, almost an inch and a half of water came down over PDX.

“It doesn’t mean that the drought is over – or is improving much,” said Larry O’Neill, Oregon state climatologist. “But it does mean that it is currently not as bad as maybe it was last year.”

In 2021, 100% of Oregon was under some level of drought and Portland just recorded the driest April on record. While we’re in better shape right now, the benefits won’t last long.

“The little bit of rain that we did receive will evaporate and things will dry out,” O’Neill said. “And it will happen quick. By the time we get into July, we will probably be talking a little bit more about how dry things are getting, unfortunately.”

However, this extra burst of late-spring rain could possibly save us from re-living last year’s heat dome.

“The soils and the trees and everything will have a lot of moisture in it,” O’Neill said. “So, the evaporation for it, as we get into early summer will help moderate temperatures a little bit.”

For now, we’ll continue to settle into La Nina’s cooler effects before the seasons change, and according to the state climatologist, we might not wait long.

“Storm track will shift, and it will just abruptly end up in summer,” O’Neill said. “Our seasonal predictions suggest that we will have above-normal temperatures, so when summer does come – it will be like a switch, I think. We aren’t going to ease into it. I think that by the 4th of July especially.”

Across the Northwest and northern Intermountain West, unsettled weather will persist as excessive runoff and occasionally heavy rainfall may result in flooding. MORE INFO: https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?OR

Another Woman Murdered in Coos Bay

A makeshift memorial is growing Sunday for 34-year-old Amber Townsend of Coos Bay.

Townsend was murdered Saturday morning while walking along Cape Arago Highway towards Charleston, authorities said. Coos County District Attorney Paul Frasier said Townsend was shot multiple times.

There are no suspects or persons of interest at this time. 

Authorities are looking for anyone with footage or information. They are especially interested in those who were driving along Cape Arago Highway between the Sunset Market and the American market between 8:15 a.m. and 8:45 a.m. Saturday. 

Those with information can call the Coos County Sheriff’s Office at (541) 396-7800

Morrow County Declares Emergency Over Water Contamination

Officials in Oregon’s Morrow County along the Columbia River have declared a local state of emergency after private well testing showed high levels of nitrate contamination.

Oregon Public Broadcasting reports during a Thursday special meeting, Morrow County commissioners voted 3-0 in favor of the measure, which will allow the county to take immediate action to protect drinking water.

The county is distributing bottled water and will set up water distribution trailers in the small city of Boardman.

Earlier this year, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality fined the Port of Morrow $1.3 million for overapplying tons of nitrogen-rich wastewater onto agricultural fields.

The Port says it’s looking at pollution reduction measures.

Oregon Coast Fishing Industry Supporters Expected To Turn Out In Force Wednesday In Newport For Wind Farm Hearing

Federal energy representatives will be ready for the meeting Wednesday in Newport intended to gather public comments about plans to build towering wind-energy farms off the Oregon coast.

The four-hour meeting will begin at 8 a.m. at the Best Western Agate Beach hotel in Newport. It is sponsored by the Midwater Trawlers Cooperative and the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, which is spearheading the wind-farm leasing process.

A growing number of cities, ports, tribes and other interests have already passed resolutions asking that the Biden Administration’s fast-tracked process be slowed to provide more time to study the proposal’s economic and environmental impacts.

Those resolutions came in response to the announcement in March that BOEM has identified three areas in waters off the southern Oregon coast where the first leases are expected to be approved.

Operators of the Block Island wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island
and fishermen have worked out protocols for fishing near the company’s five turbines.

Those so-called “call” areas total nearly 2,200 square miles of ocean from Coos Bay south to Brookings and represent the spots where analyses show some of the steadiest and strongest winds on the planet.

The Biden administration is hoping to create 30 gigawatts of electricity-generating capacity through offshore wind by 2030. It’s already approved large projects off the coasts of Massachusetts and New York.

And while the first leases to private power developers could be auctioned off as early as next year those involved in the process caution that years of site assessments and surveys, along with technical assessments and permitting, mean the first turbines – which are likely to be situated at least 20 miles from land – won’t start turning for about a decade or so.

But with a federal process in place that could auction off the first leases as early as next year, groups up and down the coast are asking for additional time to consider total potential impacts of the plan.

“After the announcement of the current proposed call areas, we immediately began hearing from constituents within our coastal legislative districts with concerns,” seven Oregon legislators whose districts span the coast wrote in a recent letter to BOEM.

The legislative Coastal Caucus added in its letter, “While wind energy fits in the state’s goal of moving toward a more renewable future for Oregon, steps must be taken to ensure that existing ocean users and our coastal communities are prioritized.”

The Port of Toledo and the Newport City Council recently passed similar resolutions addressing the project’s speedy timeframe. The Port of Toledo and the Toledo City Council are expected to follow suit soon.

“We are not saying no to wind forever,” said Heather Mann, executive director of the Newport-based Midwater Trawlers Cooperative. “But we are saying that this isn’t the way to move forward.”

All comments made at Wednesday’s meeting will be transcribed and included in the federal register’s official record. The meeting comes less than two weeks before the June 28 deadline to weigh in on Oregon’s proposed call areas.

A graphic shows how wind turbines off the Oregon coast might get their energy to land.

After fits and starts over the last 10 years, offshore wind farm development has moved into high gear along the East Coast. The first commercial scale project near Block Island in Rhode Island waters has been operational since 2016 with five turbines. Projects nearing the construction phase offshore of Maryland, Delaware, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York are poised to put 15 to 30 turbines each in waters around 20 miles offshore.

In October, the Biden administration announced plans to develop large-scale wind farms along nearly the entire coastline of the United States, the first long-term strategy from the government to produce electricity from offshore turbines.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said the agency will begin to identify, demarcate and hope to eventually lease federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico, Gulf of Maine and off the coasts of the Mid-Atlantic States, North Carolina and South Carolina, California and Oregon, to wind power developers by 2025.

The announcement came months after the federal government approved the nation’s first major commercial offshore wind farm off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts and began reviewing a dozen other potential offshore wind projects along the East Coast. On the West Coast, the administration has approved opening up two areas off the shores of central and northern California for commercial wind power development.

ODFW To Conduct Elk Habitat Enhancement This Summer in Elkhorn Wildlife Area

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

ODFW will begin forest management activities on the North Powder tract of Elkhorn Wildlife Area this summer to enhance habitat for elk, deer, and other wildlife species. 

Public access to all portions of the wildlife area will remain open during the project, including the Anthony Creek campground. Operations will occur Monday through Friday and continue throughout the field season. Completion is expected by Dec. 31, 2022.

Visitors should be aware of increased vehicle activity, tree falling and log truck traffic and are advised to use extra caution when recreating around active project units.

Work being done at Elkhorn is part of the East Face Project, a joint collaborative with the U.S. Forest Service, Natural Resource Conservation Service and Oregon Department of Forestry. The project was identified as an opportunity to address forest health, protect state, private and federal forest lands from potential catastrophic fire while enhancing habitat for elk and other wildlife.  

Located about 9 miles west of North Powder, project work is focused within the Rogers Creek watershed and north of the wildlife area headquarters. As part of the project, ODFW will treat approximately 414 acres of ponderosa pine and mixed-conifer forest habitat through mechanical thinning, fuels reduction and selective tree harvest.

Operations will provide increased forage production for deer and elk, create snags and cavity habitat while also protecting Oregon Conservation Strategy habitats such as aspen woodlands and ponderosa pine forest

ODFW’s wildlife area staff are responsible for the management, operation, and maintenance of the property. Elkhorn Wildlife Area is part of a working landscape where livestock grazing and timber harvest assist with habitat management goals. Questions about the project can be directed to the wildlife area manager as listed above.  

For more information about the Elkhorn Wildlife Area, visit:

https://myodfw.com/elkhorn-wildlife-area-visitors-guide

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