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, September 7, 2022
Rogue Valley Weather
HEAT ADVISORY ISSUED – NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM PDT WEDNESDAY... * WHAT...High temperatures of 100 to 106 are expected in the valleys, and in the 90s over most mountain areas, except areas above 6000 feet elevation. * WHERE...In California, Central and Southern Siskiyou County. This includes the Shasta Valley and the cities of Yreka, Mount Shasta, Dunsmuir, and McCloud. In Oregon, Eastern Curry County and Josephine County, Jackson County, and Siskiyou Mountains and Southern Oregon Cascades. This includes the Rogue, Applegate, and Illinois Valleys and the cities of Medford, Ashland, Grants Pass, Cave Junction, Ruch, and Applegate. * WHEN...Until 11 PM PDT Wednesday. * IMPACTS...Hot temperatures may cause heat illnesses to occur. * View the hazard area in detail at https://www.wrh.noaa.gov/map/?wfo=mfr
Woman Attacked by Bear in West Medford
On 9/5/22 at approximately 8:41 p.m., officers responded to the 900 block of N. Ross Lane for the report of a woman who was attacked by a bear. Upon arrival, officers learned the woman was in her backyard when a bear, estimated to be 150-200 pounds, rushed her and attacked her.
The woman sustained non-life threatening injuries to her left arm and left leg. The woman’s dog intervened and was also attacked, but together, the woman and her dog were able to chase the bear off. After the bear fled, it ran in front of a vehicle on N. Ross Lane and was struck and likely injured, but it fled from there.
Oregon State Police Troopers from the Fish and Game Division responded to assist officers with an extensive search of the area for the bear, but it was not located. In addition, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife was notified of the incident. Several additional calls came in throughout the night with sightings in that area. Please call MPD with any sighting information as soon as possible to ensure the safety of our community members.
If you happen to encounter a bear, we have included previous safety tips from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife:
- Make Noise- Raise your voice and speak firmly, yell and clap your hands.
- Don’t Run- Do not run or make sudden movements.
- Back away slowly as you face the bear. It is never safe to approach it.
- Give any bear you encounter a way to escape.
- If you’re on a trail, step off and slowly walk away.
- If you see bear cubs, steer clear and leave the area immediately.
Black bear attacks are rare. In most cases, a bear will avoid human contact.
Fight back- in the rare event of an attack. Keep bear spray handy for quick access and practice using it. Be aggressive, shout, and throw tools, sticks, and rocks.
To learn more about living with bears, visit the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s webpage: https://www.dfw.state.or.us/…/living_with/black_bears.asp
Pharmacy Robbery in Grants Pass
Grants Pass, Ore. – On September 4th, 2022, at approximately 1:00 pm, Grants Pass Police responded to a robbery at the Albertsons Pharmacy in the Allen Creek Shopping Center. The suspect presented a note to the pharmacy purporting to have a firearm.
The suspect fled the store prior to police arrival and left in an unknown direction. No weapons were presented during the robbery, and no one was physically injured.
The suspect was described as an approximate 6’00” tall white male adult in his 40s to 50s with a thin build. The male wore a green fishing-style hat, sunglasses, a black colored facemask, and blue jeans.
The Grants Pass Police Department is seeking the community’s help in identifying the pictured male. Anyone with information related to this investigation is encouraged to contact Detective Justin Hoy at 541-450-6343.
Almeda Investigation Remains Ongoing
It’s been two years since the most devastating disaster in the history of Jackson County, the Almeda Fire. On September 8, 2020 at 11:04 a.m. a fire started in a dry field along Almeda Street in Ashland. The fire quickly travelled northwest driven by strong winds. Before containment, the fire destroyed 2,428 structures, damaged 134 more, and tragically claimed three lives.
Ashland Fire and Rescue, in consultation with the Oregon State Police (OSP) Arson Unit and the State Fire Marshal’s Office, determined the fire was of human origin. Local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies immediately began working to solve this crime. Although the case remains open, we are optimistic that with community support and assistance and continued investigations, we will close this case and give a small measure of resolution to the thousands of people affected.
Detectives from police agencies in Ashland, Medford, Central Point, and Jackson County, as well as OSP came together to investigate this criminal act. The Federal Bureau of Investigation was also consulted to provide a possible profile of who may be responsible for this crime.
Overall, 29 investigators from these various agencies, led by primary detectives from the Ashland Police Department (APD) and Jackson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO), served nine search warrants and interviewed 154 people spanning eight counties in four different states. This effort was aided using two assigned Jackson County Assistant District Attorneys and four crime analysts. This investigation remains open and ongoing with detectives from APD and JCSO following new leads, exhausting old ones, and remaining dedicated to solving the case.
Although there is nothing we can do to ensure closure for people who lost loved ones and property to this fire, we will continue working hard to provide a resolution to this case. We are proud of the way the community came together in the aftermath of the disaster, proving once again: WE ARE STRONGER TOGETHER.
If you have any information about the Almeda Fire call APD Detective Lindsey Rochon-Evertt at 541-482-5211.
Southern Oregon conference offers in-person, virtual opportunities to improve on-the-job health and safety
Come October, workplace health and safety professionals in Oregon will have opportunities to build up their skills and improve on-the-job health and safety through in-person and virtual conferences.
Topics include everything from leadership development and accident prevention to effective safety committees and successful communication.
It is all part of the Oct. 18-20 Southern Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Conference, a joint effort of the American Society of Safety Professionals – Southern Oregon Chapter and Oregon OSHA.
The event’s in-person conference – to be held on Tuesday, Oct. 18, at Ashland Hills Hotel and Suites and Convention Center in Ashland – focuses on professional development and networking. It includes presentations about cultivating ethical and moral leadership, and increasing safety by reducing sleep-related errors.
Meanwhile, the event’s virtual conference – to be held on Wednesday, Oct. 19, and Thursday, Oct. 20 – will bring together a variety of health and safety leaders to cover a comprehensive set of topics. Those topics include safety training, excavation safety, health hazards in construction, psychological safety, ergonomics, and emerging safety technologies.
The three-day event will feature four professional development and keynote speakers:
- Jeff Crapo, a retired U.S. Army colonel and co-founder of Ethos Academy
- Dr. Nancy Knechel, CEO of eSleepWellness
- Linda Tapp, president of SafetyFUNdamentals
- Jake Mazulewicz, director of JMA Human Reliability Strategies, LLC
Registration for the in-person (Oct. 18) workshop is $100. Registration for the virtual event (Oct. 19-20) is $120. More information, conference options, and registration are all available online. Register now. For more information about upcoming workplace health and safety conferences visit Oregon OSHA online.
### Oregon OSHA, a division of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, enforces the state’s workplace safety and health rules and works to improve workplace safety and health for all Oregon workers. For more information, go to osha.oregon.gov.
The Department of Consumer and Business Services is Oregon’s largest business regulatory and consumer protection agency. For more information, go to www.oregon.gov/dcbs/.
WILDFIRE UPDATES
Light scattered showers were observed in Western Washington and Northwestern Oregon while the remainder of the
geographic area was dry. A warming and drying trend combined with increasing instability moved into the geographic region ahead of a trough.
These warmer and drier conditions allowed for increased activity and moderate growth on existing large fires while initial attack activity was light.
There were 18 lightning strikes bserved in the past 24 hours in Northeast Oregon and Southwest Oregon.
An upper-level trough will cross the region today, cooling temperatures in western Washington, while the rest of the region remains hot. The system will boost general winds, particularly through Cascade gaps and across the east side. Mid-level moisture and instability will support some potential for thunderstorms, mainly east of the Oregon Cascades.
Some of the storms over northeastern Oregon could get strong with gusty, erratic outflow winds. Little, if any, precipitation is expected to reach the ground. Temperatures will be cooler Thursday behind the system before rebounding Friday into the weekend.
A backdoor front will move down from British Columbia Friday, generating brisk northerly winds through the Okanogan Valley and other N-S oriented valleys and easterly winds across the Cascades to the coast. Models lack consistency at this point, but another trough possibly moves in from the Pacific late in the weekend or early next week pushing temperatures down closer to average and possibly bringing some chances for measurable precipitation and thunderstorms.
Significant fire potential remains elevated to high today due to the combination of high fire danger and hot, dry and
unstable weather. Increased winds and thunderstorm potential will lead to high risk for new significant fires for southern and eastern Oregon. Concerns then turn to the west side Friday into Saturday with easterly winds boosting spread potential for new and existing fires.
Double Creek.10 miles SE of Imnaha, OR. Start 8/30. Full Suppression. Cause: Lightning. 59,510 acres (+15,842). 0% containment. Timber. Extreme fire behavior. Evacuations in effect. Road, trail and area closures. These teams are also managing Nebo, Sturgill, Goat Mountain One and Goat Mountain Two incidents.
Cedar Creek. 15 Miles E of Oakridge, OR. Start 8/1. Full Suppression. Cause: Lightning. 18,143 acres (+518). 12% containment. Timber. Active fire behavior. Evacuations in effect. Road, trail and area closures. IMT1, AK Team 1 planned to inbrief at 1000 this morning.
Rum Creek Fire. Cause: Lightning. 20,029 acres (+534). 42% containment. Timber. Active fire behavior.
Evacuations in effect. Road, trail and area closures. Transfer of command to NR Team 6 occurred yesterday at 1800.
The National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning today due to high temperatures and low relative humidity, which ended at 8 p.m. A Heat Advisory extends until 11 p.m. Wednesday, with more hot weather expected later in the week. As of 6 p.m., gusts were recorded up to 15 mph on the ridgetops in the fire, with stronger winds recorded nearby.
With high temperatures, low relative humidity, and some gusty winds, the Rum Creek Fire burned actively today. On the northwest part of the fire towards the Rogue River, firefighters found and suppressed a few small spot fires. The rest of the fire stayed within the containment lines.
The northwest corner near Montgomery Creek and the Rogue River has large unburned pockets of fuels, creating a potential for fire to flare up and make a push toward containment lines. To reduce the chance of this, fire personnel plan to do a tactical burn this evening. They will ignite an interior ridgeline, expecting the fire to walk down the slopes. By mid-day tomorrow, when fire activity increases, much of this area should be burned and cooling down.
Day and night shift firefighters are monitoring the fire, watching for flames to move into crowns of trees and spread embers. Ember showers pose a threat of igniting spot fires outside containment lines. Fire personnel cool flare-ups, using aerial resources if needed. They continue to conduct thorough mop up near structures and on the fire’s perimeter. In areas with scattered heat, increased fire activity helped crews locate residual heat. Some hidden hot spots begin to smoke, helping fire personnel locate and extinguish them.
Due to reduced threats to structures near the Rum Creek Fire, Oregon’s Office of State Fire Marshal Blue Team and remaining structural resources are completing their assignment here. On Wednesday they will be reassigned to other fires or return to their home units.
A weekend that started with a red flag alert could be a calm between two wind storms for Rum Creek Fire crews. Their 1,191 personnel today are fighting the wildfire’s 19,495 swath that has burned two homes and four other structures.
They’re progress toward containment of the deadly northern Josephine County wildfire stands at 34% today, up from 1% reported Thursday. Rum Creek Fire’s Unified Command (UC) reported steady progress through the weekend with slightly milder weather, which changes this week.
The National Weather Service had a Fire Weather Watch in effect for Tuesday afternoon and evening for the Rum Creek Fire area, forecasting hot temperatures, gusty winds and low humidity. It is widely expected to be re-issued again today (Wednesday). The Wild section of the Rogue River below Grave Creek will remain open unless fire conditions warrant closure. River status is determined on a day-to-day basis.
Oregon Power Companies Prepare To Cut Electricity To Prevent Wildfires Due To Weather
With winds picking up this week there could be cause for concern in mountain communities. Places that lost power just two years ago due to wildfire dangers are bracing for the possibility once more.
As of Tuesday, Sept. 6 no official shutdown has been announced. But both Pacific Power and PGE say it is possible, saying they’re monitoring the situation and if it’s needed, will spread the word soon.
Two wildfires burning near Weed, California are growing, one in acreage, the other in structure count.
CalFire says the Mountain Fire’s size is over 13 thousand acres this morning, with moderate fire behavior overnight and short periods of flare ups. A Red Flag Warning in effect yet again today for the area reflects hot and dry conditions conducive to wildfires.
It says crews have 20% containment of the Mountain Fire burning timber nine miles southwest of Gazelle near Gazelle-Callahan Road where 59 people have evacuated. It says the wildfire has destroyed two structures and two outbuildings while threatening 690 other structures.
The wildfire started Friday, and CalFire is asking for public help with information that could help determine its cause. The death count also stays at two from the Mill Fire, involving two women at separate locations within Weed city limits.
Senate Bill Would Fund Preventing Future Oregon Wildfires
Senate Bill 762 is an increased effort to prevent potentially deadly wildfires. However, the funds aren’t entirely directed at resources that help once a fire has already started.
Rather, a significant amount of the funds goes towards taking action before one begins.
Compliments of the $220 million grant, fire officials like Chad Hawkins are traveling the state and meeting with homeowners. They’re discussing how to make the area around their homes a defensible space that is safer from flames, because it “reduces the intensity,” Hawkins explained, and “allows folks to get out of their home, as well as allowing firefighters to get in there.”
Hawkins said anywhere between as few as eight or as many as 600 homeowners have attended community town hall meetings so far to talk about what that means.
The Bill and funds are aimed at helping to create fire-adapted communities and increase the resilience of Oregon landscapes. People like Hawkins are gleaning public input to put together the best plan of actions, so they “can really understand, or have a code that is built for Oregonians.”
A code Hawkins said will help prevent fires from moving from the ground, to igniting the tops of trees “where we see a lot of ember cast or ember shower.”
He added things like broken sticks and foliage are the ignition sources that embers go out searching for, and they’re usually hidden in places that you might now think about – like gutters.
What they take in from these meetings will likely be codified in December, but actual assessments on properties are still a ways away.
So far, they’ve held 13 out of the 17 meetings they’re planning to have.
Oregon Employment Department launches ‘Frances Online,’ new online portal for employers
The Oregon Employment Department’s new online portal, Frances Online, is now available to Oregon employers.
This marks the first rollout in a complex, multi-year effort to modernize the department’s business processes and core technology systems and make them more flexible, adaptable and efficient.
In this phase, Frances Online replaced the systems Oregon employers previously used to file their combined payroll reports. The portal also supports employers who want to submit equivalent plan applications for the new Paid Leave Oregon program.
“The launch of the Frances Online employer portal is the first step to simplify and streamline the unemployment insurance process and create a solid system of support for Paid Leave Oregon,” said David Gerstenfeld, acting director of the Oregon Employment Department. “Frances Online will provide improved, modernized services, such as online self-service and improved data collection, and it will help us integrate services, like payroll reporting, with partner agencies such as the Department of Revenue.”
Employers and third-party administrators can now do things in Frances Online like file and amend their payroll reports, find their tax rate and those of their clients, manage account access for themselves and their staff, view letters, and send and receive secure messages.
For Paid Leave Oregon, employers can use Frances Online to apply for an equivalent plan. An equivalent plan is when an employer provides paid leave benefits that are equal to or greater than those provided by Paid Leave Oregon. Employers with approved equivalent plans, and employees working for an employer offering an equivalent plan, do not have to pay contributions to Paid Leave Oregon.
The Employment Department’s Modernization Program is working to transform how the department does business, update the core technology systems supporting unemployment insurance, and create the technology to support the new Paid Leave Oregon program. The current, multi-year initiative is expected to be complete in 2024, supporting the functionality for Paid Leave Oregon contributions in January 2023, Paid Leave Oregon benefits in September 2023, and Unemployment Insurance benefits in March 2024.
You can learn more about Frances Online; find updated file specifications; and download how-to guides, infographics and informational videos by visiting francesinfo.oregon.gov and clicking on “Resources.”
Employers with questions about creating their account or filing their combined payroll report in Frances Online can call 503-947-1488 or email our team at ibutions.unit@employ.oregon.gov“>Contributions.unit@employ.oregon.gov.
### The Oregon Employment Department (OED) is an equal opportunity agency. Everyone has a right to use OED programs and services. OED provides free help. Some examples are sign language and spoken interpreters, written materials in other languages, braille, large print, audio and other formats. If you need help, please call 503-947-1444. You can also ask for help at Communications@employ.oregon.gov.
El Departamento de Empleo de Oregon (OED por sus siglas en inglés) es una agencia de igualdad de oportunidades. Todas las personas tienen derecho a utilizar los programas y servicios del OED. El OED proporciona ayuda gratuita. Algunos ejemplos son intérpretes de lenguaje de señas y lenguaje hablado, materiales escritos en otros idiomas, braille, letra grande, audio y otros formatos. Si necesita ayuda, llame al 503-947-1444. Los usuarios de TTY pueden llamar al 711. También puede solicitar ayuda en Communications@employ.oregon.gov.
Record Oregon Kicker Rebate Predicted
The potential income tax kicker rebate for 2023 in Oregon has grown by 500-million dollars over the forecast three months ago.
The Oregon Department of Revenue is forecasting a three-and-a-half billion dollar kicker which would be paid in 2024. The forecast depends on whether the Federal Reserve is successful in avoiding a recession.
Oregon’s kicker refund is triggered when tax revenue exceeds two-percent of the state’s budget. A mild recession could reduce revenue by one-point-two billion dollars.
Kickers are also calculated on business revenue. The forecast predicts the corporate tax kicker would total $1.1 billion in 2024, up from this spring’s forecast of $931 million. Businesses don’t get that money back, however. The corporate kicker is kept by the government and used for educational spending.
But at some point during the next couple of years, Oregon’s economy will sag as consumer spending and employment growth sour, the forecast warned. Just when and how severe that downturn would be remains a matter of debate, the forecast said.
Rising inflation can drive a recession. Forecasters said if inflation persists, Oregon could experience a recession by the third quarter of 2023, prompting job losses, income stagnation and weakened consumer spending and corporate profits.
If that happens, it will have a big impact on the state, the forecast said.“The potential recession would weigh heavily on (state) revenues over the next several years,” the forecast said.
But Oregon also could experience a soft economic landing, the forecast said. For now, government revenues remain flush.
A newly released population study shows Oregon now has more deaths than births.
State economist Josh Lehner said, in the last century the replacement rate has been tracked in Oregon, this is the first time we are seeing this trend. Both experts say it’s an alarming milestone but not a surprising one since Oregon’s birthrate has been declining for years and baby boomers are aging.
“We did expect that the death counts would start to overtake births, but we expected that maybe in 2025,” Sharygin said.
Lehner said the pandemic was a wildcard that sped up this trend, with virus-related deaths, but pointed out that so-called “deaths of despair” have also shown an upward trend nationwide and in Oregon.
“Unfortunately, in the last couple of decades we have also seen the deaths increase at a little bit faster rate than the demographics alone would suggest,” he said. “A lot of that has to do with some really dark and unfortunate trends with the opioid crisis and drug overdoses and suicides and things like that where the number of deaths are rising.”
With inflation and the potential for an economic recession, these experts say the birthrate is not likely to increase anytime soon. They say over time the low birth rate will likely exacerbate labor shortages.
“The labor market is tight; it will continue to be tight in the decade ahead, and to the extent that this birthrate remains really low, then it means demographically the labor market will be tight in 20 years,” Lehner said.
Sharygin says emerging research suggests countries that improve overall income equity and increase access to education seen their low birthrates pick back up.
“The hypothesis there is that when you give people conditions where they can expect a stable future and be kind of optimistic about the conditions that they will face, they are more likely then to have children,” he said.
With the Brookings Institute reporting the cost of raising a child spiking by 9% in recent years, lawmakers will face serious challenges in creating that sense of stability.
We want to keep you informed about COVID-19 in Oregon. Data are provisional and change frequently. Note: This report covers the four-day period from September 2 to September 5, 2022.For more information, including COVID-19 data by county, visit our dashboard: http://ow.ly/EL9x50KymTM
A new forecast from Oregon Health and Science University says another wave of coronavirus cases could hit Oregon by the end of next month. Cases and hospitalizations are projected to fall this month before spiking by the end of October due to waning immunity from current vaccinations. Cases are down throughout the state, with OHSU reporting a more than 40 percent drop in hospitalizations from its peak in July.
This is just a small compilation of missing women and their pictures in the area. There are of course women missing all over Oregon and men and children missing too. We don’t mean to dismiss that, however, there is an inordinate amount of women who go missing each week and there could possibly be a connection with an anomaly or two here and there. Sadly most of them never get any attention. Family and friends must keep any information going and lead investigations so that they aren’t just forgotten.
https://www.facebook.com/pg/Have-You-Seen-Me-Southern-Oregons-Missing-People-161249961222839/posts/
