Rogue Valley News, Wednesday 12/14 – Medford’s Foothill Road Widening Project To Start In 2023, Rogue River Elementary Shuts Down For The Week Due To Widespread Illness

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, December 14, 2022 

Rogue Valley Weather

AIR STAGNATION ADVISORY ISSUED: 2:18 PM DEC. 13, 2022 – NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE

...AIR STAGNATION ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 4 AM WEDNESDAY TO 4 AM PST SATURDAY...

* WHAT...Stagnant air is expected, which may lead to deteriorating air quality.

* WHERE...Valleys of northern California and south central and southwest Oregon.

* WHEN...From 4 AM Wednesday to 4 AM PST Saturday.

* IMPACTS...Air stagnation is likely to result in diminishing air quality with time, especially in and near areas with significant sources of air pollution. Diminished air quality is likely to cause health issues for people with respiratory problems if precautions are not taken.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...A weak weather system is forecast to arrive over the weekend, which may allow for some minor mixing and a reduction of air stagnation conditions.

* View the hazard area in detail at https://www.wrh.noaa.gov/map/?wfo=mfr

Medford’s Foothill Road Widening Project To Start In 2023

Foothill Road’s transformation into a “mega corridor” and bypass for Interstate 5 will kick into high gear in 2023.

Knife River Materials is the apparent low bidder for the 2-mile project that will turn the Medford portion of Foothill from a two-lane road into a four-lane corridor with turn lanes at intersections, bike lanes and sidewalks.

“The city is excited to get this project underway,” said John Vial, Medford Public Works director. “This is a project that has been discussed for decades.”

Work on Foothill will take place from Hillcrest Road to Delta Waters, but the county also has work planned north of Delta Waters.

Knife River’s bid is $56,432,118, and the only other bid came from K&E Excavating of Salem at $59,968,668.

In the Jackson County portion of Foothill from Delta Waters to Dry Creek Road, Knife River also was the low bidder, coming in at $6,658,671 for that section.

Oregon Department of Transportation, which is helping oversee the project, is currently reviewing Knife River’s Medford bid before awarding it. ODOT is considering combining the two projects since Knife River was the apparent low bidder on both.

Vial said he anticipates work could begin in February or March 2023 and could take as long as three years to complete, though a schedule will be worked out with the contractor in the near future.

Knife River’s Medford bid is $11 million higher than what the city budgeted for the project, but Vial said the city is looking at delaying other projects to help fund the Foothill rebuild.

“The city is committed to building this project,” Vial said. He said the other city projects that would be delayed haven’t been selected yet.

Vial said the city anticipated the Foothill widening project would be more expensive in light of escalating building costs that have hit the construction industry.

To finance the project, which will be built to the latest earthquake standards, the city received a $15.5 million federal grant, a $10 million loan, $3 million in other federal money and the remainder from the city’s capital budget for the project derived primarily from gas taxes.

Medford Water Commission also is paying to upgrade water lines in the area while construction is underway, and it will reimburse the city $5.5 million for that portion of the project.

Since this will be major construction to turn a country road into a modern thoroughfare, it will cause frequent traffic delays along Foothill for up to three years.

“We strongly advise citizens to avoid Foothill during construction,” Vial said.

Just past Delta Waters, the roadway will narrow to two lanes, but the county plans to smooth out the curves and generally make it a safer roadway. “The current Foothill Road is narrow and windy, with lots of accidents,” Vial said. “It has needed to be upgraded for many years.”

The route will provide a shortcut from White City to Phoenix. ODOT already has built two connections along the corridor, the North Phoenix interchange and the massive roundabout at Highway 140.

Called “mega corridor” by the city, this latest project is a collaboration between ODOT, Jackson County and Medford.

As part of the Foothill project, the city also plans to build a 1,000-foot section of roadway off North Phoenix Road that will eventually connect with South Stage Road once a bridge is built over I-5.

While the Foothill widening project is designed to offer an alternative route to the freeway in the event of a major earthquake that damages the I-5 viaduct, it would still have a difficult time handling that volume of traffic.

Rogue River Elementary Shuts Down For The Week Due To Widespread Illness

Rogue River Elementary School officials announced they are closing the school for the remainder of the week because of the high number of students and staff who are sick or have become ill, according to a release on the school’s website. The elementary school will be closed Wednesday, 12/14 through Friday, 12/16. SVA and the Junior Senior High School will remain open.

Principal Casey Olmstead says that the school is struggling with staffing and supervision with so many staff out sick and as a result, officials feel the safest thing is to close down for a short period.

In a release, Olmstead says “I apologize for any inconvenience that may arise because of this decision. That being said, I want to do what we can to give time for those who are already sick to get better, as well as help prevent more of our school community from getting sick themselves.”

In addition to the school closure, officials are also canceling the Winter Concert that was set to take place this Thursday. Olmstead says that the sickness of so many people creates challenges putting on the show and the event would risk the further spread of illness. https://www.rogueriver.k12.or.us/RogueRiverElementary

Ashland Judge Deems the 75-Year-Old Woman in High-Speed Chase Fit To Defend Herself

A judge deemed an Ashland woman in her 70s mentally capable of participating in her own legal defense on charges of leading police last month on a freeway chase for more than 40 miles siding against findings of a psychological evaluation,

Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Tim Barnack found Elizabeth Katherine Essex, 75, “fit to proceed” Thursday afternoon in Jackson County Circuit Court, ruling Essex has a firm understanding of her legal rights and the criminal charges lodged against her in the Nov. 4 chase that allegedly involved speeds of up to 112 mph on Interstate 5 and persisted even after multiple spiked tires.

Essex’s defense lawyer, Justina Lara, sought the mental fitness hearing for reasons that were sealed in court records, but during the hearing Lara and the District Attorney’s Office each referenced “fixed beliefs that made her act irrationally” in the report’s findings.

What’s known, according to earlier news reports, is Essex allegedly told Jackson and Josephine county sheriff’s deputies she eluded them from Grants Pass to Ashland because “she did not trust law enforcement,” according to an affidavit filed by the sheriff’s office in her case.

“Elizabeth said she decided to continue and not pull over because she was scared,” the police affidavit stated.

Deputy District Attorney Ben Lull argued the report did not include any psychosis, and he disputed the acuity of her symptoms.

Lull argued Essex would need to be institutionalized if the underlying mental health issue was enough to make her a “danger to herself and others,” and if the mental health issue has dissipated, she’s now capable of participating in her own legal defense.

Essex was lucid when Barnack addressed her during the video hearing from the Jackson County Jail.

“I’m feeling good, your honor. Thank you very much for asking,” she responded at one point. Barnack asked if she’s had a chance to review the police report in her case and asked if she knew her rights to a jury trial or a bench trial. “I’m very aware of the charges,” Essex said. “I read them thoroughly.”

Barnack set her next court appearance for 9 a.m. Dec. 27. “She is fit to proceed at this point,” Barnack said. An order requiring no early release from jail unless Essex posts 10% bond on $50,000 bail was kept unchanged. “It was a dangerous situation,” Barnack said.

Essex asked the court to allow her access to a bank card in her purse to pay the $5,000 bond. “I’m prepared to pay that directly,” Essex said. Barnack declined to issue an order one way or another and instructed Essex to consult with jail staff.

Essex was a resident of Mountain Meadows in Ashland and lived alone with her small dog, Richie, according to neighbor Rob Diefenbach, who runs an email newsletter exchange for residents in the 55-plus retirement community.

Diefenbach is looking for a family that can foster her 30-pound dog. A family in Essex’s church has fostered Richie for the past month but has had their own change in circumstances. Anyone willing to watch the dog is asked to email Diefenbach at rcd@mcn.org.

OSP is seeking the public’s assistance on the 2nd anniversary of the fatal shooting of Kurt Krauss- Josephine County

Today marks the second anniversary of the tragic death of Kurt Krauss. On the morning of December 14, 2020, Kurt Krauss was found deceased outside his place of business on Corporate Way in Merlin, Oregon. 

Investigators continue to work diligently to follow up on every tip received and investigate all possible scenarios.  Additionally, advancements in forensic analysis have opened up additional investigative avenues.

The Oregon State Police believes there are people who have information regarding the circumstances of Kurt’s death. Regardless of how insignificant you think your information might be or if OSP might already be aware of it, we want to hear from you. 

The Oregon State Police along with Mr. Krauss’s family is urging anyone with information about this incident to call the Oregon State Police Southern Command Center at 800-442-2068 or OSP from a mobile device and reference OSP Case #SP20-347133.

Think back to December 2020 —- Did you notice anyone who had unexplained injuries?  Do you know someone who suddenly departed from the area after the offense?  Do you know someone who showed intense interest in or avoidance of this case? 

If so, we urge you to contact the Oregon State Police and help bring some closure to the Krauss family.  

Link to original release https://flashalert.net/id/OSPOre/140865 

Governor Brown Commutes Sentences Of All 17 People On Oregon’s Death Row To Life Without Parole

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced Tuesday that she is commuting the sentences of all of the state’s 17 inmates awaiting execution, saying their death sentences will be changed to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Brown, a Democrat with less than a month remaining in office, said that she was using her executive clemency powers to commute the sentences and that her order would take effect Wednesday.

“I have long believed that justice is not advanced by taking a life, and the state should not be in the business of executing people — even if a terrible crime placed them in prison,” said Brown, whose recently elected successor, Tina Kotek, is a fellow Democrat..

Rep. Vikki Breese-Iverson, leader of the minority Republicans in the Oregon House of Representatives, accused Brown of “a lack of responsible judgment.”

“Gov. Brown has once again taken executive action with zero input from Oregonians and the Legislature,” Breese-Iverson said in a statement. “Her decisions do not consider the impact the victims and families will suffer in the months and years to come. Democrats have consistently chosen criminals over victims.”

In her announcement, Brown said that victims experience “pain and uncertainty” as they wait for decades while individuals sit on death row.

“My hope is that this commutation will bring us a significant step closer to finality in these cases,” she said.

No one has been executed in the state since 1997. The governor’s order goes into effect Wednesday.

After taking office in 2015, Brown continued then Gov. John Kitzhaber’s 2011 moratorium on executions. In 2019, Brown signed a law that restricts the use of the death penalty.

The state has had the death penalty in place since 1984 – capital punishment was banned in 1962 – but it didn’t use it until Douglas Wright was executed by lethal injection in 1996. Harry Moore died by lethal injection in May 1997. Both of those men waved their appeals.

Tuesday’s order comes as Brown is set to end her term as governor in January.

So far, 17 people have been executed in the U.S. in 2022, all by lethal injection and all in Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, Missouri and Alabama, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

Like Oregon, some other states are moving away from the death penalty.

In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom imposed a moratorium on executions in 2019 and shut down the state’s execution chamber at San Quentin. A year ago, he moved to dismantle America’s largest death row by moving all condemned inmates to other prisons within two years.

In Oregon, Brown is known for exercising her authority to grant clemency.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Brown granted clemency to nearly 1,000 people convicted of crimes. Two district attorneys, along with family members of crime victims, sued the governor and other state officials to stop the clemency actions. But the Oregon Court of Appeals ruled in August that she acted within her authority.

The prosecutors, in particular, objected to Brown’s decision to allow 73 people convicted of murder, assault, rape and manslaughter when they were under 18 to apply for early release.

Brown noted that she had previously granted commutations “to individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary growth and rehabilitation” but said that assessment didn’t apply in her latest decision.

“This commutation is not based on any rehabilitative efforts by the individuals on death row,” Brown said. “Instead, it reflects the recognition that the death penalty is immoral. It is an irreversible punishment that does not allow for correction.”

The Oregon Department of Corrections announced in May 2020 that it was phasing out its death row and reassigning those inmates to other special housing units or general population units at the state penitentiary in Salem and other state prisons.

Oregon voters reinstated the death penalty by popular vote in 1978 after having abolished it 14 years earlier. The Oregon Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional in 1981, and Oregon voters reinstated it again in 1984, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

A list of inmates with death sentences provided by the governor’s office had 17 names.

The state Department of Corrections’ website lists 21 names. One of those prisoners, however, had his death sentence overturned by the Oregon Supreme Court in 2021 because the crime he committed was no longer eligible for the death penalty under a 2019 law.

Officials in the governor’s office and the corrections department did not immediately respond to an attempt to reconcile the lists.

4.9 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Off Bandon Coast This Morning

A small earthquake was reported off the Oregon coast early Wednesday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey .

Shortly before 4:30 a.m., USGS said the 4.9 magnitude earthquake struck nearly 185 miles west of Bandon, which is near the Blanco Fracture Zone where cluster quakes often happen.

The quake’s depth was recorded at 10 kilometers. No tsunami warning was issued.

Governor-Elect Kotek Names Interim Director For The Oregon Health Authority

Gov.-elect Tina Kotek will appoint a 20-year healthcare veteran to lead the Oregon Health Authority in early January, at least temporarily.

In a statement on Tuesday, she said that James Schroeder, currently the CEO of the state’s largest Medicaid insurer, Health Share of Oregon, will serve as interim director.

“James brings over 20 years of management, leadership and health care delivery experience and a deep respect for the work of the OHA,” Kotek said. “Addressing the cracks in our mental health and addiction services systems will be a top priority for my administration, and I am confident that James has the experience and determination to get results for Oregonians.”

Schroeder will start Jan. 10, the day after Kotek takes office. He will replace Patrick Allen, who announced last month that he will step down Jan. 9. Steve Allen, the health authority’s behavioral health director, will leave the same day. Kotek said during her campaign she would replace both Allens, who are not related.

Patrick Allen brought to the agency years of government leadership experience, including as director of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, which oversees most insurance companies. Schroeder has clinical and administrative health care experience. He was trained as a physician’s assistant, a role that includes prescribing medications, and has worked in clinical and managerial roles. 

For the past two years, he’s led Health Share, which insures 426,000 Medicaid patients in the Portland area. Before that he held several top positions at Kaiser Permanente, including as vice president of safety net transformation and medical director of Medicaid. And since 2013, he’s served as medical officer in the Oregon Air National Guard, according to his LinkedIn page.

Schroeder also has worked as a clinician and executive in medical clinics that serve many Medicaid patients, founding and serving as CEO of the Neighborhood Health Center in the Portland area.

$97M In Timber Revenue From Oregon State Forests This Year

Logging on Oregon’s state forests produced more than $97 million for county and state governments this year, according to the Oregon Department of Forestry.

The state distributes about two-thirds of the timber revenue from the Tillamook, Clatsop, Santiam, Gilchrest and Sun Pass state forests to surrounding counties under a management agreement, and it uses the remainder for state forestry operations.

ODF recently released its Council of Forest Trust Land Counties annual report on its management of about 729,000 acres of state forestland, including a tally of timber sales and revenue distribution.

The amount of money generated from logging on state forestland has been hotly debated as environmental groups push for more habitat protection for threatened and endangered species and counties have argued in court that the state has an obligation to maximize timber revenue for their benefit.

This year, the state distributed $61.8 million in timber revenue: $6.7 million to Marion, Linn and Clackamas counties from the 47,000-acre Santiam State Forest, $19.1 million to Clatsop County from the 147,000-acre Clatsop State Forest and $30.5 million to Tillamook, Washington and Columbia counties from the 357,000-acre Tillamook State Forest. Additional revenues went to Coos, Douglas, Josephine, Klamath and Lane counties.

The state’s share of the revenue was about $35.5 million, used for things like replanting trees in logged over areas, maintaining campgrounds and trails and improving wildlife habitat.

“Oregonians have a lot to be proud of when it comes to their state forestlands,” State Forester Cal Mukumoto said. “These working lands provide so much to so many, including funding for vital local services, places to connect with nature, clean water, and habitat for some of Oregon’s most rare and sensitive species.”

Bob Van Dyk, Oregon policy director for the environmental group Wild Salmon Center, said the current system puts too much pressure on the forests to deliver funding for state and local governments.

“It’s not a good idea to have local services depending on cutting down rare habitats,” he said. “There’s a lot of uncertainty about those revenues. If there’s a big forest fire, well, then there’s no revenue,” he said. “What happens if the forest burns down?”

Van Dyk said he’s hoping the state will find a way to decouple timber revenue from government services as it did with the Elliott State Forest when it bought the forest out of the Common School Fund so schools don’t have to rely on timber revenue from the forest.

Environmental advocates have supported the state’s efforts to develop a Habitat Conservation Plan that will add new environmental and legal protections for state forests but could reduce timber revenue that governments depend on.

Van Dyk said he expects the Oregon Legislature to take up the issue of decoupling state forests from government revenue in its next session.

“Our concern is that the current system sets rare habitats and forest conservation against important government services,” he said. “And that’s an old system. It’s one we just got rid of on the Elliott State Forest and it’s one we need to examine and move beyond.”

Oregon Department of Forestry spokesman Jason Cox said his agency is still in the process of developing a Habitat Conservation Plan for state forests, and that the Oregon Board of Forestry has yet to approve final plans. He said the plan should ensure both habitat protection for threatened and endangered species and timber revenue in the future.

“The aim of the Habitat Conservation Plan, if it were to be enacted, would be to provide that certainty and that steadiness over the next 70 years,” he said. “And that includes benefits to rural communities in terms of revenue.”

Cox said decoupling state forests from government services would have to be handled by the Legislature.

A Court of Appeals decision earlier this year concluded that state forests should be managed for multiple benefits, including water quality and wildlife habitat as well as timber revenue.

Oregon Judge Upholds Temporary Restraining Order On Measure 114

The same Oregon judge who temporarily blocked Measure 114 from becoming law last week, heard arguments Tuesday, Dec. 13, in Burns over whether the voter-approved measure should be put on hold for months — or longer — as a legal challenge brought by gun groups makes its way through the courts.

Less than an hour into the hearing, Harney County Circuit Judge Robert S. Raschio ruled he would keep at least a portion of Measure 114 on hold until the state established a permitting system that would allow for the sale of firearms under the law’s new permitting system.

“I’m going to continue the temporary restraining order with regards to the permit to purchase because I am convinced that there’s irreparable harm to the constitutional right to bear arms under Article 1 Section 27 if I do not,” Raschio stated.

Medical Examiner Says Body Of Woman Found In Portland Remains UnidentifiedSeeks Public Help

The Multnomah County Medical Examiner’s Office is asking for the public’s help identifying the body of a woman who died Nov. 28 in Portland.

The Medical Examiner describes the woman as white, between the ages of 20 and 40 years old. They say she also was about 5′4″ tall, weighing 139 pounds. She had medium to long brown hair with brown eyes.

The woman also had pierced ears, with scars on both forearms and the following tattoos:

  • Right wrist: Faith Hope Love
  • Left wrist: Amirah
  • Right Shoulder: Black and red butterfly

Anyone with information about the woman is asked to call the Multnomah County Medical Examiner’s Office at (503) 988-0055 and reference case number #MU-221128-812.

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