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
Thursday, December 22, 2022
Rogue Valley Weather
Jackson County Sheriff’s Office Foster Kids Toy Drive
Jackson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) helped deliver nearly 300 Christmas gifts today to the Department of Human Services (DHS) Child Welfare office in Medford. In a program called “Foster The Love,” JCSO partnered with DHS to provide Christmas presents to children in foster care here in Jackson County. The toy drive collects and distributes hundreds of toys each Christmas to local kids in foster care.
JCSO Corrections Records Specialist Josh Droullard organized this event for the Sheriff’s Office. “When we unloaded all the gifts it really made my day to see the Child Welfare employees spring into action to match up the gifts with kids on their case load,” Josh remarked. “They seemed thrilled to play Santa.” Teaming with Child Welfare ensures the gifts get to the kids that need them but can also help parents going through a tough time as well. “Some parents on supervised visitation will be able to deliver the gifts to their kids themselves,” added Josh. “I love that.”
Program manager, Natalie Goodeill said not only do they have gifts for children in the foster care system, but they are also for families who may struggle this time of the year.
“We have anywhere between 375 to 400 children,” says Goodeill. “That we are serving, whether in a home or foster care. So hopefully all of them will get some type of gift, whether it’s from this donation or other agencies that have been helping.”
Thank you to everyone who donated a gift this year to help ensure Christmas is a little bit better for foster children in Jackson County.
Greystone Court Holiday Food Drive for ACCESS Continues Through Christmas Eve
Jackson County food support service ACCESS says the Annual Greystone Court Holiday Food and Fund Drive holiday light display started Wednesday, December 21, and continues through Christmas Eve.
The Christmas lights show hopes to illuminate a need to support food demands locally. Together, ACCESS staff and Greystone Court residents will accept donations of nonperishable food items and cash to help feed people struggling with hunger in Jackson County.
“This cherished event brings the community together to view the beautiful holiday lights while also helping feed thousands of local families,” said ACCESS Advancement Director Kellie Battaglia. “We are so grateful to the Greystone Court residents for their longtime support and to all those who come out to share in the spirit of giving.”
During the four nights, Asante will match up to $10,000 of donations collected from the community during the event.
ACCESS says each donation has double the impact with Asante’s matching donation such that every $1 which normally can provide four meals will provide eight meals with the matching gift.
Since the event’s inception 22 years ago, more than 175,000 pounds of food and $385,000 in donations have been collected, which provided more than 1.6-million meals.
ACCESS invites foods rich in protein that are especially needed including peanut butter, canned tuna, canned meat, and beans. However, donations of any non-perishable food items such as rice, pasta, and cold and hot cereals are always helpful.
Greystone Court is located off North Phoenix Road in east Medford, one block south of Cherry Lane. The event runs nightly 5:30-9:00pm. Santa Claus will make a guest appearance each evening. FOR MORE INFO: https://accesshelps.org/greystone-food-drive/
Forecasted Ice Storm Threatens Pacific Northwest With Significant Power Outages And Disruptive Holiday Travel
An arctic blast in the Pacific Northwest is about to mix with a strong Pacific storm later Thursday and Friday, bringing a recipe for a significant ice storm across northwestern Oregon and western Washington, including Portland and the Willamette Valley, threatening to grind holiday travel to a halt and knock out power to thousands.
Winter Storm Warnings are in effect for the greater Portland and Willamette Valley area for a myriad of winter woes, including freezing rain accretions of 0.2 to 0.4 inches, wind gusts to 55 mph near the Columbia River Gorge, and wind chills dipping as low as zero.
Ice Storm Warnings stretch into the Eugene and Corvallis areas for even greater freezing rain accretions up to 0.5 inches – considered potentially ‘crippling’ levels, while western Washington and Seattle remain in a Winter Storm Watch for possible snow and freezing rain issues of their own.
Low temperatures in eastern Washington dropped to near or below zero Thursday morning with single digits in eastern Oregon as arctic air continues to pool into the region, with temperatures in northern Oregon and western Washington set in the teens and 20s.
However, the next weather system heading toward the Northwest late Thursday and into Friday is a much milder storm rolling in off the Pacific Ocean – a more traditional wintertime event for the region bringing air that would typically push temperatures well into the 40s, if not the 50s.
With cold air currently locked at the surface, precipitation will likely begin as snow. As the battle between the warm air intrusion and the stubborn freezing air at the surface takes place over several hours, precipitation will change to a potentially prolonged period of freezing rain, with significant accretions possible.
Freezing rain is possible across much of the coastal Pacific Northwest, starting late Thursday night and lasting through Friday afternoon or evening. It could even last into Saturday in the Columbia Gorge and eastern Willamette Valley with ice accretions in the Gorge reaching near 1 inch.
The Portland area and into southwestern Washington could see significant ice accretions ranging from one-tenth to one-half inch, with lighter but still potentially impactful glazes expected in the Seattle area and into northwestern Washington.
Ice accretions of one-quarter to one-half inch are considered “disruptive,” with numerous power outages and some tree damage expected as roads become very slick. Once accretions hit one-half inch or more, a potentially crippling event is underway, creating widespread power outages and tree falls, and dangerous travel conditions.
Travel along the Interstate 5 corridor from central Oregon all the way to the Canadian border will be challenging during the ice storm, with icy glazes on road surfaces sapping any hope for traction.
Both Seattle and Portland’s airports could see significant weather-related delays during and immediately after ice storms as planes become covered in icy glazes and airports frantically work through busy deicing operations, adding to nationwide air travel woes this week with more storms in the East.
Eventually, the warm air will win the battle, and freezing rain will gradually turn to plain rain late Friday as temperatures warm into the 40s.
Once the cold air scours out, the weather pattern will flip, with above-average high temperatures reaching into the upper 40s and 50s Christmas weekend and the following week with rising snow levels and heavy rains.
ODOT urges drivers to stay off roads during winter storm
Officials are urging drivers to limit all non-essential travel when Arctic air blasts the region on Thursday.
Motorists Should Be Prepared For Icy Roads
With snow, ice and record-cold temperatures expected for much of Oregon, AAA Oregon/Idaho urges drivers to be prepared for winter driving conditions. The National Weather Service says the forecast looks increasingly wintry for even lower elevations of northwest Oregon as cold air moves in ahead of the Christmas weekend, just in time for one of the busiest holiday travel days of the year.
“Make sure your vehicle is ready for cold weather, and that you’re prepared to drive on slick, icy roads,” says AAA Oregon/Idaho Public Affairs Director Marie Dodds. Find tips and helpful advice at AAA.com/winterprep. Also check http://tripccheck.com before traveling.
Governor Brown Forgives Unpaid Traffic Tickets In Oregon
Governor Kate Brown issued an order Wednesday that forgives uncollected court fines and fees associated with certain traffic violation cases that resulted in solely debt-based driver’s license suspensions.
The Governor’s office said this removes the burdens associated with a state statute that disproportionately affected low-income Oregonians.
In 2020, Governor Brown signed into law House Bill 4210 which prohibited license suspensions for nonpayment of traffic fines. However, it left existing nonpayment-related license suspensions in place. Governor Brown’s action Wednesday, forgave that debt blocking many people from being able to lawfully drive.
“The inability to pay a traffic fine should not deprive a person of the ability to lawfully drive to work, school, health care appointments, or other locations to meet their daily needs,” Governor Brown said in a news release. “We know that suspending driver’s licenses for unpaid traffic fines is bad public policy — it is inequitable, ineffective, and makes it harder for low-income Oregonians to get ahead. My action today will help alleviate the burden of legacy driver’s license suspensions imposed under a statutory scheme that the legislature has since overhauled.”
Governor Brown’s order affects only those people who were sanctioned in traffic violation cases over two years ago, prior to the effective date of HB 4210. The order expressly excludes misdemeanor or felony traffic offense cases, and it does not forgive money owed to victims. Beyond nonpayment-related sanctions, none of the affected individuals have suspended licenses due to public safety-related sanctions.
According to the Governor’s office, the vast majority of the fines and fees forgiven by the Governor’s order are considered uncollectible debt. Their collections data show that most people who can afford to pay their violation fines do so right away, but for cases like those included in the Governor’s order, collections rates drop to roughly 10% in the second year of delinquency, and to 4% or lower in year three and beyond.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Collects Nearly $33 Million in Civil and Criminal Actions in Fiscal Year 2022
PORTLAND, Ore.—The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon announced today that it has collected nearly $33 million in criminal and civil actions and restitution payments in Fiscal Year 2022. Of this amount, $10.2 million was collected in criminal actions and $4.6 million was collected in civil actions.
The District of Oregon worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect an additional $1 million in criminal and civil cases pursued jointly by these offices and $16.9 million in asset forfeiture actions.
Forfeited assets deposited into the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund are used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes.
“The District of Oregon’s Financial Litigation Program staff deliver a valuable service to victims of crime, as well as a valuable return to the American people by holding accountable those who have profited from crimes committed in Oregon and beyond, and by collecting on other actions resulting in civil settlements,” said Katie de Villiers, Chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Asset Recovery and Money Laundering Division. “We take seriously our obligation to make crime victims as financially whole as possible, whether those victims are private individuals, large companies, or government agencies. Our annual collections figure is a testament to our team’s daily hard work and unwavering pursuit of justice.”
An example of the district’s collection efforts was in U.S. v. Kiraz et al. In early October 2022, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced it had secured a full restitution payment totaling more than $600,000 from the former operators of two Portland-area strip clubs who were convicted at trial in 2016 for conspiring to defraud the IRS and Oregon Department of Revenue. On September 23, 2022, the Clerk of the Court for the District of Oregon received a payment of $608,217 from David, George, and Daniel Kiraz. The Kirazes had previously paid less than ten percent of their original $657,243 restitution order.
A second example is in U.S. v. Idaho Power Company. In late August 2022, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced it had reached an agreement with the Idaho Power Company, a Boise, Idaho-based utility, wherein the company would pay $1.5 million to settle allegations by the U.S. relating to the May 2014 Powerline and August 2015 Lime Hill fires in Baker County, Oregon. Soon after, the company paid the $1.5 million settlement in full.
U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with the department’s litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the U.S. and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss. While restitution is paid to the victim, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the department’s Crime Victims Fund, which distributes the funds collected to federal and state victim compensation and victim assistance programs.
The District of Oregon’s Financial Litigation Program (FLP) is part of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Asset Recovery and Money Laundering Division. The mission and goal of FLP is to fairly achieve the maximum recovery of civil and criminal debts consistent with applicable laws, regulations, and Justice Department policies. FLP attorneys and support staff work with individuals subject to restitution orders to bring closure for crime victims and recoup losses incurred by United States taxpayers.
Home Values in Oregon Soared During the Pandemic
The housing market has been red hot during the pandemic, with home prices hitting record highs up until a few months ago. More recently, surging mortgage rates have put some pressure on the housing market, slowing the climb in housing prices. That could be good news for buyers, though home prices remain considerably higher than they were in 2019 after surging in the two years since.
Nationwide, the average median home value rose 17% between 2019 and 2021, according to data from the 2021 and 2019 American Community Surveys from the U.S. Census Bureau. During that time, median household incomes grew a far smaller 6%. That gap has made homes, especially in some areas, more unaffordable.
Oregon is one of the 23 states where home values rose faster than average during the COVID-19 pandemic. The typical home in the state was worth $422,700 in 2021, compared to $354,600 in 2019. The 19.2% increase ranks as the 12th highest among states.
As was the case nationwide, home value growth outpaced income growth in Oregon. The typical household in the state earned $71,562 in 2021, up just 6.7% from $67,058 in 2019.
Population growth can fuel housing demand and push prices up – and over the same period, Oregon’s population grew by 0.7%.
Enjoy the holidays safely with fire prevention:
Keep candles 12 inches away from other objects.
Use a sturdy candle holder that won’t tip over.
Don’t leave burning candles unattended. Blow them out before leaving or going to bed.
Consider using flameless, battery-operated candles.
Medical Examiner Seeks Public Help to Identify Woman Found In Portland
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.
