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, February 23, 2023
Rogue Valley Weather
WINTER STORM WARNING ISSUED: 12:57 AM FEB. 23, 2023 – NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM PST THIS MORNING ABOVE 1500 FEET... ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM PST THIS MORNING BELOW 1500 FEET... * WHAT...For the Winter Storm Warning above 1500 feet, heavy snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 4 to 8 inches, with up to 12 inches expected above 3000 feet. For the Winter Weather Advisory below 1500 feet, snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 1 to 4 inches. * WHERE...All areas will experience some degree of winter weather impacts. For the Winter Storm Warning, this includes I-5 passes north of Grants Pass and from Talent south, Highways 227, 199 at Hayes Hill, Jacksonville Hill and the foothills within Jackson, Josephine and Eastern Curry Counties,including Butte Falls and Prospect. Highway 42 at Camas Mountain, Highway 227 south of Tiller and the foothills within Douglas County. For the Winter Weather Advisory, this includes Medford, Grants Pass, Eagle Point, Shady Cove, Rogue River and Cave Junction. In Douglas County, the rest of I-5, Highways 42 and 138 and the cities of Roseburg and Sutherlin. * WHEN...From 7 PM this evening to 10 AM PST Thursday. * IMPACTS...Travel could be very difficult to impossible. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning commute. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Snow levels will likely reach valley floors near or above 500 feet tonight. * View the hazard area in detail at https://www.wrh.noaa.gov/map/?wfo=mfr
Expect Snow And Ice While Traveling In Oregon
A series of winter storms riding down with polar air mass will bring low-elevation snow and very difficult travel conditions to much of the region through the end of the week
ODOT road crews are prepared for snow and work continuously to keep roads clear, but they can’t be everywhere at once. Some roads may have snow or ice longer than in years past. Check Tripcheck.com for the latest on road conditions, chain requirements, and other winter travel information.
New Ashland Mayor Sworn In
Tonya Graham, former Ashland City Councilor, was sworn in as the new Mayor of Ashland Tuesday evening at the Ashland Council Business Meeting.
Former Mayor, Julie Akins, resigned from her position effective January 27. The Council had 60 days to fill the position or take applications from the citizens of Ashland.
The City of Ashland says Graham was re-elected as City Councilor in November 2022 for a four-year term. She will serve as Mayor until December 31, 2024.
Grants Pass Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Stealing from a Tribal Organization and Illegally Possessing a Firearm
A Grants Pass, Oregon man pleaded guilty and was sentenced to federal prison today for stealing more than $70,000 from the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians and illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
After pleading guilty to one count each of stealing from a Tribal organization and illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, Kevin Lee Jones, 34, was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison and 3 years’ supervised release. Jones was also ordered to pay $74,228 in restitution to the Cow Creek Tribe.
According to court documents, on September 6, 2021, Jones attempted to disguise his identity and stole $74,228 in cash from a business owned by the Cow Creek Tribe in Canyonville, Oregon. Several weeks later, in October 2021, Jones, who has a lengthy criminal history and, as a convicted felon, was prohibited from possessing firearms, was found unresponsive in a car in Grants Pass with a loaded pistol in his waistband. During a later search of his residence, investigators located and seized an M4 rifle with an extended capacity magazine.
On December 14, 2021, Jones was charged by criminal complaint with illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. On December 16, 2021, a federal grand jury in Eugene indicted him on the same charge. Later, on December 29, 2022, he was charged by criminal information with illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and stealing from a Tribal organization.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Cow Creek Tribal Police Department. It was prosecuted by Jeffrey S. Sweet, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, in coordination with Josephine County District Attorney Joshua J. Eastman. https://www.justice.gov/usao-or/pr/grants-pass-man-sentenced-federal-prison-stealing-tribal-organization-and-illegally
Illinois Valley Fire District – Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) conducting a Free Basic Disaster Training Course
This CERT, Free Basic Disaster Training class will be held at the Administration Building, Illinois Valley Fire Station 1 at 681 Caves Hwy, Cave Junction, on 3 consecutive Friday evenings from 6 pm to 9 pm March 10, 17, 24 and 3 consecutive Saturdays from 9 am to 4 pm March 11, 18, 25.
This is a free class; to sign up contact 541.592.2225 ext. 0 Monday – Thursday from 9 am to 4 pm.
Class limited to first 30 participants. — Participants will learn the basics of disaster preparedness, fire safety, disaster medical operations and psychology, light search and rescue and radio and communications skills. Illinois Valley Fire District
911 Dispatcher Recruiting Event to Be Held in Grants Pass
Grants Pass, Ore. – The Josephine County 911 Agency, along with the City of Grants Pass, is looking for individuals interested in a rewarding career in 9-1-1 emergency communications! We are proud to host a 911 Dispatcher Recruiting Event this Saturday, February 25, 2023, from 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm. The event will be held at the Grants Pass Police Department Training Room at 726 NE 7th St in Grants Pass.
Dispatchers with the Josephine County 9-1-1 Agency provide dispatch services to the Grants Pass Police Department, Grants Pass Fire Department, Rural Metro Fire Department, Illinois Valley Rural Fire Protection District, Williams Rural Fire Protection District, Wolf Creek Rural Fire Protection District, Oregon Department of Forestry (after hours) and American Medical Response. They also answer 9-1-1 calls for all of Josephine County.
This event is an opportunity to learn more about the career of a 9-1-1 Dispatcher and to meet some of our dispatch professionals. We will have personnel on hand who are able to talk about the career, the benefits, and the role that 9-1-1 dispatchers play in an emergency response. For more information, contact the 9-1-1 Manager, Marci Haack, at 541-450-6286 or by email: mhaack@grantspassoregon.gov.
Oregon Lawmakers Share Details of $200 Million Housing Package
Oregon lawmakers plan to spend nearly $200 million within the next few weeks to address housing and homelessness, describing it as a “down payment” with more to come.
A trio of Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday shared the details of their plan, which also includes new policies to slow evictions and streamline home building permits. A pair of bills – one with policies and one with spending – are expected to pass through House committees Thursday and next week and be ready for a vote on the House floor the second week of March.
“We know our communities need relief now,” said Rep. Maxine Dexter, D-Portland and the chair of the House Committee on Housing and Homelessness. “So we’re making an unprecedented push to take bold and definitive action early in session with the goal of passing this package by mid-March.”
Dexter and her counterpart in the Senate, Portland Democrat Kayse Jama, said they worked closely with Republican colleagues to craft the measure. It includes some Republican priorities, such as a pitch from Sen. Dick Anderson, D-Lincoln City, to provide low-interest loans for developers building homes for middle-income Oregonians.
More money
The housing package includes the $130 million requested by Gov. Tina Kotek earlier this year. Kotek’s request consisted of:
- $54.4 million to help 1,200 homeless individuals or families find new homes.
- $33.6 million for rent assistance and eviction prevention services. The governor’s office estimated this will help keep 8,750 families from losing their homes.
- $23.8 million to add 600 shelter beds statewide. These will be low-barrier beds, meaning that people don’t need to be sober, employed or pass criminal background checks to receive shelter.
- $5 million to Oregon’s nine recognized tribes for their homelessness services.
- $5 million to increase capacity for “culturally responsive organizations” to work toward equitable outcomes for homelessness.
- $2 million for cities and counties to use for sanitation services.
- $1.8 million for the state Office of Emergency Management and Oregon Housing and Community Services to coordinate the state’s handling of the homelessness crisis.
Lawmakers added tens of millions more, including:
- $27 million to address homelessness in 25 rural counties that weren’t included in Kotek’s January emergency order because homelessness has increased at slower rates there than in urban areas.
- $25 million earmarked for homeless youth, to help young people and their families with rent assistance, shelter and mental health or substance abuse treatment.
- $20 million to encourage production of modular homes, which are built in factories and then placed in foundations or stacked to make apartment buildings.
- $5 million in grants for farmers to improve health and safety conditions at farm worker camps.
- $3 million in revolving loans builders can use to pay for predevelopment costs, such as permits and local infrastructure fees, for homes that will be affordable to people earning between 80% and 120% of the median income in their area.
More spending will be coming later in the legislative session, said Rep. David Gomberg, D-Otis and the chair of the budget-writing subcommittee that will handle housing funding. His subcommittee will consider Kotek’s proposed budget, along with any legislative proposals that carry price tags, as it crafts a housing budget for the 2023-25 budget period.
Kotek’s suggested budget includes nearly $3.8 billion for the Oregon Housing and Community Services Department – a slight decrease from the almost $3.9 billion allocated in the last two-year budget, when lawmakers spent $1.5 billion in one-time funds, but nearly double the $1.9 billion the agency received in the 2019-21 budget cycle.
New land use and eviction policies
The package includes major changes to the state’s 50-year-old land use system, shifting to prioritize building housing over “citizen engagement” in decisions about what can be built where. Critics of Oregon’s land use system have long maintained that the state’s laws make building desperately needed housing take too long and cost too much. The state needs to build more than 550,000 new homes over the next 20 years to meet current and expected demand, according to the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development.
The measure would require Oregon Housing and Community Services to produce annual housing production targets for each city with at least 10,000 residents, including subsidized and market-rate homes.
From there, the state Department of Land Conservation and Development could take action against cities that fail to build enough homes, including obtaining a judge’s order forcing a city to comply or forcing a city to forfeit grant funds or other state funding.
“We will make sure local governments, special districts and state agencies work together to ensure that we break down barriers and remove red tape that has prevented us from building the housing we need,” Dexter said.
Separately, the proposal would extend eviction timelines for unpaid rent. Landlords can now give 72-hour notices and obtain court judgements against tenants within 25 days of giving that notice. The proposal would give tenants 10-day notices and extend the court timeline, meaning a trial could occur almost two months after a tenant first misses a rent payment.
“We all know that eviction leads to homelessness,” Jama said. “Evicting somebody and putting them on the streets is really, really challenging for all of us and it’s more expensive to be on the streets than being housed.” Source
Marion County Sheriff’s Office looking for help in identifying deceased female found in a Jefferson field
On February 21, 2023, about 4:45pm, deputies from the Sheriff’s Office Enforcement Division, Jefferson Contract, along with detectives from the Criminal Investigations Unit responded to a report of a citizen finding a female, deceased, in a field at the dead-end of Tenth Street in Jefferson, Oregon. The Marion County Medical Examiner’s Office responded to assist.
Wednesday, an autopsy was performed by the State Medical Examiner and the death has been determined to be natural causes. The female found, was a white female, unknown age, 5’3 ½”, 128 pounds, wearing a red tank top, camo colored long sleeve shirt, Green sweatshirt, green sweatpants, and black tennis shoes. She was described as having a brooch attached to the green sweatshirt in the left chest area with a white pearl-looking piece in the middle of it.
We are asking anyone with information on a possible identify for this female to please call Deputy N. Morse, 971-720-0726.
Report of Armed Subject at Lane Community College
UPDATE:Update: As of 3:30pm the lockdown at Lane Community College has been lifted. Authorities have determined there to be no credible threat.
Circumstances surrounding the initial report of an armed person on campus are under investigation. –
02/22/2023 – 2:06pm Lane County Sheriff’s deputies are currently on scene at the LCC Main Campus after receiving the report of an armed person on campus.
There have been no reports of shots fired or injuries. Authorities are asking the public to avoid the area until additional information becomes available.
Oregon Revenue Forecasts Record $3.9B Kicker To Be Returned To Taxpayers
Oregon’s key economic indicator, the quarterly revenue forecast for March, shows significant revenue growth.
The forecast, released Wednesday, Feb. 22 by the Oregon Department of Administrative Services, states that the unexpected revenue growth in the current biennium has left Oregon with unprecedented balances, followed by a record kicker in 2023-25.
The projected personal kicker is $3.9 billion, which will be credited to taxpayers when they file their returns in 2024.
The projected corporate kicker is $1.5 billion, which will be retained in the General Fund for K-12 educational spending.
“Once the 2023-25 biennium is behind us, Oregon’s major revenue sources are expected to bounce back quickly,” the Forecast Summary reads. “However, growth over the extended horizon will continue to be constrained by demographics, with the baby-boom population cohort earning and spending less.”
The unexpected revenue growth in the current biennium has left Oregon with unprecedented balances, followed by a record kicker in 2023-25. The projected personal kicker is $3.9 billion, which will be credited to taxpayers when they file their returns in 2024. The projected corporate kicker is $1.5 billion, which will be retained in the General Fund for K-12 educational spending. Once the 2023-25 biennium is behind us, Oregon’s major revenue sources are expected to bounce back quickly. However, growth over the extended horizon will continue to be constrained by demographics, with the baby-boom population cohort earning and spending less.
The Oregon Economic Forecast provides information to planners and policy makers in state agencies and private organizations for use in their decision making processes.
The Oregon Revenue Forecast opens the revenue forecasting process to public review. It is the basis for much of the budgeting in state government. The forecast reports are issued four times a year: March, June, September, and December.
