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
Friday, March 3, 2023
Rogue Valley Weather
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY ISSUED: 3:26 AM MAR. 3, 2023 – NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 4 AM SATURDAY TO 4 PM PST SUNDAY... * WHAT...Snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 2 to 6 inches. Winds gusting as high as 35 mph in the Shasta Valley. * WHERE...Central Siskiyou County in California and Jackson County in Oregon, including Medford, Yreka, Ashland, the Interstate 5, corridor, and Highways 140, 234, and 62. * WHEN...From 4 AM Saturday to 4 PM PST Sunday. * IMPACTS...Travel could become difficult at times. Patchy blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Snow levels will lower to about 500 feet during the overnight and early morning hours, then rise to around 1500 feet in the afternoon. This will result in two periods of low elevation snow Saturday and Sunday mornings. * View the hazard area in detail at https://www.wrh.noaa.gov/map/?wfo=mfr
Felony Hit-and-Run Suspect Arrested After Crashing into Multiple Cars on Hwy 62
JCSO Case 23-1227 WHITE CITY – Jackson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) deputies responded to call from ECSO Dispatch for a hit-and-run driver that crashed into three separate vehicles today around 11:18 a.m. The crashes occurred northbound on Crater Lake Highway between Vilas Road and the White City Rogue Valley Expressway entrance. The suspect and two victims received minor injuries from the crashes and were transported to a local hospital for medical care. The suspect fled the scene of the final crash on foot but was captured by a JCSO deputy responding to the call. The suspect is believed to have been suffering from a mental health crisis during the time of the crashes.
The suspect, Melissa Ann Krevitskie, 29, of Pennsylvania, was cited and released to the care of medical staff due to injuries sustained and her apparent mental health crisis. She is charged with felony hit and run, two counts of third-degree assault, four counts of reckless endangerment, reckless driving, and two counts of hit-and-run property damage. Oregon State Police, Oregon Department of Transportation, Fire District 3, and Mercy Flights responded to assist. The case is under further investigation.
Black Market Stash Found in Jacksonville After Double Murder Of Two Jackson County Cannabis Entrepreneurs In Houston
Law enforcement in Jackson County Oregon discovered an illegal marijuana stash this week on the property of one of two Oregon cannabis entrepreneurs killed earlier this year in Houston.
WW The February 22 story wrote about two Oregon men, Dana Risdal and Jimmy Martin. Police found the bodies of the two men five days apart, but believe both men were shot to death at the townhome where authorities first found Risdal’s body. Officers found 10 pounds of hash oil, 129 pounds of hashish and $36,000 in cash.
Both men had deep ties to the Oregon cannabis industry, and Martin was a part-owner of Rogue Valley Cannabis, which operates three dispensaries in Southern Oregon. (Friends of Martin said it was recently attempting to sell its portion of the business; it is unclear whether it has ever done so.)
According to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, shortly after the double murder, the agency obtained a search warrant for a Jacksonville home that was owned by Martin. Inside they found an indoor grow, 572 marijuana plants, 275 pounds of handpicked marijuana, and two guns.
The authorities arrested and booked a man connected to the operation, whom they identified as Baron Erich Munchausen. (It is unclear whether this is a pseudonym, but Baron Munchausen is the name of a fictional character in a 1700s German novel.)
As WW noted in last week’s story, the overabundance of cannabis flowers and federal prohibition have lured some legal business owners into the black market.
Friends of Martin, 37, and Riesdal, 35, described them both as big, fun-loving personalities. Ryssdal loved to travel and spend time in Las Vegas, Colorado, and Washington. Martin had a small child.
Based on social media, it appears that their friendship is at least four years old. Based on business registry records, it does not appear that there was any formal business partnership between the two.
“Dana’s superpower was making people feel,” Mike Reeves, a longtime friend and former business partner of Raisdal’s, said earlier this month. “He was the guy in the room everyone was attracted to. He had a laugh that we’ll remember.
Martin’s friend and former business partner, Richard Roth, said: “He lit up every room he ever walked into. He was as at ease meeting Fortune 500 CEOs as he was at a Biggie concert.” Source: www.wweek.com
Medford Police Arrest Residential Burglary Suspects
Eight home burglaries have been reported in the East Medford area since November 2022. In most cases, access to the homes has been gained through forced entry or a dog door. Victims of each incident have reported various personal property stolen including jewelry, cash and most recently, cars.
On March 1, 2023, MPD Detectives did identify suspects involved in two of the listed eight burglaries. The suspects entered two separate residences and stole miscellaneous items of value from inside, including jewelry, sporting equipment, and credit cards. Some of the stolen property was sold to local pawn shops and later recovered. One of the victim’s credit card was used to make a fraudulent purchase. The listed suspects were lodged at the Jackson County Jail on the following charges:
· Hamilton, Talia Reanne – 29 years old
o Burglary 1 o Theft 2 o Theft by Receiving (x2)
· Steger, Blake Kenneth – 32 years old
o Burglary 1 (x2) o Theft 2 o Theft by Receiving o Identity Theft
Medford Police Detectives are continuing their investigation into these burglaries. MPD cannot release specific details of ongoing investigations, but are actively working these cases. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Medford Police Department (541-770-4783).
Wilsonville Man Who Orchestrated Violent Robberies Targeting Southern Oregon Marijuana Growers and Dealers Sentenced to Federal Prison
MEDFORD, OR.—A Wilsonville, Oregon man who orchestrated multiple violent robberies targeting Southern Oregon marijuana growers and dealers was sentenced to federal prison today.
Shannon Christopher Harrop, 33, was sentenced to 162 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release. Harrop was also ordered to pay $26,040 in restitution.
“This defendant choreographed multiple armed robberies in and around Medford that endangered dozens of lives,” said Nathan J. Lichvarcik, Chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Eugene and Medford Branch Offices. “Fortunately, law enforcement intervened to protect our community.”
“Mr. Harrop’s sentence is well justified,” said Jonathan T. McPherson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Seattle Field Division. “Without the efforts of federal, state and local law enforcement his brazen criminal actions would have continued, further endangering the lives of community members.”
According to court documents, over a seven-month period beginning in September 2019, Harrop and multiple co-conspirators orchestrated four violent robberies targeting marijuana growers and dealers in and around Medford. The first robbery occurred on September 19, 2019, when two robbers handcuffed and robbed two victims at gunpoint in Medford, stealing $60,000 worth of a bulk narcotic individuals involved in the robbery claimed to be hemp. Law enforcement later determined that the robbery occurred during a drug deal brokered by Harrop. Harrop was contacted by investigators, but denied setting up the deal and having any knowledge of the robbery.
The second robbery occurred on November 2, 2019, in Eagle Point, Oregon at a residence located on a secluded marijuana grow. The robbers entered the residence pretending to be law enforcement officers executing a search warrant, handcuffed two individuals present at gun point, and stole several dozen pounds of marijuana, various personal items, and one of the victim’s vehicles. Law enforcement stopped a second vehicle traveling with the stolen vehicle and determined it was a rental car leased by Harrop who again denied involvement in the robbery. Inside the rented vehicle, officers located ski masks, zip ties, handcuffs, tactical vests, and two firearms.
The third robbery occurred on December 19, 2019, at a large marijuana grow in Applegate, Oregon. Several individuals pretended to be the U.S. Marshals Service executing a search warrant. The robbers handcuffed one individual at gun point and engaged in an armed standoff with another. This time the robbers got away with only five pounds of marijuana and $5,000 in cash. Law enforcement located several hundred plastic totes containing marijuana on the property they believed the robbers were targeting.
In the fourth and final robbery, on April 25, 2020, law enforcement responded to reports of shots fired in Josephine County, Oregon. They discovered the shots were the result of another robbery of a marijuana grow where multiple victims were restrained and robbed at gun point. Despite being fired on by one of the victims, the robbers got away with 71 pounds of processed marijuana and four jars of marijuana extract.
Over the next several months, through various recorded statements, investigators were able to connect Harrop and multiple associates to all four robberies. In one statement, Harrop admitted to visiting the location of the fourth robbery and seeing the processed marijuana, marijuana extract, and cash later targeted in the robbery.
Beginning in June 2020, Harrop tried to convince an undercover law enforcement agent to deliver forty kilograms of cocaine to Ohio on his behalf. In addition, Harrop attempted to orchestrate a fifth robbery with the undercover agent and multiple co-conspirators. On the day the robbery was supposed to occur, in July 2020, law enforcement officers arrested Harrop and his accomplices without incident.
On July 23, 2020, a federal grand jury in Medford returned an eight-count indictment charging Harrop and eight accomplices with conspiracy to interfere and interfering with commerce by robbery; conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana; using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; possessing firearms as convicted felons; and possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
On August 30, 2022, Harrop pleaded guilty to conspiring to interfere and interfering with commerce by robbery and using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Seven of Harrop’s accomplices have pleaded guilty. Six have been sentenced and one is pending sentencing. Harrop’s eighth accomplice is awaiting trial.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service, Oregon State Police, the Jackson and Josephine County Sheriff’s Offices, and Medford Police Department. It was prosecuted by Marco Boccato, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
Oregon Chocolate Festival This Weekend in Ashland
Chocolate lovers are converging on Ashland this weekend to celebrate the 19th annual Oregon Chocolate Festival.
The 3 day event runs from Friday through Sunday mostly located at the Ashland Springs Hotel and the Ashland Hills Hotel and Suites.
People who go to the various events can sample from dozens of west coast chocolate makers and even participate in a chocolate product competition as well.
They also have chocolate-themed activities for kids, lessons on the origin of chocolate and a chocolate brunch on the list of scheduled events. To learn more visit: http://oregonchocolatefestival.com
Governor Kotek Urges Legislature To Give $7.5 Million To Oregon Food Bank As COVID Benefits End
The Oregon Food Bank offers an assortment of food, including frozen vegetables like these beans.
As hundreds of thousands of Oregonians face a 40% decrease in their food budgets, Gov. Tina Kotek urged the Legislature to give millions to the Oregon Food Bank.
The federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, covers more than 720,000 Oregonians. When the COVID pandemic hit in spring 2020, the federal government increased monthly SNAP benefits, to an average of $450 per household each month.
Find food —- To find food resources go to or call:
- Needfood.oregon.gov
- Foodfinder.oregonfoodbank.org
- www.caporegon.org/find-services
- www.211info.org (211)
The emergency funding ended in February, slicing aid to households receiving benefits to an average of $270 per month. Local food pantries and the Oregon Food Bank, which serves 1,400 free food markets, pantries, meal sites and delivery programs, have been preparing for increased demand .
Kotek, who started her career as an advocate at the Oregon Food Bank, sent a letter to the chairs of the budget-writing Joint Ways and Means Committee this week asking for an immediate $7.5 million allocation to the Oregon Food Bank for food purchasing.
“Without an immediate investment, Oregon Food Bank will be forced to reduce the level of food support it provides to its regional food banks, and local food pantries will be unable to feed Oregonians who need help,” Kotek wrote.
The proposed $7.5 million is included in a 42-page amendment to the Legislature’s “budget rebalance” bill, a wonkish measure the Legislature passes every two years to reconcile the state’s accounts. The bill will be considered by a subcommittee of the budget-writing Joint Ways and Means Committee on Friday and by the full Legislature later this month.
Oregon Food Bank CEO Susannah Morgan told the Capital Chronicle the money would be enough to ensure the nonprofit can purchase enough food through the end of June. The food bank is also anticipating more federal aid later this spring or summer, as the U.S. Department of Agriculture spends $2 billion announced last fall to buy domestically produced food for food banks and school meal programs.
“Part of our hope for the summer would be that the federal commodities will start flowing in at a higher rate again as we are finishing up spending the additional very welcome grant from the state of Oregon,” Morgan said.
The legislative Emergency Board gave the food bank $5 million last September, but that money’s gone. Like consumers who have grappled with higher prices at grocery stores in recent years, the Oregon Food Bank is paying more for food than it did before the COVID pandemic.
“Pre-pandemic, a 40,000-pound truckload of peanut butter, a whole lot of peanut butter, would have cost $32,000,” Morgan said. “It’s now costing us over $40,000.”
Morgan said the food bank hasn’t seen an increase in demand because of the end of expanded SNAP benefits, but that officials expect increases in the second or third week of March. People typically ask for food assistance when SNAP benefits run out part way through the month, she said.
Eighteen states, mostly Republican-run states in the South, Midwest and Mountain West, already opted out of the additional federal funding. Food banks in those states reported a surge in demand when the extra benefits ended.
Morgan said the most important thing Oregonians can do is make sure their friends, family and neighbors know how to find resources at oregonfoodfinder.org . After that, the food bank is seeking monetary donations , which go further than food donations because the food bank buys food by the truckload and can turn $1 into three meals worth of food. Volunteering time at a local food pantry or regional food bank also helps, she said.
“This grant from the state of Oregon is amazing and really will help us get through June,” Morgan said. “The need will not go away in July. Our neighbors will still need help in July.” (SOURCE)
Advocates From Oregon Urge President Biden To Issue An Executive Order Protecting Beavers On Federal Public Lands
A group of scientists, nonprofit organizations and advocates from Oregon and around the country have asked President Joe Biden to issue an executive order protecting beavers on federal public lands.
Their letter was sent to the White House on Monday, signed by over 200 scientists, wildlife experts and activists. It says beavers are important for fighting climate change, biodiversity loss and water shortages.
Oregon’s state animal, beavers were once common here and across the continent. Scientists estimate that there were as many as 200 million beavers in North America before colonization. Widespread trapping in the 19th century brought beavers to the brink of extinction in many areas, and though they have recovered somewhat, current estimates are around 15 million, a reduction of more than 90%.
Beavers are natural engineers. They build dams, slowing down and spreading water that would otherwise run off – and that makes them a natural ally for Biden’s climate agenda, said Suzanne Fouty, a retired U.S. Forest Service hydrologist who co-authored the letter.
“It turns out that wetlands, which beavers are capable of creating very effectively, are a tremendous carbon storage zone,” she told the Capital Chronicle.
Wetland soil can store up to 10 times more carbon than the same amount of forest soil, and up to 35 times more than grassland, the letter said. Carbon in the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels is the primary driver of climate change, and scientists say we have to both reduce our emissions and pull more carbon out of the atmosphere to stabilize the climate.
Beyond storing carbon, wetlands created and maintained by beavers have been shown to improve water quality, improve and expand fish and wildlife habitat and act as natural firebreaks during wildfires. They also help to mitigate the effects of drought like the one that’s affected the West for several years.
The letter proposes an executive order with three parts: a near-total ban on beaver trapping on federal public land, a directive to land management agencies to prioritize beaver conservation and funding to federal agencies to expand beaver numbers. It said money should be allocated to the U.S. Forest Service, the federal Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land Management along with the Civilian Climate Corps, a climate-focused jobs program that was cut from the Inflation Reduction Act to pass the Senate in 2021.
Until now, beaver management has been left mostly to state wildlife agencies, but the letter’s authors claim that these agencies, funded primarily by hunting, trapping and fishing licenses, are more beholden to hunters and trappers than to the public or the wildlife. The letter mentions Oregon as an example of a state which has been unable to adequately protect beavers, noting that attempts at regulation have failed in both the state Legislature and Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission in the last three years.
“Beaver hunting and trapping is open in most states right now,” Adam Bronstein, Director for Oregon and Nevada at the Western Watersheds Project, told the Capital Chronicle. “In a lot of cases, there are no quotas and no seasons.” This means that managers have no way to set sustainable limits on trapping, and scientists have no reliable count of how many beavers are being taken off of public lands.
Many of the co-signers of the letter are Oregonians and leaders of Oregon-based nonprofit organizations, including representatives of several local Audubon societies, the Urban Greenspaces Institute and WaterWatch of Oregon. Professors, retired and active, from both Oregon State University and University of Oregon, joined the effort. Several fishing advocates signed the letter as well, including David Moskowitz from the Conservation Angler and Bob Rees of Northwest Guides and Anglers Association, highlighting the value that beavers can provide to healthy fish habitat.
Bronstein points out that beaver trapping is only one use that actively competes with the other services that wetlands with beavers can provide. In Oregon, fewer than 200 people actively trap and hunt beavers to sell their fur or because some landowners consider them pests. Others hunt them recreationally. “Public lands belong to all Americans, and wildlife is in our collective trust,” says Bronstein. “We want our public lands to provide the greatest benefit to the greatest number of people.” (SOURCE)
OHA seeks comment on J.H. Baxter health consultation draft
PORTLAND, Ore.— The Environmental Health Assessment Program (EHAP) at Oregon Health Authority (OHA) is releasing a J.H. Baxter & Co. health consultation draft report with summary fact sheets and is accepting public comment on the documents through June 2, 2023.
The documents are available for viewing and download here. The health consultation report outlines OHA’s analysis of community health risks related to industrial pollution caused by J.H. Baxter, a now-closed wood treatment facility in Eugene.
In September 2021 and May 2022, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency collected surface soil samples from residential yards and other areas further from the facility. Both rounds of sampling showed levels of dioxin in soil above health-based screening concentrations in seven residential yards.
Dioxins are environmental pollutants, in this case likely the byproduct of J.H. Baxter’s operations over the past seven decades.
To address community concerns about the health risks of exposure to dioxin, OHA evaluated data from soil taken from residential areas north of the facility and documented its conclusions and recommendations in the health consultation report.
The report concludes that:
- Soil with dioxin concentrations over 40 parts per trillion (ppt) could harm the health of children younger than 6 who come in contact with bare soil regularly for one year or longer.
- If backyard chickens live in residential yards where the soil has dioxin levels above 4.7 ppt, it could be harmful to eat eggs laid by those chickens. This health risk is for people of all ages and backgrounds.
- There is no health risk from exposures shorter than one year.
- The increased cancer risk from long-term or chronic exposures to dioxins from J.H. Baxter is low.
The public comment period for the health consultation is open now through June 2, 2023. OHA will host a public meeting April 22 at Petersen Barn Community Center in Eugene to answer questions from the public about the health consultation findings; more details about the meeting will be shared in the coming weeks. Comments can be emailed to ehap.info@oha.oregon.gov or mailed to the following address:
Oregon Health Authority – EHAP
800 Oregon St., Suite 640
Portland, OR 97232
For more information, visit EHAP’s J.H. Baxter page.
Experts Gather In Portland To Discuss Offshore Wind Power In Oregon
Sometime in the not-too-distant future, Oregon’s coast could be home to some massive new structures.That wind energy future was the subject of the Northwest Offshore Wind Conference, held over two days this week in downtown Portland, where nearly 300 of the country’s top experts in the field came together to take stock of the process.
Wind turbines, some close to 1,000 feet tall and capable of producing up to three gigawatts of power, are planned for two areas about 12 miles offshore. There’s a long way to go before the blades start spinning and generating electricity to power Oregon homes, but the decisions being made now will shape what the projects will look like when they are constructed in the years to come.
“You’ve got national labs, universities, regulators, stakeholders and a fair amount of supply chain folks who are starting to realize there’s enormous opportunity here if they position themselves well,” said Jason Busch, executive director of the Pacific Ocean Energy Trust, a nonprofit that sponsored the conference. Industry leaders say offshore wind development will be a key piece of the puzzle for Oregon to hit 100% renewable energy production in the future.
The process of siting, permitting and constructing offshore wind turbines is not a short one. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management began looking at areas off the west coast several years ago and identified two areas in Oregon waters that would be suitable, off the coast of Coos Bay and Brookings.
The coast off of southern Oregon and Northern California is known for having some of the highest potential for wind energy production due to strong, reliable and consistent wind.
Federal regulators have been analyzing the two plots, referred to as “call areas,” which encompass more than a million acres, with the intention of identifying the best areas to offer to lease to developers through an auction early in 2024.
One of those developers is Deep Blue Pacific Wind. Peter Cogswell, government affairs director for the company, said it was more than just wind quality that drew him to Oregon.
“What makes Oregon unique is that first you have a world-class resource off the Southern Oregon coast,” Cogswell said. “You combine that with Oregon’s historic strong support for clean energy policies and decarbonizing our electric supply, and there’s a lot to like about offshore wind and how it fits into that environment.”
Offshore wind power will also be a necessary addition to the northwest power generation portfolio as Oregon works toward its goal of 100% renewable energy by 2040.
“A lot of people like to think of offshore wind as kind of an either/or while comparing it with land-based renewables, but the reality is, is that we need everything,” Cogswell said. “If Oregon is going to achieve its 100% clean energy goals and some of its other decarbonization goals, offshore wind is a critical part of achieving that.”
Offshore wind is already in use around the world, including off of the east coast of the U.S. with more than 6,000 turbines providing clean electricity.
Wind power on the west coast comes with some unique challenges compared to other areas. East coast turbines can be anchored to the ocean floor in the relatively shallow waters off the eastern seaboard, but the continental shelf off the Oregon coast drops off to deeper waters much more quickly, so the turbines will need to be mounted on floating platforms like at some European installations.
That’s only one of the challenges facing developers hoping to tap into the power of Oregon wind. Large infrastructure upgrades would be needed at the deep water ports in Coos Bay, and high voltage transmission lines would need to be built to bring all that power onshore.
Wind energy proponents point to all of those challenges as sources for new jobs, but there are other potential hurdles to overcome before offshore wind energy becomes a reality in Oregon.
Fishermen worry that the towers could interfere with their livelihoods. Environmental advocates are concerned that vulnerable marine species could be put further at risk. Tribal groups fear that their cultural resources could be put in jeopardy and that they won’t be given the chance to offer any meaningful input on the siting of the turbines.
In an op-ed for the publication CalMatters, Frankie Myers, vice chairman of Yurok Tribe, wrote that Indigenous people have often been ignored when outsiders come to extract resources from their lands.
“Offshore wind presents an opportunity to develop the clean energy America needs,” Myers wrote. “But unless offshore wind truly engages with the Native American tribes that suffered the impacts from previous natural resource extraction, it will be as dirty as the rest of them.”
And all those potential conflicts are one of the reasons that winning the lease auction is just the beginning of a lengthy process. After that, developers will go through a roughly 7-year period of environmental impact studies, site analysis and surveys of the areas where they plan to build.
That extended period will also provide ample opportunity from all the groups that will potentially be impacted by the development to have input on the process.
Busch said he hopes that the conference in Portland this week will provide a chance to address the concerns of fishermen, environmentalists and tribal members early in the planning process.
“We have something called the Oregon Way, and that means that people have to come to the table and have a dialogue and build trust about how we deal with the controversial or difficult decision making,” he said. (SOURCE)
