The latest news stories of interest in the Rogue Valley and the state of Oregon from the digital home of Southern Oregon, Wynne Broadcasting’s RogueValleyMagazine.com
Friday, March 31, 2023
Rogue Valley Weather
WINTER STORM WARNING ISSUED: 2:23 PM MAR. 30, 2023 – NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 PM FRIDAY TO 11 PM PDT SUNDAY ABOVE 2500 FEET... * WHAT...Heavy snow expected above 2500 feet. Total snow accumulations of 8 to 22 inches. Winds gusting as high as 45 mph. * WHERE...Eastern Douglas County Foothills and Jackson County Cascades Foothills, including Butte Falls and Prospect. This includes highways 62, 138, and 140. * WHEN...From 11 PM Friday to 11 PM PDT Sunday. * IMPACTS...Travel could be very difficult to impossible. * View the hazard area in detail at https://www.wrh.noaa.gov/map/?wfo=mfr
Benefit for Justine Siemens on Sunday April 2nd
The community will come together to show support and love for our friend Justine Siemens. (In case you don’t know, she is Benjamin Foster Assault Victim Survivor and she needs our help.)
This is a family-friendly all ages event. A silent auction and raffle will be held. Free entry at The Sound Lounge 2-8pm. Sunday April 2nd
She still has a very long road of relearning and recovery ahead of her. Bless you, all for your continued support! You can send Cards to: JustineC/O M. Siemens1155 Savage Creek RoadGrants Pass, OR 97527 GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/justine-siemens-donations…
MADGE Warns of Growing Threat of Xylazine and its Mixture with Illicit Drugs
The Medford Area Drug and Gang Enforcement Team (MADGE) is continuing to see the significant impact illicit drugs has on our community.
In recent powder fentanyl and counterfeit pill seizures, MADGE has found the presence of xylazine, a non-opiate veterinary tranquilizer, which has been linked to an increasing number of overdose deaths nationwide. Because xylazine is not an opiate, the widely used overdose medication Narcan cannot be used to reverse its effects.
MADGE has seen a staggering increase in fentanyl seizures in the last 12 months. In 2022, MADGE reported a 3,000% increase in fentanyl seizures. This increase included over 17 pounds of powder fentanyl and 57,000 counterfeit pills containing fentanyl.
As a central nervous system depressant, Xylazine can cause drowsiness, amnesia, slow breathing, and bring heart rate and blood pressure to dangerously low levels. This drug is not approved for use by humans, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Because the versions of fentanyl and other drugs being mixed with xylazine are manufactured by criminal organizations in clandestine labs, users have no way of knowing the potency of the drugs they are using or the presence of other harmful substances being used to “cut” or mix with the drugs.
This information is intended to encourage users to seek help as well as deter others from experimenting with these extremely dangerous substances. For more resources about xylazine, visit: https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/xylazine or see attachment.
Ashland Police Respond to Burglary/Armed Robbery
On March 29, 2023 at 5:30 a.m. Officers responded to the 300 block of Engle Street for a report of a burglary. The investigation indicated that the residents interrupted a suspect stealing the television set. When confronted the suspect produced a handgun and menaced the residents.
The suspect fled from the residence without any property. The suspect is described as a white male adult, 5-4 to 5-6 in height, 125 pounds, light colored eyes, wearing dark clothing, a gator face covering and a beanie style hat. The suspect is believed to be associated with the pictured vehicle, which was being driven by someone else. If anyone has any information, please contact the Ashland Police Department at 541-482-5211.
Free Trees–Oregon Department of Forestry Seedling Giveaways Aim to Help Forestlands Recover After Devastating 2020 Wildfires
There will be two tree seedling giveaways to help with reforestation and recovery from wildfires that took place in 2020. The first is April 1, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., and focused on restoration efforts after the Beachie Creek Fire. Marion County Environmental Services and partner organizations have an ongoing “Canyon Comeback” campaign to help restore the Santiam Canyon area that saw more than 700 homes and business properties burned. Area property owners can pick up seedlings at North Santiam Park. Those wanting seedlings need to RSVP first at the Canyon Comeback website. More details including pick-up schedule, types of trees, and planting instructions are on the website. A community tree planting will also take place April 2 at Packsaddle Park from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., weather dependent.
The other seedling giveaway is focused on restoration efforts after the South Obenchain wildfire in Southern Oregon burned more than 32,000 acres. The Oregon Department of Forestry is sponsoring this event and seedlings can be picked up April 3-6 at ODF’s Southern Oregon District Office, 5286 Table Rock Road, Central Point. The pickup hours are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Area landowners can only pick up the seedlings by the full box—each box contains approximately 400 trees. For more information contact Marcus Havniear, ODF Stewardship Forester, at cus.havniear@odf.oregon.gov“>marcus.havniear@odf.oregon.gov or (541) 664-3328.
Patrick Duffy’s Ranch Along The Rogue River For Sale At A New Price
Actor Patrick Duffy’s longtime southern Oregon residence along the Rogue River is for sale, with the main house and 327 acres listed at $10,995,000, and four smaller parcels, from two to 30 acres, to be sold separately.
The entire 383-acre estate outside of Eagle Point was for sale at $14 million in September 2022, and brokers Alan DeVries and Matthew Cook of Cascade Hasson Sotheby’s International Realty say they were “flooded” with interest by potential buyers as well as worldwide media. But there were no takers.
On Wednesday, DeVries introduced the new offerings.
The Duffy Ranch at 436 Staley Road is the largest, most significant listing, with 327 acres of land plus a 15-acre island in the Rogue River.
The ranch includes a 1950s lodge-style house with river-stone fireplaces and knotty pine walls under exposed beam ceilings, and an enclosed sunroom facing the water.
“They just don’t build them like this anymore,” says Portland interior designer Max Humphrey, who was asked by The Oregonian/OregonLive to look at the real estate photos.
He focused on the “cowboy-cool” porch balusters, board-and-batten exterior and other vintage features.
“You can see the authenticity between the walls; this is more than a house — it’s a whole lifestyle,” says Humphrey, whose latest book, “Lodge: An Indoorsy Tour of America’s National Parks,” encourages elements of the cozy lodge decor at home.
Humphrey says an owner can respect the charm and architecture of the Duffy Ranch house without being limited by it. He suggests having midcentury furnishings, common at the time the house was built, which still look fresh today.
“But don’t touch the scallop-shaped wood cornice boxes and keep your electrician away from the light-free ceilings,” he says.
An antique wood-fired kitchen range made in South Bend, Indiana, and some of the other materials in the house were rescued from the original, dilapidated homestead after Duffy bought the property in 1990.
The once rusty range has been restored and converted to use propane. It is the centerpiece of the kitchen, says Duffy in a real estate video.
Duffy added a wing to the house with a high-ceilinged art gallery and a primary suite. A detached building with a series of sliding glass doors shelters an indoor swimming pool.
The main ranch, with nine tax lots that can be sold separately, also has two riverfront homes, two detached guest cottages, a manufactured home and three barns. One of Duffy’s sons was married in a barn with a river view.
“There are several different worlds on the property,” says Duffy in the video, as he moves from pastoral to forest to waterfront areas. He said the natural environment, which he has kept undeveloped, has a feeling that can’t be invented but can be understood in any language.
This property “just needs another set of ears and another heart to come in and understand it,” he says in the video.
There are two additional homesites and 80 acres zoned Rural Residential Zone 5 that can be divided.
In addition to two miles of river frontage, the ranch has a two-acre bass-stocked pond and 110 acres of water rights from the Rogue River.
“Amazing views, abundant wildlife” like an elk herd, turkeys and black-tail deer, says DeVries of the property he’s marketing as a “true generational sanctuary” 16 miles from the Rogue Valley International Airport.
Other listings surrounding Duffy Ranch being sold by Patrick Duffy are:
A 1,511-square-foot house, covered arena and older barn rest on 29.5 acres at 775 Trails End Lane. The “ranchette,” zoned exclusive farm use, has rights to 21.5 acres of irrigation, says DeVries. “This would be a top spot to remodel the existing home or build your dream home,” states the listing description. “Lots of options here.” Asking price: $719,000.
- A 1,450-square-foot chalet-style cabin with cedar siding, an open living area, wood-burning fireplace and loft sits on 2.18 acres at 535 Trails End Lane. Asking price: $475,000.
- A 1,512-square-foot manufactured home and shop on 5 acres is at 467 Trails End Lane. Asking price: $365,000.
- A non-farm dwelling homesite with a well, septic and barn on 12.45 acres zoned exclusive farm use is at 436 Trails End Lane. Asking price: $319,000. —- (SOURCE)
Department of Administrative Services on Governor Kotek Signing the Affordable Housing & Emergency Homelessness Response Package into Law
Salem, OR- Today, Governor Kotek signed House Bill 2001 and House Bill 5019 into law. This Affordable Housing & Emergency Homelessness Response Package will allow the Department of Administrative Services to analyze housing data to support local jurisdictions and state agencies to make critical, data-driven decisions that will benefit all Oregonians.
The Department of Administrative Services, along with a number of state agencies are proud to begin work on improving the state of housing in Oregon.
The Department of Administrative Services has an important role set forth in House Bill 2001 which begins with the first step in the Oregon Housing Needs Analysis: calculating the number of housing units needed in Oregon. This calculation will be conducted while taking into account the following:
- Historical underproduction of housing;
- Housing for our homeless neighbors; and
- Expected future need.
Examining the need is an important step in assessing how state government may be able to improve the housing situation across the state. Oregonians are struggling with housing availability and high costs and Governor Kotek has made it a top priority to alleviate those challenges. This work, along with other analytical work that the agency conducts will be performed in a clear and transparent manner, consistent with the high-quality analysis the public expects, and policy leaders rely upon.
The Oregon Housing Needs Analysis is conducted by the Office of Economic Analysis within the Department of Administrative Services. Once the analysis is conducted, local governments and state agencies including the Department of Land Conservation and Development and Oregon Housing and Community Services can begin to make actionable plans to alleviate the challenges in increasing supply and making housing more affordable. The analysis is required to be completed no later than January 1, 2025, however, the Department of Administrative Services will work to ensure it is completed on a timeline that supports agencies’ needs.
“Governor Kotek and the Legislature have made a historic investment in the housing future of Oregon,” said Berri Leslie, Interim Director of Department of Administrative Services. “We are prepared to take these first, important steps needed to evaluate the state’s housing needs. This analysis will help other agencies do the vital work of creating stability and a housing environment that makes sense for the needs of all Oregonians.”
OHCS uplifts Governor Kotek’s signing of HBs 2001 and 5019 as a bold step to address the housing needs of the people of Oregon
SALEM, Ore. — Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) applauds Governor Tina Kotek who today signed bipartisan legislation addressing the state’s housing and homelessness crisis into law.
“As Oregonians, we are bound by our shared values that all people have access to basic, fundamental needs to which affordable housing is fundamental,” said OHCS Director Andrea Bell. “This legislation marks forward progress in the direction of sustained effort to improve the quality of lives of the people of Oregon.
“The way forward requires all of us and investments at the scale needed to tackle the affordable housing crisis. Our economies and our communities are stronger when all people have access to their basic needs to which housing is fundamental. We are grateful to Gov. Kotek for relentlessly working toward meaningful change and the Oregon Legislature for recognizing the criticality that investing in affordable housing is investing in family stability, children’s success, racial justice and the economic health of our entire state.”
HB 2001 includes a suite of policy changes intended to address Oregon’s housing needs. Some of those impact OHCS directly; some do not. Policies that would affect OHCS and the work the agency does include:
Dedicating Emergency Housing Account (EHA) funds, one of OHCS’ core homeless services programs, to providing services and assistance to school-aged children or their families who are experiencing, or are at risk of experiencing, homelessness.
Changing Oregon’s eviction timelines and statutes, which do not affect state programs directly but impact OHCS’ and our partners’ ability to reach Oregonians at risk of becoming homeless and provide support to keep them stably housed.
Creating a loan/grant program to support manufacturers of modular housing, prioritizing benefits to Oregonians who lost housing due to disasters, live on low incomes, or live on moderate income (in that order).
Codifying the Oregon Housing Needs Analysis, which shifts Oregon’s land use program in a way that empowers cities to take actions that meaningfully increase housing production, affordability, and choice.
As a companion to those policy changes, House Bill 5019, the Affordable Housing and Emergency Homelessness Response Package includes key housing investments that OHCS will distribute to create housing solutions. This includes $155 million to support Oregon children and families at risk of and facing homelessness. The urgent need for funding was proposed by the Governor in response to the homelessness state of emergency that she declared on her first full day of office.
| About Oregon Housing and Community ServicesOregon Housing and Community Services provides resources for Oregonians to reduce poverty and increase access to stable housing. Our intentional focus on both housing and community services allows us to serve Oregonians holistically across the housing continuum, including preventing and ending homelessness, assisting with utilities, providing housing stability support, financing multifamily affordable housing and encouraging homeownership. |
House Bill 5019 provides $20 million to expand and strengthen the Oregon Department of Human Services, Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program
(Salem) – The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) applauds Governor Tina Kotek who today signed bipartisan legislation addressing the state’s housing and homelessness crisis into law.
House Bill 5019 (HB 5019) includes a suite of policy changes and investments intended to address Oregon’s housing needs. It provides approximately $20 million dollars of funding to expand and strengthen the ODHS Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program.
The ODHS Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program is tasked with coordinating statewide planning for delivery of services to youth experiencing homelessness under the age of 25. The program partners with impacted youth, community organizations and other state agencies to support and fund initiatives and programs within the youth homelessness system.
“We all have an interest in a community in which young people have access to stable and safe housing so that they can pursue their life’s goals and reach their full potential,” said ODHS Director Fariborz Pakseresht (he/him). “A young person’s experience with homelessness does not always follow a linear path and is unique from the experience of adults. We are grateful to Governor Kotek and the Oregon Legislature for this investment of $20 million that will strengthen our ability to work in collaboration with community-based organizations, local government and other system partners, to provide flexible supports and services that meet young people experiencing homelessness where they are.”
ODHS will use the $20 million provided by HB 5019 to expand and strengthen its support of local programs across the state, as well as newer initiatives and supports for youth experiencing homelessness across Oregon by increasing investments in:
- Prevention services including youth outreach and drop-in services.
- Early and crisis intervention housing such as shelter and other programming.
- Medium-term housing such as transitional living and other programming.
- Host home programs that provide temporary housing for youth experiencing homelessness.
- Other services such as culturally specific programming, mental health and substance use supports.
HB 5019 will also increase the ODHS Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program staff from one to six positions, this will improve ODHS’ ability to collaborate with partners and young people, expand services that meet young people where they are and improve data collection.
In 2021, ODHS completed the state’s first needs assessmentEditSign focused on youth experiencing homelessness. The assessment estimated that there are over 8,200 unhoused individuals under the age of 25 who are likely to need safe, affordable housing and services to maintain stability.
More information about the ODHS Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program can be found online.
About the Oregon Department of Human Services – The mission of the Oregon Department of Human Services is to help Oregonians in their own communities achieve wellbeing and independence through opportunities that protect, empower, respect choice and preserve dignity.
Oregon Senate Passes $210 Million Bill To Expand Semiconductor Sector
The state Senate on Wednesday passed the Oregon CHIPS Act, a move intended to bolster the state’s ability to compete for semiconductor projects and federal money to expand the sector in the state.
Senate Bill 4 would put $210 million toward giving Oregon a competitive edge and make the state a bigger player for research and manufacturing projects in the semiconductor industry, potentially bringing thousands of jobs to the state and pumping more money into the economy and government budgets for mental health, housing and other services.
The biggest share, $190 million, would pay for grants and loans for semiconductor companies seeking federal funding to expand in Oregon.
The Senate passed the bill with a 21-8 vote and bipartisan support and sponsors, including Sens. Janeen Sollman, D-Hillsboro, and Senate Minority Leader Tim Knopp, R-Bend. The measure still faces a vote in the House.
“What a great win,” Senate President Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, told Sollman, hugging her after its passage.
Supporters consider the bill to be critical to Oregon’s future in the industry. Besides money, it provides tools to navigate Oregon’s complex land use laws more efficiently.
The proposal would give Gov. Tina Kotek the authority to designate some land outside urban growth boundaries, the invisible line that limits where cities can expand, as industrial land for annexation by cities. In particular, Hillsboro is seeking to add hundreds of acres of land near its northwest corner, creating a roughly 800-acre plot that could be used for a major manufacturing facility, or fab.
Semiconductors are one of the largest industries in Oregon – and the high-tech companies are a target for economic development officials across the state.
“These are tomorrow’s jobs,” Sollman said in an interview with the Capital Chronicle after the hearing. “These are jobs that can lift families from poverty to prosperity. We heard it over and over again in our hearings.”
Semiconductors are building blocks in society, driving cybersecurity, classified military technology and everyday devices like refrigerators, medical equipment and cars.
“What this does, honestly, is it doubles down on the future, and the future, there’s no question, is high-tech semiconductors and these high-paying jobs,” Knopp said in an interview. “And that’s why I think it’s important for Oregon to keep its dominance in this area.”
Earlier this month, a bipartisan, bicameral 14-member committee endorsed the bill, part of its work to make Oregon competitive for the nearly $53 billion in grants and tax credits the U.S. Department of Commerce will begin providing this year for semiconductor research and manufacturing because of the federal CHIPS and Science Act. Congress passed that act last year.
While the bill is the Legislature’s main response to the federal law, it fits within a patchwork of other proposals and recent efforts that address semiconductor industry needs. Examples include last year’s $200 million workforce training plan, which focuses on jobs in manufacturing and health care, as well as pending legislation to expand broadband, build more homes and make child care more affordable and available.
Separately, Kotek last month announced a $1 million grant program to help small and mid-sized firms prepare applications for federal funding. The state agency Business Oregon will run that grant program, and it plans to post updates online once it finalizes rules for the grants.
More than 40,000 Oregonians work in the semiconductor industry – only California and Texas have more residents employed by the industry. About 15% of the nation’s semiconductor workforce is in Oregon, though only about 1.3% of the U.S. population lives here.
About half of Oregon’s semiconductor employees work at Intel, the state’s largest private employer with nearly 22,000 employees in Washington County. Intel has suppliers in 15 of Oregon’s 36 counties.
Sen. Fred Girod, R-Stayton, was among the eight senators who opposed the bill. The seven other opponents included six Republicans and Sen. Brian Boquist, an Independent from Dallas.
The only member of the budget-writing Joint Ways and Means Committee to oppose the proposal’s funding, Girod said lawmakers shouldn’t commit to the funding ahead of the May revenue forecast.
“We have no idea the exact amount of money we have to budget here,” Girod said. “If we have a big cut in the May forecast, that austere budget is going to get ugly.”
The bill is not the only legislation on semiconductors this session. Another bill in the works would create incentives for companies to conduct research and development. (SOURCE)
St. Paul Rodeo Will be Inducted Into the ProRodeo Cowboys Association Hall of Fame this Summer
The 88-year-old St. Paul Rodeo will be inducted into the ProRodeo Cowboys Association Hall of Fame this summer. Since 1935, the tiny Oregon town in Marion County has hosted tens of thousands of rodeo fans over the Independence Day holiday.
The first rodeo was held at the city baseball field, which today is the site of a 10,000-seat rodeo arena.
Kevin Smith, vice-president and historian for the St. Paul Rodeo Association, attributes the rodeo’s longevity and success to the community of volunteers who put it on.
“The rodeo began in 1935 with eight founding directors,” Smith said. “More than half of them were from local families right here. Still today, half of our board of directors, which is up to 11 members now, are grandsons and great-grandsons of those founders.”
Smith is a true son of the St. Paul Rodeo. He likes to say he and his mother have only missed one, in 1953: “We were in the Woodburn Hospital when she was birthing me.”
His grandfather, Carl Smith, was on the founding board of directors. His father, Gene Smith, served on the board for 46 years. Smith himself has served two decades with the board. The Smith, Coleman, Manegre and McKillip families are just a few who have stayed involved with the rodeo association through the generations.
The nonprofit rodeo association has two paid employees and runs with the help of hundreds of volunteers. The St. Paul Rodeo Association has 450 members – impressive considering the town has a population of 425 people. Over five days in July, some 75,000 people will visit St. Paul to attend the rodeo, carnival, parade and Fourth of July fireworks.
St. Paul is the 33rd rodeo to be inducted into the ProRodeo Cowboys Association Hall of Fame and the second in Oregon behind the Pendleton Round-up. (SOURCE)
