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
Wednesday, April 12, 2023
Rogue Valley Weather
Federal Complaint Filed in Medford Against BLM to Stop Timber Harvest Plan
An Oregon-based group have a complaint filed against the U.S. Bureau of Land Management about some of its plans to allow timber harvest.
Monday a coalition of conservation groups filed a legal complaint challenging the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) “Integrated Vegetation Management” (IVM) program that they say, “would aggressively log forest stands located within Late Successional Reserves, areas purportedly set aside for forest conservation.”
The groups include Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands (KS Wild), Cascadia Wildlands and Oregon Wild. They said the IVM authorizes forest “gap creation” and “open seral” logging prescriptions within mature and old-growth forests that are fire-resilient and provide important habitat at risk wildlife species.
In February, BLM said two Josephine County communities were getting federal attention to improve wildfire resilience when it issued its project plan near Murphy and Williams, Oregon, both south of Grants Pass. BLM’s said its decision was intended to promote safe wildfire response, develop fire resilient lands and create habitat for special status species.
The BLM project is called Late Mungers Integrated Vegetation Management Project. It includes prescribed fire, fire fuel thinning and selection harvest actions. BLM said during the next decade it expects wildfire fuels reduction work on about 7,500 acres.
BLM said the project work will start at strategic locations where fire managers have the best chance to catch and contain wildfires.
They also said the project includes 830 acres of proposed harvests split into two timber sales, with selection harvest methods increasing diversity of forest stands.
BLM said a more complex habitat is important for the northern spotted owl, the marbled murrelet and Pacific marten as federally – species listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
KS Wild Conservation Director George Sexton says, “BLM timber planners can dance around it all they want, but it’s crystal clear that gap creation logging creates clearcuts that remove habitat and increase fire hazard.”
Protesters have picketed BLM’s Medford office at least twice this year to challenge BLM’s plans to allow the timber harvest south of Grants Pass.
The plaintiff’s group said the first commercial IVM logging project called Penn Butte is scheduled to be auctioned in late May, saying, “Penn Butte is located in the Williams Late Successional Reserve and would remove over 400-acres of old-growth habitat through ‘open seral’ logging and another 51 acres through ‘gap creation’ clearcutting.”
Crag Law Center, which is part of the plaintiffs’ action, attorney Meriel Darzen said, “The BLM sidestepped its procedural duties and cut the public out of the process when it decided to approve thousands of acres of large tree logging without explaining where the logging will occur and how it would affect existing forests in the short and long-term. This is particularly egregious where these particular forests were set aside by the agency itself as reserve lands with the goal of protecting habitat.”
The group U.Ss Fish and Wildlife Service Biological Opinion for Penn Butte concluded that the proposed old growth logging is “likely to adversely affect” spotted owls and their designated critical habitat.
Oregon Wild Conservation and Restoration Coordinator Doug Heiken said, “The forests targeted for removal in Penn Butte are resilient, healthy, and most important they are designated as reserves for conservation, not timber supply. If we want to store carbon and provide habitat this is the place for careful conservation, not aggressive logging.”
Cascadia Wildlands Legal Director Nick Cady says, “If the BLM is interested in real fire-focused restoration, we would be fully supportive, but aggressively logging wildlife habitat in the Late Successional Reserves that will increase fire hazard for the surrounding community is ridiculous. It demonstrates that this agency does not care what this community has been through and is only concerned with producing timber volume.” (SOURCE)
You can also find more on this story at OPB t: https://www.opb.org/article/2023/03/08/think-out-loud-southwest-oregon-forest-management-plan-draws-backlash/
Fatal Motor Vehicle Crash 04/10/23 – Josephine County
On April 10th, 2023, at 6:20 pm, the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office responded to a motor vehicle crash in the 300 Block of McMullen Creek Road. Upon arrival, Deputies located a white 2012 Volvo station wagon off the roadway and crashed into a tree.
The driver and only occupant, Derick L. Williams, was found deceased in the driver’s seat of the vehicle. He was not wearing a seatbelt.
Evidence at the scene indicates the vehicle was traveling north on McMullen Creek at a high rate of speed and failed to negotiate a curve in the roadway. The roadway was also wet from the recent rain.
Illinois Valley Fire District and American Medical Response assisted at the scene. Next of kin has been notified. There is no further information at this time.
Motorcycle Crashes After Attempting to Elude Authorities, Suspect in Hospital
JCSO Case 23-2034 — WHITE CITY, Ore. – A reckless motorcyclist is in the hospital this afternoon after crashing while attempting to elude authorities. Jackson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) deputies attempted to pull over a red and black motorcycle driving recklessly northbound on Table Rock road near Wilson road in Central Point around 1:15 p.m. The motorcycle eluded northbound on Table Rock road driving recklessly and the JCSO deputy discontinued the pursuit and radioed ECSO dispatch to notify nearby law enforcement.
Another deputy at the intersection of Antelope and Table Rock road witnessed the motorcycle driving recklessly and attempted to pull him over. The motorcycle continued driving recklessly and the deputy discontinued the pursuit.
A JCSO Traffic Team deputy at Highway 234 and Antioch road saw the motorcycle drive by at a high rate of speed into the oncoming lane and he attempted to pull him over. The motorcycle eluded again but due to the reckless driving, the deputy discontinued the pursuit but continued following the suspect.
Deputies spotted him again turning onto a dirt driveway in the 20200 block of Antioch and attempted to pull him over again. The suspect eluded again back onto Antioch road towards White City but discontinued the pursuit when he began driving recklessly. The suspect lost control and laid the bike down a half mile later after crossing into the oncoming lane of a curve.
JCSO deputies spotted the motorcycle on the side of the road and the suspect attempted to flee on foot. Deputies gave verbal commands, warning that a JCSO K9 Team was on the way and the suspect stopped fleeing and was arrested just after 1:30 p.m.
The suspect, Tony Ray Brower-Aishanna Jr., 29, of Central Point, is charged with four counts of elude by vehicle, four counts of reckless driving, and elude by foot. He suffered a broken arm and is in stable condition at a local hospital. Once cleared for confinement he will be lodged at the Jackson County Jail.
South Fork Little Butte Creek Road Slide (approximately milepost 12)
LAKE CREEK, OR – A rock and debris slide was reported early Thursday morning near the end of the county-maintained portion of South Fork Little Butte Creek Road.
This is a remote area in Jackson County east of Lake Creek and south of Highway 140 and the slide has temporarily blocked the entire roadway with large boulders, trees, and downed power lines.
Contact has been made with affected property owners and emergency service providers. Work to clean up this slide will begin as soon as safely possible and is expected to take several days to complete. Utility providers will also be responding and working in the area when possible.
The public should avoid this area as it is unsafe as debris continues to fall from the hillside. Forecasted rain events in the next few days will cause additional debris to become unstable.
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek has announced funding allocations for the Homelessness State of Emergency.
Portland and Multnomah County will get 18-million dollars; Hillsboro, Beaverton and Washington County will get eight-million and Clackamas County will get four-million dollars. Eugene and Lane County will get 15-million dollars; Central Oregon will receive 14 million; Salem, Marion, and Polk counties will receive 10-million dollars and Medford and Jackson County will get nearly nine-million dollars. The money will be used to rehouse families and create
new shelter beds.
OHCS awards funding to reduce unsheltered homelessness in emergency areas included in Governor Kotek’s state of emergency
Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) has approved grant agreements to award funding to regions declared emergency areas in Governor Kotek’s homelessness state of emergency. The regions known as Continuum of Care (CoC) are areas or counties where unsheltered homelessness has increased by 50% or more since 2017.
The emergency areas are tasked to achieve Governor Kotek’s goals to reduce unsheltered homelessness by January 2024. The initiative will work to prevent 8,750 households from becoming homeless statewide, add at least 600 low-barrier shelter beds in emergency areas, and rehouse at least 1,200 unsheltered households in emergency areas.
“These goals set by our Governor are bold, but it is the urgent response needed to tackle a crisis that has been destabilizing our neighbors, families and friends for far too long,” said OHCS Director Andrea Bell. “The work ahead will require the galvanization of every community—large and small—for us to achieve these shared goals. All people of Oregon are worth fighting for. To that end, we will be relentless through the lens of humanity in supporting our local partners in the pursuit for meaningful progress.”
Last month, Governor Kotek signed legislation passed by the Oregon Legislature to address the state’s housing and homelessness crisis, including $155 million the Governor proposed to reduce homelessness in all regions of the state. The funding will be used for homelessness prevention programs, more shelter capacity, rehousing services and more.
House Bill 5019 appropriated $85.2 million for local homelessness emergency plans. OHCS will reserve $3 million to ensure the goals of the emergency order are achieved. An additional $3 million will be used for a statewide landlord incentive, available to landlords participating in local rehousing efforts. In addition, the early funding package included $33.6 million to help prevent homelessness for an estimated 8,750 households. This funding will be distributed statewide through existing eviction prevention programs.
The requests from all regions within the emergency order totaled $98.8 million, so there were not enough funds to provide each region with its full funding request. OHCS in coordination with the Oregon Department of Emergency Management (ODEM) will be offering ongoing technical assistance to MAC groups as they implement their plans. Below is the breakdown of funding allocated to each Continuum of Care included in the emergency declaration, which totals $79.2 million.
- Portland/Gresham/Multnomah County: $18.2 million to rehouse 275 households and create 138 shelter beds
- Eugene/Springfield/Lane County: $15.5 million to rehouse 247 households and create 230 shelter beds
- Central Oregon: $13.9 million to rehouse 161 households and create 111 shelter beds
- Salem/Marion, Polk Counties: $10.4 million to rehouse 158 households and create 79 shelter beds
- Medford, Ashland/Jackson County: $8.8 million to rehouse 133 households and create 67 shelter beds
- Hillsboro/Beaverton/Washington County: $8.0 million to rehouse 121 households and create 61 shelter beds
- Clackamas County: $4.4 million to rehouse 130 households.
Recognizing that unsheltered homelessness impacts communities in every part of Oregon, the legislature also approved $26 million to address homelessness in the counties that did not meet the threshold of the emergency order when the Governor issued it on January 10, 2023. Counties not in the original declared emergency areas will receive funding in July to create new shelter beds and rehouse people experiencing unsheltered homelessness.
Frequently asked questions about the grant agreements can be found in the OHCS website here.
| About Oregon Housing and Community Services – Oregon 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. |
UPDATE: Deadline extended and available funding increased to $18.75 million for community-based organizations to support youth experiencing homelessness
(Salem) – The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS), Self-Sufficiency Programs, Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program is inviting community partners to apply for a portion of $18.75 million in grant funding that is now available to provide services and housing supports to youth experiencing homelessness.
Previously announced in March, the available grant funding has increased to $18.75 million thanks to the passage and signing of House Bill 5019 (HB 5019). HB 5019 includes a suite of policy changes and investments intended to address Oregon’s housing needs and provides funding to expand and strengthen the ODHS Youth Experiencing Homelessness ProgramEditSign.
The deadline to apply for this grant funding has been extended from April 7 to April 21 and the application can be found online.
Community-based organizations who provide, or desire to provide, services to youth experiencing homelessness are eligible to apply for the grant funding.
Organizations may express interest in supporting more than one of the following service areas that funding is available to support:
- Prevention Services including youth outreach and drop-in services
- Early and crisis intervention housing such as shelter and host home programming
- Medium-term housing such as transitional living and host home programming
- Other Services such as culturally-specific programming, mental health and substance use supports
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. It partners with impacted youth, community organizations and other state agencies to support and fund initiatives and programs within the youth homelessness system. More information 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.
A portion of I-5 near Salem closed Monday morning for several hours, following an officer-involved shooting.
Oregon State Police say a trooper stopped to help what he thought was a disabled motorist just before 9 a-m … and discovered the driver of a semi was being held at gunpoint. There was an exchange of gunfire and the suspect – identified as 31-year-old Felipe Manzo – ran into tall grass along the interstate.
When officers reached him, authorities say they provided medical attention, but Manzo died at the scene. Trooper Andrew Tuttle suffered minor injuries and was placed on administrative leave for his role in the shooting, pending the outcome of the investigation.
Missing Albany Boy Located In Portland, Woman Arrested — Albany Police Case # 23-2074
On Monday, April 10, 2023, at 11:35 a.m., Albany Police received information from a citizen that Alyssa Thomas and Tryston Wade were currently at the Lloyd Center Mall in Portland, Oregon. Albany Police Detectives contacted the Portland Police Bureau requesting assistance in attempting to locate Tryston Wade and Alyssa Thomas.
Officers from the Portland Police Bureau located Wade and Thomas in the food court area inside the Lloyd Center Mall. Tryston Wade was taken into protective custody and Alyssa Thomas was taken into custody on an arrest warrant and probable cause for custodial interference.
Four Albany Police Detectives responded to the Portland Police Bureau North Precinct. Two Detectives took custody of Alyssa Thomas and transported her to the Albany Police Department to be interviewed. Two Albany Police Detectives took protective custody of Tryston Wade and transported him back to Albany. Tryston Wade was reunited with his mother at approximately 5:00 p.m.
Alyssa Thomas was interviewed by Albany Police Detectives and lodged in the Linn County Jail with the following charges:
- Custodial Interference II
- Rape in the 2nd Degree
- Sodomy in the 2nd Degree
Albany Police would like to thank the following for their assistance in this investigation:
- Community – for information and tips shared during this investigation which led to the location of Wade and Thomas.
- Portland Police Bureau – for their response to investigative requests over the past several days, and for successfully locating Wade and Thomas.
- Federal Bureau of Investigation for their assistance in this investigation and their Victim Assistance Liaison with helping reunite Tryston Wade and his mother.
Albany Police are continuing this investigation and no further information will be released at this time. Anyone with information relating to this case is asked to contact Albany Police Detectives at 541-917-7686.
The Oregon Zoo has welcomed a new rare African bontebok calf. He was born to eight-year-old “Winter” in the Zoo’s Africa Savanna area.
The bontebok, which is related to the antelope, is arguably the first African animal saved from human-caused extinction after it was hunted almost to extinction in the 18th and 19th centuries. The calf, now weighing about 18 pounds, won’t venture outside to greet visitors until he’s a little older. and the weather gets a little warmer.
