Extreme Fire Danger on Public Lands in Medford District

Due to recent high temperatures and increasing fire danger, Bureau of Land Management Medford District officials are implementing additional public use restrictions on BLM-managed lands in southern Oregon. Starting July 17, 2023, at 12:01 a.m., BLM Medford District is moving to Extreme Fire Danger.

Campfires will no longer be allowed anywhere on District, including Hyatt Lake campground.Visitors can use portable cooking stoves that use liquefied or bottled fuels. Otherwise, campfires or any other type of open fire, including the use of charcoal briquettes, is prohibited.

Additionally, the following activities are restricted:

• Smoking is only allowed while inside a vehicle or while stopped in an area at least three (3) feet in diameter that is clear of flammable vegetation.
• Operating a motor vehicle and parking off road (including motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles) is only allowed on roadways clear of flammable vegetation.
• Using fireworks, exploding targets or tracer ammunition is prohibited.
• Using a chainsaw is prohibited.
• Welding, or operating a torch with an open flame, is prohibited.

Visitors to BLM-managed public lands are also required to carry tools with them to ensure small fires can be put out quickly, including a shovel, axe and at least one gallon of water or a 2.5 pound fire extinguisher.

Violation of these restrictions can result in a fine up to $100,000 and/or imprisonment of up to one year.

The safety of the public and all wildland fire responders is always the number one priority for all wildland fire agencies. It is especially important everyone does their part to reduce human caused wildfires. BLM officials are taking the necessary steps to ensure their ability to deploy firefighters for wildfire response. Officials stress their commitment to the most efficient wildland fire suppression operations during these challenging times.

For updated information on public use restrictions, please visit https://www.blm.gov/orwafire and the Oregon Department of Forestry at https://www.oregon.gov/ODF/Fire/Pages/Restrictions.aspx

Visit https://www.ready.gov/wildfires to learn how you can prepare for fire season.

ODF Southwest Oregon District  firefighters were on scene with Applegate Valley Fire District of a small grassfire on Highway 238 MP 22.

While we dispatched a full response of engines and aircraft, the units on scene will be able to handle it themselves. At this time, there is no more active fire.

Firefighters will be working to build a line around the perimeter and mop up. It’s been caught at an estimated 1/8th of an acre. The cause is under investigation.

Two Phoenix Housing Projects Receive $28 Million In Funding For Affordable Housing

Police ID Another Woman Found Dead On Vacant Property Near Wilsonville

The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office on Friday publicly identified the woman found dead on a vacant property near Wilsonville.

An autopsy concluded Salem resident Clarissa Anne Hammon-Sweet, 43, died due to “homicidal violence,” according to a news release from sheriff’s officials. They declined to release further details of how Hammon-Sweet died.

Hammon-Sweet was found dead Monday at a property in the process of being sold on the 26000 block of Southwest Stafford Road shortly before noon by a person doing work on the property. The worker initially called deputies for a welfare check, the sheriff’s office said.

No suspects have been identified and it remains an open investigation, sheriff’s officials said.

Spokesperson Brian McCall said Friday he could not comment if Hammon-Sweet’s death is connected to the death of Portland resident Ashley Real, 22, whose body was found in the 29000 block of Southeast Judd Road in the Eagle Creek area of Clackamas County on May 7.

Real’s death was considered “suspicious” and McCall declined to provide an update on the sheriff’s office’s investigation in her case.

Hammon-Sweet is the sixth woman found dead under suspicious circumstances in a secluded location within 100 miles of the Portland area since February. The cases of the women are being investigated by the Portland Police Bureau and sheriff’s offices in Multnomah, Polk, Clark and Clackamas counties. (The death of another woman originally included in the list was not suspicious, authorities later said.)

A source close to the investigations told The Oregonian/OregonLive earlier that authorities are examining possible connections in at least three of the cases.

Police officials with Multnomah, Polk, Clark and Clackamas counties also said they couldn’t comment on any connections between their investigations and the latest killing.

The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office asked anyone who has information about Hammon-Sweet’s death, her actions in the days leading up to her death and any suspicious activity near Southwest Stafford Road to contact the office tip line by calling 503-723-4949 or through their website. (SOURCE)

Oregon Department of Emergency Management reports a 40% increase in accidental 911 calls statewide

SALEM, Ore. – July 14, 2023 – While technology has made it easier to call 911 for help in an emergency, it’s also made it easier to dial the number by accident. Oregon’s 43 Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) have seen a 40% increase in accidental dialing of 911 over the past year.

“As harmless as 911 hang-up calls may seem, they impact resources,” explained Oregon Department of Emergency Management State 911 Program Manager Frank Kuchta. “Each one of these calls ties up a call taker, who must call the number back to ensure there’s no emergency. If those callbacks are unanswered, an officer must locate the caller and check on their welfare. This ties up emergency responders who are then unavailable for actual emergency calls.”

A growing list of safety features added to smartphones, smartwatches and tablets give users more ways to reach out in an emergency. Android and iPhones offer crash detection and emergency SOS features that can potentially trigger false 911 calls. When these features are activated, an alarm may sound, and a countdown timer will appear on the phone to allow the user to cancel. If the countdown isn’t canceled, the phone will call 911.

In other cases, dropping a device, putting it in a pocket or purse, or holding certain buttons too long can trigger an emergency mode that, if not responded to, can automatically call 911. Even voice assistants can result in a false call if triggered accidentally.

The Oregon Department of Emergency Management and the state PSAPs are sharing useful tips on what people should do when they dial 911 by accident:

• If you do misdial, don’t hang up. Stay on the line, let the telecommunicator know it was an accident, and answer the questions they may have.
• If you do hang up, the telecommunicator will call you back. Answer the call and explain what happened.
• Deactivated cell phones will still call 911 if the phone turns on. Don’t let kids play with deactivated cell phones unless the battery is removed or dead.
• Teach kids about 911. It’s not a game when a child is calling 911 repeatedly and hanging up or making false statements to the telecommunicator.
• Turn off the automatic dialing setting so your phone doesn’t accidentally dial 911.
• Place your phone on sleep mode when you put it in your pocket.

Emergency settings can be changed or turned off, depending on the phone. For information about emergency features on Android phones, visit https://support.google.com/android/answer/9319337. For information about emergency features on iPhones, visit https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208076.

“Just remember, if you do accidentally call 911, stay on the line and let them know there’s no emergency before you disconnect,” said Kuchta. “Please do your part to help reduce the number of accidental calls and hangups so we can keep units available for those who truly need assistance.”

About the State 911 Program — Established in 1981 by the Oregon Legislature, the State 911 Program provides immediate access from all telephones to critical public and private safety services within Oregon. The state has 43 Public Safety Answering Points covering 36 counties. The State 911 Program is part of the Oregon Department of Emergency Management. Learn more at Oregon.gov/oem/911.

# # # Caption: Android phones and iPhones have crash detection and emergency SOS features that can potentially make false 911 calls. This infographic explains what to do if an accidental 911 call is made (available in English and Spanish, courtesy Oregon Department of Emergency Management).

Caption: Oregon Department of Emergency Management logo (courtesy Oregon Department of Emergency Management).

The National Weather Service adds a new type of Red Flag Warning on the west coast to keep people informed of any unusually high wildfire risk.

It’s called a Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) Red Flag Warning.

The National Weather Service said both red flag warnings are similar, but a PDS means weather conditions can threaten people’s lives.

That warning is reserved for the driest and windiest conditions.

“So, if there’s a PDS Red Flag, for those particularly dangerous conditions, it often means there’s a fire on the ground and the weather conditions are getting worse, so we need you to be more in tune with evacuation notices,” National Weather Service Meteorologist Miles Bliss said.

Bliss said an example of a PDS would be the conditions leading up to the Almeda Fire and the other 2020 Labor Day weekend fires across the state.

The National Weather Service said they expect to use the warning only on rare occasions, about once every three to five years. MORE INFO: https://www.weather.gov/safety/wildfire-ww

Illegal Marijuana Grow And Manufacture Sites Near Sprague River Shut Down

Two illegal marijuana grow and manufacture operations located near Sprague River have been searched and seized this summer according to a news release Friday, July 14, 2023, from the Klamath County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO).

The release said a search warrant dated June 15 led to the dissemination of six green houses containing 3,200 illegal marijuana plants, amounting to a potential yield of $3.5 million in sales on the black market.

All crops were destroyed. “The grow was irrigated by a residential well with a yearly estimated use of 787,000 gallons of water,” the news release said.

Gustavo Miranda-Zarrabal, 46, was arrested on site and charged with unlawful manufacture and unlawful possession of marijuana.

A second nearby illegal grow site was seized Wednesday, July 12, after KCSO granted a search warrant of the property.

The release said 1,362 marijuana plants housed in four greenhouses were discovered at the site and destroyed soon after. An estimate of 335,000 gallons was used, taken from a residential water well.

Total value of the mature marijuana crop was estimated at $1.5 million on the black market.

No arrests were made as no one was found on site at the time the search warrant was served. The release said the investigation will continue regarding the known property owner.

KCSO’s efforts were primarily funded by a grant from the Criminal Justice Commission under the Illegal Marijuana market Enforcement Grant Program, the release said.

Klamath County received $2.6 million in grant funding in 2022 to provide for KCSO marijuana enforcement detectives and vehicles, code enforcement officers and vehicles, heavy equipment for the county’s solid waste division for transport and destruction of marijuana, evidence storage, aircraft fuel, among other items. (SOURCE)

Oregon AG, other States and Feds Sue “Prehired” for Illegal Student Lending Practices

Allege that Borrowers were induced to take on debt based on false promises about jobs and income, Company engaged in bait-and-switch tactics on “income-share” loans

Today Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum announced that Oregon is joining other states and the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) in suing a company called Prehired for deceptive marketing and debt collection practices.

Prehired, which operated a 12-week online training program claiming to prepare its students for entry-level positions as software sales development representatives with “six-figure salaries” and a “job guarantee,” drove interested applicants to sign an “income share” loan to finance the costs of the training program. They represented that the students who signed up would pay nothing until they got a high-income job through Prehired. In reality, the company deceptively buried terms that required participants to pay even if they never got a job and, in many cases, increased required minimum monthly payments without any evidence that they had secured employment or experienced an increase in income. Prehired originated over 1,000 “income-share” loans for students enrolled in its program around the country, including a number of student borrowers from Oregon who are collectively owed $59,491.28.

The suit seeks to void the loans and obtain redress for affected consumers and a penalty, which would be deposited into the CFPB’s victim relief fund.

“Taking advantage of students in this way is reprehensible and will not fly with me,” said AG Rosenblum, who has made student loan reform a top priority. “We will hold Prehired accountable and fight to make Oregon’s victims whole. And we will remain vigilant in our continued fight to protect consumers from all unethical and illegal operators.”

The Prehired multi-state lawsuit comes in the midst of a national conversation about outstanding education-related debt in the United States, which currently stands at an astonishing and unacceptable $1.7 trillion. AG Rosenblum is hosting her third national symposium on the student debt crisis next week, along with the Student Borrower Protection Center. The keynote speaker will be CFPB Director Rohit Chopra.

Under the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA), the CFPB, state attorneys general, and state regulators have the authority to take enforcement action against institutions that violate federal consumer financial laws, including the CFPA’s prohibition of deceptive acts or practices and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Oregon joins the states of Washington, Delaware, Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia, and California’s Department of Financial Protection in this action. https://www.doj.state.or.us/media-home/news-media-releases/oregon-ag-other-states-and-feds-sue-prehired-for-illegal-student-lending-practices/

National Park Service Lists Liberty Theatre in Coos County in the National Register of Historic Places

North Bend, OR—The Liberty Theatre is among Oregon’s latest entries in the National Register of Historic Places. Oregon’s State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation (SACHP) recommended the nomination at their February 2023 meeting. The National Park Service — which maintains the National Register of Historic Places — accepted this nomination in June 2023.

The Liberty Theatre is located at the SW corner of the intersection of Sherman and Washington avenues, at the southern end of downtown North Bend, Oregon. The theatre was completed in 1924 from designs by the Portland architectural office of Tourtellotte and Hummel, built by Salem based contractors Hoover and McNeil with the original interiors designed by Carl R. Berg, of the B. F. Shearer Company. The Moorish-inspired design includes towers created by incised stucco treatments, decorative copper domes, arched entry openings and other details.

Throughout the 1920s and into the 1930s, the Liberty served as a community center, hosting live Sunday concerts, high school plays, lectures and other events, in addition to showing motion pictures. The first “talkie” movie at the Liberty was Speakeasy, shown on July 9, 1929, after a sound system was installed in the auditorium.

The theatre is significant for its association with the history and development of entertainment and recreation in the North Bend area and the growth of that city during the early 1920s period.
Continuing its original motion picture use until 1954, since 1959 the Liberty Theatre has been the home of Little Theater on the Bay, a Coos County-based community theater group that is among the oldest performing arts organizations in the state. The Liberty Theatre, owned and operated by Little Theater on the Bay, continues to provide a venue of arts and culture in the southwest Oregon coastal region.

Beginning in 2015 the Liberty Theatre has been the focus of a multi-phased restoration and rehabilitation effort that has restored original windows, removed non-historic exterior treatment and repainted in historically-based colors, upgraded the main lobby, and auditorium, and re-installed the copper roof-top domes.

The State Historic Preservation Office used funds provided through the National Park Service Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grants Program to complete this National Register nomination. The grant program fosters economic development in rural communities through the rehabilitation of historic buildings in those communities.

The National Register is maintained by the National Park Service under the authority of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.

This effort is in line with Oregon’s Statewide Preservation Plan that seeks to increase the number of listings in the National Register. It also supports the goals to increase access to Oregon heritage that are part of the Oregon Heritage Plan.

Properties listed in the National Register are:
• Recognized as significant to the nation, state, or community;
• Considered in the planning of federal or federally-assisted projects;
• Eligible for federal and state tax benefits;
• Qualify for historic preservation grants when funds are available;
• Eligible for leniency in meeting certain building code requirements;
• Subject to local laws pertaining to the conservation and protection of historic resources.

State law in Oregon requires local governments to offer a minimal level of protection for properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places; the decisions about how to accomplish that goal reside with local governments, which also have the authority to create and regulate local historic districts and landmarks.

More information about the National Register and recent Oregon listings are online at oregonheritage.org (listed under “Designate”). https://www.oregon.gov/newsroom/pages/NewsDetail.aspx?newsid=166812

The Oregon School Activities Association is currently looking for referees for football, volleyball and soccer for the fall sports season.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, OSAA has seen a decrease in high school sports officials and referees every year except the most recent school year.

Last year, OSAA had just over 2400 referees for seven sports and one activity. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, OSAA had over 3300 officials. Because of this difference, referees might have to do two games in one day, which isn’t normal if OSAA is fully staffed.

NewsWatch 12 spoke with the executive director of the Oregon Athletic Officials Association, Jack Folliard, who said he hopes they can make up some of that gap before the fall sports season starts.

“We’re down almost 900 officials. So, ideally, if we get back up to 3300, that would be great,” Folliard said. “We know that’s not going to happen overnight. It’s going to take a time.”

Folliard also said schools are raising pay for referees and officials.

“The schools helping to address the shortage issue have come through by significantly increasing the pay for officials, ranging from 15 to 20%,” said Folliard. “An example: a varsity football official two years from now will be able to make $100 per game plus mileage.”

If you’re interested in becoming a referee or official, you can go to https://www.osaa.org/new-officials/index.html for more information.