Rogue Valley News, Friday 11/10 – Medford Area Drug and Gang Enforcement Team Arrest Yields 117 Pounds of Fentanyl & Other Local and Statewide News…

Bargaining is still underway between Portland Public Schools and the Portland Association of Teachers. The main issues involve pay, more planning time and smaller class sizes.

Negotiations between the teachers union and the district continues, with PPS officials telling KGW that they’re making progress with educators on the topic of planning and preparation time. However, on the issues of cost-of-living wage increase and class size caps, both sides appear to still be far apart.

On Tuesday, district officials announced that they had called on Gov. Tina Kotek to help identify a facilitator to continue bringing both the union and the PPS bargaining team together over the next two days, since the current mediator had another mediation commitment on Wednesday and Thursday. The district said if none could be found, they’d resume on Friday morning.

Kotek released a statement, saying that the state’s chief financial officer, Kate Nass, will work with PPS and PAT during the ongoing mediation sessions. Nass will review financial information “to ensure the district and union are working from the same set of numbers as they keep working to resolve this strike.”

“My office successfully worked to secure a mediator to remain at the table with PAT and PPS,” she said. “My focus continues to be on providing the support needed to deliver a fair contract for PPS educators and return students to the classroom.”

There will be more bargaining on Friday when schools would have been closed anyway for Veterans Day.

Lane County Elections Office Reopens Following Suspicious Mail Incident

The Lane County Elections Office reopened Thursday at 8:00 a.m. to resume normal operations. The Elections Office closed unexpectedly on Wednesday after staff received a suspicious piece of mail.

“We are appreciative of the quick response from Eugene police and other partners,” said Lane County Clerk Dena Dawson. “Situations like this are scary for everyone involved. We will, of course, cooperate with the investigation and hope the person or people who wanted to terrorize our staff and disrupt the elections process are held accountable.”

Although the Elections Office was closed for part of yesterday, ballot processing was not significantly affected as staff had stayed late on Election Day to process ballots. Clerk Dena Dawson believes they will be able to get caught up today and provide an update on election results at www.LaneCountyOR.gov/elections.

“I am disheartened by the continuing threat landscape for election officials. We are dedicated public servants and we take our role in defending democracy very seriously. We just want to do our jobs without having to fear for our lives,” said Dawson.  An investigation is underway and any questions regarding its status should be directed to law enforcement.

There were suspicious mail received all around the country at election offices this week including fentanyl in letter at Spokane. The FBI is investigating election threats in Oregon. And a report was issued earlier this week:

Oregon County Clerks Struggling with Staffing, Retention, and Recruitment in the Midst of a Toxic Political Environment

Oregon’s 36 county clerks play a critical role on the front lines of administering Oregon’s elections and are essential in promoting our democracy.

But an increasingly toxic political environment, inadequate funding model, and rapidly growing and changing workload are threatening the clerks’ ability to recruit, hire, and retain county elections staff, according to a new study published by Reed College…

The study was commissioned by the Oregon Secretary of State Elections Division to better understand the changing landscape county clerks face in advance of the 2024 Presidential election year. Researchers at Reed College’s Elections and Voting Information Ce… (EVIC) spent months interviewing nearly all Oregon county clerks and have compiled the sobering findings in a study to be presented before the Legislature today.

“This report is a grim but realistic look at what our county clerks face,” said Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade. “But it’s also a testament to their professionalism and ingenuity.”

The researchers found:

• Staffing recruitment and retention is hampered by out-of-date job classifications, compensations, and perceptions of the work. Staffing today is at or below staffing levels from a decade ago.
• Public records requests are becoming increasingly burdensome, as false information is spread and distrust in elections systems continues to fuel more frequent and complicated requests for information.
• Local elections offices are experiencing retirements, resignations, and loss of expertise. Since 2020, 34% of county clerks have retired or resigned.
• Oregon’s funding model for county elections, dependent largely on fluctuations in interest rates and the real estate market, is inadequate for election needs. Counties are already laying off workers because of this outdated funding model.
• Elections officials and staff are subject to unacceptable levels of abuse, threats, and harassment, driving many of them to quit despite expressing their pride and passion for the work.

“We have active shooter training that we’ve done,” said one individual to the researchers. “We kind of know how to recognize some of the signs that somebody might be escalating versus deescalating.”

“I saw in [previous Clerk] this love and passion that I didn’t know was there,” said another. “It pushed me into really caring and loving and making sure that people really know what they had, and how important elections are, and the rights they have. And if you are not involved, it’s really hard to see change.”

Elections Division staff commissioned the study at the request of the Oregon Association of County Clerks, after hearing concerns from elections officials about the changing electoral landscape. Prior to the study, officials lacked data to fully capture the needs of elections administration in Oregon. This study is a critical first step to understanding the discrepancies in staffing challenges across the state and provides information for Oregon clerks to use when advocating for increased investment.
“For the last few years, we have heard hundreds of anecdotes about underfunding and understaffing at county elections offices, both here in Oregon and around the country,” said Secretary Griffin-Valade. “Now, we have some real data to back up those anecdotes. We call on legislators and county governments to read this report and consider its recommendations.”

Researchers include several recommendations in the study, directed at both the Secretary of State’s Office and the Oregon Legislature, on ways to provide coordinated and statewide support to county elections officials.

The Secretary joined two Oregon County Clerks and the Reed College researchers to share the study’s findings during November Legislative Days at the Capitol. Hearing Room A at the Capitol. You can also watch a live stream of the meeting on OLIS: https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2023I1/Comm… (SOURCE)

OSP K-9 teams seize illegal drugs along I-5 corridor

Fentanyl powder stamped “Versace” seized
OSP K-9 teams seize illegal drugs along I-5 corridor

LINN COUNTY, Ore. 8 Nov. 2023 – Oregon State Police (OSP) K-9 teams recently seized six pounds of meth, two kilograms of cocaine, and 2.3 pounds of fentanyl powder.

In October 2023 alone, troopers across the state seized 3.9 pounds of fentanyl – enough for 800,000 fatal doses. Recent seizures along the I-5 corridor in the Willamette Valley highlight the continuing efforts of OSP interdiction teams focused on disrupting the flow of illegal drugs.

• During an Oct. 19, 2023, traffic stop in Linn County the police K-9 alerted to the presence of drugs. During a search of the vehicle, six pounds of meth and two kilograms of cocaine were found hidden in the vehicle. The suspect, Ari Noel Quiroz Jimenez, was arrested for Attempted Delivery of Cocaine, Possession of Cocaine, Attempted Delivery of Methamphetamine, Possession of Methamphetamine, and lodged at the Linn County Jail.
• A second stop in Linn County on October 26, yielded a vacuum sealed package containing a compressed white powder stamped with the word “Versace.” The white powder tested positive for fentanyl. The driver, Luis A. Duran, was arrested for attempted delivery and possession of fentanyl.

OSP reminds the public of the danger of illicit drug use, which is the leading cause of injury deaths in Oregon. If you or someone you know is struggling with substance use, or is in crisis, help is available. Call or text “988” or visit 988lifeline.org to chat. The service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for free and confidential support.

# # # About the Oregon State Police K-9 Program 
The Oregon State Police K-9 program includes explosives, fish and wildlife, and drug detection K-9s. A variety of dog breeds are included in the program including Blood Hound, Springer Spaniel, Labrador Retriever, Belgian Malinois, and German Shepherd. K-9’s are selected based on the dog’s personality, high drive, workability, and intense desire for tracking and detection. K-9 teams assist in the detection of illegal drugs, recovery of stolen property, and the arrest of wanted persons on Oregon’s highways and in local communities. These teams work closely with other troopers, drug enforcement detectives, as well as city, county, and federal law enforcement agencies.

Contest promoting young worker safety in Oregon is open to high school students; submissions due Feb. 16, 2024

Salem – High school students across Oregon are encouraged to let their video or graphic design skills flourish by engaging in a competition involving cash prizes and a noble cause: increasing awareness about workplace safety and health for young workers.

The 2024 media contest, organized by the Oregon Young Employee Safety Coalition (O[yes]), calls on participants to create an ad – through a compelling graphic design or video – that captures their peers’ attention and convinces them to take the O[yes] Young Employee Safety Awareness online training.

The door to creativity is open: Participants get to choose the key message, theme, or tagline they believe will enthrall their audience and move it to act. The contest is now open for submissions. To compete, participants may submit either a graphic design or a video that is no more than 90 seconds in length.

Participants are expected to choose their key message, theme, or tagline in a wise and positive manner as they work to convince their target audience – teen workers or teens who are preparing to work for the first time – to take the O[yes] Young Employee Safety Awareness online training to improve their knowledge of how to stay safe and healthy in the workplace.

The top three entries in each of the two media categories will take home cash prizes ranging from $300 to $500. In each category, the first-place winner’s school, club, or organization will receive a matching award. Moreover, O[yes] will use the best of the submissions as ads in its ongoing efforts to improve on-the-job safety and health protections for teens.

While they carry out their projects, participants must ensure the health and safety of their team. No one should be endangered while creating their video or graphic design project.

The deadline for submissions is 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 16, 2024. 

Participants are encouraged to submit entries online. Submissions may also be mailed on a USB thumb drive or delivered in person.

For more information about the entry form and rules, contest expectations, and resources – including the entries that won in 2023 and 2022 – visit the O[yes] online contest page.

The contest sponsors are local Oregon chapters of the American Society of Safety Professionals, Construction Safety Summit, Central Oregon Safety & Health Association, Hoffman Construction Company, Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences at OHSU, Oregon OSHA, SafeBuild Alliance, SAIF Corporation, Oregon SHARP Alliance, and the Oregon Utility Notification Center.

Oregon OSHA, a division of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, enforces the state’s workplace safety and health rules and works to improve workplace safety and health for all Oregon workers. For more information, go to osha.oregon.gov.

The Department of Consumer and Business Services is Oregon’s largest business regulatory and consumer protection agency. For more information, go to oregon.gov/dcbs.

The Oregon Young Employee Safety Coalition (O[yes]) is a nonprofit dedicated to preventing young worker injuries and fatalities. O[yes] members include safety and health professionals, educators, employers, labor and trade associations, and regulators. For more information, go to youngemployeesafety.org.

Enrollment In Individual Health Insurance Now Open Through Mid-January

The tens of thousands of Oregonians who buy their own health insurance can now start shopping for the best plan for next year.

Open enrollment on the federal online marketplace, which Oregon will continue to use for the next few years, runs this year from Nov. 1 through Jan. 16. Those who enroll by Dec. 15 will be covered starting Jan. 1, and those who sign up after that will be covered starting Feb. 1.

Premiums will increase 6% next year on average but individuals can obtain subsidies through the marketplace to reduce costs. The subsidies come in the form of tax credits that can be used throughout the year or at tax time. In the past, around 70% of those who applied obtained financial help. That jumped to 80% last year, according to Amy Coven at the Oregon Health Authority, which oversees health insurance enrollment.Sign up for coverage

For general information about the three levels of plans, go here. For information about coverage and to sign up, go here.

But before buying a plan, state officials recommend that people use the window-shopping tool to compare plans, which vary among different areas.

Oregon also offers free help through experts in health insurance. Find someone for the marketplace, or healthcare.gov, by clicking here.

“Premiums can start as low as a dollar, sometimes even less with the financial help, and they go up from there,” Coven said.

The average tax credit last year was around $500 per person a month, Coven said. That translated to an out-of-pocket premium cost per person of about $225.

Subsidies are based on the marketplace’s silver, or mid-range plans, and there’s no upper income limit to qualify for financial help. Individuals can also sign up for a bronze plan, which has the least expensive premium but costs more out-of-pocket for services, or gold plans, which have the highest premiums but lowest out-of-pocket costs.

All plans include 10 essential benefits, which include emergency care and hospitalization, prescriptions, mental health and addiction services, lab services and maternity and pediatric care. The plans also include free preventive care, which is mandated by the Affordable Care Act. All Oregon plans also offer coverage for abortions, acupuncture and chiropractic care and the first three primary care or mental health care visits cost $5 even before the deductible kicks in.

“The coverage is very robust,” Coven said.

The state has offered catastrophic coverage, which is designed to cover unexpected medical costs. And its website says it still does, but Coven said Thursday in a follow-up call that they will not be available for 2024.

Enrollment on the marketplace increased in recent year, hitting nearly 147,000 in 2022 and nearly 142,000 last year. Coven expects 2024 enrollment figures to increase over this year’s as a result of the thousands of people who are being bumped off Medicaid because they no longer qualify. Since April, state officials have been auditing the nearly 1.5 million Oregonians on Medicaid to see whether they still meet the income and other qualifications as part of the end of extra Medicaid benefits during the pandemic.

Although a majority of people on Medicaid have retained coverage, the health authority’s dashboard shows that more than 62,000 have lost the free medical and dental coverage.

“We’re doing everything we can to make sure that folks understand what other coverage options are available and provide direct assistance for enrollment,” Coven said.

She said officials have sent out 50,000 letters to those who’ve lost Medicaid coverage. It’s not yet clear how many will remain insured by buying health insurance. The state increased the percentage of those who have health insurance during the pandemic thanks to federal and state programs. The state’s insured rate stands at 96%, though that could fall if a lot of people who lose Medicaid do not buy coverage. (SOURCE)

Oregon is Searching for its Next Poet Laureate

Oregon is searching for its next Poet Laureate. Over the two-year-term, the Poet Laureate promotes the art of poetry, encourages literacy and learning, addresses issues relating to the humanities and reflects on public life in Oregon.

Information about the Poet Laureate program, how to nominate the next Poet Laureate, Anis, and how to request an appearance can be found on this website. Please also check out our Facebook page.

Nominations are accepted through January 8th, and poets are welcome to nominate themselves. The next Poet Laureate term begins in May. MORE INFO: https://culturaltrust.org/oregon-poet-laureate/?fbclid=IwAR0O-Gx81HjAKwXHwyrEVtxpgyXma9XRb5xwacG_o57ga3_lKUwIbPRMXks