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, December 13, 2023

Rogue Valley Weather

 

Senator Wyden Demands Federal Review of Crater Lake Concessionaire Contract

Washington D.C.—U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he is asking federal officials to act immediately to prevent concessionaire mismanagement from continuing to pose safety risks to Crater Lake National Park, its visitors, and the employees who live and work at this world-renowned natural treasure in southern Oregon.

“The annual concessionaire assessments paint a troubling picture of the concessionaire’s fulfillment of its important responsibilities at Crater Lake National Park over several years,” Wyden wrote in a letter to National Park Service Director Charles F. “Chuck” Sams III,. “The National Park Service records make it clear that the concessionaire has continually failed to fulfill the requirements of the contract.”

In his letter, Wyden wrote that Aramark – doing business as Crater Lake Hospitality – has failed under its concessionaire contract with the National Park Service to perform contractually required maintenance and has created unsafe living conditions for staff.

Wyden’s letter also cited diesel spills at contractor-managed facilities, malfunctioning fire alarm systems and unsatisfactory public health inspections. And it noted the lack of investment and deferred maintenance by the concessionaire has prevented progress on a number of maintenance and improvement projects that the National Park Service has approved.

“After becoming aware of these issues, I directed my staff to conduct an in-person assessment of the conditions at facilities within Crater Lake National Park,” Wyden wrote. “The issues that staff observed during this visit have only served to solidify my understanding of the seriousness of the concessionaire’s failure to plan for and perform important regular maintenance, adequately train staff and address issues that directly threaten safety. “

“It was apparent to my staff that the dedicated National Park Service staff were spending hours of their time trying to manage the situation, are deeply concerned with the safety issues for guests and employees, and share our values of protecting the park,” he wrote. “I am grateful to the National Park Service staff for their dedication to our public lands. It is clear they have prevented the situation from becoming significantly worse through their efforts.

“Despite repeated and documented attempts by the National Park Service to secure performance, it is clear that little progress has been achieved to meaningfully resolve most of these serious issues,” Wyden wrote. The entire letter is here. (SOURCE)

The Victim of An Assault in November in Medford has Died.

Rogue Retreat Crossings Opens 30 New Duplex Units

Residents will be moving into the new units at Rogue Retreat Crossings located on West McAndrews as soon as today.

There are 30 duplex units that will house 60 residents and are equipped with power outlets, heat and air conditioning. The units were designed to be cost-efficient while still comfortable to live in.

Rogue Retreat officials say this project wouldn’t have been possible without the continued efforts from multiple groups including the Medford Police Department Livability team, the City of Medford and more.

While the units were built to be easy to move and simple to assemble, they were also built to be comfortably lived in. Each unit has a bed that can fold into a table with two chairs.

Foldum, the company who led the design and building process for the units, has done projects like this before. https://foldum.com

City Of Medford Hosting Forum About Renting

Medford residents are invited to attend a community forum hosted by the City of Medford at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 13, 2023, to learn about current issues related to rent burden, fair housing, landlord and tenant relationships as well as rental assistance opportunities.

Community Discussion: Addressing Rent Burden

Wednesday, December 13, 2023
5:30 -7:00 p.m.
219 S. Ivy Street, Prescott Room
or Virtual Via Zoom

Oregon Food Bank  · Join us for our virtual community information event Wednesday 12/13!

Oregon Food Bank invites you to join us for our virtual Community Briefing event on Wednesday, December 13, 2023 from 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM, to learn more about how Oregon Food Bank is working with our community and our partners to build community power in Oregon.

OFB President, Susannah Morgan, will get us started with an overview of how food banks and other service organizations are uniquely positioned to connect people accessing services to the decisions made at the local, state and federal level that impact them and their communities.

We will also introduce you to Petrona Dominguez with Adelante Mujeres, and Eddie Melendrez with Oregon Food Bank – SE Oregon Services in Ontario. Together they will share with you how they are engaging with their communities to create collective action and policy change that ends hunger for good.

Join us right where you are. Click on the link to register: https://www.mobilize.us/oregonfoodbank/event/591980/

Demand for food aid spikes in past year as many Oregonians struggle with hunger 

After the pandemic ended, the demand for food  continued to increase in Oregon, with the need for  millions more pounds of produce, pasta and other staples at meal sites and food pantries.

Before the pandemic, about 860,000 people annually visited the food bank’s partners in Oregon and southwest Washington, said Morgan Dewey, a spokesperson for the nonprofit food bank. This year, the food bank is on track to serve more than 1 million people, Dewey said.

“We’re just continuing to try to keep up with how much food folks are needing on the ground,” Dewey said.

Get help — The Oregon Food Bank, state agencies and other organizations, including pantries and churches, provide food for hungry Oregonians. For help:

• Go to needfood.oregon.gov
• Find a food pantry at foodfinder.oregonfoodbank.org
• For seniors and those with disabilities, call 855-673-2372 or go to www.adrcoforegon.org

• Dial 211, or text your Zip code to 898-211, www.211info.org
• For local resources, go to www.caporegon.org/find-services/

The needs have increased as extra pandemic-related food benefits from the government have stopped. During the pandemic, most families received 70% more in their monthly allotment of federal food aid, called the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, or SNAP. The extra aid ended in March, with the average household allotment falling from $450 a month to about $300. The state also paid out the last of the pandemic-related extra food benefits for low-income families with young children in October.

“Those supports – when they ended it – really, really put folks in a dire situation,” Dewey said.

The food bank has five warehouses throughout the state that deliver to 21 regional food banks and more than 1,400 other points, including meal sites, delivery programs and pantries. Those sites are critical for rural and frontier areas in Oregon with food insecurity that are not near a large regional pantry, Dewey said.

The operation puts out fresh produce and dairy products, with an eye toward offering nutritional food that aligns with the cultural and ethnic backgrounds of Oregonians.

For the long-term, it’s important to look for ways to address the economic circumstances driving hunger, Dewey said. Those can include unaffordable housing and a lack of access to health care.

“We can serve everyone who is standing in line for a meal or standing in line to get a grocery bag full of food,” Dewey said. “We can serve all those people today, but hunger still won’t go away tomorrow.” (SOURCE)

FBI Investigating More Than 18 Hoax Threats Sent To Oregon Schools, Synagogues And Airports

A string of bomb threats were sent to locations all over Oregon on Monday, prompting evacuations and law enforcement sweeps from the coast to the central and eastern parts of the state. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Portland Field Office reported more than 18 incidents impacting a dozen school districts, three synagogues and two small airports.

At this point. federal investigators believe that none of threats are or were credible, but local law enforcement and officials took them seriously. Across the state, students evacuated several school campuses after districts received threatening emails alluding to bombs or explosives within the buildings.

In Gilliam County, the sheriff’s office said threats came into the Arlington and Condon School Districts at around 10 a.m.

“That triggered a chain of events,” said Lt. Tory Flory. “We evacuated the school. We did a full search of the school, evaluated what we’re looking at, and ultimately determined that it was a hoax threat.”

The Gilliam County Sheriff’s Office small, Flory said, consisting of just eight full-time sworn officers including the sheriff. After the districts called in the threats Monday, deputies leaned neighboring agencies for help, since their own resources were quickly depleted by the response. The sheriff’s office was able to cover both schools, he said, but only because the deputies were able to get help.

“The depletion and distraction of law enforcement and public safety resources is very, very impactful,” said Kieran Ramsey, FBI Special Agent in Charge of Oregon. “We are talking about the trauma, the emotional trauma afflicted upon the students, as well as teachers and staff and parents, quite honestly, let alone the depletion of public safety resources. When we see something like that happen, we have first responders literally rushing to a scene, which can create a hazardous situation. Then, we have first responders — because they are dealing with that situation — are unable to deal with other real emergencies that are probably going on.”

Ramsey said the Portland FBI office is investigating the Gilliam County incidents, along with several other hoax threats within the state, piecing together the full picture to determine whether they’re connected and who was behind them.

Most, if not all, talked about some kind of bombing or potential bombing,” he said. “We do have a number of threats that used very similar, if not the exact same, verbiage. And then in some instances, we have been able to trace back one IP, which is located outside of the United States.”

The FBI said there were a number of threats received in Ohio and in Texas on Monday as well. At this point, agents said they’re not able to say whether the incidents in Oregon are related to these national threats.

According to the Secure Community Network, Congregations Neveh Shalom and Beth Israel were two of the synagogues that received threats Monday within the Portland area. The Executive Director of Congregation Neveh Shalom released this statement Tuesday:

“At approximately 1:50pm on Monday, December 11 Neveh Shalom received communication from the Secure Community Network that Jewish institutions in Oregon had been targeted with threatening emails. SCN suggested that we review our “spam” folders and found that Neveh Shalom had received a threatening email. SCN has determined these emails to be a hoax and mirror similar emails received by Jewish institutions throughout the country.

Immediately upon notification Neveh Shalom administrators followed the CNS protocols and law enforcement instructions thoroughly. The Portland Police Bureau was contacted and immediately sent out officers to our facility. A complete sweep of our perimeter was performed by law enforcement. At this time, we have no indication of any immediate threat to our community. We are grateful for collaboration with local law enforcement and the Secure Community Network. (SOURCE)

Former Douglas County Deputy Arrested for Embezzlement

At the request of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Roseburg Police conducted an investigation into allegations that a former Douglas County Sheriff Corrections Deputy had embezzled money. During the investigation, former Deputy Peter Collins, a 44 year old Roseburg resident, admitted to embezzling more than $100,000 from the Douglas County Law Enforcement Association between 2016 and 2023, while serving as the union treasurer.

Collins was arrested on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023, and lodged at Douglas County Corrections for: five counts of Aggravated Theft in the First Degree, five counts of Computer Crime, five counts of Fraudulent Use of a Credit Card, Falsifying Business Records, Forgery 1, and Official Misconduct.

The investigation is ongoing and no further information will be released at this time

OHA To Create Pharmaceutical Board For Feedback About Two Major Chains Merging

The Oregon Health Authority says that the Kroger and Albertson merge could affect 150 pharmacies across Oregon.

OHA is forming a community board made out of community members, providers, and healthcare experts to determine what needs to be done to better the pharmacies during and after the merge. The OHA still needs people to apply.

Fill out an application out at https://ow.ly/Be9v50QgUUr and apply by emailing the application to hcmo.info@oha.oregon.gov before January 19^th  to be a part of the board.

Oregon Department Of Forestry Recreation Team Seeking Camp Hosts

The Oregon Department of Forestry Recreation Team is looking for camp hosts to support operations at 8 campgrounds in the Tillamook, Clatsop, and Santiam State Forests for the 2024 season.

Campgrounds operates from May through October with flexible scheduling opportunities to include both full-season and short-season commitments.

Camp hosts are provided with:

*electricity

*water

*firewood

*septic

*ODF uniforms and supplies

Hosts help with light facility maintenance, visitor information services, and provide a point of contact for visitors in case of an emergency. Camp hosts enjoy direct access to trails and other recreation areas, get to meet people from all over the world, and can spend time exploring the vast experiences and views state forests have to offer.

To learn more, visit the ODF volunteer page: https://www.oregon.gov/odf/recreation/pages/volunteer.aspx

People in Oregon can now manage state benefits with the Oregon ONE Mobile app

People can now securely manage their medical, food, cash and child care benefits through the State of Oregon from the convenience of their mobile devices using the new Oregon ONE Mobile app. People first will need to apply for benefits online, in person at a local office or over the phone.

The app is available for free in the Apple and Android app stores. It is an official State of Oregon app created by the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS). The app’s development was partially funded by the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

“At ODHS we are committed to meeting people in Oregon where they are with as many ways as possible to manage their benefits, check application status and share needed documentation, like when they get a request for information during a renewal,” said Nathan Singer (he/him), director of the ODHS Oregon Eligibility Partnership. “People can now manage their benefits in-person, by mail, by fax, by telephone, online and on their mobile phone using the Oregon ONE Mobile app, which is available in English and Spanish.”

Interview with OEP Director Singer available on YouTube

Oregon ONE Mobile app video on YouTube

New Oregon ONE Mobile app video link

• Create a ONE Online account.
• Access their existing ONE Online account.
• Report changes to household information including address, contact information and income.
• Upload requested documents using a smartphone camera.
• Get updates on application status and check if it is approved, denied, or pending, and what actions might need to be taken.
• See and download notices that were mailed.
• Find the next renewal date for their benefits.
• Get important, time-sensitive alerts and notifications about benefits on mobile devices.
• View benefit issuance history for food and cash payments.

People who serve as Authorized Representatives for people with benefits are also able to use the app.

How to manage your medical, food, cash and child care benefits: 

• By phone at: 1-800-699-9075. All relay calls accepted.
• Online at: benefits.oregon.gov
• Through the free Oregon ONE Mobile app available on Apple and Android app stores
• In person at an office near you: Find an office.
• In your language: Help in Your Language
• By mail at: ONE Customer Service Center, PO Box 14015, Salem, OR 97309
• By fax at: 503-378-5628

Resources to help meet basic needs

• Find food resources in your community: needfood.oregon.gov.
• Learn about government programs and community resources for older adults and people with disabilities: Aging and Disability Resource Connection of Oregon at 1-855-673-2372 or www.adrcoforegon.org.
• Dial 2-1-1, or text your zip code to 898-211, www.211info.org
• Find local resources and support by contacting your local Community Action Agency: www.caporegon.org/find-services/
• Oregon Department of Human Services help center 

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 well-being and independence through opportunities that protect, empower, respect choice and preserve dignity.

About the Oregon Eligibility Partnership

The Oregon Eligibility Partnership (OEP) is part of the Oregon Department of Human Services. OEP supports state staff who determine eligibility for people applying for and receiving medical, food, cash and child care benefits. It also manages the ONE Eligibility System used to process applications and deliver benefits to eligible individuals and families in Oregon. One in three people in Oregon receive benefits through the ONE Eligibility System. OEP administers the ONE Eligibility system in partnership with the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and the Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC).###