Rogue Valley News, Monday 1/29 – Police Seek Suspect in Homicide at Laundromat on Crater Lake Avenue & Other Local and Statewide News…

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

Monday, January 29, 2024

Rogue Valley Weather

Active Weather Alerts

...DENSE FOG ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON PST TODAY...
...HIGH WIND WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM LATE TUESDAY NIGHT
THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...

* WHAT...For the Dense Fog Advisory, visibility less than a
quarter of a mile in dense fog. For the High Wind Watch,
southeast winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 65 mph possible.

* WHERE...For the Dense Fog Advisory, the Rogue Valley,
including the Interstate 5 corridor from Ashland to Rogue
River. For the High Wind Watch, Southern parts of the Rogue
Valley including Talent, Phoenix, and Ashland along I-5.

* WHEN...For the Dense Fog Advisory, until noon PST today. For
the High Wind Watch, from late Tuesday night through Wednesday
afternoon.

* IMPACTS...Damaging winds could blow down trees and power
lines. Widespread power outages are possible. Travel could be
difficult, especially for high profile vehicles. Hazardous
driving conditions due to low visibility.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...The strongest winds are expected late
Wednesday morning through the afternoon.

* View the hazard area in detail at
https://www.wrh.noaa.gov/map/?wfo=mfr

Police Seek Suspect in Homicide at Laundromat on Crater Lake Avenue 

Throughout the day of Sunday, Jan 28, MPD Detectives have been actively working this case and attempting to locate the suspect in the shooting that occurred on the evening of 01/27/23 at the Weldon’s Laundromat on Crater Lake Avenue. As a result of that investigation, two search warrants were served at different locations as detectives attempted to locate the suspect and possible evidence in this case. At about 8:00AM, detectives and members of the Medford Police Department SWAT team served a search warrant in the 400 block of Fairmount Street. The suspect was not located. Then, at 3:35PM, SWAT team members and detectives served another search warrant in the 1400-block of Thomas Road. Agan, the suspect was not located.

In attempts to locate the suspect in this case, we are releasing the name and photograph of the suspect in hopes that someone with information will call us.

SUSPECT:

Jesus Armando Pena Jr. (18 years old). Described as a Hispanic male, 5’7”, 175lbs, black hair, brown eyes, and a light mustache/goatee.

Photo #1 – Jesus Pena jr.

Photo #2 – Suspect photo from Laundromat

Pena recently escaped from Oregon Youth Authority custody and has only been in the Medford area a short while. He has warrants for his arrest. His whereabouts and clothing description are unknown. If you know where he is, or have information about this case, we are asking you to call dispatch at 541-770-4783 and reference MPD case number 24-1584.

The victim in this case has been identified as 51-year-old Justin William Keaton.

Original Release

On Saturday evening, January 27^th at about 5:50PM the Medford Police Department responded to the report of shots fired at a Laundromat in the 600-Block of Crater Lake Avenue. Patrol Officers were on scene within two minutes and discovered a male with multiple gunshot wounds inside the laundromat. This victim was pronounced deceased on scene. Detectives were called to the scene and have been working this case overnight.

At the time of this release, we are not releasing the name of the victim or the circumstances of the shooting as this is an active and ongoing investigation. We have been unable to contact next-of-kin.

There is no further information at this time and additional details will be released as they become available. We are urging anyone with information about this case to call the Medford Police Department through Emergency Communications of Southern Oregon at 541-770-4783.

Wanted Felon Arrested by Grants Pass Police Following Burglary of Gun Store 

Grants Pass, Ore. – On Wednesday, January 24^th, just after 6:00 pm, Grants Pass Police Officers responded to a Firearms Retail Store in the 200 block of Redwood Hwy regarding an alarm. Upon their arrival, officers discovered the front doors of the business had been smashed open, and multiple firearms had been stolen. Store surveillance showed a white pickup truck backing through the doors and a lone suspect taking multiple firearms. Grants Pass Police Detectives responded to the scene and began their investigation.

An image of the suspect from the surveillance video was distributed to local police officers, and a Grants Pass Police School Marshall advised detectives he had seen a subject matching the description at a local grocery store the day of the burglary. Further investigation by Grants Pass Detectives, Oregon State Police, Medford Police Detectives, the Rogue Area Drug Enforcement team, U.S. Marshals, and ATF identified the suspect through the School Marshall’s tip.

The suspect, who was identified as Antone W. Bayard, a 27-year-old from Southern California, was tracked to a VRBO rental on Willow Lane in Grants Pass. It was also discovered that Bayard was wanted for a parole violation warrant out of Riverside County, California.

This afternoon, January 26^th, just after 3:00 pm, as Grants Pass SWAT members began to surround the VRBO rental on Willow Lane, Antone Bayard ran from the residence and was arrested a short time later.

Grants Pass Detectives are in the process of obtaining a search warrant for the VRBO rental, where they are confident they will recover the stolen firearms. Willow Lane has been reopened following a brief closure for police action and for the safety of the community.

The Grants Pass Police Department thanks the assisting agencies for their support, as well as the Grants Pass community for their understanding and assistance.

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Sheriff’s Office Detectives Investigating White City Shooting, Victim in Critical Condition 

JCSO Case 24-0520

WHITE CITY, Ore. – Jackson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) detectives are on scene investigating a shooting in White City. JCSO deputies responded to a call for gunshots and someone calling for help this evening at 6:51 p.m in the area of 29th Street and Avenue G in White City. The suspect fled the scene and is currently on the run. The victim is in critical condition at a local hospital.

Investigators believe the suspect and victim knew each other and there is no known danger to the general public. If you have information about the shooting, call ECSO Dispatch at (541)776-7206. This case is under further investigation with detectives following additional leads. There is no further information available for release.

BODYCAM: Sheriff’s Deputy Observes Theft in Progress at White City 7-11, Stolen Vehicle Eludes, Crashes; Klamath Falls Juveniles Detained During Crime Spree 

Medford Police to Participate in Safety Belt Overtime Enforcement Program

Oregon Health Authority Acknowledges  Asante Infection Spike Coincides With Alleged Drug Diversion

The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) has revealed healthcare associated infections spiked at Asante’s RRMC during the same time a nurse allegedly replaced patient’s pain medication with tap water.

We reported late last week that the Oregon Health Authority is not investigating the alleged drug diversion case at Asante at this time, but it is reviewing the situation.

The OHA says that it needs to review complaints at a facility, before determining whether or not it has jurisdiction to investigate. But it has confirmed to us that RRMC saw dozens of infection cases from 2022 to 2023, that were acquired at Asante’s signature hospital.

The OHA records these central line infections over a span of years. Asante acknowledged these healthcare associated infections, or HAIs, but the OHA is now providing the numbers that illustrate a spike.

From 2016 to 2021, the hospital would see one to three infections a year, save for 2020, the beginning of the pandemic, which had seven. But in 2022, the OHA reports that Asante saw 15 infections and then in 2023, another 14.

These years coincide with a period of time when sources tell us a nurse was replacing ICU patient’s fentanyl pain medication, with non- sterile tap water, which may have caused multiple deaths from infections. The OHA said it is taking this case seriously.

The OHA said it has different programs, like the Healthcare Associated Infections Program and Health Care Regulation and Quality Improvement Program to help assure that hospitals comply with these standards.

If the OHA does investigate, they will be looking to see whether Asante’s systems and processes meet the minimum requirements in federal and state law to protect patient health and safety.

Failure to meet those requirements have varying ramifications on the state and federal level, including even losing its license. (SOURCE)

–Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center Patient Deaths Investigations Continue 

Reports that a nurse at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center may have sparked fatal infections of patients by replacing fentanyl with tap water in their IV bags have sparked national attention.

For patients, the victims’ relatives, and others in Oregon health care, the reports are sparking questions as well. It now appears that the deaths linked to the Medford hospital occurred over a span of at least 12 months.

Hospital administrators and local law enforcement have not named the suspected employee and released few other details. No indictments have been filed publicly in the case.

Hospital Nurse at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford Accused of Replacing Fentanyl with Tap Water Leading to at least 10 Patient Deaths and “Dozens of Patients” Harmed

The Federal Bureau of Investigation says it is involved with an investigation at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford. The FBI said it’s aware of allegations there under investigation by local police.

This after some sources say as many as ten people have died. Multiple hospital sources, who declined to be identified, confirmed dozens of patients injured by medication diversion — the act of replacing a medication with another substance. It is believed the fentanyl scheduled to be administered to the patients was then removed from the premises illegally.

Sources allege that a hospital nurse was removing fentanyl from IV bags and replacing it with tap water. The FBI said today it is supporting local police with their work.

Asante issued a statement during the weekend that, “We were distressed to learn of this issue. We reported it to law enforcement and are working closely with them.”

Multiple sources also say that water supplies in the Intensive Care Unit and Coronary Care Unit — which are in an older part of the hospital — are unsafe for use on patients, even for face washing. The hospital made numerous public statements during 2023 pertaining to infections and water quality issues.

OHA state agency is part of an investigation now at a Medford hospital, where local and federal law enforcement agencies are investigating allegations of nursing behavior that could have been deadly.

Medford Police have provided no more details. They only confirmed there’s an open investigation at the medical center.

PART 2 – Newsweek Podcast Focusing on The Disappearance of Fauna Frey From Lane County

Here One Minute, Gone the Next —– PART 2 – Josephine County Sheriff Dave Daniel joins investigative journalist Alex Rogue to speak with Here One Minute, Gone the Next about the disappearance of Fauna Frey, the growing friction between citizen investigators and law enforcement, and the lack of resources in missing persons cases. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-disappearance-of-fauna-frey-pt2-feat-sheriff/id1707094441?i=1000630100040

PART 1 – John Frey joins Newsweek to discuss exclusive details about the case of his missing daughter that until now have been unavailable to the general public.

READ MORE HERE: https://www.newsweek.com/exclusive-what-happened-fauna-frey-new-clues-uncovered-1827197?fbclid=IwAR3Z3Glru5lIgqiYXbs_nA1Fj8JuCIzM11OHSVHfwIucfq2f_G5y9y5bnmQ

If you have any information on the whereabouts of Fauna Frey, call the anonymous tip line at 541-539-5638 or email FindFaunaFrey@gmail.com.

Help Find Fauna Frey #FindFaunaFrey FACEBOOK GROUP

Hunger On The Rise In Oregon After Downward Trend Before The Pandemic

A quarter of a century ago, Oregon had one of the highest rates of food insecurity and hunger in the country. By 2019, the situation had greatly improved, and rates in the state dipped below the U.S. average.

Then the pandemic hit, and rates rose again. The latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that about 11% of Oregon households are food insecure, struggle to have enough to eat and often have to choose between paying rent, prescription or groceries. That means that 186,000 households, or 463,000 people, in Oregon have a problem securing enough food.

“We were making great progress in reducing food insecurity until the pandemic hit and progress reversed somewhat and is likely continuing this sort of unhealthy upward trend,” Mark Edwards, a professor at Oregon State University who studies food insecurity, said at a news conference last week.

The 2023 data is still being compiled, but he said the situation appears to be getting worse.

“I am hearing from our colleagues who provide emergency food that there remains extremely high and growing demand for emergency food assistance throughout the state,” Edwards said during the news conference.

With hunger growing, food advocates and a group of lawmakers on the Oregon Hunger Task Force called last week for the Legislature to enact in the upcoming session a number of measures to address hunger and the plight of low-income residents. The task force, which was created by the Legislature, is especially keen to get lawmakers to approve bills that would help students financially and help stem hunger among children.

From “Food Insecurity in Oregon During the COVID Public Health Emergency,” December 2023, by Mark Edwards and Julian McElhaney

That focus partly reflects the latest hunger data published by Edwards and a colleague last month. Their report shows that people of color, especially Native people and Hispanics, struggle more with hunger than white people, and that Asian Americans have the lowest rates of all. Among households, single mothers have the highest rates of food insecurity.

Renters also face hunger at a higher rate of hunger than those who own their homes, with about 20% of renters struggling with food insecurity compared with 5% of homeowners. And those without a high school diploma suffer much more from food insecurity compared with those with a bachelor’s degree or even a high school diploma.

From “Food Insecurity in Oregon During the COVID Public Health Emergency,” December 2023, by Mark Edwards and Julian McElhaney

There has been a huge improvement in the share of single mothers facing food insecurity in the past decade, and fewer renters scramble for enough food these days. But one category has failed to budge much: the urban-rural divide. About 20% of rural Oregonians have struggled to feed their families in recent years, about double the percentage of residents in urban areas. That surprised the researchers.

“The reasons for this divergence remain unclear, and the magnitude of this change in rural but not urban Oregon is surprising,” the report said. “If indeed these data accurately capture a disproportionate impact of the pandemic on rural Oregonians, this observation aligns with qualitative reports of the distinct challenges faced by rural social services during COVID, where volunteer, often older, staff at emergency food pantries were home-bound, or where schools struggled to deliver free/reduced price meals to children who would normally receive them in school may have lagged behind.”

Food advocates back several measures

Members of the task force, which was created by the Legislature and includes lawmakers from both parties, advocates and officials, hope the Legislature will approve $12.7 million to launch a free meal program in the summer for children in poor families.

They also want the Legislature to expand school meals for all. Officials at a news conference said the state has enough money to allow hundreds more schools to serve free meals regardless of the student’s ability to pay starting next fall. But the rules need to change to align with federal requirements.

And they’re asking lawmakers to approve  $6 million through  House Bill 4162, a student emergency needs package. Nick Keough, legislative director for the Oregon Student Association, said students are struggling to pay for textbooks, housing, transportation, health care and their living expenses.

“Financial aid programs and scholarships designed for low-income students fail to cover the bulk of their needs and do not reach the costs associated with attendance, such as food, housing, textbooks, transportation, etc.,” Keough said. “We are seeing a pretty dire situation, especially coming out of the pandemic.”

Other requests – from Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon, the Children’s Institute and the Oregon Food Bank – include a $600,000 allocation for providers participating in the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program and $10 million for the Oregon Food Bank.

The Legislature regularly allocates money to the food bank, which serves 21 regional food banks that work with more than 1,400 free food markets, pantries, meal sites and delivery programs. And the federal government supports the Child and Adult Care Food Program by paying participating child care centers, day care homes and adult day care centers to provide nourishing meals. Regional nonprofits participate by conducting three site visits a year, but that’s become untenable for many, especially in rural areas, according to officials from Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon. They said a one-time infusion of cash would stabilize the program.

That program and more just need a bit more help to keep going, said Angelita Morillo, policy advocate for Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon.

“There are a lot of great structures that already exist in Oregon to address hunger-related issues,” she said. “A lot of them just don’t have the appropriate funding.” (SOURCE)

Copco 1, last of three remaining Klamath River dams, breached by blast

Copco 1, the oldest of the three remaining dams on the Klamath River, was breached Tuesday.

Crews blasted away a plug in Copco’s adit, a 10-foot-diameter tunnel that was drilled at the base of the dam last summer.

Ren Brownell, spokeswoman for Klamath River Renewal Corporation, which is coordinating the dams’ removal, said crews went about 100 feet into the dam and left a 12-foot concrete plug at its upstream end. A steel pipe was installed on its exterior and covered with concrete and a large rock.

Earlier this month, openings were created at the two other hydroelectric dams — Iron Gate and John C. Boyle — as part of drawing down water from the reservoirs behind the dams. A fourth dam, Copco 2, was removed last year. (SOURCE)

Mailing Error in Sending Tax Form 1099-G

On January 26, 2024, the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) announced that a mailing error occurred while sending the tax form 1099-G to those who received benefits from the Unemployment Insurance program in 2023. This error impacted 32,960 out of 122,245 mailings, meaning some individuals may have not received a tax form 1099-G at all, and others may have received an additional form not belonging to them.

A machine error caused a subset of those tax forms to go into envelopes already containing a tax form 1099-G. DAS was first notified of this error during the ongoing printing and mailing process for tax form 1099-G and called for an immediate halt, which prevented the majority of these forms from being impacted. For More Information: https://unemployment.oregon.gov/1099g-mailing-error#:~:text=This%20error%20impacted%2032%2C960%20out,a%20tax%20form%201099%2DG.

Yes, Oregon passed a law requiring all eggs to be cage-free.

The law was passed several years ago, but didn’t take effect until Jan. 1 of this year in order to give farms and grocery stores time to update the supply chain.

Recent social media posts have resurfaced news about a 2019 law requiring that all eggs sold in Oregon be “cage-free,” set to take effect in 2024, and at least one Reddit user reported seeing staff removing egg cartons from a grocery store shelf shortly after New Years Day, apparently to comply with the new law.

Yes, a new Oregon law requires all eggs produced and sold in the state to be cage-free, meaning they come from hens that are not kept in specific types of small cages called “battery cages” or “colony cages” that are commonly used in the industry. The law was passed in 2019 and took effect Jan. 1 of this year. READ MORE: https://www.kgw.com/article/news/verify/yes-oregon-law-requires-eggs-cage-free/283-3e113301-9bd3-42be-999c-51e992f50e5c

Amid historic health enrollment gains nationally, Oregon holds steady

The number of Oregonians enrolling with a federally subsidized health insurance marketplace barely ticked up upwards this year, despite a record number of people nationally using the program for coverage.

State officials, however, say that shows Oregon’s past efforts to keep people covered are bearing fruit.

Federal officials announced Wednesday that 21.3 million people signed up to buy coverage through online marketplaces during the 2024 open enrollment period. That’s roughly 5 million more than the previous year, a 30% increase, and the third year in a row of record enrollments nationally.

Fueling the continued surge in overall Affordable Care Act enrollments are hefty increases in federal marketplace subsidies that began during the pandemic. Not only that, but states have resumed eligibility checks of their Medicaid rolls after a pandemic-era pause, pushing people to marketplaces according to health care policy think tank KFF.

The online marketplaces were launched in 2014 under the Affordable Care Act. In Oregon, 145,509 consumers used Oregon’s website to sign up for coverage during the open enrollment period that ran between Nov. 1 and Jan. 16. That’s a 2% increase from the previous year.

Only a handful of states, including New Jersey, Alaska, Hawaii and Nevada, saw single digit percentage increases. The District of Columbia and Maine saw 3% drops and California remained flat.

Oregon Health Authority spokesperson Erica Heartquist told The Lund Report that the small increase is still a “win” because it meant more Oregonians are covered.

“While we’re still analyzing the most recent data, it’s important to note that at the start of this open enrollment period, approximately 96% of Oregonians already had health insurance coverage,” she wrote. “This means that only 4% of Oregonians were uninsured, lower than the national uninsured rate of 7.7%, which could’ve contributed to the trends we saw during this open enrollment period.”

Oregon’s enrollment using the marketplace has been “basically flat for five years straight,” Charles Gaba, a long-time health enrollment tracker who runs the blog ACAsignups.net, told The Lund Report in an email.

Last year, enrollment went down, and the previous year saw only a slight gain. In fact, Oregon enrollment in the marketplace peaked in 2018 when 156,105 picked plans through the marketplace. Marketplace figures don’t include Oregonians who bypass the subsidized enrollment website and use agents or sign up directly with insurers — a group that numbered more than 30,000 last year.

While 2024 was the third straight year of below-average marketplace enrollment gains for Oregon compared to other states, that’s in part because other states expanded their Medicaid programs later than Oregon did to take advantage of increased funding under the Affordable Care Act. READ MORE: https://www.thelundreport.org/content/amid-historic-health-enrollment-gains-nationally-oregon-holds-steady

AARP grant ‘unique’ opportunity to fund community projects in Oregon

A program that funds ideas for improving communities is now open to applications. The AARP Community Challenge grant program is accepting applications until March 6th for projects that can be enacted quickly to make cities more livable for people of all ages.

Stacy Larsen, communications director for AARP Oregon, said the program has a track record for supporting communities of all sizes.

“They deliver really unique support to rural communities. Since the beginning of the program in 2017, 46% of the grants distributed in Oregon have been to rural communities,” Larsen said.

Since its start in 2017, the program has invested $16.4 million in more than 1,300 projects nationwide, including 28 in Oregon. The program is open to local nonprofits and governments. A webinar for interested applicants will be held on the AARP website on January 31st at 11 a.m.

Applicants can apply in three different grant areas. Those include capacity-building microgrants, demonstration grants and flagships grants, which allow for the most creativity and flexibility. Larsen has some tips for those applying.

“The applicants who can demonstrate that they are addressing a clear need, that brings positive change to make their communities more livable for residents of all ages, and that they’re addressing disparities for people of color or other historically marginalized groups will find themselves rising to the top,” she explained.

Selected projects must be completed by December 15th. (SOURCE)