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
Friday, January 10, 2025
Rogue Valley Weather
...AIR STAGNATION ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM PST THIS MORNING... ...DENSE FOG ADVISORY IS CANCELLED... * WHAT...Strong valley inversions will result in weak winds, poor mixing and ventilation. This will result in stagnant air conditions that will trap pollutants near the surface. The widespread dense fog has lifted due to incoming higher cloud cover. Isolated locally dense fog is possible through 10 AM. * WHERE...For the Air Stagnation Advisory, Central Douglas County, Eastern Curry County and Josephine County, and Jackson County. This includes the cities of Roseburg, Grants Pass, Cave Junction and Medford. * WHEN...Until 10 AM PST this morning. * IMPACTS...Poor air quality may cause issues for people with respiratory problems.
Two Businesses Impacted By Structure Fire in Medford Thursday Afternoon
According to the city, the warehouse for Medford Mattress as well as Buttercloud Bakery, which is adjacent to the warehouse, both sustained significant damage.
The fire broke out in the warehouse located in the 300 block of Front Street just before 12:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Providence Strike Begins
According to ONA, this is the largest nurses and health care workers strike in state history, with nearly 5,000 health care workers on the picket line, including some doctors, nurses and physician assistants. It is also the first doctors strike in Oregon’s history.
Medford’s New Mayor and Council Members Sworn In
We’re thrilled to welcome Mayor Mike Zarosinski and Councilors Mike Kerlinger, John Quinn, Garrett West, and Kevin Keating who were sworn into office at Wednesday night’s Council meeting.
A federal case in Medford against a Klamath Falls man is documenting evidence that he tried to escape jail, twice. It also presents an account of rape of a minor to consider for his prison sentence.
30-year-old Negasi “Sakima” Zuberi, aka Justin Hyche, faces federal court sentencing in Medford this month for his October convictions on federal charges for kidnapping, assault and weapons. Zuberi is convicted of kidnapping two women in a criminal case with testimony that outlined rape, impersonation of police, and usage of a handgun, taser, handcuffs, leg irons, threats and a homemade cinder block captivity cell to subdue the women in the Klamath Falls home he rented from the mayor.
The case prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Oregon have supplied their sentencing memorandum in the case this week, and it outlines other incidents involving Zuberi for the court to consider in its sentencing, planned for Jan. 17. The incidents involve another claim of rape of a minor and two attempted escapes from Jackson County Jail.
In the new federal case filing, prosecutors wrote, “This is not Mr. Zuberi’s first time beating and sexually assaulting a female—he was convicted in 2020 of beating a minor girl who he solicited for commercial sex and then raped. He also had a Targets list in his room with women’s names on it, and he stalked other women and girls in Klamath Falls and elsewhere. And even today, despite all of the evidence of his crimes, he shows no remorse but instead emphatically blames everyone but the one person truly responsible: himself.”
The prosecution shared some detail about that case while filing a photo of the victim’s injuries under seal, writing how another court warned Zuberi his criminal behavior could lead to trouble, “Mr. Zuberi is no stranger to the legal system and was explicitly warned that his criminal conduct placed him in jeopardy. His first sex offense conviction was for having sex with a 16- year-old minor when he was 23 years old; he was convicted in 2017 of sexual intercourse with a minor and placed on three years’ probation. In 2018, he was convicted of disorderly conduct for a verbal dispute with his significant other, who was pregnant, and who reported that Mr. Zuberi had struck her in the face the day before.
In 2020, he was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon after he brutally beat and raped MV1, a 16-year-old girl who was working as a commercial sex worker. During the rape, when he was angry and forceful, the victim was afraid of being killed and submitted, and she said, ‘I just laid back and I literally just cried.’ But she fought back when he began to hurt her, so he punched her in the face repeatedly before dragging her out of his car and leaving her.’ The U.S. Attorney’s Office also shared comments from the judge in that case with Chief United States District Judge Michael J. McShane in Medford.
Zuberi’s federal case started after a woman told police she’d escaped from a night of kidnap and rape by Zuberi after he solicited her for sex in Seattle, then claimed to be a police officer while driving her to his Klamath Falls home. She said he used a handgun, taser, handcuffs and leg irons to subdue her until putting her in a homemade cinder block cell, where she broke its doors with her bare hands to escape. Zuberi’s second federal case victim reported that he kidnapped her outside a Klamath Falls restaurant before beating and raping her under threat to her friends and family if she reported him.
Zuberi’s federal court case conviction has charges that could get lifetime prison sentencing.
BLM Approves Updated Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument Plan
Medford, Ore.—The Bureau of Land Management today issued its approved resource management plan and Record of Decision for the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, which will guide management of the monument’s 113,500 acres in southwestern Oregon to protect its biodiversity and important historic resources while providing for public access and recreational opportunities.
Cascade Siskiyou National Monument was established by Presidential Proclamation 7318 in 2000 and expanded through Presidential Proclamation 9564 in 2017. The area provides habitat for an array of rare plant and animal species across its three ecoregions (Cascade, Klamath, and Siskyou), including ancient sugar and ponderosa pine, rock buckwheat, tall bugbane, the threatened northern spotted owl, endangered gray wolves, Lost River sucker, and more. Native American occupancy of the area dates back thousands of years and the monument is home to exceptional natural features, including Pilot Rock.
The BLM is responsible for managing the monument’s natural resources and the integrity of its diverse ecosystems, as well as preserving its cultural and historical legacy for the benefit of all Americans. Currently operating under three separate plans, the BLM’s new consolidated plan will ensure more consistent management of the entire monument.
The plan, which incorporates public input received through a 90-day public comment period and multiple public meetings, uses the best available science to protect the monument’s objects of scientific and historic interest. The BLM received nearly 4,000 comments during the comment period on the draft plan.
You can find the BLM’s Record of Decision, approved resource management plan, and other related planning documents at the BLM National NEPA Register.
-BLM- The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport Gets Ready for Expansion
The Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport (MFR) experience is about to get even better with plans for a major terminal expansion.
The airport is struggling to accommodate the current number of passengers that pass through every year, and that number is forecasted to double by the year 2042.
With only two jet bridges, the airport is finding it difficult to meet the demands of airlines. During a November 26, 2024 presentation to the Jackson County Commissioners, Airport Director Amber Judd said, “Our terminal is only 15 years old, but it was designed for a lot of smaller, regional jets, which really don’t exist at MFR anymore, and the airline trend is only bigger and bigger aircraft.”
The proposed expansion will almost double the square footage of the airport terminal and includes a new two-story concourse, capable of handling at least six mainline aircraft at a time.
In early 2025, the airport will begin the process of selecting a designer/architectural firm for the project, but construction isn’t expected to begin until late 2026.
As the MFR terminal expansion progresses, the airport will post news regarding planning, design and construction along with construction updates for travelers planning on flying in and out of MFR.
Roseburg Public Library will host a virtual visit with bestselling author Eileen Garvin at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16.
Medford Housing and Community Development Public Survey
The city of Medford is seeking input from the local community about the housing and community development needs they consider the most important. To that end, the city has created an online survey that residents can take until January 19.
Survey feedback will help the city guide and update the Housing and Community Development Five-Year Consolidated Plan, which is designed to help identify the community’s priorities and needs.
The survey will also help establish goals and drive the city’s funding decisions for the next five years.
The survey asks for the community’s opinion on programs and projects that meet a higher need in the community, covering topics such as housing, infrastructure, neighborhood services, community services, jobs, special needs services, and more. The Medford Housing and Community Development needs survey can be found at the survey link here.
Sheriff’s Office issues advisory about motorhome and possible link to missing Prospect woman Deenah Padgett
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) is asking for help identifying the owner a motorhome. It could be associated with a missing person from the Prospect area.
JCSO says 68-year-old Deenah Padgett has been missing since August 30 from Prospect, described as a white woman, 4’ 8” tall, weighing approximately 95 pounds with brownish red/greying hair.
JCSO issued an advisory this weekend asking anyone with information about the owner of the pictured motor home or Padgett’s whereabouts to call Emergency Communications of Southern Oregon (ECSO) dispatch non-emergency phone number at 541-776-7206.
Did you get help from FEMA, insurance, or others after the 2020 Almeda and South Obenchain Fires?
https://firebrandcollective.org/harp/
Many pets have benefited from the community’s generosity, and we can’t thank you enough for your kindness.Hearts with a Mission, a program to help local seniors who need assistance, is seeking volunteers.
David Grubbs’ Murder Investigation Remains Active
The Ashland Police Department’s investigation into the murder of David Grubbs on November 19, 2011 remains open and active. Recently two new detectives have been assigned to look into new leads that have come in.
It has been more than Four Years since Fauna Frey, 45, disappeared in Oregon on a road trip, June 29, 2020, following her brother’s death
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
It’s official: Thousands of nurses, physicians, physician associates, certified nurse midwives, nurse practitioners, clinical staff, and other healthcare professionals are now on strike across Oregon.
Our Stories: Creating Pathways To Housing For Oregonians Under The Governor’s Homelessness Executive Order
Watch: Oregon Coordinating Emergency Response video
SALEM, Ore. — Through innovative programs and strategic partnerships, Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) is delivering real, human-centered solutions, changing lives and building stronger communities. Governor Kotek announced this week the extension of Executive Order 24-02 to continue efforts to reduce homelessness in Oregon. Since the emergency homelessness response began in January 2023, OHCS has made substantial progress. However, continued support and resources are needed to maintain our commitment to making life better for the communities we serve.
“The executive order is not about funding programs. We are investing in people and people’s livelihoods and people’s humanity. Some of our most important work is in our steps ahead,” said OHCS Executive Director Andrea Bell.
As a result of funding and action, the broader statewide homelessness response effort, including the emergency response, it is estimated that by the end of June 2025:
- 5,500 shelter beds will be funded by the State of Oregon
- 3,300 people experiencing unsheltered homelessness will be rehoused
- 24,000 households will have been prevented from experiencing homelessness
“We must stay the course on what we see working. If we keep at this pace, one in every three people who were experiencing homelessness in 2023 will be rehoused,” Governor Kotek said. “Since declaring the homelessness emergency response two years ago, we exceeded the targets we set through a statewide homelessness infrastructure we never had before. But the urgency remains as homelessness continues to increase and we need to see this strategy through.”
Beyond the numbers, it’s the lives transformed through stable housing that are at the heart of the statewide efforts.
When COVID-19 hit, Stephanie and her young family found themselves homeless for more than two years, often sleeping in their van. With the support of AntFarm, an OHCS-funded organization in Clackamas County, Stephanie was able to secure housing and rebuild her life.
“It’s the little things like having a kitchen that I can cook in that I don’t think I’ll ever take for granted again,” Stephanie shared.
“I’d probably still be sleeping in my car right now… It’s not so much that AntFarm changed my life; it’s that they gave me an opportunity to change mine,” echoed Nolan, another individual helped by this program.
Similarly, Ash, who spent much of his life moving between temporary living spaces, found a new beginning through LiFEBoat Services, an organization in Clatsop County supported by OHCS. “LiFEBoat has provided me with the opportunity to get a home—a space of my own after living in rooms and cars and closets for my whole life,” Ash said.
Organizations like LiFEBoat Services, AntFarm, and others, including Church at the Park (C@P) in Marion County, highlight the critical role of state support in combating homelessness.
“The EO funds have been absolutely essential. At this family site, we’re able to support 35 households at a time and up to 132 people. The folks who exit here are 75% of the time landing in permanent supportive housing,” said DJ Vincent, founding pastor and director of C@P. “I don’t believe we can do work without the state, county, and city support.”
Over the past five years, OHCS has led the charge in creating sustainable housing solutions. With a focus on human impact and community-driven progress, the department remains focused on ensuring every Oregonian has a safe place to call home.
Watch and read more on how the governor’s homelessness emergency response is transforming lives at https://orhomelessnessresponse.org/our-stories/
About Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS)
OHCS is Oregon’s housing finance agency. The state agency provides financial and program support to create and preserve opportunities for quality, affordable housing for Oregonians of low and moderate income. OHCS administers programs that provide housing stabilization. OHCS delivers these programs primarily through grants, contracts, and loan agreements with local partners and community-based providers. For more information, visit: oregon.gov/ohcs.
Oregon strike teams arrive in Southern California, begin work on Palisades Fire
The 15 Oregon strike teams mobilized to help with the wildfires in the Los Angeles area arrived Thursday. Eleven of the strike teams began their work Friday morning.
These 300 firefighters and 75 engines are assigned to the Palisades Fire burning north of the Los Angeles area. The firefighters will be deployed for up to 14 days and are protecting homes and other buildings. The teams will be patrolling for hotspots and working alongside CAL Fire and other state and federal agencies.
“We are in contact with our teams, and they are in good spirits. They’ve received their assignments and have started their work,” Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said. “I am honored to work alongside the Oregon fire service who raised their hands to say they will go without question. This shows their commitment to jump into action no matter what, embodying the Oregon spirit.”
Before arriving in Southern California, the teams completed a routine safety check with CAL Fire in Sacramento. These inspections ensure all engines on an emergency scene are equipped, mechanically sound, and able to respond. This ensures our number one priority of a safe deployment for our firefighters.
“The vehicle safety check process was critical for our teams. With moving this amount of equipment and firefighters, safety has to be our highest priority,” OSFM Agency Administrator Ian Yocum said. “Our Oregon strike teams are motivated, committed to what they do, and excited to get out to the line and help where they are needed.”
This deployment is the one of largest out-of-state responses the Oregon fire service has supported, similar to the 2017 response to Santa Rosa and Napa. The Oregon State Fire Marshal remains in contact with its counterparts in California to monitor their needs as they navigate this crisis.
For information specific to the Palisades Fire or other fires in California, please visit the CAL Fire Current Emergency Incidents webpage.
Final Wildfire Hazard Maps Now Available
SALEM, Ore.—The statewide maps of wildfire hazard zones and the wildland-urban interface are complete and final versions are now available on the Oregon Explorer website. Notifications are being mailed to impacted property owners and should be expected to arrive over the next several days.
The wildfire hazard map’s purposes are to:
- Educate Oregon residents and property owners about the level of hazard where they live.
- Assist in prioritizing fire adaptation and mitigation resources for the most vulnerable locations.
- Identify where defensible space standards and home hardening codes will apply.
The statewide wildfire hazard map designates all of Oregon’s 1.9 million property tax lots into one of three wildfire hazard zones: low, moderate or high. It also identifies whether a tax lot is within boundaries of the wildland-urban interface. Properties that are in both a high hazard zone and within the wildland-urban interface will be prioritized for future wildfire risk mitigation resources and actions.
To help protect these communities, future defensible space and home-hardening building codes may apply to properties with both designations. All properties with both designations are receiving a certified mail packet informing them of the designations, outlining their appeal rights and explaining the appeal process, and explaining what the designation might mean for them and their property.
“It’s a hefty packet of information that property owners will receive by certified mail,” said Tim Holschbach, Wildfire Hazard Map Lay Representative. “However, we want to ensure Oregonians get all the relevant information they need on their wildfire hazard exposure.”
Anyone that does not receive a packet but is still interested in learning about the wildfire hazard where they live can visit the Oregon Explorer website. A Property Owner’s Report is available for every Oregon tax lot and includes information about hazards and resources.
The road to completed maps has been a long one. After the initial wildfire map was released and rescinded in summer of 2022, ODF and OSU spent more than two years receiving and analyzing feedback to improve the product available today, including a recent public comment period.
Draft versions of the statewide wildfire hazard and wildland-urban interface maps were available to the public for review and comment from July 18 to August 18. ODF received nearly 2,000 comments from the public during the 30-day comment period.
After reviewing the comments on the draft maps, ODF identified one key theme that had not been previously addressed in prior adjustments to the map: neighbor-to-neighbor variation in hazard zones. In response, researchers took a closer look at those variations and their causes. OSU evaluated scientific methods to reduce neighbor-to-neighbor variations in hazard zone designations that were still in accordance with legislative rules directing development of the map.
This final adjustment is in addition to other revisions that have been made to the map over the last two years in response to feedback from elected officials, county governments and the public. Other updates to the map since 2022 include:
- Adjustments for hay and pasturelands.
- Adjustments for northwest Oregon forest fuels.
- Adjustments for certain irrigated agricultural fields.
- Corrections for verified anomalies identified by county planners.
“It’s important that the map is as objective and understandable as possible,” said Kyle Williams, Deputy Director of Fire Operations at ODF. “It took additional time to ensure community protection measures like home hardening and defensible space are prioritized in communities of highest wildfire hazard. It’s been time well spent, and we’re pleased with the diligence ODF staff and OSU researchers put into addressing input from all sources.”
In addition to feedback that resulted in changes to the map, there were two main themes of public input that will not be addressed by map adjustments: insurance and existing defensible space and fire hardening improvements.
Oregon Senate Bill 82 prohibits insurers in Oregon from using this map, or any statewide map, for making decisions on whether to extend coverage or determine rates. Oregon’s Division of Financial Regulation has investigated concerns and confirmed that even prior to passage of Senate Bill 82, no insurance company in Oregon has or will use these maps for insurance purposes. Additionally, some property owners shared a belief that their hazard rating should be lower due to implementation of defensible space strategies. By law, the map’s hazard assessments are based on weather, climate, topography and vegetation on a broader environmental scale than just an individual property. If a property owner has implemented appropriate defensible space already, there is likely nothing that a designation of high hazard and being within the wildland-urban interface will require of them when future code requirements are adopted. — Find more information on ODF’s wildfire hazard web page.
Oregon Joins $17 Million Multistate Enforcement Settlement With Edward Jones
Salem – The Oregon Division of Financial Regulation (DFR), a member of the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA), has joined a $17 million settlement with Edward D. Jones & Co. L.P. (Edward Jones) resulting from an investigation into the broker-dealer’s supervision of customers paying front-loaded commissions for Class A mutual fund shares in light of later moving brokerage assets into fee-based investment advisory accounts.
The four-year investigation was led by a working group of 14 state securities regulators and looked into Edward Jones’s supervision of customers moving from brokerage to advisory accounts in consideration of the 2016 U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Fiduciary Rule that makes investment advice to retirement accounts subject to a fiduciary standard of care.
The investigation found that Edward Jones charged front-loaded commissions for investments in Class A mutual fund shares in situations where the customer sold or moved the mutual fund shares sooner than originally anticipated. The states found gaps in Edward Jones’s supervisory procedures in this respect.
As part of the settlement, Edward Jones will pay each of the 50 states; Washington, D.C.; the U.S. Virgin Islands; and Puerto Rico an administrative fine of approximately $320,000. In evaluating the supervisory failures and determining the appropriate resolution, the states considered certain facts such as the positive performance of the investment advisory accounts as compared to the brokerage accounts.
“In partnership with NASAA and other state securities regulators, we will continue to protect Main Street investors and ensure that companies operating in Oregon follow our securities laws,” said TK Keen, DFR administrator. “DFR appreciates the ongoing cooperation of Edward Jones throughout this investigation and settlement process. Firms that offer both brokerage and investment advisory services must ensure customers receive the services they need at a fair and transparent price.”
Anyone who believes they may have been a victim of financial mismanagement can contact DFR’s consumer advocates at 888-877-4894 (toll-free) or .financialserviceshelp@dcbs.oregon.gov“>dfr.financialserviceshelp@dcbs.oregon.gov.
### About Oregon DFR: The Division of Financial Regulation protects consumers and regulates insurance, depository institutions, trust companies, securities, and consumer financial products and services. The division is part of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, Oregon’s largest consumer protection and business regulatory agency. Visit dfr.oregon.gov and dcbs.oregon.gov.
Oregonians’ health care could face more change than most states under the new federal administration, and Dr. Sejal Hathi, director of the state health authority, said officials are preparing to respond quickly as things happen
Oregon health care officials continue to brace themselves for policy and funding changes as incoming president Donald Trump gets ready to take office Jan. 20.
And though nothing has been proposed formally, the Oregon Health Authority has already started to prepare for a slew of potential changes, according to its director, Dr. Sejal Hathi.
“We conducted a tabletop exercise even before the election to identify the range of potential risks that a change in federal administration could pose,” she told The Lund Report recently.
The agency oversees free care to 1.4 million low-income Oregonians under the Oregon Health Plan, while also providing administration and support for care received by many other people in the state.
Of all state agencies, it’s likely facing the most immediate cuts and changes during Trump’s second term.
Not only that, but the state’s health care system could face more changes than in most states because of several Oregon-specific programs.
Hathi said the agency needs to be ready for anything, but “the reality is we don’t yet know what the next administration is going to bring.”
State officials and others tend to mull different responses to a new administration, she said, ranging between aggressive public “resistance” versus quietly safeguarding the work agencies are doing: “keep your head down. Don’t make noise.”
So far, Gov. Tina Kotek’s public statements suggest she’s charting a course in between. She’s said she’ll fight to preserve “Oregon values” against any partisan “attacks.”
Hathi stressed that it’s Kotek who will determine how Oregon responds to changes over the coming year.
Officials are readying for a range of possibilities — Within the health authority, Hathi’s office has set up an “incident management” structure similar to how agencies respond to severe weather or natural disasters. It will closely track proposed policies and executive orders, “and look at what we can do administratively as well as what might be required legislatively to counter any potential fallout for our programs” in terms of services and funding cuts, Hathi said.
Several areas where the new administration could make cuts or changes that disrupt the status quo in health care have drawn plenty of attention already:
- Though Trump waffled on abortion rights and eventually suggested the federal government should stay out of it, people continue to prepare for the worst.
- Trump’s campaign-trail attacks on youth transgender care could spawn federal efforts to eliminate or reduce coverage.
- Regarding immigration, the Trump campaign spoke of mass deportations and would likely also take steps affecting the six states, such as Oregon, that have extended coverage to people regardless of documentation.
Because of the unique nature of some of its programs, Oregon officials have to mull things on deeper level.
More than 1M Oregonians could face cuts, changes — The Oregon Health Plan draws the bulk of its funding from the federal Medicaid program, where there are cuts and changes being discussed.
So Oregon officials are watching for several possibilities that could affect the one in three Oregonians covered by the program:
- Federal bureaucrats could reconsider their support of Oregon-specific programs that fund housing for some people, and transition benefits for people who are being released from state prisons. As Hathi puts it, that could come in the form of “stringent evaluations” or budget “riders,” meaning restrictions on how federal money is spent.
- Possible misuse of data shared with the federal government on communicable diseases and care programs.
- Some Republicans in Washington, D.C. have urged more frequent Medicaid eligibility checks, potentially as frequent as every six months. That would threaten Oregon’s system of two-year eligibility intended to keep people from losing coverage because they missed a letter or made an error in their paperwork.
Oregon program could shield some while costing others — There’s also the question of what happens if, as expected, Republicans let enhanced health insurance subsidies expire. Established by Biden to respond to the pandemic, the subsidies have brought down health insurance premiums for individuals and families that buy their own coverage but are not on Medicare.
If the subsidies go away, analysts say people making too much for Medicaid but less than four times the poverty level will pay much more for insurance. And in Oregon, some people will pay even more than others in the country due to a new state program — while others will see their premiums go away entirely.
In Oregon the lower range of those incomes would be protected due to the state’s new “Bridge” plan, which offers coverage similar to the Oregon Health Plan and is intended to prevent as many as 20,000 people from losing coverage. It will provide free care to those who are not on the Oregon Health Plan but make less than two times the federal poverty level, or $51,640 for a family of three in 2024,
But because of how the new program intersects with the vagaries of federal law, Oregonians who make between two and four times federal poverty level — $103,280 for a family of three in 2024 — stand to see bigger increases than in other states over the next three years thanks to the new state program. One insurer’s analysis found that 20,000 Oregonians would see yearly increases of $900 or more. That would be on top of average premium hikes of 27%-67% or more due to the loss of federal subsidies.
Public health, communication a focus — The nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the vaccine skeptic who dropped his presidential candidacy after making a deal with Trump, has sparked concern for public health officials in many states — who are already dealing with a drop in vaccination rates many attribute to Trump’s first term. Meanwhile, diseases like whooping cough are on the rise.
Hathi said state officials are preparing for “misinformation and disinformation” and are looking to reactivate “trusted messenger networks” that the state used during the pandemic, using contracts with community-based organizations to disseminate information about “common sense, evidence-based public health interventions.”
And given all the potential changes, Hathi said the state is exploring other outreach, too: “We’re already starting to get questions from OHP members and others about whether or not their coverage may be curtailed or impacted,” she said. (This story was originally published by The Lund Report, an independent nonprofit health news organization based in Oregon.)
More schools, community organizations sought for Summer Food Service Program
Grant funds of up to $20K are available to startup or expand summer meal programs serving children and teens
The Oregon Department of Education is seeking more schools, community organizations and tribes to participate in the Summer Food Service Program this summer to help ensure that children and teens receive the nutritious meals they need during the summer months. As an incentive, state grant funds are available up to $20,000 per sponsor to startup or expand summer meal programs.
Summer Food Service Program works to ensure children 18 and younger, who benefit from meal programs during the school year, continue to have that same access to nutritious meals when schools are closed, or students are unable to attend school in person.
“During the summer months, when school is not in session, children often lose vital access to school nutrition programs. Summer meal sites ensure that children continue to receive the nutrition they need to learn and grow,” ODE Summer Food Service Program Outreach Coordinator Cathy Brock said. “Expanding access to the program is an important step to close the hunger gap in all areas of the state. ODE’s Child Nutrition Program is reaching out to ensure that children continue to receive meals throughout the summer.”
Sponsoring organizations must enter into an agreement with ODE to operate the USDA Summer Food Service Program and are then reimbursed for serving healthy meals and snacks to children at approved sites. Sponsors may be approved to oversee and/or operate multiple sites.
Sites are places in the community where children receive meals in a safe and supervised environment. Sites may be located in a variety of settings, including schools, parks, community centers, health clinics, hospitals, libraries, migrant centers, apartment complexes and faith-based locations.
Apply — ODE has state grant funds available up to $20,000 to startup or expand summer meal programs. Eligible grant activities include the purchase of food service equipment, supplies for enrichment activities, and staff time to support and operate summer meal programs.
For questions about grant funds and more information about how your organization can become a Summer Food Service Program sponsor, please contact ODE’s Community Nutrition Team by email at ode.communitynutrition@ode.oregon.gov. The deadline to submit an eligibility assessment to become a Summer Food Service Sponsor is March 1, 2025.
Changes make it easier to claim tax benefits when saving for your first home
Salem, OR— Aspiring homeowners looking to take their first steps into the real estate market now have greater access to a key tool that can help make their dreams of home ownership more affordable.
Legislative changes to the state’s First-Time Home Buyer Savings Account program last year make it easier than ever to reap tax benefits while saving for a home. First-time home buyers can now open accounts at any financial institution, and friends or family will be able to open an account to help someone else.
Individual First-Time Home Buyer Savings Account holders will be able to subtract up to $6,125 of their 2025 deposits and earnings from their Oregon income when they file their tax year 2025 return in 2026. Joint filers will be able to subtract up to $12,245. To qualify, the account holder or beneficiary can’t have owned or purchased a residence in the three years prior to the date of their planned purchase.
Account holders qualify for a cumulative tax subtraction of as much as $50,000 over a decade, and deposited funds can be used for costs such as down payments, insurance, commissions and other closing costs.
Account holders can designate an account and a beneficiary, if applicable, using Form OR-HOME, which can be found in the agency Forms and Publications Library.
To get tax forms, check the status of your refund, or make tax payments, visit www.oregon.gov/dor or email questions.dor@oregon.gov. You also can call 800-356-4222 toll-free from an Oregon prefix (English or Spanish) or 503-378-4988 in Salem and outside Oregon. For TTY (hearing- or speech-impaired), we accept all relay calls.
New funding is making it easier than ever for Oregon farmers to become certified organic.
To achieve certification, farmers must go three years without using synthetic additives such as fertilizers or pesticides. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in Oregon has launched the Organic Transition Initiative to provide financial and technical support.
Ben Bowell, director of education and advocacy for the group Oregon Tilth, noted the funding is especially valuable because the transition can be costly.
“During that time they have to be farming as organic farmers but they are not able to access an organic crop premium,” Bowell pointed out.
Farmers can also get support through the initiative to develop organic systems for fertilization, building soil and controlling weeds.
Bowell explained the initiative is one of a three-part national USDA Organic Transition Initiative. This five-year program provides mentorship from experienced organic farmers, technical assistance and an organic market development program. He emphasized with the three programs, the combined $300 million investment in organic farming is historic.
“Right now is an amazing time to consider transitioning to organic in terms of all of the support that’s available,” Bowell stated.
Erica Thompson, farm operations manager for the U-pick blueberry farm Blueberry Meadows near Corvallis, which has been in her family since 1993, is a little over a year into the three-year process. She said figuring out a new fertility program and disease management has been a challenge, along with understanding the application and documentation process.
Thompson added working with the Organic Transition Initiative has been helpful. “Being part of it has really solved or like is in the process of solving all my questions and uncertainties,” Thompson observed.
Along with farmers, support is available for ranchers and forest landowners looking to go organic. Applications for the current round of funding are due Jan. 17. (SOURCE)
A push for Oregon’s ‘right to repair’ law to include wheelchairs
Oregon’s right to repair law, which increases consumers’ ability to repair their own electronics, takes effect this week.
The law requires manufacturers to provide access to replacement parts, tools, manuals, as well as digital keys needed so people can fix their own devices.
Charlie Fisher, state director of the Oregon State Public Interest Research Group, helped author the law. He said it needs to go further, which is why, along with disability justice advocates, he is pushing for wheelchairs to be included. Fisher pointed out the current process for getting wheelchairs fixed is overly complicated and takes months.
“Just simple barriers that shouldn’t exist are really what we’re trying to address in this wheelchair right to repair law,” Fisher explained. “It just seems like common sense.”
Fisher noted Sen. Janeen Sollman, D-Hillsboro, will introduce two bills this year to expand the right to repair law. One bill would add protections for wheelchairs, the other would simplify the repair process when going through Medicaid.
Wren Grabham, a disability justice activist, has been working on the bills and said additions to the law would require wheelchair manufacturers to post their manuals and allow a person to fix their chair without voiding their warranty.
Grabham noted when she was 16, her electric wheelchair began shutting off and giving an error code. Because there was no public manual for the chair, she did not know what the code meant or if the chair was safe to keep driving. Grabham added fixing it included getting insurance approval, so it took a long time.
“I had to pretty much use an old chair that didn’t fit me for six months,” Grabham recounted.
Grabham emphasized even simple, routine fixes, like getting a new tire or battery for her chair, take months because she has to prove new parts are needed.
“Even though it’s something that we could fix in a weekend, if we were able to actually get the parts to fix them,” Grabham stressed.
The Public Interest Research Group’s research found being able to fix phones, computers and appliances instead of buying new ones will save the average Oregon household more than $300 a year. (SOURCE)
Bird Flu Alert: Northwest Naturals Recalls Feline Raw & Frozen Pet Food Due to HPAI Contamination
The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) is alerting pet owners that samples of Northwest Naturals brand two-pound turkey recipe raw and frozen pet food tested positive for a H5N1 strain of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) virus.
Testing conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) and the Oregon Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (ODVL) at Oregon State University confirmed a house cat in Washington County contracted H5N1 and died after consuming the raw frozen pet food. Tests confirmed a genetic match between the virus in the raw and frozen pet food and the infected cat.
“We are confident that this cat contracted H5N1 by eating the Northwest Naturals raw and frozen pet food,” said ODA state veterinarian Dr. Ryan Scholz. “This cat was strictly an indoor cat; it was not exposed to the virus in its environment, and results from the genome sequencing confirmed that the virus recovered from the raw pet food and infected cat were exact matches to each other.”
Northwest Naturals, a Portland, Oregon-based company, is voluntarily recalling its Northwest Naturals brand two-pound Feline Turkey Recipe raw & frozen pet food. The recalled product is packaged in two-pound plastic bags with “Best if used by” dates of 05/21/26 B10 and 06/23/2026 B1. The product was sold nationwide through distributors in AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, MD, MI, MN, PA, RI and WA in the United States, and British Columbia in Canada.
The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and local public health officials are monitoring household members who had contact with the cat for flu symptoms. To date, no human cases of HPAI have been linked to this incident, and the risk of HPAI transmission to humans remains low in Oregon. Since 2022, OHA has partnered with ODA through a One Health approach to investigate human exposures to animal outbreaks of avian influenza. (SOURCE)
You’ll need a Real ID to fly domestically, starting in May of 2025, that’s unless you have a passport or enhanced driver’s license issued by several states.
The deadline is May 7, 2025, but you probably don’t want to wait until the last minute to get your Real ID. You can apply for your Real ID driver’s license or ID card through your local Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
Real IDs are marked with a star on the top of the card. Real IDs will also be needed to access certain federal facilities. Congress mandated the real IDs in 2005 on the recommendation of the 9/11 Commission.
Media contest invites Oregon high school students to promote young worker safety; entries due Feb. 21, 2025
Salem – High school students across Oregon are encouraged to put their video or graphic design skills on display by competing for cash prizes as part of a larger cause: increasing awareness about workplace safety and health for young workers.
The 2025 media contest, organized by the Oregon Young Employee Safety (O[yes]) Coalition, calls on participants to create an ad – through a compelling graphic design or video – that grabs their peers’ attention and convinces them to take the Young Employee Safety Awareness online training.
Participants get to choose the key message, theme, or tagline they believe will go furthest in capturing their audience and moving it to act. The target audience? Teen workers or teens who are preparing to work for the first time. 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, including constructive and effective messages and language.
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. 21, 2025.
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 previous contest winners – 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 Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), Oregon OSHA, SafeBuild Alliance, SAIF Corporation, and the Oregon Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) Alliance.
### About Oregon OSHA: Oregon OSHA enforces the state’s workplace safety and health rules and works to improve workplace safety and health for all Oregon workers. The division is part of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, Oregon’s largest consumer protection and business regulatory agency. Visit osha.oregon.gov and dcbs.oregon.gov.
About the Oregon Young Employee Safety Coalition (O[yes]): (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. Visit youngemployeesafety.org.
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