VANCOUVER, Wash. — Re-Imagined Radio’s holiday broadcast, “A Radio Christmas Sampler,” airs on Dec. 20. Featuring highlights from seven holiday radio programs, the broadcast is produced by John Barber of Washington State University Vancouver’s Creative Media and Digital Culture Program. It includes excerpts and music from shows ranging from The Jack Benny Program to Bing Crosby and the Kraft Music Hall. 

The hour-long episode starts at 1 p.m. Dec. 20 on Vancouver’s KXRW-FM (99.9 FM) and Portland’s KXRY-FM (91.1 FM or 107.1 FM). The episode will also stream simultaneously with the broadcast. 

“Every holiday season since 2013, Re-Imagined Radio has offered a version of the Charles Dickens classic tale, ‘A Christmas Carol,’” said Barber. “We thought this year to do something different and present the best bits from Christmas episodes of seven very different radio programs.”

The sampler includes excerpts from “A Radio Christmas Carol” performed by Metropolitan Arts in 2020; “Vic’s Christmas Card List,” from Vic and Sade, 1939; “Dancing Dan’s Christmas,” from The Damon Runyon Theatre, 1949; “Decorating the Christmas Tree,” from The Jack Benny Program, 1951; “Department Store Santa,” from Rocky Fortune, 1953; “A Korean Christmas Carol,” from Suspense, 1959; and Bing Crosby and The Kraft Music Hall, 1944.

Re-Imagined Radio premieres episodes on the third Monday of the month on KXRW-FM and KXRY-FM. After this initial broadcast the episode can be heard on Portland’s KUIK-AM (1360 AM), Salem’s KMWV-FM (98.3 FM), and CKXU-FM (88.3 FM), Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, which in turn distributes Re-Imagined Radio across Canada. In addition, every Sunday, a random episode of Re-Imagined Radio will be broadcast on KXRW only, drawing on previously broadcast episodes.

Episodes can be streamed on demand from the Re-Imagined Radio website, www.reimaginedradio.net.

Community Partners

Re-Imagined Radio draws on community voice actors, Foley artists, musicians, sound artists and engineers. Partners include KXRW-FM, Marc Rose, Martin John Gallagher, Holly Slocum Design, the Kiggins Theatre, and Regina Carol Social Media Management and Photography. 

About Re-Imagined Radio

Re-Imagined Radio was begun by Barber in 2013 to celebrate radio storytelling past, present and future. “We select, produce and perform stories across a spectrum of radio genres, from dramas to comedies, from oral to aural histories, from documentaries to fictions, from soundscapes to sonic journeys, from radio to sound art,” Barber said. Episodes initially were stage productions for live audiences. With COVID-19 restrictions, Re-Imagined Radio became a monthly broadcast and on-demand streaming event. 

About WSU Vancouver

As one of six campuses of the WSU system, WSU Vancouver offers big-school resources in a small-school environment. The university provides affordable, high-quality baccalaureate- and graduate-level education to benefit the people and communities it serves. As the only four-year research university in Southwest Washington, WSU Vancouver helps drive economic growth through relationships with local businesses and industries, schools and nonprofit organizations. 

# # #

The Centennial School District Governing Board will meet in an executive session and a regular session on Wednesday, December 8, 2021 virtually via the Zoom app at starting 5:45 p.m. 

The executive session at 5:45 p.m. will be held under ORS 192.660 (2)(e) - to conduct deliberations with persons designated by the governing body to negotiate real property transactions, and (ORS 192.660(k)) - to consider matters relating to school safety or a plan that responds to safety threats made toward a school. ​​​​Media may attend but may not report on items discussed during the executive session. 

To join the executive session if you are a member of the media:

Please click the link below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84650618513?pwd=VUVtTm9FRzZNZ1dvRWE2TG9Zc0NoZz09
Passcode: 165197

To join by phone, dial:
1 346 248 7799 or 1 669 900 9128
Webinar ID: 846 5061 8513
Passcode: 165197

The regular session will begin at 6:30 p.m. 

To join the regular session, click the link below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83390570673?pwd=UjduV0lhL05lNC9uQ3JrcTNmTUhJZz09
Passcode: 394247

To join by telephone, dial:
1 253 215 8782  or 1 346 248 7799 
Webinar ID: 833 9057 0673
Passcode: 394247

To view the agendas and accompanying documents, click or paste this link into your browser: https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Organization/1561. 

The meeting agenda may be updated as needed. Additional board meeting documents will be added as they become available. 

For information about the agenda email pamela_jordan@csd28j.org or board@csd28j.org.

Photo captions:

211207-Z-ZJ128-1001
Salem Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ralph Yates addresses an audience of Oregon National Guard members and hospital staff at an awards ceremony at Salem Health Hospital in Salem on Dec. 7. The ceremony honored high-performing guard members for their work during the guard's Hospital Relief Mission that started in August 2021 and is ending this month.  The mission ordered by Oregon Governor Kate Brown assisted over 50 hospitals due to non-clinical staff shortages; the guard's numbers assigned to the hospitals reached approximately 1,500 workers on initial deployment. Towards the end, the mission has tapered down to more than 500 as hospitals find solutions to staffing shortages. Hospitals across the state have done similar ceremonies in appreciation of guard member hospital support.

(U.S. National Guard Photo by Maj. W. Chris Clyne, Oregon National Guard Public Affairs)

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Salem Health CEO and President Cheryl Wolfe addresses an audience of Oregon National Guard members and hospital staff at an awards ceremony at Salem Health Hospital in Salem on Dec. 7. The ceremony honored high-performing guard members for their work during the guard's Hospital Relief Mission that started in August 2021 and is ending this month. Hospitals across the state have done similar ceremonies in appreciation of guard member hospital support.
(U.S. National Guard Photo by Maj. W. Chris Clyne, Oregon National Guard Public Affairs)

211207-Z-ZJ128-1003
Oregon Army National Guard member Spc. Trenton Morris holds a challenge coin he received for his exemplary work as part of the hospital relief mission during an awards ceremony at Salem Health Hospital in Salem on Dec. 7. The ceremony honored high-performing guard members for their work during the guard's Hospital Relief Mission that started in August 2021 and is ending this month. Hospitals across the state have done similar ceremonies in appreciation of guard member hospital support.

(U.S. National Guard Photo by Maj. W. Chris Clyne, Oregon National Guard Public Affairs)

211207-Z-ZJ128-1004
Oregon Air Guard hospital workers present Salem Health Hospital CEO, President Cheryl Wolfe, and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ralph Yates with a token of appreciation, during an awards ceremony at Salem Health Hospital in Salem on Dec. 7. The ceremony honored high-performing guard members for their work during the guard's Hospital Relief Mission that started in August 2021 and is ending this month. Hospitals across the state have done similar ceremonies in appreciation of guard member hospital support.

(U.S. National Guard Photo by Maj. W. Chris Clyne, Oregon National Guard Public Affairs)

Vancouver, Washington – On Dec. 6, 2021, Vancouver City Council unanimously approved a resolution to request voter approval of a property tax increase to fund fire and emergency services, equipment and facilities. The levy will be on the Feb. 8, 2022, special election ballot. 

The ballot measure seeks voter approval to increase the city’s regular property tax levy by $0.50 per $1,000 of assessed value. If passed, an owner of a $440,000 house would pay $18.33 per month to support this initiative beginning in 2023. 

If approved by voters, the funding from the levy, which is projected to generate approximately $15 million per year, would be used to meet the increasing demand for emergency service calls due to the continuing growth of the City of Vancouver. It would also be used to address seismic and other capital repair and replacement needs of the city’s fire stations. 

The Vancouver Fire Department (VFD) has not met the city’s adopted standard for response times related to priority 1 and 2 emergency medical calls and full alarm structure fires since 2016. There are three contributing factors to this service level gap, which increases community risk:  

• Increased population, call volume and frequency of calls requiring a full alarm assignment
• Increased transportation congestion on the city’s street system, slowing response time
• Change in call type and location that influenced the geography of call demand

Closing the identified service gaps requires focusing on the expansion of geographic coverage and increasing station reliability. If approved, this levy would fund fire and emergency medical services and facilities needed to meet the adopted standard for response times, including the following:

• Add 5.0 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) fire captains, 11.0 fire medics, 24.0 firefighters and 3.0 support staff, to staff one new and two existing paramedic squad apparatus and one new ladder truck on a 24/7 shift schedule
• Acquire one new squad apparatus and one ladder truck
• Fund 4.0 captains and 9.0 firefighters staffing Fire Station 11 on a permanent basis beginning in 2025, consistent with the interlocal agreement with Fire District 5.
• Replace Fire Stations 3 and 6
• Seismically improve, expand and/or renovate existing Fire Stations 4, 5 and 8
• Fund other necessary administrate costs in other departments to support investments outlined above
• Fund additional operating, maintenance, vehicle and capital expenses to provide enhanced fire and emergency services as determined by the city council

The ballot proposition will be submitted to the Clark County Auditor by Dec. 10 to prepare it for the February election. See the full resolution here.

If the ballot measure is passed by voters, the city council will determine the timing, order and manner of funding the fire and emergency services. 

###

Seaside, Ore. – December 7, 2021 – On Monday, December 6, 2021, at approximately 8:30 p.m., the Seaside Police Department received a report from a Seaside High School student regarding messages from an unknown person on Instagram. The messages were screenshots of a conversation and included a possible threat to Seaside High School. Seaside Police take all such reports seriously and after gathering information, contacted administration at Seaside High School. 

Upon further investigation, Seaside Police confirmed an account was created one hour prior to the messages being sent and the account was immediately deleted following the incident. School Resource Officer Justin Gagnon began investigating the situation and determined the source of the messages had no local affiliation to our community. SRO Gagnon, with assistance from the FBI, determined this is not a credible, localized threat. We would like to thank the student who brought this to our immediate attention, and we continue to encourage others to speak up when they see something out of the ordinary or of immediate concern.

If you see or hear something, please report it. Things to think about and report include the following:

• Changes in Behavior:
  • If you see or hear someone talking about weapons, the use of weapons, drawings or pictures of weapons and violence, social media posts; even if you notice changes in behavior with friends or other students, you should report it.
• Report Issues and Threats That Come Up in Conversation of Any Form:
  • Tell a parent/guardian, tell an adult at school, or contact the Seaside Police Department.
• Don’t Worry about Students Getting in Trouble:
  • The goal is to provide help, try to solve problems before they happen and keep school safe for students. Students are often the best sources of information.
  • Information shared will always be kept confidential to the greatest extent possible. If you report something that may be dangerous or a student that you’re worried about, the goal is to try to help that student and keep all students and staff safe.

The Seaside Police Department will have an increased presence around the Seaside School facilities over the next few days as a precautionary measure.  

end of release

SpaceX’s Starlink satellites in low Earth orbit now connect Mist students to video conferencing, virtual education games, video instruction and other high data rate activities that were not previously possible.

View photos available for media use.

MIST—Elementary students in Mist, Oregon, a remote community located more than an hour northwest of Portland, Oregon, have access to high-speed internet thanks to the installation of SpaceX’s latest Starlink technology. 

Link Oregon, Cascade Technology Alliance, Northwest Regional Education Service District and the Vernonia School District combined forces to identify funds, personnel and the technological infrastructure that brought high-speed internet to the remote school. Vernonia School District has tried multiple times over the past decade to upgrade the school to fiber-optic internet, but the high costs of running a dedicated fiber line down miles of rural roads always prevented the project from taking off. Starlink does not require cost-prohibitive construction projects, making it an ideal solution for remote rural communities. The project was made possible through the federal government’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund. 

“Before we got the new internet, Ms. Avy’s class couldn’t be on the internet at the same time, so sometimes we would have to reschedule when we did reading and math,” explains McKinley, a fifth grader. 

McKinley says that she and her peers commonly use the internet to write stories in Google Docs and interact with Zearn, a math website with video lessons and exercises.

"We are so excited to be able to bring Mist Grade School online with high speed internet,” says Vernonia School District Superintendent Aaron Miller. “This was a technology and equity issue for Mist, and we are so happy to have solved it by working with our partners. All our students can now access technology at the same time, enhancing learning and teaching."

Cascade Technology Alliance, a cooperative between Multnomah and Northwest Regional education service districts providing educational technology services to 189 school districts, plans to identify more opportunities to expand internet access for schools and students. Link Oregon will continue to be a pivotal partner for identifying both the financial resources and internet providers who are willing to work with schools to improve their internet access. Ongoing efforts include:

• Bringing wireless internet to all families in the rural Jewell School District community through partnerships with Clatsop County and Oregon Coast Wireless and connecting families to local and federal subsidies for internet service;
• Deploying fiber internet to every school of Portland Public Schools
• Working with Link Oregon toward a goal of ensuring all Oregonians have access to affordable broadband internet, including expanding the Oregon Coast’s fiber network.

About the Mentioned Organizations

Vernonia School District serves a student population of roughly 570 students and encompasses five schools: Mist Elementary, Vernonia Elementary, Vernonia Middle School, Vernonia High School, and Vernonia Family Academy.

Cascade Technology Alliance is a cooperative between Multnomah and Northwest Regional education service districts. CTA serves dozens of school districts, public and private charter schools and nonprofit agencies throughout northwest Oregon. CTA provides access to more reliable and higher-quality technology services at a reduced cost. Smaller districts receive and participate in services that were previously out of reach, and larger districts benefit from lower costs and streamlined services. 

Link Oregon, a federally tax-exempt 501(c)(3) Oregon nonprofit organization, provides high-speed, fiber-optic broadband connectivity to our state’s public and nonprofit sectors. Link Oregon provides fast, reliable, cost-effective internet and shared network services to K-12 and higher education, libraries, Native Tribes, public health care organizations, remote state offices and other public and nonprofit organizations and facilities across Oregon. This high-capacity network will eventually serve more than 600+ locations across the state, making it easier for these entities to collaborate, share information, and deliver services to Oregon residents and visitors.

Northwest Regional Education Service District is the largest of Oregon’s 19 education service districts. It serves 20 school districts in Clatsop, Columbia, Tillamook and Washington counties. These school districts serve 98,000 students. Through state funding, contracts, and private and public grants, the agency provides a wide range of special education and specialized services to students, educators and families in the region. 

SALEM, Ore. — The Committee for Family Forestlands will meet virtually Thursday, Dec. 9 from 9 a.m. to noon. To join the virtual meeting, please use the Zoom video conference information found on the agenda. To provide public comment at this virtual meeting, please contact Susan Muniz at 503-945-7502.

The committee’s agenda includes:

• Forest Resources Division update
• Seedling programs coordination
• Roundtable updates
• Private Forests Accord discussion
• Workplan discussion

The meeting is open to the public to attend online via Zoom. Public comments will be accepted near the start of the meeting. Requests for an interpreter for the hearing impaired or other accommodations for persons with disabilities should be made at least 72 hours before the meeting by contacting Susan Muniz at 503-945-7502.

The 13-member committee researches policies that affect family forests, natural resources and forestry benefits. Based on its findings, the committee recommends actions to the Oregon Board of Forestry and the State Forester. View more information on the CFF webpage.

December 7, 2021

Contact: OHA External Relations, covid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us">orcovid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us

Oregon reports 945 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 31 new deaths

There was an incident off campus this morning involving students; one student allegedly robbed another student with a weapon. No injuries were reported. The incident was reported to staff and to the police. 

Astor and George Middle Schools were placed on lockout (perimeter secured, classes continue normally inside the building) until the armed student could be located. We have also placed Roosevelt on lockdown (all classrooms locked, lights off, students and teachers hiding out of sight). Police are at the scene. At this time no injuries have been reported.  

Currently there is no active student threat.

PPS staff is working with law enforcement and providing support to the affected schools, students, and staff and communicating with families at Roosevelt, Astor, and George schools.

We will share more information with our community as we learn more.

Jonathan Garcia, Chief of Staff

UPDATE 1:24PM

Here is a message sent to Roosevelt Families today:

Dear Roosevelt Families,

There was an incident off campus this morning that resulted in a lockdown at Roosevelt High School. It involved students at other schools, with one student allegedly robbing another student with a weapon. No injuries were reported. The incident was reported to staff and to the police.

Roosevelt was placed in a lockdown (all classrooms locked, lights off, students and teachers hiding out of sight). We have completed a sweep of the campus, and police have completed their activities. The situation is secure, and there is no threat to students at this time. No students or staff were injured.

We will be releasing students for the day. Students who take PPS transportation will remain at school until we connect with families. We will be doing controlled release, releasing students by sections of the building.  Students are asked to get their belongings  and depart campus immediately. Students will have access to lunch as they leave campus.   

We will send an updated communication to families later today.

Thank you for understanding as we work through this difficult situation.

On 12-6-21 at about 10:15 pm, a Hillsboro patrol officer took a report at the LA Fitness located at 7410 NE Imbrie Dr. Hillsboro of a victim reporting his wallet and his vehicle (a white 2019 Chevy Cruze) had been stolen.  Within minutes of this report, a second Hillsboro officer located the stolen 2019 Chevy Cruze in the Fred Meyer parking lot located at 7355 NE Imbrie, Dr. Hillsboro. 

During the investigation at Fred Meyer's, officers learned of the three suspects' descriptions and evidence of crimes involving fraud and theft at the location.

Minutes later, at about 11:04 pm, Hillsboro officers received information that the three suspects were at the Walmart in Cornelius in a stolen vehicle (a 2017 black Acura TLX) from an earlier theft at an LA Fitness in Beaverton.  The Cornelius Police Department followed this stolen vehicle with the three suspects. The suspects attempted to elude Cornelius Police and came into Hillsboro from SE Baseline St.  Hillsboro officers used a PIT (pursuit intervention technique) to stop the fleeing vehicle and arrest all three suspects.

The driver of the vehicle was 30-year old Alexandria Carroll.  The passenger was 19-year old Diana Antonova, and the second passenger was 33-year old Cory Chase.   

Alexandria was lodged in the Washington County Jail on the following charges: 1. Unauthorized use of a motor vehicle x3, 2. Attempt to elude with a vehicle x2, 3. Identity theft x2, 4. Fraudulent use of a credit card x2, 5. Theft-II, 6. Reckless driving 7. Theft-I, 8. 

Attempt to commit theft-II.

Diana Antonova was lodged in the Washington County Jail on the following charges:  1.  Unauthorized use of a motor vehicle x3, 2. Identity theft x2, 3. Fraudulent use of a credit card x2, 4. Theft-II, 5. Theft-I, 6. Attempt to commit theft-II.

Cory Chase was lodged in the Washington County Jail on the following charges:  1. Unauthorized use of a motor vehicle x3, 2. Identity theft x2, 3. Fraudulent use of a credit card x2, 4. Theft-II x2, 5. Theft-I.

At this time, this is still an ongoing investigation with potentially more victims.  If you have information on this case or are a victim related to this case, please contact the Hillsboro Police Department at 503-681-6190 and reference HPD case #21-20962.  Connected cases are Beaverton Police Department case #50-213401033 and Cornelius Police Department case #21-100046.

Please be advised that the Bulletin does not include all calls for service to which officers respond.  Many calls do not require that a report be written; such as:

•Traffic Stops

•Advising/Referring a Person to the Proper Agency to handle their request

•Restoring the Peace

•Premise Checks

•Welfare Checks

•Flagged Down by Citizen

SALEM, Ore. – The State Land Board will meet virtually on Tuesday, Dec. 14.

Agenda items the Board will consider include:

• Adoption of the Department of State Lands 2022-2026 Strategic Plan. The plan establishes the Department’s mission, vision, and values and provides a practical framework for continually improving service, setting measurable goals that all programs contribute to achieving. Read the draft plan.
   
• Appointment of Dr. Christine Moffitt to the Oregon Ocean Science Trust. Dr. Moffitt, a retired marine and fisheries biologist from Coos Bay, has extensive experience in research, education, and outreach on aquatic and marine science. Dr. Moffitt has been nominated to fill a mid-term vacancy. The appointment would be effective immediately and expire on Dec. 31, 2022.

The full meeting agenda and materials are available on the DSL website. The meeting will be livestreamed to the DSL YouTube channel.

The public may submit written testimony or sign up to provide spoken testimony during the meeting. The deadline to sign up to testify is 10 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 13. Testimony information is available here.

If you need assistance to participate in this meeting due to a disability, please contact Arin Smith at 503-986-5224 or arin.n.smith@dsl.oregon.gov at least two working days prior to the meeting.

About the State Land Board and the Department of State Lands: The State Land Board consists of Governor Kate Brown, Secretary of State Shemia Fagan and State Treasurer Tobias Read. Established by the Oregon Constitution in 1859, the Land Board oversees the state’s Common School Fund. The Department of State Lands is the Land Board’s administrative agency, managing the lands and resources that help fund Oregon’s public schools and protecting the state’s waterways and wetlands for the many benefits they provide.

December 7, 2021

Media contact: Jonathan Modie, 971-246-9139

PHD.Communications@state.or.us

Conference of Local Health Officials meets Dec. 16 via Zoom

What: The Conference of Local Health Officials (CLHO) is holding its monthly public meeting.

Agenda: HIV and sexually transmitted infections funding; OHA and local public health authorities common equity work. Agenda is subject to change and is posted with meeting materials on the CLHO website at http://www.oregonclho.org/ prior to meeting.

There is no public comment period during this meeting.

When: Thursday, Dec. 16, 9:30-11 a.m.

Where: Via Zoom meeting.  Members of the public seeking to attend must register for the meeting at  

https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIscO2orjosHBpyhZBk_uqQhBEu4yIU5j0

Background: The Conference of Local Health Officials provides recommendations to Oregon Health Authority on the foundational capabilities and programs and any other public health program or activity under ORS 431.147. (ORS 431.340)

Program contact: Danna Drum, 503-957-8869,  um@state.or.us">danna.k.drum@state.or.us

# # #

Everyone has a right to know about and use Oregon Health Authority (OHA) programs and services. OHA provides free help. Some examples of the free help OHA can provide are:

• Sign language and spoken language interpreters
• Written materials in other languages
• Braille
• Large print
• Audio and other formats

If you need help or have questions, please contact Sara Beaudrault at 971-645-5766 711 TTY or um@dhsoha.state.or.us">danna.k.drum@dhsoha.state.or.us at least 48 hours before the meeting.

December 7, 2021

Contact: Jonathan Modie, 971-246-9139, PHD.Communications@dhsoha.state.or.us

Public Health Advisory Board meets Dec. 16

What: The Public Health Advisory Board will hold a meeting.

Agenda: Approve October meeting minutes; Oregon Health Policy Board and committee membership workgroup discussion; identify process for public health modernization evaluation development and 2023-25 planning; public health survey modernization discussion.

When: Thursday, Dec. 16, 2-5 p.m. The meeting is open to the public. A public comment period will be held at the end of the meeting.

Where: Zoom conference call:

(669) 254-5252, participant code 1609889971#.

Background: Oregon’s Public Health Advisory Board provides guidance for Oregon’s governmental public health system and oversees the implementation of public health modernization and Oregon’s State Health Improvement Plan.

# # #

Everyone has a right to know about and use Oregon Health Authority (OHA) programs and services. OHA provides free help. Some examples of the free help OHA can provide are:

• Sign language and spoken language interpreters.
• Written materials in other languages.
• Braille.
• Large print.
• Audio and other formats.

If you need help or have questions, please contact Cara Biddlecom: at 971-673-2284, 711 TTY, or a.m.biddlecom@state.or.us">cara.m.biddlecom@state.or.us, at least 48 hours before the meeting.

Portland, Or --  The 2021 Aaron Meyer Christmas Special, Rock The Holidays, will highlight the journey of a Concert Rock Violinist as it showcases the myriad talents of local Northwest performers.

The high-energy one-hour holiday celebration is scheduled to air three times over the Christmas holiday week on the FOX 12 Oregon stations and the FOX12 app.  It offers an uplifting Christmas show with something for all music lovers, of all ages. 

Through a combination of musical performances and narration, Meyer shares his story from his start as a young, classically trained musician, through his evolution into a concert rock violinist. 

“Our goal this year,” said Meyer, “is to weave together a sense of holiday tradition with my own journey of music and faith.”  

Whether it’s a reimagined rock violin rendition of Sugar Plum Fairy from The Nutcracker, featuring a stunning pas-de-deux by dancers from Oregon Ballet Theater, or a cover of Aerosmith’s Dream On, accompanied by a string quartet of some of Portland’s premiere’s musicians, Meyer, and his 5-piece band take the traditional holiday show to extraordinary heights.  

Making their annual appearance on the Aaron Meyer program will be the Brown Sisters, three of Portland’s most angelic voices, sharing their harmonies in true holiday form.

Special guest appearances include 12 advanced string players from the Metropolitan Youth Symphony debuting string arrangements from Meyer’s Concert Rock version of The Nutcracker, Meyer’s latest album release.  The show also offers a heartwarming performance by a student band featuring some of Aaron’s violin students. 

The show, presented by Weston Kia and Lewis Audio Video, will be broadcast on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New  Year’s Day on KPTV FOX 12 Oregon stations, and on the FOX 12 App. 

Rock the Holidays, the Aaron Meyer Christmas Special

Dec 24, 25, and Jan 1
On FOX 12 Oregon and FOX 12+
On the FOX 12 app
Check local listings for times

More info at www.aaronmeyer.com

Aaron Meyer, Concert Rock Violinist 

One of the nation’s top rock violinists, Aaron Meyer, and his band have been mesmerizing audiences for more than two decades, injecting new life and excitement to familiar classical pieces and rock-n-roll favorites. From Mozart and Vivaldi to Queen and Led Zeppelin, Meyer’s unique arrangements and passionate stage presence have been exciting and engaging fans of all ages across the world, reflecting his mission to spread joy through the power of music. 

Classically trained from age 5, young Meyer earned a solo opportunity with the Philadelphia Orchestra at age 11. He moved from the east coast to Oregon in the 1990s, joining the nationally renowned band Pink Martini in 1996. In 2000, he formed his own band and began his career as a concert rock violinist, performing around the region and across the world.
 

Aaron Meyer’s mission is to spread joy through the power of music. 

Aaron Meyer, Concert Rock Violinist

WEBSITE: www.aaronmeyer.com

Aaron Meyer School of Music: https://www.aaronmeyer.com/music-education

You are invited to attend VA Portland Health Care System’s Job Fair.
- 15 LPN positions
- 20 Medical Support Positions

Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Last applicants will be received no later than 1 p.m.

Interviews will be conducted onsite for the following positions for these departments at the Portland VA Medical Center or Vancouver VA campus; Inpatient & Emergency Medicine, Rehab & Long Term Care, Operative Care,  Hospital & Specialty Medicine

Practical Nurses; 
• Benefits beginning first day of employment.
• Salary $45,133.00 to $70,039.00 per year (based on experience).
• Scholarship opportunities.
• Annual salary increases.
• Opportunities to expand into various fields.

Medical Support Assistants;
• Benefits beginning first day of employment
• Salary $29,965.00 to $54,536.00 per year (based on experience)
• Scholarship opportunities
• Annual salary increases
• Opportunities to expand into various fields

Location of the event is at the Portland VA Medical Center, 3710 SW U.S. Veterans Hospital Rd., Portland, OR 97239

Check in @ Auditorium, Bldg 101, 2nd floor

Bring your resume & the following ID and forms if applicable. 
- 2 forms of Gov't issued ID or valid U.S. passport
- Veterans: bring DD-214
- Current or Former Federal employees: SF-50

Please share on Facebook.

Fort Vancouver National Historic Site received an Open OutDoors for Kids grant from the National Park Foundation (NPF). This grant will enable the National Park Service to offer diverse learning opportunities at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, including both virtual and on-site field trip programs. For the first time, Fort Vancouver National Historic Site is expanding traditional field trip opportunities to include virtual field trip programming options. Virtual and on-site education programs at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site correlate with state educational standards and meet the needs of the populous metropolitan community surrounding the park. On-site and virtual field trip programs for Spring 2022 are offered Tuesday, March 1 through Friday, June 3, 2022.

"Field trips to Fort Vancouver are a highlight of elementary education for thousands of local students every year,” said Fort Vancouver National Historic Site Superintendent Tracy Fortmann. “Educational opportunities create memories for students which last a lifetime. As a unit of the National Park Service, educational programs at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site provide students with an understanding of the national and international significance of our community's history. This grant will allow Fort Vancouver National Historic Site to reach more students by expanding educational programming, both in-person and virtually."

Educational opportunities at Fort Vancouver are woven into school curriculum and help children process how local history, including difficult topics like colonialism and trade, affects our community today. Educational programs at Fort Vancouver encourage deeper personal connections with history, creating unique memories that shape the way local children view our community and heritage. The National Park Service preserves nationally significant places for the inspiration, education, and enjoyment of this and future generations. Expanding on-site and virtual educational programming allows students better access to meaningful experiences in the national park. 

Students from our local community and across the country will benefit from the array of on-site and virtual programming offered at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. On-site field trips currently serve over 20,000 students at the park each year. The Open OutDoors for Kids Grant allows Fort Vancouver National Historic Site to provide transportation reimbursement to Title 1 schools visiting the park. The funding also supports expanding outreach to Title 1 schools beyond Clark County, Washington into the Portland, Oregon metro area. Virtual programming also amplifies the reach of field trip programs to regional and national audiences, as there are no geographical limitations to virtual programming. Reservations for Spring 2022 on-site and virtual educational programs are open now. To learn more about field trips at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site and reserve your spot, visit our Field Trip webpage.

Since 2011, NPF has engaged more than one million students in educational programs connecting them with national parks across the country. NPF’s goal is to connect another one million students to parks over the next four years. 

“National parks are America’s largest classrooms,” said National Park Foundation President and CEO Will Shafroth. “With parks, learning is fun, memorable, and hands-on. Parks open kids’ eyes to the wonder and complexities of nature and history, and the National Park Foundation is committed to connecting as many kids as possible to parks through our Open OutDoors for Kids program.” 

The NPF Open OutDoors for Kids program is made possible by private philanthropy, including support from Youth Engagement and Education premier partner Union Pacific Railroad, and supporting partner GoGo squeeZ. Additional support is provided by Apple, Sierra, Columbia Sportswear, Parks Project, The Batchelor Foundation, Inc., Humana, and many individual donors.

Learn more about NPF’s efforts to engage students with national parks as classrooms.

ABOUT FORT VANCOUVER NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

Located on the north bank of the Columbia River, in sight of snowy mountain peaks and a vibrant urban landscape, this park has a rich cultural past. From a center for Indigenous trade, to a frontier fur trading post, to a powerful military legacy, the magic of flight, and the origin of the American Pacific Northwest, history is shared at four unique sites. Discover stories of transition, settlement, conflict, and community. Learn more about Fort Vancouver National Historic Site on our website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION 

The National Park Foundation works to protect wildlife and park lands, preserve history and culture, educate and engage youth, and connect people everywhere to the wonder of parks. We do it in collaboration with the National Park Service, the park partner community, and with the generous support of donors, without whom our work would not be possible. Learn more at www.nationalparks.org. 

This news release is an updated version to include case and death information.

December 6, 2021

Contact: OHA External Relations, covid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us">orcovid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us

Oregon reports 2,041 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 25 new deaths

PORTLAND, Ore. — There are 25 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 5,268, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported at 12:01 a.m. today.

OHA reported 2,041 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 396,501.

The 25 new deaths and 2,041 new cases reported today include data recorded by counties for the three-day period between Dec. 3 and Dec. 5.

The Dec. 2 case counts for Lane County were erroneously high due to a reporting error. This error has been corrected, and the case count for Lane County for Dec. 2 has been revised to 95 cases.

COVID-19 hospitalizations

The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 418, which is 23 more than yesterday. There are 115 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is 12 more than yesterday.

There are 59 available adult ICU beds out of 667 total (9% availability) and 349 available adult non-ICU beds out of 4,113 (8% availability).

The total number of patients in hospital beds may fluctuate between report times. The numbers do not reflect admissions per day, nor the length of hospital stay. Staffing limitations are not captured in this data and may further limit bed capacity.

Note: Please do not visit an emergency department for COVID-19 testing, unless you require emergency care for your symptoms.

Emergency departments in Oregon are under significant strain. You can find a test here. If you have a medical condition that doesn’t require emergency care, contact your provider. An urgent care center may also help you get the care you need and will save emergency departments from added strain.

More information about hospital capacity can be found here.

Vaccinations in Oregon

Today, OHA reported that 13,247 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry on Dec. 5. Of that total, 851 were initial doses, 2,170 were second doses and 3,898 were third doses and booster doses. The remaining 6,294 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on Dec. 5.

The seven-day running average is now 17,275 doses per day.

Oregon has now administered 3,666,268 doses of Pfizer Comirnaty, 99,557 doses of Pfizer pediatric, 2,308,889 doses of Moderna and 246,119 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines.

As of today, 2,968,560 people have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 2,691,521 people have completed a COVID-19 vaccine series.

These data are preliminary and subject to change.

Updated vaccination data are provided on Oregon’s COVID-19 data dashboards and have been updated today.

Cases and deaths

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (7), Benton (69), Clackamas (214), Clatsop (18), Columbia (32), Coos (41), Crook (9), Curry (3), Deschutes (190), Douglas (84), Harney (4), Hood River (8), Jackson (111), Jefferson (17), Josephine (77), Klamath (11), Lake (7), Lane (132), Lincoln (20), Linn (115), Malheur (3), Marion (127), Morrow (6), Multnomah (351), Polk (22), Tillamook (18), Umatilla (11), Union (7), Wasco (11), Washington (276), Wheeler (2) and Yamhill (38).

Oregon reports 1,041 confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases on Dec. 3, 596 confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases on Dec. 4 and 404 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases on Dec. 5.

Due to delayed reporting, a large volume of approximately 7,000 backlogged electronic laboratory reports (ELRs) were received on Dec. 3. Results were from Nov. 1 through Nov. 30. As a result, test counts and case counts are higher than anticipated for Dec. 3.

Oregon’s 5,244th COVID-19 related death is an 80-year-old man from Lane County who died Oct. 14 at his residence. The death certificate listed COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,245th COVID-19 related death is an 88-year-old man from Lane County who tested positive Oct. 23 and died Oct. 28 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,246th COVID-19 related death is a 94-year-old woman from Multnomah County who tested positive Aug. 23 and died Oct. 9 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,247th COVID-19 related death is an 82-year-old man from Clackamas County who tested positive Oct. 19 and died Oct. 28 at Salem Hospital. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,248th COVID-19 related death is a 66-year-old man from Benton County who tested positive July 19 and died Oct. 25 at his residence. The death certificate listed COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,249th COVID-19 related death is a 69-year-old man from Yamhill County who tested positive Oct. 14 and died Oct. 22 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,250th COVID-19 related death is a 65-year-old woman from Multnomah County who tested positive Oct. 16 and died Nov. 4 at Providence Portland Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,251st COVID-19 related death is an 89-year-old man from Deschutes County who tested positive Oct. 18 and died Nov. 4 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,252nd COVID-19 related death is a 71-year-old woman from Deschutes County who tested positive Oct. 15 and died Nov. 3 at her residence. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 5,253rd COVID-19 related death is a 93-year-old man from Douglas County who tested positive Sept. 28 and died Oct. 29 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,254th COVID-19 related death is a 90-year-old woman from Marion County who tested positive Sept. 30 and died Nov. 1 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,255th COVID-19 related death is a 62-year-old man from Klamath County who tested positive Oct. 7 and died Oct. 30 at Sky Lakes Medical Center. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 5,256th COVID-19 related death is a 94-year-old woman from Lake County who tested positive Oct. 29 and died Nov. 5 at her residence. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 5,257th COVID-19 related death is a 76-year-old man from Linn County who tested positive Sept. 7 and died Nov. 7 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,258th COVID-19 related death is a 67-year-old man from Multnomah County who tested positive Oct. 9 and died Oct. 25 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,259th COVID-19 related death is an 87-year-old woman from Deschutes County who tested positive Oct. 18 and died Nov. 1 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,260th COVID-19 related death is an 84-year-old man from Klamath County who tested positive Nov. 22 and died Dec. 3 at Sky Lakes Medical Center. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 5,261st COVID-19 related death is an 80-year-old woman from Josephine County who tested positive Nov. 29 and died Dec. 2 at Providence Medford Medical Center. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 5,262nd COVID-19 related death is an 81-year-old man from Douglas County who tested positive Dec. 1 and died Dec. 2 at Mercy Medical Center. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 5,263rd COVID-19 related death is a 54-year-old man from Crook County who tested positive Nov. 14 and died Dec. 3 at St. Charles Bend. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,264th COVID-19 related death is a 58-year-old man from Benton County who tested positive Nov. 22 and died Nov. 22 at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 5,265th COVID-19 related death is a 53-year-old woman from Yamhill County who tested positive Nov. 23 and died Nov. 24 at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,266th COVID-19 related death is a 69-year-old man from Washington County who tested positive Oct. 31 and died Nov. 27. Location of death and presence of underlying conditions are being confirmed.

Oregon’s 5,267th COVID-19 related death is a 71-year-old man from Polk County who tested positive Nov. 8 and died Dec. 2 at Salem Hospital. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 5,268th COVID-19 related death is a 93-year-old woman from Josephine County who tested positive Nov. 24 and died Nov. 26 at Sky Lakes Medical Center. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Updated information is known about Oregon’s 5,232nd COVID-19 related death, a 72-year-old woman from Josephine County who tested positive Sept. 4 and died Oct. 25. She was originally reported as tested positive Sept. 2.

Note: Oregon’s 5,243rd COVID-19 related death is an 85-year-old woman from Linn County who tested positive Oct. 8 and died Oct. 21 at Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital. She had underlying conditions.

Learn more about COVID-19 vaccinations  

To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine situation in Oregon, visit our web page (English or Spanish), which has a breakdown of distribution and other information.

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Donation supports United Way programs focused on education, health and financial stability for kids and vulnerable families in the region.              

PORTLAND, Ore., December 7, 2021—OnPoint Community Credit Union today announced a donation of more than $71,000 to four United Way organizations serving communities across Oregon and Southwest Washington, including United Way of the Columbia-Willamette, United Way of Central Oregon, United Way of Linn, Benton & Lincoln Counties and United Way of the Mid-Willamette Valley. This donation marks the 15^th year of OnPoint’s employee-led fundraising campaign, which benefits United Way in communities the credit union also serves. The contribution was made as OnPoint reports a record $2.2 million in donations to area non-profits in 2021.

“Too many children and families across our region lack access to basic resources that support their health, education and financial wellness,” said Rob Stuart, OnPoint’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “I’m inspired by our employees’ ongoing commitment to help our friends and neighbors who need it most, and grateful to United Way for its partnership as we work together to address the most critical needs of our communities.”

Each year, OnPoint’s United Way campaign invites its more than 1,000 employees to make voluntary individual contributions to United Way through fundraisers like virtual bingo, candy grams and a Ducks versus Beavers competition. On top of the $61,141 in employee donations, an additional corporate contribution of $10,000 was made, bringing the total to $71,141. OnPoint’s donation will help fund United Way’s education, health, and financial stability programs that provide kids and families with the basic building blocks for a good quality of life. They include: 

• United Way of the Columbia-Willamette’s Early Learning Multnomah (ELM) and Early Learning Washington County (ELWC) initiatives, which work to ensure that children ages 0-6 get the support they need to thrive in kindergarten and beyond.
• United Way of Linn, Benton & Lincoln Counties’ Thinker Tinker Trailer, which increases student proficiencies in digital literacy, interpersonal skills and business acumen, offering mobile, hands-on learning to youth from families or districts that lack the resources to offer such opportunities.
• United Way of Central Oregon’s KIDS Center, which provides no-cost evaluations, family support and therapy to victims of child abuse.
• United Way of the Mid-Willamette Valley’s Safe Sleep United, an overnight women’s shelter that provides a safe, warm, secure place for women to sleep, eat and have access to wrap around support that increases their chances of rebuilding their lives.

“Our ability to make a sustainable impact relies upon the generosity of our donors,” said Cindy Adams, United Way of the Columbia-Willamette’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “We are immensely appreciative of OnPoint’s continued employee support which provides essential funding for the outcome-based programs and collaborative projects that create a lasting change in our community.”

In addition to the $71,141 gift to the four United Ways, OnPoint announced in November 2021 donations of more than $2.2 million to over 277 non-profits in Oregon and Southwest Washington, with more than $500,000 pledged to organizations focused on diversity, equity and inclusion. Learn more about OnPoint’s work to address the most critical needs of the communities it serves.

ABOUT ONPOINT COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION

OnPoint Community Credit Union is the largest credit union in Oregon, serving 458,000 members and with assets of $9 billion. Founded in 1932, OnPoint Community Credit Union’s membership is available to anyone who lives or works in one of 28 Oregon counties (Benton, Clackamas, Clatsop, Columbia, Coos, Crook, Curry, Deschutes, Douglas, Gilliam, Hood River, Jackson, Jefferson, Josephine, Klamath, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Morrow, Multnomah, Polk, Sherman, Tillamook, Wasco, Washington, Wheeler and Yamhill) and two Washington counties (Skamania and Clark) and their immediate family members. More information is available at www.onpointcu.com or 503-228-7077 or 800-527-3932.

ABOUT UNITED WAY

United Way fights for the health, education, and financial stability of every person in every community. With global reach and local impact, we’re making life better for 48 million people annually. United Way is the world’s largest privately funded nonprofit, working in 95% of U.S. communities and 40 countries and territories. That’s why we’re the mission of choice for 2.5 million volunteers, 7.7 million donors and 45,000 corporate partners. In the wake of COVID-19, we’re helping people stay in their homes, stock their pantries, and protect their lives and livelihoods. And we’re working to build resilient, equitable communities. Learn more at UnitedWay.org. Follow us: @United Way and #LiveUnited.

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Welcome to the Oregon FBI’s Tech Tuesday segment. Today: Building a digital defense by helping Santa out this shopping season.

First – let’s start with the dream job for all wanna-be-Santa’s. Earning a little extra cash as a secret shopper. There are legitimate companies that hire legitimate secret shoppers to go around, buy things, and report back on their experience. 

Here are the basics: you should search out the mystery shopper opportunity. Do not respond to an unsolicited email, text message, or social media post offering to set you up with such a gig. Also, the company should be paying you – you should never pay for help finding such a job, nor should there be an “application fee.” You can find out more about how to do this safely through industry’s Mystery Shopping Professionals Association.

Next up – a popular gift option that comes in every shape and size: the gift card. They are easy, and they help lighten the load in Santa’s sleigh. 

Of course, those on the naughty list know that, too, and they are ready to cash that card out before you even get it. 

Let’s say you are either trying to sell a gift card you don’t want or buy one at a discount. You exchange numbers and payment. If you are buying the gift card, you may find out that the fraudster drained it as the transaction processed, leaving you with a zero balance. On the flip side, if he is buying a card from you – he gets the number and PIN and then stops payment on the cash coming your way. Here are some other tips to stay safe:

• If buying from a secondary gift card market website, check reviews and only buy from or sell to reputable dealers.
• When purchasing gift cards online, be leery of auction sites selling gift cards at a discount or in bulk.
• When buying in-store, don’t pick cards right off the rack. Look for ones that are sealed in packaging or stored securely behind the counter. Also check the scratch-off area on the back to look for any evidence of tampering.
• If possible, only buy cards online directly from the store or restaurant.
• Check the gift card balance before and after purchasing the card to verify it has the correct balance.

And, a final jingle jangle to make sure you are talking with St. Nick in the safest way possible. Many organizations help Santa communicate with wee ones as a fundraiser or goodwill operation. But, of course, there are those with coal in their hearts who are just in it for the cash. Parents can always work directly with Santa to make sure the little tykes get a letter from the jolly guy. Our friends at the U.S. Postal Service have all of the info on how to do that on their website here.

If you are the victim of an online scam, you should report the incident to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov or call your FBI local office.  

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Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency Media Contacts:

Asley Hamilton, Program Director, The ARCHES Project, MWVCAA

ashley.hamilton@mwvcaa.org | (503) 399-9080

Jimmy Jones, Executive Director, Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency (MWVCAA) jimmy.jones@mwvcaa.org | (503) 399-9080

Oregon Community Foundation Media Contact: 

Maureen Kenney, Public Relations Manager, Oregon Community Foundation (OCF)

mkenney@oregoncf.org

Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency Welcomes Fire Survivors

The ARCHES Inn Hosts Grand Opening TODAY, Tuesday, December 7, 2021

MEDIA ADVISORY

Salem, Ore. – December 7, 2021 – Mid-Willamette Community Action Agency is poised to welcome fire survivors back to the community following the official opening of The Arches Inn (Project Turnkey-Mid-Willamette Valley) today, Tuesday, December 7, 2021.

“Project Turnkey is a deeply collaborative initiative that leveraged the strengths of government, nonprofit and philanthropy partners to take bold action and quickly increase Oregon’s shelter capacity by 20%,” said Max Williams, CEO, Oregon Community Foundation. “We are grateful to nonprofit partners like Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency who work so hard to support the most vulnerable members of our communities. This is a great day for Willamette Valley.”

[Max Williams and Megan Loeb from Oregon Community Foundation will be on site for this event and are available for interviews.]

WHO: MWVCAA and OCF representatives, invited guests, public officials ¾ including Oregon State Governor Kate Brown, Oregon State Senator Deb Patterson and Salem Mayor Chuck Bennett, and local media

WHAT: Grand Opening Ceremony for The Arches Inn (Project Turnkey-Mid-Willamette Valley)

WHEN: Tuesday, December 7, 2021, 12:00-Noon

WHERE: 1288 Hawthorne Ave. NE, Salem, OR 97301

“We are really excited about expanding our ability to serve our broader community with much needed transitional housing, including services for medically fragile unsheltered individuals,” said Jimmy Jones, Executive Director, Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency (MWVCAA). 

About The ARCHES INN operated by MWVCAA (Project Turnkey-Mid-Willamette Valley)

The ARCHES Inn supports fire survivors from the Santiam Canyon. The shelter – operated by The ARCHES Project, a division of MWVCAA – provides connections to many supportive services throughout the broader community. 

“Our world changed after the wildfires struck Santiam Canyon. We experienced the loss of housing and community as well as a sense of belonging and security,” said Ashley Hamilton, Program Director, the ARCHES, a project of MWVCAA. “We can now offer a safe place for people, access services for daily living and achieve long term housing and stability.” 

The ARCHES Inn operated by MWVCAA (Project Turnkey-Mid-Willamette Valley) offers:

• Safe accommodation and support for fire survivors from the Santiam Canyon
• The ability for the facility into transform to an emergency shelter for medically fragile unsheltered individuals, post-wildfire recovery.
• Provision of essentials such as food boxes, clothing, showers, hygiene items, etc.
• Help to move fire survivors from crisis to stability.
• Inclusive, supportive services including:
  • On-site case management
  • Health care, including mental health services
  • Resource navigation
  • Linkages to permanent housing solutions.

“Our world changed after the wildfires struck Santiam Canyon. We experienced the loss of housing and community as well as a sense of belonging and security,” said Ashley Hamilton, Program Director, the ARCHES, a project of MWVCAA. “The ARCHES Inn now offers a safe place for people, access services for daily living and achieve long term housing and stability.” 

Oregon Community Foundation’s administration of Project Turnkey is one example of an innovative, collaborative approach to help more Oregonians find stable, affordable housing.

About Project Turnkey 

The Oregon Legislature allocated a total of $65 million for Project Turnkey for the purpose of acquiring motels/hotels for use as non-congregate shelter for people experiencing homelessness or at-risk of homelessness. Two discrete funds were provided by the state: one totaling $30 million to be awarded in counties and tribal communities impacted by the 2020 wildfires; and one totaling $35 million for the remaining 28 counties in the state. Oregon Community Foundation administered both funds through an application and selection process, with guidance from an Advisory Committee of state, local, and community stakeholders. 

Number Graphic: https://oregoncf.org/assets/Press-Resources/Project-Turnkey-graphic-7-21.png

Map Graphic: https://oregoncf.org/assets/Press-Resources/Project-Turnkey-Map-7-7-21.png

Project Turnkey References

• Oregon’s Project Turnkey: Bold Action and Collaboration » Oregon Community Foundation (oregoncf.org)
• Oregon’s Project Turnkey Report to the Oregon State Legislature » Oregon Community Foundation (oregoncf.org)
• Report to the Oregon Legislature: https://oregoncf.org/assets/PDFs-and-Docs/PDFs/project-turnkey-report.pdf
• Final News Release: https://oregoncf.org/assets/PDFs-and-Docs/PDFs/News-Releases/Project-Turnkey_Final-Wrap-Up-News-Release_07-08-2021.pdf

About Oregon Community Foundation

Oregon Community Foundation puts donated money to work in Oregon – more than $100 million in grants and scholarships annually. Since 1973, OCF grantmaking, research, advocacy and community-advised solutions have helped individuals, families, businesses, and organizations create charitable funds to improve lives for all Oregonians. Impactful giving–time, talent, and resources from many generous Oregonians–creates measurable change. Throughout 2020, OCF responded quickly and urgently - distributing a record-setting $220 million in charitable dollars to more than 3,000 nonprofits throughout Oregon working to address urgent needs, stabilize communities and prepare for long-term recovery in Oregon. OCF donors responded to the magnitude of need, as reflected in a 44% increase in donor advised fund grantmaking from the previous year. For more information, please visit: oregoncf.org.

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The Miracle Match program from CO-OP Financial Services provides additional dollars for successful fundraising campaigns.

Portland, Ore., December 7, 2021 – Unitus Community Credit Union, First Tech Federal Credit Union, and iQ Credit Union are among the Pacific Northwest credit unions to receive a $10,000 Miracle Match from CO-OP Financial Services. Through the Miracle Match program, CO-OP Financial Services generously matches up to 100% of money raised through the annual Credit Union 4 Kids (CU4Kids) fundraiser, up to $10,000. The match is open to all credit unions, chapters, and leagues raising funds for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

Including the CO-OP Match, Unitus Community Credit Union, First Tech Federal Credit Union, and iQ Credit Union provided $730,000 to OHSU’s Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, the first full-service children's hospital in the Pacific Northwest with full-spectrum pediatric care. The 2021 CU4Kids Fundraising Campaign, held throughout September at participating credit unions and on KATU-TV, solicited donations from community and credit union members alike. At the campaign’s end, Pacific Northwest credit unions raised more than $320,000 through CU4Kids.

“We’re proud of our incredibly collaborative industry coming together every year to fundraise for Doernbecher. They’re the lifeline for our local kids that desperately need specialized care and we are so fortunate Doernbecher is close and ready when we need them,” said Eric Petracca, President and CEO of iQ Credit Union.

“Thankful doesn’t begin to express our gratitude for all of the credit unions that come together each year to raise funds for the life-saving work being done by Doernbecher,” said Steven Stapp, President and CEO of Unitus Community Credit Union. “We’re especially thankful for the Doernbecher hospital staff who work day in and day out to ensure struggling and seriously ill children are safe, comfortable, and receiving the best care the Pacific Northwest can offer.”

Understanding that every child has unique needs, OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital offers the region’s greatest number of children’s specialists working together in one location and broadest range of pediatric treatments to more children in more places than any other hospital in Oregon or Southwest Washington. Unitus Community Credit Union, First Tech Credit Union, and iQ Credit Union are honored to uplift this vision with the helping hands of their fellow Pacific Northwest credit union partners. 

About Unitus Community Credit Union

At Unitus, we’re dedicated to improving lives in the communities we serve. As a member-owned local credit union, we invest in people by doing the right thing. Through partnerships with nonprofit organizations, we provide support for community groups through volunteerism and financial donations. Our 102,000 members count on us to serve them and their communities; our nearly 300 employees share that passion for service. Learn about the local impact Unitus makes by visiting unitusccu.com.

About First Tech Federal Credit Union

First Tech Federal Credit Union is a $14+ billion institution headquartered in San Jose, California. It is the nation’s premier credit union serving the world’s leading technology-oriented companies and their employees, including HP Inc., Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Microsoft, Agilent, Intel, Cisco, Amazon, Nike, Intuit, Google, and more. First Tech is recognized as the industry catalyst for delivering effortless banking experiences to more than 620,000 members through its 41 branch locations, more than 5,600 CO-OP Shared Branch locations, 30,000 CO-OP Network ATMs, and online platforms. First Tech offers a full range of financial services, including traditional banking, online banking, mortgages, financial planning, various consumer loans, and insurance services. Federally insured by NCUA. Equal Housing Lender. For more information, visit www.firsttechfed.com.

About iQ Credit Union

iQ Credit Union is a full-service financial institution serving the Pacific Northwest since 1940. With more than 90,000 members in Washington and Oregon, the credit union is known for its deep commitment to financial education and community engagement — and for its signature red and black buffalo plaid colors. iQ helps WAnderers and explORers reach their financial goals by offering honest and friendly advice at any of its 16 branches. More information is available at iQCU.com.

On Monday, December 6th, 2021, at approximately 12:00 PM, Oregon State Police received information from the Federal Bureau of Investigation regarding a wanted subject, Murray Maurice Edwards, who was traveling south on Interstate 5 near Wolf Creek. Information provided indicated the subject had an active warrant from Pierce County, Washington for homicide and was traveling in a 1999 GMC Suburban with California plates. 

Oregon State Police located a vehicle matching the description at the southbound Manzanita Rest Area. With the assistance of the Josephine County Sheriff's Office, Troopers and Deputies attempted contact with the vehicle at the rest area but when approached the suspect fled south on Interstate 5 at a high rate of speed. A Trooper attempted to deploy spike strips to disable the vehicle, but the suspect saw the spike strips thrown and swerved aggressively to avoid them. The speed and evasive maneuver caused him to lose control of the vehicle and crash into the concrete center divider. Edwards was taken into custody without further incident.

Edwards was evaluated at the scene by AMR and then transported to Three Rivers Community Hospital. Following evaluation, he was interviewed by FBI agents and later lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the outstanding warrant. Local charges will be forwarded to the Josephine County District Attorney for consideration.

For Immediate Release

Local civil rights leader appointed to state criminal justice commission

Clark County resident Nickeia Hunter, chair of the Vancouver NAACP Legal Redress Committee, has been appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee to the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission. 

The 16-member commission, created in 1974 and comprising civilian members, tribal representatives, elected officials, and law enforcement professionals, helps set standards for and provide training to criminal justice professionals and oversees certification and decertification of peace officers. 

“This appointment is a tremendous responsibility that I’m honored to take on,” said Hunter, who’s also a skilled professional carpenter and a recent recipient of a coveted Washington State Labor Council internship. “It aligns with key values that deeply matter, including fairness, accountability, and transparency in government.”

Hunter, whose six-year term began this fall, will represent the  commission’s Southwest Region as a community member  from a historically underrepresented community. Her tenure reflects a growing roster of justice-focused volunteerism on her plate.  

As a member of the Washington Coalition for Police Accountability, Hunter successfully helped advocate for the passage of several police reform laws including SB5051/HB1032, which expanded the role of the CJTC. 

The WCPA, organized around families who have lost loved ones to police violence, works to create legislative policies to help end such violence. Hunter’s own loved one, brother Carlos Hunter, was killed by Clark County law enforcement in 2019. 

"The community must be involved in making policy that affects their lives," said Hunter. "It’s especially critical that families directly impacted by police violence have a significant place at the table in addressing prevention, equity, training, and police accountability."

# # #

Salem, Ore. — Salem’s City Manager, Steve Powers, announced plans to retire effective February 28, 2022.  Mr. Powers joined the City of Salem six years ago, in November 2015.  He and his wife will re-join their growing family in Michigan.

"I can’t thank City Manager Steve Powers enough for his outstanding work on behalf of the City over the past six years,” said Salem Mayor Chuck Bennett. “His highly professional leadership during this period of COVID, homelessness, population and economic growth, a new Police Station, seismically upgraded library and historic improvement to the protection of our water supply. His retirement is well earned. I look forward now to continuing the City’s work in cooperation with Acting City Manager Kristin Retherford and our outstanding leadership staff."

Mr. Powers and his wife relocated to Salem from Michigan where he held the role of City Administrator in Ann Arbor.  He holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration and Political Science from Augustana College and a master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Kansas. He came to the City of Salem with more than 25 years of government leadership experience, which included financial management, economic improvement and expansion, and creation of community partnerships. 

“Working with Salem mayors and city councilors, department directors, staff, and the community is a highlight of my career,” Mr. Powers said.  “Salem’s use of the council/manager form of government is an effective partnership of policy and administration. We have made progress on community priorities established by city council that are essential to maintaining and improving the quality of life for all in Salem.  I’m honored and humbled to have had the opportunity to contribute over the past six years.”

In Salem, the City Manager is appointed by the City Council, serves as the chief executive officer of the city, and implements policies made by the City Council.  The City Manager is also Executive Director of both the Urban Renewal Agency and the Salem Housing Authority.  The City Manager is responsible for: 

• Implementing City Council direction and informing City Council of operational needs and priority matters, 
• Preparing annual budgets for the City of Salem and the Urban Renewal Agency
• Promoting community and intergovernmental partnerships to solve community challenges
• Administering city departments and facilitating community engagement and outreach

A nationwide recruitment for Mr. Power’s successor, facilitated by a third-party contractor, will begin shortly.  Should the recruitment for Salem’s next City Manager extend beyond March 2022, Kristin Retherford will step into the role on an interim basis.  She has been Salem’s Urban Development Director since December 2015. Prior to Salem, she was the Economic Development Manager for the City of Wilsonville for 12 years.  She has a master’s of business administration degree in sustainable development, is a past president of the Oregon Economic Development Association and the Association of Oregon Redevelopment Agencies, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the State of Oregon Infrastructure Finance Authority.

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Vancouver, Wash. –On December 8, 2021, the Vancouver Police Department is inviting members of the media to learn more about the testing and evaluation pilot launch of the department’s camera program. Ten officers will be equipped with body worn cameras and 6 vehicles will be equipped with a dash and rear passenger area camera. The pilot program to test and evaluate the equipment will last 60 days. 

Date:      Wednesday, December 8, 2021

Time:      2:00 p.m.

Location: Vancouver Police Department West Precinct (2800 NE Stapleton Rd.) 

This event is not open to the public. 

Visit the Vancouver Police Department Camera Program for more information. 

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PORTLAND, Ore.—A Mexican national residing in Portland was sentenced to federal prison today for his leadership role in a conspiracy to illegally obtain hundreds of high-powered, semi-automatic rifles and high-grade firearms in and around Portland and smuggle them into Mexico for use by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

David Acosta-Rosales, 51, was sentenced to 75 months in federal prison and three years’ supervised release.

“This case represents two important public safety issues. First, no state, regardless of its location and proximity to the U.S.-Mexico border, is beyond the reach of violent drug cartels. International drug trafficking may feel to most Americans like a distant, geopolitical issue with little connection to our own communities, but this could not be further from the truth. Second, every day across the U.S., drug traffickers and other criminals manipulate the legal process for obtaining firearms from licensed dealers in the U.S., of which there are hundreds of thousands. Our office will continue working closely with our law enforcement partners to prosecute anyone who attempts to illegally purchase or traffic firearms,” said Scott Erik Asphaug, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

“ATF will tirelessly investigate anyone who traffics in firearms,” said ATF Seattle Special Agent in Charge Jonathan T. McPherson. “Whether they are organizing an international trafficking cell, as Acosta-Rosales was doing, or they are straw purchasing firearms for trafficking purposes, we will work to ensure that they are caught and, through the U.S. Attorney’s Office, prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” 

According to court documents, since at least September 2019, Acosta-Rosales served as the leader of a hierarchical gun trafficking cell operating in the Portland area. In this role, Acosta-Rosales managed several co-conspirators who served as high-volume straw purchasers and recruiters of new straw purchasers. These associates would also oversee and liaise with lower-volume straw purchasers, who would, in turn, pass the guns they acquired back up to Acosta-Rosales’ direct reports.

Acosta-Rosales received orders and requests for semi-automatic rifles, high-grade firearms, and explosive devices from his “boss” in Mexico and other co-conspirators affiliated with CJNG. These co-conspirators were particularly interested and focused on obtaining high-powered, especially deadly firearms such as AR-15 and AK-47 platform rifles, semi-automatic .50 caliber rifles, and premium, military-style combat assault rifles.

Acosta-Rosales received hundreds of thousands of dollars to operate his scheme and recruited numerous straw purchasers to make the illegal gun purchases. One of Acosta-Rosales’ first recruits was his own young son who later withdrew himself from his father’s criminal enterprise. Before the illegally obtained firearms were transferred out of Oregon via courier, Acosta-Rosales himself participated in obliterating serial numbers on the guns and also recruited a co-conspirator to help obliterate serial numbers. Acosta-Rosales continued operating the conspiracy even after ATF agents arrested one of his co-conspirators and seized many of the group’s guns. In total, Acosta-Rosales facilitated the illegal purchase and transfer of approximately 150 guns to Mexico. He also acquired a grenade launcher and a .50 caliber tripod-mounted semi-automatic firearm that he intended to transfer to Mexico, but was arrested by federal agents before he could do so. 

On October 6, 2020, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a 52-count indictment charging Acosta-Rosales and 10 associates with conspiracy, making false statements in connection with the acquisition of firearms, possessing and receiving firearms with obliterated serial numbers, and smuggling goods from the U.S.

Seven of Acosta-Rosales’ co-conspirators have pleaded guilty. Five have been sentenced and two are pending sentencing. The remaining three co-conspirators are pending trial.

Acting U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug of the District of Oregon made the announcement.

This case was investigated by ATF and is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.

# # #

Salem, Ore. – The City of Salem will present an updated design for the Union Street Family Friendly Bikeway Project on December 14, 2021, at 7 p.m. The public meeting will take place as a Virtual Open House via Zoom, where design elements of the project will be presented to the public.

The proposed project, which seeks to add bike lanes to Union Street between Commercial Street NE and Summer Street NE, will enhance the overall pedestrian, bike riding, and vehicular safety of Union. The project will provide separated bike lanes, road striping, improved crosswalks, and parking as required. When all segment pieces are complete, this project will connect with the 134-mile Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway. Additionally, the intersection of Union Street NE and Liberty Street NE will be improved to include a traffic signal and bulb out corners to improve safety for both bicycles and pedestrians

Once complete, the bike path will be an integral link in the downtown Salem bicycle system. The project will connect directly to Wallace Marine Park, Riverfront Park, Minto-Brown Island Park, and the Capital Mall. 

To learn more about this project go to https://www.cityofsalem.net/union-street-bikeway

Monday, December 6, 2021-Woodland, WA-Tara Campbell and Kelly Hathaway, two sixth-grade English Language Arts (ELA) teachers at Woodland Middle School who previously worked as professional developmental coaches for Vancouver Public Schools, rediscovered their passions for classroom teaching and working together as a team thanks to Woodland Public Schools’ emphasis on collaboration and teamwork across grades and schools throughout the district.

After spending several years working together as a team as developmental coaches for Vancouver Public Schools helping other teachers hone their craft, Hathaway and Campbell both discovered they had the desire to return to the classroom. Hathaway made the switch first, returning to the classroom in 2018 by taking a job at Woodland Middle School after living in the area for years. “I really grew to love the schools and the community feeling of Woodland,” she said. “Since I knew I wanted to return to the classroom, when the opportunity arose to teach here, I took it.”

Campbell continued coaching for Vancouver but kept in touch with her colleague who regaled her with stories about her experiences back in the classroom. “As teaching mentors, we took classes about what helps make great teachers even better and I found myself wanting to do the things I was teaching in professional development,” said Campbell. “Kelly raved about her experiences in Woodland so, when a position opened up, I threw my hat in the ring.”

Campbell and Hathway returned to working together as a team once again when Campbell started at Woodland Middle School in the 2021-2022 school year. “Since this is our first year together, everything is new once again,” said Hathaway. “We’re going through everything making plans, and what’s really exciting is what’s to come!”

Before she started at Woodland Middle School last fall, Campbell only taught elementary grades. In middle school, she discovered she enjoys being able to refine a new lesson since she gets to teach it several times a day to different classes where, in elementary school, teachers stay with the same students and must move from one subject to the next. “I took the leap to middle school and I’m awfully glad I did,” said Campbell. “I love having the opportunity to plan a great lesson and then refine it throughout the day, plus I get to build relationships with kids to help them access their learning over time.”

When Hathaway started her career, she thought she wanted to be an elementary teacher, but Vancouver Public Schools assigned her to a middle school, instead. “Being placed in middle school was the best possible thing for me,” said Hathaway. “While it takes a lot of energy to teach this age group, I laugh every day because the kids are so much fun; since they’re older, they’re capable of amazing higher-level thinking, so it’s the best of both worlds teaching the age between elementary and high school.”

Campbell and Hathaway use technology to help enhance their lessons while still focusing students on the importance of reading at a deeper level. “We teach kids that reading is about more than simply finding evidence in the text to support a project or idea,” explained Campbell. “While we do read to learn more about strategies and skills, we think with our hearts, too – how do the emotions and thoughts you feel and have while reading impact the way we write? We want to help kids learn that connectedness, too.”

To help encourage students to read for fun, the sixth grade ELA team holds First Chapter Fridays where students hear the first chapter from a new book in a new genre each week. “We introduce our classes to new genres of reading so the students learn how different genres affect the style of writing,” said Hathaway. “Then, we raffle off who gets to borrow the book first, challenging our students with the 10 Book Challenge where they read ten novels by the end of each semester.”

Since studies show that student learning improves substantially when lessons are coordinated from one grade level to the next, collaboration and teamwork across grades remain a top priority for Woodland’s teaching teams district-wide. For this collaborative teaching to take place, trust is key both at the grade-level as well as school-wide. “Teaming up with Kelly has been wonderful – since we worked closely together previously, we know what our strengths are and how to team together well,” said Campbell. 
“Trusting your teammate is huge - you want to be able to trust that your teammate will do what she says and do it to the quality you expect which is exactly what happens with Kelly and me.”

By working as teaching teams across grade levels, Woodland Middle School’s teachers coordinate their lessons, so skills students learn in one grade are developed and enhanced in the next. Both Campbell and Hathaway attribute a lot of this capability to how Woodland Public Schools encourages collaboration as a district. “Woodland lets us build relationships as an entire system,” explained Hathaway. “We come together to build a school-wide curriculum that provides kids with the skills they need to learn, and work year-over-year to use common language and terminology as an entire ELA team.”

Both Campbell and Hathaway see Woodland’s smaller size as a boon to student learning. “Being a small community, the kids have been together for some time, and have developed relationships over the years,” said Campbell. Hathaway agreed, “As a smaller district, the district team is more accessible and provides us with an incredible amount of support so we get to build relationships with both the kids and the community – it’s been awesome.”

Learn more about how Woodland Public Schools educates our students and serves the community by visiting our dedicated news webpage at www.woodlandschools.org/news/wsd 

###

The Keizer Police Department will be closing River Rd N on Saturday December 11, 2021 for the Keizer Holiday Lights Parade.

Lockhaven Dr N will be closed at 3:00 p.m. to all traffic between River Rd N and McClure St N to establish the parade staging area.

River Rd N will be closed to all north and southbound traffic starting at approximately 6:00 p.m. from Plymouth Dr NE to Lockhaven Dr N.  The northbound River Rd traffic will be diverted to Cherry Ave NE via Plymouth Dr NE.  Southbound River Rd traffic will be diverted eastbound onto Lockhaven Dr NE.

Prior to the parade kick off, traffic will be periodically allowed to cross River Rd at Chemawa Rd.

The Keizer Holiday Lights parade will begin at 7:00 p.m. and will proceed southbound on River Rd N from Lockhaven Dr N.  The parade will end at the intersection of River Rd and Glynbrook St N.  It is expected that River Rd will begin to re-open around 9:00 p.m. as the parade proceeds south.

Parade signs advising of the street closure have been posted on River Rd to remind citizens of the future closure.

For more information on the parade and parade day events visit: www.keizerchamber.com

December 6, 2021

Contact: OHA External Relations, covid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us">orcovid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us

Oregon reports 2,041 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 25 new deaths

PORTLAND, Ore. — There are 25 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 5,268, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported at 12:01 a.m. today.

OHA reported 2,041 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 396,501.

The 25 new deaths and 2,041 new cases reported today include data recorded by counties for the three-day period between Dec. 3 and Dec. 5.

The Dec. 2 case counts for Lane county were erroneously high due to a reporting error. This error has been corrected, and the case count for Lane County for Dec. 2 has been revised to 95 cases.

COVID-19 hospitalizations

The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 418, which is 23 more than yesterday. There are 115 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is 12 more than yesterday.

There are 59 available adult ICU beds out of 667 total (9% availability) and 349 available adult non-ICU beds out of 4,113 (8% availability).

The total number of patients in hospital beds may fluctuate between report times. The numbers do not reflect admissions per day, nor the length of hospital stay. Staffing limitations are not captured in this data and may further limit bed capacity.

Note: Please do not visit an emergency department for COVID-19 testing, unless you require emergency care for your symptoms.

Emergency departments in Oregon are under significant strain. You can find a test here. If you have a medical condition that doesn’t require emergency care, contact your provider. An urgent care center may also help you get the care you need and will save emergency departments from added strain.

More information about hospital capacity can be found here.

Vaccinations in Oregon

Today, OHA reported that 13,247 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry on Dec. 5. Of that total, 851 were initial doses, 2,170 were second doses and 3,898 were third doses and booster doses. The remaining 6,294 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on Dec. 5.

The seven-day running average is now 17,275 doses per day.

Oregon has now administered 3,666,268 doses of Pfizer Comirnaty, 99,557 doses of Pfizer pediatric, 2,308,889 doses of Moderna and 246,119 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines.

As of today, 2,968,560 people have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 2,691,521 people have completed a COVID-19 vaccine series.

These data are preliminary and subject to change.

Updated vaccination data are provided on Oregon’s COVID-19 data dashboards and have been updated today.

Cases and deaths

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (7), Benton (69), Clackamas (214), Clatsop (18), Columbia (32), Coos (41), Crook (9), Curry (3), Deschutes (190), Douglas (84), Harney (4), Hood River (8), Jackson (111), Jefferson (17), Josephine (77), Klamath (11), Lake (7), Lane (132), Lincoln (20), Linn (115), Malheur (3), Marion (127), Morrow (6), Multnomah (351), Polk (22), Tillamook (18), Umatilla (11), Union (7), Wasco (11), Washington (276), Wheeler (2) and Yamhill (38).

Oregon reports 1,041 confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases on Dec. 3, 596 confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases on Dec. 4 and 404 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases on Dec. 5.

Due to delayed reporting, a large volume of approximately 7,000 backlogged electronic laboratory reports (ELRs) were received on Dec. 3. Results were from Nov. 1 through Nov. 30. As a result, test counts and case counts are higher than anticipated for Dec. 3.

Note: Oregon’s 5,243rd death is an 85-year-old woman from Linn County who tested positive on Oct. 8 and died on Oct. 21 at Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital. She had underlying conditions.

Learn more about COVID-19 vaccinations  

To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine situation in Oregon, visit our web page (English or Spanish), which has a breakdown of distribution and other information.

# # #

Vancouver, Wash. – Annual parking passes for four of Clark County’s biggest, most popular parks will go on sale Tuesday, Dec. 7.

2022 passes cost $30 and will be valid at Frenchman’s Bar Regional Park, Lewisville Regional Park, Salmon Creek Regional Park/Klineline Pond and Vancouver Lake Regional Park.

Beginning Tuesday morning, passes can be purchased online at: www.clark.wa.gov/public-works/parking-fees.

In past years, parking passes have been available for sale at three locations throughout the county. Passes are only sold online through the winter, and at the four parks when fee booths are staffed. Attendants typically staff fee booths between March 15 and Sept. 30, and will accept cash, debit cards, Visa and Mastercard. They will not accept checks or Discover or American Express cards.

Daily parking fees are $2 for motorcycles, $3 for vehicles, $6 for vehicles with trailers and $8 for buses or motor homes. Pass holders will save money if they visit just one of the four parks once a month during 2022.

Parking passes are valid from the date of purchase through the end of 2022. Passes are nonrefundable and cannot be transferred. Customers who lose their parking pass must provide valid identification and proof of purchase and pay $10 for a replacement pass. A replacement pass should be obtained at the original purchase site.

Under Clark County Code, parking a vehicle without paying the required daily fee or displaying a valid parking pass could result in a $40 fine.
 

###

LCSO Case #21-6798

This morning Lane County Sheriff’s deputies and officers from the Eugene Police Department located and arrested the suspect of a robbery that occurred on Saturday, 12/04/21. 

The suspect, 32 year old Nicholas John Sammut, attempted to steal items from Jerry’s Home Improvement on Hwy. 99 right around the store’s closing time.  When confronted, Sammut drew what was thought to be a handgun and pointed it at the employee. He said, “No, I am taking this.”  Deputies were able to review security footage and identify Sammut as the suspect.   

This morning Deputies were able to locate Sammut at the Safe Spot Community shelter located on Hwy. 99 about one mile from the Jerry’s store.  He has been a resident there for about three weeks.  Sammut was taken into custody and transported to the Lane County Jail on charges including Robbery in the 2^nd Degree, Menacing, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, and Theft in the 2^nd Degree.  Deputies recovered a black BB-gun that that closely resembled the appearance of a real firearm.     

The Lane County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the Eugene Police Department for their assistance in this case. 

Kelso, WA- Just after 10:30 am, today Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue (C2FR) responded to the Rose Valley area for a reported rollover cement truck with possible injuries 

Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue crews arrived to find a fully loaded cement truck on its top off of the roadway in a creek drainage.

A C2FR Paramedic evaluated the truck driver and transported him with non-life threatening injuries to a local hospital. C2FR Firefighters found diesel and hydraulic fluid leaking from the overturned truck into the creek. Crews utilized booms and absorbent pads to prevent further contamination in the waterway.  Remaining leaks from the truck were contained by firefighters with catch basins.  

Witnesses’ state truck driver was backing down the driveway when the rear tires slid off roadway and vehicle rolled. They state the driver was able to self-extricate prior to 911 being called.

C2FR responded with 1- fire engine, 1- ALS ambulance and Chief Officer. C2FR units turned over the scene to Cowlitz County Sherriff Deputies after initial spill containment and just prior to 11:45 am 

Multiple cement company safety, mechanic and representatives responded rapidly along with WA DOE and will be remain for an extended period of time as the vehicle will need to be removed and spill cleanup completed. 

LT. Dan W. Cothren, Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue  

December 6, 2021

Contact: Jonathan Modie, 971-246-9139, phd.communications@dhsoha.state.or.us

OHA announces funding opportunity for community-based organizations

PORTLAND, Ore. — Oregon Health Authority’s Public Health Division is announcing a new funding opportunity for community-based organizations.

OHA has released a request for grant applications from community-based organizations that will create partnerships with communities of color, Tribal communities, disability communities, immigrant and refugee communities, undocumented communities, migrant and seasonal farmworkers, LGBTQ2SIA+ communities, faith communities, older adults, houseless communities and others.

The funding will support community-based organizations as an important part of Oregon’s public health system working toward equity. OHA’s strategic goal is to eliminate health inequities by 2030.

OHA has available more than $31 million in funding provided by eight Public Health Division programs, including:

• Adolescent and School Health, $2 million.
• Commercial Tobacco Prevention, $20 million.
• Public Health Modernization (Environmental Public Health and Climate Change, Climate Change Health Impacts, Communicable Disease Prevention and Emergency Preparedness), $8.6 million.
• HIV, STD, TB Prevention and Treatment, $225,000.
• Overdose Prevention, $140,000.
• ScreenWise (breast and cervical cancer detection and services), Patient Navigation and Barrier Reduction, $100,000.

Visit the request-for-grant-applications website, https://ohapublichealthfunding.org/en/, to view program activities eligible for funding. Community-based organizations can apply online using this website. Paper applications are also available and can be downloaded from the website.

Grant applications can be submitted now through Jan. 31, 2022. OHA welcomes applications from organizations of all sizes and perspectives, especially those that are new and have not received funding from OHA before.

Informational webinar sessions and budget webinars in English and Spanish languages will be available. Session dates are as follows:

English language information sessions:

• Wednesday, Dec. 8, https://metgroup.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_yeSFhAjdRditbMmH3DIJvg
• Monday, Dec. 13, https://metgroup.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_o_RmVhEZSQia2xhn2giF2Q
• Thursday, Dec. 16, https://metgroup.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_U6gKDO_KQCq44LyXM9X7VQ
• Tuesday, Dec. 21, https://metgroup.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_7E7icga3TTu9EPi8v_faTQ
• Wednesday, Jan. 5, https://metgroup.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_c49KrEfhRfeZaCcIFrj74A
• Tuesday, Jan. 11, https://metgroup.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_srayzIkwTlWru1-nnsj8nQ
• Thursday, Jan. 13, https://metgroup.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_QxK9W2bmT5C8l2hXb5S6x
• Wednesday, Jan. 19, https://metgroup.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_dVfQQsBhSfucI7OqLpmdjA
• Monday, Jan. 24, https://metgroup.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_GiwijnH_SvG4Y5SFtGGT8w

Sesiones informativas en español (Spanish language information sessions)

• Miércoles (Wednesday), Dec. 15, https://metgroup.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_eH1Kj8EYTBicMOJuslJDYw
• Lunes (Monday), Dec. 20, https://metgroup.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_yl4IePuCRRuRZi3pyOjQlg
• Martes (Tuesday), Jan. 4, https://metgroup.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_mG81iHH4QXqlWOQvZN4OeA
• Miércoles (Wednesday), Jan. 12, https://metgroup.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_GEsQOKGvQ2evqZuv0uGszw
• Jueves (Thursday), Jan. 20, https://metgroup.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_FCrmFD4UTP2FVvj_dEuGlg

Because the Spanish webinars will be presented in Spanish, a request for a Spanish translator has been made for the Q&A portion to allow program staff to respond to program-specific questions.

Budget webinars:

• Friday, Jan. 7 – English, https://metgroup.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Si--OGkSTPCs78xSJ-wSYQ
• Viernes (Friday) Jan. 14 – Spanish, https://metgroup.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_QQS3S7BKQ6W1aGtGhlE8CA
• Friday, Jan. 21 – English, https://metgroup.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_rKz8dpnqS6WXUxct84ACVw
• Viernes (Friday) Jan. 28 – Spanish, https://metgroup.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_BLz_Wac3TdKBF0viLbzD_g

More information is available at https://ohapublichealthfunding.flywheelsites.com/en/help-and-faqs/. Sign up for the listserv https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/3c746f1a865b4b6c934188365dea385e to receive regular communications about this funding opportunity.

If you have questions, email licHealth@dhsoha.state.or.us">Community.PublicHealth@dhsoha.state.or.us

Sharifa Gomez has joined SAIF as the vice president of human resources, as of December 1. 

In her new role, Sharifa will oversee all aspects of HR, including employee engagement and retention; diversity, equity, and inclusion; recruitment; professional development; and compensation and benefits.

“We are thrilled to welcome Sharifa to SAIF,” said Chip Terhune, president and CEO of SAIF. “She brings positive leadership, combined with compassionate listening and strong communication skills, to a role that’s critical to the strong culture we’ve cultivated at SAIF.”

Sharifa’s experience includes more than 18 years working for a variety of organizations in Korea, Canada, and the United States. Most recently, she’s served as a principal for Jomez Consulting. She received her Bachelor of Arts in employment relations from University of Toronto.

About SAIF

SAIF is Oregon's not-for-profit workers' compensation insurance company. Since 1914, we've been taking care of injured workers, helping people get back to work, and striving to make Oregon the safest and healthiest place to work. For more information, visit the About SAIF page on saif.com.

The Multnomah Education Service District Board of Directors will meet in a work session at 5:00 p.m. on December 9, 2021.  
In response to the current health emergency this meeting will be held virtually via Zoom.

https://multnomahesd-org.zoom.us/j/83148682459?pwd=c0lYbitYc1BBS3NoQnVIdkRVVDdRZz09
Meeting ID: 831 4868 2459
Passcode: 035684

The Multnomah Education Service District Board Legislative Committee will meet at 1:00 p.m. on December 10, 2021. 
In response to the current health emergency the meeting will be held virtually via Zoom.

https://multnomahesd-org.zoom.us/j/84241845647?pwd=bGZ2UUk3OVAwY3VrQWRZZXM2eFJQUT09
Meeting ID: 842 4184 5647
Passcode: 449887

On Tuesday November 30, 2021, at approximately 1:30 PM, Oregon State Troopers and Douglas County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a medical assistance call on Interstate 5 near milepost 153. Officers learned a male had been struck by a bullet while driving on Hwy 38, west of Drain. 

The male victim, Larry Eugene Mell (72) of Cottage Grove, was transported to Mercy Hospital in Roseburg, then transported by air ambulance to Riverbend Hospital in Springfield. In the early morning hours of Wednesday, December 1, 2021, investigators learned Mell, did not survive his injury. The Douglas County Major Crimes Team was activated to assist in the investigation. The Douglas County Major Crimes Team is comprised of members from the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office, the Oregon State Police, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and the Roseburg Police Department.

The area between Putnam Valley Road and Roaring Camp Lane on Hwy 38 is where investigators believe the victims red, 2003 Ram 2500 4-door pickup with a black ladder rack was struck by gunfire. Detectives don’t believe there is an ongoing threat to the community at this time and are looking for any additional witnesses or information that can help with the investigation. 

Investigators are asking anyone who was recreating in the area on Tuesday, November 30, 2021 or has specific information that might be helpful to call the Oregon State Police at 1-800-442-2068 or OSP (677). Please reference OSP Case #SP21-335049. 

The Multnomah Education Service District Board Finance Committee will meet at 1:00 p.m. on December 9, 2021. 
In response to the current health emergency the meeting will be held virtually via Zoom.

https://multnomahesd-org.zoom.us/j/87279065737?pwd=RmRUY1l4RWRJTkhKT2FxSXFQblRCUT09

Meeting ID: 872 7906 5737
Passcode: 905020

Pacific Power Blue Sky renewable customers turn holiday lights green throughout Northwest

Community lighting festivals glowing with commitment from Blue Sky renewable energy participants, providing more hope and less carbon. In addition, Pacific Power is supporting a wide range of local community events this season

 

PORTLAND, Ore. —Dec. 6, 2021--Local holiday celebrations -- from Prineville’s Christmas in the Pines to Medford’s Winter Lights Festival, to the 100,000 lights adorning downtown Lebanon -- will help illuminate the importance of renewable energy this season, thanks to Pacific Power’s Blue Sky renewable energy program participants.

            Pacific Power also supports seasonal community events throughout the areas it serves such as the Small Business Shopping Saturday in Yakima, the Toppenish Holiday Light Parade and the Rogue Winterfest in Grants Pass. Learn more at Making Spirits Bright (pacificpower.net)      

            Throughout the Northwest, 14 Pacific Power communities will have the power used by their local lighting celebrations matched with renewable energy. Overall, community lighting programs are being supported with almost 225 megawatt hours of Blue Sky renewable energy. That amount of renewable energy reduces the carbon footprint of these community lighting displays by 313,993 pounds of carbon dioxide  (CO2e), which is the environmental equivalent of not driving the average car more than 353,412  miles, which is a bit more than a trip to the moon.

            “Bringing light to the holidays has been part of Pacific Power’s involvement in the communities we’ve served now for more than a century,” said Cory Scott, vice president of customer and community solutions for Pacific Power. “With the growing commitment to renewable energy throughout the region, we’re proud again this year to ‘green’ these traditional festivals, helping light the season with more hope and less carbon.”

            Customers can find out more about Blue Sky renewable energy by calling Pacific Power at 1-800-769-3717 or by visiting www.pacificpower.net/bluesky .

            Communities greening their holiday lighting displays this year include:

• Albany
• Astoria
• Cannon Beach 
• Corvallis
• Cottage Grove
• Dayton, Wash.
• Grants Pass
• Josephine County
• Lebanon
• Medford
• Portland
• Prineville
• Redmond
• Seaside
• Umatilla
• Yakima, Wash. 
  
  (Reporters and editors: Please call for specifics about your community.)

About Pacific Power

Pacific Power strives to promote innovation and works with customers and communities to increase the visibility of renewable energy generation technologies through education and community outreach. Pacific Power is headquartered in Portland and provides electric service to 770,000 customers in Oregon, Washington and California. As part of PacifiCorp, one of the lowest-cost electricity producers in the United States, Pacific Power and Rocky Mountain Power provide 2 million customers in six western states with reliable, efficient energy. The company works to meet growing energy demand while protecting and enhancing the environment.

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(SPRINGFIELD, Ore.) December 6, 2021— PacificSource Health Plans is pleased to announce the 15 healthcare organizations that will receive a combined total of more than $1.6 million in funding as part of its annual Community Health Excellence (CHE) program for the 2021-2022 cycle. Now in its 12^th year, the CHE program has awarded more than $8 million in community grant awards to providers advancing healthcare delivery innovations in Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and, Washington.

2021-2022 CHE program awards include a number of projects centered on improving access to services through recruitment, retention, clinic expansion, and healthcare service integration. Additionally, one-third of funded projects focus on reducing health disparities and improving equitable access to care. 

CHE one-year grant awards include: AWARE (MT), Bingham Memorial Hospital (ID), Cancer Support Community Montana (MT), Columbia Gorge Family Medicine (OR), Corvallis Family Medicine PC (OR), Mosaic Medical (OR), One Community Health (OR), Orchid Health (OR), Partnership Health Center (MT), Sandpoint Family Health Center (ID), and Valor Health (ID). Two-year grants to improve behavioral health access were awarded to: Center for Family Development (OR), Kootenai Health Foundation (ID), Mid-Columbia Medical Center (OR), and Weiser Memorial Hospital (ID). 

“With the continued community impact of COVID-19 in 2021, I’m pleased that we were able to expand the CHE program to be more responsive to provider needs, including adding a two-year grant to improve behavioral health service access,” said Ken Provencher, president and CEO of PacificSource. “I am confident this year’s grantees and the important work they facilitate will improve the long-term health of the communities these providers serve.”

Through the CHE program, PacificSource funds provider projects that advance healthcare integration, address health disparities and promote equity, and that develop the provider workforce. Applications are independently evaluated, and awards go to organizations that prioritize advancing the Quadruple Aim and demonstrate significant positive impact for their patients, regardless of their insurance or PacificSource member status. 

To be considered for the CHE program contracted PacificSource providers must complete an online application including a detailed budget. The next CHE grant cycle will open in January 2022. For more information, please visit https://www.pacificsource.com/che-program/

About PacificSource Health Plans:

PacificSource Health Plans is an independent, not-for-profit community health plan serving the Northwest. Founded in 1933, PacificSource has local offices throughout Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Washington. The PacificSource family of companies employs more than 1,500 people and serves over 523,700 individuals throughout the Greater Northwest. For more information, visit PacificSource.com.

First WIFIA Loan extended to Private Partner under a Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Maintain Public-Private Partnership 

LAKE OSWEGO, OR –The City of Lake Oswego is pleased to announce the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has selected the Lake Oswego Wastewater Treatment Facility Project (Project) to apply for a low-cost, long-term, Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan. 

To deliver the Project, the cities are using an innovative public-private partnership (P3 or Agreement) with a private partner:  EPCOR Foothills Water Partners Inc. (EPCOR Foothills).  Under the Agreement, the private partner will design, build, finance, operate and maintain the new wastewater treatment facility. The City of Lake Oswego will own the facility. 

The selection of the Project by EPA is particularly noteworthy in that EPCOR Foothills will be the borrower of the loan, as opposed to the City, based on the project finance arrangement set forth in the Agreement. This structure will serve as a precedent, opening up further opportunities for public-private partnerships in the water sector. 

The Project’s selection is the first step towards applying for a WIFIA loan. The next stage includes a detailed financial and engineering review of the project, mutual negotiation of a loan agreement, and financial close. 

“This project – designing and delivering a new, state-of-the-art wastewater treatment facility – is exciting,” said Joe Gysel, president of EPCOR USA. “While the WIFIA announcement is the first step in a multi-step process, it is yet another way in which the cities are focused on providing sustainable, cost-effective solutions for their communities. We’re extremely proud to be Lake Oswego and Portland’s partner in this project and to be the first private entity selected to receive WIFIA funding on a project-finance basis for critical infrastructure.”

EPA selects projects for the WIFIA program on the basis of project impact, creditworthiness and other factors, including protection against climate change, use of new or innovative approaches, environmental sustainability, and replacement of aging infrastructure systems. 

“This is exciting news and a positive step towards building a modern wastewater treatment facility that provides more environmentally sustainable wastewater services for the people we serve,” said Lake Oswego Mayor, Joe Buck. “I want to thank the EPA for selecting this project to proceed. It’s a real validation of the hard work that has gone into this project to-date and will help ensure the proposed new facility is cost-effective for the people of Lake Oswego and Portland.” 

The low-cost federal loan will help finance a new, resilient wastewater treatment facility to replace the aging Tryon Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant. Originally built in 1964, the Tryon Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant is owned and operated by the City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) and serves Lake Oswego and parts of the Southwest Portland community.  Lake Oswego and Portland are partnering to confirm whether a state-of-the-art wastewater treatment facility can be delivered at a cost similar to or less than the cost to upgrade, operate and maintain the existing 60-year-old plant. 

“This is good news for our communities and ratepayers and one more innovative step in helping to make this critical infrastructure project more affordable,” said Mike Jordan, Director of the Portland BES. “Our goal is to provide the best essential services to our communities and be good stewards of ratepayer dollars.”

There are four projects from Oregon invited to apply for WIFIA funding in the Fiscal Year 2021 funding cycle.  Others include projects from Ashland, Oregon City, and Tualatin Valley Water District.  Of the $140 million in loans dedicated to Oregon projects, the Lake Oswego Wastewater Treatment Facility accounts for $76 million.

Learn more at: www.lakeoswegowastewaterfacility.org

###

About WIFIA

Established by the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014, the WIFIA program is a federal loan and guarantee program administered by EPA. WIFIA's aim is to accelerate investment in the nation's water infrastructure by providing long-term, low-cost supplemental credit assistance for regionally and nationally significant projects. The WIFIA program has an active pipeline of pending applications for projects that will result in billions of dollars in water infrastructure investment and thousands of jobs.

About EPCOR USA

Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, EPCOR USA builds, owns, and operates water, wastewater and natural gas facilities and infrastructure. EPCOR USA provides water, wastewater, wholesale water and natural gas services to approximately 780,000 people across 42 communities and 18 counties in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. EPCOR USA is a wholly owned subsidiary of Edmonton, Alberta-based EPCOR Utilities Inc., which provides power, water and natural gas services to more than two million people across North America. Other key members of the EPCOR Foothills team for the Lake Oswego wastewater treatment facility include Aecon Infra Development Inc., Wood Environment & Infrastructure Solutions and J.R. Filanc Construction Company Inc.

About the Project 

The existing Tryon Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant (TCWTP) is aging and parts of the plant are at the end of their useful life cycle. The facility needs significant investments to continue to reliably meet current and potentially more stringent Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) permit requirements and protect it against climate change. Before investing in aging technologies and processes, the cities of Lake Oswego and Portland are exploring whether a new, resilient, and state-of-the-art wastewater treatment facility can be built to replace the aging TCWTP at a cost similar to or less than the costs of upgrading, modifying, and operating the existing facility.

Vancouver, Wash. – The Clark County Council is seeking community members with expertise in or experience with people with intellectual/developmental disabilities to serve on the Developmental Disabilities Advisory Board. 

There are four positions to fill. One opening is an unexpired term running through Dec. 31, 2022. The remaining three are full three-year terms starting in January 2022.

The advisory board makes recommendations to the county council relating to developmental disabilities services and issues. Members provide leadership to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of community programs.

Members appointed to the board include people knowledgeable about developmental disabilities or interested in services to persons with developmental disabilities in the community. Family members, individuals from the business community or other interested individuals are encouraged to apply.

Clark County values diversity and the advisory board has adopted equity as a priority. People identifying as black, indigenous and people of color as well as other historically underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply.

The advisory board meets at 5:15 pm the first Wednesday of every month. Currently, these meetings are held via an online meeting platform.

To apply, please send a letter of interest and résumé to Michelle Pfenning, Clark County Council, P.O. Box 5000, Vancouver, WA 98666-5000 or email to Michelle.Pfenning@clark.wa.gov.

Application deadline is 5 pm Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022. 

(Salem) – The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS), Child Welfare Division, is thankful for the community support to find Marley Kay Wnorowski. 

Marley, age 16, is a child in foster care who went missing from Pendleton, Oregon on Oct. 30. She was found on Dec. 5. 

A small number of children in foster care may be in significant danger when they run away or have gone missing. As ODHS works to do everything it can to find these missing children and ensure their safety, media alerts will be issued in some circumstances when it is determined necessary. Sometimes, in these situations, a child may go missing repeatedly, resulting in more than one media alert for the same child.

Report child abuse to the Oregon Child Abuse Hotline by calling 1-855-503-SAFE (7233).  This toll-free number allows you to report abuse of any child or adult to the Oregon Department of Human Services, 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year. 

###

On Sunday, December 5, 2021 at approximately 4:51 AM, Oregon State Police Troopers and emergency personnel responded to a single vehicle crash on Hwy 3 near milepost 13. 

Preliminary investigation revealed a northbound Ford F250 pickup, operated by Christopher Thacker (36) of Enterprise, drifted across the highway and continued until it struck a tree approximately 200 feet off the roadway. 

Thacker sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased. 

OSP was assisted by Enterprise Fire Department, Wallowa County EMS and ODOT. 

Name Correction-The deceased pedestrian's name is James Ross Barclay. The previous release referred to him by his middle name. 

On Saturday, December 4, 2021 at about 10:23PM, Oregon State Police Troopers and emergency personnel responded to the report of a fatal motor vehicle collision involving a pedestrian on Hwy 213 near SE Otty Road. 

Preliminary investigation revealed a southbound Dodge Caravan, operated by Kendal Elizabeth Conley (50) of Milwaukie, struck a pedestrian, James Ross Barclay (67) of North Bend.

Barclay sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased.  Conley was uninjured. 

Conley was arrested on charges of DUII and Criminally Negligent Homicide. 

Hwy 213 was closed for 3 hours. 

OSP was assisted by ODOT, Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, CRAFT Team, AMR, Clackamas Fire and Clackamas County ME's Office.

Shortly before 5:30 a.m., multiple 911 callers reported a fire on the second floor of an apartment complex in the 28500 block of Ashland Drive in Wilsonville. Two occupants in the second-floor apartment had their primary exit blocked by fire and had to escape off the balcony. 

Firefighters arrived to heavy flames coming out the front of the unit and quickly attacked the fire. Fire crews were able to get quick control of the fire while paramedics provided care to the two occupants and a neighbor who had inhaled smoke. One occupant was transported by ambulance for further care.

The second-floor unit sustained heavy damage. The third-floor unit suffered smoke and thermal damage while the bottom unit had significant water intrusion. One dog perished as a result of the fire.

A fire investigator remained on scene to conduct witness interviews, analyze burn patterns, and work to determine the cause of the fire.

TVF&R was assisted on scene by Wilsonville Police Department, Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, AMR Ambulance, and Portland General Electric.

Oregon Heritage Commission has awarded $380,000 in grants to 31 organizations throughout the state. The grants will help fund a variety of projects including collection preservation and access, research, oral history, exhibits, and performance projects. Award amounts ranged $350 - $20,000.

Funded projects:

• Albany Regional Museum, in Albany, update exhibit content to improve preservation, address accessibility, and tell diverse stories in equitable ways.
• Architectural Heritage Center, in Portland, for an exhibit that reexamines the activist history of Portland’s architectural preservation movement.
• Baker Heritage Museum, in Baker City, to purchase and install collections care equipment.
• Big Butte Historical Society, in Butte Falls, to upgrade heating and provide programming.
• Burns Paiute Tribe, in Harney County, to present the history of the homeland through virtual reality. 
• The City of Independence, in Polk County, to deploy an interactive tourism application downtown. 
• The City of Pendleton, in Umatilla County, to purchase archival materials to re-house the special collections materials of the library.
• Constructing Hope Pre-Apprenticeship Program, in Portland, produce a history of BIPOC pioneers in Oregon’s construction history, website materials and a Day of Hope celebration.
• Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, in McMinnville, redesign signage to address gaps in inclusive content and Oregon STEAM history.
• Harney County Historical Society to complete a 10-year strategic plan. 
• The High Desert Museum, in Deschutes County, to complete phase two of Creating Together a collaborative exhibit process to update the permanent exhibit of the Indigenous Plateau.
• Jefferson Historical Society and Museum, in Jefferson, to install exhibits, collect oral histories, and develop hands-on experiences in the new museum space.
• Keizer Heritage Foundation, in Keizer, to purchase equipment to collect oral histories. 
• Klamath County Museums, in Klamath Falls, to digitize the Klamath Republican newspaper.
• Lincoln County Historical Society, in Newport, to produce three videos.
• Miracle Theatre Group, in Portland, to collect oral histories of Latino individuals through out the state and house them at the Oregon State University Archives.
• Native Arts and Cultures Foundation, in Portland, offer exhibits and programming focused on Native American Artists from rural Oregon.
• Oregon Arts Watch, in Portland, to create a series of written and photo essays to document the history of gender nonconforming and transgender communities in Oregon. 
• Oregon Black Pioneers, in Salem, to create a website the collects and makes available to the public all know research on Letitia Carson. 
• Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education, in Portland, to provide online access to the organizations archival and artifact collections.
• Phoenix Historical Society Museum to catalog and re-house collections. 
• Portland Art Museum to design and install the Black Artists of Oregon exhibition. 
• Portland Chinatown History Foundation to add 12-15 new oral histories and photos to the Chinatown Live! Online content. 
• Portland Japanese Garden to restore the historic Natural Garden machiai.
• Salem Art Association to develop a strategic plan for Bush House Museum and Salem Art Association.
• Siuslaw Pioneer Museum, in Florence, to install sprinklers systems in the museum and library buildings. 
• The Immigrant Story, in Hillsboro, to present The Immigrant Story Live, a public arts program.
• Tillamook County Pioneer Museum to create and promote a cultural heritage tourism passport program. 
• Vanport Placemaking Project, in Portland, to develop audio accessible content for interpretation at the Vanport site.
• Willamette Falls Trust, in Oregon City, to create a design recommendations document that will outline tribal recommendations to guide the design, interpretive plans, programming, and habitat restoration for development around the Willamette Falls. 
• World Stage Theatre, in Portland, to develop, promote, present and record Vanport the Musical. 

This competitive grant program is for qualifying organizations, and is offered once per biennium for projects that conserve, develop or interpret Oregon’s heritage. It is a program of the Oregon Heritage Commission. The Commission works to secure, sustain and enhance Oregon’s heritage. The Commission consists of nine members appointed by the governor and nine agency advisors. Members are chosen from state agencies and statewide organizations, and represent diverse geographical and cultural backgrounds. 

The Commission is part of Oregon Heritage, a division of Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. To learn more about the Oregon Heritage Grant or the Oregon Heritage Commission, visit www.oregonheritage.org or contact Kuri Gill at i.gill@oprd.oregon.gov">Kuri.gill@oprd.oregon.gov or 503-986-0685. 

On December 4, 2021 at approximately 6:02 PM, Oregon State Police and emergency personnel responded to a fatal motor vehicle collision involving a pedestrian on Hwy 99E near MP 29.

Preliminary investigation revealed that a pedestrian, Salomon Orobio (68) of Hubbard, was crossing the highway when he was initially struck by a southbound Ford Explorer, operated by Jose Escobara (42) of Beaverton. Orobio as subsequently struck by two additional southbound vehicles; a Chevrolet van, operated by Felimon Zuniga (46) of Gervais, and a Subaru wagon, operated by Jack Tucker (71) of Woodburn. All three involved drivers remained on scene and cooperated with law enforcement. 

Orobio sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene.

Hwy 99E was closed for approximately 4 hours. 

OSP was assisted by Hubbard Fire Department, Hubbard Police Department, Woodburn Police Department and ODOT. 

The public is invited to comment on proposed amendments to the Oregon Administrative Rules guiding hunting within Oregon state parks. The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department is seeking to clarify where hunting is allowed while ensuring safety for all visitors. 

The department is accepting public comment through 5 p.m. Jan. 27, 2022. Comments can be submitted via:

• Virtual Public Meeting: 6 p.m. January 18, 2022. Registration is required at https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_x8RMpYrpRXKbQ6XTbGwNHQ
• Online: oregon.gov/OPRD/PRP/Pages/PRP-rulemaking.aspx
• By email: D.publiccomment@oregon.gov">OPRD.publiccomment@oregon.gov
• By mail: Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, Attn: Helena Kesch, 725 Summer St. NE., Suite C, Salem, OR 97301

Hunting is permitted in several state parks where public safety risk is low, and the activity is subject to Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife rules and regulations. The proposed rule change will clarify hunting boundaries and create clearly signed “safety zones” where hunting is not allowed.  It will also require an OPRD hunting map to be located on the agency website that clearly shows hunting boundaries. A full copy of the proposed amendments is posted on the Proposed OPRD Rules web page.

OPRD appointed members to the advisory committee. Members include representatives of the hunting community, conservationists and officials from ODFW and Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division.

Individuals who require special accommodations to view the meetings should contact Helena Kesch at least three days in advance of the meeting at helena.kesch@oprd.oregon.gov or 503-881-4637.

Thanks to public assistance, Troopers were able to identify this person of interest and issue citations for Hunting in Violation of Criminal Trespass, Hunting Prohibited Hours, and No Resident Hunting License.

The Oregon State Police Fish & Wildlife Division and Metro Park Rangers are working together to investigate unlawful hunting activity that occurred on public property along SW Grahams Ferry Rd outside Wilsonville in Clackamas County between October 25, 2021, and November 14, 2021. Several deer carcasses were found on the property and Troopers currently have probable cause for multiple hunting-related crimes. 

One suspect has been identified but the second suspect is still outstanding. OSP Troopers are trying to identify the person in these photos, who is believed to be connected with this case.

The Oregon State Police is requesting public assistance with information about the identity of this person or this case. Any person with information related to this incident is encouraged to call the OSP TIP (Turn-In-Poachers) Reward line at 1-800-452-7888 or by cell at OSP (677) or send an email tip to TIP@osp.oregon.gov. Please reference case # SP21320391.

Report Wildlife and Habitat Law Violators

TIP Hotline: 1-800-452-7888 or OSP (677)

TIP E-Mail: TIP@state.or.us

The Oregon Hunters Association TIP reward offers preference points or cash rewards for information leading to an arrest or issuance of a citation for the unlawful take/possession or waste of Bighorn Sheep, Rocky Mountain Goat, Moose, Elk, Deer, Antelope, Bear, Cougar, Wolf, Upland Birds, Waterfowl, Furbearers, Game Fish and Shellfish. Cash rewards can also be awarded for turning in people who destroy habitat, illegally obtain licenses/tags, and for the unlawful lending/borrowing of big game tags.

PREFERENCE POINT REWARDS:

5 Points-Mountain Sheep

5 Points-Mountain Goat

5 Points-Moose

5 Points-Wolf

4 Points-Elk

4 Points-Deer

4 Points-Antelope

4 Points-Bear

4 Points-Cougar

 CASH REWARDS:

$1,000 Mountain Sheep, Mountain Goat and Moose

$500 Elk, Deer, and Antelope

$300 Bear, Cougar, and Wolf

$300 Habitat Destruction

$100 Upland Birds and Waterfowl

$100 Furbearers

$100 Game Fish and Shellfish

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE:     Sunday, December 5, 2021

Salem, Ore. — Patrol officers responded to a single vehicle crash at approximately 6:00 a.m. today, Sunday, December 5, 2021, in the 5700 block of Gaffin RD SE.

The preliminary investigation suggests the driver of a mid-size SUV was traveling eastbound on Gaffin RD and could not negotiate a slight bend in that portion of the road. Ultimately, the vehicle left the roadway and struck a tree.

The driver, Salomon Leyva-Ramirez, age 23, and sole occupant, was pronounced deceased at the scene by fire personnel.

The Salem Police Traffic Team is completing the investigation. 

# # #

On Sunday, December 5, 2021, at approximately 1:15 am, Benton County deputies responded to a single vehicle crash on Highway 20 near Highway 223.  A 2008 Ford F150 was traveling east bound and left the roadway crashing into an Oregon Department of Transportation road sign.  The Ford was able to get back onto the roadway and come to a stop.  One male passenger was found deceased at the scene.  One female passenger was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital with life threatening injuries.  The driver and one additional passenger were uninjured.  All names are being withheld at this time pending family notification.  The Benton County Crash Team is conducting an investigation and ask anyone with information regarding the circumstances surrounding the crash to call Sergeant David Iverson at 541-766-6858.  The Philomath Police Department and the Oregon Department of Transportation assisted with the scene. 

12/05/2021 – At 12:01pm on Sunday, SW Polk Fire District was dispatched to a vehicle fire on HWY 22 at milepost 7. Upon arrival, crews found a single, unoccupied vehicle fully involved. Crews extinguished the fire and there were no injuries reported. Polk County Sheriff and ODOT provided assistance on scene.

At Approx 6:45am 5 Vancouver Fire units were dispatched to the 2000 block of East 6th street in Vancouver. Multiple callers were reporting the fire simultaneously to 911 dispatch due to its close proximity to other structures in the neighborhood. The first Vancouver Fire engine arrived just over 4 minutes after dispatch and reported they had heavy smoke and fire venting from the building. There was initial reports of someone that was possibly inside the building from 911 callers, that person has not been accounted for as of the time of this press release. The Vancouver Fire Marshal's office has personnel on scene currently investigating the cause and orgin of the fire. Clark County Fire District 6 sent 2 fire engines to assist on the initial alarm as well. The Vancouver Fire Department reminds you to check your smoke detectors frequently and ensure they are working properly.   

UPDATE: This release has been updated with the correct spelling of Jana McLellan.

PORTLAND, Ore. — The site of the former Multnomah Greyhound Park in Wood Village will open this morning – Sunday, Dec. 5 – as a high-volume Oregon Health Authority COVID-19 vaccination site.

OHA representatives will join members of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde at 9 a.m. for a brief opening ceremony to officially open the site, located at 944 NE 223^rd Ave., Wood Village. The ceremony will kick off with a blessing and remarks by CTGR Tribal Councilman Jon George, followed by a performance from tribal drummers. Jana McLellan, director of OHA's COVID Response and Recovery Unit, will give closing remarks. 

The site is one of nearly a dozen high-volume COVID-19 vaccinations sites OHA has opened, or will be opening, around the state this month – in partnership with local public health authorities and community-based organizations – as part of its effort to increase immunizations against the virus. 

All three approved COVID-19 vaccines – Pfizer, Modern and Johnson & Johnson – will be available, as well as booster and pediatric doses (younger children are only eligible for the Pfizer vaccine). The clinics are walk-in/drive-in only, and no appointment is required.

All vaccines are offered at no cost, and no medical insurance coverage required. 

Other OHA sites opening this month include:

Baker County Fairgrounds

• Dec. 12 through 14, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Learn more on the Baker County Public Health website.

Clackamas County, Abundant Life Church

• Dec. 12 through Dec. 14, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Late start on Dec. 12, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Learn more on the Clackamas County Public Health website.

Columbia County Fairgrounds

• Dec. 6 through Dec. 10, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Learn more on the Columbia County Public Health website.

Deschutes County Fairgrounds

Drive-through clinic

• Every day, noon to 7 p.m., beginning Nov. 30

Learn more on the Deschutes County Public Health website.

Jackson County Expo Center

• Every Monday through Thursday, noon to 7 p.m.
• Sundays 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Sundays in December, family fun clinic, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Learn more on the Jackson County Public Health website.

Marion County, Oregon Health Authority Warehouse, 3455 Aumsville Hwy SE, Salem

Beginning Dec. 6:

• Every Monday through Saturday, noon to 7 p.m.
• Sundays 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Learn more on the Marion County Public Health website.

Multnomah County, Wood Village – Multnomah Greyhound Park

• Dec. 5 through Dec. 11, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Learn more on the Multnomah County Public Health website.

Multnomah County, Gresham – Winter Wonderland (former Kmart site)

• Mondays through Saturday, noon to 7 p.m.
• Sundays 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Union County, Union County Fairgrounds (4-H/Mt. Emily Building)

• Dec. 5 through Dec. 10, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Learn more on the Union County Public Health website.

Washington County, Pacific University

• Dec. 11 through Dec. 14, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Washington County, Tektronix, Beaverton

• Monday through Saturday, noon to 7 p.m.
• Sundays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Learn more on the Washington County Public Health website.

On 12/04/2021 at about 1948 hours several Clark County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the Orchards Fred Meyer located at 7411 NE 117^th Ave on a reported Robbery of a Salvation Army bell ringer.  A male suspect assaulted the bell ringer and forcibly took the cash kettle then fled on foot.

Deputies located and attempted to stop the suspect on NE 117^th Ave near Padden Parkway, north of the Fred Meyer. The suspect fled on foot running through traffic on NE Padden Parkway.  Deputies O’Hearn and McLoughlin were able to chase down and detain the suspect after a brief struggle. 

The cash kettle had been discarded prior to the suspect being stopped.  The suspect refused to identify himself or cooperate with the investigation.  The cash kettle was recovered with assistance from K9 Deputy Brannan and police service dog Apollo. 

The bell ringer sustained minor injury from the assault.  The suspect was booked into the Clark County jail on charges of Robbery, Theft, Resisting Arrest, and Obstructing Law Enforcement.

Prepared by: Sgt. Brian Ellithorpe, 360-907-5992

RELEASE DATE:               Dec. 4, 2021

CONTACT PERSON:         On-duty PIO
CASE NUMBER:                 21-50397

Gresham, Ore.— Gresham Police responded to a report of shots, this afternoon, at an apartment complex in the 1100 block of  NW 15^th street. Officers arrived to find one person deceased at the scene. The area cordoned off to secure the scene for Gresham Police detectives and members of the East Multnomah County Major Crimes Team (MCT) who are responding to investigate.

If you have information about this homicide, please call the Gresham Police Tip Line at 503.618.2719 or toll-free at 1.888.989.3505. No other information is available at this time.

###GPD###

Last night firefighters from Fire District 3 with aid from Clark County Fire and Rescue responded to a working structure fire in northeast Battle Ground.  Crews arrived at approximately 7:45 PM to a fully involved garage fire.  Tactics were immediately implemented to protect the attached home and extinguish the fire.  

Crews faced difficult fire conditions due to downed power lines that were severed from extreme radiant heat.  Exploding ammunition and venting propane tanks posed additional hazards to first responders.  Firefighters on scene worked quickly to mitigate these hazards and get the fire under control, minimizing further loss. The fire did cause extensive damage to the 1,792 square foot home, estimated at approximately $150,000 in loss to the building and contents.  All five residents of the home were able to evacuate safely and were provided aid by the American Red Cross. Tragically, one dog was recovered from the home and attempts to resuscitate were unsuccessful.  The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but appears to be accidental in nature.

Media, here are private Vimeo links to b-roll and raw interview footage that you are free to use without attribution.

EPD Chief Chris Skinner interview:

https://vimeo.com/653236931/3546fab67c

EPD Foundation's Lee Lashway Interview 

https://vimeo.com/653239267/6e3a32faae

B-roll of children and officers shopping

https://vimeo.com/653245514

Children’s give their families the gift of holidays during Shop with a Cop

On Saturday, December 4, Eugene Police officers, LCSO deputies, and UOPD officers, buddied up with 25 children to shop for holiday gifts for the childrens' families (siblings and parents) as well as non-perishable food that will help provide a holiday dinner. All costs were covered through generous donations from the Eugene Police Foundation and Northwest Community Credit Union, with thanks to Fred Meyer’s who has partnered with EPD on the venue for several years, and provided considerable discounts on purchases, donation of a portion of breakfast for the children, and a holiday tree. Gifts were wrapped by EPD Volunteers in Policing members and EPD employees. 

Media, here are private Vimeo links to b-roll and raw interview footage that you are free to use without attribution.

EPD Chief Chris Skinner interview:

https://vimeo.com/653236931/3546fab67c

EPD Foundation's Lee Lashway Interview 

https://vimeo.com/653239267/6e3a32faae

B-roll of children and officers shopping

https://vimeo.com/653245514

Children’s give their families the gift of holidays during Shop with a Cop

On Saturday, December 4, Eugene Police officers, LCSO deputies, and UOPD officers, buddied up with 25 children to shop for holiday gifts for the childrens' families (siblings and parents) as well as non-perishable food that will help provide a holiday dinner. All costs were covered through generous donations from the Eugene Police Foundation and Northwest Community Credit Union, with thanks to Fred Meyer’s who has partnered with EPD on the venue for several years, and provided considerable discounts on purchases, donation of a portion of breakfast for the children, and a holiday tree. Gifts were wrapped by EPD Volunteers in Policing members and EPD employees. 

Portland, OR: The Portland Legacy Lions Club will host its annual Christmas Tree (wreaths and tree stands too!) Recycling Fundraiser on January 8, 2022 to benefit its neighbors who need access to sight and hearing assistance. 

100% of the donation supports sight and hearing care (eyeglasses, hearing aids, exams, surgeries) for people in need in the NW neighborhood in partnership with the Oregon Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation (OLSHF).

ONE DAY ONLY: January 8th, 2022 from 9AM to 3PM 

Drop Off Location: Good Samaritan Parking Lot at the corner of NW 23rd Avenue & NW Northrup Street

$7 donation for drop off

OR

$22 donation for pick up

Please contact us to schedule a pick up: ECYCLING@GMAIL.COM">PLLC.RECYCLING@GMAIL.COM or (971) 258-0649. 

Learn more about our community projects at https://portlandlegacylions.org/ or https://www.facebook.com/legacylionsclub/.

About OLSHF & the Lions of Oregon 

The Oregon Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation (OLSHF) serves communities statewide. We are driven by a promise made to American author and deaf blind activist Helen Keller. In 1925, at an International Lions Convention, she challenged Lions to focus on preventable sight and hearing issues as their primary mission. Since our formation in 1959, we have endeavored to uphold this promise by creating programs in response to the need for sight and hearing assistance. We have built upon the promise made to Helen Keller by creating a continuum of care for people who lack access to vision and hearing services.

In partnership with the Lions Clubs of Oregon and community organizations, we serve people through critical sight saving surgeries and treatments; manufacturing new eyeglasses; helping people who can’t afford eyeglasses and hearing aids, and creating the most efficient and effective school vision screening program in the US. Our statewide programs serve children to the elderly, giving them much needed access to optical and hearing services. OLSHF’s 20/20 Vision School Vision Screening Program is slated to provide state-of-the-art, safe and equitable vision screening to 200,000 or more Oregon students this coming school year with referrals for underserved student families for low cost/no cost vision exams and eyeglasses. Learn more at www.olshf.org or www.facebook.com/olshf.

MD-36 Lions: Lions of Oregon & Northern California are a part of an international network of 1.4 million men and women in 200 countries and geographic areas who work together to answer the needs that challenge communities around the world. Lions are best known for working to end preventable blindness, the giving of eyeglasses and hearing aids for the needy and local service projects. http://www.md36lionsclubs.org/

About Lions Clubs International:
Lions Clubs International is the largest service club organization in the world. Our 1.4 million members in more than 46,000 clubs provide humanitarian service in more than 200 countries and geographical areas around the globe. Since 1917, Lions clubs have aided the blind and visually impaired, championed youth initiatives and strengthened communities through hands-on service and humanitarian projects. For more information about Lions Clubs International, visit www.lionsclubs.org.

#          #          #

Law enforcement and family are looking for 37 year old Zachary Childers who has not been seen since 1:00pm on Friday, December 3rd, 2021. 

Childers was last seen by a family member at the Goodwill Store located at 6425 NE Fourth Plain Blvd, Vancouver, WA. He is autistic and forgets his name, where he lives, and becomes agitated when tired and hungry. He also has mental health issues and takes medication for medical issues. 

He is wearing a tan jacket, grey sweatpants, and black slip-on tennis shoes. Childers is carrying a wallet with his ID and address inside. He is 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs approximately 225 pounds. He is balding with short brown hair and brown eyes. If you see him please call 911. VPD Case #2021-026110.

NOW Volunteers searched the area and their work led to Zachary being located at the Vancouver Mall. He was reunited with his family.

Hood River County, Ore. - The Hood River County Sheriff’s Office is seeking help from the public in regards to a deceased woman located in the Mount Hood National Forest within Hood River County. 

Christyne Meier, thirty-four years of age, of Vancouver, Washington, died in the Mount Hood National Forest on Sunday, November 28^th, 2021. Investigators with the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office are seeking information from anyone who knew Meier or who had contact with her prior to November 28^th, 2021. Those with information are encouraged to call the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office Tip Line at 541-387-7077. 

Further information will be released as the investigation allows. 

David Michael Brandon, a 44-year-old Clatsop County resident, was arrested and lodged at the Clatsop County Jail on November 24^th, 2021.  The arrest came after a warrant was issued by the Clatsop County Circuit Court, after a Grand Jury indictment.  Brandon was lodged on five counts of Rape in the Third Degree, nine counts of Sexual Abuse in the Third Degree, one count of Sodomy in the Third Degree, and five counts of Unlawful Delivery of Marijuana Item. 

David Michael Brandon was associated with the Jewel School District from 2016 to the Spring of 2019 and Knappa School District beginning Fall of 2021 until placed on administrative leave. If anyone has additional information of other victims or witnesses, please contact Detective Jodi Libertad at the Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office by calling 503-325-8635 or emailing Detective Libertad at:

ertad@co.clatsop.or.us">jlibertad@co.clatsop.or.us

David Michael Brandon, a 44-year-old Clatsop County resident, was arrested and lodged at the Clatsop County Jail on November 24^th, 2021.  The arrest came after a warrant was issued by the Clatsop County Circuit Court, after a Grand Jury indictment.  Brandon was lodged on five counts of Rape in the Third Degree, nine counts of Sexual Abuse in the Third Degree, one count of Sodomy in the Third Degree, and five counts of Unlawful Delivery of Marijuana Item. 

David Michael Brandon was associated with the Jewel School District from 2016 to the Spring of 2019 and Knappa School District beginning Fall of 2021 until placed on administrative leave. If anyone has additional information of other victims or witnesses, please contact Detective Jodi Libertad at the Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office by calling 503-325-8635 or emailing Detective Libertad at:

ertad@co.clatsop.or.us">jlibertad@co.clatsop.or.us

David Michael Brandon, a 44-year-old Clatsop County resident, was arrested and lodged at the Clatsop County Jail on November 24^th, 2021.  The arrest came after a warrant was issued by the Clatsop County Circuit Court, after a Grand Jury indictment.  Brandon was lodged on five counts of Rape in the Third Degree, nine counts of Sexual Abuse in the Third Degree, one count of Sodomy in the Third Degree, and five counts of Unlawful Delivery of Marijuana Item. 

David Michael Brandon was associated with the Jewel School District from 2016 to the Spring of 2019 and Knappa School District beginning Fall of 2021 until placed on administrative leave. If anyone has additional information of other victims or witnesses, please contact Detective Jodi Libertad at the Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office by calling 503-325-8635 or emailing Detective Libertad at:

ertad@co.clatsop.or.us">jlibertad@co.clatsop.or.us

Vancouver, Wash. – Vancouver Police Public Information Coordinator Kim Kapp will be unavailable December 6-10

Lt. Kathy McNicholas will covering PIO duties December 6-10, during office hours (8am-5pm), and can be reached at (360) 487-7442 or at kathy.mcnicholas@cityofvancouver.us.

As always for inquiries outside of the above listed hours, or on weekends, please call dispatch on the media line and request a call back from on duty personnel. 

Please do not email or contact other personnel who have covered PIO duties in the past. Lt. McNicholas is the substitute PIO for the above-listed dates and hours. 

###

December 3, 2021

Contact: OHA External Relations, covid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us">orcovid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us

Oregon reports 1,352 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 16 new deaths

PORTLAND, Ore. — There are 16 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 5,243, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported at 12:01 a.m. today.

OHA reported 1,352 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 394,569.

COVID-19 hospitalizations

The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 397, which is 13 more than yesterday. There are 94 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is four more than yesterday.

There are 55 available adult ICU beds out of 692 total (8% availability) and 327 available adult non-ICU beds out of 4,094 (8% availability). 

The total number of patients in hospital beds may fluctuate between report times. The numbers do not reflect admissions per day, nor the length of hospital stay. Staffing limitations are not captured in this data and may further limit bed capacity.

Note: Please do not visit an emergency department for COVID-19 testing, unless you require emergency care for your symptoms.

Emergency departments in Oregon are under significant strain. You can find a test here. If you have a medical condition that doesn’t require emergency care, contact your provider. An urgent care center may also help you get the care you need and will save emergency departments from added strain.

More information about hospital capacity can be found here.

Vaccinations in Oregon

Today, OHA reported that 29,675 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry on Dec. 2. Of that total, 1,956 were initial doses, 3,545 were second doses and 9,898 were third doses and booster doses. The remaining 14,182 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on Dec. 2.

The seven-day running average is now 11,710 doses per day.

Oregon has now administered 3,541,522 doses of Pfizer Comirnaty, 81,874 doses of Pfizer pediatric, 2,285,262 doses of Moderna and 244,984 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines.

As of today, 2,958,346 people have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 2,673,871 people have completed a COVID-19 vaccine series.

These data are preliminary and subject to change.

Updated vaccination data are provided on Oregon’s COVID-19 data dashboards and have been updated today.

Cases and COVID-19 deaths

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (3), Benton (21), Clackamas (95), Clatsop (7), Columbia (21), Coos (40), Crook (45), Curry (8), Deschutes (74), Douglas (45), Grant (6), Harney (8), Hood River (14), Jackson (63), Jefferson (19), Josephine (35), Klamath (22), Lane (181), Lincoln (16), Linn (92), Malheur (2), Marion (105), Multnomah (150), Polk (55), Sherman (2), Tillamook (4), Umatilla (3), Union (12), Wallowa (1), Wasco (9), Washington (159) and Yamhill (35).

Oregon’s 5,228th COVID-19 related death is an 82-year-old woman from Multnomah County who tested positive Oct. 1 and died Oct. 10 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,229th COVID-19 related death is a 69-year-old man from Lane County who tested positive Oct. 12 and died Oct. 24 at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at Riverbend. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 5,230th COVID-19 related death is a 45-year-old woman from Washington County who tested positive Oct. 2 and died Oct. 4 at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,231st COVID-19 related death is an 88-year-old woman from Washington County who tested positive Oct. 3 and died Oct. 19 at Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,232nd COVID-19 related death is a 72-year-old woman from Josephine County who tested positive Sept. 2 and died Oct. 25 at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,233rd COVID-19 related death is a 75-year-old man from Washington County who tested positive Sept. 5 and died Oct. 26 at Portland VA Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,234th COVID-19 related death is a 61-year-old man from Multnomah County who tested positive Sept. 21 and died Oct. 15 at Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 5,235th COVID-19 related death is an 85-year-old man from Crook County who tested positive Nov. 2 and died Oct. 27 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,236th COVID-19 related death is a 66-year-old man from Union County who tested positive Nov. 30 and died Nov. 30 at his residence. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 5,237th COVID-19 related death is a 96-year-old woman from Umatilla County who tested positive Nov. 3 and died Nov. 21 at her residence. She had no underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,238th COVID-19 related death is a 79-year-old woman from Multnomah County who tested positive Nov. 22 and died Nov. 22 at Adventist Health Portland. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 5,239th COVID-19 related death is a 75-year-old woman from Linn County who tested positive Nov. 23 and died Dec. 1 at Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 5,240th COVID-19 related death is a 77-year-old woman from Jackson County who tested positive Nov. 22 and died Dec. 1 at Providence Medford Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,241st COVID-19 related death is a 71-year-old man from Grant County who tested positive Nov. 25 and died Nov. 28 at his residence. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 5,242nd COVID-19 related death is a 58-year-old woman from Coos County who died Dec. 2 at her residence. The death certificate listed COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Note: Lane County has informed us they are reviewing their data. We will provide any updates from Lane County if necessary.

Note: Updated information is known about Oregon’s 5,171st death, a 90-year-old man from Clackamas County. It was determined that he does not meet Oregon’s COVID-19 death definition and will not be counted as a COVID-19 death. Because of this update, we are renumbering our reports to start with 5,228 today.

Learn more about COVID-19 vaccinations  

To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine situation in Oregon, visit our web page (English or Spanish), which has a breakdown of distribution and other information.

# # #

(Salem) – The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS), Child Welfare Division, asks the public to help find Marley Kay Wnorowski, age 16, a child in foster care who went missing from Pendleton, Oregon on Oct. 30. Marley is believed to possibly be in danger.

ODHS asks the public for help in the effort to find Marley, and to contact 911 or local law enforcement if they believe they see her.

Marley is suspected to frequent Roy Raley Park in Pendleton. She may be in the company of Kyle Teeter, a 25-year-old male. 

Name: Marley Kay Wnorowski
Pronouns: She/her
Date of birth: May 4, 2005
Height: 5-foot-9
Weight: 130 pounds
Hair: Brown
Eye color: Hazel
Pendleton Police Department Case # 21-2751
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children #1435305

A small number of children in foster care may be in significant danger when they run away or have gone missing. As ODHS works to do everything it can to find these missing children and ensure their safety, media alerts will be issued in some circumstances when it is determined necessary. Sometimes, in these situations, a child may go missing repeatedly, resulting in more than one media alert for the same child.

Report child abuse to the Oregon Child Abuse Hotline by calling 1-855-503-SAFE (7233).  This toll-free number allows you to report abuse of any child or adult to the Oregon Department of Human Services, 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year. 

###

Units from Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue were dispatched at 5:18 AM to reports of an outbuilding on fire east of La Center at 32318 NE 64^th Avenue. Initial reports stated that several explosions could be heard coming from the building.  

CCFR Engine 23 from the La Center station arrived nine minutes later to find a 2-story building with a basement fully involved in fire. Portions of the building were collapsing as crews stretched hose lines to contain the fire. Due to the amount of fire involvement, crews fought the fire from the outside, known as a “defensive strategy.” Efforts were focused on keeping the fire from spreading to nearby structures. Crews were able to bring the fire fully under control in 40 minutes.  

The unique structure was two stories in height with a full daylight basement that opened up to a large pond. The property owners used the structure for entertaining guests. The fire created hazards for responders due to the use of unprotected steel beams and trusses. Heat from the fire caused the beams to weaken, distort and collapse. The pond was at the bottom of a steep, slippery slope. The back side of the structure was reached by a small wooden bridge across the pond. The explosions heard by neighbors were propane tanks and ammunition that were stored in the building. 

“We are fortunate that no firefighters were harmed at this fire” stated Fire Chief John Nohr. “The homemade design and construction of this structure lacked fire protection features that are commonly found in this type of building.”   

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Clark County Fire Marshal’s Office. There were no injuries during this incident. 

CCFR was assisted on this incident by Water Tenders from Clark County Fire District 10. 

Resources: 

3 fire engines 

1 ladder truck 

4 water tenders 

3 chief officers 

1 fire investigator 

18 total personnel 

The City of Vancouver will begin construction next week on the first phase of a long-awaited project to improve Southeast 1st Street, from 164th Avenue to 177th Avenue.

Originally built as a rural two-lane, farm-to-market roadway, Southeast 1st Street will be upgraded to a complete street multi-modal system with sidewalks, enhanced bike facilities, stormwater bio-retention, streetlights, and sound walls where required. The project will enhance safety, increase capacity, improve the road surface, and increase connectivity for homeowners, employees, businesses, and others along this important east Vancouver corridor.

The City of Vancouver has contracted with Lee Contractors LLC, Battle Ground, for construction of the project. Construction hours are generally from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, but may be extended to 8 p.m. or include weekends if needed.

Work begins during the week of Dec. 6, 2021, with the contractor installing temporary erosion controls and preparing the site. At its start, construction is expected to focus primarily on the north side of Southeast 1st Street from about 164th Avenue and continue east. Work is expected to be substantially complete, including a newly paved surface, about fall 2022.

Southeast 1st Street is expected to remain open during construction, but those traveling the corridor should be prepared for delays, traffic controls and possible lane changes where needed. Pedestrians should be alert to ramp and sidewalk closures. Bicycles and motorcycles are urged to exercise caution. Whether driving, biking, or walking, the city recommends taking a different route during this time to avoid construction disruptions and delays.

The full Southeast 1st Street Improvement Project spans from 164th Avenue to 192nd Avenue.

Phase I reaches from 164th Avenue to 177th Avenue, with additional paving, curb, and sidewalk work between 164th Avenue and 162nd Avenue. Funding for this estimated total $15 million project is provided by local Transportation Benefit District (TBD) vehicle license fees and other funds, a Federal Highway Administration grant awarded through the Southwest Washington Regional Transportation Council, and a Washington Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) grant.

Construction on Phase II of the Southeast 1st Street Project, from 177th Avenue to 192nd Avenue, is currently anticipated for construction in late 2022, pending funding.

For more information and ongoing construction updates, please visit the project webpage at www.cityofvancouver.us/FirstStreet.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE:      Friday, December 3, 2021

Salem, Ore. — On Thursday, December 2, 2021, at approximately 10:05 a.m., Salem Police officers responded to a suspicious activity report at a northeast Salem apartment complex. A resident of the Claxter Court Apartments reported seeing an unknown individual remove a large suitcase from another apartment. The individual placed the suitcase into the trunk of a vehicle parked in the complex parking lot. The witness further stated the resident of that apartment, identified as Richard Eugene Flennory, age 59, had not been seen for the last several days. 

When officers arrived, they located the vehicle belonging to Flennory inside the complex.  Upon opening the trunk, a suitcase containing a body was found. Members of the Salem Police Department Violent Crimes Unit responded to investigate the death. Detectives were later able to positively identify the body as Flennory. 

During the investigation, two individuals were found living inside Flennory’s apartment. One occupant, Linson Lavell Johnson, 51, was taken into custody on an outstanding parole violation warrant. Through the investigation, detectives learned that Flennory had multiple health issues which may have contributed to his death. When Johnson discovered Flennory deceased, he placed Flennory inside the suitcase and into the trunk of the vehicle to avoid a police response.

An autopsy performed by the state medical examiner’s office determined there was no indication of foul play. 

Johnson is being charged with abuse of a corpse in the second degree and parole violation. He is currently in custody at the Linn County Jail on the parole violation warrant.

All further inquiries can be directed to the Marion County District Attorney’s Office and the Oregon State Medical Examiner Division. 

# # #

SALEM, Ore. — The Oregon Board of Forestry’s chairperson will welcome its final new member at the Jan. 5, 2022, board meeting.

Liz Agpaoa is the final member to join the board. “I am thrilled to have a person with such deep experience in forestry join the board. Also thrilled to have a full board "on board," said chairperson Jim Kelly.

The public is invited to watch the meeting online starting at 9 a.m. Board materials and a link to the livestream are available at https://www.oregon.gov/odf/board/pages/bofmeetings.aspx.

Biography

All board members bios are available at https://www.oregon.gov/odf/board/pages/aboutbof.aspx.

Liz Agpaoa, of Medford, is a retired US Forest Service employee with 36 years of public service in forestry and natural resources. She retired as the Regional Forester for the national forests across the 13 southern states and commonwealth of Puerto Rico in 2014. In previous roles, she served as Chief-of-Staff for the Forest Service in Washington, D.C., oversaw forests in New Mexico, and grasslands in Texas and Oklahoma. Her first two decades of public service were in Oregon, where she serving as a Wildlife Biologist in the southern Cascades, an environmental planner in Portland, and District Ranger in the Siskiyou Mountains. She graduated from Humboldt State University with a Bachelor of Science in wildlife management. She currently serves on the board for the National Museum of Forest Service History located in Missoula, Montana.

The Oregon Board of Forestry consists of seven citizens nominated by the Governor and confirmed by the Oregon Senate. Responsibilities include appointing the State Forester, setting management direction for state-owned forests, adopting rules governing timber harvest and other practices on private forestland, and promoting sustainable management of Oregon’s 30-million-acre forestland base. Read more information about the board.

Independent Scientific Board reports on the proliferation of American Shad in the Columbia: 5 million counted so far this year at Bonneville Dam – five times more than all species of salmon and steelhead. Shad could be impacting other fish. Link to blog post: https://www.nwcouncil.org/news/will-shad-become-northwest-s-premier-fish

UPDATE 12/03/21 11:27am

Bowers has been lodged at the Lane County Jail on the charges of Assault in the 1st Degree and Assault in the 2nd Degree.

UPDATE 12/03/21

This morning the Florence Police Department received a tip from a citizen that Bowers was at a storage facility in the 3300blk of Hwy. 101.  Officers quickly responded and located him.  Bowers was detained and transferred to the custody of the Lane County Sheriff’s Office without incident.

Bowers has been identified as the suspect in a stabbing assault that occurred on Thanksgiving Day.  He became involved in a verbal altercation with two people on an ATV and attacked them with a knife.  He slashed the male victim in the abdomen and face, then stabbed the female victim in the face.  Both victims were unknown to Bowers.  They are recovering from their injuries. 

Detectives are still working to determine remaining facts such as a motive.  Bowers will be lodged at the Lane County Jail.  The Lane County Sheriff’s Office will provide an update when charges are determined.

The Lane County Sheriff’s Office would like to express our deepest gratitude to the Florence Police Department, Oregon State Police, and all of the citizens that provided tips in this case.  This cooperative effort was essential in locating and safely taking the suspect into custody.    

12/02/2021 – On December 2nd at 5:55pm, SW Polk Fire District was dispatched to a head on collision on HWY 22 at milepost 17. Upon arrival, crews found that a wrong-way driver had collided with a vehicle in in the Eastbound Lane and sent the other vehicle over the median into the Westbound Lane. There were multiple witnesses to the collision. Crews extricated patients in both vehicles. One was transported to the hospital and succumbed to their injuries. The Eastbound Lane was closed for an extended period for investigation. SW Polk Fire District would like to thank Dallas Fire and EMS and Polk 1 Fire District for providing mutual aid, as well as Polk County Sheriff, Oregon State Police, and ODOT for their assistance on scene.  

This news release is an updated version to include case and death information.

December 2, 2021

Contact: OHA External Relations, covid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us">orcovid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us

Oregon reports 1,046 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 42 new deaths

PORTLAND, Ore. — There are 42 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 5,228 the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported at 12:01 a.m. today.

OHA reported 1,046 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 393,232.

OHA releases new COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough report

OHA’s most recent update on COVID-19 breakthrough cases, released today, found that 71.3% of the 4,134 reported COVID-19 cases between Nov. 21 and Nov. 27 occurred in unvaccinated people.

There were 1,186 breakthrough cases, accounting for 28.7% of all cases.

The average age of the breakthrough cases during that period was 45. Twenty-eight breakthrough cases involved residents of care facilities, senior living communities or other congregate care settings. There were 45 cases in people aged 12 to 17.

To date, there have been 45,545 COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough cases in Oregon. The average age of all cases is 47. Breakthrough cases have been reported in all 36 counties.

Cases of COVID-19 are far more common in unvaccinated people. The report shows that the rate of COVID-19 in unvaccinated people is four times higher than in vaccinated people.

To date, 4.4% of all vaccine breakthrough cases have been hospitalized and 1.2% have died. The average age of vaccinated people who died was 81.

Vaccination remains the most effective tool to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

The latest breakthrough report can be found here.

COVID-19 hospitalizations

The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 384, which is 20 fewer than yesterday. There are 90 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is two fewer than yesterday.

There are 49 available adult ICU beds out of 691 total (7% availability) and 312 available adult non-ICU beds out of 4,078 (8% availability). 

The total number of patients in hospital beds may fluctuate between report times. The numbers do not reflect admissions per day, nor the length of hospital stay. Staffing limitations are not captured in this data and may further limit bed capacity.

Note: Please do not visit an emergency department for COVID-19 testing, unless you require emergency care for your symptoms.

Emergency departments in Oregon are under significant strain. You can find a test here.

If you have a medical condition that doesn’t require emergency care, contact your provider. An urgent care center may also help you get the care you need and will save emergency departments from added strain.

More information about hospital capacity can be found here.

Vaccinations in Oregon

Today, OHA reported that 26,172 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry on Dec. 1. Of that total, 2,278 were initial doses, 4,024 were second doses and 10,485 were third doses and booster doses. The remaining 9,295 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on Dec. 1.

The seven-day running average is now 11,810 doses per day.

Oregon has now administered 3,530,606 doses of Pfizer Comirnaty, 75,802 doses of Pfizer pediatric, 2,275,997 doses of Moderna and 244,417 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines.

Note: Today’s cumulative total doses of Pfizer Comirnaty vaccine is lower than yesterday’s total. This is due to the removal of duplicate doses found during data reconciliation.

As of today, 2,955,159 people have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 2,667,597 people have completed a COVID-19 vaccine series.

These data are preliminary and subject to change.

Updated vaccination data are provided on Oregon’s COVID-19 data dashboards and have been updated today.

Cases and COVID-19 deaths

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (7), Benton (19), Clackamas (84), Clatsop (2), Columbia (26), Coos (36), Crook (22), Curry (7), Deschutes (83), Douglas (41), Harney (6), Hood River (6), Jackson (86), Jefferson (17), Josephine (43), Klamath (18), Lane (70), Lincoln (6), Linn (64), Malheur (3), Marion (62), Multnomah (157), Polk (22), Tillamook (5), Umatilla (7), Union (3), Wallowa (2), Wasco (8), Washington (117), and Yamhill (17).

Oregon’s 5,187th COVID-19 related death is a 66-year-old man from Multnomah County who tested positive Aug. 7 and died Aug. 15 at Portland VA Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,188th COVID-19 related death is an 82-year-old woman from Tillamook County who tested positive Sept. 30 and died Sept. 29 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,189th COVID-19 related death is a 57-year-old woman from Clackamas County who tested positive Oct. 28 and died Nov. 1 at Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,190th COVID-19 related death is an 83-year-old man from Multnomah County who tested positive Sept. 25 and died Oct. 4 at Adventist Health Portland. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,191st COVID-19 related death is a 59-year-old man from Marion County who tested positive Sept. 22 and died Oct. 4 at Santiam Hospital. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,192nd COVID-19 related death is an 80-year-old woman from Multnomah County who tested positive Sept. 22 and died Oct. 5 at Adventist Health Portland. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 5,193rd COVID-19 related death is an 82-year-old man from Deschutes County who tested positive Sept. 29 and died Oct. 5 at St. Charles Bend. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,194th COVID-19 related death is an 86-year-old man from Deschutes County who tested positive Sept. 24 and died Oct. 6 at St. Charles Bend. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,195th COVID-19 related death is a 67-year-old woman from Deschutes County who tested positive Sept. 30 and died Oct. 6 at St. Charles Bend. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,196th COVID-19 related death is a 78-year-old man from Malheur County who tested positive Sept. 23 and died Oct. 7 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,197th COVID-19 related death is an 82-year-old man from Deschutes County who tested positive Oct. 7 and died Oct. 7 at St. Charles Bend. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,198th COVID-19 related death is a 77-year-old woman from Marion County who tested positive Sept. 26 and died Oct. 7 at Samaritan Albany General Hospital. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 5,199th COVID-19 related death is an 85-year-old woman from Lane County who tested positive Sept. 29 and died Oct. 7 at her residence. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 5,200th COVID-19 related death is an 85-year-old woman from Lane County who tested positive Sept. 29 and died Oct. 7 at her residence. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 5,201st COVID-19 related death is an 82-year-old man from Malheur County who tested positive Sept. 17 and died Oct. 8 at his residence. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 5,202nd COVID-19 related death is a 74-year-old man from Douglas County who tested positive Oct. 4 and died Oct. 8 at Bay Area Hospital. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,203rd COVID-19 related death is an 84-year-old man from Clackamas County who tested positive Sept. 21 and died Oct. 9 at his residence. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 5,204th COVID-19 related death is a 69-year-old woman from Lane County who tested positive Oct. 6 and died Oct. 9 at her residence. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 5,205th COVID-19 related death is a 74-year-old man from Lake County who tested positive Sept. 20 and died Oct. 8 at Providence Medford Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,206th COVID-19 related death is a 64-year-old woman from Clackamas County who tested positive Sept. 27 and died Oct. 8 at Providence Portland Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,207th COVID-19 related death is a 42-year-old woman from Jackson County who tested positive Sept. 5 and died Oct. 7 at her residence. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 5,208th COVID-19 related death is a 64-year-old man from Washington County who tested positive Sept. 17 and died Oct. 5 at Kaiser Westside Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,209th COVID-19 related death is an 86-year-old woman from Coos County who tested positive Oct. 1 and died Oct. 5 at Coquille Valley Hospital. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,210th COVID-19 related death is an 82-year-old woman from Linn County who tested positive Aug. 30 and died Oct. 4 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,211th COVID-19 related death is an 84-year-old woman from Klamath County who tested positive Sept. 22 and died Sept. 26 at Sky Lakes Medical Center. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 5,212th COVID-19 related death is a 79-year-old man from Multnomah County who tested positive Nov. 2 and died Nov. 17 at Providence Portland Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,213th COVID-19 related death is an 80-year-old man from Clackamas County who tested positive Oct. 20 and died Nov. 18 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,214th COVID-19 related death is a 73-year-old man from Marion County who tested positive Sept. 18 and died Oct. 1 at Samaritan Albany General Hospital. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 5,215th COVID-19 related death is a 64-year-old woman from Marion County who tested positive Oct. 27 and died Nov. 27 at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,216th COVID-19 related death is a 58-year-old man from Marion County who tested positive Oct. 13 and died Nov. 10 at Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,217th COVID-19 related death is an 88-year-old man from Linn County who tested positive Nov. 22 and died Nov. 27 at his residence. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 5,218th COVID-19 related death is a 56-year-old man from Klamath County who died Oct. 23 at his residence. The death certificate listed COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,219th COVID-19 related death is an 86-year-old woman from Clackamas County who died Nov. 21 at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center. The death certificate listed COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 5,220th COVID-19 related death is a 37-year-old man from Clackamas County who tested positive Oct. 25 and died Nov. 20 at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,221st COVID-19 related death is a 51-year-old woman from Multnomah County who tested positive Sept. 14 and died Oct. 17 at her residence. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 5,222nd COVID-19 related death is a 76-year-old man from Marion County who died Aug. 30 at his residence. The death certificate listed COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,223rd COVID-19 related death is a 79-year-old man from Marion County who tested positive Nov. 18 and died Nov. 30 at Salem Hospital. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,224th COVID-19 related death is a 54-year-old woman from Marion County who tested positive Nov. 17 and died Nov. 28 at Salem Hospital. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,225th COVID-19 related death is a 76-year-old woman from Marion County who tested positive Oct. 30 and died Nov. 23 at Salem Hospital. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,226th COVID-19 related death is a 95-year-old man from Washington County who died Sept. 19 at his residence. The death certificate listed COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,227th COVID-19 related death is a 76-year-old woman from Umatilla County who tested positive Nov. 23 and died Nov. 30 at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,228th COVID-19 related COVID-19 related death is a 90-year-old man from Washington County who tested positive Nov. 22 and died Nov. 25 at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Note: Updated information is known about Oregon’s 5,167th COVID-19 related death, a 68-year-old man from Josephine County who tested positive Nov. 30 and died Nov. 30. He had underlying conditions. He was originally reported as a 38-year-old man with unknown underlying conditions.

Learn more about COVID-19 vaccinations  

To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine situation in Oregon, visit our web page (English or Spanish), which has a breakdown of distribution and other information.

# # #

Hines, Ore. – The Bureau of Land Management Burns District is initiating an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Bridge Creek Area Allotment Management Plans (AMPs) and seeking public input on issues, actions, and alternatives that the EIS should address. The 30-day public scoping period will begin on December 3, 2021.

“There is a high level of public interest in this project and the BLM welcomes public participation to reach a sound decision,” said Andrews/Steens Field Manager Don Rotell. 

The Bridge Creek AMPs EIS will analyze several alternatives for livestock management and related actions in the 26,378-acre project area on Steens Mountain in southeast Oregon near the town of Frenchglen. The project includes four allotments: Hammond, Mud Creek, Hardie Summer, and Hammond Fenced Federal Range allotments. There is currently no grazing preference or grazing authorizations associated with the four allotments in the project area, all of which have been largely un-grazed since 2014. 

The alternatives in the EIS will consider issuance of 10-year grazing permits to up to three applicants and approval of four AMPs that outline seasonal grazing systems, grazing utilization thresholds, monitoring, and range developments. 

Additional project information is available through BLM’s ePlanning website at: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2013546/510 

Public comments should be submitted no later than January 3, 2022 on the ePlanning project page, by email to LM_OR_BU_BCA_AMP@blm.gov">BLM_OR_BU_BCA_AMP@blm.gov, or mail to 28910 Hwy 20 W., Hines, Oregon 97738. Please reference “BCA AMP” when submitting comments.

-BLM–

This year, we invite everyone to reimagine your public lands as we celebrate 75 years of the BLM’s stewardship and service to the American people. The BLM manages approximately 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The agency’s mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. 

Portland, OR – December 3, 2021 — Seventy-two providers at The Oregon Clinic (TOC) were named to Portland Monthly Magazine’s annual “Top Doctors, Physician Assistants, and Nurse Practitioners” list, recognized by their peers as among the best in the region. Spanning a variety of specialties, the 2022 list includes TOC providers in Ear, Nose and Throat; Colon and Rectal Surgery; Gastroenterology; General Surgery; Neurological Surgery; Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine; Urogynecology; Urology and more. 

“Recognition from our peers is very gratifying,” said Dr. Richard Jamison, President of The Oregon Clinic. “When our peers recommend us and refer patients to us, it’s because they trust our judgement and our work, and that means a lot.”  
 
For many in the Portland metro area, Portland Monthly’s database is a go-to place to find a new provider or specialist. The magazine’s annual “Top Medical Providers” list compiles a peer-vetted list of the Portland area’s very best doctors, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners. To determine the best, Portland Monthly solicited peer nominations from every licensed doctor, physician assistant, and registered nurse in Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas Counties. After tabulating thousands of votes, Portland Monthly’s published list represents only the top five to ten percent of nominees.  

The Oregon Clinic providers on Portland Monthly’s 2022 list include: 
 
Cardiology 
Sandeep Garg, M.D., FACC 

Dermatology 
Michael Adler, M.D. 
Rebecca Bremner, M.D. 

Ear, Nose & Throat 
Edsel Kim, M.D. 
Brian Shaffer, M.D. 
Roger Wobig, M.D. 

Gastroenterology 
Molly Beilby, P.A.-C. 
Aaron Cosman, M.S.N, R.N., F.N.P.-B.C. 
Rebecca Fausel, M.D. 
Gabriel Francetich, P.A.-C. 
Erica Heagy, F.N.P.-B.C. 
Justine Hum, M.D. 
T. Domi Le, M.D., M.A. 
Sarah Lee, M.D. 
Donald Lum, M.D., F.A.C.G. 
Tulika (Agarwal) Malhotra, P.A.-C. 
Nima Motamedi, M.D. 
Michael Phillips, M.D. 
Anthony Razzak, M.D. 
Ken Reckard, M.S., P.A.-C. 
Sarah “Betsy” Rodriguez, M.D. 
Christina Thompson, P.A.-C. 
Wei Wang, M.D. 

Obstetrics & Gynecology 
Desiree Bley, M.D., F.A.C.O.G. 
Kimberlynn Heller, D.O., FACOG 
Erica Simonich, M.S.N, W.H.N.P-B.C. 

Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine 
Bradford Glavan, M.D. 
David Hotchkin, M.D. 
Lianne Lin, M.D. 
Wayne Strauss, M.D., Ph.D. 

Radiation Oncology 
Stephen Bader, M.D. 
Jeannie Louie, M.D. 
Alice Wang-Chesebro, M.D. 
Kristina Young, M.D., Ph.D. 

Sleep Medicine 
Jeffrey M. Bluhm, M.D., F.C.C.P., F.A.A.S.M., D.-A.B.S.M.  
William Bowerfind, M.D. 
Carly Griffin, F.N.P. 
Andrea Matsumura, M.D., M.S., F.A.C.P. 
Joshua Ramseyer, M.D. 

Surgery – Bariatric  
Daniel Davila Bradley, M.D. 
Kevin Reavis, M.D., F.A.C.S. 

Surgery - Colon & Rectal  
Rehan Ahmad, M.D., F.R.C.S. 
Amanda Verienna Hayman, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.S., F.A.S.C.R.S. 
Maria Ximena Traa Kiely, M.D., M.P.H. 
David O’Brien, M.D., F.A.C.S., F.A.S.C.R.S. 
Mark Whiteford, M.D., F.A.C.S., F.A.S.C.R.S. 

Surgery - General 
Shaghayegh Aliabadi-Wahle, M.D., F.A.C.S. 
Nikram Eshraghi, M.D., F.A.C.S. 
Jordana Gaumond, M.D., F.A.C.S. 
Richard Jamison, M.D., F.A.C.S. 
Sean Watters, M.D., F.A.C.S.  
Kelvin Yu, M.D., F.A.C.S. 
Karen Zink, M.D., F.A.C.S 

Surgery - Neurological 
David Antezana, M.D. 
Pankaj Gore, M.D. 
Kareen Leavens, P.A.-C. 
Cody Stekly, P.A.-C. 

Surgery – Oncology 
Michele Babicky, M.D. 

Surgery - Plastic 
Samuel Bartholomew, M.D., F.A.C.S. 
Hetal Fichadia, M.D., F.A.C.S. 

Urogynecology 
Lucia Arenzana Lopez, P.A.-C. 
Rebecca Batalden, M.D., F.A.C.O.G., F.P.M.R.S. 
Lisa Bayne, F.N.P. 
Sarah Boyles, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.O.G., F.A.C.S., F.P.M.R.S. 
Mary Anna Denman, M.D., M.C.R., F.A.C.O.G., F.A.C.S., F.P.M.R.S. 

Urology 
Gregory Alan Cost, M.D. 
Sajal Dutta, M.D.  
Jin-Hee Kim, M.D. 
Jessica Lubahn, M.D. 
Lance Marr, M.D. 
Melanie Mix, P.A.-C. 
Amanda VanDlac, M.D. 

 
Browse the searchable database of Portland Monthly’s Top Doctors and Nurses at www.pdxmonthly.com/doctors. 

### 

 

About The Oregon Clinic:  
The Oregon Clinic is the largest private specialty physician practice in Oregon. More than 270 providers provide respectful, compassionate care in more than 30 specialty areas, resulting in more than 500,000 patient visits each year. Founded in Portland in 1994, The Oregon Clinic is committed to delivering the highest quality patient care, practicing evidence-based medicine, and providing leadership for the healthcare community. We collaborate with primary care physicians and use a team approach to address health conditions at more than 60 specialty clinic locations across northwest Oregon and southwest Washington. Call 503-935-8000 or visit www.oregonclinic.com for more information. 

Board on Public Safety Standards & Training

 and Policy Committee

Open Vacancy – Recruitment

The Board on Public Safety Standards & Training (BPSST) and Policy Committees have open vacancies looking to be filled. The current vacancies are as follows:

BPSST: Please note that all Board position applications are due by December 10, 2021

• Non-Management Law Enforcement
• Non-Management Parole & Probation
• Public Member – Member of a marginalized or historically underrepresented community
• Public Member – Recommended to the Governor by the President of the Senate
• Public Member – Recommended to the Governor by the Speaker of the House of Representatives

Telecommunications Policy Committee:

• Recommended by and representing the Oregon Fire Chiefs Association

Corrections Policy Committee:

• Oregon Sheriff’s Jail Command Council

Police Policy Committee:

• Public Member – Member of a marginalized or historically underrepresented community
• Non-Management Law Enforcement
• Non-Management Law Enforcement
• Oregon State Sheriff’s Association

Private Security/Investigator Policy Committee:

• Hospitality Representative
• Manufacturing Representative

Private Investigator Sub-Committee:

• Representative of the Private Investigator Community

The BPSST Policy Committees are soon going to be recruiting for the upcoming 2022 vacancies. 

Upcoming Vacancies for 2022:

Telecommunications Policy Committee:

• Public Member who has never been employed or utilized as a telecommunicator

Corrections Policy Committee:

• Non-Management Corrections employed by Department of Corrections

To inquire about a vacancy, please visit Department of Public Safety Standards & Training : Board on Public Safety Standards & Training and Policy Committees : Boards and Committees : State of Oregon. 

If interested in applying for a Committee position, please complete and submit the Policy Committee Interest Form found under the ‘Board and Committee Resources’ section of the website listed above.

If interested in applying for a BPSST position, please complete the online application at View Job Posting Details - Workday (myworkday.com). (Please note that an account may need to be created if not already in Workday)

Thank you,

DPSST Board & Committees Staff

On Thursday, December 2, 2021, at approximately 5:56 PM Oregon State Police and emergency personnel responded to a two-vehicle head-on crash on Hwy 22W near milepost 17. 

Preliminary investigation revealed that a Toyota Avalon, operated by James Marvin Dougherty (83) of Salem, was traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes and collided head-on with an eastbound Honda Element, operated by Samuel James Clark (50) of Salem. 

Clark and Dougherty were both transported to a local hospital with serious injuries. Dougherty was later pronounced deceased at the hospital. 

Eastbound lanes of Hwy 22W were closed for approximately 3 hours. 

OSP was assisted by Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Dallas Fire and Medics and ODOT. 

Since 2017, the Portland Water Bureau has detected low levels of Cryptosporidium from routine monitoring of source water. The Portland Water Bureau received results from ongoing monitoring from the Bull Run Watershed intake for Cryptosporidium, a potentially disease-causing microorganism. In the 50 liters sampled each day from Nov. 28 to Dec. 1, two Cryptosporidium oocysts were detected in the samples collected on Nov. 28 and 29. Cryptosporidium was not detected in the samples collected on Nov. 30 or Dec. 1. Prior to these detections, Cryptosporidium was last detected from the Bull Run Watershed intake on Nov. 17, 2021.

The Bull Run watershed is Portland’s primary source of drinking water. The Portland Water Bureau does not currently treat for Cryptosporidium, but is required to do so under drinking water regulations. Portland is working to install filtration by September 2027 under a compliance schedule with the Oregon Health Authority. In the meantime, Portland Water Bureau is implementing interim measures such as watershed protection and additional monitoring to protect public health. Consultation with public health officials has concluded that at this time, customers do not need to take any additional precautions. 

Exposure to Cryptosporidium can cause cryptosporidiosis, a serious illness. Symptoms can include diarrhea, vomiting, fever and stomach pain. People with healthy immune systems recover without medical treatment. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people with severely weakened immune systems are at risk for more serious disease. Symptoms may be more severe and could lead to serious or life-threatening illness. Examples of people with weakened immune systems include those with AIDS, those with inherited diseases that affect the immune system, and cancer and transplant patients who are taking certain immunosuppressive drugs.

The Environmental Protection Agency has estimated that a small percentage of the population could experience gastro-intestinal illness from Cryptosporidium and advises that customers who are immunocompromised and receive their drinking water from the Bull Run Watershed consult with their healthcare professional about the safety of drinking the tap water. The Portland Water Bureau and Burlington, City of Gresham, City of Sandy, City of Tualatin, Green Valley, GNR, Hideaway Hills, Lake Grove, Lorna Domestic Water, Lusted, Palatine Hill, Pleasant Home, Raleigh, Rockwood, Skyview Acres, Tualatin Valley, Two Rivers, Valley View and West Slope Water Districts receive all or part of their drinking water supply from Bull Run. To learn if your drinking water comes from Bull Run, please contact your local drinking water provider.

The public and the media are encouraged to view all sampling results posted to the City’s website at portland.gov/water/cryptoresults. The bureau will notify the media and public immediately should further test results indicate a risk to public health and precautions are necessary.

Customers with questions regarding water quality can call the Water Quality Line at 503-823-7525.

About the Portland Water Bureau

The Portland Water Bureau serves water to almost a million people in the Portland area. Portland’s water system includes two great water sources, 53 tanks and reservoirs, and 2,200 miles of pipes. With 600 employees working on everything from water treatment to customer service, the Water Bureau is committed to serving excellent water every minute of every day.

For Immediate Release                                                Contact: Courtney Dodds 

December 3, 2021                                                        971-275-2334

Union Gospel Mission Collecting Toys for Local Children in Need 

Portland, Ore., - On Saturday, December 4th between 9-11 am Union Gospel Mission in partnership with 99.5 The Wolf will be at Washington Square Mall collecting new, unwrapped toys for the families in UGM’s LifeChange recovery program.

Bring donations to Washington Square Mall 9585 SW Washington Square Rd. Portland, OR 97223, across from Red Robin off of Washington Square Road. 

UGM’s LifeChange recovery communities are for men, single women or women with children who are escaping homelessness, abuse, addiction and trauma. LifeChange gives them a chance to heal and experience a life transformation through a safe home, counseling, education and a caring supportive community. 

If you would like to learn more about Union Gospel Mission visit www.ugmportland.org. 

About Union Gospel Mission: Union Gospel Mission’s purpose is “Feeding the hungry, restoring the addict and loving our neighbor.” Union Gospel Mission has been serving Portland since 1927. Union Gospel Mission provides meals and care for the homeless and operates LifeChange -- a transformative recovery community for men, women and children. Contact Union Gospel Mission at 503-274-4483, ugmportland.org or on social media @ugmpdx 

# # #

Vancouver, Wash. –On December 2, 2021, Vancouver Police, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force and the SW Washington Regional SWAT team, located and arrested Alexandro Bolton Manrero, 19 years of age, for Murder II in connection to the November 19^th shooting death of Josue Isac Lopez Padilla. Manrero was booked into the Clark County Jail. 

The investigation is continuing and nothing further is being released at this time.

###

December 2, 2021

Media contact: Aria Seligmann, 503-910-9239 i.l.seligmann@dhsoha.state.or.us">ari.l.seligmann@dhsoha.state.or.us

Contact: Oregon State Police PIO, osppio@state.or.us

Oregon State Hospital patient missing from Junction City campus

A 31-year-old Oregon State Hospital psychiatric patient, Jordan James Savariego, was reported missing on Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021. Anyone seeing Savariego should call 911 or the Oregon State Police at 1-800-452-7888.

Savariego is accused of unauthorized departure. The OSP is conducting an investigation to help locate him. Savariego should not be approached.

Savariego was admitted from Lincoln County to the Junction City campus of Oregon State Hospital on Jan. 13, 2021. He was found Guilty Except for Insanity on the charges of Arson 1 and Aggravated Harassment.

He was last seen at the 5th St. Market in Eugene at approximately 2:07 p.m., Thursday, where he was on an approved outing. Oregon State Hospital staff members assigned to escort Savariego lost visual contact when he ran away from staff.

Hospital officials, who reported the missing patient to state and local law enforcement agencies, described Savariego as a Caucasian male, 5 feet 10 inches tall, 203 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. When last seen, he was wearing blue sweatpants, a blue denim Carhart-style jacket, white t-shirt, brown hiking boots, and headphones.  He also wears eyeglasses.

Any future news releases will be issued by the OSP.

###

PORTLAND, Ore.—A federal grand jury in Portland returned a five-count indictment today charging six individuals for their roles in a multiyear scheme to evade the payment of payroll and income taxes on the wages of construction workers.

David A. Katz, 45, of Tualatin, Oregon, the operator of Check Cash Pacific, Inc., a check cashing business with locations in the Portland area and Vancouver, Washington, is charged with conspiring with five individuals affiliated with Oregon-based construction companies to defraud the U.S. by facilitating under-the-table cash wage payments to construction workers to impede and obstruct the IRS’s ability to compute, assess, and collect payroll and income taxes due on the cash wages. 

Additionally, Katz is charged with four counts of filing false currency transaction reports with the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).

Others charged with conspiracy to defraud the U.S. include Martin S. Elizondo, 46, also of Tualatin; Melesio Gomez-Rivera, 47, of Aloha, Oregon; Jorge Peraza, 49, and Natallie N. Graham, 46, both of Beaverton, Oregon; and Jose L. Altamirano, Sr., 60, of Bend, Oregon.

According to the indictment, from at least January 2014 and continuing through December 2017, Elizondo, Gomez-Rivera, and Peraza are alleged to have successfully evaded the employment tax obligations of their respective construction companies and assisted other construction companies do the same. To carry out the scheme, they cashed or had other individuals cash millions of dollars in payroll checks at various locations of Katz’s check cashing business, used the cash to pay construction workers under-the-table, and filed false business and payroll tax returns.

Altamirano is alleged to have used co-conspirators to cash payroll checks at Katz’s business to pay employees of his construction company under-the-table. Graham is alleged to have worked in the office of a subcontracting company used to facilitate and organize the unreported cash payments to workers.

In total, Katz and his co-conspirators cashed approximately $192 million in payroll checks, causing a combined employment and individual income tax loss of $68 million.

Katz, Elizondo, Gomez-Rivera, Peraza, and Graham will be arraigned on these charges in federal court in Portland on December 15, 2021.

Conspiracy to defraud the U.S. is punishable by up to five years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years’ supervised release. Filing false currency transaction reports is punishable by up to 10 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years’ supervised release.

Acting U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug of the District of Oregon made the announcement.

This case was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Seth D. Uram and Gavin W. Bruce are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is only an accusation of a crime, and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

# # #

Christmas chicken defys covid

On November 19^th, 2021, Portland Fire and Rescue experienced a significant loss to the organization when Lieutenant Jerry Richardson passed away from occupationally connected cancer. Lt. Richardson was hired by Portland Fire and Rescue in 1999 and served at several stations, working his last assignment at Station 17 serving the Hayden Island area in the Marine Program. A complete obituary is found below. 

On Saturday, December 4^th, 2021, the Richardson Family and Portland Fire will hold a private Celebration of Life service at New Heights Church in Vancouver, WA, at 11:00 am. Portland Fire Honor Guard will be presenting full fire service honors for Lieutenant Richardson. Full military honors will be provided at a later date when Lt. Richardson is laid to rest.

The service will be broadcast here: https://youtu.be/CEDuraH3zxE

The following is the obituary provided by the Richardson Family:

On Friday, November 19^th, 2021, Jerry Richardson, loving husband, and father of two children passed away at the age of 56. Jerry was born on November 6, 1965, in Montebello, California to Harold and Sharon. Jerry’s life of service started as a junior at Selah High School where he volunteered at Selah Fire Department. After graduating high school in 1984 Jerry enlisted in the United States Air Force where he became an airbase firefighter for four years. After Jerry’s military service he enrolled in the paramedic program at Central Washington University. During this time Jerry met the love of his life and best friend Heather. Jerry and Heather moved to Cottage Grove, OR in 1992 where all of Jerry’s hard work paid off when he started his professional firefighting career with Cottage Grove Fire. In 1993, Jerry and Heather were wed and began expanding their family. It wasn’t long before their family was complete with the birth of Eddie first then Kaylee. Jerry’s service to the residents of Lane County ended after 7 years when his desire to serve a larger community led him to Portland Fire & Rescue in December of 1999. Jerry promoted to Lieutenant in June of 2007. Jerry’s warm personality and unparalleled leadership were respected by his peers. Jerry was beloved by all that met him.

Jerry had a passion for hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, baseball, softball, coaching, woodworking, and church. Of all the blessings in his life, the thing he treasured most was his family. He was so proud when Eddie followed in his footsteps and became a firefighter for Spokane County Fire District 9. Kaylee always made Jerry proud with her independent tough spirit and sharing his love for nature where they spent many trips hiking and camping. His true love, Heather, has made every step in this life worth walking. They enjoyed raising their beautiful children, helping with all their activities, spending time with their extended family, camping, traveling, and attending as many concerts as they could. In the last three years, Jerry successfully lived life to the fullest and found joy in every day. 

Jerry was preceded in death by his Brother Eddie Richardson, Cousin’s Jeff Reynolds and Neil Reynolds, Stepfather Clint Withers, and his Grandparents. He is survived by his wife Heather, his children Eddie Kaylee, his father Harold, mother Sharon, and many extended family members and friends.

In lieu of sending flowers to the family, please consider donating to these organizations that are an important part of the Richardson’s family:

The Lionhardt Organization - https://lionhardt.org/donate.html

Portland Firefighters Pipes and Drums - https://portlandfirefighterspipesanddrums.com/home

Cure Meso - https://www.curemeso.org/

Clark County Veterans Assistance Center - https://ccvac.net/ 

Ray Hickey Hospice House - https://www.peacehealth.org/southwest/ray-hickey-hospice-house

Media Advisory: we will have a media staging location for exterior views of precession and uniformed personnel with represented agency spokespersons available for interviews. Please contact einfo@portlandoregon.gov">fireinfo@portlandoregon.gov by noon on Friday, 12/3/21, if you plan to send a media representative to the ceremony for further instructions.

PORTLAND, Ore.—A federal grand jury in Portland returned an indictment today charging a former resident of Newberg, Oregon with calling in hoax bomb threats to three schools and one hospital in Oregon.

Sean Case McGinley, 40, has been charged with four counts of making interstate threats involving explosives and four counts of conveying false information and hoaxes about destructive devices.

According to court documents, on October 26, 2021, McGinley began making multiple calls to the Newberg-Dundee Police Department dispatch center in which he referenced putting a pipe bomb under a vehicle in Newberg. Officers checked the area McGinley referenced, but did not locate a bomb. Meanwhile, McGinley’s calls and phone number were recorded and determined to originate from the St. Louis, Missouri area. Investigators later learned that McGinley formerly resided in Newberg and had family in and around St. Louis.

On November 9, 2021, McGinley placed another call to the Newberg-Dundee dispatch center claiming that a pipe bomb had been placed in the vehicle tailpipe of a Newberg Municipal Court judge. A Newberg-Dundee police officer returned McGinley’s call and spoke with him about the alleged tip. During this discussion, McGinley told the officer that he hoped someone would place a pipe bomb in the judge’s vehicle tailpipe and that he believed the judge was worthless.

On the morning of November 12, 2021, the principal of Newberg High School contacted Newberg-Dundee police to report a potential bomb threat. The principal gave officers a voicemail from an unknown person claiming there was a pipe bomb in the school. Officers determined that the hoax threat was placed by McGinley and that it also originated in St. Louis. Later the same morning, McGinley called a similar threat into Sherwood High School. McGinley then called a school resource officer at Sherwood High School, identified himself, and provided information about a purported pedophilia ring in Sherwood.

Between November 18 and 23, 2021, McGinley called in at least eight additional bomb threats to various public and private institutions. On November 18 and 22, 2021, McGinley called in threats to St. Paul High School and an elementary school in Tigard, Oregon. On November 23, 2021 alone, he called in four separate threats to Fowler Middle School and Twality Middle School in Tigard, the Providence Newberg Medical Center, and Providence Sherwood Medical Plaza. The threat made to the Providence Sherwood Medical Plaza prompted the facility to evacuate ambulatory patients and staff.

Amidst McGinley’s late November threat spree, authorities sought and obtained a federal criminal complaint and arrest warrant against McGinley and, on November 24, 2021, FBI agents arrested him in St. Louis. McGinley made his first appearance in federal court in the Eastern District of Missouri on November 29, 2021 and was ordered detained pending transfer to the District of Oregon. The investigation into McGinley’s threats is ongoing.

Making interstate threats involving explosives is punishable by up to 10 years in federal prison, three years’ supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Conveying false information and hoaxes about destructive devices is punishable by up to five years in federal prison, three years’ supervised release, and a fine of $250,000.

Acting U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug of the District of Oregon made the announcement.

This case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Newberg-Dundee, Tigard, and Sherwood Police Departments and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott M. Kerin is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

# # #

December 2, 2021

Contact: OHA External Relations, covid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us">orcovid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us

Oregon reports 1,046 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 42 new deaths

PORTLAND, Ore. — There are 42 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 5,228 the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported at 12:01 a.m. today.

OHA reported 1,046 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 393,232.

OHA releases new COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough report

OHA’s most recent update on COVID-19 breakthrough cases, released today, found that 71.3% of the 4,134 reported COVID-19 cases between Nov. 21 and Nov. 27 occurred in unvaccinated people.

There were 1,186 breakthrough cases, accounting for 28.7% of all cases.

The average age of the breakthrough cases during that period was 45. Twenty-eight breakthrough cases involved residents of care facilities, senior living communities or other congregate care settings. There were 45 cases in people aged 12 to 17.

To date, there have been 45,545 COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough cases in Oregon. The average age of all cases is 47. Breakthrough cases have been reported in all 36 counties.

Cases of COVID-19 are far more common in unvaccinated people. The report shows that the rate of COVID-19 in unvaccinated people is four times higher than in vaccinated people.

To date, 4.4% of all vaccine breakthrough cases have been hospitalized and 1.2% have died. The average age of vaccinated people who died was 81.

Vaccination remains the most effective tool to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

The latest breakthrough report can be found here.

COVID-19 hospitalizations

The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 384, which is 20 fewer than yesterday. There are 90 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is two fewer than yesterday.

There are 49 available adult ICU beds out of 691 total (7% availability) and 312 available adult non-ICU beds out of 4,078 (8% availability). 

The total number of patients in hospital beds may fluctuate between report times. The numbers do not reflect admissions per day, nor the length of hospital stay. Staffing limitations are not captured in this data and may further limit bed capacity.

Note: Please do not visit an emergency department for COVID-19 testing, unless you require emergency care for your symptoms.

Emergency departments in Oregon are under significant strain. You can find a test here.

If you have a medical condition that doesn’t require emergency care, contact your provider. An urgent care center may also help you get the care you need and will save emergency departments from added strain.

More information about hospital capacity can be found here.

Vaccinations in Oregon

Today, OHA reported that 26,172 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry on Dec. 1. Of that total, 2,278 were initial doses, 4,024 were second doses and 10,485 were third doses and booster doses. The remaining 9,295 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on Dec. 1.

The seven-day running average is now 11,810 doses per day.

Oregon has now administered 3,530,606 doses of Pfizer Comirnaty, 75,802 doses of Pfizer pediatric, 2,275,997 doses of Moderna and 244,417 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines.

Note: Today’s cumulative total doses of Pfizer Comirnaty vaccine is lower than yesterday’s total. This is due to the removal of duplicate doses found during data reconciliation.

As of today, 2,955,159 people have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 2,667,597 people have completed a COVID-19 vaccine series.

These data are preliminary and subject to change.

Updated vaccination data are provided on Oregon’s COVID-19 data dashboards and have been updated today.

Cases and COVID-19 deaths

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (7), Benton (19), Clackamas (84), Clatsop (2), Columbia (26), Coos (36), Crook (22), Curry (7), Deschutes (83), Douglas (41), Harney (6), Hood River (6), Jackson (86), Jefferson (17), Josephine (43), Klamath (18), Lane (70), Lincoln (6), Linn (64), Malheur (3), Marion (62), Multnomah (157), Polk (22), Tillamook (5), Umatilla (7), Union (3), Wallowa (2), Wasco (8), Washington (117), and Yamhill (17).

Note: More information about the cases and deaths will be provided in an updated news release.

Learn more about COVID-19 vaccinations  

To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine situation in Oregon, visit our web page (English or Spanish), which has a breakdown of distribution and other information.

# # #

ESD 112’s Prevent Coalition is the 2021 winner of Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America’s (CADCA) Coalition of Excellence Award. The national award recognizes the Prevent Coalition’s outstanding and measurable success in community-level youth substance use and abuse prevention. 

“This award shows how a community group with a vision and a plan can make an incredible positive impact on youth and community. It demonstrates collaboration and hope are powerful, alive, and well,” Leanne Reid, Prevention & Youth Services Manager at ESD 112, shared. ‘“When I first started with Prevent, as I learned about the coalition work I remember thinking – These people and this work is special. It’s a game-changer! This award is the acknowledgment of data that demonstrates the change and the special work the coalition has done over the years.” 

Prevent Coalition was presented with this award following a rigorous two-phase application process over the past six months, where they shared how they demonstrated strategic planning to achieve positive outcomes in their short-term and intermediate outcomes associated with substance misuse issues. 

“We congratulate Prevent Coalition on their outstanding work and for being exemplary leaders in the field of substance abuse prevention. Prevent clearly embraced the CADCA model of prevention and their commitment has led to positive sustainable outcomes within their community. Our CADCA Got Outcomes! winners exemplify the excellent work that coalitions are doing around the country to prevent and reduce substance use and misuse in their communities,” said General Barrye L. Price, CADCA’s President and CEO.

By mobilizing youth, parents, educators, law enforcement, health care, businesses, decision-makers and more, Prevent implements a range of interventions in Southwest Washington to reduce youth substance use and build community collaboration. A focus of the work is reducing youth access to marijuana through policy change, education, skill-building, and addressing community norms. Some of the measurable successes Prevent has achieved include:

• Lower Youth Access: A 7.1% reduction in youth access to marijuana, from 51% in 2014 to 44% in 2018.^[i]
• More Conversations: A 2.5% reduction in the number of parents who do not tell their kids not to use marijuana, from 33.6% in 2014 to 31.1% in 2018.[ii]
• Stronger Parental Attitudes: A 2% reduction in youth who got marijuana from home with their parent’s permission, from 8% in 2016 to 6% in 2018.[iii]

Years of collaboration by many dedicated members of the Prevent team have resulted in a number of long-lasting prevention tools leading to positive community changes. Some of these include: 

• Making the Connection: 13 interactive modules that reveal the connection between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), toxic stress, brain development, and youth substance use.
• Secure Your Cannabis: Point of purchase cards educating cannabis consumers on secure storage, and the developing teen brain.
• Find Your Good: Media images and social kits highlighting positive coping mechanisms and alternatives to using substances.
• Cannabis Conversations: Age-appropriate guides for adults on how to talk to children and youth about cannabis.
• Locks Save Lives: Social norms messaging and campaign promoting safe storage of opioids and prescription medication.
• Locks Save Lives Home: Messaging for home-builders and property managers encouraging the installation of locking cabinets in all new housing developments and homes.
• Rural Toolkit: A library of online tools and resources empowering rural coalitions.

In late January, Leanne Reid and Christopher Belisle, Regional Prevention Project Coordinator, will travel to Washington D.C. for the annual CADCA Forum where they will be presented with the 2021 Coalition of Excellence Award. Leanne and Christopher will deliver a presentation that outlines their efforts in the community that led to the measurable outcomes that are being recognized with the award. They will also meet with national leaders to talk about policy, and receive training and professional development on a variety of drug misuse prevention topics. 

CADCA is a non-profit organization committed to creating safe, healthy, and drug-free communities, representing more than 5,000 community coalitions nationwide (and in more than 30 countries worldwide) that involve schools, law enforcement, youth, parents, healthcare professionals, media, and others. 

Learn more about CADCA’s 2021 Got Outcomes! Awards on their website, and visit Prevent Coalition’s website for more information. 

About Prevent: 

Prevent’s mission is connecting and supporting communities to build resilience and prevent youth substance use. We envision a healthy, thriving community free of substance misuse.

Prevent was formed in 2003 to increase collaboration, raise awareness, and reduce substance misuse in Clark County, WA. Prevent has since grown to serve the Southwest Region (Clark, Klickitat, and Skamania) and rural communities statewide. As a community mobilizer, we’re promoting healthy choices, advocating for policies that support positive youth development, and facilitating opportunities for youth to get involved.

Prevent is an ESD 112 program in the Prevention & Youth Services department, funded through state and federal grants. Deb Drandoff is our Director, Leanne Reid and Joy Lyons are the Managers, and staff include: Christopher Belisle, Jesse Jimenez, Kelley Groen-Sieckmann, and Matt Cox. Special thanks to former Coordinators and leaders who also contributed to the success of the program, including Megan Streeter, Sondra Storm, and Sean Chavez. This work is made possible by our incredible community partners, and over 500 supporters from across the state.

[i] According to 10^th grade students in Clark, Klickitat, and Skamania counties who respond “very easy” or “easy” when asked, “If you wanted to get some marijuana, how easy would it be for you to get?” on the Washington State Healthy Youth Survey. 

[ii] According to 10^th grade students in Clark, Klickitat, and Skamania counties who respond, “No” when asked, “In the past year, have your parents or guardians talked to you about why you should not use marijuana?” on the Washington State Healthy Youth Survey. 

[iii]According to 10^th grade students in Clark, Klickitat, and Skamania counties who respond, “I got it at home with my parents' permission,” when asked, “During the past 30 days, how did you get marijuana?” on the Washington State Healthy Youth Survey. 

Investigators with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office are attempting to identify three suspects involved in a Saturday evening robbery of a Salem area coffee stand. The robbery was reported at shortly after 8:00 p.m. on November 27^th, 2021, by workers at Dutch Bros. Coffee located on Lancaster Drive SE at Macleay Road SE in the unincorporated area of East Salem. 

Deputies learned the workers were confronted by three suspects armed with guns during the robbery. Afterward, the suspects ran from the location. Fortunately, none of the workers were injured during the incident.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Det. Jason Remmy at 503-566-6931 or email emmy@co.marion.or.us">JRemmy@co.marion.or.us.  Anonymous tips can be submitted by texting TIPMCSO and your tip to 847411.

Due to this being an open investigation, no additional details are available for release at this time.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE:      Thursday, December 2, 2021

Salem, Ore. — On Wednesday, December 1, 2021, at approximately 3:56 p.m., Salem Police responded to a serious injury collision near the intersection of Kuebler BV and 36^th AV SE involving six vehicles. Due to the serious nature of the incident, the Salem Police Department Traffic Team responded to conduct a crash reconstruction and investigation.

Witnesses reported the driver of a one-ton truck pulling a loaded dump-trailer was traveling east on Kuebler BV near 36^th AV, when it struck a Kia Soul also moving eastbound on Kuebler which was stopped in heavy traffic. The force of the collision caused the Kia to be pushed forward into a Dodge Ram truck. Two additional vehicles ahead of the truck were struck in the chain reaction crash.

Several involved drivers reported minor injuries but did not require a transport to the hospital. A six-year-old child riding in the rear passenger seat of the Kia Soul was transported by ambulance to Salem Health with life-threatening injuries. The child was later transported by Life Flight helicopter to a Portland-area hospital for further treatment.

All drivers remained on-scene and are cooperating with the investigation and no arrests or citations have been issued at this time. As this is an active investigation, no further information on the crash is available at this time.

# # #

December 2, 2021

Elisabeth Shepard, Communications Director

eth.Shepard@mcda.us">Elisabeth.Shepard@mcda.us

DA Mike Schmidt announces grand jury indictment of private security guard who killed civilian

PORTLAND, Oregon – Today, Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt announced that a grand jury indicted Logan Gimbel, 28, for the fatal shooting of Freddy Nelson, 49, while sitting in his truck at a Lowe's parking lot near Delta Park on May 29 of this year.

Gimbel was working as a private security guard at the time of the shooting. The grand jury indicted him for Murder in the Second Degree with a Firearm, Unlawful Use of a Weapon with a Firearm, Recklessly Endangering Another Person, and two counts of Unlawful Use of Mace in the Second Degree.

Gimbel turned himself into the Portland Police this morning. Nelson leaves behind a wife and three children. Nelson’s wife is the victim of charges of Recklessly Endangering Another Person and one count of Unlawful Use of Mace in the Second Degree.

Concerns regarding the role of private security, particularly when they are armed, have been a topic of local and national discussion in recent years. While armed private security guards can encounter situations where the use of deadly force may be considered lawful, most do not receive the tactical and de-escalation training which is expected of sworn law enforcement.

In the aftermath of Nelson’s death, DA Mike Schmidt has committed to working with state lawmakers to assess the adequacy of existing laws governing the use of private security from training, accountability for misconduct to use of force, balancing the important role they can play in protecting businesses with public safety as a whole.

“My thoughts are with Freddy Nelson’s family in the wake of this tragedy. We will work to prevent anything like this from happening again,” stated DA Mike Schmidt. While this incident produced tragic results, it is not the only example, locally or nationally.

"True justice would be Mr. Nelson still being here with us today. I am saddened that Oregon lost a father and a husband through this tragedy. The authority to protect and serve people is derived from the community, and thus all policing conduct must be held to the highest standard. When that standard is not met, our community deserves to see course corrections through accountability mechanisms and through policy." State Representative Janelle Bynum of Happy Valley stated. Representative Bynum is the Chair of the House Committee on Judiciary.

State Senator Floyd Prozanski of Eugene, Chair of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, echoed these concerns.

"Guns should be used only in the rare situations where circumstances dictate their use,” Senator Prozanski stated.

“This case is not only devastating to the victim’s family, but it also fortifies the need to review the current level of de-escalation training and tactical engagement that private security personnel receives to obtain their certification or license. We must make sure that the private security sector adheres to modern best practices of de-escalation and tactical engagement," Senator Prozanski continued.

The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office generally refrains from publishing the names of victims. An exception was made in this case in light of the public discourse regarding this incident and consent from the victim’s family.

We thank the Portland Police Bureau for their assistance in this case.

#MCDA#

Hello,

The Commission on Statewide Law Enforcement Standards of Conduct and Discipline has vacancies for two representatives from historically marginalized groups or community-based organizations that represent communities impacted by policing.

Link for application interest form -  Commission Application Form

Please forward this email and application to members of your organization or other individuals you would recommend.

The applications are due by December 10, 2021.

Applications and questions may be sent to Michael Slauson at michael.slauson@state.or.us.

Here is some additional information about this Commission.

This Commission was created by House Bill 2930, during the 2021 Regular Legislative Session.

The Commission was formed to establish uniform standards of conduct for law enforcement officers and disciplinary standards and procedures to follow to make determinations and impose disciplinary action in response to misconduct by a law enforcement officer.

The uniform standards must address standards of conduct and discipline regarding:

• Unjustified or excessive use of physical or deadly force;
• Sexual harassment;
• Sexual assault;
• Assault;
• Conduct that is motivated by or based on a real or perceived factor of an individual’s race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion or homelessness;
• Moral character; and
• The use of drugs or alcohol while on duty. 

There are 15 members on the Commission.

• The Director of the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST), Co-Chair
• The Attorney General’s Designee from the Department of Justice (DOJ), Co-Chair
• A State Senator appointed by the President of the Senate – nonvoting member, acting in an advisory capacity only
• A State Representative appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives – nonvoting member, acting in an advisory capacity only
• Two members who are chief law enforcement officers
• Two members who represent labor organizations who represent law enforcement officers 
• Two members who represent historically marginalized groups or community-based organizations that represent communities impacted by policing
• One member who represents a federally recognized Indian tribe or association of tribes within this state 
• Two members who are representatives of local government to represent the interests of cities and counties 
• One member who represents public defender organizations established under ORS chapter 151 or the Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association
• One member who represents the interests of prosecutors in this state

Members serve a two year term and meetings will begin in January 2022. A member of the commission is entitled to compensation and expenses as provided in ORS 292.495.

House Bill 2930 has a deadline for adopting the standards as Oregon Administrative Rules. The commission will schedule frequent meetings to comply with the October 1, 2022, deadline.

Commission business meetings will be hosted in Salem and commission members will be able to participate remotely by phone or computer. Commission public hearings may be held throughout the state.

Note: All meetings are public meetings.

This announcement was prepared by the Department of Justice and the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training on behalf of the Commission on Statewide Law Enforcement Standards of Conduct and Discipline.

We sincerely thank you for your time and assistance.

December 2, 2021

Media contact: Jonathan Modie, 971-246-9139, PHD.communications@dhsoha.state.or.us

Applications being accepted for Public Health Advisory Board

PORTLAND, Ore.—The Office of Governor Kate Brown and Oregon Health Authority, Public Health Division are seeking applicants for three positions on the state Public Health Advisory Board (PHAB).

OHA invites applications from people who meet the following criteria:

• A person who represents health care organizations that are not coordinated care organizations.
• A person who represents individuals who provide public health services to the public.
• A person with expertise in population health metrics.

Each position serves a term that begins on Jan. 1, 2022. The end dates for the positions listed above vary. Board members are appointed by the Governor. Individuals with lived and/or professional experience related to health and racial equity and community engagement are encouraged to apply.

Under Oregon Revised Statutes 292.495, board members may qualify to receive compensation for their service.

To apply, complete the electronic application process at https://www.oregon.gov/gov/admin/Pages/How_To_Apply.aspx by Dec. 23. These recruitments will remain open until filled. Those applying will be asked to provide the following:

1. A resume.
2. A short personal biography.
3. A brief statement of interest, which should include the positions the applicant is applying for.
4. A brief statement on opportunities the applicant sees for the board to address equity.
5. A brief statement on the applicant’s understanding of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Those unable to complete the form electronically should contact the Executive Appointments Office at executive.appointments@oregon.gov for assistance.

Information about the Public Health Advisory Board is available on the board’s website at http://www.healthoregon.org/phab.

For more information, contact Cara Biddlecom, OHA Public Health Division, at 971-673-2284 or a.m.biddlecom@state.or.us">cara.m.biddlecom@state.or.us.

###

Everyone has a right to know about and use Oregon Health Authority (OHA) programs and services. OHA provides free help. Some examples of the free help OHA can provide are:

• Sign language and spoken language interpreters
• Written materials in other languages
• Braille
• Large print
• Audio and other formats

If you need help or have questions, please contact Cara Biddlecom at 971-673-2284 or a.m.biddlecom@dhsoha.state.or.us">cara.m.biddlecom@dhsoha.state.or.us or 711 TTY.

SALEM, Oregon –

Oregon Heritage, a division of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department that includes the Oregon Heritage Commission and the State Historic Preservation Office, recently released the Value of Heritage Resources in Disaster Recovery Report and Messaging Guide, commissioned by the Oregon Heritage Commission. 

The Value of Heritage Resources in Disaster Resilience Report and Messaging Guide is the most recent effort in the Oregon Heritage Commission’s long-term initiative to help heritage organizations and communities prepare their heritage resources for natural and man-made disasters. The specific goal of this report and accompanying messaging guide is to help heritage groups articulate why historic places and cultural resources should be included in local emergency plans so that emergency managers and decision makers in the community include those assets in both disaster planning and community recovery. 

Kuri Gill grants and outreach coordinator for Oregon Heritage said, “Heritage resources help create a unique sense of identity for communities, support our local economies and strengthen social bonds. The loss of such resources can be devastating to a community. And if preserved, in the aftermath of a disaster, they can be an anchor for community recovery. Articulating the importance of these resources is important in gaining local support for their inclusion in local disaster planning. The report and messaging tool arm heritage groups with the language and knowledge to share this message with decision makers and their community in order to ensure the long-term preservation of Oregon’s heritage.”

The elements of the report and messaging guide are as follows:

Value of Heritage in Disaster Resilience Report:  Includes case studies in heritage and disaster, risk communication techniques, and outlines the methodology that gathered input from a team of stakeholders to survey heritage leaders statewide for the creation of the messaging guide. 

The Messaging Guide: Shares guidance on creating an opening, impact, and approach message along with samples statements to modify.

          Sample Talking Points: Provides cut and paste messages to tailor to various audiences.

  Sample Opinion: Shares a sample editorial on disaster planning.

          Tips for Communicating: Summarizes FEMA’s top 4 tips in disaster risk communication.

These tools are intended to aid groups or communities in defining why heritage resources matter to their local identity and then sharing that message with the public and decision makers to enhance disaster planning for the community’s historic buildings, landmarks, museum collections, and cemeteries. These tools can also be used in conjunction with the Community Disaster Resilience Planning for Heritage Resources Guidebook to kick-start a community-wide disaster planning effort focused on heritage resources.

This report and accompanying tools also support the Oregon Heritage Commission’s strategic priority of promoting the value of heritage. Find this and additional tools in the Sharing the Value of Heritage Toolkit on Oregon Heritage’s website, www.oregonheritage.org. 

WHAT: Jobs and innovation in the Willamette Valley - Meet the Makers and Shakers: News event to unveil new partnership expanding the bioscience and tech sectors and grow skilled and well-paying innovation jobs in Eugene, Lane County and Willamette Valley.  Attend for interviews/brief tours. News release, data points and backgrounder available at event.

WHEN: Friday, Dec. 3 from 10 a.m. – 11 a.m PST; comments begin at 10:15 a.m.; tours and visuals at 10:30.

WHERE:  Innovation Hub at 942 Olive Street, in downtown Eugene 

WHO: 

Matt Sayre, managing director, Onward Eugene

Liisa Bozinovic, executive director, Oregon Bioscience Association 

+ Local entrepreneurs and biotech execs from Ksana Health

# # # 

About Oregon Bio

The Oregon Bioscience Association seeks to create opportunity through advocacy, cultivation, education and group purchasing discounts for its members and the sector. Oregon Bio promotes the growth and quality of the bioscience industry in the region and continually seeks ways to support sustainability, acceleration and growth in the life science, bioscience, biotechnology and device manufacturing industries.

The region’s most current bioscience economic impact study showed Oregon’s growing bio footprint reached $10.7 billion, creating 47,238 jobs for $1.5 billion in wages across 820 business establishments. Between 2002-2017, total bioscience employment in Oregon jumped 72 percent among the five industry subsectors. Health-related R&D at Oregon hospitals and universities generated $669 million in economic activity in 2017. In 2015, federal research funding to Oregon institutions totaled more than $363 million. Venture capital investments in Oregon’s bioscience-related companies have increased in recent years and between 2014 to 2017, totaled $76.5 million. Visit www.oregonbio.org. Connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

About Onward Eugene

Onward Eugene unites regional partners — mobilizing rebuilding efforts to fully realize our region's shared potential for expansive and inclusive prosperity. Bringing together support for startup companies, business expansion, regional marketing and business recruiting initiatives. Onward Eugene is a force multiplier in the creation of economic resilience. A 501(c)3 nonprofit. For more information about Onward Eugene, please visit www.onwardeugene.org. Connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

City crews responded Wednesday night to a report of sewage flowing onto SE 82^nd Ave between SE Division St and SE Harrison St. Field crews estimated that 400 gallons of sewage flowed onto 82^nd Ave.

https://www.google.com/maps/@45.507759,-122.5784463,17z

The area was temporarily closed to traffic while crews accessed and addressed the overflow. Maintenance crews cleared a sewer line blockage to stop the sewage release. The release was reported at 11 p.m. and was stopped at 12:15 a.m. Thursday morning. Crews worked through the night to restore sewer service, disinfect the right of way, and reopen the area to the public in time for the morning commute.

The cause of this incident was a grease plug obstructing the sanitary sewer main. Sewage overflows often are preventable. Pipes that become blocked with grease, tree roots, and debris are the most common cause of sewage overflows. 

Environmental Services advises the public to prevent clogs and protect public health, property, and our environment by following these tips:

• Place grease in a container and then in the trash, not down kitchen drains. Food establishments are required to take additional measures to prevent grease from entering sewer lines. 
• Avoid flushing rags or wipes or anything other than toilet paper and human waste.
• Outside the home, avoid pouring anything down storm drains, which are intended for rainfall only.

The City of Portland treats an average of 70 million gallons of wastewater each day. More than one-third of Portland’s more than 2,500 miles of sewer pipes are over 80 years old. Pipes that fail or become blocked with grease, tree roots, and debris can cause sewage overflows. 

To report sewage odors, which may indicate a sewage release, call the City’s maintenance hotline at 503-823-1700. That line is operated all hours, all days. 

-  ### - 

The Bureau of Environmental Services provides city residents with programs to protect water quality and public health, including wastewater collection and treatment, sewer construction and maintenance, stormwater management, and stream and watershed restoration. www.portland.gov/bes and @BESPortland.

December 2, 2021

Contact: Jonathan Modie, 971-246-9139, phd.communications@dhsoha.state.or.us

Healthcare-Associated Infections Advisory Committee meets virtually Dec. 8

What: The Healthcare-Associated Infections Advisory Committee (HAIAC) is holding its quarterly public meeting.

Agenda: Committee Business (Logistics update; approve September 2021 minutes), OHA updates, Influenza vaccination and surveillance updates, NHSN data review, Project Firstline updates, Topics for future meetings and reports, and Public comment.

When: Wednesday, Dec. 8, 1-3 p.m.

Where: Zoom. https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJItc--spjIoH3Zf4kk2g1vKdMMHb3lfYTQ. All attendees must use the webinar for audio functions. Please register for the webinar by following the link above. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Background: OHA provides oversight and support for the mandatory reporting of healthcare-associated infections in Oregon via the HAI Program. The HAI Program convenes its advisory board on a quarterly basis; the purpose of the board is to make recommendations to OHA regarding infection measures reportable by health care facilities: http://www.oregon.gov/oha/ph/DiseasesConditions/CommunicableDisease/HAI/Pages/index.aspx

Program contact: Roza Tammer, 971-673-1074, oza.p.tammer@state.or.us">roza.p.tammer@state.or.us

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Everyone has a right to know about and use Oregon Health Authority (OHA) programs and services. OHA provides free help. Some examples of the free help OHA can provide are:

• Sign language and spoken language interpreters
• Written materials in other languages
• Braille
• Large print
• Audio and other formats

If you need help or have questions, please contact Laura LaLonde at 971-673-1120, 711 TTY or a.Lalonde2@dhsoha.state.or.us">Laura.Lalonde2@dhsoha.state.or.us at least 48 hours before the meeting.

This news release is an updated version to include case and death information.

December 1, 2021

Contact: OHA External Relations, covid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us">orcovid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us

Oregon reports 1,111 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 25 new deaths

PORTLAND, Ore. — There are 25 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 5,186, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported at 12:01 a.m. today.

OHA reported 1,111 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 392,197.

COVID-19 weekly cases and hospitalizations decline, deaths decline

OHA’s COVID-19 Weekly Report released today shows a decrease in daily cases and hospitalizations and deaths.

OHA reported 4,276 new cases of COVID-19 during the week of Monday, Nov. 22, through Sunday, Nov. 28. That is 25% decrease from the previous week.

There were 95,882 tests for COVID-19 for the week of Nov. 21 through Nov. 27. The percentage of positive tests declined slightly to 5.6%, from 6% the previous week.

There were 226 new COVID-19 hospitalizations, down from 268 last week — a 16% drop.

There were 125 reported COVID-19-related deaths, down from 214 reported the previous week, as epidemiologists reviewed a backlog of suspected COVID-19 related deaths by matching death certificates to previously reported cases. Note: A previous summary of this report erroneously characterized the trend for Weekly COVID-19 related deaths. It is corrected in this version.

Today’s COVID-19 Weekly Outbreak Report shows 54 active COVID-19 outbreaks in senior living communities and congregate living settings, with three or more confirmed cases and one or more COVID-19 related deaths.

COVID-19 hospitalizations

The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 404, which represents no change from yesterday. There are 92 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is two fewer than yesterday.

There are 49 available adult ICU beds out of 691 total (7% availability) and 270 available adult non-ICU beds out of 4,108 (7% availability). 

The total number of patients in hospital beds may fluctuate between report times. The numbers do not reflect admissions per day, nor the length of hospital stay. Staffing limitations are not captured in this data and may further limit bed capacity.

Note: Please do not visit an emergency department for COVID-19 testing, unless you require emergency care for your symptoms.

Emergency departments in Oregon are under significant strain. You can find a test here.

If you have a medical condition that doesn’t require emergency care, contact your provider. An urgent care center may also help you get the care you need and will save emergency departments from added strain.

More information about hospital capacity can be found here.

Vaccinations in Oregon

Today, OHA reported that 25,659 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry on Nov. 30. Of that total, 14,324 were initial doses, 1,947 were second doses and 10,174 were third doses and booster doses. The remaining 11,335 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on Nov. 30.

The seven-day running average is now 12,208 doses per day.

Oregon has now administered 3,534,286 doses of Pfizer Comirnaty, 70,261 doses of Pfizer pediatric, 2,267,258 doses of Moderna and 244,207 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines.

As of today, 2,950,723 people have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 2,662,164 people have completed a COVID-19 vaccine series.

These data are preliminary and subject to change.

Updated vaccination data are provided on Oregon’s COVID-19 data dashboards and have been updated today.

Cases and COVID-19 deaths

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (10), Benton (9), Clackamas (90), Clatsop (9), Columbia (29), Coos (29), Crook (23), Curry (5), Deschutes (82), Douglas (64), Hood River (8), Jackson (75), Jefferson (6), Josephine (55), Klamath (19), Lake (2), Lane (67), Lincoln (17), Linn (72), Malheur (3), Marion (100), Morrow (3), Multnomah (141), Polk (36), Tillamook (4), Umatilla (9), Union (5), Wallowa (3), Wasco (9), Washington (102), and Yamhill (25).

Oregon’s 5,162nd COVID-19 related death is a 72-year-old man from Coos County who died Nov. 1 at Coquille Valley Hospital. The death certificate listed COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,163rd COVID-19 related death is an 86-year-old woman from Washington County who died Oct. 19 at OHSU Hillsboro Medical Center. The death certificate listed COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,164th COVID-19 related death is an 83-year-old man from Josephine County who died Sept. 25 at his residence. The death certificate listed COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 5,165th COVID-19 related death is a 56-year-old man from Clackamas County who died Sept. 14 at his residence. The death certificate listed COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,166th COVID-19 related death is a 50-year-old woman from Clackamas County who died Sept. 30 at Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center. The death certificate listed COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,167th COVID-19 related death is a 38-year-old man from Josephine County who tested positive Nov. 30 and died Nov. 30 at Asante Three Rivers Medical Center. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 5,168th COVID-19 related death is an 80-year-old woman from Jackson County who tested positive Nov. 23 and died Nov. 30 at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,169th COVID-19 related death is a 93-year-old man from Douglas County who tested positive Nov. 24 and died Nov. 25 at his residence. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 5,170th COVID-19 related death is a 58-year-old man from Columbia County who died Sept. 14 at his residence. The death certificate listed COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,171st COVID-19 related death is a 90-year-old man from Clackamas County who died Nov. 24 at his residence. The death certificate listed COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,172nd COVID-19 related death is a 98-year-old man from Clackamas County who tested positive Nov. 27 and died Nov. 29 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,173rd COVID-19 related death is a 72-year-old man from Marion County who tested positive Nov. 14 and died Nov. 27 at Salem Hospital. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,174th COVID-19 related death is a 79-year-old woman from Malheur County who tested positive Oct. 30 and died Nov. 24 at St Alphonsus Medical Center Ontario. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,175th COVID-19 related death is a 62-year-old man from Malheur County who tested positive Oct. 30 and died Nov. 26. Location of death and presence of underlying conditions are being confirmed.

Oregon’s 5,176th COVID-19 related death is an 82-year-old man from Malheur County who tested positive Oct. 30 and died Nov. 23 at St Luke’s Nampa Medical Center. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 5,177th COVID-19 related death is a 53-year-old woman from Lane County who died Nov. 13 at McKenzie Willamette Medical Center. The death certificate listed COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,178th COVID-19 related death is an 88-year-old man from Lane County who died Oct. 14 at his residence. The death certificate listed COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 5,179th COVID-19 related death is a 90-year-old woman from Lane County who died Sept. 8 at her residence. The death certificate listed COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,180th COVID-19 related death is a 60-year-old man from Klamath County who tested positive Nov. 2 and died Nov. 30 at Sky Lakes Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,181st COVID-19 related death is an 83-year-old woman from Washington County who tested positive Nov. 18 and died Nov. 27 at OHSU Hillsboro Medical Center. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 5,182nd COVID-19 related death is a 71-year-old man from Washington County who tested positive Nov. 3 and died Nov. 17 at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,183rd COVID-19 related death is a 76-year-old man from Umatilla County who died Nov. 7 at his residence. The death certificate listed COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 5,184th COVID-19 related death is a 35-year-old woman from Umatilla County who tested positive Sept. 19 and died Nov. 19 at her residence. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 5,185th COVID-19 related death is a 41-year-old man from Polk County who died Oct. 16 at his residence. The death certificate listed COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 5,186th COVID-19 related death is a 51-year-old woman from Polk County who died Sept. 23 at Sacred Heart Medical Center. The death certificate listed COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

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Salem, Ore. – Join us outside the Riverfront Park Rotary Pavilion (200 Water Street NE in Riverfront Park), on Friday, December 10, 2021, at 5:30 p.m. for music, fun, and a brief program kicking off our holiday celebrations. Mayor Chuck Bennett and a special guest will light up Riverfront Park for the 26^th Annual Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony. City of Salem Parks Operations personnel are busy placing displays around the park, including more than 4,000 individual LED lights to adorn the Holiday Tree and create a festive holiday experience.

Family and friends are welcome to attend this joyous occasion but please plan for the weather for this outdoor event. Remember to have an umbrella in case of rain and bundle up for colder temperatures for one of Salem’s most cherished traditions. 

If you are unable to make it to the park in person, this year’s event will be broadcast live on Cable Channel 23 and at Capital Community Media on YouTube. The display will be available to park visitors throughout the month of December.

OREGON CITY - Clackamas Community College is joining Clackamas Workforce Partnership and Clackamas Fire District 1 to offer a paid forestry technician and repair specialist training and full-time, seasonal employment. 

Participants can earn $16-$18.50 an hour while receiving wildland firefighter and wildland fire chainsaw certifications. To qualify for the training, participants must be at least 18 years old, be unemployed or underemployed, and have a valid driver’s license. Members from the BIPOC (black, indigenous and people of color) community are highly encouraged to apply. 

“If you like the outdoors and want to be part of a high-performing team, this training could be for you,” CCC Wildland Fire instructor Jeff Ennenga said. “You can help rebuild the community damaged by wildfires and gain lifelong skills.”

Applications to apply open Jan. 3 and close at midnight on Feb. 13. Employment will begin this spring, followed by a 120-hour comprehensive paid certified training program. Candidates must be physically able to pass the Work Capacity Test within 30 days of hire.

Information sessions will be held Dec. 9 and 16 at 11 a.m. Visit https://clackamas.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwqfu-pqjopEtTjqY9Epnz2yUcj4C_GuzB_ to register and attend.

Questions? Call Workforce Development Department at 503-594-6246 or email k.force@clackamas.edu">work.force@clackamas.edu by Feb. 26. Apply today at clackamasfire.com. Positions are limited.

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At 630 am on Thursday morning the Vancouver Fire Department responded to a structure fire at 15513 NE 99^th street. A large plume of smoke could be seen from miles away by responding fire units. The first arriving fire engine arrived within 5 minutes and found heavy fire and smoke coming from the front of the house. Two adult residents had already escaped and told firefighters there was another resident still inside. Firefighters immediately entered the house to search for the victim while others extended a hose line to extinguish the fire. An adult female was extricated from the back of the house and taken to an AMR ambulance where EMS personnel performed CPR and treated the victim for possible carbon monoxide poisoning. Tragically the victim could not be resuscitated and she succumbed to her injuries. Firefighters were able to extinguish most of the fire within 5 minutes but remained on scene for several hours. There were no other reported injuries to civilians or firefighters and Red Cross was requested to the scene to assist with the displaced residents. VFD firefighters were busy Thursday morning responding simultaneously to 2 structure fires as well as 2 cardiac arrests incidents. The Vancouver Fire Department wants to remind citizens that smoke and carbon monoxide detectors save lives. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Clark County Fire Marshal Office. 

Battle Ground Public Schools is excited to welcome back team sports at its six neighborhood middle schools, starting with boys basketball in January and girls basketball in February. Registration is open for 7th and 8th graders who want to sign up for basketball.

Over the past few years, the district's surveys have shown that the return of middle school sports was a community priority, along with student safety, facilities maintenance, and support for students' social and emotional well-being. The district’s Board of Directors responded by committing to fund the launch of middle school sports starting in the 2020-21 school year, but the pandemic forced a delay.

Community support of a replacement, four-year Educational Programs and Operations levy, passed in November, enabled the district to move forward with its plan to provide team sports at middle schools. Sports and extracurricular activities are supported by  local levy dollars that pay for equipment and coaches' wages. Sports and gate fees typically cover officials and transportation to games. The district is able to fund student activities beyond basic education and continues to be fiscally responsible while maintaining the lowest local school tax rate in Clark County. 

“Activities and sports are a big part of the experience of education,” said Tom Adams, the district’s Director of Student Services. “Research shows that students who participate in activities and athletics tend to do better in school.”

This year, middle school sports seasons will be approximately five weeks in length, starting with three weeks of non-competitive intramural play. Schools will play against each other in the final two weeks. Students will have the option to compete in just intramural play. Girls basketball season will tip off in February, followed by cross country and soccer seasons in March and April. In future years the district plans to add volleyball and some track and field events, and is exploring adding wrestling, football, golf, and Unified Sports.

David Cresap, the district’s Co-Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment, was among the last group of students to play middle school sports in Battle Ground. In 1982, following a double levy failure, team sports were eliminated at the district’s middle schools due to budget cuts.

“I think it helped with the school spirit and was a positive thing,” Cresap said. “It was just a good feeling that complemented the academic side of things.”

The reintroduction of middle school sports is also expected to benefit the district’s two comprehensive high schools. Students will start learning organized sports at an earlier age, and have a chance to meet high school players and coaches before graduating middle school.

“Establishing those relationships from the ground up is super important,” said Manny Melo, athletic director at Prairie. Melo was previously a head coach for boys basketball at Battle Ground High School and a physical education teacher at Tukes Valley Middle School. “This is a huge step in the right direction for sports, for athletics, and the entire population in this area. It’s very, very exciting.”

Basketball and soccer will be available to students in grades 7 and 8. Sixth graders will be able to sign up for cross country when the sport launches in the spring. More information is available on the Battle Ground Public Schools website.

 

The Oregon State Police is seeking public assistance in locating the person or persons responsible for the poisoning of the Catherine Wolf Pack in eastern Oregon. 

On February 9, 2021, Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division Troopers received information from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) regarding a possibly deceased, collared wolf. Troopers responded to the area and located five deceased wolves, three males, and two females. It was later determined the wolves were from the Catherine Pack, with all known members present and deceased. The wolves were located southeast of Mount Harris, within Union County. Fish and Wildlife Troopers and ODFW personnel with the assistance of a helicopter searched the area for anything of evidentiary value. An additional deceased magpie was also found in the vicinity of the deceased wolves. 

The five wolves and magpie were collected and transported to the US Fish and Wildlife Service Forensics Lab located in Ashland, Oregon to determine the cause of death. 

On March 11, 2021, Fish and Wildlife Troopers again received information from ODFW personnel of an additional wolf collar emitting a mortality signal in the same general location. A search of the area located a deceased female wolf, a skunk, and a magpie all very close to the scene. All animals were collected and immediately submitted to the USFWS lab for testing. The female wolf was dispersing from the Keating Pack. 

Fish and Wildlife Troopers were initially hampered in investigating the scene due to snow levels and inclement weather. Troopers continued searching over the next few weeks as snow continued to melt and located evidence of suspected poisoning. The evidence was submitted for testing and analysis. 

In April 2021, the USFWS submitted their examination reports with findings consistent with poisoning as the cause of death for all six wolves, the skunk, and two magpies. Lab results also indicated the suspected evidence confirmed a poisonous substance. 

In addition, two more collared wolves were found deceased in Union County after the initial incidents. In April 2021, a deceased adult male wolf from the Five Points Pack was located west of Elgin and in July 2021, a young female wolf from the Clark Creek Pack was located northeast of La Grande. In both cases the cause of death was not readily apparent, a necropsy and testing were conducted. Toxicology reports confirmed the presence of differing types of poison in both wolves. Based upon the type of poison and locations, it was determined the death of the young female wolf may be related to the earlier six poisonings.

Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Troopers have continued in their investigation in the intervening months but have exhausted leads in the case. OSP is asking any person with information related to this investigation to contact the Oregon State Police through the OSP TIP Hotline: 1-800-452-7888 or OSP (677) or TIP E-Mail: TIP@state.or.us. Please reference Case #SP21-033033.

To learn about the Wolves in Oregon specifically wolf-livestock conflicts please visit https://www.dfw.state.or.us/Wolves/index.asp#livestock   

Report Wildlife and Habitat Law Violators 

The Oregon Hunters Association TIP reward offers preference points or cash rewards for information leading to an arrest or issuance of a citation for the unlawful take/possession or waste of Bighorn Sheep, Rocky Mountain Goat, Moose, Elk, Deer, Antelope, Bear, Cougar, Wolf, Upland Birds, Waterfowl, Furbearers, Game Fish and Shellfish. Cash rewards can also be awarded for turning in people who destroy habitat, illegally obtain licenses/tags, and for the unlawful lending/borrowing of big game tags.

Preference Point Rewards:

5 Points-Bighorn Sheep

5 Points-Rocky Mountain Goat

5 Points-Moose

5 Points-Wolf

4 Points-Elk

4 Points-Deer

4 Points-Antelope

4 Points-Bear

4 Points-Cougar

CASH REWARDS:

$1,000 Bighorn Sheep, Rocky Mountain Goat and Moose 

  $500 Elk, Deer and Antelope 

  $300 Bear, Cougar and Wolf 

  $300 Habitat Destruction

$200 Illegally Obtaining License/Tag(s)

$200 Unlawful Lend/Borrow Big Game Tags(s) 

  $100 Upland Birds and Waterfowl 

  $100 Furbearers 

$100 Game Fish and Shellfish 

Motorists driving through the busy Highway 217 at Scholls Ferry Road corridor are beginning to see signs of Willamette Water Supply Program Metzger Pipeline East Phase 2 construction. Crews will tunnel beneath Highway 217 and SW Scholls Ferry Road.  
The project also includes drinking water pipeline construction within the travel lanes of SW Scholls Ferry Road from Greenway Park to SW Allen Boulevard, then within Allen Boulevard to Western Avenue. Work includes pipeline installation along SW Cascade Avenue, in addition to work within SW Hall Boulevard from SW Scholls Ferry to SW Greenburg Road. 
Emery & Sons Construction Group LLC, contractor for the project, moved equipment into the medians between the southbound onramp and northbound offramp at SW Scholls Ferry Road and Highway 217 and began excavation for two 60-inch diameter tunnels.  
The first tunnel is anticipated to take approximately 12 days to bore beneath Highway 217. Crews will then begin the second tunnel that is anticipated to take approximately nine days to bore beneath SW Scholls Ferry Road. The work area is anticipated to remain active through February of 2022 as crews install 48-inch diameter water pipeline and perform site restoration.  
The construction is for the Willamette Water Supply System—a new drinking water supply system for Tualatin Valley Water District, City of Hillsboro and City of Beaverton customers that begins service in 2026.  
No traffic disruptions are anticipated initially, however as activities continue travelers should watch for changing road conditions as crews begin to expand work into the nearby roads. Among other upcoming activities include work off the east shoulder of SW Cascade Avenue north of SW Scholls Ferry Road, and work within the westbound Scholls Ferry Road turn lane onto northbound SW Cascade Avenue. Motorists should drive with care and watch for construction vehicles. Motorists can listen to City of Beaverton run 1610 AM radio for information and traffic updates or visit the Oregon Department of Transportation’s www.TripCheck.com to learn about traffic impacts. For project information, visit www.OurReliableWater.org/mpe or call 503-941-4570. 

The Metzger Pipeline East Project work is in coordination with construction that is starting soon on the Oregon Department of Transportation’s OR 217 Auxiliary Lanes Project in Beaverton and Tigard. Learn more about ODOT’s project at www.hwy217.org. 

 TIP OF THE WEEK

Date:           12/2/21                 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:       Sheriff Curtis Landers

                   541-265-0654

                   iff@co.lincoln.or.us">lcsheriff@co.lincoln.or.us

HOLIDAY SHOPPING SCAMS!

Doing your shopping online? Always be extra cautious before entering any information, but especially around this time of year. We are re-posting this very educational information published by the FBI-Oregon:

During the 2020 holiday shopping season, the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3.gov) received more than 17,000 complaints regarding the non-delivery of goods, resulting in losses of more than $53 million. The FBI anticipates this number could increase during the 2021 holiday season due to rumors of merchandise shortages and the ongoing pandemic.

Here’s a look at some of the more common scams:

Online Shopping Scams:

Scammers often offer too-good-to-be-true deals via phishing e-mails, through social media posts, or through ads. Perhaps you were trying to buy tickets to the next big concert or sporting event and found just what you were looking for – at a good deal – in an online marketplace? Those tickets could end up being bogus.

Or, perhaps, you think you just scored a hard-to-find item like a new gaming system? Or a designer bag at an extremely low price? If you actually get a delivery, which is unlikely, the box may not contain the item you ordered in the condition you thought it would arrive. 

In the meantime, if you clicked on a link to access the deal, you likely gave the fraudster access to download malware onto your device, and you gave them personal financial information and debit/credit card details.

Social Media Shopping Scams:

Consumers should beware of posts on social media sites that appear to offer special deals, vouchers, or gift cards. Some may appear as holiday promotions or contests. Others may appear to be from known friends who have shared the link. Often, these scams lead consumers to participate in an online survey that is designed to steal personal information.

If you click an ad through a social media platform, do your due diligence to check the legitimacy of the website before providing credit card or personal information.

Gift Card Scams:

Gift cards are popular and a great time saver, but you need to watch for sellers who say they can get you cards below-market value. Also, be wary of buying any card in a store if it looks like the security PIN on the back has been uncovered and recovered. Your best bet is to buy digital gift cards directly from the merchant online.

Tips to Avoid Being Victimized:

• Pay for items using a credit card dedicated for online purchases, checking the card statement frequently, and never saving payment information in online accounts.
• Never make purchases using public Wi-Fi.
• Beware of vendors that require payment with a gift card, wire transfer, cash, or cryptocurrency.
• Research the seller to ensure legitimacy. Check reviews and do online searches for the name of the vendor and the words “scam” or “fraud.”
• Check the contact details listed on the website to ensure the vendor is real and reachable by phone or email. 
• Confirm return and refund policies.
• Be wary of online retailers who use a free email service instead of a company email address.
• Don’t judge a company by its website. Flashy websites can be set up and taken down quickly.
• Do not click on links or provide personal or financial information to an unsolicited email or social media post.
• Secure credit card accounts, even rewards accounts, with strong passwords or passphrases. Change passwords or passphrases regularly.
• Make charitable contributions directly, rather than through an intermediary, and pay via credit card or check. Avoid cash donations, if possible.
• Only purchase gift cards directly from a trusted merchant.
• Make sure anti-virus/malware software is up to date and block pop-up windows.

What to Do if You Are a Victim:

If you are a victim of an online scam, the FBI recommends taking the following actions:

• Report the activity to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.gov, regardless of dollar loss. Provide all relevant information in the complaint.
• Contact your financial institution immediately upon discovering any fraudulent or suspicious activity and direct them to stop or reverse the transactions.
• Ask your financial institution to contact the corresponding financial institution where the fraudulent or suspicious transfer was sent.

For additional information and consumer alerts, and to report scams to the FBI, visit IC3.gov.

For more information and tips, visit our web site at www.lincolncountysheriff.net and Like us on Facebook at Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office – Oregon.

December 1, 2021

Contacts: Philip Schmidt, 503-383-6079,  philip.schmidt@dhsoha.state.or.us  (media inquiries)

Tara Chetock, 971-304-9917, a.a.chetock@dhsoha.state.or.us">tara.a.chetock@dhsoha.state.or.us (meeting information or accommodation)

Oregon Health Policy Board meets December 7 via Zoom

What: A public meeting of the Oregon Health Policy Board.

When: December 7, 8:30 a.m. to noon.

Where: Virtual meeting only. The public can join remotely via Zoom or a conference line. To join via Zoom: https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1602657497?pwd=emhzUnJsK1EzWk5rV0VpYTdjU3VrQT09

To call in to the meeting on a mobile device, use the following number:

+16692545252,,1602657497#,,,,,,0#,,306554# US (San Jose)

Proposed Agenda Topics:

1. Welcome, Roll Call, and Minutes Approval
2. Oregon Health Authority Director’s Update
3. Oregon Health Policy Board Committee Liaison Updates
4. Committee Membership Workgroup Request
5. Health Equity Committee: Proposed Membership Slate
6. OHA 1115 Medicaid Waiver: Draft Application and Public Comment Process
7. Public Comment

To provide public comment, please submit your request for public comment at least 48 hours prior to the meeting at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/OHPB-Public-Comment

For more information and meeting materials, please visit the OHPB meeting webpage at https://www.oregon.gov/oha/OHPB/Pages/OHPB-Meetings.aspx

# # #

Everyone has a right to know about and use Oregon Health Authority (OHA) programs and services. OHA provides free help. Some examples of the free help OHA can provide are:

• Sign language and spoken language interpreters
• CART (live captions)
• Written materials in other languages
• Braille
• Large print
• Audio and other formats

If you need help or have questions, please contact Tara Chetock at 971-304-9917, 711 TTY, a.a.chetock@dhsoha.state.or.us">tara.a.chetock@dhsoha.state.or.us, at least 48 hours before the meeting.

The Centennial School District Bond Oversight Committee will hold a meeting on Thursday, December 2, 2021 at 5:00 p.m., virtually via the Zoom app.

To log into the meeting, click on or paste this link into your browser:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88516761123?pwd=OGFzeVVIRXN0dFRZZlJaMnZmak8vQT09

Meeting ID: 885 1676 1123

Passcode: 831912

To join by phone, dial:

253 215 8782  or 669 900 9128

Meeting ID: 885 1676 1123 

Passcode: 831912

For more information email Pamela Jordan at pamela_jordan@csd28j.org.

During the month of November Sheriff’s Office members participated in the No Shave November campaign.  The No Shave November campaign is a month-long journey where participants forgo shaving and grooming to raise cancer awareness to educate about cancer prevention, save lives and aid those fighting the battle.  For the Sheriff’s Office this is a big deal because their policy does not allow beards for deputies in uniform. 

The Sheriff’s Office chose to partner with and donate to our local Pacific Communities Health District Foundation in support of “CAN Cancer” or “Cancer Care”. 

“We wanted to keep donations local” stated Sheriff Landers. 

Sheriff Landers said, “This is an exciting opportunity for our team members to engage in wearing a beard and donating to an excellent cause.  This year we upped the challenge to our members and anyone who donated at least $50 could keep their beard through December until the end of the year.” 

Based on the quick success this achieved early in the month, Sheriff Landers offered another challenge to encourage more donations between patrol deputies and corrections deputies.  Whichever team donates the most by the end of November will be allowed to keep their beard for an additional month. 

Sheriff Landers didn’t want to leave anyone out of the activities so female deputies could color their hair in violation of policy.  The same rules applied to females as males for how many months they could keep color in their hair.

At the end of the month, the Sheriff’s Office raised $13,475 toward the cause. Sheriff Landers stated, “I could not have imagined the teams donating over $13,000. It is a true testament to the character, generosity, and gratitude of our Sheriff’s Office team. They are an amazing group of men and women, and this illustrates how much they support our local community and the efforts toward cancer education and treatment.” 

In the end, the patrol team won the competition with donations totaling $8,125, but everyone was a winner.  Due to the huge success, Sheriff Landers extended the number of months so corrections deputies can wear their beards and color their hair until the end of January while patrol can go to the end of February. 

Don’t be alarmed if you see some very hairy deputies out there in the next couple of months and remember it was for a great cause.

Sheriff Landers would like to thank the Samaritan Communities Health District Foundation and Dr. Leslie Ogden for their partnership and continued support to our community.

1 de diciembre, 2021 

Contacto para medios: Delia Hernández 

503-986-2051 

equests@oregon.gov">HCS.mediarequests@oregon.gov 

A punto de comenzar la pausa de nuevas solicitudes para el Programa de Asistencia de Emergencia para Alquiler de Oregón

Más de $ 157 millones en ayuda federal de emergencia pagada a más de 23,000 hogares

SALEM, Ore. — Oregón Housing and Community Services (OHCS, por sus siglas en inglés) y los Administradores de Programas Locales (LPAs) continúan avanzando en procesar solicitudes para el Programa de Asistencia de Alquiler de Emergencia de Oregón (OERAP). 

Hasta la fecha, OHCS y LPAs han pagado $ 157.5 millones en asistencia federal de alquiler de emergencia a 23,155 solicitantes. En comparación con $ 149.8 millones y 22,128 solicitantes la semana pasada. La agencia ocupa el octavo lugar en el país en el porcentaje de fondos pagados y comprometidos.

Pausa de solicitudes nuevas para OERAP

Durante la conferencia de prensa de hoy, OHCS anunció que la pausa en aceptar nuevas solicitudes para OERAP comienza hoy, 1 de diciembre, a las 11:59 p.m. Con base en la cantidad de fondos que se han solicitado a través de las solicitudes recibidas, el estado calcula que se han solicitado casi todos los $ 289 millones en asistencia federal de alquiler de emergencia que hemos recibido hasta la fecha. 

“Al aproximarse las vacaciones de diciembre, nuestra principal prioridad sigue siendo mantener a las familias alojadas de forma segura y asequible. Sabemos que los residentes del estado que se han atrasado en el pago de la renta están estresados y asustados ”, dijo la directora de OHCS, Margaret Salazar. “El llamado de la Gobernadora a una sesión especial de vivienda para mantener a las familias alojadas durante estos momentos difíciles es lo correcto y confiamos en que la Legislatura llegará a un consenso sobre medidas adicionales para proteger a los inquilinos. Las familias de Oregón necesitan más tiempo y el programa necesita más fondos ".

Hay asistencia de alquiler disponible en muchas localidades, a través de programas que operan independientemente de la OERAP. Algunas ciudades y condados recibieron fondos de asistencia para el alquiler de emergencia directamente del Tesoro de los EE. UU. Y estos programas deben tener fondos disponibles. Incluyen:

• Ciudad de Portland and Condado Multnomah, 503-222-5555 
• Condado Clackamas, 503-655-8575 
• Condado Lane, 541-682-3776 
• Condado Marion, 971-706-1364
• Condado Washington, 503-615-0770

Las personas también pueden comunicarse con el 2-1-1 o las agencias de acción comunitaria en su área. 

Si una persona ha presentado previamente una solicitud o la ha iniciado, la pausa no le afectará. Aquellos que iniciaron sus solicitudes aún podrán completarlas, y las solicitudes que se enviaron anteriormente aún se procesarán. Los solicitantes pueden continuar teniendo acceso al portal OERAP para completar su solicitud o verificar el estado de su solicitud. Serán alertados por correo electrónico a medida que avance su aplicación.

Se recomienda a cualquier persona que se haya atrasado en el pago del alquiler o que pueda estar atrasado en el alquiler de diciembre que solicite asistencia de emergencia para el alquiler antes de las 11:59 p.m. el 1 de diciembre en oregonrentalassistance.org.

Progreso y números actualizados

A través del plan de tres puntos, OHCS y su socio de procesamiento, Public Partnerships LLC (PPL), han logrado avances significativos para procesar rápidamente solicitudes en las últimas semanas. Actualmente, 150 empleados de PPL están procesando solicitudes con enfoque en las que están fuera del período de protección de desalojo de 60/90 días. La semana pasada, PPL procesó cerca de 547 solicitudes, superando su meta de 500 solicitudes. 

Hasta la fecha, OHCS y LPAs han: 

• Pagado $ 157,576,939 a propietarios e inquilinos para ayudar a 23,155 hogares de Oregon.
• Procesado y comprometido $ 27.4 millones adicionales en fondos para 3,265 hogares.
• Recibido más de 55,736 solicitudes completas. 

Visite el tablero de datos de OERAP para más datos.  

Aplicaciones en proceso de revisión

Aproximadamente 20,987 solicitudes están en proceso de revisión. La ventana de protección de 60/90 días comienza cuando un inquilino muestra prueba de que solicitó asistencia a un programa. Sin embargo, estos datos no están disponibles actualmente. Como representante, OHCS realiza un seguimiento cuando un inquilino completa una solicitud de OERAP y la cantidad de solicitantes a los que no se les ha pagado fuera del plazo de 60 días (90 días en el condado de Multnomah y áreas no incorporadas del condado de Washington). Las solicitudes fuera de la ventana de 60/90 días se trasladarán de la LPA de su condado a la PPL.

Este gráfico a continuación muestra las áreas geográficas con el mayor número de solicitudes fuera de los períodos de protección de 60 y 90 días a partir del 1 de diciembre. Este gráfico no incluye solicitudes fuera del período de 60/90 días de los condados que recibieron financiación para asistencia de alquiler de emergencia directamente del Departamento del Tesoro.

Este gráfico muestra los tiempos promedio de procesamiento de solicitudes para cada condado para el programa OERAP a partir de esta semana.

El condado de Multnomah no está incluido en esta comparación porque tiene una ventana de 90 días. Su tiempo medio de procesamiento es de 75 días. En promedio, PPL procesó las solicitudes dentro de unos 57 días desde que recibieron la solicitud. Se están realizando mejoras para realizar un seguimiento de los tiempos de procesamiento de PPL que tengan en cuenta que están aceptando aplicaciones antiguas, en lugar de aceptar aplicaciones a medida que llegan como LPAs.

### 

The City of Oregon City advises residents and boaters that the Clackamette Park Boat Ramp is closed to motorized vehicles and boat trailers due to safety concerns. A temporary closure has been in effect since October 2021 and this closure is permanent until potential realignment and possible relocation can be identified through a public process. The boat ramp is open to foot and carry-down traffic such as kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards, or other paddle craft unless further erosion causes unsafe conditions for these uses.

“Public safety is the main factor in this decision,” said Kendall Reid, Oregon City Parks and Recreation Director, “It is unsafe for vehicle use due to the river current eroding material underneath the concrete slabs of the ramp’s foundation.”

An underwater inspection in October 2021 showed a structural material deficit resulting in the closure to trailered motorboats and vehicular traffic to reduce the potential for property damage and injury to the public.   

Visitors to the area are encouraged to use other nearby boat ramps to access the Lower Willamette River, including SportCraft Landing, Meldrum Bar, Cedaroak, Jefferson Street (Milwaukie) or Willamette Park. Additional locations upstream of Willamette Falls in the Newberg Pool include Bernert Landing, Hebb Park and Boones Ferry boat ramps.

In the meantime, a Master Plan of Clackamette Park will begin in 2022 which will provide the public and community partners the opportunity to guide Clackamette Park’s functionality, sustainability, and improvements as well as identify plans for the boat ramps potential realignment and possible relocation. 

Clackamette Park lies at the confluence of the Willamette and Clackamas Rivers and is located approximately 400’ downstream of the John McLoughlin Bridge in Oregon City, Oregon. 

For questions or more information please contact the Oregon City Parks and Recreation Department at ks@orcity.org">parks@orcity.org or 503-496-1201.

Dec. 1, 2021 

Media Contact: Delia Hernández 

503-986-2051 

equests@oregon.gov">HCS.mediarequests@oregon.gov 

State to pause accepting new applications for the Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program

More than $157 million in federal emergency rental assistance paid to over 23,000 households

SALEM, Ore. — Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) and Local Program Administrators (LPAs) continue to make strong progress on processing applications for the Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program (OERAP). 

As of today, OHCS and LPAs have paid $157.5 million in federal emergency rental assistance to 23,155 applicants, up from $149.8 million and 22,128 applicants last week. The agency is ranked 8th in the nation in the percentage of funds paid and obligated. 

Media briefing on new application pause for OERAP

During today’s media briefing, OHCS announced that the pause in accepting new applications for OERAP starts today, Dec. 1, at 11:59 p.m. Based on the amount of funding that has been requested through the applications that have been paid and are currently in the queue, the state estimates nearly all the $289 million in federal emergency rental assistance we’ve received so far has been requested by renters.  

“As we look to the December holidays, our top priority continues to keep families safely and affordably housed. We know Oregonians who’ve fallen behind on rent are stressed and scared,” said OHCS Director Margaret Salazar. “The governor’s call for a housing special session to keep families housed during this difficult time is the right call and we are confident the Legislature will come to consensus on additional measures to protect renters. Oregon renters need more time, and the program needs more funding.”  

There is rental assistance available in many localities – through programs that are operating independently from OERAP. Some cities and counties received emergency rental assistance funding directly from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and these programs should have funds available. They include: 

• City of Portland and Multnomah County, 503-222-5555 
• Clackamas County, 503-655-8575 
• Lane County, 541-682-3776 
• Marion County, 971-706-1364 
• Washington County, 503-615-0770 

People can also contact 211 or Community Action Agencies in their area. 

If a person has previously submitted an application or began an application, the pause will not impact them. Those who started their applications will still be able to complete them, and those applications that were previously submitted will still be processed. Applicants can continue to log on to the OERAP portal to complete their application or check the status of their finished application. They will be alerted by email as their application advances. 

Anyone who has fallen behind on rent or may get behind on December rent is encouraged to apply for emergency rental assistance before 11:59 p.m. Dec. 1 at oregonrentalassistance.org.

Progress and updated numbers  

Through its three-point plan, OHCS and its processing partner, Public Partnerships LLC (PPL), have made significant strides to drive rapid application processing in the past several weeks. Currently, 150 PPL staff are processing applications with a focus on applications outside the 60-/90-day safe harbor period. In the past week, PPL processed close to 547 applications, exceeding their 500-application target.

To date, OHCS and LPAs have: 

• Paid $157,576,939 to landlords and tenants to help 23,155 Oregon households.
• Processed and obligated an additional $27.4 million in funds for 3,265 households.
• Received more than 55,736 completed applications.

Visit the OERAP dashboard for more data.  

Applications in review process  

About 20,987 applications are in the review process. The 60-/90-day window of protection begins when a tenant shows proof they applied for the program. However, this data is not currently available. As proxy, OHCS is tracking when a tenant completes an OERAP application and the number of applicants who have not been paid outside of the 60-day window (90 days in Multnomah County and unincorporated areas of Washington County). Applications outside the 60-/90-day window are being moved from the LPA in their county to PPL. 

The graph below shows an estimate of the geographic areas with the most applications outside the 60- and 90-day windows of protection as of Dec. 1. This graph does not include applications outside the 60-/90-day window from counties that received ERA funding directly from the U.S. Treasury.

[See attached file]

Below is a graphic that shows average application processing times for each county for the OERAP program as of this week. 

 [See attached file]

Multnomah County is not included in this as a comparison because they have a 90-day window. Their average processing time is 75 days. On average, PPL processed applications within an estimated 57 days from when they received the application. Improvements are underway to track PPL processing times that take into account they are taking old applications.

### 

On November 30, 2021, a Washington County grand jury indicted 44-year-old Adam Trent Jackson of Portland on Kidnapping in the 1st Degree, Attempted Kidnapping in the 2nd Degree, Robbery in the 1st Degree, two counts of Strangulation, two counts of Unlawful Use of a Weapon, three counts of Sex Abuse in the 1st Degree, Unlawful Sexual Penetration in the 1st Degree, and Sodomy in the 1st Degree. 

The charges stemmed from three separate incidents which occurred between October 1, 2021 and November 15, 2021. Adam Trent Jackson is alleged to have victimized three adult women in separate incidents during this timeframe. All three incidents occurred in Washington County, two of those incidents occurred in the downtown Beaverton area. 

Beaverton Police Detectives working the case believe there may be more victims. If you or someone you know had a similar experience with Adam Trent Jackson, please contact Detective Chad Opitz by phone at 503.526.2674 or by email at copitz@beavertonoregon.gov

PORTLAND, Ore.—A Pendleton, Oregon man was sentenced to federal prison today for shooting a family member with a semi-automatic pistol and distributing methamphetamine.

Royce Francis Speedis, 34, was sentenced to 77 months in federal prison and three years’ supervised release.

According to court documents, in early March 2019, Speedis and co-defendant Lavella Ruth Thompson, 28, also of Pendleton, arranged to purchase methamphetamine on the Umatilla Indian Reservation. On March 7, 2019, three individuals drove to the reservation to meet and sell methamphetamine to Thompson. Thompson arrived in an SUV and tried to convince the three people to follow her to a second location to complete the sale. When they declined, Thompson returned to the SUV. Three men then exited the SUV with guns and opened fire into the sellers’ car. One passenger in the sellers’ car sustained non-life-threatening injuries after being struck in the back of the head. 

The methamphetamine sellers provided conflicting accounts of Speedis’ involvement in the shooting. A ballistics analysis later linked a Ruger rifle recovered from Speedis’ family’s residence on the reservation to spent cartridge casings found at the shooting scene. However, no arrests were made following the shooting.

On April 17, 2019, Speedis and his sister engaged in an argument with their cousin on the reservation. When the cousin attempted to leave, Speedis pulled a black semi-automatic pistol from his waistband and fired a single round that traveled through his cousin’s right leg into his left leg.

On April 23, 2019, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a two-count indictment charging Speedis with assault with a deadly weapon and using a firearm in connection with a crime of violence. On August 19, 2020, Speedis was indicted a second time, along with Thompson, on one count each of conspiring with one another to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and interference with commerce by robbery.

One year later, on August 23, 2021, Speedis pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon and conspiring to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

On September 7, 2021, Thompson pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge. She will be sentenced on December 10, 2021.

Acting U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug of the District of Oregon made the announcement.

This case was investigated by the Umatilla Tribal Police Department and the FBI. It was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.

# # #

On Wednesday, December 1, 2021, at approximately 8:24 AM, Oregon State Police Troopers and emergency personnel responded to a single vehicle crash on Highway 197 near milepost 11.  

Preliminary investigation revealed a northbound Acura TL, operated by Garet Nunnery (25) of Madras, drifted onto the southbound shoulder and rolled multiple times.

Nunnery sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased. 

Hwy 197 was closed for approximately 3.5 hours.

OSP was assisted by Wasco County Sheriff’s office, Dufur Fire and Rescue and ODOT.

December 1, 2021

Contact: OHA External Relations, covid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us">orcovid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us

Oregon reports 1,111 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 25 new deaths

PORTLAND, Ore. — There are 25 new COVID-19 related death in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 5,186, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported at 12:01 a.m. today.

OHA reported 1,111 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 392,197.

COVID-19 weekly cases and hospitalizations decline, deaths rise

OHA’s COVID-19 Weekly Report released today shows a decrease in daily cases and hospitalizations and an increase in deaths.

OHA reported 4,276 new cases of COVID-19 during the week of Monday, Nov. 22, through Sunday, Nov. 28. That is 25% decrease from the previous week.

There were 95,882 tests for COVID-19 for the week of Nov. 21 through Nov. 27. The percentage of positive tests declined slightly to 5.6%, from 6% the previous week.

There were 226 new COVID-19 hospitalizations, down from 268 last week — a 16% drop.

There were 125 reported COVID-19-related deaths, up from 214 reported the previous week, as epidemiologists reviewed a backlog of suspected COVID-19 related deaths by matching death certificates to previously reported cases.

Today’s COVID-19 Weekly Outbreak Report shows 54 active COVID-19 outbreaks in senior living communities and congregate living settings, with three or more confirmed cases and one or more COVID-19 related deaths.

COVID-19 hospitalizations

The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 404, which represents no change from yesterday. There are 92 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is two fewer than yesterday.

There are 49 available adult ICU beds out of 691 total (7% availability) and 270 available adult non-ICU beds out of 4,108 (7% availability). 

The total number of patients in hospital beds may fluctuate between report times. The numbers do not reflect admissions per day, nor the length of hospital stay. Staffing limitations are not captured in this data and may further limit bed capacity.

Note: Please do not visit an emergency department for COVID-19 testing, unless you require emergency care for your symptoms.

Emergency departments in Oregon are under significant strain. You can find a test here.

If you have a medical condition that doesn’t require emergency care, contact your provider. An urgent care center may also help you get the care you need and will save emergency departments from added strain.

More information about hospital capacity can be found here.

Vaccinations in Oregon

Today, OHA reported that 25,659 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry on Nov. 30. Of that total, 14,324 were initial doses, 1,947 were second doses and 10,174 were third doses and booster doses. The remaining 11,335 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on Nov. 30.

The seven-day running average is now 12,208 doses per day.

Oregon has now administered 3,534,286 doses of Pfizer Comirnaty, 70,261 doses of Pfizer pediatric, 2,267,258 doses of Moderna and 244,207 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines.

As of today, 2,950,723 people have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 2,662,164 people have completed a COVID-19 vaccine series.

These data are preliminary and subject to change.

Updated vaccination data are provided on Oregon’s COVID-19 data dashboards and have been updated today.

Cases and COVID-19 deaths

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (10), Benton (9), Clackamas (90), Clatsop (9), Columbia (29), Coos (29), Crook (23), Curry (5), Deschutes (82), Douglas (64), Hood River (8), Jackson (75), Jefferson (6), Josephine (55), Klamath (19), Lake (2), Lane (67), Lincoln (17), Linn (72), Malheur (3), Marion (100), Morrow (3), Multnomah (141), Polk (36), Tillamook (4), Umatilla (9), Union (5), Wallowa (3), Wasco (9), Washington (102), and Yamhill (25).

Note: More information about the cases and deaths will be provided in an updated news release.

# # #

WHAT:  Urn Watch for Lieutenant Jerry Richardson.

Beginning on November 29^th, and continuing through Saturday, December 4^th, sworn members of Portland Fire & Rescue will stand vigil continuously, in two-hour increments, over the remains of fallen fighter Lt. Jerry Richardson.  An urn watch is a tradition that law enforcement, fire and EMS have performed for many years. This is an opportunity for members of the fire community to honor their fallen members by standing in intentional silence in the presence of the deceased for a predetermined length of time.  This is a gesture of respect and honor given out of deepest compassion and empathy for the fallen and their family. The urn watch is a private vigil and will not be open to the public.

The media are welcome to gather outside station 21 and speak with representatives of Portland Fire & Rescue outside the facility.  Media will be allowed to shoot B-roll of the urn watch but will need to have masks on and stay socially distant inside the fire station.     

WHEN:  December 2, 2021 from 2:00pm to 3:00pm.

WHERE:  Station 21, Portland Fire & Rescue.  05 SE Madison St. Portland, OR. 97214  

WHO: All Media, please RSVP by noon on Dec. 2^nd by email at ry.foster@portlandoregon.gov">terry.foster@portlandoregon.gov

CONTACT: Terry Foster,

Phone:  503-201-1948

Email: ry.foster@portlandoregon.gov">terry.foster@portlandoregon.gov

After a year of virtual celebrating, Troutdale will once again ring in the holiday season with its annual Holiday Tree Lighting ceremony. But this year, there will be an exciting new twist!

On Sunday, December 5, the City of Troutdale and Kiwanis of the Columbia Gorge will be hosting Troutdale’s Wind-er Wonderland and Tree Lighting benefitting Snow Cap Community Charities. The event will run from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. with the lighting of the City's brand new 14' live blue spruce set for 5:00 p.m. 

The center of the event will feature the Holiday Market set under a large tent in the Mayors Square parking lot. The market will feature local vendors selling their handcrafted gifts, an activity area for the kids, as well as live holiday music in front of the tree at Mayors Square. The first 500 adults to attend the Holiday Market will receive a free tote bag to make all their shopping a breeze, courtesy of Explore Troutdale, the official tourism information provider for our area. 

After visiting the Holiday Market, attendees can enjoy cocoa and cookies while taking in the live musical performances in Mayors Square from 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. You'll enjoy jazz renditions of holiday classics by The Mt. Hood Faculty Quartet from 12:00 p.m. - 1:45 and then the folk and rock inspired  Dustin and Andrea Rose will play more holiday favorites from 2:15 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. 

Each of our downtown businesses is eager to greet guests, and will be facing off in a storefront/window decorating contest. While strolling through town to vote for your favorite decorations and shop for unique gifts, you can also participate in the Troutdale Teddy Scavenger Hunt. Find all the hidden teddys inside the listed businesses to win a special gift.

Of course, no holiday event would be complete without an appearance by Santa Claus! The jolly old elf will be on hand as one of our downtown store fronts transforms into his North Pole headquarters for this one day only. Everyone is welcome to grab a Selfie with Santa. But be sure to keep your eyes out for the Grinch! Rumor has it he’ll be sneaking around town that evening.

Afterwards, be sure to grab a bite of food to eat downtown from one of our many wonderful restaurants. Finally, please remember that this is the season of giving and that all this fun is to help our friends at SnowCap collect donations for those in need. They will gratefully accept hygiene items (like soap, shampoo, disposable razors, toothpaste, toothbrushes, feminine hygiene products and deodorant), small toys, canned goods and non-perishable items (especially canned proteins), and warm winter clothing like coats, hats, gloves and scarves. 

We hope to see you there! Stay tuned troutdaleoregon.gov/treelighting for more updates.

Thank you to our sponsors who have helped make this event possible:

• Amazon
• FedEx
• Advantis Credit Union
• Weston Kia
• Edward Jones
• Envi Adventures
• Gresham Ford
• Holt Homes
• Leamy Printing
• Les Schwab
• Apollo Drain

Below is the list of vendors at the Holiday Market:

• Blackberry Lane Ceramics - Handcrafted decorative and functional ceramics
• Calou Shop - Handmade toys
• C.H.A.M.P.S - Holiday wreaths
• CrazyBombz - Bath bombs and soaps
• Custom Kailani Crafts - Handmade jewelry
• @DrawnHungry - Coloring book featuring illustrations of rabbit characters making delicious food
• Fantasy Tress Up - Handmade headbands and hair clips
• In The Reads - Handmade custom bookmarks
• Lace & Pine Studio - Polymer clay earrings, resin art 
• Libby's Garden - Spa items, beaded ornaments, sun catchers, and handcrafted stocking stuffers
• Lisa Lewis - Metal and resin jewelry, holiday ornaments
• Little Miss Taylor Customs - Canvas art and custom dog and pet tags
• NWilderStudios - Knotted Wall Hangings, keychains,  and crystal earrings
• NW Momma Bear Customs - Stickers, keychains, pins and apparel
• Passion For Nature Artisan Soaps - Artisan Organic Soaps
• Taylor Made Cards - Quilled greeting cards
• Terri Bradburry - Stained glass painted windows, candles holders, lamps and Christmas decorations 
• Totes by Kelly - Holiday themed tote bags 
• Tindall's Woodworks - Interchangeable wood signs, ornaments, coasters, jewelry, and laser cut wood art.
• Vicky's Head Hugs - Crocheted items for the whole family and the kitchen

GRESHAM, Ore. – The City of Gresham is excited to announce that the Spirit of Gresham is back! Join your friends and neighbors to celebrate the start of the holiday season in historic downtown Gresham, where a variety of fun, family friendly festivities all lead up to the grand finale—the lighting of the City’s 70-foot ponderosa pine at the 30th annual Spirit of Christmas event on Saturday, December 4th. Starting at 6 p.m., the community will have the opportunity to enjoy bites from local multi-cultural businesses, international holiday music and carols, visit with Santa and more! The tree is lit promptly at 7 p.m.

At the Arts Plaza, located at 401 NE Second St., Santa will listen to the children’s wish lists and pose for photos. We will hear from City Manager Nina Vetter, Mayor Travis Stovall and Gresham Police Chief Gullberg all leading up to the tree lighting. Free cocoa, cider, and various other international holiday-inspired treats will be served, thanks to our generous sponsors and local business partners. 

Activities will take place throughout the day in downtown Gresham leading up to the tree lighting at the Arts Plaza, including the first ever Holiday Light Cruise presented by Gresham Ford, beginning at 4 p.m.; check out Greshamoregon.gov/Spirit-of-Gresham/ for specific times as well as a map of all the festivities.

This annual event is made possible by local businesses. Special thanks to our Holiday Light Cruise presenting Sponsor Gresham Ford. Spirit sponsors: Clackamas County Bank, The Gresham Outlook, Nicholas Restaurant and Weston Kia of Gresham. And our North Pole Elf Sponsors: Alta Civic Station, Pediatric Therapy Services, SERVPRO of Gresham, US World Class Taekwondo and the Portland Winterhawks!

Visit Greshamoregon.gov/Spirit-of-Gresham/ for more information.

If you’re doing online shopping this holiday season, be on the lookout for scammers trying to steal a deal, too!

During the 2020 holiday shopping season, the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3.gov) received more than 17,000 complaints regarding the non-delivery of goods, resulting in losses of more than $53 million. The FBI anticipates this number could increase during the 2021 holiday season due to rumors of merchandise shortages and the ongoing pandemic.

“Oftentimes when we talk about cyber crimes, we are referring to massive intrusions into financial institutions or ransomware attacks against large providers. Smaller cyber scams run by individuals or groups can be just as frustrating and difficult for families this time of year when all you want to do is provide the perfect gift for your family. The best thing you can do to be a savvy shopper is to know what scams are out there and take some basic precautions,” says Kieran L. Ramsey, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Oregon.

Here’s a look at some of the more common scams:

Online Shopping Scams:

Scammers often offer too-good-to-be-true deals via phishing e-mails, through social media posts, or through ads. Perhaps you were trying to buy tickets to the next big concert or sporting event and found just what you were looking for – at a good deal – in an online marketplace? Those tickets could end up being bogus.

Or, perhaps, you think you just scored a hard-to-find item like a new gaming system? Or a designer bag at an extremely low price? If you actually get a delivery, which is unlikely, the box may not contain the item you ordered in the condition you thought it would arrive. 

In the meantime, if you clicked on a link to access the deal, you likely gave the fraudster access to download malware onto your device, and you gave him personal financial information and debit/credit card details.

Social Media Shopping Scams:

Consumers should beware of posts on social media sites that appear to offer special deals, vouchers, or gift cards. Some may appear as holiday promotions or contests. Others may appear to be from known friends who have shared the link. Often, these scams lead consumers to participate in an online survey that is designed to steal personal information.

If you click an ad through a social media platform, do your due diligence to check the legitimacy of the website before providing credit card or personal information.

Gift Card Scams:

Gift cards are popular and a great time saver, but you need to watch for sellers who say they can get you cards below-market value. Also, be wary of buying any card in a store if it looks like the security PIN on the back has been uncovered and recovered. Your best bet is to buy digital gift cards directly from the merchant online.

Another twist on this scam involves a person who receives a request to purchase gift cards in bulk. Here’s how it works: the victim receives a spoofed e-mail, a phone call, or a text from a person who they believe is in authority (such as an executive at the company). The fraudster tells the victim to purchase multiple gift cards as gifts. The victim does so and then passes the card numbers and PINs to the “executive” who cashes out the value. 

Charity Scams:

Charity fraud rises during the holiday season when people want to make end-of-year tax deductible gifts or just wish to contribute to a good cause. These seasonal scams can be more difficult to stop because of their widespread reach, limited duration and, when done online, minimal oversight.

Bad actors target victims through cold calls, email campaigns, crowdfunding platforms, or fake social media accounts and websites. Fraudsters make it easy for victims to give money and to feel like they’re making a difference. The scammer will divert some or all the funds for personal use, and those most in need will never see the donations.

Tips to Avoid Being Victimized:

• Pay for items using a credit card dedicated for online purchases, checking the card statement frequently, and never saving payment information in online accounts.
• Never make purchases using public Wi-Fi.
• Beware of vendors that require payment with a gift card, wire transfer, cash, or cryptocurrency.
• Research the seller to ensure legitimacy. Check reviews and do online searches for the name of the vendor and the words “scam” or “fraud.”
• Check the contact details listed on the website to ensure the vendor is real and reachable by phone or email. 
• Confirm return and refund policies.
• Be wary of online retailers who use a free email service instead of a company email address.
• Don’t judge a company by its website. Flashy websites can be set up and taken down quickly.
• Do not click on links or provide personal or financial information to an unsolicited email or social media post.
• Secure credit card accounts, even rewards accounts, with strong passwords or passphrases. Change passwords or passphrases regularly.
• Make charitable contributions directly, rather than through an intermediary, and pay via credit card or check. Avoid cash donations, if possible.
• Only purchase gift cards directly from a trusted merchant.
• Make sure anti-virus/malware software is up to date and block pop-up windows.

What to Do if You Are a Victim:

If you are a victim of an online scam, the FBI recommends taking the following actions:

• Report the activity to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.gov, regardless of dollar loss. Provide all relevant information in the complaint.
• Contact your financial institution immediately upon discovering any fraudulent or suspicious activity and direct them to stop or reverse the transactions.
• Ask your financial institution to contact the corresponding financial institution where the fraudulent or suspicious transfer was sent.

For additional information and consumer alerts, and to report scams to the FBI, visit IC3.gov.

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At just before 12:00 p.m. a community member notified law enforcement they had seen Ledesma in the downtown Salem area. Officers from the Salem Police Department located Ledesma and stayed with him while waiting for deputies to arrive. Ledesma has been taken back to Marion County Jail pending transfer to the Oregon Department of Corrections. 

Sheriff Joe Kast stated, “the Sheriff’s Office recognizes an incident such as this is concerning to our community members. While we know Ledesma was released on November 22, we did not become aware of the administrative error until November 30. We will be conducting a review of the circumstances which led to Ledesma’s release to ensure we are able to address any policies, procedures or other factors which may have contributed to him being released from custody.”

The Sheriff’s Office would like to thank our community members, Salem Police Department, and Oregon Department of Corrections for their efforts in the safe apprehension of Ledesma.

Deputies are asking for community tips locating Salvador Guido Ledesma after he was mistakenly released from custody on November 22, 2021 following an administrative error. Ledesma was in custody at the Marion County Jail while appealing his prior convictions for Criminal Mistreatment I, Unlawful Sexual Penetration II, Sex Abuse I, and Rape II. After receiving a new sentence on November 22, 2021, Ledesma was slated to return to the custody of the Oregon Department of Corrections to complete his sentence.

Ledesma is a 30-year-old Hispanic man from the Salem area. He is approximately 6’1”, 190 lbs and has black hair with brown eyes.  His release date is scheduled for 8/05/2034.

Anyone with information about Ledesma’s location should call 503-569-0734 or submit a tip by texting TIPMCSO and their tip to 847411.

On Wednesday, December 1, 2021, at around 3:30 a.m., Washington County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a vehicle parked along the side of westbound Highway 26 near NW Mountaindale Rd., near the City of Banks. Deputies discovered two bodies inside a 2012 black Nissan Altima that appeared to be deceased.

Detectives with the Violent Crimes Unit responded to investigate the incident along with members of the Forensic Science Unit. The investigation appears to show Alejandro Gomez-Blanco, age 46 of Beaverton, shot and killed his wife, Yolanda Constantino, age 44 of Beaverton, before turning the gun on himself. A handgun was recovered inside the car.

Detectives notified family members of the deaths and are continuing the investigation.

The westbound lanes of Highway 26 were closed for more than six hours during the incident.

Members of the Violent Crimes Unit are called upon to investigate serious violent crimes such as homicides, suspicious deaths, adult sexual assaults, kidnappings, robberies, extortion, serious assaults, elder abuse, and missing persons.

Crime Scene Technicians with the Forensic Science Unit receive specialized training in identifying and collecting evidence at crime scenes throughout Washington County. Evidence is transported back to the Forensics lab, where our Criminalists can examine it for additional leads. Members of the Forensic Science Unit use advanced scientific technology to help move investigations forward.

Vancouver Public Schools has been exploring partnerships to expand local COVID-19 testing capability and help families and staff members access tests. With the help of Clark County Public Health, the district is vetting possible partners but has not yet finalized any partnerships. 

No start date has been set for testing at VPS schools. Before any optional testing will be offered at school sites, the district will have a plan in place that addresses logistics and safety, and will communicate information to staff members and families.

One possible partner for testing, Embry Health, earlier released inaccurate information about testing. The company did not inform VPS of its intent to issue a press release. We regret the inaccurate information shared by the media. 

Until a vetted partnership is established, the district will continue offering free optional testing at the Jim Parsley Center for current VPS students and staff members when school is in session, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m to 4:30 p.m. 

Vancouver, Wash. – Clark County is accepting nominations for the 2022 Green Awards, an annual celebration and awards program recognizing leaders in environmental sustainability.

Clark County Public Health is seeking nominations for organizations and individuals who consider the environment in decision-making and practices. Self-nominations are encouraged.

Nominations are being accepted in the following categories:

• Green Business Award for a business with 25 or fewer employees
• Green Business Award for a business with more than 25 employees
• Green Business Award for a nonprofit or government organization
• Green Apple Award for an individual involved in school (public or private) sustainability initiatives, projects and programs
• Green Team Award for an outstanding student green team at a school (public or private)

Online nomination forms for business categories are available on the Clark County Green Business website. The nomination forms for school-related categories are available on the Clark County Green Schools website. Award descriptions and submission instructions are on the forms. The nomination deadline is Friday, Jan. 7.

The winners will be announced at the Green Awards event in 2022. Event details will be announced at a future date.

The 2021 Green Awards winners included C-TRAN, which reduced water use in their bus wash system, and Frito Lay Vancouver, which has a robust recycling program. Nancy Stoy received the Green Apple Award for tirelessly leading and empowering students at Lacamas Lake Elementary School.

On December 10, 2020, Detectives from the Oregon State Police Major Crimes section responded to the H.B. Van Duzer Scenic Corridor in Lincoln County, Oregon, for the report of human remains discovered just outside the rest area.  An individual walking in the area discovered the remains of a female child, concealed inside a duffle bag, then hidden in the forest.  Based on the level of decomposition, it appeared she had been deceased between 30-60 days before her discovery.

Investigators and experts at the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office, collected samples from the child’s remains for DNA testing by a specialty DNA laboratory.  Parabon Nano Labs extracted DNA from the samples submitted, and on October 4, 2021, notified OSP investigators they identified the deceased child. 

The deceased was identified as Haley Mae Coblentz.  She was nine years old at the time of her death.  Haley was born in Colorado.  She was living with her biological mother and mother’s girlfriend in multiple places in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest since 2015.  She was not reported as a missing person at the time of her death.

On November 30, 2021, with the assistance of the Detroit FBI, OSP Investigators located Haley’s mother, 29-year-old Shawna Browning, and 34-year-old Lauren Harrison in Detroit, Michigan. Investigators arrested Browning and Harrison and served a search warrant on their vehicle and hotel room. 

Browning and Harrison were arrested on a Lincoln County, Oregon warrant and charged with:

• Aggravated Murder ORS 163.095

Browning and Harrison were lodged in detention facilities in Wayne County, Michigan, and are being held without bail. 

On December 10, 2020, the Oregon State Police recovered the remains of a female child in the forest immediately adjacent to the H.B. Van Duzer Forrest State Scenic Corridor rest area.

Her body was inside a duffle bag that had been concealed in the forest near the rest area.  Based on the condition of the remains, little was known about the deceased’s race, appearance, or other identifying characteristics.  In an attempt to identify the deceased, the Oregon State Police and Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office used a specialty lab to extract DNA information to aid in her identification. 

With the assistance of Parabon Nanolabs, investigators now know more identifying details which will hopefully assist in her identification. The following new information is being released:

·      Age:                     7 – 9

·      Eye color:            Hazel / Brown

·      Hair color:           Brown / Black

·      Skin color:           Light Brown / Fair with no freckles

·      Race:                    She has been identified as mostly Caucasian with some Central American ancestry

·      She was wearing a pull-up diaper

The Oregon State Police has been working in partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) since the discovery of the child’s remains. Over the past six months, detectives have definitively ruled out more than 60 potential missing kids from information provided by NCMEC and tips from the public.

While investigators continue to work in partnership with NCMEC, there is a strong likelihood this child has not been reported missing.  Investigators would like the public to know, we are already considering all children listed on the NCMEC website and therefore, there is no need to contact the Oregon State Police to highlight those names.

This child would likely not have been seen since November 2020. If you have any information that might help investigators in identifying this child, please call 800-442-0776 or OSP (677).

Oregon State Police investigators have received and investigated more than 180 tips from the public, law enforcement partners and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. 

Using available dental records, field contacts, and other investigative techniques, investigators have been able to exclude 61 individuals from being the child whose remains were recovered. 

Investigators are still actively working to identify the deceased, and reviewing information regarding missing children which changes and is updated frequently. 

Several different investigative efforts are underway, including DNA analysis.  With the assistance of the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office, DNA has been extracted and is awaiting analysis.  This analysis is expected to provide investigators additional information regarding the race, origin, eye color, and other genetic details that may help lead to her identity.  A sketch with the updated race and genetic details will be released upon receipt of the DNA information. 

Anthropological and forensic dental examinations of the female child recovered at in the H.B. Van Duzer State Forrest Scenic Corridor have so far determined she is between 61/2 and 10 years old.  She stood between 3’10’ and 4’6” tall.  She had long black or dark brown hair.  She died at least 30 days prior to her discovery on December 10, 2020. 

Investigators continue to ask anyone with information about the identity of the deceased or the circumstances surrounding her death to call the Oregon State Police at 800-442-0776 or OSP (677). 

As part of the ongoing investigation into the discovery of a female child’s remains at the Van Duzer Rest Area in Lincoln County, the Oregon State Police (OSP) continues to solicit the public’s assistance in identifying the child and the circumstances around her death.  To date, we have received over 150 tips from citizens in the United States and Canada.  We are deeply appreciative of the public’s input so far, and continue to accept information that may lead to the identification of the child.

The Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office has estimated the child's age to be 6.5 to 10 years old.  She is approximately 3’10” to 4’6” tall, and has long hair that is dark brown or black.  Her race or ethnic origin has yet to be determined, but DNA analysis is not complete.  A sketch completed by the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office at our request has also been released. 

OSP, in partnership with the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), and numerous state and local agencies across the United States, are using a variety of means to include or exclude known missing persons who match the general description and/or sketch previously released.  This may include, but is not limited to, dental records, age, descriptors, and confirmed sightings via verifiable sources, and/or recent contacts with family or friends that demonstrate they were alive after the remains of the unidentified female were discovered in Lincoln County. 

OSP will not comment on the individual methods used to exclude each child.

In an effort to refocus the public’s attention and reduce duplicative tips, OSP is now prepared to publicly exclude the following reported missing children from our investigation:

• Dulce Alavez, age 6, from Bridgeton, NJ
• Addyson Gibson, age 12, from Portland, OR
• Noelle Johnson, age 7, from Portland, OR
• Niayah Bylenga (AKA Niayah Crawford), age 7, from Pendleton, OR or Ritzville, WA
• Tarie Price, age 8, from Gretna, NE
• Breasia Terrell, age 10, from Davenport, IA

OSP reminds the public that while these children have been excluded from our investigation, they are all still reported missing and we ask the public to continue to be vigilant for these children and all other missing persons reported across the nation. 

The Oregon State Police is releasing the attached approximation sketch of the child that was found in Lincoln County on December 10, 2020.

Sketch was provided with assistance of the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office.

If you have any information that might help investigators in identifying this child, please call 800-442-0776 or OSP (677).

Oregon State Police Detectives are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the remains of an individual discovered in rural Lincoln County.  

On December 10, 2020, Investigators were summoned to the H.B. Van Duzer Forest State Scenic Corridor for a death investigation. At this location, investigators found the remains of a female child. 

The Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office estimate the deceased’s age to be 6.5 to 10 years old.  She is approximately 3’10” to 4’6” tall, and had long hair that is dark brown or black.  Her race or ethnic origin has yet to be determined, but DNA analysis is not complete. 

Due to the condition of the remains she had likely been deceased at least 30 days before she was discovered. 

If you have any information that might help investigators in identifying this child, please call 800-442-0776 or OSP (677).

No information regarding the cause or manner of death is available for release at this time. 

On Thursday, December 10, 2020 Oregon State Police Major Crimes Detectives responded to the H.B. Van Duzer Forest State Scenic Corridor for a death investigation.

The area is a heavily wooded state park in Lincoln County, Oregon.

Due to the terrain OSP Detectives were assisted by Lincoln County SAR members.

At this time the deceased has yet to be positively identified. No further information regarding this individual is available for release until identity is established and next of kin can be notified.

An investigation into the circumstances of this incident is active and ongoing. No further details are available for release at this time.

PORTLAND, Ore.—On November 30, 2021, a federal jury in Portland found two members of the Gypsy Joker Outlaw Motorcycle Club (GJOMC) guilty of kidnapping and murder in aid of racketeering for the 2015 kidnapping and murder of Robert Huggins, a Portland resident and former club member.

GJOMC Portland clubhouse president Mark Leroy Dencklau, 61, of Woodburn, Oregon and Portland clubhouse member Chad Leroy Erickson, 51, of Rainier, Oregon, were found guilty of murder in aid of racketeering; kidnapping in aid of racketeering, resulting in death; kidnapping resulting in death; and conspiracy to commit kidnapping, resulting in death. Additionally, Dencklau was found guilty of racketeering conspiracy.

The jury acquitted Erickson and GJOMC national president Kenneth Earl Hause, 64, of Aumsville, Oregon, of racketeering conspiracy.

“Organized crime will not be tolerated in the District of Oregon. Dencklau, Erickson and other members of the Gypsy Joker Outlaw Motorcycle Club prided themselves in using violence to intimidate others and bolster their sense of power and influence. The kidnapping, torture, and murder of Robert Huggins was a gruesome example of the lengths these men were willing to go to exert their authority over rivals and perceived enemies,” said Scott Erik Asphaug, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. “A robust, coordinated law enforcement operation led to their arrest and prosecution. Our community is safer thanks to the dedication of all involved law enforcement agencies.”

“The heinous actions of this criminal organization clearly warranted this guilty verdict,” said Jonathan T. McPherson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Seattle Field Division. “ATF remains committed to combatting organizations like the Gypsy Jokers Outlaw Motorcycle Club that endanger our communities.”

According to court documents and trial testimony, the GJOMC is a hierarchical criminal organization wherein members and associates maintain their position and status in the organization by participating in, directly or indirectly, various acts of violent racketeering activity including murder, kidnapping, robbery, extortion, narcotics trafficking, and witness tampering. Since the 1980s, the club has been active in several states including Oregon and Washington and, until recently, operated six clubhouses in the Pacific Northwest. The club also has international chapters in Germany, Australia, and Norway.

From 2003 until his arrest, Dencklau served as the president of the club’s Portland chapter. The GJOMC also oversaw several support clubs in Oregon and Washington including the Road Brothers Northwest Motorcycle Club, Solutions Motorcycle Club, Northwest Veterans Motorcycle Club, High-Side Riders, and the Freedom Fellowship Motorcycle Club. Support club members conducted criminal activities in support of the GJOMC and served as a source of new members and revenue for the club.

On July 1, 2015, the body of Robert Huggins, an estranged member of the GJOMC Portland chapter, was found lying in a field in Clark County, Washington. Huggins’ body was badly beaten, and he appeared to have been tortured prior to his death. Huggins was previously stripped of his club membership for allegedly stealing from the club and, after breaking into Dencklau’s Woodburn residence, tying up Dencklau’s girlfriend and stealing multiple firearms. In the days and weeks following this robbery, Dencklau directed GJOMC members to find Huggins.

Several government witnesses testified at trial to Dencklau, Erickson, and their co-defendants’ roles in the revenge kidnapping, torture, and murder of Huggins. On the evening of June 30, 2015, Dencklau and others kidnapped Huggins from a residence in Portland and transported him to a rural property in Southwest Washington. Over the course of several hours, Huggins was severely beaten and tortured. He sustained numerous injuries to his head and face, including a fractured skull; lacerations to his chest and torso; and removed nipples. A local medical examiner ruled that Huggins’ death was caused by multiple blunt and sharp force injuries.

On June 28, 2018, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a four-count indictment charging Dencklau; Earl Deverle Fisher, 48, of Gresham, Oregon; and Tiler Evan Pribbernow, 40, of Portland, with murder in aid of racketeering; kidnapping in aid of racketeering, resulting in death; kidnapping resulting in death and conspiracy to commit kidnapping, resulting in death.

Later, on November 29, 2018, Dencklau; Fisher; Erickson; Hause; Ryan Anthony Negrinelli, 36, of Gresham, Oregon; and Joseph Duane Folkerts, 61, of Battleground, Washington, were charged by superseding indictment with racketeering conspiracy.

Fisher, Negrinelli, Folkerts, and Pribbernow have all previously pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge and are awaiting sentencing.

All defendants convicted face a maximum sentence of life in federal prison. Dencklau and Erickson also face mandatory minimum sentences of life in prison.

Acting U.S. Attorney Asphaug and Special Agent in Charge McPherson made the announcement.

This case was investigated by the Portland Police Bureau and ATF, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service, IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, Oregon State Police, and the Oregon and Washington State Crime Labs. Leah K. Bolstad and Steven T. Mygrant, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon, prosecuted the case with Damaré Theriot, Trial Attorney for the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). In keeping with the Attorney General’s mission to reduce violent crime, the District of Oregon’s PSN program focuses on prosecuting those individuals who most significantly drive violence in our communities, and supports and fosters partnerships between law enforcement, community organizations, and local community leaders to prevent and deter future criminal conduct.

This prosecution is the result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the U.S. by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

# # #

Need to know

• Most Oregonians who receive SNAP benefits will continue to receive increased emergency food benefits in December
• Approximately 391,000 SNAP households will receive approximately $62 million in extra food benefits in addition to their regular SNAP benefits
• Find resources to meet your basic needs: Dial 2-1-1, or text your zip code to 898-211, www.211info.org 
• Oregon Department of Human Services COVID-19 help center 

(Salem) – Most Oregonians who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will receive emergency allotments in December. 

The federal government has approved emergency allotments every month since March 2020. This gives SNAP recipients additional support during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In December, approximately 391,000 SNAP households will receive approximately $62 million in extra food benefits in addition to their regular SNAP benefits.

“We are grateful to have the opportunity to provide emergency benefits to most SNAP households in Oregon,” said Dan Haun, director of the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS), Self-Sufficiency Program. “We also know that many Oregonians are still struggling to meet their basic needs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and we encourage them to contact our partners at 211 and the Oregon Food Bank for support during this difficult time.”

Emergency allotments will be available on Dec. 11 for current SNAP households. New SNAP households will receive the emergency allotments Dec. 30 or Jan. 4.

SNAP recipients do not have to take any action to receive these supplemental benefits as they will be issued directly on their EBT cards. 

More information about emergency allotments is available at https://www.oregon.gov/dhs/ASSISTANCE/FOOD-BENEFITS/Pages/About-SNAP.aspx.

Questions about your SNAP benefits should be directed to the ONE Customer Service Center at 1-800-699-9075.

If you are a SNAP household and your income or the number of people in your household has changed, it could impact your benefits. It is important to make sure ODHS has the most up-to-date information. 

You can report any changes to your income or household in many ways: 

• Online at: ONE.Oregon.gov
• By mail at: ONE Customer Service Center, PO Box 14015, Salem, OR 97309
• By fax at: 503-378-5628
• By phone at: 1-800-699-9075 or TTY 711

Resources to help meet basic needs

• Find a food pantry: foodfinder.oregonfoodbank.org
• 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 
• Oregon Department of Human Services COVID-19 help center  

Administered by ODHS, SNAP is a federal program that provides food assistance to approximately 1 million eligible, low-income families and individuals in Oregon, including many older adults and people with disabilities. Oregonians in need can apply for benefits, including SNAP, child care, cash assistance and Medicaid. Learn more at https://govstatus.egov.com/or-dhs-benefits. For local resources in your area, such as food or shelter, please call 2-1-1 or reach out to the state’s Aging and Disability Resource Connection (ADRC) at 1-855-ORE-ADRC or 1-855-673-2372.

###

On Tuesday, November 30, 2021, at approximately 5:24 PM, Oregon State Police Troopers and emergency personnel responded to the report of a head-on collision in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 84 near milepost 89, approximately two miles east of The Dalles. 

Preliminary investigation revealed a westbound (wrong way) Subaru Forester, operated by Colin Leas (32) of McMinnville, crashed head-on into an eastbound Kia Sorrento, operated by Jessica Treadwell (35) of Condon.  Both vehicles became fully engulfed in flames immediately after impact.

Leas, Treadwell and a passenger in the Kia Sorrento, Lorena Sparkman (56) of Condon, sustained fatal injuries and were pronounced deceased. 

The eastbound lanes of I-84 were closed for approximately 2.5 hours. 

OSP was assisted by The Dalles Police Department, Wasco County Sheriff’s Office, Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue and ODOT. 

Regional water providers work every day to prepare for emergencies, adapt to changing conditions, and secure long-term reliable drinking water supplies. Here in the greater Portland metro area, water providers have a long-standing history of cooperation, coordination, and partnership through a group called the Regional Water Providers Consortium.

“We are stronger and more resilient when we work together,” said Rebecca Geisen, Managing Director of the Regional Water Providers Consortium. “Over the past 20 years, we have learned a great deal about the importance of partnerships. It has taken a lot of effort, but the result is that water providers in our region actively work together to share resources and learn from one another. This work, and these relationships, are important in our daily work and crucial in an emergency.” 

In February 2021, Oregonians experienced the most destructive freezing rain event in 40 years and over 350,000 residents lost power. Water providers were able to keep water flowing during and after the storms despite the challenges posed by the power outages. Water systems rely on electrical power to operate water pump stations that move water through the pipelines, and power equipment in water treatment and filtration plants.

"Through partnerships and connections between individual systems, we were able to supply drinking water during the emergency and get water where it was needed. Without those partnerships and cooperation among fellow water providers, challenges from the storm would have been much more significant for customers who were already suffering from power outages and other storm impacts,” said Todd Heidgerken, General Manager of Clackamas River Water. 

This was not the first time that water providers supported one another through emergencies. In fact, the Consortium and its members have a long history of working together to help each other and collectively prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies. Water providers also aided one another during the September 2020 wildfires and sent water distribution trucks to Salem in 2018 during their water quality event that caused the city to distribute emergency water to its customers for much of the summer. This month, the Consortium is organizing an interactive webinar with its 25 water provider members to debrief on lessons learned through the past 20+ months of the COVID-19 pandemic and other emergencies that occurred. 

Do your part to help make the region more resilient by getting prepared for emergencies 

To be more resilient as a region, we all need to prepare together. Start your emergency prep with a FREE kit from the Regional Water Providers Consortium, available in English and Spanish. Kits are available to customers of Consortium members, through December 2021 or while supplies last. Limit one per household. Each kit contains information about accessing and storing emergency water, disaster sanitation stickers, and a one-gallon emergency water bag. Order yours today at www.regionalh2o.org. 

Get more preparedness information at PublicAlerts.org where you can sign up for free, local emergency alerts via text, email, or voice message. The website also includes detailed information about building an emergency kit including a toilet, disaster planning, and ways to get involved.

About the Consortium: The Regional Water Providers Consortium provides leadership in the planning, management, stewardship, and resiliency of drinking water in the Portland, OR metropolitan region. The Consortium is comprised of 25 members which are located in Clackamas, Columbia, Multnomah, Washington, and Yamhill Counties. Find out more about the Consortium, its members, and its work in emergency preparedness, water conservation, and regional coordination at regionalh2o.org. Facebook @RegionalH2O, Twitter @ConserveH2Org, and Instagram @RegionalH2O.

Contact:  Pacific Power media hotline                       

            503-813-6018                                                  

Be prepared: Despite mild late fall temperatures, getting ready for winter storms is still key

Check your Emergency Outage Kit, keep mobile devices charged, revisit family storm plans

PORTLAND, Ore. –Dec. 1 , 2021— So far most of  the Northwest has dodged the kind of storms that cause large power outages, but experience tells us that it is wise to be prepared even if the weather is mild at the moment. Pacific Power reminds its customers and the public in Oregon, Washington and northern California to take precautions to stay safe and comfortable should outages occur.

“Windstorms and winter blasts can be unpredictable and cause issues that lead to power outages,” said Allen Berreth, vice president, operations. “We are always prepared to respond with crews at the ready, to repair damage as fast as possible and reduce the amount of time any customer is without service.”

            To ensure that you are prepared for outages, we ask that every home maintain an Emergency Outage Kit that includes the following:
 

• Flashlight
• Battery-operated radio and clock
• Extra batteries
• Non-perishable foods
• Manual can opener
• Bottled water
• Blankets

If a power outage occurs, Pacific Power encourages customers to first check their fuses and circuit breakers. If the power failure is not caused inside the home or business, customers should report the outage to Pacific Power at 1-877-508-5088.

Get the App. The Pacific Power App for mobile devices can become invaluable during an outage. You can report and track an outage affecting you from your mobile device. The app is free and can be downloaded on the App Store or Google Play. For more information, visit www.pacificpower.net/app.

Pacific Power suggests these safety precautions once a storm has hit:

 

• Stay away from all downed power lines and utility lines. Even if the lines are not sparking, they could be energized and extremely dangerous. Call 911 and report the outage to Pacific Power at 1-877-508-5088. 
• Extensive rain may cause flooding or landslides. Be especially careful of any standing water or even soggy ground. A live down wire may seem to be a safe distance away, but it is still extremely dangerous due to wet conditions.
• Don’t drive over downed power lines. 

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Vancouver, Wash. – Clark County is hosting a public meeting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 14, to collect feedback on draft Housing Action Plan recommendations. Participants will view an update on the project and share their thoughts on a set of draft housing strategy recommendations. The meeting will be held via Zoom and recorded for later viewing. A questionnaire will also be made available to collect public comments and feedback. 

For more information on how to join and participate in the meeting, please visit www.clark.wa.gov/housingoptions.

The Housing Options Study and Action Plan project identifies challenges and opportunities to encourage development of housing that is affordable to households with a variety of incomes within the unincorporated Vancouver Urban Growth Area.

Clark County and other communities across Washington are struggling to provide the variety and quantity of housing options that residents need. New strategies are needed to help ensure future generations have access to affordable, quality and diverse housing opportunities.

“Our research shows that the market is not meeting the needs of low- and middle-income households in Clark County,” said Jacqui Kamp, Clark County Planner. “A greater variety of housing types and sizes are needed in locations with access to transit, jobs, services, schools and parks.”

The study area focus is the unincorporated Vancouver Urban Growth Area which includes neighborhoods in areas such as Hazel Dell, Salmon Creek, Felida, Pleasant Highlands, Minnehaha and Orchards. These neighborhoods have urban services that could support diverse housing types, like duplexes, triplexes, townhouses, condominiums, and small-scale apartments, compared to the rural unincorporated areas of the county.

You can learn more about the Housing Options Study and Action Plan on the project webpage, www.clark.wa.gov/housingoptions. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 1, 2021

Agricultural Organizations Respond to Ag Overtime Lawsuit

The agricultural community is disappointed with the lawsuit filed yesterday by the Oregon Law Center regarding agricultural overtime. The lawsuit is an appalling attempt to circumvent the legislative process by seeking to expand a 2017 manufacturing overtime bill well beyond what was intended by the legislature. 

We have been participating in a legislative workgroup in good faith to discuss the nuances of proposals to extend overtime to agriculture. The impacts of this proposal are complex due to the nature of Oregon’s agricultural economy, the needs of employees, and the seasonal nature of agricultural work. These considerations are presently being discussed by legislators and the workgroup, and this lawsuit undermines those good faith discussions. 

Oregon’s family farms are suffering under the cumulative weight of the COVID-19 pandemic, market and shipping disruptions, and the growing cost of doing business in Oregon. We care deeply about the health and welfare of our employees and pay among the highest wages for agricultural production in the world. However, our farms compete in a global marketplace and are price takers, meaning that they are unable to pass along any price increases in their operations to consumers. These factors make agricultural overtime discussions complex, as well-intentioned policies could have significant impacts on farm viability and availability of agricultural work. 

The 2017 manufacturing overtime bill was never intended to expand overtime pay to agriculture, and we are confident that the Court will uphold the intent of the legislature. We will be seeking to engage in the lawsuit to protect the integrity of the legislative process. 

Oregon Farm Bureau Federation
Oregon Association of Nurseries 
Columbia Gorge Fruit Growers
Oregon Wine Council
Oregon Winegrowers Association 
Associated Oregon Hazelnut Industries
Oregon Seed Council
Oregon Dairy Farmers Association 
Oregon Cattlemen’s Association 
Oregon Sheep Growers Association

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The County Opportunity Grant Program Advisory Committee will hold a public meeting to review grant applications from 1-4 p.m. Dec. 14 via Zoom. 

Applicants to the County Opportunity Grant Program (COGP) will present their proposed projects for acquiring, planning, developing and rehabilitating county-run camping facilities. The committee will evaluate and score all applications and create a priority ranking list of projects to be funded. The list will be forwarded to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Commission for final review and approval. 

A schedule listing applicants and their specific presentation times is posted on the County Opportunity Grant Program web page at oregon.gov/oprd/GRA/pages/GRA-cogp.aspx. A link to view the Zoom meeting will also be posted at the site.

The COGP Advisory Committee consists of seven members who represent counties, recreational vehicle owners, people with disabilities and the general public. They also represent various geographic areas of the state. 

The COGP was established in 1983 to direct a portion of revenue from recreational vehicle registration fees to counties for park and recreation sites and programs. All Oregon counties are eligible to apply. The program is administered by Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD). 

For more information about the COGP, visit oprdgrants.org. 

CASTLE ROCK, WA (12/01/2021) - At their board meeting on Tuesday, November 23, 2021, Castle Rock School District Board of Directors approved a replacement levy resolution for the upcoming February 8, 2022, special election ballot. Voters will be asked to vote on a three-year replacement Educational Programs & Operations (EP&O) levy, which is the continuation of an existing funding measure and will not increase local tax rates. If approved, the EP&O levy would fund programs and services that are unfunded or underfunded by the state of Washington. The levy would pay for things like athletic activities and equipment, performing arts such as band and choir, counselors, a social worker and social-emotional learning supports, additional school nurses above the limited number funded by the state, special education staffing, and additional teaching staff to maintain small class sizes.

“After a few very challenging years of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, students have relied on the many supports and extracurricular activities provided by schools,” said Board Chair, Vilas Sundberg. “In some cases, our activities, funded by the levy, are the things that are keeping students engaged in learning. Castle Rock School District will continue to be excellent stewards of community resources and ensure local levy dollars are spent on programs and supports that have a direct impact on students.” 

Castle Rock’s replacement levy rate will continue to be among the lowest in the area. 

Castle Rock’s rate of $1.98 per $1,000 of assessed property value is one of two nearby district levy rates that remain under $2.00 per $1,000 of assessed value. 

More information on the EP&O levy can be found on the Castle Rock School District website crschools.org, and in an informational mailer to be sent to all property owners in late January. 

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