CORVALLIS, Ore. - Benton County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) in partnership with Benton County Health Department and Corvallis Police Department, presented the County’s first fentanyl awareness session on May 23rd in Corvallis.

As part of the Fentanyl Aware Campaign, approximately 40 attendees learned the dangers of the highly addictive synthetic drug, fentanyl, which is commonly found in pills or powder form, and sold on the streets of Benton County.

Presenters included a law enforcement drug recognition expert and street crimes detective, along with a health department harm reduction specialist and an education coordinator.

The panel presented how fentanyl is made, how it gets here, statistics, trends, tips for parents, signs of an overdose, how to administer naloxone (Narcan), and where to find treatment resources.

The Benton County Harm Reduction Program provided naloxone kits, drug disposal bags, and lock boxes to keep prescription medications out of the hands of children and at-risk teens.

“Fentanyl is here and joining a multitude of other drugs that are easily available to our children and community members,” stated BCSO Detective Kim Lovik. “Be present as a parent, family member, and friend. If you see something that seems off or you suspect the use of illicit drugs of any sort, say something and be an advocate for that person who might be struggling greatly to get help.”

If you missed the information session and would like to be alerted about a future fentanyl presentation, call 541-766-6260 or email BentonCoSheriff@bentoncountyor.gov.

To learn more about fentanyl and local resources, go to https://www.co.benton.or.us/health/page/fentanyl-aware. BCSO would like to thank the Corvallis Police Department and Benton County Health Department for their partnership with this campaign. 

#BentonCountySheriff #FentanylAware 

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Fire crews have been working to develop a fire line around the Forest Park fire which is about 90% complete. ODF will continue to work on extinguishing the fire while Clackamas Fire crews work to protect houses and buildings being threatened. The fire has not grown outside the initial footprint thanks to the hard work of the Oregon Department of forestry and the resources that have come alongside Clackamas Fire.  

For further updates please visit oregon.gov/odf or visit Oregon Dept. of Forestry on social media. You can also visit the Clackamas County website: https://www.clackamas.us/news/2023-06-02/evacuation-levels-remain-the-same-as-fire-crews-battle-forest-park-fire-in-beavercreek 

#odfandclackamasfireunified #hereforyou

This morning Clackamas Fire crews met with the Oregon Department of Forestry to hammer out a game plan for the Forest Park fire still burning in Beavercreek. While the 30 acre fire is at 0% containment at this point, hand crews along with some heavy equipment have managed to wrap a fire line about half way around the fire.

The warm, dry weather could pose some difficulty today however, resources are currently making their way to the incident including multiple 10-person hand crews from South Fork, tree fallers, brush rigs and water tenders which are all backed up by a helicopter if deemed necessary.

Clackamas Fire would like to remind those who wish to use drones in the area that doing so will hinder operations as they will have to land the air support for safety reasons. We will post updates as they come in.

#odfandclackamasfireunified #hereforyou

On June 1^st, 2023, at approximately 21:26 hours, Clark County Sheriff’s Office, Clark County Fire District 3, Vancouver Fire Department and American Medical Response (AMR) personnel responded to the 13900 block of NE 172^nd Ave to a report of a motorcycle versus car collision.  First responders arrived to find an adult male occupant of Volkswagen sedan with serious injuries and requiring extrication.  The driver of the Volkswagen was transported to a local hospital.  The operator of the motorcycle was not immediately located, but after searching the area, a deceased adult male was located in the nearby brush. 

The initial investigation indicates the offroad style motorcycle was traveling south on NE 172^nd Ave when it was struck by the Volkswagen traveling north on NE 172^nd Ave and passing a witness vehicle.  The Volkswagen then struck a power pole.

Based on initial information, it appears speed and alcohol may have been contributing factors in the collision.

The Clark County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Unit is investigating this collision.  Names of those involved are not being released at this time.

Sheriff Horch would like to invite Clark County residents to a community forum on Thursday, June 1st, at Cherry Grove Friends Church from 5:30pm-7:00pm .

Updates from the Sheriff's Office will be shared, to include a discussion of crime trends, agency staffing, the future of the regional training academy, and the latest on the Body Worn Camera program. The Sheriff and members of his leadership team will also take questions from the community.

Location- Cherry Grove Friends Church

Address- 9100 NE 219th St, Battle Ground, WA 98604

Start Time- 5:30pm

This is the second community forum with the Sheriff, with the first forum being held in Salmon Creek in March. There will be additional forums in different areas of Clark County through the end of the year. 

On May 29, 2023, at approximately 19:42 hours, the Clark County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) responded to a Wanted Person call near Walnut Grove Park in the 6900 BLK of NE 58th Street in Vancouver, WA.  

A family member of one of the four outstanding juveniles, who had escaped from the Echo Glen Children's Center,  called 911 to report all four of them were in their residence when they returned from the store. The family member told them to leave and then called 911. CCSO confirmed, based on the information provided by the family member, that they were the four escaped juveniles. The family member suspected they were still in the area on foot. 

All four subjects had arrest warrants out of King County. Informational flyers previously posted by the King County Sheriff's Office indicated they were wanted for Escape, Kidnap, Carjacking, and Assault charges from the escape incident and had criminal histories that included Murder, Assault, Robbery, and Firearms related charges. 

Deputies used unmarked vehicles to canvas the area and spotted the four subjects near NE 76^th Avenue and NE 61^st Way. They observed the subjects walk into the open field at Walnut Grove Elementary School. Two Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) platforms were deployed to keep observation of the subjects from above. An aircraft from the Air Support Unit was requested to respond as well. The Southwest Washington Regional SWAT team was paged to respond to assist with the apprehension.

CCSO deputies and officers from Vancouver Police Department set containment around the area. Before the arrival of the SWAT team, the four juveniles became alerted to police presence and attempted to flee the area on foot. Three subjects ran southbound and were met by several CCSO deputies and VPD officers. The three were taken into custody without incident. 

During the apprehension of the other three, one of the juveniles was able to make it back to the area of the family member's residence. Containment units spotted the juvenile and were able to take him into custody as well without incident.

All four subjects were booked into Juvenile Detention Hall on their outstanding warrants, and detectives with the King County Sheriff's Office were notified. 

Family event with rides on fire engines for kids of all ages, hugs from Sparky the fire dog and a demonstration of the fire department new drone. All proceeds fund a scholarship for a high school senior.                         

A23-11698

OFFICER-INVOLVED USE OF FORCE INVESTIGATION

VANCOUVER, WASHINGTON

On the evening of May 30, 2023, the Lower Columbia Major Crimes Team was activated to investigate an Officer Involved Shooting which occurred in the 6700 block of East Mill Plain Blvd in Vancouver, Washington.  The incident involved law enforcement officers from Vancouver Police Department and the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.

Initial reports indicate that the officers were attempting to take an armed robbery suspect into custody.  The suspect is deceased, and no other injuries have been reported.  The Lower Columbia Major Crimes Team will be conducting an Independent Investigation in accordance with WAC 139.12.030.  The Washington State Patrol Crime Scene Response Team will be assisting with this investigation.

Press releases related to this ongoing investigation will be published via the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office FlashNews account.

Troy Brightbill

Chief Criminal Deputy / Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office

Commander / Lower Columbia Major Crimes Team

RAW VIDEO ("raw video" is a link to an interview with EPD Police Chief Chris Skinner and 4J Superintendent Andy Dey. The interview and footage are in their raw format and we ask as a courtesy that you edit and not use in its entirety.)

May 31, 2023, Eugene, Oregon - Eugene Police have identified two South Eugene High School students who were involved in the four South Eugene High School threats this month. EPD detectives along with local FBI agents have contacted two students involved in initiating the threats.  They and their families have been cooperative in the investigation.  Information will be turned over to the Lane County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution, however their names are not being release because they are juveniles. 

Investigators believe the local suspects used the internet to pay another person or entity to use threats of violence to shut down the school. The identity of this person or persons continues to be under investigation. Investigators are confident all threats were a hoax and there are not any active threats to the school. These same threats have been occurring at schools throughout the country.

EPD detectives have been actively coordinating with investigators from schools throughout the country, sharing information that has been crucial in understanding how this operation worked. Earlier this month the FBI took lead on tracking down the person or persons making the calls while EPD took lead on locating the local suspects paying for the service. EPD detectives have been in constant contact with 4J staff and have actively followed up on any leads that have come in.  

A break in the case occurred when a 4J school official located an anonymous social media post offering to send threats for a fee. This information was turned over to EPD, who requested the FBI’s help in initiated legal process with the involved social media platform. The information generated greatly assisted the investigation leading to follow up contacts. On Tuesday, EPD detectives and FBI agents served a search warrant which led to the seizure of multiple electronic devices. 

Bomb threats were made for South Eugene High School on May 24, May 16, May 10, and May 3. A person called the police department, claiming to be inside the school armed with explosives and in some of the calls the person claimed to be armed with a firearm and threatening to harm people. For these incidents, Eugene Police conducted interior and exterior searches and follow up investigations. The FBI and 4J staff have been instrumental in this investigation.

The threats greatly disrupted classes, test taking, and caused significant stress to students, families, and school staff, as taking critical patrol and special team resources away from regular calls for service from the community. 

Effective immediately:  All evacuation levels as related to the Reuben Leigh Fire on 05/31/23 in the Fall Creek area have been lifted. 

This includes the areas of Reuben Leigh Road, Forest Retreat Lane, Jasper-Lowell Road east of Unity Park, and the south side of Little Fall Creek Rd. from Jasper Road east to Lafon Ln. 

Authorities are asking the public to be cautious of fire crews that may continue working and monitoring in the area.

The Lane County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind residents that while evacuation levels have been lifted, every resident in our county should have a plan and be prepared in the event an emergency shall arise.  “Now is the time to make sure that you are prepared for an emergency”, says Lane County Sheriff Cliff Harrold.  “You can never predict when an emergency is going to happen. Please take the time to make sure that you have a plan to take care of your family, your pets, and yourself in the event that the unexpected happens and you find yourself needing to evacuate.” 

Emergency preparedness information is located on the Lane County Emergency Management website: Emergency Management - Lane County 

The following areas are now at a Level 1 (Be Ready) evacuation notice issued by the Lane County Sheriff’s Office:

• Reuben Leigh Road
• Forest Retreat Lane
• Jasper-Lowell Road east of Unity Park

• South side of Little Fall Creek Road from Jasper Road east to Lafon Lane

Level 1 (Be Ready) means you should be aware of the danger that exists in your area, monitor local media outletsand telephone devices to receive further information. 

This is the time for preparation and precautionary movement of persons with special needs, mobile property, pets and livestock. People should make the best possible decisions for their safety. 

Updated evacuation information, including a map, is available at www.LaneCountyOR.gov/ReubenLeighFire.

Information about preparing for evacuation at each level is available at https://bit.ly/LCEvacGuide.

The following roads remain closed in order to support firefighting efforts:

• Rueben Leigh Road is closed except to those evacuating 
• Little Fall Creek Road is closed except to local traffic

###

Neighborhood near Lowell on Level 2 (Be Set) evacuation level due to fire

The following areas are being issued a new Level 2 (Be Set) evacuation notice by the Lane County Sheriff’s Office:

• Reuben Leigh Road
• Forest Retreat Lane
• Jasper-Lowell Road east of Unity Park
• South side of Little Fall Creek Road from Jasper Road east to Lafon Lane

Level 2 means: You must prepare to leave at a moment’s notice, and this may be the only notice that you receive.

Public safety personnel cannot guarantee they will be able to notify you if conditions rapidly deteriorate. Continue to closely monitor your phone, local media and www.LaneCountyOR.gov for information. 

The following roads are closed in order to support firefighting efforts:

• Reuben Leigh Road is closed except to those evacuating
• Little Fall Creek Road is closed except to local traffic

On 05/29/2023 at about 11:45am the Lane County Sheriff’s Office received the report of a domestic violence suspect that may have been holding his victim against her will. Deputies received information that the suspect was believed to have strangled and assaulted the victim the night before.  The suspect and victim were believed to be somewhere in the area in the victim’s white Toyota car. 

Deputies were able to track the vehicle to a park in the Eugene area.  Upon spotting deputies the suspect, 36-year-old Bradley Allen Evenson, fled the area in the vehicle and deputies lost sight of him.  The vehicle was later spotted again in the area of Lorane. A Douglas County Sheriff’s Deputy and Oregon State Police Trooper attempted to stop the vehicle at which time it fled again.  A short pursuit ensued which ended when the involved vehicle crashed.  The victim was found to be in the vehicle and the suspect was taken into custody.

Evenson was lodged at the Lane County Jail on charges including:  Strangulation, Assault in the 4th Degree, Menacing, Elude by Vehicle, Reckless Endangering, Reckless Driving, DUII, and Criminal Mischief in the 2^nd Degree.

This investigation is ongoing and additional charges are being considered.  

On 05/28/2023 at about 5:40pm, Lane County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the report of a single vehicle crash on Big Fall Creek Rd. near milepost 6.  Responders arrived to find a 2002 Chevrolet Silverado pickup down an embankment and lodged against a tree. 

29-year-old Corey Michael Primmer had been riding in the bed of the pickup and was thrown from the vehicle during the crash.  He was transported to an area hospital but died as a result of his injuries. 

Preliminary investigation reveals that the Silverado had been traveling westbound on Big Fall Creek Rd. when it drove off of the roadway.  The cause for the vehicle leaving the roadway remains under investigation.

Deputies responded to the report of a train vs. pedestrian crash near Junction City yesterday afternoon shortly prior to 4:30pm.  Paramedics arrived on scene and determined the woman to be deceased. 

Investigation reveals that a Union Pacific Railroad train was headed southbound when a woman was observed walking on the tracks.  Train operators sounded audible alarms and attempted to perform an emergency stop of the train.  The woman did not respond to the alarms and was struck by the train.

Investigators are still working to identify the woman.  Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact the Lane County Sheriff’s Office at 541-682-4150 opt. 1. 

Lebanon Fire District responds to a grass fire in the 39000 Block of Lacomb Dr that burned over an acer. The crews were able to quickly extinguish the fire before it was able to reach any structures or timber. Lebanon responded with 5 apparatus and 11 personnel to help extinguish the fire. 

The fire was started by a burn pile that was left unsupervised for a brief period. Although burning was permitted today throughout Linn County, it is important keep a watchful eye when burning yard debris. Today’s winds and the long dry spell have contributed to the fire spread, even in green grass. 

It is important to have fire safety in mind when burning yard debris piles. Always keep the area around the burn pile clear of tall grasses and brush. Also make sure to have a water source ready when burning such as a garden hose or buckets of water, and never leave the fire unattended.  

Lebanon, Ore.

On Monday, May 29, 2023 the Lebanon Fire District discovered a break-in at Station 33 in Fairview. Thieves cut through a newly installed security fence on the back of the property before cutting locks on the Lebanon Fire Investigation Team (LFIT) trailer. 

Once they had made access to the trailer, the thieves stole several thousand dollars worth of investigation tools, lights, and cameras, as well as damaging the trailer to make entry.

“Thefts such as these are extremely frustrating,” says Fire Marshal Ken Foster, “because they affect our ability to serve our community to the high standard that is expected. We investigate the causes of fires to assist residents in insurance claims, assist law enforcement if arson is suspected, and to identify possible safety concerns. Having to replace all our investigation equipment may delay any pending or future fire investigations and has a direct effect on our community.”

Anyone with information related to these thefts is encouraged to contact the Linn County Sheriff’s Office at (541) 967- 3950 and reference case number 23-02101.

Lebanon, Ore.

Lebanon Fire District firefighters responded to an apartment fire in the Sandridge Court Apartments late Monday evening. Reports of possibly a dryer on fire in a single apartment on the first floor. Firefighters arrived to find light smoke coming from an exhaust vent and smoke inside the apartment. Firefighters were quickly able to locate the fire in a bathroom and extinguish, while additional crews were evacuating residents from other apartments attached to the three-story complex. Firefighters were on scene approximately one hour checking for any extension or hotspots. No injuries were reported to residents or firefighters, but the family has been temporarily displaced due to minor smoke damage. The cause of the fire is still under investigation currently.

Lebanon Fire District responded with 19 personnel on 3 engines, 1 ladder truck, 1 heavy rescue, 1 pumper-tender, 1 ALS medic unit, 1 rehab unit for firefighters and 2 chief officers. Lebanon Fire was assisted by Albany Fire Department with an engine and medic unit to cover additional calls for our citizens.

The Lebanon Fire District would like to remind residents of the importance of working smoke alarms. For assistance with smoke alarms in your home, contact our Fire & Life Safety Division at (541) 451-1901. Be Safe Lebanon.

Lebanon, Ore.

Lebanon firefighters and water rescue technicians responded to the report of a water rescue near the 40000 block of McDowell Creek Drive early Saturday evening. Initial information stated a male was floating down the river with friends when they were separated. The tubers then arrived at their location at Waterloo Park but hadn’t seen the male for several hours. The tubers then called 911. While en route to the location the Battalion Chief requested a drone from the Linn County Sheriff’s Office to assist in locating the male. Rescuers from Lebanon Fire also flew their drone further upriver to attempt to locate the male. The IC also requested a watercraft from Albany Fire Department to aide in the search. Approximately 20 minutes later the male was located upriver from the Waterloo Park by the LCSO drone on an island. The male appeared to be in distress, but after several fly over attempts by the drone the male got up and started walking. The IC was able to contact the male on his cell phone and he stated he was uninjured but needed help getting across the river. Albany Fire’s watercraft put in the river at Waterloo Park and made their way upriver to the stranded male. He was retrieved without incident and brought to safety. The male was evaluated by medics at the scene. No injuries were reported to rescuers or the male.

Lebanon Fire District responded to the scene with 12 personnel on 1 heavy rescue, 1 engine, 1 ALS medic unit, 1 rehab unit for fire/rescue personnel and 3 staff vehicles. Lebanon rescuers were assisted by the Albany Fire Department who responded with 4 rescue swimmers and 2 watercrafts. Linn County Sherriff’s office assisted with the support of their dispatchers, drone, and patrol officers. 

With warm temperatures forecasted for the upcoming week, the Lebanon Fire District would like to remind citizens about the importance of water safety; especially the importance of wearing a life jacket when in a moving body of water. As a reminder, the Lebanon Fire District has three life jacket day loaner stations for use along the South Santiam River. 

See attached media release for full release with graphics.

Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office – Emergency Management Division has scheduled an annual county-wide test of their emergency notification systems for June 9, 2023, between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm.  This will allow County Emergency Management to test all components of the Lincoln Alerts emergency notification system in preparation for seasonal wildfire conditions.  

Community members can participate in the county-wide test in the following ways:

• Pre-Test:
  • Opt-in and create a Lincoln Alerts profile for each member of your household if you have not already.
  • Complete a Lincoln Alerts Wellness Check (English) (Spanish) on your individual profile.
  • Update your current opt-in profiles to keep contact information and addresses updated.
  • Download the mobile app and log-in (you must have a Lincoln Alerts account first). Find the Everbridge App on the App Store or Google Play.
  • Bookmark the Member Portal so that you can view sent messages and translate messages.
  • Review the Lincoln Alerts User Guides on this page if you are new to or need a refresher on this system.
• During the Test:
  • Confirm the Lincoln Alerts test message from any devices connected to your profile or your residential or business landline phones.
  • Check the Member Portal to view sent messages. Translate messages by using the language option in the upper right corner.
• Post Test:
  • Complete the County Emergency Management online participant survey to provide feedback on the test. Survey link will be sent in the Lincoln Alerts message the day of the test.

County Emergency Management has several redundancies in place to push out emergency notification messages to those that may be in the affected area during emerging or imminent disaster situations. The county wide test allows County Emergency Management to test all features together, just as it would be in a real disaster response. 
Those features include:

• Lincoln Alerts message specifically for mobile app users
• Lincoln Alerts to opt-in profiles
• Lincoln Alerts to residential and business landline numbers
• Lincoln Alerts message to community information Keyword subscribers 
• Media release to local media partners via Flash Alert
• Posting of emergency notification banner on county website (test message) 
• Social Media - Facebook Alert Features
• Emergency Alert System (EAS) – message over local public radio systems (used only for real messages)

Lincoln Alerts User Guides Available

If you are new to Lincoln Alerts, need a refresher on how to update your profile or use the mobile app we have 3 user guides on our webpage to assist you. The guides are intended to outline the steps needed to sign-up for Lincoln Alerts, download the mobile app and sign-up for the community keyword text messages. The user guides can be found at the Lincoln Alerts page. 

###

Respectfully submitted, 

Virginia "Jenny" Demaris
Lincoln County Sheriff's Office
Emergency Management Division
is@co.lincoln.or.us">vdemaris@co.lincoln.or.us
541-265-4199

On June 2, 2023, at roughly 3:30 AM the McMinnville Police Department with the assistance of the Yamhill County Sheriff's Office located and arrested Meagan J. Ray 38 years of age from Yamhill County, inside a vehicle in Sheridan, Oregon.  Ray had been sought for causing the fire at 3^rd Street Pizza on May 24^th, 2023, which caused substantial damage. 

Meagan Ray was transported to YCCF where she was lodged without bail for the crimes of:

Reckless Burning -   A Misdemeanor 

Reckless Endangering -   A Misdemeanor 

Criminal Mischief 2 -   A Misdemeanor 

Criminal Trespass 2 -   C Misdemeanor

This case has been referred to the Yamhill County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.  Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Officer Lucas Henkel with the McMinnville Police Department at 503.434.7307. McMinnville Police would like to thank our partners once again for their assistance throughout the investigation.

Contact info for Milwaukie Police Department, Public Information Officer;

Sergeant Mark Inman

inmanm@milwaukieoregon.gov, 

policemedia@milwaukieoregon.gov

503-786-7447

Sunday will mark the 13-year anniversary of the disappearance of Kyron Horman. Kyron was last seen at Skyline Elementary School in Portland, Oregon, on June 4, 2010, attending his school’s science fair. He has not been seen or heard from since. At the time, he was seven years old.

Kyron has brown hair, blue eyes and wears glasses. He also has a distinct V-shaped strawberry birthmark on his forehead.

On the day of his disappearance, Kyron was wearing a black t-shirt with "CSI" in green letters and a handprint graphic. He was also wearing black cargo pants, white socks and black Sketchers sneakers with orange trim. Kyron may have had his glasses on at the time.

Kyron's disappearance continues to have a profound impact on our community. The case remains open and active. Investigators are using advances in software, digital forensics, and geospatial technology to support and advance their work. In collaboration with our Major Crimes Team partners, the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office and the FBI, detectives are pursuing all legitimate investigative leads and will continue to do so until Kyron is located. 

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) has provided an age-progressed photo of Kyron.

A $50,000 reward is available for information leading to the resolution of Kyron’s disappearance. You can help us by sharing any information relating to this investigation. You can do so by calling the MCSO TipLine at 503-988-0560, emailing MCSOTipLine@mcso.us, or contacting the NCMEC TipLine at 1-800-THE-LOST or providing an online tip at the NCMEC CyberTipLine.

We will not be providing any interviews at this time.

SALEM, Ore. – To boost the number of firefighters across Oregon ahead of wildfire season, the Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM) has awarded $6 million in grants to 185 local fire agencies across the state. 

The 2023 Wildfire Season Staffing Grant is in its second year. Local agencies within the Oregon structural fire service were eligible to apply for up to $35,000. The funding will allow these agencies to hire additional firefighters for the 2023 fire season. This year, small agencies, many of which depend on volunteers, were prioritized to receive funding. A list of agencies awarded funding can be found here.

“This grant is a beacon of hope for fire districts like ours, burdened by limited funding,” Mt. Angel Fire Chief Jim Trierweiler said. “It provides a lifeline, empowering us to overcome financial constraints and a shortage of volunteers. With this invaluable support, we can expand our team with skilled individuals, fortifying our mission to serve and protect our community this fire season.”

“The OSFM staffing grant has turned what has been a long-term vision and goal for McKenzie Fire and Rescue into a reality,” Chief Darren Bucich said. “Additional staffing will help us build on our ability to provide consistent alarm response, timely auto and mutual aid response, and the ability to continue to be a part of conflagrations.”

The 2022 grant was successful across the state, adding roughly 400 paid firefighters to the Oregon fire service during last summer's wildfire season. These added resources allowed agencies to attack fires and keep them small and away from communities and added capacity to respond to other calls, ultimately saving lives. Read about the successes here.

The 2023 Wildfire Season Staffing Grant is part of a multi-pronged approach to combat wildfire in Oregon. Over the last two years, the OSFM has made strategic investments to modernize the Oregon Fire Mutual Aid System and help communities be better prepared for wildfire. 

This grant is part of the OSFM’s Response Ready Oregon initiative. This one-time funding was made possible through Senate Bill 762, which was signed into law in 2021.  

ABOUT RESPONSE READY OREGON

The OSFM’s Response Ready Oregon initiative was created to help bolster capacity and modernize wildfire response within the Oregon Fire Mutual Aid System (OFMAS). The goal of Response Ready Oregon is to attack fires while they are small and keep them away from communities.

###

On Thursday, June 1, 2023, at approximately 11:45 A.M., the Oregon State Police responded to a two-vehicle crash on Hwy 199, near milepost 5.5, in Josephine County.

The preliminary investigation indicated a black Ford Fusion, operated by Courtney L. Parsons (26) of Rogue River, was southbound in the fast lane. A white GMC Sierra, operated by Ervin Besler (87) of Grants Pass, failed to properly clear traffic while turning left from Robinson Rd onto northbound Hwy 199. The Fusion impacted the driver side of the GMC in a T-bone collision. 

The operator of the GMC (Besler) was declared deceased on scene. 

The operator of the Ford (Parsons) was transported by AMR to the hospital.  Two passengers in the Ford, John D. McCollum (25) of Myrtle Point and Matthew J. Balise (19) of West Springfield (MA), were also transported by AMR to the hospital.

The highway was impacted for approximately 3.5 hours while the on-scene investigation was conducted.

OSP was assisted by AMR, Rural Metro Fire, and ODOT.

Here are the statistics from OSP’s 2023 Memorial Day Weekend (Friday, May 26 to Monday, May 29, 2023)­ that occurred across Oregon.   This includes the Friday, “All Patrol Day”. Where all sworn members travel the highways to increase our patrol presence during the busy weekend.

The Oregon State Police has a wide range of programs and specialties our sworn ranks are in charge of, such as major crimes, tribal gaming, lottery security, arson, collision reconstruction, fish & wildlife, explosives, K-9, aviation, and more. OSP leadership makes it a priority that at the end of the day, all sworn to stay in tune and up to date with why the Oregon State Police was founded to keep our highways safe.

Calls for Services – 2,417  
Reported Crashes- 210 
Routine Contacts- 4,180

Total number of warnings/citations for OSP’s Fatal 5
Speed- 2,415 
Occupant Safety- 195
Lane Safety- 525 
Impaired Driving- 25 
Distracted Driving- 69 
All Other- 2,570

This Memorial Day Weekend, whether you are headed to the beach, camping, visiting family, or just commuting to work, remember highways are going to be filled with people doing the same. No matter what your plans are on this Memorial Day weekend, we can guarantee that there will be a rise in the number of cars on Oregon’s highways.

The Oregon State Police takes these historically high-traffic weekends to have what we call an “All Patrol Day”. All Patrol Day for OSP is the day that all sworn members travel the highways to increase our patrol presence during these busy weekends.

The Oregon State Police has a wide range of programs and specialties our sworn ranks are in charge of, such as major crimes, tribal gaming, lottery security, arson, collision reconstruction, fish & wildlife, explosives, K-9, aviation, and more. OSP leadership makes it a priority that at the end of the day, all sworn members need to stay in tune and up-to-date with why the Oregon State Police was founded to keep our highways safe.

OSP is one of many Law Enforcement agencies that will be out in force trying to ensure that all travelers are getting to their destination safely.  

We want everyone to be safe when they are traveling, so we suggest that you follow these simple tips.  Please, plan ahead, be prepared, and above all else be patient.

- Timing your departure can make all the difference. Give yourself plenty of time to get to your destination without getting frustrated when heavy traffic puts a pause on your travels.

- Know your routes and options if you come across detours or construction. OSP likes to encourage all drivers in Oregon to use the Oregon Department of Transportation www.tripcheck.com.

- Ensure your vehicle is properly equipped and in good working order to avoid maintenance emergencies

- If you are traveling with children, have something to keep them occupied. Games, snacks, and pillows for sleeping will not only keep them occupied, but they will keep your attention where it is needed, on the road.

Oregon State Troopers will be focusing on maintaining the flow of traffic as well as enforcing all traffic laws but especially the Fatal 5. These 5 major categories of driving behaviors contribute to most fatal or serious injury crashes.

• SPEED
• OCCUPANT SAFETY
• LANE SAFETY
• IMPAIRED DRIVING
• DISTRACTED DRIVING

If you will be one of the many traveling this weekend, remember that OSP will be out in force. 

Drive safe!

Additional Safety Messaging in partnership with the Oregon Department of Transportation. The month of May highlights many national transportation safety messages. The big takeaway from all the campaigns is to drive, bike, and ride thoughtfully. Watch out for fellow road users and our maintenance and construction crews. Remember to slow down and move over to give our emergency responders space to safely do their jobs.  

On Saturday, May 27, 2023, at approximately 5:04 P.M., the Oregon State Police responded to a two vehicle crash on Hwy 62, near milepost 17, in Jackson County.

The preliminary investigation indicated a silver Subaru WRX, operated by Corey Hanley (26) of Central Point, was traveling westbound when it lost control and swerved into the eastbound lane colliding with a white Subaru Crosstrek, operated by Barbara Badger (80) of Shady Cove. 

The operator of the Subaru (Hanley) was transported to the hospital, where he was later declared deceased. 

The operator of the Crosstrek (Badger) was transported to the hospital as a precaution. 

The highway was impacted for approximately 2 hours while the on-scene investigation was conducted.

OSP was assisted by the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, Jackson County Fire, and ODOT.

Visiting Fleet Week ships begin arriving on Tuesday, June 6^th this year and commuters should expect bridge lifts and associated delays affecting the following bridges:  Broadway, Steel, and Burnside. 

1. Tuesday, June 6:  2 ship arrivals with lifts between 2:00-4:00pm
2. Wednesday, June 7:  1 ship arrival with lifts between 2:00-4:00pm
3. Thursday, June 8:  7 ship arrivals with lifts between 2:00-6:00pm.
4. Monday, June 12:  Ship departures to begin at 7:00am and lasting until Noon.

These times are estimates and subject to change.  Real time updates to bridge lifts will be sent out on the Portland Fire & Rescue Twitter page by PF&R Harbor Master as ships are transiting upriver and arrival times are more accurate.  These tweets will be made on the afternoons of the arrival days. 

Further information will be available during the Fleet Week Media event for the Wednesday and Thursday bridge lifts.  Information about this event was sent out in a separate Press Release.

For questions about Fleet Week activities, contact: 

Sean Whalen, Portland Fire & Rescue Harbor Master 

sean.whalen@portlandoregon.gov 

503-209-8109

For questions about Multnomah County bridges, contact:

Sarah Hurwitz, Multnomah County Transportation Public Information Officer

ah.hurwitz@multco.us">sarah.hurwitz@multco.us 

971-500-3311 

MEDIA ADVISORY

 What:

The Annual Fleet Week briefing at Fire Station 1, announcing the ships, arrival times and docking locations for the visiting US Navy, US Coast Guard, US Army Corps of Engineers, and Royal Canadian Navy vessels scheduled to visit Portland during the 2023 Portland Rose Festival.

 Where:                

Portland Fire & Rescue Station 01

Skidmore Room

55 SW Ash St.

Portland, OR 97204

 When:                                  

Wednesday, June 7, 2023

10:30 a.m.

 Why:                     

The briefing will give the public information on which ships are coming to Portland, when they are expected to arrive, and how to tour them in person.  We will also provide the latest bridge lift information and how to transit the river through the Water Security Zone. Representatives from the US Navy, US Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Navy will be on hand along with members of the Multnomah Country River patrol and Portland Fire & Rescue to answer questions and speak to media.  We plan to have agency representatives available for interviews after the briefing.

 Who:     

• Sean Whalen, Harbor master Portland Fire & Rescue
• US Navy Representative
• US Coast Guard Representative
• Royal Canadian Navy Representative
• Steve Dangler, Sergeant MCSO River Patrol

For questions about this event or other Fleet Week activities, contact: 

Sean Whalen, Portland Fire & Rescue Harbor Master 

sean.whalen@portlandoregon.gov 

503-209-8109

Portland Fire Responds to second multi-alarm fire in an 8-hour period.

At just before 3:30 AM, Portland Fire & Rescue responded to a commercial fire on SW Barbur in the West Portland Park Neighborhood. The first arriving engine reported that there was heavy fire venting through the roof and that the engine was connecting to a close fire hydrant to begin fire suppression activities. The next arriving engine drove past the structure on fire and pulled into a parking lot, gave more information about the style of building to all responding crews and suggested a second alarm assignment be added due to the amount of heavy fire showing through the roof of the entire office building.

The first arriving chief took command and requested the recommended second alarm from the dispatch center and directed all crews to begin setting up for a defensive fire operation with large diameter hose lines and aerial master streams put in place to suppress the fire from the outside. With the large body of fire present in what was suspected to be an empty office structure, there is too much risk placing firefighters on the interior of the 2-story building that is 30’ wide and 100’ long.

The distance from the building to the next available fire hydrants had the engines using all their hydrant connecting hoses, or lay-in lines, with the need for additional hose from other engines to span the distance from many different directions. This had many thousands of feet of large diameter hose in use to supply the amount of water needed to successfully operate all aerial master streams in operation to extinguish the fire. With the position of the building at the top of a hill and the distance to the fire hydrants, there was a need to place fire engines at each active hydrant to push the water up the hill through the hoses and then at least 1 engine to be attached to the truck to provide the needed pressure to have successful water flow from the nozzle located at the end of the extended aerial ladder. 

The location of the fire was near the border of Portland with both Lake Oswego and Tigard so there was representation from both Lake Oswego Fire and Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue on scene helping the efforts to extinguish the fire. Each of these departments has a different style hose that connects to the fire hydrants. Along with the many 3” diameter hose lines in play from PF&R crews on scene, LOFD and TVFR crews connected 5” diameter hose to a hydrant quite a distance from the fire, nearly emptying lay in hose beds of 2 different engines, in the event an additional aerial master stream was to be put into service. After the connection to the hydrant was made and hose advanced up the hill to the fire building it was determined that there was not a need to fill the hose and supply an additional truck based on the change of conditions present. Once this hose line was put in place and ready to be used it was determined not needed and then picked up and reloaded into the proper engines. 

After 75 minutes of continuous water flow from above the fire was nearly completely extinguished. The roof of the building was nearly completely burned off allowing the water from above to extinguish all flames nearly completely in the building. Fire crews went interior with hand lines at this point to locate and extinguish any remaining fire inside the building.

Portland Fire is now under a fire watch strategy to continue to flow water as needed on the building to eliminate any fire growth while the investigators on scene begin to conduct their evaluation process to establish cause. No injuries reported. 

Portland Fire & Rescue would like to thank both Lake Oswego Fire and Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue for their efforts in helping us fight this fire. We would also like to acknowledge the work done by the dispatchers at BOEC along with officers from PPB that actively blocked traffic allowing our crews to work safely along SW Barbur Blvd. 

###

Second Alarm Fire Incident in NW Industrial District

Portland Fire & Rescue responded to a potential commercial fire in the NW Industrial District on NW Industrial Way at 7:15 PM. The first caller to the dispatchers was from a passing driver that indicated a large industrial building had a large amount of black smoke coming out of the windows. Another caller from across the street of the address of concern noticed smoke coming from the building to make this at least a 2-caller incident. Multiple calls to our Emergency Dispatch Center generally increase the chances of something being called in is a true emergency that needs to be addressed.

The closest responding PFR fire engine came across the radio and indicated there was smoke present in the area as they were blocks away from the address in question. Upon arriving and taking command, the officer gave a size up or description of the situation to all other responding emergency vehicles. “Engine 6 has arrived to what appears to be a building as large as a city block with heavy black smoke pushing out of 3 sides of the large 2 story structure. The pre-fire indicates a 1000g propane gas tank on the exterior of the building so that will be something to take into consideration.” (A pre-fire is specific drawing of the building locating critical items such as power shut off, gas shut off, roof access, and other unique features of the building that aid in our operations at a site that is loaded into all our mobile computer terminals on the emergency apparatus.)

The first arriving chief was on scene quickly and took command. With heavy black smoke increasing from the building a second alarm response was added in the event there was a need for an increased workforce and emergency vehicles on scene to address the fire. Access to the building was slowed by an 8’ tall cyclone fence with coiled concertina wire looped over the top. Crews were directed to make entry by opening the large roll up doors on the address side of the structure.

With all first alarm companies preparing for what appeared to be a large fire in a warehouse the size of a city block building, the second alarm companies were starting toward the addressed emergency from their firehouses. Once the second alarm companies arrive, there are 8 fire engines, 4 fire trucks, 4 chiefs, and a rehabilitation and mobile air bottle rig. That will total nearly 60 firefighters on hand to address the emergency.

After the gates were opened, crews quicky went to work opening roll up doors and making access through man doors to gain entry to the inside. It was reported that there was heavy smoke on the inside of the warehouse but little if any noticeable heat present. An officer moving toward the structure radioed to command that there is active fire in a large exterior hopper. While some crews were opening roll up doors of the large warehouse to investigate the inside of the structure, others focused their efforts on accessing and extinguishing the fire in the hopper.

The fire in the hopper was extinguished as the large roll up doors were opened in the warehouse. With the placement of fans at entry points, along with a steady east wind, the smoke cleared out of the warehouse quickly. It was not certain that the fire in the hopper was all there was to address with the large volume of smoke present just minutes earlier. A thorough investigation of the entire structure, including rooms that indicated high voltage electrical rooms, which always can be a dangerous threat to firefighters, was completed. With no more smoke production and no evidence of fire in any other location, it was determined the fire was in the hopper and pushed smoke into the warehouse, filling the entire space, and then pushed out of all available openings around the structure. To help understand what occurred, think of this as a large meat smoker with a firebox on the exterior with the smoke directed into a larger enclosed area. Fire on the outside and smoke on the inside. The fire on the external hopper was extinguished and all smoke on the adjacent warehouse was cleared out with mechanical and environmental airflow from fans and wind.

A representative of the company arrived and confirmed that this is a known situation, but this had never occurred when employees were away from the structure and the situation allowed to grow to the degree experienced today. With a thorough investigation of the structure under the guidance of the employee completed, and no further fire emergency present, the incident was considered safe and under control. All companies not assigned were immediately released, which was the entire second alarm assignment, and the first alarm companies began to break down and reload hose to return into service.

There were no injuries reported and minimal damage to the property. Portland Fire & Rescue would like to thank our partners at the power company who responded to address any electrical dangers and the dispatchers who were able to help us connect with the building owners.

###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                  

DATE: June 1, 2023

Four arrested in local gas station robbery

Salem, Ore. — Just before midnight on May 30, 2023, two men entered the Chevron convenience store in the 2300 block of Commercial ST SE and one of the suspects pointed a handgun and demanded money. After taking the cash, the suspects fled the scene.

With witness descriptions of the suspects and the involved vehicle, patrol officers were able to locate them several hours later. A warrant to search the vehicle was obtained by detectives from the Violent Crimes Unit. The detectives subsequently located two handguns, cash, and other evidence from the robbery among the contents of the car. 

Detectives determined an employee of the business, identified as Gabriel Ray Firkins, provided the suspects with information about the store to help commit the crime. The following individuals were lodged at the Marion County Jail and charged with first-degree robbery:

• Firkins, age 18
• Chad Patrick Oxenford, age 31
• Kyle Ray Peterson, age 21
• Jeremiah Sommerlot, age 22

All four individuals are set to be arraigned today at 2:30 p.m. at the Marion County Criminal Court Annex.

# # #

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                  

DATE: May 31, 2023

Teen arrested in social media threat against local school

Salem, Ore. — Last night, May 30, 2023, the Salem Police Department received calls from concerned residents regarding a social media message which threatened the safety of the Adam Stephens Middle School campus today, May 31. 

Patrol officers worked with Salem-Keizer Public Schools (SKPS) security personnel to implement extra safety precautions on the campus. A notification to the families, faculty, and staff at the school was made by SKPS, and a community notification was published on Salem Police social media channels.

Detectives from the Strategic Investigations Unit worked through the night to identify the origin of the message which professed violence at the school. Detectives were able to determine the source of the message and contacted the residents at the location. They learned that a 14-year-old boy who resided in the home was the individual who posted a graphic with the threat onto the Instagram platform.

The teen was arrested today and lodged at the Marion County Juvenile Department on the charge of disorderly conduct in the first degree. The Salem Police Department does not identify minors involved in criminal investigations. 

No further information about the case is available for release.

# # #

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                  

DATE: May 31, 2023

Stolen vehicle incident turns into hit and run

Salem, Ore. — Officers arrested a 42-year-old man Tuesday morning, May 30, after a stolen vehicle incident turns into a hit and run.

At approximately 7:20 a.m., Salem Police officers responded to the McDonald’s Restaurant in the 1000 block of Lancaster DR NE when witnesses reported a man hit by a delivery truck. Officers located the driver of the delivery vehicle, a 67-year-old man, with injuries in the parking lot. 

Officers learned a delivery driver in a box truck was standing outside his vehicle when an unknown man got inside the truck and drove away, running over the delivery driver as the man fled the scene. As the  suspect fled in the stolen truck, he struck another vehicle and caused damage in the business’ parking lot. A short time later, the suspect in the stolen truck was reported driving recklessly on northbound Interstate-5. The suspect eluded several regional agencies who pursued the stolen vehicle, but ultimately came to a stop when he crashed in the area of US-22E and Young Street in Woodburn. 

The suspect, identified as Eloy Tello, was the sole occupant of the stolen truck and was arrested. He was lodged at the Marion County Jail on charges related to hit and run, assault, vehicle theft, and driving under the influence of intoxicants. Tello is due to be arraigned today at 2:30 p.m. at the Marion County Criminal Court Annex.

The hit and run victim, Gary Mark Adams, was transported to Salem Health with non-life-threatening injuries; however, he was subsequently transferred to a Portland-area hospital for further medical care. 

# # #

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

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

Just before 2 a.m., multiple callers to 911 reported that heavy black smoke and flames were coming from a vehicle and garage at a residence in the 11000 block of SW Timberline Dr in Beaverton. Based on the reports, dispatchers upgraded the incident to a first alarm fire to activate additional resources. 

While fire crews were en route to the incident, residents were alerted by smoke alarms and able to safely evacuate without injury. Beaverton Police also helped to evacuate residents from neighboring homes.

Within minutes firefighters arrived to find pressurized black smoke and flames coming from the garage. They quickly attacked the fire in the garage and went into the home. Crews performed a search of the residence, confirming that all occupants had evacuated. Once they had suppressed the main body of the fire, crews checked for extension and found that the fire had extended to the attic. Firefighters then worked to put out hot spots, ventilate the smoke, and provide salvage efforts to protect the home’s interior contents.

In total, nine residents are displaced, and all were able to make arrangements to stay somewhere else. A fire investigator determined that the fire was accidental and originated near the garage; the exact cause is still under investigation.

Working smoke alarms saved lives today. Firefighters hope this unfortunate fire serves as a reminder to the community to test your smoke alarms and have a fire escape plan. To learn more visit https://www.tvfr.com/415/Smoke-Alarms

###

At approximately 14:08 this afternoon, several neighbors near 3114 P St in Vancouver, WA called in reports of a house fire with explosions at that location.  Eight suppression units along with two command units from Vancouver Fire responded to the scene. The Vancouver Fire Department had 28 personnel on scene. Initial arriving VFD units found a fully involved detached garage fire.  Fire fighters were able to keep the flames from spreading to the house.  The garage fire was extinguished.  Firefighters also found and medically treated one adult male on scene with serious injuries.  Two firefighters rode in the code 3 ambulance to a Portland area burn center to continue medical care along with our partners from American Medical Response. No firefighters were injured.  Unknown how many people were displaced.  The fire is currently under investigation by the Vancouver Fire Marshal’s office, Vancouver Police Department, and the ATF.

Pictures will be released at a later time.

Update

This incident is being investigated as a homicide. 

The Vancouver Police Department Major Crimes Unit is continuing the investigation, and nothing further is releasable at this time. 

Vancouver, Wash. –On May 27, 2023, at approximately 5:45 p.m., Vancouver Police responded to the 4000 block of NE 137^th Avenue. Officers located a 58-year-old male deceased inside the garage. 

Detectives from the Vancouver Police Department Major Crimes Unit are continuing the investigation. The cause and manner of death will be released by the Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office. 

Nothing further is releasable at this time. 

###

Vancouver, Wash. –On May 30, 2023, at approximately 5:30 p.m., a detective from the Vancouver Police Department Neighborhood Response Team (NRT) spotted a subject driving westbound in the 6700 block of E. Mill Plain Blvd who he recognized as a suspect who was wanted for multiple, recent armed robberies. Two additional NRT detectives arrived in the area and the suspect was seen parking his vehicle and entering the Safeway at Mill Plain Blvd./Andresen Rd. Several minutes later, he was seen exiting the store. When he saw police, he dropped a bag of items, displayed a firearm, ran westbound through the parking lot and during the attempt to apprehend him the suspect fired at officers, and they returned fire. Three Vancouver Police Detectives and one Clark County Sheriff’s Deputy discharged their weapons, striking the suspect.  Law enforcement officers have a fundamental duty to preserve human life, and medical aid was rendered to the suspect, however he was pronounced deceased at the scene. No law enforcement officers were physically injured. 

The three Vancouver Police Officers and the Clark County Sheriff's Office Deputy have been placed on Critical Incident Leave, per standard protocol of their respective agencies. 

The information is preliminary, and this is an ongoing investigation. 

The Lower Columbia Major Crimes Team, led by the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office, will investigate this incident. Additionally, the Vancouver Police Department has notified the Washington State Office of Independent Investigations. 

In compliance with WAC 139-12, Vancouver Police Department and Clark County Sheriff’s Office personnel will not be involved in this investigation.

• The Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office is the case managing agency for this incident.  All future communications will be sent via the Lower Columbia Major Crimes Team.
• The Vancouver Police Department and Clark County Sheriff’s Office will release the names of the officers and deputy involved, at a later time, via the Lower Columbia Major Crimes Team.
• The Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office will release the name of the deceased, at a later date, when appropriate.
• Once the Lower Columbia Major Crimes Team investigation is complete, the case will be forwarded to the Clark County Prosecutor’s Office for review.

###

Outdoor debris burning closed as of June 1^st in the Bend area

Bend Fire Department, in conjunction with the Central Oregon Fire Chiefs Association (COFCA), announces the date of closing of open debris burning. Starting June 1^st, debris will be closed for fire season. Outdoor debris burning in the city limits of Bend is closed year-round by City of Bend Ordinance. 

Backyard fires which include warming fires, campfires and cooking fires are typically allowed year-round within the City of Bend and Rural Fire District #2 that surrounds the City, when used within the guidelines set forth in the Bend Fire Department Burning Regulations. Additional restrictions on campfires can be placed during the hottest parts of summer to help reduce the risk of fire further. Check the restrictions every time you burn by calling our burn information line at 541-322-6335. 

Burn Regulations available online at www.bendoregon.gov/burninginfo

For everyone living in Central Oregon, be sure your home has good defensible space around it to help protect your home from the threat of wildfire. More information about creating defensible space and preparing for the upcoming fire season can be found on our website at www.ownyourzonebend.org.

As a reminder to all Central Oregon residents, be advised that regulations may vary between fire protection jurisdictions.  Please contact your local, state or federal fire agency for specific requirements and closures. The local fire danger level was moved to Moderate on 5/25/23. 

# # #

MEDIA ADVISORY:

Get hooked on fishing at the 23rd annual Merwin Special Kids Day

The Clean Energy Plan also creates engagement, improves resilience and establishes community enhancement measures

PORTLAND, Ore. (May 31, 2023) – Pacific Power today released plans to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions for all electricity sold to Oregon consumers by 2040, while significantly enhancing customer and community participation in decarbonization efforts. 

The plan, filed with the Oregon Public Utility Commission, provides a roadmap for Pacific Power’s compliance with the clean energy measure (HB 2021) that Oregon Governor Kate Brown signed into law in 2021. Specifically, the law requires electricity providers to reduce emissions by:​ 

• 80% below 2010-2012 baseline emissions levels by 2030; 
• 90% below baseline emissions levels by 2035; and 
• 100% below baseline emissions levels by 2040. 

“This plan continues our progress on the path to decarbonization,” said Matt McVee, Pacific Power’s vice president for regulatory policy and operations. “We are also working to enhance system resilience and reliability, while exploring and supporting community-based renewable energy projects.”   

Pacific Power also filed its updated integrated resource plan today, advancing its trajectory toward net-zero emissions, calling for nearly four times the company’s current wind and solar resources. The plan also continues investments in innovative emissions-free technologies, including advanced nuclear and non-emitting peaking resources that meet high-demand energy needs. 

Additionally, the company is at the forefront of driving innovation through grid development and market expansion which provides access to a diverse array of non-emitting resources throughout the West to ensure reliability and keep costs affordable for customers.  

Pacific Power’s Clean Energy Plan outlines the company’s transition to renewable and non-carbon-emitting resources in Oregon, and it ensures those milestones are achieved equitably among its customers and communities.  The plan meets Oregon’s near-term goals by limiting thermal resources that serve the state and seeking to increase Oregon’s share of non-emitting resources to serve the state’s growing energy needs. 

The plan advances the following goals: 

Engagement Opportunities. Pacific Power has developed a series of public engagement meetings in four main areas related to the Clean Energy Plan that include long-term resource planning, community benefits and impacts, Tribal Nations engagement and local distribution system planning. Interested parties can track meeting opportunities, participant input and company responses and other related material on dedicated Clean Energy Plan and Tribal Nations Engagement web pages.  

Community Benefit Indicators (CBIs). The plan lays out a series of measurements to track the company’s performance in five main areas: system and community resilience; health and community well-being; environmental impacts; energy equity; and economic impacts.  

Resilience. The plan includes two interim metrics for system resilience – one to measure efforts to reduce the frequency and duration of energy outages and another focused specifically on improving resilience for vulnerable communities.  

Community-Based Renewable Energy (CBRE).  As part of the plan, Pacific Power will pursue small-scale renewable energy projects that can be combined with microgrids, storage systems, demand response measures or other energy-related infrastructure that promotes climate resilience.  

Path to net-zero. Pacific Power is on track to meet Oregon’s requirement to achieve emissions reductions 80% below baseline levels by 2030 through existing long-term resource plans. Over the next 20 years, Pacific Power plans to add more than 9,000 megawatts of new wind generation, about 8,000 megawatts of solar and 8,000 megawatts of energy storage, along with other non-emitting resources. The Clean Energy Plan identifies gaps between Oregon’s requirements after 2030 and the company’s existing resource plan’s trajectory to reach 100% emissions reductions. To address these gaps, the plan outlines two potential paths to meet the 2040 requirement by ensuring non-emitting resources are used to meet anticipated energy demand growth in Oregon after 2030, while acknowledging that advances in technology will be needed to meet the post-2030 requirements.  

Oregon law also requires that small-scale renewable projects no larger than 20 megawatts make up 10% of the energy supply for Oregon customers by 2030.  Pacific Power expects to issue separate Requests for Proposal for utility-scale and small-scale renewable projects to fulfill this requirement. 

Pacific Power will be holding a public informational meeting on June 23 to further discuss the proposed plan with members of the commission and the public. For more information you can access the Clean Energy Plan on Pacific Power’s website. 

About Pacific Power  

Pacific Power provides safe and reliable electric service to 800,000 customers in Oregon, Washington and California. The company supplies customers with electricity from a diverse portfolio of generating plants including hydroelectric, thermal, wind, geothermal and solar resources. Pacific Power is part of PacifiCorp, one of the lowest-cost electricity producers in the United States, with 2 million customers in six western states. For more information, visit www.pacificpower.net.

GRESHAM, Ore. – Over two dozen members of the Oregon Army National Guard’s 1249th Engineer Battalion concluded two weeks of community construction while providing equipment and manpower for a new athletic field and other renovations at Centennial High School, from May 15-26, 2023.

The long overdue upgrades to the old domed-style football field are part of the Army National Guard’s Innovative Readiness Training (IRT), which provides incidental benefits to local communities through infrastructure construction and maintenance improvements.

The 1249th Engineer Battalion, headquartered in Salem, Oregon, provided equipment and construction-skilled Soldiers and worked for 10 days to remove the existing soil while facilitating the ground for a new 21st-century mixed-use athletic field. The official groundbreaking took place on May 12, with several school district members, teachers and students, along with project service providers on hand.

“Here we are today, breaking ground on phase one of this project,” said Centennial School District Superintendent James Owens during remarks at the ceremony. “There will be roughly 8,500 yards of soil that will be removed, and I want to thank the Oregon Army National Guard for their support – and thanks to them, we will have the dirt removed at a minor cost to the [school] district.”

Centennial High School is one of the last schools in their region that does not have an all-weather turf field. This is the initial phase of construction that will improve the entire stadium, which includes seating and bathroom improvements to the stadium, along with seismic and safety upgrades, and finally resurfacing the track and field facilities.

“These upgrades are exciting and as many of you know, long overdue. Centennial High School field and stadium has been in need of improvements for many years,” Owens said. “The wear on the grass field during high peak sports seasons decreases the opportunity for field use purposes, such as P.E. classes, and other athletic sport uses. This is a real disadvantage to our student-athletes who have to compete against other athletes that play on turf fields.”

This is where the IRT program is vital to communities looking to make every dollar count when it comes to funding, but also looking to partner with resources that the National Guard can assist with.

"After the last few years of emergency response roles within the community, we are so grateful to also provide this type of assistance to our community,” said Lt. Col. Jeff Sagen, 1249th Engineer Battalion Commander. “These soldiers are Oregon's own and anytime we can engage with the community, work together on projects like these, and leave a lasting impact – then that's a good day."

The National Guard covered the cost of the project, with an estimated saving to the school district of more than $100,000. The Guard members are highly trained heavy equipment operators, similar to many civilian skilled jobs, and a majority of the 28 Soldiers who worked on the project serve part-time in the military, employed in construction trade fields throughout Oregon.

“Almost all of the soldiers working on this project are traditional members of the National Guard,” said Maj. Raymond Jones, 1249th Engineer Battalion (S-3) Operations Officer for the project. “They are so happy that they get to do this because this is what they signed up for, and they’re having a lot of fun just operating the heavy equipment and moving dirt around.”

To make way for the new all-weather turf, the Soldiers were responsible for removing the 8,500 cubic yards of dirt, rock, grass, and material from the infield of the track. With excavators, graders, and front-end loaders working throughout the field, as their 5-ton Medium Tactical Vehicles (MTV) were frequently being loaded, relocating the materials as the project neared completion. The material to be removed is being taken to a commercial site, less than a mile from the stadium area and will be reused.

“We have several different MOSs (Military Occupational Skill) on-site, but a majority are our “12 November’s” – that’s the heavy equipment operators, they are using a variety of vehicles that are organic to the 224th Engineer Company,” Jones said. “To this point, all our equipment has been running superbly.”

Part of the challenge is working alongside their civilian counterparts on this project, who are tackling other parts of the stadium with structural upgrades and supporting the Guardsmen.

“They have been really accommodating for the items we need to get the project done, and really – just letting us do the project,” Jones said. “One of the really neat things about this project is that this is something that is making a mark on this community, and they know they are making a difference with their efforts,” Jones said.

-30-

Story link and additional still images: https://dvidshub.net/r/dklpyo

Video B-Roll package: https://www.dvidshub.net/video/885065/oregon-national-guard-assist-with-construction-athletic-field-centennial-high-school

Released photos:

230523-Z-CH590-0128: Oregon Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to the 1249th Engineer Battalion work with excavators, graders and front-end loaders to relocating the over 8,500 cubic yards of soil, rocks and grass from the Centennial High School football field during their two-weeks of Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) on May 23, 2023. The project began with a formal groundbreaking event on May 12, and concluded on May 26, 2023. (National Guard photo by John Hughel, Oregon Military Department Public Affairs)

230523-Z-CH590-0020: Members of the Centennial School District, teachers, students, construction contractors and other vested partners take part in the formal groundbreaking ceremony on the High School’s grass football field, Gresham, Oregon on May 12, 2023. The Oregon Army National Guard are supporting the project with Innovative Readiness Training (IRT), which provides incidental benefits to local communities through infrastructure construction and maintenance improvements. (National Guard photo by John Hughel, Oregon Military Department Public Affairs)

230523-Z-CH590-0295: Oregon Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to the 1249th Engineer Battalion work with excavators, graders and front-end loaders to relocating the over 8,500 cubic yards of soil, rocks and grass from the Centennial High School football field during their two-weeks of Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) on May 23, 2023. The project began with a formal groundbreaking event on May 12, and concluded on May 26, 2023. (National Guard photo by John Hughel, Oregon Military Department Public Affairs)

230523-Z-CH590-0155: Oregon Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to the 1249th Engineer Battalion work with excavators, graders and front-end loaders to load their 5-ton Medium Tactical Vehicles (MTV) as they relocate over 8,500 cubic yards of soil, rocks and from the Centennial High School football field during their two-weeks of Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) on May 23, 2023. The project began with a formal groundbreaking event on May 12, and concluded on May 26, 2023. (National Guard photo by John Hughel, Oregon Military Department Public Affairs)

230523-Z-CH590-0074: Oregon Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to the 1249th Engineer Battalion work with excavators, graders and front-end loaders to load their 5-ton Medium Tactical Vehicles (MTV) as they relocate over 8,500 cubic yards of soil, rocks and from the Centennial High School football field during their two-weeks of Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) on May 23, 2023. The project began with a formal groundbreaking event on May 12, and concluded on May 26, 2023. (National Guard photo by John Hughel, Oregon Military Department Public Affairs)

SALEM, Ore. – Oregon National Guard Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen participated in several Memorial Day community events on May 29, 2023, honoring service members who died for their country in observances around the state of Oregon.

In Beaverton, American Legion Post 124 hosted their annual Memorial Day ceremony at Veterans Memorial Park as Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, U.S. Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, 1st Congressional District of Oregon, Mayor Lacey Beaty and Keynote speaker for the ceremony, Oregon Air National Guard Col. Todd Hofford, 142nd Wing Commander, were among the featured guest that addressed those in attendance.

“My father served our country in Korea in the Army, his service shaped my admiration and respect for those who serve and their families who stand by them,” said Gov. Kotek. “Today across our great state, across our great nation, people are gathering in remembrance of loved ones who where lost and honoring the bravery of our fallen service members.”

Prior to becoming Governor earlier this year, Kotek served as the Speaker of the House for over nine years. She recalled meeting with family members of fallen service members from Oregon, being remembered in resolution.

“Every time – I was caught-up by these life stories of young Oregonians, who went into the bigger world for their country, and never to come back. They are Oregon – and I will not forget their stories.”

Also in attendance was Larry Wittmayer, Commander of the American Legion Department of Oregon as the ceremony featured the American Legion Post 185 Band, playing music throughout the hour-long ceremony.

Speaking to those in attendance, Hofford traced the lineage of those who have died in the nation’s wars back to the founding of the country.

“More than 1,275,000 Americans have died in war and conflict since 1775,” he said, speaking to the audience during the mid-day gathering. “History has so often reminded us, Liberty is not fairly gained, nor is it easily obtained or preserved and must be continually safeguarded by each generation.”

At the conclusion of the ceremony, a Howitzer Salute was performed by the Oregon Army National Guard’s Battery ‘A’ of the 2-218th Field Artillery.  

A Joint Service Honor Guard team and other Oregon Soldiers and Airmen took part in the Memorial Day Ceremony at Willamette National Cemetery in Clackamas. Oregon Senator Ron Wyden spoke to those attending, noting that “Americans always get it right…after they’ve tried everything else,” a quote attributed to Winston Churchill during WWII.

During a Memorial Day ceremony in Medford, the Oregon Army National Guard Honor Guard, conducted a flag folding ceremony for a family member of a fallen service member, held at the Memory Gardens Memorial Park. Throughout the state, the Oregon Air National Guard’s 142nd Wing and 173rd Fighter Wing flew patriotic flyovers at ceremonies and parades in over a dozen towns and cities.

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Released Photos 

BEAVERTON images:

230529-Z-CH590-0331: Official guest speakers at the Memorial Day ceremony in Beaverton, Oregon, stand for the Pledge of Allegiance, on May 29, 2023. (From Left to Right) Oregon Air National Guard Col. Todd Hofford, 142nd Wing Commander, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, U.S. Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, 1st Congressional District of Oregon, Beaverton Major Lacey Beaty and Denise Brant, President of Blue Star Mothers of Oregon. (National Guard photo by John Hughel, Oregon Military Department Public Affairs)

230529-Z-CH590-0444: Oregon Governor Tina Kotek addresses those in attendance at the Memorial Day ceremony in Beaverton, Oregon, on May 29, 2023. Oregon National Guard members and other elected officials took part in the ceremony held at the Veterans Memorial Park. (National Guard photo by John Hughel, Oregon Military Department Public Affairs)

230529-Z-CH590-0495: Oregon Air National Guard Col. Todd Hofford, 142nd Wing Commander delivers the keynote address to those in attendance at the Memorial Day ceremony in Beaverton, Oregon, on May 29, 2023. Oregon National Guard members and other elected officials took part in the ceremony held at the Veterans Memorial Park. (National Guard photo by John Hughel, Oregon Military Department Public Affairs)

230529-Z-CH590-0146: Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, talks with Oregon Army National Guard Soldiers from Battery ‘A’, 2-218th Field Artillery at the Memorial Day ceremony in Beaverton, Oregon, on May 29, 2023. Oregon National Guard members and other elected officials took part in the ceremony held at the Veterans Memorial Park. (National Guard photo by John Hughel, Oregon Military Department Public Affairs)

230529-Z-CH590-0577: Oregon Army National Guard Soldiers from Battery ‘A’, 2-218th Field Artillery conduct a Howitzer Salute at the conclusion of the Memorial Day ceremony in Beaverton, Oregon on May 29, 2023. Oregon National Guard members and other elected officials took part in the ceremony held at the Veterans Memorial Park. (National Guard photo by John Hughel, Oregon Military Department Public Affairs)

230529-Z-CH590-0104: An Oregon Air National Guard medical member, assigned to the 142nd Wing talks with visitors during the Memorial Day ceremony in Beaverton, Oregon on May 29, 2023. Oregon National Guard members and other elected officials took part in the ceremony held at the Veterans Memorial Park. (National Guard photo by John Hughel, Oregon Military Department Public Affairs)

CLACKAMAS images:

230529-Z-CM403-1001: An U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagles from the 142nd Wing performs a flyover during the Memorial Day ceremony held at the Willamette National Cemetery, Clackamas, Ore., May 29, 2023. Oregon National Guard members participated in several Memorial Day community events around the state today, underscoring the significance of those members of the United States military that paid the ultimate sacrifice to this nation. (National Guard photo by Aaron Perkins, Oregon Military Department Public Affairs)

230529-Z-CM403-1002: U.S. Senator of Oregon, Ron Wyden, delivers prepared remarks during the Memorial Day ceremony held at the Willamette National Cemetery, Clackamas, Ore., May 29, 2023. Oregon National Guard members participated in several Memorial Day community events around the state today, underscoring the significance of those members of the United States military that paid the ultimate sacrifice to this nation. (National Guard photo by Aaron Perkins, Oregon Military Department Public Affairs)

230529-Z-CM403-1003: Joint Color-guard post the colors during the opening of Memorial Day ceremony held at the Willamette National Cemetery, Clackamas, Ore., May 29, 2023. Oregon National Guard members participated in several Memorial Day community events around the state today, underscoring the significance of those members of the United States military that paid the ultimate sacrifice to this nation. (National Guard photo by Aaron Perkins, Oregon Military Department Public Affairs)

230529-Z-CM403-1004: Children of the Willamette Employees & Audience lead the Pledge of Allegiance during the opening of  Memorial Day ceremony held at the Willamette National Cemetery, Clackamas, Ore., May 29, 2023. Oregon National Guard members participated in several Memorial Day community events around the state today, underscoring the significance of those members of the United States military that paid the ultimate sacrifice to this nation. (National Guard photo by Aaron Perkins, Oregon Military Department Public Affairs)

MEDFORD images:

230529-Z-ZJ128-1001: Oregon Army National Guard Chief Warrant Officer 3 Anthony Ives of 1st Battalion, 168th Aviation Regiment (GSAB), delivers a speech at Memory Gardens Memorial Park & Mortuary event on Memorial Day 2023 in Medford, Ore. (Army National Guard photo by Maj. W, Chris Clyne, Oregon Military Department Public Affairs)

230529-Z-ZJ128-1002: Oregon Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Karri Davis and Pfc. Ethan Turner of the Oregon National Guard Funeral Honors Unit folds a flag for a service member's family at Memory Gardens Memorial Park & Mortuary event on Memorial Day 2023 in Medford, Ore. (Army National Guard photo by Maj. W, Chris Clyne, Oregon Military Department Public Affairs)

230529-Z-ZJ128-1003: Oregon Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Karri Davis of the Oregon National Guard Funeral Honors Unit presents a folded flag to surviving family member Mark Simvoe at Memory Gardens Memorial Park & Mortuary event on Memorial Day 2023 in Medford, Ore. (Army National Guard photo by Maj. W, Chris Clyne, Oregon Military Department Public Affairs)

230529-Z-ZJ128-1004: 1st Battalion, 168th Aviation Regiment (GSAB), Oregon Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook crew: Chief Warrant Officer 3 Anthony Ives, Chief Warrant Officer 2  Bau Doyle, Staf Sgt. Marcus Hickman, Staff Sgt. Skylar Leasy, and Sgt. Ryan Dowell at Memory Gardens Memorial Park & Mortuary event on Memorial Day 2023 in Medford, Ore. (Army National Guard photo by Maj. W, Chris Clyne, Oregon Military Department Public Affairs)

230529-Z-ZJ128-1000: An F-15 Eagles from the 173rd Fighter Wing, Oregon Air Guard fly over the CH-47 Chinook of Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 168th Aviation Regiment (GSAB), Oregon Army National Guard at Memory Gardens Memorial Park & Mortuary event on Memorial Day 2023 in Medford, Ore. (Army National Guard photo by Maj. W, Chris Clyne, Oregon Military Department Public Affairs)

Salem, Ore. — On Friday, June 9, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will expand day-use opportunities at Fishermen’s Bend Recreation Site (https://www.blm.gov/visit/fishermens-bend). Visitors will be able to enjoy the River Loop Trail along the river and around the Cottonwoods Shelter and picnic sites with tables, parking, and barbecues.

BLM crews have been working hard to remove post-fire hazard trees and debris and make this latest phase of openings possible.

“We understand that Fishermen’s Bend is an important recreational area for both local residents and visitors,” said Amanda Hoffman, BLM Cascades Field Manager. “We’re excited to provide expanded access while continuing the hard work of rebuilding the site.”

The 2020 Labor Day Fires devastated Fishermen’s Bend Recreation Site. Last spring, the BLM opened Fishermen’s Bend day-use access to the river and boat ramp for the first time after the wildfires. The BLM has worked hard restoring amenities so visitors can enjoy more of this beloved recreation site. After June 9, visitors will have more trails, portable toilet facilities, and expanded river access along with seven picnic sites. However, visitors should be aware that the site still does not provide water or electric amenities.

Throughout the summer, day-use facilities will be open daily from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. During the remainder of the year, varied open times will be posted. For public safety, the park remains closed outside the designated day-use facilities.

In April 2023, BLM officials implemented new and increased fees across the Northwest Oregon District. (See https://www.blm.gov/press-release/bureau-land-management-announces-recreation-fee-changes-northwest-oregon) The BLM keeps 100% of the fees to support the local recreation program. With the expanded opening, these fees will be implemented at Fishermen’s Bend.

Day-use fees will be $5 for a passenger vehicle (up to nine passengers), $10 for a van (10-19 passengers), and $20 for a bus (over 20 passengers). Commercial use requires a special recreation permit (contact blm_or_srp@blm.gov).

Visitors can purchase a day or an annual pass on Recreation.gov (https://www.recreation.gov/activitypass/AP21399) or the Recreation.gov mobile application, on-site, or at the Northwest Oregon District Office in Salem. America the Beautiful or Golden Passports are valid in lieu of day use vehicle fees. The Cottonwoods Shelter is reservable at Recreation.gov (https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/234074), while the picnic sites are available on a first come-first serve basis.

For questions and further information please call BLM Northwest Oregon District Office at 503-375-5646 or email at blm_or_no_mail@blm.gov.
 

Portland, Oregon – As part of the President’s Investing in America agenda, the Bureau of Land Management will invest $10 million from the Inflation Reduction Act to increase fire resiliency and protect native vegetation on public lands in Oregon. This funding will be focused in two landscape areas called the Southwest Oregon and Southeast Oregon Sagebrush Restoration Landscape Areas.

This funding is part of the BLM’s announcement to invest $161 million in ecosystem restoration and resilience on the nation’s public lands. The work will focus on 21 “Restoration Landscapes” across 11 western states, restoring wildlife habitat and clean water on public lands and strengthening communities and local economies.

These investments follow the release of the Department’s restoration and resilience framework to leverage historic investments in climate and conservation to achieve landscape-level outcomes across the nation. The Department is implementing more than $2 billion in investments to restore our nation’s lands and waters, which in turn is helping to meet the conservation goals set through the America the Beautiful initiative. 

“From the forest watersheds of southwest Oregon to the sagebrush sea of southeast Oregon, many of our public lands are in need of significant restoration," said Barry Bushue, OR/WA BLM State Director. “Focusing on these specific landscapes is a step toward that restoration. This generational legislation will help us reduce fuels and better protect our communities and public lands from the increasing threat of wildfire. It will also help us restore habitat for declining, vital species—like the coho salmon our Tribal partners have depended on for thousands of years and the greater Sage-grouse whose status as a keystone species helps indicate healthy sagebrush habitat.”

Like many forest watersheds, over time the timberland of the Southwest Oregon Landscape Restoration Area has been greatly simplified and stream channels degraded, with fish and other aquatic life declining as a result. Restoration here will focus on the threatened Oregon Coast coho salmon, using aquatic and upland restoration projects also supporting the recovery of other fish, amphibians, birds, and plants.  Projects will build wildland urban interface forest resilience.

Conservation of habitat for greater sage-grouse is the priority for the Southeast Oregon Sagebrush Restoration landscape. Planting sagebrush, treating invasive or encroaching vegetation, promoting growth of native vegetation, and creating fuel breaks in uplands will restore habitat for hundreds of species. Restoration in the Warner sub-basin will focus on aquatic systems that the threatened Warner sucker and Lahontan cutthroat trout require. Restoring floodplains and riparian areas and improving instream habitat also enhance the value of the Warner wetlands as a migratory bird flyway.

Efforts in these restoration landscapes will improve the health of public lands that are being significantly degraded by invasive species, unprecedented wildfire events, unregulated use, and climate change. With these investments, landscapes will be better able to provide clean water, habitat for fish and wildlife, opportunities for recreation, and will be more resilient to wildfire and drought.  

Resilient public lands are critical to the BLM’s ability to manage for multiple use and sustained yield. Once-in-a-generation funding from the Inflation Reduction Act will be directed to landscapes where concentrated, strategic investment through partnership can make the most difference for communities and public resources under the BLM’s management.

President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is growing the American economy from the bottom up and middle out – from rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, investing in nature-based solutions, and driving over $470 billion in private sector manufacturing and clean energy investments in the United States, to creating good paying jobs and building a clean energy economy that will combat climate change and make our communities more resilient. The funding announced today complements the almost $11 million of funding these areas have received from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. 

Learn more about the BLM’s restoration landscapes at BLM’s StoryMap. 

--BLM--

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.

WASHINGTON — On Wednesday, May 31, Bureau of Land Management leaders will host a press conference to announce a planned infusion of significant federal dollars for ecosystem restoration and resilience on the nation’s public lands.

The work is part of the Biden-Harris administration’s Investing in America agenda and will help address the unprecedented challenges facing our public lands, exacerbated by the climate crisis.

WHO:

Tracy Stone-Manning, BLM Director

Doug Vilsack, BLM Colorado State Director

Tomer Hasson, BLM Senior Policy Advisor

WHAT: Press call announcing planned funding for federal lands restoration and resilience initiatives as part of the Biden-Harris administration’s investing in America agenda

WHEN: Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 1:45 PM ET

RSVP: Credentialed members of the media interested in joining, click here at above date and time.

–BLM–

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of subsurface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.

Prineville, Ore. — The Bureau of Land Management is opening a 30-day public comment period today for feedback on the environmental assessment for the Powell Butte Communications Site Right-of-Way Project. The wireless communications facility will provide wireless telecommunications and first responder services in the Powell Butte and Alfalfa areas.

The environmental assessment considers the potential impacts from the construction, operation, and maintenance of a wireless communications use facility located near Powell Butte on both BLM-administered lands and private property. The proposed facility will consist of a 150-foot-tall monopole tower and related panel and microwave antenna, radio transmitters, radio receivers, and cables. The facility will also contain an equipment shelter, back-up emergency power generator, fuel tank, and buried utility line. There will be an access road associated with the project as well. 

The public comment period ends at 4:30 p.m. Pacific Time on June 30, 2023. Comments will be accepted at the address below, via email to lm_or_pr_lands@blm.gov">blm_or_pr_lands@blm.gov, or by calling 541-416-6711. Project information can be accessed through the BLM’s ePlanning website at: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2018065/510.

Deschutes Field Office 
Lisa Clark 
3050 NE 3rd Street 491
Prineville, OR 97754 

Please be aware comments, including your personal identifying information, may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, it is not guaranteed.   

For additional information, please contact Ferris Couture, Planning and Environmental Coordinator, at (541) 416-6711 or by email at fcouture@blm.gov. Individuals in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay services offered within their country to make international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States.

-BLM-

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.

PORTLAND, Ore.—A Portland area construction company operator was sentenced to federal prison today for his role in a multiyear scheme to evade the payment of payroll and income taxes on the wages of construction workers.

Melesio Gomez-Rivera, 49, of Aloha, Oregon, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison and three years’ supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $29.9 million in restitution to the IRS.

According to court documents, Gomez-Rivera owned and operated a residential construction company called Novatos Construction. From January 2014 until December 2017, Gomez-Rivera and several other construction company owners conspired with each other and David A. Katz, 47, of Tualatin, Oregon, the operator of Check Cash Pacific, Inc., a check cashing business with locations in the Portland area and Vancouver, Washington, to defraud the United States by facilitating under-the-table cash wage payments to construction workers. Their actions, individually and collectively, impeded and obstructed the IRS’s ability to compute, assess, and collect payroll and income taxes due on the cash wages.

To carry out the scheme, Gomez-Rivera and the other company owners 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. In total, the group cashed approximately $192 million in payroll checks, causing a combined employment and individual income tax loss of $68 million.

On December 2, 2021, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a five-count indictment charging Gomez-Rivera, Katz and four other individuals with conspiring with one another to defraud the United States. Katz was additionally charged with four counts of filing false currency transaction reports with the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).

On March 1, 2023, Gomez-Rivera became the first of the six co-conspirators to plead guilty. All others are awaiting a 10-day jury trial scheduled to begin on December 5, 2023.

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

###

PORTLAND, Ore.—On May 30, 2023, a previously convicted sex offender residing in Corvallis, Oregon was sentenced to federal prison for attempting to entice a minor online and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

Thomas Anthony Lanier, 24, a resident of Corvallis, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison and a life term of supervised release.

According to court documents, in November 2019, Lanier, a convicted sex offender since he was 18, was charged in Sunnyside, Washington with second degree kidnapping and domestic violence after he tried to kidnap the one-year-old child of a woman he met online. Lanier is alleged to have grabbed the infant while the child’s mother was in the shower. When the woman ran outside and yelled for help, Lanier wrapped his arm around her neck and threated to kill her. Lanier was later released pending trial in Yakima County Superior Court.

In June 2020, Lanier met a Keizer, Oregon, woman online. Lanier pressured the woman to solicit babysitting jobs on Craigslist so he could have access to children. Lanier later expressed his desire to have sex with the woman’s 12-year-old cousin who he had seen in a photo. After these exchanges, the woman reported Lanier to law enforcement.

On July 9, 2020, at the direction of a police detective from the Salem Police Department, the woman gave Lanier the address of a house in Salem, Oregon where she claimed her minor cousin lived. The house was, in fact, vacant and owned by the City of Salem. Lanier planned to meet the woman and her cousin at the residence, purchase alcohol with them, and engage in sexual activity with both of them. When Lanier arrived at the house, he was met by law enforcement and arrested.

On July 8, 2021, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a four-count indictment charging Lanier with attempting to entice a minor online, accessing with intent to view child pornography, illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, and committing a felony offense involving a minor as a registered sex offender.

On January 5, 2023, Lanier pleaded guilty to attempting to entice a minor online and illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.

This case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Keizer and Salem Police Departments. It was prosecuted by Gary Y. Sussman, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

###

On Memorial Day, we as a nation pause to honor and pay respects to those who gave their lives in service to this county, in service of freedom, in service of a more peaceful world. We remember their sacrifice, their valor, and their grace. 

For while we may see their sacrifices immortalized on monuments of stone, we must never forget that each of the names forever etched in granite — those known and unknown — represent a precious, valiant life. They are our sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, t our spouses, brothers, sisters, friends and neighbors.

To those who mourn a loved one today, I assure that Oregon will never forget the lives lost in service to our country. We will never fail to honor your sacrifice, nor the sacrifices made by a long line of American service members. We are free, and our nation is safer because of their courage and devotion.

Memorial Day’s origins lie in the wake of the Civil War — a war for the soul of our nation, for freedom and justice for all. A war for union. A war for liberty and for the preservation of the founding ideals memorialized in the Constitution. 

Since the Civil War, nearly 6,000 Oregonians made the ultimate sacrifice in service to this nation, and today we honor them and the more than 1.2 million service members nationally who have sacrificed everything to preserve this nations democracy and the freedoms that democracy affords each of us.

It’s the greatest idea in the long history of humankind. An idea that we’re all created equal. That we’re all entitled to dignity, respect, decency, and honor. They’re not empty words, but the vital, beating heart of our nation. 

And that democracy is defended at all costs by those who serve and those we’ve lost, for democracy makes all this possible. Democracy is the soul of America.

Each of Oregon’s fallen service members had a story, and many faced challenges beyond the tribulations of war. Some were poor and some uneducated, some were privileged with college or advanced degrees. Some were working men and women with spouses and families, and some were 15- and 16-year-olds who lied about their dates of birth just to enlist and fight for what they believed to be right.

Some volunteered to serve a country that did not afford them rights or opportunities equal to those of their fellow countrymen and service members at the time of their service. Those who served before the Korean War served in segregated units, and many endured prejudice and bigotry from their own country even as they risked their lives and freedom to protect it.

Some of the courageous Oregonians who served and gave their lives in service to our country and whose memories we honor today were women — who would not even be recognized as veterans of the United States Armed Forces until the 1970s. 

Others were transgender, gay, lesbian, or queer, who grappled with the pain of giving their all to a country that did not want every part of them, that did not allow them to serve as their true, authentic selves.

We as a nation and, especially, as veterans who followed in their footsteps, owe an additional debt of gratitude to the brave soldiers, Marines, sailors, airmen, Guardians and Coast Guard members who served under these policies and conditions. Their courage, selflessness, dignity, and exceptional service did much to sway public opinion and pave the way for a brighter and more inclusive future.

The Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs, and the state of Oregon, are proud to honor and recognize all who have served our country with honor and dignity. 

As we observe this Memorial Day, we also acknowledge the 20th anniversary of the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom. For those veterans who returned home from the front lines of the Iraq War, and for the family members and loved ones of the courageous service members who did not, their wounds are fresher than most.

Oregon played a unique role in the nation’s most recent conflicts in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Not since World War II had so many Oregon National Guard members been called to federal duty by order of the President. 9,268 Oregon National Guard members deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq between the years 2003 and 2011, many serving multiple year-long tours.

The names of the more than 140 Oregonian service members who lost their lives in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom are etched on the Afghan–Iraqi Freedom Memorial Wall located on the campus of the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs in Salem. 

If you are able, I encourage you to visit this memorial site and remember the names, stories and ultimately — the sacrifices made by these Oregonians during the longest and consecutive wars of our nation’s history.

Today, ODVA and the statewide network of county and tribal Veteran Service Offices accessible in every county across Oregon serves these Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, helping them access care provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. 

In recent years, veteran services and benefits have expanded in many ways to provide treatment for healing and compensation for those whose lives have been irreparably altered by a disability incurred in service. To find services near you, visit our website at Oregon.gov/odva and click “Locate Services.”

This Memorial Day, I ask that you keep in the forefront of your mind the sacrifices that neither words nor the grandest gestures can repay. Express gratitude and appreciation for the brave Oregonians who willingly made these sacrifices for the idea of America — the land of the free. 

The enormity of their courage humbles and inspires us. This day reminds us to be better as individuals, as a community, and as a nation. 

As long as we remember — their sacrifices are not in vain. 

Kelly Fitzpatrick is the director of the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs and Gov. Kate Brown’s policy advisor on veterans’ issues. She is a retired U.S. Army officer. Her military awards and decorations include multiple awards of the Meritorious Service Medal, the Southwest Asia Service Medal and the Army Parachutist Badge.

Salem, Oregon – In the second and final round of FY2023 Career Opportunity Program grant awards, the Oregon Arts Commission and The Ford Family Foundation have awarded $124,156 to 38 artists for career development projects. The awards include $65,233 from the Oregon Arts Commission for all artistic disciplines and $58,923 in supplemental funding for 13 established visual artists through a partnership with The Ford Family Foundation’s Visual Arts Program. Individual grants range from $562 to $9,500. 

Career Opportunity grants support individual Oregon artists by enabling them to take advantage of timely opportunities that enhance their artistic careers. Most grants support the artists’ participation in residencies, exhibitions or performance opportunities.

“This grant program invests in the career growth of talented Oregon artists,” said Arts Commissioner David Harrelson, who led one of two review panels. “That support is a powerful way for artists to become better recognized and enhance their arts resumes.”

The Ford Family Foundation funds are available to established Oregon visual artists who are producing new work in the fields of contemporary art and craft. 

"The Ford Family Foundation values the research and labor of artists to further their careers through training, dedicated work time and new exhibition opportunities,” said Anne C. Kubisch, president of The Ford Family Foundation. “We're thrilled as ever to partner with the Arts Commission to help amplify these efforts.”

FY2023 Career Opportunity Program grant award recipients are:

Linda Austin, Portland

Oregon Arts Commission $1,243

To support participation in a residency offered by the Ellis Beauregard Foundation in May.

Zach Banks, Pendleton

Oregon Arts Commission $2,000

To support Banks’ attendance at the Monteux School and Music Festival, an intensive six-week summer training program for conductors and orchestra musicians, from June 18 to July 31.

Judith Baumann, Pendleton

Oregon Arts Commission $2,000

To support an exhibition of new works, and community outreach, at the Pendleton Center for the Arts. The show, curated by Baumann, includes work by three additional artists from Idaho, New Mexico and Oklahoma, including Native Diné artist Marwin Begaye. The exhibition runs June 1-30.

Aleksandr Chernousov, Oregon City

Oregon Arts Commission $2,000

To support post-production editing of Chernousov’s video of the immersive performance-verbatim "We Sell No Gas." The 2022 performance, staged in Portland, centers around immigrants, homelessness and finding a home.

Yoonhee Choi, Portland

Oregon Arts Commission $2,000

The Ford Family Foundation $6,000

To support a collaboration with Tom Jacobs, manager at Bullseye studio, to translate Choi’s folded drawings and pulp painting into glass artwork and to frame original works for a solo exhibition at PLACE to open in the spring of 2024.

Stephanie Craig, Dayton

Oregon Arts Commission $2,000

The Ford Family Foundation $6,500

To support the growth, rebirth, research and education of the Takelma Rogue River and Cow Creek Umpqua style of stick and root weaving used by Craig’s ancestors. Specifically, Craig wants to revive the flat bottom stick and root baby baskets of the Takelma and Cow Creek people.

Shelly Durica-Laiche, Portland

Oregon Arts Commission $1,000

To support Durica-Laiche’s participation in a week-long collaborative with 50 artists at Frogwood 2023 in Colton from May 21 to 27. Durica-Laiche’s intention is to shift artistic practice toward fine art by working collectively and creatively with multiple mediums. 

Melanie Flood, Portland

Oregon Arts Commission $1,928

The Ford Family Foundation $6,000

To support a solo exhibition of Flood’s work curated by Yaelle S. Amir that will be on display at The Schneider Museum of Art in Ashland from June 13 to Aug. 10, 2024.

Vanessa Fuller, Eugene

Oregon Arts Commission $2,000

To support Fuller's participation in Dana Alexa’s Three6Zero dance and choreography mentorship program in New York City.

Allie Hankins, Portland

Oregon Arts Commission $1,700

To support Hankins’ travel to an artist residency in Cork, Ireland.

Emeric Kennard, Portland

Oregon Arts Commission $1,800

To support Kennard’s travel, lodging and production costs for participation in the Chicago Alternative Comics Expo (CAKE) June 3-4.

Cedar Lee, Portland

Oregon Arts Commission $2,000

The Ford Family Foundation $2,000

To support Lee’s one-month artist residency at the Mauser Ecohouse in Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica, in January 2024.

Ellen Lesperance, Portland

Oregon Arts Commission $1,500

The Ford Family Foundation $6,000

To support the production of artist’s first monograph, working title “Ellen Lesperance.” The monograph will be designed, published and distributed globally by Black Dog Press, London, in early 2024.

Fuchsia Lin, Portland

Oregon Arts Commission $2,000

To support the presentation of Lin’s costume/textile work to be featured in Seattle’s Bumbershoot Art and Music Festival over Labor Day weekend. 

Charlene Liu, Eugene

Oregon Arts Commission $2,000

The Ford Family Foundation $7,500

To support the creation of a Liu’s printmaking and sculptural installation project, China Palace, to be exhibited in "Another Beautiful Country: Moving Images by Chinese American Artists" from December through April 2024 at the University of Southern California Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena, California.

Elizabeth Magee, Eugene

Oregon Arts Commission $562

To support an exhibition of Magee’s paintings at Hanson Howard Gallery in Ashland from May 5 to 30.

Amirra Malak, Hood River

Oregon Arts Commission $2,000

The Ford Family Foundation $2,500

To support Malak’s travel to Egypt to study traditional Egyptian Khayamiya appliqué techniques and support the creation of Altared Space, an immersive circular tent installation combining translucent Khayamiya tent panels and video projection of water to create a healing space and inspire water activism.

Elizabeth Malaska, Portland

Oregon Arts Commission $2,000

The Ford Family Foundation $7,000

To support Malaska’s Betty Bowen Award solo exhibition at The Seattle Art Museum scheduled to run from November through April 2024.

Marianne Monson, Astoria

Oregon Arts Commission $1,000

To support Monson’s attendance at the Historical Novel Society North America Conference in San Antonio, Texas, in June. Monson will be the first Oregon women's history author to present at the annual conference.

Ben Moorad, Portland

Oregon Arts Commission $2,000

To support Moorad’s travel to Lebanon to co-lead a summer workshop and give a talk on cross-cultural audio storytelling for artists and media practitioners, as well as the artist’s second season of a new English-language podcast featuring stories of life in Lebanon.

Brenna Murphy, Portland

The Ford Family Foundation $2,500

To support Murphy’s pair of MSHR solo exhibitions in two art spaces in Japan in May and June. MSHR is an art collective established by Brenna Murphy and Birch Cooper in 2011.

Susan Murrell, La Grande

Oregon Arts Commission $2,000

The Ford Family Foundation $1,382

To support Murrell’s solo exhibition: SIFT/SHIFT. The site-specific installation will be on display at the Whatcom Museum in Bellingham, Washington, this summer through fall.

Darlene Pagan, Hillsboro

Oregon Arts Commission $1,300

To support Pagan’s travel to a wildlife refuge in Windhoek, Namibia, to complete a series of creative and pedagogical essays on writing for social justice and to lay the foundation for a course that incorporates creative writing with civic engagement.

Brian Parham, Portland

Oregon Arts Commission $2,000

To support Parham’s completion of “Elijah & the Sacred Song,” an original metal musical for children and families. Through his play, Parham hopes to encourage more Black children to play hard rock and metal music, and to create a sense of empowerment that audiences can harness to actively engage in their communities.

Alicia Rabins, Portland

Oregon Arts Commission $2,000

To support development, rehearsals and touring of Rabins’ fresh choral-theatrical production offering a contemporary reinterpretation of tales involving women from ancient Jewish mythology. The show, to be performed by the Camas High School Choir along with Oregon-based musicians, will run from September to May 2024.

Valerie Radford Cox, Dallas

Oregon Arts Commission $2,000

The Ford Family Foundation $2,500

To support Radford Cox’s travel and participation in the 41st Annual Smithsonian Craft Show in Washington, D.C., in May.

Jayanthi Raman, Portland

Oregon Arts Commission $2,000

To support Raman’s teaching of nattuvangam, a South Indian form of rhythmic recitation, and to stage a dance performance at a week-long residency program in the U.K.

Michelle Ross, Portland

Oregon Arts Commission $2,000

To support Ross’ site-specific painting installation at the Lazy Eye Gallery at Yucca Valley Material Lab in Yucca Valley, California, in October.

Jennifer Rowe, Portland

Oregon Arts Commission $2,000

To support Rowe’s studies to earn a certificate from The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in Shakespearian Studies in London.

Sharon Servilio, Portland

Oregon Arts Commission $1,700

To support Servilio’s first solo exhibition at a commercial gallery, “Phone Call from the Zone,” at Unit B Gallery in Baltimore, Maryland, from July 8 to 28.

Karen Silve, Portland

Oregon Arts Commission $2,000

The Ford Family Foundation $7,500

To support Silve’s career growth and work on an international stage, exhibiting alongside word renowned artists in “Personal Structures,” a seven-month exhibition in parallel with “la Biennale di Venezia” in Venice. The exhibitions are presented by the European Cultural Centre.

Ariella Tai, Portland

Oregon Arts Commission $2,000

To support Tai’s attendance at the opening of an exhibition that features an installation of Tai’s multi-channel video work titled “safehouse i” at the Pinakothek de Moderne in Munich, Germany. The exhibition will run from late November through March 2024.

Pace Taylor, Portland

Oregon Arts Commission $2,000

To support Taylor’s participation in the Don Bachardy Fellowship at the Royal Drawing School in London from April 26 to July 1.

Sophie Traub, Cave Junction

Oregon Arts Commission $1,500

To support Traub’s participation in an artist residency at Ponderosa in Stolzenhagen, Germany, from Oct. 16 to 22. The artist will use this opportunity to focus on performance and movement practice, connect with other artists and develop new work.

Christopher Whyte, Newberg

Oregon Arts Commission $2,000

To support the release, production and distribution costs of Whyte’s new solo percussion album with New Focus Records this summer.

Kelly Williams, Portland

The Ford Family Foundation $1,541

To support Williams’ travel to present at the International Encaustic Conference in Provincetown, Massachusetts, in June. The artist will instruct a curriculum on “Intentional content in context of professional art making.”

Jennifer Wright, Portland

Oregon Arts Commission $2,000

To support Wright’s dual large-scale live performances at the New Music Gathering annual conference/festival at Portland State University from July 22 to 24.

Takahiro Yamamoto, Portland

Oregon Arts Commission $2,000

To support Yamamoto’s first presentation of original dance performance, “NOTHINGGBEING,” at the Chocolate Factory Theater in New York City from Oct. 5 to 8.

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The Oregon Arts Commission provides leadership, funding and arts programs through its grants, services, and special initiatives. The Arts Commission is supported with general funds appropriated by the Oregon legislature and with federal funds from the National Endowment for the Arts as well as funds from the Oregon Cultural Trust.

Salem, Ore. – May 30, 2023 – To close out Wildfire Awareness Month, the Oregon Department of Emergency Management (OEM) is urging everyone to prepare for the upcoming wildfire season by having an evacuation plan.

OEM has information and resources to help Oregonians plan for what to do before, during and after a wildfire to keep themselves, their loved ones and their communities safe. Taking simple steps to prepare today can make a big difference in being ready when an evacuation occurs.

Stay Informed

Sign up for emergency alerts to be notified when there is an evacuation. Visit ORAlert.gov to find the local alert system by city, county or zip code. People who are already registered to receive alerts should log in and confirm their contact information is updated. Also, check phone settings to ensure that wireless emergency alerts are turned on.

People should become familiar with their county emergency management website and know where to find local emergency information. Those who use social media are encouraged to follow local emergency services in their area such as the county, city, sheriff’s office and fire agency profiles.

Have a Plan

Being prepared starts with having a plan. OEM offers an evacuation checklist that can be used as a guide. Establish a communication plan with a list of important contacts and a safe place for loved ones to meet if they are separated during an emergency. Identify multiple evacuation routes from home, work or school and plan for transportation needs. Discuss the plan with loved ones, friends and neighbors and practice it so everyone knows what to do during an emergency.

People with disabilities should consider individual circumstances and specific needs when planning for evacuation, such as special equipment, transportation and service animals.

Have an evacuation plan for pets and large animals such as horses and other livestock. Prepare a pet evacuation kit in a tote bag or pet crate. Pack food, water, leashes, bedding, identification, medication and vaccination or medical records. Plan for transportation of large animals and identify sheltering options.

Make a Go-Kit

Assemble an emergency kit of essential supplies that can be grabbed in a hurry. Pack an easy-to-carry backpack or bag for each member of the household with health and safety items such as food, water, medication, flashlights, phone chargers and clothing. Visit Ready.gov or American Red Cross for recommended emergency kit items.

Evacuation Levels

Oregon follows a three-level evacuation notification system, each structured around the readiness need and threat level. Oregonians should become familiar with “Be Ready, Be Set, Go!” evacuation levels to make informed decisions when receiving evacuation notices. OEM urges people to evacuate any time they feel unsafe, as conditions can change rapidly. Individuals should always make the best decision for their safety.

• Level One (colored green on a map) means “BE READY” to evacuate. Community members should be aware of the danger in their area and stay informed. Check county, city and emergency services websites and local news for information. This is the time to pack and prepare to leave. Check with loved ones and emergency contacts. Reach out to neighbors, share information and ask for help if needed. Some people should consider leaving early if they can’t move quickly and need more time to evacuate, including older adults, families with children, people with disabilities, livestock and pet owners, and those with limited access to transportation.

• Level Two (colored yellow on a map) means “BE SET” to evacuate. This level indicates there’s significant danger in the area and community members should be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice. Voluntary evacuation at Level Two is recommended, especially if people need extra time or have livestock to move. Be prepared to relocate to a shelter or with family or friends outside of the affected area. Don’t wait for another evacuation notice if it doesn’t feel safe to stay.

• Level Three (colored red on a map) means “GO.” Leave immediately! This level indicates there’s extreme danger in the area and it’s unsafe to stay. Emergency services may not be available to offer further assistance to those who choose to stay. People should not stop to gather their belongings or make any efforts to protect their homes or shelter. Leave without delay.

Following an evacuation, people should not return to the area until public safety officials announce it’s safe.

Find more information and resources at Wildfire.Oregon.gov/prepare.

# # #

(Salem, OR) — The 60^th anniversary of Older Americans Month brings an opportunity all year to renew our commitment to being active participants in dismantling stereotypes about aging. 

As Gov. Tina Kotek’s proclamation of Older Americans Month says, “Oregon can work to build even better communities for our older residents by: expanding our thinking about aging, combating ageism, valuing age as an asset and emphasizing the many positive aspects of aging, inspiring older adults to push past traditional boundaries and embracing the diversity within our aging population.” Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) works to remove barriers so that older adults can access the supports they need to live their best lives – in the communities they choose and at every stage of life. 

“Discrimination of any kind is not acceptable, this includes ageism. We strive to ensure independence and choice for older adults in Oregon through services and supports that promote individual well-being and aging with dignity,” said Nakeshia Knight-Coyle, director of the ODHS Office of Aging and People with Disabilities (APD). 

By the year 2034, Oregonians who are 65 and older will outnumber children under 18. Oregon is looking ahead to make Oregon an age-friendly state in which people of all ages are included, engaged in services and can thrive. APD’s programs honor an individual’s choice in addressing needs such as food insecurity through meal programs, financial instability through disability determination, crisis funds and employment programs, and provision of programs that offer people options to determine where they want to live and receive services and supports. 

Oregonians can learn about programs and resources available in their communities by reaching the state’s Aging and Disability Resource Connection (ADRC). The ADRC of Oregon provides information and referral services as well as options counseling to help older adults and people with disabilities find long-term care supports that meet their needs. ADRC information and referral and options counseling services are free for everyone, regardless of age or income. The ADRC website features a searchable database of more than 5,000 statewide resources for things like medical care, meal sites and employment needs. The ADRC can be reached by phone at 1-855-ORE-ADRC (673-2372). To find resources on the ADRC website, visit: www.adrcoforegon.org. 

APD provides Oregon’s older adults with choices through a wide variety of programs such as: 

• Oregon Project Independence (OPI), which helps people remain in their own homes by providing in-home services. In 2022, OPI helped 1,850 people to stay in their own homes.
• Financial eligibility determination services that helped 180,000 older adults access Medicaid, Medicare premium, general assistance and SNAP benefits in 2022.
• Medicaid Long-Term Services and Supports helps eligible individuals receive services in their own home, in a licensed community setting or a nursing facility. All services are person centered and help the individual meet their goals. In the two-year period ending June 2021, 56,268 individuals received support. 
• Meal programs, through the Older Americans Act, provide home-delivered meals and fund congregate meal sites to support physical health and access to nutritious meals. In 2022, more than 1.2 million home-delivered meals were provided, and 310,568 meals were served at congregate meal sites to 20,614 older adults in Oregon.
• Adult Protective Services (APS) works in the community and in licensed care facilities to keep older adults safe from abuse. In 2021, APS assisted 13,554 alleged victims of abuse.

About the Office of Aging and People with Disabilities: 

APD’s vision is to ensure Oregon’s older adults, people with disabilities and their families experience person-centered services, supports and early interventions that are innovative and help maintain independence, promote safety, wellbeing, honor choice, respect cultural preferences and uphold dignity.

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An Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) adult in custody, Bobby Donald Barnes, passed away the morning of June 1, 2023. Barnes was incarcerated at Columbia River Correctional Institution (CRCI) in Portland and passed away at a local hospital. As with all in-custody deaths, the Oregon State Police have been notified. 

Barnes entered DOC custody on November 8, 2007, from Multnomah County, with an earliest release date of August 21, 2026. He was 68 years old. 

DOC takes all in-custody deaths seriously. The agency is responsible for the care and custody of approximately 12,000 individuals who are incarcerated in 12 institutions across the state. While crime information is public record, DOC elects to disclose only upon request out of respect for any family or victims.

CRCI is a minimum-security prison that houses approximately 595 adults in custody who are within four years of release. Located in the largest metropolitan area of the state, this facility is focused on cognitive programming, alcohol and drug programming, work programs, and preparing for return to the community. CRCI has two alcohol and drug/cognitive restructuring alternative incarceration programs (AIP). Individuals who successfully complete this 180-day-in-prison program are released to the community for a 90-day transitional leave period. CRCI is located on a 26-acre site in northeast Portland and officially in opened in September 1990. 

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UPDATE — The Oregon Board of Forestry will be extending the time allotted for public comment during its June 7 meeting in Sisters, OR, due to the high volume of Oregonians who signed up to speak to the board on a variety of topics. The meeting will now start at 8 a.m. at the FivePine Lodge, South Sister Room. View the amended agenda for the meeting.

SALEM, Ore. — The Oregon Board of Forestry will meet in Sisters, with a public meeting and community social scheduled on Wednesday, June 7, and the public meeting reconvenes on June 8. All events are open to the public.

The public meetings will be held at FivePine Lodge, South Sister Room – 1021 Desperado Trail, Sisters, OR, 97759. The June 7 meeting begins at 8 a.m. and the June 8 meeting begins at 8 a.m. There will not be a virtual option for the community social, but the meetings will be livestreamed on the department’s YouTube channel.

The board’s business agenda includes:

• Forest patrol assessment hearings for Jackson County
• Forest Protection Association budgets
• Forest Trust Land Advisory Committee testimony
• 2023 Legislative session update
• Fire season readiness
• 20-Year Landscape Resiliency Strategy update
• Forestry Program for Oregon planning work session
• Board and agency organizational governance work session

The full agenda is available on the board’s webpage. Live testimony is available for item #1, state forester and board member comments, and item #4, Forest Protection Association budgets. Sign-up is required and instructions to provide live testimony are available online. Sign-up closes Friday, June 2 at 5 p.m. Written public testimony will also be accepted. Written comments can be submitted before or up to two weeks after the meeting day to oardofforestry@odf.oregon.gov">boardofforestry@odf.oregon.gov with the appropriate agenda item included with the submission.

On June 7 from 5:30 to 7 p.m., the board and department will host a community social. This informal event is open to the public for in-person attendance at the Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Department, Community Room – 301 South Elm Street, Sisters, OR, 97759. An RSVP is not required, but encouraged, as spacing and parking are limited. Please RSVP to oardofforestry@odf.oregon.gov">boardofforestry@odf.oregon.gov. 

Accommodations for people with disabilities, and special materials, services, or assistance can be arranged by calling ODF’s Public Affairs Office at least 72 hours in advance of the meeting at 503-945-7200 or by email at estryinformation@odf.oregon.gov">forestryinformation@odf.oregon.gov.

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.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

June 1, 2023

Media Contact:
communications@employ.oregon.gov 

Employment Department Announces Weekly Benefit Amounts for Unemployment Insurance and Paid Leave Oregon 

Salem, Ore. — Today, the Oregon Employment Department announced the 2023-24 minimum and maximum weekly benefit amounts for Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Paid Leave Oregon. Paid Leave Oregon is new and will begin paying benefits in September.

By law, the department calculates the minimum and maximum benefit amounts once a year. These calculations are based on Oregon’s State Average Weekly Wage and are effective from July 1 through June 30 of the following year. The State Average Weekly Wage increased from $1,224.82 to $1,269.69. 

The minimum weekly benefit amount is the lowest amount the program will pay a claimant for each week they claim benefits, and the maximum benefit amount is the most the program will pay, regardless of income. 

2023-24 Unemployment Insurance and Paid Leave Oregon weekly benefit amounts

Unemployment Insurance
Starting July 2, 2023, the minimum weekly benefit amount for new unemployment insurance claims will go from $183 to $190 per week, and the maximum weekly benefit amount will go from $783 to $813 per week. This increase only affects claims filed July 2, 2023, or later. People who file new unemployment insurance claims before July 2 will continue to receive the same benefit amount.

This is an increase of approximately 3.8%. The minimum weekly benefit amount is 15% of the State Average Weekly Wage, and the maximum is 64%. During the most recent quarter, 11.5% of recipients received the minimum weekly benefit amount, and 24.5% received the maximum. 

For Unemployment Insurance, the weekly benefit amount is usually 1.25% of what a claimant earned during their “base period,” which is roughly the first 12 of the 15 months before the date they filed their claim.

Visit unemployment.oregon.gov to use OED’s UI benefits calculator.

Paid Leave Oregon

For Paid Leave Oregon, the minimum weekly benefit amount is 5% of the State Average Weekly Wage, and the maximum is 120%. When benefits start in September, the minimum weekly benefit amount will be $63.48, and the maximum will be $1,523.63.

Paid Leave Oregon calculates weekly benefit amounts based on how much the employee earns on average in a week and how much leave they take in a week, so the amount is different for every employee. Lower wage earners will generally receive more of their usual wages than higher wage earners.

Paidleave.oregon.gov has fact sheets and guidebooks on its resources page.

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Need help? 

The Oregon Employment Department (OED) is an equal opportunity agency. OED provides free help so you can use our services. Some examples are sign language and spoken-language interpreters, written materials in other languages, large print, audio, and other formats. To get help, please call 503- 947-1444. TTY users call 711. You can also send an email to communications@employ.oregon.gov

¿Necesita ayuda?

El Departamento de Empleo de Oregon (OED) es una agencia de igualdad de oportunidades. El OED proporciona ayuda gratuita para que usted pueda utilizar nuestros servicios. Algunos ejemplos son intérpretes de lengua de señas e idiomas hablados, materiales escritos en otros idiomas, letra grande, audio y otros formatos. Para obtener ayuda, por favor llame al 503-947-1444. Usuarios de TTY pueden llamar al 711. También puede enviar un correo electrónico a communications@employ.oregon.gov

SALEM, Ore— The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) is requesting public comment on a proposed administrative rule amendment to restrict motor vehicles on two sections of the ocean shore in Lincoln City. The deadline for comments is 5 p.m. July 20, 2023.

Currently, vehicles are allowed on the ocean shore within 150 feet of NW 34^th Street and NW 15^th Street in Lincoln City, according to OAR 736-024-0025.

One proposed change would ban vehicles year-round at NW 34^th Street in Lincoln City. The parking lot is already closed to vehicle traffic by city ordinance. 

The second proposed change would close vehicle access to the beach from on NW 15^th Street May 1 to Sept. 30 or whenever conditions were unsafe. The access is already closed by city ordinance from May 26 to Sept. 5. The proposed change would also expand the area of shore open to vehicles from 150 feet to 300 feet on each side of NW 15^th when access is open. 

“We’re proposing these changes in cooperation with the city as we both try to improve the quality of the beach experience and keep people and vehicles from mixing on a busy beach,” says OPRD spokesperson Chris Havel. “The tricky part is striking a balance between those concerns and easy, fair access to the tremendous gift that is the Oregon ocean shore.”

Comments may be made online at: https://www.oregon.gov/oprd/PRP/Pages/PRP-rulemaking.aspx 

At a public hearing either in person or virtually 6 p.m. July 18. For those attending virtually, register at: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_IiOD_VWVSsiVsIA6rBGA_A 

To attend in person, go to: Lincoln City Community Center, 2150 NE Oar Place, Lincoln City, OR 97367.

By email to d.publiccomment@oprd.oregon.gov">oprd.publiccomment@oprd.oregon.gov , and 

in writing to: Oregon Parks and Recreation Department Attn.: Katie Gauthier, 725 Summer St NE, Suite C Salem OR 97301 

More information about this rulemaking including maps and a copy of the rule text is available on the OPRD rulemaking website: https://www.oregon.gov/oprd/PRP/Pages/PRP-rulemaking.aspx 

Individuals who require special accommodations to attend the meeting should contact Robert Ellison, at least three days in advance of a meeting by calling (971) 304-4689.

XXX

Burns, Ore. – The State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation (SACHP) will meet June 15 and 16 in-person at the Central Hotel, 171 N Broadway Ave # A, Burns, Oregon 97720, to consider nominations to the National Register of Historic Places. The SACHP meeting is open to the public. 

Thursday’s meeting agenda includes guided site visits, presentations, and a hearing of a petition for delisting a National Register property.

Friday’s meeting agenda includes hearings of three proposed nominations. 

The guided site visits on Thursday will begin at 9:00 a.m and the business meeting will begin at 1:00 p.m. Friday’s business meeting will begin at 9:00 a.m. Anyone may listen to the meeting and instructions on how to attend electronically will be posted on the commission web page prior to the meeting. Registration is required to speak at the meeting, and is available online at https://www.oregon.gov/oprd/OH/Pages/Commissions.aspx#SACHP 

On Thursday, the committee will review one delisting petition for the Sumpter Valley Railway, Middle Fork (John Day River) Spur, Grant County. On Friday, the committee will review three proposed nominations beginning at 9:00 a.m.: J. J. and Hazel Parker House, Portland, Multnomah County; Springfield High School, Springfield, Lane County; Cahill-Nordstrom Farm, Clatskanie vcty., Clatsop County.

For specific hearing times, refer to the online agenda: www.oregonheritage.org (click on “Commissions & Committees” at top of page and look under “State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation”).

The SACHP is a nine-member governor-appointed citizen commission with credentials in many historic preservation-related fields. 

Nominations recommended by the SACHP go to the National Park Service, which maintains the Register under the authority of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.

This effort aligns with the Oregon Historic Preservation Plan goal to increase the thematic diversity of Oregon properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It also supports the goals to include more voices and increase access to Oregon heritage that are part of the Oregon Heritage Plan. 

The conference call is accessible to people with disabilities. Special accommodations for the meeting may be made with at least three days of advance notice by calling (503) 986-0690. 

More information about the National Register of Historic Places process is online at www.oregonheritage.org.

REDMOND, Ore — The Oregon State Parks and Recreation Commission will convene June 13 and 14 in Redmond, Oregon for their third meeting of the year. 

On June 13, commissioners will convene a work session from 1 to 3 p.m. at Sleep Inn & Suites, 1847 NW 6th St, Redmond to learn about ocean shore driving policy and property disposition.

On June 14, commissioners will meet in executive session at 8:30 a.m. at Sleep Inn & Suites, 1847 NW 6th St, Redmond, to discuss real estate and legal issues. Executive sessions are closed to the public. A business meeting will begin at 9:45 a.m. and will be open to the public.

Anyone may attend or listen to the business meeting; instructions on how to listen will be posted on the commission web page prior to the meeting. The business meeting includes time for informal public comment related to any items not on the agenda. Registration is required to speak at the meeting if attending online, and is available online at bit.ly/registerjune2023commission. The deadline to register to speak at the meeting virtually is 5 p.m., June 12. No advance registration is required to speak in person at the meeting. Time per speaker is limited to three minutes. Please submit written public comments by 5 p.m. June 12 to is.havel@oprd.oregon.gov">chris.havel@oprd.oregon.gov. 

The full agenda and supporting documents are posted on the commission web page. Notable requests: 

• Brain Booth State Park 55-acre acquisition
• ATV grant recommendations
• Smith Rock Master Plan approval
• Request approval for construction contracts for Mayer State Park Boating Facility improvements and Beverly Beach State Park water and electrical improvements

Anyone needing special accommodations to attend the meeting should contact Denise Warburton, commission assistant, at least three days in advance: burton@oprd.oregon.gov">denise.warburton@oprd.oregon.gov or 503-779-9729. 

The Oregon State Parks and Recreation Commission promotes outdoor recreation and heritage by establishing policies, adopting rules and setting the budget for the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. The seven members are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Oregon Senate. They serve four-year terms and meet several times a year at locations across the state. 

Oregon Heritage, a division of Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, awarded 27 matching grants worth nearly $5,000,000 to Oregon Main Street Network organizations across the state for building projects that encourage economic revitalization. Projects range from façade improvement to basic facilities and housing with awards ranging from $62,930-$200,000. 

The department funded applications that best conveyed the ability to stimulate private investment and local economic development, fit within the community’s long-range plan for downtown vitality, and community need. Oregon Main Street coordinator Sheri Stuart noted, “We have seen the impact of these funds the local Main Street organizations have brought to their communities on projects to date. We are excited to support this new round of projects and the potential to enhance and support downtowns across the state.”

Funded projects include:

• Several projects will address a variety of preservation needs from window repair to electrical and plumbing including projects by Baker City Downtown, City of Reedsport, City of Maupin, Medford Downtown Association, Klamath Falls Downtown Association, Northeast Oregon Economic Development District for projects in Wallowa, Oregon Frontier Chamber of Commerce for a project in Spray, and Weston Area Development Association. 
• Several projects were for housing increases or improvements including projects Albany Downtown Association, Independence Downtown Association, Northeast Oregon Economic Development District for a project in Enterprise, Salem Main Street Association and St. Helens Main Street Alliance.
• Façade restoration projects by the cities of Cornelius, Maupin, North Bend and Woodburn, Friends of La Grande Main Street, Oregon Frontier Chamber of Commerce for a project in Condon, and The Dalles Main Street.  
• Structural and roof prepare projects were approved for Albany Downtown Association, Astoria Downtown Historic District Association, Dallas Downtown Association, and McMinnville Downtown Association.
• Projects by Harney County Opportunity Team and Pendleton Downtown Association will increase and improve lodging options. 
• New construction will be funded in Dayton. 

The grant program was created during the 2015 legislative session, and placed with the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office. The legislation established a permanent fund for the Oregon Main Street Revitalization Grant, and provided an initial infusion of funds from the sale of lottery bonds. The legislature included the Oregon Main Street Revitalization Grant in the lottery bond package approved in 2021. If funded by the 2023 state legislature, there will be future grant rounds in the 24-25 biennium. The funds must be used to award grants to participating Oregon Main Street Network organizations to acquire, rehabilitate or construct buildings to facilitate community revitalization. The program also requires that at least 50 percent of the funds go to rural communities as defined in the bill. 

To learn more about the Oregon Main Street Revitalization Grant or the Oregon Main Street Network, visit www.oregonheritage.org or contact Kuri Gill at i.gill@oprd.oregon.gov">Kuri.gill@oprd.oregon.gov or 503-986-0685. 

Salem, Ore - The Oregon Center for the Book has selected three books for 2023 as being representative of Oregon’s local literary heritage. The titles chosen are:

Children’s/Middle Grade Title: Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence by Sonja Thomas
Young Adult Title: Little Monarchs by Jonathan Case
Adult Title: The Day I Die: The Untold Story of Assisted Suicide by Anita Hannig

During the 2023 National Book Festival, on Saturday, Aug. 12, at the Washington Convention Center, representatives from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and Northern Marianas will staff tables to promote their book selections and other literary works reflective of their unique locations. The area at the convention center where the 56 tables will be assembled is called the Roadmap to Reading. This activity has been a part of the festival since 2002.  
The Oregon Center for the Book is one of 56 Affiliates of the Library of Congress and its Center for the Book and is the first Talking Book and Braille Library in the nation to serve in this role. 
The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress is a community of 56 Affiliated Centers, promoting reading, libraries and literacy through the Library of Congress and its Affiliated Centers across the country.

This Memorial Day, Benton County would like to thank our Veterans and honor those who served and sacrificed their lives while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. On May 23, Oregon State University Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine ROTC Cadets raised U.S. flags on the grave sites of those who served and were laid to rest at the Crystal Lake Cemetery in Benton County, Ore. 

View the photo album here: Crystal Lake Cemetery Flag Honoring | Flickr

“I think it’s very important to remember our Veterans, they fought and died for our country and for us to be here today—so everything we can do to remember them and honor them is very important,” said Shale Paulson from Corvallis, Ore., an Oregon State University (OSU) ROTC Air Force Cadet.

The Crystal Lake Cemetery is a Pioneer Cemetery. American pioneers founded such cemeteries during the territorial expansion of the United States, with founding dates spanning from the late 18th to early 20th centuries.

“It’s a historic cemetery with almost every aspect of our county’s history represented including the Veterans who were laid to rest here,” said Shane Galloway, Benton County’s Natural Areas Parks and Events (NAPE) Maintenance Manager. “We manage this with a very small budget, and it takes quite a bit of work to maintain it. We have volunteers who spend hundreds of hours here each year trying to keep up the cemetery.” 

The land for the Crystal Lake Cemetery was deeded to Corvallis Masonic Lodge #14 in 1860 and cemetery operations and management were transferred to Benton County in 2001. A walk through the Cemetery reveals some of the most prominent names known to Benton County, Oregon State University, and Corvallis including Joseph Avery, General Thomas Jones Thorp, Benjamin Lee Arnold, among other Veterans being honored this Memorial Day.

“There’s so much history here for our region, some of the most prominent families in Benton County history are represented here,” said Jesse Ott, NAPE Deputy Director.

Thanks to the hard work of County employees and volunteers the site has been well maintained preserving a connection to Benton County’s past, and this Memorial Day it is the Veterans resting at Crystal Lake Cemetery receiving a symbolic honor with U.S. flags raised at their burial sites.

“I believe in honoring and respecting the fallen and the people that have served. It is a big reason why I wanted to serve” said John Leong, a First Year OSU Army ROTC Cadet.

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Benton County is an Equal Opportunity-Affirmative Action employer and does not discriminate on the basis of disability in admission or access to our programs, services, activities, hiring and employment practices. This document is available in alternative formats and languages upon request. Please contact Cory Grogan at 541-745-4468 or pioinfo@bentoncountyor.gov.

The following information is in reference to a death investigated by the Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office. This investigation is related to the decedent found in his garage on May 27, 2023.

This individual died on 05/27/2023 in Vancouver, WA.

The name of the decedent: West, Randall Scott  Age: 58 years

The decedent was a resident of (city/state): Vancouver, WA

The opinions listed on the death certificate are as follows:

Cause of death:  Multiple gunshot wounds

Manner of death:  Homicide

How the injury occurred: Shot by other person(s)

Place of injury: Decedent’s residence

Reports and records of autopsies or postmortems shall be confidential as per RCW 68.50.105. No additional information is available for release from the Medical Examiner’s Office. Refer all other inquiries to Vancouver Police Department.

Media release issue date: 06/02/2023

(Astoria, OR) - La quinta semana de la Campaña de Concientización sobre Incendios Forestales del Condado de Clatsop se enfoca en los planes de evacuación. 

"Instamos a todos a tomar tres pasos simples para prepararse para la temporada de incendios forestales. Podría ayudar a reducir el estrés que conlleva cualquier evacuación potencial", dijo Justin Gibbs, director de manejo de emergencias del condado de Clatsop.

Manténgase informado

¡Regístrese en ClatsopAlerts!  Por lo tanto, se le notificará cuando haya una evacuación. Si se registró anteriormente, inicie sesión y confirme que su información de contacto esté actualizada. Además, verifique la configuración del teléfono para asegurarse de que las alertas de emergencia inalámbricas estén activadas.

"Si hay una evacuación o un potencial de evacuación, el condado de Clatsop notificará al público de tres maneras: a través de los medios oficiales, nuestro sitio web y de correo electrónico. En este momento, tenemos información para ayudar a las personas a prepararse para las evacuaciones", dijo Gibbs.

Alentamos a las personas a seguir el condado de Clatsop, Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office and local fire agencies.

Tenga un plan

Estar preparado comienza con tener un plan. Ese plan incluye:

• Una lista de verificación de evacuación que se puede utilizar como guía. 
• Un plan de comunicación con una lista de contactos importantes y un lugar seguro para que los seres queridos se reúnan si se separan durante una emergencia. 
• Identificar múltiples rutas de evacuación desde el hogar, el trabajo o la escuela y planificar las necesidades de transporte.

"Discuta su plan con sus seres queridos, amigos y vecinos y practíquelo para que todos sepan qué hacer durante una emergencia", dijo el sheriff Matt Phillips.

Si usted o un ser querido tiene discapacidades, considere sus circunstancias individuales y necesidades específicas al planificar la evacuación, como equipo especial, transporte y animales de servicio. 

Tenga un plan de evacuación para mascotas y  animales grandes como caballos y otros animales. Prepare un kit de evacuación de mascotas en una bolsa de mano o jaula para mascotas. Empaque alimentos, agua, correas, ropa de cama, identificación, medicamentos y vacunas o registros médicos. Planifique el transporte de animales grandes e identifique opciones de refugio.

Haz un Go-Kit

Prepare un kit de emergencia de suministros esenciales que pueda agarrar a toda prisa. Empaque una mochila o bolsa fácil de transportar para cada miembro de la familia con artículos de salud y seguridad como alimentos, agua, medicamentos, linternas, cargadores de teléfonos y ropa. Visite Ready.gov o la Cruz Roja Americana para obtener los artículos recomendados del kit de emergencia.

Niveles de evacuación

Oregón sigue un sistema de notificación de evacuación de tres niveles. Cada uno se basa en la necesidad de preparación y el nivel de amenaza. Conozca los  niveles de evacuación de "¡Este Prepárado. Este Listo. Váyase!" para que puedas tomar decisiones informadas al recibir avisos de evacuación. 

"Si alguna vez se siente inseguro, le instamos a que actúe y evacue, ya que las condiciones pueden cambiar rápidamente. Tome la mejor decisión para su seguridad", dijo el sheriff Phillips.

• El nivel uno significa "ESTAR LISTO" para evacuar. 
  • Sea consciente del peligro en su área y manténgase informado.
  • Consulte los sitios web de los servicios de emergencia del condado, la ciudad y las noticias locales para obtener información.
  • Empaque y prepárese para partir. 
  • Consulte con sus seres queridos y contactos de emergencia.
  • Comuníquese con los vecinos, comparta información y pida ayuda si es necesario.
  • Algunas personas deben considerar irse temprano si no pueden moverse rápidamente y necesitan más tiempo para evacuar, incluidos los adultos mayores, las familias con niños, las personas con discapacidades, el ganado y los dueños de mascotas, y aquellos con acceso limitado al transporte.
• El nivel dos significa "ESTAR LISTO" para evacuar. 
  • Este nivel significa que hay un peligro significativo en el área y debe estar preparado para irse en cualquier momento.
  • Se recomienda la evacuación voluntaria en el Nivel Dos, especialmente si las personas necesitan tiempo adicional o tienen ganado para moverse.
  • Esté preparado para mudarse a un refugio o con familiares o amigos fuera del área afectada.
  • No espere otro aviso de evacuación si no se siente seguro quedarse.
• El nivel tres significa "IR". ¡Vete inmediatamente!
  • Este nivel significa que hay un peligro extremo en el área y no es seguro quedarse.
  • Es posible que los servicios de emergencia no estén disponibles para ofrecer más asistencia a quienes decidan quedarse.
  • NO se detenga para recoger sus pertenencias ni haga ningún esfuerzo para proteger sus hogares o refugio. Váyase sin demora.

Tenga en cuenta que después de una evacuación, no podrá regresar al área hasta que los funcionarios de seguridad pública anuncien que es seguro.

Encuentre más información y recursos en Wildfire.Oregon.gov/prepare.

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(Astoria, OR) — Week five of Clatsop County’s Wildfire Awareness Campaign focuses on evacuation plans. 

“We urge everyone to take three simple steps to prepare for wildfire season. It could help reduce the stress that comes with any potential evacuation,” said Justin Gibbs, Clatsop County emergency management director.

Stay Informed

Sign up for ClatsopAlerts! so you will be notified when there is an evacuation. If you previously signed up, log in and confirm their contact information is updated. Also, check phone settings to make sure wireless emergency alerts are turned on.

“If there is an evacuation or a potential for evacuation, Clatsop County will notify the public in three ways: via social media, our website and email blasts. Right now, we have information to help people prepare for evacuations,” Gibbs said.

We encourage people to follow Clatsop County, Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office and local fire agencies.

Have a Plan

Being prepared starts with having a plan. That plan includes:

• An evacuation checklist that can be used as a guide.
• A communication plan with a list of important contacts and a safe place for loved ones to meet if they are separated during an emergency.
• Identifying multiple evacuation routes from home, work or school and plan for transportation needs.

“Discuss your plan with loved ones, friends and neighbors and practice it so everyone knows what to do during an emergency,” Sheriff Matt Phillips said.

If you or a loved one have with disabilities, consider your individual circumstances and specific needs when planning for evacuation, such as special equipment, transportation and service animals.

Have an evacuation plan for pets and large animals such as horses and other livestock. Prepare a pet evacuation kit in a tote bag or pet crate. Pack food, water, leashes, bedding, identification, medication and vaccination or medical records. Plan for transportation of large animals and identify sheltering options.

Make a Go-Kit

Put together an emergency kit of essential supplies that you can grab in a hurry. Pack an easy-to-carry backpack or bag for each member of the household with health and safety items such as food, water, medication, flashlights, phone chargers and clothing. Visit Ready.gov or American Red Cross for recommended emergency kit items.

Know What Evacuation Levels Mean

Oregon follows a three-level evacuation notification system. Each one is based around the readiness need and threat level. Get to know “Be Ready, Be Set, Go!” evacuation levels so you can make informed decisions when receiving evacuation notices. 

“If you ever feel unsafe, we urge you to act and evacuate as conditions can change rapidly. Make the best decision for your safety,” Sheriff Phillips said.

• Level One means “BE READY” to evacuate.
  • Be aware of the danger in your area and stay informed.
  • Check county, city and emergency services websites and local news for information.
  • Pack and prepare to leave.
  • Check with loved ones and emergency contacts.
  • Reach out to neighbors, share information and ask for help if needed.
  • Some people should consider leaving early if they can’t move quickly and need more time to evacuate, including older adults, families with children, people with disabilities, livestock and pet owners, and those with limited access to transportation.
• Level Two means “BE SET” to evacuate.
  • This level means there’s significant danger in the area and you should be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice.
  • Voluntary evacuation at Level Two is recommended, especially if people need extra time or have livestock to move.
  • Be prepared to relocate to a shelter or with family or friends outside of the affected area.
  • Don’t wait for another evacuation notice if it doesn’t feel safe to stay.
• Level Three means “GO.” Leave immediately!
  • This level means there’s extreme danger in the area and it’s unsafe to stay.
  • Emergency services may not be available to offer further assistance to those who choose to stay.
  • Do NOT stop to gather their belongings or make any efforts to protect their homes or shelter. Leave without delay.

Be aware that after an evacuation, you will not be able to return to the area until public safety officials announce it’s safe.

Find more information and resources at Wildfire.Oregon.gov/prepare.

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The Marion County Board of Commissioners would like to announce the seven candidates who have applied to replace Sheriff Joe Kast. All applicants have submitted the required documentation and certification from the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) that they fulfill the statutory office requirements and minimum law enforcement standards for the position. 

Applicants include: 

Christopher Baldridge, Director of Safety and Risk Management Services, Salem Keizer Public Schools 

T. Shane Burnham, Lieutenant – Enforcement Division Marion County Sheriff’s Office

Nicholas Hunter, Lieutenant – Enforcement Division Marion County Sheriff’s Office

Chad Jones, Deputy Sheriff – Enforcement Division Marion County Sheriff’s Office

Chris Kennedy, Deputy Sheriff – Enforcement Division Marion County Sheriff’s Office

Donald E. Parise, Sergeant – Operations Division Marion County Sheriff’s Office 

Stacy Rejaian, Deputy Sheriff – Enforcement Division Marion County Sheriff’s Office

The commissioners will interview the seven candidates who applied to fill the upcoming sheriff vacancy on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, beginning at 8:30 a.m. in the Senator Hearing Room at Courthouse Square located at 555 Court St. NE, in Salem. Capital Community Media will broadcast the interviews live on their YouTube channel. Following the interview process, the board plans to deliberate and select a replacement that afternoon. The new sheriff will be officially sworn in on June 30, 2023.

Sheriff Joe Kast announced his retirement effective June 30, 2023. When a vacancy occurs in a county elected office, the Marion County Board of Commissioners appoints a replacement who will hold office until a new sheriff is chosen in the next general election.

Minimum qualifications, pursuant to ORS 204.016 and 206.015, include: being a citizen of the United States; an elector of Oregon and resident of Marion County; at least 21 years old; having a minimum of four years of experience as a full-time law enforcement officer OR at least two years of experience as a full-time law enforcement officer and at least two years of formal, post-high school education; no felony convictions, or convictions for any other crimes that would prevent certification as a law enforcement officer in the State of Oregon. Applicants must be certified by DPSST.

If you wish to submit a written comment, please email SheriffPublicComment@co.marion.or.us. Public comments will be accepted through Friday, June 2, 2023, at 5pm. 

For more information about the appointment process, please contact the Marion County Board of Commissioners Office at (503) 588-5212 or e-mail Chad Ball at cball@co.marion.or.us. 

GRESHAM, Ore. – The City of Gresham’s Youth Services Department is teaming up with the Gresham Police Department during the month of June for a series of events focusing on youth violence prevention. June is nationally recognized as Gun Violence Awareness month. As the number of children and teens killed by gunfire in the United States increased 50% between 2019 and 2021, according to the Pew Research Center, Gresham has intentionally focused on youth violence prevention as a way to tackle gun violence in the community. 

"At the heart of prevention work is providing youth with opportunities to engage in positive activities,” said Gresham Police Chief Travis Gullberg. “If we can actively engage with our youth and provide their families with support services they may need, they will be less likely to turn to negative opportunities when given the chance.” 

Events in June: 

• June 1: East Metro Community Safety Collaborative meeting kicks off. 
• June 2: Gun Violence Awareness Day is commemorated by wearing orange. 
• June 3 and June 17: Rock Haven climbing camps.
• June 11 and June 23: Timbers and Thorns games. 
• June 17: A community skateboarding event in partnership with PUSH. 
• June 17: The Underground Gym summer kick off with a backpack and jump rope giveaway.
• June 26-28: The Michael Holton Basketball camp. 

Additionally, the City of Gresham has awarded Home Forward a $25,000 grant specifically to provide programming beginning in June. Home Forward utilizes their Community Service staff to provide supportive services and programs such as mentoring, homework help, recreation, nutrition and wellness, addiction prevention, financial education and parental support. By partnering with Home Forward, the City of Gresham will be able to expand youth violence prevention programming throughout the summer.  

For more information, please visit GreshamOregon.gov/Youth-Services/.  

About Gresham: 

Gresham is a welcoming community of hard-working people where tradition meets opportunity in Oregon's fourth largest city. Gresham’s residents care deeply about our roots and are committed to building a vibrant future. Today, Gresham is a dynamic, innovative, and rapidly growing city with a desire to thrive. To learn more, visit www.GreshamOregon.gov or visit us on Twitter at @CityofGresham. 

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The Oregon City Parks and Recreation Department recently launched a new mobile app that provides a new option for residents to provide feedback about parks. 

The “HAPPiFEET – Oregon City” app is free and available for Apple and Android devices. Once a user downloads and opens the app, it will pull up a list of parks, starting with the facility closest to the user’s current location. They can also search alphabetically if they’re using the app from home or somewhere else. From there the user can choose to share with their name or anonymously, specify which park and share their feedback, positive or negative. They also have the option to include images while sending the submission.

Adoption of the app is part of the department’s overall efforts at increasing public engagement as they continue the Parks Master Plan process. 

“Getting feedback from residents is a key part of the process,” said Parks and Recreation director Kendall Reid. “The whole purpose of updating the plan is to be sure we create a parks system that meets the needs and desires of the community. We can’t be fully effective in that goal without the public’s participation.”

The next public meeting takes place July 10 from 6 – 8 pm at City Hall. If residents can’t attend, the meeting will also be streamed live online. Another option to provide feedback is at the HAPPiFEET companion website, orcityparksandplay.org.

“By providing as many options as possible for residents to share their ideas in whichever way works best for them, we can make sure everyone has the chance to have their voices heard throughout the process,” said Reid.

Oregon City, ORE. - Monday saw the first Memorial Day Commemorative Ceremony at Mountain View Cemetery since the pandemic forced the City to put the events on hiatus. More than 300 people came out to honor those who have fallen in service of the country, a turnout that made Oregon City Parks and Recreation staff who organized the event proud of their community.

“It was very encouraging to see so many of our residents come out to pay their respects and honor the service members who lost their lives serving our country,” said Oregon City Parks and Recreation Director Kendall Reid. “So many things have changed since the pandemic, I’m glad this isn’t one of them,” he said.

The event featured wreath laying ceremonies, a 21-gun salute, a fly-over of two F-15 Eagles from the 142^nd Wing based out of PDX, speakers and other military honors.

The event took place at the recently renovated Veterans Memorial Plaza at Mountain View Cemetery, a project that was supported by numerous businesses and organizations in the community. Veterans Memorial Plaza is more than 100 years old, the improvements were implemented to meet and exceed ADA standards. This was to ensure it could remain a venue for the community to hold ceremonies such as the Memorial Day Commemoration.

“This project wouldn’t have been possible without the donations of materials, labor and grants from local businesses and service organizations. This project is truly a community effort,” Reid said.

Material and labor were provided by Mutual Materials, Horizon Distributors, The Wall, Pacific Landscape Services Inc. and Bud’s Crane Service. Specific elements, like flagpoles and an armed forces podium were donated by Three Rivers VFW Post 1324, Oregon City Woman’s Club and Oregon City Optimists. Grants were awarded by Oregon State Parks and Metro.

Among other improvements, the work enhanced ADA accessibility, new stairs and handrails to improve access and safety, new information signage and the installation of podiums to recognize each branch of the armed forces.

NOTE: Photos available here: https://www.orcity.org/parksandrecreation/oregon-city-officials-pleased-turnout-first-memorial-day-event-pandemic 

There will soon be a changing of the guard at the Oregon City Police Department as Chief Jim Band retires from a multi-decade career with the agency, with ten of those years being in that top position, and Captain Shaun Davis being promoted to Police Chief effective August 17. 

“Jim has been a leader not just in the department, but the entire community, and he will definitely be missed,” said City Manager Tony Konkol. “His years of experience combined with his dedication to ensuring that the department continually leads the way in law enforcement standards has resulted in many of the OCPD’s policies and programs serving as models for other agencies in the region to follow.”

It’s that dedication to accountability, service, and innovation that Chief Band says has resulted in many of his proudest accomplishments during his tenure.

“It took a number of years, but we deliberately changed the culture of this department.  To ensure that we continued operating at this level, we have done significant succession planning with the leaders and future leaders of this police department.”

Another milestone that Band is proud of is the recent construction of the Libke Public Safety Center, the funding for which was approved by Oregon City voters in 2017. 

“You don’t get approval for a bond measure like that without support from the community. Likewise, you don’t get that support without a department that exemplifies the best principles in public service,” he said. 

While officials say Band’s presence in the City will be missed, there won’t be a vacuum left by his retirement, as Captain Shaun Davis is set to take the helm of the department.

“Shaun has been integral to the culture of OCPD and has been preparing for this role his entire career,” said Chief Band.

Like his predecessor, Captain Davis has been with the department since 1998. An Oregon City resident, he said he is proud to be able to continue Chief Band’s work in ensuring the department is at the forefront of policing.

“It is an honor and a privilege for me to be selected as your next police chief.  We have the very best officers and support staff who are dedicated to serving our great community and who take pride in everything they do. I am excited to lead our department into the future.”

Ready to hit the ground running, Capt. Davis has already identified priorities that he will focus on when he starts.

“Continuing to provide a high level of service and maintaining a safe community will always be our top priority.  To maintain this service, recruitment and retention of officers and continuing to foster and build our relationships with our community will be a high priority.”

In his time with the department, Capt. Davis has earned the respect and confidence of City management and elected officials alike.

“It was quickly clear that Capt. Davis is the best candidate for the role,” said Konkol. “His dedication to serving Oregon City residents, leadership within the department, and focus on the diversity, equity and inclusion goals identified by the Commissioners demonstrates that Capt. Davis is prepared to be the next Chief of Police for the City of Oregon City.”

Elected officials echoed his statements, all showing their support for Capt. Davis moving forward and their appreciation for Chief Band’s efforts and achievements. 

“It is going to be bittersweet for me to say goodbye and acknowledge that Chief James Band is retiring. I have been working with him for over 15 years and if there is one word that describes his commitment to the job – it’s Community,” said Mayor Denyse McGriff. 

“I am looking forward to working with Shaun Davis,” she continued. “Over the last few months we have been meeting to continue our working relationship, and he too is community focused. I have every confidence in Captain Davis to continue to guide the OCPD with the same focus as his predecessor.”

Commissioner Michael Mitchell agreed.

“Captain Davis has some very big shoes to fill when it comes to replacing Chief Band. The Chief has been a driving force in the Community and a true leader, ensuring that Oregon City has the best police department possible. With that said, I have every confidence in Capt. Davis, as he has shown himself every bit the strong leader that his predecessor has been. I look forward to seeing the department under his leadership,” said Commissioner Mitchell. 

Chief Band’s final day with the City will be Thursday, Aug 17. Residents will get the chance to say “farewell” while meeting the incoming Chief at an open house to be held at the Libke Public Safety Building. Chief Band will reflect the last 20 years of changes in the department, while Capt. Davis will share his thoughts on the immediate and future priorities for the agency’s continued high level of service to the community. 

The public is invited to the event, which will take place Tuesday, June 27 from 6 – 7:30 pm. 

The commission received and considered more than 197 map concepts from the community, 136 public comments before voting on the maps to be released for public comment.
 

Portland, Ore. > Portland’s Independent District Commission (IDC) voted to release their draft district map plan last night, a major step forward to formally establish four geographic voting districts for city council elections. District selection is one of many changes to Portland's election methods and form of government. As defined in the voter-approved changes, the commission is charged with considering the legal criteria and adopting a district plan by September 2023. 

The Charter amendments require that IDC vote on a final district plan by August to allow time to prepare for the 2024 election. Nine out of 13 commissioners must approve the district plan for it to be adopted. 

Commission authority 

The new charter language requires the commission to hold at least two public hearings in each proposed district before voting to adopt a final version of the district map plan. They also must ensure that district maps are consistent with state and federal laws and meet voter-approved district criteria. If fewer than nine commissioners approve the plan, the most recent recommended plan would be sent to Portland City Council for consideration and adoption. 

Commission timeline

• February 2023: Foundational work
• March 2023: Release draft district criteria for community input and hold public hearing
• April 2023: Deliberate on input received and vote on draft district plan criteria
• May 2023: Deliberate and vote on district maps
• June 2023: Release draft district plan for community input and notice public hearings
• July 2023: Hold eight public hearings, two in each proposed district
• August 2023: Deliberate and vote on district plan
• September 2023: District Commissioners’ terms end

Voter-approved criteria for determination of district boundaries

No district was drawn for the purpose of favoring any political party, incumbent elected official, or other person, or drawn for the purpose of diluting the voting strength of any language or ethnic minority group. The IDC used the voter-approved district criteria which requires that each district, as nearly as practicable:  

• be contiguous and compact;
• use existing geographic or political boundaries;
• not divide communities of common interest;
• be connected by transportation links; and
• be of equal population.

Source data for maps informed broad discussion themes

The IDC worked with technical GIS consultants to collect data sets that help inform the criteria and collected input from Portlanders on how they define their community of common interest. The IDC held discussions of the themes informed by a community survey, public comments, verbal testimony, and recent listening sessions. Those themes included geographic proximity, neighborhood boundaries, community facilities and amenities; rivers, natural areas, and landmarks; socio-economic factors; transportation access and infrastructure; east-side representation; unique community needs, cultural and historical significance, inclusivity, and service accessibility.   

"As a commission, we are deeply committed to an inclusive, responsive, and equitable process,” said Marta Hanson, IDC Co-Chair. “The three draft maps are a direct result of the feedback we’ve received from hundreds of Portlanders so far. Now, we are eager for as many folks as possible to engage with these draft maps this summer—especially those who have historically been left out of structural decision-making—so we can do our best to craft a final district plan that paves the way for a more inclusive, representative future."

How community participation informs map designs 

The commission wants to hear from Portlanders and there are many ways to engage with the IDC in this process. In the commission’s interest to maintain a districting process that is transparent and community driven, below are some of the community engagement activities completed since they started. 
 

Introducing the map options: rationale for the draft district map plan

The Independent District Commission released three draft maps based on extensive community input. They represent three ways to divide the city into four districts for city council representation and elections. 

The maps share the following characteristics:   

• All communities east of I-205 are in a single district.
• The Parkrose, David Douglas, Reynolds, and Centennial school districts (the four non-PPS school districts) are in a single district.
• Neighborhoods along the northern part of Portland are in a single district, with the exception of neighborhoods in the Parkrose school district.
• The north and south sides of Columbia Boulevard are in a single district.
• Historic Albina in N/NE Portland is preserved in a single district.
• All communities west of the Willamette River are in a single district.
• The western border of the easternmost district runs along I-205 and 82nd to accommodate the Jade District and Lents neighborhood.

Each of the three draft maps illustrate a different rationale to effectively respond to the district criteria, including preserving communities of common interest. A summary of key differences is below. 

Draft Map: Alder 

The Alder map is built around preserving established neighborhood boundaries. This map divides the central city among three districts, using the Willamette River and I-84 as boundaries, to promote broad engagement with central city issues and economic opportunities and distribute significant assets and institutions among multiple districts. Neighborhoods in lower southeast share a district with demographically and socioeconomically similar communities on the west side of the river and are connected by the Sellwood and Ross Island bridges. 

Draft Map: Cedar 

The Cedar map is built around prioritizing transit corridors. This map uses transit corridors such as NE Sandy, SE 12th Ave, 82nd, and MAX lines to prioritize the role of these arterial roadways in influencing the use of public space and notions of neighborhood on the eastern side of the city. Neighborhoods in the central eastside and inner southeast that are bordered by the Willamette to the west and major transit lines to the east (bus and MAX) share a district with neighborhoods on the west side of the river. 

Draft Map: Maple 

The Maple map is built around keeping much of the central city together, as defined by the city’s Central City 2035 Plan, while preserving historic Albina and adding several inner eastside neighborhoods. The central city includes the city’s most densely populated and urbanized neighborhoods, where residential and commercial uses are tightly interwoven. Eastside neighborhoods with high percentages of renters (Central Eastside, Buckman, Kerns) share a district with westside renter-heavy neighborhoods (Goose Hollow, Old Town, University, South Waterfront) as well as other westside neighborhoods. 

Summary of Key Differences 

Crossing the Willamette River 

• The Alder map crosses in lower southeast only
• The Cedar map crosses in the central eastside and southeast
• The Maple map crosses in the central eastside only

Boundary between N/NE and SE/central districts 

• The Alder map uses neighborhood organization boundaries
• The Cedar map uses Sandy Blvd
• The Maple map uses both (Rose City Park is in one district, while Roseway is divided by Sandy Blvd)

How to comment on draft maps 

The Independent District Commission invites community input on the draft map options by Saturday, July 22. Public input in any language is welcome. Submit public input to the Independent District Commission by: 

• Calling 3-1-1 and sharing comments verbally
• Sending an email to: ictCommission@portlandoregon.gov">DistrictCommission@portlandoregon.gov
• Sending a letter to the Office of Management and Finance, Independent District Commission, 1120 SW 5th Ave., Room 901, Portland, OR 97204
• Providing verbal testimony at one of the IDC public hearings hosted on:
  • Wednesday, July 5 from 6-8 p.m.
  • Thursday, July 6 from 6-8 p.m.
  • Saturday, July 8 from 12-2 p.m.
  • Sunday, July 9 from 1-3 p.m.
  • Wednesday, July 12 from 6-8 p.m.
  • Thursday, July 13 from 6-8 p.m.
  • Saturday, July 15 from 12-2 p.m.
  • Sunday, July 16 from 1-3 p.m.

The District Commission will reconvene in August 2023 to deliberate on input received and vote on the final map. Visit www.portland.gov/transition/districtcommission to learn more about the different ways to comment and public hearing locations.

###

Today, the City of Portland announced a partnership with the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (NICJR) to launch and implement a focused deterrence strategy to reduce gun violence called “Portland Ceasefire.”

The program centers on collaboration among Portland’s Community Safety Division and Office of Violence Prevention, City leaders, the Portland Police Bureau, and community groups.

Sierra Ellis, former interim manager of Portland’s Office of Violence Prevention, will serve as Portland Ceasefire’s program manager.  

“Ceasefire’s success hinges on collaboration, coordination and trust from all of our partners. We acknowledge Portland’s gun violence problem did not arise overnight and its resolution will take time,” said Ellis.  

While many elements of the Ceasefire model are already in place in Portland through the Office of Violence Prevention, the partnership with the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform will provide a stronger framework to tackle Portland’s growing gun violence epidemic.  

"Portland Ceasefire works to unify the efforts of the community, law enforcement, and other government partners to engage directly with those at highest risk of carrying out or being victimized by gun violence," said Mayor Ted Wheeler. "This subject matter expertise will be invaluable to guide us as we build and implement a comprehensive program tailored to Portland."

Once implemented, the Portland Ceasefire model will follow these steps:  

1. Work with partners to identify people who are at the highest risk of committing or being a victim of gun violence.
2. Establish direct and respectful communication with these individuals.
3. Offer these individuals services, opportunities, and support through multiple programs, including the Office of Violence Prevention’s Intensive Case Management Program. These services help individuals move to a safer location, complete a diploma or GED program, find a job, receive training, enroll in mental health treatment, and more. Recent investments doubled the Office of Violence Prevention’s case manager pool from 12 to 24 managers.  
    
4. Unite the entire law enforcement community with the singular objective of reducing gun violence by prioritizing individuals who inflict the most harm upon the community and refuse to engage with services.  

“We are excited to continue our partnership with the City to help implement this Ceasefire strategy to combat gun violence and increase public safety,” said Keiland Henderson, Violence Program Reduction Manager with the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform. “This is not a law enforcement-led or driven strategy. It is an equal partnership with direct support provided by a host of community-based organizations at its core.”

Portland's contract with the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform lasts through April 2024.  

Along with the Portland Ceasefire partnership, Portland is making a historic $4.5 million investment over the next two years to fund Street Level Outreach workers and violence interrupters through the Cure Violence model, a public health approach to reducing gun violence.

Salem, Ore. – It’s finally here – Salem’s biggest season of fun! Pick your favorites from the 12 choices – and many sub-choices below.

1. Outdoor Concerts & Movies

• First Friday Free Concerts start this Friday, June 2, at the Gerry Frank | Salem Rotary Amphitheater in Riverfront Park.
• Make Music Salem, Wednesday, June 21 at the Amphitheater, for people who love music and the joyous sense of community it can foster.
• Movies in the Park is on Fridays this year starting June 30 at around 9:30 p.m. at the Amphitheater.

2. Entertainment & Enrichment

• Capital Pride, daily events throughout June, check out their calendar.
• World Beat Festival, Friday, June 23, through Sunday, June 25, Riverfront Park. This year the event is celebrating the Philippines and features music, dance, food, and traditions of more than 70 nations and cultures.
• 4^th of July Fireworks Spectacular, Tuesday, July 4, at the Oregon State Fair and Exposition Center, featuring chart-topping band, Alabama.
• 74^th Annual Salem Art Fair and Festival, Friday, July 21, through Sunday, July 23, at Bush’s Pasture Park

3. Athletes on the Move

• STRIDE 5K/10K Run/Walk Events: These fun runs throughout the spring, summer, and fall, continue the morning of June 10, through Riverfront, Wallace and Minto-Brown Island Parks.
• Ironman 70.3 Oregon, Sunday, July 23, brings top triathletes to the trails, roads, and waters of Salem.
• Hoopla XXIV, Tuesday, July 25, through Saturday, July 30, Downtown Salem revs up with this exciting 3-on-3 basketball tourney.

4. City Celebrations

• Salem Service Day, Thursday, June 15, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Riverfront Park. Formerly Public Works Day, this year’s event features departments from all over the City and has a new name. Enjoy games, activities, booths, free hotdogs, and demonstrations of City services.
• National Night Out, Tuesday, August 1, brings neighborhoods together to celebrate the spirit of police-community partnerships with more than 75 block parties across the city each year.
• Viva Salem! All United, Saturday, September 23, at Riverfront Park, celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with entertainers, artists, and vendors of food and crafts. A community to celebration of our Hispanic culture.

5. 90 Days, 90 Parks: Coincidence? We Think Not!

• Starting soon, Mayor Chris Hoy and our video and drone crew are putting the spotlight on every City park in Salem. Better yet, the summer season is roughly 90 days long, just the right amount of time to explore each one yourself!
• Don’t miss the Salem Seekers glass bird scavenger hunt across Salem’s parks. Search for these hidden glass birds at designated parks throughout the city.

6. Fun with Water

• Salem’s a river city and we have a watery playground at our front door – just be sure to play it safe and wear a life jacket! The City of Salem has a summer life jacket loaner program at Wallace Marine Park.
• Keep cool in our Splash Fountains all summer. Riverfront Park Splash Fountains are open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., noon to 8 p.m. in other parks.

7. Outdoor Adventures

• Join Center 50+ for Summer Adventures, starting with a presentation on hiking safety, Wednesday, June 14, from 10 to 11 a.m. followed by a hiking adventure to Silver Creek Falls June 26. Check out their program guide for more.
• Check out Salem Public Library’s Library of Things to see how to rent a kayak, a tent, and more outdoor equipment!

8. Check Out the Recreation Guide

• Learn more about summer recreation, sports, and activities,,  including a fishing derby, nature camps, the owl program, tree-climbing, and much more!. Sign up through the Recreation Guide.

9. A Library Full of Fun

• Join the Salem Public Library’s Summer Reading Challenge, beginning Tuesday, June 6, for a chance at prizes.
• Discover a full summer of activities on the Library Calendar.

10. Explore Salem’s History

• Gilbert House Children’s Museum, Oregon State Capitol, Salem Pioneer Cemetery, and the Salem Walking Tour map are just a few ways to enjoy the rich Salem history.

11. Get to Know Salem’s Public Art

• Follow Salem’s Self-Guided Art Tour or discover the Public Art Scavenger Hunt and find art in the most unusual places.

12. Plan a Staycation

• Explore your own back yard! We’ve barely scratched the surface of things you can do in the mid-Willamette Valley on an afternoon, an evening, or a weekend, including outstanding dining, theater, farm tours, and much more. Check out Travel Salem for more ideas.

###

SEASIDE, Ore. – May 31, 2023 – The City of Seaside Visitors Bureau and Seaside Tourism Advisory Committee (TAC) awarded $25,000 in funding to nine recipients through the 2023-2024 Tourism Grant Program. Funds will be dispersed in July.

An additional $25,000 was earmarked for the Seaside Chamber of Commerce to support the 2023 Fourth of July Fireworks Celebration on the beach, which is a signature event that city leaders have historically seen as a vital economic driver and supported as a special case through this grant process each year.

All tourism grant funds are generated from transient room tax collected by overnight lodging facilities in Seaside. The application window for this latest grant round opened Feb. 3 and completed applications were due May 5. On May 17, and during its regular monthly meeting at Seaside City Hall, the TAC reviewed 16 applications with $85,000 total in requested grant funding.

Seaside SandFest received $3,000 to hold a Masters Sand Sculpture Exhibition just off the Prom north of the Turnaround Sept. 7-10, 2023. This multi-day exhibition will feature eight master-level sculptors from the Pacific Northwest.

Doxies of PNW Club received $2,000 for DachSand, a dachshund dog meetup, in Seaside from Sept. 8-10, 2023.

The Seaside Historical Society Museum received $3,000 for its annual Lewis & Clark Salt Makers re-enactment Sept. 9-10, 2023 on the beach at Avenue U.

Pride in Seaside received $3,000 for the second annual Pride in Seaside event happening downtown Sept. 9-10, 2023.

Kerri Boutin and the Seaside School District received $1,000 to support the Three Course Challenge, a large cross country race featuring visiting students from more than 60 schools around the region on Sept. 23, 2023.

The Seaside Library Foundation received $3,000 for Caper on the Coast, an interactive in-person mystery akin to a life-size game of Clue to be held on Oct. 21, 2023.

Seaside Downtown Development Association received $3,000 for Halloween Happenin’s, a popular collection of family-friendly events downtown Oct. 28-29, 2023.

Seaside Jazz & Blues received $5,000 for the inaugural Seaside Jazz & Blues from March 15-17, 2024. This three-day event will feature diverse forms of jazz from 16 bands at the Seaside Convention Center. Proceeds will benefit the Kyle Rieger Memorial Scholarship Fund, helping Seaside School District students pay for band camps, instrument rentals/purchases, and scholarships for seniors pursuing music.

Oregon Rides & Events received $2,000 for the second annual Ride the Dirt Wave mountain biking event June 8-9, 2024 at Klootchy Creek. This event series was created to showcase mountain bike trail systems on the Oregon Coast with active bike clubs and trail builders. In addition to nearby Klootchy Creek, events are being held at Whiskey Run and Newport each year.

More information about the City of Seaside’s annual tourism grant program can be found at www.SeasideOR.com/Tourism-Grant-Program. The Visitors Bureau is a department of the City of Seaside and the official destination marketing/management organization for Seaside tourism. The Seaside Welcome Center, located at the intersection of Highway 101 and Broadway, also serves as an official State Welcome Center in collaboration with Travel Oregon.

end of release

After four years of engineering studies and community engagement, construction is set to begin in May for transportation improvements around the Nyberg Road/Tualatin-Sherwood Road/I-5 interchange.

The project will:

• Add a third eastbound lane from Martinazzi Avenue to I-5.
• Repave and restripe lanes for more efficient traffic flow.
• Enhance directional signage.
• Improve bicycle access and safety throughout this corridor.

Eastbound drivers will see a new lane created by narrowing the median. The directional signage and lane markings will guide drivers into the correct lane and minimize last-second lane changes approaching the north- and south-bound I-5 ramps.

Mike McCarthy, PE. Tualatin City Engineer, predicts this signature transportation project will make travel here safer and more predictable: “The project will deliver a series of small, strategic changes that ensure this congested area operates more smoothly.”

The payoff will be significant time savings for drivers. Travel time from Boones Ferry Road to I-5: 

Morning rush hour          ✓ Reduced from 6.5 minutes to 4 minutes

Afternoon rush hour       ✓ Reduced from 8 minutes to 6 minutes

For people who ride bikes in this area, the eastbound bike lane, which currently squeezes between two lanes of traffic, will be moved next to the curb. A new signalized crossing will help bicyclists safely cross the I-5 southbound ramp. In addition, new buffered bike lanes and signage will direct bicyclists to the existing Tualatin River Greenway path that connects underneath I-5—a much safer and more pleasant route through the area.

Most of the construction will be done at night. Work will be completed by the end of the year. “This is our City’s busiest intersection, navigated every day by almost every Tualatin resident. I can’t wait to see the results in time savings and reduced congestion,” says Tualatin City Manager Sherilyn Lombos. 

The $2.7 million project is funded by Tualatin Moving Forward. In May 2018, Tualatin voters approved this $20 million bond program to fund projects that relieve congestion, improve neighborhood traffic safety and provide safe access to schools and parks. Now, 24 projects are complete and another 12 are underway. 

To learn more, visit the project website: 

www.tualatinmovingforward.com/tualatin-sherwood-rd-martinazzi-to-i-5.

# # #

(Tualatin, OR) – The Tualatin City Council seeks community members to volunteer for the Tualatin Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (I.D.E.A.) Advisory Committee. Applications are due by July 17, 2023. 

This new advisory committee will assist with achieving the City Council’s 2030 Vision for Tualatin to be an inclusive community that promotes equity, diversity, and access in creating a meaningful quality of life for everyone and to be a connected, informed, and civically engaged community that embraces Tualatin’s diversity. 

Committee members will be empowered to advocate for underserved populations, provide advice to City Council towards achieving greater inclusion, diversity, equity, access, and belonging within Tualatin, and suggest ways to encourage people to connect with City elected and appointed officials, to make it easier for public participation in City government. 

“The primary objectives behind creating what is now known as the I.D.E.A. Committee are to build and strengthen relationships with the community as well as lowering barriers to public participation in City government,” said Councilor Christen Sacco. “There is a substantial amount of learning to be done by the City from the people in our community who don’t currently have a voice. The I.D.E.A. Committee provides an opportunity for representation and allows those individuals to advise the Council on issues that impact their unique experiences in Tualatin.” 

The committee will be composed of nine to 13 members appointed by the Council, including one voting high-school aged youth member and up to two members who reside outside city limits. The Council is committed to appointing members from diverse backgrounds and experiences to ensure that as many viewpoints as possible are represented on the committee. 

Applications to serve on the advisory committee can be submitted in a variety of ways. It is expected that the group will meet once per month starting this fall, however a meeting date and location have not yet been set. 

Tualatin City Council passed an ordinance to create the committee in April 2023, after receiving recommendations from an Equity Committee Planning Group, comprised of 15 individuals who met during 2022. 

Underrepresented community members and those with passion for equity are encouraged to apply. Applications are due July 17, 2023. 

For more information or to apply, visit www.tualatinoregon.gov/idea. 

####

Vancouver, Wash. – The City of Vancouver is seeking qualified volunteers to fill one vacancy on its Building and Fire Code Commission (BFCC). Applications must be submitted on or before July 6.

The BFCC is a volunteer commission of at least five members that makes recommendations to the Vancouver City Council about changes to, or adoption of, City building and fire codes. Commission duties include: 

• Investigate building code, fire code and construction-related issues 
• Recommend construction and fire prevention regulations related to Title 16 and 17 of the Vancouver Municipal Code 
• Review all proposed new codes or changes to existing building and fire code and make recommendations to Vancouver City Council prior to its action 
• Hear and resolve disputes related to building and fire code 
• Conduct public meetings as needed to complete commission business

All applicants must also be available for a phone interview with the Vancouver City Council on a date to be determined.

The BFCC is “on call” and meets as needed, with one mandatory meeting per year. This vacancy is for a mid-term appointment that will expire in 2025. 

City residency is not a requirement to serve. However, per the requirements of Vancouver Municipal Code, applicants must have a background or experience representing specific areas in the building or fire code and/or the construction industry. The City is specifically seeking people to serve who represent the following: professional structural engineer, professional mechanical engineer, general building contractor, residential contractor, mechanical contractor, plumbing contractor, building material supplier, construction industry union representative and public at-large.

This news release and commission application materials are also available in Español, Русский and Tiếng Việt.

Applications may be submitted online at www.cityofvancouver.us/boards. To request a printed application or for further information, contact the Boards and Commissions Coordinator at Vancouver City Hall, P.O. Box 1995, Vancouver, WA 98668-1995, at c_coordinator@cityofvancouver.us">bc_coordinator@cityofvancouver.us or 360-487-8600.

Vancouver, Wash. – The City of Vancouver is seeking applicants to fill one seat on the Aviation Advisory Committee. Applications must be submitted by July 6.

The Aviation Advisory Committee is appointed by the Vancouver City Council to provide advice and recommendations to the Airport Manager, City Manager, and City Council, as well as other City departments, regarding the management and operations of the Pearson Field Airport (101 East Reserve Street Vancouver, WA 98661) and other aviation-related issues affecting the airport and the City. 

Applicants for this vacancy should demonstrate interest in the airport, and/or aviation and aeronautical activities, or reside within neighborhoods surrounding Pearson Field Airport. This seat may not be filled by a current Pearson Airport tenant.

There is no city residency requirement to serve but interested applicants must be available for an online or phone interview with Vancouver City Councilmembers. This recruitment is for a position with a one-year term. 

This news release and commission application materials are also available in Español, Русский and Tiếng Việt.

To apply online, visit www.cityofvancouver.us/boardsandcommissions. To request a paper application or for more information, contact the boards and commissions coordinator at Vancouver City Hall, P.O. Box 1995, Vancouver, WA 98668, c_coordinator@cityofvancouver.us">bc_coordinator@cityofvancouver.us or 360-487-8600. 

For more information about the Aviation Advisory Committee, please visit www.cityofvancouver.us/aac

###

About Pearson Field Airport:

Pearson Field is one of the oldest operating airfields in the U.S.  Located directly east of I-5 and just north of Highway 14 and the Columbia River, the airport is easily accessible by land and air. Each year, Pearson Field and Museum attract 39,500 visitors to Vancouver, generates $26,998,080 and supports roughly 460 jobs. The airport is operated by the City of Vancouver, which owns 61.8 acres of the 134.4-acre airport site. The remaining 72.6 acres are owned by the National Park Service and lie within the Vancouver National Historic Reserve.

Vancouver, Wash. – Do you have an event or project designed to bring visitors to Vancouver? Your nonprofit may be eligible for grant funding provided by Lodging Tax. Lodging Tax grants are for projects or events that will increase overnight and day-visit tourism. Applications are now available on the City’s website.  

Lodging Tax grants are available to non-profit and tourism organizations with projects, events or activities that increase visits to the city or help increase tourism-related revenues for future events that will occur after January 1, 2024. The grants are funded through a four percent lodging tax on hotel, motel and bed and breakfast stays.  The minimum application amount is $5,000. 

An optional grant overview and orientation meeting for those interested in applying will occur at 4 p.m. June 7 at City Hall (415 West 6th Street). The meeting will also be hosted online for those who wish to attend virtually. A recording of the meeting will be posted on the City’s website. The orientation meeting will include training on Foundant Technologies, the City’s grant application software.

The deadline to apply is 3 p.m. Friday, July 28. 

For more information, contact Deputy Director of Economic Development Teresa Brum at esa.brum@cityofvancouver.us">teresa.brum@cityofvancouver.us. 

###

Vancouver, Wash. – The Vancouver City Council will hold its next quarterly Council Community Forum on Monday, June 12 at Roosevelt Elementary School, 2921 Falk Rd. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the forum will begin at 6 p.m.

The forum will focus on housing, an issue that affects everyone in the community. While Vancouver has programs and tools to foster and preserve affordable housing, as Vancouver grows the community’s housing stock is not keeping pace with this growth. The forum will provide an opportunity for the community to have a conversation with the Council about their experiences, ideas and hopes for the future of housing in Vancouver. There will be time reserved for the community to bring up issues unrelated to housing. 

The format will include a short overview presentation from staff on housing in Vancouver, with much of the time spent in table discussions with individual councilors. 

All community members are welcome to attend. If you need interpretation services or accommodations with a disability, please contact the City Manager's staff at 360-487-8600 (Voice/TTY 487-8602). Every attempt at reasonable accommodation will be made. Light refreshments and drinks will be available.

This is the second quarterly forum of 2023; the next two forums will be held on September 25 and December 11. Locations and topics will be announced closer to the forum dates. 

###

For Immediate Release | May 31, 2023

Media contact: Felicia Heaton, 503-823-8064, felicia.heaton@portlandoregon.gov

Digital content available. Details at the end of the release.

Portland’s 2023 Drinking Water Quality Report is ready for your review. Here’s why you should care: 

It’s your drinking water! Portland Water keeps you hydrated, keeps you cool, and keeps you clean. It’s in your morning cup, your favorite bowl of ramen, your pint of locally crafted beer. It’s a critical ingredient in thousands of products and services that power our regional economy and keep us safe. 

Every year, the Portland Water Bureau issues the Drinking Water Quality Report to explain what’s in your water and what we do to keep it safe and flowing to your tap. We know most folks don’t have time to read federally mandated government reports (even when they look this good) so…

Here’s the key takeaway: The Portland Water Bureau continues to deliver clean and safe drinking water that meets or surpasses drinking water standards to nearly a million customers. 

And here’s how we know: We conduct more than 11,000 tests per year to track more than 200 potential contaminants. Tests are conducted throughout the system, all the way from the source to people’s taps. 

NOTE: The full 2023 Water Quality Report is available online. As early as Thursday, June 1, Portlanders will receive a postcard in the mail with a QR code and link to the full report. PDFs of the postcard and the full report are attached. Additional details about the report below.

Real talk from Director Gabriel Solmer

"When I see the headlines from around the region and around the world about limited access to clean, safe water, I’m reminded how fortunate we are here in the Portland area to have some of the best drinking water in the world. It’s not by luck, but the result of decades of careful planning and ongoing investment in projects designed to keep our water safe and accessible.”

One important step is bringing a new Bull Run Treatment filtration facility online in 2027. Construction on the facility is expected to begin this fall. But the work doesn’t stop with its completion. 

“We must stay vigilant by replacing aging pipes, pumps, and valves; by protecting the Bull Run Watershed and our groundwater system,” said Solmer. “We are also committed to evolving our operations to respond to climate change and reduce our carbon footprint.”

Public health is our top priority. 

Portland’s drinking water comes from two high-quality sources, which are the two largest drinking water sources in the state: the Bull Run Watershed and the Columbia South Shore Well Field. This report includes all detections of known health-related contaminants detected in 2022. If a known health-related contaminant is not listed in this report, it was not detected in our drinking water.

What you will learn about in the report:

• Portland’s tap water is safe to drink.
• All the details about the quality of your drinking water.
• Our ongoing investments in our drinking water system.
• What we do to keep our water safe and abundant for generations to come.

How to read the report

As early as Thursday, June 1, Portlanders will receive a postcard in the mail with an easy-to-scan QR code and web address that will take them to the full Portland Water Bureau 2023 Drinking Water Quality Report on the City of Portland website. 

The report is accessible for people who use screen readers and is available in English, Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese, and Chinese. You can request a paper copy online or by phone at 503-823-9444. To request translations in additional languages or accommodations for people with disabilities, call 503-823-7525 (Relay: 711). Interpretation services available.

The report also makes it easy for you to get updates on our excellent water sources, wise water system investments, and your drinking water.

Digital content available

Supplemental images, videos, and graphics are available for download from this Google Drive folder. All content for use with coverage of annual release of 2023 Portland Water Bureau Water Quality Report. Images and video provided by the Portland Water Bureau. If you have difficulty accessing these files or would like additional context for use, please contact felicia.heaton@portlandoregon.gov or 503-823-8064.

Images/video:

• Portland’s two water sources, the Bull Run Watershed and Columbia South Shore Well Field (groundwater system)
• Water quality lab
• Water quality line representative
• Water quality sampling and testing
• Hydrant flushing
• Water crews working on mains (pipes)
• Interview clips about the Water Quality Report with subject matter expert 
  Scott Bradway, Portland Water Bureau Water Quality Information Program Manager

Documents:

• Water Quality Report Postcard (Sent to all Portlanders with links to full reports.)
• Water Quality Report (Full document PDF. Available on the website and by request.)

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 pipe. 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.

PORTLAND, Oregon – Today, Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt released a list of cases impacted by the public defense crisis. The list includes felony cases dismissed by the JC3 court as a result of the crisis.

In November, DA Mike Schmidt called the public defense crisis– defined by a lack of public defenders to provide counsel to defendants– an urgent threat to public safety. Individuals charged with a crime have a constitutional right to defense counsel. Victims have a right to justice. Absent counsel, criminal prosecutions cannot lawfully move forward, and throughout the counsel shortage, cases issued by the office have been routinely dismissed over prosecutors’ objections.

DA Schmidt also declared that MCDA would publish cases dismissed due to the crisis each week to increase transparency and advance the public’s understanding of the scope of the crisis. Here is a breakdown of the types of felonies getting dismissed.

There were 9 cases dismissed by the court as a result of the public defense crisis between 5/26/2023 and 6/1/2023:

22-CR-60345

23-CR-02623

22-CR-37686

22-CR-05616

20-CR-60324

22-CR-31892

23-CR-04561

23-CR-05530

23-CR-04563

#MCDA#

Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt today announced that a Multnomah County jury found Demarcus Loinu Paye, 32, guilty of sexually abusing a 16-year-old family member in August 2021.

The trial took place in front of Judge Angela Lucero from May 22 to May 30, 2023, with Deputy District Attorney Maddie Loeb as prosecutor. The 12-person jury delivered the verdict yesterday, finding Paye guilty of:

• One count of Rape in the First Degree
• One count of Sexual Abuse in the First Degree
• One count of Sexual Abuse in the Second Degree
• One count of Sexual Abuse in the Third Degree

Paye is currently in custody and will be sentenced by Judge Lucero at a later date.

The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office thanks the Gresham Police Department for their assistance with this case.

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DALLAS – Emmanuel Garcia Tenorio, 40, was sentenced today in Polk County Circuit Court to prison for a second time by Judge Monte S. Campbell after being found guilty in a retrial of four counts of sex abuse involving a child under the age of ten. Judge Campbell sentenced Tenorio to 375 months in prison with a lifetime term of Post-Prison Supervision. Tenorio’s first trial was held in 2013 and involved two counts of Sex Abuse in the First Degree and two Counts of Unlawful Sexual Penetration. Tenorio successfully appealed those verdicts under the Supreme Court’s recent decisions striking down non-unanimous jury verdicts. In Tenorio’s latest trial, the jury unanimously convicted him again on all four counts. Ternorio has remained in prison since 2013. The case was prosecuted by Polk County District Attorney Aaron Felton and investigated by the Dallas Police Department.

2023’s first cycle of grants issued as part of $20MM philanthropic commitment following transformative merger with Columbia Bank

LAKE OSWEGO, Ore., (June 1, 2023)—In its first community grants cycle of 2023, the Umpqua Bank Charitable Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization of Umpqua Bank, under the parent company Columbia Banking System, Inc., has awarded 78 grants to local nonprofits across its footprint totaling $417,000.

Umpqua’s community grants this cycle support nonprofit organizations across Oregon, Washington, Idaho, California and Nevada, and are part of the Bank’s overall foundation and corporate giving program that has invested $17.4 million in communities since the foundation was formed in 2014.  

“Each of the nonprofits selected displays an exemplary service mindset and a deep commitment to improving economic prosperity for under-resourced individuals, families and small businesses,” says Randy Choy, vice president of philanthropy programs and managing director of the Umpqua Bank Charitable Foundation. “We’re honored to partner with them by investing in their critical work, and we look forward to supporting many more organizations in 2023 through our giving and volunteerism programs.”

This is the first of three grant cycles in 2023, and the first cycle following the close of the merger between Umpqua Bank and Columbia Bank in March of this year. Following the completion of the merger, Umpqua Bank and parent company Columbia Banking System disbursed $20 million to the charitable foundation to sustain the foundation’s historic charitable giving levels and activate millions more each year.

“The Umpqua Bank Charitable Foundation is central to how we will continue to show up in support of each and every community we serve,” says Umpqua Bank Chief Marketing Officer David Moore Devine. “We issued this initial $20 million disbursement to the foundation at the outset of our future together to strengthen our commitment and ensure we will continue investing in our communities with greater impact and scale in the years ahead.” 

This cycle’s recipient organizations were selected from among hundreds of applicants, with a demonstrated commitment to improving economic prosperity for under-resourced individuals, families, and small businesses in at least one of the following areas: college, career and technical readiness; financial competency; housing stability and homeownership; entrepreneurship and business expansion; small business support and financial guidance; family engagement and resiliency; vibrant and equitable neighborhoods; and technical and digital connectivity. 

Learn more, including application deadlines and guidelines for our next community grant cycles, at www.umpquabank.com/our-impact/partnerships/ 

The following recipients received grants between $5,000-10,000: 

OREGON 

WASHINGTON 

CALIFORNIA 

IDAHO 

NEVADA 

About Umpqua Bank 
Umpqua Bank is a subsidiary of Columbia Banking System Inc., and a premier regional bank in the Western U.S., operating in Oregon, Washington, California, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Arizona and Colorado. With over $50 billion of assets, Umpqua combines the resources, sophistication and expertise of a national bank with a commitment to deliver personalized service at scale. The bank consistently ranks as one of America’s Best Banks (ranked by Forbes) and supports consumers and businesses through a full suite of services, including retail and commercial banking; Small Business Administration lending; institutional and corporate banking; equipment leasing; and wealth management. The company is headquartered in Lake Oswego, Oregon, and trades under the ticker symbol COLB on the Nasdaq. Learn more at https://www.umpquabank.com.

About the Umpqua Bank Charitable Foundation
The Umpqua Bank Charitable Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization of Umpqua Bank, recognizes the importance of building healthier, more resilient, better connected and inclusive communities throughout the eight-state footprint. It works to strengthen the communities Umpqua Bank serves by investing in organizations and initiatives that expand access to education and create economic opportunity for individuals, families and small businesses. The foundation was formed in 2014 to demonstrate Umpqua’s deep commitment to the communities it serves and has distributed more than $17 million across the bank’s footprint. 

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OREGON CITY – Clackamas Community College will celebrate its 2023 graduates in a walk-thru commencement ceremony on June 16 for students earning degrees and certificates, Adult High School diplomas and General Educational Development (GED) certificates.

This year, Clackamas Community College is awarding 1,141 degrees and certificates and 226 GEDs and adult high school diplomas. The youngest graduate is 16 and the oldest is 70. Two-hundred twenty-nine graduates made the honor roll earning a 3.5 grade-point average or higher, 297 made the president’s list earning a 3.75 grade-point average or higher, and 83 graduates earned a perfect 4.0.

"Our graduates are not only students, but they are also parents, workers, caregivers, veterans, starting new or starting over," CCC President Dr. Tim Cook said. "Graduating from college is no small feat. It takes dedication, persistence and grit. We are proud of this year's graduates."

The commencement ceremony will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Oregon City Campus, 19600 Molalla Ave. For more information, visit www.clackamas.edu/graduation.

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OREGON CITY - The Rotary Club of Oregon City, in collaboration with Clackamas Community College, has installed a Peace Pole on the college’s Oregon City campus – the first peace pole in the city. 

A dedication ceremony is set for Wednesday, May 31, at 4 p.m., in the plaza outside the Wacheno Welcome Center. The event is open to the public and will include a short dedication and reading of a peace poem.

The peace pole is an internationally recognized symbol bearing the message "May Peace Prevail on Earth" in different languages on each of its four sides. There are more than 250,000 peace poles across the world. The peace poles are intended to unite people of different cultures, faiths and ideals to celebrate humanity and manifest peace on earth.

Clackamas Community College is located at 19600 Molalla Ave., Oregon City.

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VANCOUVER, Wash.— Clark College Board of Trustees unanimously granted tenure to ten outstanding educators. These newly tenured faculty members are:

• Katy Anastasi, Libraries
• Dr. Tanya Diaz-Kozlowski, Women’s Studies
• Wade Hausinger, Welding
• Mark Keats, English
• Jesse Kysar, Engineering
• Alejandra Maciulewicz-Herring, Medical Assisting
• Marisol Moreno Ortiz, Libraries
• Tom Olsen, Digital Media Arts
• Amy VahnDijk, Nursing
• Bruce Elgort, Computer Technology

Tenure is awarded by the college’s Board of Trustees based on professional excellence and outstanding abilities in their disciplines. The granting of tenure is based on the recommendations of tenure review committees to the Vice President of Instruction, which are then forwarded to the President, who presents a final recommendation to the Board of Trustees. Recommendations are based on self-evaluations, tenure review committee evaluations, student evaluations, supervisory evaluations, and peer evaluations. The final decision to award or withhold tenure rests with the Board of Trustees.

Katy Anastasi, Libraries                                                                                     

Katy Anastasi earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in American studies from Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota and her Master of Library and Information Studies from Queens College (City University of New York) in New York City. She began her career working in community college libraries in 2018 as an adjunct librarian and Open Educational Resources (OER) fellow at Borough of Manhattan Community College. After moving to Oregon in 2019, she began working at Portland State University as a reference librarian and OER publishing assistant.

Katy joined Clark College in Fall 2020 as a tenure-track reference and instruction librarian. She co-leads Clark College’s OER steering committee and serves on the library’s user experience committee, as well as the Clark College Faculty Excellence Award committee. Since 2020, she has worked collaboratively with faculty, staff, and students to develop culturally relevant academic library collections and library services for incarcerated students and their instructors at Larch Corrections Center. She received Clark’s Faculty Excellence Award in 2022.

Tanya Diaz-Kozlowski, Ph.D., Women’s Studies                                                             

Tanya Diaz-Kozlowski earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from the University of Wisconsin Parkside, Kenosha, Wisconsin in 2001 and her Master of Science degree in college student personnel from Eastern Illinois University, Charleston in 2003. She earned her Ph.D. in education policy, organization, and leadership with a focus in social and cultural foundations coupled with certificates in gender and women’s studies and Latino/a studies from The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2015. She supervised, advised, and mentored students and co-created programs in residential life, Greek life, orientation, and cultural programs at Eastern Illinois University and at The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 2001-2008.

Tanya has diverse experiences teaching and advising undergraduate and graduate students, creating department level curricula and assessments, and teaching interdisciplinary undergraduate/graduate courses in gender, women’s, and sexuality studies and Latinx studies from teaching, advising, and mentoring students at Illinois State University and The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Over the last three years, Tanya has published peer-reviewed articles in The Association of Mexican American Educators Journal, The Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education, and The Journal of Lesbian Studies.

Tanya started teaching at Clark College in Fall 2020. She completed the Teaching Squares program in 2021 and the college’s BUILD Program in 2022, a yearlong employee development program providing intensive training in power, privilege, and inequality.

William (Wade) Hausinger, Welding Technology                                               

Wade Hausinger has worked in the welding industry for his entire career. He first learned welding, drafting and blueprint reading as an Evergreen High School student. At Clark College he earned his GED and completed leadership skills training. He has worked in the welding industry since 1989 and was certified for industry-related professional training on the job. He starting as a welding fabricator and working his way up to pipe fitter/welder, pipe shop foreman, shop welding foreman, and metal fabrication foreman. His former employers include Christensen Shipyard, Electro, Cascade General Shipyard and GI Welding.

Wade began teaching welding at Clark College in 2017 as an instructional technician and became an instructor the following term. He made tenure track in 2020.

Mark Keats, English                                                                                          

Mark L. Keats earned his Associate of Arts degree in English from Howard Community College. He then earned a Bachelor of Arts in Japanese language and literature and a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from the University of Maryland, College Park. He began teaching at Howard Community College and taught for six years before returning to graduate school, where he earned a Ph.D. in literature and creative writing from Texas Tech University. He taught for one year at Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas before accepting a job at Clark College.

He began teaching at Clark College Fall 2020 as a tenure track candidate. He currently serves on the literature committee. He has participated in English and campuswide professional development and training.

Jesse Kysar, Engineering                                                                                   

Jesse Kysar earned an Associate of Science Transfer degree in physics at Lower Columbia College in 2011. He transferred to Washington State University in Pullman, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physics and a Bachelor of Science degree in material science and engineering, both in 2014.

While he was enrolled at WSU, he worked as a student researcher. After he graduated, he worked as an engineer I, industrial applications at nLight, which produces high-power semiconductor lasers and fiber lasers. He also worked as a mechanic and heavy equipment operator in the construction industry.

Jesse began teaching at Clark College as an adjunct faculty member in Fall 2018, then worked as temporary full-time faculty before starting his tenure journey in 2020. In addition to teaching in the engineering department, he also teaches materials science in the welding department. At Clark, he serves as the department lead in program outcomes assessment. He is one of two faculty experts on the advanced manufacturing curriculum leadership team.

Alejandra Maciulewicz-Herring, Medical Assisting                                                         

Alejandra Maciulewicz-Herring earned her Associate of Arts degree in pre-nursing at Clark College. She also earned a Certificate of Proficiency, medical assistant, Concorde Career College, Portland; Certificate of Proficiency, emergency medical technician, Linn-Benton Community College, Albany, Oregon; and an American Association of medical assistant certification.

Her career in the healthcare industry includes working as a medical assistant, pediatrics medical assistant, and an administrative medical assistant in internal family medicine, physical therapy, and pediatrics clinics. Her former employers include Allergy Clinic, Internal Family Medicine, Columbia Asthma & Allergy, Creekside Medical, Stargait Physical Therapy, and Miller’s Family Pediatrics.

Alejandra began teaching full time at Clark College in Fall 2020. She is involved with outreach events to promote the college’s Allied Health programs.

Marisol Moreno Ortiz, Libraries                                                                        

Marisol Moreno Ortiz earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Oregon State University in Corvallis, a Master of Arts in English from Portland State University in Portland, and a Master of Library and Information Science from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisianna. Before entering her full-time library position at Clark College, Marisol worked part time at the library at Linn-Benton Community College, where she also taught information literacy and supported student learning.

Marisol began her current full-time position at Clark College as reference and instruction librarian in Fall 2020. She serves on a tenure committee and is a supportive member of the OER steering committee. Marisol is a mental health advocate, privacy advocate, and focuses on diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice in librarianship.

Thomas Olsen, Jr., Digital Media Arts                                                    

Thomas Olsen, Jr., earned his Bachelor of Science degree in political science from the University of Oregon, Eugene, and his Master of Fine Arts degree in film and television production (emphasis in film and television producing) from Chapman University, Orange, California. He is a documentary film producer through his company Anchor Pictures. Thomas also has taught at Portland Community College, Portland State University, Warner Pacific University, and The Art Institute of Portland.

Thomas began teaching at Clark College in Fall 2020 as a tenure-track professor. He serves as the advisor for the college’s Cinema Club and on the digital media arts advisory board. Thomas also volunteers for the Cannon Beach Historical Society and Museum.

Amy VahnDijk, Nursing                                                                                                 

Amy VahnDijk earned her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing at Washington State University Vancouver and her Doctor of Nursing Practice as a family nurse practitioner at Washington State University. Before entering the teaching profession, she worked as a family nurse practitioner at The Vancouver Clinic. Amy has more than a decade of professional nursing experience.

Amy began teaching at Clark College in 2020 as a tenure track tenure candidate. She currently serves on the nursing library committee and nursing tenure track hiring committee.

Bruce Elgort, Computer Technology                                                                  

Bruce Elgort earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree in electrical engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey. He earned his Master of Science in engineering management from New York University, New York.  

Prior to teaching, Bruce worked for more than two decades in the field, including Elguji Software (founder/CEO); Sharp Microelectronics (strategic business operations, IT manager), and Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (office services and IT manager, manager of marketing and communications, and electrical engineer). In addition, he was an independent international consultant for more than a dozen clients including Price Waterhouse Cooper, US Social Security Administration, US Department of Agriculture, Washington State Department of Transportation, Honda and more. Bruce is recognized by IBM and Amazon Web Services for being an innovative thought leader in cloud and artificial intelligence technologies. 

Bruce joined Clark College in 2012 as a Computer Technology instructor. He serves on the Universal Design committee and Advanced Manufacturing committee. He is called on by staff and faculty as an accessibility expert. Bruce has received the Exceptional Faculty Award twice. 

About Clark College 

Founded in 1933 and celebrating its 90^th year, Clark College provides residents of Southwest Washington with affordable, high-quality academic and technical education. It is a public community college offering more than 100 degree and certificate programs, including bachelor’s and associate degrees; professional certificates; high school diplomas and GED preparation; and non-credit community and continuing education. Clark serves a wide range of students including high school students, displaced workers, veterans, parents, non-native English speakers, and mature learners. Approximately three-quarters of its students are in the first generation of their families to attend college.  

About Clark College Board of Trustees 

Appointed by the Governor of Washington, the Clark College Board of Trustees consists of five members who serve a five-year term and must live in the college’s service district. The Board seeks to ensure the quality and relevance of college programs and provide stewardship of public resources. In this role, the Board is responsible for strategic planning; development and approval of college policies; and approval and oversight of the operating budget. The Board of Trustees meets on the fourth Wednesday of each month. Learn more.

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VANCOUVER, Wash. – In its June 19 episode, Re-Imagined Radio invites listeners to imagine being abducted or invaded by aliens, the nature of the afterlife, and what it means to be human. Titled “Coast To Coast: Transcontinental Radio Storytelling,” the episode features four science fiction stories written by Jack J. Ward, a writer, director and producer of audio dramas who lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia. 

“We call this episode ‘Coast To Coast’ to signify that Jack and his radio dramas comes to us here on the northwest coast of the United States from the northeast coast of Canada, through radio, the teleportal trans-experiential time warp theater of the mind,” said John Barber, founder and host of Re-Imagined Radio and a faculty member of WSU Vancouver’s Creative Media and Digital Culture program.

The episode premiers at 1 p.m. June 19 on KXRW-FM (99.9), Vancouver, and KXRY-FM (91.1), Portland. Subsequent broadcasts and streams will be provided by local, regional and international broadcast partners.

The four stories are “Galaxy Master versus the Varn,” “Reservations,” “Alien Invasion Cancelled” and “Trans-Humanity.” All were published as part of Ward’s “The Wave Front Shorts Anthology” series, 2006 – 2021. Many examples of Ward’s work in audio drama are available as podcasts.

Re-imagined Radio premieres episodes on the third Monday of the month on KXRW-FM. In addition, every Sunday, an episode of Re-Imagined Radio is broadcast on KXRW, drawing from previously broadcast episodes. Episodes can be streamed on demand from the Re-Imagined Radio website or may be obtained as podcasts anywhere podcasts are offered. You also can subscribe or download using the audio player on any individual episode page at the Radio Re-imagined website, reimaginedradio.net. 

Community Partners

Re-Imagined Radio draws on community voice actors, Foley artists, musicians, sound artists and engineers. Partners include KXRW-FM, KXRY-FM, Marc Rose and Holly Slocum Design.

About Re-Imagined Radio

Barber started Re-Imagined Radio in 2013 to celebrate radio storytelling. “We select, produce and perform classic and contemporary 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. 

About WSU Vancouver

WSU Vancouver is in the homeland of Chinookan and Taidnapam peoples and the Cowlitz Indian Tribe. 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 regular session on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. 

The full board meeting packet is available for reference on the Centennial School District website at www.csd28j.org and can be found on the School Board page.

Board members and key staff will attend in-person at CSD's District Office - 18135 SE Brooklyn St., Portland, OR 97236. The public and guests will join virtually via the Zoom app.

To join the meeting virtually, please click on the link below.

Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87025853855?pwd=VkFJZHRxdWpsZ3ljUWVJV1EwbFBEZz09
Passcode: 249780

Or Telephone, dial:
  +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799
Webinar ID: 870 2585 3855
Passcode: 249780

NOTE: An executive session will take place toward the end of the regular business meeting, pursuant to (ORS 192.660(2)(i) - To review and evaluate the employment-related performance of the Superintendent.

To view the agenda 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 dan@csd28j.org">melissa_grindle@csd28j.org or oard@csd28j.org">board@csd28j.org.

Centennial School District to Host Bond Oversight Committee Meeting Thursday, June 8th

Centennial School District will be hosting a Bond Oversight Committee Meeting for the public to learn more about the district’s 2020 Bond construction progress on Thursday, June 8, 2023. 

More details can be found on the 2020 Centennial School District Bond website here.

The meeting will begin at 5 p.m. at Centennial High School located at 3505 SE 182nd Ave, in Gresham, and continue to Centennial Middle School and Meadows Elementary School. Committee members will present on the progress and tour the three sites to review the updates. 

For more details, visit www.csd28j.org. 

Media Contact

Albert Rosales-Korrea

Chief Communication Officer

Centennial School District

503-760-3602

erto_rosales@csd28j.org">alberto_rosales@csd28j.org

The Multnomah Education Service District Board Policy Committee will meet at 12:00 p.m. on June 2, 2023. 
This meeting will be held virtually via Zoom.

https://multnomahesd-org.zoom.us/j/84977880330?pwd=aEZaUE9WSnA0cDhreWJBbmxMb2Rhdz09
Passcode: 987503

May 30, 2023, Fairview, OR – Reynolds High School and Reynolds Learning Academy graduating seniors will don their caps and gowns for a special “Grad Walk” at their feeder middle schools and feeder elementary schools. In collaboration with high school, middle school and elementary school administrations, as well as the Reynolds School District, graduating seniors will walk through the hallways of their feeder middle schools and elementary schools to receive congratulations from former teachers and RSD’s future graduating students. 

Graduating seniors will conduct their “Grad Walk” at Reynolds Middle School, H.B. Lee Middle School and Walt Morey Middle School at approximately 9:45am on Wednesday, May 31^st. Their “Grad Walk” parade route will take them through the main hallways and through the 8^th grade areas of the middle schools. The graduating seniors will then conduct their “Grad Walk” at their elementary feeder schools. 

Salish Ponds Elementary “Grad Walk” will begin at approximately 10:05am, Margaret Scott Elementary “Grad Walk” will begin at approximately 10:25am, Davis Elementary “Grad Walk” will begin at approximately 10:30am, Troutdale Elementary “Grad Walk” will begin at approximately 10:25am, Alder Elementary “Grad Walk” will begin at approximately 10:55am, Hartley Elementary “Grad Walk” will begin at approximately 10:55am, Sweetbriar Elementary “Grad Walk” will begin at approximately 10:55am, Glenfair Elementary “Grad Walk” will begin at approximately 12:40pm, Fairview Elementary “Grad Walk” will begin at approximately 12:40pm, Woodland Elementary “Grad Walk” will begin at approximately 12:40pm, Wilkes Elementary “Grad Walk” will begin at approximately 1:10pm.

“We wanted to extend this tradition to include elementary schools so that all RSD students can be inspired by seeing graduating seniors walking down their schools’ hallways in their cap and gowns,” proclaimed Dr. Sara Hahn-Huston, Executive Director of Schools for Reynolds School District. “Everyone should take pride in our graduating seniors, and it starts with these grad walks.”

This year, the Reynolds Learning Academy graduating seniors will celebrate their graduation on Tuesday, June 13^th at 7pm at the Mt. Hood Community College Theater and the Reynolds High School graduating seniors will celebrate their graduation at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland on Thursday, June 15^that 7pm. 

About Reynolds School District:

As a community, we prepare lifelong learners to achieve their full potential in a complex and interconnected world. Reynolds School District recognizes the diversity and worth of all individuals and groups in our society. Reynolds School District Board of Education ensures that all educational programs, activities, and employment will be free of discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, parental or marital status, or age.

Contact: Steve Padilla, Interim Director of Communications – spadilla@rsd7.net; 707.330.6559.

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The Estacada School District is proud to announce that it has been awarded the prestigious Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting (COE) by the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO). This esteemed recognition highlights the district's commitment to financial transparency and responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars. ASBO International's COE program honors school districts that have met rigorous standards for financial reporting and transparency. The Estacada School District earned this honor for its financial management during the 2021-22 school year. 

"The COE's mission is to promote and recognize excellence in financial reporting," stated Siobhan McMahon, ASBO International Chief Operations Officer/Interim Executive Director. "The Annual Comprehensive Financial Report serves as a crucial communication tool, informing stakeholders about the financial state of the district, and fostering trust within the school community." This award aligns with the district’s ongoing work to promote financial transparency and communication. The district's financial report was reviewed by a panel of qualified professionals, and the district was awarded a Certificate of Excellence at the conclusion of this rigorous process.

Participation in the COE program also holds significant financial benefits for the district. One major benefit is the district becoming eligible for a higher bond rating. Similar to an individual’s credit score, a higher bond rating means that the district will qualify for a lower interest rate. 

The recognition from ASBO International underscores the district's commitment to fiscal responsibility and serves as a testament to its wise management of taxpayer dollars. Superintendent Ryan Carpenter noted that he was “Proud of the recognition as it represents the dedication our district has to upholding the highest standards of financial transparency and accountability. We are committed to ensuring the effective and responsible utilization of taxpayer funds to support the educational needs of our students. In combination with our history of clean audits, Estacada taxpayers should feel confident in the fiscal management of the Estacada School District."

The Ridgefield School District is pleased to announce the hiring of Jennifer Johnson as its newest administrator. Starting in the fall, Johnson will serve as an assistant principal at View Ridge Middle School replacing Stephanie Goad, who will be the full-time assistant principal at Sunset Ridge Intermediate School at the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year. 

Johnson is currently the interim assistant principal and athletic director at Columbia River High School in the Vancouver Public Schools district. She is the school’s Equity Team lead and AVID site coordinator, working to ensure successful program implementation, oversight and staff professional development for the AVID elective. 

Johnson started teaching in the Vancouver Public Schools district in 2006, working at Columbia River and Skyview high schools and Thomas Jefferson Middle School. As the boys' soccer coach at Skyview, Johnson led her team to the 4A state championship in 2012 and was named the Washington State Coach of the Year for the season.  

“I am beyond excited to welcome Mrs. Johnson to the Ridgefield community,” said View Ridge Middle School Principal Ian Mansfield. “Her record as a highly experienced, successful educator speaks for itself, and her areas of expertise and leadership are a great complement to and support for the work we are doing as a learning community. She will be a tremendous asset to the Heron family.” 

In addition to her experience as an educator and administrator in VPS, Johnson also launched her own pre-kindergarten preparatory school, The Humble Bee, where she served as the program’s owner, director and lead teacher. 

“It is truly an honor to be joining the team at View Ridge Middle School,” Johnson said. “I am committed to serving the Ridgefield community and providing a loving, inclusive and rigorous academic experience for every single student through the support and empowerment of every educator. I am especially eager to jump in and begin connecting with students, staff, and families as we work collectively to continue writing the story that is the Ridgefield School District.”

Johnson has a Bachelor’s degree in English and Language Arts with a teaching certificate from Washington State University and a Master’s degree in Educational Administration with Principal Certification from Eastern Washington University. In 2013, she was named to the Final Four of OnPoint’s Educators of the Year list. 

Twenty-four Washougal High School student athletes representing four sports advanced to state competitions this spring. Golf, tennis, track and field, and equestrian athletes competed against teams in the Washington 2A division to wrap up the spring athletics season. Girls track placed 7th in state, with Washougal High School student Sydnee Boothby taking 1st place in the 800 meter and 2nd place in the 1600 and 3200 meter races.

Golf athletes Mason Acker, Brayden Kassel, Sky Linden, Mather Minnis, Keagan Payne and Katie Zillman competed in state tournaments on Tuesday, May 23 and Wednesday, May 24 in Liberty Lake, Washington.

Washougal High School tennis players Jaisa Wilson and Hadley Jones competed in state matches on Friday, May 26 and Saturday, May 27 at University of Washington. “We’ve been doubles partners since our sophomore year and we’ve been first doubles team since our junior year,” said Jaisa Wilson, 12th grade student at Washougal High School.

Equestrian athletes competed at Moses Lake on May 18-21. Kali Buchanan, Natalie Bratton, Braedyn Domeyer, Olivia Eldridge, Lillian Grindy, Aubrey Hettling, Karen Phelps, Carmen Rish, and Hermione Rivera showcased their skills as part of the state equestrian competitions. 

Track and field athletes Holden Bea, Iris Hancock, Tanner Hardley, Kaya Johnson, Tucker Kneipp, Jaden Leonard, Anna Lundberg, Jamie Maas, Kendra Pass, Gracie Perry, Danica Stinchfield, and Elle Thomas compete in events ranging from the high jump, long jump, triple jump, and pole vault to 200, 400, 800, 1600, and 3200 meter races. 

Athletic events are funded by the Washougal School Levy, which Washougal voters generously approved this spring. The EP&O levy supports great opportunities for students to explore their interests, develop their talent, and share their passion with our community for the next three years.

“We’re so proud of these Panther athletes for their hard work across this Spring season, culminating with the chance to compete one more time among the best in Washington,” said Athletic Director Brian Wilde. “Our teams have accomplished amazing things this school year. We’re excited to see what the 2023-24 school year brings for our student athletes, and we’re sure that the class of 2023 senior athletes will continue to make us proud as they move forward to their next steps following graduation.”

Kelso High School is hosting the 6th Annual No Limits Track Meet for students with disabilities on June 2, 2023. This Lower Columbia event, previously held at Kalama High School, is designed to allow students to celebrate their individual skillsets and participate in a fun and exciting day.

Over 150 student athletes from 15 schools will be participating.

Events include: 

• Assisted running/walking
• Wheelchair and trike races
• Standing and running long jump
• Bowling ball push
• Tennis ball / frisbee / softball / javelin throws 

Participating schools:

• Kelso High School
• Coweeman Middle School
• Jemtagaard Middle School
• Washougal High School
• Hockinson 
• Ridgefield High School
• View Ridge Middle School
• Sunset Intermediate
• Wahkiakum High School
• Kalama High School
• Toledo High School
• RA Long High School
• Woodland Partners in Transition
• Woodland High School
• Woodland Middle School

As part of the experience, each student will receive a participant shirt, ribbons for each of their events, lunch, and shaved ice.

No Limits Track Meet
Friday, June 2, 2023
Kelso High School
9:30 AM – 1:00 PM 

Media invited to attend. Call Michele Nerland for information.

Kelso School District’s mission is to prepare every student for living, learning, and achieving success as a citizen of our changing world. Our goal is to have 100% of students graduating high school and having post-secondary plans for college, career, trades, or military. 

Modernization of Rose Valley Elementary begins this month. Originally built in 1939, then renovated in 1984, this charming country school will receive a major modernization, thanks to the voter-approved 2018 bond. Prior to construction, Rose Valley is hosting an Open House so the community can visit the school and reminisce about their time there.

The Open House is Wednesday, May 31, and Thursday, June 1, at Rose Valley from 5:00 to 7:00 PM. The community is invited to attend.

In addition to two new classrooms, a new office/entry, and new covered play area, the school will also receive upgraded security and phone system, new windows, electrical system, boiler and heaters, and upgraded kitchen, restrooms and water/sewage systems, and more. While construction continues through this summer and the 2023/24 school year, students will temporarily attend school at Catlin.

This modernization means great things for the students, staff, and families of Rose Valley; and we are excited and grateful for it to begin. 

PHOTO OP: K-5 elementary students tour police squad cars, fire trucks, ambulances and learn how to fingerprint

In effort to bolster career awareness at the elementary level, Kelso High School is partnering with first responders in Cowlitz County to help Barnes Elementary students learn about careers in emergency services through hands-on activities.

Kelso High Fire Science, Health Science, and Police Science students will facilitate the following activities and tours in conjunction with local first responders:

• Police squad car tours
• Fire engine tours
• Ambulance tours
• Finger printing station
• ID bracelet station
• Obstacle course
• K9 unit on site

Emergency Services Career Awareness
Wednesday, May 31, 2023
Barnes Elementary School
9:00 AM – 1:00 PM 

PARTICIPATING AGENCIES

• Kelso Police Department
• Cowlitz 2 Fire and Rescue

Media invited to attend. Call Michele Nerland for information.

Kelso School District has a goal of 100% of students graduating high school and having post-secondary plans for college, career, trades, or military. Our mission is to prepare every student for living, learning, and achieving success as a citizen of our changing world.

Wednesday, May 31, 2023-Woodland, WA-Woodland Public Schools’ elementary students took part in hands-on science experiments at the Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge and explored the Columbia River by canoe thanks to a grant from the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership (LCEP).

Heidi Kleser, a third grade teacher at North Fork Elementary School, secured the grant for both North Fork and Columbia Elementary School students through her long partnership with the LCEP. “I have been collaborating with the LCEP for 15 years,” she said. “Field trips offer students ways to learn that typical classrooms do not, allowing them to build background with direct hands-on experiences many will remember for their lifetimes.”

Field trips serve as a powerful tool for students to build a solid foundation of knowledge and experiences. Unlike classroom-based learning, these trips allow students to immerse themselves in real-world environments, enabling them to develop a deeper understanding of various subjects. “Students need to have field experiences so they can breathe in the environment, work with others, and feed their curiosity for science,” said Kleser. “Not only did my students love the field trip to the Burnt Bridge Creek Greenway, so did our parent chaperones!”

Effective field trips are carefully planned to align with the curriculum, reinforcing and extending classroom learning. The trip to the Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge was designed to complement the Next Generation Science Standards, with a focus on studying ecosystems. “By combining scientific concepts with practical experiences in nature, students gain a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter,” said Kleser. “Field trips provide opportunities for interdisciplinary learning, connecting different subjects and fostering a holistic educational experience.”

During their time in the field at Burnt Bridge Creek, students studied macroinvertebrates and planted trees. While eating lunch, the class witnessed a bald eagle soaring overhead. “One of our volunteers played an eagle call using her cell phone, and less than 30 seconds later, the eagle appeared,” explained Kleser. “The students raved about the experience when they returned to school and many parents mentioned how impressed they were by the format and overall experience for the trip.” While exploring the Columbia River, students paddled the Lake River in replica Native American canoes, identifying birds and their calls as well as other critters living along the riverbank. “This experience directly tied in with the Next Generation Science Standards emphasizing ecosystems,” said Kleser.

Kleser discovered she wanted to be a teacher after exploring a myriad of interests growing up, “I had so many interests that it was hard to narrow down what I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted a career where I could embrace those interests and work with kids,” she said. “Since science had such an impact on my core, I wanted to work with younger kids to enable access to science and exploration, and now I’ve been working with elementary students, my passion, for nearly 20 years; I love what I do and I love the Woodland community.”

Learn more about the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership:
The funding for the Estuary Partnership’s Explore Local project is awarded from the inaugural year of the Outdoor Learning Grant program, administered through the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) and the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). 

All participating 3rd graders are receiving 9-10 hours of science learning, six of which are through participation in field trips to Burnt Bridge Creek and Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge. All participating 4th and 5th graders are receiving 14-16 hours of hands-on, outdoor science learning – including three field trips throughout the school year and five on-campus lessons. 

Learn more about LCEP from their website: www.estuarypartnership.org.  

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 
 

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INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF PORTLAND TEACHER PUBLISHES SPANISH TRANSLATION OF SEMINAL INQUIRY-BASED EDUCATION BOOK

The Spear Center for Excellence in Teaching will host the release party for Kimberly Mitchell’s Experience Inquiry, translated for the first time and available to Spanish-speaking educators around the world

PORTLAND, OR, May 31: Paola Gagliardo, a longtime elementary school teacher at the International School of Portland, has authored a Spanish translation of Kimberly Mitchell’s Experience Inquiry. Inquiry-based education is a quickly-growing learning and teaching method that inspires students by helping them take an active, critical, and investigative role in their own learning. Experience Inquiry is widely considered to be an essential resource for educators looking to bring inquiry-based teaching into the classroom. Gagliardo’s Spanish translation, La ede la indigación, will allow Spanish-speaking educators around the world to better understand and incorporate inquiry-based teaching methods into their classrooms.

La experienca de la indagación was a collaborative work between Gagliardo and Mitchell. The two educators connected via a virtual Inquiry conference hosted by the International School of Portland’s Deloris A. Spear Center for Excellence in Teaching in 2021. 

“It was clear from my interactions with Paola that she had a deep grasp of inquiry-based methodology and a true dedication to educating her students,” says Kimberly Mitchell. “Paola, a native-Ecuadorean and language immersion teacher, asked if Experience Inquiry was available in Spanish. When I told her ‘Not yet,’ she replied, ‘Well, then I'll do it!’ And she did!”

“Four years ago, I came across Kimberly Mitchell’s book Experience Inquiry,” says Gagliardo. “I’ve been able to put hose tools into practice into my own classrooms and see significant growth and depth of my student’s learning. Translating this important book into Spanish has been a unique and fulfilling experience. I hope that this work contributes to a better future for Ecuadorian teachers and learners, as well those from across the Spanish-speaking world.”

Since completing the La experienca de la indagación, Paola has traveled to her home country of Ecuador to educate teachers about inquiry-based education and its methods. She has already worked with educators from over twenty schools who are dedicated to their professional development and to teaching the next generations of learners.

A book launch reception featuring both Kimberly Mitchell and Paola Gagliardo will be hosted on Thursday, June 8 by the Spear Center for Excellence in Teaching. 5:30-7pm. International School of Portland, Learners’ Hall, 75 S Caruthers Street, Portland OR. Light refreshments and appetizers will be served.

About Kimberly Mitchell

Kimberly is one of the most sought-after international speakers on inquiry-based teaching methods. Over her 30 years in education, she has inspired thousands of students, teachers, philanthropists, and education leaders across the globe with her accessible style and creative approaches to adult learning.

Recently, Kimberly has expanded into College Coaching and takes on a limited number of clients each year. She holds a BA in History and Philosophy from Skidmore College and an MA in Administration and Policy Analysis from Stanford University and is an associate member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association.

About Paola Gagliardo

Paola’s passion is to ignite curiosity in students through inquiry, language, and culture and has taught across all grades from kindergarten to high school. She currently teaches at the International School of Portland, a language immersion school in Portland, Oregon. In 2004, she co-founded one of the first language immersion schools in the region: The Language Academy. Paola also taught Spanish as a Second Language in several Catholic and private schools. In 2022, Paola translated Kimberly’s book Experience Inquiry into Spanish so that Spanish speaking teachers could have an easy-to-read manual and practical tools to bring inquiry into their classrooms. Last year, she presented “The Inquiry Five Strategies,” at the IB World Conference in San Diego and at the Crafting Inquiry Conference through the Spear Center in Portland, Oregon.

Paola was born and raised in Quito, Ecuador and graduated in 2000 with a B.S. in Chemical and Industrial Engineering and a Minor in Psychology from Universidad San Francisco de Quito. Paola completed her Masters in Neuropsychology and Education in 2020.

About Deloris A. Spear Center for Excellence in Teaching

The Deloris A. Spear Center for Excellence in Teaching aims to serve as the hub for educational innovation and professional learning in the Pacific Northwest. Located within the International School of Portland’s campus in beautiful downtown Portland, Oregon, the Spear Center hosts workshops and conferences with world-renowned educators to support not only its own school faculty but those from the Portland area and beyond. The Spear Center provides opportunities for educators around the world to come together and share best practices in multicultural teaching, as well as to develop a network of highly skilled professionals who are invested in international education. spearcenter.intlschool.org

BEND, OR — The High Desert Museum will unveil a diverse collection of traditional and contemporary art on Saturday, July 8 in its annual Art in the West exhibition and silent auction. This year’s juried exhibition will feature over 90 works of art by dozens of acclaimed artists from across the country. 

Art in the West shares a variety of works inspired by the High Desert. The exhibit features sculptures, paintings and photography expressing responses to the landscapes, history, cultures and wildlife of the High Desert in mediums ranging from oil to acrylic, pastel to charcoal.

“The diversity of artwork, from subject matter to medium, continues to grow and impress visitors,” said Museum Executive Director Dana Whitelaw, Ph.D. “These artistic interpretations of the West reveal something new and expand our appreciation of this special region.”

The 2023 Art in the West Jury’s Choice Award winter is Barbara Van Cleve. The acclaimed Montana-based photographer documents the beauty of the West through rich black-and-white photography. Van Cleve’s award-winning image, Moving On, a 16” x 20” archival pigment print, is one of several pieces the artist has in this year’s exhibition. Van Cleve has had over 100 one-person exhibitions and participated in 180 group exhibitions.

The 2023 Art in the West Curator’s Choice Award goes to an artist new to the show, Taylor Manoles, for the 38” x 38” oil painting Painted Hills. Manoles lives in Bend, Oregon shows her work across the Pacific Northwest, as well as on various online platforms. In 2022, her painting Sparks Lake Sunrise was chosen for the cover of Southwest Art Magazine.

As the exhibition grows, we are excited to welcome artists new to the show, this year including Indigenous artist and storyteller Monte Yellow Bird, Sr. (Arikara and Hidatsa of the Three Affiliated Tribes) and Russian sculptor Anton Yakushev. 

Silent bidding will be available online, with the opportunity to purchase artwork outright. The bidding will launch July 8 and continue through the exhibition’s closing on Friday, September 22. Opening bids for the art range from $225 to $8,500.

Proceeds from the Art in the West auction help support the Museum’s exhibitions and programs, bringing science, art and history education to lifelong learners throughout the region. 

A link to the gallery guide of the exhibition’s artwork will be available on the Museum’s website starting Saturday, July 8 at highdesertmuseum.org/aiw. The auction is exclusively online, and shipping is available. 

The bidding concludes and the exhibition closes on Friday, September 22 at the Art in the West Closing Party at the High Desert Museum. Attendees will mingle with participating artists, watch live demonstrations and enjoy live music, food and libations. The event begins at 6:00 pm and the auction closes at 7:00 pm. Register at highdesertmuseum.org/aiw-closing-party. 

Art in the West is made possible by American Art Collector and Western Art Collector magazines with support from Chubb, High Desert Frameworks and Tetherow.

ABOUT THE MUSEUM:

THE HIGH DESERT MUSEUM opened in Bend, Oregon in 1982. It brings together wildlife, cultures, art, history and the natural world to convey the wonder of North America’s High Desert. The Museum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, is a Smithsonian Affiliate, was the 2019 recipient of the Western Museums Association’s Charles Redd Award for Exhibition Excellence and was a 2021 recipient of the National Medal for Museum and Library Service. To learn more, visit highdesertmuseum.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

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Vancouver, Wash. – Clark County Historical Museum invites the public to join CCHM collections manager, Liza Schade, as she presents “Behind the Scenes: CCHM Collections Show & Tell” for July’s CCHM Speaker Series. The event will occur on Thursday, July 6, 2023 in person at the Clark County Historical Museum (1511 Main Street, Vancouver, WA 98660). Doors open at 6 p.m. and the event begins at 7 p.m. 

For nearly 60 years the Clark County Historical Museum has been encouraging an understanding of how local history shapes the character of Clark County and strengthens our sense of place. As the County’s memory keepers, CCHM has collected and preserved over 60,000 items of local historical significance during this time. Our collection of artifacts, images, archival materials, and oral histories includes a variety of objects, although only a portion are on view at the museum. 

In this presentation, learn more about how CCHM cares for our collection through preservation and public access; see some of the interesting and newest pieces we have collected; and find out how we use these treasures to inform people about the region’s heritage and its importance in their daily lives.

Liza Schade joined CCHM as Collections Manager at CCHM in October 2021. She holds a Masters in Public History from Portland State University (2021) and served as the President of Phi Alpha Theta Honor Society her senior year. Graduate work focused on collections management, as well as reinterpretation and increased public access to heritage homes and sites. She also holds a Bachelor’s in History from Portland State (2014) and spent several years as a collections manager in the Willamette Valley.

The CCHM Speaker Series is presented by the Clark County Historic Preservation Commission. This month's speaker is sponsored by Umpqua Bank and Archaeological Services, LLC. General admission is $5; seniors and students are $4; children under 18 are $3; and the evening is free for CCHM members, veterans, and active-duty military personnel. 

For more information, contact the museum at 360-993-5679 or outreach@cchmuseum.org. 

About Clark County Historical Society and Museum

The Clark County Historical Society and Museum is committed to responsible collections stewardship, innovative collaboration and inspiring exhibitions and programs that engage the community in an exploration of Clark County’s past, present and future. Our purpose is to share an understanding of the past that will help to build a better future for generations to come.

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Vancouver, WA, May 30, 2023- Harper's Playground, a leading non-profit organization dedicated to creating inclusive playgrounds, is thrilled to announce early bird pricing for its highly anticipated annual How-To Workshop. The workshop, scheduled to take place on October 23rd and 24th at various parks around Portland, OR,  will bring together city leaders, design agencies interested in inclusive design, and nonprofit organizations dedicated to fostering a more inclusive and playful world.

The Harper's Playground How-To Workshop is a unique opportunity for attendees to gain invaluable insights into the principles and practices of inclusive playground design. Participants will have the chance to engage in interactive sessions led by inclusive design experts Cody Goldberg and landscape architect Caroline Templeton, exploring the importance of creating environments that promote play for people of all abilities. From urban planners and architects to educators and community advocates, this workshop is designed to empower individuals and organizations to make a meaningful impact in their communities.

To encourage early registration and facilitate greater participation, Harper's Playground is offering exclusive early bird pricing until June 30th. By taking advantage of this limited-time offer, attendees can secure their spots at a discounted rate of $599 and ensure their place at the forefront of the inclusive design movement. 

For more information about the Harper's Playground How-To Workshop and to secure your early bird registration, please visit www.harpersplaygroundhowtoworkshop.org. Don't miss this incredible opportunity to connect, learn, and contribute to a world where everyone can experience the joy of play.

About Harper's Playground: Harper’s Playground is a 501(c)3 nonprofit based in Portland, OR. Harper’s Playground inspires and empowers global communities to build radically inclusive playgrounds. Through storytelling, consulting, and unique design principles, we create playful nature-scapes where people of all ages and abilities find belonging and social connection through play. Outdoor, nature based, social play, which is uniquely critical to childhood development, is glaringly limited in communities across the country. Children from underserved and under-represented populations are at a particular disadvantage. While neighborhood playgrounds should offer a landscape of opportunity, near ubiquitous design flaws mean that these spaces do considerable harm. This is particularly devastating for families experiencing economic disparity with limited resources for supplemental play activities, which disproportionately includes communities of color and those experiencing disability.

Harper’s Playground exists to respond to these challenges by creating a design solution at the intersection of play, inclusion and nature. The ethos of Harper’s Playground centers on radical inclusion. We create playscapes where ALL are invited and welcomed to participate in and benefit from the full power of vibrant, natural, outdoor play.

Oaks Amusement Park in SE Portland is one of the oldest continually operating amusement parks in America and one of the country's last trolley parks still in existence.  For 118 years we've been bringing family and friends together and providing fun memories for our community.  That deserves a celebration!

This Sunday, June 4, 2023, we are hosting our 118th birthday party from 12-7 PM. Buy ride bracelets online using coupon code OAKSPARK118 for 20% off Ride Bracelets, plus enjoy free birthday cake and balloons on the midway at 2 PM (while supplies last), and the Navy Band Northwest, currently on their west coast tour, will be making a stop in Portland for a free performance on the midway at 4 PM.

The coupon code is only valid for online purchases; no onsite discount. Offer valid for 48" and Taller Bracelets only.  

Lake Oswego, Ore. – May 31, 2023 – Despite the financial havoc wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic, including sharply rising costs and stagnant revenue, Oregon hospitals’ total community benefit spending grew by $225 million in 2021 to $1.97 billion, a 12.9% increase over 2020 and the largest percentage increase since 2016.

The fiscal year 2021 community benefit data, recently released by Apprise Health Insights, shows that this growth in community investments continues a trend. Since 2016, hospitals have increased spending by more than 48%, providing care for which they are not reimbursed and supporting their communities to improve health and well-being.

“We are proud of the many ways in which Oregon’s hospitals support the health and well-being of their communities,” said Becky Hultberg, OAHHS president and CEO. “Community benefit is just one way that hospitals make a difference in people’s lives, and it is help that is needed now more than ever.”

Other key findings include:

• Oregon’s hospitals are dedicated to improving the health and well-being of the communities they serve. In 2021, they spent $426 million on programs to address the root causes of poverty and homelessness, prevent child abuse and support parents, promote healthy eating and physical activity, among others.

• In recent years charity care has been growing steadily despite Oregon having one of the highest percentages of residents with health insurance coverage at 95%. In 2021, hospitals provided $292 million in charity care, a 4.7% increase over 2020.

• In 2021, hospitals’ unreimbursed Medicaid costs--nearly $1 billion--made up 51% of their total community benefit spending. The state’s insurance program, the Oregon Health Plan, does not cover the full cost of caring for patients.

The report is attached. 

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About OAHHS

Founded in 1934, the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems (OAHHS) is a mission-driven, nonprofit trade association representing Oregon’s 62 hospitals. Together, hospitals are the sixth largest private employer statewide, employing more than 70,000 employees. Committed to fostering a stronger, safer Oregon with equitable access to quality health care, OAHHS provides services to Oregon’s hospitals ensuring all are able to deliver dependable, comprehensive health care to their communities; educates government officials and the public on the state’s health landscape and works collaboratively with policymakers, community based organizations and the health care community to build consensus on and advance health care policy benefiting the state’s 4 million residents.

Project Turnkey 2.0 Grants Additional $8M and First Tribal Award, Bringing Total Properties to 8

Adapting to Community Needs, Project Turnkey Converts Existing Properties into Shelter, and Transitional Housing

Portland, Ore. – May 30, 2023 – Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) and Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) announced today four additional awards for Project Turnkey 2.0, the second iteration of the state-funded grant program administered by OCF which aims to increase the state’s supply of emergency and transitional housing.  One of the grantees, Klamath Tribes, is focused on providing culturally specific services to vulnerable populations.  Additional grantees, Housing Authority of Malheur and Harney Counties, Alternative Youth Activities, and Oasis Advocacy and Shelter will also create shelter and transitional housing as well as provide supportive services for their specific communities. 

In Southern Oregon the Klamath Tribes received a grant of $2,318,532 to acquire and renovate the Melita’s Hotel and RV Park in Chiloquin.  The property will be used immediately to provide housing for tribal elders and the old restaurant will be converted into a community gathering space, soup kitchen, and space for on-site services. 

“Purchasing the former Melita’s Motel property is only the beginning of a much larger effort by the Klamath Tribes to ensure all of our members have warm, dry places to sleep,” said Clayton Dumont, Klamath Tribes Chairman.  “American Indians continue to suffer the highest poverty rates among all Americans. One in four of us live below the federal poverty rate, and we know that the chance to fall into those ranks increases as we grow older. In our Klamath, Modoc, Yahooskin cultures, elders are our most important teachers. They are how we know who we are. Thus, tribal elders who are without or in danger of being without shelter will be our priority for this newly acquired tribal property. mo sepk’eec’a (Much thanks) to Oregon Community Foundation for being such good partners through the acquisition process.” 

In the long-term the Klamath Tribes envision developing the RV sites into more transitional housing creating a continuum of housing options in the area.  In rural Klamath County with limited availability of supportive services, the Klamath Tribes can provide a true housing first approach for people experiencing houselessness by offering a wide range of services including elder services, medical services, financial relief, food distribution, basic needs vouchers, financial counseling, and employment referrals.  In addition, the Klamath Tribes can provide services specifically related to tribal culture such as healing circles and sweat lodges and bring a deep understanding of the underlying and historical issues that have created the ongoing effects of generational trauma to all their services.  This grant marks the first Project Turnkey award to one of the nine federally recognized tribes in Oregon.

On the eastern edge of the state, the Housing Authority of Malheur and Harney Counties (HAMHC) is also poised to increase transitional housing opportunities for rural residents.  HAMHC received a grant of $4,060,000 to acquire and renovate a 17-unit apartment building in Ontario into transitional housing for people experiencing houselessness with a focus on people who are chronically homeless, elderly individuals, households with children, and people with disabilities.

“Malheur County will finally have its first ever year-round shelter,” said Kristy Rodriguez, Executive Director of HAMHC.  “This has been a long-time goal for many service providers in our area to watch our most vulnerable populations thrive and succeed to stabilization. Malheur Turnkey will also assist us to furthering our equity lens and fulfilling our mission. We are beyond grateful for the assistance that Oregon Community Foundation has granted to us, and our local city officials that understand the mission, and are on board to assist.” 

With the property located near key amenities such as the Housing Authority itself and Oregon Human Development Corp, a community organization that provides support services for farmworkers, HAMHC will partner with Community in Action, the local Community Action Agency to provide case management and coordinate additional supportive services such as individual planning, budgeting, housing stabilization, behavioral and physical health services, peer supports, and conflict resolution and mediation.

In Curry County Oasis Advocacy and Shelter (Oasis) sought a smaller shelter option.  Oasis received a grant of $647,400 to acquire and renovate a multi-bedroom house into emergency shelter for survivors of domestic violence and medically fragile individuals.   

Oasis will partner with Brookings CORE Response (BCR), an organization that provides street response and support for people experiencing houselessness.  Together, Oasis and BCR will provide case management, counseling, safety planning, advocacy services, resiliency training, and connection with other local resources including medical care, food shares, and culturally specific services. 

“Oasis Advocacy and Shelter is very excited about partnering with Brookings CORE Response to bring a comprehensive wrap-around program to Curry County,” said Mary Pat McAlevy, Executive Director of Oasis.  “We believe this is the step in the right direction for our county as we expand our programs and support for populations we both serve.”

In nearby Coos County, another responsive project is underway under the leadership of Alternative Youth Activities (AYA), an organization that provides a holistic approach to serving at-risk and in-need youth.  AYA received a grant of $1,033,000 to acquire and renovate a wing of the Old Charleston School in Coos Bay into 9 units of shelter and temporary housing for youth and families. 

"This funding will open additional doors to provide affordable, stable housing to south coast youth and families. We can't thank Project Turnkey enough,” said Scott Cooper, AYA Executive Director. “These additional units will provide youth with a stepping stone between emergency shelter and longer-term housing as they move toward independence.”  

With referrals from a variety of community partners, including local school districts as well as other local service providers, this additional housing will provide the community with much needed options for youth.  In addition to their GED and workforce training programs, AYA will provide youth with case management, housing navigation, and access to other resources such as food, benefits, and culturally specific services. 

“Project Turnkey has always been about responding to community needs,” said Megan Loeb, Senior Program Officer, Economic Vitality and Housing, Oregon Community Foundation.   “The increased flexibility in this round—including property types beyond hotels and motels and a deliberate timeline—has allowed a variety of organizations to put state funding to good use and add to the local shelter capacity in a way that fits each of their communities.” 

“These new transitional homes are a manifestation of what is possible when all of us come together in service to our communities,” said Delia Hernández, Public Information Officer, Oregon Housing & Community Services. “We are most effective when everyone is being served and has their basic needs met. Sustainable progress is possible when all partners are working together with us toward the same goals and outcomes.”

Project Turnkey 2.0 aims to stand up approximately 10-12 properties as emergency shelter and transitional housing across the state.  Properties will be owned and operated by local nonprofit organizations and entities (such as cities, counties, or tribes) that will provide safe housing as well as critical support, including access to medical and social services, computers, laundry facilities, meals and more. Additional Project Turnkey 2.0 sites are expected to be announced in June 2023. 

About The Klamath Tribes

The Klamath Tribes primary mission is to “protect, preserve and enhance the spiritual, cultural and physical values and resources of the Klamath, Modoc and Yahooskin Peoples by maintaining the customs of our ancestors.”  The heart of Tribal life is centered in the area of Chiloquin, Oregon and includes 12 Departments, Health Clinic, Childcare Center, Tribal Court, goos oLgi gowa Center, Research Station, and three tribal enterprises.  The Klamath Tribes’ 12 departments facilitate service delivery to multiple aspects of tribal life, including health and fitness, education, economic development, social services, cultural preservation, natural resource protection and more.  To learn more, visit https://klamathtribes.org/. 

 

About Housing Authority of Malheur and Harney Counties

The mission of the Housing Authority of Malheur & Harney Counties is to address the need for available, safe, decent, sanitary and affordable housing for extremely low and low-income residents of Malheur and Harney Counties.  To learn more, visit http://hamhc.org/.

About Community in Action 

Community in Action exists to empower low and moderate-income individuals and families of Harney and Malheur Counties.  We provide education and counseling, skills development, and access to community resources that help create self-sufficiency.  To learn more, visit https://communityinaction.info/. 

 

About Oasis Advocacy and Shelter

Headquartered in Gold Beach, Oregon, Oasis Advocacy and Shelter (Oasis) is a domestic violence/sexual assault-specialty nonprofit organization with a 30+ year record of direct supportive services for survivors in Curry County.  Oasis currently offers emergency shelter, court support, and advocacy services for survivors in general or navigating the Department of Human Services system, our Survivor Resiliency Program and the Trafficking Victims Assistance Program for undocumented immigrant survivors of labor, debt bondage, or sex trafficking.  To learn more, visit https://oasisadvocacyandshelter.org/.

About Alternative Youth Activities

AYA provides a holistic approach to in-need youth by connecting them to education, career services, social supports, and housing.  AYA is a private, non-profit, accredited, educational organization serving youth who have not been successful in the public schools through education and support services including but not limited to housing needs, nutritional support, physical and mental healthcare, harm reduction and crisis interventions.  To learn more, visit https://www.aya1.org/.

About Project Turnkey 2.0 (2022-2023) 

Based on the success of the Project Turnkey 1.0, and in the face on ongoing need for emergency shelter, on March 4, 2022, the Oregon Legislature allocated $50 million in new funding for more emergency shelters around the state for Project Turnkey 2.0.  

To learn more: Oregon Community Foundation and Oregon Housing and Community Services Poised to Launch Project Turnkey 2.0 with $50M in State Funding.  

OCF and OHCS Roles 

Oregon Community Foundation serves as the grantor and fiduciary, administering state-funded Project Turnkey 2.0 grants with guidance from a diverse statewide Advisory Committee. OCF offers support for Oregon’s housing needs along a continuum — from shelter to supportive housing to affordable housing to equitable home ownership — through a variety of tools, including research, grants, advocacy, and low-interest loans. OCF’s administration of Project Turnkey 2.0 is one example of the innovative, collaborative approaches launched to help more Oregonians find stable, affordable housing. 

Oregon Housing and Community Services provides advice and support for OCF as the State’s Housing Finance Agency. Additionally, OHCS has received resources to administer funds to the recipients of Project Turnkey 2.0 grants. This includes ongoing monitoring and oversight of these funds and the projects they support. 

Background 

In 2020 the Oregon Legislature allocated a total of $65 million for Project Turnkey (1.0), for the purpose of acquiring motels/hotels for use as safe shelter for people experiencing homelessness, at-risk of homelessness or displaced by wildfires. In less than seven months, Project Turnkey 1.0 created 19 new shelters in 13 counties, leading to a 20% increase in the state supply of shelter beds. Each property is locally owned and operated by a local nonprofit organization or entity (such as city or county).  

To learn more, please visit: https://oregoncf.org/assets/PDFs-and-Docs/PDFs/project-turnkey-report.pdf  

About Oregon Housing and Community Services 

Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) provides resources for Oregonians to reduce poverty and increase access to stable housing. OHCS focuses on both housing and community services to serve Oregonians holistically across the housing continuum, including preventing and ending homelessness, assisting with utilities, providing housing stability support, financing multifamily affordable housing and encouraging homeownership. To learn more, please visit: oregon.gov/ohcs. 

About Oregon Community Foundation 

Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) was founded in 1973 with a big mission: to improve the lives of all Oregonians through the power of philanthropy. In partnership with donors and volunteers, OCF works to strengthen communities in every county in Oregon through research, grantmaking and scholarships. In 2022, OCF distributed more than $180 million, supporting 3,500 grantees and awarding more than 3,000 scholarships. With OCF, individuals, families, businesses, and organizations create charitable funds that meet the needs of diverse communities statewide. 

2023 marks OCF’s 50th anniversary. Since its founding, OCF has distributed more than $2.2 billion in community investments, including grants to 10,850 nonprofits and 53,375 scholarships to students. Individuals, families, businesses and organizations can work with OCF to create charitable funds to support causes important to them. To learn more, please visit: oregoncf.org. 

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Portland, OR — May 31, 2023 — Bob Hope elicited laughs across all media: through radio waves, on the stage, and on the screen, in both television and film. But none of them mattered more than the humor he injected into American camps across the globe during World War II as the Allies struggled to save the world for democracy. 

Using multimedia elements and captivating storytelling — including objects, films, rare photographs, and an interactive display — So Ready for Laughter: The Legacy of Bob Hope highlights how Hope helped lift the human spirit during one of the darkest times in American history. This national touring exhibition is on loan from The National WWII Museum and is on display at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland, Oregon, now through August 18, 2023.

Bob Hope came to the United States as an immigrant with his family in the early 1920s, initially working as a newsboy, butcher’s assistant, shoe salesman, and amateur boxer. Hope went on to eventually shape his art on the vaudeville stage, and by the start of World War II, he was just emerging as one of America’s most popular radio and film stars. When the nation went to war in 1941, Hollywood recognized the need for contributions and responded by entertaining troops, raising funds, and boosting morale. Hope’s work quickly took on new meaning when he took his wartime programs on the road to military camps and bases across the country, inspiring other entertainers to join him.

Exploring Hope’s major tours and travels during World War II, So Ready for Laughter features nearly fifty objects and also includes an original 11-minute documentary produced by award-winning filmmaker John Scheinfeld. Highlights include rare and unpublished photographs of Hope, wartime correspondence between Hope and servicemembers, WWII-era objects engraved to Hope, videos of his traveling wartime troupe, and Hollywood Victory Caravan programs and scrapbooks. Supported by national tour exhibit sponsor the Bob & Dolores Hope Foundation, So Ready for Laughter: The Legacy of Bob Hope tells the story of the entertainer’s unique place in World War II history and beyond.

The Oregon Historical Society’s museum is open seven days a week, Monday–Saturday 10am–5pm and Sunday 12pm–5pm. Admission is $10, with discounts for students, seniors, teachers, and youth. Admission is free every day for OHS members and Multnomah County residents. Learn more and plan your visit at ohs.org/visit.

About the Oregon Historical Society

For more than a century, the Oregon Historical Society has served as the state’s collective memory, preserving a vast collection of objects, photographs, maps, manuscript materials, books, films, and oral histories. Our research library, museum, digital platforms, educational programming, and historical journal make Oregon’s history open and accessible to all. We exist because history is powerful, and because a history as deep and rich as Oregon’s cannot be contained within a single story or point of view. 

About the Bob & Dolores Hope Foundation

The Bob Hope Legacy honors and preserves the “Spirit of Bob Hope,” underscoring his career as a world class entertainer, comedian, patriot, and humanitarian. The broader Bob & Dolores Hope Foundation, which supports the Bob Hope Legacy, was established to provide for and assure the continuation of the philanthropic ideals of Bob and Dolores Hope.

About The National WWII Museum

The National WWII Museum tells the story of the American experience in the war that changed the world — why it was fought, how it was won, and what it means today — so that future generations will know the price of freedom and be inspired by what they learn. Dedicated in 2000 as The National D-Day Museum and now designated by Congress as America’s National WWII Museum, it celebrates the American spirit, the teamwork, optimism, courage and sacrifices of the men and women who fought on the battlefront and served on the Home Front.

Nearly 1,000 nurses will walk if a deal isn’t reached during negotiations next week 

(Bend, Ore.) - On June 1, 2023, nurses at St. Charles Medical Center in Bend, represented by the Oregon Nurses Association, delivered a 10-day notice of their intent to strike to hospital management. The notice informed management that the nearly 1,000 nurses at the facility intend to begin their strike on June 12, 2023, at 7:00 a.m. 

Erin Harrington, RN, Chair of the St. Charles Medical Center Bend Bargaining Unit Executive Committee, said during a press conference this morning, “We have provided a 10-day notice to give enough time for the hospital to transfer patients and make decisions about what services they will continue to provide. It is important for you to know that St. Charles has a duty to provide adequate care to this community, and because they need to meet that need, St. Charles should seek to settle this contract as soon as possible.” 

Nurses and management have been engaged in contract negotiations for months and nurses are clear that hospital management has not responded to their concerns with serious proposals. “We asked St. Charles to put safe staffing standards to protect patients and support quality care into our contract. They said no,” said Heather Bristol, RN. “We asked St. Charles to help the nurses who provide health care get more affordable health insurance. They said no. We asked St. Charles to give us assurances that, if St. Charles sells the hospital to some other health system, we could keep our jobs. They said no. We asked for reasonable, competitive pay – pay that will enable nurses to afford to live in this community while caring for the members of this community, and a salary that will help recruit nurses to the hospital. They said no.” 

Nurses and management have two additional negotiating sessions scheduled for June 6 and 7 which will include a federal mediator. “It is important for everyone to know that we are engaged in every effort to reach a fair agreement,” said Harrington. “And that includes having a federal mediator attend upcoming negotiations on June 6 and 7. Nurses have bargained in good faith, and we need St. Charles to do the same in the hope of getting a fair contract before June 12 at 7:00 a.m.” 

Jonathon Baker, President of the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, a union that represents nearly 6,000 RNs and healthcare professionals in Oregon and Southwest Washington at healthcare systems like Kaiser, PeaceHealth, and at St. Charles, also attended the press conference and offered the support of his union. “The RNs represented by ONA are the ones that actually do the patient care, not the high-paid executives who are refusing to agree to a fair contract,” Baker said. “Along with the techs we represent, the RNs are who is keeping Central Oregon healthy day in and day out. We, together, are who carried this community through the pandemic, who come into work each morning prepared to do what it takes to save lives.” 

Also in attendance at the press conference was Oregon State Representative Jason Kropf, who called upon St. Charles to return to the bargaining table prepared to reach a fair contract. “To be clear, the status quo is unacceptable. Federal unfair labor practice act complaints, state staffing law complaints, and OSHA violations all underscore that St. Charles must do better,” said Kropf. “I am urging St. Charles executives to reach a fair contract that empowers our nurses to safely and effectively return to work. Our community deserves quality healthcare, and our nurses deserve the support to provide it.” 

Nurses continue to engage in outreach to the greater Central Oregon region to educate the community about the many issues they face. Community members can visit www.RespectOurNurses.com to learn more about ongoing negotiations, sign a community petition in support of the nurses, and get information about the impact of a potential strike. 

The Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) is the state’s largest and most influential nursing organization. We are a professional association and labor union which represents more than 16,000 nurses and allied health workers throughout the state, including nearly 1,000 frontline nurses at St. Charles Medical Center in Bend. ONA also represents nurses at other St. Charles facilities in Redmond and Prineville. ONA’s mission is to advocate for nursing, quality health care and healthy communities. For more information visit: www.OregonRN.org. 

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EMBARGOED UNTIL JUNE 2, 2023, 9:00 a.m. 

WHAT: Nurse leaders represented by the Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) at St. Charles Medical Center in Bend will be joined by union leaders and elected officials to discuss the nurses’ issuance of a 10-day notice to strike. Following prepared remarks, speakers will be available for questions from the press. The 10-day strike notice was delivered by hand to St. Charles administrators on June 1 at approximately 4:30 p.m. and communicates the nurses’ intention to strike beginning at 7:00 a.m. on June 12, 2023. Following an overwhelming vote to authorize a strike that closed on May 21, 2023, nurse leaders and management met for two days of bargaining on May 23 and 24, 2023 with no significant movement on behalf of St. Charles.  

WHEN: 9:00 a.m., Friday, June 2, 2023  

WHERE: The Campfire Hotel (721 NE 3^rd St, Bend, OR 97701) 

WHO: 

• Tamie Cline, RN, President of the Board, Oregon Nurses Association
• Erin Harrington, RN, Chair, St. Charles Medical Center Bend Bargaining Unit Executive Committee
• Heather Bristol, RN, Steward and PNCC member, St. Charles Medical Center
• Jonathon Baker, President, Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals
• State Representative Jason Kropf, District 54- Bend

WHY: Nurses are demanding St. Charles give nurses a fair contract that will recruit new nurses to the hospital, retain the highly skilled and valuable nurses who work at the hospital, and ensure high-quality of care for patients. St. Charles Medical Center has lost nearly 550 nurses due to unsafe working conditions and non-competitive rates of pay in just the past few years. Staffing violations, failure to provide legally required rest and meal breaks, payroll mismanagement and workplace safety concerns have plagued St. Charles for years, and management continues to stonewall the nurses on common sense contract fixes.   

The Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) is the state’s largest and most influential nursing organization. We are a professional association and labor union which represents more than 16,000 nurses and allied health workers throughout the state, including nearly 1,000 frontline nurses at St. Charles Medical Center in Bend. ONA also represents nurses at other St. Charles facilities in Redmond and Prineville. ONA’s mission is to advocate for nursing, quality health care and healthy communities. For more information visit: www.OregonRN.org. 

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Nurses represented by the Oregon Nurses Association have notified PeaceHealth management of their intent to hold informational pickets at two locations on June 7, 2023, from 3 to 6 p.m. 

WHAT: Hundreds of local nurses and their supporters will hold informational pickets at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Hospital at Riverbend in Springfield and at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center University District in Eugene on June 7, 2023, from 3-6 p.m. The nurses, who are represented by the Oregon Nurses Association (ONA), are raising awareness of ongoing staffing issues at the hospitals, failures to recruit and retain nursing staff by PeaceHealth management, and management’s attempts to divide nurses on key issues. 

WHEN: Wednesday, June 7, 2023, from 3-6 p.m. Nurse spokespeople will be available at both picket locations for media comment. The pickets will be held rain or shine.  

WHERE:  

• RIVERBEND LOCATION: In front of Riverbend Hospital (3333 Riverbend Avenue, Springfield, Oregon) at the intersection of Cardinal Way and MLK Jr. Pkwy.
• UNIVERSITY DISTRICT LOCATION: In front of University District Hospital (1200 Hilyard Avenue, Eugene, Oregon) at the intersection of E 13th Avenue and Hilyard Street.

WHO: Frontline nurses from PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Riverbend Hospital, PeaceHealth Sacred Heart University District Hospital and Sacred Heart Home Care Services.  
 
WHY: Nurses are demanding PeaceHealth adopt safe staffing standards as part of a fair contract agreement for nurses, ensure competitive pay to help recruit new nurses and retain those who are already employed, and cease divisive tactics that violate years of standard practice for nursing groups to bargain contracts jointly. 
 
The Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) is the state’s largest and most influential nursing organization. We are a professional association and labor union which represents more than 16,000 nurses and allied health workers throughout the state, including 1,500 frontline nurses at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center and Sacred Heart Home Care Services. ONA’s mission is to advocate for nursing, quality health care and healthy communities. For more information visit: www.OregonRN.org. 
 
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(Tualatin, Ore.) – After more than seven months of contentious negotiations and limited response from Providence management, 400 frontline nurses, occupational therapists (OTs), physical therapists (PTs), speech language pathologists, social workers, and bereavement counselors at Providence Home Health and Hospice are launching a strike authorization vote. The vote will open at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, May 30 and close at 5 p.m. on Sunday, June 4. By voting yes, clinicians are authorizing their union leaders to call a strike to win improvements at the bargaining table and to protest Providence’s repeated unfair labor practices (ULPs). 

Outstanding issues at the bargaining table include: 

• Reasonable workload and caseload standards to ensure clinicians have sufficient time to provide quality patient care. During the pandemic, Providence increased the workload requirements of clinicians by up to 70%, leaving them dangerously short on time to provide care to sicker and more isolated patients. 
• Increased paid leave (16-56 additional hours) since many clinicians drained their already below-market vacation accruals to cover repeated COVID exposures and quarantine periods. 
• Pay increases that will stem the constant turnover, including a transparent wage scale that places all clinicians at a fair market wage.  
• Benefit improvements that bring Providence's health benefits up to the market for Portland area healthcare workers. 

“We would expect that at this stage of negotiations, we would have more from Providence," said Sharon Barbosa, RN and bargaining unit chair at Providence Home Health and Hospice. “But they have yet to propose anything to increase paid leave banks or improve staffing standards. Right now, everything they have offered would exacerbate the recruitment and retention crisis and make it even harder for us to maintain quality patient care standards. We are taking this stand for our patients and our communities, both of whom rely on our care.”   

The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) guarantees workers’ rights to engage in concerted union activity. NLRA violations are called unfair labor practices (ULPs). ULP charges filed against the hospitals include: 

• Interfering with clinicians' right to representation in investigatory meetings by attempting to restrict the participation and speech of the union representative;  
• Attempting to interfere with a union election by refusing to implement regularly scheduled and already promised wage increases;  
• Discriminating against, interfering with, threatening, or attempting to intimidate clinicians because they participated in protected union activity; and  
• Unilateral changes to policies and practices that must be bargained. 

 ONA clinicians have volunteered their time to meet frequently with paid Providence managers since October 2022, advocating for basic patient and clinician safety improvements.  

If ONA-represented nurses, PTs, OTs, speech language pathologists, social workers, and bereavement counselors at Providence Home Health and Hospice vote to authorize a ULP strike, ONA leaders will determine next steps, including setting potential strike dates. If a strike is called, ONA will provide Providence with a 10-day notice to allow management adequate time to cease admitting new patients onto service with the agency and make alternative plans for current patients or to reach a fair agreement with clinicians and avert a work stoppage. The ONA bargaining team is scheduled to meet with Providence management on June 6. 

ONA-represented nurses at Providence Portland and Providence Seaside opened strike authorization votes last week. Like their counterparts at Providence Home Health and Hospice, they are fighting for market wages, adequate PTO, improved health benefits, and improved staffing so they have time to provide quality patient care. Their vote closes on Sunday, June 4. 

The Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) is the state’s largest and most influential nursing organization. We are a professional association and labor union representing over 16,000 nurses and allied health workers throughout the state. ONA’s mission is to advocate for nursing, quality health care and healthy communities. For more information visit: www.OregonRN.org. 

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VANCOUVER, WA: Antigone is one of a trilogy of plays that Sophocles wrote called the Theban plays. It is the
story of a young girl's conviction to do what she feels is right when the laws of the land, and her uncle Creon,
the King, are against her. As the story plays out, we see the connections Antigone has through her strong
character and a good heart and how those qualities begin to unravel the ground on which Creon stands.

“I love the Greek tragedies,” said Jeffrey Puukka, Director. “I love their ability to tap into humanity’s primal
nerves. When it comes to Antigone, I love its murkiness and unresolved conflict. I have loved watching this
group get to know one another, collaborate, cross-pollinate creatively, and discover its voice as a community.”

These performances are part of the Teen Conservatory at MPA, starring Molly Jung as Antigone, Sabrina
Fricchione as Ismene, Dan Sweet as Creon, Hannah Flynn as Eyes/Eurydice, Brady Workman as
Guard/Haemon, and Nancy Campbell as Tiresias with direction by Jeffrey Puukka and Choreography by
Shannon Jung.

“The reason I decided to do theater in the first place because I love to sing, dance, pretend, and use my
imagination,” says Hannah Flynn, who plays Eurydice. “And theater has all of that. Plus it gives me a chance to
have fun singing, dancing and pretending with my friends. That’s why I decided to do theater in the first
place.”

Details below. For more information, reach out to Kris Heller at 360-975-1585.

When:
Friday, June 2nd at 7:00 pm
Saturday, June 3rd at 2:00pm Talkback after show with cast & director
Saturday, June 3rd at 7:00pm Pride Night
Sunday, June 4th at 2:00 pm
Advance General Admission is $15.00 and $11.00 for Military/Students/Seniors (we participate in Arts for All),
ticket prices are subject to change at the door.

Where: Metropolitan Performing Arts 6403 E. Mill Plain Blvd Vancouver, WA 98661

Metropolitan Performing Arts is and has always been, here to serve our community. We believe in the
transformational power of theater and arts to inspire social change. We embrace equity, diversity, and inclusion
in our organization and value everyone’s life experiences. We celebrate unique perspectives and contributions
in the hope that all people, regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual identity, culture, age, gender expression,
background, ability, economic status, education, credentials, and experience, are engaged in our programming.

[VANCOUVER, WA, June 1, 2023] The Mullen-Polk Foundation invites the community to attend a groundbreaking ceremony at the organization’s newest facility on Thursday, June 29, 2023. 

The new facility, Our Next Generation II, will house the organization’s second Qualified Residential Treatment Program to support youth and their families. Upon its completion, the principal goal of the new building is to create a safe, nurturing, structured youth residential facility that meets the specialized needs of youth who are placed under Behavioral Rehabilitation Services Placement with a continuum of services focusing on Trauma Informed Care. The private facility will offer a therapeutic environment where adolescents build new hope for the future by gaining responsibility, learning to make healthy choices, and demonstrating self-sufficiency.​

Youth at the facility will be equipped with techniques to progress academically, build on their strengths and address their weaknesses, and make choices that support their success. Group and individual meetings, as well as specialized counseling services, support youth through processing grief and anger, cultivating independent and healthy living skills, and finding financial independence. Coordinated aftercare will ensure that youth will be supported to strengthen relationships in life after their time in the program. 

Our Next Generation II is located at 2805 NE 19th Street, Vancouver, Washington 98661. The event is open to the public from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., with the groundbreaking ceremony to take place at 4 pm. 

To inquire about press coverage or event details or to learn more about the Mullen-Polk Foundation’s programs and services, please get in touch with Outreach@pacificnorthwestfundraising.us 

VANCOUVER, WA: Antigone is one of a trilogy of plays that Sophocles wrote called the Theban plays. It is the
story of a young girl's conviction to do what she feels is right when the laws of the land, and her uncle Creon,
the King, are against her. As the story plays out, we see the connections Antigone has through her strong
character and good heart and how those qualities begin to unravel the ground on which Creon stands.

“I love the Greek tragedies” said Jeffrey Puukka, Director. “I love their ability to tap into humanity’s primal
nerves. When it comes to Antigone, I love its murkiness and unresolved conflict. I have loved watching this
group get to know one another, collaborate, cross-pollinate creatively, and discover its voice as a community.”

These performances are part of the Teen Conservatory at MPA, starring Molly Jung as Antigone, Sabrina
Fricchione as Ismene, Dan Sweet as Creon, Hannah Flynn as Eyes/Eurydice, Brady Workman as
Guard/Haemon, and Nancy Campbell as Tiresias with direction by Jeffrey Puukka and Choreography by
Shannon Jung.

“The reason I decided to do theater in the first place because I love to sing, dance, pretend, and use my
imagination,” says Hannah Flynn, who plays Eurydice. “And theater has all of that. Plus it gives me a chance to
have fun singing, dancing and pretending with my friends. That’s why I decided to do theater in the first
place.”

Details below. For more information, reach out to Kris Heller at 360-975-1585.

When:
Friday, June 2nd at 7:00 pm
Saturday, June 3rd at 2:00pm Talkback after show with cast & director
Saturday, June 3rd at 7:00pm Pride Night
Sunday, June 4th at 2:00 pm
Advance General Admission is $15.00 and $11.00 for Military/Students/Seniors (we participate in Arts for All),
ticket prices are subject to change at the door.

Where: Metropolitan Performing Arts 6403 E. Mill Plain Blvd Vancouver, WA 98661

Please join the City Club of Portland and the Portland Business Alliance, as we co-host Metro Council President Lynn Peterson’s 2023 annual State of the Region address at World Trade Center 2 located at 25 SW Salmon in Downtown Portland (enter at Skybridge Level). In this presentation, the Metro Council President will highlight the organization’s accomplishments from the last year and outline an agenda for the year ahead.

Metro is the regional governing entity for the Portland metropolitan area, serving more than 1.7 million people in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties. Charged with addressing regionwide land use, infrastructure, and livability issues that cross jurisdictional boundaries, Metro plays a critical role in the economic development of the region.

2:00 p.m. Doors open

2:30 - 3:30 p.m. State of the Region presentation and Q&A 

3:30 - 5:00 p.m. Reception

https://community.portlandalliance.com/events/Details/2023-state-of-the-region-with-metro-council-president-lynn-peterson-895786?sourceTypeId=Website

Media please RSVP to Tina Sillers at the email address below.

Portland, OR - June 2, 2023 - Portland streets will come alive with vibrant colors and joyful celebration as the Pride Ride takes place on Friday, June 2nd from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m followed by announcements and dance party. This family-friendly bicycle parade, hosted by the Visit Downtown Portland Campaign, Black Business Association of Oregon, and The Street Trust, is a commemoration of Darcelle XV, Pride Month, and World Bicycle Day, led by the renowned Portland drag queen, Poison Waters. 

Starting at 4:00 p.m. in Directors Park, participants of all ages are invited to join this stately (i.e., slow) parade that spans a delightful 1.5-mile route, showcasing significant landmarks from Portland's rich 2SLGBTQIA+ history. The event promises an inclusive and welcoming atmosphere for everyone, including an ‘all wheel’s welcome’ option for those on other wheels (roller skates to unicycles).  The parade will conclude with a dance party and features drag queens from all over the state.  This is an amazing way to launch into Pride Month. 

The Pride Ride extends its gratitude to the ride ambassadors from BikePOC PNW, an organization dedicated to creating safe spaces, fostering community, and challenging the status quo for BIPOC individuals. Their involvement adds an extra layer of support and inclusivity to this remarkable event. 

For those in need of bikes, BIKETOWN stations are conveniently located at SW Yamhill and Director Park Station, providing easy access to bicycles for the parade. 

Route Details: The 1.5-mile route will feature mini dance party stops in three street plazas and guide participants past significant points of interest from Portland's 2SLGBTQIA+ past and present.  

Registration for the Pride Ride is available online, ensuring a smooth and efficient check-in process on the day of the event. 

Community Partners: The Pride Ride is made possible through the support of various community partners, the Visit Downtown Campaign, Portland Business Alliance, Downtown Portland Clean & Safe, The Street Trust, and the Black Business Association of Oregon.  

About the Visit Downtown Campaign: The Visit Downtown Campaign is a program initiated by Downtown Portland Clean & Safe, Portland Business Alliance, Greater Portland's Chamber of Commerce, and the City of Portland. It aims to promote Downtown Portland to the greater Portland metro region through diverse marketing initiatives, events, cooperative promotions, and public relations campaigns. For more information, visit https://www.instagram.com/downtownpdx/  

About the Black Business Association of Oregon: The Black Business Association of Oregon (BBAO) is an economic development organization committed to achieving sustainable and lasting economic equity in the state of Oregon. Through collaboration with other Black-led organizations, the BBAO supports initiatives that improve the lives of Black Oregonians. By implementing economic development best practices, the BBAO helps Black businesses thrive and advocates for equitable policies across the state. To learn more, visit https://bbaoregon.org/ . 

About The Street Trust: The Street Trust is a membership advocacy organization representing street users from Greater Portland. With a vision of a complete, safe, low-carbon, multimodal transportation system, The Street Trust advocates for policy changes and investments that prioritize safety, reduce barriers, and expand opportunities for neglected communities. Their aim is to create equitable access, opportunity, health, and prosperity across the Portland Metro Region and beyond. To find out more, visit https://www.thestreettrust.org/ .

Portland's Dog-Friendly Market Runs Every Saturday, June 3-September 30

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Portland Oregon, May 30, 2023 -- Rocky Butte Farmers Market (RBFM), an iconic urban neighborhood market featuring affordable locally grown foods and artisan products, as well as weekly children's activities, live entertainment, and a dog-friendly, energetic block party vibe is back! 

RBFM will run from 9 am to 1 pm every Saturday, June 3-September 30. The market is located in the spacious parking lot of Mannahouse Church, 9200 NE Fremont Street. Trimet Bus #24 at NE Fremont & 88th heading downtown or NE Fremont & 89th heading toward Gateway, is the closest public transportation option. 

Market organizers are thrilled to announce new and returning vendors this season, offering everything from local produce, meat & fish to pottery and handcrafted goods.

Opening day entertainment includes performers include DJ Shirley (DJ Shirley | Facebook) and Tony Smiley (Tony Smiley).

“We pride ourselves on offering a space for community building and growing connections, in addition to supporting local farmers and talented makers,” said Benjamin Cutler, co-founder and board President.  “Rocky Butte Farmers Market is much more than a place of commerce. Come meet your neighbors, make new friends, interact with vendors and entertainers, and join us in further strengthening what we already love about our unique neighborhoods.” 

Well-behaved dogs are allowed in all areas of the market, which offers fresh water and treats at the info booth for pups. Fun and educational children’s programming is offered weekly and is suitable for all ages. Market-goers ages 3-13 who stop by the Kids Patch each get a FREE $5 token to spend during their visit! 

Rocky Butte Farmers Market proudly accepts Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) and offers Double Up Food Bucks through a partnership with the Farmers Market Fund. 

Learn more about the market, this year's vendors and the weekly entertainment schedule at www.rockybuttemarket.com, and follow market happenings via Instagram at @rockybuttefm and Facebook at @RockyButteFM 

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Scott Clark is the new regional operations director for SAIF’s Central and Eastern regions. Clark previously served as a senior safety management consultant, manager of SAIF’s safety innovation program, and technical adviser to the safety division.

“Scott’s experience in safety and health, genuine appreciation and support of our employees, and drive to continually improve how we serve our customers are just a few of the many reasons Scott is a perfect fit for this role,” said Christine Vrontakis, vice president of policyholder services at SAIF.

Clark began his new role after the retirement of Mike Elliott. Elliott retired after 30 years with SAIF.

Clark has nearly 30 years of experience in workers’ compensation. Born and raised in Maine, he graduated with a degree in occupational safety and health from Keene State College in New Hampshire. His career spans both insurance carrier and insurance agency roles. Clark has lived in Bend since 2001 and spends his free time enjoying the great outdoors of central and eastern Oregon with his wife and two sons.  

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.