The latest news stories across the state of Oregon from the digital home of the Oregon coastal cities, OregonBeachMagazine.com
Wednesday, March 23, 2022
Oregon Beach Weather
Today– Areas of drizzle before noon, then a chance of rain after noon. Patchy fog before 1pm. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 56. Light and variable wind becoming west northwest 5 to 8 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Thursday– Patchy fog between noon and 2pm. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 59. East northeast wind 5 to 8 mph becoming calm in the afternoon.
Friday– Patchy fog before 11am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 57. South southwest wind around 7 mph.
Saturday– A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly after noon. Patchy fog between 9am and 10am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 58.
Sunday– A chance of rain. Patchy fog before noon. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 56.
Three Rivers Foundation Awards $1.4 Million To Local Charities
The Three Rivers Foundation, a charitable group associated with the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, Tuesday announced it has awarded $1.4 million in grants to 100 organizations in five Oregon counties.
The Tribal confederation operates the Three Rivers Casino Resort in Florence, Oregon.
“These grants trickle down and make a positive impact on communities in Coos, Curry, Douglas, Lane and Lincoln counties,” says Tribe Council member and Three Rivers Foundation Board of Trustees Chair Doug Barrett in a statement. “It has been great to work with our board to give away this money to so many great organizations and Tribes that help so many families and individuals.”
The Boys and Girls Clubs of Emerald Valley, Oregon, stayed open to serve kids during the pandemic and was awarded $25,000.
“Three Rivers Foundation understands the urgent need to help ignite the imagination and interest of kids, especially traditionally underrepresented groups like girls and young people of color, to the possibility that STEAM learning can provide for enhancing their fundamental skills at school,” said Boys and Girls Clubs of Emerald Valley CEO Matt Sorenson in a statement. “With this grant money, our organization can expand these programs and serve even more kids.”
Among the grant awardees are healthcare organizations working on the front lines during the pandemic.
“When we informed them of the ongoing need to test our staff for exposure to COVID-19 to best protect the terminally ill in our care and our staff, they came to our aid,” said South Coast Hospice & Palliative Care Services volunteer manager Doreen Kelly in a statement. “We are extremely grateful to the Three Rivers Foundation for their generous support.”
The Three Rivers Foundation supports innovative ideas, collaborative approaches and grassroots efforts in education, health, public safety, problem gambling, the arts, environment, cultural activities, and historic preservation. Since its inception in 2012, the foundation has given out $2.7 million in grants. https://trcommunityfoundation.org/
Astoria Hosts Discussion Tonight On Homelessness Issues
City and business leaders will host a community forum Wednesday night on homelessness and livability to share information and hear from the public.
The panel discussion at the Liberty Theatre will include representatives from the city, the Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce, Clatsop Community Action, Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare and LiFEBoat Services. Representatives from Clatsop Economic Development Resources, the Astoria Downtown Historic District Association and the Astoria Warming Center will assist in organizing questions from the public.
There has been growing public frustration over bad behavior and quality of life concerns that stem from an increasingly visible homeless population. In the coming weeks, city councilors will consider adopting ordinances to give police more tools to respond to some of the issues.
“What we found in working through this, is that there’s some folks that maybe don’t know what the city is working on, what the City Council is focusing on to address this,” City Manager Brett Estes said. “And then some of the challenges that we’ve got, in terms of working through some of the issues with case law and state law.
“The city is looking at this as a way to be able to have first of all, a forum for folks to be able to speak to the City Council directly about some of the issues, but also for us to be able to get some information out to the community.”
Mayor Bruce Jones and representatives from the various organizations will share some initial thoughts and information. Police Chief Geoff Spalding will give a presentation about what the city has been working on to address bad behavior and quality of life concerns.
People will be able to write their questions and comments on cards, which will be collected, vetted and read to the panel. Alison Hart, a consultant and former executive director of the Oregon State Chamber of Commerce, will guide the discussion.
All the comments will be documented and shared with the City Council and posted on the city’s website.
Jessamyn Grace West, the executive director of the downtown association and a former city councilor, said she hopes the meeting “will bring clarity to dispel a lot of the misinformation around this complex topic, as well as reaffirm our commitment to working on solutions with all entities involved.”
Kevin Leahy, the executive director of Clatsop Economic Development Resources, expects the meeting will be the first of many that focus on concerns from the business community. He hopes future forums will allow business leaders and owners to address other issues, such as housing and city codes, and collectively share feedback with city and county leaders throughout the North Coast.
“We feel that the business voice is not heard consistently, like let’s say, at City Council meetings or county commissioner meetings,” Leahy said. “We see the next steps after this from the business community … is really looking at other opportunities for them to be collectively collaborating and getting the feedback back to council.”
David Reid, the executive director of the Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce, hopes people stay until the end.
“Because we’re going to start out with a lot of, ‘Here’s what we can’t do,’ and ‘Here’s why we can’t just sweep the streets and get rid of loitering’ and those types of things that … people are asking for,” Reid said. “But at the end of this, we really want to get to, here’s what the police department can do. Here’s what the city can do. Here’s what we as individual businesses can do.
“I hope that at the end of this we get to individual actions, collective actions, that actually do move us forward.”
North Bend Police Department Gets Six New Vehicles
Lots of lights and sirens at North Bend Police Department Tuesday morning. No emergency. Just staff checking out the first of six new 2022 Dodge Durango Pursuit vehicles that arrived today.
Next step is for BNT Promotional Products to install the new graphics before they hit the road. The SUVs and new design will be the standard for the department. It’s not every day you get to design a police car.
Four of the patrol cars are being purchased with Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) program, a part of the American Rescue Plan. https://www.facebook.com/NorthBendPoliceDepartment
Oregon reports 269 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 8 new deaths
PORTLAND, Ore. — There are eight new COVID-19-related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 6,983, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported at 12:01 a.m. today.
OHA reported 269 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 701,992.
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Benton (5), Clackamas (18), Clatsop (2), Columbia (2), Coos (2), Curry (2), Deschutes (13), Douglas (7), Grant (5), Hood River (3), Jackson (19), Jefferson (1), Josephine (10), Klamath (6), Lake (1), Lane (42), Lincoln (1), Linn (7), Malheur (1), Marion (15), Multnomah (55), Polk (8), Tillamook (1), Umatilla (5), Union (1), Wasco (3), Washington (26) and Yamhill (8).
The omicron subvariant fueling COVID-19 surges in Europe has been found in the wastewater of at least four Oregon communities, according to Oregon State University analyses of wastewater collected as part of a statewide early warning system.
The findings from early March don’t guarantee a surge in cases, but they could underscore the potential benefits — and shortcomings — of a state-funded wastewater testing system billed as a way to reliably know the state of the pandemic in various corners of Oregon.
Oregon health officials hired Oregon State University to analyze wastewater samples from more than 40 wastewater plants statewide, providing officials with measures of how much virus is in a community and the particular variants of the virus that are most common.
The method has taken off locally and nationwide, with federal health officials using wastewater analyses from across the country to track rising cases and an increase in the omicron subvariant BA.2. But one state official involved in the project indicated the full benefits of the program are yet to be seen.
“This is all very much emerging science,” said Dr. Melissa Sutton, the Oregon Health Authority’s medical director for respiratory viral diseases who is working with Oregon State University analysts.
The core theoretical benefit behind wastewater testing is that it can provide officials and the public advance notice of rising cases, faster than can be identified through traditional testing.
But it’s not yet clear exactly how much lead time the program will provide. While an OSU researcher said the university produces test results twice a week, state health officials post results to a public website once a week, and with a one-week delay.
And, speaking Tuesday, Sutton referenced data for samples taken during the week ending March 3. A spokesperson for her agency cited delays in “collating and providing” the data, adding that more recent results would be available Wednesday.
The nearly three-week old OSU results don’t show that the BA.2 variant, which is substantially more transmissible than the omicron variant, is prevalent in Oregon. But that could change, given that Oregon’s pandemic trends have generally lagged the rest of the country by several weeks, Sutton said.
More recent data available to OSU reflected the same trends, with BA.2 appearing in some Oregon communities but not yet becoming dominant, said Tyler Radniecki, one of the university’s key researchers for the program.
And, so far,the wastewater analyses have shown a consistent decline or plateau in “viral concentration,” a measure of how much virus is in a sample relative to the number of people who use the wastewater system. That means the analyses are mirroring the continued swift decline in case counts from testing.
Tuesday, the average case count fell to 233 new reported cases a day, lower than at any point since July, before the delta wave.
If there is going to be a surge, wastewater testing should, in theory, show the upward trend before official case counts start to climb. While research results vary, Sutton said, “viral concentration” in wastewater samples can start showing increases as many as seven days before official case counts start to rise.
Like much of the rest of the country, Oregon is wondering if the BA.2 subvariant of omicron will bring a flood of cases to the state.
“I mean, I wouldn’t be surprised,” Sutton said, when asked if Oregonians should expect cases to climb in coming weeks. But Sutton added that existing immunity among Oregonians due to vaccinations or from infections during the recent omicron surge likely means it won’t be as severe as what Oregon has already seen.
It’s clear that the BA.2 variant’s presence is growing nationally. More than a third of last week’s COVID-19 cases in the U.S. were the BA.2 subvariant, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the region that includes Oregon, nearly four in 10 cases were likely of the BA.2 variant, according to the agency’s estimates.
Oregon’s Unemployment Rate Drops to 4.0% in February
Oregon’s unemployment rate dropped to 4.0% in February, from 4.2%, as revised, in January. Oregon’s unemployment rate dropped rapidly from its peak in April 2020 through late 2021, and is now at its lowest level since prior to the pandemic-induced recession in March 2020 when it was 3.5%. The U.S. unemployment rate was 3.8% in February and 4.0% in January.
In February, 59,000 Oregonians had been unemployed for less than six months, which was near the lowest number in two decades. Meanwhile, 24,000 Oregonians had been unemployed for more than six months, as the number of long-term unemployed decreased rapidly since hitting a recent peak of 65,000 in April 2021.
In February, Oregon’s nonfarm payroll employment rose by 12,300 jobs, following a revised gain of 5,100 jobs in January. This was the largest monthly gain since July 2021 when 34,800 jobs were added.
In February, gains were largest in leisure and hospitality (+3,500 jobs), construction (+2,300), health care and social assistance (+1,600), and professional and business services (+1,200). Eight other industries each added between 200 and 900 jobs. None of the major industries had a substantial job loss in February.
Leisure and hospitality rapidly added jobs all of this year and last year. It added 51,700 jobs, or 34.4%, since February 2021. Despite these gains, leisure and hospitality still accounts for a large share of the jobs Oregon has not recovered since early 2020, with 14,600 jobs left to recover to reach the prior peak month of February 2020. The industry has regained 87% of jobs lost early in the pandemic.
Construction reached another record high of 116,100 jobs in February. Mild weather in mid-February allowed roofers and other contractors to get jobs done that may have been postponed in more inclement winters.
Professional and technical services employed 106,000 in February and continued its rapid expansion. It added 4,700 jobs, or 4.6%, since its pre-recession peak in February 2020.
Next Press Releases– The Oregon Employment Department plans to release the February county and metropolitan area unemployment rates on Tuesday, March 29, and the next statewide unemployment rate and employment survey data for March on Wednesday, April 13.
Notes: All numbers in the above narrative are seasonally adjusted.
The Oregon Employment Department and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) work cooperatively to develop and publish monthly Oregon payroll employment and labor force data. The estimates of monthly job gains and losses are based on a survey of businesses. The estimates of unemployment are based on a survey of households and other sources.
The PDF version of the news release can be found at QualityInfo.org/press-release. To obtain the data in other formats such as in Excel, visit QualityInfo.org, then within the top banner, select Economic Data, then choose LAUS or CES. To request the press release as a Word document, contact the person shown at the top of this press release.
To file a claim for unemployment benefits or get more information about unemployment programs, visit Oregon.gov/employ.
The Oregon Employment Department (OED) is an equal opportunity agency. Everyone has a right to use OED programs and services. OED provides free help. Some examples are: Sign language and spoken language interpreters, written materials in other languages, braille, large print, audio and other formats. If you need help, please call 971-673-6400. TTY users call 711. You can also ask for help at OED_Communications@employ.oregon.gov.
Increased Emergency SNAP Benefits Continue in April
- Most Oregonians who receive SNAP benefits will continue to receive temporarily increased emergency food benefits in April
- Approximately 399,000 SNAP households will receive approximately $65 million in extra food benefits in addition to their regular SNAP benefits
- Find resources to meet your basic needs: Dial 2-1-1, or text your zip code to 898-211, www.211info.org
- Oregon Department of Human Services COVID-19 help center
Most Oregonians who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will receive emergency allotments in April.
The federal government has approved emergency allotments every month since March 2020. This gives SNAP recipients additional support during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In April, approximately 399,000 SNAP households will receive approximately $65 million in extra food benefits in addition to their regular SNAP benefits.
“We know that many rely on these additional emergency food benefits to get enough healthy food for themselves and their families,” said Claire Seguin, deputy director of the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS), Self-Sufficiency Programs. “We also know that many Oregonians are still struggling to meet their basic needs and we encourage them to contact our partners at 211 and the Oregon Food Bank for support during this difficult time.”
Current SNAP households will receive emergency allotments on April 12. Emergency allotments will be issued April 29 or May 3 for households who did not receive benefits in the first monthly issuance.
SNAP recipients do not have to take any action to receive these supplemental benefits as they will be issued directly on their EBT cards.
More information about emergency allotments is available at https://www.oregon.gov/dhs/ASSISTANCE/FOOD-BENEFITS/Pages/Emergency-Allotments.aspx.
Questions about your SNAP benefits should be directed to the ONE Customer Service Center at 1-800-699-9075.
If your household receives SNAP and your income or the number of people in your household has changed, it could impact your benefits. It is important to make sure ODHS has the most up-to-date information.
You can report any changes to your income or household in many ways:
- Online at: ONE.Oregon.gov
- By mail at: ONE Customer Service Center, PO Box 14015, Salem, OR 97309
- By fax at: 503-378-5628
- By phone at: 1-800-699-9075 or TTY 711
Resources to help meet basic needs
- Find a food pantry: foodfinder.oregonfoodbank.org
- Learn about government programs and community resources for older adults and people with disabilities: Aging and Disability Resource Connection of Oregon at 1-855-673-2372 or www.adrcoforegon.org.
- Dial 2-1-1, or text your zip code to 898-211, www.211info.org
- Find local resources and support by contacting your local Community Action Agency: www.caporegon.org/find-services/
- Oregon Department of Human Services COVID-19 help center
Administered by ODHS, SNAP is a federal program that provides food assistance to approximately 1 million eligible, low-income families and individuals in Oregon, including many older adults and people with disabilities. Oregonians in need can apply for benefits, including SNAP, child care, cash assistance and Medicaid. Learn more at https://govstatus.egov.com/or-dhs-benefits. For local resources in your area, such as food or shelter, please call 2-1-1 or reach out to the state’s Aging and Disability Resource Connection (ADRC) at 1-855-ORE-ADRC or 1-855-673-2372.
Horse Logging to Reduce Fire Risk in Grants Pass
The Cathedral Hills Espey trailhead in Grants Pass is a popular spot to hike, bike, and go horseback riding. Lately, it’s been a hazardous area because of the dead trees surrounding the trailhead. The Bureau of Land Management is using horse logging as a more sustainable and enjoyable way for the trail.
Clearing these dead trees will help prevent future wildfires. Douglas firs and pine trees have been hit the worst by drought and insects that kill native trees. Using horses to haul the tree logs out cuts down on fuel they would have to use for heavy machinery.
Today, community members who were hitting the trails were pleased to see horses instead of machines. They said it’s a lighter way to get the dead and dying trees out of the trials and much quieter. The BLM will continue doing this work for the rest of the week. They’ll move towards a different area in Cathedral Hills where more tree clearing will take place.
Public Opinion Poll Looks At Oregonians’ Perspectives On Issues
A public opinion poll is looking at Oregonians’ perspectives about health for three different topics: racial equity, COVID-19 and America’s politics. The results vary.
Portland-based Oregon Values and Beliefs Center (OVBC) says today it conducted the research as a community service. OVBC describes itself as an independent and non-partisan organization and an Oregon charitable nonprofit corporation.
The survey shows 59% of Oregonians support the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement as 33% oppose it.
In response to another question about the social impact of the Black Lives Matter movement making the nation’s racial culture better or worse in response to the murder of George Floyd, Oregonians are almost evenly split.
Regarding COVID-19, the public opinion pollster says Oregon’s biggest concern about COVID-19 effects on hospitals
and schools involves hospital staffing. It says 81% of Oregonians feel very (50%) or somewhat (31%) concerned about hospitals lacking staff to treat and oversee patients.
It says Oregonians worries are down slightly from October 2021, when 86% of Oregonians were concerned about this potential problem. Finally, OVBC found 48% of Oregonians feel K-12 schools are doing a good job keeping students safe and minimizing the spread of COVID-19, 21% think they are not doing a good job, and 30% do not know. https://oregonvbc.org/
Police Ask for Public’s Help in Search For Victim’s Roommate In Albany Homicide – A 42-year-old woman, the roommate of a 75-year-old man whose death was ruled a homicide, is wanted for questioning in the case, Albany police officials said.
Elvin “Al” Pierce was found dead by officers around 9:10 p.m. Friday after a 911 caller reported a man was unconscious and not breathing. Investigators at that time said the circumstances surrounding his death were suspicious.
APD said Pierce’s roommate, 42-year-old Elizabeth Nicole Tyler Jimenez, wasn’t there at the home when officers found Pierce dead and they don’t know where she is. Authorities did not specifically state whether Jimenez is a suspect or if there are any charges against her.
Pierce’s car, a tan 2004 Buick Park Avenue with Oregon license plate 081FAX, is also missing.
Jimenez, who investigators believe is currently without a job, is described as often visiting local soup kitchens. She also has skills as a masseuse and a seamstress, officials said.
Anyone with information is urged to contact APD at 541-917-7680 or APD Lt. Buck Pearce at 541-917-3209.
Klamath County Sheriff’s Office Asks for Public’s Help in Search For Trucker Suspect
The first real clue to come in on all the missing person cases in the area. Help Klamath Falls Oregon Sheriff Office ID this trucker. He was the last to see this woman alive and could be the key to not only solving this woman’s disappearance but a number of the hundred other women missing in PNW. IF you have any information, please call (541) 883-5130
https://www.facebook.com/pg/Have-You-Seen-Me-Southern-Oregons-Missing-People-161249961222839/posts/