The latest news stories across the state of Oregon from the digital home of the Oregon coastal cities, OregonBeachMagazine.com
Friday, March 31, 2023
Oregon Beach Weather
Active Weather Alerts -NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
...GALE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 2 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 2 AM PDT SATURDAY... ...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 2 AM SATURDAY TO 11 PM PDT SUNDAY... * WHAT...For the Gale Warning, south winds 25 to 35 kt with gusts up to 45 kt and seas 8 to 12 ft at 7 seconds expected. For the Small Craft Advisory, west winds 15 to 25 kt with gusts up to 35 kt and seas 6 to 10 ft expected. * WHERE...All of the area. * WHEN...For the Gale Warning, from 2 PM this afternoon to 2 AM PDT Saturday. For the Small Craft Advisory, from 2 AM Saturday to 11 PM PDT Sunday. * IMPACTS...Strong winds and very steep seas could capsize or damage vessels. Low visibility conditions are expected. * View the hazard area in detail at https://go.usa.gov/x6hks
Man Arrested Pulling Out Gun at the Mill Casino
A Coos Bay man allegedly seen pulling on a mask and concealing a handgun outside the Mill Casino hotel was arrested on Wednesday, sheriff’s officials said.
Coos County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) authorities said CCSO officials observed a man on March 29 approaching the entrance of the casino’s hotel. Authorities observed the man pull a mask over his face and move a gun to the inside of his jacket, CCSO officials said.
Several CCSO deputies and two Coquille Tribal Police officers were attending a meeting with timber industry officials on an upper floor of the hotel, authorities said. They quickly responded to the scene downstairs and confronted the suspect, Gary D. Danielson, 32, of Coos Bay.
Authorities said they arrested and charged Danielson with being a felon in possession of a weapon and seized a loaded 9mm handgun from inside of Danielson’s jacket. North Bend Police and transported Danielson to the Coos County Jail, authorities said. Sheriff’s officials said Danielson’s intentions were unknown.
Two Arrests Made in Lincoln City Internet Child Luring Investigations
During the month of March, Lincoln City Police Officers conducted several online child-luring investigations. Posing as underage children on various social media platforms, the undercover officers went online and were subsequently contacted by adults who offered to meet up with a person they believed to be a minor for sex. When these adults arrived at an undisclosed public location to meet up with the minor, they instead were contacted by law enforcement and arrested.
43-year-old Daniel C. Bastien, of Lincoln City, was arrested on March 22, 2023 and charged with the crimes of Luring a Minor, Online Sexual Corruption of a Child in the first degree, Attempted Rape III, and Attempted Sodomy III. He was subsequently transported and lodged at the Lincoln County Jail.
34-year-old Austin J. Marshall, of Newport, was arrested on March 29, 2023 and charged with the crimes of Luring a Minor and Online Sexual Corruption of a Child in the first degree. He was subsequently transported and lodged at the Lincoln County Jail.
With April being National Child Abuse Awareness Month, the Lincoln City Police would like to encourage parents to monitor their children’s social media activity and discuss with them the possible dangers of communicating with strangers online. These investigations are conducted in an effort to reduce criminal activity and to further enhance the safety of our community.
Department of Administrative Services on Governor Kotek Signing the Affordable Housing & Emergency Homelessness Response Package into Law
Salem, OR- Today, Governor Kotek signed House Bill 2001 and House Bill 5019 into law. This Affordable Housing & Emergency Homelessness Response Package will allow the Department of Administrative Services to analyze housing data to support local jurisdictions and state agencies to make critical, data-driven decisions that will benefit all Oregonians.
The Department of Administrative Services, along with a number of state agencies are proud to begin work on improving the state of housing in Oregon.
The Department of Administrative Services has an important role set forth in House Bill 2001 which begins with the first step in the Oregon Housing Needs Analysis: calculating the number of housing units needed in Oregon. This calculation will be conducted while taking into account the following:
- Historical underproduction of housing;
- Housing for our homeless neighbors; and
- Expected future need.
Examining the need is an important step in assessing how state government may be able to improve the housing situation across the state. Oregonians are struggling with housing availability and high costs and Governor Kotek has made it a top priority to alleviate those challenges. This work, along with other analytical work that the agency conducts will be performed in a clear and transparent manner, consistent with the high-quality analysis the public expects, and policy leaders rely upon.
The Oregon Housing Needs Analysis is conducted by the Office of Economic Analysis within the Department of Administrative Services. Once the analysis is conducted, local governments and state agencies including the Department of Land Conservation and Development and Oregon Housing and Community Services can begin to make actionable plans to alleviate the challenges in increasing supply and making housing more affordable. The analysis is required to be completed no later than January 1, 2025, however, the Department of Administrative Services will work to ensure it is completed on a timeline that supports agencies’ needs.
“Governor Kotek and the Legislature have made a historic investment in the housing future of Oregon,” said Berri Leslie, Interim Director of Department of Administrative Services. “We are prepared to take these first, important steps needed to evaluate the state’s housing needs. This analysis will help other agencies do the vital work of creating stability and a housing environment that makes sense for the needs of all Oregonians.”
OHCS uplifts Governor Kotek’s signing of HBs 2001 and 5019 as a bold step to address the housing needs of the people of Oregon
SALEM, Ore. — Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) applauds Governor Tina Kotek who today signed bipartisan legislation addressing the state’s housing and homelessness crisis into law.
“As Oregonians, we are bound by our shared values that all people have access to basic, fundamental needs to which affordable housing is fundamental,” said OHCS Director Andrea Bell. “This legislation marks forward progress in the direction of sustained effort to improve the quality of lives of the people of Oregon.
“The way forward requires all of us and investments at the scale needed to tackle the affordable housing crisis. Our economies and our communities are stronger when all people have access to their basic needs to which housing is fundamental. We are grateful to Gov. Kotek for relentlessly working toward meaningful change and the Oregon Legislature for recognizing the criticality that investing in affordable housing is investing in family stability, children’s success, racial justice and the economic health of our entire state.”
HB 2001 includes a suite of policy changes intended to address Oregon’s housing needs. Some of those impact OHCS directly; some do not. Policies that would affect OHCS and the work the agency does include:
Dedicating Emergency Housing Account (EHA) funds, one of OHCS’ core homeless services programs, to providing services and assistance to school-aged children or their families who are experiencing, or are at risk of experiencing, homelessness.
Changing Oregon’s eviction timelines and statutes, which do not affect state programs directly but impact OHCS’ and our partners’ ability to reach Oregonians at risk of becoming homeless and provide support to keep them stably housed.
Creating a loan/grant program to support manufacturers of modular housing, prioritizing benefits to Oregonians who lost housing due to disasters, live on low incomes, or live on moderate income (in that order).
Codifying the Oregon Housing Needs Analysis, which shifts Oregon’s land use program in a way that empowers cities to take actions that meaningfully increase housing production, affordability, and choice.
As a companion to those policy changes, House Bill 5019, the Affordable Housing and Emergency Homelessness Response Package includes key housing investments that OHCS will distribute to create housing solutions. This includes $155 million to support Oregon children and families at risk of and facing homelessness. The urgent need for funding was proposed by the Governor in response to the homelessness state of emergency that she declared on her first full day of office.
| About Oregon Housing and Community Services – Oregon Housing and Community Services provides resources for Oregonians to reduce poverty and increase access to stable housing. Our intentional focus on both housing and community services allows us 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. |
House Bill 5019 provides $20 million to expand and strengthen the Oregon Department of Human Services, Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program
(Salem) – The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) applauds Governor Tina Kotek who today signed bipartisan legislation addressing the state’s housing and homelessness crisis into law.
House Bill 5019 (HB 5019) includes a suite of policy changes and investments intended to address Oregon’s housing needs. It provides approximately $20 million dollars of funding to expand and strengthen the ODHS Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program.
The ODHS Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program is tasked with coordinating statewide planning for delivery of services to youth experiencing homelessness under the age of 25. The program partners with impacted youth, community organizations and other state agencies to support and fund initiatives and programs within the youth homelessness system.
“We all have an interest in a community in which young people have access to stable and safe housing so that they can pursue their life’s goals and reach their full potential,” said ODHS Director Fariborz Pakseresht (he/him). “A young person’s experience with homelessness does not always follow a linear path and is unique from the experience of adults. We are grateful to Governor Kotek and the Oregon Legislature for this investment of $20 million that will strengthen our ability to work in collaboration with community-based organizations, local government and other system partners, to provide flexible supports and services that meet young people experiencing homelessness where they are.”
ODHS will use the $20 million provided by HB 5019 to expand and strengthen its support of local programs across the state, as well as newer initiatives and supports for youth experiencing homelessness across Oregon by increasing investments in:
- Prevention services including youth outreach and drop-in services.
- Early and crisis intervention housing such as shelter and other programming.
- Medium-term housing such as transitional living and other programming.
- Host home programs that provide temporary housing for youth experiencing homelessness.
- Other services such as culturally specific programming, mental health and substance use supports.
HB 5019 will also increase the ODHS Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program staff from one to six positions, this will improve ODHS’ ability to collaborate with partners and young people, expand services that meet young people where they are and improve data collection.
In 2021, ODHS completed the state’s first needs assessmentEditSignEditSignEditSign focused on youth experiencing homelessness. The assessment estimated that there are over 8,200 unhoused individuals under the age of 25 who are likely to need safe, affordable housing and services to maintain stability.
More information about the ODHS Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program can be found online.
About the Oregon Department of Human Services – The mission of the Oregon Department of Human Services is to help Oregonians in their own communities achieve wellbeing and independence through opportunities that protect, empower, respect choice and preserve dignity.
Oregon Senate Passes $210 Million Bill To Expand Semiconductor Sector
The state Senate on Wednesday passed the Oregon CHIPS Act, a move intended to bolster the state’s ability to compete for semiconductor projects and federal money to expand the sector in the state.
Senate Bill 4 would put $210 million toward giving Oregon a competitive edge and make the state a bigger player for research and manufacturing projects in the semiconductor industry, potentially bringing thousands of jobs to the state and pumping more money into the economy and government budgets for mental health, housing and other services.
The biggest share, $190 million, would pay for grants and loans for semiconductor companies seeking federal funding to expand in Oregon.
The Senate passed the bill with a 21-8 vote and bipartisan support and sponsors, including Sens. Janeen Sollman, D-Hillsboro, and Senate Minority Leader Tim Knopp, R-Bend. The measure still faces a vote in the House.
“What a great win,” Senate President Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, told Sollman, hugging her after its passage.
Supporters consider the bill to be critical to Oregon’s future in the industry. Besides money, it provides tools to navigate Oregon’s complex land use laws more efficiently.
The proposal would give Gov. Tina Kotek the authority to designate some land outside urban growth boundaries, the invisible line that limits where cities can expand, as industrial land for annexation by cities. In particular, Hillsboro is seeking to add hundreds of acres of land near its northwest corner, creating a roughly 800-acre plot that could be used for a major manufacturing facility, or fab.
Semiconductors are one of the largest industries in Oregon – and the high-tech companies are a target for economic development officials across the state.
“These are tomorrow’s jobs,” Sollman said in an interview with the Capital Chronicle after the hearing. “These are jobs that can lift families from poverty to prosperity. We heard it over and over again in our hearings.”
Semiconductors are building blocks in society, driving cybersecurity, classified military technology and everyday devices like refrigerators, medical equipment and cars.
“What this does, honestly, is it doubles down on the future, and the future, there’s no question, is high-tech semiconductors and these high-paying jobs,” Knopp said in an interview. “And that’s why I think it’s important for Oregon to keep its dominance in this area.”
Earlier this month, a bipartisan, bicameral 14-member committee endorsed the bill, part of its work to make Oregon competitive for the nearly $53 billion in grants and tax credits the U.S. Department of Commerce will begin providing this year for semiconductor research and manufacturing because of the federal CHIPS and Science Act. Congress passed that act last year.
While the bill is the Legislature’s main response to the federal law, it fits within a patchwork of other proposals and recent efforts that address semiconductor industry needs. Examples include last year’s $200 million workforce training plan, which focuses on jobs in manufacturing and health care, as well as pending legislation to expand broadband, build more homes and make child care more affordable and available.
Separately, Kotek last month announced a $1 million grant program to help small and mid-sized firms prepare applications for federal funding. The state agency Business Oregon will run that grant program, and it plans to post updates online once it finalizes rules for the grants.
More than 40,000 Oregonians work in the semiconductor industry – only California and Texas have more residents employed by the industry. About 15% of the nation’s semiconductor workforce is in Oregon, though only about 1.3% of the U.S. population lives here.
About half of Oregon’s semiconductor employees work at Intel, the state’s largest private employer with nearly 22,000 employees in Washington County. Intel has suppliers in 15 of Oregon’s 36 counties.
Sen. Fred Girod, R-Stayton, was among the eight senators who opposed the bill. The seven other opponents included six Republicans and Sen. Brian Boquist, an Independent from Dallas.
The only member of the budget-writing Joint Ways and Means Committee to oppose the proposal’s funding, Girod said lawmakers shouldn’t commit to the funding ahead of the May revenue forecast.
“We have no idea the exact amount of money we have to budget here,” Girod said. “If we have a big cut in the May forecast, that austere budget is going to get ugly.”
The bill is not the only legislation on semiconductors this session. Another bill in the works would create incentives for companies to conduct research and development. (SOURCE)
St. Paul Rodeo Will be Inducted Into the ProRodeo Cowboys Association Hall of Fame this Summer
The 88-year-old St. Paul Rodeo will be inducted into the ProRodeo Cowboys Association Hall of Fame this summer. Since 1935, the tiny Oregon town in Marion County has hosted tens of thousands of rodeo fans over the Independence Day holiday.
The first rodeo was held at the city baseball field, which today is the site of a 10,000-seat rodeo arena.
Kevin Smith, vice-president and historian for the St. Paul Rodeo Association, attributes the rodeo’s longevity and success to the community of volunteers who put it on.
“The rodeo began in 1935 with eight founding directors,” Smith said. “More than half of them were from local families right here. Still today, half of our board of directors, which is up to 11 members now, are grandsons and great-grandsons of those founders.”
Smith is a true son of the St. Paul Rodeo. He likes to say he and his mother have only missed one, in 1953: “We were in the Woodburn Hospital when she was birthing me.”
His grandfather, Carl Smith, was on the founding board of directors. His father, Gene Smith, served on the board for 46 years. Smith himself has served two decades with the board. The Smith, Coleman, Manegre and McKillip families are just a few who have stayed involved with the rodeo association through the generations.
The nonprofit rodeo association has two paid employees and runs with the help of hundreds of volunteers. The St. Paul Rodeo Association has 450 members – impressive considering the town has a population of 425 people. Over five days in July, some 75,000 people will visit St. Paul to attend the rodeo, carnival, parade and Fourth of July fireworks.
St. Paul is the 33rd rodeo to be inducted into the ProRodeo Cowboys Association Hall of Fame and the second in Oregon behind the Pendleton Round-up. (SOURCE)
83-year-old Clarence Edward Pitts walked away from his home in Bandon on Tuesday, January 31 at around 1:00 p.m. Pitts is described as:
- 6′ 00″
- 150 lbs
- Gray hair
- Brown eyes
- Last seen wearing an orange beanie, plaid jacket, tan pants and white shoes
- May have a walking cane
- Has dementia and PTSD
Pitts may be in a vehicle that was also found to be missing from the home:
- 1999 Toyota Van
- White
- Oregon license plate: WYN 788
If you see Clarence or have any information pertaining to where he may be, please call the Coos County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center at 541-396-2106 or the Bandon Police Department at 541-347-3189.
