The latest news stories across the state of Oregon from the digital home of the Oregon coastal cities, OregonBeachMagazine.com
Monday, January 29, 2024
Oregon Beach Weather
DOGAMI Recognizes the Anniversary of the Most Recent Cascadia Subduction Zone Earthquake and Tsunami
Portland, OR— Around 9:00 PM on January 26th, 1700, a powerful magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck along the Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ), which extends from Vancouver Island in British Columbia to Cape Mendocino in California. This earthquake released energy equivalent to about two billion tons of TNT, leading to significant impacts along the Oregon coast, the effects of which are preserved in the oral traditions of native communities and evident in the landscape. Damage from a CSZ earthquake would affect the entire region, causing several minutes of intense shaking along the Oregon coast, tsunamis tens of feet high, and shaking extending through the Cascade Range, with lesser impacts in eastern Oregon.
The global study of earthquakes has revealed that they are cyclical in nature, driven by the movement and interactions of tectonic plates. As such, the CSZ, where the 1700 earthquake occurred, has been accumulating energy since the last event that will be released in future earthquakes. To understand and reduce the risks associated with CSZ events, DOGAMI scientists study past earthquakes and faults, map tsunami evacuation zones, identify landslide-prone areas, and conduct risk assessments.
It is not possible to predict when the next Cascadia earthquake will happen. However, in the event of an earthquake, emergency managers advise immediate safety measures like dropping, covering, and holding on followed by evacuation for individuals in tsunami zones. Considering the expected impact, Oregonians should be aware of this hazard and prepare by having enough food, water, and supplies for at least two weeks, following guidance from the Oregon Department of Emergency Management.
Resources to help Oregonians learn about earthquakes and associated hazards:
ShakeAlert: An early-alert system that will send notifications to mobile devices and emergency alert systems in the event of a potentially damaging earthquake. https://www.shakealert.org/
Oregon Tsunami Clearinghouse: Access to a wide variety of tsunami information, including evacuation maps, maritime brochures, educational materials, and planning guidance. https://www.oregon.gov/dogami/tsuclearinghouse/Pages/default.aspx
NANOOS Tsunami Evacuation Zones: Tsunami evacuation zone maps along the Oregon and Washington coasts. https://nvs.nanoos.org/TsunamiEvac
DOGAMI Publications: Freely available publications on geologic hazards and earth science information from the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries. https://www.oregon.gov/dogami/pubs/Pages/pubsearch.aspx
HazVu: Oregon’s Geologic Hazards Map Viewer provides geologic hazard data in an online map view. https://gis.dogami.oregon.gov/maps/hazvu/
Oregon Department of Emergency Management: Learn more about what to do in event of an earthquake, and find advice and guides on how individuals, communities, and businesses can prepare. https://www.oregon.gov/oem/hazardsprep/pages/earthquakes.aspx
DOGAMI TSUNAMI INUNDATION MAP (TIM) SERIES – https://pubs.oregon.gov/dogami/tim/p-TIM-Till-13.htm
Landslide Closes Road and Impacts Homes In Astoria
A shallow, slow-moving landslide impacted seven houses in Astoria’s Uppertown neighborhood over the weekend.
As of Sunday evening, five houses have been “red tagged,” meaning they are unsafe to occupy at this time, according to Jeff Harrington, public works director for Astoria.
City Manager Scott Spence says the area moving near 27th Street and Grand Avenue is estimated at under five acres. Natural gas and water have been turned off to the area.
“Our primary concern is to keep people safe,” Spence said on Sunday. “This almost could be characterized as a rolling emergency. We’re actually seeing land movement affect people and property so we’re just doing the best we can to respond to the situation and make sure people are not in harm’s way.”
A portion of 27th Street has buckled and cracked and residents report that at least one house has moved several inches. They told KMUN on Sunday that they are beginning to see other signs of damage and movement throughout the area.
A drop in rainfall Sunday evening was a hopeful sign. “The best thing for the landslide right now is for it to dry out,” Spence said.
The 27th Street area — like many spots around Astoria — is historically prone sliding.
City staff are continuing to monitor the landslide and 27th Street remains closed. The city has asked people who are not residents to stay away from the area, and from Grand Avenue down below. (SOURCE)
Oregon Transfer Days at Clatsop Community College
Clatsop Community College is excited to announce Oregon Transfer Days, a special event designed to connect students with various universities and showcase the transfer opportunities available in the PNW region. The event will take place on Friday, February 2nd from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm in the Towler 3rd floor entrance on Clatsop Community College’s main campus.
Oregon Transfer Days will feature representatives from regional universities, providing students with the chance to explore different academic programs, learn about admission requirements, and discover the unique offerings of each institution. This event aims to facilitate a seamless transition for students planning to transfer to a four-year university.
Participating Universities include:
- National University of Natural Medicine
- Eastern Oregon University
- Grand Canyon University
- Linfield University
- National University of Natural Medicine
- Oregon Institute of Technology
- Oregon State University
- Oregon State University – College of Business
- Pacific Northwest College of Art at Willamette University
- Pacific University
- Portland State University
- Portland State University- School of Social Work and Child and Family Studies
- Prescott College
- Roseman University of Health Sciences College of Nursing
- University of Oregon
- University of Portland
- Western Oregon University
- Willamette University
This is a fantastic opportunity for students to gather valuable information, ask questions, and make informed decisions about their academic journey. Whether you are interested in healthcare, business, arts, or any other field, Oregon Transfer Days will have representatives from diverse disciplines to guide you.
For more information about Oregon Transfer Days, please contact Amy Magnussen at amagnussen@clatsopcc.edu. (SOURCE)
Mother Of Waldport Woman Killed In Collision With Yachats Ambulance Plans Wrongful Death Lawsuit
The mother of a young Waldport woman killed Jan. 11 in a collision with a Yachats ambulance has gone to court asking to be named as her personal representative to help prepare for filing a wrongful death lawsuit.
The petition was filed Wednesday by attorneys for Heide A. Stocker of Waldport on behalf of her daughter, Kelsey R. Seibel, 25. Seibel had two sons, Kayden, 5, and Ryan, 4.
Seibel’s car collided with a South Lincoln Ambulance ambulance driven by Yachats Rural Fire Department firefighter/EMT at 5:16 p.m. Jan. 11 as the ambulance pulled out of the department’s driveway and onto U.S. Highway 101. It was headed to a high priority call at the Sea Aire assisted living facility just to the south.
Seibel died at the scene. Her passenger, Fokus Simmons, 16, of Waldport was critically injured and taken by ambulance to Good Samaritan Medical Center in Corvallis. He was in fair condition Wednesday, the hospital said. His mother, Elizabeth Wonson of Waldport, has been at the hospital since.
Oregon State Police said neither Seibel or Simmons were wearing seatbelts and the Kia Soul’s airbags did not deploy.
The fatal wreck and injury has shaken much of the Waldport community and Waldport High School, where Simmons is a sophomore. (READ MORE)
The City of Reedsport is Seeking a City Attorney
A City release said they are inviting proposals for contracted attorney service. For a list of duties and services required, go to the city’s website: www.cityofreedsport.org. Proposals are due to the city recorder’s office by 4:00 p.m. this Friday. Call 541-271-3603 for more information.
Severe weather has caused Spectrum service outages again around the state. Get service updates, outage information and other helpful resources at Spectrum.net/stormcenter.
Oregon Power Outage MAP: https://poweroutage.us/area/state/oregon
Forest Service Creating 50 Acres Of Plover Habitat South Of Florence
The western snowy plover, a small shorebird on the government’s list of threatened species, is regaining 50 acres of open sand habitat eight miles south of Florence.
The Siuslaw National Forest has started work on its largest plover habitat restoration project by using heavy equipment to remove vegetation along the beach between the Siltcoos River and the Oregon Dunes day use area.
The $240,000 three-year project will create 50 acres of open sand habitat.
The forest service said plovers have little to no nesting area within the area due to thick non-native vegetation. Once completed, the restoration is expected to benefit a variety of other native plant and wildlife species, in addition to the threatened western snowy plover, it said.
“For the first time in 60 years plovers will have continuous breeding habitat in the Siltcoos River area,” said Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area wildlife biologist Cindy Burns. “Over the last 25 years we’ve restored small pockets of habitat, which helped revive the plover population. Presently, the plovers have outgrown these microhabitats and it’s time to give them more room to thrive. We’ve already seen the plovers running around the construction site; they are ready to move in.”
Over time, invasive European beachgrass altered the formation of the sand dunes along the Oregon coast, changing the landscape and reducing its usefulness for species like the plover, the forest service said. After its introduction, the invasive grass stabilized shifting sand, facilitating the development of thick pockets of vegetation and steep, cliffy foredunes. But this change also reduced the area’s suitability for the western snowy plover, which rely on large expanses of dry sand near the tideline to nest, feed, and protect their young.
The first phase of the restoration will create about 25 acres of open sand habitat and is expected to be completed in February before nesting season begins mid-March. After plover nesting season ends mid-September, the project will continue through winter 2025.
Recreation areas near the project such as the Oregon Dunes day use area and the surrounding trailheads, will remain open to the public.
Plover recovery —- About 12 percent of Oregon beaches are closed for plovers, with the bulk of those in Lane, Douglas and Coos counties. Specific management plans are in place in those three counties to try to ensure that a total statewide plover population that dropped to only about 50 birds in the 1990s is protected going forward.
There are no closed beaches in Lincoln County.
Jodie Delavan, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokesperson, told YachatsNews last summer that efforts to survey and assess the birds over a long period is helping wildlife stewards with the overall goal of restoring plovers to traditional areas they have long been pushed out of.
“Long-term monitoring of plovers in Oregon shows our population is doing well and expanding to reclaim its former nesting range,” Delavan said. “The fact that our population remains well and above recovery goals really speaks to the amazing partnerships we have here.”
The numbers of nests and chicks all along the coast were also up in 2023, Cheryl Strong, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist in Newport, told YachatsNews last summer.
In the traditional nesting area for plovers, which extends from Florence to Bandon, a total of 546 nests have been found and monitored by plover biologists, Strong said. While information on fledglings from these sites hasn’t yet been tallied, the overall nest success appears to be “low-to-average” at about 22 percent.
Overall, Strong said, “The population remains well above our recovery goal of 200 plovers in Oregon.” (SOURCE)
Seaside Police Issue Merchant Alert For Counterfeit Bills
Local banking institutions have contacted the Seaside Police Department this week, reporting an influx of fraudulent $100 bills being received by local businesses throughout the county.
While the bills appear authentic and pass a pen test, they will not pass through electronic validation devices, magnetic ink, or UV backlight tests.
How to tell these bills are fraudulent:
All have a backplate number of “82.” This is located on the bottom right-hand corner of the back of the bill.
Serial numbers will vary, but all start with “BB.”
The “security strip” on the bill is not a strip but is lightly printed on the back of the bill, so it looks legitimate when holding it up to the light.
All the fraudulent bills received are last generation 100s, dated 2006A. The paper on most of the bills is lighter colored than usual, likely due to them being washed.
The portrait watermark of Benjamin Franklin is lightly printed on the back of the bill (pictured below within blue circle). You should not be able to see these features without light passing through.
Included below is an additional version of the fraudulent bills received.
If you have any information about the identity of a suspect(s) presenting fraudulent currency, contact your local law enforcement agency to make a report. Try to retain any security footage related to the incident. (SOURCE)
Florence Area Chamber of Commerce Drawing to Promote Tourism
The Florence Area Chamber of Commerce is consistently working on building the tourism traffic to Florence. The latest is a drawing for a two-night stay at the Driftwood Shores Conference Center and Resort.
The drawing is open to the public. Chamber President and CEO Betting Hannigan says the drawing comes with the two-night stay and a $50 certificate to the resort Market and Dine-in Deli.
You can register by using the qr code the link posted below. https://bit.ly/2NightsinFlorence
Plover Habitat Expanding
The snowy plover habitat is getting a makeover according to the US Forest Service. The area along the Siltcoos river to the Oregon Dunes recreational area will open up about 50 acres of habitat for the birds.
Crews are removing non-native vegetation to accommodate more breeding and nesting space according to Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area Wildlife Biologist Cindy Burns.
She says over the last 25 years they have established small pockets of habitat but the birds have outgrown them. While there is the presence of heavy equipment in the area the recreation areas remain open to the public.
Quarterly Coffee with a Deputy – Waldport
Lincoln Co. Sheriff’s Office
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office is excited to start the year off by having our first quarterly Coffee with a Deputy event of 2024 in Waldport. Join us on Wednesday, January 31, 2024, from 8am – 10am for a cup of coffee and a conversation at Café Chill (located at 540 NE Commercial St, Waldport, OR 97394).
More about these quarterly events:
Every three months our office will partner with a local coffee shop in Lincoln County to provide a time, space, and coffee for community members to meet our team and share what’s on their minds. Coffee with a cop events are a friendly and relaxed way for communities to connect with the deputies that serve them.
These events offer a unique opportunity for community members to directly engage with law enforcement, ask questions, voice concerns, and build positive relationships. Whether you’re a regular coffee drinker or simply curious about the work of law enforcement, this is a chance to connect with deputies on a personal level, learn about each other’s experiences, and share local feedback.
Oregon Department Of Forestry Recreation Team Seeking Camp Hosts
The Oregon Department of Forestry Recreation Team is looking for camp hosts to support operations at 8 campgrounds in the Tillamook, Clatsop, and Santiam State Forests for the 2024 season.
Campgrounds operates from May through October with flexible scheduling opportunities to include both full-season and short-season commitments.
Camp hosts are provided with:
*electricity
*water
*firewood
*septic
*ODF uniforms and supplies
Hosts help with light facility maintenance, visitor information services, and provide a point of contact for visitors in case of an emergency. Camp hosts enjoy direct access to trails and other recreation areas, get to meet people from all over the world, and can spend time exploring the vast experiences and views state forests have to offer.
To learn more, visit the ODF volunteer page: https://www.oregon.gov/odf/recreation/pages/volunteer.aspx
Florence Café 60 Senior Meals Program Reopens for Dine-In Meals
Lane Council of Government’s Senior Meals Program is reopening its Café 60 location in Florence after being closed for the past three years.
LCOG officials said that during the closure, LCOG’s Senior and Disability Services division offered grab-and-go meals but the reopening of Café 60 will provide a dine-in location for seniors who might otherwise go hungry. The Florence location will reopen on December 4 and operate three days a week at 11:15 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at the Florence Senior Center located at 1570 Kingwood Street, LCOG officials said.
Organizers said that interested seniors should make reservations at least a week in advance by calling ahead at 541-997-5673 or filling out a reservation menu at the Café 60 location. The program is open at no cost to seniors 60 years of age or over and those not 60 years or older are welcome to join by paying the meal cost of $8, program organizers said. Donations are welcomed to support the program’s continued operation in the community, LCOG officials said.
Volunteers are also sought to help with the program and those who would like to participate may call 541-682-1366. More program information is also available here: https://www.lcog.org/sdslane/page/florence-caf%C3%A9-60-reopens-dine-meals
Hunger On The Rise In Oregon After Downward Trend Before The Pandemic
A quarter of a century ago, Oregon had one of the highest rates of food insecurity and hunger in the country. By 2019, the situation had greatly improved, and rates in the state dipped below the U.S. average.
Then the pandemic hit, and rates rose again. The latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that about 11% of Oregon households are food insecure, struggle to have enough to eat and often have to choose between paying rent, prescription or groceries. That means that 186,000 households, or 463,000 people, in Oregon have a problem securing enough food.
“We were making great progress in reducing food insecurity until the pandemic hit and progress reversed somewhat and is likely continuing this sort of unhealthy upward trend,” Mark Edwards, a professor at Oregon State University who studies food insecurity, said at a news conference last week.
The 2023 data is still being compiled, but he said the situation appears to be getting worse.
“I am hearing from our colleagues who provide emergency food that there remains extremely high and growing demand for emergency food assistance throughout the state,” Edwards said during the news conference.
With hunger growing, food advocates and a group of lawmakers on the Oregon Hunger Task Force called last week for the Legislature to enact in the upcoming session a number of measures to address hunger and the plight of low-income residents. The task force, which was created by the Legislature, is especially keen to get lawmakers to approve bills that would help students financially and help stem hunger among children.
From “Food Insecurity in Oregon During the COVID Public Health Emergency,” December 2023, by Mark Edwards and Julian McElhaney
That focus partly reflects the latest hunger data published by Edwards and a colleague last month. Their report shows that people of color, especially Native people and Hispanics, struggle more with hunger than white people, and that Asian Americans have the lowest rates of all. Among households, single mothers have the highest rates of food insecurity.
Renters also face hunger at a higher rate of hunger than those who own their homes, with about 20% of renters struggling with food insecurity compared with 5% of homeowners. And those without a high school diploma suffer much more from food insecurity compared with those with a bachelor’s degree or even a high school diploma.
From “Food Insecurity in Oregon During the COVID Public Health Emergency,” December 2023, by Mark Edwards and Julian McElhaney
There has been a huge improvement in the share of single mothers facing food insecurity in the past decade, and fewer renters scramble for enough food these days. But one category has failed to budge much: the urban-rural divide. About 20% of rural Oregonians have struggled to feed their families in recent years, about double the percentage of residents in urban areas. That surprised the researchers.
“The reasons for this divergence remain unclear, and the magnitude of this change in rural but not urban Oregon is surprising,” the report said. “If indeed these data accurately capture a disproportionate impact of the pandemic on rural Oregonians, this observation aligns with qualitative reports of the distinct challenges faced by rural social services during COVID, where volunteer, often older, staff at emergency food pantries were home-bound, or where schools struggled to deliver free/reduced price meals to children who would normally receive them in school may have lagged behind.”
Food advocates back several measures
Members of the task force, which was created by the Legislature and includes lawmakers from both parties, advocates and officials, hope the Legislature will approve $12.7 million to launch a free meal program in the summer for children in poor families.
They also want the Legislature to expand school meals for all. Officials at a news conference said the state has enough money to allow hundreds more schools to serve free meals regardless of the student’s ability to pay starting next fall. But the rules need to change to align with federal requirements.
And they’re asking lawmakers to approve $6 million through House Bill 4162, a student emergency needs package. Nick Keough, legislative director for the Oregon Student Association, said students are struggling to pay for textbooks, housing, transportation, health care and their living expenses.
“Financial aid programs and scholarships designed for low-income students fail to cover the bulk of their needs and do not reach the costs associated with attendance, such as food, housing, textbooks, transportation, etc.,” Keough said. “We are seeing a pretty dire situation, especially coming out of the pandemic.”
Other requests – from Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon, the Children’s Institute and the Oregon Food Bank – include a $600,000 allocation for providers participating in the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program and $10 million for the Oregon Food Bank.
The Legislature regularly allocates money to the food bank, which serves 21 regional food banks that work with more than 1,400 free food markets, pantries, meal sites and delivery programs. And the federal government supports the Child and Adult Care Food Program by paying participating child care centers, day care homes and adult day care centers to provide nourishing meals. Regional nonprofits participate by conducting three site visits a year, but that’s become untenable for many, especially in rural areas, according to officials from Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon. They said a one-time infusion of cash would stabilize the program.
That program and more just need a bit more help to keep going, said Angelita Morillo, policy advocate for Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon.
“There are a lot of great structures that already exist in Oregon to address hunger-related issues,” she said. “A lot of them just don’t have the appropriate funding.” (SOURCE)
Copco 1, the oldest of the three remaining dams on the Klamath River, was breached Tuesday.
Crews blasted away a plug in Copco’s adit, a 10-foot-diameter tunnel that was drilled at the base of the dam last summer.
Ren Brownell, spokeswoman for Klamath River Renewal Corporation, which is coordinating the dams’ removal, said crews went about 100 feet into the dam and left a 12-foot concrete plug at its upstream end. A steel pipe was installed on its exterior and covered with concrete and a large rock.
Earlier this month, openings were created at the two other hydroelectric dams — Iron Gate and John C. Boyle — as part of drawing down water from the reservoirs behind the dams. A fourth dam, Copco 2, was removed last year. (SOURCE)
Mailing Error in Sending Tax Form 1099-G
On January 26, 2024, the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) announced that a mailing error occurred while sending the tax form 1099-G to those who received benefits from the Unemployment Insurance program in 2023. This error impacted 32,960 out of 122,245 mailings, meaning some individuals may have not received a tax form 1099-G at all, and others may have received an additional form not belonging to them.
A machine error caused a subset of those tax forms to go into envelopes already containing a tax form 1099-G. DAS was first notified of this error during the ongoing printing and mailing process for tax form 1099-G and called for an immediate halt, which prevented the majority of these forms from being impacted. For More Information: https://unemployment.oregon.gov/1099g-mailing-error#:~:text=This%20error%20impacted%2032%2C960%20out,a%20tax%20form%201099%2DG.
Yes, Oregon passed a law requiring all eggs to be cage-free.
The law was passed several years ago, but didn’t take effect until Jan. 1 of this year in order to give farms and grocery stores time to update the supply chain.
Recent social media posts have resurfaced news about a 2019 law requiring that all eggs sold in Oregon be “cage-free,” set to take effect in 2024, and at least one Reddit user reported seeing staff removing egg cartons from a grocery store shelf shortly after New Years Day, apparently to comply with the new law.
Yes, a new Oregon law requires all eggs produced and sold in the state to be cage-free, meaning they come from hens that are not kept in specific types of small cages called “battery cages” or “colony cages” that are commonly used in the industry. The law was passed in 2019 and took effect Jan. 1 of this year. READ MORE: https://www.kgw.com/article/news/verify/yes-oregon-law-requires-eggs-cage-free/283-3e113301-9bd3-42be-999c-51e992f50e5c
Amid historic health enrollment gains nationally, Oregon holds steady
The number of Oregonians enrolling with a federally subsidized health insurance marketplace barely ticked up upwards this year, despite a record number of people nationally using the program for coverage.
State officials, however, say that shows Oregon’s past efforts to keep people covered are bearing fruit.
Federal officials announced Wednesday that 21.3 million people signed up to buy coverage through online marketplaces during the 2024 open enrollment period. That’s roughly 5 million more than the previous year, a 30% increase, and the third year in a row of record enrollments nationally.
Fueling the continued surge in overall Affordable Care Act enrollments are hefty increases in federal marketplace subsidies that began during the pandemic. Not only that, but states have resumed eligibility checks of their Medicaid rolls after a pandemic-era pause, pushing people to marketplaces according to health care policy think tank KFF.
The online marketplaces were launched in 2014 under the Affordable Care Act. In Oregon, 145,509 consumers used Oregon’s website to sign up for coverage during the open enrollment period that ran between Nov. 1 and Jan. 16. That’s a 2% increase from the previous year.
Only a handful of states, including New Jersey, Alaska, Hawaii and Nevada, saw single digit percentage increases. The District of Columbia and Maine saw 3% drops and California remained flat.
Oregon Health Authority spokesperson Erica Heartquist told The Lund Report that the small increase is still a “win” because it meant more Oregonians are covered.
“While we’re still analyzing the most recent data, it’s important to note that at the start of this open enrollment period, approximately 96% of Oregonians already had health insurance coverage,” she wrote. “This means that only 4% of Oregonians were uninsured, lower than the national uninsured rate of 7.7%, which could’ve contributed to the trends we saw during this open enrollment period.”
Oregon’s enrollment using the marketplace has been “basically flat for five years straight,” Charles Gaba, a long-time health enrollment tracker who runs the blog ACAsignups.net, told The Lund Report in an email.
Last year, enrollment went down, and the previous year saw only a slight gain. In fact, Oregon enrollment in the marketplace peaked in 2018 when 156,105 picked plans through the marketplace. Marketplace figures don’t include Oregonians who bypass the subsidized enrollment website and use agents or sign up directly with insurers — a group that numbered more than 30,000 last year.
While 2024 was the third straight year of below-average marketplace enrollment gains for Oregon compared to other states, that’s in part because other states expanded their Medicaid programs later than Oregon did to take advantage of increased funding under the Affordable Care Act. READ MORE: https://www.thelundreport.org/content/amid-historic-health-enrollment-gains-nationally-oregon-holds-steady
AARP grant ‘unique’ opportunity to fund community projects in Oregon
A program that funds ideas for improving communities is now open to applications. The AARP Community Challenge grant program is accepting applications until March 6th for projects that can be enacted quickly to make cities more livable for people of all ages.
Stacy Larsen, communications director for AARP Oregon, said the program has a track record for supporting communities of all sizes.
“They deliver really unique support to rural communities. Since the beginning of the program in 2017, 46% of the grants distributed in Oregon have been to rural communities,” Larsen said.
Since its start in 2017, the program has invested $16.4 million in more than 1,300 projects nationwide, including 28 in Oregon. The program is open to local nonprofits and governments. A webinar for interested applicants will be held on the AARP website on January 31st at 11 a.m.
Applicants can apply in three different grant areas. Those include capacity-building microgrants, demonstration grants and flagships grants, which allow for the most creativity and flexibility. Larsen has some tips for those applying.
“The applicants who can demonstrate that they are addressing a clear need, that brings positive change to make their communities more livable for residents of all ages, and that they’re addressing disparities for people of color or other historically marginalized groups will find themselves rising to the top,” she explained.
Selected projects must be completed by December 15th. (SOURCE)
Missing Yachats Man’s Vehicle Found in North Lane County
On 08/25/2023, Dustin Steyding was reported missing to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office after he left work on 07/22/2023 and hadn’t been located since. Dustin was living and working in the Yachats area.
Dustin was reported to be in good physical condition, having previously worked as a hot shot firefighter in New Mexico. Dustin is very experienced in the woods and commonly goes out for hikes to stay in shape. Without means to locate Dustin, Deputies entered Dustin as a missing person in a national database.
On 09/04/2023, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office received a call from Dustin’s family after they located his vehicle on Keller Creek Rd, just outside of Lincoln County in Lane County. Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Deputies contacted the vehicle and determined it had been at the location for some time. Deputies were unable to determine Dustin’s direction of travel from the vehicle.
The vehicle having been located in Lane County, Lincoln County Deputies contacted the Lane County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Team and arranged for their response the next day to started searching the area. After two days of searching, no clues to Dustin’s have been found.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Dustin Steyding should contact the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office at 541-265-0777 and reference case number 23S-07321.
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.
Contact us: Info@OregonBeachMagazine.com