Oregon Beach News, Monday 12/18 – Fire At Tolovana Inn in Cannon Beach Displaces 35 People Early Sunday Morning & Other Local and Statewide News…

Three Die as Plane Crashes Into Power Lines Starting Brush Fire and Power Outage in Independence

Officials released more details Sunday about the deadly plane crash just outside Independence State Airport the day prior and identified the occupants of the plane.

The pilot and two passengers died when the single engine plane traveling from McMinnville to Independence crashed amidst heavy fog late Saturday afternoon according to the Independence Police Department and Polk County Fire District No. 1.

The occupants are identified as Mohammad Hussain Musawi and Mohammad Bashir Safdari, both 35 from Independence, and 29-year-old Ali Jan Ferdawsi of Salem. Musawi was the pilot, while Safdari and Ferdawsi were passengers.

The owner of the plane was not on board when it crashed around 4:55 p.m. near Hoffman Road and James Street just outside of the airport. It brought down power lines, sparked a small brush fire and knocked out power to nearly 400 homes overnight.

“I was upstairs and suddenly we heard a series of booms, loud kind of boom, boom, boom, bang and then all the power fluctuated, a little dim and then everything went out all at once,” said resident Aaron Forbes. “You could almost immediately see the fire as soon as we walked outside because the field caught on fire as soon as the plane crashed.”

High-voltage power lines had to be deenergized by the power company before the fire could be fully extinguished and emergency personnel could reach the site to investigate.

“The electricity was still popping, and you could see it every five or ten minutes. You could hear the transformers, the electrical line just lighting up the sky with blue plasma. It was pretty dangerous,” Forbes added.

Pacific Power reports that power has been restored as of Sunday afternoon.

“Our thoughts are with the families of those involved in the crash.” officials said. Police are investigating alongside the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board.  (SOURCE)

Former Oregon Youth Authority Employee Charged with Sexual Misconduct

On December 1, 2023, a Marion County Grand Jury returned a Secret Indictment charging 34-year-old Emily Echtenkamp with five counts of Custodial Sexual Misconduct in the First Degree, one count of Official Misconduct in the First Degree, and one count of Initiating a False Report. The indictment results from an Oregon State Police investigation into alleged sexual misconduct by Echtenkamp with an incarcerated individual while she was employed at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility. The incarcerated individual was not a minor during the period alleged in the indictment.[1] As of May 2022, Echtenkamp was no longer employed by the Oregon Youth Authority. 

Based on the Grand Jury Indictment, the Marion County Circuit Court issued an arrest warrant for Echtenkamp. Echtenkamp turned herself into the Marion County Jail on the warrant on December 14, 2023, and was lodged at the Marion County Jail pending arraignment on the Indictment. On December 15, 2023, Echtenkamp was arraigned on the Indictment and the Marion County District Attorney’s Office requested $60,000 bail.  Marion County Circuit Court Pro Tem Judge Matthew Tracey set bail at $20,000. 

This issue is an open criminal prosecution and as such, the Marion County District Attorney’s Office will not release additional information at this time.  Please contact DDA Brendan Murphy and DDA Kylie Kuhns at (503) 588-5222 with any questions. 

Federal Judge Rejected Request From Oregon Republican State Senators Who Boycotted The Legislature To Be Allowed On The Ballot After Their Terms End

U.S. District Court Judge Ann Aiken issued the decision Wednesday rejecting a request from Oregon Republican state senators who boycotted the Legislature to be allowed on the ballot after their terms end.

State Sens. Dennis Linthicum, Brian Boquist and Cedric Hayden were among the plaintiffs who filed the federal lawsuit to challenge their disqualification from running for reelection under Measure 113. The voter-approved constitutional amendment, which passed by a wide margin last year, bars legislators from seeking reelection after 10 or more unexcused absences.

Each of the three senators racked up more than 10 absences during a record six-week walkout that paralyzed the 2023 legislative session. The boycott stemmed from bills on abortion, transgender health care and guns.

The lawmakers sought, among other things, a preliminary injunction to prevent the secretary of state’s office from enforcing their disqualification from the ballot. The office in September disqualified Linthicum and Boquist from the 2024 ballot, court filings show. Hayden’s term ends in January 2027.

The senators argued that walkouts are a form of political protest protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

“The Senators were punished solely for exercising their First Amendment rights,” their attorneys said in court filings.

Aiken disagreed with their claims in her opinion.

“However, these walkouts were not simply protests — they were an exercise of the Senator Plaintiffs’ official power and were meant to deprive the legislature of the power to conduct business,” she wrote.

“Their subsequent disqualification is the effect of Measure 113 working as intended by the voters of Oregon,” she added.

The Oregon Senate and House of Representatives must have two-thirds of their members present in order to have a quorum and conduct business. In recent years, Republicans have protested against Democratic policies by walking out of the Legislature and denying a quorum in a bid to stall bills.

The federal suit named Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade and Democratic Senate President Rob Wagner as defendants. The senators claimed, among other things, that Wagner violated their First Amendment right to freedom of expression and their Fourteenth Amendment right to due process by marking their absences as unexcused.

Attorneys from Oregon’s justice department representing Griffin-Valade and Wagner argued the First Amendment does not protect legislators’ refusal to attend legislative floor sessions.

“Under Oregon law, a senator’s absence has an important legal effect: without the attendance of the two-thirds of senators needed to achieve a quorum, the Senate cannot legislate,” they wrote in court filings.

The federal court decision was issued one day before the Oregon Supreme Court heard a separate challenge to the measure. In oral arguments before the state’s high court in Salem Thursday, a lawyer for a different group of Republican state senators argued that confusion over the wording of the constitutional amendment means that legislators whose terms end in January can run in 2024.

Griffin-Valade, the secretary of state, is also a defendant in that lawsuit. Earlier this year, she said the boycotting senators were disqualified from seeking reelection in 2024. She directed her office’s elections division to implement an administrative rule to clarify the stance. She said the rule reflected the intent of voters when they approved the measure last year.

All parties in the suit are seeking clarity on the issue before the March 2024 filing deadline for candidates who want to run in next year’s election.

Fatal Crash — Highway 97 — Deschutes County

On Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, at approximately 7:14 p.m., Oregon State Police troopers responded to a two-vehicle crash on Highway 97 near milepost 128 south of Redmond. 

The preliminary investigation indicated that a white Ford Econoline van was northbound on Highway 97 and drove onto the shoulder of the highway for an unknown reason. The driver lost control of the vehicle and drove across both northbound lanes, the center median, and into the southbound “A” lane. The van collided with a silver 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee that was traveling southbound. 

The driver of the van, Ghandi Lakshmi Satya Sai Yerramsetti (23) of Redmond, and the passenger of the Jeep, Christy Lee Bigelow (29) of Bend, both sustained fatal injuries and were pronounced deceased at the scene. The driver of the Jeep, Nicholas Loren Husted (32) of Bend was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

During the crash investigation, Highway 97 was closed and traffic detoured. A suspected impaired driver struck an Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) vehicle that was diverting traffic at 61^st Street. The suspect, Nicholas Jason Cardone (33) of Bend, was arrested for DUII by the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office. The operator of the ODOT vehicle was evaluated at a local hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. 

An additional non-injury crash occurred in the southbound lane near the crash scene and Lylliane Walczyk (20) was arrested for DUII. 

Oregon State Police was assisted by the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, Bend Fire Department, and the Oregon Department of Transportation. 

Officer Involved Shooting – Josephine County

JOSEPHINE COUNTY, Ore. 15 Dec. 2023 – On Friday, Dec. 15, 2023, law enforcement officers from Oregon State Police, Grants Pass Police Department, and Josephine County Sheriff’s Office were searching for a suspect in a homicide investigation.

At approximately 12:10 p.m. the suspect was located in a vehicle near Grants Pass and fled from law enforcement officers who pursued the suspect. The pursuit ended at Highway 199 and Allen Creek Road.

During the course of the incident, law enforcement officers from all three agencies discharged their duty weapons. The suspect, identified as Kelly Lynn Mason (48), was pronounced deceased on scene. 

At least one law enforcement officer on scene received non-life-threatening injuries during the incident. 

All involved officers have been placed on traumatic event leave as is standard protocol in Senate Bill 111 deadly force incidents.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation of the incident. This team is comprised of investigators from numerous agencies and is overseen by the Josephine County District Attorney’s Office.  

Per the standard protocols, all future media releases related to this incident will come from the Josephine County District Attorney’s Office.

Quaker Granola Bars and Granola Cereals Recalled Due to Potential Salmonella Contamination

Nearly 80 varieties of Quaker Oats Company‘s granola bar and granola cereal products are being recalled due to a potential salmonella contamination.

News of the recall was announced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday. The products were sold throughout all 50 states in the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam and Saipan, in stores like Target, Costco, Walmart, Kroger and more.

Among the products are various flavors and variety/value packs of Quaker Chewy Bars (including the “Less Sugar” option), Quaker Big Chewy Bars, Quaker Chewy Bars Minis, Quaker Chewy Dipps and Quaker Chewy Mini Dipps.

Quaker Puffed Granola, Quaker Simply Granola Oats and Quaker Protein Granola Oats products are also affected, in their respective offerings.

Another Death Has Been Linked To Cantaloupe Contaminated With Salmonella

Another death has been linked to cantaloupe contaminated with salmonella, bringing the total to four in the United States. Another 72 illnesses also have been reported, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

So far, the CDC said, 302 people have become sick in 42 states. Of those, 72 have been added as of Dec. 15. Almost half of those people had to be hospitalized and four have died – three in Minnesota and one in Oregon.

Consumers have been urged to not eat any pre-cut cantaloupe unless they know where the whole fruit came from.

“The true number of sick people in this outbreak is likely much higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses. This is because many people recover without medical care and are not tested for salmonella. In addition, recent illnesses may not yet be reported as it usually takes 3 to 4 weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak,” the CDC said.

The outbreak has been linked to cantaloupe from Mexico that may have a sticker with “Malichita” or “Rudy” and the number 4050.

Recalls of whole cantaloupe and pre-cut cantaloupe have been growing.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said its “traceback investigation” has identified Sofia Produce, LLC doing business as TruFresh of Nogales, Arizona; Crown Jewels Produce of Fresno, California; and Pacific Trellis Fruit doing business as Dulcinea of Fresno, California, as suppliers of the potentially contaminated “Malichita” or “Rudy” brand cantaloupes.

The three companies issued recalls.

Adults age 65 and older, children younger than 5 and people with weakened immune systems are more at risk from a salmonella infection.

Severe symptoms include diarrhea for more than three days that is not improving, a fever higher than 102 degrees, bloody diarrhea, vomiting that includes not being able to keep liquids down and dehydration.

Mexico’s Health Department on Dec. 15 ordered the temporary closure of a melon-packing plant implicated in salmonella infections that killed five people in Canada and four in the United States.

Housing Advocates Push For More Rental Assistance as Evictions Rise

Eviction filings in Oregon continue to exceed pre-pandemic levels and could increase if lawmakers do not set aside additional funds for emergency rental assistance, according to local housing experts.

Why it matters: The state’s housing affordability crisis, coupled with rising inflation and idling housing production, has led many tenants to fall behind on rent, putting them at risk of losing their homes, Sybil Hebb, director of legislative advocacy at the Oregon Law Center, tells Axios.

• “Homelessness rates are driven by housing prices and affordability,” she says. “None of that is going to get solved overnight, but we know it’s twice as expensive to get people rehoused once they’ve lost housing.”

Driving the news: The Oregon Law Center and several other nonprofit service providers — including Fair Shot and Stable Homes for Oregon Families — are planning to ask lawmakers for an additional $45 million for eviction protection in the next legislative session, which begins in February.

• The groups originally asked for $100 million during the last session, but only $55 million out of Gov. Tina Kotek’s $2.5 billion budget for Oregon Housing and Community Services was allocated for rental assistance and eviction protections for the next two years.

Advocates say those funds have all but dried up within the last few months.

• “We have put those resources to good use, but it is rapidly going out the door,” Hebb says. “We know we are not going to make it with the currently allocated resources.”
• Lauren Everett, a spokesperson for Portland Tenants United, says she hasn’t “heard of there being any rent assistance still available.”

By the numbers: Prior to the pandemic, in 2019 and early 2020, Oregon landlords filed an average of 1,500 eviction lawsuits a month, according to state data collected by Evicted in Oregon, an eviction tracking project from Portland State University.

• From October 2022 to October 2023, an average of 2,000 eviction lawsuits were filed each month — 82% of those cases were for nonpayment, Emily Rena-Dozier, an attorney at the Oregon Law Center, tells Axios.

State of play: In March, a new law requiring landlords to wait 10 days (instead of the previous 72-hour requirement) before filing non-payment eviction cases has resulted in more dismissals in part because tenants now have more time to find rental and legal assistance, Rena-Dozier said.

• “The dismissal rates that we’re seeing, where basically half of the non payment cases get dismissed and the tenants hold on to their housing, is only possible because of rent assistance,” she said.

Of note: In May, Multnomah County voters overwhelmingly rejected a local capital gains tax that would’ve supported tenants facing eviction with legal aid. (SOURCE)

Measure 110 unveils new phone access line providing more immediate connection to services and support

SALEM, Ore. — People seeking Measure 110 services and supports can now access a newly invigorated helpline to connect individuals more efficiently with treatment, housing, and overdose prevention providers within the statewide behavioral health resource networks (BHRNs).

Oregon Health Authority (OHA) announced that Health Resources in Action (HRiA), a non-profit organization based in Boston, was selected as the new contractor for the helpline, replacing Lines for Life.

The firm has extensive experience working with federal and state government agencies such as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the federal Department of Health and Human Services. HRiA operates helplines in three other states: Massachusetts, Illinois, and Vermont.

The 18-month contract totals more than $2.8 million. The firm is planning to undertake extensive statewide outreach and add new functionalities to the hotline such as texting.

This helpline will continue to be a statewide public resource for substance use screening and service referrals as well as a resource for those seeking to waive Class E citations. 

Under its proposal, HRiA will operate the phone and text helpline, develop a comprehensive website to support the helpline, offer follow-up calls to support service access, and promote the hotline.

The new helpline number is 1-833-975-0505.The previous helpline phone numbers, 503-575-3769 and 541-575-3769, will continue to operate and will feed into the new 833 number.

Since 2021, 577 people called the helpline. Nearly half of them had citations.

“We’re excited to partner with HRiA to refresh the Measure 110 helpline,” said OHA Behavioral Health Director Ebony Clarke. “We know the helpline has been vastly underutilized and we’re optimistic that HRiA’s trauma-informed and compassionate approach to supporting individuals in need of help will make it easier for Oregonians to access Measure 110’s life-saving services and supports.”

Measure 110 network providers reported continued increases in the number of clients served statewide in all seven network service areas, according to the latest quarterly program reports filed with OHA.

Overdose prevention and peer support services accounted for the largest client gains in the quarterly reporting and over all three quarters. Substance use treatment providers reported 41 percent more clients in quarterly gains and 104 percent over the first three quarters in operation.

Background: In November 2020, Oregon voters passed Measure 110, the Drug Addiction Treatment and Recovery Act of 2020, which became effective Dec. 4, 2020, to better serve people actively using substances or diagnosed with a substance use disorder. In July 2021, the legislature passed SB 755, which amended the act and made it more feasible to implement.

People who provide drug treatment and recovery services and advocates for criminal justice reform wrote Measure 110 in response to the high rate of drug addiction and overdoses in Oregon, and the disproportionate impact of those outcomes on Oregon’s communities of color.

Their goal was to establish a more equitable health-based and effective approach to substance use disorder.

People in Oregon can now manage state benefits with the Oregon ONE Mobile app

People can now securely manage their medical, food, cash and child care benefits through the State of Oregon from the convenience of their mobile devices using the new Oregon ONE Mobile app. People first will need to apply for benefits online, in person at a local office or over the phone. 

The app is available for free in the Apple and Android app stores. It is an official State of Oregon app created by the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS). The app’s development was partially funded by the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

“At ODHS we are committed to meeting people in Oregon where they are with as many ways as possible to manage their benefits, check application status and share needed documentation, like when they get a request for information during a renewal,” said Nathan Singer (he/him), director of the ODHS Oregon Eligibility Partnership. “People can now manage their benefits in-person, by mail, by fax, by telephone, online and on their mobile phone using the Oregon ONE Mobile app, which is available in English and Spanish.” 

Interview with OEP Director Singer available on YouTube

Oregon ONE Mobile app video on YouTube

New Oregon ONE Mobile app video link

• Create a ONE Online account.
• Access their existing ONE Online account.
• Report changes to household information including address, contact information and income.
• Upload requested documents using a smartphone camera.
• Get updates on application status and check if it is approved, denied, or pending, and what actions might need to be taken.
• See and download notices that were mailed.
• Find the next renewal date for their benefits.
• Get important, time-sensitive alerts and notifications about benefits on mobile devices.
• View benefit issuance history for food and cash payments.

People who serve as Authorized Representatives for people with benefits are also able to use the app.

How to manage your medical, food, cash and child care benefits: 

• By phone at: 1-800-699-9075. All relay calls accepted.
• Online at: benefits.oregon.gov
• Through the free Oregon ONE Mobile app available on Apple and Android app stores
• In person at an office near you: Find an office.
• In your language: Help in Your Language
• By mail at: ONE Customer Service Center, PO Box 14015, Salem, OR 97309
• By fax at: 503-378-5628

Resources to help meet basic needs

• Find food resources in your community: needfood.oregon.gov.
• 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 help center 

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 well-being and independence through opportunities that protect, empower, respect choice and preserve dignity.

About the Oregon Eligibility Partnership – The Oregon Eligibility Partnership (OEP) is part of the Oregon Department of Human Services. OEP supports state staff who determine eligibility for people applying for and receiving medical, food, cash and child care benefits. It also manages the ONE Eligibility System used to process applications and deliver benefits to eligible individuals and families in Oregon. One in three people in Oregon receive benefits through the ONE Eligibility System. OEP administers the ONE Eligibility system in partnership with the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and the Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC).###