The latest news stories across the state of Oregon from the digital home of the Oregon coastal cities, OregonBeachMagazine.com
Thursday, December 8, 2022
Oregon Beach Weather
STORM WARNING ISSUED: 2:23 AM DEC. 8, 2022 – NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
...GALE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM PST THIS MORNING... ...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM PST FRIDAY... ...STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM FRIDAY TO 4 AM PST SATURDAY... * WHAT...For the Gale Warning, southwest winds 20 to 30 kt with gusts up to 40 kt and seas 8 to 13 ft at 14 seconds. For the Storm Warning, south winds 40 to 50 kt with gusts up to 60 kt and seas 20 to 25 ft at 13 seconds expected. For the Small Craft Advisory, southwest winds 15 to 25 kt with gusts up to 40 kt and seas 8 to 13 ft at 13 seconds. * WHERE...For the Gale Warning, all but areas within 2 nm of coast between points and to the coast near the points, except beyond 5 to 10 nm offshore south of Gold Beach. For the Small Craft Advisory, all areas not covered by the Gale Warning through 10 AM PST, Thursday, then all areas through 10 PM PST Friday. For the Storm Warning all areas. * WHEN...For the Gale Warning, until 10 AM PST this morning. For the Storm Warning, from 10 AM Friday to 4 AM PST Saturday. For the Small Craft Advisory, until 10 AM PST Friday. * IMPACTS...Very strong winds and very steep seas could capsize or damage vessels. Visibilities will be significantly reduced. * View the hazard area in detail at https://go.usa.gov/x6hks
Missing Coos Bay Woman Found Deceased Near Car Crash Down 100-Foot Cliff
A missing woman apparently drove off a 100-foot embankment at Cape Arago State Park in Coos County was found dead Sunday by Oregon State Police who’ve reported this now but say they don’t know when she crashed.
At approximately 10:59 a.m., Sunday, Dec. 4, OSP responded to a report of a single vehicle crash on Highway 540, Cape Arago Highway, near milepost 12.9, according to a news advisory from OSP.
The preliminary investigation indicated that on an unknown date and time, an eastbound Honda Civic operated by Wendy Haumea Smith, 45, of Coos County, crossed the westbound lane of travel onto the earthen shoulder and plummeted more than 100 feet down a cliff and came “to an uncontrolled rest against a tree.”
Smith, who had been reported missing to the Coos County Sheriff’s Office Nov. 6, was found a short distance from the vehicle deceased.
Scene evidence indicated Smith survived the crash, extricated herself from the vehicle, collected some belongings and moved a short distance from the vehicle. It is currently undetermined whether Smith died as a result of injuries related to the crash or other causes, OSP said.
State parks officials closed access to the last section of the park during the investigation, and recovery efforts were underway.
OSP was assisted by the Coos County Sheriff’s Office, Charleston Fire, North Bend Fire and Oregon State Parks.
Oregon’s Commercial Dungeness Crab Season Remains Closed
The ocean commercial Dungeness crab season remains closed as round two of pre-season testing shows crabs remain too low in meat yield in some areas.
Elevated domoic acid is still detected in some crab viscera (guts), according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Oregon Agriculture Department.
Round three of crab meat yield and biotoxin testing will occur in the coming weeks. Results help determine if the season opens Dec. 31 or is further delayed or split into areas with different opening dates.
Targeted to open Dec. 1, Oregon’s ocean commercial Dungeness crab season can be delayed so consumers get a high-quality product and crabs are not wasted.
Oregon, California and Washington coordinate Dungeness crab quality testing and the commercial season opening dates. California and Washington also are delaying their commercial seasons until at least Dec. 31. Tri-state crab quality testing protocol is available online.
ODFW tests crabs out of Oregon’s six major crabbing ports in partnership with the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission, Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA), and the commercial Dungeness crab industry.
Commercial Dungeness crab is one of Oregon’s most iconic and valuable fisheries, contributing millions to our coastal communities. The commercial ocean Dungeness crab fishery opening has been delayed the past six seasons due to either low meat yield or domoic acid levels above the threshold for safe consumption.
Although the season was delayed in stages in 2021 (harvest opened Dec. 16 south of Cape Falcon and Feb. 15, 2021 north of Cape Falcon), fishermen still brought in 12.2 million pounds of Dungeness crab coastwide with an ex-vessel value of $60.6 million dollars.
Landslide Work Continues on Hwy 30
The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) crews are making progress in clearing a massive debris slide that closed Highway 30 between Clatskanie and Astoria Nov. 29.
As of early Wednesday morning, Dec. 7, ODOT did not have an estimate of when the highway would be completely open. Beginning Dec. 4, ODOT allowed one lane to be open with flaggers from 4 p.m. to 8 a.m. nightly while crews continued removing hazardous rock and debris.
“We’re still scaling rock as we have since last weekend and hope to know maybe Friday some ETA for reopening at least one lane daytime too,” ODOT spokesman David House said. “The amount of material that didn’t fall last week (but will) is a bigger concern than the amount that did.”
The slide started about 10:30-11 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 29, about 100 feet above the roadway, likely due to rain and strong winds on trees with roots deep in rocky hillside, according to ODIT. The slide is about 110 feet wide and sent at least 1,800 cubic yards of mostly rock onto the highway.
“This section of US Highway 30 crosses an area where landslides have long been part of the geology, often triggered by heavy rainfall,” ODOT stated earlier. “So, this part of the road has long had landslide warning signs.”
This week, crews were working down the cliff side to remove large sections of loose rock left by the landslide. The hazardous rock scaling work must be done during daylight and coordinated with cleanup at the highway surface to keep crews safe, ODOT stated in an earlier release.
If you travel Highway at night, please slow to an extra cautious speed, watch for flaggers and expect a delay at the work site. For daytime travel between Portland and the coast, ODOT recommends drivers use Highway 26 as the alternative route.
Five Electricity Substations Attacked in Pacific Northwest in November
At least five electricity substation attacks in Washington and Oregon in November were reported to the FBI, according to local media. Utility companies Puget Sound Energy, the Cowlitz County Public Utility District, and Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) told the Seattle Times they were cooperating with a federal investigation, though the FBI declined to confirm it was investigating the attacks. It’s not clear if any power outages resulted from the assaults.
One operation described as a “deliberate physical attack” took place at a Clackamas, Oregon, substation over the Thanksgiving holiday, BPA spokesman Douglas Johnson said. News of the attacks in the Pacific Northwest comes after damage from a substation shooting in North Carolina on Saturday plunged tens of thousands of people into darkness.
Governor Brown Issues Executive Order To Help Strained Oregon Hospitals
Governor Brown has issued an executive order in response to a surge in adult and pediatric cases and hospitalizations for respiratory viruses.
The order gives hospitals more flexibility to increase staffing and use volunteer nurses and doctors.
The Oregon Health Authority will spend up to 25-million dollars to hire supplemental nurses to help increase hospital staffing.
“Our health care workers––our nurses, doctors, and hospital staff––are being pushed to their limits by this year’s combination of flu, RSV, and COVID-19 hospitalizations,” said Governor Brown. “As they do everything they can to keep Oregonians healthy and safe, we must all do our part to help them. Our health care workers are working around the clock to protect the people most vulnerable to severe respiratory illnesses––including our young children and seniors.
“I am asking Oregonians to come together to help our health care heroes this holiday season. Stay home if you are sick, stay up to date on your vaccinations, and consider wearing a mask in crowded indoor situations––especially if you are at higher risk for severe illness from RSV, the flu, or COVID-19.”
Last month, Governor Brown issued an order that increased hospital flexibility to help with the increase in pediatric RSV cases. The new order expands that flexibility. See executive order
Oregon State Police’s Permit-To-Purchase Gun Application Now Online While Measure 114 On Hold
Oregon’s new permit-to-purchase application for prospective buyers of firearms is online today, as the legality of the State’s new gun control measure is getting resolved in state and federal courts.
Oregon State Police (OSP) put the application online overnight at Oregon’s Measure 114 had been set to take effect today, December 8, 2022, 30 days after Oregon voters narrowly passed the measure in a November 8, 2022, referendum. The Oregon Secretary of State’s Office had said last month it would certify the vote outcome and the Measure’s passage today, too.
OSP said yesterday it would proceed with making the application available online while courts determine Measure 114’s legality. Harney County Circuit Court Judge Robert Raschio issued a temporary restraining order against the measure Tuesday, preventing it from taking effect. The State court said the measure violated Oregon’s constitution, and Judge Raschio ordered further case arguments for deliberation about whether the restraining order stands.
Oregon’s Supreme Court yesterday denied a request from Oregon’s Department of Justice to set aside Raschio’s restraining order, upholding the temporary suspension of Measure 114.
OSP noted that decision, saying it is proceeding with those steps in the gun purchase permitting process that it can, pending the outcome of the court rulings. Lawsuits are also pending in federal court to challenge Measure 114 as a violation of the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment. One case’s federal court ruling early this week had allowed the measure to stand while delaying its State-required effective date at the request of Oregon’s Attorney General to allow policing agencies more time to prepare a system to meet Measure 114’s new gun control requirements.
OSP’s online application today allows Oregonians to see the application and get information about the prospective new firearms acquisition process while local law enforcement agencies prepare for possible enforcement of Measure 114, pending further court decisions about its validity.
Its site offers a link to the application, labeled as “Employment Application” in the browser tab, and information about “Rules and Firearms Purchase Disqualifiers.”
OSP notes on the page, “The Permit to Purchase Program is a result of the passage of the 2022 Ballot Measure 114. This program regulates and creates a process for the sale, purchase, and otherwise transfer of all firearms in the State of Oregon. A person must apply for and be issued a ‘Permit to Purchase’ a firearm or firearms from the Police Chief or County Sheriff with jurisdiction over the residence of the person making the application. These Law Enforcement entities are referred to as ‘Permit Agents’ in this program.
Prior to a person buying, leasing, or otherwise transferring a firearm from a ‘Gun Dealer,’ the person must show proof of current identification and a valid ‘Permit-to-Purchase’ before the Federally Licensed Firearms ‘Gun Dealer’ can conduct firearms background checks on persons attempting to purchase a firearm (ORS 166.412) in Oregon.”
Measure 114 would require any person in Oregon to get police permission to get a gun. Any civilian gun purchase would require a person apply to get government permission to buy a gun, require the applicant to pay for that permission from police, require new background checks that also require a full set of a person’s fingerprints, and require applicants complete firearms training before applying. It also limits gun magazine capacity to ten rounds if upheld by the court.
New Study Shows Oregon Workers’ Compensation Rates Among Lowest in Country
Oregon’s workers’ compensation rates remain among the lowest in the nation, according to an analysis released today by the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services (DCBS).
This reflects the state’s ongoing success in making workplaces safer and keeping costs under control, according to a release from DCBS.
The biennial study ranks all 50 states and Washington, D.C., based on premium rates that were in effect Jan. 1, 2022.
Oregon had the 10th least expensive rates in 2022. Oregon fell in the rankings by four spots from the 2020 survey, despite having a lower premium index rate, because rates in other states dropped a few pennies more. Oregon’s index rate is 93 cents per $100 of payroll, down from $1.00 from 2020.
DCBS announced in September that Oregon workers’ compensation rates would decline further – an average 3.2 percent – in 2023. Workers’ compensation pays injured workers for lost wages and medical care for job-related injuries.
In recent years, rates have dropped all over the country, which has led to a compression of the scores in the survey. The premium index rates are bunched up at the low end, so that small changes in the index rates can lead to big jumps in the ranking.
In 2020, Oregon was sixth least expensive. In 2022, that spot is held by Kentucky. However, there is just a 7-cent difference per $100 of payroll between the two (93 cents for Oregon and 86 cents for Kentucky).
“This study is an important tool for the workers’ compensation systems throughout the U.S.,” DCBS Director Andrew Stolfi said. “It shows how strong the Oregon workers’ compensation system has become since the survey’s inception in 1986. As an agency, we work hard to keep workplace injuries low and benefits robust and are glad to see insurance costs for employers continue to fall.”
The study shows New Jersey had the most expensive rates, followed by Hawaii and California. Meanwhile, North Dakota had the least expensive rates. In the Northwest, Washington’s rates were the 24th most expensive and Idaho was the 16th most expensive.
Oregon researchers also compared each state’s rates to the national median (the 26th ranked state) rate of $1.27 per $100 of payroll. Oregon’s rate of 93 cents is 73 percent of the median, its second-lowest recorded level.
To produce a valid comparison of states, which have various mixes of industries, the study calculates rates for each state using the same mix of the 50 industries with the highest workers’ compensation claims costs in Oregon.
Oregon has conducted these studies in even-numbered years since 1986, when Oregon’s rates were among the highest in the nation. The department reports the results to the Oregon Legislature as a performance measure. Oregon’s relatively low rate today underscores the success of the state’s workers’ compensation system reforms and its improvements in workplace safety and health.
Oregon has long taken a comprehensive approach to making workplaces safer, keeping business costs low, and providing strong worker benefits, the release states. This approach includes enforcing requirements that employers carry insurance for their workers, keeping medical costs under control, and helping injured workers return to work sooner and minimize the impact on their wages.
It also includes efforts to prevent on-the-job injuries by enforcing workplace safety and health rules and advising employers about how to improve worker safety and health.
Read the study at https://www.oregon.gov/dcbs/reports/Documents/general/prem-rpt/22-2083.pdf.
Free ranger-guided walks will be offered again this winter at Crater Lake National Park beginning Saturday, Dec. 10th
In an average winter, Crater Lake National Park receives 42 feet of snow! Ranger-guided snowshoe walks are a fun way to explore this winter wonderland while learning how plants, animals, and people survive the harsh conditions.
This winter (2022-2023), walks will be offered on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays from December 10 through April 30, and every day from December 17 to January 2 and March 25 to April 1. The walks start at 1:00 pm, last two hours, and cover 1 to 2 miles of moderate-to-strenuous terrain. They don’t follow a trail—the hike is an off-trail exploration through the forests and meadows along the rim of Crater Lake. If the road to Rim Village is closed, the walks explore the forests and meadows in the vicinity of Park Headquarters.
No previous snowshoeing experience is necessary. Snowshoes are provided free of charge, and there is no cost for the tour (apart from the winter entrance fee of $20 per vehicle). Participants should be at least 8 years old, be in good physical health, and come prepared with warm clothing and water-resistant footwear. The walks take place rain or shine (or snow). Pets are not allowed on the hike.
Space on each tour is limited, and advance reservations are required. For more information and to sign up, call the park’s visitor center at 541-594-3100. Organized groups (such as scout troops, hiking clubs, and church groups) may be able to arrange for a separate tour, staff permitting. Call to check on available dates. https://www.nps.gov/crla/planyourvisit/ranger-guided-snowshoe-walks.htm
