The latest news stories across the state of Oregon from the digital home of the Oregon coastal cities, OregonBeachMagazine.com
Monday, December 13, 2021
Oregon Beach Weather
Beach Hazards Statement until December 13, 10:00 PM PST
Today– Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Snow level 1800 feet. High near 43. East southeast wind around 11 mph becoming south in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Tuesday– A 50 percent chance of showers. Snow level 1400 feet. Partly sunny, with a high near 44. East southeast wind 6 to 8 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible
Wednesday– Rain before 10am, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 10am. Snow level 2000 feet rising to 3200 feet in the afternoon. High near 48. Breezy, with a south southwest wind 16 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Thursday– A 50 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 50.
Friday– A chance of rain after 10am. Snow level 2500 feet. Partly sunny, with a high near 47.
Wind, Rain, Sneaker Waves, and Avalanches Along the Coast
Closer to Oregon’s northwestern and central coast, a sneaker wave warning remained in effect until Monday afternoon. Sneaker waves can suddenly sweep people and animals off rocks and beaches into the frigid water. Further south, a high surf advisory expected to last until late Monday afternoon.
Large waves hit beaches along the southern Oregon coast in Coos, Curry and Douglas counties. High surf can cause beach erosion and damage infrastructure like sewage systems or roads.
The Oregon Department of Transportation said U.S. 101 has reopened 10 miles north of Florence after a landslide on Saturday afternoon.
Wet conditions contributed to a landslide that closed all lanes of U.S. Highway 101 north of Florence Saturday afternoon.
ODOT said the highway reopened at about 7:45 p.m. Saturday. About 40 yards of dirt and rock had covered the road. Crews worked throughout the afternoon on Saturday to clear debris and get the road open.
The closure was one of many results of the storms that brought heavy rain and wind across Oregon on Saturday.
Stay informed with ODOT TripCheck at https://www.tripcheck.com
Quakes Still Rumbling off the Coast
A 4.4 magnitude earthquake rattled about 250 miles off the Oregon Coast Sunday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The quake happened around 9:52 a.m. in the Blanco Fault Zone — Oregon’s most active fault. The epicenter was about 259.8 miles west of Newport, the USGS said.
Sunday’s earthquake comes days after a cluster of more than 100 earthquakes shook the ocean floor since last Tuesday along the same fault. Like those quakes, Sunday’s was also at a depth of 10 kilometers.
There was no tsunami concern from Sunday’s quake either. Experts said the magnitudes would have to be above eight at that fault for a tsunami to occur.
Bicyclist Killed on Hwy 30
The Oregon State Police is reporting that on Friday, December 10, 2021 at approximately 9:03 P.M., OSP Troopers and emergency personnel responded to the report of a bicyclist hit by a vehicle on Highway 30 near milepost 23.
Preliminary investigation revealed bicyclist, Jeff Neel (60) of Boulder Creek, California, was crossing Highway 30 on his bike when he collided with an eastbound Honda Odyssey, operated by Katharine Settle (83) of Columbia City. Neel was not wearing reflective clothing and had no illuminated lights.
Neel suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased. Settle remained at the scene and cooperated with law enforcement. Highway 30 was closed for 2.5 hours following the crash. OSP was assisted by the Scappoose Fire Department, Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, and ODOT.
Oregon reports 834 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 25 new deaths
Oregon passes 400,000 confirmed and suspected COVID-19 cases
There are 25 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 5,381. Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported 834 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 bringing the state total to 400,188.
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (4), Benton (14), Clackamas (66), Clatsop (6), Columbia (19), Coos (38), Crook (9), Curry (1), Deschutes (48), Douglas (40), Grant (1), Harney (2), Hood River (6), Jackson (42), Jefferson (9), Josephine (23), Klamath (8), Lane (63), Lincoln (19), Linn (49), Malheur (4), Marion (60), Morrow (3), Multnomah (125), Polk (25), Tillamook (9), Umatilla (11), Union (5), Wasco (2), Washington (86), Wheeler (9) and Yamhill (28).
In the nearly 22 months since the first case of COVID-19 was identified in Oregon, the state has crossed another milestone, recording more than 400,000 confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases yesterday.
“COVID-19 has impacted every community in our state from the most rural counties to our largest city, and today we are reminded again of just how many persons have been touched personally by the pandemic,” said Rachael Banks, Public Health Director.
“Our communities of color have been disproportionately and unfairly impacted, from both hospitalizations and deaths following COVID-19 illness. OHA remains committed to addressing these inequities rooted in historic racism and discrimination, including its ongoing efforts to increase vaccination rates in these hardest hit groups to ensure they have the best possible protection from severe illness.”
COVID-19 data collected shows cases rates remain more than twice as high among Tribal residents and persons who identify as Native Hawaiian Pacific Islanders and nearly twice the rate among African-American and Latinx/o/a residents compared to whites in Oregon.
While daily numbers of positive and suspected cases of COVID-19 have come down from the late summer surge tied to the spread of the Delta variant, Oregon is still counting more than 500 cases daily. The good news is, more than 80% of all Oregonian adults 18 years and older are now vaccinated, and as of Dec. 9, more than a quarter of adults have either received a booster or third dose for additional protection.
For those who have not been vaccinated, appointments can be made in every county, including at pharmacies, local health providers, Tribal clinics, and community vaccination events. Boosters are also now recommended for all persons 16 years and older for those who are eligible.
OHA also wants to thank all Oregonians who continue to care for their coworkers, neighbors and fellow residents by continuing to wear masks and distancing from others when possible. We also want to acknowledge the hardships COVID-19 illness has had on so many, who have been sickened, who may continue to experience health problems and who have taken measures such as isolating to protect others once they learned of their infection.
Oregon health officials are opening 11 “high-volume” COVID-19 vaccination clinics statewide, offering free walk-in-only shots in an effort to boost vaccination rates.
Some clinics, including one opening shop Sunday in Wood Village, will run only several days. The clinics will offer Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech and the Johnson & Johnson vaccines, as well as booster doses for people who have already been vaccinated and doses of the Pfizer shot for children five to 11. Insurance is not necessary, the Oregon Health Authority said. Many of the sites will have between 500 and 1,000 available doses per day, a health authority spokesperson said.
Lawmakers Meet Today, Dec. 13th, For Special Session
Lawmakers return to the Oregon State Capitol for a special session on today. Gov. Kate Brown said eviction protections and rental assistance won’t be the only topics of discussion.
Following bipartisan conversations with leaders in the Legislature, Brown Friday outlined additional priorities that lawmakers have agreed to address — including drought relief, illegal cannabis proliferation and humanitarian impacts and support for Afghan refugee resettlement.
Arguably the most pressing issue is that thousands of Oregon households are currently struggling to pay rent. More than 67,000 Oregon households recently reported that they feel “not at all confident” they can cover next month’s bills, according to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau survey.
After working with lawmakers from both parties, Gov. Brown proposed $215 million in funding and policy changes to protect renters from eviction. That includes:
- Extending protections against eviction for individuals who have already applied for rental assistance and who initiate safe harbor protections by June 30, 2022. Those eviction protections would remain in place while applications are being processed, and would end no later than September 30, 2022
- Repaying landlords in full for unpaid back rent
- Up to $100 million in additional emergency rental assistance
- $100 million to support partnerships with existing programs, as the state transitions from emergency rental assistance to locally-delivered eviction prevention services
“Oregonians facing potential eviction do not have time to wait––they need an immediate solution that keeps them in their homes. And, in the last year, people across Oregon have faced unprecedented challenges due to record heat and persistent drought conditions,” said Gov. Brown in a news release. “I’d like to thank the legislators from both sides of the aisle who have worked with me over the last several days to put together a package of policies and investments that meet the pressing needs of Oregonians.”
Gov. Brown also proposed $25 million to address illegal cannabis grow operations around Oregon, as southern Oregon in particular sees a boom in illegal farms, and $100 million for drought relief, which would include forgivable disaster relief loans, money for agricultural workers who miss work during unsafe working conditions, domestic and community well assistance and drought resiliency upgrades.
Her proposal also calls for $18 million to help with Afghan refugee resettlement in Oregon. The legislature will also address other issues, Gov. Brown’s office said, including affordable housing, grants to outdoor recreation outfitter guides affected by the drought or the pandemic, Oregon Health Plan dental funding, an East Metro outreach, prevention and intervention program and demonstration projects for cross-laminated timber housing.
Oregon Grocery Workers Vote To Authorize Strike
In a response to multiple alleged unfair labor practices (ULPs) committed by Fred Meyer and Quality Food Centers, Members of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555 have voted overwhelmingly to authorize their Union Leadership to call for an unfair labor practice strike.
“Fred Meyer and QFC have repeatedly violated their legal duties to negotiate in good faith with Local 555, with the most blatant example being Fred Meyer’s refusal to provide information necessary for the Union to negotiate a new agreement and to process grievances. The way these employers have violated the National Labor Relations Act has left grocery workers no choice but to take action,” said UFCW 555 President Dan Clay.
United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 555 represents over 29,000 workers in Oregon, Southwestern Washington, Idaho, and Wyoming. Their membership consists of workers in retail, manufacturing, health care and many other industries.
UFCW Local 555 has been in negotiations for a new contract for these same grocery workers since July 2021.
“The pandemic has highlighted both the importance of grocery workers to our communities as well as the struggles they endure to make ends meet, all while producing record profits for Fred Meyer and QFC. Essential Employees deserve the same care and respect now that they have shown our neighbors over the last two years. These employers refuse to acknowledge that their worker’s wages are not keeping up with the cost of living, leaving them and their families at risk while providing food for our community,“ added UFCW 555 Secretary-Treasurer Sandy Humphrey.
Fred Meyer and QFC have agreed to continue the bargaining process on December 14th – 16th.
Winter Storm Brings Snow to Mountains – Wind, Power Outages and Avalanches
A winter storm that brought high winds and lots of precipitation knocked out power for thousands of Oregonians continues to bring bouts of heavy rain and snow to the region.
About 30,000 Oregonians from the Willamette Valley up to Portland lost power Saturday morning. Most outages had been addressed by Sunday morning, but cold and snow continued to affect much of the rest of Oregon.
The National Weather Service reported 2 to 6 inches of snow above 1,500 feet elevation along the northwestern and central coast ranges until 10 p.m. Sunday.
Even heavier snow hit the eastern slopes of the Cascades, with 12 to 24 inches forecasted above 4,000 feet elevation through Sunday afternoon, along with winds as high as 40 mph.
The Central Oregon Avalanche Center in Bend warned of a considerable avalanche risk west of Sisters. It advised travelers to be particularly careful on east-facing slopes above treelines.
An avalanche swept through a ski area southeast of Seattle Saturday morning, killing a 60-year-old man and temporarily trapping five others. Although they were experienced backcountry skiers, a warning had been issued against skiing in the Silver Basin area of Crystal Mountain.
Closer to Oregon’s northwestern and central coast, a sneaker wave warning remained in effect until Monday afternoon. Sneaker waves can suddenly sweep people and animals off rocks and beaches into the frigid water. Further south, a high surf advisory expected to last until late Monday afternoon.
Large waves hit beaches along the southern Oregon coast in Coos, Curry and Douglas counties. High surf can cause beach erosion and damage infrastructure like sewage systems or roads.
Wet conditions contributed to a landslide that closed all lanes of U.S. Highway 101 north of Florence Saturday afternoon. It took state transportation officials several hours to clear about 40 yards of debris by that night. A landslide east of Eugene also closed all lanes of Highway 58 Saturday morning.
Big snow this weekend means ski and snowboard season is officially underway in Oregon: both Mount Hood Meadows and Timberline Ski area were set to open for the season Sunday morning.
The snow base at Timberline as of 10 a.m. Sunday was 39 inches, and Mount Hood Meadows reported a base of 36 inches.
The Oregon Department of Transportation wasn’t reporting any unexpected major mountain road closures as of late Sunday morning. As snow continued to accumulate over the weekend, the agency began to require vehicles to use traction tires or chains on some high elevation passes, including Santiam Pass, resulting in hazardous driving conditions.
With fewer people available to drive the state’s snowplows, heavy snowfall could take longer to clear from major roadways than in the past.
Check Tripcheck.org for the latest traffic conditions on major roads and highways in the state.
Moving into the week, the region can expect more rain and possibly some wet snow on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Weather Service forecasts snow between 600 to 1,200 feet elevation, but very little is expected to stick around, especially as the weather shifts to rain into next weekend.
There are dozens and dozens of missing people in Southern Oregon. Here’s just a few that have gone missing in the last two years:
Missing in Southern Oregon: *https://www.facebook.com/Have-You-Seen-Me-Southern-Oregons-Missing-People-161249961222839/