The latest news stories across the state of Oregon from the digital home of the Oregon coastal cities, OregonBeachMagazine.com
Monday, April 18, 2022
Oregon Beach Weather
Today– Rain. Temperature rising to near 53 by 11am, then falling to around 46 during the remainder of the day. Windy, with a west southwest wind 19 to 24 mph becoming southwest 9 to 14 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 38 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Tuesday– Showers. High near 53. South southeast wind 5 to 14 mph becoming southwest in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Wednesday– Rain. High near 53. Breezy, with a south southeast wind 15 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Thursday– Rain. High near 53. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Friday– A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 55.
Coos County Can Do! Food Drive
April 20th is a call to action for all of Coos County as the Can Do! food drive kicks off. The annual Can Do! Food Drive is making its first stop at the Fred Meyer in Coos Bay next week.
Staff at the South Coast Food Share say it’s one of the biggest drives of the year.
Executive Director Drew Farmer says hunger is a growing problem in Coos Bay. “One in 4 Oregonians face hunger, and 1 in 5 children experience food insecurity in Oregon.”
He says the Food Share mapped out some hefty goals for their second year doing the drive in an effort to put a large dent in those statistics.
“This is a drive to generate about 8,000 pounds of food. Last year, we got about 6,000, so this is a goal to increase it a bit.”
They’re looking for specific types of foods during the drive. “We hope to get mostly high protein shelf stable foods, so canned meats, peanut butter, some healthy fat items like avocado oil or olive oil.”
Culturally diverse foods such as masa, mole and coconut milk are also requested.
Along with food donations, they hope to raise $15,000 toward repairing one of their delivery trucks.
“Right now, we have three trucks, but only one is functional. We’ve been renting a U-Haul to make all of the deliveries to stay at full capacity.”
Trucks deliver to partnering food pantries, meal sites and supplemental food programs throughout Coos and Curry counties.
“The food will go out to sites like Brookings Community Helpers, The Devereux Center here in Coos Bay, Bear Cupboard out in Myrtle Point.”
The food share, a branch of Oregon Coast Community Action, serves thousands of families each month providing emergency food and meals with over a million pounds of food distributed each year.
Farmer says in 2020, Coos and Curry counties were ranked among the top 4 counties with the highest food insecurity rates in the state.
You can bring shelf stable foods to the CAN-DO Food Drive on Wednesday April 20th, 2022! The Can-Do Food Drive will be set up in the front parking lot of the Coos Bay Fred Meyer located at 1020 S 1st St, Coos Bay, OR 97420
The South Coast Food Share is able to source approximately 7 pounds of food for every dollar donated and that the average meal is 1.2 pounds?
This means that for every one dollar you donate you are providing approximately 5 to 6 meals to a hungry child, family or individual in our community.
This is why every dollar counts!
You can also call our donation line 541-435-7092 between 8AM and 5PM on 4/20/2022 to make a donation over the phone or mail your donation to 1855 Thomas Ave, Coos Bay Oregon, 97420 Attention South Coast Food Share.
You can get more information or donate now at: https://oregoncoastcommunityaction.salsalabs.org/candofooddrive2022/index.html
Yachats Woman Who Lied On 2019 Voter Pamphlets Indicted On Three Fraud Charges
A Yachats woman was indicted on three felony charges for violating Oregon election law in 2019 when she was elected to the Yachats Rural Fire Protection District board. She is scheduled to enter a plea and be sentenced May 12 in Lincoln County Circuit Court.
A’lyce A. Ruberg, 53, of Yachats was indicted by a Lincoln County grand jury in December and arraigned Monday by presiding Judge Sheryl Bachart.
The indictments are the result of complaints filed with the Oregon Elections Division by at least four Yachats-area residents following stories in YachatsNews in September 2019. The complaints came after a YachatsNews investigation showed that Ruberg lied about her occupation, occupation history and education in the May 2019 Lincoln County voters pamphlet.
A Lincoln County grand jury issued a secret indictment Dec. 9, 2021 after hearing testimony from Jose Salas, a special agent with the Oregon Department of Justice.
In Oregon it is a Class C felony to make a false statement in required portions of a state or county voters’ pamphlet. Conviction is punishable by a maximum of five years in prison, a fine of as much as $125,000, or both. But it is rare that elections law violations would draw anything near that type of sentence.
Ruberg won a three-way race for the Yachats fire board in May 2019, took office in July and attended just three of nine meetings before resigning in November after the voters pamphlet lies were uncovered. The fire board had no authority to compel her to resign.
Ruberg was the only board candidate to pay for space in the voter’s pamphlet – where she listed her occupation as a registered nurse, listed an advanced degree in nursing and that she had worked for at least two fire agencies in California.
Investigations by the Elections Division and a separate one by the Oregon State Board of Nursing found that none of those were true,
The nursing board turned down Ruberg’s application for a nursing license in July 2017 for a host of reasons, including not informing it of her criminal history in California, that she had lied in previous hospital job applications, and had given the agency emergency medical technician license numbers belonging to other people.
After investigating the voter’s pamphlet statement in 2019, the nursing board voted unanimously to fine Ruberg $5,000 for falsely stating that she was a nurse. Oregon law prohibits anyone from practicing nursing or indicating they are a nurse without a state-approved license. Ruberg requested a hearing on that fine – which two years later has still yet to be scheduled.
Officials Ask for Help in Search for Missing Curry County Man
Curry County Sheriff’s Office is looking for a missing 78-year-old man who left his home in Harbor, Oregon sometime before 7:00 am Apr. 4.
Max Mascareno is reportedly driving a black 2019 Chevy Colorado with an Oregon license plate reading: 9X4019. The vehicle is equipped with a canopy.
The sheriff’s office noted that Mascareno enjoys driving on dirt roads as a hobby.
CCSO added that his phone was left at his residence, and his vehicle is equipped with OnStar, however, the system is not active and not providing a location.
If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of Max Mascareno or happen to see him, please contact the Curry County Sheriff’s Office at (541) 247-3242.
It‘s difficult to predict how COVID-19 will affect our lives in the future. But we can do our best to prepare for what may come.There are simple steps we can take to better protect ourselves and our family in the event of a future COVID-19 surge, times of high community spread or a when someone gets sick with COVID-19.We can stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters. We can keep high-quality masks, COVID-19 tests and thermometers in our homes so they are available when we need them during times of high community spread or if we get sick. We can strategize for how we can stay away from others if we get sick and how we will access treatment.Visit our blog for tips on COVID-19 preparedness from Dr. Dean Sidelinger, state health officer and state epidemiologist: http://ow.ly/aFqk50IKXOq
While we currently have highly effective vaccines that protect against the virus that causes COVID-19, medical research continues to identify effective treatments.There are several treatments being used for COVID-19. They are for different kinds of people facing different risks, and they are in extremely short supply around the country.
If you get sick with COVID-19, contact your health care provider or 211 to see if you’re eligible for COVID-19 treatment. Please don’t go to the emergency room to seek these treatments.To learn more about COVID-19 treatments, visit https://govstatus.egov.com/or-oha-covid-19-treatments.
FBI Issues Warnings on Sextortion Targeting Kids
The FBI is sounding the alarm on increased efforts by cybercriminals targeting kids in what they call “sextortion.”
The FBI says it’s happening in alarming numbers, tens of thousands of cases around the country, and six cases here in Oregon in just the past couple months, with criminals most recently specifically targeting young boys.
According to the FBI, a “sextortion” case typically starts with an adult predator tricking a child, often a teen, into thinking they’re having an online conversation with someone their age.
“They’re able to feign a relationship with these kids” said Kieran Ramsey, special agent in charge of the FBI in Portland “And manipulate that conversation into a deeper, more private, more intimate realm.”
Then comes the “ask,” for a photo.
“Perhaps at first, it’s just a little flirtatious, but then it progresses. Progresses to nudity. Progresses to video, and really explicit video,” said Ramsey.
Ramsey said these criminals used to just ask for more photos or videos, threatening to share the material the victim already sent if they don’t comply, but recently that’s changed, with the predators now demanding money.
“And it’s disturbing as a parent, I’m a dad, but in law enforcement as well to know that these are criminals that are specifically targeting our children, our kids,” he said.
Ramsey said the criminals have recently shifted their approach, specifically targeting teenage boys.
Talking about worst case scenarios, Ramsey said “Sadly, we’ve seen cases across the country where the bad outcomes for kids include self-harm even to the point of suicide, because of that embarrassment.”
For parents, the FBI recommends having honest conversations with their kids about this threat. Parents should also know what social media apps and gaming platforms their kids use. They should go as far knowing the usernames and passwords for their kids’ profiles, and they should do regular spot checks on their kids’ conversations.
Many teenagers may see this as an invasion of privacy, but Ramsey recommends telling them that there are criminals out there looking to exploit them right now.
“Because this person says they’re my age and because they like the same things I do does not necessarily mean they are who they say they are,” he said. “If they took that extra step to know who they’re dealing with, perhaps we could eliminate this problem altogether.”
MORE INFO: https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/stop-sextortion-youth-face-risk-online-090319
If you or your child believes they have been the target of a sextortion attempt, you can contact your local FBI field office for help. You can also use the FBI’s internet crime complaint center and file a complaint online. https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/portland
Oregon’s 2022 Primary Election is coming up on May 17, and Oregonians should start to see Voters’ Pamphlets and ballots arrive in the mail in just a few weeks.
The Oregon Secretary of State’s Office has launched a campaign ahead of the May Primary to explain how closed primaries work. The campaign’s goal is to get information out about the process and to eliminate misinformation.
Both the Republican and Democratic primaries are closed, which means only people registered with those parties can vote for their candidates. The deadline to change party affiliation is April 26th. Oregon’s Primary Election is on May 17th.
In the meantime, if you’re planning to vote in the May election, here are the three most important dates you need to know:
April 26: Last day to update voter registration
If you’re planning to register to vote, update your mailing address or change your party affiliation ahead of the primary, you must do so by 11:59 p.m. on April 26 for the change to take effect in time.
You can check your voter registration status using the Oregon Secretary of State’s My Vote online system. Enter your name and date of birth and the system will tell you whether you’re registered as an active voter, as well as your current party affiliation and the address on file where your next ballot will be mailed.
You can also register to vote or update your registration information through My Vote. You’ll need an Oregon driver’s license, permit or state ID card to complete the process online.
If you do not have an ID, the system will generate a voter registration card that you will need to print, sign and mail or hand-deliver to your county elections office. You can also print out a blank card to fill out by hand.
April 27: Start checking your mailbox for a ballot
Ballots will start being mailed to voters with Oregon addresses on April 27 (military and overseas ballots are mailed several weeks earlier), and the last of them will be mailed by May 3. Absentee or replacement ballots will be mailed by May 12.
Once you have your ballot, you can fill it out and submit it at any time either by mailing it back in or dropping it off at a ballot drop box. You can track the status of your ballot – both while it’s on its way to you and once you’ve submitted it – through My Vote.
Most Oregon political parties hold closed primaries, which means your ballot may look different depending on your party registration. In the race for Oregon governor, for example, registered Democrats will only be able to vote for Democratic candidates. The winning candidates from each party’s primary will face each other in the General Election in November.
Some nonpartisan races may be decided based purely on the May election results. For example, there are two Portland City Council races on the May 17 ballot, and if one of the candidates gets at least 50% of the primary vote, they’ll win the seat directly. If none of them hit that mark, the top two finishers will advance to a runoff in November.
May 17: Election Day
If you haven’t already submitted your completed ballot, this is the last day to do it. Ballots must be submitted at a drop box by 8 p.m. or mailed and postmarked by 8 p.m. on May 17 to be counted.
In prior years, mail-in ballots needed to be received on or before Election Day in order to be counted, but Oregon passed a law in 2021 that allows mail-in ballots to be counted even if they are received up to seven days after Election Day.
However, ballots must still be mailed AND postmarked before 8 p.m. on Election Day to count, and it’s important to remember that newly dropped-off mail does not get postmarked until it has been picked up from the mailbox and processed at a post office.
In other words, if it’s 6 p.m. on May 17 and you still haven’t submitted your ballot, it’s very likely too late to send it through the mail. The best way to make sure your ballot gets counted is to find your nearest drop box and deposit it before 8 p.m.
County election offices and the Secretary of State’s office typically begin posting early election results shortly after the 8 p.m. submission deadline, with periodic updates in the subsequent hours and days as more ballots are counted.
Oregon Employment Department Economic update
On April 13, the Employment Department released the March unemployment rate and jobs numbers for Oregon.
Oregon’s unemployment rate dropped to 3.8% in March. As of March, the state’s unemployment was only slightly higher than the record-low 3.4% we saw in the months right before the pandemic recession.
Oregon employers added 102,000 jobs in 2021. Solid job gains have continued into the first few months of 2022.
Oregon employers added 5,600 jobs in March. Construction saw the biggest gains, adding 1,500 jobs over the month. Financial activities added 1,400 jobs. These gains occurred in the real estate and rental and leasing part of the sector.
In contrast, professional and business services lost 900 jobs in March.
Those losses were concentrated in the administrative and waste services part of the sector. That includes businesses like temp agencies and call centers, among others.
Oregon has recovered 87% of the jobs lost in the pandemic recession. This is similar to what’s happening in the U.S., which has regained 93% of the jobs lost in spring 2020.
According to Gail Krumenauer, state employment economist, “There still seems to be a misperception out there that workers just aren’t coming back to jobs yet, or that people are just leaving the workforce altogether. Actually, in March, Oregon had more people in the labor force than ever before. At the same time, we also had a larger share of people ages 16 years and older participating in the labor force than we’ve seen in about a decade.”
She continues, “Even though inflation has been casting a shadow over the economy in recent months, we’ve been seeing good job growth and ongoing declines in unemployment.”
Two years into the pandemic, an agency progress report
In 2020, the pandemic caused hundreds of Oregon businesses to close, creating an unprecedented and immediate surge of unemployment claims.The unemployment rate skyrocketed in three months from 3.4% in January 2020 to 13.3% in April 2020. The number of unemployed Oregonians increased by 279%, and the number of unemployment insurance benefit claims filed per month increased by 800%. The scale and pace of this job loss was like nothing seen before in Oregon or the nation.
Just like other state employment agencies across the country, the Oregon Employment Department, having weathered previous recessions, was overwhelmed with the torrent of Oregonians seeking benefits. This left people in desperate need of help, who waited for hours on hold.
Now, two years later, the department has improved in many ways. As we move past the second anniversary of the beginning of the pandemic in Oregon, Acting Director David Gerstenfeld commented on the challenges and accomplishments the Employment Department experienced, as well as the department’s status in April 2022.
“We’ve resolved the initial claims backlog, with more than $12 billion in benefits paid from March 2020 to today,” Gerstenfeld said. “That’s 12 billion that went back to help people and communities in Oregon; $12 billion in two years compared to an average of about $520 million per year in pre-pandemic times.”
In addition, the phone wait times for the unemployment insurance contact center have improved dramatically. As of April 1, 2022, staff answer 98% of calls in five minutes or less.
One of the ways the department measures its success as an agency is to compare Oregon to other states. Two of these measures are whether state agencies get first benefit payments to claimants within 21 days, and what percentage of claims are adjudicated within 21 days.
“Even though these core state measures tracked by the U.S. Department of Labor regarding customer service have some serious flaws, they still help paint a general picture,” said Gerstenfeld.
For first-payment timeliness, Oregon ranked 34th in the nation in the
first quarter of 2020, while in the first quarter of 2022, Oregon ranked eighth. For adjudication timeliness, Oregon ranked 45th in the first quarter of 2020, and now in the first quarter of 2022, Oregon rankedfifth.
Gerstenfeld explained, “During the past two years, Oregon improved from nearly last in the nation to among the top states in the country. We did what was best for Oregonians and focused on helping those who had been waiting the longest – even though we knew it would initially not look good in how the federal performance measures are reported. That approach, and the strategic changes we made to how we help Oregonians, means Oregon has made great gains that many other states are not seeing.”
Gerstenfeld: “We look forward to continued growth and evolution…”
While the Oregon Employment Department has improved its performance in many key areas, Gerstenfeld acknowledged there is still more work to do. “We have done a lot to improve, and we know it’s not enough – we are committed to continuing to improve. While we continue to work on pandemic-related effects on our Unemployment Insurance system (like overpayment waivers and federal program resolution), we remain agile and focused on improving the customer experience. We look forward to the continued growth and evolution of the Employment Department, as we continue providing the essential services that impact the people, businesses, and communities of Oregon.”
### The Oregon Employment Department (OED) is an equal opportunity agency. Everyone has a right to use OED programs and services. OED provides free help. Some examples are sign language and spoken language interpreters, written materials in other languages, braille, large print, audio and other formats. If you need help, please call 971-673-6400. TTY users call 711. You can also ask for help at OED_Communications@employ.oregon.gov.
Escaped Oregon State Hospital patient back in custody
Oregon State Hospital psychiatric patient, Thaddeus Ziemlak, 39, is back in police custody today after absconding from an approved outing on Thursday, April 14 at 4:23 p.m. in Eugene.
The Oregon State Police (OSP) and Eugene Police Department (EPD) were notified and alerted all western states. A news release with Ziemlak’s photo was sent to all news outlets in Oregon.
On Friday, April 15, at approximately 9:44 a.m., a passerby noticed Ziemlak on Hwy 126 near Veneta, Oregon and notified OSP, who identified Ziemlak and had him in custody by 10:20 a.m. Ziemlak was brought to Lane County jail and is being transferred to Oregon State Hospital’s Salem campus.
Working Age Immigrants Decreasing In Oregon
The number of working-age immigrants living in Oregon has fallen by nearly a third over the past five years, reversing decades of steady increases and contributing to the state’s labor shortage.
Oregon counts a little more than 200,000 foreign-born workers between the ages of 25 and 54, according to U.S. Census data compiled by Josh Lehner with the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis. That’s down from nearly 300,000 in 2017.
Historically, about 80% of foreign-born Oregonians in that prime age bracket have jobs, according to Lehner, roughly the same percentage as the overall population. So that pencils out to about 55,000 fewer workers than if immigration had continued at the same pace it did from 1997 to 2014.
Tuition Hikes for Oregon Public Universities
Incoming freshmen at nearly all of Oregon’s public universities will pay more for tuition this fall as schools struggle with inflation and budget deficits and face uncertain enrollment with COVID-19 still lingering.
Rate increases range from 2% to 7% for Oregon residents across the state’s seven public universities.
Oregon Tech has proposed the largest increase, raising annual tuition and fees by 7% or nearly $700 for Oregon residents attending full time and more than $2,000 for out-of-state students.
At every university, student tuition and fees make up more than half of revenue. About a quarter comes from state appropriations and the rest from other sources, according to the Oregon Department of Education.
Enrollment among all but one of the state’s public universities – Oregon State – was down in 2021-22 from 2019, before the pandemic.
Students attending Oregon Tech’s campuses in Klamath Falls and Portland might pay 7% more in tuition and fees beginning this fall. Because the increase is above 5%, the change has to be approved by the Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission.
Southern Oregon University’s Board of Trustees has not yet received a proposal for 2022-23 tuition. They’ll meet April 22 to discuss options, according to Joe Mosley, director of community and media relations.
The Klamath Tribes are suing the Biden administration over its decision to release some water from Upper Klamath Lake for use by drought-besieged farmers and other irrigators.
That’s not the only grief the U.S. government is getting over its decision to release a small amount of water in the Klamath Basin as the region faces severe drought conditions.
Oregon-based Klamath Tribes contend the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s decision to release 50,000-acre feet of water for the Klamath Project violates the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The tribes are made up of the Klamath,
Modoc, and Yahooskin peoples in southern Oregon and northern California. The Klamath Tribes argue the release of water will hurt the Lost River sucker fish and shortnose sucker fish. Both are listed as endangered species.
Don Gentry, the Oregon’s tribe’s chairman, has written the heads of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service notifying them of the intent to sue the government alleging ESA violations. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will provide 50,000 acre-feet of water this season to Klamath Project irrigators as the region grapples with a third consecutive year of extreme drought conditions.
That is about 15% of what farmers say they need from the Klamath Reclamation Project, which gets irrigation allotments from the dammed river water in Upper Klamath Lake. Farmers did not get any water allocations last year as the region faces the severe drought conditions.
Gentry said in his April 14 letter to USBR Acting Commissioner David Palumbo and USFWS Director Marsha Williams that a planned Klamath water release will negative impact spawning for the sucker fish. It will be the third lawsuit the tribes has brought against the federal government in the last five years, Gentry said in his letter.
Officials Ask for Help in Search for Missing Curry County Man
Curry County Sheriff’s Office is looking for a missing 78-year-old man who left his home in Harbor, Oregon sometime before 7:00 am Apr. 4.
Max Mascareno is reportedly driving a black 2019 Chevy Colorado with an Oregon license plate reading: 9X4019. The vehicle is equipped with a canopy.
The sheriff’s office noted that Mascareno enjoys driving on dirt roads as a hobby.
CCSO added that his phone was left at his residence, and his vehicle is equipped with OnStar, however, the system is not active and not providing a location.
If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of Max Mascareno or happen to see him, please contact the Curry County Sheriff’s Office at (541) 247-3242.
Grants Pass Missing Person
The Grants Pass Police Department is seeking assistance from the public in locating 30 year old Noah Baker. Baker was despondent after an argument and left his residence in Grants Pass driving a silver Ford Fiesta with Oregon Plate 671MUR.
Baker is described as a white male adult, 5’09”, 170 lbs, brown hair and blue eyes and was last seen wearing black sweats, black shirt, black shoes and a black hat.
If anyone knows of his whereabouts or sees Baker, please call your local law enforcement agency or the Grants Pass Police at 541-450-6260. Reference case #2022-14203 Grants Pass Police Department
Klamath County Sheriff’s Office Asks for Public’s Help in Search For Trucker Suspect
The first real clue to come in on all the missing person cases in the area. Help Klamath Falls Oregon Sheriff Office ID this trucker. He was the last to see this woman alive and could be the key to not only solving this woman’s disappearance but a number of the hundred other women missing in PNW. IF you have any information, please call (541) 883-5130
https://www.facebook.com/pg/Have-You-Seen-Me-Southern-Oregons-Missing-People-161249961222839/posts/