The latest news stories across the state of Oregon from the digital home of the Oregon coastal cities, OregonBeachMagazine.com
Thursday, October 28, 2021
Oregon Beach Weather
Today– Rain likely, mainly before 11am. Cloudy, with a high near 61. South wind 10 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Friday– Rain, mainly before 11am. High near 58. West wind 7 to 14 mph becoming north in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Saturday– A 20 percent chance of rain. Partly sunny, with a high near 60. East wind 6 to 8 mph.
Sunday– A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 61.
Monday– Rain. Cloudy, with a high near 58.
Two Stranded Sea Turtles Rescued
Two stranded Olive Ridley turtles were found on Oregon beaches Wednesday far from their usual home in the waters south of the border.
Seaside Aquarium, part of the Marine Mammal Stranding Network on the north Oregon coast, got a call about one of these lovely green giants found about a mile north of the Peter Iredale shipwreck. Tiffany Boothe of the aquarium said Samuel K. Gardner discovered the creature in the surf and that it appeared dead at the time.
“Shortly after finding the animal, Samuel realized it was still alive and contacted Seaside Aquarium,” Boothe said. “Samuel was soon joined by Alec and Corinne Reeves, who were walking on the beach.”
Together, the trio pulled him out of the waves when they realized it was an incoming tide and that it was engulfing the turtle fairly quickly. Boothe said aquarium staff were also preparing for a strong surf.
“As the tide continued to rise and the surf washed over the beach, Samuel and Alec decided it would be better to move the turtle to a safer place,” he said. “Usually it is best not to move a sea turtle until rescuers arrive, but in this case it was necessary if the turtle was to survive. Samuel and Alec carried the turtle over a mile and were able to meet with the Seaside Aquarium staff who responded. “
Aquarium staff quickly loaded the turtle and brought it back to the facility, where it was assessed and then prepared for transport to the Newport Oregon Coast Aquarium. Boothe said the tortoise was clearly stunned from the cold, which means it had the tortoise version of hypothermia.
The turtle weighed around 50 pounds and Boothe said it was one of the most active sea turtles they have encountered in recent years, which is a good sign.
Thirty minutes later, the Newport facility called to inform staff that they were ready to receive him and that another cold-stunned sea turtle found off the Oregon coast was also heading for Newport.
“The Seaside Aquarium staff took the turtle to the Oregon Coast Aquarium, one of two licensed sea turtle rehabilitation facilities in the Pacific Northwest; the other facility is the Seattle Aquarium, ”Boothe said. “While we are all hopeful for recovery and release, everyone involved knows that this turtle has a long way to go.”
This is the time of year when cold-stunned turtles are stranded on the Oregon coast and the Washington coast, and the public is being asked to keep an eye out for them and call authorities if they find one.
Being stunned by the cold is common in these cases, and most of the sea turtles found on the northwestern beaches are no longer alive. The effects of this can be malnutrition, susceptibility to external injury and organ damage, according to the Oregon Coast Aquarium.
If they are alive, they often do not last long. But some survive and are returned to the wild.
What often happens is that a sea turtle does not return to warmer waters in time as they migrate south, or they get lost following the warm water currents that go north and hit the cold waters off the coast of Oregon and Washington. .
Port of Coos Bay to Buy Former Georgia Pacific Mill
The Port of Coos Bay has plans to buy the former Georgia Pacific Mill site stating they have a goal of job creation on Oregon’s South Coast.
“The Port’s intent in this acquisition is to rehabilitate the site and return it to service, utilizing the facility for the movement of goods and commodities through maritime, rail, and trucking for both domestic and international markets,” the Port said in a statement.
They are now going through a 60-day due diligence period with the owner of the land “with the intention to finalize the sale before the end of the year,” according to the statement. “Once the sale is finalized, the Port will conduct additional environmental, permitting, engineering, and design work prior to initiating construction.”
It’s welcome news for the South Coast, where the closure of the mill and the impending closure of the Shutter Creek Correctional Institution have resulted in numerous job losses.
“With this facility back in service, it is anticipated that it will bring with it the addition of well-paying family wage jobs to the area including longshore labor, yard workers and cargo handlers, as well as additional rail line crews,” said John Burns, Port CEO.
According to the Port:
“The Port is currently working with multiple businesses with interest in moving products and commodities through the Port of Coos Bay to avoid congestion and its associated costs and inefficiencies found at other West Coast Ports. Through ownership of this facility, the Port will have access to a wharf, yard footprint, and rail service to facilitate regional economic development in a more effective manner – and with it the jobs and economic diversity that will help the region and State to thrive.
This project has been championed by both the State and Federal legislative delegations. Congressman Peter DeFazio fought to include funding in the amount of $4.5MM in the reconciliation bill. These funds will be utilized to build out rail infrastructure on site, as well as to conduct improvements to the wharf infrastructure. Senator Dick Anderson and Representative Boomer Wright were both instrumental in securing funding to acquire the property through the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund, both allocating $2MM respectively. The hard work and commitment of both our State and Federal Delegation to the long-term success of the region were instrumental in the success of this project.“
The Port said “the site could be ready to move a limited amount of cargo initially following the conclusion of phase I construction as early as mid-2023 if not sooner.”
Oregon reports 1,360 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 16 new deaths
There are 16 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 4,334. Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported 1,360 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 bringing the state total to 362,561.
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (7), Benton (25), Clackamas (111), Clatsop (7), Columbia (11), Coos (22), Crook (18), Curry (2), Deschutes (140), Douglas (60), Gilliam (3), Grant (6), Harney (2), Hood River (9), Jackson (51), Jefferson (13), Josephine (27), Klamath (48), Lake (1), Lane (80), Lincoln (15), Linn (86), Malheur (17), Marion (147), Morrow (5), Multnomah (165), Polk (38), Sherman (3), Tillamook (3), Umatilla (50), Union (14), Wallowa (2), Wasco (14), Washington (110) and Yamhill (48).
COVID-19 weekly cases and deaths decline, hospitalizations rise
Oregon Health Authority’s COVID-19 Weekly Report, released today, shows decreases in daily cases and deaths and an increase in hospitalizations.
OHA reported 7,707 new cases of COVID-19 during the week of Monday, Oct. 18 through Sunday, Oct. 24. That represents a 4.1% decrease from the previous week and the eighth consecutive week of declining case counts.
The incidence of reported COVID-19 cases was higher in Oregon counties with population vaccination rates less than 50%.
There were 415 new COVID-19 hospitalizations, up from 377 last week, marking the first time hospitalizations have risen following seven consecutive weeks of declines.
There were 110 reported COVID-19 related deaths, down from 183 reported the previous week. This was the lowest weekly death toll since the week of Aug. 16–22.
There were 137,537 tests for COVID-19 for the week of Oct. 17 through Oct. 23. The percentage of positive tests was 7.4%, down from 7.6% the previous week.
Today’s COVID-19 Weekly Outbreak Report shows 101 active COVID-19 outbreaks in senior living communities and congregate living settings, with three or more confirmed cases and one or more COVID-19 related deaths.
Oregon Public Utilities Commission Allows Natural Gas Companies to Raise Rates Starting Nov. 1st
Customers of Avista Utilities, NW Natural Gas, and Cascade Natural Gas in Oregon will see their rates increase beginning November 1, the Oregon Public Utilities Commission (PUC) announced on Wednesday due to an annual purchased gas adjustment.
The PUC allows for annual adjustments to the three regulated natural gas companies operating in Oregon, which includes Avista, Cascade Natural Gas, and NW Natural, to reflect the change in the wholesale price of natural gas.
Since 2007, the PUC said, Avista has had 12 rate decreases and three rate increases for this reason. The overall revenue increase amounts to $10.5 million for Avista customers compared to the company’s 2020 gross revenues. The PUC said that the increase is largely due to major weather-related events and a worldwide increase in natural gas prices. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s 2021 Winter Fuels Outlook, nearly half of U.S. households that heat primarily with natural gas will spend 30 percent more on average than they spent last winter.
The PUC approved an overall revenue increase of $10.5 million for Avista customers for the PGA annual filing when compared to 2020 company gross revenues. The increase, effective November 1, 2021, is largely due to significant weather-related events and the increase in natural gas prices worldwide. The result of this decision is an increase in customer rates as indicated below:
- Residential Customers – The monthly bill of a typical residential customer using an average of 48 therms per month will increase by $5.19, or 8.4 percent, from $61.78 to $66.97.
- Commercial Customers – The monthly bill of a typical customer using an average of 202 therms per month will increase by $27.80, or 12.9 percent, from $215.29 to $243.09.
- Industrial Customers – The monthly bill of a typical customer using an average of 4,003 therms per month will increase by $550.89, or 28.5 percent, from $1,993.45 to $2,484.34.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s 2021 Winter Fuels Outlook, nearly half of U.S. households that heat primarily with natural gas will spend 30 percent more on average than they spent last winter.
Avista recently filed a rate case with the PUC seeking additional revenues for non-gas costs. A decision on this filing, which is scheduled for mid-2022, will further impact customer rates.
To increase energy efficiency and save on energy bills, customers are encouraged to:
- Turn down thermostats to save up to 3 percent for each degree. A programmable thermostat that reduces heat at night or when no one is home can lower heating bills by 5 to 10 percent.
- Update low-efficiency furnaces and water heaters with higher-efficiency models.
- Fully insulate homes to realize up to 30 percent savings on a heating bill.
- Clean or change the furnace filter once a month during the heating season.
- Conduct an online Home Energy Review through the Energy Trust of Oregon.
- Learn about bill payment assistance programs from Avista’s customer service team.
About the PUC
The Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC) regulates customer rates and services of the state’s investor-owned electric, natural gas and landline telephone utilities, as well as select water companies. The PUC’s mission is to ensure Oregon utility customers have access to safe, reliable, and high quality utility services at just and reasonable rates. This is done through robust analysis and independent decision-making conducted in an open and fair process.
ODVA to Resume In-Person Statewide Veterans Day Celebration Outside State Capitol Building
The Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs (ODVA) will honor all veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces during the 2021 Statewide Veterans Day Celebration — which will return to an outdoor and in-person format this year, within public health guidelines.
The event will feature remarks by federal, state and local dignitaries and ceremonial elements such as a color guard, national anthem, wreath presentation and the playing of “Taps.” Attendees should please be advised that this year’s event will be held at 2 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 10 — the day before Veterans Day. The event will be hosted at the Oregon State Capitol Park located on Court Street Northeast in downtown Salem — directly in front of the Oregon State Capitol Building.
While the celebration will honor Oregon veterans of all eras, there will be a special focus on the contributions of Vietnam War-era veterans.
The event will be followed by an optional walking tour of the site of the future Oregon Vietnam War Memorial, led by Vietnam War Memorial Fund President Steve Bates.
The event is open to the public and limited seating will be provided for attendees. Accessible pathways and seating areas for those needing accommodations will also be provided. Attendees are reminded to wear a mask, maintain social distancing, and plan accordingly for Oregon weather.
“We are grateful to be able to host an in-person event this year, in a safe, socially distanced format designed to ensure the health and safety of participants and attendees,” said Kelly Fitzpatrick, director of ODVA, which is organizing the event with the help of state and local partners. “We are especially honored to be able to host this important event in such a prominent location, in the heart of our state capital. This day reminds us of the great debt that we owe our nation’s heroes; they deserve to be recognized and honored — not only on Veterans Day, but every day.”
For those unable to attend, the event will also be live-streamed on ODVA’s Facebook page: at https://www.facebook.com/odvavet. —— Ore. Department of Veterans’ Affairs
Increased emergency SNAP benefits continue in November
Need to know
- Most Oregonians who receive SNAP benefits will continue to receive increased emergency food benefits in November
- Find resources to meet your basic needs: Dial 2-1-1, or text your zip code to 898-211, www.211info.org
- Oregon Department of Human Services COVID-19 help center
(Salem) – Most Oregonians who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will receive emergency allotments in November.
The federal government has approved emergency allotments every month since March 2020. This gives SNAP recipients additional support during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In November, approximately 398,400 SNAP households will receive approximately $63 million in extra food benefits in addition to their regular SNAP benefits.
“We are grateful to have the opportunity to provide emergency benefits to most SNAP households in Oregon,” said Dan Haun, director of the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS), Self-Sufficiency Program. “We also know that many Oregonians are still struggling to meet their basic needs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and we encourage them to contact our partners at 211 and the Oregon Food Bank for support during this difficult time.”
Emergency allotments will be available on Nov. 11 for current SNAP households. New SNAP households will receive the emergency allotments Nov. 30 or Dec. 2.
SNAP recipients do not have to take any action to receive these supplemental benefits as they will be issued directly on their EBT cards.
More information about emergency allotments is available at https://www.oregon.gov/dhs/ASSISTANCE/FOOD-BENEFITS/Pages/About-SNAP.aspx.
Questions about your SNAP benefits should be directed to the ONE Customer Service Center at 1-800-699-9075.
If you are a SNAP household and your income or the number of people in your household has changed, it could impact your benefits. It is important to make sure ODHS has the most up-to-date information.
You can report any changes to your income or household in many ways:
- Online at: ONE.Oregon.gov
- By mail at: ONE Customer Service Center, PO Box 14015, Salem, OR 97309
- By fax at: 503-378-5628
- By phone at: 1-800-699-9075 or TTY 711
Resources to help meet basic needs
- Find a food pantry: foodfinder.oregonfoodbank.org
- 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
- Oregon Department of Human Services COVID-19 help center
Administered by ODHS, SNAP is a federal program that provides food assistance to approximately 1 million eligible, low-income families and individuals in Oregon, including many older adults and people with disabilities. Oregonians in need can apply for benefits, including SNAP, child care, cash assistance and Medicaid. Learn more at https://govstatus.egov.com/or-dhs-benefits. For local resources in your area, such as food or shelter, please call 2-1-1 or reach out to the state’s Aging and Disability Resource Connection (ADRC) at 1-855-ORE-ADRC or 1-855-673-2372. —- Oregon Department of Human Services
FBI Offers up to $15,000 for Information in Portland Shooting of UBER Driver
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $15,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the murder of Dhulfiqar Kareem Mseer. This is in addition to the previously offered reward of up to $2,500 from Crime Stoppers of Oregon.
On December 11, 2020, Mr. Mseer, age 23, was working as an Uber driver. Shortly before midnight, he arrived in the area of NE Stafford Street and NE 11th Avenue in Portland to pick up a fare. He was shot by multiple subjects who fired approximately 70 rounds. He died several days later. The subjects got into two cars before leaving the area. One of the cars is believed to be a VW Eos. Shell casings recovered at the scene have been matched to casings found at other gang-involved shootings in the area.
“Day after day we see a rising tide of indiscriminate violence – much of it against innocent people just trying to go to work and come back home to their families safely. People in our community should be able to live their lives free of the fear of bullets and bloodshed. Mr. Mseer’s family should be able to go forward knowing that his shooters won’t go on to harm others. If you have information in this case, now is the time to be brave and come forward. You can help bring closure to a grieving family and, likely, stop more shootings from taking place,” said Kieran L. Ramsey, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Oregon.
Mr. Mseer’s FBI “Seeking Information” poster can be downloaded at https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/seeking-info/dhulfiqar-kareem-mseer.
This reward is the third offered by the FBI on behalf of the Metro Safe Streets Task Force. Previous rewards include:
- Up to $25,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for a mass shooting that claimed the life of Makayla Harris and injured six others
- Up to $15,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the shooting death of Evelin Navarro-Barajas
If anyone has information, witnessed any part of what happened, or has video of anything that happened prior to, during, or after these shootings, they are asked to contact PPB by emailing crimetips@portlandoregon.gov or to contact the FBI at 1 (800) CALL-FBI or at tips.fbi.gov. —- FBI – Oregon
The Metro Safe Streets Task Force includes a partnership between the FBI and ATF, Portland Police Bureau, Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, Gresham Police Department, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon, and Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office.
Former New York Times journalist Nicholas Kristof announced He is Running for Governor
Former New York Times journalist Nicholas Kristof announced his candidacy Wednesday for Oregon governor, saying the state needs a political newbie to solve problems like homelessness and rural despair.
Kristof pointed out that many of the kids he grew up with in Yamhill, 25 miles (40 kilometers) southwest of Portland, are dead, their deaths drug- or alcohol-related. Kristoff calls them victims of inequality.
Kristof joins a crowded field of Democrats seeking their party’s nomination to be the candidate in the 2022 election, including Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek and state Treasurer Tobias Read. Democrats have held the governor’s office since 1987. In his video,
Kristof said political leaders have been unable to resolve issues such as drug addiction, homelessness, unaffordable housing, a spiraling homicide rate in Portland, and weak mental health support.
New Scholarship Presents Timely Exploration of Climate Change and Megafires in Oregon
Following another devastating fire season along the West Coast, the Oregon Historical Society’s (OHS) scholarly journal, the Oregon Historical Quarterly, published a relevant essay, “Oregon and Climate Change: The Age of Megafires in the American West,” by historian William G. Robbins, in the just-released Fall 2021 issue. While a subscription to the Oregon Historical Quarterly is a benefit of membership, OHS has decided to make this timely and relevant essay available for free on our website.
In this essay, Robbins draws on historical data and decades of research and writing to highlight the effects of global warming, which “provide powerful evidence that fires are now burning more often and in places they seldom occurred before” due to human-caused climate change. In the 1960s, Robbins worked as a crew foreman for the Eastern Lane Forest Protective Association, with the responsibility of responding to fires to quickly contain blazes. That work, Robbins attests, “marked the beginnings of a career-long intellectual and scholarly journey, learning about fire history and policy.”
Frederick Swanson, a retired research scientist with the U.S. Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Station, describes the significance of this landmark essay:
Robbins brings a wealth of personal experience and scholarship spanning six decades to insightful interpretation of environmental issues of all sorts across Oregon. His historical perspectives are especially crucial as we struggle to comprehend the rapidly changing wildfire threats for our forests.
Beginning with a brief overview of Oregon’s twentieth century fire history, Robbins describes how the powerful hurricane-force east winds that turned small blazes into megafires Labor Day weekend in 2020 were unusual but not unprecedented. As Robbins documents in his essay, however, rising global temperatures and extreme drought in the West has led to the increased frequency and size of wildfires — the average number of acres burned in Oregon between 1992 and 2001 more than doubled between 2002 and 2017. Through analysis of and reflection on over a dozen fires that have occurred in recent decades, Robbins makes a powerful case that Oregon fires are “burning more often and in places where they seldom occurred before.”
Michael Paul Nelson, Co Lead-Principal Investigator with the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest LTER Program, describes the essay as:
…a perfect example of how our ideas about ourselves and our ideas about nature blend with the realities of nature to create great challenges that will require imaginative reflection and actions on our part. The piece shows how much the role of our ideas — or fundamental philosophies about what humans are in relationship to nature — sit at the root of our tremendous environmental challenges. Every Oregonian should read it.
“Oregon and Climate Change: The Age of Megafires in the American West,” is available to read for free on the OHS website at ohs.org/readohq, along with over 100 other peer reviewed articles spanning from the 1960s through 2021. Published continuously since 1900, OHQ brings well-researched, well-written history about Oregon and the Pacific Northwest to both scholars and general readers. OHQ is one of the largest state history journals in the United States and is a recognized and respected source for the history of the Pacific Northwest region.
The Fall 2021 issue and many back issues of the Oregon Historical Quarterly are available for purchase through the Oregon Historical Society’s Museum Store for $10, and a subscription to OHQ is a benefit of Oregon Historical Society membership.
About the Oregon Historical Society
For more than a century, the Oregon Historical Society has served as the state’s collective memory, preserving a vast collection of artifacts, photographs, maps, manuscript materials, books, films, and oral histories. Our research library, museum, digital platforms & website (www.ohs.org), educational programming, and historical journal make Oregon’s history open and accessible to all.We exist because history is powerful, and because a history as deep and rich as Oregon’s cannot be contained within a single story or point of view. — Oregon Historical Society
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