The latest news stories across the state of Oregon from the digital home of the Oregon coastal cities, OregonBeachMagazine.com
Thursday, July 19, 2022
Oregon Beach Weather
Over 2,000 Invasive Smallmouth Bass Caught in Port of Coquille River’s Bass Derby
Over the weekend, The Port of Coquille River’s Bass Derby saw over 2,000 invasive smallmouth bass pulled from the Coquille River. The Port of Coquille will be holding another fishing derby in September to help remove non-native bass from the Coquille River that threaten the native juvenile salmon population.
The fish were scanned at Myrtle Point Boat Landing to determine if they were tagged for prizes. Port commissioner Fred Fry says six of 50 tags were turned in with $200 being the highest paying tag. There is still a $1000 tag out there.
Meanwhile, prizes may yet remain. Fishermen who did not have their fish scanned are being advised by the Port Commission to freeze their fish to be scanned during the Labor Day Bass Derby happening September 3 and 4.
Smallmouth bass are predatory fish Fry says have put a dent in the fall chinook salmon population in the Coquille River. Organizers hope the derbies help grow salmon numbers.
Road Work in Florence
Road work on 9th street finishes up this week as cleanup of the project continues. There is still striping left to be done. This week the City of Florence moves on to two other road projects. Beginning tomorrow portions of the roadway on 10th and 12th street will receive chip seal in the Nopal and Maple area the following week crews will be on Spruce Street from 37th to 42nd Street. Continue to use caution in work areas.
Florence DMV Closure
Staffing continues to be an issue for many businesses around Florence as the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicle announced yesterday that due to low staff levels the DMV location here in Florence will have to be closed on Wednesday. For now this is a one day closing. No further information could be obtained as to whether this will be an ongoing closure, or just a one time event.
Warrenton Down to Two Finalists for City Manager
Marc Howatt, a project engineer and senior civil inspector for a design firm; Donald Kewley, most recently a senior risk manager for a technical consultant; and Esther Moberg, the library director and public information officer in Seaside, are the three candidates to take over the top spot, the city announced on Friday.
Howatt, a former public works director in Warrenton, has over five years of local government management experience. He previously served as the public works director and the interim city administrator in Molalla.
“It’s an honor to be chosen as a finalist for the city manager vacancy,” Howatt said in a statement. “The North Coast has always been near and dear to me.”
Kewley has served in a number of roles — public and private — across the country, totaling over three years of local government management experience. He was also a member of the Oregon Army National Guard.
“I am excited for the opportunity to be of service and develop community partnerships that will shape the landscape of Warrenton for future generations,” Kewley said.
Moberg, who was a finalist for the city manager role in Seaside, has held a number of library posts on the North Coast. She has nine years of local government management experience.
“Warrenton is a wonderful town with many unique possibilities,” Moberg said. “I’m excited for the opportunity to work there.”
The new city manager will replace Linda Engbretson, who is retiring. Her last day is Aug. 5.
The city will likely look to an in-house interim option between her departure and the next city manager’s hiring, Engbretson said.
The pursuit of a new city manager has been a challenge for the city, with the search stretching out over the past few months.
In April, the city named Ben Burgener, who held the same role in Stanfield, as its next city manager, but contract negotiations failed shortly after. Burgener was the only finalist for the position, so the city tasked Jensen Strategies — the Portland consulting firm hired to find and vet applicants — with conducting another search.
Panel and City Commission interviews will take place in the coming weeks. The community will be able to meet the finalists at a roundtable discussion from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on July 26 at the Warrenton Community Center.
Granddaughter Seeks Volunteers To Help Search For Missing Grandfather In Coos County
George Lagrou’s granddaughter is searching desperately for her grandfather after he went missing a week ago, and she’s seeking the community’s help.
Jessica Kateley says 84-year-old George L. Lagrou was last seen at milepost 7 of Weyerhauser Lane in Alleghany around 11:23 a.m. on Thursday, July 7.
“Somebody has seen something or seen him. It’s out in the public,” said Kateley. “We had 50 people from the community walking and going through the brush; we just can’t cover everything because it’s so thick.”
Kateley is now rounding up community members to search the area where Lagrou was last seen.
She says she’s put the word out to anyone who hikes, hunts, and those who would simply like to help to meet at the Alleghany Community Center at 8:30 a.m. July 16.
“We’re going to lock arms and see if he wandered into the brush,” she said.
Kateley says on the day he went missing, a dump truck driver saw Lagrou sitting in a metal framed folding seat with a plastic seat he carries with him at all times. That driver tells Kateley at that time, Lagrou did not know his name, where he’d traveled from, or where he was going. The driver let Lagrou know he was leaving to go get him help.
With a 15-man team, the Coos County Sheriff’s Office conducted a search of the area, but Kateley says police K9s could not pick up a scent, and after 6 hours, the search was called off.
The family requested the Millicoma River Rearing Pond be dredged, but as officers attempted to do so, the graffle became caught in rocks.
A heartbroken Kateley attempted to retrace Lagrou’s steps, traveling 22 minutes in either direction from where he was last seen and searching nearby areas to no avail.
She says while some think he may have gotten a ride into town, she believes he’s still in the woods. “But if he’s in town, he’s looking for ice cream. He loves Dairy Queen,” Kateley says.
She says he was last wearing a greenish-gray Hanes t-shirt, blue jeans, and brown and black hiking shoes.
If anyone sees Lagrou, they’re asked to notify the Coos County Sheriff’s Office at (541) 396-7830.
We want to keep you informed about COVID-19 in Oregon. Data are provisional and change frequently. Note: This report covers the three-day period from July 15 to July 17, 2022.For more information, including COVID-19 data by county, visit our dashboard: http://ow.ly/Wekk50JYEWU
Many Pacific Northwest Hospitals at Capacity As They Struggle With Staffing
Once again, many hospitals in the Pacific Northwest are at or above capacity. As of Monday, nearly every hospital bed in the Portland metro area was spoken for.
Health care officials said rising COVID-19 cases are once again a factor, but this summer there are many other challenges, including staffing.
“We know that many levels of staff have made decisions as a result of the COVID pandemic to cut back hours, to change professions, to sometimes leave health care entirely,” said Dr. Renee Edwards, chief medical officer at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). “Our hospital is completely full.”
Like so many hospitals and health care providers, OHSU is actively recruiting for nurses and other positions. At the same time, they’re competing against the growing national demand for traveling nurses and contracted labor.
It’s a challenge that’s not just impacting hospitals but long-term care facilities too. And therein lies another challenge; some patients are using hospital beds they no longer need while waiting for a transfer to long-term care facilities.
“When we can’t move our patients from the hospital environments of care into those post-acute environments where patients need ongoing care, then it does create a backlog in the system,” said Edwards.
On Monday, there were 58 non-intensive care unit hospital beds available in the Portland metro area, or 3% of capacity. There were 20 ICU beds available, or 6%, according to the Oregon Health Authority.
Dwindling hospital capacity is not just Oregon’s problem. Multiple Washington hospitals noted that they too are over capacity and understaffed. That includes Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
“We have not been under this level of stress at any point during the pandemic,” said Sommer Kleweno Walley with Harborview Medical Center. “This is unprecedented at this point.”
“Unfortunately, we have returned to the same level and in some cases worse level of both challenge and strain in our hospitals that we experienced during those periods of those specific surges related to those variants,” added Dr. Steve Mitchell with the Washington Medical Coordination Center.
It all comes as doctors contend with the BA.5 and BA.4 variants, which account for most new cases and are believed to resist both antibodies and vaccine protections.
“When both states are at capacity, it creates an extreme situation for the Pacific Northwest,” said Edwards.
Edwards pointed out that emergency rooms are also extremely busy, especially during the summer months. It’s why hospitals across the region are asking people to avoid using them except for true emergencies. Instead, they encourage visits to urgent care providers or primary care physicians whenever possible.
Hospital officials also advise people to stay on top of preventive health care, get regular check-ups and don’t ignore health concerns.
“Many patients who delayed seeing a doctor during COVID now need more intense care as part of their hospitalization,” said Edwards.
Portland Crime Report Shows Increase In Shootings and Homicides
A new report shows significant increase in shootings and homicides in Portland since 2019. The California Partnership for Safe Communities reports shows homicides increased 144-percent and shootings were up 241-percent.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler says the data will help the City focus on the problem. It shows 10 groups and gangs are responsible for most of the shootings.
The highest concentration of shootings are in downtown and North Portland with pockets in Northeast and Southeast Portland. The report recommends focusing efforts on those groups and areas of the city.
Oregon Average Gas Price Drops But Still Above U.S. Level
Oregon’s average gasoline price has fallen 12.3 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $5.26 a gallon as of Monday, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 1,307 stations in Oregon. Prices in Oregon are 26.1 cents per gallon lower than a month ago but stand $1.59/g higher than a year ago.
The national average price of diesel has declined 10.8 cents in the last week and stands at $5.54 per gallon.
According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Oregon was priced at $4.55/g Sunday while the most expensive was $5.99/g, a difference of $1.44/g.
The national average price of gasoline has fallen 15.8 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $4.51/g Monday. The national average is down 47.9 cents per gallon from a month ago but stands $1.35/g higher than a year ago, according to GasBuddy data compiled from more than 11 million weekly price reports covering over 150,000 gas stations across the country.
Historical gasoline prices in Oregon and the national average going back ten years:
July 18, 2021: $3.68/g (U.S. Average: $3.16/g)
July 18, 2020: $2.61/g (U.S. Average: $2.20/g)
July 18, 2019: $3.17/g (U.S. Average: $2.78/g)
July 18, 2018: $3.28/g (U.S. Average: $2.86/g)
July 18, 2017: $2.64/g (U.S. Average: $2.26/g)
July 18, 2016: $2.53/g (U.S. Average: $2.20/g)
July 18, 2015: $3.13/g (U.S. Average: $2.76/g)
July 18, 2014: $3.95/g (U.S. Average: $3.58/g)
July 18, 2013: $3.88/g (U.S. Average: $3.67/g)
July 18, 2012: $3.57/g (U.S. Average: $3.42/g)
Oregon cities and their current gas prices:
Eugene- $5.21/g, down 11.9 cents per gallon from last week’s $5.33/g.
Salem- $5.04/g, down 19.5 cents per gallon from last week’s $5.23/g.
Portland- $5.34/g, down 13.3 cents per gallon from last week’s $5.48/g.
“We’ve seen the national average price of gasoline decline for a fifth straight week, with the pace of recent declines accelerating to some of the most significant we’ve seen in years. This trend is likely to reach a sixth straight week, with prices likely to fall again this week. Barring major hurricanes, outages or unexpected disruptions, I forecast the national average to fall to $3.99/gal by mid-August,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.
“So far, we’ve seen the national average drop for 34 straight days, with over 25,000 stations now back at $3.99 per gallon or less, and thousands more stations will join this week. In addition, we will see several states fall back under an average of $4, the majority being in the South, but that could spread to more states in the weeks ahead.”
GasBuddy is the authoritative voice for gas prices and the only source for station-level data spanning nearly two decades. Unlike AAA’s once daily survey and the Lundberg Survey, updated once every two weeks based on a small fraction of U.S. gasoline stations, GasBuddy’s survey updates 288 times every day from the most diverse list of sources covering nearly 150,000 stations nationwide, the most comprehensive and up-to-date in the country.
GasBuddy data is accessible at http://GasBuddy.com
Hot Air Balloons Return To The Skies Over Bend This Weekend
Balloons launch Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings from Jewell Elementary, weather permitting. Set-up begins at sunrise, with balloons taking off around 7 a.m. Spectators can watch for free.
Aaron Switzer, with Lay it Out Events, says Friday’s Night Glow is bigger and better than past years, “We moved it up to COCC to get a little more space – it was in Riverbend Park. And, we’ve added a music stage, so there’s musical acts. There’s just more to do at the Night Glow on Friday night.” He adds, “We have a shaped balloon this year, so there’s an apple. The apple crisp is coming and that’s very cool.” That’s the Cosmic Crisp Apple, helping promote 2 Towns Ciderhouse.
Saturday, the Redmond Night Glow is at Sam Johnson Park, “It’s the Bacon, Brews and Balloons,” Switzer states, “And, they didn’t do it in that fashion for a couple of years but this is back to its format from a couple years ago.”
Balloons will launch each day throughout the weekend. The balloon launches are free to anyone to observe. Just make sure you wake up early enough to greet the giant balloons as they float up into the sky.
The balloons will start setting up at sunrise (about 6am), with an estimated launch time of 6:45-7am (depending on weather). We suggest showing up around 6:15am to grab a spot, and to ensure you don’t miss the launch.
Visit the Balloons Over Bend website for more details.
Have You Seen Her? The Missing Women Crisis in Southern Oregon
Just in the last week, there have been six women reported missing in Southern Oregon.
There are 88 women still reported as missing between Medford and the Eugene area since July 1st of 2019 – That’s an average of 29 per year. It seems it is only accelerating now…
There are 30 women missing in just the past 2 1/2 months (May 1st to 7/15/2022) between Medford and the Eugene area. That averages out to 12 women missing per month or 3 to 4 women who go missing each week in Southern Oregon. Something needs to be done to make this a priority.
Women Missing Since May 1st 2022 between Medford, Grants Pass and Roseburg per Oregon State Police
| MAKENNA KENDALL 5/3/2022 |
| ERICA LEE HUTCHINSON 5/26/2022 |
| MARIAH DANIELLE SHARP 6/12/2022 |
| KAITLYN RAE NELSON 6/14/2022 |
| BROOKLYN JOHNS 6/14/2022 |
| DONNA LEPP 6/27/2022 |
| BARBARA DELEPINE 7/4/2022 |
| KENDRA MARIE HANKS 7/7/2022 |
| CORI BOSHANE MCCANN 7/8/2022 |
| SHYHAILA SMITH 7/12/2022 |
| ALEZAE LILYANNE MARTINEZ 7/13/2022 |
| RAVEN RILEY 7/13/2022 |
| TAHUANA RILEY 7/13/2022 |
| JAYME MURPHY 7/14/2022 |
| DANIELLE NEWVILLE 7/14/2022 |
Women Missing Since May 1st 2022 in Lane County per Oregon State Police
| BREISA RAQUEAL SIKEL 5/3/2022 |
| HANNAH MARIE RHOTEN 5/17/2022 |
| MARISSA ALEESA DAMBROSIO 5/18/2022 |
| ISABELLA BROSOWSKEYOUNGBLOOD 6/7/2022 |
| LOUISA DAY AVA 5/28/2022 |
| AMY CHRISTINA SULLIVAN 6/1/2022 |
| NIKKI ELIZABETH ZEREBNY 6/6/2022 |
| SHADOW STAR SEVIGNY 6/17/2022 |
| SHAUNA LEAH HOGAN 6/17/2022 |
| AIRIONNA CHEALSEY RHODES 6/27/2022 |
| KARISSA RENEE ADAMS 7/6/2000 |
| VERONICA ESSYNCE DELERIO 7/6/2022 |
| AUBRIE HANNA STEPHENS 7/10/2022 |
| LARA IVEY STEINMETZ 7/11/2022 |
| SARA LINDSAY SCHAEFER 7/12/2022 |
This is just a small compilation of missing women’s pictures in the area. There are of course women missing all over Oregon and men and children missing. Sadly most of them never get any attention. Family and friends must keep any information going and lead investigations so that they aren’t just forgotten. https://www.oregon.gov/osp/missing/pages/missingpersons.aspx
Contact – Missing Children/Adults Clearinghouse
Phone: 503-934-0188
Toll Free: 1-800-282-7155
ospmissingpersons@osp.oregon.gov
Still Waiting on Information as Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Investigating Death of An Adult Female Found In Cow Creek
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death of an adult female found in Cow Creek near Riddle. On Wednesday, July 13, 2022, at approximately 3:30 p.m., the Sheriff’s Office was notified of a deceased person found in Cow Creek in approximately the 9000-block of Cow Creek Road.
Investigators responded to the scene and confirmed the death of an adult female. The Douglas County Medical Examiner’s Office also responded. Identification and next of kin notification are pending. The investigation is ongoing and no further details will be released at this time.
https://www.facebook.com/pg/Have-You-Seen-Me-Southern-Oregons-Missing-People-161249961222839/posts/