The latest news stories across the state of Oregon from the digital home of the Oregon coastal cities, OregonBeachMagazine.com
Tuesday, April 12, 2022
Oregon Beach Weather
Today– Showers and thunderstorms before 2pm, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm, mainly after 2pm. Snow level 1600 feet. High near 47. Breezy, with a west wind 14 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 33 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Wednesday– Showers and thunderstorms likely before 3pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between 3pm and 4pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4pm. Snow level 1000 feet rising to 1800 feet in the afternoon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 49. Southwest wind 8 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Thursday– Showers likely, mainly before 11am. Snow level 1700 feet. Partly sunny, with a high near 50. Light and variable wind becoming west 6 to 11 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Friday– A 40 percent chance of showers, mainly after 11am. Snow level 1500 feet rising to 2200 feet in the afternoon. Partly sunny, with a high near 52.
Saturday– Showers likely, mainly before 11am. Snow level 2700 feet. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 52. Breezy.
Seaside Housing Task Force Considering Container Housing
The Seaside Housing Task Force, an ongoing committee chaired by City Councilor Steve Wright, met Monday with Joanne Blackler, of Joanee Blackler Equipment Consulting LLC, based in Madras. She and her father, Bill Blackler, appeared before the task force on Monday with a proposal for housing containers similar to those in use at work sites outside the U.S.
They may be of use in communities in the Northwest, especially areas with a large population of seasonal, agricultural cannery or logging workers.
“It’s a simple container concept, with quick transport and installation on-site,” Joanne Blackler said. “If you have budget constraints, this may be your way to go especially with the price of lumber nowadays and a timely manner. It’s a lot faster than having anything built nowadays.”
Delivery takes two to three months. The containers can be set directly on the ground or on cement blocks, she said. Footings are available to raise them off the ground. The containers are more durable than an RV, with its 20-year expected life.
Inside is “plug-and-play,” with lighting, electrical and plumbing. ‘We could do commissary kitchens or little kitchenettes in them as well,” she said.
These originally were designed and built to serve the oil and mineral exploration industry in South America, Bill Blackler said.
“The term I like to use they’re they’re built like ‘a prison toilet,’’ he said. “They’re tough, as opposed to a tiny home or RV. You’re going to get something that lasts significantly longer, that is a better investment for your money in that regard.’’
The containers can be delivered empty or fully furnished. A 40-foot container can offer 310 square feet, she said. Costs begin at $80,000 for a 20-foot container, with $9,500 added for shipping. Forty-foot units start at $9,600. Modifications could bring down that price, and units may be available at a multiple discount.
It’s a concept that we’re not really used to here in the U.S.,” Wright said. “You’re trying to get on the ground floor getting this going. I think it’s definitely an interesting idea. Particularly because you can do it so fast with everything else nowadays.”
Whether Seaside zoning would accommodate the units remains an open question, Jeff Flory, the active planning director said.
“It’s different from a manufactured home,” Flory said. “It’s different from an RV and different from a stick-frame house. First we would need to figure out how to classify these and what building codes would be allowed by the state of Oregon to set these up as permanent dwellings you could set up on a property. … What it would look like, I don’t know.”
Revisions to the city’s comprehensive plan may be necessary to take advantage of options like this, Wright said.
While the containers may not be the city’s answer, Wright also presented potential modular solutions like those elsewhere.
“For us in particular in Seaside the biggest issue is where on how much space it’s going to take because we just don’t have much land, period,” Wright said. “We just need to find the owners of the places that do have it and figure out where we go.”
In late May, the county will convene elected officials and planning directors to talk about housing, Wright said.
“There’s lots of us around that want to do something about housing,” Wright said. “No matter what it is, I think every idea is worth talking about.”
Jury Finds Former Coos Bay Police Officer Guilty Of Sex Abuse Of A Child Under Age 12
A former Coos Bay Police officer awaits sentencing after being found guilty on all charges in a 2021 sex abuse case.
Terry Scott Rogers was arrested last September on 18 felony charges and 2 misdemeanor charges for the abuse of a child under 12. The jury just found him guilty on all 20 charges.
Court officials say the abuse began before June of 2012 and continued through 2016. Charges were filed last year. Rogers will be sentenced on April 18.
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 April 8 to April, 10, 2022. For more information, including COVID-19 data by county, visit our dashboard: https://public.tableau.com/views/OregonCOVID-19Update/DailyDataUpdate?:language=en-US&:toolbar=n&:display_count=n&:origin=viz_share_link
The Oregon Health Authority says over 47-percent of the two-thousand-35 COVID-19
infections last week involved people who were vaccinated. Officials say 58-percent of
those “breakthrough” cases involved people who were fully vaccinated and boosted. But
the OHA says well over half of the cases, 52-percent, were among those who were
unvaccinated.
Oregon Department of Transportation released the latest traffic updates Tuesday morning.
- U.S. 395 remains closed between Nye Junction at the intersection with OR 74 (MP 23.64) and Long Creek (MP 90.84) due to severe snowstorms and unsafe weather conditions.
- I-84 also remains closed in Eastern Oregon due to weather and crashed trucks. Crews have been working to open the route through the night, but blizzard-like conditions have impacted operations.
Additional ODOT Alerts:
- Closure
- ORE 245, 1 mile North of Intersection with John Day Highway US26 MP 1 – 36
- Closure
- I-84, 3 miles West of Ontario MP 374 – 302
- Closure
- US 395, Intersection with Heppner Highway ORE74 MP 24 – 91
- Closure
- I-84, 7 miles East of Pendleton MP 216 – 265
- Closure
- US 30, Haines MP 40 – 50
- Closure
- I-84, 3 miles West of Baker City MP 302 – 265
- Closure
- I-84, 4 miles East of La Grande MP 265 – 216
- Closure
- ORE 204, 1 mile West of Elgin MP 39 – 10
ODOT said that drivers should take extra precautions in winter-like conditions, stay in a safe location until checking TripCheck, and do not blindly follow GPS navigation apps for detours.
ODOT suggests that drivers continue to check TripCheck.com or call 511 / 800-977-6368 for updated conditions before hitting the road. If you are traveling outside Oregon, call 503-588-2941.
Learn more information: Click Here.
Oregon Department of Transportation worked through the night trying to reopen Interstate 84 through Eastern Oregon but the road remained closed Tuesday morning. Blizzard-like conditions in the late spring snowstorm that hit the Northwest starting Monday slowed their efforts, said the department. Limited tow trucks were available for the number of vehicles that needed to be pulled out.
I-84 was closed from six miles east of Pendleton to just east of La Grande due to snow and multiple trucks that had spun out Monday evening. As of 5 a.m. Tuesday westbound lanes also were closed from Baker City to La Grande, with westbound truck traffic stopped at Ontario, due to the lack of truck parking at Baker City and La Grande.
North And South Lanes Closed On I-5 Following Motorcycle Crash At Siskiyou Summit
Interstate 5 at Siskiyou Summit southbound and northbound are open again Monday at milepost 11 according to a release from Oregon Department of Transportation.
Both directions of traffic are under a full chain restriction. All vehicles must chain up except 4×4 or all wheel drive unless those vehicles are towing.
Oregon Department of Transportation announced that both northbound and southbound traffic were on a temporary hold because of a motorcycle crash, a disabled vehicle and heavy snow showers in the area. “Expect delays and winter driving conditions,” said ODOT. Check TripCheck: https://tripcheck.com
Two Oregon Congressmen Have Tested Positive for COVID-19.
Rep. Peter DeFazio, 74, tweeted Thursday that he has tested positive for the virus. In addition Rep. Earl Blumenauer said on Friday he has tested positive for COVID-19. Blumenauer also said that he would follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and that he would isolate.
The congressmen are two of several lawmakers that have announced positive COVID-19 test results, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who tested positive for COVID-19 a day after appearing unmasked at a White House event with President Joe Biden. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine also tested positive late Thursday, shortly after the Senate voted to confirm Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson.
The federal government announced Monday that it will deprive highly fertile farms and ranches in the Klamath Basin of irrigation water necessary to produce food this year.
The decision comes at a time of global food security fears, rapidly rising food prices, and concerns that grocery store shelves may become empty this year. Klamath Water Users Association (KWUA), which represents irrigation water users who produce food based on once-reliable irrigation water supplies from Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon’s
largest surface water body, decried yesterday’s announcement.
KWUA leaders said that there is adequate water available this year to provide irrigation from Upper Klamath Lake to the Klamath Project, a system of infrastructure that was built to deliver water to a community of family farms straddling the California-Oregon border.
The Project provides water to some of the richest soils in the world. But federal regulators intend to deny irrigation water needed to produce food, at a time when the country and world most need it.
Rigid operating guidelines mandated by federal regulatory agencies mean that the Project’s family farms and ranches will have an uncertain amount of water, probably less than 15 percent of what they need.
In yesterday’s announcement of a 2022 Klamath Project Operations Plan, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation directed that water that could be used for irrigation or wildlife benefits will instead be used to artificially augment flows 40 miles downstream in the Klamath River, and to maintain specified elevations of water in Upper Klamath Lake.
In a separate release, The Bureau of Reclamation announced Monday the Klamath Project will receive approximately 50,000 acre-feet to allow for limited irrigation beginning April 15.
The bureau also announced a total of $20 million in immediate aid to the project through the Klamath Project Drought Response Agency for this year’s irrigation season. An additional $5 million in technical assistance is being made available to Klamath Basin tribes for tribally led projects.
The 50,000 acre-feet is subject to meeting an end of water year Upper Klamath Lake elevation of no less than 4,138.15 feet, with the objective of no less than 4,139.2 feet through July 15. The bureau said in a news release that unauthorized diversions of water will result in reductions to the project’s water allocation, and appropriate legal action will be pursued.
Investigation Into Stolen Goods Leads To One Stolen Guitar From The Oregon Music Hall Of Fame
Portland Police have recovered some items that were stolen from an Oregon Music Hall of Fame storage locker earlier this year. The suspect in the case is 40-year-old Eric Lamberton. In March, detectives found guitars and other items that were stolen during a burglary in Washington County last year.
As the investigation continued, detectives searched properties and located one signed guitar from the Oregon Music Hall of Fame, along with other items. They also found 25-thousand dollars worth of stolen Yeti coolers. The stolen items are being returned to their owners. Anyone tips about this investigation is asked to contact NRT through crimetips@portlandoregon.gov
Lane County Urging Residents to Get Vaccines Before World Athletics Championships Begin
The Lane County Health Department is urging residents to make sure their vaccines are up-to-date ahead of the World Athletic Championships in Eugene. Officials say the concern goes beyond COVID-19, noting declines in vaccination rates for measles, mumps, and rubella, diphtheria, tetanus and polio. Clinics around the county are ready
to administer the necessary shots. Worlds is set to take place at Hayward Field beginning on July 15th.
UO Students Rally to Keep Duck TV Running
Some University of Oregon students claim their student-run broadcast program Duck TV is at stake. Students said the school administration has indicated a lack of support, canceling studio sessions in the fall and the program entirely for the winter term.
A petition online to ensure the future of Duck TV has gained nearly 1,500 signatures. Students gathered in front of Allen Hall Sunday to discuss the issues with school administration. The Dean of the School of Journalism and Communications Juan-Carlos Molleda said Duck TV won’t be going away and they plan to modify the format in which the program will return. https://www.uoducktv.com/
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/