The latest news stories across the state of Oregon from the digital home of the Oregon coastal cities, OregonBeachMagazine.com
Tuesday, April 19, 2022
Oregon Beach Weather
Today– Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before noon, then showers likely. Some of the storms could produce small hail. High near 53. South southeast wind 7 to 11 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms
Wednesday– Rain before 9am, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 9am. Some of the storms could produce small hail. High near 53. Breezy, with a southeast wind 14 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Thursday– Showers. High near 54. South wind 10 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Friday– A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 56.
Saturday– Partly sunny, with a high near 57.
4.0 Earthquake off Bandon Coast
An earthquake shook off the Oregon coast Tuesday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The 4.0-magnitude quake was recorded at 5:43 a.m. It was 118 miles west of Bandon. As of 8 a.m. Tuesday, no one had reported to the USGS that they felt the earthquake.
In the last three weeks, eight small earthquakes have been recorded in the general area. Most of them were located near the Blanco Fracture Zone. Last December, more than 50 earthquakes rumbled off the coast in the Blanco Fault Zone. The USGS said this earthquake had a depth of 6.2 miles.
Gearhart Ballot Measure To Build New Firehouse
Voters in the May election could finally settle the question of whether the city should build a new firehouse.
Measure 4-213 would authorize $14.5 million in bond financing for a fire and police station on 2 acres off Highlands Lane along U.S. Highway 101. The new station would replace the aging firehouse on Pacific Way.
The city must receive approval from the state Department of Land Conservation and Development to bring the land into the city’s urban growth boundary. As part of a land transfer with the city, developers of The Cottages at Gearhart LLC would transfer two lots for a firehouse and park and benefit from the rezoning of a planned residential subdivision at a higher density.
If the bond measure is approved, the money would be used for capital construction costs to build, equip and furnish the 13,000-square-foot station. While financing scenarios have not been decided, the city estimates the bonds would cost property owners $1.213 per $1,000 assessed value per year for up to 20 years. On a home with an assessed value of $100,000, the levy for the fire and police station would be $121 a per year. On a property with an assessed value of $388,000, the levy would be $470 per year; with an assessed value of $500,000, slightly more than $600 per year.
The city’s fire department has two full-time employees, one intern and 27 volunteer firefighters. The firehouse on Pacific Way, constructed in 1958 and expanded in 1966, is considered at risk in a significant earthquake and tsunami. The new station, which would be on land considered more resilient in a tsunami, would include storage, a day room, kitchen, restrooms, showers and an office for the police department.
The vote will come after a protracted debate in the community.
Voters rejected a measure to fund a new firehouse and City Hall in 2006. Since then, city staff, firefighters and residents have continued to recognize the urgency.
In 2018, after considering nine locations, the fire station committee recommended three concepts and locations to guide the decision-making process. When a public survey eliminated the committee’s first choice at Gearhart Park, the city pursued High Point, a location on N. Marion Avenue near the Palisades.
That site was dropped after potential right-of-way conflicts with neighboring homeowners and the high cost of the land purchase.
With the possibility of the land swap and negotiations with The Cottages at Gearhart LLC, the City Council approved bringing the Highlands Lane site to voters.
The bond measure was headed to ballot last November, but was postponed after a legal challenge that was later rejected by a Circuit Court judge.
Warrenton Man Sentenced to 17 Years in Federal Prison for Sexually Exploiting Children Online
PORTLAND, Ore.—A Warrenton, Oregon man was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison today for sexually exploiting at least two children he met online.
Kirk Richard Cazee, 60, was sentenced to 204 months in federal prison followed by a 99-year term of supervised release.
According to court documents, in 2010, the Oregon Department of Justice received a tip that child pornography was being exchanged with an email address later determined to belong to Cazee. After obtaining a search warrant for the email account, investigators located emails wherein Cazee pretended to be a teenage boy or young adult to manipulate and deceive his minor victims. Between September 2006 and March 2010, Cazee persuaded multiple minor victims under the age of 16 to produce and send him sexually explicit content. In at least one instance, Cazee mailed a web cam and teddy bear to a minor victim and convinced her to produce sexually explicit videos for him using the web cam.
On September 27, 2018, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a 10-count indictment charging Cazee with production, receipt, transportation and possession of child pornography. On April 27, 2021, he pleaded guilty to two counts of production of child pornography.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug for the District of Oregon and Special Agent in Charge Kieran L. Ramsey of the FBI’s Portland Field Office made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the Oregon Department of Justice Internet Crimes Against Children task force with assistance from the FBI Salem Child Exploitation Task Force, Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office and the Astoria Police Department. It was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Kaylynn Foulon of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natalie K. Wight and Rachel Sowray from the District of Oregon.
Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. Child sexual abuse material depicts actual crimes being committed against children. Not only do these images and videos document victims’ exploitation and abuse, but when shared across the internet, child victims suffer re-victimization each time the image of their abuse is viewed. To learn more, please visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s website at www.missingkids.org.
The FBI CETF conducts sexual exploitation investigations, many of them undercover, in coordination with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. CETF is committed to locating and arresting those who prey on children as well as recovering and assisting victims of sex trafficking and child exploitation.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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 tomorrow!
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
We want to keep you informed about COVID-19 in Oregon. Data are provisional and change frequently. For more information, including COVID-19 data by county, visit our dashboard: http://ow.ly/TSMz50ILQky
Note: This report covers the three-day period from April 15 to April 17, 2022.
Forest Service Seeks to Double Wildfire Prevention Treatments
The Oregon Board of Forestry held a virtual informational session earlier this month where speakers from the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management shared their plans for the next decade amidst the wildfire crisis.
Mike Spisak, an assistant director for the U.S. Forest Service, said, in 2020 alone, 1.9 million acres of forest burned down in Washington and Oregon. Now, there are thousands of acres in need of restoration.
Spisak discussed just how devastating of an impact the fires have on road systems, landscapes, trails and recreation. He said funds released through disaster relief have been helpful in tackling systems to help overcome wildfires, but that there are more opportunities to work together to prevent wildfires.
To address the wildfire crisis, he said the Forest Service is looking to treat an additional 20 million acres on National Forest land in the next 10 years as well as an additional 30 million on non-forest service lands to help prevent wildfires. These lands include federal, state, tribal and private lands.
In order to achieve this goal, they must treat over double the number of acres they currently treat annually. The treatment regimens can include prescribed burns as well as mechanical means to reduce brush and other fuel for potential fires. Dry conditions from droughts have combined with brush to result in some recent extreme fires in northern California and Pacific Northwest.
President Biden to Visit Portland on Thursday
President Biden heads to the Pacific Northwest this week. Biden will be in Portland on Thursday to promote his agenda and the sweeping infrastructure bill he signed late last year.
President Joe Biden will visit Portland on Thursday, April 21, to speak about investments being made from the recent infrastructure bill, according to the White House.
Details are scarce on where in the city and what time his visit will take place. The President will travel to Seattle on Friday, April 22, which is Earth Day.
The White House said in a release that Biden will talk about, “his Administration’s efforts to continue bringing down costs for American families and growing our clean energy economy.”
Back in November, Congress passed a $1 trillion infrastructure bill and it was announced that Oregon and Washington were going to receive billions of dollars in federal funding.
“This really is an exciting time,” said Katherine Benenati, a spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) in November. “We want to put these dollars to use as soon as possible.”
Oregon estimated it would receive about $1.2 billion over the next five years and Washington anticipated it would get roughly $1.8 billion for similar projects. Oregon said in November it was considering the I-5 Bridge and the Rose Quarter highway redesign project as candidates for a big portion of the funds.
With Oregon’s May 2022 primary election one month away, the Secretary of State’s Office wants to make sure voters get the ballots they’re expecting.
Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan is inviting Oregon voters to check their registrations at http://Oregonvotes.gov/myvote .
She says her office staff, “often hear from voters who are confused about Oregon’s closed primaries,” using a quick video to help voters. Fagan explain that both major political parties in Oregon — Republicans and Democrats — are
holding closed primaries, so only voters affiliated with those parties can vote for their candidates in primary elections. The primary election winners advance to the general election in November.
Fagan advises Oregon voters they can change party affiliation online for voting in this spring’s primary election. The deadline to change party affiliation before the Oregon’s May election is April 26.
Portland Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Stealing Covid-Relief Funds
PORTLAND, Ore.—A Portland man was sentenced to federal prison today for perpetrating a scheme to steal funds intended to help small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Benjamin Tifekchian, 48, was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release. Tifekchian was also ordered to pay more than $910,000 in restitution, including more than $26,000 to the Small Business Administration (SBA).
According to court documents, in May 2019, Tifekchian incorporated Bencho Jewelry Inc. (Bencho) in the State of Oregon and served as the company’s sole owner and officer. Bencho never had any employees and never generated more than $500 in revenue in any calendar year.
After Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in March 2020 to provide emergency financial assistance to millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Tifekchian devised and perpetrated a scheme to defraud the SBA by fraudulently applying for CARES Act-authorized Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans on behalf of Bencho.
In EIDL applications submitted to SBA in April and August 2020, Tifekchian falsely claimed Bencho had generated as much as $758,000 in revenue, had been operating for 20 years, and employed 12 people. SBA denied both applications. In June 2020, Tifekchian successfully obtained more than $884,000 in PPP funding after falsely claiming Bencho employed 78 people and had an average monthly payroll of $353,698. SBA guaranteed the loan and paid Bank of America, the FDIC-insured loan issuer, more than $26,000 in fees.
Tifekchian used the PPP loan to pay for gambling, vacations, and other personal expenses. Suspecting fraud, Bank of America froze the loan funds, but only after Tifekchian had spent more than $68,000.
On July 13, 2021, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a two-count indictment charging Tifekchian with bank fraud and wire fraud. On January 25, 2022, he pleaded guilty to bank fraud.
U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug of the District of Oregon made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the FBI, U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), and the SBA Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan W. Bounds is prosecuting the case.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Justice Department’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Yelp Ranks Oregon as Top Eco-Friendly State
Yelp says that Oregon’s “sustainability mentions in professional, home and local services, as well as restaurants and food categories” all helped to give the state the highest ranking. California’s highest-ranking of electric vehicle charging mentions is what pushed it into the top two, the review site stated.
The third spot went to Vermont while Nevada and Washington took fourth and fifth places, respectively. Vermont, one of the only East Coast states in the top 10, took third due to mentions of electric vehicle charging, as well as restaurant and food sustainability initiatives.
To determine which states have the most environmentally conscious businesses and consumers, Yelp looked at the states that had the largest relative growth of sustainability mentions in reviews, including “EV charging,” “solar powered,” “locally sourced,” “vegan,” “plastic free” and “compostable,” since January 2018.
“Consumers are increasingly aware of the impact their choices have on the environment, and over the years have looked for more sustainable offerings whether they’re dining out, shopping, or driving,” SEE MORE INFO: https://blog.yelp.com/news/yelp-ranks-the-most-eco-friendly-states-according-to-reviews/
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/