SALEM, Ore. – In observance of Wildfire Awareness Month and in response to an earlier than normal Red Flag Warning issued by the National Weather Service in April, the Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC) is reminding Oregonians to get ready for the 2021 wildfire season and potential power outages.

“If the Labor Day Fires in 2020 taught us anything, it’s to be ready for future wildfire events, regardless of where you live in Oregon” said Letha Tawney, PUC Commissioner. “The PUC and other state agencies are providing information early to help Oregonians avoid being caught by surprise by wildfires that may require evacuations, utilities to implement public safety power shut-offs, or cause wide-spread power outages.”

Prepare for Wildfires Before They Happen

• Register to receive alerts from official sources. Download the FEMA app and receive real-time alerts from the National Weather Service for up to five locations nationwide. Also, sign up for emergency notifications with your local city and/or county, as well as outage alerts from your electric utility service provider.
• Develop an emergency plan and make sure everyone in your household knows and understands what to do in the event of an evacuation.
• Create a circle of safety around your home, which is a fuel-free defensible space that can help reduce fire danger. Visit Keep Oregon Green for more information.

Prepare for a Potential Power Outage

Wildfires can cause power outages, or electric utilities may elect to implement a public safety power shutoff (PSPS). This is a safety measure designed to help protect people and communities in high fire-risk areas by proactively shutting off electricity during extreme and dangerous weather conditions that might result in wildfires. If a PSPS becomes necessary for electric utilities to implement, the service providers will contact their customers directly. Below are links to access the outage and PSPS information online for the investor-owned utilities regulated by the PUC:

• Portland General Electric
• Pacific Power
• Idaho Power

Oregonians are encouraged to do the following to prepare for a potential power outage before the 2021 wildfire season:

• Be two weeks ready – Gather food, medical supplies, batteries, pet supplies, among other things, needed by family members during an outage or evacuation for up to two weeks. Learn more about what supplies to consider.
• For individuals with a medical condition that requires power, please contact your service provider in advance of an outage to register a Medical Certificate. This certification provides added benefits and helps the utility ensure they meet your needs in the event of an outage. Also, consider a backup generator or alternative location for power needs.
• Keep cell phones fully charged in anticipation of an outage. Consider a car-charger for cell phones and other electronic devices.
• Make sure your utility service provider has current contact information for notifications by updating your account online.

During a Power Outage

• Contact your electric utility service provider to inform them of an outage. Below is the contact information for the investor-owned utilities regulated by the PUC. If uncertain which utility serves your area, visit https://www.oregon.gov/energy/energy-oregon/pages/find-your-utility.aspx.
  • Portland General Electric – 800-544-1795
  • Pacific Power – 877-508-5088
  • Idaho Power – 800-488-6151
• Avoid downed power lines at all costs.
• Stay clear of utility crews working to restore service in your community.
• Use flashlights or battery operated lanterns for emergency lighting. Do not use candles or other potential fire hazards.
• Turn off lights and unplug electric appliances except for the refrigerator and freezer to help avoid a surge to the system when service is restored. After turning off all the lights, turn one light on to know when power has been restored.
• Use generators safely – Do not run the generator inside the home or garage or anywhere near a window or vent, as these spaces can capture deadly levels of carbon monoxide. Learn more about proper use of a generator to avoid hazardous conditions.
• Check on elderly neighbors or individuals with special needs who might need additional assistance.

Natural Gas Tips

• If required to evacuate, no need to shut off natural gas.
• If natural gas appliances do not operate properly once electricity is restored, call your natural gas service provider.
• If natural gas service is shut off, do not turn on yourself. Call your natural gas service provider to restore service.
• If you smell natural gas, evacuate immediately and call 911.

For additional information on fire prevention and preparedness, visit: www.oregon.gov/puc/safety/Pages/Power-Outage-Prep.aspx.

# # #

The Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC) regulates customer rates and services of the state’s investor-owned electric, natural gas and telephone utilities, as well as select water companies. The PUC mission is to ensure Oregon utility customers have access to safe, reliable, and high quality utility services at just and reasonable rates, which is accomplished through thorough analysis and independent decision-making conducted in an open and fair process.

May 5, 2021

Contact: OHA External Relations, covid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us" target="_blank">orcovid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us

Oregon reports 808 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 1 new death

PORTLAND, Ore. — There is one new COVID-19 related death in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 2,509, the Oregon Health Authority reported at 12:01 a.m. today.

Oregon Health Authority reported 808 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 188,417.

Vaccinations in Oregon

Today, OHA reported that 30,994 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry. Of this total, 21,621 doses were administered on May 4 and 9,373 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on May 4.

The 7-day running average is now 31,644 doses per day.

Oregon has now administered a total of 1,687,447 first and second doses of Pfizer, 1,334,561 first and second doses of Moderna and 99,793 single doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. As of today, 1,331,526 people have completed a COVID-19 vaccine series. There are 1,885,466 who have had at least one dose.

Cumulative daily totals can take several days to finalize because providers have 72 hours to report doses administered and technical challenges have caused many providers to lag in their reporting. OHA has been providing technical support to vaccination sites to improve the timeliness of their data entry into the state’s ALERT Immunization Information System (IIS).

To date, 2,062,125 doses of Pfizer, 1,680,800 doses of Moderna and 241,900 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines have been delivered to sites across Oregon.

These data are preliminary and subject to change.

OHA's dashboards provide regularly updated vaccination data, and Oregon’s dashboard has been updated today.

COVID-19 hospitalizations

The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 330, which is 15 fewer than yesterday. There are 83 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is four more than yesterday.

The total number of COVID-19 positive patient bed-days in the most recent seven days is 2,371, which is a 12.1% increase from the previous seven days. The peak daily number of beds occupied by COVID-19 positive patients in the most recent seven days is 351.

The total number of patients in hospital beds may fluctuate between report times. The numbers do not reflect admissions per day, nor the length of hospital stay. Staffing limitations are not captured in this data and may further limit bed capacity.

More information about hospital capacity can be found here.

Cases and deaths

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (4), Benton (17), Clackamas (119), Clatsop (2), Columbia (6), Crook (16), Curry (1), Deschutes (81), Douglas (12), Grant (2), Hood River (5), Jackson (40), Jefferson (3), Josephine (18), KIamath (37), Lake (3), Lane (43), Lincoln (1), Linn (36), Malheur (7), Marion (59), Morrow (2), Multnomah (164), Polk (15), Tillamook (2), Umatilla (8), Union (1), Wallowa (2), Wasco (1), Washington (84) and Yamhill (17).

Oregon’s 2,509th COVID-19 death is a 41-year-old man from Lane County who tested positive on Nov. 18, 2020 and died on Jan. 1, 2021 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Learn more about COVID-19 vaccinations? 

To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine situation in Oregon, visit our webpage (English?or?Spanish), which has a breakdown of distribution and other information.

For Immediate Release                                        

May 3, 2021

Contact:     Sara Stewart
                  503-378-2424

                  sara.stewart@state.or.us

Notice of Special Meeting

The EMD Workgroup, a subgroup of the Telecommunications Curriculum Committee, will hold a regular meeting on May 18, 2021 from 07:00 a.m. - 09:00 a.m.  The meeting will be held virtually via Zoom for public and workgroup members who choose this option over onsite, in-person attendance.  For a link, please contact Sara Stewart at the email address listed above.  A request for an interpreter for the deaf or hearing impaired or for other accommodations for persons with disabilities should be made before the meeting by calling the contact listed above. 

Agenda Items:

1. Check-In
2. EMD Card Review & Comparison

•   Recommendations
•   Corrections

      3. Next Steps

Administrative Announcement

This is a public meeting, subject to the public meeting law and it will be recorded. Deliberation of issues will only be conducted by Curriculum Committee Workgroup members unless permitted by the Chair. Individuals who engage in disruptive behavior that impedes official business will be asked to stop being disruptive or leave the meeting. Additional measures may be taken to have disruptive individuals removed if their continued presence poses a safety risk to the other persons in the room or makes it impossible to continue the meeting.

METHODOLOGY

From April 1-6, 2021, the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center conducted a statewide survey of Oregonians’ values and beliefs, including how they feel about issues related to social class and economic disparities.  The online survey consisted of 600 Oregon residents ages 18+ and took approximately 15 minutes to complete. This survey’s margin of error, for the full sample, ranges from ±2.4% to ±4.0%. The question numbers in this document correspond with the survey questionnaire (Q22-Q25).

KEY FINDINGS

• A strong majority of Oregonians (68%) feel there are fellow Oregonians who have experienced economic disparities based on race and ethnicity (37% agree strongly, 31% agree somewhat).  A quarter (25%) disagree.  Strong majorities in nearly every demographic subgroup agree (Q22).
   
• Oregonians who feel there are economic disparities believe the disparities have worsened during the pandemic (66%).  Only 6% believe they have improved and 25% feel they have stayed the same.  This finding also extends across all demographic subgroups (Q23).
   
• A plurality of Oregonians (48%) feel we have learned things from the pandemic that will help us through economic hard times in the future, 30% feel we haven’t, and 22% are unsure   Higher educated Oregonians and higher income households were the most positive (Q24).

• When asked what lessons they learned from the pandemic to help them get through economic hard times in the future, Oregonians mention a variety of things including better financial planning and budgeting, living simpler lives, living more healthy lives, continuing to wear masks and to socially distance, and to value family and friends more.  Here are some representative quotes (Q25).
   
• “Hopefully, we have learned to value family and friends more than before. To be thankful for good health; to do a better job of practicing basic hygiene; to value and defend our freedom and independence.” (Female, age 65+, Washington County, white)
   
• “Keep a financial cushion, don't live on the bleeding edge of your income.” (Male, age 45-64, Washington County, white)
   
• “Resources to feed your family, working with your community to find resources to pay for bills, low-income programs, saving extra funds for emergencies, living closer to or with family to reduce cost.” (Male,18-29, Multnomah County, Asian or Pacific Islander)
   
• “In the case of my family, to optimize resources to meet current basic needs.”  (Male, age 30-44, Deschutes County, Hispanic or Latinx)
   
• “I think we learned the importance of saving, helping one another, and realizing that we are all inter-connected. I think we learned how to do more with less.” (Female, age 30-44, Washington County, Black or African American
   
• “How to be more resilient and take care of ourselves and families. How to make do.” (Female, age 65+, Lane County, w)

DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS

“Identifying what unites us and understanding what divides us.”

• Eighty percent of Oregonians of color (80%) agree that Oregonians have experienced economic disparities based on race and ethnicity compared to whites.  About the same percentage of both groups agree that the disparities grew worse during the pandemic.  They also felt similarly (48%-47%) that Oregonians have learned things from the pandemic that will help them through economic hard times in the future (Q22-Q24).
   
• For all these questions, rural Oregonians were less affirmative than urban residents.  They were less likely to agree that there are disparities, that they got worse during the pandemic, and that we’ve learned lessons that will help us through economic hard times in the future (Q22-Q24).  

For additional information, please see attached annotated questionnaire and crosstabs, blog post here, and/or contact the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center.

PORTLAND, Ore.—On May 4, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden Jr. proclaimed today, May 5, 2021, as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day.

The proclamation reaffirmed the nation’s commitment to solving all missing and murdered Indigenous persons cases and addressing the underlying causes of these crimes, including sexual violence, human trafficking, domestic violence, violent crime, systemic racism, economic disparities, and substance use and addition.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon joins its Tribal, federal, state, and local law enforcement partners in taking this opportunity to highlight the importance of supporting Tribal crime victims and synthesizing investigative leads and information across government and law enforcement agencies.

“The first step in seeking justice for missing and murdered Tribal victims is acknowledging the historical indifference to and neglect of these tragic cases. A lack of data and jurisdictional gaps have caused many solvable cases to go unsolved” said Acting U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug. “Today’s commemoration reminds us of the hard work still to be done. We must not stop until we give every missing and murdered Tribal victim a voice and bring some degree of peace and comfort to their families.”

In June 2020, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced the hiring of its first Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) program coordinator. In February 2021, the office released its first annual MMIP program report, summarizing what is known about missing and murdered Indigenous people in Oregon and outlining the office’s plans and goals for the year ahead. The report was the first of its kind produced by a U.S. Attorney’s Office. Recently, the office began working with the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs to develop a Tribal Community Response Plan as part of a Department of Justice pilot project.

MMIP is an important and sensitive issue to Tribal communities. Addressing MMIP in Indian Country is particularly challenging due to jurisdictional issues, lack of coordination and inadequate resources. However, for the first time in U.S. history, a national federal strategy—formalized by legislation, executive order, and departmental directive—is in place to address MMIP issues.

If you or someone you know have information about missing or murdered Indigenous people in Oregon, please contact the FBI Portland Field Office by calling (503) 224-4181 or by visiting tips.fbi.gov.

If you have questions about the U.S. Attorney’s Office MMIP program, please contact MMIP program coordinator Cedar Wilkie Gillette by emailing .Wilkie.Gillette@usdoj.gov">Cedar.Wilkie.Gillette@usdoj.gov or by calling (503) 727-1000.

# # #

Oregon's vaccine waste disclosure table has been added.

May 4, 2021

Contact: OHA External Relations, covid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us" target="_blank">orcovid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us

Updated: Oregon reports 748 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 6 new deaths

PORTLAND, Ore. — There are six new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 2,508, the Oregon Health Authority reported at 12:01 a.m. today.

Oregon Health Authority reported 748 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 187,611.

Vaccinations in Oregon

Today, OHA reported that 28,336 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry. Of this total, 19,574 doses were administered on May 3 and 8,762 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on May 3.

The seven-day running average is now 32,503 doses per day.

Oregon has now administered a total of 1,668,141 first and second doses of Pfizer, 1,324,331 first and second doses of Moderna and 98,485 single doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. As of today, 1,314,226 people have completed a COVID-19 vaccine series. There are 1,870,643 who have had at least one dose.

Cumulative daily totals can take several days to finalize because providers have 72 hours to report doses administered and technical challenges have caused many providers to lag in their reporting. OHA has been providing technical support to vaccination sites to improve the timeliness of their data entry into the state’s ALERT Immunization Information System (IIS).

To date, 2,024,685 doses of Pfizer, 1,667,200 doses of Moderna and 240,100 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines have been delivered to sites across Oregon.

These data are preliminary and subject to change.

OHA's dashboards provide regularly updated vaccination data, and Oregon’s dashboard has been updated today.

COVID-19 hospitalizations

The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 345, which is six fewer than yesterday. There are 79 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is one fewer than yesterday.

The total number of COVID-19 positive patient bed-days in the most recent seven days is 2,371, which is a 14.9% increase from the previous seven days. The peak daily number of beds occupied by COVID-19 positive patients in the most recent seven days is 351.

The total number of patients in hospital beds may fluctuate between report times. The numbers do not reflect admissions per day, nor the length of hospital stay. Staffing limitations are not captured in this data and may further limit bed capacity.

More information about hospital capacity can be found here.

Cases and deaths

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (3), Benton (20), Clackamas (69), Clatsop (2), Columbia (3), Coos (5), Crook (11), Curry (1), Deschutes (58), Douglas (7), Grant (3), Harney (1), Jackson (36), Jefferson (3), Josephine (16), KIamath (52), Lake (2), Lane (50), Lincoln (2), Linn (30), Malheur (13), Marion (45), Morrow (2), Multnomah (115), Polk (15), Tillamook (4), Umatilla (16), Union (2), Wasco (2), Washington (148) and Yamhill (12).

Oregon’s 2,503rd COVID-19 death is a 61-year-old man from Jefferson County who tested positive on April 6 and died on April 17 at St. Charles Bend Hospital. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 2,504th COVID-19 death is a 66-year-old man from Clackamas County who tested positive on April 27 and died on April 27 at his residence. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 2,505th COVID-19 death is a 66-year-old man from Klamath County who tested positive on April 18 and died on April 21 at Sky Lakes Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 2,506th COVID-19 death is a 62-year-old man from Marion County who tested positive on April 19 and died on April 22 at his residence. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 2,507th COVID-19 death is a 93-year-old man from Multnomah County who tested positive on April 19 and died on April 26 at Oregon Health & Science University Hospital. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 2,508th COVID-19 death is a 47-year-old man from Multnomah County who tested positive on April 17 and died on May 1 at Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.

Note: Updated information is known about Oregon’s 2,493rd COVID-19 death, which was a 49-year-old man from Josephine County. He had underlying conditions, but was previously reported to have no underlying conditions.

Oregon updates vaccine waste disclosure1,2,3

1Updated: 05/04/21 

2Data source: ALERT Immunization Information System (IIS) 

3Data is preliminary and subject to change.

Learn more about COVID-19 vaccinations? 

To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine situation in Oregon, visit our webpage (English?or?Spanish), which has a breakdown of distribution and other information.

(Salem) – Oregon OSHA has adopted a rule to maintain risk-reducing safety measures for workers across the state against the coronavirus. Although the rule includes several changes based on the public comments received since the rule was proposed in late January, the basic requirements are largely consistent with those that have been in place since Oregon OSHA adopted a temporary workplace rule in November of last year.

The rule – which will be repealed when it is no longer needed to address the COVID-19 pandemic in the workplace – takes effect today, at the end of a public process that included both stakeholder involvement and more than two months of public comment. As with the temporary rule it replaces, the rule includes such health protection measures as physical distancing; use of face coverings; employee notification and training; formal exposure risk assessment and infection control planning; and optimization and maintenance of existing ventilation systems.

One of the most significant areas of public comment concerned the lack of a specific sunset date or other trigger to automatically repeal the rule. As a result, the final rule includes considerably more detail about the process and criteria that will be used to make the decision o repeal the rule. Oregon OSHA determined that the ongoing pandemic required that the rule be extended to ensure workers receive basic protections from the workplace health hazard presented by COVID-19.

The rule went through the normal process, unlike the greatly abbreviated process allowed for a temporary rule, because Oregon state law does not allow a rule using that temporary process to be in place more than 180 days.

“We reviewed all of the comments – including the many comments that opposed the rule – and we gave particular consideration to those comments that explained their reasoning or provided concrete information," said Michael Wood, administrator of Oregon OSHA. “Although we chose to move forward with the rule, the final product includes a number of changes based on that record.”

“At the same time, we are keeping in place key protections for workers as part of Oregon’s larger and ongoing project to defeat COVID-19,” Wood said. “To allow the workplace COVID-19 protections to simply go away would have left workers far less protected. And it would have left employers who want to know what is expected of them with a good deal less clarity than the rule provides.”

Because Oregon OSHA determined it is not possible to assign a specific time for a decision to repeal the rule, Oregon OSHA has committed to consulting with the Oregon OSHA Partnership Committee, the two Infectious Disease Rulemaking Advisory Committees, the Oregon Health Authority, and other stakeholders to help determine when the rule can be repealed. The first of these discussions will take place no later than July 2021, and will continue every two months until the rule has been repealed. The indicators factoring into the decision will include infection rates (including the rate of spread of COVID-19 variants), positivity rates, and vaccination rates, as well as hospitalizations and fatalities.

While the final rule broadly reflects the temporary rule, it also includes some significant changes. Those include:

• Reducing the number of industry-specific appendices by six and limiting such requirements specifically to those involving worker protection (which reduced the length of the appendices, and, therefore, of the entire rule, by more than 50 pages)
• Dramatically reducing the K-12 schools appendix and removing all references to cohorts and square footage limitations, as well as physical distancing between students.
• Requiring employers to consider alternatives to transporting multiple people in a single vehicle and providing other guidance about reducing risk while sharing vehicles. The rule does not, however, require using multiple vehicles to transport multiple employees.
• Requiring employers with more than 10 employees – and that have existing ventilation systems – to state in writing that, to the best of their knowledge, they are running their systems in line with requirements. The final rule does not require the purchase or installation of new ventilation systems.
• Reducing required sanitation measures to reflect the most up-to-date Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance.
• Requiring employers to provide written notification to employees of their rights to return to work when employees must quarantine.
• Requiring health care employers to provide respirators to employees working with known or suspected COVID-19-positive patients, unless such respirators are unavailable.

The final rule also makes clear that the risk assessment, infection control plan, and infection control training completed under the temporary rule do not need to be repeated as a result of the adoption of the final rule.

The division offers resources to help employers and workers understand and apply the requirements. Those resources include consultation services that provide no-cost assistance with safety and health programs and technical staff, who help employers understand requirements.

Meanwhile, the division has also adopted COVID-19 workplace requirements for workers who rely on housing provided by employers, including as part of farming operations. Those requirements were adopted April 30, and will work in tandem with the comprehensive COVID-19 rule by providing specific guidance for situations involving such housing.  

Learn more about the division’s workplace guidance and resources related to COVID-19: https://osha.oregon.gov/Pages/re/covid-19.aspx

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Oregon OSHA, a division of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, enforces the state's workplace safety and health rules and works to improve workplace safety and health for all Oregon workers. For more information, go to osha.oregon.gov.

The Department of Consumer and Business Services is Oregon's largest business regulatory and consumer protection agency. For more information, go to www.oregon.gov/dcbs/.  

PORTLAND, Ore.—A Portland man pleaded guilty today for his role in a fraud scheme whereby he and a co-conspirator would steal mail from residential mailboxes and use stolen personal identification information to defraud local banks.

Demontae Sanders, 48, pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit bank fraud and mail theft.

According to court documents, beginning on an unknown date and continuing until at least July 7, 2020, Sanders and an accomplice, Latanya Jenkins, 50, also of Portland, conspired with one another to steal mail from residential mailboxes throughout the Portland Metropolitan Area. Sanders and Jenkins stole checks, credit cards, and other personal identity information that they used to impersonate victims and open accounts at several local credit unions and banks. Sanders and Jenkins used the accounts to defraud these financial institutions.

To further their scheme, Sanders and Jenkins communicated with one another by text and used the internet at Jenkins’ residence to open several bank accounts using stolen information. Sanders and Jenkins collected hundreds of stolen financial documents including bank statements, checks, tax returns, U.S. Passports, and other government-issued identification documents. The pair also stole and cashed an Economic Impact Payment check issued by the U.S. Treasury.

On September 24, 2020, a federal grand jury in Portland returned an 18-count indictment charging Sanders and Jenkins with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and mail theft.

Sanders faces a maximum sentence of 35 years in prison; a $1.25 million fine or twice his criminally derived gains, whichever is larger; and five years of supervised release. He will be sentenced on July 20, 2021 before U.S. District Court Judge Anna J. Brown.

As part of the plea agreement, Sanders has agreed to pay restitution in full to his victims as identified by the government and ordered by the court.

Jenkins is on pre-trial release pending a three-day jury trial scheduled to begin on June 8, 2021.

Acting U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug of the District of Oregon made the announcement.

Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service jointly investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth D. Uram is prosecuting the case.

# # #

On March 24, 2021, investigators from the Josephine County Major Crime Team, which consists of the Oregon State Police, Grants Pass Department of Public Safety, Josephine County District Attorney’s Office, and the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office began a homicide investigation of Paul Folk and Daniel Hill. On May 3, 2021, at approximately 9:00 a.m., Michael Moehring was arrested in Linn County on a warrant related to the double homicide investigation. Law enforcement officers from the Eugene Police Department, The US Marshall’s Office, and the Oregon State Police SWAT contacted Moehring in a rest area and he was taken into custody without incident. The investigators from the Oregon State Police, Grants Pass Police Department, and the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office are appreciative of the great work everyone involved did to ensure the safe arrest of Moehring.

On Thursday, April 1, 2021, at approximately 2:30 P.M., members of the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office arrested Harley Boitz (26) during a traffic stop on Laurel Rd. in Cave Junction. 

Boitz is being held in the Josephine County Jail on the charges of Murder, Arson, Abuse of a Corpse, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, and Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle.

On March 24, 2021, at approximately 12:50 P.M., law enforcement responded to a call regarding a vehicle on fire in Selma about 6 miles up McMullen Creek Road on forest management property.

Detectives responded to the scene and located two deceased persons in the burned vehicle. The incident is being treated as a homicide and is actively being investigated.

On March 29, 2021, investigators were able to identify the two persons in the vehicle as Daniel T. Hill (24) from Josephine County and Paul M. Folk (26) from Josephine County. Folk was previously reported as a missing person to the Grants Pass Department of Public Safety.

The Oregon State Police is leading the investigation and is being assisted by the Grants Pass Department of Public Safety, the Josephine County District Attorney, and the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office.

WHO:              David Gerstenfeld, Acting Director, Oregon Employment Department

WHEN:            Wednesday, May 5, 2021 at 1 p.m. PT

WHAT:            Oregon Employment Department Acting Director David Gerstenfeld will hold a video conference media briefing to share updates on economic and workforce-related trends, employment services, unemployment claims processing, claimant resources and more on May 5 at 1 p.m. PT.

WHERE:         Via Zoom video conference: Members of the media must RSVP for call information by emailing OED_Communications@oregon.gov by 12 p.m. PT on May 5. Video conference information will be provided to all reporters who RSVP.

OTHER:          The Oregon Employment Department is updating a claims processing progress data dashboard daily. Visit this link for weekday updates. A recording of the video conference will be emailed to reporters attending the briefing after the briefing concludes.

###

Equal Opportunity program — auxiliary aids and services available upon request to individuals with disabilities. Contact: (503) 947-1794. For people who are deaf or hard of hearing, call 711 Telecommunications Relay Services

The Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division is asking for the public’s assistance with identifying the person(s) responsible for the unlawful taking of a buck deer in the White River Unit.

On Saturday, May 1, 2021, a citizen reported finding a fresh deer carcass near Bonney Crossing just off US Forest Service road 2710 within the Mt. Hood National Forest near the town of Wamic. 

Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Troopers responded and found a freshly killed deer.

The large mature buck had been shot and left to waste.  Based on the condition of the carcass Troopers believe that the buck was killed on or about April 30 or May 1, 2021.

Anyone with information regarding this case is urged to contact OSP Senior Trooper Brent Ocheskey through the Turn in Poachers (TIP) hotline at 1-800-452-7888 or OSP (mobile).

Report Wildlife and Habitat Law Violators

TIP program offers preference point rewards for information leading to an arrest or issuance of a citation for the unlawful take/possession or waste of big game mammals.

Preference Point Rewards:

5 Points-Mountain Sheep

5 Points-Mountain Goat

5 Points-Moose

5 Points-Wolf

4 Points-Elk

4 Points-Deer

4 Points-Antelope

4 Points-Bear

4 Points-Cougar

The Oregon Hunters Association TIP reward fund also offers cash rewards for information leading to an arrest or issuance of a citation for the unlawful take/possession or waste of Bighorn Sheep, Rocky Mountain Goat, Moose, Elk, Deer, Antelope, Bear, Cougar, Wolf, Game Birds, and Furbearers. Cash rewards can also be awarded for the unlawful take of Game Fish and Shellfish and Habitat Destruction.

CASH REWARDS:

$1,000 Mountain (Bighorn) Sheep, Rocky Mountain Goat, and Moose 

$500 Elk, Deer, and Antelope 

$300 Bear, Cougar, and Wolf 

$300 Habitat Destruction 

$100 Game Birds

$100 Furbearers

$100 Game Fish and Shellfish

How to Report a Wildlife and/or Habitat Law Violation or Suspicious Activity:

 TIP Hotline: 1-800-452-7888 or OSP (677)

TIP E-Mail: TIP@state.or.us (Monitored M-F 8A-5P)

Media Contacts:

Maureen Kenney, Public Relations Manager, Oregon Community Foundation

mkenney@oregoncf.org

Maria Caballero Rubio, Executive Director, Centro Cultural de Washington County

ubio@centrocultural.org">mcrubio@centrocultural.org

Forest Grove, Ore. – May 4, 2021 – Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) today announced Centro Cultural de Washington County (Centro) has been selected to receive a Project Turnkey grant of $2.2 million for the acquisition and conversion of a 20-room motel in Forest Grove, Oregon. The property will serve as a COVID-respite shelter for displaced, low-income Latino/a/x families, seasonal and migrant workers and others needing safe shelter. Centro provides programs, services and referrals that are culturally relevant to meet the specific needs of the underserved Latino/a/x population of Washington County.

“The pandemic – and the disproportionate impact it has had on the Latino/a/x community – has challenged Centro like no other time in our organization’s history,” says, Maria Caballero Rubio, Executive Director, Centro. “This grant helps us to rise to the challenge and continue to advance our mission. We take pride in assisting and serving our community members to become sheltered, receive culturally competent services, stabilize and, ultimately, achieve the wellbeing and prosperity that they each deserve.”

Key benefits of Project Turnkey-Forest Grove (operated by Centro) include:

• Safe accommodation for up to 20 individuals.
• Provision of meals, clothing, and essentials such as showers, laundry, hygiene items, etc.
• An inclusive, trauma informed and culturally-specific model that helps unhoused and at-risk community members move from crisis to stability.

The property is located at 4433 Pacific Avenue in Forest Grove, Oregon, and is already being used as an active shelter for people experiencing chronic homelessness, with plans to open the remaining rooms to the most vulnerable community members through the pandemic. Longer term, Centro Cultural de Washington County will renovate the property to provide culturally specific transitional housing, with a grand re-opening planned for January, 2022.

“Centro is on the front lines serving some of the most disproportionately impacted community members in western Washington County,” said Megan Loeb, OCF Program Officer, Housing. “The Project Turnkey Advisory Committee enthusiastically supported funding for Centro Cultural because of their expertise in serving the Latino/a/x community with culturally-specific programming. The broad community support for this project is inspiring.”

Oregon Community Foundation offers support for Oregon’s housing needs along a continuum—from shelter to supportive housing to affordable housing to equitable home ownership—through a variety of tools, including research, grants, advocacy, and low-interest loans. OCF’s administration of Project Turnkey is one example of the innovative, collaborative approaches underway to help more Oregonians find stable, affordable housing.

For a complete list of Project Trunkey grant awardees, please visit Project Turnkey online.

About Project Turnkey

The Oregon Legislature allocated a total of $65 million for Project Turnkey for the purpose of acquiring motels/hotels for use as non-congregate shelter for people experiencing homelessness or at-risk of homelessness. Two discrete funds were provided by the state: one totaling $30 million to be awarded in counties and tribal communities impacted by the 2020 wildfires; and one totaling $35 million for the remaining 28 counties in the state. Oregon Community Foundation is administering both funds through an application and selection process, with guidance from an Advisory Committee of state, local, and community stakeholders. For more information, please visit Project Turnkey online.

About Centro Cultural de Washington County

For nearly 50 years, Centro Cultural de Washington County (Centro) has served low-income Latino/a/x families with programs to create self-sufficiency and economic mobility. Centro serves more than 9,000 people annually. For more information, please visit: centrocultural.org.

About Oregon Community Foundation

Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) puts donated money to work in Oregon – more than $100 million in grants and scholarships annually. Since 1973, OCF grantmaking, research, advocacy and community-advised solutions have helped individuals, families, businesses, and organizations create charitable funds to improve lives for all Oregonians. Impactful giving–time, talent, and resources from many generous Oregonians–creates measurable change. For more information about OCF, please visit: oregoncf.org.

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WHAT

May is Wildfire Awareness Month, and the Oregon Office of Emergency Management (OEM) is scheduled to host a wildfire preparedness and prevention panel webinar event in partnership with Keep Oregon Green, Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal, Oregon Department of Forestry, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, and the Oregon State University Forestry & Natural Resources Extension Fire Program.

WHEN

12 p.m. Thursday, May 6. The webinar is scheduled for 40-minutes with time allowed for Q&A.

WHERE

Register here: https://bit.ly/3dH4bOk   

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with information about joining the event. Pre-registration is required to attend.

OEM will also live stream the webinar on the agency Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/OMDOEM/.

WHO

• Carrie Berger, Forestry & Natural Resources Extension Fire Program Coordinator, Oregon State University
• Doug Grafe, Chief Fire Protection, Oregon Department of Forestry
• Claire McGrew, Assistant Chief Deputy, Oregon State Fire Marshal
• Kristin Babbs, President, Keep Oregon Green Association
• Traci Naile, Operations & Preparedness Manager, Oregon Office of Emergency Management
• Nathan Garibay, Deschutes County Emergency Manager

WHY

As Oregon continues to recover from the devastating 2020 wildfires, we are already seeing higher-than-usual fire activity in Oregon. This year’s Wildfire Awareness Month campaign will remind the public how important it is to prevent and prepare for wildfires. At 12 p.m. on May 6, OEM and partners will be hosting a webinar and Facebook Live panel event focusing on wildfire recovery and this year’s fire season, with an emphasis on creating defensible space, debris burning, campfire safety, as well as emergency preparedness and evacuation.

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You can get this document in other languages, large print, braille, or a format you prefer. For assistance, call 971-719-1183 or email language@oem.or.us. We accept all relay calls, or you can dial 711.

Portland, Ore., May 4, 2021 — Wildlife advocates are sounding the alarm about a return to pre-pandemic activity levels that increase the likelihood of wildlife-vehicle collisions during the busy spring migration season. Around this time last year, weekday traffic in Oregon had dropped 29% due to COVID-19 lockdowns. A positive outcome of reduced traffic volume was a likewise decrease in wildlife-vehicle collisions. However, this year, as the weather improves and government officials loosen restrictions, the probability of increased deadly accidents returns as traffic reaches pre-pandemic levels and spring migration puts wildlife on the move. Adding to the challenge, particularly in western Oregon, is altered wildlife migration routes resulting from last year’s record wildfire season. Oregonians may experience deer and elk on and near roads in areas where they had not previously been seen.

Over the last three years, Oregon’s mule deer population has declined almost 40% in Central Oregon. The primary cause? Increased human development which puts more cars on roads and more people in wildlife habitat than ever before. Fully 20% of mule deer mortality in Central Oregon is attributable to collisions with vehicles, and wintertime disturbance causes animals to move more than necessary, burning critically important fat stores they need to survive cold weather and less plentiful food opportunities. According to ODOT, there are approximately 7,000 reported collisions involving animals in Oregon each year. The actual number, however, is estimated to be at least three times higher than the number that’s reported. For instance, some freight trucks routinely traveling through areas more populated with deer and elk  are equipped with bumper and grill guards to prevent damage from collisions with wildlife. The truck driver may not even know they’ve hit an animal. Meanwhile, passenger vehicles don’t fare as well. Wildlife-vehicle collisions result in more than $44 million in vehicle damages, 700 personal injuries, and two human fatalities, on average, each year.

Despite these concerning trends, there is something every Oregonian can do right now to help reverse these statistics and conserve our wildlife.

Oregon Wildlife Foundation addresses wildlife migration issues through specialty license plate

As spring migration rolls on, Oregon Wildlife Foundation (OWF) is appealing to all Oregonians to join them in their campaign to get Oregon’s next specialty license plate approved by Oregon Driver and Motor Vehicles. Your purchase of a “Watch for Wildlife” specialty license plate voucher raises funds needed to put this new plate into production. OWF has already sold 2,000 vouchers and only needs to sell 1,000 more to put the Watch for Wildlife license plate into production. To learn more and purchase your own voucher, redeemable for this beautiful plate once it’s available, go to www.myowf.org/watchforwildlife. Proceeds from the future sale and renewal of the Watch for Wildlife license plate provide dedicated funding support to wildlife passage and habitat connectivity projects across Oregon to enable animals of all kinds to move more safely around Oregon’s highways and roads.  

OWF is a sponsor, funder, or coalition partner for a variety of wildlife passage and movement projects that would benefit from the additional funding that the Watch for Wildlife license plate will provide. These include:

• Gilchrist Wildlife Underpass Project: Located just north of the town of Gilchrist on Highway 97 in Central Oregon, this project will install 10 miles of fencing to funnel animals toward the dedicated wildlife underpass constructed by the Oregon Department of Transportation last summer. Approximately 1,000 deer and elk are struck and killed while crossing Central Oregon roads and highways each and every year. This particular stretch of Highway 97 is considered quite deadly for wildlife with 267 animals killed in collisions with vehicles between 2010 and 2017.

OWF and partners have raised just over $830K toward their funding goal of $959K, with fence construction slated for summer/fall of this year.

• Highway 20 Wildlife Passage Project: with leadership from the Burns Paiute tribe, Oregon Wildlife Foundation is a partner in their emerging coalition to support the retrofit of existing bridges and culverts and the construction of new passage structures for mule deer on highway 20 in Eastern Oregon near the town of Juntura.

The highest priority is simple retrofits, followed by new crossing projects and complex retrofits in areas with the highest rates of wildlife-vehicle collisions. The action plan for this newly emerging partnership is in the final stages of development.

ABOUT THE OREGON WILDLIFE FOUNDATION
Oregon Wildlife Foundation has been funding projects to conserve wildlife and improve access to Oregon’s outdoors since 1981. To learn more, go to www.myowf.org. 

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Welcome to the Oregon FBI’s Tech Tuesday segment. Today: Building a digital defense against robocall scams.

If you have a phone, chances are you have received one or two or a hundred of those annoying automated robocalls. Sometimes they come in daily. The digital voice on the other end wants to talk to you about your expiring car warranty or a bill you allegedly haven’t paid. In many cases, the fraudster will “spoof” the incoming call number so it appears as though it is someone local calling you.

Today, we want to share some tips with you from our partners at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on how to protect yourself.

• Don't answer calls from unknown number. If you answer such a call, hang up immediately.
• If you answer the phone and the caller - or a recording - asks you to hit a button to stop getting the calls, you should just hang up. Scammers often use this trick to identify potential targets.
• Do not respond to any questions, especially those that can be answered with "Yes." The scammer is likely recording you and can use that verbal “yes” later to pretend you agreed to something you did not.
• Never give out personal information such as account numbers, Social Security numbers, mother's maiden name, passwords, or other identifying information in response to unexpected calls or if you are at all suspicious.
• If you get an inquiry from someone who says they represent a company or a government agency, hang up and call the phone number on your account statement or on the company's or government agency's website to verify the authenticity of the request. You will usually get a written statement in the mail before you get a phone call from a legitimate source, particularly if the caller is asking for a payment.
• If you have a voice mail account with your phone service, be sure to set a password for it. Some voicemail services are preset to allow access if you call in from your own phone number. A hacker could spoof your home phone number and gain access to your voice mail if you do not set a password.
• Talk to your phone company about call blocking tools they may have and check into apps that you can download to your mobile device to block unwanted calls.
• To block telemarketing calls, register your number on the Do Not Call List (https://www.donotcall.gov) Legitimate telemarketers consult the list to avoid calling both landline and wireless phone numbers on the list.

If you believe are a victim of an online scam, you should report the incident to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov or call your FBI local office.  

###

SALEM, Ore. – Trees injured by the Labor Day wildfires last year may face a new threat in the form of tree-killing beetles, which emerged in April looking for new homes.

ODF Forest Entomologist Christine Buhl warns that fire-injured trees can attract bark beetles, which lay their eggs under the bark. When the larvae hatch, they begin feeding on the tree, destroying the tissues needed to send water from the roots to the needles and return nutrients.

The two main culprits, both of which are native to Oregon, are:

• Douglas-fir beetle, which attacks and kills large-diameter Douglas-fir
• Ips beetles, some of which are lethal to small-diameter pines, including ponderosa, lodgepole, sugar and western white pine, as well as introduced pines

“These two beetles do not attack trees that are already dead but they will readily go after living trees that have been weakened by drought, storms or by being scorched or partly charred in a wildfire.”

If enough fire-injured or drought-weakened trees are available, populations of either beetle can in a year or two build up enough numbers that they can overwhelm the defenses of a healthier tree.

“Not every fire-injured stand may experience an uptick in infestation, and not every infestation will spread to healthy trees,” Buhl points out. “But the likelihood is greater when otherwise healthy trees are already struggling due to prior stress, such as drought. This is especially true on poor sites with thin or compacted soils, sun-soaked south-facing slopes, or former farmlands converted to woodlots.”

Forest landowners concerned about beetles should look for brown frass – sawdust-like piles dug out of trees by the insects. Ips, however, tend to damage smaller diameter portions of pines (tops, branches), which can make it hard to recognize an infestation until treetops begin to die. By the time trees are dying, beetles may have moved on to other trees nearby so check those, advises Buhl. Infested trees will usually die within a year or less.

Landowners can remove beetle-infested trees early to reduce the risk of a larger outbreak, taking care in pine stands to burn or chip pine that’s 3 to 8 inches in diameter. “From April through September Ips beetles can infest pine slash. So if you can’t burn or chip slash it is best to wait till just after fire season in late October or November to limb up pine trees or conduct operations that create pine slash,” Buhl recommends.

She said landowners who want to forestall an outbreak of Douglas-fir beetle next spring might want to review their situation with a specialist (ODF stewardship forester, ODF entomologist, OSU forestry extension) to determine the health of their stand and infestation levels.

Based on the review, it might be recommended that they consider buying the beetle pheromone repellant MCH. If applied in March, MCH discourages this beetle from gathering and attacking trees en masse when they emerge in April from their winter homes.

For more information about insects that affect forest trees visit https://www.oregon.gov/odf/forestbenefits/pages/foresthealth.aspx

                                                                                          # # #

PORTLAND, Ore.—An Albuquerque, New Mexico man was sentenced to federal prison today after spending years abusing, terrorizing, and threatening to kill his ex-wife, former mother-in-law, and young daughters.

Oscar Adrian Marquez, 46, was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison and three years’ supervised release.

“Oscar Marquez is a serial abuser and perpetrator of domestic violence. Over a period of many years, he physically and emotionally tormented his spouses, daughters, and their extended families. I applaud the Portland Police Bureau’s quick and heroic efforts to arrest Marquez before he could inflict further and potentially deadly harm on his family,” said Scott Asphaug, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

“I’m grateful that this violent abuser is being held accountable for his actions,” said Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell. “My thanks go to the Portland officers who acted so quickly and professionally, and to the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their hard work investigating and bringing this case to successful prosecution.”

“The stalking and violent threats were purely about control for Mr. Marquez, just as the abuse had been. His ex-wife and children suffered for years, and despite every effort to escape, they lived with the fear that he would find them. I am hopeful that today's lengthy sentence will, hopefully, allow them the peace to move forward with their lives,” said Kieran L. Ramsey, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Oregon.

According to court documents, Marquez’s history of abusing women spans more than 20 years, including the physical and emotional abuse of his first wife and their young daughter. This abuse continued into his daughter’s adolescent and young-adult years when Marquez would lock her in her bedroom for hours and beat her with a belt. As an adult, his daughter went to great lengths to hide from her father and, in 2018, secured a 40-year protective order against him.

Marquez remarried in 2001 and has two teenage daughters with his second wife. Marquez continued his abuse with his new family. In 2007, Marquez was convicted on two domestic violence charges after punching his second wife in the face while she was holding their then-three-year-old daughter. The final straw for his second wife came in August 2013, when Marquez physically assaulted her and trapped her and her daughters in separate bedrooms. In their divorce proceedings, Marquez’s second wife was given sole custody of their children and Marquez’s limited visitation rights were later revoked.

In the summer of 2014, Marquez kidnapped his two youngest daughters and fled to Mexico, resulting in an international amber alert. Marquez and the children were found several days later at a U.S.-Mexico border crossing. He was arrested and later convicted for the kidnapping. A new protective order was issued in October 2014, barring Marquez’s contact with his second wife and youngest daughters. Marquez repeatedly violated this new order. Thereafter, from January 2014 through July 2019, Marquez engaged in an increasingly aggressive course of conduct to intimidate and harass his second wife and her family.

In 2017, Marquez’s second wife changed her name and moved to Portland with her teenage daughters after learning of Marquez’s intent to murder her and her family. She provided a picture of Marquez to her daughters’ new school and advised them of the threat he posed to their family. In July 2018, Marquez posted a note on his mother-in-law’s fence in New Mexico threatening that he was on his way to find her daughter. In July 2019, Marquez obtained his second wife’s new name and Portland address via an online people-finding service.

On July 29, 2019, Marquez’s second wife observed him driving slowly past her Portland home in a vehicle with New Mexico license plates. She barricaded her teenage daughters into a room, contacted the Portland Police Bureau, and prepared for a confrontation with Marquez. While a Portland police officer was writing a report at their home, Marquez again drove past the residence. Several Portland police officers quickly conducted a traffic stop and arrested Marquez. Inside his vehicle, they located a replica Glock handgun, a face mask, gloves, several digital devices, and more than $2,000 in cash.

On January 14, 2020, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a five-count indictment charging Marquez with cyberstalking, stalking, and interstate violation of a protection order. In November 2020, Marquez was convicted at trial on all charges.

During his trial, prosecutors learned that Marquez attempted to intimidate a government witness while in custody and lied under oath during his trial testimony. Prosecutors sought and obtained sentencing enhancements for this conduct.

During sentencing, U.S. District Court Judge Michel W. Mosman ordered Marquez to pay $10,818 in restitution to his victims.

Acting U.S. Attorney Asphaug made this announcement with Chief Lovell and Special Agent in Charge Ramsey.

This case was jointly investigated by the Portland Police Bureau and the FBI. It was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.

All forms of stalking, including cyberstalking, are serious crimes prohibited by the federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). In 2013, an amendment to VAWA made it illegal to use any computer or electronic communication service to conduct activity placing a person in reasonable fear of death or serious bodily injury, or that causes substantial emotional distress.

Anyone with information about real or perceived threats of violence should call the FBI at (503) 224-4181 or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.

For immediate threats to life and safety, please call 9-1-1.

# # #

MEDFORD, Ore.—A Klamath Falls, Oregon man pleaded guilty today after cashing more than $458,000 worth of social security checks issued in the name of his deceased aunt.

George Doumar, 74, pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government funds.

According to court documents, in February 2020, the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) Office of Anti-Fraud Programs identified a 114-year-old supercentenarian who appeared to be the second-oldest living person in the U.S. receiving Social Security retirement benefits. The last known update to the recipient’s SSA benefit record was in July 1989, when the recipient’s address was updated to Frontier Parcel & Fax Service on S. 6th Street in Klamath Falls.

In March 2020, an investigator with SSA-OIG interviewed two of the benefit recipient’s nieces. Both nieces claimed that their aunt died in the 1960s or 1970s and recalled attending her funeral in Brooklyn, New York, where she had reportedly lived her entire life. According to one niece, their aunt did not have any children and was not married. She recalled that Doumar was named the sole beneficiary of her aunt’s insurance payout.

Investigators soon discovered that Doumar himself was an active Social Security beneficiary and received his checks at the same address on S. 6th Street in Klamath Falls. According to SSA records, Doumar purchased the property on S. 6th Street seven days prior to the address on his aunt’s benefit record being changed to the same address.

On June 16, 2020, SSA-OIG investigators obtained a copy of the aunt’s death certificate from the New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene, confirming that she had died on March 7, 1971 in Brooklyn. Investigators determined that Doumar had added his aunt to he and his wife’s shared checking account in 1989. His aunt’s Social Security checks were often bundled in deposits with other checks made payable to Doumar.

Investigators obtained bank surveillance footage from February 2020 that showed a man, who appeared to match Doumar’s physical description, depositing one of his aunt’s retirement checks. On July 14, 2020, investigators from SSA-OIG and USPIS interviewed Doumar at his Klamath Falls residence. When asked about his aunt, Doumar sighed, slumped his head, and stated, “that’s a long story…what happened was, well she’s passed and yes, I’ve been collecting her Social Security.”

On August 11, 2020, Doumar was charged by criminal complaint with theft of government funds and mail theft.

Doumar faces a maximum sentence of ten years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced on August 3, 2021 before U.S. District Court Judge Michael J. McShane.

As part of the plea agreement, Doumar has agreed to pay $458,992 restitution to the SSA and $1,200 to the IRS.

Acting U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug of the District of Oregon made the announcement.

The SSA-OIG and USPIS jointly investigated this case. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Sowray.

# # #

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) is accepting public comments on proposed changes to state rules for a federal grant program that funds outdoor recreation projects.

Comments will be accepted through 5 p.m. June 3 for proposed changes to the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) that provides grants to local jurisdictions for acquiring or developing outdoor recreation facilities.

The proposed changes include updating definitions, aligning state rules with federal requirements, raising the minimum federal share on a project and updating application requirements. A full copy of the proposed amendments is available on the Proposed OPRD Rules web page.

A virtual public hearing will be held at 6  p.m. May 26 for anyone who would like to provide comment or learn more about the proposed rule change.  Registration is required to participate at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_AC6nH4pESUm3cheBtG84XQ.

Comments may also be submitted any time through 5 p.m. June 3 via:

• Online: oregon.gov/oprd/PRP/Pages/PRP-rulemaking.aspx
• Mail: Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, attn.: Katie Gauthier, 725 Summer St NE, Suite C, Salem OR 97301
• Email: D.publiccomment@oregon.gov">OPRD.publiccomment@oregon.gov

After reviewing public comments, agency staff will present a final amended rule for consideration by the Oregon State Parks and Recreation Commission at its June 2021 business meeting.

OPRD administers the federally funded grant program, which was last updated in 1997. The LWCF typically awards about $1.5 million to qualified projects every other year. More information is on the LWCF web page.

Individuals who require special accommodations to view the meeting should contact Katie Gauthier at least three days in advance of the meeting at 503-510-9678 or katie.gauthier@oregon.gov.

May 3, 2020

Contact: Jonathan Modie, 971-246-9139, PHD.Communications@state.or.us

Public Health Advisory Board meets May 20

What: The Public Health Advisory Board will hold a meeting, including a hearing on the Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant.

Agenda: Approve April meeting minutes; discuss Public Health Advisory Board subcommittees; review FY22 Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant proposed activities; discuss public health survey modernization.

In addition, a public hearing will be held at 2:50 p.m., prior to the general public comment period, to receive testimony or comments from the public on the proposed Preventive Health and Health Services work plan for October 2021 through September 2022. A fact sheet outlining proposed work plan elements will be included in the posted meeting materials. 

When: Thursday, May 20, from 2-4 p.m. The meeting is open to the public. A public comment period and a hearing on the Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant will be held at 2:50 p.m.

Where: Zoom Meeting: (669) 254-5252; meeting ID: 160 988 9971

Background: Oregon’s Public Health Advisory Board provides guidance for Oregon’s governmental public health system and oversees the implementation of public health modernization and Oregon’s State Health Improvement Plan.

# # #

Everyone has a right to know about and use Oregon Health Authority (OHA) programs and services. OHA provides free help. Some examples of the free help OHA can provide are:

• Sign language and spoken language interpreters.
• Written materials in other languages.
• Braille.
• Large print.
• Audio and other formats.

If you need help or have questions, please contact Cara Biddlecom: at 971-673-2284, 711 TTY, or a.m.biddlecom@state.or.us">cara.m.biddlecom@state.or.us, at least 48 hours before the meeting.

Update: The county of residence for Oregon's one COVID-19 death is Douglas County.

May 3, 2021

Contact: OHA External Relations, covid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us" target="_blank">orcovid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us

Updated: Oregon reports 540 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 1 new death

PORTLAND, Ore. — There is one new COVID-19 related death in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 2,502, the Oregon Health Authority reported at 12:01 a.m. today.

Oregon Health Authority reported 540 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 186,877.

Vaccinations in Oregon

Today, OHA reported that 17,897 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry. Of this total, 15,437 doses were administered on May 2 and 2,460 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on May 2.

The 7-day running average is now 33,153 doses per day.

Oregon has now administered a total of 1,647,730 first and second doses of Pfizer, 1,317,295 first and second doses of Moderna and 97,625 single doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. As of today, 1,295,638 people have completed a COVID-19 vaccine series. There are 1,860,194 who have had at least one dose.

Cumulative daily totals can take several days to finalize because providers have 72 hours to report doses administered and technical challenges have caused many providers to lag in their reporting. OHA has been providing technical support to vaccination sites to improve the timeliness of their data entry into the state’s ALERT Immunization Information System (IIS).

To date, 1,939,275 doses of Pfizer,1,584,800 doses of Moderna and 229,500 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines have been delivered to sites across Oregon.

These data are preliminary and subject to change.

OHA's dashboards provide regularly updated vaccination data, and Oregon’s dashboard has been updated today.

New features released on vaccination dashboards

The statewide and county graphs featured on the COVID-19 Vaccinations Trends dashboard now display the seven-day running averages of administered doses of COVID-19 vaccines. This improves information sharing for administered doses over time and may be helpful for showing trends for less populated counties.

The COVID-19 Vaccination Metrics dashboard now includes a toggle switch that lets users choose between two different population denominators: the total Oregon population and the population in Oregon eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. The total Oregon population includes all people in Oregon, while the eligible population only includes people age 16 and older. As of today, 42.9% of the total Oregon population has been vaccinated with at least one dose of any COVID-19 vaccine, compared with 52.4% of people 16 years of age and older in Oregon.

COVID-19 hospitalizations

The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 351, which is six more than yesterday. There are 80 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is four more than yesterday.

The total number of COVID-19 positive patient bed-days in the most recent seven days is 2,354, which is an 18% increase from the previous seven days. The peak daily number of beds occupied by COVID-19 positive patients in the most recent seven days is 351.

The total number of patients in hospital beds may fluctuate between report times. The numbers do not reflect admissions per day, nor the length of hospital stay. Staffing limitations are not captured in this data and may further limit bed capacity.

More information about hospital capacity can be found here.

Cases and deaths

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (1), Benton (12), Clackamas (91), Clatsop (3), Columbia (5), Coos (1), Crook (3), Deschutes (49), Douglas (10), Harney (2), Hood River (1), Jackson (16), Jefferson (1), Josephine (3), Lane (56), Lincoln (4), Linn (42), Marion (74), Multnomah (137), Polk (12), Sherman (1), Tillamook (2), Wallowa (1), Washington (1) and Yamhill (12).

Oregon’s 2,502nd COVID-19 death is a 70-year-old woman from Douglas County who tested positive on April 2 and died on May 1 at Mercy Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.

Learn more about COVID-19 vaccinations? 

To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine situation in Oregon, visit our webpage (English?or?Spanish), which has a breakdown of distribution and other information.

PORTLAND, Ore.—A Fort Lauderdale, Florida man was sentenced to federal prison today for his role in a bank fraud and identity theft scheme targeting female victims in the Portland Metropolitan Area.

Damian Fletcher, 27, was sentenced to three years in federal prison and three years’ supervised release.

According to court documents, Fletcher is a member of the Felony Lane Gang, an interstate criminal organization based in Florida that travels to locations throughout the U.S. to commit vehicle break-in and fraud sprees. The organization targets female victims who leave their purses, wallets, and valuables in parked cars. After victims exit their vehicles—often to drop off children, run errands, or visit a gym—Felony Lane Gang members break into the vehicle to steal targeted items. After the theft, conspirators quickly deploy associates to conduct fraudulent bank or merchant transactions using stolen identification, checks, and credit or debit cards.

In the fall of 2019, Fletcher and five co-conspirators traveled to Portland to target local victims. Once Fletcher and his partners stole items from a vehicle, they checked to see if one of several female co-conspirators resembled the victim. If one of their female co-conspirators could impersonate the victim, they would attempt to cash fraudulent checks written in the impersonated victim’s name. The conspirators would cash checks at various local banks, using the outer-most lane of each bank’s drive-up teller window to avoid detection.

Investigators identified 32 vehicle thefts and 22 instances of bank fraud committed during Fletcher’s most recent known Oregon crime spree. In total, this spree resulted in a financial loss of more than $98,000. Fletcher was arrested on March 9, 2020 in Florida.

On June 6, 2020, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a 14-count superseding indictment charging Fletcher and five co-defendants with conspiring to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

On January 7, 2021, Fletcher pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.

During sentencing, U.S. District Court Judge Michael W. Mosman ordered Fletcher to pay $98,733 in restitution.

Co-defendants Delvin Mills, 29, of Lauderdale Lakes, Florida; Megan Spurlock, 27, a Washington State resident; and Linda Marie Lupo, 52, of Deerfield, Florida; have all pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.

Co-defendants Justin Curry, 28 of Fort Lauderdale, and Treveon Donte Jordan, 23, of Lauderdale Lakes, are on pre-trial release pending a four-day jury trial scheduled to being on June 15, 2021.

Acting U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug of the District of Oregon made the announcement.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the West Linn Police Department, Tualatin Police Department, and Clark County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Seth D. Uram and Quinn P. Harrington, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.

# # #

Pacific Power building new training facility and consolidated service center to serve growing Central Oregon communities
Permitting is now underway with the training facility due to be open by November and the service center will be taking care of customers by late 2022

BEND, Ore.—May 3, 2021—Recognizing Central Oregon as one of the fastest growing areas in the Northwest, Pacific Power is building a new service center to take care of local customers and a state-of-the-art training facility where employees company-wide will come to keep their skills sharp.

The new facility will be in the Juniper Ridge Industrial and Business Park in northeast Bend and consolidate the operations of three offices now spread throughout the Bend area. In addition to making the service center a more efficient, centralized operation, Pacific Power also saw the opportunity to build a new training facility that can prepare new craft employees for their positions and help current employees continue to grow in their craft jobs.

“The Bend area is ideally located to be Pacific Power’s training center,” said Matt Chancellor, regional business manager. “Our electrical craft employees will have a new home to receive training. That will boost the local hospitality industry and we will be getting an even better trained workforce, which benefits all our customers.”

The facility will be built on 17 acres located in Juniper Ridge which is a 500-acre industrial and business park that sits at the center of Central Oregon. The service center will be the base for about 70 local employees.

“We plan to pursue LEED Gold certification on this project, incorporating sustainable building design elements such as solar arrays, LED lighting, electric vehicle charging stations, and natural day-lighting that makes use of all the sunlight central Oregon is famous for,” said Chancellor. “This is just one of the ways that we are investing in an energy future that Oregonians want and need.”

Pacific Power is using a local architect, Stemach Design and Architecture, and will use local contractors whenever possible pumping more money into the local economy.

“We are committed to keeping you informed of the progress of the project through outreach to neighbors and public announcements when appropriate,” continued Chancellor. “Public safety is the top priority. Work will be done efficiently with appropriate safety measure in place at all times.”

About Pacific Power

Pacific Power provides electric service to more than 770,000 customers in Oregon, Washington and California. Our goal is to provide our customers with value for their energy dollar, and safe, reliable electricity. Pacific Power is part of PacifiCorp, one of the lowest-cost electricity producers in the United States, with 1.9 million customers in six western states. For more information, visit www.pacificpower.net.

The Field Training Workgroup will hold a meeting on May 6, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. in the Victor G.
Atiyeh Boardroom at the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training located at 4190
Aumsville Hwy SE, Salem, Oregon. For further information, please contact Linsay Hale at (503)
378-2427.
 

Call-In Information
Phone: 888-273-3658
Access Code: 4711910

Workgroup Members:
Brian Pixley, OSSA (CPC)
Alex Gardener, OSP (PPC)
James Ristoff, Non-Management Corr. (CPC)
Zach Kenney, PPB (PPC)
April Benedetti, APCO (TPC)
Cody Smith, Non-Management Corr. (CPC)
Jay Burke, Multnomah County Comm. Corr.
Oneness Fish, DOC
Paul Rosenow, OLCC
Bill Elliott, Tribal Police
Scott Hyde, OACCD
Ray Rau, OACP

1. Introductions
2. Initial Review and Identification of Workgroup Topics and Discussion Points
    Presented by Linsay Hale
3. Next Workgroup Meeting: TBD

The Office of State Fire Marshal wants to remind Oregonians that YOU are the greatest resource in protecting homes and neighborhoods.  With some simple steps, you can protect your home and community from wildfire. Now is the time to prepare your home and your property for the 2021 fire season.

Remember to keep your defensible space defined, keep grass and weeds cut low and always be prepared to respond to wildfire. With this in mind, the Office of State Fire Marshal urges you to take a look around your property in the "home ignition zone," where glowing embers can ignite spot fires and vulnerable areas like decks, patios, and fences that can spread flames to your home. The most significant risk of structures catching fire during a wildland fire event is from the advancing ember shower that can reach your property long before an actual flame front. 

Good defensible space can not only prevent ember ignition of your home, but it can also prevent the flames from reaching your home at all. We can reduce the vegetation within 30 feet of home and eliminate flammable plants from touching our home.

"Wildfire safety starts with all of us and our property. Now is the time to take action to prepare our homes, families, and communities for wildfires by starting on our property before there is smoke on the horizon," says Mariana Ruiz-Temple, State Fire Marshal.

To address the risk of wildfire, the Office of State Fire Marshal recommends the following steps that people can take right now to help protect themselves against the upcoming fire season:

• Clear roofs and gutters of dead leaves, debris, and pine needles that could catch embers
• Ensure your roof is in good repair
• Move any flammable material away from exterior walls, i.e., mulch, flammable plants, leaves and needles, firewood piles
• Remove anything stored underneath decks or porches
• Give your home a non-combustible area where a fire in the landscape can't reach your home, strive for a 5-foot perimeter
• Keep lawns and native grasses mowed to a height of four inches.
• Remove ladder fuels (vegetation under trees) so a surface fire cannot reach the crowns.  Prune trees up to six to ten feet from the ground; shorter trees do not exceed 1/3 of the overall tree height.

With firefighting resources doing their best to tackle large wildfires, communities that focus on neighborhood-wide Firewise ideals can not only increase an individual home's survival but the whole neighborhood's.

"A neighborhood-wide approach can increase the chances of homes surviving a wildfire. By taking a neighborhood approach to defensible space and community preparedness, you are also protecting our firefighters," Ruiz-Temple explains. "Ultimately, individuals taking the right steps on their property before fire season make firefighters safer and more effective," she adds.

Creating whole neighborhoods that are holistically preparing for wildfire is a large piece of Fire Adapted Communities. A fire-adapted community acknowledges and takes responsibility for its wildfire risk by taking actions to address resident safety, homes, neighborhoods, businesses and infrastructure, forests, parks, and open spaces all Oregonians enjoy.

For more defensible space tips, visit: https://www.oregon.gov/osp/programs/sfm/Pages/Wildland-Urban-Interface.aspx

During May, a new wildfire prevention topic will be introduced each week to help homeowners and recreationists learn how to prevent their outdoor activities from sparking the next wildfire. For more wildfire preparedness and prevention information, visit the websites for Keep Oregon Green at https://keeporegongreen.org/, the Oregon Department of Forestry's restrictions map https://www.oregon.gov/odf/fire/Pages/fireprevention.aspx, OSU's new Fire Program at https://extension.oregonstate.edu/fire-program and OSU's Oregon Wildfire Risk Explorer tool: https://oregonexplorer.info/topics/wildfire-risk?ptopic=62

####

For Immediate Release:

The State of Oregon will honor and remember 189 fallen law enforcement officers, and the families they left behind, during a memorial ceremony on Tuesday, May 4, 2021 at 1 PM.  The event will take place outdoors, at the state memorial which is located at the Oregon Public Safety Academy in Salem.  This year a small number of invited guests will attend, as the ceremony is closed to the public in order to adhere to safety restrictions in place due to the current pandemic.  Governor Kate Brown will attend the ceremony as a guest and as a speaker.

The names of two fallen Oregon law enforcement officers have been approved for addition to the state memorial during this year's ceremony by the Board on Public Safety Standards and Training; Constable Hansford “Harry” Greenfield, End of Watch February 25, 1942, Silverton Police Department and Marshal Zachariah H. Stroud, End of Watch September 11, 1912, Harney City (Now part of city of Burns and Harney County). Both of these Officers are being added under the historic recognition program which allows fallen officers from previous years to be honored on the memorial after careful review and approval. 

The Oregon Fallen Law Enforcement Officers' Memorial Ceremony is a significant event that the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) is proud to host each year in partnership with the Oregon Law Enforcement Memorial Fund, Oregon Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.), Oregon Fallen Badge Foundation, and Oregon's various statewide law enforcement associations.

The memorial honors 189 fallen Oregon law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty since the 1860s. This includes officers from city, county, state, tribal and federal law enforcement agencies who have served as law enforcement officers, corrections officers, and parole and probation officers.

The Oregon memorial is held the week ahead of National Police Week events in Washington, D.C. so that family members and co-workers can attend both memorial ceremonies.  More than 21,000 officers who have died in the line of duty are honored on the national memorial

Background on the names being added to the Oregon Fallen Law Enforcement Officer Memorial in 2021:

Harney City Marshal Zachariah H. Stroud had encountered four individuals carelessly firing weapons in front of the post office.  He cautioned the group to stop or else they would be arrested.  The group resisted resulting in a fusillade of gunfire, injuries to several of those involved, and the death of Harney City Marshal Stroud.  Stroud was 44 years of age at the time of his death, unmarried, and left behind his mother and father.  Three of the four individuals involved in the incident were found guilty of manslaughter.

On Wednesday, February 25, 1942, The Capital Journal of Salem, Oregon reported that a Silverton Police constable had died.  Constable Hansford "Harry" Greenfield died as a result of a heart attack on February 24, 1942 while engaged in helping Night Officer Vic Grossnickle investigate a break-in at a local tavern.  While discussing the case with his fellow officer, he complained of feeling ill and collapsed in a nearby lavatory.

# # #

The Oregon Law Enforcement Memorial Fund raised funds to build the state memorial more than 20 years ago and hosts the annual ceremony.  For more information on the Oregon Law Enforcement Memorial Fund and the statewide license plate that is available to honor fallen law enforcement officers and firefighters please visit: https://www.oregon.gov/dpsst/BD/MFB/Pages/Oregon-Law-Enforcement-Memorial-Trust-Fund.aspx
 

For more information on the Oregon Fallen Law Enforcement Officer Memorial please visit:

https://www.oregon.gov/dpsst/Memorials/LawEnforcement/Pages/default.aspx

For more information about National Police Week, please visit www.LawMemorial.org/policeweek.

(Salem) – Governor Kate Brown has proclaimed May 2021 to be Foster Care Month in Oregon.

The theme this year is “Foster Care can Strengthen the Whole Family.”

Foster Care Month is a time to recognize how foster care supports and strengthens families, to honor the experiences of the children and young people in foster care, and to show gratitude for the contribution that resource families make to the well-being and safety of children and families throughout Oregon.

The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS), Child Welfare Division, believes that foster care should always be the last possible and temporary option for a child and family when there is a child safety concern. The trauma inflicted on a family by separating them during foster care needs to be carefully considered. If foster care is necessary, reunification should be the primary goal.

In Oregon, there are 5,975 children in foster care and thousands of resource families who step up to support them and their families.

Resource families, formerly called foster families or foster parents in Oregon, are affirming and supportive to both the child and their family. Resource families ensure cultural and community connections for children and young adults. They work hard to partner with families to offset the tremendous grief and loss children and young adults experiencing foster care may have. They are partners in achieving the best possible outcomes for families while providing for the safety, health and well-being of the children and young people they’re committed to caring for in their home. Resource families in Oregon support family preservation and reunification whenever possible and are also available to provide a permanent and supportive home when needed.

“This month we recognize the lived experiences of the children and families touched by the foster care system,” said Child Welfare Director Rebecca Jones Gaston. “We know that it is traumatic for a child to enter foster care and to a parent when their child enters foster care. Foster care is intended to be a temporary intervention and not a replacement or punishment for parents. We are incredibly grateful for and appreciate the resource families that have stepped up throughout Oregon to care for and support the children, young people and families who are in crisis.”

To learn more about becoming a resource parent, contact Every Child at EveryChildOregon.org. The Division partners with Every Child to recruit resource families and support children and families impacted by foster care.

“We are committed to supporting the children and young people in foster care with resource families who support connections to their family, culture and community,” said Director Jones Gaston. “That is why we are asking Oregonians statewide to consider stepping up to become a resource family to care for and support the children, young people and families in their community.”

For those looking for other ways to support the children and families in their communities, Every Child’s MyNeighbOR program is another way to help meet the essential needs of children, families, and young adults impacted by foster care. Learn how to provide support at EveryChildOregon.org.

To learn more about foster care in Oregon visit the Department website.

About the ODHS Child Welfare Division

The Oregon Department of Human Services, Child Welfare Division is committed to transforming itself to better support the individual needs of families and to best serve Oregon’s children and young people. Learn more about the Child Welfare Division Vision for Transformation.

Report child abuse to the Oregon Child Abuse Hotline by calling 1-855-503-SAFE (7233). This toll-free number allows you to report abuse of any child or adult to the Oregon Department of Human Services, 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year.

###

On Monday, May 3, 2021, at approximately 2:53 A.M., Oregon State Troopers and emergency personnel responded to the report of a pedestrian lying in the median of Interstate 5 near Medford in Jackson County.

Preliminary investigation revealed that a pedestrian was in the middle of the roadway for unknown reasons and was struck by a passing semi-truck. The driver of the semi-truck was on scene and cooperative with the investigation. The pedestrian was pronounced deceased on scene by emergency personnel. His name will be released when appropriate. 

Interstate 5 was reduced to one lane for crash reconstruction. OSP was assisted on scene by Medford Fire, Mercy Flights, Jackson County Sheriff's Office, and ODOT.

May 2, 2021

Contact: OHA External Relations, covid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us" target="_blank">orcovid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us

Oregon reports 756 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 3 new deaths

PORTLAND, Ore. — There are three new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 2,501, the Oregon Health Authority reported at 12:01 a.m. today.

Oregon Health Authority reported 756 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 186,344.

More than 2,500 deaths in Oregon is a tragic milestone in the pandemic. Oregon Health Authority extends condolences to all of those who have lost a family member, friend, colleague or community member to COVID-19.

Vaccinations in Oregon

Today, OHA reported that 22,443 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry. Of this total, 19,147 doses were administered on May 1 and 3,296 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on May 1.

The seven-day running average is now 33,710 doses per day.

Oregon has now administered a total of 1,632,561 first and second doses of Pfizer, 1,315,255 first and second doses of Moderna and 96,938 single doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines.

Cumulative daily totals can take several days to finalize because providers have 72 hours to report doses administered and technical challenges have caused many providers to lag in their reporting. OHA has been providing technical support to vaccination sites to improve the timeliness of their data entry into the state’s ALERT Immunization Information System (IIS).

To date, 1,940,445 doses of Pfizer, 1,575,700 doses of Moderna and 228,800 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines have been delivered to sites across Oregon.

These data are preliminary and subject to change.

OHA's dashboards provide regularly updated vaccination data, and Oregon’s dashboard has been updated today.

COVID-19 hospitalizations

The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 345, which is 14 more than yesterday. There are 76 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is five more than yesterday.

The total number of COVID-19 positive patient bed-days in the most recent seven days is 2,322, which is a 21.3% increase from the previous seven days. The peak daily number of beds occupied by COVID-19 positive patients in the most recent seven days is 345.

The total number of patients in hospital beds may fluctuate between report times. The numbers do not reflect admissions per day, nor the length of hospital stay. Staffing limitations are not captured in this data and may further limit bed capacity.

More information about hospital capacity can be found here.

Cases and deaths

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Benton (16), Clackamas (93), Columbia (4), Crook (8), Deschutes (67), Douglas (11), Grant (1), Hood River (6), Jackson (13), Jefferson (4), Josephine (10), Klamath (35), Lane (56), Lincoln (3), Linn (24), Malheur (1), Marion (81), Morrow (1), Multnomah (217), Polk (12), Tillamook (2), Union (1), Wasco (2), Washington (74) and Yamhill (14).

Oregon’s 2,499th death is a 74-year-old man from Marion County who tested positive on April 17 and died on April 29 at Salem Hospital. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 2,500th death is a 72-year-old man from Multnomah County who tested positive on April 23 and died on April 30. Location of death and presence of underlying conditions are being confirmed.  

Oregon’s 2,501st death is an 84-year-old man from Marion County who tested positive on April 19 and died on April 29 at Salem Hospital. He had underlying conditions.

1This includes cases confirmed by diagnostic testing and presumptive cases. Presumptive cases are those without a positive diagnostic test who present COVID-19-like symptoms and had close contact with a confirmed case. County of residence for cases may change as new information becomes available. If changes occur, we will update our counts accordingly.

2For additional details on individuals who have died from COVID-19 in Oregon, please refer to our press releases

ELRs received 05/01/2021

Cumulative ELRs

Learn more about COVID-19 vaccinations? 

To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine situation in Oregon, visit our webpage (English?or?Spanish), which has a breakdown of distribution and other information.

Released by: Deputy Aaron Myers, Assistanant Search and Rescue Coordinator

Date: May 1, 2021

Location: Tumalo Lake Lodge

Located: Hardeman-Wood, Owen,  25 year old male, Shoreline, WA 

On May 1, 2021, at 2250 hours 911 Dispatch received a report of a missing 25 year old male near Tumalo Lake Lodge. The missing, Owen Hardeman-Wood, had left on foot from the lodge area and said he was going for a walk around the lake. When Hardeman-Wood did not come back, the family went to look for him prior to calling Dispatch. 

Two Deschutes County Sheriff's Office Deputies responded to the area and began an initial search for Hareman-Wood. 7 Deschutes County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue Voluneers, consisting of trackers and two K-9 Teams responded as well.

Deschutes County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue K9 Hunter, with K9 handler Jenny Reindel, tracked Hardeman-Wood and located him a little over 0.5 miles away from the lodge. Hardeman-Wood was located by K9 Hunter and K9 Handler Jenny Reindel at 0244 hours. 

Hardeman-Wood was uninjured and reunited with his family. 

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office is a full service agency that oversees the adult jail, provides patrol, criminal investigations, civil process and search and rescue operations. Special units include SWAT, Marine Patrol, ATV Patrol, Forest Patrol, along with six K9 teams. Founded in 1916 and today led by your duly elected Sheriff L. Shane Nelson, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office serves over 200,000 residents in Deschutes County. The agency has 259 authorized and funded personnel, which includes 191 sworn employees who provide services to the 3,055 square miles of Deschutes County.

On Saturday, May 1, 2021 at approximately 3:30 P.M., Oregon State Police Troopers and emergency personnel responded to a single vehicle crash on Interstate 5 northbound near milepost 160.

Preliminary investigation revealed a Dodge Pickup, operated by Matthew Wignall (60) unknown home address, left the roadway, traveled through the brush, and down an embankment.

Wignall sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased.

A Pitbull was injured and taken to Bailey’s Vet Clinic for treatment.

OSP was assisted by North Douglas Fire, and ODOT.

May 1, 2021

Contact: OHA External Relations, covid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us" target="_blank">orcovid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us

Oregon reports 794 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 3 new deaths

PORTLAND, Ore. — There are three new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 2,498 the Oregon Health Authority reported at 12:01 a.m. today.

Oregon Health Authority reported 794 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 185,597.

Vaccinations in Oregon

Today, OHA reported that 40,318 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry. Of this total, 28,021 doses were administered on April 30 and 12,297 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on April 30.

The seven-day running average is now 34,801 doses per day.

Oregon has now administered a total of 1,617,050 first and second doses of Pfizer, 1,309,663 first and second doses of Moderna and 95,600 single doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines.

Cumulative daily totals can take several days to finalize because providers have 72 hours to report doses administered and technical challenges have caused many providers to lag in their reporting. OHA has been providing technical support to vaccination sites to improve the timeliness of their data entry into the state’s ALERT Immunization Information System (IIS).

To date, 1,940,445 doses of Pfizer, 1,575,700 doses of Moderna and 228,800 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines have been delivered to sites across Oregon.

These data are preliminary and subject to change.

OHA's dashboards provide regularly updated vaccination data, and Oregon’s dashboard has been updated today.

COVID-19 hospitalizations

The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 331, which is three fewer than yesterday. There are 71 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is two fewer than yesterday.

The total number of COVID-19 positive patient bed-days in the most recent seven days is 2,268, which is a 23.3% increase from the previous seven days. The peak daily number of beds occupied by COVID-19 positive patients in the most recent seven days is 339.

The total number of patients in hospital beds may fluctuate between report times. The numbers do not reflect admissions per day, nor the length of hospital stay. Staffing limitations are not captured in this data and may further limit bed capacity.

More information about hospital capacity can be found here.

Cases and Deaths

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (4), Benton (10), Clackamas (96), Clatsop (7), Columbia (15), Coos (4), Crook (6), Deschutes (88), Douglas (9), Grant (2), Harney (2), Hood River (2), Jackson (33), Jefferson (5), Josephine (9), Klamath (55), Lake (2), Lane (66), Lincoln (8), Linn (38), Malheur (5), Marion (60), Multnomah (115), Polk (5), Tillamook (1), Umatilla (9), Union (3), Wallowa (3), Wasco (4), Washington (106), Yamhill (22).

Oregon’s 2,496th death is a 70-year-old man from Jackson county who tested positive on April 25 and died on April 29 at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 2,497th death is a 43-year-old woman from Linn county who tested positive on March 29 and died on April 27 at Albany General Hospital. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 2,498th death is an 81-year-old woman from Malheur county who tested positive on Nov. 30 and died on March 6 at her residence. The death certificate listed COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death. She had underlying conditions.

1This includes cases confirmed by diagnostic testing and presumptive cases. Presumptive cases are those without a positive diagnostic test who present COVID-19-like symptoms and had close contact with a confirmed case. County of residence for cases may change as new information becomes available. If changes occur, we will update our counts accordingly.

2For additional details on individuals who have died from COVID-19 in Oregon, please refer to our press releases

ELRs received 04/30/2021

Cumulative ELRs

Learn more about COVID-19 vaccinations? 

To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine situation in Oregon, visit our webpage (English?or?Spanish), which has a breakdown of distribution and other information.

MEDIA RELEASE  

China Hat Rollover Crash

Released by: Sgt. Aaron Harding         

Release Date: April 30, 2021

Driver #1: Juvenile male, 16, Bend, Oregon

Vehicle #1: 2004 Toyota Tundra

NARRATIVE:

On April 30, 2021, at about 7:23 p.m., deputies with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a single vehicle crash on USFS Road 1815 near China Hat Rd.  Responding deputies arrived and found a Black 2004 Toyota pickup truck on its side after apparently rolling over several times. 

The initial investigation determined the vehicle was northbound on USFS Road 1815 at a high rate of speed for the conditions.  The driver lost control of the vehicle as it fishtailed and then rolled over several times.

The vehicle was occupied by five juvenile males ranging in age from 15 to 16.  Three juveniles were in the cab of the pickup, and two juveniles were riding in the bed of the pickup.  The two juveniles in the bed of the pickup were thrown from the vehicle as it rolled over. 

Bend Fire Department personnel responded and treated several juveniles for injuries. 

Three of the juveniles were transported to the emergency room at St. Charles Medical Center by Bend Fire Department personnel, and at least one sustained serious injuries.  A fourth juvenile was admitted to the emergency room after being transported there by his mother. 

All the families of the involved juveniles have been notified.  The driver of the pickup was cited for one count of Reckless Driving and 4 counts of Recklessly Endangering Another Person.

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office is a full service agency that oversees the adult jail, provides patrol, criminal investigations, civil process and search and rescue operations. Special units include SWAT, Marine Patrol, ATV Patrol, Forest Patrol, along with six K9 teams. Founded in 1916 and today led by your duly elected Sheriff L. Shane Nelson, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office serves over 200,000 residents in Deschutes County. The agency has 259 authorized and funded personnel, which includes 191 sworn employees who provide services to the 3,055 square miles of Deschutes County.

## End of Release ##

An Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) adult in custody, Samuel M. Neal, died the afternoon of April 30, 2021. Neal was incarcerated at Snake River Correctional Institution (SRCI) in Ontario and passed away while on hospice care. As with all in-custody deaths, the Oregon State Police have been notified.

Neal entered DOC custody on December 27, 2018, from Coos County with an earliest release date of August 14, 2022. Neal was 66 years old.

DOC takes all in-custody deaths seriously. The agency is responsible for the care and custody of approximately 12,600 individuals who are incarcerated in 14 institutions across the state. While crime information is public record, DOC elects to disclose only upon request out of respect for any family or victims.

SRCI is a multi-custody prison in Ontario that houses approximately 3,000 adults in custody. SRCI has multiple special housing units including disciplinary segregation, intensive management, infirmary (with hospice) with 24-hour nursing care, and an administrative segregation unit. SRCI participates in prison industries with Oregon Corrections Enterprises including a contact center, laundry, and sign shop. SRCI specializes in incentive housing, specialized housing, individuals with mental health/medical vulnerabilities, education and trades programs, cognitive and parenting programs, and institution work programs. SRCI opened in 1991 and is the largest correctional institution in the state.

####

SEATTLE – DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day collected 829,543 pounds (419.7 tons) of unused, expired, and unwanted medications across the country. Americans once again showed their dedication toward helping prevent addiction and potential overdose by removing prescription pills from their homes. Our April event included 4,425 community partners at 5,060 collection sites throughout the country.

“DEA’s biannual Take Back Day events are critical to helping reduce overdose deaths and alleviate addiction by safely disposing of prescription medications that sit idle in the home,” said DEA Acting Administrator D. Christopher Evans. “DEA is committed to providing a safe and secure method for the public to rid their homes of potentially dangerous drugs.”

“The success of this year’s initiative is due in large part to the citizens in the community who joined us in responsibly disposing of unused and unwanted prescription medications,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Frank Tarentino. “With the current opioid epidemic and significant increase in overdoses, fatal and non-fatal, the DEA has doubled down on our commitment and efforts to stop the abuse of this narcotic.”   

The Pacific Northwest consisting of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska collected 36,259 pounds at 182 collection sites, broken down as follows:  Washington; 15,558 pounds, Oregon; 11,257 pounds, Idaho; 5,829 pounds, and Alaska 3,615 pounds.

DEA, along with its law enforcement partners, has now collected 14,670,240 million pounds of medications since the inception of the National Prescription Drug Take Back Initiative in 2010. On Oct. 24, 2020, the public turned in a record 985,392 pounds – almost 493 tons – of medication to DEA and 4,153 of its community partners at 4,587 collection sites nationwide, including 33 Bureau of Indian Affairs sites.

For those who could not make it to a Take Back location, DEA reminds the community that every day is Take Back Day with more than 11,000 year-round authorized collection sites across the country. For more information, visit: https://apps2.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/pubdispsearch/spring/main?execution=e1s1.

DEA also encourages the public to reach out to their local law enforcement to find out if they have any permanent drug disposal locations throughout their local community.

Complete results for DEA’s April 2021 Take Back Day are available atwww.deatakeback.com. Photos and video from Take Back Day are available at https://flic.kr/s/aHsmVkw4ra.

The next Housing Stability Council meeting will be on Friday, May 7th, 2021 from 9:00 AM to 1:15 PM. The meeting will be held electronically due to the current COVID-19 health crisis. Please register for access link.

Webinar Meeting Only

Public register in advance for this webinar:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8w0JnFqlReaMDA7P6D3FdQ

AGENDA:

9:00 Meeting Called to Order - Roll Call 

9:05 Public Comment

9:25 Homeownership Division

• Oregon Bond Loan Approvals
• MH Advisory Committee Annual Report

9:50 Affordable Rental Housing Division

• MF Housing Transactions
• Tax-exempt Bond Transaction Approval Process
• Small Project & Veteran's NOFA's Framework
• Publicly Supported Housing Preservation and Housing Inventory Briefing

11:30 Break

11:40 Housing Stabilization Division

• Energy Burden & Assistance, Part 2
• US DOE Weatherization Assistance Program State Plan
• Rental Market Resources Fair Housing Council of Oregon

12:30 Report of the Director

• SWHP Year 2, Q3, & PSH Policy Priority
• LCF Update

1:00 Report of the Chair

1:15 Meeting Adjourned

April 30, 2021

Media contact: Jonathan Modie, 971-246-9139, PHD.Communications@state.or.us

OHA statement on FDA response in favor of banning menthol

PORTLAND, Ore.— Oregon Health Authority has issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s April 29 decision on menthol cigarettes and flavored little cigars.

Oregon Health Authority (OHA) applauds the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s (F.D.A.) decision to ban the sale of menthol cigarettes and flavored little cigars. This is a momentous step toward preventing tobacco addiction and death, particularly for communities of color and young people.

Quote from OHA Public Health Director Rachael Banks: “To achieve health equity, we must consider the role of commercial tobacco, particularly the role of menthol and other flavored tobacco products which have intentionally been pushed on African Americans and communities of color.”

For decades, the tobacco industry has placed menthol marketing and discounts in African American communities and appropriated African American culture in advertising. Menthol cigarettes are easier to start smoking, and harder to quit, than non-flavored cigarettes. In Oregon, 25% of African Americans smoke compared to 18% of whites.

Today’s F.D.A. announcement, which covers both menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, was the result of litigation brought by the African American Tobacco Leadership Council, Action on Smoking and Health, and the American Medical Association. OHA and local partners throughout Oregon have repeatedly urged the FDA to ban all flavored tobacco products. We are grateful for the leadership of the lead plaintiff organizations and the many other advocates and communities of color who worked for this moment.

OHA recognizes that our work is ongoing during the F.D.A. rule-making process and will continue to submit comments and evidence that support strong, evidence-based policy. Action on tobacco at the state and local levels will continue to be critical to eliminate tobacco-caused health inequities and protect youth from addiction.

Saving lives also means helping people addicted to nicotine to quit – and we are committed to providing free help to anyone in Oregon. It’s no secret that times are hard, but you don’t have to quit alone. For free help, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW or visit www.quitnow.net/oregon.

April 30, 2021

Contact: OHA External Relations, covid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us" target="_blank">orcovid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us

Oregon reports 990 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 4 new deaths

PORTLAND, Ore. — There are four new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 2,495, the Oregon Health Authority reported at 12:01 a.m. today.

Oregon Health Authority reported 990 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 184,812.

Vaccinations in Oregon

Today, OHA reported that 49,029 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry. Of this total, 34,063 doses were administered on April 29 and 14,966 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on April 29.

The seven-day running average is now 35,329 doses per day.

Oregon has now administered a total of 1,594,712 first and second doses of Pfizer, 1,292,815 first and second doses of Moderna and 94,533 single doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. As of today, 1,253,053 people have completed a COVID-19 vaccine series. There are 1,819,329 who have had at least one dose.

Cumulative daily totals can take several days to finalize because providers have 72 hours to report doses administered and technical challenges have caused many providers to lag in their reporting. OHA has been providing technical support to vaccination sites to improve the timeliness of their data entry into the state’s ALERT Immunization Information System (IIS).

To date, 1,892,475 doses of Pfizer, 1,583,600 doses of Moderna and 228,700 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines have been delivered to sites across Oregon.

These data are preliminary and subject to change.

OHA's dashboards provide regularly updated vaccination data, and Oregon’s dashboard has been updated today.

COVID-19 hospitalizations

The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 334, which is five fewer than yesterday. There are 73 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is two more than yesterday.

The total number of COVID-19 positive patient bed-days in the most recent seven days is 2,232, which is a 28.0% increase from the previous seven days. The peak daily number of beds occupied by COVID-19 positive patients in the most recent seven days is 339.

The total number of patients in hospital beds may fluctuate between report times. The numbers do not reflect admissions per day, nor the length of hospital stay. Staffing limitations are not captured in this data and may further limit bed capacity.

More information about hospital capacity can be found here.

Cases and deaths

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (2), Benton (22), Clackamas (99), Clatsop (3), Columbia (5), Coos (6), Crook (11), Curry (2), Deschutes (81), Douglas (7), Grant (12), Harney (1), Hood River (1), Jackson (56), Jefferson (12), Josephine (16), Klamath (78), Lake (2), Lane (88), Lincoln (8), Linn (51), Malheur (2), Marion (93), Morrow (1), Multnomah (178), Polk (13), Tillamook (6), Umatilla (9), Wallowa (4), Wasco (8), Washington (101) and Yamhill (12).

Oregon’s 2,492nd death is a 97-year-old woman from Clackamas County who died on April 12, 2020 at her residence. The death certificate listed COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 2,493rd death is a 49-year-old man from Josephine County who tested positive on April 10 and died on April 29 at Asante Three Rivers Medical Center. He had no underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 2,494th death is an 81-year-old man from Malheur County who tested positive on April 24 and died on April 28 at St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, in Boise, ID. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 2,495th death is a 78-year-old woman from Crook County who tested positive on April 20 and died on April 26 her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Learn more about COVID-19 vaccinations? 

To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine situation in Oregon, visit our webpage (English?or?Spanish), which has a breakdown of distribution and other information.

(Salem) – Most Oregonians who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will receive emergency allotments in May. The federal government has approved emergency allotments every month since March 2020, to give SNAP recipients additional support during the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are two important federal changes to the SNAP Emergency Allotments in May 2021.

Households that are already receiving the maximum SNAP benefits for their household size will now receive an additional $95 in emergency allotments in May.

This increase will impact approximetly 284,000 households (67% of Oregon SNAP households) and will have an impact of $28 million in additional benefits for households in Oregon.

Households who are eligible for $0 in regular SNAP benefits will not receive the May emergency allotments.

This change is because the federal government clarified households must receive regular SNAP to be eligible for emergency allotments. This change doesn’t impact other SNAP benefits and services these households may receive, such as employment and training services. This change will impact approximately 4,300 households. Those impacted by this change are encouraged to report any changes that may impact their regular SNAP amount, such as loss of income or increase in shelter expenses.

“We are grateful to have the opportunity to increase emergency benefits available to some SNAP households in Oregon,” said Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) Director Fariborz Pakseresht. “We also know that for those 4,300 households who will no longer receive the emergency allotments, that this change can be significant and difficult. We encourage them, and all Oregonians who are struggling to meet their basic needs to contact our partners at 211 and the Oregon Food Bank.”

Emergency allotments will be dispersed on May 11 for current SNAP households. New SNAP households or households who are now eligible for the additional $95 will receive the emergency allotment on May 28.

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 local ODHS offices or by calling 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 that could impact your benefits. It is important to make sure we have 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 898-21, www.211info.org
• Oregon Department of Human Services Resources  

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.

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STEM Oregon has partnered with Remake Learning Days, the Nation’s Largest Learning Festival. 

For the seventh annual STEM Week, STEM Oregon has partnered with Remake Learning Days bringing national awareness,  grants, and new STEM Week events to Oregon.  Remake Learning Days Across America (RLDAA) celebrates learning in 17+ regions, with family-friendly learning events designed to engage caregivers, parents and kids around the country. Oregon’s network of regional STEM Hubs will celebrate RLDAA during Oregon STEM Week, May 8th-16th. 

Sixteen mini-grants were awarded to STEM Week event hosts throughout the state of Oregon. Funding for these grants was made possible by Remake Learning Days Across America and distributed by Future School Lab, an Oregon education innovation partner. While every event offers participants something different, all of these events are focused on engaging participants and families from underserved and underrepresented populations in the area. 

You and Your Family are Invited to the Following STEM Week Events! To find in-person or virtual events that match your family and students’ interest, explore the event list below or visit the interactive event maps located on these websites: 

• STEM Week Oregon - https://stemoregon.org/stemweek2021/

• Remake Learning Days Oregon - https://remakelearningdays.org/oregon/

Congratulations to the following mini-grant supported STEM Week Events! 

South-Metro Salem 

LEGO Follies - Dallas Public Library- May 13, 6:00pm - 7:00pm 

https://remakelearningdays.org/event/lego-follies/

Join us at the Dallas Public Library for Lego fun! We’ll create LEGO initial art, LEGO painting, Blind Building and a  Spin Challenge.

Take and Make STEAM Bags - Tualatin Public Library - May 10-15, 11:00am - 5:00pm 

https://remakelearningdays.org/event/take-and-make-steam-bags/

This week's Take and Make crafts are inspired by STEAM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math. Make a sponge boat and test out water tension, see how plastic wrap hardens with heat while making shrink art charms, or complete a simple circuit to make a light-up bookmark. Bags are available in the lobby as supplies last.

Rock Collecting and Flying on Mars - Dallas Public Library - May 15, 1:00pm - 2:00pm 

https://remakelearningdays.org/event/rock-collecting-and-flying-on-mars/

A spacecraft the size of a small SUV, with a tiny helicopter onboard, has landed on Mars! The Perseverance Rover is seeking samples of material that may contain evidence of life on Mars. And Ingenuity has successfully made the very first controlled, powered flight on another planet! Find out about both spacecraft and their missions during this upcoming Space Talk!"

Dinos in the Park: a Family STEAM Adventure - Mt Angel Public Library - May 15, 11:00am - 1:00pm 

https://remakelearningdays.org/event/dinos-in-the-park-a-family-steam-adventure/

Join us in Humpert Park May 15th 11:00-1:00 for Dino-mite adventure for the entire family! Explore the history of dinos in Oregon, discover what makes a dino a dino, examine dinosaur fossils, and more through hands-on exhibits, activities, take-home packets, prizes and even a dino-snack!. This free activity is brought to you by Mt. Angel Public Library and the Museum of Natural and Cultural History.

At-Home Astronomy STEM Week - Willamina Public Library - Multiple Dates and Times

https://remakelearningdays.org/event/at-home-astronomy-stem-week/

Willamina Public Library partnered with South Yamhill River Astronomy Club to offer daily activities for our community members to learn and explore astronomy. Join us the week of May 8th-16th, 2021 for Activities, Space Exploration, StoryTime, and a Club Meeting.
 

Umpqua Valley

STEAM Week at the Library - Glendale Community Library - Multiple Dates and Times

https://remakelearningdays.org/event/steam-week-at-the-library-activities-to-inspire-stem-thinking/

Join us for a week of STEAM activities May 10-15th at Glendale Community Library!

On Wednesday, Friday and Saturday we will engage in hands-on, minds-on projects that include Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Come design, invent and get inspired!

Southern Oregon 

Mazama STEM&M Explorer Week - Klamath County School District - Multiple Dates and  Times

https://remakelearningdays.org/event/mazama-stemm-explorer-week/

Mazama STEM&M students will lead 5 days of STEM activities for local elementary students. These days will have kits for pickup from schools for students to take home utilize. High School students will organize and lead these days and online sessions. Join us in exploring STEM&M in the Klamath Basin.

Portland Metro 

STEM Like a Girl Virtual Workshop- STEM Like a Girl  - May 16 ,1:00pm - 3:00pm 

https://remakelearningdays.org/event/stem-like-a-girl-virtual-workshop/

Hands-on STEM activities will focus on building designs based on engineering principles. Make paper rockets, build and test boats for strength, and design a balloon powered car! For girls in 3rd-5th grades (siblings welcome!). Please note that while the mission of STEM Like a Girl is to promote and encourage girls in STEM, all are welcome to attend our events regardless of gender or gender identity. Scholarships available upon request. 

Aviation & Aerospace - STEM Week- Airway Science for Kids, PDX - Multiple Dates and Times 

https://remakelearningdays.org/event/aviation-aerospace-stem-week/

We will host virtual and live events (restrictions permitting) for each day of STEM week. Each event focuses on an aspect of aviation and aerospace including visits with industry experts and hands-on explorations.

Lane County 

Balloon Bonanza - Creswell Family Resource Center - May 12, 4:00-4:30pm 

https://remakelearningdays.org/event/balloon-bonanza/

Children and families will experiment with baking soda and vinegar to blow up balloons with a hidden message on them that will only be revealed when inflated. This project is great for littles under 5 and their adults to have some fun, but is open to everyone to enjoy!

Take and Make Magnetic Slime - Lane Library District (Creswell Library) - May 14, 4:00-5:00pm 

https://remakelearningdays.org/event/take-and-make-magnetic-slime/

Grab a take and make kit and get to work at home! Create slime that will reach, crawl, and follow a magnet.

Oregon Coast

Make and Take Suncatchers -Toledo Public Library - May 8, 10:00am - 5:00pm 

https://remakelearningdays.org/event/make-and-take-suncatcher/

Spring is the perfect time to get outside and make a flower petal suncatcher. Stop by the Toledo Public Library for all the materials to make this beautiful craft - just in time for Mother's Day!

Make a Terrific Terrarium - Siletz Public Library - May 8, 10:30am - 1:00pm 

https://remakelearningdays.org/event/make-a-terrific-terrarium/

Children ages 5-12 are invited to make their own terrarium using soil, moss, rocks, and plants. Learn about how to help your terrarium thrive.

Framed Sun Catchers - Oceanspray Family Center - May 10, 3:30pm - 5:30 pm 

https://remakelearningdays.org/event/nature-suncatchers/

Framed Nature Suncatchers. We will take students outside to explore plants, insects and all round. Come back into the office and work on suncatchers, trying to use as many different things from nature

Nature Sun Catchers - Innovative Concepts for Families of Lincoln county - May 13, 3:30-pm - 5:30pm 

https://remakelearningdays.org/event/nature-suncatchers-2/

We will take students outside to explore plants, insects and all round. Come back into the office and work on suncatchers, trying to use as many different things from nature as possible in your creation!

Greater Oregon 

Aquatic Insect Survey - Wild School Homeschool - May 14, 10:00am - 11:00am 

https://remakelearningdays.org/event/aquatic-insect-water-quality-survey-at-petes-pond/

We will be learning about aquatic insects that live in Pete's Pond and sampling for macroinvertebrates (aquatic insects) and we will also be testing water quality. Lastly, we will do some nature journaling and draw some insects!

Native Tree and Shrub Planting - Wild School Homeschool - May 11, 6:00pm - 7:00pm 

https://remakelearningdays.org/event/native-tree-and-shrub-planting/

We will be planting native trees and shrubs to enhance plant diversity and water quality of Pete's Pond.  

Join us for STEM Week, May 8th-16th, to explore STEM with your family in your community, or from home! 

Oregon’s regional STEM Hubs create equitable access to real-world STEM experiences for learners across Oregon, igniting students’ passion for STEM. Oregon’s STEM Hub network was honored as a Learning Forerunner in education by Finland’s HundrED.org in 202.

Find out more about HundrED.org here: https://hundred.org/en/innovations/oregon-stem-hubs#4b6a3c01

April 30, 2021

Contact: Jonathan Modie, 971-246-9139, PHD.Communications@state.or.us

Reformed PartnerSHIP meets May 3 via Zoom

What: The reformed PartnerSHIP, tasked with steering implementation of the 2020-2024 State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP), will hold their second meeting.

Agenda: The committee will discuss year one outcomes and determine processes and structures for PartnerSHIP moving forward.

When: Monday, May 3rd, 1:00pm- 3:00pm. This meeting is open to the public.

Where: https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1609047098?pwd=UGd2aGcyNXBSblZRejc5ZktUNFpvUT09

Dial by your location

        +1 669 254 5252 US (San Jose)

        +1 646 828 7666 US (New York)

Meeting ID: 160 904 7098

Passcode: 806191

Background: Oregon’s State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP), Healthier Together Oregon (HTO), identifies interventions and strategies to address health related priorities in our state. The SHIP serves as a basis for taking collective action with cross-sector partners to advance health equity.  The SHIP is be based off findings from the State Health Assessment.

• Health departments develop and implement a health improvement plan at least once every five years.
• The Public Health Division is using the Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP) framework, widely used by CCOs and local health departments. The MAPP framework uses six phases. The SHA is developed over the first three phases, while the SHIP is developed and implemented over the second three phases.
• Information about the PartnerSHIP can be found at:
• https://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/ABOUT/Pages/partnership-committee.aspx

Program contact: Christy Hudson, 971-678-4347, isty.j.hudson@state.or.us">Christy.j.hudson@state.or.us

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Everyone has a right to know about and use Oregon Health Authority (OHA) programs and services. OHA provides free help. Some examples of the free help OHA can provide are:

• Sign language and spoken language interpreters
• Written materials in other languages
• Braille
• Large print
• Audio and other formats

If you need help or have questions, please contact Heather Owens at 971-291-2568, .r.owens@dhsoha.state.or.us">Heather.r.owens@dhsoha.state.or.us.

30 de abril de 2020

Contacto para medios: Delia Hernández, PHD.Communications@state.or.us

Asunto: El reformado equipo de Socios Comunitarios, encargado de dirigir la aplicación del Plan Estatal de Mejora de la Salud (SHIP) 2020-2024, celebrará su segunda reunión.

Agenda: El comité debatirá los resultados del primer año y determinará los procesos y estructuras que los socios comunitarios deben seguir en el futuro.

Cuándo: Lunes, 3 de Mayo de 1:00pm a 3:00pm. Esta reunión estará disponible al público en general.

https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1609047098?pwd=UGd2aGcyNXBSblZRejc5ZktUNFpvUT09

Números por ubicación:

        +1 669 254 5252 US (San José)

        +1 646 828 7666 US (New York)

ID de la reunión: 160 904 7098

Contraseña: 806191

Antecedentes: El Plan Estatal de Mejora de la Salud de Oregon (SHIP, por sus siglas en inglés), Healthier Together Oregon (HTO, por sus siglas en inglés),  identifica intervenciones y estrategias para abordar las prioridades relacionadas con la salud en el estado. El SHIP sirve como base para emprender acciones colectivas con socios intersectoriales para mejorar la salud de las personas en Oregón. El SHIP se basa en los resultados de la Evaluación de Salud del Estado.

• Los departamentos de salud desarrollan e implementan un plan de mejoramiento de la salud al menos una vez cada cinco años.
• La División de Salud Pública está utilizando el marco de movilización para la acción a través de la planificación y las asociaciones (MAPP), ampliamente utilizado por la CCO's y los departamentos locales de salud. El marco MAPP utiliza seis fases. El SHA se desarrolla en las tres primeras fases, mientras que el SHIP se desarrolla e implementa en las segundas tres fases.
• Puede encontrar más información sobre PartnerSHIP en: https://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/ABOUT/Pages/partnership-committee.aspx

Contacto del programa: Christy Hudson, teléfono: 971-678-4347, isty.j.hudson@state.or.us">christy.j.hudson@state.or.us

###

Todos tienen derecho a conocer y utilizar los programas y servicios de Oregon Health Authority (OHA, por sus siglas en inglés). OHA brinda ayuda gratuita. Algunos ejemplos de la ayuda gratuita que puede proporcionar la OHA son:

• Intérpretes de lenguaje de señas y lenguaje hablado
• Materiales escritos en otros idiomas.
• Braille
• Letra grande
• Audio y otros formatos

Si necesita ayuda o tiene preguntas, comuníquese con Heather Owens al 971-291-2568, .r.owens@dhsoha.state.or.us">Heather.r.owens@dhsoha.state.or.us.

Public hearing to be held virtually on May 24, public comment period open until May 28

SALEM, Ore. – The Oregon Department of State Lands is seeking comment on rule changes needed to implement Senate Bill 454 (2019), which transfers oversight of Oregon’s Unclaimed Property and Estates Administration programs to Oregon State Treasury.

The rule changes involve the repeal of rules that establish DSL’s oversight of the Unclaimed Property and Estates programs. Concurrently, OST would adopt similar rules allowing the agency to administer the programs.

The Unclaimed Property Program holds abandoned funds, such as uncashed checks, forgotten bank accounts and refunds, on behalf of Oregonians. The Estates Administration program administers the estates of people who die without wills or known heirs. Funds from both programs are held in the Common School Fund, where they earn interest for K-12 public education until claimed.

Following the rules repeal by DSL and adoption by OST, program responsibilities would transfer to OST on July 1, 2021. Staff will continue to serve Oregonians throughout this process, with minimal anticipated impacts on program operations.

Opportunities for Virtual and Written Public Comment

A public hearing on the proposed rule repeal and adoption will be held May 24 at 10 a.m. via Cisco Webex. The meeting will be jointly administered by DSL and OST. Meeting links and call-in information are on the DSL website. Those interested in testifying at the public hearing should register using the link on the website by 5:00 p.m. on May 20.

Comments may also be submitted by online form, emailed to ules@dsl.state.or.us">rules@dsl.state.or.us, or mailed to DSL at 775 Summer Street NE, Suite 100, Salem, OR 97301.

The comment deadline is Friday, May 28 at 5 p.m.

For Immediate Release                                        

April 29, 2021

Contact:   Mona Riesterer 
                (503) 378-2431

Notice of Regular Meeting

The Police Policy Committee of the Board on Public Safety Standards and Training will hold a regular meeting on May 20, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. in the Governor Victor G. Atiyeh Boardroom at the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training located at 4190 Aumsville Hwy SE, Salem, Oregon. For further information, please contact Mona Riesterer at (503) 378-2431.

The Police Policy meeting will be live streamed on the DPSST Facebook page @ https://www.facebook.com/DPSSTOregon

Agenda Items:

1.  Introductions

2.  Approve the February 18, 2021 meeting minutes

3.  Approval for Changes to the Basic Police Curriculum

      Presented by Dr. Staci Yutzie

4.  Administrative Closures

      Presented by Melissa Lang

5.  Orin Wallace, DPSST No. 51611; Coquille Police Department

      Presented by Melissa Lang

6.  Alec Shelby, DPSST No. 57571; Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office

      Presented by Melissa Lang

7.  Joseph DeLance, DPSST No. 57721; Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office

      Presented by Melissa Lang

8.  Tony (Poitras) Reeves, DPSST No. 44804; West Linn Police Department

      Presented by Melissa Lang

9.  Terry Timeus, DPSST No. 17134; West Linn Police Department

     Presented by Melissa Lang

10. Kevin Litten, DPSST No. 44056; Douglas County Sheriff’s Office

      Presented by Melissa Lang

11. Mason Murphy, DPSST No. 52582; Morrow County Sheriff’s Office

      Presented by Melissa Lang

12. DPSST’s Role in HR218/Law Enforcement Office Safety Act (LEOSA)

      Presented by Linsay Hale

13.  Department Update

14.  Next Police Policy Committee Meeting – August 19, 2021 at 10:00 a.m.

Administrative Announcement

This is a public meeting, subject to the public meeting law and it will be recorded. Deliberation of issues will only be conducted by Police Policy members unless permitted by the Chair. Individuals who engage in disruptive behavior that impedes official business will be asked to stop being disruptive or leave the meeting. Additional measures may be taken to have disruptive individuals removed if their continued presence poses a safety risk to the other persons in the room or makes it impossible to continue the meeting.

Bend Police would like to invite you to our Body-Worn Camera Community Forum on May 6, 2021 at 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Join the live presentation via Zoom to ask questions about the new program.  Watch live or later via You Tube.  Representatives from the Bend Police will answer questions from community members during the presentation about the body-worn cameras, the program, and policy.   Spanish interpreting services provided.

Bend Police Department Body-Worn Camera Program Community Forum

5/6/21 6:00 PM

Zoom Online Webinar Link: https://bendoregon-gov.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_TKy6_iGzTKKxTbvkzRqMJw

YouTube Livestream Link: https://youtu.be/2Oz7nJyi3ls

Foro comunitario acerca de las cámaras usadas en el cuerpo por el Departamento de Policía de Bend el 5/6/21 a las 6pm por Zoom

La policía de Bend los invita a el foro comunitario acera de nuestras cámaras usadas en el cuerpo que se llevará a cabo mayo 6, 2021 de 6 p.m. a 7 p.m.

Acompáñenos a la presentación en vivo por medio de Zoom para hacer preguntas acerca de este nuevo programa. Lo puede ver en vivo o después por medio de You Tube. Representativos del departamento de policía de Bend contestaran preguntas de miembros de la comunidad durante la presentación acerca de cámaras usadas en el cuerpo, el programa, y los reglamentos. Interpretación en Español estará disponible.

Foro comunitario acerca de las cámaras usadas en el cuerpo por el Departamento de Policía de Bend

5/6/21 de 6 p.m. a 7 p.m.

Enlace de la reunión virtual en Zoom: https://bendoregon-gov.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_TKy6_iGzTKKxTbvkzRqMJw

Enlace para ver la presentación en vivo por YouTube: https://youtu.be/2Oz7nJyi3ls

Submitted by: Lt. Juli McConkey

(Salem, Ore.) – The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS), Child Welfare Division, is thankful for the community support to find siblings Kyden Cantu, Trulee Cantu and Robert Mena III.

The siblings went missing from Eugene, Ore. on April 22, 2021. They were found in Sacramento, Calif. On April 27, 2021.

A small number of children in foster care may be in significant danger when they run away or have gone missing. As DHS works to do everything it can to find these missing children and ensure their safety, media alerts will be issued in some circumstances when it is determined necessary. Sometimes, in these situations, a child may go missing repeatedly, resulting in more than one media alert for the same child.

Report child abuse to the Oregon Child Abuse Hotline by calling 1-855-503-SAFE (7233).  This toll-free number allows you to report abuse of any child or adult to the Oregon Department of Human Services, 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year.

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Salem, Oregon – The National Endowment for the Arts is recommending an award of $803,500 to the Oregon Arts Commission in the NEA’s first distribution of funds from the American Rescue Plan (ARP). This emergency rescue funding is designed to support the arts sector as it recovers from the devastating impact of COVID-19. It is part of the $135 million allocated to the Arts Endowment which represents a significant commitment to the arts and a recognition of the value of the arts and culture sector to the nation’s economy and recovery.

“The release of these American Rescue Plan funds marks an important step in the economic recovery of the creative sector,” said NEA Acting Chair Ann Eilers. "The knowledge of the Oregon Arts Commission about the arts and culture landscape in Oregon makes it an ideal steward of federal dollars. The Arts Endowment is grateful for the continued leadership of the Oregon Arts Commission as the arts sector rebuilds in a way that works better for all arts organizations."

“Arts and culture bring our communities together, sustain our economy, spark our imagination and bring us comfort - especially during difficult times,” said Oregon Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici. “I’ve been advocating for robust funding that will help our arts and culture organizations survive the economic devastation of the coronavirus pandemic, and I’m grateful that Oregon will be receiving this emergency funding from the American Rescue Plan.”

“We are excited and extremely grateful to receive these American Rescue Plan funds to help Oregon’s arts organizations recover from the pandemic and plan for reopening,” said Brian Rogers, executive director of the Arts Commission. “Over the next several weeks, Arts Commission staff and Commissioners will review federal guidance to develop a statewide distribution plan for the funds.”

Update on the National Endowment for the Arts’ Direct ARP Grants to Organizations

The remaining 60 percent of the ARP money will be awarded by the Arts Endowment directly to non-profit organizations to help support jobs in the arts sector, keep the doors open to arts organizations nationwide, and assist the field in its response to and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Guidelines and application materials for a second phase of American Rescue Plan funding from the Arts Endowment are expected to be available in June, pending review.

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The Oregon Arts Commission provides leadership, funding and arts programs through its grants, special initiatives and services. Nine commissioners, appointed by the Governor, determine arts needs and establish policies for public support of the arts. The Arts Commission became part of Business Oregon (formerly Oregon Economic and Community Development Department) in 1993, in recognition of the expanding role the arts play in the broader social, economic and educational arenas of Oregon communities. In 2003, the Oregon legislature moved the operations of the Oregon Cultural Trust to the Arts Commission, streamlining operations and making use of the Commission’s expertise in grantmaking, arts and cultural information and community cultural development. 

The Arts Commission is supported with general funds appropriated by the Oregon legislature and with federal funds from the National Endowment for the Arts as well as funds from the Oregon Cultural Trust. More information about the Oregon Arts Commission is available online at:  www.oregonartscommission.org.

Oregon Housing and Community Services will distribute at least $70 million in assistance covering rent owed?by eligible tenants? 

SALEM, OR —?Round two of the Landlord Compensation Fund program opened April 29,?2021 and includes $70 million in assistance covering rent owed?by eligible tenants?that was accrued from April 1, 2020 through May 2021. All applications received by May 17 at 5pm will be reviewed and scored; funds are not first come, first served. The Oregon Legislature allocated a total of $150 million to the Landlord Compensation Fund (LCF).  

“Oregon's Landlord Compensation Fund Program is designed to provide relief to residential landlords who have been unable to collect rent due to tenant hardships,” says Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) Director Margaret Salazar. “We’re grateful to assist landlords in keeping Oregon’s financially stressed tenants in their homes after a remarkably challenging year.” 

OHCS has also made improvements to the LCF Application Portal that will make it easier for landlords and property managers to submit required documentation. Even with these improvements, there still may be occasional glitches due to the expected high volumes of applicants. “We are working as quickly as possible to get assistance where it is most needed in the easiest way possible,” said Julie Cody, OHCS Director of Affordable Rental Housing. “If applicants experience technical difficultly, we ask they be patient and work with our customer service staff to address any issues that may arise.” 

Tenants must provide their landlord with a Declaration of Financial Hardship for Eviction Protection . When tenants provide this form to their landlord, they are protected from eviction through June 30th, 2021, and the landlord may use the form to request payment for rental debt owed from April 1, 2020 through May 2021. 

Participating landlords can receive funding for an amount equal to 80% of the rental debt owed by qualified residents from April 2020?through the month the application round they are applying in opened. Landlords agree to forgive the remaining 20% of the tenant's debt as part of the grant agreement and as a condition of receiving payment. If there are more applications than funds available, OHCS has developed a scoring criteria that weighs portfolio size and percentage of uncollected rent with preference being attached to smaller portfolios and those properties with higher uncollected rental debt. 

“I was delighted for this opportunity to have full forgiveness for my tenant, a restaurant worker and student,” said Glen Ford, a Landlord Compensation Fund round one applicant. “To also recover 80% of my losses is a bonus I did not expect would ever happen. [I am] so thankful.”  

Background on the Landlord Compensation Program 

During the Third Special Session of 2020, the Oregon Legislature enacted an eviction moratorium and established the Landlord Compensation Fund (HB 4401). The Legislature allocated $200 million in rent assistance to support tenants and landlords, which includes $150 million for the Landlord Compensation Fund. This program was designed to provide relief to landlords who have tenants living in their homes who have been unable to pay rent at any point since April 2020 due to a financial hardship. The program will also eliminate the rent owed for those tenants experiencing a hardship. 

Applications for the first round of funding closed last month. Over $40 million was awarded to landlords in the first round, and award notices were sent to landlord this week and last. Public Housing Authorities will verify ownership, make payments to landlords, and notify tenants that their rent has been forgiven. These resources will help approximately 12,000 tenant households and more than 1,900 landlords. As the map below shows, resources were allocated across the state. 

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PORTLAND, Oregon — VA Portland Health Care System announced that it will hold a virtual listening session with stakeholders on May 4 from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. to hear from Veterans and the communities VA serves.

This is one of 50 public virtual listening sessions across the country from March through June 2021 to hear from Veterans on how to design a health care system of the future and grow services for Veterans in a way that reinforces VA’s role as a leader in the U.S. health care system.

“We want to hear from Veterans and other stakeholders in the communities VA serves and understand their vision for VA health care,” said Darwin Goodspeed, VA Portland Health Care System Director. “VA’s goal is to collaborate closely with Veterans and other stakeholders to build the best VA health care system that meets the needs of Veterans today and for generations to come.”

These listening sessions represent an exciting opportunity for Veterans to help VA reimagine how VA delivers care in an equitable, high quality, Veteran-centered manner and develop a plan for investing in VA’s aging infrastructure. The feedback will be used to develop the recommendations VA submits to the Asset and Infrastructure Review (AIR) Commission in January 2022. The AIR Commission will also conduct public hearings as part of their review of VA’s recommendations before submitting its recommendations to the President and Congress for review and approval in 2023.

The May 4th VA Portland listening session will be hosted by Dr. Teresa D. Boyd, the VISN20 Network Director.

Anyone interested can participate by phone or computer. Visit this WEBEX link to sign up or join by phone, (404) 397-1596, access code: 199 522 6290.

More details are available on the VA Portland website at www.portland.va.gov.

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Book reservations starting May 3

BROOKINGS — The campground at Alfred A. Loeb State Park will reopen May 17 after being closed for over a year due to revenue shortfalls and reduced staffing associated with COVID-19, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) announces. Visitors will be able to reserve campsites, cabins and group picnic areas starting at 6 a.m. May 3 for all stays May 17 and beyond.

Five of the 48 electrical sites will be first-come, first-served only, meaning these sites cannot be reserved. Traditionally, all campsites were first-come, first-served due to lack of high-speed connectivity. This created inefficiencies and inconsistencies to the process of administering campground stays, said Coastal Region Manager Dennis Comfort.

“Adding the park to the reservation system has been a long-term goal for OPRD,” Comfort said.  “It brings consistency to agency processes and to the visitor experience. Now anyone can enjoy this beautiful campground, with the peace of mind that you’ll arrive and a campsite will be available.”

Reservations can be made through Sep. 30 starting at 6 a.m. May 3 through OPRD’s partner site, oregonstateparks.reserveamerica.com or by calling 800-452-5687. Camping is first-come, first-served starting Oct. 1.

Located 8 miles inland from Brookings along the Chetco River, the park features 48 electrical sites, three rustic cabins, three group picnic areas, flush restrooms and showers.  More information is on the Oregon State Parks official website at stateparks.oregon.gov.

Visitors should continue to follow safety protocols while visiting state parks: limit the size of gatherings, wear face coverings in congested areas, give space to others and wash hands often. For more information on what to expect while visiting state parks, visit the Oregon State Parks COVID-19 FAQ page.

Today, the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust released its Winter 2021 Grants Report. The report details:

• 78 grants totaling more than $14.5 million to nonprofits serving the Pacific Northwest
• 29 grants totaling more than $6.5 million to nonprofit organizations serving communities in Oregon
• A full list of grantees by state can be found here
• Since opening in 1975, the Murdock Trust has awarded nearly 7,500 grants to nonprofits serving the Pacific Northwest totaling $1.13 billion.

For more information on Murdock Trust grantmaking, enrichment programing and convening work, please visit our website or reach out directly with questions.

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