CORVALLIS, Ore. - The Benton County Sheriff's Mounted Posse is hosting their eighth annual horseback ride event for children with special needs and their siblings, sponsored by Sheriff Scott Jackson.

The ride is on Saturday, October 26th, 2019, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., at the Indoor Arena of the Benton County Fairgrounds, 110 SW 53 St., Corvallis, OR. Registration opens at 9:30 a.m.

Children, as well as posse members, look forward to the ride each year. The posse explains, "It's a way to support our community and give children with special needs the chance to experience the western way of life through horsemanship."

Kids are helped up onto the horse and led around the arena. Special accommodations are made for mounting/dismounting and safety while on horseback. Riders must be between three and 18 years of age and be able to hang on by themselves.

Photographs will be taken in front of a green screen and printed onsite to give to the child. The photos will also be available online after the event for those who give permission to do so. A release form is required for all riders and will be available at the event registration table.

Please respond by October 23rd, so we can plan appropriately. You may either email or phone, with the parent/guardian name and the number of children who will be riding.

Phone: 541-766-6045
Email: iffsposse@co.benton.or.us">sheriffsposse@co.benton.or.us
http://www.bentoncountysheriffsmountedposse.com
Facebook - Benton County Sheriff's Mounted Posse

At 12:42 am on October 20, Camas-Washougal Fire Department was dispatched to a reported structure fire at Riverside Laundry at 921 4th Street, Washougal.  On arrival, crews found smoke and fire showing from the building.  A second alarm was called, bringing a total of 11 units from Vancouver Fire Department and East County Fire and Rescue.  There were no injuries.

The Clark County Fire Marshal's office has determined that the cause of the fire was a pile of sheets that spontaneuosly combusted and spread to the rest of the building.  The building and contents are considered a total loss.  Damage estimate is approximately $150,000. 

CCSO Case# 19-024677

On October 17, 2019 at approximately 7:38 a.m. deputies from the Happy Valley Police and the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to the intersection of SE 102nd Ave and Highway 212 in the City of Happy Valley.  They were notified of a fatal traffic collision between a commercial motor vehicle and a pedestrian.

Deputies responded along with paramedics with American Medical Response and Clackamas Fire.  It was determined upon arrival that the adult male pedestrian was deceased.  The driver of commercial motor vehicle remained at the scene and was cooperative with the investigation.

A Clackamas County Deputy Medical Examiner responded to the scene to investigate.  Members of the Clackamas County sheriff’s Criminal Reconstruction and Forensic Technicians team (CRAFT), responded as well to document the scene and collect evidence.

A team of Level-1 Commercial Motor Vehicle Inspectors came to the scene from the Clackamas County, Department of Transportation and Development, Motor Carrier Safety Division to conduct a Level-1 CMV inspection of the vehicle.  The vehicle is a CMV operated and owned by Fox Erosion Control and Landscape.  It has three axles with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of 58,000 lbs. 

The initial investigation revealed the deceased man on the sidewalk had been acting strange.  The CMV made the right turn from westbound Highway 212 on SE 102nd Ave on a green light.  For an unknown reason the male entered the roadway and was struck by the rear tires of the CMV. 

This incident occurred in the City of Happy Valley.  A deputy assigned to the Traffic Enforcement Team for the city of Happy Valley conducted an investigation.  Happy Valley is among three cities within Clackamas County that contracts police services with the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office.

The identity of the deceased male will not be released at this time pending next of kin notifications.  SE 102nd Ave was closed at Highway 212 for approximately and hour and a half.

[END]

UPDATE

The suspects in this case have been identified as Parker Timmothy Savoie (male) 27, of Seattle and Jordan Dian Vinson (female) 28, of Seattle.  The two suspects are still outstanding at this time.  If you see either of the suspects or know their whereabouts, please call 911. 

EARLIER

Please reference CCSO Case #s 19-024251 and 19-024394

VIDEO OF OCT. 11 MAIL THEFT, OCT. 13 PURSUIT AND CRASH (.mp4 format)

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/p41mjhpcqt0bsi0/AAAZPR4vvMvMqOFvhWx4Jx22a?dl=0 

Two suspects in multiple package thefts are on the lam after crashing a stolen Mercedes in Happy Valley -- and leaving their dog behind.

OCT. 11: A BRAZEN PACKAGE THEFT

CCSO Case # 19-024251

Around 2:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 11, two suspects entered the secure area at the Stevens Creek Apartments in Happy Valley by following a resident inside. The suspects then opened an exterior garage door and drove a stolen silver 2001 Mercedes coupe (Washington license plate 463XBV) into the garage area. The male then loaded the Mercedes up with packages stolen from the apartment lobby. The male also stole a motorcycle helmet and backpack off a nearby motorcycle. The two then fled the scene in the stolen Mercedes.

The package thefts (CCSO Case # 19-024251) were captured by surveillance video. Photos of the suspects are attached, and video can be downloaded from this Dropbox link:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/p41mjhpcqt0bsi0/AAAZPR4vvMvMqOFvhWx4Jx22a?dl=0 

Authorities were already aware of the suspects and the stolen Mercedes: A few days earlier, on Oct. 8, Thurston County, Washington deputies had pursued the suspects in the same stolen Mercedes, but terminated that pursuit for safety reasons. The suspects are wanted for mail theft, burglary and unlawful use of a motor vehicle.

OCT. 13: A PURSUIT, A CRASH -- AND AN ABANDONED DOG

CCSO Case # 19-024394

Flash-forward to Sunday, Oct. 13. At approximately 12:10 a.m. a Clackamas County patrol deputy attempted to stop a two-door silver Mercedes with Washington license plates near the Walmart located at 10000 SE 82nd Ave.  The deputy lost sight of the vehicle near SE Idleman and SE Walnut Dr. in Happy Valley.

The deputy who took the earlier report of the thefts was working in Happy Valley and knew the vehicle description matched the suspects from his burglary investigation.  That deputy spotted the suspect vehicle at SE Idleman Rd and SE Mt Scott Blvd. in Happy Valley.  He was able to verify the license plate matched the suspect’s from the burglaries.

The suspects attempt to flee from the deputy at a high rate of speed on SE Ridgecrest Rd.  This is a narrow road with large speed bumps. The suspect lost control of the vehicle near SE 132nd Ave and slid off the road while attempting to elude the deputy.     

As deputies pulled up on the crashed stolen Mercedes, the two suspects fled the vehicle and eluded capture.

As seen on dashcam footage, the male suspect was carrying a small dog as he fled the scene.

While deputies could not locate the suspects, they did recover the dog -- which was apparently abandoned at the scene by the suspects.

The dog was not injured and is currently in the care of Clackamas County Dog Services.  The dog is white with a few light brown spots.  It is a mixed breed and is believed to be a Heeler/Pitbull mix.  The dog is a one-year-old male.

Photos of the recovered stolen Mercedes and the abandoned dog are also attached. Video of the pursuit, crash, and suspect flight can be downloaded from this Dropbox address:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/p41mjhpcqt0bsi0/AAAZPR4vvMvMqOFvhWx4Jx22a?dl=0 

TIPS SOUGHT

We're seeking tips from the public as we work to identify and arrest the suspects in these two cases.

Anyone with information on the identities of the suspects is urged to contact the Sheriff’s Office Tip Line — by phone at 503-723-4949 or by using the online email form at https://www.clackamas.us/sheriff/tip . Please reference the following case numbers:

• 19-024251 (Oct. 11 package thefts)
• 19-024394 (Oct. 13 pursuit, crash, dog abandonment)

[END]

OREGON CITY, Ore. – On Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019 at 10:17 a.m., Clackamas Fire will partner with the Alliance Charter Academy to practice what to do in the event of an earthquake. The training, as part of the statewide “Great Oregon ShakeOut” effort, will focus on the steps students and staff can take in the initial moments of an earthquake.

The knowledge of what to do during an earthquake is equally as important as practicing the process of reuniting parents and students in the hours that follow. Thursday’s drill will take the additional steps to practice this reunification process, as if it were real.  Clackamas Fire’s Emergency Management Team has coordinated this exercise to emphasize the importance of knowing what to do and what steps to take, should an earthquake occur in our region.

Help us spread the word about the importance of knowing what to do if an earthquake occurs by taking part in the Great Oregon ShakeOut. More information and resources to educate your family and friends can be found at www.shakeout.org.

This exercise is closed to the public, but members of the media are invited to attend.

WHEN: Oct. 17, 2019 at 10:17-11:00 a.m.

WHERE: Alliance Charter Academy

16075 Front Ave.

Oregon City, OR 97045

###

Please see attached flyer for information about identifying a suspect.

thank you

Welcome to the Oregon FBI’s Tech Tuesday segment. This week: building a digital defense against ransomware.  

In honor of October being cyber security month, we are taking a look at some basic scams used by fraudsters who want to target you. Last week we talked about how to avoid the bait in phishing and spear phishing scams. This week we are going to learn how criminals use those phishing emails to launch ransomware attacks.  

Ransomware is a form of malicious software that targets your data. These attacks can affect individuals, businesses, cities and counties, government agencies, hospitals, schools, and more. 

Scammers will often send ransomware through email phishing campaigns. Once anyone on your network clicks on an infected file or link, the fraudster can have access to all of your devices and data. He encrypts the system, effectively locking you out. The attacker promises to decrypt your information if you pay up, usually by virtual currency. Unfortunately, there is no way to guarantee that the cybercriminal will unlock your data it if you pay. 

Beyond the cost of the ransom, you risk loss of productivity, legal fees, and the need to purchase credit-monitoring services for employees and customers. Even if you manage to get your system back up online, it is likely that the attacker left other malware hidden on your system – requiring a remediation team to completely wipe the computers and restore everything from clean, off-line backups. 

So what can be done to avoid becoming the next victim of a ransomware attack? 

• One of the most important things you can do is educate yourself, and, for companies, your employees. Learn how to spot and avoid phishing lures. 

• Make sure you are backing up your data often and that you are backing it up to an off-line source. Ransomware attacks can move quickly – infecting any connected device or on-line storage account. Your back-ups must be segregated and off-line from normal operations. 

• Make sure that all devices on your network are using the most current and patched versions of operating systems and applications (including email software, web browsers and software packages). 

• Keep your anti-malware software up-to-date. 

• If you get a pop-up or other message that says you are infected, disconnect the device from the internet and your network immediately to try to prevent the spread. 

• Finally, call the FBI right away. If we are called in early enough, we can sometimes assist with remediation. 

In the end, the FBI recommends that victims NOT pay a hacker’s ransom demand. The payment only further encourages more criminal activity, and, even if you do pay, there is no guarantee that the hacker will unlock your data. 

And remember, if you have been the victim of a ransomware attack, or any other online fraud, report it to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov or call your local FBI office.  

###

City of Hillsboro Police Chief Lee Dobrowolski announced he will retire from law enforcement later this month following more than five years of serving the Hillsboro community.

Chief Dobrowolski joined the Hillsboro Police Department in February 2014 after previously serving as Deputy Chief of the Salt Lake City Police Department. He plans to move toward the east coast to live closer to family.

“It is with very mixed emotions that I make this decision to retire from the Hillsboro Police Department and law enforcement as a career,” he said. “I was blessed to be given the opportunity to join and lead the HPD family. For that, I will be forever grateful. Having the opportunity to not only live in the City of Hillsboro, but to become part of the fabric of this wonderful community has been a highlight in my life.”

Under Chief Dobrowolski’s leadership, the Hillsboro Police Department expanded its crisis intervention program, introduced a homelessness liaison program, and increased its traffic safety presence.

“I would like to express my deep appreciation to Chief Dobrowolski for his service as Hillsboro’s Police Chief,” said City Manager Robby Hammond. “Chief Dobrowolski has represented the City of Hillsboro and the Hillsboro Police Department very well. I want to specifically call out his leadership with the Family Justice Center. He was integral to the creation of what has become such an important resource to victims of domestic violence in our community.”

Beginning on October 25, Deputy Police Chief Jim Coleman will take on the responsibilities as Interim Police Chief, leading the department of 194 employees.

“I have tremendous respect for Chief Coleman and I am confident in his ability to lead the Hillsboro Police Department,” Hammond said, adding that the City will conduct a national search for Hillsboro’s next Police Chief, likely beginning early next year.

Cascade Locks, Ore. – In the early morning hours of October 17th, 2019, Hood River County Sheriff’s Office Deputies responded to the City of Cascade Locks on a report of an assault by an unknown assailant.

At approximately 3:00 AM on October 17th, 2019, a 69-year-old male was walking his dog along the 100 Block of Wa Na Pa St. in Cascade Locks when he was struck from behind by a blunt object. The suspect fled the scene before the victim could obtain any identifying information. The victim was able to get to his home where the call to 911 was made. He was treated for injuries sustained in the assault at a local hospital; he was later released.

Responding deputies canvassed the area but did not find any potential suspects. The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information about this crime should contact the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office Tip Line at 541-387-7077.

The Kelso Police Department is investigating an anonymous 911 call that originated on 10/15/19 at approximately 7:15 PM.  The call was automated or robotic and was threatening in nature.  In addition to general anti-government statements, Kelso High School was also mentioned.  The exact message will not be released as this is an ongoing investigation. 

Even though we do not believe there is any danger to our schools, children or faculty, we are investigating. 

These types of calls are not uncommon.  They are used all over the world to harass, disrupt and generally cause chaos.  This does not diminish our response or collaboration with the Kelso School District.

There is a high likelihood that this call originated from outside of our geographic region but the public is still urged to contact the Kelso Police Department if they have any information regarding this incident.  If it did originate locally, it is our experience that someone will know and be able to provide information.   

Pet Safety on the Road

You buckle up when you get in your vehicle. Make sure your pet is just as safe. Many dog owners let their dog run loose in an open truck bed, not thinking about the dangers. No matter how well-trained or coordinated you think your dog is, he or she can still fall or jump out of the back of a truck.

Oregon law requires a dog to be protected by a carrier or other restraint if transported on "the external part of a vehicle" on a highway.

A carrier or cage is most ideal, but if you use a leash or lead, make sure it is of a length that doesn’t allow the dog to go over the side. A two-point restraint works best to ensure the animal can’t jump or be thrown in the event of a sudden stop or collision.

If your pet travels inside the vehicle with you, remember that driving with any live animal on your lap presents a distraction and puts the pet, the driver, other passengers and other drivers at significant risk for a collision. A collision that would otherwise be preventable.

There are numerous pet-specific vehicle restraints that work with your existing seatbelts and can be purchased either online or in pet stores.

Our pets love to be on the go with us. Show them how much you care by always considering their safety whenever you take them on the road with you.

For more information and tips visit our website at: www.lincolncountysheriff.net

and like us on Facebook: Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office - Oregon

At approximately 2:30 pm this afternoon, Search and Rescue teams successfully located a missing hiker after he called 911 the day prior reporting he was lost.  The hiker was located along the Pacific Crest Trail in the Willamette National Forest after fresh footprints were discovered in the snow by searchers.

The hiker, Robert Campbell, 50, told deputies he has been following the Pacific Crest Trail since May.  Campbell started his journey near the Mexico border and has traveled just over 2000 miles to where he was located. 

Campbell told deputies he lost the trail after encountering blizzard like conditions yesterday.  At the time he was located by searchers, Campbell had no food and had lost some of his hiking equipment due to the treacherous weather conditions. 

Campbell was evaluated by medics in the field and has declined any further medical treatment.  Deputies have taken Campbell to Detroit where a local motel provided a complimentary room for him to recover in for the night.

On October 17th, 2019 at approximately 1:30 pm, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from a male reporting to be lost in the woods near Detroit, in the Willamette National Forest.   

Search and Rescue teams were activated a very short time after the call was received and remained on scene until after midnight when search efforts were suspended for the night.  This morning teams have returned to the area and search efforts have resumed. 

The identity and description of the missing person has not been confirmed at this time, though deputies believe they may be named Robert Campbell.  Detectives from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office have been called in to assist with determining the identity of the caller.

At this time the area of focus is very expansive and there is limited information available.

At approximately 9:40 am this morning, October 18th, deputies were dispatched to a two vehicle; roll over crash in the 8100 block of Silverton Road NE.  When emergency crews arrived on scene they determined one passenger was still trapped in one of the involved vehicles, a Toyota Prius.  Fire personnel worked to extricate the passenger from the Prius, the passenger was transported with serious injuries.  The driver of the Prius was not injured during the crash. 

The other involved vehicle, a Volkswagon Jetta, had two occupants in it at the time of the crash.  Both the driver and passenger were transported to an area hospital for evaluation. 

The initial investigation at the scene indicates both involved vehicles were westbound on Silverton Road prior to the collision.  The driver of the Volkswagen Jetta is reported to have slowed down to make a left turn onto 81st Ave NE and was struck by the Toyota Prius.  Deputies are continuing to investigate the crash.

Silverton Road was fully reopened to traffic shortly before 11:30 am.  The Marion County Sheriff’s Office was assisted during this incident by Silverton Fire District, Woodburn Ambulance, Marion County Fire District #1, and LifeFlight.

On October 13th, 2019 deputies from the Marion County Sheriff's Office responded to a fatal motor vehicle crash in the 6900 block of 55th Ave NE.  This crash involved a single vehicle which was occupied only by the driver, who was pronounced as deceased at the scene.  Deputies have identified the driver as Alejandro Teran, a 23 year-old man from Salem.

On October 13th, 2019, shortly after 1:00 pm deputies were dispatched to the report of a roll over crash involving a single vehicle in the 6900 block of 55th Ave NE.  When deputies arrived, they located a Toyota Camry off of the roadway in a field.  The driver was the lone occupant of the vehicle and was pronounced as deceased at the scene.

Based upon the initial investigation and witness statements, deputies believe the driver was traveling northbound on 55th Ave NE and was unable to safely negotiate a curve, leaving the roadway and rolling the vehicle.  55th Ave NE was closed for approximately 2.5 hours while the crash was being investigated.  Deputies have not determined if speed or alcohol contributed to the crash.

The identity of the driver is not being released at this time pending notification of the next of kin.

The Sheriff’s Office was assisted during this response by Marion County Fire District #1, Marion County Public Works and the Marion County District Attorney’s Office.

Those involved in the fatal crash on Saturday October 19, 2019 on Highway 3 are as follows:

Dodge Pickup Driver – Dylan L DENTON, age 24, from Joseph, Deceased.

Dodge Pickup Passenger – Triston M DENNING, age 19, from Joseph, Undisclosed Injuries.

ODOT Snowplow Driver – Monte L RADFORD, age 69, from Enterprise, Serious Injuries. 

This is an on-going investigation and no further information is available for release. 

No photographs available for release. 

Previous Release:

Oregon State Police (OSP) is continuing the investigation into this morning’s two vehicle fatal crash involving an Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) Snowplow on Highway 3 in Wallowa County. 

On October 19, 2019 at about 8:08 AM, OSP troopers and emergency personnel responded to a two vehicle crash on Highway 3 near milepost 15. 

Preliminary investigation revealed that an ODOT Snowplow was southbound on Highway 3.  A Dodge pickup, with two occupants, was northbound negotiating a curve when it lost control and went into the on-coming lane and into the path of the ODOT Snowplow. 

The driver of the Dodge pickup died from his injuries at the scene.  The passenger of the Dodge pickup was transported to an unknown hospital via air ambulance.  The driver of the snowplow was transported via ground ambulance to Wallowa Memorial Hospital with serious injuries.

Highway 3 was closed for nearly six (6) hours during the investigation. 

OSP was assisted by ODOT, Wallow County Sheriff’s Office and Wallowa County Fire.

Names are being withheld to provide time for extended family next of kin notifications.

This is an on-going investigation and no further information is available for release. 

No photographs available for release.  

### www.oregon.gov/OSP ### 
Twitter: @ORStatePolice 
Facebook: @ospsocial

Oregon State Police (OSP) is continuing the investigation into Saturday evening’s fatal two vehicle crash on Highway 22E and Fern Ridge Road SE near Stayton. 

On Saturday, October 19, 2019 at about 5:35 pm, OSP troopers and emergency personnel responded to the report of a two vehicle fatal crash on Highway 22E at Fern Ridge Rd SE. 

Preliminary investigation revealed that a Mercury Marquis, operated by Mark HIGLEY, age 88, from Stayton, was traveling westbound on Highway 22E attempting to turn westbound onto Fern Ridge Rd SE.  A Chevrolet Suburban, operated by Windy DETHMAN, age 49, from Culver, was traveling eastbound on Highway 22E.  HIGLEY turned directly into the path of the oncoming Suburban and was struck nearly head-on. 

A passenger in HIGLEY’S vehicle, Ella HIGLEY, age 86, from Stayton, suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene.  Mark HIGLEY was not injured. 

Two adult passengers in DETHMAN’S vehicle are identified as Robert DETHMAN, age 52 and Neoma MILLER, age 33, both form Culver.  Robert DETHMAN received serious injuries.  Windy DETHMAN and Neoma MILLER were uninjured.  In addition, there were four (4) children in DETHMAN’S vehicle that were not injured. 

Highway 22E was closed for four hours (4) following the crash. 

OSP was assisted by the Marion County Sheriff's Office, ODOT and Stayton Fire and Medics.   

Photograph provided by OSP.

### www.oregon.gov/OSP ### 
Twitter: @ORStatePolice 
Facebook: @ospsocial

The deceased male suspect involved in the officer involved shooting is identified as follows:

Marcus Phillip HARTSFIELD, age 27, from Oakridge.

The location of the incident was in the 76000 block of Rainbow Road, Oakridge. 

This is still an on-going investigation.  Further information and releases will be put out by the Lane County District Attorney's Office. 

No further information available for release. 

Previous Release-

On Thursday October 17, 2019 at about 7:39pm, Oregon State Police and the Lane County Sheriff’s Office responded to an emergency request for assistance from an officer with the Oakridge Police Department who responded to a domestic disturbance.  The Oakridge officer reported shots were fired and was requesting emergency assistance.  Troopers and Deputies arrived on scene and preliminary investigation revealed the suspect in the domestic disturbance was deceased after being shot by the officer.  The officer was not injured. 

The Lane County Inter-Agency Deadly Force Investigation Team (IDFIT) was activated and detectives with the Oregon State Police, Lane County Sheriff’s Office, Eugene Police Department, Springfield Police Department, Cottage Grove Police Department, and the Florence Police Department responded to conduct the investigation. 

Additional assistance was provided at the scene by Oakridge Fire, Lane County Medical Examiner’s Office, and the Lane County District Attorney’s Office. 

This is an ongoing investigation and more information will be released when available. 

No further information available for release. 

### www.oregon.gov/OSP ###
Twitter: @ORStatePolice
Facebook: @ospsocial

The drivers have been idetified as follows:

Chevy Tahoe - J Ivan AGUILAR-DIMAS, age 33, from California

Pertbuilt Truck and Semi-Trailer - Carl BIBOW, age 57, from Riddle

Photograph provided by OSP.

### www.oregon.gov/OSP ###
Twitter: @ORStatePolice
Facebook: @ospsocial

Previous Release:

Oregon State Police (OSP) is continuing the investigation into this morning’s critical injury two vehicle crash on I-5 near Gervais. 

On October 16, 2019 at 4:15 AM, OSP troopers and emergency personnel responded to a two vehicle crash on I-5 northbound near milepost 267. 

Preliminary investigation revealed that a Chevy Tahoe, occupied by an adult male, was parked on the shoulder of I-5.  A Peterbuilt Truck and Semi-Trailer was northbound and for unknown reasons left the roadway and went onto the shoulder where it crashed into the parked Chevy Tahoe. 

The occupant of the Chevrolet Tahoe was transported to Salem Hospital by air ambulance with critical injuries.  The operator of the Peterbuilt Truck and Semi-Trailer received minor injuries.   

Names of those involved are being withheld pending notifications to family members. 

This is an active investigation and more information will be released when available.

### www.oregon.gov/OSP ###
Twitter: @ORStatePolice
Facebook: @ospsocial

Oregon State Police (OSP) is continuing the investigation into Tuesday afternoon’s crash involving two Commercial Motor Vehicles on I-5 near Woodburn. 

On Tuesday October 15, 2019 at about 3:57 PM, OSP troopers and emergency personnel responded to a serious injury crash involving two Commercial Motor Vehicles on I-5 southbound at about milepost 273.   

Preliminary investigation revealed that a Volvo Truck and Semi-trailer, operated by Gagandeep SINGH, age 24, from California, was southbound on I-5 and pulled to the shoulder due to smoke coming from under the truck.  Gagandeep SINGH and his passenger, Baljit SINGH, age 38, from California, exited the truck and discovered that it was on fire. 

A Freightliner Truck and Semi-trailer, operated by Rex HOLLOPETER, age 51, from Salem, was southbound in the far right lane when it sideswiped the Volvo Truck and Semi-Trailer.  The Freightliner Truck and Semi-trailer caught fire and came to rest blocking all southbound lanes of the freeway.  Both Commercial Motor Vehicles ultimately burned after the crash. 

HOLLOPETER was transported by air ambulance to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland for serious injuries.  Both Gagandeep SINGH and Baljit SINGH were outside of their truck and were uninjured. 

Southbound lanes of I-5 are expected to be closed indefinitely until ODOT personnel can assess the damage to the roadway.  

OSP was assisted by Woodburn Fire and Medics, Aurora Fire Department, Hubbard Fire Department, Clackamas County Sheriff's Office, Salem Police Department, Woodburn Police Department and ODOT. 

Photographs provided by OSP.

### www.oregon.gov/OSP ### 
Twitter: @ORStatePolice 
Facebook: @ospsocial

On October 13, 2019 at 9:43 PM, Freddie TILLETT, age 46, from Grants Pass, was arrested for Manslaughter I and Driving under the Influence of Intoxicants.  TILLETT was arrested in the Springfield area and lodged at the Lane County Jail.  This arrest is in connection with the September 27, 2019 Fatal Crash on Highway 99 in Josephine County. 

Previous Release:

On Friday, September 27, 2019 at about 7:16 P.M. Oregon State Police Troopers and emergency personnel responded to the report of a two vehicle head on crash on Hwy 99 near mile post 3.

Preliminary investigation revealed that a gray 2003 Audi, operated by Freddie Tillett (46) of Grants Pass, was traveling southbound on Hwy 99. Tillett was reported to be driving recklessly, crossed into oncoming traffic, and collided head on with a northbound 2013 Nissan sedan operated by Brenda Reinert (39) of Grants Pass.

Reinert was transported to the hospital where she was pronounced deceased.

Tillett was transported to the hospital with serious injuries.

OSP was assisted by Rural Metro and American Medical Response (AMR).

### www.oregon.gov/OSP ###
Twitter: @ORStatePolice
Facebook: @ospsocial

The Oregon State Police Fish & Wildlife Division is asking for the public's help for information regarding the unlawful take of a buck deer north of Sisters.  A 4x4 buck deer was found shot with a rifle and left to waste near the intersection of Camp Polk Rd and Wilt Rd.  Investigators believe the deer was shot sometime around September 5th during the buck deer archery season.

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

Report Wildlife and Habitat Law Violators 

The 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-Bighorn Sheep

5 Points-Rocky Mountain Goat

5 Points-Moose

5 Points-Wolf

4 Points-Elk

4 Points-Deer

4 Points-Antelope

4 Points-Bear

4 Points-Cougar

Or 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, Upland Birds, Waterfowl, Furbearers, Game Fish and Shellfish.  Cash rewards can also be awarded for turning in people who destroy habitat, illegally obtain licenses/tags and for the unlawful lending/borrowing of big game tags.

CASH REWARDS:
$1,000 Bighorn Sheep, Rocky Mountain Goat and Moose

$500 Elk, Deer and Antelope

$300 Bear, Cougar and Wolf 
$300 Habitat Destruction

$200 Illegally Obtaining License/Tag(s)

$200 Unlawful Lend/Borrow Big Game Tags(s) 
$100 Upland Birds and Waterfowl 
$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 8:00AM - 5:00PM)

### www.oregon.gov/OSP ### 
Twitter: @ORStatePolice 
Facebook: @ospsocial

Oregon State Police (OSP) is continuing the investigation into Sunday evening’s two vehicle fatal crash in Highway 18 near Sheridan. 

On Sunday October 13, 2019 at about 10:15 PM, OSP troopers and emergency personnel responded to a two vehicle head-on crash on Highway 18 near milepost 35. 

Preliminary investigation indicates that a Chevrolet pickup, operated by Mark DALY, age 60, from Portland, was eastbound on Highway 18 when for unknown reasons it crossed the center line.  After crossing the center line, the Chevrolet pickup hit a westbound Ford F150 pickup, operated by Shawn SMITH, age 42, from Sheridan. 

Both drivers were pronounced deceased at the scene. There were no passengers in either vehicle.

Highway 18 was closed for about four (4) hours following the crash.

OSP was assisted by Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office, ODOT and Sheridan Fire Department.

Photograph provided by OSP. 

### www.oregon.gov/OSP ### 
Twitter: @ORStatePolice 
Facebook: @ospsocial

See Attached Bulletin

Please be advised that the Bulletin does not include all calls for service to which officers respond.  Many calls do not require that a report be written; such as:

•Traffic Stops

•Advising/Referring a Person to the Proper Agency to handle their request

•Restoring the Peace

•Premise Checks

•Welfare Checks

•Flagged Down by Citizen

On October 17, 2019 at approximately 1950 hours, Vancouver Police responded to a robbery complaint at 3205 SE 192nd Ave, a T-Mobile outlet store, in which a firearm was further alleged to have been brandished at employees.  Investigation, yielded through interviews and video surveillance, indicated the involved masked suspect entered the business and directed staff at gunpoint to a backroom where a storage safe was accessed and several Apple products (phones and watches) were stolen. 

The phones were initially electronically tracked to a residential area to the southwest of the T-Mobile business, which led to a house in the 4100 Blk of SE 187th Pl.  As police moved in to set up containment, a vehicle left the target residence, giving off an active tracking signal, and was stopped a short distance away.  The driver, 29-year-old Bilal Joiner, was arrested and an eventual search of his associated vehicle resulted in the recovery of the Apple products, a loaded firearm and clothing used in the commission of the crime.

Bilal Joiner was booked into the Clark County Jail on one count of Robbery 1st Degree, two counts of Assault 1st Degree, two counts of Kidnap 1st Degree and one count of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm. 

Vancouver, Wash. –On October 16, 2019, at approximately 2:00 p.m., the Vancouver Police Digital Evidence Cybercrime Unit (DECU), which includes detectives from the Vancouver Police Department and a Special Agent from the Homeland Security Investigations, received a Priority-1 Cybertip through the Internet Crimes Against Children’s Task Force.  A Priority-1 Cybertip is rare and typically indicates immediate danger to a child. The Cybertip was generated by the app “Discord”, an online chat and media distribution service that primarily serves the online gaming community.  Discord found communications and video being shared on one of their channels that detailed the sexual assault of an infant by an adult male. These graphic child sexual abuse videos had never before been seen by National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which is a strong indicator that the abuse was recent and likely being conducted by the person uploading the content.

The IP address reported by Discord returned to location in Washougal. Based on the grave concern for the safety of the infant, exigent information requests were utilized to obtain information from various internet service providers and Discord to assist detectives in identifying the suspect, Stephen Rian Price, 26. 

DECU Detectives obtained a search warrant for the residence, which was served at 9:00 p.m. The infant was transported to an area hospital for immediate medical attention and was taken into protective custody.

Stephen Rian Price was arrested and booked into the Clark County Jail for:

1.)        Rape of a Child, RCW 9A.44.073 (x 5)

2.)        Child Molestation 1st Degree, (RCW 9A.44.083) (x1)

3.)        Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, RCW 9.68A.040 (x3)

4.)        Possession of Child Pornography First Degree, RCW 9.68A.070 (x4)

5.)        Distribution of Child Pornography First Degree, RCW 9.68A.050 (x3)

The investigation revealed that in addition to the sexual abuse and production of child pornography of an infant child, evidence was obtained of the rape and production of child pornography involving a second infant. 

DECU detectives will continue to investigate this case to locate other potential victims and identify other persons involved in the sharing of child sexual abuse content in the Discord chat room.

Due to circumstances involving the suspect abusing and creating child pornography with local victims, detectives believe there are likely additional victims who have yet to be identified or located. Anyone with information related to this case, or of the existence of other potential victims is asked to contact the Vancouver Police Department Tip Line at (360) 487-7399. A photo of Stephen Rian Price is also attached.

The arrest of this suspect and the rescue of this infant would not have been possible without the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the cooperation of Discord. Also, thanks to the Washougal Police Department and the Department of Homeland Security for their assistance.

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Vancouver, Wash. – On October 13, 2019 at approximately 12:06 a.m., Vancouver Police responded to a commercial alarm at 6714 NE 18th Street. Responding officers located evidence of a burglary and a male was seen inside the building. While officers were setting up containment around the building, the suspect exited the building in a vehicle and a Vancouver Police Officer fired a shot. A pursuit of the suspect vehicle ensued and the vehicle was located abandoned in the area of E 5th Street/S Blandford Dr. The suspect was not located.

The involved officer is Corporal Roger Evans, 48. Corporal Evans was hired by the Vancouver Police Department in May 1998. He previously worked as a police officer for the Gatlinburg Tennessee Police Department from May 1995 - May 1998. Corporal Evans has been assigned in Patrol, Special Operations and as a K9 handler with the Vancouver Police Department. He was promoted to the rank of Corporal in December 2018. He is currently assigned to West Precinct Patrol.

Following standard department protocol, he is on critical incident leave.

The officer involved shooting investigation is being handled by the Regional Major Crimes Team, led by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.

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Update

According to witnesses, the pedestrian was riding an electric scooter at the time of the collision and was traveling southbound in the crosswalk on SE Mill Plain Blvd.,against the light, when he was struck by a vehicle traveling eastbound on SE Mill Plain Blvd. The driver remained on scene and is cooperating. There are no indications that speed or impariment is a factor. 

The Vancouver Police Department Traffic Unit is continuing the investigation.

Nothing further is releasable at this time. 

Vancouver, Wash. – On October 15, 2019 at approximately 8:20 p.m., Vancouver Police responded to the intersection of SE Mill Plain Blvd and Chkalov Dr. for a report of a vehicle verses pedestrian collision.  The struck pedestrian was transported to Peace Health Southwest Medical Center, but was later declared deceased.   The involved motorist remained on scene and is cooperating with investigators.  The ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Vancouver Police Department’s Traffic Unit.  Eastbound traffic for SE Mill Plain Blvd at Chkalov Dr. will be temporarily diverted while investigators process the collision scene.   

On Thursday, October 17, 2019, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office conducted a child predator sting where investigators posed on a variety of social media platforms and dating web sites as 15-year-old boys and girls.  The men contacted undercover deputies online and were arrested after arriving at a location where they believed they would be meeting a child in person for sex.

During this sting, multiple people immediately ended their conversations once they learned the person they were talking with was identifying as a child.

The Sheriff’s Office regularly conducts undercover operations targeting child predators.  Parents are encouraged to help their children be safe online and to be aware of the websites and mobile applications their kids are using.  The Sheriff’s Office also provides online safety education for parents and community organizations.

All of the following men were arrested for the felony crimes of luring a minor and online sexual corruption of a child in the first degree:

• Joseph Kenneth Raney, 30, of Portland
• Brandon Daily Perkins, 36, of McMinnville
• Brent Wayne Pruitt, 41, of Portland
• Maverick William Pfel, 39, of Beaverton
• Christopher Michael Mckane, 40, of Beaverton
• Jonathan Arthur Hauck, 48, of Newberg.  Mr. Hauck also had an outstanding Probation Violation warrant.
• Tou Moua, 37, of Happy Valley.
• Wayne Michael Redman, 29, of Portland
• Gaspar Gaona-Aguilar, 48, of Beaverton. Mr. Gaona-Aguilar was also arrested for criminal driving while suspended and a probation violation related to his registered sex offender status.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help with a missing person cold case.

Tomorrow marks three years since 69-year-old Dane Davis was last seen by anyone. Mr. Davis’ wife, Zarita Davis, and brother, Shawn Davis, have actively worked with detectives from the Violent Crimes Unit to help bring him home.

Prior to his disappearance, Mr. Davis became increasingly unable to care for himself. His family was working with a local non-profit agency to locate a secure facility for him. It was during this brief window of time that Mr. Davis went missing.

Mr. Davis retired from Wells Fargo. He enjoyed walking and would frequently walk to the Hillsboro Promenade shopping center, visiting both the Wendy’s restaurant at 7530 W Baseline Road, as well as the Albertson’s store at 7500 SW Baseline Road.

Anyone who has had contact with Mr. Davis since October 18, 2016 or has any information on this investigation is asked to contact Detective Robert Rookhuyzen at 503-846-2673.  

Media Only

Ms. Zarita Davis is willing to provide on-camera interviews to members of the media on Friday, October 18, 2019 between the hours of 11 a.m. and noon at the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in Hillsboro. Additionally, Shawn Davis, of Rosemead, California, will speak to interested members of the media by phone. Please contact the Public Information Officer at 503-209-5613 to schedule an interview or for Shawn Davis’ telephone contact information.

This event is hosted by Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) Chapter 392 and VA Portland Health Care System.

October 19, 2019, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Portland VA Medical Center Auditorium, Bldg. 100, 2nd Floor, 3710 SW US Veterans Hospital Rd., Portland, OR 97239

Attention Veterans and family members.

Join a group of experts and fellow Veterans to learn about the health problems associated with exposure to AGENT ORANGE and other TOXINS and DIOXINS and how this can affect your health and the health of your children and grandchildren.

Meeting Agenda;

SESSION #1

•  Opening Remarks: Don Curtis, VVA
•   History Channel Video: “Agent Orange Background Story”
•   Speaker and video: Tom Owen, VVA
•   National Toxic Exposure Issues Representative
•   VVA Video – “Welcome Home, Maryland: A Look at Agent Orange
•   Today” by Mr. Alan Oates, Maryland VVA Chapter
•   Speaker: Jim Pace, Vice Chair of the Vietnam Veterans of America
•   Benefits Committee. Jim is a Vietnam vet and has been a VSO for more than 24 years.

Short break.

SESSION #2

• Questions and Answer period for audience to address to the panel members
• Closing Remarks: Don Curtis

Questions? Call VVA Chapter 392 @ 503-558-2970.

See/share this event via Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/events/2303426659914469/permalink/2330369190553549/

Interested in serving local Veterans?

Join our team by attending the VA Portland Health Care System’s Job Fair!
Interviews will be conducted on site for 64 available jobs in the following positions in Portland & Vancouver;

Nursing Assistants
- Inpatient & Emergency Medicine, Rehab & Long Term Care, Operative Care,  Hospital & Specialty Medicine

Food Service Worker
- Nutrition & Food Services
Must be a Veteran, Schedule A, or have Competitive Status

Housekeeping Aides
- Environmental Management
Must be a preference eligible Veteran.

o Housekeeping Aides – 25 vacancies in Portland
o Food Service Workers – 14 vacancies in Portland, 4 vacancies in Vancouver
o Nursing Assistants – 12 vacancies in Portland, 9 vacancies in Vancouver
o There are a mix of full-time, part-time, and intermittent vacancies. The shifts vary from day, evening, swing, and night shifts.

All others can apply via USA Jobs on October 26th.

USA Jobs details are here...
https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/547748900

WHEN:

Saturday, October 26, 2019, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Last Applicants will be received at 10 a.m., no later

WHERE:

Portland VA Medical Center
Check in at the main lobby in building 100.
3710 SW U.S. Veterans Hospital Rd.
Portland, OR 97239

WHAT:

Bring your resume!
Also bring the following ID and forms if applicable.
- two forms of gov’t issued ID
- Veterans: DD-214
- Current or Former
- Federal employees: SF-50

A Facebook post and website link is available to help share this information.

 Questions? Please call Meghan Merz 503-220-8262, ext. 54440

Contact:                                                                                            FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

News media hotline: 800-570-5838                                                                  Oct. 15, 2019

Preparing your yard for winter

Pacific Power offers seasonal safety tips for homeowners

PORTLAND, Ore. -- As the leaves turn, winter weather preparation begins. For some homeowners, this means trimming trees and taming overgrown gardens, for others it means cleaning the gutters or painting the house. Many outdoor projects like these can be hazardous if you don’t put safety first.

            “People often assume they know enough about electricity to keep themselves safe. However, accidents happen all of the time,” said Steve Harkin, Pacific Power safety director. “Being alert and aware can keep you, your family and your home out of danger.”

            Coming into contact with electricity, whether it is through a power line, power equipment or even an extension cord, can result in serious injury or death. Put safety on your fall clean-up list by following these tips to keep you and your family out of harm’s way:

• Treat all electric lines with caution. Even low-voltage lines and extension cords can be dangerous.
• Use only wooden and fiberglass ladders. Metal ladders conduct electricity.
• Inspect electric cords for fraying or broken plugs. Do not use cords or tools that are damaged.
• Never use electrical equipment or tools near a pool or other wet areas. Additionally, make sure outlets are equipped with a ground fault circuit interrupter, designed to automatically disconnect if the tool comes into contact with water.
• Be aware and steer clear of overhead electrical wires when installing, removing, cleaning or repairing gutters.
• Have help when installing or adjusting a satellite dish or antenna. Make sure you’re working at least 10 feet away from overhead power lines.
• Use caution when trimming trees. If power lines run through or near the tree, do not attempt to trim it. Instead, call Pacific Power toll free at 888-221-7070.
• Underground power lines are just as dangerous as overhead ones. If your project involves digging, make sure the locations of underground power lines are marked. Call 811 to have underground utilities located and marked for free.

For more safety tips or to order free Pacific Power safety materials, call toll free at 800-375-7085 or visit pacificpower.net/safety.

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About Pacific Power

Pacific Power is headquartered in Portland, and provides electric service to more than 740,000 customers in Oregon, Washington and California. It is part of PacifiCorp, one of the lowest-cost electricity producers in the United States, providing 1.9 million customers with value for their energy dollar and safe, reliable electricity. For more information, visit pacificpower.net.

New report highlights significant economic gains for America from public lands

WASHINGTON – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced today an increase in the number of jobs supported through BLM activities in fiscal year 2018 as well as the total output for the American economy. Socioeconomic figures in a newly-released report highlight a 9% increase over Fiscal Year 2017.

The report, entitled “The BLM: A Sound Investment for America 2019,” was released today and can be found here. It indicates that in 2018, BLM activities on public lands supported approximately 471,000 full- and part-time jobs, up from 468,000 jobs in 2017.  Additionally, these activities resulted in $105 billion in total economic output, a sharp increase from $95.6 billion in 2017.

“The BLM remains committed to the sustainable development of America’s energy and natural resources,” said Acting Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Casey Hammond. “These numbers indicate that we are achieving those objectives, while increasing revenues to the United States Treasury and benefitting families across the nation.”

“America’s public lands are a key driver of the nation’s economy, particularly in states across the West. The jobs and communities these lands support are vital to millions of Americans, and the Bureau of Land Management is proud to make sure economic activities continue in a sustainable, environmentally-sound manner,” said BLM Deputy Director for Policy and Programs William Perry Pendley.

A primary contributor to the economic uptick was the production of energy and natural resources on BLM-managed lands, many of which saw dramatic increases in 2018. In fiscal year 2018, the BLM offered nearly 13 million acres for leasing. Federal onshore oil production increased to 214.1 million barrels of oil during fiscal year 2018, compared to 174 million barrels in fiscal year 2017, due to the BLM’s implementation of energy priorities. New renewable energy projects were also initiated. Other areas, such as grazing and timber production experienced significant increases as well.

Outdoor recreation is also a significant source of jobs and revenue for local communities from public lands, generating more than $6.8 billion in total economic output in fiscal year 2018. Public lands managed by the BLM offer more recreational opportunities than lands managed by any other Federal agency, with over 99% available for recreation with no fee. In fiscal year 2018, BLM lands received nearly 68 million recreation-related visits.
 

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The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In fiscal year 2018, the diverse activities authorized on BLM-managed lands generated $105 billion in economic output across the country. This economic activity supported 471,000 jobs and contributed substantial revenue to the U.S. Treasury and state governments, mostly through royalties on minerals. 

Meet Native artists, learn to make corn husk dolls, and enjoy Native dance and music at the Fort Vancouver Visitor Center on November 2, 2019. This new event, hosted by the Friends of Fort Vancouver and sponsored by Pendleton, will feature regional Native artists and their works, activities for children, books, dance and music.

“November is Native American Heritage Month and this is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about Indigenous culture and art.” stated Mary Rose, Executive Director of the Friends of Fort Vancouver, “We have invited participants to show, discuss, and sell their handmade works. Also, young dancers from the Yakama Nation will perform the Swan Dance which is believed to help promote a sense of belonging and healing.”

Artists will exhibit throughout the day in the Visitor Center’s Theater. Kevin Peters: Redefining Past and Present, an exhibit by Nez Perce artist Kevin Peters, is also on exhibit at the Visitor Center’s Expressions Gallery. The Yakama Nation Swan Dancers will perform at 11:30 am at the Visitor Center.

Children are invited to make corn husk dolls at no charge throughout the day.

Join us for a fun-filled day of visiting with artists and dancers as they express their cultural heritage.

What: Native Arts Day

Where: Fort Vancouver Visitor Center, 1501 E. Evergreen Blvd. Vancouver, WA 98661

When: Saturday, November 2, 2019, 9:30 am – 4 pm. The Yakama Nation Swan Dancers will perform at 11:30 am.

Cost: Free

For Immediate Release                                        

October 15, 2019

Contact:     Mona Riesterer  
                  (503) 378-2431

Notice of Regular Meeting

The Telecommunications Policy Committee of the Board on Public Safety Standards and Training will hold a regular meeting on November 6, 2019 at 9:00 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.

1.  Introductions

2.  Approve Minutes of May 1, 2019

3.  Proposed Rule Changes for OAR 259-008-0010, 259-008-0010, 259-008-0011 and 259-008-0067: Establishing the Expiration of DPSST Public Safety Professional Certifications

Presented by Jennifer Howald

4.  Proposed Rule Changes for OAR 259-008-0015: Background Investigations

Presented by Jennifer Howald

5.  Proposed Rule Changes for OAR 259-008-0060 and 259-008-0064: First Aid & CPR 

Requirements for DPSST Telecommunicator and EMD Certifications

Presented by Jennifer Howald

6.  Proposed Rule Changes for OAR 259-0070: Criminal Justice Moral Fitness Workgroup Recommendations and Review of Comments

Presented by Jennifer Howald

7.  Administrative Closures – Emergency Medical Dispatcher

Presented by Kristen Hibberds

8.  Department Update

9.  Next Telecommunications Policy Committee Meeting TBD

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 Telecommunications Policy Committee 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.

Want to know what Veterans Day events are being held in your area, or do you want greater visibility for the event you are organizing?

The Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs is putting together its annual list of statewide Veterans Day ceremonies, parades and other special events, which is shared on ODVA's blog, social media and with news organizations across the state.

The directory includes an interactive map as well as detailed information about each event. You can check it out on the ODVA blog at https://oregondva.com/2019/10/11/2019-veterans-day-statewide-events/.

To submit an event, visit www.surveymonkey.com/r/EventSubmissions. Events will appear online with details as provided, so please ensure accuracy.

ODVA will again be hosting its annual Statewide Veterans Day Celebration at 3 p.m. Nov. 11 at the World War II Memorial on the grounds of the Oregon State Capitol in Salem.

The event will include a color guard presentation by North Salem High School JROTC, the playing of “Taps,” the pledge of allegiance and other patriotic observances. State Rep. Marty Wilde, of District 11 representing central Lane and Linn counties, will deliver the keynote address.

(Portland) – The Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace, a part of state government, today launched a window shopping website for people who need insurance or to re-enroll in insurance. The site shows what plans are available in your area and estimates how much you are likely to pay for that plan, including whether you qualify for a subsidy. The site is available at www.OregonHealthCare.gov/windowshop.

When you use Oregon’s window shop before enrolling, you will be ready to log in and enroll or re-enroll at HealthCare.gov when open enrollment starts. Open enrollment runs from Nov. 1 through Dec. 15 and is the only time of year most people can buy health insurance. In 2019, Oregonians who got subsidies paid an average of $140 per month for their coverage.

Visiting www.OregonHealthCare.gov/windowshop can help you answer these questions:

• How can I save money on health insurance?
• What would my health plan cover?
• Once I know what I can afford, what’s next?

“People who do not qualify for the Oregon Health Plan and do not get health insurance at work may qualify for a subsidy through the Marketplace,” said Chiqui Flowers, Marketplace administrator. “This tool helps get specific about costs and benefits for those Oregonians.”

###

The Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace is the state-level partner to HealthCare.gov and a division of the Department of Consumer and Business Services (DCBS). For more information, go to OregonHealthCare.gov.

(Salem) – The annual open enrollment for Medicare starts today and the Oregon Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance (SHIBA) Program in the Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace is ready to help. Medicare annual enrollment is Oct. 15 through Dec. 7.

Medicare is health insurance for people 65 years or older or younger than 65 with Social Security Disability Income. People living in Oregon who are 65 years or older may be eligible to sign up and find health insurance that best meets their needs. Medicare covers many medical costs, including visits to the doctor, prescription medications, and preventive care such as mammograms, colonoscopies, diabetes treatment, and blood pressure screenings.

Medicare annual enrollment for 2020 benefits runs through Dec. 7, 2019. Enroll in a Medicare Advantage (MA) or prescription drug plan (Part D) for the first time or make changes between these dates so coverage begins without interruption on Jan. 1, 2020. There is also an extended MA open enrollment period from Jan. 1, 2020, to March 31, 2020. You must be enrolled in an MA plan to use this extended open enrollment period to make any changes.

“Medicare Advantage and Part D plans are sold by private insurance companies that contract with Medicare,” said Lisa Emerson, Medicare (SHIBA) program analyst. “They can change their cost and coverage each year, so it’s important to do annual check-ups to make sure you have the coverage you need in 2020.”

There is a new Medicare plan finder tool this year, the first upgrade in a decade. The new plan finder is at https://www.medicare.gov/plan-compare/#/.

The finder allows users to shop and compare Medicare Advantage and Part D plans. The updated finder also provides people with Medicare coverage and their caregivers with a personalized experience through a mobile friendly and easy-to-read design that will help them learn about different options and select coverage that best meets their health needs. 

SHIBA provides free health insurance counseling to explain how the Medicare program works, more insurance options that work with Medicare, and help with reducing out-of-pocket costs. SHIBA staff members, along with more than 200 certified counselors, serve many of Oregon’s more than 860,000 Medicare beneficiaries to help them understand their Medicare benefits and enrollment options. Free information and help is available by calling 1-800-722-4134 (toll-free) or visiting shiba.oregon.gov.

SHIBA also publishes an annual Medicare guide, which is available online and will be available in print in mid-November.

SHIBA is also advising people to protect their identity by guarding their Medicare card like they would their credit card or Social Security number. Identity theft from stolen Medicare numbers is becoming more common. To protect against identity theft, don’t share your Medicare number or other personal information with anyone who contacts you by telephone or email, or approaches you in person, unless you have given that person permission in advance. Medicare will never contact you (unless you ask them to) for your Medicare number or other personal information. Also, don’t let anyone borrow or pay to use your Medicare number.

More information

SHIBA: To meet with a counselor, contact the toll-free SHIBA Helpline at 1-800-722-4134. You will be asked to enter your ZIP code to be connected to a program in your area. Visit https://healthcare.oregon.gov/shiba to find local help in your county, obtain a copy of the 2018 Oregon Guide to Medicare Health plans, and find Medicare education and enrollment events in your area.

Follow SHIBA on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/OregonSHIBA.

SHIBA is part of the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services (DCBS), Oregon’s largest business regulatory and consumer protection agency. Visit dcbs.oregon.gov. Follow DCBS on Twitter: http://twitter.com/OregonDCBS. Receive consumer help and information on topics such as insurance, mortgages, investments, and workplace safety.

(Salem) – A two-day event in Portland this week will offer employers, workers, insurers, medical providers, and others a variety of opportunities to improve their understanding of the workers’ compensation system in Oregon.

The 17th annual Workers’ Compensation Educational Conference – to be held Oct. 17-18 at the Red Lion on the River, Jantzen Beach – offers speakers and sessions on everything from Oregon’s return-to-work programs and employee leave laws to independent contractors and worker safety and health.

The Oregon Workers’ Compensation Division is presenting the conference, in coordination with the International Workers’ Compensation Foundation.

“This is a major opportunity to learn about current and emerging issues affecting the workers’ compensation system,” said Lou Savage, administrator of the Workers’ Compensation Division. “This conference will offer tools and resources to help improve processes and services that affect injured workers, employers, and others.”

On Oct. 18, Mark McMullen, Oregon’s state economist and the director of the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis, will deliver the conference’s keynote presentation. Other speakers include Dr. David Harris, of Providence Medical Center, who will address non-opioid strategies in pain management.

The event’s breakout sessions include:

• Workers’ compensation 101
• Employment law update
• Independent contractors
• National perspective on legalized marijuana
• Safety programs
• Worksite modification
• Crossing language barriers

Registration for the conference is $350 per person. For more information or to register, go to https://wcd.oregon.gov/training/conference/Pages/index.aspx

Those who are interested in attending may also contact Conference Coordinator Addy Null, 503-947-7601, or .null@oregon.gov">adeline.r.null@oregon.gov.

###

The Workers’ Compensation Division, part of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, administers and regulates laws and rules that affect participants in the Oregon workers’ compensation system, including workers, employers, insurers, claims examiners, attorneys, and medical providers. For more information, visit https://wcd.oregon.gov/Pages/index.aspx

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

An Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) adult in custody, Stephen Gregory Johnston, died the morning of October 17, 2019. Johnston was incarcerated at Snake River Correctional Institution (SRCI) in Ontario and passed away at a local hospital while on hospice. As with all in-custody deaths, the Oregon State Police have been notified. 

Johnston entered DOC custody on February 20, 2018, from Jackson County with an earliest release date of October 4, 2021. Johnston was 59 years old. Next of kin has been notified.  

DOC takes all in-custody deaths seriously. The agency is responsible for the care and custody of 14,700 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.

####

An Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) adult in custody, Robert James Hunt, died October 11, 2019. Hunt was incarcerated at Columbia River Correctional Institution (CRCI) in Portland and passed away in a local hospital. As with all in-custody deaths, the Oregon State Police have been notified. 

Hunt entered DOC custody on June 22, 2010, from Douglas County with an earliest release date of September 17, 2026. Hunt was 79 years old. Next of kin has been notified.  

DOC takes all in-custody deaths seriously. The agency is responsible for the care and custody of 14,700 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.

CRCI is a minimum-security prison that houses approximately 595 adults in custody who are within four years of release. Located in the largest metropolitan area of the state, this facility is focused on cognitive programming, alcohol and drug programming, work programs, and preparing for return to the community. CRCI has two alcohol and drug/cognitive restructuring alternative incarceration programs (AIP). Individuals who successfully complete this 180-day-in-prison program are released to the community for a 90-day transitional leave period. CRCI is located on a 26-acre site in northeast Portland and officially in opened in September 1990.

####

SALEM, Ore. - Due to scheduling challenges related to upcoming litigation, Forest Trust Land Advisory Committee Chair David Yamamoto is cancelling scheduled FTLAC meetings on October 25 and November 22.

A more than $1.5 billion tax surplus was confirmed by the Office of Economic Analysis (OEA) earlier this month, triggering a tax surplus credit, or “kicker,” for the 2018 tax year.

Instead of kicker checks, the surplus will be returned to taxpayers through a credit on their 2019 state personal income tax returns filed in 2020.

To calculate the amount of your credit, multiply your 2018 tax liability before any credits—line 22 on the 2018 Form OR-40—by 16 percent. This percentage is determined and certified by OEA. Taxpayers who claimed a credit for tax paid to another state will need to subtract the credit amount from their liability before calculating the credit.

You're eligible to claim the kicker if you filed a 2018 tax return and had tax due before credits. Even if you don't have a filing obligation for 2019, you still must file a 2019 tax return to claim your credit. There will be detailed information on how to claim your credit in the 2019 Oregon personal income tax return instructions: Form OR-40 for full-year Oregon residents, Form OR-40-P for part-year residents, and Form OR-40-N for nonresidents. Composite and fiduciary-income tax return filers are also eligible.

Keep in mind that the state may use all or part of your kicker to pay any state debt you owe, such as tax due for other years, child support, court fines, or school loans.

A What’s My Kicker? calculator will be active on Revenue’s website for personal income tax filers when filing season opens in January. To calculate your kicker, you’ll enter your name, Social Security Number, and filing status for 2018 and 2019.

Visit www.oregon.gov/dor to get tax forms, check the status of your refund, or make tax payments; call 800-356-4222 toll-free from an Oregon prefix (English or Spanish); 503-378-4988 in Salem and outside Oregon; or email questions.dor@oregon.gov. For TTY (hearing or speech impaired), call 800-886-7204.

- 30 -

NEWS RELEASE – for immediate release

Media Contact:

Ken Armstrong, Communications Manager, 503-881-2623, mstrong@state.or.us">ken.armstrong@state.or.us

Oct. 17, 2019

DSL Stevens Road property will be subject of evening public meeting in Bend on Oct. 29

SALEM, Ore. – The Oregon Department of State Lands will host a public meeting on the status of over 640 acres of state-owned property in Bend on Tuesday, Oct. 29 in Bend. The meeting will be informational but coincides with a 30-day public comment period from Oct. 17 to Nov. 15.

On Dec. 18 the State Land Board will consider moving forward with the sale of the parcel. This meeting will help inform that decision.

Stevens Road is a 643.7-acre parcel of land located southeast of the intersection of 27th Avenue and Stevens Road. The purpose of the meeting is to share with the public the current status of the parcel and possible options for the future. Part of the parcel was included in the Urban Growth Boundary expansion in 2016, a key step in bringing development to the land. Department staff will be available at the meeting to provide information and help answer questions.

Meeting date/location:

Tuesday, Oct. 29

5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Nativity Lutheran Church, Fellowship Hall

60850 Brosterhous Rd.

Bend, OR 97702

Oral testimony will not be taken at this meeting, but public comment forms will be available and comments may be submitted via email to ealproperty@dsl.state.or.us">realproperty@dsl.state.or.us, or may be submitted through DSL's web site, which also has information on the property.

About the State Land Board and the Department of State Lands: The State Land Board consists of Governor Kate Brown, Secretary of State Bev Clarno and State Treasurer Tobias Read. The Department of State Lands administers diverse natural and fiscal resources. Many of the resources generate revenue for the Common School Fund, such as state-owned rangelands and timberlands, waterway leases, estates for which no will or heirs exist, and unclaimed property. Twice a year, the agency distributes fund investment earnings to support K-12 public schools. The agency also administers Oregon’s Removal-Fill Law, which requires people removing or filling certain amounts of material in waters of the state to obtain a permit.

###

www.oregon.gov/dsl

NEWS RELEASE – for immediate release

Media Contact:

Ken Armstrong, Communications Manager, 503-881-2623, mstrong@state.or.us">ken.armstrong@state.or.us                         

Oct. 15, 2019

Informational meeting on Elliott State Research Forest is scheduled for Oct. 23 in Coos Bay

SALEM, Ore. – The Oregon Department of State Lands will host a public meeting the evening of Wednesday, Oct. 23 in Coos Bay to share information and answer questions about a possible proposal by Oregon State University to establish a research forest on the Elliott. Oregon State University will attend the meeting to help answer questions about the project.

The meeting is informational only and is not a hearing for public testimony.

In December 2018, the State Land Board directed the Department to work collaboratively with Oregon State University as it develops a plan for transforming the Elliott State Forest into a world-class research forest. The Land Board anticipates hearing the OSU proposal at its regular meeting on Dec. 18, which will be in Salem.

Meeting date/location:

Wednesday, Oct. 23

5:30 – 7 p.m.

Coos History Museum, Sprague Gallery

1210 N. Front St., Coos Bay, OR 97420

Click here for the DSL Elliott State Forest web page

Click here for the OSU Elliott State Research Forest web page

Join the Elliott State Research Forest email list! DSL will provide regular updates throughout the planning process to those who sign up for our ESRF mailing list. IMPORTANT! You must sign up for the ESRF email list separately from other DSL email lists (such as our Jordan Cove list, for example).

About the State Land Board and the Department of State Lands: The State Land Board consists of Governor Kate Brown, Secretary of State Bev Clarno and State Treasurer Tobias Read. The Department of State Lands administers diverse natural and fiscal resources. Many of the resources generate revenue for the Common School Fund, such as state-owned rangelands and timberlands, waterway leases, estates for which no will or heirs exist, and unclaimed property. Twice a year, the agency distributes fund investment earnings to support K-12 public schools. The agency also administers Oregon’s Removal-Fill Law, which requires people removing or filling certain amounts of material in waters of the state to obtain a permit.

###

www.oregon.gov/dsl

NEWS RELEASE – for immediate release

Media Contact:

Ken Armstrong, Communications Manager, 503-881-2623, mstrong@state.or.us">ken.armstrong@state.or.us                     

Oct. 15, 2019

State Land Board meeting Oct. 22 in Salem

SALEM, Ore. – The Oregon State Land Board will meet on Tuesday, Oct. 22, for its regularly scheduled meeting in Salem. The agenda includes a request to approve due-diligence documents and approval to sell industrial property in Redmond. Also on the agenda is a request for approval to initiate permanent rulemaking for recreational use restrictions on portions of state-owned lands on the Columbia River in the Portland area.

The sale of portions of DSL’s South Redmond Tract in Deschutes County, which consists of about 780 acres, was identified in the Department’s Land Use and Management Plan for the property as being well-suited for large lot industrial development. The site also is approved through the Large Lot Industrial Program to be the only site for a 200+ acre large lot industrial development in Central Oregon.

The request to initiate rulemaking on the Columbia River (including Oregon Slough and portions of Hayden Island) makes permanent the emergency restrictions enacted recently by the Department. The proposed rules will prohibit camping and campfires at these locations at all times and prohibit all activities between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.

This rulemaking effort is separate from the rulemaking process the Land Board initiated in April on the Willamette River in Eugene, and in June in response to a request from the Port of Portland to restrict overnight use on the Willamette River near Swan Island. A request for permanent rules on these properties will be before the Land Board in December.

Another agenda item is the appointment of four voting members to the Oregon Ocean Science Trust.

The meeting will be held:
Tuesday, Oct. 22

10 a.m.

State Lands Building

Land Board Room

775 Summer St. NE, Salem 97301

Meeting agenda and materials: https://www.oregon.gov/dsl/Board/Pages/SLBmeetings.aspx

To live stream the meeting, go to the State Lands YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQA7FHTWwl-gjJkQeYPJ1IA

This meeting will be held in a facility that is accessible for persons with disabilities.  If you need assistance to participate in the meeting due to a disability, please notify Arin Smith at (503) 986-5224 or in.n.smith@state.or.us">arin.n.smith@state.or.us at least two working days prior to the meeting.

Visitors are not permitted to bring backpacks, bags, or large purses into the Department of State Lands building prior to, during, or following Land Board meetings. Purses, medical bags, and diaper bags are permitted, but may be subject to inspection by the Oregon State Police.

About the State Land Board and the Department of State Lands: The State Land Board consists of Governor Kate Brown, Secretary of State Bev Clarno and State Treasurer Tobias Read. The Department of State Lands administers diverse natural and fiscal resources. Many of the resources generate revenue for the Common School Fund, such as state-owned rangelands and timberlands, waterway leases, estates for which no will or heirs exist, and unclaimed property. Twice a year, the agency distributes fund investment earnings to support K-12 public schools. The agency also administers Oregon’s Removal-Fill Law, which requires people removing or filling certain amounts of material in waters of the state to obtain a permit.

###

www.oregon.gov/dsl

Oregon’s Job Growth Cools in September  

In September, Oregon’s total nonfarm payroll employment added 200 jobs, following a loss of 900 jobs in August. Job gains have cooled recently, averaging only 100 per month over the past five months. This flat economic trend is in contrast to gains that averaged 3,000 jobs per month in all of calendar year 2018, and 4,100 jobs per month during the rapid and consistent growth Oregon experienced during the prior five-year period.

During September, some industries expanded while others contracted. Monthly gains were strongest in health care and social assistance (+2,300 jobs); wholesale trade (+1,000); and manufacturing (+400). These gains were offset by cutbacks in government ( 2,100 jobs); financial activities (-500); professional and business services (-500); and retail trade (-400).

Health care and social assistance has grown consistently for many years. Over the past 12 months the industry grew by 9,000 jobs, or 3.5 percent, with each of its components adding jobs rapidly as demand for health care services increased along with Oregon’s expanding and aging population. Since September 2018, ambulatory health care services added 2,900 jobs, social assistance added 2,400 jobs, nursing and residential care facilities added 1,800 jobs, and hospitals added 1,100 jobs.

Manufacturing continued to grow faster than Oregon’s overall economy over the past 12 months, with gains of 6,100 jobs, or 3.1 percent. Nondurable goods (+4,000 jobs, or 6.5%) and transportation equipment manufacturing (+900 jobs, or 7.4%) led manufacturing’s growth. However, construction jobs have stabilized, with little overall change in employment over the past six months.

Retail trade is down by 3,900 jobs over the past 12 months, while transportation, warehousing and utilities counterbalanced that loss with a gain of 4,100 jobs as more shopping takes place online. 

Oregon’s unemployment rate was 4.1 percent in September, essentially unchanged from 4.0 percent in August. The U.S. unemployment rate dropped to 3.5 percent in September, from 3.7 percent in August. Oregon’s unemployment rate has been between 4.0 percent and 4.4 percent for 35 consecutive months dating back to November 2016.

Next Press Releases
The Oregon Employment Department plans to release the September county and metropolitan area unemployment rates on Tuesday, October 22nd, and the next statewide unemployment rate and employment survey data for October on Wednesday, November 13th.

 
Notes: 
All numbers in the above narrative are seasonally adjusted except for the detailed industry jobs numbers within manufacturing and health care and social assistance.

The Oregon Employment Department and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) work cooperatively to develop and publish monthly Oregon payroll employment and labor force data. The estimates of monthly job gains and losses are based on a survey of businesses. The estimates of unemployment are based on a survey of households and other sources. 

The Oregon Employment Department publishes payroll employment estimates that are revised quarterly by using employment counts from employer unemployment insurance tax records. All department publications use this Official Oregon Series data unless noted otherwise. This month’s release incorporates the January, February and March 2019 tax records data. The department continues to make the original nonfarm payroll employment series available; these data are produced by the BLS.

The PDF version of the news release, including tables and graphs, can be found at www.QualityInfo.org/press-release. To obtain the data in other formats such as in Excel, visit www.QualityInfo.org, then within the top banner, select Economic Data, then choose LAUS or CES. To request the press release as a Word document, contact the person shown at the top of this press release.

For help finding jobs and training resources, visit one of the state's WorkSource Oregon centers or go to: www.WorkSourceOregon.org.

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.

October 18, 2019

Media contact: Jonathan Modie, 971-246-9139, phd.communications@dhsoha.state.or.us

OHA accepting applications for Public Health Advisory Board

The Oregon Health Authority Public Health Division is seeking applicants for the state Public Health Advisory Board (PHAB)

OHA invites applications from people who meet the following criteria:

• A public health expert in academia.
• A local public health administrator who supervises public health programs and activities in Benton, Clackamas, Deschutes, Jackson, Lane, Marion, Multnomah or Washington counties.

This position serves a four-year term that begins on Jan. 1, 2020. Board members are appointed by the Governor.

To apply, submit the following documentation to executive.appointments@oregon.gov by Dec. 1:

1. A completed executive appointment interest form, which is available on the Governor’s office website.
2. A resume or brief biographical sketch.
3. A brief statement of interest.

Information about the Public Health Advisory Board is available on the board’s webpage at http://www.healthoregon.org/phab

For more information, contact Cara Biddlecom at 971-673-2284 or a.m.biddlecom@dhsoha.state.or.us">cara.m.biddlecom@dhsoha.state.or.us.

October 17, 2019

Media contact: Saerom England, 971-239-6483, om.y.england@dhsoha.state.or.us">saerom.y.england@dhsoha.state.or.us

Regional Behavioral Health Collaborative Medical Community Collaboration Workgroup meets October 22

What: A public meeting of the Tri-County Regional Behavioral Health Collaborative Medical Community Collaboration Workgroup.

Agenda: Brainstorm and discuss content for a resource document to assist medical settings and recovery peer agencies that are adding or contemplating adding recovery peers to enhance medical responses to individuals with substance use disorders.

When: October 22, 1-4 p.m.

Where: Tabor Space, 5441 SE Belmont Street, Portland.

The Tri-County Regional Behavioral Health Collaborative brings together multiple sectors across the Portland metro area to collectively address and prevent behavioral health challenges, with a focus on peer-delivered services and substance use disorder activities that can make an impact in 12 to 24 months.

For more information, visit the RBHC websit.

# # #

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 Summer Boslaugh at 503-753-9688, 711 TTY or email .h.boslaugh@dhsoha.state.or.us">summer.h.boslaugh@dhsoha.state.or.us at least 48 hours before the meeting.

October 18, 2019

Media contact: Delia Hernández, 503-422-7179, phd.communications@dhsoha.state.or.us

Program contact: Lisa Bui, 971-673-3397, ootg.info@dhsoha.state.or.us (meeting information or accommodation

Oregon Opioid Taper Guidelines Task Force meets October 25

What: A public meeting of the Oregon Opioid Taper Guidelines Task Force.

When: October 25, 9 a.m. to noon.

Where: Portland State Office Building, Room 177, 800 NE Oregon Street, Portland.

Agenda: Welcome, taskforce purpose and outcomes, agenda review, introductions, background on formation of the task force, principles for guidelines, key components for inclusion in the guidelines, next steps and summary. There will be time for public comment at the beginning of the meeting at approximately 9:05 a.m.

For more information, please visit the Opioid Prescribing Guidelines Task Force webpage.

# # #

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 Lisa Bui at 971-673-3397, 711 TTY, ootg.info@dhsoha.state.or.us, at least 48 hours before the meeting.

October 17, 2019

OHA issues corrective action plan to Health Share of Oregon

Plan addresses OHP members' transportation problems

Salem, Ore. -- The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) has issued a corrective action plan that requires Health Share of Oregon to improve non-emergent medical transportation (NEMT) services that it provides to Oregon Health Plan (OHP) members.

Health Share of Oregon (HSO) is a coordinated care organization that serves approximately 309,000 OHP members in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties. NEMT is a core benefit of the Oregon Health Plan. Members can access these transportation services for rides to their medical, dental and behavioral health appointments.

Health Share of Oregon has been working with OHA to improve this critical service for its members. Health Share has been meeting with OHA to provide monitoring data and discuss improvements it has made in the program.

In issuing the corrective action plan, OHA found that Health Share did not provide reliable non-emergent transportation services to covered appointments and that access to care for members has been, and continues to be, disrupted.

OHP members in Health Share’s service area have notified OHA of problems they have experienced arranging transportation to non-emergency health care appointments including: transportation providers failing to pick members up for appointments or after appointments to return home, late arrivals, cancellation of rides with short notice, long call center wait times, and lack of appropriate equipment in vehicles to support members' needs. Transportation providers have complained that Health Share’s vendor, GridWorks, has not paid them for rides.

Health Share is required to provide OHA a turn-around plan within 14 days to correct the current non-compliance with NEMT contract requirements and rules. OHA recommends Health Share hire a consultant experienced in NEMT to help improve services for OHP members.

OHA is requiring Health Share to provide weekly reports that include the following performance data, which HSO began reporting Sept. 13:

• On time, late or “no shows” performance.
• Total ridership by mode.
• Total call volume.
• Average speed to answer calls.
• Call center service level.
• Average call handle time.

# # #

October 17, 2019

Contact: Pete Edlund, 503-931-8873, .m.edlund@dhsoha.state.or.us">peter.m.edlund@dhsoha.state.or.us (meeting information or accommodation)

What: The regular public meeting of the Oregon Health Authority’s CCO Metrics and Scoring Committee.

When: October 18, 9 a.m. to noon.

Where: Five Oak Building, Suite 775 Transformation Training Room, 421 SW Oak St., Portland. The public also may join remotely through a webinar at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/3895887851300669185 and listen-only conference line at 888-204-5984, access code 1277166.

Agenda: Welcome, review minutes, and general updates; public testimony; Quality Incentive Program and CCO 2.0; obesity measure update; new travel reimbursement policy; continuous enrollment for 2020; documenting reasons for 2020 measure retirement; adjourn.

For more information, please visit the committee's website at https://www.oregon.gov/oha/HPA/ANALYTICS/Pages/Metrics-Scoring-Committee.aspx.

# # #

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 Pete Edlund at 503-931-8873, 711 TTY, .m.edlund@dhsoha.state.or.us">peter.m.edlund@dhsoha.state.or.us, at least 48 hours before the meeting.

October 16, 2019

The patient reported missing Monday by Oregon State Hospital has been located. Please reference Eugene Police Department Case Number EPD 19-16811.

On Tuesday, Oct. 15, an employee of the hospital recognized the patient at Washington Jefferson Park in Eugene. The staff member called police, who took him into custody at about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. The patient is at the Lane County Jail, awaiting transport back to the hospital.

# # #

October 16, 2019

Media contact: Delia Hernández, 503-422-7179, phd.communications@dhsoha.state.or.us

Recreational use advisory issued October 16 for North Tenmile Lake

The Oregon Health Authority issued a recreational use health advisory today for North Tenmile Lake due to the presence of a cyanobacterial (harmful algae) bloom and cyanotoxins (harmful algae toxins) above recreational guideline values for human exposure. The lake is in Coos County.

People should avoid swimming and high-speed water activities, such as water skiing or power boating, in areas of the lake where blooms are identified. Although toxins are not absorbed through the skin, people who have skin sensitivities may experience a puffy red rash.

People are encouraged to visit North Tenmile Lake and enjoy activities such as fishing, camping, hiking, biking, picnicking, and bird watching. Boating is safe as long as speeds do not create excessive water spray, which could lead to inhalation risk.

Drinking water

Drinking water directly from areas of the lake affected by a bloom is especially dangerous. Toxins cannot be removed by boiling, filtering or treating water with camping-style filters. Contact campground management or the local health department with questions about water available at nearby campgrounds or day use areas.

People who are not on a well or a public water system and draw in-home water directly from an affected area are advised to use an alternative water source because not all private treatment systems are proven effective in removing cyanotoxins.

Children and pets

Children and pets are at increased risk for exposure because of their size and level of activity. People who bring their pets to a lake with areas affected by a bloom for recreation activities, regardless of whether a recreational use health advisory is in place, should take special precautions to keep them from drinking from or swimming in these areas. Dogs can also be exposed to cyanotoxins when present by licking their fur, licking cyanobacteria off rocks or eating cells from a bloom.

Fishing

Fish caught from areas where cyanobacterial blooms are present should have fat, skin and organs removed before cooking or freezing, as toxins are more likely to collect in these tissues. Fillets should also be rinsed with clean water.

Symptoms

Exposure to cyanotoxins can be serious and result in a range of symptoms, from those similar to food poisoning such as stomach cramping, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, to more serious symptoms like numbness, tingling, dizziness and shortness of breath that may require medical attention.

For health information or to report an illness, contact the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) at 971-673-0482.

Learn more here.

October 14, 2019

Media Contacts: Rebeka Gipson-King, OHA, 503-756-0366, ebeka.gipson-king@dhsoha.state.or.us">rebeka.gipson-king@dhsoha.state.or.us
Oregon State Police PIO, osppio@state.or.us

Oregon State Hospital seeks missing patient

A 33-year-old Oregon State Hospital psychiatric patient, Peace Wickham, was reported missing Monday, Oct. 14. Anyone seeing Wickham should call 911, the Oregon State Police at 800-452-7888 or OSP on their mobile device.

Wickham is not considered to be an imminent danger to himself or others. He is accused of unauthorized departure. OSP is conducting an investigation to help locate him. Wickham should not be approached.

Wickham was admitted from Lane County to the Junction City campus of Oregon State Hospital Sept. 7, 2016. Wickham was found guilty except for insanity on the charges of assault, unlawful possession of a weapon, and felon in possession of a restricted weapon.

He was last seen at approximately 12:30 p.m., on the grounds of Luther House, 1824 University St., Eugene, Oregon, where he was attending a group activity. Wickham walked away from the group and left the immediate area.

Hospital officials, who reported the missing patient to state and local law enforcement agencies, described Wickham as a male, 6 feet 2 inches tall, 255 pounds, with a shaved head and brown eyes. He has two tattoos, the state of California on his right forearm and Hawaii on his left forearm. When last seen, he was wearing a gray fleece sweat shirt, tan pants, and tan hiking shoes with rubber laces.

OSP will issue any future news releases regarding this case.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 15, 2019

CONTACT:

Nicole Stoenner

Legislative and Communications Coordinator

Oregon Housing and Community Services

(971) 707-0091, .stoenner@oregon.gov">nicole.r.stoenner@oregon.gov

State Announces Participants for the 2019-2020 Oregon Supportive Housing Institute

The Institute is the first step in implementing the $50 million Permanent Supportive Housing investment made in the 2019 Legislative Session.

SALEM, OR – Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS), in consultation with the Corporation for Supportive Housing, created the Oregon Supportive Housing Institute to provide technical assistance and training to a cohort of ten groups focused specifically on Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) development. Ten teams were selected out of the 29 applications received, demonstrating the high demand for PSH.

One of six priorities identified in Oregon’s Statewide Housing Plan, PSH provides service-enriched affordable housing to help the most vulnerable individuals and families lead more stable lives. This is a national model and best practice for serving individuals living with a serious persistent mental illness and persons experiencing chronic homelessness. PSH leads to cost savings in public systems by providing upfront intervention that creates savings downstream in the healthcare and justice systems.

“Too many of our community members are struggling to find and maintain housing,” said OHCS Director Margaret Salazar. “PSH is a proven model that changes lives to break the cycle of homelessness.  This is a first step for us to implement this model in Oregon.”

The Oregon Supportive Housing Institute will run from November to March with monthly two-day classes. Participates will receive individualized support in project planning, including a specialized supportive services plan, operating procedures, and PSH team development.  The cohort teams represent a diverse mix of urban and rural areas. The Institute provides a pathway for OHCS and partners to achieve the ambitious goal of 1000 units of PSH over the next five years to implement the Statewide Housing Plan. Participants in the Institute will receive preference when applying for PSH development funds. OHCS received $50 million in the 2019 Legislative Session for the creation of PSH homes. The Oregon Health Authority received $5.4 million for operations and supportive services.

The Ten Participants:

1. Home Forward is creating a PSH development in Portland’s Kenton neighborhood to serve chronically homeless populations.
2. Native American Youth and Family Center, working with Native American Rehabilitation Center of the Northwest, Housing Development Center, and Income Property Management Company, will create PSH homes within an existing affordable housing community in Portland’s St Johns neighborhood to serve chronically homeless populations.
3. Homes for Good Housing Agency is partnering with Lane County Health & Human Services, ShelterCare, and Quantum Residential to create PSH homes in Eugene to serve chronically homeless populations.
4. Northwest Housing Alternatives, working with Northwest Pilot Project and Income Property Management, is creating PSH homes in existing Proud Ground affordable housing in North Portland to serve seniors and chronically homeless populations.
5. NeighborWorks Umpqua, Housing Authority of Douglas County, Adapt, and United Community Action Network are working together to create a PSH development in Roseburg to serve chronically homeless populations.
6. ColumbiaCare Services, Inc., with the support of the City of Ashland, Jackson County, Housing Authority of Jackson County, and the Oregon Health Authority, is building a PSH development in Ashland to serve chronically homeless populations, particularly those living with serious mental illness.
7. Community Development Partners is working with JOIN and Guardian Management to develop new PSH homes and create PSH homes in existing affordable housing in Portland to serve chronically homeless populations.
8. Housing Authority of Clackamas County (HACC), with the support of Metro and Clackamas County, is creating PSH homes in an existing housing development in Gladstone to serve chronically homeless populations. HACC recently acquired the development.
9. Warm Springs Housing Authority and Behavioral Health Center are working together to create PSH homes in Warm Springs to serve chronically homeless populations.
10. Lake Health District is working with Klamath Housing Authority to create PSH homes in Lakeview to serve chronically homeless populations. Other community partners include Lake County Community Justice, Lake County Veterans Service Officer, and the Oregon Department of Human Services.

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Salem, OR, Oct. 16, 2019: Oregon Lottery Scoreboard, the state’s first and only, legal online sportsbook launched today – offering players myriad opportunities to wager on their favorite professional sports. A Scoreboard mobile app is available for both iOS and Android devices, and a desktop version is accessible from the Lottery website. While the iOS app is available in Apple’s App Store, Android users will download their app directly from Lottery’s website.

This is the Oregon Lottery’s first entry into online sales and gameplay with plans to add in-venue sports betting at select Oregon Lottery retail locations in 2020.

Upon online registration and verification, players may fund their accounts and set wagers on a variety of professional sports including NFL, NBA, MLS, NWSL, MLB and even NASCAR. Betting options cover a wide variety as well, including single-game wagers, parlay, live, in-game betting and more. Geolocation services ensure Oregon Lottery Scoreboard play occurs within state boundaries, and not on Tribal lands.

“This is an exciting day for Lottery, as we launch a new game and a new sales channel, “noted Director Barry Pack. “This game allows Lottery to attract new players – increasing revenue for important state programs without relying on current players to play or wager more.”

In order to ensure the highest level of security, Lottery has set the automatic identification validation to the most stringent setting. Players who input incorrect or incomplete data may be required to validate identification through a manual process to establish an account.

If you believe in the adage that there is safety in numbers, it’s time to register to participate in this annual earthquake drill.

Media is invited to Benson High School, Oct. 17, to observe the Great Oregon ShakeOut earthquake drill, a Youth Disaster Academy, and to talk to a ShakeAlert early earthquake warning subject matter expert. Representatives from the Oregon Office of Emergency Management, Portland Bureau of Emergency Management, FEMA Region X and the University of Oregon will be in attendance. 

The morning of October 17, prior to the drill at 10:17 a.m., students at Benson High School will begin a Youth Disaster Academy organized by Portland Public Schools, the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management, and Portland Fire & Rescue to learn emergency preparedness skills. The training includes hands-only CPR, an introduction to search and rescue/medical triage, small fire suppression, radio communications and an overview of local hazards. 

Also on ShakeOut day, more than 277 Neighborhood Emergency Team members in the Portland area will participate in the fifth semi-annual, city-wide emergency response exercise from 6 to 9 p.m. on the evening of the ShakeOut.

This year’s ShakeOut is happening as valuable new, early earthquake warning technology, ShakeAlert, is being developed and implemented. An early-warning system, ShakeAlert detects significant earthquakes quickly so that alerts can reach many people before shaking starts.  A ShakeAlert subject matter expert from the University of Oregon will be available to talk about ShakeAlert and its implementation in Oregon. 

WHAT:             Great Oregon ShakeOut and Youth Disaster Academy

WHEN:             October 17, 9:15-11 a.m. (ShakeOut drill takes place at 10:17 a.m., lasting approximately two minutes)

WHERE:           Benson High School (546 NE 12th Ave); please check in with front office upon arrival.

SITE CONTACT: Dan Douthit, Portland Bureau of Emergency Management, (503) 793-1650

All Oregonians are encouraged to join the ShakeOut earthquake drill at 10:17 a.m. on October 17 and to practice "Drop, Cover, and Hold On." For more information, and to register for the ShakeOut, go to: www.shakeout.org/oregon.

“Earthquakes are one of the natural hazards we face in Oregon and “The Great ShakeOut is a safe and fun way to practice what to do when seismic activity occurs,” says Althea Rizzo, geologic hazards awareness program coordinator at Oregon’s Office of Emergency Management.

Salem, Ore. - The Statewide Database Licensing Advisory Committee (SDLAC) will meet on Wednesday, October 30, 2019, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the State Library of Oregon. The agenda is included.

The SDLAC advises the State Library and the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Advisory Council on the Statewide Database Licensing Program. Committee membership represents school, public, tribal, and academic libraries. The current member list is available at: www.oregon.gov/Library/libraries/Pages/SDLAC.aspx.

Sign language interpretation will be provided for the public if requested 48 hours before the meeting; notice 72 hours before the meeting is preferred. Handouts of meeting materials may also be requested in alternate formats 72 hours before the meeting. Requests may be made to Arlene Weible at 503-378-5020.

Questions or concerns can be addressed to Arlene Weible, 503-378-5020 or lene.weible@state.or.us">arlene.weible@state.or.us.

Statewide Database Licensing Advisory Committee Meeting

State Library of Oregon – Room 103

October 30, 2019

10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Virtual meeting: https://zoom.us/j/763771777

Agenda

10:00         Welcome and housekeeping (Herren-Kenaga)

10:15         Review agenda and approve meeting minutes from Mar. 14, 2019 (Herren-Kenaga)

10:20         Review action items from last meeting and other updates (Weible)

11:00         Check in on general online encyclopedia data gathering (Gritter/Blair)

11:30         Share ideas for promotion of SDLP resources (Herren-Kenaga)

12:00         Working lunch

12:45         Requirements review – preparation for LearningExpress Library RFP (Weible)

1:45           Break

2:00           RFP Timeline and Process review (Weible)

2:45           Action Item review and schedule next meeting (Weible)

3:00           Adjourn

Salem, Ore. - The Answerland Advisory Committee (AAC) will meet on Tuesday, November 5, 2019 from 10am to 11am Pacific Time online. This is a public meeting; those who would like to attend should contact Tamara Ottum (503-378-6506 or a.ottum@state.or.us">tamara.ottum@state.or.us).

The AAC advises the State Library and the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Advisory Council on Answerland, and its membership is drawn from all areas of the state and representing the public, school, academic, and special libraries that use or provide service for Answerland. Questions or concerns can be addressed to Tamara Ottum (503-378-6506 or a.ottum@state.or.us">tamara.ottum@state.or.us).

Sign language interpretation will be provided for the public if requested 48 hours before the meeting; notice 72 hours before the meeting is preferred. Handouts of meeting materials may also be requested in alternate formats 72 hours before the meeting. Requests may be made to Tamara Ottum (503-378-6506 or a.ottum@state.or.us">tamara.ottum@state.or.us).

Answerland Advisory Committee

November 5, 2019, 10am – 11am, Online

AGENDA

10:00     Welcome new members

10:05     Review agenda, approve minutes from last meeting, and review previous action items

10:15     Coordinator’s report

10:30     Open Forum

10:40     Subgroup reports

10:55     Wrap up and action item review

11:00     Adjourn

Any person may address the Answerland Advisory Committee at this meeting on any topic.

NOTE: The times of all agenda items are approximate and subject to change.

###

The following information is in response to a media request for information regarding recent death investigations by the Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Date of death: 09/15/2019

Location: Vancouver, WA

Decedent Name: Westby, Joseph N.      

Decedent Age:  51 Yrs               

Resident of:  Vancouver, WA

The opinions listed on the death certificate are as follows:

Cause of death: Multiple Gunshot Wounds of the Torso

Manner of death: Homicide

How injury occurred: Decedent was shot by another person(s) with handgun.

Reports and records of autopsies or postmortems shall be confidential as per RCW 68.50.105. No additional information is available for release from the Medical Examiner’s Office. Refer all other inquiries to the Vancouver Police Department.

Nikki J. Costa

Operations Manager

The following information is in response to a media request for information regarding recent death investigations by the Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Date of death: 10/15/2019

Location: Vancouver, WA

Decedent Name: Chernyaev, Vladimir E.

Decedent Age:  34 Yrs               

Resident of:  Vancouver, WA

The opinions listed on the death certificate are as follows:

Cause of death: Multiple Blunt Force Injuries

Due To: Motor Vehicle Accident

Manner of death: Accident

How injury occurred: Struck by motor vehicle (car) while riding an electric scooter.

Reports and records of autopsies or postmortems shall be confidential as per RCW 68.50.105. No additional information is available for release from the Medical Examiner’s Office. Refer all other inquiries to the Vancouver Police Department.

Nikki J. Costa

Operations Manager

Vancouver, Wash. – The Clark County Finance Committee is scheduled to meet at 9:30 am Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019. The meeting is open to the public.

The meeting will be held in Conference Room 243, second floor of the Public Service Center, 1300 Franklin St.

The agenda includes discussion of the third-quarter 2019 County Finance Report.

GRESHAM, OR. – The City’s Community Enhancement Program seeks to distribute up to $47,000 in grants to organizations whose projects enhance the Gresham community. Applications are now open and will be accepted through November 29 at 5 p.m. Eligible projects include improvements to the appearance of a neighborhood, preservation of the natural environment, enhancement of public safety, recreational opportunities or those benefiting under-served populations. Examples could include park programs and events, senior programs, youth programs, 5K community run, job skills/work opportunities for the unemployed/homeless, heritage and preservation of Gresham’s history and more.

“Whatever your great project idea is, it must provide a benefit to Gresham residents,” said Joe Walsh, Senior Manager, Neighborhood Prosperity and Youth Engagement.

Eligible applicants for Community Enhancement Grants include nonprofit and charitable organizations, neighborhood associations, schools and institutions of higher learning, faith-based groups, and government advisory committees, departments and special districts.

A Community Enhancement Advisory Committee allocates the grants.

Metro’s community enhancement grants improve economic opportunities, neighborhood livability, public safety and more in areas where there is a garbage transfer facility. Gresham’s Community Enhancement Program was established in 2017 after the longtime waste collection site on Northwest Birdsdale became a solid waste franchise of Metro. Metro compensates the City by distributing $1 per ton for all solid waste collected at the station, which is then dispersed to community organizations in the form of enhancement grants.

For complete requirements and the application, visit www.GreshamOregon.gov/Community-Enhancement-Grants. Or, pick up a hard copy at City Hall, 1333 NW Eastman Parkway, Gresham.

The City of Rainier has received a grant of nearly $960 in recognition of its partnership with Comcast in the 18th Annual Comcast Cares Day. That event, which focused on the cleanup and beautification of Rainier Park, took place in May.

Comcast employees and local volunteers cleaned bathrooms and picnic shelters, refreshed landscaping, volleyball courts, and picked up garbage at the waterfront park.

“Comcast is a part of our community and we greatly appreciate their part in making Rainier a wonderful place that we proudly call ‘home’,” said Mayor Jerry Cole.

The Rainier event was one of more than 1500 such events sponsored by Comcast in two dozen countries on Comcast Cares Day in 2019. The event is again scheduled for May of 2020.

Salem, Ore. – Entrepreneurs within Salem’s growing startup business community, including its expanding creative design, technology, and food and beverage sectors, are benefitting from new startup business assistance programming made available through the City of Salem’s partnership with Oregon Entrepreneurs Network (OEN) and Launch Mid-Valley. This programming provides expertise and various resources entrepreneurs can use to help them be successful including mentoring, networking events, and soon will include startup challenge events and connections to investment opportunities.

Mentoring. The Mid-Valley’s new Venture Catalyst, Mike White, is mentoring local entrepreneurs in Salem and connecting them to people, programs, capital resources, and events.

Networking Events. Local small businesses and startups will have the opportunity to meet Mike, network with other entrepreneurs, and engage with a panel of speakers at Salem’s regular PubTalk events. The next PubTalk is Oct. 23, at 6:00 p.m., at Vagabond Brewing. More information about PubTalks and event registration is available online.

“OEN PubTalks provide excellent opportunities for us to learn from the experts and network with our Oregon peers. Whether the topic is funding, marketing, or retail strategies, the focus is always relevant to us as entrepreneurs since we tend to wear all the hats in our small business! We're seriously thrilled that the new venture catalyst Mike White is bringing more OEN events like PubTalks to Salem -- having them closer to home means we will be able to learn more, connect more, and grow more.” – Matt Kuerbis and Catharine Sutherland, Co-Owners of Hoss Soss.

Startup Challenges and Investment Opportunities. Our local Venture Catalyst is also working with partners to establish the Mid-Valley Angel Investment Fund, recruit angel investors, and soon kickoff a regular startup business challenge event.

Online Training. Online training is also available for Salem small businesses and startups. The Virtual Incubation Program (VIP), an online course that covers key entrepreneurship concepts and helps you prepare your business for growth.

More information regarding Salem’s economic development programs and business resources is available online.

# # #

Salem, Ore. – The City of Salem’s new land search tool is now LIVE. This online tool has been designed for residents, developers, and realtors to use to find out about potential vacant or underdeveloped land in the City or specific neighborhoods. The City of Salem Site Selection and Real Estate page features the new application tool.

A geographical information system (GIS) application pulls public information into a user-friendly map of Salem. The map highlights industrial and commercial zoned buildable land that has a level of vacancy, or room to be further developed, based on the size of the building or buildings and the remaining property.

Salem’s new search tool is intended to highlight possible opportunities as a starting point of due diligence in the development site consideration process and illustrate potential development opportunities within the City limits. Interested parties must still use the City’s pre-application conference and permitting process to determine the true development viability of a site.

For more information on Salem’s new online land search tool, please contact Annie Gorski, Economic Development Manager, at ksi@cityofsalem.net">agorksi@cityofsalem.net or 5043-540-2480.

# # #

Seaside, Ore. – October 17, 2019 – On Thursday October 17, 2019 at approximately 2:25 p.m., an individual walked into the Seaside Fire House located at 150 S. Lincoln Street and reported that they believe they may have found some sort of explosive device near the Turnaround. The suspicious object was wrapped in a blanket and firefighters on duty immediately asked the individual to place the object on the ground. 

The device was placed on the apron in front of the fire house and the area was immediately secured. The Oregon State Police Explosive Unit was activated shortly after 2:30 p.m. and arrived approximately two hours later. Upon arrival, technicians examined the objects and determined them to be identical commercial fuses, manufactured by Littelfuse. 

Seaside Police Chief Dave Ham commended those involved for taking precaution with the mysterious objects. “We take all of these situations seriously,” stated Ham. “The initial report was that someone believed this to an explosive device. The exposed portions gave us no reason not to take necessary precaution and keep the public, our firefighters and police officers safe.” 

A portion of Broadway between S. Roosevelt and Wahanna was closed for approximately two hours and Parent-Teacher Conferences planned for nearby Broadway Middle School were canceled for the afternoon and evening. 

In addition to the team of explosive technicians from OSP that responded from Salem, Seaside Police was supported by Seaside Fire, Gearhart Fire and the Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office. 

end of release

Vancouver, Washington – Each year, volunteers across the nation gather on the fourth Saturday of October to work towards a common goal: making a difference in their community. On Saturday, Oct. 26, the City of Vancouver and its community partners will offer several different volunteer opportunities appropriate for large or small groups and individuals of all ages.

Vancouver’s Make a Difference Day celebration is a great way to get active in the community and meet new people while you help beautify our parks, green spaces and downtown area.

Uptown Village Clean Up & Ryan Woods Grassroots Community Award Ceremony
9 a.m. to noon
1919 Main St. in Uptown Village

Ryan Woods was a strong community builder and visionary who connected new friends and built community bonds throughout the Vancouver area. To recognize and build on Ryan's vision, the City of Vancouver and partners will host a cleanup day in Uptown Village and present the 7th annual Ryan Woods Grassroots Community Award to this year’s recipient.

Following presentation of the award by Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle, volunteers will participate in an Uptown Village clean up or help spread bark dust at the Clark County Historical Museum.

“The Butt Stops Here” Public Spaces Clean Up
9 a.m. to noon
Various sites available at sign up

This project is a partnership between Clark County Public Works and Vancouver Parks and Recreation. Volunteers will sign up to volunteer at 12 different parks and public spaces in search of cigarette butts and other litter. Gloves and bags will be provided.

Tree Planting at Leverich Park with Watershed Alliance of Southwest Washington
9 a.m. to noon
Leverich Park, E. 39th Street and NE Leverich Park Way

Help plant of trees and shrubs along Burnt Bridge Creek to improve the water quality and with Watershed Alliance of Southwest Washington. Meet at the picnic shelter at Leverich Park for registration and snacks. Orientation begins at 9 a.m. Gloves, tools, and a snack will be provided.

Marine Park Beach Cleanup with the Water Resources Education Center
9 a.m. to noon
Water Resource Education Center, 4600 SE Columbia Way

Help remove trash left behind by visitors along the Columbia River beach at Marine Park. Training, gloves, tools, water and snacks will be provided. Meet in the lobby of the City’s Water Resources Education Center.

To volunteer at any of these events, please RSVP in advance at www.cityofvancouver.us/MADD.

Volunteers should be prepared for the weather and wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes. Minors will need a signed guardian consent form (available at each event or online). Volunteers should also bring gloves, reusable water bottles, hand tools and a spirit of service to the community.

For more information, visit www.cityofvancouver.us/MADD.

###

Vancouver, Washington – The City of Vancouver is seeking applicants to serve as the city’s representative on the Clark County Mosquito Control District Board of Trustees. Applications must be received by 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15.

The ten-member board of trustees is comprised of one member from each city within Clark County, and three members appointed by the Board of County Councilors. The board of trustees oversees the administration and operation of the county’s Mosquito Control District, including adopting the district’s work plan, preparing and approving expenditures, and contracting for services.

Board members are appointed to two-year terms. Applicants for this recruitment must be city residents and must be available for an interview with Vancouver City Councilmembers Wednesday, Dec. 2.

The open position is currently held by an individual whose term is expiring. This individual may or may not reapply for their position. Per Vancouver City Council policy, all incumbents who wish to reapply for their positions will be re-interviewed along with any other qualifying applicants.

Regular board of trustees meetings are held in February, May, August and November on the second Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. Meetings are held at the Mosquito Control Shop, 8115 N.E. St. Johns Road. 

To apply for this vacancy online, visit www.cityofvancouver.us/boards. To request an application or for more information, contact Michelle Bartley in the City Manager’s Office at City Hall, P.O. Box 1995, Vancouver, WA 98668-1995, artley@cityofvancouver.us">michelle.bartley@cityofvancouver.us or by calling 360-487-8607.

Visit www.clark.wa.gov/public-health/mosquito-control-district-board-trustees for more information about the board of trustees, including links to past meeting minutes and agendas, or call Kathryn Bump at Clark County Health Department at 567-397-7277.

###

Sanitary Sewage Release Advisory (this is NOT a Combined Sewer Overflow [CSO] Advisory)

(October 19, 2019) – City crews responding to a report of an odor discovered a sewage leak on an embankment near the NE 21st Avenue bridge that spans I-84. The report was made last night and crews stopped the leak today.

The area is fenced off and not readily accessible to the public.  There is a houseless camp nearby and warning signs were placed on the embankment at the location of the release and downhill to the railroad tracks that parallel Interstate 84.  While crews stopped the release, further repairs will be needed. The cause is a suspected broken pipe.

The City of Portland treats an average of 70 million gallons of wastewater each day. Over one-third of Portland’s more than 2,500 miles of sewer pipes are over 80 years old. This sewage overflow is not related to the City of Portland's combined sewer overflow control system.  

- 30 - 

The Bureau of Environmental Services provides city residents with programs to protect water quality and public health, including wastewater collection and treatment, sewer construction and maintenance, stormwater management, and stream and watershed restoration.

At the Portland Water Bureau, we prepare our water system for a disaster like an earthquake as part of our daily work. At 10:17 a.m. tomorrow, Thursday, Oct. 17, we will also prepare our workforce.

We are joining other government agencies, nonprofits, and businesses across the country by participating in the Great Shakeout. That means at 10:17 a.m., we will join thousands of Oregonians to “drop, cover and hold on” as part of Oregon’s largest earthquake drill.

We are holding a media availability from 8:30 to 9:15 a.m. tomorrow, Thursday, Oct. 17, at the Portland Water Bureau’s Interstate Facility, 664 N. Tillamook St. (at Interstate Avenue), to share with your audience how to prepare an earthquake kit by starting with water. It is recommended that each person store 14 gallons of water per person and more if you have pets. We’ll demonstrate different types of water storage containers for a variety of households.

Earthquakes are an inevitable part of our future. How we prepare will determine how we weather the challenges in the days and weeks following a major earthquake. Storing water can also help with less serious events, like the inconvenience of a water main break. As a water provider, we have an obligation to prepare. What is your household’s role in preparing for an emergency?

The Portland Water Bureau has a series of preparedness videos that can be viewed at portlandoregon.gov/water/preparedness.

The Regional Water Providers Consortium, of which Portland Water Bureau is a member, has valuable information about building your emergency kit, including the vital advice: START WITH WATER!

Audio and video files available by request. 

October 18, 2019

Suspect identified in May 22, 2019 shooting that happened in NE Portland

Today, Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill announced the filing of a nine-count indictment, which includes one count of attempted murder in the second degree with a firearm, against 18-year-old Lehzan Blake-Moore following an investigation conducted by the Portland Police Bureau’s Gun Violence Reduction Team.

This investigation started on May 22, 2019 at approximately 12 p.m. when Portland Police officers responded to the intersection of Northeast Cleveland Avenue and Northeast Mason Street on reports of a shooting. Upon arrival, officers located evidence that multiple rounds had been fired. At this point, there are no known injuries associated with the shooting.

Blake-Moore is charged with one count of attempted murder in the second degree with a firearm, one count of attempted assault in the first degree with a firearm, three counts of unlawful use of a weapon with a firearm, one count of unlawful possession of a firearm, two counts of recklessly endangering another person and one count of criminal mischief in the second degree.

According to the indictment, Blake-Moore, while in possession of a concealed firearm, unlawfully and intentionally attempted to cause serious physical injury and attempted to cause the death of another person by using the firearm in his possession; that he unlawfully and recklessly created a substantial risk of serious physical injury to another person and that he unlawfully and recklessly damaged a vehicle causing more than $500 in damage during the alleged shooting.

Law enforcement located and arrested Blake-Moore on August 19, 2019 in the 1900 block of Southeast Stark Street in Portland, Oregon. Police booked Blake-Moore into the Multnomah County Detention Center on an unrelated matter.

The grand jury returned its indictment in this case on October 16.

Blake-Moore appeared in Multnomah County Circuit Court on October 17, 2019.

An indictment is only an accusation of a crime. Blake-Moore is innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Like in all criminal and civil matters, electronic copies of court documents, which are not subject to a protective order, are available to the public through the Oregon eCourt Information (OECI) system.

No additional information can be released by the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office at this time pursuant to the Oregon Professional Rules of Conduct.

The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office works closely with the City of Portland’s Office of Youth Violence Prevention and attends the bi-weekly Community Peace Collaborative meeting, which is a coalition of law enforcement, service providers and community members who are focused on encouraging people to take a stand against gun violence.

#MCDA#

Contact: Brent Weisberg, Communications Director

Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office

Phone: 503.988.6567 | Email: rent.Weisberg@mcda.us">Brent.Weisberg@mcda.us

October 18, 2019

Man accused of assaulting a passenger while on a TriMet bus

Today, Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill announced the filing of a four-count indictment against 40-year-old Dustin Allen Wood who is accused of assaulting a passenger while on a TriMet bus.

This investigation started on October 9, 2019 when law enforcement responded to reports of a disturbance near the intersection of Southeast Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard and East Burnside Street in Portland, Oregon.

During this investigation, law enforcement learned an individual, later identified as Wood, got on the bus and immediately started yelling at the bus operator about a fare issue, according to court documents. Police spoke with the victim who said she intervened and told Wood to stop yelling at the driver.

“The next thing she knew she was bleeding all over the place and passengers were telling her she was struck with a skateboard,” according to a probable cause affidavit prepared by Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Eric Zimmerman.

The victim was transported to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center. Law enforcement learned that as a result of the alleged assault, she suffered a large and deep gash on her forehead and a swollen eye, according to court documents.

According to the indictment, Wood unlawfully and intentionally caused serious physical injury to the woman by using the skateboard as a dangerous weapon and that he unlawfully and intentionally subjected her, as a passenger, to offensive physical contact and that he unlawfully and recklessly created a risk of public inconvenience, annoyance and alarm by engaging in fighting and violent, tumultuous and threatening behavior.

Wood is charged with one count of assault in the first degree, one count of unlawful use of a weapon, and two counts of interfering with public transportation.

He is scheduled to appear in Multnomah County Circuit Court at approximately 9:30 a.m. on October 18, 2019 at the Multnomah County Justice Center, Courtroom #3.

No photos or video of this incident can be released due to the ongoing investigation.

This case is being investigated by the Transit Division Police and Portland Police Bureau.

An indictment is only an accusation of a crime. Wood is innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Like in all criminal and civil matters, electronic copies of court documents, which are not subject to a protective order, are available to the public through the Oregon eCourt Information (OECI) system.

No additional information can be released by the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office at this time pursuant to the Oregon Professional Rules of Conduct.

#MCDA#

Contact: Brent Weisberg, Communications Director

Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office

Phone: 503.988.6567 | Email: Brent.Weisberg@mcda.us

October 14, 2019

Grand Jury returns not true bill decision in July 30, 2019 fatal officer involved shooting

Today, Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill announced that upon the conclusion of the presentation of evidence, a grand jury returned a not true bill regarding the use of force by an officer assigned to the Portland Police Bureau that resulted in the death of 31-year-old Lane Christopher Martin.

The grand jury determined the use of deadly force by Portland Police Officer Gary Doran was a lawful act of self-defense and/or defense of a third person, pursuant to Oregon law.

This investigation started on July 30th, 2019 when officers assigned to the Portland Police Bureau were dispatched to a disturbance in the 200 block of Northeast 122nd Avenue in Portland, Oregon.

A copy of the information previously released in this case from the Portland Police Bureau can be obtained by clicking here.

The grand jurors who reviewed this case all reside in Multnomah County. Each grand juror was selected by Multnomah

County’s Circuit Court from the regularly scheduled jury pool. This is a process set by the Oregon Constitution.

Like in the past, the grand jury proceedings in this case were recorded, in accordance to ORS 132.260.

Pursuant to ORS.132.270, the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office will file a motion and request that the court authorize the release of a grand jury transcript for public review.

It shall be up to the Multnomah County Circuit Court Presiding Judge to determine if the motion to release the transcript will be granted.

Pursuant to the Oregon Rules of Professional Conduct, the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office has no additional comment on this matter.

#MCDA#

Contact: Brent Weisberg, Communications Director

Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office

Phone: 503.988.6567 | Email: rent.Weisberg@mcda.us">Brent.Weisberg@mcda.us

More than $3.3 million awarded to six Oregon tribes and one tribal commission

WASHINGTON—The Department of Justice announced today that it has awarded over $273.4 million in grants to improve public safety, serve victims of crime, combat violence against women and support youth programs in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

Six tribes and one tribal commission in the District of Oregon were awarded over $3.3 million in funding. Award recipients include the Burns Paiute Tribe; Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission; Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians; Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon; Coquille Indian Tribe; Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians; and the Klamath Tribes.

“Violent crime and domestic abuse in American Indian and Alaska Native communities remain at unacceptably high levels, and they demand a response that is both clear and comprehensive,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “We will continue to work closely with our tribal partners to guarantee they have the resources they need to curb violence and bring healing to the victims most profoundly affected by it.”

“These awards underscore the Justice Department’s sincere commitment to improving public safety in tribal communities throughout the U.S. Pursuing justice on behalf of tribal crime victims in Oregon remains a key focus of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. We will not stop until all tribes have the resources they need to keep their communities safe and effectively enforce the administration of justice on tribal land,” said Billy J. Williams, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

Nationwide, 236 grants were awarded to 149 American Indian tribes, Alaska Native villages and other tribal designees through the Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation, a streamlined application for tribal-specific grant programs. Of the $118 million awarded via CTAS, just over $62.6 million comes from the Office of Justice Programs, about $33.1 million from the Office on Violence Against Women and more than $23.2 million from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. A portion of the funding will support tribal youth mentoring and intervention services, help native communities implement requirements of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, and provide training and technical assistance to tribal communities. Another $5.5 million was funded by OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance to provide training and technical assistance to CTAS awardees.

The Department also announced awards and other programming totaling $167.2 million in a set-aside program to serve victims of crime. The awards are intended to help tribes develop, expand and improve services to victims by supporting programming and technical assistance. About $25.6 million of these awards were awarded under CTAS and are included in the $118 million detailed above.

CTAS funding helps tribes develop and strengthen their justice systems’ response to crime, while expanding services to meet their communities’ public safety needs. The awards cover 10 purpose areas: public safety and community policing; justice systems planning; alcohol and substance abuse; corrections and correctional alternatives; children’s justice act partnerships; services for victims of crime; violence against women; juvenile justice; violent crime reduction; and tribal youth programs.

The Department also provided $6.1 million to help tribes to comply with federal law on sex offender registration and notification, $1.7 million in separate funding to assist tribal youth and nearly $500,000 to support tribal research on missing and murdered indigenous women and children and other public safety-related topics.

Today’s announcement is part of the Justice Department’s ongoing initiative to increase engagement, coordination and action on public safety in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

A listing of today’s announced CTAS awards is available at: https://www.justice.gov/tribal/awards. A listing of all other announced tribal awards are available at: https://go.usa.gov/xVJuE.

# # #

PORTLAND, Ore.—Kristopher Ives, 33, of Portland, pleaded guilty today to fraud in connection with computers for illegally accessing the computer network and data of his former employer, Gearbox Studios, after being terminated.

According to court documents, in 2008, Ives began working as a computer programmer for Gearbox Studios, a Portland-based digital marketing agency. Ives eventually became Gearbox Studio’s lead programmer for server architecture and support, a position of trust with access to the computer networks and data of both the company and the company’s clients.

Between February and May 2015, after being terminated from his position, Ives illegally accessed Gearbox’s computers to steal and tamper with data. He used this data to attack Gearbox’s servers and various websites belonging to Gearbox customers. Ives deleted nearly 20,000 products from customer websites and changed prices for various items. Ives also stole names and credit card numbers from these Gearbox customer websites and threatened to release the information unless Gearbox made payment to a bitcoin address.

Ives faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced on January 22, 2020 before U.S. District Court Judge Michael H. Simon.

As part of the plea agreement, Ives has agreed to pay restitution to his victims as ordered by the court.

This case was investigated by the FBI’s Oregon Cybercrime Task Force and is being prosecuted by Quinn P. Harrington, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

Any public or private entity suspecting a cyber intrusion or attack should contact the FBI through the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov or by calling your nearest FBI office.

# # #

PORTLAND, Ore.—Billy J. Williams, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, announced today the indictment of three people for their roles in a complex scheme to launder proceeds from the sale of illegal narcotics by facilitating the transfer of bulk cash from Mexican drug trafficking organizations to Chinese nationals residing in the U.S.

Shefeng Su, Xinhua Li Yan, and Xiancong Su, are each charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering. Shefeng Su and Li Yan were residents of Portland during the timeframe alleged in the indictment.

According to the indictment, the defendants’ money laundering scheme was designed to remedy two separate problems: drug trafficking organizations’ inability to repatriate drug proceeds into the Mexican banking system and wealthy Chinese nationals restricted by China’s capital flight laws from transferring large sums of money held in Chinese bank accounts for use abroad.

The first group, drug traffickers, are challenged by their inability to transport U.S. currency acquired from the sale of illegal narcotics in the U.S. to Mexico while avoiding detection by law enforcement and Mexican banking regulators. Mexico’s anti-money laundering regulations limit the amount of cash deposits of U.S. dollars that Mexican financial institutions can receive. As a result, drug trafficking organizations work with professional money launderers to bundle and sell bulk U.S. dollars in order to convert them to pesos, a more readily depositable currency in Mexico.

The second group, Chinese nationals living outside China, are challenged by China’s limit on the amount of personal funds that can be transferred out of Chinese bank accounts for use in a foreign country. Currently, China limits these transfers to $50,000 per year. As a result, some Chinese nationals have a need to acquire large quantities of U.S. dollars via other means.

The defendants’ scheme facilitated the transfer of cash between these two groups. Their money laundering organization would facilitate the transfer of funds from the buyer’s Chinese bank account to another Chinese bank account held by the money laundering organization. Once the Chinese renminbi (RMB) were transferred between these bank accounts, the funds were repatriated back to Mexico and converted to pesos to complete the money laundering cycle. This scheme has been described by some as the “Chinese Underground Banking System.”

All three defendants are at-large and believed to be outside the U.S.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.

An indictment is only an accusation of a crime, and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

# # #

HILLSBORO, Ore.- On October 11, 2019, Judge Eric Butterfield sentenced Hans Robert Eaton to 82 months in prison after he was convicted of two counts of second-degree assault, two counts of felony hit and run, one count of driving under the influence of intoxicants, and one count of reckless driving. Deputy District Attorney William Stabler prosecuted the case against Mr. Eaton.

On February 18, 2019, Mr. Eaton was spotted driving erratically down Boones Ferry Road in Tualatin. Witnesses observed his vehicle weaving in and out of his lane of travel before he quickly accelerated, entered the oncoming lane and crashed head-on into a second vehicle.

After the crash, witnesses observed Mr. Eaton exit his vehicle. He then staggered around the scene and repeatedly asked others what happened. Mr. Eaton then left the scene, despite being told to remain, and entered a nearby business complex. He then climbed approximately 20 feet up a tree in an apparent effort to elude police. Police eventually located him, and he was taken into custody.

Responding officers with the Tualatin Police Department observed numerous signs of intoxication, consistent with opioid use when they interacted with Mr. Eaton at the scene. The investigation ultimately revealed Mr. Eaton had methamphetamine, morphine, hydrocodone, and marijuana in his system.

The two victims in this case were severely injured in the crash, including multiple broken bones and a brain injury.

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the work of Tualatin Police as well as that of the Washington County Crash Analysis Reconstruction Team (CART). This office would also like to commend the witnesses who assisted with the investigation.

In addition to his prison sentence, Mr. Eaton was ordered to pay more than $6,000 in restitution. Mr. Eaton has been transferred to the Oregon Department of Corrections to begin serving his sentence.

HILLSBORO, Ore.- On October 7, 2019, Brett Joseph McQuiston pleaded guilty to first-degree burglary and first-degree aggravated theft and was sentenced to five years in prison by Judge Janelle Wipper. Deputy District Attorney Katherine Glasson prosecuted the case against Mr. McQuiston.

Beaverton Police began an investigation after a series of burglaries targeting BottleDrop locations across Washington County. The first burglary took place in April of 2019. In this instance, Mr. McQuiston wore a mask and used a crowbar to commit the theft from a BottleDrop location in Beaverton. This act was captured by video surveillance cameras.

In June of 2019, Mr. McQuiston targeted a BottleDrop location in Tigard, again using a crowbar and mask to commit the burglary. This burglary was also captured on camera.

In September of 2019, Mr. McQuiston attempted to burglarize the Beaverton BottleDrop location for a second time using similar methods. This time Beaverton Police spotted him in the act, and he was apprehended after a short foot pursuit.

When questioned by detectives, Mr. McQuiston admitted to all the burglaries and said he committed the acts to fuel a gambling addiction. He also told investigators that he committed similar burglaries at BottleDrop locations in other Oregon counties. Additional charges could be brought as a result of those investigations. Video and enhanced surveillance captured detailed evidence of all his burglaries. Mr. McQuiston told investigators that he used a portion of the stolen funds to purchase a new vehicle. That vehicle was found at the scene of the Beaverton location and seized as evidence.

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the investigative work of Beaverton Police Detective Patrick Antoine. This office would also like to commend the corporate investigator with the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative for his assistance on this case.

Mr. McQuiston has been transferred to the Oregon Department of Corrections to begin serving his sentence.

OREGON CITY – Clackamas Community College is hosting its Fall Job Fair on Tuesday, Oct. 22. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Gregory Forum, 19600 Molalla Ave., Oregon City.

This event is an all-industry career fair where local employers with full-time and part-time employment and internship opportunities connect with CCC students, alumni and local job seekers. This free event is open to students, alumni and the public. 

Nearly 60 employers are participating in the Fall Job Fair representing the following industries:

• Business/business management
• Banking/financial
• Human services
• Child development
• Construction/trades
• Hotel/restaurants/ski resort
• Electronics engineering technology
• Law enforcement/corrections
• Health care (CNA, nursing, dental assistants, medical assistants and more)
• Manufacturing and production
• Automotive
• Education
• Retail

View a full list of employers and useful job seeker tips at www.clackamas.edu/careerfair. For more information, contact the CCC Career Center at 503-594-6001 or eercenter@clackamas.edu">careercenter@clackamas.edu.

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OREGON CITY – Help make a difference in higher education. The Clackamas Community College Budget Committee is seeking a new citizen representative from the Happy Valley area.

The budget committee meets each spring to deliberate on the proposed budget and approve it, before sending it to the CCC Board of Education for approval. Additional meetings may be scheduled as needed.

The budget committee includes the CCC Board of Education and seven volunteers appointed by the board for three-year terms. Budget committee members represent each of the college’s six zones. The current opening is for Zone 2 (Happy Valley). Applicants must be registered voters and reside in the zone for which they are applying. For a district map, visit www.clackamas.edu/district-map.

Applications must be received by Nov. 8. For an application or more information, visit http://www.clackamas.edu/about-us/leadership/budget. For questions, contact Denice Bailey at 503-594-3002 or email ailey@clackamas.edu">denice.bailey@clackamas.edu.

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OREGON CITY – Clackamas Community College was awarded a $2.2-million Strengthening Institutions Grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The grant is highly competitive among higher education institutions, and CCC earned a nearly perfect score of 105.7 out of 106.

The Strengthening Institutions Grant helps colleges expand their ability to serve low-income students “by providing funds to improve and strengthen the institution’s academic quality, institutional management and fiscal stability,” according to the U.S. Department of Education.

The five-year grant will empower CCC to expand its guided pathways model, which the college is in the process of implementing. Guided pathways is a movement that will change how students experience their educational journey and successfully meet their goals. It’s a strategy that gets students on a path, helps them stay on the path and complete the path. This college-wide approach will help students reach their goals while saving both time and money.

“This grant will enhance how students navigate the college system from their first term of college all the way through graduation,” CCC President Tim Cook said. “We know firsthand that students who receive support navigating college early on are more likely to be successful.”  

Using grant funding, the college will hire “navigators” to assist students from the time they express interest in CCC through the end of their first term. A peer assistant program will be revitalized to support services to first-term students. Weekly workshops will help students learn about and navigate CCC. The college will also scale up its First-Year Experience (FYE) course, which is a critical course where students learn how to take notes, plan their education, reach their career goals, discover college resources, create financial plans and build relationships. These program components will increase retention and completion rates, allowing the college to grow student success.

As part of the grant, the college intends to hire several personnel, including a project director, a lead navigator, two navigators, a peer assistant coordinator (part-time), a career services coach (part-time) and provide release time for faculty planning to teach FYE courses. These positions will be spread across the five years.

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WASHINGTON COUNTY, Ore. – Two Portland Community College math instructors have developed a new formula for how their students learn.

Jessica Bernards and Wendy Fresh have taken a national learning model called the “Flipped Classroom” to a whole new level. Students go online outside of class at MyMathLab to watch short videos of lectures created by the instructors that contain embedded introductory questions. Working at their own pace, students can pause and rewind the lectures, filling in corresponding video notes as they go.

The Rock Creek Campus instructors said this helps students stay organized, remain engaged and develop a valuable resource for studying. Having identified the prerequisite skills needed for each section, the instructors provide links to outside resources within the video notes for students to use as needed.

Then, students attend class not to listen to the instructor lecture for hours and hours, but tackle harder problems under their teacher’s guidance. For the first hour of class the instructors organize fun activities designed to accelerate learning and provide opportunities for students to work out common misconceptions of the topics (think puzzles, math jeopardy, station mazes and Kahoot!). In the second hour, they engage in higher-level problem solving, or the “homework,” individually. This way, as they’re working on their own, they have the immediate support from their instructor and classmates.

“We took this model and put it on steroids,” said Bernards, who teaches a hybrid model where students meet once a week. “We are seeing more students coming from a variety of different backgrounds and with varying responsibilities outside of school. I think this model levels the playing field.”

In the end, the students have the ability to ask for help without having to schedule office hours with their instructor or wait for pauses in long lectures.

“Everyone brings value to the class and just because you’re struggling doesn’t mean you are the only one,” said Bernards, who travels the country with Fresh to talk about their approach. “It’s amazing how close the class gets. It creates an inclusive environment where everyone feels part of the team and they all can learn something from each other.”

Fresh added, “It makes it so math isn’t this scary thing anymore.”

Both instructors have been attending national conferences the past six years learning about the “Flipped Classroom” model at other colleges and universities. They hope to advise more and more PCC instructors on possibly adapting the model to their classrooms.

But does it work? Both of these foundational math classes have some of the biggest fail and withdrawal rates at PCC. However, since 2017 when the “Flipped Classroom” was integrated at Rock Creek, the number of Math 111 students earning A’s grew by 27 percent and pass rates improved by 10 percent. In Fresh’s course, the number of A’s increased by 47 percent while those passing the material grew by 24 percent.

“It was really hard to go back to school with a baby at home,” said Beaverton’s Nabaa Aldebi, a Math 111 graduate who took the course after returning to college after an extended break. “But it was amazing to have the videos available to watch. They helped me get through the course, which refreshed what I had forgotten since high school.”

The success of the completion rates isn’t hard to figure, Fresh said. With more engagement in class, students like Aldebi are able to learn efficiently and effectively.

“In the past it would just be us instructors up front with a monitor and we talk, talk and talk,” Fresh said. “We would try to answer questions, but it was hard when you had so much material to get through. This model allows us to walk around, answer questions and provide support when they need it. 

“We know the classes’ success wasn’t a fluke,” she added.

About Portland Community College: Portland Community College is the largest post-secondary institution in Oregon and provides training, degree and certificate completion, and lifelong learning to more than 70,000 full- and part-time students in Multnomah, Washington, Yamhill, Clackamas, and Columbia counties. PCC has four comprehensive campuses, eight education centers or areas served, and approximately 200 community locations in the Portland metropolitan area. The PCC district encompasses a 1,500-square-mile area in northwest Oregon and offers two-year degrees, one-year certificate programs, short-term training, alternative education, pre-college courses and life-long learning.

Visit PCC news on the web at http://news.pcc.edu/

VANCOUVER, Wash. – John Barber, professor in the Creative Media and Digital Culture program at WSU Vancouver, will direct a live radio drama, “Halloween Fright Night,” at the Kiggins Theatre in downtown Vancouver on Oct. 30, the night before Halloween. Featuring local voice actors and sound artists, the radio drama will be performed once only. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the performance begins at 7 p.m.

“Halloween Fright Night” samples episodes from the popular fright and horror Old Time Radio dramas “Lights Out,” “Quiet, Please!,” and “Suspense,” all from the 1930s and 1940s. The performance is part of Re-Imagined Radio, a project led by Barber that provides live re-creations of radio dramas.

“We plan five acts,” said Barber, “each designed to send a delicious shiver of fright up one's spine. It is, after all, the night before Halloween.”

Tickets are available for $10 in advance online at kigginstheatre.com, or for $12 at the door the night of the performance. Concessions, beer and wine will be available for purchase before and during the show.

Re-Imagined Radio is a partnership among Barber; Kiggins Theatre; KXRW Radio, which streams the performance via the internet; Metropolitan Performing Arts, which provides the voice actors; and the Creative Media and Digital Culture Program at WSU Vancouver.

Future performances are planned for Nov. 27: "In Flight with D. B. Cooper," about the local legend who jumped from the rear of a hijacked passenger airplane on Nov. 27, 1971, never to be seen or heard from again; December, "A Christmas Carol”; January: "The Maltese Falcon”; February: a celebration of Valentine’s Day; and April: a celebration of Earth and Earth Day.

About the collaborators

The Kiggins Theatre has been a landmark in downtown Vancouver since 1936. It is owned and operated by WSU alumnus Dan Wyatt, Jr. Metropolitan Performing Arts is a nonprofit organization providing performing theater arts education and community theater for Southwest Washington.

KXRW-FM Radio is an independent, volunteer-based, Vancouver radio station dedicated to delivering quality programming and community building in Southwest Washington and beyond.

About WSU Vancouver

As one of six campuses of the Washington State University system, WSU Vancouver offers big-school resources in a small-school environment. The university provides affordable, high-quality baccalaureate- and graduate-level education to benefit the people and communities it serves. As the only four-year research university in Southwest Washington, WSU Vancouver helps drive economic growth through relationships with local businesses and industries, schools and nonprofit organizations. 

# # #

Dr. Fraser Horn ’00, OD ’04 will be appointed interim dean of the Pacific University College of Optometry.

Dr. Horn started his Pacific career as an undergraduate studying biology before earning his doctor of optometry in the College of Optometry. He later completed a residency in primary care and ocular disease at Perry Point VAMHSC in Maryland.

In 2005, he joined the faculty at Pacific, where he has also served as director of Pacific EyeClinics in Washington County (2007-2012) and is currently associate dean of academic programs. He has been voted Clinical Faculty of the Year by optometry students three times and won the Pacific University Junior Faculty Development Award in 2009.

Dr. Horn is an expert in sports vision, presenting and publishing extensively on advances in the field. He has led the College of Optometry’s Sports Vision Club in offering screenings to Pacific athletes and serves as part of Boxer Athletics’ sports medicine team as team optometrist.

Dr. Horn has also practiced as an optometrist at several clinics throughout the Portland area and served as a consultant for Nike. He currently co-owns his own business, Sports Vision Pros, which focuses on the intersection of vision and athletic performance.

He is a Fellow in the American Academy of Optometry and Diplomate of the American Board of Optometry. He is active in the work of the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry, Oregon Optometric Physicians Academy, and American Optometric Association. He also is past chair of the AOA Sport Vision Section.

Dr. Horn has been appointed to a two-year position as interim dean of the College of Optometry, effective Nov. 23. He succeeds Dr. Jenny Coyle ’90, OD ’93, MS ’00, as she takes on a new role as dean of the Southern California College of Optometry at Marshall B. Ketchum University.

Happy Thursday from Pacific University, where we're preparing to welcome alumni back to the Forest Grove Campus for Homecoming weekend.

Here's some recent news from the university:

Pacific welcomes alumni for Homecoming this weekend

Ian Falconer named football coach beginning in 2020 

Pacific extends Master of Social Work program to Forest Grove Campus

For freshman Jess Beck, college is a challenging ride

Here's a sampling of what's happening at Pacific over the next couple of weeks:

Ghost Net Landscape Exhibit
Oct. 17 - 31, 1 - 5 p.m. | Scott Hall, Cawein Gallery

Orlando by Sarah Ruhl 
Oct. 17, 7:30 p.m. through Oct. 20, 2 p.m.  
Tom Miles Theatre

Homecoming 2019
Oct. 18-19 | Forest Grove

Volleyball vs George Fox University
Oct. 18, 7 p.m. | Stoller Center

Athletic Hall of Fame Ceremony
Oct. 18, 7:30 p.m. | Forest Grove

Boxer Nation Celebration
Oct. 19, 10 a.m. | Forest Grove, Parking Lots, Lot M

Football vs. Lewis & Clark College
Oct. 19, 1 p.m. | Hanson Stadium

Wine Tasting to Promote Gender Equity
Oct. 19, 7 p.m. | Urban Decanter

Women's Soccer vs Lewis & Clark College
Oct. 20, 2019, Noon to 2 p.m. | Hanson Stadium

First Day of 2nd Half-Semester (UG)
Oct. 21, All Day | Forest Grove                     

Gay Skate
Oct. 21, 7 to 9 p.m. | SE Portland

A Conversation: What Does it Mean to be an American?
Oct. 22, 11:30 a.m. | University Center

College of Health Professions Interprofessional Case Conferences
Oct. 23, 12:15 to 1:15 p.m.
  

— pacificu.edu —

Pacific University is a diverse learning community, where students thrive in a personal academic environment. Students study in a unique combination of undergraduate, graduate and professional programs in the liberal arts and sciences, business, education, health professions and optometry. Located in Oregon, Pacific serves a diverse population of more than 3,900 students, with campuses in Forest Grove, Hillsboro, Eugene and Woodburn, as well as healthcare clinics throughout the Portland area. Pacific is currently ranked the No. 1 private research university in the Pacific Northwest and is also committed to civic engagement, sustainability and interprofessional education as part of its core teaching philosophy.

Pacific University will extend a portion of its master of social work program to the Forest Grove Campus standing in Fall 2020.

Pacific opened its MSW program at its Eugene Campus in 2014 with a two-year traditional route or a one-year advanced standing route for students who already hold a bachelor of social work degree. Both programs will continue in Eugene, while the advanced standing route also will be available in Forest Grove.

The Master in Social Work Advanced Standing program will make it possible for students with bachelor’s degrees in social work to earn their MSW in just nine months. Students will attend classes two days a week for the new program on the Forest Grove Campus, and field placements will be in the Portland Metro area. Students may also apply to Pacific’s full, two-year MSW in Eugene.

Students who completed their bachelor's degree in social work more than five years before applying to the MSW program must demonstrate that they have engaged in continuing education and professional social work practice during a majority of the years since their undergraduate education. A bachelor’s degree in social work does not guarantee applicants admission to Pacific’s MSW program. 

Please contact Assistant Director of Graduate and Professional Admissions Sara Summers at s@pacificu.edu">ssummers@pacificu.edu for further information and application materials. To meet Pacific’s early decision deadline, applications should be submitted prior to Dec. 13. The final application deadline is March 6, 2020.

Pacific will host an information session about the new program on Oct. 16 in the Washburne University Center, Lounge 204, in Forest Grove from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

— pacificu.edu —

Pacific University is a diverse learning community, where students thrive in a personal academic environment. Students study in a unique combination of undergraduate, graduate and professional programs in the liberal arts and sciences, business, education, health professions and optometry. Located in Oregon, Pacific serves a diverse population of more than 3,900 students, with campuses in Forest Grove, Hillsboro, Eugene and Woodburn, as well as healthcare clinics throughout the Portland area. Pacific is currently ranked the No. 1 private research university in the Pacific Northwest and is also committed to civic engagement, sustainability and interprofessional education as part of its core teaching philosophy.

FOREST GROVE, Ore. — It’s an especially big weekend for Pacific University’s Class of 1969, which is this year’s Golden Guard class, but it’s a meaningful occasion for all Boxer alumni. Attendees will range from those who graduated during the Eisenhower presidency all the way up to the present year.

You’ll see the popcorn pop, the photos flash, the cotton candy spin and kids having fun at the annual Boxer Nation Celebration beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19 and running through halftime of the football game against Lewis & Clark College. The football game starts at 1 p.m. Saturday in Hanson Stadium. 

Also on Homecoming Weekend, the volleyball team hosts George Fox University at 7 p.m. Friday, and the women’s soccer team hosts Lewis & Clark at noon on Sunday.

The Athletics Department will induct new members into the Athletic Hall of Fame, including softball pitcher Miranda (McNealy) Yancy ’10, track and field middle-distance runner Patrick McKeethen ’76, former head baseball coach Greg Bradley, and the complete 1991-1992 women’s basketball team. The induction ceremony is free, but registration is required.

Students and parents can meet the deans of the College of Arts & Sciences, College of Business and College of Education on Friday, Oct. 18 at 5:30 p.m., and they can have breakfast and conversation with Pacific’s president, Lesley Hallick, at 8 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 19.

See the complete schedule of Homecoming events.

— pacificu.edu —

Pacific University is a diverse learning community, where students thrive in a personal academic environment. Students study in a unique combination of undergraduate, graduate and professional programs in the liberal arts and sciences, business, education, health professions and optometry. Located in Oregon, Pacific serves a diverse population of more than 3,900 students, with campuses in Forest Grove, Hillsboro, Eugene and Woodburn, as well as healthcare clinics throughout the Portland area. Pacific is currently ranked the No. 1 private research university in the Pacific Northwest and is also committed to civic engagement, sustainability and interprofessional education as part of its core teaching philosophy.

Celebration includes tour of new school

The new North Gresham Elementary School's Dedication Ceremony is scheduled to take place Tuesday, October 15, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm.

The event will include a performance by the school choir, guest speakers, and self-guided tours of the new building.

Construction of the new North Gresham Elementary School was funded by the 2016 school bond. It opened to students this fall.

The new facility replaces the old North Gresham campus, which was built in 1960.

Building features:

-73,500 square feet and 30 new classrooms

-Technology upgrades such as 70-inch interactive flat panel touch screens in classrooms

-Modern, secure vestibule entrance to increase school safety and internally locking classroom doors

-Gymnasium with full-sized basketball court

-New cafeteria and library designed to maximize natural light

-New music room built on stage wth movable wall that allows performances with audiences seated in gymnasium

More information about North Gresham Elementary School and the many other projects funded by the 2016 school bond can be found at: www.gresham-barlowbond.org.

The Parkrose Board of Education of School District No. 3, Multnomah County, Oregon, will convene in an Executive & Special Session Meeting on Monday, October 21, 2019 in the Boardroom at the Parkrose District Office located at 10636 NE Prescott St., Portland, Oregon at the hour of 6:30pm. The board will recess into Executive Session under ORS 192.660(2)(i) Superintendent Evaluation. The agenda is posted on the Parkrose School District Website at https://v3.boardbook.org/Public/PublicItemDownload.aspx?mk=50353224&fn=agenda.pdf.

Latinx students increase graduation readiness by 7 percentage points

October 18, 2019, Hillsboro, OR - State report cards for the 2018-19 school year show that more ninth graders are on-track to graduate in the Hillsboro School District than ever before. The District’s average is 92%, up 3 percentage points from the 2017-18 school year and besting the state’s average by 7 percentage points; and the number of Hispanic/Latinx students is 88%, up 7 percentage points from 2017-18. 

Ninth grade on track measures how many students have earned at least one-quarter of their graduation credits (6) in their 9th grade year and is a key indicator for on-time graduation. 

Assistant Superintendent of Schools Dayle Spitzer credits many factors for the increase: “We have a sophisticated in-house data system that allows us to track students who may be falling behind, or who are at risk for falling behind, and intervene before that happens. Our administrative team, counselors, and graduation coaches all work together to ensure students have the supports and opportunities they need to be successful.

In addition, we are being more purposeful at the 8th grade level to identify students who may struggle with the transition to high school and are providing them with tools, insights, and experiences to better prepare them.”

Spitzer continues: “This year, one of our strategic plan goals is to maintain a 90%+ on-track rate for all students in tenth grade. There are currently many supports in place for our ninth and twelfth graders, and we need to ensure that our tenth graders are remaining on track so they do not find themselves in a situation where they are behind in credits and needing to make them up as they enter their final two years of high school.”

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Hillsboro – Northwest Regional Education Service District’s Ninth Grade Success Network has been recognized for the work it is doing to improve educational outcomes in northwest Oregon.

In early October, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching selected the network - which focuses on improving the numbers of students on track to graduate by the end of their first year of high school - to participate in its 2019 Spotlight on Quality in Continuous Improvement Program. In its invitation letter, the foundation wrote that it has received many applicants but could only select three recipients for this honor.

“We are thrilled to honor the exemplary efforts of the Northwest Regional Education Service District and share out into the education field practical lessons from their efforts,” says Anthony Bryk, President of the Carnegie Foundation.

“NWRESD’s ability to use improvement science methods to make measurable improvement on ninth grade on-track rates at a large scale, especially within the context of supporting deeper learning to advance equitable outcomes for every student, can serve as a model for the many other districts working to do the same.”

As part of the recognition, two leaders of the Ninth Grade Success Team at NWRESD will travel to Washington, D.C. for the Carnegie Foundation’s Spotlight on Quality Symposium. The event will be held Nov. 21 at the National Press Club. Additionally, two staff members will also be invited to attend the Carnegie Foundation’s Summit on Improvement Education to be held April 1-3 in San Francisco. 

Ninth Grade Success Team members include Professional Learning Specialists Kimberley Ednie, Daniel Ramirez and Laura Kanter Fellows and Education Research and Data Specialist Wylie Wan. 

“Our team has spent the past two years working side-by-side with educators in our region to develop systems and adult practices to ensure ninth graders experience school as a place focused on culturally sustaining work and deeper learning,” says Erin Lolich, Director of Professional Learning. “I'm so proud of their work and its impact on our region's students.”

NWRESD’s Professional Learning Networks began in 2016 to support educators across the 20-district region through sustained, team-based professional learning. It now includes nine staff members who focus on improving early learning outcomes, school climate and culture, and college and career readiness. 

The network follows a continuous improvement model, which takes a user-centered and problem-centered approach to improving teaching and learning. Educators and student participants are encouraged to identify a problem and then deploy rapid tests of change to develop, revise and fine tune tools, processes, roles and relationships to solve that problem. There are currently 56 school teams participating in the networks. Nine are focused on early learning, 16 are focused on school climate and culture and 31 are focused on ninth grade success.  

Since 2015-16, ninth grade on track rates in the region have risen across the board. For example, in 2017-18 75% of Latinx ninth graders were on track to graduate, meaning they had completed at least six credits before the start of sophomore year. The 2018-19 rate for Latinx students was 82%, an increase of 7%. 

“Our region is making a difference in educational outcomes by using a multi-year approach in which school teams learn with and from one another and centering student experiences, especially historically underserved students,” says Lolich.

Northwest Regional Education Service District is the largest of Oregon’s 19 education service districts. It serves 20 school districts in Clatsop, Columbia, Tillamook and Washington counties. These school districts serve nearly 104,000 students. Through state funding, contracts, and private and public grants, the agency provides a wide range of special education and specialized services to students in the region. Depending on need, children receive services from birth to age 21. Services include early intervention and early childhood special education; K-12 special education; instructional and school improvement programs for students, educators, child care providers and community members; outdoor school; dual-credit, GED and online educational options; and technology, administrative and business services.

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching is committed to developing networks of ideas, individuals, and institutions to advance teaching and learning. We join together scholars, practitioners, and designers in new ways to solve problems of educational practice. Toward this end, we work to integrate the discipline of improvement science into education with the goal of building the field’s capacity to improve.

Hillsboro – Northwest Regional Child Care Resource and Referral and Northwest Early Learning Hub, partner programs of Northwest Regional Education Service District, are sponsoring four free screenings of No Small Matter, a 2018 documentary about the importance of early childhood education. 

The purpose of these events it to help promote the importance of birth to age 5 education in Clatsop, Columbia and Tillamook counties. There are not currently enough child care providers in these counties to meet the need, so parents are often left with sub-par or patchwork options.

The screenings will take place this month in St. Helens, Astoria, Clatskanie and Tillamook.

Showing information (all screenings are from 6-8:30 p.m.) is below. Discussions will follow every screening.

• Wednesday, Oct. 16: The Columbia Center (375 S 18th St. A St. Helens, OR 97051)

• Thursday, Oct. 17: Clatskanie People’s Utility District (495 E Columbia River Hwy Clatskanie, OR 97016)

• Thursday, Oct. 24: Port of Tillamook Bay (4000 Blimp Blvd Tillamook OR 97141)

• Wednesday, Oct. 30: Clatsop County Community College (Room 219, 1651 Lexington Ave Astoria, OR 97103)

Information about the film from the producers

No Small Matter is the first feature documentary to explore the most overlooked, underestimated and powerful force for change in America today: early childhood education. Through poignant stories and surprising humor, the film lays out the overwhelming evidence for the importance of the first five years and reveals how our failure to act on that evidence has resulted in an everyday crisis for American families and a slow-motion catastrophe for the country. See the full press kit >>

Northwest Regional Education Service District is the largest of Oregon’s 19 education service districts. It serves 20 school districts in Clatsop, Columbia, Tillamook and Washington counties. These school districts serve nearly 104,000 students. Through state funding, contracts, and private and public grants, the agency provides a wide range of special education and specialized services to students in the region. Depending on need, children receive services from birth to age 21. Services include early intervention and early childhood special education; K-12 special education; instructional and school improvement programs for students, educators, child care providers and community members; outdoor school; dual-credit, GED and online educational options; and technology, administrative and business services.

Canby High School students are working to build an inclusive, positive school climate through a fundraiser that tackles hate and negativity. Students will take part in a “Smash the Hate” fundraiser next week.

Next week, Leadership students will spray paint negative words on a car. Students have been voting this week on which negative words and phrases to include. Once the painting is complete, students will have an opportunity to swing a sledgehammer at the car to “smash the hate.” They’ll pay a small fee to take a swing at the car. The proceeds will benefit Canby High School. 

“The symbolism behind this is that we are collecting all those negatives, putting them on the car, smashing the car, then sending the negatives away,” explained JD Bellum, CHS Leadership teacher. “Then all that is left come the following Monday is a positive school climate because we sent that hate away.”

The media is invited to campus on Tuesday, October 22, 2019 at 11:15 a.m. to get video of this visual fundraiser. Several students will also be available for interviews. Please contact a@canby.k12.or.us?subject=Smash%20the%20Hate%20Media%20Confirmation">Autumn Foster to confirm your attendance at this media availability. All press must sign in and be escorted while on campus. HD video can be provided upon request.

LAKE OSWEGO – Oct. 14, 2019 – The Lake Oswego School District is pleased to announce the appointment of Mary Kay Larson as the new director of communications. Mary Kay has served as executive director for the Lake Oswego Schools Foundation since 2016.  

As director of communications, Mary Kay is responsible for districtwide communications and community engagement initiatives. Whitney Woolf, who has served on the Foundation staff and board of directors for the past several years, is taking over management of the Foundation as interim executive director.

“Mary Kay’s leadership, communication and community-building talents are evident in her work with the Foundation,” said Lora de la Cruz, superintendent, Lake Oswego School District. “She understands and cares greatly about our entire community. I am thrilled to expand her trusted insights and expertise on our administrative team.”

Mary Kay brings with her more than a decade of professional public relations experience, leading clients such as Hewlett-Packard, Network Associates, Chevron and Children’s World Learning Centers through corporate and crisis communications, as well as brand-building efforts. She also brings a decade of volunteer leadership including serving on bond development, levy campaign and boundary committees for Lake Oswego schools, and parent club, school advisory and art literacy for Hallinan Elementary.  Over the years and in all positions, Mary Kay has been recognized as an effective leader with strong communication skills who is a natural community builder.

Mary Kay grew up in the California Bay Area and received her Bachelor of Science in journalism from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. 

Mary Kay was selected for her new position following a competitive interview process from a strong pool of applicants. She succeeds Christine Moses, who resigned from the position in September 2019.

                                                                           Budget Committee Applications

                                                                                         Filing deadlines

For Immediate Release

October 18, 2019

Contact:    Melissa Wolfer, Business Manager

Gervais School District

503?792?3801 ext. 5020

Gervais School District will be taking applications for two three?year positions on the Gervais School District Budget Committee. Applications can be obtained at any Gervais School or at the District Office. The District Office is located at 290A First Street, Gervais, Oregon.

Applications are due at the District Office on November 11, 2019 at 4:00 p.m. or until filled. Applicants must be registered voters and residents of the district. For more information please contact the district office at

503?792?3803.

The School Board will review names and applications, have each prospective committee member tell about themselves and then appoint those positions at the November 21, 2019 School Board meeting.

A pre?budget meeting will be scheduled in March to familiarize new budget committee members with the budget process. The budget message will be given on April 30, 2020 with subsequent meetings held as needed until a budget is approved by June 18, 2020.

Gervais School District is an equal opportunity educator and employer. El Distrito Escolar de Gervais es una empresa educadora de oportunidad igual.

Battle Ground Public Schools invites the community to get an inside look at our schools on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2019. On the Discover BGPS tour, guests will engage with staff and students, explore classrooms and programs, and witness learning at Prairie High and Pleasant Valley primary and middle schools. School bus transportation and lunch will be provided free of charge.

Highlights include:

• Math and art lessons at Pleasant Valley
• A classroom for students who require special services
• Career and Technical Education at Prairie High School
• Social emotional learning
• Mark the occasion of Prairie High School's 40th anniversary

The tour will begin and end in the media center at Prairie High School, 11311 NE 119th St., Vancouver. Check-in starts at 8:15 a.m. The tour is from 8:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. At Prairie, guests will have the option of enjoying a student musical performance and delicious lunch prepared by culinary arts students.

Everyone is welcome, but space is limited. Advance registration is required. Call 360-885-5338 or sign up online by Nov. 5 to reserve a spot.

Prairie High School Drama presents the musical comedy whodunit “Curtains” beginning Nov. 1. It’s the brassy, bright, and promising year of 1959. Boston’s Colonial Theatre is host to the opening night performance of a new musical. When the leading lady mysteriously dies on stage, the entire cast and crew are suspects. Enter a local detective, who just happens to be a musical theatre fan!

Packed with glorious tunes and a witty, charming script filled with delightful characters, “Curtains” is a hilarious journey for both performers and the audience. The Broadway production garnered 8 nominations at the 2007 Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

Performances will be at Prairie High School, 11311 NE 119th St., Vancouver. Tickets can be purchased online at www.prairiedramaclub.com and cost $5 for students, $10 for senior citizens, and $12 for adults.

The performance dates and times are:

• Friday, November 1 at 7:00 p.m.
• Saturday, November 2 at 1:00 p.m.
• Saturday, November 2 at 7:00 p.m.
• Friday, November 8 at 7:00 p.m.
• Saturday, November 9 at 1:00 p.m.
• Saturday, November 9 at 7:00 p.m.

VANCOUVER, Wash., Oct. 17, 2019 – The vast majority of opioid misuse - 75 percent - starts with individuals using medication that wasn’t prescribed for them. Further, the drugs that are most commonly misused by teens and adults frequently come from family and friends’ home medicine cabinets. To combat this issue, several Southwest Washington community prevention coalitions are holding drug take back events on Saturday, October 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in locations across Clark and Klickitat Counties.

Community members are encouraged to bring their unused and expired prescriptions and over-the-counter medications for safe and free disposal to any one of the six event sites below.

Drug Take Back Event locations:
Clark County

• PeaceHealth Southwest Urgent Care, 33rd & Main (South Back Lot), Vancouver
• Kaiser Permanente Cascade Park, 12607 SE Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver
• Battle Ground Police Department, 507 SW 1st St., Battle Ground
• Washougal Silver Star Search & Rescue, 1220 A St., Washougal
• Cowlitz Public Safety Department, 31501 NW 31st Ave., Ridgefield (La Center Exit I-5, south of ilani Casino)

Klickitat County

• Klickitat Valley Health, 310 South Roosevelt, Goldendale

Prescription and over-the-counter medications including pills, liquids and inhalers will be accepted. Medications may remain in original containers and labels do not need to be removed. Medications not in original containers will also be accepted. 

Sharps and syringes
Please note that sharps and syringes will only be accepted at Kaiser Permanente Cascade Park and PeaceHealth Southwest Urgent Care.

Proper drug disposal is also an environmental issue. Unused medications can contaminate our drinking water and should not be flushed down the toilet or put in the trash. Drug take back programs dispose of medications properly and safely through the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Drug take back events in 2018 collected more than 8,300 pounds of unused and unwanted medications from nearly 3,000 individuals in Southwest Washington. This year, numerous coalition and nonprofit partners, as well as county health and law enforcement officials and DEA officials will be on hand to assist with safely disposing of unwanted medications.

Medicine take back events in Southwest Washington are funded in partnership with the Washington State Health Care Authority. Medicine take back programs are the only secure and environmentally sound way to dispose of leftover and expired prescription and over-the-counter medication. Thank you for taking part in keeping our community and environment safe and healthy. This event/activity is not sponsored or endorsed by local school districts.

For more information, visit bit.ly/DrugTakeBackEvent or email Kelley Groen-Sieckmann at oen@esd112.org?subject=SW%20WA%20Drug%20Take%20Back%20Event">kelley.groen@esd112.org.

Statistics from the National Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration

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Community members are invited to tour several Evergreen Public Schools on November 7, 2019. Beginning at 9:00 a.m., the tour will include stops at Henrietta Lacks Health and BioScicence (HeLa) High School and Fircrest Elementary School before concluding at Cascadia Technical Academy (CTA).

The tour includes an overview of the specialty programs at HeLa High School, as well as academic and social-emotional presentations at Fircrest Elementary and several program tours at Cascadia Tech. Lunch is also included – prepared and served by the Cascadia Tech culinary students.

The tour is especially suited for community members with limited mobility (limited walking) and there will also be Russian translators available.

Reservations are required by November 1 for this free tour by calling 360/604-4088 or for Russian reservations call 360/604-4028. 

Another Community Tour is scheduled for April 9, 2020 featuring Burton Elementary, Cascade Middle School, Evergreen High School and Cascadia Tech. This tour will also feature Spanish translators.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019 – Ridgefield, WA – Many children grow up wanting to be doctors or nurses.  Only a few follow that dream into high school and beyond.  Grace Melbuer is not only pursuing her dream of working in healthcare, she is making it easier for other students to pursue theirs. 

When Melbuer was a freshman, she founded the Ridgefield High School chapter of HOSA, a student organization for future health professionals.  Science teacher Shannon Hemrich said, “Our biomedical science program required that we have a leadership group called HOSA.  Grace really got the club off the ground.”  The club started with just seven members.  Now that Melbuer is a senior, the very active HOSA group has 30 members.

HOSA’s primary mission is to help students become future leaders in healthcare.  Under Melbuer’s leadership, students started a job shadowing program with PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center.  The group also invited healthcare professionals to speak at their meetings so they could learn about different careers in the industry.

As part of its leadership training, HOSA hosts annual competitive events.  At last year’s state competition, Ridgefield’s HOSA team won multiple honors.  Melbuer won first place in the challenging Healthcare Issues exam, which tests competitors on current events in healthcare.

Winning first place at state competition gave Melbuer automatic entrance to the international competition, where she competed against students from all over the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and China.  “I was expecting there to be a good amount of people in my competition,” Melbuer said, “But I’m from Ridgefield, so the biggest testing environment I’ve had is, like, 30 kids.  So walking into a room with 650 kids is kind of weird and overwhelming.  The kid who was sitting right next to me was from China.”  When results were announced, Melbuer was thrilled to find that she placed tenth worldwide. 

Melbuer was also elected regional vice-president, one of six representatives from Washington state.  As a state officer of HOSA, Melbuer traveled to Washington, DC for the Washington Leadership Academy.  There she had the opportunity to meet with Congressional members and staff to advocate for Career and Technical Service Organizations (CTSOs) and to provide a student perspective on the healthcare industry.    

Since this is Melbuer’s senior year, she is excited as she plans for other members to take over leadership of the organization she founded.  “That has been my main goal this year,” she said.  “We wanted to make sure HOSA remains strong.” 

She is also excited to continue HOSA’s tradition of community service.  “Our next blood drive is on my 18th birthday!  I don’t need to sign a permission slip anymore.  I think I’m going to donate on my birthday,” she smiled.  “What a way to celebrate!” 

Ridgefield’s HOSA chapter welcomes members of the healthcare community to speak at their meetings.  For more information, please contact Shannon Hemrich at ich@ridgefieldsd.org">shannon.hemrich@ridgefieldsd.org.

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Tuesday, October 15, 2019 – Ridgefield, Washington – Ridgefield School District is hosting a Patron Tour on Tuesday, October 29th from 8:30 am to 11:30 am.  Bus transportation to the schools will be provided.

District and school administrators will lead participants on a tour of Ridgefield High School’s Vocational Education Building and the school’s newly-constructed Expansion Building.  The tour will also include a visit to the property on which the district hopes to build a proposed new K-4 elementary school.

Patron Tour participants will meet at the Ridgefield Administrative & Civic Center (RACC), 510 Pioneer Street in Ridgefield.  Check-in starts at 8:15 am, and a continental breakfast will be provided before the tour.

To register, please send an email to communications@ridgefieldsd.org and provide your name and contact phone number and the number of attendees in your group.

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Monday, October 14, 2019 – Ridgefield, WA – Cispus Outdoor School is a long tradition in the Yaddof family—not just for the kids, but for the parents too.  Susan and Bill Yaddof went to Cispus for the first time as fifth graders.

In high school, Susan returned as a counselor.  All three of their daughters attended as fifth graders; one served as a counselor.  And ten years ago, when their daughters had all completed Cispus, Susan and Bill started volunteering.  They were there when the camp celebrated its 50th anniversary this year—and many of those years have had one or more Yaddofs at camp. 

Their volunteer work actually starts at home.  Bill makes all of the wood cookies that are awarded to students when they complete various tasks.  He started doing it when his daughters were in school, slicing fir branches into smooth rounds, then drilling two holes for the cord.  “I made about a thousand this year,” Bill said.  “But I guess it adds up over time, with 800 or more each year for 15 years.”  The wood cookies are a very special reminder of time at Cispus, so people keep them for years.  Bill still has the original wood cookies he earned when he went to Cispus in fifth grade—and he still wears them every time he goes to camp.

The Yaddofs both work full-time, so they take an entire week of their own vacation time each year to go to camp as volunteers.  But they don’t get to spend much of their vacation time together, as Susan stays in the women’s cabin and Bill stays in the men’s cabin.  “We see each other in passing, while he’s going to one activity and I’m going to another,” Susan said.  “We do kiss each other good night each night.  But we wouldn’t have it any other way.” 

When they started volunteering, they jumped in wherever they were needed.  Susan enjoyed crafting and helped students learn to make bracelets.  Bill had experience with the Boy Scouts, so he taught students to build fires and emergency shelters.  After a couple of years, they knew the camp well enough to lead hikes, guiding classes to sites where they could look for macroinvertebrates or find a nurse log (a fallen tree providing protection and nourishment for seedlings). 

This year they are inheriting flag duty from Tevis Laspa, another long-time volunteer who will be retiring from Cispus after many years of service.  Bill works with the students on flag folding and etiquette, while Susan shares stories of flag history at the flag raising and lowering each day.   And of course, they help the students with everything from homesickness to table manners.

For the Yaddofs, volunteering at Cispus is an important tradition for their family.  “We absolutely believe in the program,” Susan said.  “It meant so much to us as kids; it meant so much to me as a counselor.  We hope that our daughters might one day want to go as volunteers too.  We’re thankful for getting to do it all of these years and to get to continue.”

Both of them think Cispus is a vital part of our community in Ridgefield, and the fact that it continues year after year is something that makes our schools special.  “We see how important it is for these kids, to be outside and exploring, going on hikes, studying water and soil and plants.  Even being without their parents, some of them for the first time ever.  It’s a rite of passage.  We love being a part of that growth.  It’s a tremendous gift to us.” 

And year after year, the Yaddofs have given back to Cispus, impacting hundreds of students, making each child’s experience a little more special.

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Community members are invited to tour two public schools on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2019. The Visit VPS tour will take guests to Skyview High School and Salmon Creek Elementary. Highlights will include:

Skyview

• College preparation activities
• Computer science class
• Student leaders planning ways to mentor younger students
• Use of an online learning platform to achieve the credits required to graduate

Salmon Creek

• Grammar instruction adapted to meet the needs of all students
• Coding lesson
• Social-emotional lesson
• Closing achievement gaps

The tour will begin and end at the Bates Center for Educational Leadership, 2921 Falk Rd. The tour is from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Guests have the option of enjoying a student musical performance and meal prepared by culinary arts students. Lunch is available for $5 per person.

Everyone is welcome, but space is limited. Advance registration is required. Sign up online to reserve a spot.

Assistant superintendent’s retirement decision and central office budget reductions prompt changes in administrative personnel

Longtime VPS administrator Todd Horenstein, who joined Vancouver Public Schools in 1984, has announced his intent to retire from the district in August 2020. As assistant superintendent for facility support services, he has served as the lead administrator in four phases of school construction and renovation projects totaling nearly $1 billion of facility improvements. Additionally, during his tenure he has overseen other support services, including the district’s maintenance, transportation and safety departments. He also has managed collaborative planning processes, established partnerships between the district and community organizations and provided other executive leadership support.

“Todd Horenstein’s contributions to Vancouver Public Schools cannot be overstated,” said Mark Stoker, VPS board president. “We owe him our heartfelt gratitude for dedicating his career to creating future-ready school facilities.”

In preparation for Horenstein’s retirement, VPS is re-organizing some of its executive-level leadership positions. Subject to board action, the following personnel changes also are related to the consolidation of duties necessary after five central office administrator positions were eliminated to help balance the district’s budget for 2019-20.

• Dr. Mike Stromme, associate superintendent for administrative services, will be promoted to deputy superintendent. Stromme’s oversight responsibilities will include curriculum, instruction and assessment; school operations; and instructional technology services. He will continue to provide leadership of the district in the number two position.
• Brett Blechschmidt, assistant superintendent and chief fiscal officer, will be promoted to associate superintendent and chief operating officer. Blechschmidt’s oversight responsibilities will include fiscal, human resources, nutrition, transportation, maintenance and facility support services.
• A.J. Panter, director of operations, maintenance and transportation, will be promoted to executive director of facility support services. Panter’s oversight responsibilities will include maintenance and transportation services. He also will lead the bond-funded construction and renovation projects after Horenstein retires.

“I appreciate the willingness of Mike Stromme, Brett Blechschmidt and A.J. Panter to take on broader leadership roles,” said Superintendent Steve Webb. “We’re committed to providing high levels of service to our schools and community with fewer resources in central administration.”

Monday, October 14, 2019-Woodland, WA-Washington State’s Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) awarded Columbia Elementary School a two-year grant worth $60,000 as the school embarks on its second year of offering its Dual Language Program teaching interested Woodland Public Schools students in both English and Spanish.

Woodland Public Schools introduced the Dual Language Program during the 2018-2019 school year to help address the increasing diversity of the community’s population. “More than 25% of our entering kindergartners cannot speak English,” said Ingrid Colvard, Principal of Columbia Elementary School. “By offering a dual language program, we not only help address the needs of our native Spanish-speaking families but also the desires of our native English-speaking families who would like their children to be bilingual.”

Receiving outside funding following the first year of a dual language program is unusual, however the grant from OSPI will provide $30,000 to Woodland’s program in each its second and third years. “I’m excited to have the state see the good work we’re accomplishing and continue to support our program,” said Colvard. “The funding will help pay for curriculum materials for next year’s second grade students as well as professional development opportunities for our bilingual teaching team throughout this year.”

In order to continually assess and improve their dual language program, Principal Colvard and the Dual Language Teaching Team attend professional development opportunities throughout the year including conferences and site visits to other dual language schools. “Several school districts throughout Washington offer dual language programs so we visit them in order to research ideas and strategies to implement at our program,” said Colvard. “Working with other districts helps all the schools involved improve their immersion programs by sharing the concepts that work – it’s a true collaborative effort.”

Although the program started with just two kindergarten classes in 2018, Woodland Public Schools must prepare for each subsequent year as students progress from one grade to the next level. “We’ve been dedicated to supporting the program for the long-term from the very beginning, knowing that we would need to ensure we have the teachers and curriculum for a new grade level each year in the beginning,” explained Colvard. “When we receive grants like this one, we can supplement what we receive from our incredibly supportive community to ensure we offer the best learning experiences for our students.”

The grant will fund purchasing next year’s second grade teaching materials in advance, offering the teaching team the time to plan. “By having next year’s materials this year, we won’t have to plan on-the-fly,” explained Colvard. “Having the materials sooner is truly critical as it gives the entire team the opportunity to know what we and how we need to teach in order to prepare our students for the next year’s lessons.”

Breaking Down the Language Barrier

The Dual Language Program continues to have an impact school-wide throughout Columbia Elementary School, even with students not enrolled in the program. “It’s become cool to speak two languages now and there’s a real naturalness to how our building uses both languages,” said Colvard. “Everyone’s used to saying the Pledge of Allegiance in both languages and seeing printed materials in both English and Spanish – it’s just what we do.”

First grade students in dual language fully read and write in both English and Spanish. “When at lunch or on recess, our dual-language students help translate for our students who don’t speak both languages,” said Colvard. “The program has really changed the entire climate and culture of the building by breaking down the language barrier; we are all part of the same community regardless of the language we speak.”

Preparing for Second Grade

Columbia Elementary School’s dual language team now includes two kindergarten teachers, two first grade teachers, and a teacher new to the district this year who will teach second grade next year, Franklin Collazo.

Collazo and his wife moved to Woodland from San Jose, California after visiting Portland with his wife. “One of my sons was looking at colleges in the Portland area and we were impressed with the area, particularly north of Portland,” said Collazo. “My entire family loved the area, but when my sister-in-law bought a house during our visit, we knew it was only a matter of time before we would be making the move, too.”

Collazo is no stranger to dual language programs. He and his wife helped start a dual language program in San Jose which both their sons attended. “Being able to speak two languages is like being able to cross the bridge from Portland to Vancouver,” said Collazo. “Students learn not just the language but also the norms and culture, and when you look at it from professional development, it’s a huge opportunity for students to be able to apply for jobs where speaking two different languages is key.”

Collazo looked at bilingual education programs at schools in Southwest Washington and even took a few interviews with other districts, but when he interviewed in Woodland, he knew he found the right place. “Ingrid is smart, quick, and a true visionary with the quiet courage needed to implement a program like this,” he said. “It certainly didn’t hurt that my wife and I found the house of our dreams here; the rest is history.”

Collazo started teaching as a classroom assistant in 1987 and received his teaching credentials to teach full-time in 1993. Although he worked for many years as a school administrator, he looked forward to returning to the classroom. Being Puerto Rican, Woodland was a perfect fit for Collazo. “Puerto Ricans hold a lot of pride in our towns rather than states or counties,” he explained. “One of the reasons I love Woodland is how the community holds a great deal of pride in their town and their schools.”

More Information for Families interested in Dual Language

Families interested in enrolling their students in the Dual Language Program do not need to be bilingual themselves and students do not need to have any prior knowledge of their non-native language. Additionally, there are no screening criteria for students to enroll – all students are eligible. Applicants are accepted in the order of their application date and the district has a designated lottery-system should the number of applicants exceed the number of available classroom spots.

Although there is no additional cost to enroll, parents and guardians must remember that the true benefits from a dual language program involve a long-term commitment and should plan for their student to continue enrollment in the program for the grades following kindergarten, too.

For additional information, visit Columbia Elementary School’s Dual Language Program website: http://bit.ly/Woodland-Dual-Language

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The Cascade Blues Association (CBA) has announced its nominations for the 2019 Muddy Awards. Among those nominated is the Lake Theater & Cafe in the category of “Best Blues Venues” for their Music Mondays series.  

Music Mondays is the work of producer, recording artist, and musician Dean Mueller, and his partner, Julie Amici. The Lake Oswego residents began the series in 2014 booking top local talent. Music Mondays now attracts national touring acts that pass through the Northwest. 

Early on they realized this was a special place and time, as they were filling a much needed musical experience that lacked in Lake Oswego. The Music Monday series has become a favorite among locals, selling out nearly all of the shows, and drawing in music lovers from beyond the Lake Oswego area.  

Along with attracting the high level of performers, Mueller said he is most proud of “earning the support and recognition of the community.” 

The other two nominations in the category of “Best Blues Venue” are Blue Diamond and Catfish Lou’s.

Dean Mueller and Julie Amici, have also been nominated for CBA’s “George Page” award, “Back What You Believe In.” The award is given to a group or individual who has gone above and beyond to demonstrate a commitment to the blues community.

The other two nominees for the “Back What you Believe In” award are Corey Burden of Cedar House Media and artist Chris Hamman.

The 2019 Cascade Blues Association’s Muddy Awards ceremony will take place on November 6 at the Alberta Rose Theater in Portland.
_____

Both Mueller and Amici are deeply committed to bringing high-quality music to underserved populations around the state.  Through their work as artists and producers, they have developed a network of outstanding musicians to reach those who would not otherwise have the opportunity to experience the joy of live music. 

While maintaining a full performance schedule, Julie and Dean see their work as a way to foster a culture of excellence and support within the music community.

Fly Me To The Moon

In 2018, after experiencing first hand the powerful impact live music has on seniors, Mueller and Amici founded Fly Me To The Moon. The program offers enriching opportunities for seniors to enjoy professional live music at retirement communities, assisted living and memory care facilities, and adult community centers. 

Since the start of the program, they have created more than 20 shows around the state, many of them at facilities with little or no budget to offer performances of this caliber. In association with Oregon Music Hall of Fame, the group raises funds to ensure the quality of the shows and provide fair wages for musicians. The growing list of artists who participate in the shows includes top musicians from the Blues community. 

Fire Mountain Musicfest

In 2019, the couple organized and produced the first annual Fire Mountain Musicfest in cooperation with the Cannon Beach Arts Association (CBAA.)  With events in Cannon Beach, Nehalem, and Manzanita, Fire Mountain Musicfest featured over ten performances and several guitar workshops. 

The festival was created to help bridge the gap between the underserved coastal communities and some of Portland’s top musical talent.

The 10-day festival served as a benefit to support arts and arts education on the north coast, specifically for Fly Me To The Moon and CBAA. 

For the festival, Mueller and Amici drew from their network in the blues community, showcasing some of the finest performers in the area.  The 2019 lineup included Curtis Salgado & Alan Hager, 3 Leg Torso, Dean & Julie, LaRhonda Steele, Carlton Jackson, Brooks Robertson, Doug Smith, and Mojo Holler. 

United by Music North America (UBMNA)

In 2014 Julie and Dean began working with United By Music North America, a unified performance-based program and band for both neurodiverse and neuro-typical people with exceptional musical talent. 

As a mentor with the Portland group, led by Amanda Gresham and Dave Fleschner, Amici rehearses and performs regularly with the UBMNA band.

Music Enrichment For Students

In 2019, Julie spearheaded a program with the Mudd-Nick Foundation to create a Musical Enrichment Program to serve students in the Neah-Kah-Nie School District on the Oregon coast.  

Building upon the existing music program in the district, Julie’s work with the foundation includes sourcing grants, offering workshops, and music clinics, and providing supplemental live music experiences for the students.  

“There is no shortage of need,” said Mueller, “and we are grateful to be part of this hard-working and generous family of musicians in the Pacific Northwest.”

Cascade Blues Association: https://cascadebluesassociation.org/

Fly Me To The Moon: https://www.facebook.com/FlyMeToTheMoonMusic/

Salem, OR (Oct. 16, 2019) - Salem City Club, a biweekly forum open to members and non-members, will meet Oct. 25 at the Willamette Heritage Center to learn about the push for more electric vehicles in Oregon.

In July, the Oregon legislature passed Senate Bill 1044, which requires the Oregon Department of Energy to monitor Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) adoption and recommend strategies to the Legislature to spur ZEV adoption.

Jessica Reichers, the technology and policy manager at the Oregon Department of Energy, will offer insight into the work being done now to prepare Oregonians for the transition to cleaner power transportation.

She will be joined by Joe Wachunas, a representative of Forth, a nonprofit in Portland, which seeks to advance electric, smart, and shared transportation through innovation and industry development.

The program will begin Friday, Oct. 25, at 12 p.m. at the Willamette Heritage Center at 1313 Mill Street St. SE. Registration fees are $10 for non-members. Lunch for members and non-members is $17 or $16 if payment is made with check or cash. Register online at SalemCityClub.com.

(Hood River, Oregon) Oct. 16, 2019—PacificSource Community Solutions, the Medicaid division of PacificSource Health Plans, has contracted with GridWorks to provide non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) brokerage services to its Coordinated Care Organization (CCO) members based in Hood River and Wasco County. Prior to operating Oregon’s largest NEMT system in the Portland Tri-County area, GridWorks served as an NEMT consultant to more than half of Oregon’s Coordinated Care Organizations. 

“We are pleased to partner with GridWorks,” said Ken Provencher, president and CEO of PacificSource. “Helping people get access to the care they need is important, particularly for those individuals who don’t drive or otherwise have ready access to transportation.”

“As we prepare for our launch on January 1, 2020, our team has been actively reaching out to local clinics, nursing facilities and other frequent users of non-emergency medical transportation,” said GridWorks CEO Ross Peterson. “We are excited to work with PacificSource and are working closely with Greater Oregon Behavioral Health (GOBHI) to plan for a smooth transition.”

GridWorks' mission is to make NEMT safer and more reliable. GridWorks currently provides over 8,000 rides a day to Oregon Health Plan members. GridWorks’ team includes public health experts, medical transportation professionals, and urban planners. 

(Please note, individuals on Medicaid who receive fee-for-service/open card Medicaid through the Oregon Health Authority will continue to use GOBHI for their NEMT services in the Hood River area)

About PacificSource Health Plans:

PacificSource Community Solutions is a Coordinated Care Organization and part of the PacificSource family of companies. PacificSource Health Plans is an independent, not-for-profit community health plan serving the Northwest. Founded in 1933, PacificSource has local offices in Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Washington. The PacificSource family of companies employs more than 1100 people, serves more than 300,000 individuals, and has 3,900 employer clients throughout the Northwest. For more information visit PacificSource.com.

Partnership with local vintage radio society offers a unique opportunity to get your antique, tube-containing electronics diagnosed and tested for free.

[VANCOUVER, WA, October 15th, 2019] The Repair Clark County program announces a special addition to their regular program offerings for the month of October: testing and diagnostics for tube-containing electronics. 

What: Repair Clark County event, where you can bring your broken household items to be fixed, for free

When: Tuesday, October 22nd, 6-8 PM

Where: Battle Ground Community Center, 912 Main St, Battle Ground, WA

Columbia Springs’ offsite program, Repair Clark County, is all about service and conservation of resources.. This program, with more than 170 volunteers, serves about 100 community members at each of their monthly events, by diagnosing and repairing roughly 85% of the items brought to them. To increase service, RCC partners with other local groups to expand what they can do. One of these groups is the Northwest Vintage Radio Society. “I met them early on in this role and just loved what they do.” says Terra Heilman, the program coordinator. “We’ve worked together to restore a few vintage radios and they’ve graciously offered to come to our event in October and test and diagnose antiques that have tubes.”

The NWVRS antique radio club is an educational organization that is dedicated to the preservation and enjoyment of vintage radio. “What better way to start enjoying your family’s treasured radio than to bring it to the repair clinic where we can perform a first response radio triage.” says Pat Kagi, the current president of the society. “At this clinic, we will safely test and diagnosis your radio or other vintage item using standardized processes to isolate the problem area.  Our goal is to get the radio up and running again, but if the problem is not solved using first aid techniques, we will refer you to a qualified radio technician.” concludes Kagi. 

“I’m a bit of an antique nerd.” says Heilman. “I really enjoyed attending one of the radio society’s meetings and seeing all the art deco and other era radios, some fully restored and some still needing a little love. If we can help someone with a sentimental item, that’s great! It means resources that won’t be trashed and we had a part in preserving the history and story of the piece.” says Heilman. The Repair Clark County program is no stranger to antiques and sentimental items, “but this addition for October will give us more tools to help our clients” says Heilman.

The next repair event takes place at the Battle Ground Community Center on Tuesday, the 22nd from 6-8 PM. Clients can bring knives and other blades needing sharpening, sewing projects, bicycles and of course, their antique (and modern) appliances and electronics. Volunteer “fixers” will diagnose and attempt to repair items during the two hour event. 

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About Columbia Springs: Columbia Springs, founded in 2001, provides tens of thousands of children and their families the opportunity to fall in love with nature. We continue to build a community of life-long learners and land stewards through our educational opportunities, walking trails, events and workshops.

Located on a 100 acre natural area in the City of Vancouver, Columbia Springs is dedicated to providing outdoor recreation and science education close to home. The Repair Clark County program is primarily an “off site” program for the community, offering free fixing events, repair skills workshops and other waste reduction programming throughout Clark County. 

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McMinnville, Oregon – The Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum holds their signature fundraising event of the year, "Fly me to the Moon" Saturday, November 2nd, 2019. This annual fundraiser benefits the Museum, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Featured guest Burt Rutan, designer of iconic vehicles SpaceShipOne, Voyager, and the Museum’s own Beechcraft Starship, will attend and present. "We are thrilled to have Burt Rutan attend and speak at our fifth annual Gala. This accomplished aerospace professional continues to inspire and contribute to the fields of aviation and space technology, which dovetails nicely with our mission," says Interim Executive Director John Rasmussen.

The Museum’s mission is “To inspire and educate, promote and preserve aviation and space history, and honor the patriotic service of our veterans.” While the Museum campus offers stunning examples of aviation/space achievement, we also strive to create an environment that teaches our younger generation the importance of human skills, like mathematics, science, teamwork, determination, and perseverance. Museum staff and volunteers work at bridging the gap between aerospace history and future innovation.

The 2019 Fly Me to the Moon Gala will bring together aviation and space enthusiasts to celebrate the past year’s accomplishments and to look towards the future of the Museum. This annual fundraising gala supports Museum programs that relate directly to the Museum’s mission, including educational programs, restoration and acquisitions, and collections management. The Museum provides enriching education programs such as summer camps, home school programs, and cultural appreciation days. Fun family events like the Easter Bunny and Santa helicopter fly-ins, and the indoor Halloween event are annual favorites. 

A guided tour for fundraiser attendees led by Museum Interim Executive Director John Rasmussen takes place from 4-5pm, starting in the Space Museum building. Main event begins at 5pm. Tickets are $100 per person, and business sponsorships are available. Tickets are available for purchase on the Museum’s website, www.evergreenmuseum.org. Formal attire is suggested. 

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ABOUT EVERGREEN AVIATION & SPACE MUSEUM: 
Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., except Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Call 503-434-4180 or visit www.evergreenmuseum.org for more information. 

Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, is best known as the home of the world's largest wooden aircraft, the Hughes Flying Boat "Spruce Goose." The Museum collection also includes a rare SR-71 "Blackbird," and the Titan II SLV Missile--with its original launch room, and a MaxFlight full-motion interactive flight simulator ride. Discover more than 150 historic aircraft, spacecraft, and exhibits on display, along with artwork and traveling exhibits. The Museum values its educational partnerships, which include the Academy of Model Aeronautics, the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab, the Oregon Space Consortium and the Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program. The Museum is located at 500 NE Captain Michael King Smith Way, across the highway from the McMinnville Airport and about three miles southeast of McMinnville, Ore., on Highway 18. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @evergreenmuseum for the latest updates. 

ABOUT BURT RUTAN:
Named “Entrepreneur of the Year” by Inc. Magazine and described by Newsweek as “the man responsible for more innovations in modern aviation than any living engineer,” Burt Rutan is a bold entrepreneur and designer with the vision and passion for the advancement of technology. In 2004 Rutan made international headlines as the designer of SpaceShipOne, the world’s first privately-built manned spacecraft to reach space. Financed by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, SpaceShipOne won the $10 million Ansari X-Prize, the competition created to spur the development of affordable space tourism. Winner of the Presidential Citizen’s Medal, the Charles A. Lindbergh Award, two Collier Trophies and included on Time Magazine’s “100 most influential people in the world,” Rutan is the founder of SCALED Composites, the most aggressive aerospace research company in the world. Based in Mojave, CA, his company has developed and tested a variety of groundbreaking projects, from military aircraft to executive jets, showcasing some of the most innovative and energy-efficient designs ever flown. Visit Burt's website www.burtrutan.com.

PORTLAND, Ore. — About 60 under-served students at Harriet Tubman Middle School in N. Portland will benefit from a $7,500 grant the nonprofit Maurice Lucas Foundation (MLF) has received from Wells Fargo.

The foundation will use the gift to cover staffing and tutoring expenses, healthy snacks for youths during after-school programming and field trips, school supplies for low-income students and basic athletic equipment and books to enhance physical education classes.

“Wells Fargo and our foundation share a common interest in helping our youths succeed by providing them quality education,” said MLF Executive Director David Lucas. “This generous grant will help us provide the academic support the students need and the athletic programs the students want so they can enjoy school and succeed at the same time.”

Wells Fargo Portland Westside District Manager Samuel Isaac recently joined the foundation as a volunteer board member.

“I am proud to work for a company that supports not only its community but also the volunteer efforts of its team members,” said Isaac. “The Maurice Lucas Foundation is making a difference in the lives of Portland youths. We see this grant not so much as a gift but more as an investment in the future generation of our region.”

About the Maurice Lucas Foundation

The foundation is named in honor of the late Maurice Lucas (1952-2010), the starting forward and leading scorer on the 1977 NBA champion Portland Trail Blazers team. Besides his outstanding achievements on the court, Lucas also gave selflessly of his time and energy to Portland youth. Since its formation, close to 550 students have successfully completed the foundation’s academies and hundreds of others have participated in its sports programs. www.ml20.org

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Maurice Lucas Foundation ^ P.O. Box 1661 ^ Lake Oswego, OR 97035

Meals on Wheels People will deliver nearly 2,800 hot turkey dinners to homebound seniors on Thanksgiving Day. Volunteers are needed to both pack the meals and help make deliveries.

“A traditional holiday meal with turkey and all the trimmings will be delivered by volunteers to our most frail and isolated seniors on Thanksgiving Day,” said Meals on Wheels People Chief Executive Officer Suzanne Washington. “We are so grateful for the community volunteers who spend part of their holiday making the day brighter for these seniors.”

The menu includes roast turkey with gravy, cranberry relish, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, peas and pearl onions, and pumpkin pie with whipped topping.

Pick-up sites for Meals on Wheels delivery will be:

• Meals on Wheels People Central Kitchen, 7710 SW 31st Ave, Portland
• Double Tree Hotel, 1000 NE Multnomah, Portland
• Ambleside Center, 600 NE 8th Street, Gresham
• Forest Grove Center, 2835 19th Street, Forest Grove
• Luepke Center, 1009 E McLoughlin Blvd., Vancouver, Wash.

To register to volunteer, go to mowp.org/volunteer. For more information call Meals on Wheels People at 503.736.6325.

About Meals on Wheels People: Meals on Wheels People has been changing lives, one meal at a time, since 1970. We serve and deliver 5,000 nutritious meals every weekday to older adults throughout Multnomah, Washington and Clark counties. But we provide more than a meal to thousands of older adults in the greater Portland metro area. Our service not only alleviates hunger and social isolation, but allows seniors to live independently with dignity in their own homes. Aging in place reduces depression, falls and hospitalization as well as the high cost of institutional care. For more information, visit: mowp.org.

Meals on Wheels People is raffling a rare bottle of Buffalo Trace whiskey along with a trip to Kentucky. The prize package includes:

• One 375ml bottle of 2008 Buffalo Trace Distillery Commemorative “Six-Millionth Barrel” Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Two-night stay for winner plus 1 guest at Kentucky Castle in Versailles, KY
• Buffalo Trace  Distillery Tour for winner plus 1 guest
• Round-trip airfare for winner plus 1 guest from any US city in the lower 48 states to Lexington, KY (airfare only, no ground transportation — travel dates subject to availability)

Tickets are $100 each and only 400 tickets available! Purchase your raffle tickets at mowp.org/events. Fair market value: $3,200.

Drawing to be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2019, at Meals on Wheels            People Resource Center, 7710 SW 31st Avenue, Portland OR. All purchasers must be 21 years of age or older to    purchase tickets and win the prize. All federal, state    and local prize taxes and liability are the responsibility of     the winner.

About Meals on Wheels People: Meals on Wheels People has been changing lives, one meal at a time, since 1970. We serve and deliver 5,000 nutritious meals every weekday to older adults throughout Multnomah, Washington and Clark counties. But we provide more than a meal to thousands of older adults in the greater Portland metro area. Our service not only alleviates hunger and social isolation, but allows seniors to live independently with dignity in their own homes. Aging in place reduces depression, falls and hospitalization as well as the high cost of institutional care. For more information, visit: mowp.org.

In celebration of Oregon Community Bank Week taking place this October, Pioneer Trust Bank in Salem is hosting a document shredding event benefitting Marion Polk Food Share.

According to a 2018 Shred-it Fraud Awareness Week Survey, nearly 30% of consumers do not shred paper or physical documents containing sensitive information before throwing them away. With identify fraud on the rise and now effecting 16.7 million U.S. consumers, securely destroying documents that contain personal information is one of the best ways consumers can protect themselves from would-be identity thieves.

Pioneer Trust Bank invites community members to “Shred & Bank Responsibly” by dropping off their food donation and their paper documents. There is a 10-box limit on shredding documents, which will be securely destroyed and recycled by an onsite mobile shredding truck. The Community Shred Event is taking place Saturday, Oct. 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Pioneer Trust Bank Medical Center Branch located at 1190 Oak Street SE in Salem.

For more information, contact Pioneer Trust Bank Vice President Betsy Steinberg at (503) 480-1872.

About the Community Banks of Oregon

Community Banks of Oregon (CBO) serves banks headquartered in Oregon. The principle mission of CBO is to support and promote community banking in Oregon. CBO advocates for community banks, provides a forum to address issues unique to community banks, and promotes community banks through initiatives like Oregon Community Bank Week. For more information, please visit www.oregonbankers.com/local.  

SALEM, Ore. – Oct. 18, 2019 – In celebration of Oregon Community Bank Week taking place this October and sponsored by the Community Banks of Oregon, Willamette Valley Bank in Keizer is holding a free document shredding event to help community members fight identify theft.

According to a 2018 Shred-it Fraud Awareness Week Survey, nearly 30% of consumers do not shred paper or physical documents containing sensitive information before throwing them away. With identify fraud on the rise and now effecting 16.7 million U.S. consumers, securely destroying documents that contain personal information is one of the best ways consumers can protect themselves from would-be identity thieves.

Willamette Valley Bank invites community members to have their paper documents securely destroyed and recycled by a mobile shredding truck on Friday, Oct. 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 5140 River Road N. For more information contact Jane Lowery (503) 393-0757 or y@wvbk.com">jane.lowery@wvbk.com.

About the Community Banks of Oregon

Community Banks of Oregon (CBO) serves banks headquartered in Oregon. The principle mission of CBO is to support and promote community banking in Oregon. CBO advocates for community banks, provides a forum to address issues unique to community banks, and promotes community banks through initiatives like Oregon Community Bank Week. For more information, please visit www.oregonbankers.com/local.  

SALEM, Ore. – Oct. 15, 2019 – In celebration of Oregon Community Bank Week taking place this October and sponsored by the Community Banks of Oregon, Lewis & Clark Bank in Seaside is holding a free document shredding event to help community members fight identify theft.

According to a 2018 Shred-it Fraud Awareness Week Survey, nearly 30% of consumers do not shred paper or physical documents containing sensitive information before throwing them away. With identify fraud on the rise and now effecting 16.7 million U.S. consumers, securely destroying documents that contain personal information is one of the best ways consumers can protect themselves from would-be identity thieves.

Lewis & Clark Bank invites community members to have their paper documents securely destroyed and recycled by a mobile shredding truck on Thursday, Oct. 24 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1150 N Roosevelt Drive in Seaside. For more information visit https://lewisandclarkbank.com/home/community-bank-week.html.

About the Community Banks of Oregon

Community Banks of Oregon (CBO) serves banks headquartered in Oregon. The principle mission of CBO is to support and promote community banking in Oregon. CBO advocates for community banks, provides a forum to address issues unique to community banks, and promotes community banks through initiatives like Oregon Community Bank Week. For more information, please visit www.oregonbankers.com/local.  

SALEM, Ore. – Oct. 15, 2019 – In celebration of Oregon Community Bank Week taking place this October and sponsored by the Community Banks of Oregon, Lewis & Clark Bank in Oregon City is holding a free document shredding event to help community members fight identify theft.

According to a 2018 Shred-it Fraud Awareness Week Survey, nearly 30% of consumers do not shred paper or physical documents containing sensitive information before throwing them away. With identify fraud on the rise and now effecting 16.7 million U.S. consumers, securely destroying documents that contain personal information is one of the best ways consumers can protect themselves from would-be identity thieves.

Lewis & Clark Bank invites community members to have their paper documents securely destroyed and recycled by a mobile shredding truck on Wednesday, Oct. 23 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 15960 S Agnes Avenue in Oregon City. For more information visit https://lewisandclarkbank.com/home/community-bank-week.html.

About the Community Banks of Oregon

Community Banks of Oregon (CBO) serves banks headquartered in Oregon. The principle mission of CBO is to support and promote community banking in Oregon. CBO advocates for community banks, provides a forum to address issues unique to community banks, and promotes community banks through initiatives like Oregon Community Bank Week. For more information, please visit www.oregonbankers.com/local.  

In recognition of National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day, part of Hispanic Heritage Month, Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette is joining the national call to action for Latinxs to protect their health by getting tested and learning about HIV. National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day is a nationwide community mobilization campaign seeking to promote HIV testing and provide HIV prevention information and access to care among the Latinx community.

Statement from Mariah Galaviz, Vancouver Health Center Manager:

“Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette is one of the leading HIV testing providers in Oregon and Southwest Washington. We are proud to provide affordable, convenient HIV testing, prevention tools and information to all people — no matter what. We know that racism and anti-LGBTQ discrimination and stigma can be real barriers to HIV testing and prevention tools, leaving Latinxs, among other people, at greater risk of contracting HIV. Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette remains committed to working with the Latinx communities right here in Oregon and Southwest Washington to increase access to HIV education, prevention tools, testing and treatment.”

In 2018, Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette provided 73, 059 tests and treatments for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), of which 15,967 were HIV tests. Every one of its health centers provides HIV testing. Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette offers HIV prevention tools such as PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), a daily pill that can help reduce transmission for people who are at high risk for HIV, as well as PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis), a series of pills taken after exposure to HIV that lowers chances of getting it.

Across the United States, many people of color and LGBTQ people are deeply impacted by an overwhelming lack of access to health care and health education services due to structural barriers. After promising declines in HIV among Latinos, in recent years, progress has stalled especially among Latino gay and bisexual men. One-quarter of new HIV infections in the United States occur among Latinos, and one-fifth of people with HIV in the United States are Latino.

Reducing HIV transmission rates takes a multipronged approach that can include sexually transmitted infections education, condom usage, increased access to PrEP and regular HIV testing. Planned Parenthood health centers are more likely than other safety-net family planning providers to offer HIV testing on site. Our health centers offer low-cost STI testing throughout the year, and our doors are open to everyone regardless of their income, insurance or immigration status.

Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette is expanding comprehensive HIV prevention and education efforts through a partnership with the Black AIDS Institute. This campaign will reach at-risk populations in Oregon and Southwest Washington and provide patients with the latest preventive tools and information, including PrEP.

Planned Parenthood also offers online tools that include information on HIV, a video series to help you have conversations about STIs, and a short online quiz to help you figure out if you should get tested for HIV and other STIs. For more information on where to get tested for HIV, visit PlannedParenthood.org.

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Summary: Salem event will be Tuesday, November 5 at 9 a.m.

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Do you know what to do when an earthquake hits? This Thursday, October 17, is the Great Oregon Shakeout, an earthquake drill that happens every year at 10:17 a.m. It’s a good time to practice responding to an earthquake.

It’s also a good time to consider how to better prepare if an emergency happens at work or at home. Do you have a plan? A kit with emergency supplies? We talk about earthquake and emergency preparedness, but what will make us take action?

Steve Eberlein was a witness to the Sri Lanka Boxing Day Tsunami in 2004 and is a global aid worker and workplace and community resilience advocate. SAIF will be hosting him in three locations this November—Salem, Eugene, and Medford—to provide a free overview of Oregon's Cascadia subduction zone risk and a discussion on the cultural barriers that prevent us from talking about emergency prep.

Steve will give tips and tools to prepare your workplace, home, and family for the worst-case scenario.

The Salem event will be on Tuesday, November 5, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at Willamette Heritage Center’s Spinning Room, located at 1313 Mill St. SE, Salem.

Reservations are required, as space is limited. Register for the free events at saif.com/quake. For questions or to register by phone, call 541.857.4204.

Still overwhelmed? Start with these five emergency essentials to be better prepared—at work, at home, in your car, and at school. More resources are available at saif.com/prepare.

About SAIF

SAIF is Oregon's not-for-profit workers' compensation insurance company. Since 1914, we've been taking care of injured workers, helping people get back to work, and striving to make Oregon the safest and healthiest place to work. For more information, visit the About SAIF page.

Summary: SAIF’s annual ag seminars will be held in 17 cities across the state and online in English and Spanish.

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Farm work is a whole lot safer than it used to be. But as far as SAIF is concerned, even one injury or illness is too many.

That’s why SAIF is offering 29 free ag safety seminars in 17 cities across Oregon. The first will be in La Grande on October 28, and they’ll continue through March. Nine of the seminars will be presented entirely in Spanish. Last year, more than 2,180 workers and employers attended SAIF’s seminars.

“We purposely hold these in the off-season to encourage attendance,” said Courtney Merriott, senior safety management consultant at SAIF and presenter at this year’s seminars. “Our goal is to provide the latest safety content for the industry, so that every ag worker goes home safe and healthy each night.”

This year’s seminars will focus on four topics: respiratory personal protective equipment, working at elevation, safety leadership for anyone, and incident analysis—a structured process for identifying what happened and reducing recurrence of injuries moving forward.

In March, SAIF will also offer webinars online in English and, new this year, Spanish.

The seminars are designed primarily for people working in agriculture but are open to anyone interested in ag safety and health—they don’t have to be insured by SAIF.

In-person seminars will be held in Bandon, Central Point, Clackamas, Corvallis, Eugene, Hermiston, Hillsboro, Hood River, Klamath Falls, La Grande, Madras, Milton-Freewater, Ontario, Salem, The Dalles, Wilsonville, and Woodburn.

Spanish seminars will be held in Central Point, Eugene, Hermiston, Hillsboro, Hood River, Salem, The Dalles, Wilsonville, and Woodburn.

All will run from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and lunch will be provided.

Employers with small ag businesses who attend the seminar, or watch the webinars, will meet OSHA’s instructional requirement—one of four requirements that exempt small agricultural operations from random OSHA inspections.

Three hours of technical and one hour of business continuing education credits will be offered if approved by the Landscape Contractors Board. Producer continuing education credit hours for licensed insurance agents have been requested and are pending approval by the Department of Consumer and Business Services.

More information—including registration details—can be found at www.saif.com/agseminars.

About SAIF

SAIF is Oregon's not-for-profit workers' compensation insurance company. Since 1914, we've been taking care of injured workers, helping people get back to work, and striving to make Oregon the safest and healthiest place to work. For more information, visit the About SAIF page on saif.com.     

Vancouver, WA – More than 840 guests and 90 volunteers attended Soup’s On! Celebrity Chefs Compete for Share on Sun., Oct. 6 at ilani Casino Resort. The event was presented by Davidson & Associates Insurance and supported by Columbia Credit Union, Fred Meyer, Pacific Premier Bank and Vancouver Grocery Outlet.

A major highlight of the event was the awards for best soup with the coveted Golden Ladle People’s Choice Award for Soup-er Chef awarded to Tim Conklin of Line & Lure at ilani Casino Resort for his Smoked Steelhead Chowder. The Presenting Sponsor’s Choice for Best Soup by Davidson & Associates Insurance was presented to Marian Adams-Manuel of Frontier Public House for her Curried Pumpkin Bisque. The Chef’s Choice Award for Best Soup was presented to Brandon Carmon of Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center for his Green Chile Chicken Enchilada.

A total of 12 local celebrity chefs participated in the ‘Chef Battle,’ with guests sampling each soup and casting a ballot. Representatives from Davidson & Associates Insurance cast a vote for the Presenting Sponsor’s Choice and each chef cast a vote for the Chef’s Choice. Additional restaurants included Beaches Restaurant & Bar, New Seasons Market, Nom Nom Restaurant & Grill, Pacific House, Sixth Avenue Bistro, 3 Sheets at the Harbor, Tommy O’s Pacific Rim Grill, Warehouse ’23 and WildFin American Grill.

Each guest took home an artisan soup bowl created by local artists Pat Brame, Nick Molatore, Honna Sheffield and Chris Brodigan.

The evening’s program also included the presentation of the 2019 Emily Marshall Volunteer of the Year Award to Marc Veneroso and the 2019 Community Partnership Award to Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church.

Share is placing an open call for restaurants/caterers in Clark County (note: participating businesses must be open to the public) who are interested in competing at our Sun. Oct 11, 2020 ‘Harry Potter & the Cauldron of Soup’-themed Soup’s On! event. Contact Kim Hash at khash@sharevancouver.org or 360-952-8227 by Fri. Oct. 18 to enter your restaurant or catering business for consideration. All three soup award winners from the 2019 event are automatically invited to compete in the 2020 event; an additional nine participants will be randomly drawn and invited to compete.

Participants are required to provide the following:

• Provide a total of approximately 20 gallons of soup, which will provide 1-ounce samples of soup for 800 – 900 guests and 90 volunteers for judging, and 10-12 ounce servings for dinner, upon request.  Guests select which soup they would like for the dinner portion, so only a portion of the audience members receive a full dinner serving. 
• Provide all equipment needed for the event including: soup warmer, kitchen rags, gloves, power cords, soup vessels, spoons, whisks, sterno, a thermometer, etc.
• Provide gift certificates in the following amounts: 3 - $10; 2 - $25; 1 - $50; 1 - $100 (optional) which will be placed in centerpieces which can be bid on by guests.

About Share

Share was founded in 1979 with the goal of caring for the homeless and hungry in the greater Vancouver area. Share operates three shelters for the homeless, a transitional housing program, Lincoln Place (a 30-unit Housing First model apartment complex), a street outreach program, including a Day Center, a Housing & Essential Needs (HEN) program, provides case management to clients and provides daily meals for the homeless and low-income members of our community. Share also operates a summer meals program for low-income children and a backpack program benefitting 1,535+ children at 95 schools to provide food for weekends to children receiving free or reduced-fee lunches. Additionally, Share offers financial programs that incorporate financial education and matched dollars for savings; these programs are designed to assist in the improvement of credit scores and financial management. For more information on Share, visit our Web site at www.sharevancouver.org.

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