In February 2019, the FBI presented Bags of Love, Inc. with the Director’s Community Leadership Award in recognition of the many years of service the non-profit has given to thousands of Oregon’s most vulnerable children. 

Bags of Love, based in Lane County, works with more than 50 partner agencies to distribute bags of needed supplies and comfort items to children living in crisis due to neglect, abuse, poverty or homelessness. The partner agencies include other regional non-profits, government agencies and school districts that provide direct services to children. 

In 2018, Bags of Love distributed about 2,200 bags, and they are on track to deliver 2,400 this year. Since its humble beginnings in a spare bedroom of the founder’s home in 2008 to its current large warehouse, Bags of Love has distributed more than 14,000 bags to Oregon children. 

When all else is taken from them, the recipients can hang on to their new “security blanket” – a handmade quilt. In addition, each bag includes gender-appropriate and age-appropriate necessities, including one or two outfits, a jacket or coat, socks and underwear, and school supplies. Each child also receives a stuffed animal, toiletries and books, toys or games.  

“We are truly honored to be receiving the Director's Community Leadership Award from the FBI. This award is such a wonderful acknowledgement of not just the work being done at Bags of Love, but also a recognition of our dedicated staff and volunteers and the community who supports us. We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with the FBI to further assist children and teens who are at risk or in crisis,” said Becky Stenzel, Executive Director of Bags of Love. 

Volunteers donate more than 13,000 hours a year to this amazing effort, and the work they do significantly impacts the children they serve. 

“It is an honor for the FBI to partner with Bags of Love over the course of many years. On a regular basis, we are passing their donations to human trafficking survivors, kids affected by child sex abuse and child sex tourism cases, victims of international parental kidnapping, and more,’” said Renn Cannon, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Oregon. “These bags allow the donors and volunteers to give a child dignity while giving law enforcement officers a chance to building trust with those most impacted by trauma.” 

In early May, Ms. Stenzel will travel to Washington, D.C. to officially receive this award on behalf of Bags of Love from FBI Director Christopher Wray. 

Every year, each of the FBI’s 56 field divisions chooses one person or organization to receive the Director’s Community Leadership Award. Each recipient must have shown a commitment to crime prevention or community service. 

You can find out more about Bags of Love on its webpage at http://bagsofloveinc.org/

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Photos:

Pic 1.   Annette Brieske, Warehouse Manager (left), and Becky Stenzel, Executive Director (right)

Pic 2.    Samples of the handmade bags and duffels that are given to children and teens

Pic 3.    LaDonna Brown, Sewing coordinator (right) with volunteers 

Pic 4.   Diane Cougill, Volunteer

Pic 5.   Diane Cougill, Volunteer (left); Ryan Dwyer,  FBI Supervisory Senior Resident Agent; Steve Goldman, FBI Asst. Special Agent in Charge; and Joeine Thomas, Board Member (right)

Pic 6.    Becky Stenzel, Executive Director (left) and  Steve Goldman, FBI Asst. Special Agent in Charge (right)

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

Maybe you are a federal employee who was desperate to pay the bills during the recent shutdown – or you just really need to pay off those Christmas debts. Either way, we are getting more and more reports this month of people looking for jobs who are getting scammed.

In particular, we are hearing accounts of people who find jobs listed on social media platforms and end up losing money. Here’s how it can start:

You are browsing through your favorite social media platform and land in a group post for your area. Maybe the group uses your city’s name with the words “now hiring” or the like. You find a job that fits your skills and pays decently. You shoot off a message through the platform or an email to the employer. After a bit of back and forth, you agree on a salary and schedule.

In another twist on this scam, you sign up for one of the big, very recognizable online employment sites. You start to get job offers that appear to come from that site – but in reality the bad guy is spoofing the look of the offer to make himself appear legitimate.

In both cases, the person interviewing or offering you a job may start to ask for information such as your date of birth, address and Social Security number – personally identifiable information that can be used to open fraudulent bank accounts, take out loans and obtain credit cards.

The scam artist might also send you a signing bonus, first paycheck or funds to buy equipment for your work-at-home office. The bad guy tells you to cash the check, take a bit out for yourself and send the rest to a specified vendor for supplies or needed software. The check, of course, is bogus, and the fraudster actually controls the bank account of what you thought was a legitimate business vendor.

In the end, your bank may close your account due to the fraudulent activity, and you are now responsible for reimbursing that bank for the counterfeit check. Your credit history may take a hit, too.

So how to protect yourself?

• Never open a bank account for use by strangers.

• Don’t accept a job that requires accepting money then wiring portions of checks to other individuals or accounts.

• Look for poor use of the English language in messages, including the incorrect use of grammar, capitalization, and verb tenses. 

• Confirm that the company that you are dealing with really is hiring. Call the company using a publicly-available number -- such as one off its website - - to confirm that the offer is legitimate, and

• Be wary of an exceptionally-fast hiring process

How do businesses protect themselves?

• Make sure your website and social media accounts specify how your hiring process works, and

• Be very clear about the fact that you would not hire people in the ways described above.

If you have been victimized by an online scam, report your suspicious contacts to the FBI. You can file an online report at the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov or call your FBI local office.

Update, 2/18/19 at 3:00 p.m:  An autopsy performed Monday, February 18, 2019, revealed Johnathan Patrick Likeke Walker, 23, died of suffocation following a skiing accident on Mt. Ashland on Saturday.  

During the investigation, deputies learned that Walker was skiing in a group of three Mt. Ashland Ski Patrol members.  Walker was the last of the group to descend the hill.  The others looked back to find that Walker had skied into a tree well and had become trapped upside down in the snow.  They climbed back up the steep hill and worked to free Walker from the snow, but he was not breathing. Efforts to resuscitate Walker by ski patrol members, as well as by medical personnel at the ski area, continued for approximately two hours.  

Update, 2/17/19 at 10:35 a.m.

The decedent in Saturday's incident on Mt. Ashland was identified as Johnathan Patrick Likeke Walker, 23.  Walker lived and worked locally, but lived previously in Yakima, Wash.  The autopsy has been postponed until Monday. 

Original release, 2/16/19 at 8:10 p.m.:

ASHLAND, Ore. - A 23-year-old man died Saturday afternoon after reportedly colliding with a tree while skiing on Mt. Ashland.  He was a member of the Mt. Ashland Ski Patrol.  

On February 16, 2019, at 1:31 p.m., dispatch received a 911 call reporting a skiing accident on the south side of the mountain, outside the boundaries of the Mt. Ashland Ski Area.  Jackson County Sheriff's Office (JCSO) deputies responded to the ski area, along with personnel from Ashland Fire & Rescue. 

Deputies learned the victim was among a group of Mt. Ashland Ski Patrol members skiing in the back country.  The victim's fellow ski patrol members rendered aid and transported him back up the slope to the ski area.  Medical personnel continued resuscitation until he was pronounced dead at 3:37 p.m. 

The Jackson County Medical Examiner's Office is investigating the cause and manner of death.  An autopsy is planned for Sunday.

The victim's next-of-kin has been notified.  His name will be released at a later time to allow additional family to be notified. 

Case #19-03254

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The Lebanon Fire District responded to the report of a structure fire at 1046 F Street in Lebanon. Crews arrived on scene to a large shop fully involved. The initial incident commander called for a second alarm to request additional units from neighboring fire districts. Crews immediately began extinguishment efforts. Exposure control hose lines were setup to stop the spread of fire into the office building approximately five feet away. Explosions could be heard do to the storage of acetylene, propane and gas tanks. There were numerous cars and a forklift that were parked outside of the building. A ladder truck was used to knock down a bulk of the fire and allowed crews to get a quick knockdown. The fire was brought under control in approximately one hour. The fire was contained to the building of origin. The district responded with five engines, a ladder truck, medic unit, and four staff vehicles. A total of 27 firefighters were on scene.  Albany, Sweet Home and Scio fire departments provided coverage for the city during the blaze. No injuries were reported during the incident. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

For HD photos of this and other LFD incidents, please follow the Lebanon Fire District Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/LebanonFireDistrict/?ref=bookmarks

On February 21, 2019 at about 8:25 PM, Lincoln City Police officers responded to 6431 NE Logan Road on a report of a man with a gunshot wound.

When officers arrived they found 49 year-old Douglas Stewart alone with an apparent gunshot wound to his left forearm and stomach area. Officers immediately began providing first aid and applied a tourniquet to his arm to control bleeding. Personnel from Pacific West Ambulance and North Lincoln Fire & Rescue arrived on scene and began further medical treatment before transporting Mr. Stewart to Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital. Mr. Stewart was later transported to Corvallis Hospital via Life Flight air ambulance.

The investigation at the scene indicates that Mr. Stewart was home alone at the time of the incident and that he had accidently shot himself when he grabbed the small handgun from a kitchen cupboard and accidently discharged it. The gun was found to be a small single shot handgun that fired a .410 gauge shotgun round. After Stewart accidently shot himself, he went to a neighbor’s residence and asked for help. The neighbors called 911 and Lincoln City PD officers, PacWest Ambulance and North Lincoln Fire & Rescue responded to the scene. There were no indications of any type of criminal activity at the scene and the incident appears to be accidental in nature.

Submitted By:

Sergeant Jeffrey Winn

On the morning of February 15th, 2019 Detectives from the Lincoln City Police Department, Keizer Police Department and Salem Police Department executed a search warrant at 3725 Pleasant View Drive NE in Keizer, OR. This search warrant execution resulted from ongoing residential burglary investigations, which had occurred in Lincoln City on February 14th, 2019. During the search of the Keizer residence officers and investigators recovered property that was reported stolen from two Lincoln City residences. Also recovered during the warrant execution was a quantity of suspected methamphetamine and several firearms.

53 year old Timothy Vance, of Keizer, was taken into custody for felon of possession of a firearm.

The investigation is on-going and was the result of interagency investigation by Salem PD, Keizer PD and the Lincoln City Police Department.

The Lincoln City Police Department plans on utilizing DUII Grant funds to put an extra patrol officer on duty on Saturday, February 23, 2019 for DUII Enforcement. This enforcement operation will occur in conjunction with enhanced DUII Enforcement efforts by the Newport Police Department, the Oregon State Police and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s during the Newport Seafood & Wine Festival weekend. This county wide enforcement effort is designed to increase the number of law enforcement officers on patrol with an emphasis on seeking out drivers who are impaired by alcohol or drugs. The goal of these enhanced enforcement efforts are to increase the safety of the citizens and visitors of Lincoln County by getting drunk and impaired drivers off the roadways. 

The police department last utilized the DUII Grant funds for two enhanced enforcement operations during the Christmas / Years “High Visibility Enforcement” time period, which ran from December 13th, 2018 through January 1st, 2019. During those operations several traffic citations were issued including three for driving while suspended, and three drivers were arrested for DUII. 

The Enhanced DUII Enforcement grant funds are a valuable resource that assists us in improving the traffic safety in our community. Our goal is simple; to save lives and prevent injuries caused by impaired driving crashes. These grant funds were made possible through the Oregon Department of Transportation and Oregon Impact.

Submitted By:

Sergeant Jeffrey G. Winn

Lincoln City Police Department

SAFETY BELT & CHILD SEAT LAWS

The following general information regarding safety belt and child restraint laws comes from the Oregon Department of Transportation Safety Division.  The specific statutory requirements are found in the Oregon Revised Statutes, Volume 17, under ORS 811.210 - 811.225. (Note: You will have to scroll down to the specific referenced statute number to locate the actual full text).

ADULT BELT LAW

Oregon law requires that all motor vehicle operators and passengers be properly secured with a safety belt or safety harness, unless all safety-belt equipped seating positions are occupied by other persons. Vehicle owners are required to maintain belt systems in working order. This applies to passenger cars, pick up trucks, motorhomes, and fee-based people transport carrying fifteen or fewer persons. Limited exemptions are allowed under ORS 811.215.

CHILD RESTRAINT LAW

Child passengers must be restrained in child safety seats until they weigh forty pounds or reach the upper weight limit for the car seat in use. Infants must ride rear-facing until they reach both one year of age AND twenty pounds.

BOOSTER SEAT LAW

Children over forty pounds or who have reached the upper weight limit for their forward-facing car seat must use boosters to 4'9" tall or age eight and the adult belt fits correctly.

REAR SEATING FOR CHILDREN
There is no Oregon law specifically prohibiting children from riding in the front seat of passenger vehicles.  However, a rear-facing infant seat cannot be placed in a front seating position that is equipped with an airbag because this would violate Oregon's requirement for "proper use" of a child safety seat.  There is a national "best practice recommendation" calling for rear seating through age twelve.

NATIONAL "BEST PRACTICE" RECOMMENDATIONS

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) experts from the U.S. Department of Transportation have published guidelines which would keep children in each type of child seat longer than Oregon law prescribes, in addition to back seating through age twelve.  Click this link to download the latest National Best Practices Recommendations. 

BELT OR BOOSTER?

Belt fit can vary greatly from one vehicle to another and one child to another. If your child meets Oregon's legal requirements for moving from a booster seat to safety belt but you still have doubts about whether your child fits in the belt in your particular vehicle, then the following simple test can help. Place your child in the vehicle without a booster seat and then ask these questions. Until you can answer YES to all of the questions, your child should stay in a booster seat.

1. Can the child sit all the way back against the vehicle seat? 
2. Do the child's knees bend comfortably at the edge of the seat? 
3. Does the shoulder belt cross the shoulder between the neck and arm? 
4. Is the lap belt as low as possible, touching the thighs? 
5. Can the child stay comfortably seated like this for the whole trip?  

MOTOR HOMES

Motor homes are considered passenger vehicles under Oregon law and as such, adult belt and child seat requirements apply also to motor homes --- but only to forward-facing vehicle seating positions (those meeting federal safety standards for seat belt anchorages).  Therefore, occupants should utilize all forward-facing belted positions before using side or rear-facing positions.

COMMERCIAL VEHICLES

Oregon's safety belt law requires occupants of privately-owned commercial vehicles transporting 15 or fewer persons to use safety restraints including occupants of shuttles, taxis, limousines and vans.  Among these types of vehicles, taxi cab drivers are the only occupants exempted from this rule.

We encourage everyone to always be properly buckled into their seatbelt and to correctly keep children in the appropriate safety seat. It CAN and DOES save lives.

For more information and tips, visit our web site at www.lincolncountysheriff.net and Like us on Facebook at Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office – Oregon.

Linn County Sheriff Jim Yon reports today at 5:39 a.m. his deputies were involved in a pursuit with a stolen vehicle.  The pursuit began on 7th Avenue near Hill Street in Albany.  The suspect vehicle, a gray 2017 Nissan Pathfinder, was reportedly stolen out of Sweet Home.  

Deputies pursued the vehicle to Bi-Mart on Santiam Highway.  The male suspect, Ryan Kelly Rikala, 32 of Sweet Home, ran from the vehicle and was quickly taken into custody without force.  Rikala was taken to the Albany General Hospital for a complaint of a medical issue.  He was released and transported to Linn County Jail where he was charged with Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle and outstanding warrants for Parole Violation and Contempt of Court.

The updated images show the mother and son as they exited the trails with members of Team 18.  

Early this morning, around 3:00 a.m., deputies with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and troopers with the Oregon State Police responded to a call for help at Silver Falls State Park.  Joshua Dixsen, age 25, of Salem called to report his girlfriend and her 3 year old child were lost somewhere inside the state park.

Mr. Dixsen, his girlfriend Josie Chysm, age 24 of Salem and her three year old son left for a hike around noon on Sunday.  Sometime during the hike the family became disoriented and lost. After the sunset, the couple decided that Ms. Chysm and her son would wait under a tree while Mr. Dixsen walked out for help.  

Searchers with the Marion County Search and Rescue Team responded to the area and began coordinating efforts both on foot and in vehicles.  At 8:30 a.m., ground searchers located Ms. Chysm and her son along the Rim Trail inside of the park. The Sheriff’s Office is happy to report that the pair are cold and wet but otherwise unharmed.  

At the time of this release rescuers are walking the pair out where they will be evaluated by paramedics and reunited with family.  When the family set out they had very limited gear and were not prepared for the winter weather.

Experts with our Search and Rescue recommend you always carry enough supplies to survive at least 24 hours even when setting out on a day hike.  These items should consist of food, water, first aid supplies, warm clothing and instruments for navigation. Often times in these remote areas cell coverage is not an option so hikers should be prepared to treat emergencies until rescuers can arrive.    

The Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the Oregon State Police, Oregon State Parks, Oregon Office of Emergency Management, Mountain Wave Search and Rescue, Marion County Sheriff’s Office Team 18 and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office Jeep Patrol.  

The Oregon State Police Fish & Wildlife Division is asking for the public’s help in identifying suspect (s) involved in the killing of a cow elk in the SW Santiam unit on Tuesday, February 19, 2019. 

There is an authorized cow elk hunt occurring at this time, but the elk was killed on private property and a large amount of meat was left to waste.  The front shoulders and neck meat were not taken. 

The cow elk was shot on private property off of Larwood Drive near Scio, OR.

Anyone with information regarding this case is urged to contact Oregon State Police Dispatch at 1-800-442-0776,  OSP(677) , or the Turn in Poachers (TIP) hotline at 1-800-452-7888 and leave information for Senior Trooper Jim Andrews.

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, and Furbearers. Cash rewards can also be awarded for the unlawful take of Game Fish and Shellfish and for Habitat Destruction.

CASH REWARDS:
$1,000 Bighorn Sheep, Rocky Mountain Goat and Moose 
$500 Elk, Deer and Antelope 
$300 Bear, Cougar and Wolf 
$300 Habitat Destruction 
$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)

Star had last been seen February 11,2019 not 2018.

###

Update

Based on tips received through the hotline, Oregon State Police has identified the deceased female as Satin Fever Star (aka Kahrin Jean McDonald), age 63, from Lincoln City, Oregon.

Star was seen on February 11, 2019. The investigation remains active but at this time there is no known threat to the community and her death does not appear suspicious.

The Oregon State Police would like to thank everyone who called the tip-line.

###

On February 17, 2019 at approximately 5:00 PM, Oregon State Police, with the assistance of US Coast Guard and Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, recovered the body of a deceased female in the ocean, in a cove, just north of “God’s Thumb”.

The female is described as a white adult female with long dark brown hair. She was approximately 5’7” and 190-200 pounds.

The Oregon State Police is continuing its investigation as to the specifics of her death but we are asking for the public’s assistance for information on her identity.

If anyone has any information on a recent missing female, matching this description, please call (800) 452-7888 and reference case number SP 19-058230. Detective Carla Urbigkeit is the lead investigator.

No photos are available or additional information is available at this time.

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The "Safe Disposal for Safe Communities" initiative aims to reduce opioids in circulation

PORTLAND, Ore. — Kaiser Permanente Northwest has awarded a $200,000 grant to Lines for Life, a regional nonprofit dedicated to preventing substance abuse and suicide and promoting mental wellness, for an initiative that will combat the opioid epidemic in Oregon and Southwest Washington by increasing the number of safe drug disposal sites.

“Leftover prescription painkillers are fueling the opioid crisis,” said Dwight Holton, CEO of Lines for Life. “We need to make it easy for people to get rid of their unused painkillers. Ideally, they should be able to drop them off in the same place they received their prescription, yet today less than 2.5 percent of the locations eligible to collect medications, such as pharmacies and hospitals, are actually doing so.”

The initiative, Safe Disposal for Safe Communities, will focus on 7 Oregon communities facing high rates of opioid prescribing and other significant health disparities. The communities will be selected in the first phase of the initiative.

Through Kaiser Permanente’s funding, Lines for Life will:

• Implement pharmacy-based drug disposal at Federally Qualified Health Centers and independent pharmacies in the 7 communities.
• Develop a medication disposal strategy that can be replicated throughout the region.
• Create strategies to better educate the public about the importance of safe drug disposal, based on interviews and listening sessions conducted in these communities.

“Across our entire organization, from our physicians and pharmacists to dentists and researchers, we’re working to find meaningful solutions to this public health crisis,” said Ruth Williams-Brinkley, regional president for Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals of the Northwest. “Over the last 5 years, we reduced the number of members who were prescribed high-dose opioids by more than 75 percent. It’s critical that we also get unused drugs out of people’s medicine cabinets, so they don’t fall into the wrong hands.”

According to the Oregon Health Authority, Oregon has one of the highest rates of prescription opioid misuse in the nation; more drug poisoning deaths involve prescription opioids than any other type of drug, including alcohol, methamphetamines, heroin and cocaine. In addition, many teens report that they have misused prescription medication, and studies show that most teens get these medications from friends or family members, due in part to the fact that many patients store leftover medications in their home instead of disposing of them.

In a 2017 report, “How People Obtain the Prescription Pain Relievers They Misuse”, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found that “regardless of age, gender or type of user, most people who misuse prescription pain relievers obtained the drugs from a friend or relative.”

Kaiser Permanente’s approach to addressing the opioid epidemic

Through education and support for patients and prescribers, Kaiser Permanente has been working to address the opioid epidemic for nearly a decade, with multidisciplinary initiatives designed to:

• Limit opioid prescriptions overall, prescribing them only when it’s safe and appropriate.
• Provide effective, patient-centered, nonopioid pain management alternatives.
• Prescribe lower doses and shorter courses when opioids are medically necessary.
• Help patients who take opioid medications taper down to safer, lower doses or to discontinue use altogether.
• Eliminate brand-name opioids whenever possible to help prevent diversion into communities.

Kaiser Permanente has reduced our members’ risk for opioid abuse and addiction through improved prescribing and dispensing policies, monitoring and follow-up processes, and coordination across departments and specialties.

We have done groundbreaking work to reduce opioid use after surgeries, including dental procedures, and have dramatically reduced opioid prescriptions to children following tonsillectomies.

The Portland-based Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research also received a major grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to examine the role of opioid use in suicide risk and develop better tools to help clinicians identify patients who are at highest risk.

Kaiser Permanente members have the option of either returning unused medication at the kiosks located in several facilities or returning them using the mailer envelopes provided at all Kaiser Permanente Northwest pharmacies.

Learn more about Kaiser Permanente’s approach to addressing the opioid epidemic.

About Lines for Life

Lines for Life is a regional nonprofit dedicated to preventing substance abuse and suicide and promoting mental wellness. It is taking the lead on preventing prescription drug abuse by convening the Oregon Coalition for the Responsible Use of Meds.

Lines for Life works locally and nationally to shape the policies that impact its mission. It works with legislators and community partners to create sustainable, positive changes in the way organizations and communities respond to substance abuse, suicide, mental wellness, and crisis. Today, Lines for Life is working to reduce prescription drug misuse, abuse, and overdose through expanded pharmacy drug disposal programs. Historically, it has worked to limit teen exposure to drugs and alcohol, minimize access to the chemicals used to manufacture illegal drugs, and more.

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve more than 12.2 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to kp.org/share.

PR 1-19                                                                      BONNEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION
                                                                            MEDIA ADVISORY: Friday, February 22, 2019
                                                               CONTACT: John Tyler, 503-230-5116/503-706-1001
                                                                                                                                                          

BPA hosts 28th annual Regional Science Bowl this Saturday

Some 64 teams of high school students compete for opportunity to go to National Science Bowl, scholarships to regional schools

Portland, Ore. –Students from Westview High School in Beaverton are vying for their sixth straight championship at the Bonneville Power Administration’s 28th annual Regional Science Bowl. The event challenges students’ knowledge in all aspects of science including math, geology, chemistry, physics and environmental science.

Originally scheduled for Feb. 9, the competition was postponed due to inclement weather affecting the region. Now, Westview joins 63 other teams from public and private high schools across western Washington and Oregon this Saturday at the University of Portland for the fast-paced, round-robin competition. The top team will take an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., to compete in the Department of Energy’s National Science Bowl.

The BPA supported event is the largest regional science bowl in the nation. The academic event not only showcases students’ talents in science, technology, engineering and math, it also provides an opportunity to encourage them to consider careers in these fields. This helps to build the future labor pool of scientists and innovators so critical to the energy industry.

Beyond the prestige of winning and the prospect of the national competition, BPA and science bowl volunteers have worked to establish partnerships with 17 universities and colleges in the Northwest to offer members of the top three teams a chance at more than $300,000 in scholarships.

In addition to the competition, demonstrations and hands-on activities will take place throughout the day. In the afternoon, a separate engineering competition allows teams that have not advanced to the double-elimination round to test their engineering and design skills.

The BPA Regional Science Bowl is sponsored by the University of Portland and Vernier Software & Technology.

BPA REGIONAL SCIENCE BOWL 2019

Where: Franz Hall, University of Portland, Portland, Oregon

When: Feb. 23, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

More info: www.bpa.gov/goto/ScienceBowl

About BPA

The Bonneville Power Administration, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, is a nonprofit federal power marketer that sells wholesale electricity from 31 federal dams and one nuclear plant to 142 electric utilities, serving millions of consumers and businesses in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, western Montana and parts of California, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming. BPA delivers power via more than 15,000 circuit miles of lines and 260 substations to 511 transmission customers. In all, BPA markets about a third of the electricity consumed in the Northwest and operates three-quarters of the region’s high-voltage transmission grid. BPA also funds one of the largest fish and wildlife programs in the world, and, with its partners, pursues cost-effective energy savings and operational solutions that help maintain affordable, reliable and clean electric power for the Northwest. www.bpa.gov

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WASHINGTON – The Federal grazing fee for 2019 will drop to $1.35 per animal unit month (AUM) for public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management and $1.35 per head month (HM) for lands managed by the USDA Forest Service. This represents a decrease from the 2018 Federal grazing fee of $1.41 per AUM.

An AUM or HM—treated as equivalent measures for fee purposes—is the use of public lands by one cow and her calf, one horse, or five sheep or goats for a month.  The newly calculated grazing fee was determined by a congressional formula and takes effect March 1, 2019.  The fee will apply to nearly 18,000 grazing permits and leases administered by the BLM and nearly 6,500 permits administered by the Forest Service.

The formula used for calculating the grazing fee was established by Congress in the 1978 Public Rangelands Improvement Act and has remained in use under a 1986 presidential Executive Order.  Under that order, the grazing fee cannot fall below $1.35 per AUM/HM, and any increase or decrease cannot exceed 25 percent of the previous year’s level.

The annually determined grazing fee is established using a 1966 base value of $1.23 per AUM/HM for livestock grazing on public lands in Western states.  The figure is then calculated according to three factors—current private grazing land lease rates, beef cattle prices, and the cost of livestock production.  In effect, the fee rises, falls, or stays the same based on market conditions.

“The BLM and Forest Service are committed to strong relationships with the ranching community and work closely with permittees to ensure public rangelands remain healthy, productive working landscapes,” said Brian Steed, BLM Deputy Director for Programs and Policy.  “Fifty percent of the collected grazing fees deposited into the U.S. Treasury are returned to the Range Betterment Fund for on-the-ground range improvement projects. Portions of collected fees are also returned to the states for use in the counties where the fees were generated.”

The grazing fee applies in 16 Western states on public lands administered by the BLM and the Forest Service.  The states are: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.  Permit holders and lessees may contact their local BLM or Forest Service office for additional information.

-BLM-

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. The agency’s mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. Diverse activities authorized on these lands generated $96 billion in sales of goods and services throughout the American economy in fiscal year 2017. These activities supported more than 468,000 jobs.

The Police Policy Committee of the Board on Public Safety Standards and Training (BPSST) held its regularly scheduled meeting today, February 21, 2019, in the Victor G. Atiyeh Boardroom at the Oregon Public Safety Academy in Salem, Oregon. 

To increase the public's trust, the Oregon legislature has mandated the Board on Public Safety Standards and Training establish minimum standards that are required to be met and maintained by Oregon's providers of public safety, including police officers, corrections officers, parole and probation officers, telecommunicators (9-1-1), emergency medical dispatchers, public safety instructors, and OLCC regulatory specialists. The Department of Public Safety Standards and Training is responsible for certifying public safety professionals who meet all of the Board-established intellectual, physical and moral fitness standards and for denying, suspending or revoking the certification of those who do not meet or fall below these standards.

Agenda Items:

Approved Meeting Minutes of November 15, 2018 Meeting

Approved Proposed Rule Changes for OAR 259-008-0070 – Criminal Justice Moral Fitness Workgroup Recommendations, Part One

Reviewed and Approved Proposed Changes to Policy Committee Bylaws

Approved Administrative Closures – Police & Regulatory Specialist

Professional Standards Cases - Note actions listed below are not final and parties involved in professional standards cases may request a contested case hearing in front of an administrative law judge

Williams, Gregory DPSST #59293; Application for Training – Oregon State Police – Police Policy Committee will recommend Board not deny application

Marcellais, Pete DPSST #45295; Basic Police Certification – Marion County Sheriff’s Office  - Police Policy Committee will recommend Board revoke certification for five years for Gross Misconduct

Wolfer, James DPSST #51798; Basic Police Certification – Grand Ronde Tribal Police Department – Police Policy Committee will recommend Board not revoke certification

Hald, Dustin DPSST #33090; Basic, Intermediate, Advanced and Supervisory Police and Corrections Certifications – Columbia County Sheriff’s Office – Police Policy Committee recommends no action be taken

Newberry, Tommy DPSST #21603; Basic, Intermediate and Advanced Police Certifications – West Linn Police Department – Police Policy Committee will recommend Board revoke for 10 years for Gross Misconduct

Lineberry, Joshua DPSST #51879; Basic, Intermediate and Advanced Police Certifications – Columbia County Sheriff’s Office - Police Policy Committee recommends no action be taken

Dedek, Abraham DPSST 43390; Basic, Intermediate and Advanced Police Certifications – Salem Police Department – Police Policy Committee will recommend Board issue a lifetime revocation for Dishonesty, Gross Misconduct, and Misuse of Authority

Stubbs, Carl DPSST #36091; Complaint -2018-129CJ – Currently Not Employed – Police Policy Committee directed DPSST staff to open a Professional Standards case for the Committee to review

Next Police Policy Committee Meeting – May 16, 2019 at 10:00 a.m.

## Background Information on the DPSST ##

The Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) operates the Oregon Public Safety Academy which spans more than 235 acres in Salem. The Academy is nationally recognized for its innovative training programs and active stakeholder involvement. Eriks Gabliks serves as the Director, and Sheriff Jason Myers of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office serves as the Chair of the Board. The department implements minimum standards established by the Board for the training and certification of more than 40,000 city, tribal, county and state law enforcement officers, corrections officers, parole and probation officers, fire service personnel, telecommunicators, emergency medical dispatchers and private security providers.

DPSST provides training to more than 25,000 students each year throughout Oregon and at the Oregon Public Safety Academy in Salem: certifies qualified officers at various levels from basic through executive; certifies qualified instructors; and reviews and accredits training programs throughout the state based on standards established by the Board.

Fire Policy Committee Agenda Amended February 27, 2019

The Fire Policy Committee of the Board on Public Safety Standards and Training will hold a regular meeting on February 27, 2019 at 9:00 a.m. in the Boardroom at the Oregon Public Safety Academy located at 4190 Aumsville Hwy SE, Salem, Oregon.  For more information please contact Mona Riesterer at 503-378-2431.
 
Committee Members: James Oeder, Chair, Oregon Volunteer Firefighters Association Jim Walker, Vice Chair, Oregon State Fire  Rev. Dr. Deborah Brown, Public Member Darren Bucich, Oregon Fire Chiefs Association  Patricia “Tricia”Connolly, Non-Management Firefighter Ron Graham, Oregon Department of Forestry  Kevin Larson, Oregon State Fire Fighters Council  Mark Kreutzer, Oregon Fire District Director’s Association John Rinier, Oregon Fire Marshals Association  Paula Simone, Community College Fire Programs  Richard Cearns, Oregon Fire Instructor Association  

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 Fire 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
 
Agenda

1. Introductions

2. Approval of Minutes of September 24, 2018 Meeting

3. Review of Policy Committee Bylaws

4. Proposed Rule Changes for OAR 259-009-0015 Background Investigators

5. Five-Year Review for the Adoption of OAR 259-009-0015 – Informational

6. Proposed Rule Changes for OAR 259-009-0005 and 259-009-0062 Maritime Fire Service Operator

7. Administrative Closures
 
8. McCarty, Joshua S. DPSST #36638 – NFPA Fire Apparatus Driver/Operator; Siuslaw Valley Fire & Rescue

9. Oregon Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial Criteria for Inclusion – Information Only
 
10. Department Update

11. Next scheduled FPC meeting – May 22, 2019 @ 9:00 a.m.  

## Background Information on the DPSST ##

The Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) operates the Oregon Public Safety Academy which spans more than 235 acres in Salem. The Academy is nationally recognized for its innovative training programs and active stakeholder involvement. Eriks Gabliks serves as the Director, and Sheriff Jason Myers of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office serves as the Chair of the Board. The department implements minimum standards established by the Board for the training and certification of more than 40,000 city, tribal, county and state law enforcement officers, corrections officers, parole and probation officers, fire service personnel, telecommunicators, emergency medical dispatchers and private security providers.

DPSST provides training to more than 25,000 students each year throughout Oregon and at the Oregon Public Safety Academy in Salem: certifies qualified officers at various levels from basic through executive; certifies qualified instructors; and reviews and accredits training programs throughout the state based on standards established by the Board.

Notice of Regular Meeting

The DPSST Fire Ground Leader Task Force will hold a regular meeting at 0900 on February 26, 2019.  The meeting will be held at the Oregon Police Safety Academy at 4190 Aumsville Highway SE in Salem, Oregon in Conference Room A234. The meeting location is accessible to persons with disabilities. A request for an interpreter for the deaf or hearing impaired or for other accommodations for persons with disabilities should be made before the meeting by calling Kayla Ballrot at DPSST by phone at 503-378-2596

Teleconference number: 1-888-398-2342 and Access Code: 4256088

If you dial-in for the meeting, please mute your phone unless you are addressing the group.  Doing so will enable you to hear the meeting more effectively.

Agenda Items:

This is a rough guide. Depending on the decisions and directions of the Task Force, this agenda is subject to change at the discretion of the Chair and Task Force Members.

1. Welcome and introductions
2. Rules of engagement
3. DPSST to explain the process now that Public Comments were received
4. Review Public Comments and supporting statistical documentation as needed
5. Have the answers to the following questions discussed during the previous Task Force changed after reviewing the Public Comments?

• Is the Fire Ground Leader certification still applicable to the Oregon fire service? Does it still have value and is it something Oregon would like to continue to pursue? NFPA Fire Officer I academy availability and online course options have made this level of certification increasingly easier to obtain. Do we need both NFPA Fire Officer and Fire Ground Leader options?
• If we would like to continue certifying Fire Ground Leader, are the course options still relevant? Do they need to be revamped? Expanded?
• The Fire Behavior and Water Supplies portions of the certification have limited course options and resources. Do we need additional curriculum and course options? Do we need course options with easier access to curriculum?
• Are the Job Performance Requirements in the Task Book still appropriate? Do they need to be updated?

1. Review current application and create updated application
2. Review current Guide to Certification and create updated Guide to Certification
3. Review OAR’s
4. Final discussion/questions

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 DPSST Fire Ground Leader Task Force 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.

## Background Information on the DPSST ##

The Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) operates the Oregon Public Safety Academy which spans more than 235 acres in Salem. The Academy is nationally recognized for its innovative training programs and active stakeholder involvement. Eriks Gabliks serves as the Director, and Sheriff Jason Myers of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office serves as the Chair of the Board. The department implements minimum standards established by the Board for the training and certification of more than 45,000 city, tribal, county and state law enforcement officers, corrections officers, parole and probation officers, fire service personnel, telecommunicators, emergency medical dispatchers and private security providers.

DPSST provides training to more than 25,000 students each year throughout Oregon and at the Oregon Public Safety Academy in Salem: certifies qualified officers at various levels from basic through executive; certifies qualified instructors; and reviews and accredits training programs throughout the state based on standards established by the Board.

Salem, Ore. – Using the arts as a means of addressing community need is at the heart of 31 projects awarded $175,000 by the Oregon Arts Commission’s Arts Build Communities grant program for FY2019.

The Arts Build Communities program targets broad geographic impact and arts access for underserved audiences in Oregon. More than half of this year’s awards go to communities outside of the Portland area.

“This program provides financial support to arts and other community-based organizations for projects that address a local community problem, issue or need through an arts-based solution," said Arts Commission Vice Chair Jenny Green, who led the review panel. “Local citizens employ creative thinking and collective response to identify a local need and provide an arts-based solution. These modest grants also spark and leverage many other investments and resources, serving as a catalyst for greater economic and civic impact.”

In many cases these awards are seed money to spur additional local funding. In recent years Arts Build Communities projects attracted more than $600,000 in additional investment, much of it representing salaries paid to artists and others as well as products and services purchased in the funded communities.

Arts Build Communities grants are made possible, in part, through a funding partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.

The 2019 recipients are:

Art of Community, Hood River: $5,500         

To support increasing the Hispanic population’s access to and engagement in the public art BIG ART Walking Tour, including the creation of a bilingual Spanish/English Public Art Map.

Arts Alliance of Yamhill County, McMInnville: $3,500

To support the Fire Writers Project and host a youth conference bringing 150 high school writers, teachers and professional writers together for sessions inspiring students to keep their writing practice.

Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon, Portland: $6,000

To support the Roots to Rise Mural Project by creating an art plan for a new community center and affordable housing development at the heart of East Portland's Jade District.

Astoria Arts and Movement Center, Astoria: $6,000

To support the formation of Pier Pressure Productions, a non-profit theater organization and venue.

Boom Arts Inc, Portland: $6,000

To support artistic, production and outreach costs associated with a presentation of Pescador, a puppet theatre piece for family audiences by Chilean puppet theatre troupe Silencio Blanco, as well as related educational outreach programs.

Cascade School of Music, Bend: $6,000     

To support the Song Catchers Outreach Music Programs with four partner organizations that for under-served, diverse, pre-k & elementary school children.

Clackamas County Arts Alliance, Oregon City: $6,000       

To support Expanding Youth Arts for Change, adding additional visual arts and theater programming to existing programs in Estacada and Canby middle schools as well as at Oregon City’s Parrott Creek Ranch.

Cornucopia Arts Council, Halfway: $6,200  

To support a Clear Creek Music Festival performance of “Scenes from the Oregon Trail, part V” by Festival Resident Composer Blaise Ferrandino.

Deschutes Public Library Foundation, Bend: $4,700          

To support the Library’s community read program, A Novel Idea. Residents are encouraged to read, discuss, create and explore the selected book together.

Eugene Symphony Association, Eugene: $6,000    

To support the Symphony’s 2019 Link Up partnership with Eugene School District 4J’s BEST Afterschool Program. ESA’s professional teaching artists will deliver an experiential music curriculum.

Eugene-Springfield Youth Orchestras, Eugene: $6,250      

To support the String Academy program, a youth music education program that provides a full year of beginning strings to underserved children in public schools at low or no cost, plus two second year ensembles.

Experience Theatre Project, Beaverton: $3,300      

To produce the first-ever Westside Shakespeare Festival July 28-30, 2019, a collaboration between local theater companies and art educators that will feature full-length plays, scenes, songs, workshops, food and more.

Fishtrap Inc, Enterprise: $6,550        

To support Fishtrap’s 2019 Big Read when more than 1,700 Wallowa County residents will read and celebrate Ursula K. Le Guin’s “A Wizard of Earthsea.” 2019 goals include building a partnership with Art Center East in Union County and expanding programming.

Four Rivers Cultural Center and Museum, Ontario: $4,300 

To support a Tradition Keepers event that features buckaroo/ranching traditions as well as Mexican, Basque, Japanese and Native American arts and traditions.

Josephy Center for Arts and Culture, Joseph: $4,900        

To support Women on the Edge, an art exhibit with accompanying programs in March and April of 2019. The exhibit will honor local women artists and invite women artists exploring and experimenting with technique and subject matter.

Klamath Community College Foundation, Klamath Falls: $3,100

To support EDUCATION/TRANSFORMATION for which eight Klamath Community College students with educational challenges will write monologues about how their lives are being transformed by education.

Lane Arts Council, Eugene: $6,800  

To support Empowering and Connecting Lane County’s Latinx Arts Community, a series of professional development workshops and networking events tailored to Latinx artists and arts groups.

Literary Arts Inc, Portland: $5,850    

To support the Oregon Book Awards Author Tour, taking Book Award authors to four to six towns across the state to teach writing workshops, visits schools,and present their work at free community gatherings.

Miracle Theatre Group, Portland: $6,250     

To support Milagro’s bilingual UNIDAD theatre residency with school workshops and a public performance in Redmond, Oregon, in May of 2019.

Music Education & Performing Artists Association, Eugene: $6,000

To support The Rock Orchestra Expansion Project, purchasing equipment and workshop materials for weekly music workshops and community outreach.

My Voice Music, Portland: $6,300    

To support the pilot of My Voice Music’s after school drop-in program focused on serving a diverse group of 100 youth, ages 9-18, referred from social service partners and/or neighborhood schools.

Open Hearts Open Minds, Portland: $6,200

To support the 2019 Theatre at Coffee Creek program at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville. The program consists of two facilitators working with residents for twice-weekly dialogue groups.

Oregon Symphony, Portland: $6,250

To support year two of the Lullaby project in partnership with Portland Homeless Family Solutions, using music as a tool for healing and community-building among families experiencing homelessness.

Outside the Frame, Portland: $6,500

To support Frameworks: Cameras, Creativity, Career and Community, weekly film education programming and outreach/educational programs for homeless and marginalized youth.

Portland Meet, Portland: $6,250       

To support the 2019 Pass the Mic Music Camp for Immigrant and Refugee Youth. Grant funds will be used to help pay for stipends for camp counselors and translators and to help pay for instruments and music equipment.

Portland Taiko, Portland: $4,250       

To support a museum exhibit at the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center dedicated to the history of Portland Taiko within the context of taiko in North America. The exhibit will celebrate Portland Taiko’s 25th anniversary season.

Portrait Connection, Long Creek: $6,000     

To support Portraits in Eastern Oregon, engaging a minimum of 12 artists to paint 12 portraits of children struggling with serious health issues. Grant funds will be used to pay artist fees, purchase program supplies, and for 10 percent indirect costs.

Rogue Valley Chorale Association, Medford: $4,000          

To provide three concerts for 3,000 students from area schools at Central High School Theater to motivate children to sing.

Salem Art Association, Salem: $6,550         

To support Art Intersection/Intersección de Arte, connecting the northeast and southeast communities of Salem by increasing art opportunities for Latinx youth and connecting them with the broader art communities.

The High Desert Museum: Bend: $6,500     

To support a collaboration with Arts East. Grant funds will be used to empower middle school students in rural eastern Oregon to engage with artists and explore issues relevant to their community through innovative art experiences.

Write Around Portland, Portland: $7,000      

To support Writing for Social Change: Arts in Affordable Housing, providing eight ten-week creative writing workshops free of charge for 70 to 100 residents of affordable housing buildings.

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

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

Salem, Oregon – The Oregon Arts Commission is excited to announce eight grants made through The Ford Family Foundation’s Art Acquisition Fund, which supports our state’s collecting visual arts institutions, the artists whose work they are able to acquire, and the public who will be guaranteed access to these important works in perpetuity. Funds were awarded by a panel of art professionals to: the City of Halsey, Coos Art Museum, High Desert Museum, Portland Art Museum, Portland State University, Reed College, The Schneider Museum of Art, and Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at University of Oregon. More details about each artist and work are listed below.

This year marks the 10th that the Arts Commission has administered these funds for The Ford Family Foundation’s Visual Arts Program. Since 2010, funds have been granted to 20 organizations throughout the state and advanced the careers of more than 50 artists: Robert Adams, Corey Arnold, Rick Bartow (1946–2016), Carol Benson, Christine Bourdette, Harrison Branch, Michael Brophy, Pat Courtney Gold, John Van Dreal, Gale Everett, Judith Poxson Fawkes. Betty Feves (1918–1985)

Sally Finch, Stephen Hayes, Robert Hess (1935–2014), Yuji Hiratsuka, Deborah Horrell (1953–2018), Jeffrey Hull, Jessica Jackson Hutchins, Malia Jensen, Chris Johanson and Jo Jackson, Mel Katz, Lee Kelly, Arnold J. Kemp, Kristan Kennedy, Michael Knutson, Cynthia Lahti, James Lavadour, Ellen Lesperance, Evan La Londe, Elizabeth Malaska, Victor Maldonado, Akihiko Miyoshi, Christiaan H. Mostert, Multiple quilt artists and Sisters Quilt Festival, Jay Stratton Noller, Whitney Nye, Geraldine Ondrizek, Andy Paiko and Ethan Rose, Henk Pander, Lucinda Parker, Don Prechtel, Wendy Red Star, Vanessa Renwick, Susan Seubert, Randall David Tipton, Samantha Wall, Heather Watkins, Marie Watt, and Phyllis Yes.

2019 grants are awarded to:

City of Halsey ($1,500) to acquire Gale Everett, “From the Land,” 2016, aluminum, PVC, galvanized steel bolts, plywood (13 panels)

Gale Everett (b.1969. Lives and works in Albany, Oregon) is a visual artist who works and lives in the heart of the Willamette Valley. Her work connects to the forest and rivers, to native plants, farmlands and a love of animals. She moves between hand-cut paper, printmaking, ceramics and sculpture. "From the Land" will be a permanently installed at Halsey City Hall.

Coos Art Museum ($2,800) to acquire Christiaan H. Mostert, “High Truckin',” 2017, acrylic on canvas

Christiaan H. Mostert (Dutch) (b. 1950. Lives and works in North Bend, Oregon) is a prominent artist on Oregon's South Coast. He was born into an artist family in the Netherlands in 1950. The family immigrated to Southern California in 1961 where he attended art classes at the Art Center School of Design in Pasadena. He started his own design and illustration studio in 1979, doing mostly commercial art and architectural renderings. In 1990 he moved to Oregon to open his own fine art studio and gallery. Since then, Dutch has concentrated mostly on painting the maritime environment, in the studio and on location, gathering numerous awards for his work on both coasts. Dutch is the West Coast representative for the American Society of Marine Artists. He helped found the Annual Maritime Art Exhibition at Coos Art Museum 25 years ago.

High Desert Museum ($15,000) to acquire James Lavadour, “Golden,” 2018, oil on panel

James Lavadour (b.1951. Lives and works on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Oregon) is one of Oregon’s premier artists. His work has been exhibited internationally, including recent group exhibitions at Converge 45, “You in Mind,” 2017, Portland, Oregon; “State of the Art” 2014-15, Crystal Bridges, Bentonville AR; and the 2013 Venice Biennale collateral exhibition “Personal Structures,” along with numerous regional one-person exhibitions. Growing up on the Umatilla Reservation, his work reflects his deep connection to the landscape of Eastern Oregon and incorporates Indigenous views of the land and sense of place. The High Desert Museum’s collection currently includes two of Lavadour’s early works. By acquiring one of his more mature works, they expand their capacity to trace his development as an artist and make his artwork accessible to broad audiences in their rural region. Lavadour is represented by PDX CONTEMPORARY ART

Portland Art Museum ($20,000) to acquire Chris Johanson and Jo Jackson, “Furniture Sculptures,” 2018, wood, cotton

Chris Johanson's (b. 1968. Lives and works in Portland, Oregon) multidisciplinary art encompasses painting, sculpture, installation and music; his works touch on universal themes of spirituality, sociology and environmentalism. Johanna Jackson (b. 1972. Lives and works in Portland, Oregon) transforms common objects and materials to  explore the confluence of life and work, art and craft, magic and the ordinary in her handmade, functional objects and domestically-scaled installations. Both artists have exhibited internationally and are significant members of Portland’s artistic community. Working together, they created the exhibition design that transformed a gallery for the museum’s exhibition series WE.CONSTRUCT.MARVELS.BETWEEN.MONUMENTS. The artist team’s murals, furniture and spatial interventions shifted the white cube into a warm, lively environment. Acquiring these furniture pieces is an important testimony to the transformative, community-centered ambitions of the WCMBM series. Johanson is represented by Mitchell-Inness & Nash, New York.

Portland State University ($27,000) to acquire Jessica Jackson Hutchins, “Woman Be Free,” 2018, fused glass

Jessica Jackson Hutchins (b. 1971. Lives and works in Portland, Oregon) is a Hallie Ford Fellow and an important American artist. Her expressive and intuitive studio practice produces dynamic sculptures, collages, paintings and large-scale ceramics, all hybrid juxtapositions of the handmade. She has received recent solo exhibitions at the Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus, OH (2016); the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum (2014); the Hepworth Wakefield Museum (2013); and the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, MA (2011). Significant group exhibitions include the 55th Venice Biennale, and The Whitney Biennial (2010). Her work has been incorporated into public collections including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; the Brooklyn Museum, New York; the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles.

Hutchin’s fused glass panel “Woman Be Free” will complete a series of three, with “Totem” and “19 Years Old” –each made in residence at Bullseye Glass, Portland, that will be permanently displayed at PSU’s 724 Harrison building (formerly Neuberger Hall), as part of a collection of works that explore issues of material expression of identity. Other artists represented in the grouping are Ursula von Rydingsvard, Hank Willis Thomas, Lorna Simpson, Wendy Red Star, and Saya Woolfalk. Hutchins is represented by Marianne Boesky, New York.

Reed College ($12,500) Heather Watkins, “Recordings,” 2018, twelve individually framed works, thread on linen

Heather Watkins (b. 1969. Lives and works in Portland, Oregon) has exhibited her work regionally and beyond since earning her MFA in Typography and Design at RISD in 2000. Trained in type and graphic design, textiles, bookmaking and printmaking, Watkins’ mature work exhibits the sensitive interweaving of these mediums. As an undergrad Watkins studied Classics at Pitzer College, studying in Athens, Greece, and her art evinces this study of classical art and poetics. Watkins has held solo exhibitions at: the Portland Art Museum; The Art Gym; and PDX CONTEMPORARY; and group exhibitions at CANADA NY; the lumber room, and other spaces. Her work is in the collection of: MoMA, NY; the Miller-Meigs Collection; among others. She has installed major public artworks at PSU and PCC. Her accomplished work is critical to the region’s history of design, craft and spiritual abstraction. Watkins created the “Recordings” while “waiting” in various spaces, mainly medical environments. Each intricate embroidery expresses the mind and body negotiating time and space. Watkins is represented by PDX CONTEMPOARY ART.

Schneider Museum of Art, $4,562, Elizabeth Malaska, “Legacy of Ruin,” 2014, Oil, flashe, spray paint, & charcoal & pencil on canvas

Elizabeth Malaska (b. 1976. Lives and works in Portland, Oregon) received her MFA from Pacific Northwest College of Art and BFA from California College of the Arts. With a recent critically acclaimed solo exhibition at Russo Lee Gallery in Portland and a 2018 Hallie Ford Fellowship, Malaska is emerging as an important Oregon artist. In a recent Art Form Critic's pick, Stephanie Snyder writes, "Elizabeth Malaska’s recent paintings celebrate the pathos and resilience of the anima, asserting its reproductive and spiritual power over millennia of oppression... Malaska’s pieces exorcise and overcome the clichéd representations of the feminine form seen throughout art history."  Malaska is represented by Russo Less Gallery.

Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, $4,500, University of Oregon, Victor Maldonado, “The Fallen,” 2018, Acrylic on canvas

Victor Maldonado (b. 1976. Lives and works in Portland, Oregon) was born in Michoacán, Mexico, and raised in California’s Central San Joaquin Valley. Maldonado draws from their experiences in a family of migrant field laborers to create multidisciplinary art that explores identity, cultural symbols and perceptions… yet they call it “art about nothing,” “Lucha libre” is a recurring theme in the work. The iconic Luchador mask, a symbol of Mexican freestyle wrestlers, stands for the struggle between two forces. In addition to their work as a conceptual, visual, performance, and installation artist, Maldonado is also a freelance curator and writer and assistant dean of diversity and inclusion and chief diversity officer at Pacific Northwest College of Art. This is the first work of Maldonado to enter the JSMA collection. Maldonado is represented by Froelick Gallery.

PLEASE NOTE. More images available on request.

About The Ford Family Foundation Visual Arts Program

Established in the memory of one of its co-founders, Mrs. Hallie Ford, the goal of the Foundation’s Visual Arts Program is to accelerate an enhanced quality of artistic endeavor and bodies of work by mid-career Oregon visual artists through support of their exploration, conceptualization, production, exhibition and documentation of new work, and to improve Oregon's visual arts ecology. 

In addition to the Art Acquisition Funding, other resources are being dedicated to the following:

Fellowships:  five annual Hallie Ford Fellows are provided unrestricted grants to support the conceptualization and the development of new work.

Artists-in-Residences:  bi-annual awards "Golden Spot" residency programs in Oregon that provide opportunities for artists to explore and conceptualize new work.

Exhibition & Documentation:  funding for the curation, preparation, materials and traveling of exhibitions

Capital Projects:  resources to improve and/or expand studio and exhibition space at key Oregon visual arts institutions

Curator/Critic Tour:  visitations by national curators to consult with Oregon's visual artists and interact with the arts community

Opportunity Grants:  resources to Oregon visual artists who face unanticipated circumstances that could aid in significantly advancing the creation, production or exhibition of their work. These grants are managed by the Oregon Arts Commission on the foundation's behalf.

About The Ford Family Foundation

The Ford Family Foundation is the sole funder of this Visual Arts Program.  It partners with Oregon's leading visual arts educators, gallerists, museum and arts professionals to help implement program elements and leverages funding with other state and national resources.

The Foundation was established in 1957 by Kenneth W. and Hallie E. Ford. Its Mission is “successful citizens and vital rural communities” in Oregon and Siskiyou County, California.  The Foundation is located in Roseburg, Oregon, with a Scholarship office in Eugene.  For more information about the Foundation, please visit the website at www.tfff.org.  

About the Oregon Arts Commission

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

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

The Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs this month announced across-the-board interest rate decreases on all of its home loan products, yet another sign that 2019 could be a great time to buy a home, especially for Oregon veterans.

The Oregon Veteran Home Loan Program, which has been one of ODVA’s core veteran services since the agency’s inception in 1945, dropped its interest rates by 0.125 percent in February. The new interest rates can be seen in the rate sheet here.

This interest rate decrease comes on the heels of ODVA’s lending limit increase allowing veterans to borrow up to $484,350 for a single family, owner-occupied residence in Oregon.

The Oregon Veteran Home Loan Program is coming off a banner 2018, in which participating veterans borrowed more than $102 million to purchase homes using their state veteran home loan benefit. This Oregon benefit is separate and distinct from the federal VA Home Loan Guarantee and can be used to purchase up to 4 homes over a veterans lifetime.

To be eligible, a veteran must have served on active duty with the U.S. Armed Forces, as documented on his or her DD-214, and must meet one of the service criteria outlined on ODVA’s website at https://www.oregon.gov/odva/Home-Loans/Pages/Eligibility.aspx.

For more information about the Oregon Veterans’ Affairs Home Loan Program and eligibility, please visit orvethomeloans.com.

SALEM, Ore. – Funding $30 million in treatments to slow the spread of sudden oak death over the next 20 years could offset the loss of 1,200 jobs by 2028 and $580 million in wages from 2028 to 2038. That’s the conclusion of an economic impact assessment commissioned by the Oregon Department of Forestry. The assessment was released today to the state’s Sudden Oak Death Task Force ahead of its March 8 meeting in Salem. Portland-based Highland Economics | Mason, Bruce and Girard, Inc. prepared the assessment. Find the full report at https://www.oregon.gov/ODF/ForestBenefits/Pages/ForestHealth.aspx

ODF Forest Pathologist Sarah Navarro said, “Sudden oak death is caused by the invasive pathogen Phytophthora ramorum. Since it was first detected in Oregon’s forests around 2001 in Curry County, ODF and our federal partners have been treating for sudden oak death. It spreads by spores and can infect a wide range of plants. It is especially damaging to tanoak trees (Notholithocarpus densiflorus), which are native only in Southwest Oregon and Northern California.”

Navarro said a new strain of the disease – EU1 – was found in Oregon in 2015 near the Pistol River in Curry County. Despite intensive treatment the new strain is persisting in the area. “This strain is of concern because of its ability to produce many more spores than the common NA1 strain.”

Up until now the disease has not had a significant impact on the economy of Curry County, according to the assessment. However, the assessment warns that more widespread economic impacts are likely once the disease reaches timberlands in neighboring counties.

The assessment says current efforts are keeping the infestation’s spread on average to between 0.5 and 4.5 miles a year. With continued treatment, SOD’s spread north of the Rogue River could be delayed until about 2028, according to the assessment. Without any treatment, the disease would most likely arrive north of the Rogue just four years from now and enter Coos County by 2028. Other impacts from discontinuing treatment that could happen as early as 2028 include:

• Sanctions on southwest Oregon timber exports by China, Japan, and/or Korea
• Loss of 1,200 jobs related to timber export; $57.9 million in annual wages
• Reduction of timber harvest by 15%, with proportional loss of forest products harvest tax revenue, and forest sector jobs and wages
• Reduced rural residential property value; loss of real estate transaction revenues
• Decline in recreation and tourism income out of proportion to the extent of SOD infestation if an unfavorable public perception of the region takes hold

The report also highlighted that the disappearance of tanoak from southwest Oregon forests is impacting the local ecology and Native American culture in ways not reflected in purely economic terms.

The report states that, “Cultural practices with great historic and traditional meaning—acorn gathering, materials for basket weaving, hunting—are already compromised by SOD.”

Navarro said that the assessment’s predictions about the future rate of SOD’s spread in Oregon may be affected by people or unusual events, such as extreme weather events. “A big typhoon could send spores farther than expected, or people could transport the pathogen to distant locations on infected nursery plants or infected firewood,” she cautioned. “It’s why we need the public to be aware of the quarantine area and the precautions they need to take to ensure they don’t accidentally help this disease spread.”

# # #

Portland, OR—The National Weather Service has issued flood watches for portions of south central Oregon and southwest Oregon, including the Siskiyou Mountains and Southern Oregon Cascades and South Central Oregon Cascades, Central Douglas County, Curry County Coast, Eastern Curry County and Josephine County, Eastern Douglas County Foothills, Jackson County, and South Central Oregon Coast, for Saturday, February 23 from 7 p.m. PST through Tuesday, March 1, 11 a.m.

Heavy rain can trigger landslides and debris flows in steep terrain, and the risk is higher in burn areas.

Find the latest information here: https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/or.php?x=1

Debris flows are rapidly moving, extremely destructive landslides. They can contain boulders and logs transported in a fast-moving soil and water slurry down steep hillsides and through narrow canyons. They can easily travel a mile or more. A debris flow moves faster than a person can run. People, structures and roads located below steep slopes in canyons and near the mouths of canyons may be at serious risk.

If your home, work, or route is in a watch area:

• Stay alert. Track the flood watch by radio, TV, weather radio or online. If told to evacuate, do so immediately.
• Listen. Unusual sounds might indicate moving debris, such as trees cracking or boulders knocking together. A trickle of falling mud or debris may precede larger landslides. If you think there is danger of a landslide, leave immediately.
• Watch the water. If water in a stream or creek suddenly turns muddy or the amount of water flowing suddenly decreases or increases, this is a warning that the flow has been affected upstream. You should immediately leave the area because a debris flow may soon be coming downstream.
• Travel with extreme caution. Assume roads are not safe. Be alert when driving, especially at night. Embankments along roadsides may fail, sending rock and debris onto the road.

For more landslide and debris flow information: https://www.oregongeology.org/Landslide/debrisflow.htm

###

February 22, 2019

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

Dental Pilot Project Advisory Committee meets March 4

What: The quarterly meeting of the state Dental Pilot Project Advisory Committee; the meeting will cover Dental Pilot Project #100, "Oregon Tribes Dental Health Aide Therapist Pilot Project."

Agenda: Discuss nitrous oxide project modification request; review the updated advisory committee charter; review clinical parameters for extractions of primary teeth; updates from the Oregon Health Authority and project sponsor.

When: March 4, 9 a.m. to noon. A public comment period will be held at the end of the meeting.

Public comments may be submitted in person at the meeting or written comments sent to al.health@dhsoha.state.or.us">oral.health@dhsoha.state.or.us or to Dental Pilot Project Program, 800 NE Oregon Street, Suite 825, Portland, Oregon 97232. Written comments will be accepted until March 15.

Where: Portland State Office Building Room 1A, 800 NE Oregon St., Portland. Public listen-only conference line at 888-273-3658, access code 766409.

Background: Dental pilot projects are intended to evaluate the quality of care, access, cost, workforce, and efficacy by teaching new skills to existing categories of dental personnel; developing new categories of dental personnel; accelerating the training of existing categories of dental personnel; or teaching new oral health care roles to previously untrained persons.

Program contact: Sarah Kowalski, 971-673-1563, ah.e.kowalski@dhsoha.state.or.us">sarah.e.kowalski@dhsoha.state.or.us.

# # #

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 Sarah Kowalski at 971-673-1563, 711 TTY or ah.e.kowalski@dhsoha.state.or.us">sarah.e.kowalski@dhsoha.state.or.us at least 48 hours before the meeting.

February 22, 2019

Contact: Allyson Hagen, 503-449-6457, allyson.hagen@dhsoha.state.or.us (media inquiries)

Kristin Tehrani, 971-304-6236, istin.tehrani@dhsoha.state.or.us">kristin.tehrani@dhsoha.state.or.us (meeting information or accommodation)

Heath Equity Measurement Workgroup meets February 25 in Portland

What: A public meeting of the Oregon Health Authority’s Health Equity Measurement Workgroup.

When: February 25, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Where: 421 SW Oak St., Suite 850, Mary Conference Room, Portland. The public also can join remotely through a webinar at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6973893687509895170 and listen-only conference line at 877-810-9415, access code 1773452#.

Agenda: Welcome, introductions, approve minutes, public comment; update on February 14 presentation to Health Plan Quality Metrics Committee; discussion, update and next steps for March and action plan.

For more information, please visit the committee's website at https://www.oregon.gov/oha/HPA/ANALYTICS/Pages/Health-Equity-Measurement-Workgroup.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 Kristin Tehrani, 971-304-6236, 711 TTY, istin.tehrani@dhsoha.state.or.us">kristin.tehrani@dhsoha.state.or.us, at least 48 hours before the meeting.

Updated: The previous version of this release did not include LOI revisions from Trillium Community Health plans. It was not included in yesterday’s release due to a clerical processing error.

Resent with link to CCO 2.0 Website

February 20, 2019

Media contact: Allyson Hagen, 503-449-6457, allyson.hagen@dhsoha.state.or.us

OHA receives updates to letters of intent for coordinated care contracts

The Oregon Health Authority has received 10 updates to the letters of intent (LOIs) from organizations seeking to apply for 2020-2024 coordinated care organization (CCO) contracts. Organizations had until February 15, 2019 to submit updates to their LOIs to OHA.

Oregon first established CCOs in 2012 to transform health care delivery in the state. CCOs bring together physical, behavioral, and oral health providers to coordinate care for people on the Oregon Health Plan (Medicaid). They improve health and reduce costs by providing more coordinated, flexible and innovative services. CCOs are rewarded for achieving specific health outcomes and quality measures. Nearly 87 percent of Oregon’s 1 million OHP members are enrolled in CCOs.

Updates to the LOIs include:

• In the Portland metro area, four organizations have withdrawn their letters of intent (CareOregon, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Northwest, Moda Health Plan, and PacificSource Community Solutions - Portland)
• Trillium Community Health Plan has changed its service area to include the entire counties of Coos and Douglas and added Marion, Polk, Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington counties.
• Providence Health Assurance has changed its service area to Hood River, Clatsop, and Jackson counties, removing Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington counties.
• PacificSource Community Solutions – Columbia Gorge removed Sherman, Gilliam, and Wheeler counties from its service area.
• Four organizations have made technical changes to their names and business registration numbers.

Based on the updated LOIs, Oregon Health Plan members in every county in Oregon will continue to have at least one CCO to coordinate their health care. In some parts of the state, multiple organizations filed letters of intent to operate in the same counties, giving Oregon Health Plan members more than one CCO choice.

Complete applications will be due to OHA April 22. Only organizations that submitted letters of intent may submit applications in April. An organization submitting a letter of intent is not obliged to follow with a complete application. Awards for the CCO contracts are expected to be announced in July.

In October 2018, the Oregon Health Policy Board approved a comprehensive set of policies to improve the health of Oregon Health Plan members, address health disparities, control program costs, and continue to transform health care delivery in our state.

These policy priorities will be written into the 2020-2024 CCO contracts, which represent the next phase of health care transformation, known as "CCO 2.0." The new contracts with CCOs represent the largest procurement in state history, totaling more than $20 billion over five years.

###

Housing Stability Council Monthly meeting – March 1, 2019

Location:

725 Summer St NE, Salem Oregon | Conference Room 124 A/B

Dial-in: 877-273-4202 | Code: 4978330

Meeting Agenda:

9:00 am
Meeting Called to Order: Roll Call

9:05 am
Public Comment

9:15 am
Meeting Minutes Approval

November 2, 2018 (2nd Voting)

December 7, 2018

January 4, 2019

February 1, 2019

9:30 am
Affordable Housing Finance (pg. 75)

Julie Cody,Assistant Director, Affordable Housing Finance

Multifamily Housing Decisions

• Arbor Mobile Home Park - Terry Murdock, Loan Officer; Ed Brown, GHAP Program Manager
• Gateway Hermiston - Andrew Moran, Loan Officer; Casey Baumann Underwriting Manager
• North Williams - Andrew Moran, Loan Officer; Casey Baumann Underwriting Manager
• Sunshine Estates - Rebecca Isom, Loan Officer; Amy Cole, LIFT Program Manager

Qualified Allocation Plan 101

• Informational Briefing on the LIHTC Qualified Allocation Plan process - Tai Dunson-Strane, Tax Credit Program Manager

10:30 am
Homeownership (pg. 123) 
Emese Perfecto, Assistant Director, Affordable Housing Finance

Homeownership Program Updates

• 2018 Top Loan officer & Top Lender for the Oregon Bond Residential Loan program -Kim Freeman, Single Family Program Manager

• Oregon Bond Residential Loan Program Quarterly Reports and demographic presentation - Kim Freeman, Single Family Program Manager, Kate Srinivasan, Research Analyst
• Task Force on Racial Disparities in Homeownership - Chelsea Bunch, Housing Integrator

 TBA Financing Model

• TBA Financing Model Recommendation - Caleb Yant, Chief Financial Officer

11:45 am
Housing Stabilization Update (pg. 135)
Claire Seguin, Assistant Director, Housing Stabilization

US Department of Energy State Plan - Steve Divan, Weatherization Program Manager, Energy Services Section
 

12:15 pm
Report of the Director

12:40 pm
Report of the Chair

1:00 pm
Meeting Adjourned

BEND, Ore. – The Pilot Butte Master Plan Advisory Committee will be working to guide and develop recommendations to the update of the master plan for Pilot Butte State Scenic Viewpoint 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Feb. 28 at the Bend Park and Recreation District Office, 799 SW Columbia St., Bend. The meeting is open to the public.

On the agenda: review information gathered by Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) to inform advisory group process; hold workshop exercises to develop design or management recommendations for access, trails and various park zones; determine areas of agreement and questions for public input.

A detailed meeting agenda will be available online: pilotbuttemasterplan.com

No public comments will be accepted during the meeting. The next opportunity for in-person comment will be at a public meeting about the plan April 8 in Bend.

The 16 member advisory committee consists of volunteers from various local and statewide groups with an interest in outdoor recreation. A full list of committee member affiliations is available on the master plan website: pilotbuttemasterplan.com/q-and-a/

A park master plan guides the development and use of park facilities. It also provides guidelines for the protection and management of important natural, cultural and scenic resources within the park. Master plans are on a 20-year update cycle and are subject to final approval by the Oregon State Parks and Recreation Commission.

An initial draft master plan for Pilot Butte State Scenic Viewpoint, last updated in 1995, is expected to be completed by July 2019.

Learn more about the master plan at pilotbuttemasterplan.com.

Individuals that require special accommodations to attend the meeting must contact Rachel Hill, OPRD Park and Recreation Planner, at least three days in advance: 503-947-8618 or achel.Hill@oregon.gov">Rachel.Hill@oregon.gov.

EUGENE, Ore. – Curtis Sherman Pethley, 62, a resident of Wisconsin, was sentenced today to 57 months in federal prison and ordered to pay more than $440,000 for his role in a nationwide conspiracy to commit mail fraud and aggravated identity theft.

            According to court documents, IRS-Criminal Investigation began a lengthy investigation into the fraud scheme when, in May 2013, a victim in Medford, Oregon notified the IRS that false federal and Oregon state tax returns were filed electronically using her and her husband’s personal identifying information including their social security numbers and dates of birth.

            IRS determined the scheme required co-conspirators to amass a large supply of stolen U.S. taxpayer identities; obtain IRS filing PINs using victim identities; acquire prepaid debit cards in victims’ names; use fictitious email addresses; file fraudulent tax returns and conceal refund proceeds by wiring cash to Nigeria. Fraudulent tax returns were filed using the identities of thousands of Oregon and Washington taxpayers. In total, the scheme lasted several years and netted co-conspirators more than $11.6 million in fraudulent tax returns.

            Pethley, working along with his Nigerian contact, acquired numerous debit cards for use in the scheme including the card connected with the Medford, Oregon victim. He helped his Nigerian contact by providing information about the preparation of federal income tax returns including how to calculate withholdings on a W-2 form. Pethley withdrew fraudulent tax refunds from the prepaid debit cards and, after taking his 10 to 20 percent cut of the proceeds, wired the money to Nigeria. In addition, he used refund proceeds to purchase merchandise and money orders and sent them to co-conspirators throughout the U.S. as instructed.

When IRS agents executed a search warrant on Pethley’s residence, they discovered approximately 150 prepaid debit cards and seized numerous money orders totaling nearly $50,000.

            Pethley previously pleaded guilty to three counts of mail fraud, conspiracy to commit mail fraud and aggravated identity theft on August 27, 2018. He is currently serving a separate 60-month federal prison sentence for distributing child pornography in a case from the Western District of Wisconsin. The Court ordered that 37 months of Pethley’s Oregon sentence should run consecutively to the sentence he is currently serving.

            This case results from a joint investigation by IRS-Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations with support provided by the Department of Treasury, Inspector General for Tax Administration, the U.S. State Department, and the Oregon Department of Revenue Policy and Systems Unit and was prosecuted by Byron Chatfield and Gavin Bruce, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.

# # #

PORTLAND, Ore. – Arturo Aispuro, 37, of Salem, Oregon, was sentenced today to 78 months in federal prison and 5 years’ of supervised release for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine. He also received a concurrent sentence of 60 months for abusing hundreds of roosters by raising and training them to participate in cockfights.

            According to court documents, Aispuro was a member of a drug trafficking conspiracy operating in and around Salem. In April 2017, with the assistance of a co-conspirator, Aispuro sold 882 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant in Milwaukie, Oregon. Later, in May 2017, law enforcement intercepted Aispuro while he was transporting an additional 442 grams of methamphetamine for further distribution.

            In June 2017, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents executed a search warrant on Aispuro’s home in Salem where they found marijuana, cocaine, body armor, a digital scale, vacuum sealers and more than 20 firearms. Agents also found and seized cockfighting literature, vitamins and supplements used to increase roosters’ stamina and  sets of gaffs, sharp metal spurs that attach to a rooster’s legs.

            Agents also executed a search warrant on Aispuro’s ranch in Scio, Oregon where they found more 200 roosters being raised and trained for fighting. The roosters’ combs and wattles had been removed to make them more effective fighting birds. Aispuro admitted to raising and selling roosters for use in cockfighting derbies for as much as $500 a bird.

            Aispuro previously pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and training and selling of fighting animals on June 12, 2018.

            This case was investigated by the DEA with the assistance of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, and the Linn County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Peter D. Sax, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

# # #

PORTLAND, Ore. – Veronica Rivera, 46, of Hermiston, Oregon, was sentenced today to 6 months in federal prison and 3 years of supervised release for selling fentanyl.

            According to court documents, in October 2017, the Tactical Diversion Squad of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Blue Mountain Enforcement Narcotics Team began investigating a drug trafficking organization selling small blue pills pressed to look like 30 milligram oxycodone tablets but that actually contained fentanyl.

On two separate occasions in March 2018, Rivera sold a total of 167 of the fentanyl pills in Hermiston. In April 2018, investigators seized approximately 100 pills from a location where Rivera had hidden them and an additional 129 pills from her Hermiston residence.

            On April 25, 2018, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a two-count indictment charging Rivera with distribution of fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. She pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of fentanyl on August 14, 2018.

This case was investigated by DEA and the Blue Mountain Enforcement Narcotics Team.

# # #

For Immediate Release

February 21, 2019

Contact:  Dr. Steven Lowder
McPherson & Jacobson, L.L.C.
402-991-7031/888-375-4814

North Bend School District Announces

Finalists for Superintendent Interviews

North Bend, OR – The North Bend School District Board of Directors is pleased to announce that they have selected three candidates to interview for their superintendent vacancy. The candidates selected for interviews are:

• • • • Dr. Josh Middleton – Middleton, ID
      • Mr. Kevin Bogatin – Philomath, OR
      • Mrs. Susan Penrod – Eugene, OR

Interviews are scheduled to be conducted the week of February 25, 2019. Numerous stakeholder groups will have the opportunity to meet the final candidates and submit input to the board about each of them. The board intends to make their selection by March 11, 2019.

The public is invited to meet the candidates at community forums on the following dates and times:

• February 25th - 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at NB Hall of Champions – (Dr. Middleton)
• February 26th - 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at NB Hall of Champions – (Mr. Bogatin)
• February 27th - 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the NB City Council Chambers – (Mrs. Penrod)

North Bend School District retained the services of McPherson & Jacobson, L.L.C. to assist in conducting their search. The consultants reviewed and screened twenty-six applicants. On February 20, 2019, the consultants presented the semi-finalists to the Board of Directors and provided them detailed background information on each. The board then selected three candidates as finalists.

After the superintendent has been hired, Dr. Steven Lowder will facilitate a Board / Superintendent workshop to assist in the establishment of performance objectives for the new superintendent.

# # #

Aurora, Ore., February 20, 2019— Life Flight Network, the largest not-for-profit air medical transport service in the United States, is opening a new base at the William R. Fairchild International Airport in Port Angeles, Washington. The base will be operational beginning March 29, 2019. Life Flight Network’s highly trained flight crew at the Port Angeles base will provide ICU level care to communities in Clallam, Jefferson and Island counties and will be capable of responding to calls for transport from anywhere in Western Washington and Southeast Alaska.

“Life Flight Network has served Washington communities for 41 years and we are excited to expand our presence and reach in the state, while also increasing our capacity to provide air medical transport service to Southeast Alaska,” said Michael Griffiths, CEO of Life Flight Network. “It is our privilege to serve the region alongside hospitals and emergency response agencies.”

The addition of a base in Port Angeles will enhance essential emergency medical services in Washington State by providing emergency medical air transport to the Olympic Peninsula, Whidbey Island and surrounding communities where patients previously had to wait for aircraft to come from the east side of Puget Sound or south from Bremerton. A large portion of the Olympic Peninsula was previously one of few areas in the state unreachable by air ambulance within a 30-minute response time.

“As a designated level III trauma center with frequent need for medical air transports, OMC and nearby communities would benefit by having advanced medical flight capabilities located at William Fairchild International Airport. Time to transfer can be critical for our trauma, cardiac, and stroke patients,” says Dr. Scott Kennedy, Chief Medical Officer at Olympic Medical Center.

“The new base is an asset to the region and will help improve response times and patient outcomes for residents of the area,” said Port Angeles Fire Chief Ken Dubuc. “The presence of an air medical operation in our community will strengthen emergency response capabilities.”   

Each Life Flight Network helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft is equipped with the medical equipment necessary to act as a mobile intensive care unit, with the ability to perform a multitude of highly skilled medical functions during transport, including video laryngoscopes, ICU level ventilators, and blood products for emergency transfusions.

Life Flight Network will station an Agusta-Westland AW109 helicopter at its Port Angeles base. The AW109 is an Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) capable aircraft, allowing safe operation in a range of weather conditions. The AW109 is one of the fastest light helicopters available and can cruise at 172 miles per hour. For example, the AW109 can make the trip from Port Angeles to Seattle in 27 minutes.

Life Fight Network will also station a Pilatus PC-12 fixed-wing aircraft in Port Angeles. The PC-12 is very versatile, and capable of operating from short runways to large international airports. The PC-12 cruises at 310 miles per hour and has a range of over 1,800 miles. The PC-12 based in Port Angeles will allow Life Flight Network to serve a greater geographic area, including southeast Alaska. It can make the trip from Port Angeles to Seattle in 25 minutes.

Life Flight Network is a nationally recognized air ambulance service and membership program with more than 550 employees. Life Flight Network serves the western United States, including Alaska, from bases throughout the Pacific Northwest and Intermountain West. Each base contributes more than $1 million annually to the local economy by creating approximately 15 to 20 new jobs. The Port Angeles aircraft will be staffed 24/7 with an ICU level nurse, experienced paramedic, and a highly skilled pilot. In addition to the medical staff based in Port Angeles, Life Flight Network employs a full time dedicated medical director and associate medical directors to oversee the high level of quality medical care provided across its service region.

Life Flight Network offers memberships for a $65 annual fee. Members incur no out-of-pocket expense if flown for medically necessary emergent conditions by Life Flight Network or one of its reciprocal partners. To request more information about the membership program, or if organizations would like an in-person presentation, contact the Life Flight Network membership office at 800-982-9299.

ABOUT LIFE FLIGHT NETWORK

Life Flight Network, a not-for-profit air medical service, is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) and the National Accreditation Alliance of Medical Transport Applications (NAAMTA). Life Flight Network is the largest not-for-profit air medical transport service in the United States. Its service area covers the western United States, including Alaska. Life Flight Network is headquartered in Aurora, Oregon. For more information about Life Flight Network or to become a member, visit www.lifeflight.org.

###

Clackamas, OR —AARP has opened applications for the 2019 AARP Community Challenge grant program to fund “quick-action” projects that spark change across the country. Now in its third year, the program is part of AARP’s nationwide work on Livable Communities. Grants can range from several hundred dollars for small, short-term activities to several thousand dollars for larger projects.

"We've seen these mini grants spark change and new solutions in communities across Oregon from Port Orford to Hood River," said AARP Oregon State Director Ruby Haughton-Pitts. "We're excited to see the creative proposals from commuity groups this year," she said.

The Community Challenge is open to 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4) and 501(c)(6) nonprofits and government entities. Other types of organizations will be considered on a case-by-case basis. AARP will prioritize projects with permanent or temporary solutions that aim to achieve one or more of the following outcomes:

• Demonstrate the tangible value of “Smart Cities.” New in 2019, this category will encourage applicants to develop and implement innovative programs that engage residents in accessing, understanding and using data to increase quality of life for all, as well as engage in decision-making about housing, transportation, economic development, placemaking, infrastructure or other community aspects.
• Deliver a range of transportation and mobility options that increase connectivity, walkability, bikeability, wayfinding, access to transportation options and roadway improvements.
• Create vibrant public places that improve open spaces, parks and access to other amenities.
• Support the availability of a range of housing that increases accessible and affordable housing options.
• Other community improvements. In addition to the four areas of focus, AARP wants to hear about local needs and new, innovative ideas for addressing them.

Since 2017, AARP has awarded 217 grants through the AARP Community Challenge to nonprofit organizations and government entities representing 50 states and U.S. territories. Oregon winners in 2018 included:

• Hood River: City of Hood River
  Grant funds will enable Streets Alive! Hood River to pilot an open streets program, in which streets are closed off to cars and opened to pedestrians, enabling a host of public space exercise activities such as yoga and dance classes. 
   
• Portland: Verde
  The grant supports Verde’s Mobile Home Repair Extravaganza by funding up to eight home repairs for older adults, families with children, and residents with disabilities. The home repairs completed with this grant will address critical health, safety and livability issues impacting low-income residents. 
   
• Prineville: Crook County on the Move
  The grant will provide for the installation of four age-friendly benches along a bicycle and pedestrian pathway

.

The 2019 application deadline is 11:59 p.m. ET, April 17, 2019, and all projects must be completed by November 4, 2019. To submit an application or learn more, visit AARP.org/CommunityChallenge.

# # #

About AARP
AARP is the nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence and nearly 38 million members, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to families: health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. There are more than 500,000 AARP members in Oregon.

For Immediate Release
Friday, February 22, 2019                                                                   

Girl Scouts of Oregon and Southwest Washington Media Contacts

Sarah Shipe, Director of Communications

(503) 977-6861 | After Hours (800) 626-6543 | sshipe@girlscoutsosw.org

Maureen A. Kenney, Public Relations and Advocacy Manager

(503) 977-6817 | mkenney@girlscoutsosw.org

Meals on Wheels People Media Contact

Julie Piper Finley, ABC, Director of Marketing & Communications

(503) 953-8136 | Cell (503) 318-1362

finley@mowp.org">julie.piperfinley@mowp.org

Girl Scouts of Oregon and SW WA Have a Sweet Spot for Portland-Metro Seniors

Customers Donate Cookies through Girl Scouts’ Gift of Caring Program and Local Girl Scouts Serve Seniors

PORTLAND, OR. – February 22, 2018 – On Wednesday, February 27, and Thursday, February 28, local Girl Scouts will take to senior dining rooms in Beaverton, Southeast Portland and Hillsboro to share their famed cookies and spread cheer among older adults from the Portland metro area. The activity is part of a larger distribution of donated Girl Scout Cookies made possible through Girl Scouts’ “Gift of Caring” program and a longstanding community partnership between Girl Scouts of Oregon and Southwest Washington (GSOSW) and Meals on Wheels People.

“Major tenets of Girl Scouting include giving back to the community and making the world a better place,” says Karen Hill, GSOSW’s CEO. “We’re delighted that local Girl Scouts are spreading cheer and practicing people skills as they visit with elders in their communities.”

Overall, GSOSW will donate approximately 12,000 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies to homebound elderly and people in need throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington. The longstanding tradition with Meals on Wheels People is a bright spot for so many older adults throughout the Portland metro area.

“We are thrilled to receive this donation of cookies from Girl Scouts of Oregon and Southwest Washington,” said Meals on Wheels People Chief Executive Officer Suzanne Washington. “Our participants, many of whom are unable to leave their homes, do not have the opportunity to purchase these cookies and love to receive them as part of their daily meal. We will put these to good use in the more than 5,000 meals we serve and deliver every weekday.”

MEDIA OPPORTUNITY

Who | What: Girl Scouts and volunteers from Girl Scouts of Oregon and Southwest Washington will serve Girl Scout Cookies to seniors from the Portland metro area at three (3) Meal on Wheels People community dining rooms located in Beaverton, Southeast Portland and Hillsboro.

Where: Meals on Wheels People Community Dining Rooms (3): located in Beaverton and Southeast Portland and Hillsboro

Media Opportunities (1-2 of 3): Wednesday, February 27, 2019, 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

1. Beaverton Center, https://www.mowp.org/dining-center-locati…/beaverton-center/, located at 5550 SW Hall Blvd Beaverton OR 97005 [#100-to-#150 senior diners expected]
2. Cherry Blossom Center (Southeast Portland), https://www.mowp.org/dining-center-l…/cherry-blossom-center/, located at 740 SE 106th Avenue Portland OR 97216 [#100-to-#150 senior diners expected]

Media Opportunity (3 of 3): Thursday, February 28, 2019, 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

1. Hillsboro Center, https://www.mowp.org/dining-center.../hillsboro-center/, located at 6701 NE Campus Way Hillsboro OR 97124 [A dozen/more senior diners expected]

Visuals: Seniors having lunch in community dining rooms and local Girl Scouts serving Girl Scout Cookies to senior diners 

We anticipate #100-to-#150 senior diners at the Beaverton and SE Portland locations on February 27.

There are a small number of senior diners (approximately a dozen or more) expected at the Hillsboro site on February 28.

On-Site Interviews:

1. On February 27, in Beaverton, Meals on Wheels People’s Chief Development Officer, Tony Staser, and, GSOSW’s Director of Communications, Sarah Shipe, will be available on-site for media interviews.
2. On February 27, in Southeast Portland, Meals on Wheels People’s Director of Marketing & Communications, Julie Piper Finley, and, GSOSW’s Product Sales Technology Specialist, Melissa Stanley, and will be available on-site for media interviews.
3. On February 28, in Hillsboro, GSOSW’s Director of Communications, Sarah Shipe, will be available on-site for media interviews. [Meals on Wheels representative T.B.D.]

MEDIA: Please confirm your attendance with Maureen Kenney via email at mkenney@girlscoutsosw.org or by phone at 503-977-6817. Thank you.

ABOUT THE GIFT OF CARING PROGRAM

All throughout the Girl Scout Cookie season (through March 10, 2019), customers can opt to donate their purchased cookies through the Girl Scout Gift of Caring program. Purchases of cookies donated through this program are tax deductible. Most of the donated cookies are distributed to seniors and people in need throughout the region via several partnerships with social service agencies, including the Meals on Wheels People, Marion-Polk Food Share and Clark County Food Bank.

“The Gift of Caring program is one of the many ways in which GSOSW Girl Scouts give back to their local communities,” said Paige Walker, GSOSW’s Chief Operations Officer. “The Girl Scout Cookie Program helps develop business and leadership skills in girls and fosters a lifelong commitment to serving others.”

Girl Scout troops can elect to choose their own Gift of Caring recipient, making the philanthropic effort of the program even more personal for their troop. Girls have chosen fire stations, military personnel, shelters, veterans and many other groups and organizations in their communities.

Throughout the 2019 cookie season, nearly 9,000 Girl Scouts, representing areas within 40 counties, will participate in this special program to donate Girl Scout Cookies which will be distributed to a variety of social service agencies throughout the region.

COOKIE BOOTH SALES AND COOKIE FINDER

Girl Scouts will sell cookies at booths in front of local retailers throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington from February 15 through March 10, 2019. Purchases of cookies that are donated through the Girl Scouts Gift of Caring program are tax deductible.

Signature Girl Scout Cookies, including Thin Mints®, Samoas® and Trefoils® will be offered among the eight Girl Scout Cookie varieties at all cookie booths. Back by popular demand are Girl Scout S’mores™ cookies! Girl Scout S’mores™ and gluten free Toffee-tastic™ specialty cookies are available at select cookie booths while supplies last. Customers can find a Girl Scout Cookie booth near their location with the Cookie Finder at girlscoutsosw.org or use the Girl Scout Cookie Finder app available for iPhone or Android.

ABOUT THE GIRL SCOUT COOKIE PROGRAM

A little more than a century ago, girls began participating in what would evolve into the largest entrepreneurial training program for girls in the world: the Girl Scout Cookie Program. To learn more about the history of the Girl Scout Cookie Program, please visit girlscoutcookies.org.

ABOUT GIRL SCOUTS OF OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON

In partnership with more than 8,000 adult members, Girl Scouts of Oregon and Southwest Washington prepares 14,500 girls in grades K-12 for a lifetime of leadership, adventure and success. GSOSW’s programs in civic engagement, financial literacy, the outdoors and STEM serve girls in 37 counties in Oregon, and Clark, Klickitat and Skamania counties in Southwest Washington. The Girl Scout mission is to build girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place. For more information, please visit girlscoutsosw.org.

ABOUT MEALS ON WHEELS PEOPLE

Meals on Wheels People has been changing lives, one meal at a time, since 1970. 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, please visit: mowp.org.

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The Trump-Pence administration today released a domestic gag rule, which will dismantle the nation’s family planning program and put millions of people’s health at risk.

This gag rule makes it impossible for Planned Parenthood health centers to participate in the Title X program at all. Planned Parenthood serves 41 percent of the people who rely on Title X for care in Oregon, meaning the new restrictions will have a devastating impact on care across the state.

Title X is meant to ensure that every person — regardless of where they live, how much money they make, what their background is or whether they have health insurance — has access to essential, preventive reproductive health care, such as birth control, cancer screenings, STI testing and treatment, and well-woman exams. Title X is an important safety net for people who would otherwise go without health care. This includes communities of color and people with low incomes, two groups that historically face more barriers to care and are less likely to have health insurance.

The Trump-Pence gag rule represents a radical departure from how health care has operated in the United States up until this point. The rule makes it illegal for doctors, nurses, hospitals, community health centers and any other provider in the Title X program to tell patients how they can safely and legally access abortion.

Statement from Lisa Gardner, President and CEO, Planned Parenthood of Southwestern Oregon:

“This dangerous policy is an attempt to take away women’s basic rights, period. Planned Parenthood is part of the fabric of our state, and the Trump-Pence rule will be devastating for the 41 percent of Title X patients who rely on us for basic health care. Every woman deserves the best medical care and information, no matter how much money she makes or where she lives. We will never stop fighting for our patients, and to ensure that all people have access to the full range of reproductive health care.”

Statement from Anne Udall, President and CEO, Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette:

“As a trusted healthcare provider, Planned Parenthood will always put the interests of patients first and will continue to fight for everyone’s ability to get affordable, quality care. Health care is a human right, and we will not let this stand. The Trump-Pence administration may not think Oregonians deserve care, but we do.”

Statement from Dr. Marguerite P. Cohen, District VIII Legislative Chair, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists:

“Under this rule, people will not get the health care they need. They won’t get birth control, cancer screenings, STD testing and treatment, or even general women’s health exams. This will put affordable health care out of reach for many underserved communities, including Oregonians of color and rural Oregonians. Everyone has the right to access information about their health care — including information about safe, legal abortion. They won’t get it under this rule.”

In May 2018, Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum joined 19 other Attorneys General in filing a friend-of-the-court brief challenging the gag rule, which “will open the door to applications from less qualified providers, including those with no experience in providing family planning clinical care and those focused more on their own advocacy than patients’ expressed needs.... Providing resources to these centers in lieu of Title X clinics able to meet the established criteria jeopardizes the health and lives of many women, especially low-income and other at-risk women.”

In June 2018, Oregon House Majority Leader Jennifer Wilson (D-Portland); State Representatives Pam Marsh (D-Ashland), Julie Fahey (D-Eugene), Karin Power (D-Milwaukie) and Carla Piluso (D-Gresham); and State Senators Sara Gelser (D-Corvallis), Laurie Monnes Anderson (D-Gresham) and Lew Frederick (D-Portland) were among 274 state legislators who signed an open letter against the gag rule: “Creating additional barriers for patients seeking access to birth control and other services from their trusted reproductive health care providers does us all a grave disservice…. We believe it is our duty as elected officials to make it easier, not harder, for people to get the health care they need.”

Also in June 2018, Ashland Mayor John Stromberg, Eugene Mayor Lucy Vinis and Salem Mayor Chuck Bennett were among 80 mayors who signed a bipartisan open letter to Health Secretary Alex Azar opposing the gag rule: “No one knows better than mayors how devastating it would be to take away access to health care and information from the people that we are honored to represent…. We know our communities, and we know they rely on the trusted care provided through the Title X program.”

In July 2018, Oregon Governor Kate Brown joined two other Governors in threatening to pull their states out of the Title X program in protest of the gag rule: “If the Trump gag rule is adopted and legal challenges are unsuccessful, it would leave me no choice but to act in the best interests of the citizens of Oregon and our state law, and withdraw our state’s participation from an unethical, ineffective Title X program that reduces access to essential preventive health services.”

The Trump-Pence gag rule, issued by the Department of Health and Human Services, will do three main things:

1. Make it illegal for doctors, nurses, hospitals and community health centers across the country that participate in the Title X program to refer their patients for abortion.

2. The rule also imposes cost-prohibitive and unnecessary “physical separation” requirements on health centers that also provide abortion in an effort to stop Planned Parenthood from participating in Title X. These requirements could include forcing health centers to build separate entrances and exits; construct whole new health centers; or hire a whole second staff of doctors, nurses and administrative staff. None of these requirements contribute to the health of patients.

3. Remove the guarantee that people are getting full and accurate information about their health care from their doctors. For nearly two decades, Title X law has been clear: Healthcare providers cannot withhold information from you about your pregnancy options. This rule means they can.

For example, under this rule, if a woman is pregnant and wants or needs an abortion, her provider will be prohibited from telling her where she can go to get one. Or if a woman’s pregnancy would severely affect her health — for example, she discovers that she’s pregnant after being diagnosed with cancer — her healthcare provider could refuse to tell her that abortion is even an option.

According to research released in June 2018 by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee:

• In 2015, Oregon had 81 Title X-funded sites operated by different types of agencies.

• Title X-funded sites delivered contraceptive care to 48,990 women in Oregon in 2015, which helped these patients prevent 10,500 unintended pregnancies and 3,500 abortions.

• 41 percent of women who received contraceptive care from a Title X-funded provider in Oregon were served by Planned Parenthood in 2015.

• If Planned Parenthood were excluded from Title X, all other types of Title X-funded sites in Oregon would have to increase their contraceptive client caseloads by 69 percent to serve the women who currently obtain contraceptive care from Planned Parenthood health centers.

Key facts about Title X and Planned Parenthood

• According to latest estimates, Planned Parenthood health centers served four in 10 Title X patients (41 percent) in 2015, despite only accounting for 13 percent of Title X centers.

• More than half of Planned Parenthood’s health centers are located in medically underserved areas.

• Research has shown that Planned Parenthood consistently outperforms other publicly funded providers, including Federally Qualified Health Centers, when it comes to meeting the family planning needs of people across the United States by: providing the full range of birth control methods on-site; filling longer-term contraceptive prescriptions; and offering shorter wait times and expanded health center hours.

• Community health centers will not be able to fill the huge void if Planned Parenthood is blocked from Title X program, dealing a major blow to health care access for thousands of low-income people across the country. Community health centers themselves say there is no way they could fill the gap if Planned Parenthood health centers were no longer allowed to serve these patients.

• The idea that other providers could absorb Planned Parenthood’s patients has been resoundingly dismissed by experts. In fact, Dr. Georges Benjamin, the executive director of the American Public Health Association, called the idea “ludicrous."

• Across the entire community health center network, nearly half of sites served fewer than 10 contraceptive patients annually.

• In fact, many of the lists of “replacement” providers don’t even provide reproductive health care. In Louisiana, the state list of alternative providers included dentists and nursing homes. In Florida, it included school nurses. In Ohio, it included food banks.

The gag rule has been met with widespread opposition

The gag rule has been rejected by the American public

• New polling by Hart Research Associates shows that 73 percent of Americans oppose the gag rule and policies the Trump-Pence administration has pushed to take away women’s basic rights to health care.

• Hundreds rallied outside of nearly every Health Department building across the country to protest Trump’s domestic gag rule.

The gag rule has been rejected by the medical community

• Major medical associations like the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American College of Physicians oppose this rule. In a press release, the American Medical Association president said: “Gag orders that restrict the ability of physicians to explain all options to their patients and refer them — whatever their healthcare needs — compromise this relationship and force physicians and nurses to withhold information that their patients need to make decisions about their care.”

• 100 public health organizations have come out in opposition to a gag policy.

The gag rule has been rejected by elected officials

• More than 200 members of Congress have come out in opposition to a gag policy.

Editorial boards across the country have slammed the gag rule

• New York Times: Pandering, and Endangering Women

• Seattle Times: Reject back-channel attempt to defund Planned Parenthood

• Las Vegas Sun: Nevadans must remain vigilant to protect women’s health

• Washington Post: Trump gives a gift to pro-life evangelical Christians –– and hurts low-income women

• Chicago Sun Times: President Donald Trump again goes after women’s reproductive rights

• Bloomberg: Trump Tries Restricting Abortion by Other Means

• Los Angeles Times: Once again, the Trump administration is out to mess with women’s health care

• Portland Press Herald: ‘Gag Rule’ would affect poor women’s health care