Upper Rogue Independent

09/13/2021

Congratulations to Christy Solo! "Crawlies with Cri" just received the best local column in the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association's annual Better Newspaper contest.
The judge had this to say. "This is a great idea for a column, and the interesting, engaging stories are clearly enhanced by the accompanying photos. Love of them or hate them, people are interested in bugs, and the conversational tone of these columns made them enjoyable to read, and the crawlies a little less scary than some of their pictures imply."

12/09/2020

Name: Isaksson, Hazel Ray
Age: 15
S*x: Female
Race: White
Height: 5’7”
Weight: 125
Hair: Blonde (cut short w/ Mohawk)
Eyes: Blue
SMT: Small scar right side forehead, large gauge earrings in both ears
Case #: 20002458
On December 7, 2020 at about 2300 hours, Hazel left her residence in Cave Junction after telling her younger sister she was leaving to visit with a friend (identity of friend is unknown). Her phone was left at her house in her mother’s possession. Hazel left wearing a matching pair of navy blue sweats and a sweatshirt with yellow lettering and a pair of black slippers with white logos on them. She has only been in the area for one month. It is unknown if she was picked up in a vehicle or walked to a friend’s house. Please notify the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office is you locate Hazel or have any information on her whereabouts.

11/20/2020

On Tuesday, October 27, 2020 at approximately 5:30 P.M., Oregon State Police Troopers and emergency personnel responded to a single vehicle rollover crash on Hwy 62 near milepost 37.
Responders located a badly damaged Ford Explorer with no occupants.
It is believed the operator was Matthew Lang (33) of Bend.
Lang has not contacted friends or family since the crash.
Jackson County Search and Rescue is currently searching the area for Lang.
Lang is 6 feet tall 185 lbs with brown hair.
If you have seen or heard from Lang since the crash please contact the Oregon State Police Southern Command Center at 1-800-442-2068 or *OSP.

11/13/2020

New COVID-19 Cases Reported in Jackson County

[Medford, Oregon] —Jackson County Public Health reports 91 new COVID-19 cases as of 12:01 am on November 13, 2020. Additionally, two previously reported case has been removed from the overall case total. These updates bring the total reported COVID-19 cases in Jackson County to 2,695. To access additional data on the total COVID-19 cases, visit the Situation in Jackson County, Oregon webpage, or the Oregon Health Authority’s COVID-19 Data Dashboard website.

Jackson County is mirroring a trend seen statewide. Social gatherings of various sizes (often multi-generational) continue to play a significant role in our sharply increasing case counts. Reports of birthday parties, get-togethers with friends, weddings, and now Halloween parties continue to occur. Attendees at these events then spread the virus to their homes, workplaces, schools, places of worship, etc.

These types of gatherings have led to outbreaks in care facilities, senior living communities, and congregate living settings. People living in these settings are at the highest risk of severe complications from COVID-19, including death. The Oregon Health Authority publishes weekly data on cases and deaths in these settings when there are three or more confirmed cases or one or more deaths. Due to the spike in cases and outbreaks in these settings, Jackson County Public Health will provide daily information on outbreaks in care facilities, senior living communities, and congregate living settings during the surge of cases in Jackson County.

The number of cases includes staff, residents, and close contacts that have been determined to be COVID-19 positive cases and linked to the outbreak. Please note that these outbreaks are under investigation, and data may change daily. Data is from 12:01 am on 11/13.

Name of Facility First Reported # of COVD-19 Cases # of COVID-19 Fatalities
Avamere Three Fountains 11/2/20 98 2
Avamere Health Services of Rogue Valley 10/4/20 53 1
Avamere Waterford 11/4/20 3 0
Hearthstone Nursing and Rehabilitation Center 10/10/20 4 0
Linda Vista 10/16/20 10 0
Orchard Assisted Living 10/5/20 8 0
Rogue Valley Manor 10/6/20 12 0
Table Rock Memory Care 11/8/20 49 0

“We need to do things differently this Thanksgiving to protect our loved ones, ourselves, and the community as a whole. We know that social gatherings are one of the main reasons we are seeing COVID-19 increase and spread throughout communities right now,” states Dr. Jim Shames. “This Thanksgiving, it is best to stay local and only gather with people you live with. If you do gather with others outside of your household, limit it to only one other household and to six or fewer people, wear a mask, and do what you can to increase the indoor ventilation, and let’s not forget to wash your hands and use physical distancing.”

• Gatherings are for well people: people who are sick, have COVID-19, are a close contact to a confirmed case, have a pending COVID-19 test should not attend the gathering. Limit the number of gatherings you are attending in a two-week period of time. Consider self-quarantining for two weeks before Thanksgiving if you are going to be around older adults and people with compromised immune systems.
• Increase indoor ventilation: ensuring proper ventilation can reduce airborne contaminants, including viruses, indoors. Open window, use HVAC system, consider upgrading filters, turn bathroom fans on and run them continuously, or use a portable air cleaner or purifier. Indoor gathers with poor ventilation pose more risk than those with good ventilation. For more information, visit the EPA Indoor Air in Homes and Coronavirus.
• Wear a mask- wear a mask around all people who are outside of your immediate household. Despite feeling safe around family and friends, you can still get COVID-19 and spread it; wearing a mask continues to be an effective way of reducing the spread of COVID-19.
• Limit the number of guests- it is best to limit the number of people indoors; the Governor of Oregon has an indoor gathering limit of 6 or fewer people with physical distancing for Jackson County. It is best to only gather with people that live in your household.
• Practice physical distancing- space out chairs at the table, and it is best not to travel this holiday; stay close to home. If you do travel, consider staying in a hotel and not with family and friends.
For more information on how to celebrate Fall and Winter holidays safely, visit the CDC COVID-19 Holiday Celebrations webpage.
Take these everyday preventative actions to stop the spread of germs like the flu and COVID-19:
• Get vaccinated for flu
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick
• Limit your contact with others if you are sick
• Wear a mask
• Limited the number and size of your gatherings
• Cover your coughs and sneezes
• Wash your hands
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that are frequently touched
• Watch your distance (stay at least 6 ft away from others)

For more information:
• The public can call 211-information with general questions
• OHA Emerging Respiratory Disease page: www.healthoregon.org/coronavirus
• CDC COVID-19 page: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
• CDC Travel within the U.S.: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/travel-in-the-us.html
• Jackson County Health and Human Services: http://jacksoncountyor.org/hhs/COVID-19
• Oregon COVID-19 Testing Location Finder: https://govstatus.egov.com/or-oha-covid-19-testing
• For more information on how to celebrate Halloween safely, visit the CDC COVID-19 Holiday Celebrations webpage.
• Review the Statewide Mask, Face Covering, Face Shield Guidance for detailed information

11/12/2020

New COVID-19 Cases Reported in Jackson County

[Medford, Oregon] —Jackson County Public Health reports 123 new COVID-19 cases as of 12:01 am on November 12, 2020. Additionally, one previously reported case has been removed from the overall case total. These updates bring the total reported COVID-19 cases in Jackson County to 2,606. Jackson County is reporting two new COVID-19 deaths, bringing the total COVID-19 deaths to 10. To access additional data on the total COVID-19 cases, visit the Situation in Jackson County, Oregon webpage, or the Oregon Health Authority’s COVID-19 Data Dashboard website.

Jackson County is reporting the county’s 9th COVID-19 death. The patient was an 80-year-old male who tested positive on November 3 and died on November 10 at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center. The patient had underlying medical conditions.

Jackson County is reporting the county’s 10th COVID-19 death. The patient was an 87-year-old male who tested positive on November 6 and died on November 10 at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center. The patient had underlying medical conditions.

“First of all, I want to send my condolences to the families that have lost loved ones from COVID-19, I am sorry for your loss.” says Dr. Jim Shames, Jackson County Health Officer. “Jackson County has continued to set new daily and weekly records in the last five weeks, and I am really concerned about this. I cannot emphasize enough that we all need to make changes to limit the spread of COVID-19,” says Dr. Jim Shames “We know that many people have already made these changes, and the actions they are taken have helped. But we need everyone to reduce the number of gatherings they attend; it is best not to gather with people outside of your household. Minimize the number of people you are around and the number of gatherings you attend in a week. Wear a mask in public settings, and especially wear a mask if you are gathering with people that are outside of your household, even if they are family and friends, wear a mask!”

The Centers for Disease Control has recently provided additional scientific evidence that the community benefit of wearing a mask prevents the transmission of COVID-19 and that wearing a mask reduces the inhalation of these droplets by the wearer. “Wearing a mask protects those around you and yourself from COVID-19, we are truly all in this together” says Tanya Phillips, Health Promotion Manager for Jackson County Public Health.

Jackson County Public Health and other health agencies are seeing an increase in call volume with basic COVID-19 questions and where to get tested for COVID. Here are the resources that are in place to answer your questions.
Do you have questions about COVID-19? Visit these sites or call 211-information.
• OHA Emerging Respiratory Disease page: www.healthoregon.org/coronavirus
• CDC COVID-19 page: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
• The public can call 211-information with general questions
Do you have questions about isolation and quarantine?
• OHA Oregon COVID-19 Contact Collaborative: https://govstatus.egov.com/OR-OHA-Contact-Collaborative
o Scroll down to the bottom of the page; there are directives about what to do if you test positive for COVID-19 or if you are a close contact. If you have a confirmed COVID-19 test or if you are a close contact of a confirmed case, follow these directions, even if you have not heard from your local public health department.
Where can I get tested in Jackson County?
• Use the Oregon Health Authority test finder website https://govstatus.egov.com/OR-OHA-Contact-Collaborative.
• Call 211-information
When should I seek emergency medical care?
It is important to know when to seek emergency medical care for COVID-19, especially when the hospital system’s capacity may be limited due to the increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations.
If someone is showing any of these signs, seek emergency medical care immediately:
• Trouble breathing
• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
• New confusion
• Inability to walk or stay away
• Bluish lips or face
This list is not all possible symptoms. Please call your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning to you. Call 911 or call ahead to your local emergency facility: notify the operator that you are seeking care for someone who has or may have COVID-19.
Take these everyday preventative actions to stop the spread of germs like the flu and COVID-19:
• Get vaccinated for flu
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick
• Limit your contact with others if you are sick
• Wear a mask
• Limited the number and size of your gatherings
• Cover your coughs and sneezes
• Wash your hands
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that are frequently touched
• Watch your distance (stay at least 6 ft away from others)

For more information:
• The public can call 211-information with general questions
• OHA Emerging Respiratory Disease page: www.healthoregon.org/coronavirus
• CDC COVID-19 page: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
• CDC Travel within the U.S.: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/travel-in-the-us.html
• Jackson County Health and Human Services: http://jacksoncountyor.org/hhs/COVID-19
• Oregon COVID-19 Testing Location Finder: https://govstatus.egov.com/or-oha-covid-19-testing
• For more information on how to celebrate Halloween safely, visit the CDC COVID-19 Holiday Celebrations webpage.
• Review the Statewide Mask, Face Covering, Face Shield Guidance for detailed information

Oregon Health Authority | COVID-19 Updates

11/03/2020

New COVID-19 Cases Reported in Jackson County

[Medford, Oregon] —Jackson County Public Health reports 70 new COVID-19 cases as of 12:01 am on November 3, 2020. This update brings the total reported COVID-19 cases in Jackson County to 1,998. To access additional data on the total COVID-19 cases, visit the Situation in Jackson County, Oregon webpage, or the Oregon Health Authority’s COVID-19 Data Dashboard website.

Today marks the highest reported number of daily COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic in Jackson County. In the past three weeks, Jackson County has continued to set daily and weekly new case records. “The increase in COVID cases Jackson County has seen in the last three weeks is not good news,” says Dr. Shames. “People are beginning to congregate indoors because of the colder weather. Congregating indoors, with people outside of your family, not wearing masks, not practicing physical distancing, and without good indoor air ventilation, increases the spread of COVID.”

The colder weather and holidays increase the amount of time people congregate indoors. Indoor activities do increase the risk of COVID-19 spreading. If you are holding a family/friend gathering, consider implementing the following steps to minimize the risk of spreading COVID-19:

• Gatherings are for well people: people who are sick, have COVID-19, are a close contact to a confirmed case, have a pending COVID-19 test should not attend the gathering
• Increase indoor ventilation: ensuring proper ventilation can reduce airborne contaminants, including viruses, indoors. Open window, use HVAC system, consider upgrading filters, turn bathroom fans on and run them continuously, or use a portable air cleaner or purifier. Indoor gathers with poor ventilation pose more risk than those with good ventilation. For more information, visit the EPA Indoor Air in Homes and Coronavirus.
• Wear a mask- wear a mask around all people who are outside of your immediate household. Despite being with family and friends that you may feel safe around, wearing a mask continues to be an effective way of reducing the spread of COVID-19.
• Limit the number of guests- it is best to limit the number of people indoors; the Governor of Oregon has an indoor gathering limit of 10 or fewer people with physical distancing.
• Practice physical distancing- space out chairs at the table and consider not staying with family and friends in their home.
For more information on how to celebrate Fall and Winter holidays safely, visit the CDC COVID-19 Holiday Celebrations webpage.
Take these everyday preventative actions to stop the spread of germs like the flu and COVID-19:
• Get vaccinated for flu
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick
• Limit your contact with others if you are sick
• Wear a mask
• Cover your coughs and sneezes
• Wash your hands
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that are frequently touched
• Watch your distance (stay at least 6 ft away from others)
For more information:
• The public can call 211-information with general questions
• OHA Emerging Respiratory Disease page: www.healthoregon.org/coronavirus
• CDC COVID-19 page: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
• CDC Travel within the U.S.: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/travel-in-the-us.html
• Jackson County Health and Human Services: http://jacksoncountyor.org/hhs/COVID-19
• Oregon COVID-19 Testing Location Finder: https://govstatus.egov.com/or-oha-covid-19-testing
• For more information on how to celebrate Halloween safely, visit the CDC COVID-19 Holiday Celebrations webpage.
• Review the Statewide Mask, Face Covering, Face Shield Guidance for detailed information

09/21/2020

Jackson County Sheriff’s Office Arrests Murder Suspect
On September 18, 2020 at 1924 hours, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a report of a fatal stabbing in the Elderberry Flats area of outside of Wimer, OR. The reporting party was at the scene during the incident. On arrival, deputies found one male adult deceased. The suspect was contacted later after he left the scene.
The investigation lead to the arrest of Brenden Rex Stansell, birth date 07/24/2000, he is an Eagle Point area transient. The arrest was made on 092120.
Stansell has been lodged at Jackson County Jail on charges of Murder Second Degree and Assault First Degree. The Murder II charge is no bail.
Identity of the victim is not being released pending notification of next of kin.

09/14/2020

Jackson County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Command

South Obenchain Fire: evacuation zones downgraded Portions of Shady Cove, Trail areas safe to allow most residents to return home.

MEDFORD: Due to favorable conditions on the South Obenchain Fire, many evacuation levels are being rolled back by Jackson County Sheriff's Department to allow residents to return to their homes.
The following areas have been downgraded from Level 3 "Go" to Level 2 "Set", which will allow residents return to their homes (see attached map).
This includes the following areas:
* Nearly all of the City of Shady Cove and the Trail community
* All properties accessing Brophy, Ball, Reese Creek and Worthington Roads
* All properties on Crowfoot Road one mile north of Butte Falls Highway to Oregon 62. Oregon 62
* Butte Falls Highway from Oregon 62 to Reese Creek Road.
* Areas south of Oregon 140 and north of Brownsboro.
* All of Oregon 62.

The following areas have been downgraded from Level 2- "Set" to Level 1 - "Be Ready":
* Those areas directly southwest, west and north of Shady Cove
* And the properties accessing both sides of Oregon 62 between Trail and Casey State Park.

This reopens Oregon 62 through to Oregon 230/Diamond Lake intersection with Oregon 138E to U.S. 97. Oregon 62 at U.S. 97 near Chiloquin remains closed due to fire activity. # # #

Information Websites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SouthObenchainFire
Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7185
Air Quality: oregonsmoke.blogspot.com
Jackson County Emergency Management -
https://www.facebook.com/jacksoncountyoregonem/
Latest evacuation maps: https://bit.ly/32clh0I

Current Fire Evacuation Map for the Almeda & Obenchain Fire in September 2020.

09/14/2020

Sept. 13, 2020
Good Morning Jackson County Stockmen’s Association Members.
I hope everyone is staying safe during this devastating time we are in. I know lots of family’s have lost their
house’s, barns business and so much more. My heart goes out to those families. Please know we are here and we will all do what we can to help in anyway.
With that said I think it is best to cancel the meeting that was scheduled for the Sept. 16. Once things have settled down we will let everyone know when we can meet again.
We are also going to postpone the Jackson County Harvest Fair until October sometime. We will keep everyone posted to the best of our ability. But please understand that we are taking this situation one day at a time. So please watch our page for updates.
Until then please stay safe and God Bless you all.
Sincerely,
Marty Daniels
President
Jackson County Stockmen’s Association

09/13/2020

My apologies for the delay. As you can imagine information is coming at us way to fast and then it changes!

Eagle Point School District 9 and Communities:

Today, the anniversary of 9/11 we find ourselves in a new crisis. This time, directly impacting our community. As I write this we have a large active, uncontained fire burning in the middle of the school district. Many EPSD families and staff are or have been evacuated. Others have lost their homes. All of us are living in hazardous smoke conditions with packed bags at the ready. Eagle Point School District, itself, has been closed for the past three days.

It is our intent to return to work on Monday the 14th. At this time two of our schools are in Level 3 Evacuation Areas so some of our staff may need to report to an alternate work site. Critically, we know many of our staff will be unavailable due to their personal, heartbreaking circumstances and we as a district will need to determine how to fill in for those missing. We will also need to adjust our calendar.

Our current plan includes the following dates:
September 14th-16th - EPSD9 staff return to work and make family contacts
September 17th-18th - EPSD9 staff provide Orientation Conferences with students and parents
September 21st - Comprehensive Distance Learning begins for all students
September 28th - Limited In-person Instruction begins

Our strategy is to bring our staff back into our buildings next week and determine our personnel status, complete the required COVID19 training and, most importantly, continue teacher preparation for comprehensive distance learning. We intend to contact all families to assess their needs due to the wildfires, connectivity, food delivery and make an appointment for all families to attend an in-person or virtual Orientation. If you don’t hear from us, contact your school office.

On Thursday and Friday, we want to bring all of our students and parents to our buildings in-person or virtually to orient them on how to be successful with the new learning model and to give them the tools they will need to do this. Again, we anticipate working with families whose personal circumstances have changed dramatically.

As we have all learned repeatedly in the past months our plans will need to be flexible. Like COVID19, the Obenchain Fire has the final say on much of what we plan to do. Communicating with each other is essential. We will also need to be gracious and proactive as we work together to problem-solve the needs of families, staff and most importantly our students.

Respectfully,
Andy Kovach
EPSD9 Superintendent

09/09/2020

Chief Winfrey called to let me know that Shady Cove east of the river is going into level 3 evacuation which means GO.

He expects the rest of Shady Cove to be notified of level 3 later.

There is no power at City Hall if not all of the City.



Please notify others in our community that you know. If you are a member of an organization that has a contact list, please use it to notify people.



Lena Richardson