SALEM, Ore – The Oregon State Fire Marshal is excited to announce the launch of the Oregon Fire Service Health and Safety Collaborative, a pioneering program that will enhance the support systems for firefighters throughout Oregon. This collaborative is a significant commitment to the health and safety of the men and women serving in the fire service across the state, ensuring they receive needed support in their critical role.

Firefighting is an intense and demanding profession that poses numerous physical, psychological, and environmental challenges. Recognizing these challenges, the Oregon Fire Service Health and Safety Collaborative will create a robust support system by aligning resources and providing dedicated support to fire service personnel.

The program is built around a visionary framework designed to address the diverse needs of all fire service personnel in Oregon. Focusing on critical areas such as behavioral health, physical wellness, cancer prevention, and incident safety, the collaborative aims to cultivate a resilient and thriving firefighting community.

The core of the collaborative includes:

• Establishing a forum for equal contribution from all partners.
• Coordinating efforts across various agencies.
• Representing a wide range of perspectives within the Oregon fire service.

By following these principles, the OSFM hopes to nurture a culture of collaboration, support, and continuous improvement.

"The Oregon Fire Service Health and Safety Collaborative is a proactive approach to confronting the unique challenges faced by our firefighters," Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said. "This collaborative is not just about addressing immediate needs but about building a foundation for long-term resilience and excellence in our fire service."

The collaborative serves as a hub for resources to simplify access to necessary support services. Fire service personnel seeking assistance with behavioral health services, cancer prevention strategies, or incident safety protocols will find valuable resources and guidance.

The work forming the collaborative and its success was guided by a sub-committee of the Governor’s Fire Service Policy Council. On Thursday, the group was honored for their work by the Oregon Fire Chief’s Association with a 2024 Award of Excellence.

As the collaborative moves forward, the Oregon State Fire Marshal is committed to the continuous evaluation and enhancement of the support systems, ensuring they effectively meet the evolving needs of Oregon's firefighting community.

We invite all fire service members and partners to join us in this vital program. Together, we can ensure a safer, healthier future for all firefighters and the communities they protect.

For more information about the Oregon Fire Service Health and Safety Collaborative, please visit www.oregon.gov/osfm/healthandsafety.

COLUMBIA COUNTY, Ore. 30 April 2024 – A tip to the Turn In Poachers (TIP) Line alerted Oregon State Police Fish & Wildlife troopers to a Columbia County business illegally providing guide services. The tip led to the arrest and conviction of Eric Swanson, 31, operator of Eric Swanson Outdoors, who advertised guided fishing trips on the Columbia River and guided waterfowl hunts on the Sauvie Island Wildlife Area. 

The Oregon State Marine Board (OSMB) confirmed that Swanson failed to renew his guide license. The investigation revealed Swanson had been illegally guiding fishing and hunting trips in 2022 and into 2023, receiving a substantial income from the illegally guided trips. In addition, Swanson had forged the outfitter guide sticker attached to his boat with the identification number of another legally registered guide.

On January 13, 2023, Oregon State Police executed a search warrant. During the search warrant, forged stickers were seized from Swanson’s boat.

On April 24, 2024, Swanson pled guilty in Columbia County to two counts of Fail to Register Outfitter/Guide. In addition to 24 months of probation, Swanson was ordered to pay $30,000 to the Oregon State Marine Board, $15,000 to the Oregon Outfitters and Guides, and $5,000 to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, bringing the total restitution amount to $50,000.

The guide licensing process is a public safety measure, according to Cyndi Bolduc, OSMB Outfitter Guide program coordinator for the boating safety program. Licensing establishes that operators meet safety standards, including operating certification, first aid and CPR certification, and insurance coverage. OSMB is tasked with maintaining those standards.

"Unlicensed guides undercut all aspects of guiding, not only fees," Bolduc said. "Enforcement is a priority with the marine board, and we've worked hard to have guiding infractions included in the TIP program and eligible for rewards."

People who call the Turn In Poachers (TIP) Line to report poaching, habitat destruction, and other crimes against fish and wildlife are eligible to receive either cash rewards or, in some instances, hunter preference points if their tip leads to an arrest or citation. The reporting party, in this case, received a $200 cash reward. Oregon Outfitters & Guides Association (OOGA) cash rewards apply to anyone acting as an outfitter guide for illegally killing wildlife, illegally obtaining Oregon hunting or angling licenses, or illegally offering to act as an outfitter guide.

"We need people to do the right thing and contact the TIP Line if they know of illegal activity," Bolduc said. "In this case, we are pleased to give a TIP reward to the reporting party who suspected Swanson was cheating the system and knowingly ignoring the legal requirements."

If you know of or suspect other crimes against fish wildlife or habitat, please report to the Turn In Poachers (TIP) Line by calling 1-800-452-7888, dialing OSP (677) from a mobile phone or emailing TIP@osp.oregon.gov.

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About the Oregon State Police
Oregon State Police (OSP) is a multi-disciplined organization that is charged with protecting the people, wildlife, and natural resources in Oregon. OSP enforces traffic laws on the state’s roadways, investigates and solves crime, conducts postmortem examinations and forensic analysis, and provides background checks, and law enforcement data. The agency regulates gaming and enforces fish, wildlife, and natural resource laws. OSP is comprised of more than 1,400 staff members – including troopers, investigators, and professional staff – who provide a full range of policing and public safety services to Oregon and other law enforcement agencies throughout Oregon.

Tillamook County, Ore. 27 Apr. 24- On Saturday, April 27, 2024, at 4:55 p.m., Oregon State Police responded to a single-vehicle crash on Hwy 101, near milepost 39, in Tillamook County.

The preliminary investigation indicated a northbound Dodge Charger, operated by Ellis Miller Heine (56) of Cottage Grove, attempted to pass another vehicle and lost control. The Dodge slid across the northbound lane and into the ditch at highway speeds before striking a tree.

The operator of the Dodge (Ellis Heine) was seriously injured and transported to a local hospital.

A passenger in the Dodge, Rhonda Sue Heine (55) of Cottage Grove, was declared deceased at the scene.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

OSP was assisted by the Tillamook County Sheriff's Office and Nehalem Bay Fire.

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About the Oregon State Police
Oregon State Police (OSP) is a multi-disciplined organization that is charged with protecting the people, wildlife, and natural resources in Oregon. OSP enforces traffic laws on the state’s roadways, investigates and solves crime, conducts postmortem examinations and forensic analysis, and provides background checks, and law enforcement data. The agency regulates gaming and enforces fish, wildlife, and natural resource laws. OSP is comprised of more than 1,400 staff members – including troopers, investigators, and professional staff – who provide a full range of policing and public safety services to Oregon and other law enforcement agencies throughout Oregon.

Lincoln County, Ore. 26 Apr 24- On Friday, April 26, 2024, at 4:42 p.m., Oregon State Police responded to a two-vehicle crash on Hwy-20, near milepost 1.5, in Lincoln County.

The preliminary investigation indicated a westbound Subaru Forester, operated by Velma June Freudenthal (78) of Newport, crossed the centerline into the eastbound lanes and struck an eastbound Nissan light duty pickup, operated by Christopher Michael Robeson (62) of Siletz, head-on.

The operator the Nissan (Robeson) was declared deceased at the scene. A passenger in the Nissan, Ramona Lynette Luledjian (55) of Toledo, was seriously injured and transported to a local hospital.

The operator of the Subaru (Freudenthal) suffered minor injuries and was transported to a local hospital.

The highway was impacted for approximately four hours during the on-scene investigation. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

OSP was assisted by the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office, Newport Fire, and ODOT.

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About the Oregon State Police
Oregon State Police (OSP) is a multi-disciplined organization that is charged with protecting the people, wildlife, and natural resources in Oregon. OSP enforces traffic laws on the state’s roadways, investigates and solves crime, conducts postmortem examinations and forensic analysis, and provides background checks, and law enforcement data. The agency regulates gaming and enforces fish, wildlife, and natural resource laws. OSP is comprised of more than 1,400 staff members – including troopers, investigators, and professional staff – who provide a full range of policing and public safety services to Oregon and other law enforcement agencies throughout Oregon.

Linn County, Ore. 28 April 2024-

Oregon State Police and Linn County Sheriff’s Office Pursue Coburg Shooting Suspect – Results In Officer-Involved Shooting. 

On Sunday, April 28, 2024, at approximately 3:00 p.m., Oregon State Troopers responded to the Coburg area to assist the Coburg Police Department and Lane County Sheriff’s Office with a reported shooting. The shooting in Coburg critically injured one of the involved individuals and a search ensued for the other involved suspect.

At approximately 6:00 p.m., a vehicle of interest in the Coburg shooting was reported as a driving complaint. The vehicle was located by Linn County Deputies, Lane County Deputies, and Oregon State Troopers.  A pursuit ensued northbound on Interstate 5 from exit 209. After a successful deployment of spike strips to stop the suspect vehicle, the vehicle crashed along the shoulder of Interstate 5. At the crash scene, an officer-involved shooting occurred, involving the Linn County Deputies and OSP Troopers from the pursuit. 

The driver of the suspect vehicle is deceased. A passenger in the suspect vehicle was also injured during the officer-involved shooting and was transported for treatment.

No law enforcement members were injured during these incidents.

The Oregon State Police Major Crimes Team is investigating the Coburg shooting. 

Pursuant to Linn County Use of Deadly Force (SB 111) protocols, the Albany Police Department is investigating the officer-involved shooting on Interstate 5, and any involved law enforcement members have been placed on paid administrative leave by their respective agencies. Any further information will be released by the Albany Police Department.

Beginning on May 1, Central Oregon high school students ages 16-19 years old can apply for Camp Fire Axe, Bend Fire & Rescue’s annual 4-day summer academy that offers a chance to learn about a career in the fire service. 

Camp Fire Axe is led by professional Firefighter/Paramedics from Bend Fire & Rescue and walks attendees though extensive training on fire response, CPR, trauma and first aid. This year’s academy will take place June 20 – 23 from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day at the Bend Fire & Rescue North Station (63377 NE Jamison Street, Bend). Attendance is limited to 12 students with a $250 fee per person.

Applications are accepted on a first come, first served basis through May 15, and can be found under “Careers” at bendoregon.gov/fire along with additional information about the academy. 

            A structure fire of a single-family house started in the early morning hours of May 1^st in the northeast side of Bend.  Two occupants were awoken by a working smoke alarm in a spare bedroom in their home around 05:00 on Wednesday, May 1^st.  Occupants awoke hearing an active smoke alarm and went to see what the problem was.  Occupants saw hazy smoke in the nearby kitchen and spare bedroom and called 911.  On further investigation they noticed smoke coming out of an exterior wall and saw fire on the exterior of their house through a bedroom window.  Occupants attempted extinguishment and Bend Fire Crews quickly arrived and extinguished the remaining fire, limiting it to the spare bedroom.  The cause of the fire has been determined to be ashes removed from a woodstove the day prior and placed in a combustible container on the exterior of the house.  Working smoke alarms alerted the occupants, that were asleep at the time, of the fire incident in the early stages of fire growth.  By having working smoke alarms alert the occupants, damage was limited to one area of a spare bedroom and no injuries were reported to either the occupants or fire crews.

            When removing ashes from a wood stove always assume they are hot, having potential to ignite combustible materials.  Always place ashes in a non-combustible, metal container, well away from other combustibles and extinguish with water before disposing of cold ashes. Ashes can remain hot enough to ignite combustible materials for several days or longer, if not properly extinguished.  Bend Fire & Rescue would also like to remind everyone to check for working smoke alarms in their homes.  More information on smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and assistance, can be found on the City of Bend Fire & Rescues website, under Community Programs.

Bend Fire Department was called to a fire on the exterior of a commercial building at 9:30 this evening. Multiple 911 calls reported a fire behind the warehouses and businesses at NE 1^St St and NE Olney Ave. The occupant of 147 NE Olney Ave was working on prepping the space for her new business when she heard several bangs outside the building. When she came out ash was falling in the parking lot and she immediately called 911. Fire crews were able to get the fire stopped before it could spread inside the building it was adjacent to and keep it from the two neighboring buildings. Damage to the building is estimated to be $50,000. 

The remains of an encampment were found burned up in the fire behind the building. Its unclear at this time the exact cause of the fire but it is related to the camp. The investigation is ongoing. The fire only caused minor damage to both the building at 147 NE Olney Ave and the building to the west of it. The quick reaction of the occupant saved Her’s and neighboring buildings. 

Hampering fire suppression and allowing the fire to spread was a accumulation of pallets, wood, stored materials, and flammable vegetation on all three properties involved. Creating a defensible space around your home and business isn’t just for wildfire safety, it can help prevent the spread of any type of fire to your building. Keeping combustible vegetation at least 5 feet back from the building and preventing the buildup of combustible storage, especially in inaccessible areas, can greatly increase the safety of your home and business. In this case, the two buildings along NE 2^nd St had wood material stacked up between and behind their buildings. The building behind the fire off NE 1^st St had dense juniper bushes right up against the building in an area with only 10 feet between the buildings. The juniper bushes caught fire and broke out one of the windows in the back building. Had this fire not been caught as early as it was the potential that all three buildings would have burned is very high. If you have any questions or would like a free assessment of your home or business, please call our office at 541-322-6300. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  
Media hotline: 503-813-6018

Former chief legal officer Ryan Flynn to lead utility through a deeper regional focus

PORTLAND, Ore. (May 2, 2024) — Pacific Power announced today that Ryan Flynn has been appointed president. In his new role, Flynn will be responsible for regional strategy and engagement, and will lead teams focused on customer and community affairs, government affairs and legal. 

“Ryan’s extensive knowledge of the regional energy landscape, along with his personal and professional connections to the Pacific Northwest, make him uniquely positioned to lead Pacific Power and address the many challenges facing Western utilities today,” said Cindy Crane, PacifiCorp’s chair and CEO. 

Flynn joined PacifiCorp in 2006, holding various positions in the legal department before leaving in 2015 to pursue a family opportunity in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. He returned to the company in 2018, where he served as senior vice president and chief legal officer for Pacific Power and was responsible for leading the legal, communications and government affairs teams. Flynn previously worked as a lawyer for Troutman Pepper in Washington, D.C., and Davis Wright Tremaine in Seattle, Washington. 

Flynn lives in Lake Oswego, Oregon, and is a native Oregonian. He received his bachelor’s degree from Willamette University and his law degree from George Washington University. He is a longtime board member at the Dougy Center, which provides support to grieving children and teens, and serves on the executive committee of the Portland Metro Chamber. He is a former board member of OMSI, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.

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About Pacific Power

Pacific Power provides safe and reliable electric service to more than 800,000 customers in Oregon, Washington and California. The company supplies customers with electricity from a diverse portfolio of generating plants including hydroelectric, natural gas, coal, wind, geothermal and solar resources. Pacific Power is part of PacifiCorp, one of the lowest-cost electricity producers in the United States, with over two million customers in six western states. For more information, visit www.pacificpower.net. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    
Media Hotline: 503-813-6018  

PORTLAND, OR (May 1, 2024) – To recognize National Wildfire Awareness Month, Pacific Power is encouraging Oregonians to prepare for fire season. Fire weather conditions, such as severe drought combined with summer windstorms or active wildfires, could lead to safety-related power outages. 

Long-term forecasts are indicating 2024 will have a warmer and drier than normal summer, with the active portion of fire season arriving in June in most areas, and the peak of fire season in August and September.

Pacific Power is leading the way in wildfire mitigation, investing close to $70 million over the past five years in hardening its grid in Oregon, and the company is working hard to protect customers from the risks associated with wildfires. The company’s mitigation practices are focused on three main areas:

• Situational Awareness: Risk modeling that incorporates 30 years of data to help us assess potential wildfire impacts in different parts of our service area, while daily risk forecasting – through a team of meteorologists using an advanced network of 454 weather stations – provides daily wildfire monitoring and modeling for the states we serve. 
• Operational Practices: By employing sensitive protective settings on powerlines when elevated fire risk conditions exist, conducting enhanced vegetation management, having the ability to conduct a Public Safety Power Shutoff anywhere across our service area and having the ability to do an emergency de-energization when a wildfire encroaches near our assets, we have practices in place to help keep our customers and communities safe. 
  • System Hardening: Investing millions of dollars in infrastructure enhancements that reduce and mitigate risk, concentrated in geographic areas at greatest risk of wildfires. This includes rebuilding lines using covered conductor and more sensitive equipment that can de-energize power lines within fractions of a second when interference is detected.

“Providing safe, reliable electricity is our number one priority,” said Allen Berreth, Pacific Power’s vice president of transmission and distribution operations. “Our heavy investments in wildfire mitigation are driven by our goal of keeping the communities we serve safe.”

Even as electric providers partner with federal, state and local agencies and Tribes to plan and prepare for the upcoming wildfire season, preparedness is a year-round effort, and everyone has a part to play when it comes to readiness.

Resources are available to help every Oregonian take steps to plan ahead and be ready for wildfire-related power outages. At wildfire.oregon.gov, Oregonians can find tips to stay informed, make a plan and trim trees and plants to create defensible spaces around their homes to help slow the spread of wildfire. 

Stay in the know

Customers can take steps to make sure they receive wildfire-related information.

• Contact Pacific Power at 1-888-221-7070 or log in to their account at PacificPower.net and make sure all contact information is current. That way, the company can send alerts and messages.
• In addition to having a back-up plan with medical providers, customers who rely on electricity to store medication or operate medical equipment at home should enroll in Pacific Power’s Medical Certificate Program to receive proactive communications about outages.
• Visit Oregon Alert to find your local alert system. Provide current contact details and sign up for wildfire-related alerts. 

Make an outage kit

• Prepare a home outage kit in the event wildfire leads to a power outage. Be sure to include shelf-stable food; water for people, pets and livestock; necessary medications; flashlights; batteries; and solar or car chargers for electric devices. Keep ice packs or frozen water in the freezer to help keep food cold until ice is available. 
• Businesses should prepare to minimize disruptions, keep employees safe and protect equipment. Outage kits should include flashlights or camp lights for all areas, including restrooms, battery-powered or hand-crank radios for information; battery-powered fans; extra batteries; car chargers for cell phones and electric devices; bottled water; and emergency phone numbers.

Have a plan 

• Consider options to relocate with a friend, family member or shelter, especially if a medical condition, medication or equipment requires electricity. 
• Businesses should communicate their outage response plans to key employees, plan for workarounds to computers and cash registers, and make a plan to bypass electronic door locks. 
• Homes and businesses should consider buying backup generators. Information on how to operate them safely is available on Pacific Power’s website.
• Make a plan for watering livestock if well pumps are without power.
• Know how to open and close electric garage doors and security gates. 
• Learn how to protect home and business electronics and appliances against data loss and surge damage when power is restored.

Pacific Power customers can visit pacificpower.net/wildfiresafety for resources and information including an outage preparation checklist for residential and business customers, an interactive map outlining potential public safety power shutoff areas and its 2024 Wildfire Mitigation Plan.   

About Pacific Power  

Pacific Power provides safe and reliable electric service to more than 800,000 customers in Oregon, Washington and California. The company supplies customers with electricity from a diverse portfolio of generating plants including hydroelectric, natural gas, coal, wind, geothermal and solar resources. Pacific Power is part of PacifiCorp, one of the lowest-cost electricity producers in the United States, with 2 million customers in six western states. For more information, visit www.pacificpower.net.     

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PR 07 24                                                                  

BONNEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION
                                                                                                                  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 
                                                                  CONTACT: Isabelle Williams, BPA, (503) 230-5196

2024 Northern Pikeminnow Sport-Reward Season Begins May 1; Reaches Effort Milestone in 2023 

Portland, Ore. – The Northern Pikeminnow Sport-Reward Fishery enters the 2024 season fresh off last year’s historic milestone, when participants surpassed 1 million angling days recorded since the program began in 1991. The Northern Pikeminnow Sport-Reward Program is designed to reduce the native predator’s impact on salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River Basin.

“That milestone is a really big deal as a testament to a very successful, long-lived BPA project that has been helping Pacific Northwest salmonids for the past 33 years,” said Eric Winther, project leader of the Columbia River Predator Control Program through the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The program is funded by the Bonneville Power Administration and administered by the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, along with the Oregon and Washington Departments of Fish and Wildlife.

The Pikeminnow Sport-Reward 2024 season starts at most stations on May 1 and lasts until Sept. 30. Specific start dates and times at each pikeminnow station are available at the stations tab of the Sport-Reward Fishery website at www.pikeminnow.org/stations-maps/. This is the second season in which anglers can register to fish using the Pikeminnow Registration mobile phone app available on both Apple and Android devices. The phone app eliminates the need to submit a paper registration prior to fishing which gives anglers more time on the water catching northern pikeminnow. 

Fishing will take place from the mouth of the Columbia River to Priest Rapids Dam in eastern Washington, as well as in the Snake River, from its convergence with the Columbia to Hells Canyon Dam along the Idaho-Oregon border. These areas represent a substantial portion of the migration corridor of juvenile salmon and steelhead, which are prey to northern pikeminnow. 

Northern pikeminnow consume millions of juvenile salmon and steelhead every year, and to mitigate their predatory effects on salmon and steelhead populations, the Northern Pikeminnow Sport-Reward Fishery offers rewards to anglers who remove large, predator-sized northern pikeminnow from the river. This effort aims to reduce northern pikeminnow populations by 10-20% in the Columbia River. Since the Sport-Reward Fishery was implemented in 1991, predation of juvenile salmon and steelhead by northern pikeminnow has been reduced up to 40% through the removal of more than 5.59 million northern pikeminnow.

This year, rewards for northern pikeminnow catches will range from $6 to $10 per fish, and the more fish an angler lands, the more each fish is worth. Anglers receive $6 for the first 25 fish they catch. After 25, fish are worth $8 each, and after 200 they are worth $10 each.

State fish and wildlife biologists have also released tagged northern pikeminnow into the Columbia and Snake rivers, which have their own special reward. These verified external tagged northern pikeminnow are worth $500, with verified internally tagged fish worth $200 each. Grant Waltz, project lead for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, emphasized that tagged fish are also valuable to state fish and wildlife biologists, as they help the program estimate if the fishery has met the harvest goal of 10 to 20% of the northern pikeminnow population.

Previously tagged northern pikeminnow that are harvested and subsequently returned to the Northern Pikeminnow Management Program creel stations are critical to the effort to track the exploitation of this predator species. According to Waltz, these tag returns can also provide the program information about movement patterns and growth of northern pikeminnow, which is used to better understand the dynamics of the population.

In 2023, the top-twenty anglers caught an average of 4,005 fish per angler and averaged reward payments of $40,135 each for the 5-month season. The highest paid angler earned $107,800. 

For more information about the program such as regulations, specific station guidelines, participation instructions, and historical catch statistics, visit www.pikeminnow.org or call 800-858-9015.

About BPA

The Bonneville Power Administration, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, is a nonprofit federal power marketer that sells wholesale, carbon-free hydropower from 31 federal dams in the Columbia River Basin. It also markets the output of the region’s only nuclear plant. BPA delivers this power to more than 140 Northwest electric utilities, serving millions of consumers and businesses in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, western Montana and parts of California, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming. BPA also owns and operates more than 15,000 circuit miles of high-voltage power lines and 261 substations, and provides transmission service to more than 300 customers. In all, BPA provides nearly a third of the power generated in the Northwest. To mitigate the impacts of the federal dams, BPA implements a fish and wildlife program that includes working with its partners to make the federal dams safer for fish passage. It also pursues cost-effective energy savings and operational solutions that help maintain safe, affordable, reliable electric power for the Northwest. www.bpa.gov 

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Spokane, Washington - U.S. Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref announced today that she will join with Federal, State, Local, and Tribal leaders in recognizing May 5, 2024, as Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day. In doing so, U.S. Attorney Waldref called on all citizens and residents in Eastern Washington to support Tribal governments and Tribal communities’ efforts to increase awareness of missing or murdered Indigenous people.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington fully supports efforts to reduce violence and bring awareness to this important issue. As part of our efforts in this important cause, the Eastern District recently welcomed Bree R. Blackhorse as an Assistant United States Attorney dedicated to prosecuting cases involving Missing or Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP), in connection with the Justice Department’s MMIP regional program. AUSA Black Horse will work out of our Yakima Office, but she will serve throughout the Northwest Region – including in Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, and California.

In recognition of MMIP Awareness Day, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland highlighted ongoing efforts to tackle the MMIP and human trafficking crises in American Indian and Alaska Native communities, and other pressing public safety challenges, like the fentanyl crisis, in Tribal communities.

“There is still so much more to do in the face of persistently high levels of violence that Tribal communities have endured for generations, and that women and girls, particularly, have endured,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “In carrying out our work, we seek to honor those who are still missing, those who were stolen from their communities, and their loved ones who are left with unimaginable pain. Tribal communities deserve safety, and they deserve justice. This day challenges all of us at the Justice Department to double down on our efforts, and to be true partners with Tribal communities as we seek to end this crisis.”

“Today is set aside to recognize and increase awareness of missing or murdered Indigenous people. To address this crisis, every day we are committed to reducing violence on Native American reservations, achieving justice on behalf of victims, and supporting members of our Tribal communities overcome centuries of generational trauma, impacted by violence and displacement,” stated U.S. Attorney Waldref.  Consistent with this increased focus, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern Washington continues to work diligently to support Native American communities and address the root causes of the MMIP crisis.    

In July of 2023, for example, U.S. Attorney Vanessa Waldref–alongside co-hosts from the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD), the Office of Environmental Justice, and the Office of Tribal Justice – hosted Tribes from across the Northwest Region of the United States at a joint federal and Tribal Summit in Spokane, Washington focused on defending and strengthening Tribal homelands, climate adaptation, resilience and environmental justice. The purpose of the summit was to work with Tribal governments and other federal agencies to find “ways to address and incorporate Tribal concerns into the Department’s enforcement work.” 

In October 2023, First Assistant Richard Baker met with the representatives of the Colville Trial Court, Prosecutor, Public Defender, Probation and Public Health Departments to discuss the MMIP Regional Program and public safety on the Colville Reservation. 
 

In November 2023, U.S. Attorney Waldref and her First Assistant, Richard Barker, joined Federal, State, and Tribal law enforcement, community leaders, other stakeholders, and victims at the Washington State Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People Task Force’s Second Annual Summit. During the Summit, U.S. Attorney Waldref addressed the group and provided an update on federal efforts to address the MMIP crisis.
 

U.S. Attorney Waldref testified in December 2023 before the United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs about the growing fentanyl crisis in Native Communities, which is an underlying cause of the MMIP crisis. When asked during the hearing about examples of success in combating the fentanyl crisis in Native communities, U.S. Attorney Waldref highlighted a case where more than 100 pounds of illegal drugs, including 161,000 fentanyl-laced pills were seized. A significant portion of the drugs seized were believed to be destined for the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, as well as for other Native American communities and surrounding areas in Washington and Montana.
 

Also in December 2023, U.S. Attorney Waldref, First Assistant Barker, Branch Manager Tom Hanlon, and AUSA Black Horse attended the ribbon cutting for a new Multi-Purpose Justice Center on the Yakama Nation. The center is the result of an incredible vision by the Yakama Nation for a consolidated facility that combines all the criminal justice programs at a single location. In 2019, The Department of Justice contributed funds to help make the vision a reality.

In January 2024, U.S. Attorney Waldref, alongside members of her office, and members of the Drug Enforcement Administration, met with Spokane Tribal communities regarding the dangers of Fentanyl. 

In March 2024, U.S. Attorney Waldref and First Assistant Barker met with representatives and students at Whitman College for a round table discussion regarding MMIP and Fentanyl Awareness. 

“I am grateful for the strong partnerships we have with the incredible leaders and community stakeholders from the tribes in the Eastern District of Washington. My office will continue to address the root causes underlying the MMIP crisis:  fentanyl, domestic violence, child abuse, illegal possession and use of firearms, illegal narcotics, and human trafficking,” stated U.S. Attorney Waldref. “The appointment of an Assistant United States Attorney dedicated to prosecuting MMIP cases in the Northwest Region, demonstrates the DOJ’s commitment to bring justice for the victims of this crisis and ensuring the safety and security of all indigenous people in the Northwest.” 

“FBI Seattle is not only committed to building relationships with the 29 federally recognized tribes in Washington state, but also with our other law enforcement and community partners,” said Richard A. Collodi, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. “When the FBI is called to investigate an MMIP case, we want to ensure trust with the community is already established so people feel comfortable providing us the information we need to bring justice for the victims. While every case is different, the one characteristic is always true: every victim leaves a space in that community which cannot be filled. They have friends and family who want them to come home safely, and their community wants accountability. We recognize the process can be lengthy and frustrating, but we assure everyone we serve the FBI and our partners are doing everything we can, and we will never stop pursuing justice for victims, no matter how long it takes.”

Representative examples of MMIP cases prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office include the following:

• October 2018 homicide of Yakama Tribal member Rosenda Strong. 5 defendants were charged with crimes ranging from accessory after the fact, murder, and kidnapping resulting in death. 

• October 2022 double murder on the Colville Indian Reservation involving enrolled members of the Coville and Kalispel tribe. Following the murder, the suspected attempted to kill a federal officer. 

• October 2022 indictment of Steven Zacherle for a murder of a member of the Colville Tribe. Zacherle also allegedly harassed, threatened and assaulted his domestic partner before and after the murder.  
   
• June 2023 sentencing of Andre Pierre Picard to 5 years in prison for selling drugs linked to an overdose death of a woman on the Colville Indian Reservation 
   
• September 2023 sentencing of Dylan Swan for kidnapping, robbery and shooting of multiple Tribal members on the Colville Indian Reservation and in Spokane, Washington.
   
• March 27, 2024 sentencing of Sundron Larsell Miller and Paula Eulojia Cantu-Lopez to decades in federal prison for violent carjacking and assault on the Yakama Nation.
   
• April 2, 2024 sentencing of Silaz Elijah James to 20 years in Federal Prison for a murder and assault in Toppenish, Washington. 
   
• April 9, 2024 guilty verdict of 40-year-old Marvin Samson Butterfly. Butterfly was found guilty of assaulting and suffocating his partner, as well as Attempted Witness Tampering. 

If you or someone you know has information about a missing or murdered Indigenous person, please contact the FBI Seattle Field Office by calling (206) 622-0460 or by visiting tips.fbi.gov. To learn more about the Department of Justice’s efforts to combat the MMIP crisis, click here. 

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Spokane, Washington - Vanessa R. Waldref, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Jaycob Tyler Gonzales, age 29, of Nampa, Idaho, was sentenced after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute 40 Grams or More of Fentanyl. United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice imposed a sentence of 108 months imprisonment to be followed by 5 years of supervised release.

According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, in March of 2022, officers responded to a 911 call for an unconscious male at a home in Lewiston, Idaho. Upon arriving, officers found a man deceased from a fentanyl overdose. There was a piece of tinfoil with a fentanyl pill next to the body. Officers examined the man’s phone and found the last text messages. The messages described a drug transaction and were sent from a phone that belonged to Gonzales. 

In April of 2022, Investigators arranged controlled buys of fentanyl pills from Gonzales’s residence in Clarkston, Washington. 

On May 22, 2022, a traffic stop was conducted on a vehicle Gonzales was driving. Two young children were in the backseat. Investigators searched the trunk and located a small safe, disguised as dictionary, with more than 1,400 fentanyl pills inside. Gonzales told detectives he was returning home after a trip to Spokane to purchase 1,000 fentanyl pills from his supplier. Gonzales also told detectives he had been selling fentanyl for about two months and made regular trips to Spokane to re-supply. Gonzales admitted selling drugs to the man who died of a fentanyl overdose. 

“Fentanyl continues to have a devastating impact on the community, and in this case resulted in the tragic overdose death of a young man. This case is a tragic and stark reminder of the destruction the opioid epidemic has inflicted,” stated U.S. Attorney Waldref. “Mr. Gonzales also had children with him when he was arrested with more than a thousand fentanyl pills, further increasing the risk that others would be harmed by the deadly drugs Mr. Gonzales was trafficking.  My office, together with our federal and local partners, will continue to work tirelessly to prosecute those who contribute to this deadly crisis.”

“While in prison, Gonzales will no longer be able to contribute to the opioid epidemic that has devastated so many lives,” said Special Agent in Charge Shohini Sinha of the Salt Lake City FBI. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners are working together to identify and disrupt traffickers who peddle poison in our communities.”

This case was investigated by the North Idaho Violent Crimes Task Force and the Quad Cities Drug Task Force.  The Quad Cities Drug Task Force is a multi-jurisdiction task force involving the numerous law enforcement agencies in Asotin County, Garfield County, and Whitman County, Washington, and Latah County and Nez Perce County, Idaho. The North Idaho Violent Crimes Task Force is an FBI led Task Force involving the Idaho State Police, Lewiston Police Department, Nez Perce Tribal Police Department, and Grangeville Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael Ellis. 

Yakima, Washington -  Today, United States Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref administered the oath of office to Assistant United States Attorney Bree R. Black Horse. A swearing-in ceremony was held at the Yakama Nation Justice Center in Toppenish, Washington. 

AUSA Blackhorse will prosecute cases involving Missing or Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP), in connection with the Justice Department’s MMIP regional program. AUSA Black Horse will work out of our Yakima Office, but she also will serve throughout the Northwest Region – including in Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, and California.

“I am honored and grateful that our District was selected to have an Assistant United States Attorney dedicated to prosecuting cases related to Missing or Murdered Indigenous People,” stated U.S. Attorney Waldref.  “We are so excited for Ms. Black Horse to join our team. Our commitment to justice is not new, but it is renewed. We will continue to prioritize cases arising in Indian Country and, with renewed resources, continuing to address the root causes that have led to increased violence in our Tribal Nations – such as fentanyl, domestic violence, child abuse, illegal possession and use of firearms, illegal narcotics, and human trafficking. Our communities are safer and stronger as we join together to seek justice on behalf of victims and their families.”

“Ms. Black Horse has the background and experience to excel as an AUSA focused on Missing and Murdered Indigenous People cases, but more importantly she has the cultural knowledge and the heart to handle MMIP prosecutions with compassion for the victims and their families, and tenacity to hold accountable those perpetrating crimes against our People,” stated Gerald Lewis, Chairman, Yakama Nation Tribal Council. 

“I joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Washington because I believe in this new role. I can meaningfully serve our Tribal communities while effectively combating MMIP in Indian country,” stated AUSA Blackhorse. “I also stepped into this position to serve our MMIP victims and MMIP families.  This new program is victim-centered at its core.  The program aims to prevent harm to Indigenous people and help bring healing and justice to our MMIP victims and their families, and ultimately to our Tribal communities.”

The MMIP regional program prioritizes MMIP cases consistent with the Deputy Attorney General’s July 2022 directive to United States Attorneys’ Offices promoting public safety in Indian country. The program is part of the Justice Department’s promise to dedicate new personnel to MMIP consistent with Executive Order 14053, Improving Public Safety and Criminal Justice for Native Americans and Addressing the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People, and the Department’s Federal Law Enforcement Strategy to Prevent and respond to Violence Against American Indians and Alaska Natives, Including to Address Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons issued in July 2022.

The program dedicates five MMIP Assistant U.S. Attorneys and five MMIP coordinators to provide specialized support to United States Attorneys’ offices to address and combat the issues of MMIP.  This support includes assisting in the investigation of unresolved MMIP cases and related crimes, and promoting communication, coordination, and collaboration among federal, Tribal, local, and state law enforcement and non-governmental partners on MMIP issues.  The five regions include the Northwest, Southwest, Great Plains, Great Lakes, and Southeast Regions, and MMIP personnel will be located within host United States Attorneys’ offices in the Districts of Alaska, Arizona, Eastern Washington, Minnesota, New Mexico, Northern Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, and Western Michigan.  Program support will be provided by the MMIP Regional Outreach Program Coordinator at the Executive Office for United States Attorneys.

More broadly, this MMIP Program will complement the work of the Justice Department’s National Native American Outreach Services Liaison, who is helping amplify the voice of crime victims in Indian country and their families as they navigate the federal criminal justice system. Further, the MMIP Program will liaise with and enhance the work of the Department’s Tribal Liaisons and Indian Country Assistant United States Attorneys throughout Indian Country, the Native American Issues Coordinator, and the National Indian Country Training Initiative Coordinator to ensure a comprehensive response to MMIP.

Yakima, Washington - Vanessa R. Waldref, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced today that David Elmo Curry, 38 of Clarkston, Washington, was sentenced on two counts of Attempted Enticement of a Minor. Curry was convicted of those crimes on December 6, 2023, following a jury trial.  Chief United States District Judge Stanley A. Bastian imposed a sentence of 156 months in federal prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release. 

According to court documents and information disclosed at trial and sentencing, Curry was arrested when he arrived at a house in Yakima, Washington after travelling from Kennewick, Washington in order to have sex with two minor girls. Earlier that day, Curry responded to an on-line ad by a woman purporting to be the mother of two daughters – ages 11 and 13.  In text and email exchanges, the mother explained she was seeking a man to have sex with her minor children.  The on-line ad was actually part of a sting operation conducted by the Washington State Patrol, assisted by the Yakima and Union Gap Police Departments and Homeland Security Investigations and the purported mother was an undercover officer. At the time of his arrest, Curry had condoms and flavored lubricant with him. Curry was then charged in Yakima County Superior Court with Attempted First Degree Attempted Rape of a Child and Second Degree Attempted Rape of a child.  He later was released on bail on these state charges.

Following Curry’s release on bail, a Homeland Security Investigations Task Force Officer, acting in an undercover capacity, responded to a separate on-line ad, which Curry placed while on release. The undercover officer represented that he was a thirteen-year-old girl and Curry engaged the officer in sexual talk, requested nude images, and made arrangements to meet with him in person over the course of dozens of email and text messages. At one point, Curry determined the purported child’s preferred candy and purchased flavored lubricant in a corresponding flavor for a planned meeting the next day, which never took place.

Chief United States District Judge Stanley A. Bastian presided over the trial, which began on December 4, 2023. After 2 days of trial testimony, the jury returned guilty verdicts on all counts.

 “Even while on release for related crimes, Mr. Curry attempted to find a young child to victimize,” stated U.S. Attorney Waldref. “I am deeply grateful for the work of Homeland Security Investigations, our local partners, and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, for effectively responding to technology-facilitated sexual exploitation and for protecting our children.”

“Predators like Mr. Curry are motivated to target their victims through mouse clicks and keystrokes, and any sentence punishing his perverse actions is an important step in ensuring cyberspace is kept free of those that seek to exploit children,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer, who oversees HSI operations in the Pacific Northwest. “HSI, through its investigative expertise and law enforcement partnerships, will continue to hunt down these predators to ensure every one of them faces the full weight of justice.”

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with the assistance of the Washington State Patrol, the Yakima Police Department and the Southeast Regional ICAC Task Force, consisting of the Richland and Kennewick Police Departments. This case was prosecuted by Michael Murphy, Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.

U.S. Attorney Waldref released a video statement which can be viewed here. 

Yakima, WA:  At 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 2nd, United States Attorney Vanessa Waldref, will swear-in Assistant United States Attorney Bree R. Blackhorse. AUSA Black Horse joins the office as a federal prosecutor dedicated to prosecuting cases involving Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP), in connection with the Justice Department’s MMIP regional program.  This historic event will be held at the Yakama Nation’s Multi-Purpose Justice Center, located at 1020-D Fort Road, Toppenish, WA 98948.   Media is allowed, however, this event in not open to the public. 

Spokane, Washington - U.S. Senior District Judge Rosanna Malouf Peterson sentenced Aaron Joseph Cunningham, age 47, of Cusick, Washington, to 41 months in federal prison on one count of Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition. Allen was convicted on October 19, 2023, following a jury trial. Senior Judge Peterson also sentenced to Cunningham to 3 years of federal supervision after he is released from prison.

According to court documents and information disclosed at trial and sentencing, on October 24, 2021, Cunningham was driving his deceased brother’s car, which he had been using as his own. Law enforcement stopped Cunningham on a Department of Corrections warrant and arrested him. The car was towed, impounded, and ultimately set for auction. 

On November 30, tow employees inventoried the car for auction. Employees located two black Glock firearms in glovebox. Both firearms were loaded and chambered. 

During the investigation of the unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition by Cunningham, law enforcement learned that Cunningham had made repeated threats to a family living on his deceased brother’s property. In the early morning hours of October 18, Cunningham came onto the property armed with two Glock-style firearms and accused the family of being squatters. Before leaving the property, Cunningham yelled, “I will kill you all.” 

“Mr. Cunningham illegally possessed loaded firearms and used them in an attempt to frighten and threaten a family on their own property. This type of crime is not just a threat to people’s safety, it is a threat to their freedom to go about their daily lives,” stated United States Attorney Vanessa Waldref. “By working with our law enforcement partners to remove illegal firearms, we can have a significant impact in making our homes and communities safer.”

“Mr. Cunningham was prohibited from possessing firearms yet used them as a means to threaten his family,” said ATF Seattle Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Blais. “This sentence is well deserved and should send a message to anyone who would think to use firearms in this manner.”

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Herzog. 

U.S. Attorney Waldref released a video statement on the case that can be viewed here. 

Richland, Washington - Chief United States District Judge Stanley A. Bastian sentenced Kyle Ray Campbell, age 36, to 25 years in federal prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute 400 Grams or More of Fentanyl. The Court also sentenced Campbell’s codefendant, and brother, Cameron Earl Campbell, age 32, to 20 years in federal prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute 400 Grams or More of Fentanyl. Chief District Judge Bastian imposed 5 years of federal supervision on both defendants upon their release from custody. Kyle and Cameron Campbell are each from Richland, Washington.

According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, the Campbells were trafficking large amounts of fentanyl from Mexico into the Tri-Cities area. Beginning in early 2019, Kyle Campbell would travel to San Diego and meet a contact who would provide Campbell with fentanyl-laced pills that had been smuggled across the Mexican border. The contact would then take Campbell’s money for the pills back to Mexico and pay the source of supply. Cameron Campbell took over the trips to San Diego when he was off Washington State Department of Corrections supervision. Investigators learned the Campbells were provided with approximately 50,000 Fentanyl pills per month from early 2019 to February 2020. 

On February 8, 2020, Cameron Campbell took a bus from Pasco, Washington to San Ysidro, California.  From February 9 to February 12, 2020, Cameron Campbell made several trips between San Ysidro, and Mexico. On February 12, Cameron Campbell took a bus from San Ysidro to Toppenish, Washington. FBI agents conducting surveillance on the bus observed Cameron Campbell get off the bus carrying several bags. He went into a laundry mat and appeared to be waiting. Agents entered the laundry mat and contacted Cameron Campbell and seized his phone and luggage. 

Following the execution of federal search warrant, agents recovered approximately 10,000 fentanyl-laced pills inside the seized bags. Agents also executed a search warrant on Cameron Campbell’s cell phone. The contents of the phone showed multiple text messages between Cameron Campbell and Kyle Campbell. The messages included details about the trip and an offer from Kyle to pick up Cameron when he got off the bus. The text messages also showed Cameron Campbell had left approximately 500 fentanyl-laced pills in a fast-food restaurant bathroom in Portland, Oregon for another person to pick up. 

In July of 2020, a federal search warrant was executed at Kyle Campbell’s home. Agents located a safe with 400 fentanyl-laced pills, baggies with drug residue, a phone, cash, and multiple firearms. Agent also recovered another handgun from the bedroom of the home. 

During sentencing, Chief Judge Bastian noted both defendants obstructed justice during the case – with Cameron Campbell attempting to have his now ex-wife erase cell phones seized by the FBI before they could be searched, and Kyle Campbell threatening a witness in the case with harm if the witness testified. Chief Judge Bastian also noted that while both defendants professed remorse and promised they would not engage in this type conduct again. Yet, at the same time as they promised they would not engage in further criminal activity, the Campbells were smuggling drugs into the Benton County Jail for distribution in the jail to other inmates. 

“The defendants in this case distributed a shocking amount of deadly illicit fentanyl into the Tri-Cities area. This poison causes untold damage to families, neighborhoods, and our nation,” stated U.S Attorney Waldref. “My office is committed to battling the fentanyl epidemic by working together with our federal, state, local and tribal partners to prosecute the most significant traffickers to remove the source of supply of these dangerous narcotics and to protect our community.”

“Every Fentanyl pill introduced into our communities has the potential to destroy lives.” said Richard A. Collodi, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Seattle field office. “The Campbell brothers were trafficking thousands of these deadly pills into Washington state each month. The FBI and our partners will continue our efforts of keeping these poisons off the streets and out of our neighborhoods.” 

This case was investigated by the FBI Safe Streets Task Force in Tri-Cities, Washington, in cooperation with the Kennewick Police Department, Richland Police Department, Pasco Police Department, and the Benton County Sheriff’s Office.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Caitlin Baunsgard and Brandon Pang. 

U.S. Attorney Waldref recorded a video statement which can be viewed here.

SALEM, Ore. — Nineteen public safety leaders from throughout Oregon successfully completed the International Public Safety Leadership and Ethics Institute (IPSLEI) on April 25, 2024, at the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) in Salem.

IPSLEI is an intensive leadership program that involves a variety of learning methodologies, including written case studies, video case analysis, and interactive learning processes. Students explored a number of films, books and articles that inspired a deep exploration of ethical decision-making principles and their application to the students’ own leadership journeys. By simply asking the question “why,” the students developed their critical thinking processes related to leadership and their own self-awareness. 

The 160-hour IPSLEI training program takes place over the course of four months and consists of four modules that highlight:

• Developing a Personal Philosophy of Leadership and Ethics
• Leading Others Ethically
• Ethical Leadership in Organizations
• Ethics and the Challenge of Leadership

Over 350 public safety professionals from the police, fire, corrections and community corrections disciplines have completed the program since DPSST began hosting it in 2008.

The 2024 ISPLEI graduates are:

Sergeant Kris Asla, Sherwood Police Department
Probation Officer Molly Bineham, Washington County Community Corrections
Lieutenant Steven Binstock, Redmond Police Department
Officer Richard Brenner, Corvallis Police Department
Corporal Tyler Brown, Grand Ronde Police Department
Officer James Bryant, Corvallis Police Department
Supervisor Tim Davis, Lane County Youth Services
Sergeant Tom Harper, Lake Oswego Police Department
Sergeant Derek Hicks, Redmond Police Department
Parole Officer Khara Kerns, Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office
Captain James Macfarlane, Columbia County Sheriff's Office
Correctional Services Technician Nancy Miranda, Lane County Parole and Probation
Sergeant Karinya Moisan, Lake Oswego Police Department
Probation Supervisor Jacob Musick, Lane County Youth Services
Sergeant Dale Raybould, Corvallis Police Department
Crisis/CORE Team Clinician Dayna Svendsen, Benton County Health Department
Sergeant Garrett Thornton, Sandy Police Department
Equitable Policing Instructor Violet Trammel, DPSST Center for Policing Excellence
Sergeant Christopher Wingo, Woodburn Police Department

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About DPSST
The mission of the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) is to pursue excellence in training and accountability for public safety professionals. DPSST certifies and licenses police, corrections, and parole and probation officers, as well as regulatory specialists, emergency telecommunicators and medical dispatchers, criminal justice instructors, private security providers, private investigators, fire service professionals, and polygraph examiners in the state of Oregon.  DPSST works with public and private safety agencies around the state to provide basic, leadership and specialized training at the 237-acre Oregon Public Safety Academy in Salem and regionally throughout the state.

Salem – Teams of students at Hermiston, Silverton, Henley, Parkrose, Crescent Valley, and McLoughlin high schools have earned top prizes in a media contest designed to increase awareness about workplace safety and health for young workers.

High school students across Oregon were invited to participate in the annual contest organized by the Oregon Young Employee Safety Coalition (O[yes]). In its 16th year of putting a spotlight on the importance of young worker safety and health, the 2023-24 media contest challenged participants to create an ad – through either a compelling graphic design or video – that captures their peers’ attention and convinces them to take the O[yes] Young Employee Safety Awareness online training. 

The creative possibilities were multifaceted: Participants got to choose the key message, theme, or tagline they believed would attract their audience and move it to act. Participants were asked to submit either a graphic design or a video that was no more than 90 seconds long. 

Teams of students met the challenge with smart and positive media projects. In attention-grabbing videos and artful graphic designs, students called attention to everything from workplace stress to worker rights on the job. Their projects stayed laser-focused on convincing their target audience – teen workers or teens who are preparing to work for the first time – to take the O[yes] Young Employee Safety Awareness online training to improve their knowledge of how to stay safe and healthy in the workplace.

The top winners in each category were:

Video:

• First place: Silverton High School, “Saying Yes” ($500)
• Second: Parkrose High School, “The Office Ordeal” ($400); McLoughlin High School, “On the Job Lessons” ($400)
• Third: Crescent Valley High School, “Do Not Touch” ($300) 
• Finalists: Lincoln High School, “Choose O[YES]” and Nyssa High School, “Out of the Woods.” 

Graphic design:

• First place: Hermiston High School, “Don’t Burn Yourself Out” ($500)
• Second place: Henley High School, “Safety is a Full-Time Job” ($400)
• Third place: Henley High School, “Ensure Your Safety” ($300)
• Finalists: Henley High School, “O[Yes] Poster,” Beaverton High School, “Shaping Safe Workplaces,” Hermiston High School, “Safety Awareness,” Hermiston High School, “Safety in the Workplace,” Henley High School, “Teen Safety Poster.”

The first-place teams in each category also earned a matching award for their schools.

Check out the winning submissions on the (O[yes]) website, where you will also find videos of the contestants discussing their media projects.

The mission of (O[yes]) is to prevent injuries and illnesses, and promote well-being to young workers. The nonprofit does this through outreach, advocacy, and sharing resources with young workers, educators, employers, parents, and labor organizations. 

The 2023-24 contest sponsors were the Oregon chapters of the American Association of Safety Professionals, Construction Safety Summit, Central Oregon Safety and Health Association, Hoffman Construction, Oregon Health & Sciences University, Oregon OSHA, Oregon SHARP Alliance, SafeBuild Alliance, and SAIF.

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

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

The Oregon Young Employee Safety Coalition (O[yes]) is a nonprofit dedicated to preventing young worker injuries and fatalities. O[yes] members include safety and health professionals, educators, employers, labor and trade associations, and regulators. For more information, go to youngemployeesafety.org.

An Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) adult in custody, Eric Hrafn Vilhjalms Walston, died the May 1, 2024. Walston was incarcerated at Oregon State Penitentiary (OSP) in Salem and passed away at an area hospital while on end-of-life care. As with all in-custody deaths, the Oregon State Police have been notified.

Walston entered DOC custody on July 30, 2020, from Lane County with an earliest release date of October 28, 2026. Walston was 49 years old. Next of kin has been notified.

DOC takes all in-custody deaths seriously. The agency is responsible for the care and custody of approximately 12,000 men and women who are incarcerated in 12 institutions across the state. While crime information is public record, DOC elects to disclose only upon request out of respect for any family or victims.

OSP is a multi-custody prison located in Salem that houses approximately 2,000 adults in custody. OSP is surrounded by a 25-foot-high wall with 10 towers. The facility has multiple special housing units including disciplinary segregation, behavioral health, intermediate care housing, and an infirmary (with hospice) with 24-hour nursing care. OSP participates in prison industries with Oregon Corrections Enterprises including the furniture factory, laundry, metal shop, and contact center. It provides a range of correctional programs and services including education, work-based education, work crews, and pre-release services. OSP was established in 1866 and, until 1959, was Oregon’s only prison.

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SALEM, Ore. – May is Wildfire Awareness Month. Oregon experiences its heaviest wildfire activity during the summer months, but fires occur all seasons of the year including spring. Keep Oregon Green, in partnership with federal, state, tribal and local fire agencies, will be spreading the word about the steps we all can take to prevent the start of careless, unwanted wildfires this summer, and encouraging Oregonians to create defensible space around homes and outbuildings. 

At stake: lives, property and scenic beauty

Each year, over 70% of Oregon’s wildfires are started by people. Many are a result of escaped debris burn piles or gas-powered equipment and vehicles casting sparks or catching fire.

During the 2023 fire season, the Oregon Department of Forestry reported that people were directly responsible for sparking 823 wildfires that burned 6,197 acres. Any spark can gain traction in dry vegetation, spread quickly and impact lives, personal property, and the many benefits provided by Oregon’s scenic natural areas.

Before heading outdoors this summer, contact the agency or landowner who manages the land at your destination for an update on current fire restrictions or bans. Any visitor to Oregon’s natural areas should be familiar with these restrictions before building campfires or using equipment that could ignite a wildfire. 

Put Your Smokey Hat On

Smokey Bear is celebrating his 80^th birthday this year. Smokey is a beloved and trusted American icon that has educated the public on preventing human caused wildfires since 1944. His timeless and important message celebrates people who take responsibility and prevent wildfires. Smokey’s hat is the driving force behind Keep Oregon Green’s 2024 summer wildfire prevention campaign. “Put Your Smokey Hat On” is a call to action, encouraging the public to predict the outcome of their actions and do everything they can to prevent wildfire ignitions. Campaign artwork, PSAs, and additional wildfire safety tips can be found at keeporegongreen.org and its various social media platforms.

Coming soon: More Wildfire Awareness Month tips 

During May, a new wildfire prevention topic will be shared each week to help homeowners and recreationists learn how to prevent their outdoor activities from sparking the next wildfire. For more information, visit the websites for Keep Oregon Green at www.keeporegongreen.org, the Oregon Department of Forestry at www.oregon.gov/odf, and the Oregon State Fire Marshal at https://www.oregon.gov/osfm/education/pages/prevent-wildfires.aspx

Follow Oregon wildfire news and prevention updates on social media: Twitter @keeporegongreen, @ORDeptForestry and @OSFM

SALEM, Ore. — The Adaptive Management Program Committee will hold a virtual meeting Monday, May 6 at 3 p.m. To join virtually, please use the Zoom video conference information found on the agenda.

The committee’s agenda includes:

• Finalize responses to clarifying questions from the IRST re: Roads questions package (Substantial decision item)
• Refresher on Eastern Oregon Steep Slopes questions package

The meeting is open to the public to attend online via Zoom. Public comments will be accepted near the start of the meeting. Requests for an interpreter for the hearing impaired or other accommodations for persons with disabilities should be made at least 48 hours before the meeting by emailing ogram@odf.oregon.gov">adaptivemanagementprogram@odf.oregon.gov.

The 13-member committee The Adaptive Management Program Committee helps determine if forest practices are meeting their goals to protect natural resources through a science-based and transparent process. The committee sets the research agenda that the Independent Research and Science Team (IRST) implements. View more information on the AMPC webpage.

May 03, 2024

Media Contact: Amber Shoebridge
er.shoebridge@oha.oregon.gov">amber.shoebridge@oha.oregon.gov
503-931-9586

CMS Clears Oregon State Hospital from Immediate Jeopardy Status

(Salem, OR) – Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has informed Oregon State Hospital (OSH) administrators that the hospital is no longer in immediate jeopardy status. 

CMS surveyors were on the Salem campus after OSH reported a patient death shortly after arrival. While on site, CMS surveyors noted Code Blue emergency equipment in the Admissions area was not stored in an organized way and was identified as a potential future safety risk.

This is still an active survey process. The next step will be the delivery of an official CMS statement of deficiencies.

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May 2, 2024 

Media contact: Timothy Heider, 971-599-0459, timothy.heider@oha.oregon.gov

During Mental Health Awareness Month, OHA reminds Oregonians of support resources for those in need and their loved ones 

PORTLAND, Ore. – Oregon Health Authority is recognizing Mental Health Awareness Month during May by promoting resources that support mental well-being for all Oregonians.

One in five people will experience a mental health condition in a given year, and about half of all Americans will meet the criteria for a diagnosable mental health condition sometime in their lives, according to national statistics.

Nearly everyone faces challenges in life that can affect their mental health and emotional well-being.

“Too many people in our state are facing mental health challenges, and we want everyone to know you do not have to struggle alone,” said OHA Director Sejal Hathi, M.D., MBA.

Dr. Hathi, who has spoken about her mental health journey, added, “In many of our communities, societal or cultural norms discourage people from reaching out, or even admitting that we may need some help. Mental Health Awareness Month is a critical opportunity to highlight that mental health is health.”

Here are a few highlights of resources available for Oregonians:

• OHA provides support for Community Mental Health Programs that provide services related to mental health, substance use, and problem gambling, in counties and communities across Oregon. A directory of these services, listed by county can be found
• In Oregon, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The easy-to-remember 988 number is available for people experiencing any type of mental health challenge, substance use crisis or thoughts of suicide or self-harm. Anyone who needs support can call, text or chat in English and Spanish (interpretation services and American Sign Language are also available) and connect with trained crisis counselors. The 988 Lifeline is also a resource for friends and families concerned about a loved one.
• The Mental Health Toolkit was created through a collaboration between OHA and Oregon Department of Education to help educators increase students’ academic achievement through meeting their mental and behavioral health needs.
• Online resources from Sources on Strength - Sources of Strength has two online resource packets. The first is Resources for Practicing Strength at Home, and the second is a shorter version that also offers a wellness plan. Any resource in these packets can be used in classrooms, staff meetings, in individual or group counseling, or to practice strength wherever you are.

OHA encourages communities, organizations, and individuals to use the month of May to help raise awareness of mental health and well-being. 

For news media reporting on suicide, find useful guidance here: https://reportingonsuicide.org/ 

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May 2, 2024

Media Contact: Erica Heartquist, ica.j.heartquist@oha.oregon.gov">erica.j.heartquist@oha.oregon.gov, 503.871.8843

OHA Director visits Central Oregon on fifth regional visit, hears community concerns

(Bend, OR) – Director of Oregon Health Authority (OHA), Dr. Sejal Hathi, visited Central Oregon this week and heard about the health issues that are of greatest concern to local residents and health care providers.

Feedback from the Central Oregon community was consistent, from a lack of affordable housing to barriers to mental health treatment and workforce shortages. She also heard about steps local clinics are taking to give people greater access to mental health treatment in primary care clinics and growing number of local people who are receiving substance use services through Measure 110.

Central Oregon is the fifth region Dr. Hathi has visited since she was confirmed by the legislature as OHA’s permanent director in February.

“One of the most consistent appeals I heard was for the state to do its best to sustain some of the services our public health and community-based partners have built over the past few years, with federal as well as Measure 110 funding, which continues to fill real and previously unmet needs. Even and especially as federal pandemic-era funding comes to an end, it would be a huge loss to let those services wither,” Dr. Hathi said.

Monday, Dr. Hathi started her visit to Central Oregon at Pacific Source, a Coordinated Care Organization (CCO), then toured Mosaic Community Health’s Conners Health Center in Bend. She visited Rimrock Trails, which provides comprehensive counseling and treatment services for individuals and families struggling with mental health and substance use disorders. Tuesday, Dr. Hathi met with Local Public Health Authorities (LPHAs) and Local Mental Health Authorities (LMHAs) from Deschutes, Jefferson, Crook and Wheeler Counties. She also toured the Deschutes County Stabilization Center; a crisis care clinic in Bend.

“We found Dr. Hathi to be a great listener and really appreciate that she genuinely wants to learn about the regional healthcare needs that we face here in Central Oregon," said Megan Haase, FNP and CEO of Mosaic Community Health. "We look forward to continuing our conversation and collaboration in the future.”

Dr. Hathi also discussed her three biggest policy priorities as OHA Director: eliminating health inequities, transforming Oregon’s behavioral health system, and expanding access to affordable health care.  But she emphasized that local input will inform and shape OHA’s approach to this work, as well as its partnerships with community.

Here is a link to the video of what Dr. Hathi said she learned during her visit to Central Oregon] She will head to Hood River and Pendleton later this month to speak with Oregonians. A full schedule of all of Dr. Hathi’s upcoming regional listening visits is  posted on her web page.

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May 1, 2024

Media Contact: Amber Shoebridge
er.shoebridge@oha.oregon.gov">amber.shoebridge@oha.oregon.gov
503-931-9586

Oregon State Hospital receives CMS statement of deficiencies

(Salem, OR) — Oregon State Hospital (OSH) has received a statement of deficiencies from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), following a survey which occurred in February and March 2024. 

The survey was prompted by a serious incident of patient-to-patient aggression in February 2024. Surveyors also reviewed three other incidents from previous years; these four patient safety events were instances of patient-to-patient aggression or sexual contact.

The deficiencies identified in the report relate to staff presence in the milieu; quality of incident investigation and response, including required clinical documentation; patient grievance response; and training and competency verification. OSH has 10 calendar days to respond with a Plan of Correction (PoC). 

“There will always be things we can improve, and we will continue to do so, but what persists is our dedication to the humans we are privileged to care for,” said Interim Superintendent and Chief Medical Officer, Sara Walker, M.D. 

Once CMS approves the PoC, they will conduct another unannounced survey to review implementation. OSH is already expecting an unannounced verification survey for a separate PoC before an existing termination date of May 24, 2024. 

Meanwhile, CMS has approved OSH’s plan to remove the immediate jeopardy status pertaining to Code Blue equipment in the Admissions area. Hospital leadership expect a return survey to verify that they have successfully addressed the immediate jeopardy findings on Thursday, May 2, 2024.

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April 29, 2024

Media Contact: Amber Shoebridge
er.shoebridge@oha.oregon.gov">amber.shoebridge@oha.oregon.gov
503-931-9586

CMS Places Oregon State Hospital in Immediate Jeopardy Status

(Salem, OR)_Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has placed Oregon State Hospital (OSH) in immediate jeopardy status. CMS surveyors noted that emergency response equipment was located in more than one room in the admissions area of the Salem campus. 

CMS surveyors were on site after OSH reported a patient death shortly after arrival. Although the location of the Code Blue equipment did not contribute to the patient death, it was identified as a potential future safety risk.

“The primary concern was that all Code Blue equipment for the admissions area was not in the same room. We have already rectified this,” said Interim Superintendent and Chief Medical Officer, Sara Walker, M.D. “I am confident that together we will make the necessary changes to provide a safer environment for patients.”

Meanwhile, a core team of clinical and administrative personnel are creating an immediate jeopardy removal plan describing exactly how and when the hospital will correct any remaining issues (e.g., updating signage) and will continue to abide by this standard to ensure patient safety. OSH will submit the plan early this week. If the plan receives preliminary approval, a CMS surveyor will conduct another unannounced visit to review implementation.

If the plan is successful, CMS will take OSH out of immediate jeopardy status. Otherwise, the hospital may lose eligibility to receive federal Medicare or Medicaid reimbursement for services.

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Salem, Ore. –  A Portland man, his wife, and their friend are making history as winners of the fourth largest Powerball jackpot. Cheng “Charlie” Saephan, 46, purchased the ticket for the April 6, 2024 drawing and was the only person in the country to match all five numbers plus the Powerball. 

Saephan is sharing the prize with 37 year-old Duanpen Saephan, his wife, and friend Laiza Chao, 55, of Milwaukie. The prize will be split among the three individuals: 50% (Chao) and 25%, 25% (Saephans). All three elected to take the cash option, which totals $422,309,193.97 after taxes.

Saephan, who has battled cancer and is fighting a recurrence, was relying on a combination of faith and luck when he purchased over 20 tickets for the drawing. In the weeks leading up to the jackpot, he wrote out numbers from the game (1-69) on a piece of paper and slept with it under his pillow.

“I prayed to God to help me,” he said, “My kids are young and I’m not that healthy.”  

Saephan, who is Iu-Mienh, was born in Laos and has lived in Portland for the past 30 years. He said the prize will allow him and his family to live “worry free” in light of his illness. 

Chao gave Saephan $100 toward the purchase of tickets for the game. After discovering he was holding the winning ticket, he called her to share the news. 

“I said, ‘Laiza, where are you?’ and she said, ‘I’m going to work,’” said Saephan. “I replied, ‘You don’t have to go anymore.’”    

The win is by far the biggest prize ever won in Oregon. Previously, the largest Powerball prize won in Oregon was a $340 million jackpot in 2005. 

“I want to offer my heartfelt congratulations to the Saephans and Ms. Chao on this historic win,” said Oregon Lottery Director Mike Wells. “Not only is the prize life-changing for the three of them and their families, it’s also a huge win for the state.” 

Approximately a third of sales from Powerball will be returned to state beneficiaries to support economic development, education, veteran services, state parks and more. The retailer that sold the winning ticket, Plaid Pantry, will also receive a $100,000 bonus. 

Powerball is a multi-state jackpot operated by 45 states, plus the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. 

The Oregon Lottery recommends that you always sign the back of your ticket to ensure you can claim your prize. In the event of winning a jackpot, players should consult with a trusted financial planner or similar professional to develop a plan for their winnings. Players have a year to claim their prize. 

Photos from today's event are available at the link below. Please credit Oregon Lottery. 

https://brandfolder.com/oregonlottery/oregon-powerball-winner-24

Since the Oregon Lottery began selling tickets on April 25, 1985, it has earned nearly $15.5 billion for economic development, public education, outdoor school, state parks, veteran services, and watershed enhancements. For more information on the Oregon Lottery, visit www.oregonlottery.org. 

Members of the media are invited to an announcement regarding the winner of the $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot from the April 6 drawing. 

WHEN: Monday, April 29, 1 p.m. 

WHERE: Oregon Lottery headquarters lobby, 500 Airport Road SE, Salem 

There will be parking marked and reserved for media at the north end of the lot. Media members are also welcome to park in open spots.  

WHAT: The jackpot winner will be revealed and available to answer brief questions. Oregon Lottery officials will also be available. 

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Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) is seeking a volunteer to serve as the Hiking Representative on the Recreational Trails Program (RTP) Grants Advisory Committee.

The ten-member committee evaluates grant proposals for statewide trail projects. The committee meets once or twice a year, virtually or at locations throughout the state. 

The time commitment varies and includes reviewing and evaluating 25 to 40 grant applications per year. Committee members serve three-year terms and are eligible to serve a second term.

Ideal candidates for representing the interest of hikers can live anywhere in Oregon with experience in at least one of the following areas: 

• Land management
• Recreation planning
• Trail planning or design
• Recreation related volunteerism
• Trail enthusiast who is uniquely qualified to evaluate statewide project proposals through other experience and involvement.

Strong candidates may also demonstrate an awareness of statewide recreational trail needs, other broad recreational issues, and the importance of providing equitable, inclusive and accessible recreational opportunities.

Those interested in serving must submit an RTP advisory committee interest form by June 30, 2024. The form is available online: https://form.jotform.com/232364818278162

The competitive grant program is funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration and administered by OPRD. Grants are awarded to non-profits and governments for motorized and non-motorized trail projects, including building new trails, improving existing trails and developing or improving trail facilities.

For more information about the advisory committee or application process, contact Jodi Bellefeuille, program coordinator, at ellefeuille@oprd.oregon.gov">Jodi.bellefeuille@oprd.oregon.gov or 503-856-6316.

On May 15, 2024 the Oregon Museum Grant committee will meet to score and rank the applications for the Oregon Museum Grant program. The recommendations from the committee will be forwarded to the Oregon Heritage Commission for final review and approval on May 20, 2024. The hybrid meeting will be held by teleconference at 8:30 a.m. interested parties may access the meeting by registering through Zoom or in person at 725 Summer Street NE, Room 124A in Salem. The meeting agenda also includes the access information. 

The Heritage Commission is comprised of nine people representing Oregon's heritage and geographical diversity who have been appointed by the Governor. There are nine advisory representatives from state agencies and statewide organizations. The mission of the Oregon Heritage Commission is to secure, sustain, and enhance Oregon's heritage by ensuring coordination of heritage initiatives by public and private organizations; advocacy on its behalf; education of the public about its extent and value; and promotion and celebration of its diversity.

Special accommodations for the meeting – including translation services – may be made by calling 503-986-0690 at least 72 hours prior to the start of the meeting. For information about the grants contact Kuri Gill at 503-986-0685 or by e-mail: i.Gill@oprd.oregon.gov">Kuri.Gill@oprd.oregon.gov. 

SALEM, Oregon—Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) is seeking public comment on a proposed rule change that would correct the city of Maupin’s boundary description in the Deschutes Scenic Waterway rule.

The rule uses a description of Maupin’s city boundary that does not include land annexed in 1973. The later adopted Deschutes Scenic Waterway statute includes the city boundary with the annexed land. 

The discrepancy between the two was discovered when a proposed development in the Lower Deschutes State Scenic Waterway corridor raised the question regarding the statutory boundary. The proposed rule change would update the description of Maupin’s city boundary to reflect the boundary described in statute. 

Learn more about the proposed rule change online. Public comments on the proposed rule change will be accepted through 5 p.m. May 31, 2024 and can be submitted:

• Online: https://www.oregon.gov/oprd/PRP/Pages/PRP-Rule-2024-Correct%20Reference%20to%20Maupin%20in%20Deschutes%20Scenic%20Waterway.aspx
• Mail: OPRD Department, attn: Katie Gauthier, 725 Summer St NE, Suite C, Salem OR 97301
• Email: D.Publiccomment@oprd.oregon.gov">OPRD.Publiccomment@oprd.oregon.gov

There will be no public hearing. Once the public comment period ends, the proposal with any incorporated updates is slated to go to Oregon State Parks and Recreation Commission in June for possible adoption.

OPRD manages state scenic waterways program on behalf of the state of Oregon. The program seeks to balance protection and use through cooperation between federal, state and local agencies as well as individual property owners and those who recreate along a waterway.

Los servicios públicos de Oregón promueven la concientización sobre los incendios forestales: Prepárese
para la temporada de incendios ahora y manténgase informado
PGE, Pacific Power, Idaho Power y la PUC comparten consejos y pautas a medida que se acerca la temporada de incendios.

Portland, Ore. – En reconocimiento al Mes Nacional de Concientización sobre Incendios Forestales, que comienza hoy, la Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC), Portland General Electric, Pacific Power e Idaho Power aconsejan a los habitantes de Oregón que se preparen para la temporada de incendios forestales. Todos tienen un papel que desempeñar este verano para mantener seguras a nuestras comunidades. 

PGE, Pacific Power e Idaho Power invierten durante todo el año en métodos para reducir el riesgo de incendios forestales y preparar sus redes eléctricas para suministrar energía segura y confiable. Colaboran con tribus y agencias federales, estatales y locales para planificar y prepararse para la próxima temporada de incendios forestales. El estado de Oregón requiere que las empresas de servicios públicos propiedad de inversionistas presenten planes anuales que proporcionen un panorama general e integral de las estrategias de cada empresa para mitigar el riesgo de incendios forestales y mantener seguros a los clientes y las comunidades. La PUC está revisando los planes de mitigación de incendios forestales del año 2024.

“En Oregón, todas las personas desempeñan un papel esencial para mantener seguras a las comunidades de los incendios forestales. La Oregon Public Utility Commission se compromete arduamente a auditar el recorte de árboles de todas las empresas de servicios públicos en todo el estado y se centra en cómo las empresas de servicios públicos están cambiando sus operaciones y equipos para aumentar la seguridad y la resiliencia de sus servicios”, dijo la inspectora Letha Tawney. “Asimismo, cada residente tiene un papel vital en reducir y prepararse para el cambio ante el riesgo de incendios forestales extremos en su comunidad. Los clientes deben prepararse especialmente para los cortes de energía por motivos de seguridad pública durante las condiciones climáticas extremas. Juntos, podemos proteger a Oregón y a sus residentes”.

Los recursos para ayudar a todos los habitantes de Oregón a prepararse para la temporada de incendios forestales están disponibles en wildfire.oregon.gov, donde pueden encontrar muchos consejos, desde información sobre incendios forestales y cortes de energía relacionados con incendios forestales hasta planes de evacuaciones y el establecimiento de áreas de defensa que ayuden a frenar la propagación de incendios forestales.

PGE, Pacific Power e Idaho Power también comparten estos consejos adicionales sobre cómo mantenerse seguro y estar preparado durante esta temporada de incendios.

Tenga un plan 

• Considere trasladarse a lo de un amigo, un miembro de la familia o un refugio, especialmente si tiene una enfermedad cuya medicación o tratamiento requiera electricidad.
• Las empresas deben comunicar sus planes de respuesta ante cortes de energía a sus empleados más importantes, planificar soluciones alternativas para las computadoras y las cajas registradoras, y hacer un plan para evitar el bloqueo de las cerraduras electrónicas de las puertas. 
• Planifique las necesidades de agua para el ganado en caso de que las bombas de los pozos pierdan energía.
• Aprenda cómo abrir y cerrar las puertas de garaje y las puertas de seguridad eléctricas. 
• Aprenda cómo proteger los equipos electrónicos y electrodomésticos del hogar y del negocio contra la pérdida de datos y daños por sobretensión cuando se restaure la energía.

Prepare un kit para apagones

Tenga un kit listo para usar para proteger su hogar y su negocio ante cortes de energía en caso de que un incendio forestal provoque uno. 

• Asegúrese de incluir alimentos no perecederos, agua para consumo humano, mascotas y ganado, medicamentos, linternas, baterías y cargadores solares o para automóviles para dispositivos eléctricos. Tenga a mano paquetes de hielo o agua congelada en el congelador para ayudar a mantener los alimentos fríos hasta que el hielo esté disponible. 
• Los kits para cortes de energía también deben incluir linternas o luces de campamento para todas las áreas, incluidos los baños, radios a batería o manivela, ventiladores a batería, baterías adicionales, cargadores de automóvil para teléfonos móviles y dispositivos eléctricos, agua embotellada y números de teléfono de emergencia.
• Las empresas deben prepararse para minimizar las interrupciones, mantener seguros a los empleados y proteger los equipos. 

Mantenerse al tanto

Aquí hay algunos pasos que puede seguir para asegurarse de recibir información actualizada sobre incendios forestales:

• Póngase en contacto con su proveedor de electricidad o inicie sesión en su cuenta para asegurarse de que toda la información de contacto esté actualizada para que pueda recibir alertas y mensajes.
• Si depende de la electricidad para almacenar medicamentos u operar equipos médicos, inscríbase en el Medical Certificate Program (Programa de Certificado Médico) de su proveedor de energía eléctrica, si está disponible, para recibir comunicaciones preventivas sobre cortes de energía. Elabore un plan de respaldo con su médico y otros proveedores médicos.
• Visite Oregon Alert para encontrar su sistema de alerta local. Proporcione detalles de contacto actualizados y regístrese para recibir alertas de incendios forestales. 

Información, recursos y listas de verificación

• Los clientes de PGE pueden visitar portlandgeneral.com/incendios-prevencion-y-seguridad para obtener información sobre cómo trabajamos para proteger a las personas, las propiedades y los espacios públicos, y para conocer nuestro su Plan de Mitigación de Incendios Forestales de 2024 para obtener información, listas de verificación y recursos adicionales. 
• Los clientes de Pacific Power pueden visitar pacificpower.net/wildfiresafety para acceder a recursos e información, incluida una lista de verificación de preparación para cortes de energía para clientes residenciales y comerciales, un mapa interactivo que delinea áreas potenciales de cortes de energía por motivos de seguridad pública y el Plan de Mitigación de Incendios Forestales de 2024.   
• Los clientes de Idaho Power pueden visitar idahopower.com/wildfire para obtener más información sobre la preparación para cortes de energía en verano y lo que Idaho Power está haciendo para proteger la red eléctrica de los incendios forestales.   

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Oregon Utilities Promote Wildfire Awareness: Get Ready for Fire Season by Preparing Now and Staying Informed
PGE, Pacific Power, Idaho Power and the PUC share tips and guidance as fire season approaches

Portland, Ore. – In recognition of National Wildfire Awareness Month, which kicks off today, the Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC), Portland General Electric, Pacific Power and Idaho Power encourage Oregonians to prepare for wildfire season. Everyone has a part to play this summer in keeping our communities safe. 

PGE, Pacific Power and Idaho Power invest year-round in methods to reduce wildfire risk and prepare their electric grids to deliver safe, reliable power. They partner with tribes and federal, state and local agencies to plan and prepare for the upcoming wildfire season. The state of Oregon requires investor-owned utilities to submit annual plans that provide a comprehensive overview of each utility’s strategies for mitigating wildfire risk and keeping customers and communities safe. The PUC is reviewing 2024 wildfire mitigation plans.

“In Oregon, everyone plays a role in keeping communities safe from wildfire. The Oregon Public Utility Commission invests significant effort in auditing all utilities’ tree trimming statewide and focuses on how utilities are changing their operations and equipment to increase the safety and resiliency of their services,” said Commissioner Letha Tawney. “Likewise, every resident has a vital part in reducing and preparing for the changing risk of extreme wildfires in their community. Customers should particularly prepare for Public Safety Power Shutoffs during extreme weather. Together, we can safeguard Oregon and its residents.”

Resources to help every Oregonian get ready for wildfire season are available at wildfire.oregon.gov, where they can find tips on everything from staying informed about wildfire and wildfire-related outages to making a plan for evacuations to establishing defensible spaces that help slow the spread of wildfire.

PGE, Pacific Power and Idaho Power also share these additional tips on ways to stay safe and be prepared this fire season.

Have a plan 

• Consider relocating with a friend, family member or shelter, especially if medication or treatment of a medical condition requires electricity.
• Businesses should communicate their outage-response plans to key employees, plan for workarounds to computers and cash registers and make a plan to bypass electronic door locks. 
• Plan for livestock water needs in case well pumps lose power.
• Know how to open and close electric garage doors and security gates. 
• Learn how to protect home and business electronics and appliances against data loss and surge damage when power is restored.

Make an outage kit

Prepare your home and businesses by making an outage kit to use in case wildfire leads to a power outage. 

• Be sure to include shelf-stable food, water for people, pets and livestock, medications, flashlights, batteries and solar or car chargers for electric devices. Keep ice packs or frozen water in the freezer to help keep food cold until ice is available. 
• Outage kits should also include flashlights or camp lights for all areas, including restrooms, battery-powered or hand-crank radios for information, battery-powered fans, extra batteries, car chargers for cell phones and electric devices, bottled water and emergency phone numbers.
• Businesses should prepare to minimize disruption, keep employees safe and protect equipment. 

Stay informed

Here are a few steps you can take to make sure you receive up-to-date wildfire information:

• Contact your electricity provider or log in to your account and make sure all contact information is current so you can receive alerts and messages.
• If you rely on electricity to store medication or operate medical equipment, enroll in your electric provider’s Medical Certificate Program, if available, to receive proactive communications about outages. Make a backup plan with your doctor and other medical providers.
• Visit Oregon Alert to find your local alert system. Provide current contact details and sign up for wildfire alerts. 

Information, resources and checklists

• PGE customers can visit portlandgeneral.com/wildfiresafety for information about how PGE works to protect people, property and public spaces, including its 2024 Wildfire Mitigation Plan for information, checklists and additional resources. 
• Pacific Power customers can visit pacificpower.net/wildfiresafety for resources and information including an outage preparation checklist for residential and business customers, an interactive map outlining potential public safety power shutoff areas and the 2024 Wildfire Mitigation Plan.   
• Idaho Power customers can visit idahopower.com/wildfire to learn more about summer outage preparedness and what Idaho Power is doing to protect the grid from wildfires.   

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About Portland General Electric Company 

Portland General Electric (NYSE: POR) is an integrated energy company that generates, transmits and distributes electricity to over 930,000 customers serving an area of 1.9 million Oregonians. For more than 130 years, Portland General Electric (PGE) has powered social progress, delivering safe, affordable, reliable and increasingly clean electricity while working to transform energy systems to meet evolving customer needs. PGE customers have set the standard for prioritizing clean energy with the No. 1 voluntary renewable energy program in the country. PGE is committed to reducing emissions from its retail power supply by 80% by 2030 and 100% by 2040. PGE is recognized by the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index for the company’s commitment to creating a more equal, inclusive workplace. In 2023, PGE employees, retirees and the PGE Foundation donated nearly $4.6 million and volunteered over 23,000 volunteer hours to more than 400 nonprofit organizations. For more information: portlandgeneral.com/news

About Pacific Power

Pacific Power provides safe and reliable electric service to 800,000 customers in Oregon, Washington and California. The company supplies customers with electricity from a diverse portfolio of generating plants including hydroelectric, thermal, wind, geothermal and solar resources. Pacific Power is part of PacifiCorp, one of the lowest-cost electricity producers in the United States, with 2 million customers in six western states. For more information, visit www.pacificpower.net.

About Idaho Power

Idaho Power, headquartered in vibrant and fast-growing Boise, Idaho, has been a locally operated energy company since 1916. Today, it serves a 24,000-square-mile area in Idaho and Oregon. The company’s goal to provide 100% clean energy by 2045 builds on its long history as a clean-energy leader that provides reliable service at affordable prices. With 17 low-cost hydroelectric projects at the core of its diverse energy mix, Idaho Power’s residential, business and agricultural customers pay among the nation’s lowest prices for electricity. Its 2,100 employees proudly serve more than 630,000 customers with a culture of safety first, integrity always and respect for all. IDACORP Inc. (NYSE: IDA), Idaho Power’s independent publicly traded parent company, is also headquartered in Boise, Idaho. To learn more, visit idahopower.com or idacorpinc.com.

About the Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC)
The PUC regulates customer rates and services of the state’s investor-owned electric and natural gas utilities, including Portland General Electric, Idaho Power, Pacific Power, Avista, Cascade Natural, and NW Natural. The PUC also regulates landline telephone providers and select water companies. The PUC’s mission is to ensure Oregonians have access to safe, reliable, and fairly priced utility services that advance state policy and promote the public interest. We use an inclusive process to evaluate differing viewpoints and visions of the public interest and arrive at balanced, well-reasoned, independent decisions supported by fact and law. For more information about the PUC, visit oregon.gov/puc.

Salem, OR— State of Oregon Enterprise Information Services announced State Chief Information Officer, Terrence Woods, was awarded the StateScoop GoldenGov: State Executive of the Year Award and Deputy State Chief Information Officer, Jennifer Bjerke, was awarded StateScoop State Leadership of the Year Award. 

The StateScoop 50 Awards, now in their 11th year, annually honor the best and the brightest who make state government more efficient and effective. These awards celebrate the outstanding achievements of government peers and acknowledge their tireless efforts to make a positive impact in the government Information Technology community and in public service.

StateScoop is a media brand reporting on news and events impacting technology decisions in state and local government. Through their website, newsletter, and events, StateScoop brings together IT leaders and innovators from across government, academia and industry to exchange best practices and identify ways to improve state and city government. Woods and Bjerke were chosen from hundreds of individuals nominated for the awards and now join an esteemed group of individuals who work to improve and innovate in information technology. 

Woods was appointed as State Chief Information Officer and Director of Enterprise Information Services (EIS) in 2018 and brings more than 20 years of leadership and knowledge to the role. Since his appointment, Woods has established a diverse Executive Team and built the strategic foundations and enterprise capabilities for delivering on the EIS vision — “Ensuring accessible, reliable and secure state technology systems that equitably serve Oregonians.” His accomplishments include publication of the EIS 2023-2026 Strategic Framework Version 2.0, Cloud Forward: A Framework for Embracing the Cloud in Oregon, Oregon’s Data Strategy: Unlocking Oregon’s Potential, EIS Modernization Playbook and deployment of Microsoft 365 to all Executive Branch agencies. 

Bjerke was appointed as Deputy State Chief Information Officer in 2018, after serving as the State Strategic Technology Director. Woods shared, “With Deputy Bjerke’s leadership, we are making progress on our goals to streamline state government and modernize our systems to better serve Oregonians. It’s an honor that we were both awarded for our collective efforts.”

The complete list of award recipients can be viewed on the StateScoop website where they will also feature interviews with award winners in the coming days.

PORTLAND, Ore.—The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon joins its partners across the federal government, as well as people throughout American Indian and Alaska Native communities, in recognizing May 5, 2024, as National Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Awareness Day.

The office also announced today the appointment of an MMIP Regional Coordinator based in the District of Oregon. Cedar Wilkie Gillette, who since June 2020 has served as the District of Oregon MMIP Coordinator, will now serve as regional coordinator for the Northwest Region under the Justice Department’s MMIP Regional Outreach Program. The Northwest Region includes the states of California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.

Ms. Wilkie Gillette will work alongside Ms. Bree R. Black Horse who was appointed in February 2024 in the Eastern District of Washington to serve as the MMIP Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northwest Region.

“We are delighted that Cedar Wilkie Gillette will serve as northwest regional coordinator for the Justice Department’s MMIP Regional Outreach Program. This program is a critical next step in the department’s ongoing effort to address this crisis, which has affected tribes and communities across our region and country. Cedar is abundantly qualified for this position and we are eager for her to expand the great work she has done here in Oregon throughout the Northwest Region,” said Natalie Wight, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

“There is still so much more to do in the face of persistently high levels of violence that Tribal communities have endured for generations, and that women and girls, particularly, have endured,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “In carrying out our work, we seek to honor those who are still missing, those who were stolen from their communities, and their loved ones who are left with unimaginable pain. Tribal communities deserve safety, and they deserve justice. This day challenges all of us at the Justice Department to double down on our efforts, and to be true partners with Tribal communities as we seek to end this crisis.”

Launched in July 2023, the MMIP Regional Outreach Program permanently places 10 attorneys and coordinators in five designated regions across the United States to aid in the prevention and response to missing or murdered indigenous people. This support includes assisting in the investigation of unresolved MMIP cases and related crimes, and promoting communication, coordination, and collaboration among federal, tribal, local, and state law enforcement and non-governmental partners on MMIP issues. 

The regional outreach program program prioritizes MMIP cases consistent with the Deputy Attorney General’s July 2022 directive to U.S. Attorney’s Offices promoting public safety in Indian Country and fulfills the Justice Department’s promise to dedicate new personnel to MMIP consistent with Executive Order 14053, Improving Public Safety and Criminal Justice for Native Americans and Addressing the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People, and the department’s Federal Law Enforcement Strategy to Prevent and respond to Violence Against American Indians and Alaska Natives, Including to Address Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons issued in July 2022. 

The Department’s work to respond to the MMIP crisis is a whole-of-department effort. In March, the Departments of Justice and the Interior released their joint response to the Not Invisible Act Commission’s recommendations on how to combat the missing or murdered indigenous peoples and human trafficking crisis.

Over the past year, the Department awarded $268 million in grants to help enhance Tribal justice systems and strengthen law enforcement responses. These awards have also gone toward improving the handling of child abuse cases, combating domestic and sexual violence, supporting Tribal youth programs, and strengthening victim services in Tribal communities.

For additional information about the Department of Justice’s efforts to address the MMIP crisis, please visit the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons section of the Tribal Safety and Justice website. Click here for more information about reporting or identifying missing persons.

In early 2022, the District of Oregon established an MMIP Working Group to increase multi-agency communication and collaboration in support of and response to Oregon-connected MMIP cases. The working group includes representatives from each of the nine federally recognized Tribes in Oregon, the FBI, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of Interior Regional Solicitor’s Office, U.S. Marshals Service, Oregon Department of Justice, Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office, and Oregon State Police.

Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 2020, Ms. Wilkie Gillette served as a law fellow for Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law organization. She has a juris doctorate from the Vermont Law School and a bachelor’s degree in applied social justice and human rights activism from the University of Minnesota. Ms. Wilkie Gillette is an enrolled member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation and a direct descendant of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. She has conducted extensive research on indigenous human rights and environmental justice issues.

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EUGENE, Ore.—A Springfield, Oregon man was sentenced to federal prison today for repeatedly possessing and distributing photos and videos depicting child sexual abuse.

Randy Lee Cook, 43, was sentenced to 168 months in federal prison and a life term of supervised release.

According to court documents, in 2006, Cook was convicted of state child pornography charges in Missouri and served a significant prison sentence for sending child sexual abuse material to a minor, engaging in sexual chats with the minor, and then engaging in additional sexual chats with an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a minor and propositioning the decoy minor for sex. Following his release from prison, Cook was required to register as a sex offender.

In the summer of 2020 and spring of 2021, investigators learned that Cook had resumed distributing child sexual abuse material online, this time using Kik Messenger, an instant messaging mobile application. Investigators traced multiple Kik accounts to Cook and learned he was residing in Springfield. On June 11, 2021, investigators executed search warrants on Cook’s residence, truck, and person. Cook’s phone was found to contain approximately 194 images and 63 videos depicting child sexual abuse.

In July 2021, Cook was charged by criminal complaint with possessing and distributing child pornography and arrested. On July 20, 2023, a federal grand jury in Eugene indicted him on the same charges.

In December 2023, while Cook’s case was being litigated, an FBI task force officer in Louisiana investigating an unrelated matter began conversing with an individual on Kik who was later determined to be Cook. In conversations online with the officer, Cook claimed to have engaged in sex acts with children and sent the agent an explicit video of a child. On December 14, 2023, Cook was arrested a second time when he was leaving his Springfield residence to plead guilty in federal court.

On January 24, 2024, Cook pleaded guilty to three counts of distributing child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography.

This case was investigated by the FBI Eugene Resident Agency with assistance from the FBI New Orleans Field Office, Lane County Sheriff’s Office, Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office, and Shreveport Police Department. It was prosecuted by William McLaren, Marco Boccato, and Mira Chernick, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.

Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.

Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. It is important to remember child sexual abuse material depicts actual crimes being committed against children. Not only do these images and videos document the victims’ exploitation and abuse, but when shared across the internet, they re-victimize and re-traumatize the child victims each time their abuse is viewed. To learn more, please visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.missingkids.org.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

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PORTLAND, Ore.—A Beaverton, Oregon man was sentenced to federal prison today for distributing fentanyl that caused the fatal overdose of a local man.

Billy Ray Trueblood II, 33, was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison and four years’ supervised release.

According to court documents, in early March 2019, investigators from the Westside Interagency Narcotics Team (WIN) responded to a fatal overdose of a local man in his early thirties who was found unresponsive by his roommates. An autopsy by the Oregon State Crime Lab later confirmed the man died of an acute fentanyl overdose.

Further investigation revealed that the victim became addicted to opioids after using prescription pain killers in college to deal with athletic injuries. Investigators also learned the victim had been purchasing drugs from Trueblood since college and had recently exchanged text messages with him to arrange the purchase of “blues,” a term used to describe counterfeit Oxycodone pills manufactured with fentanyl.

In the days following the victim’s fatal overdose, investigators attempted to locate Trueblood, but were unable to do so until one investigator spotted him on television at a Portland Trailblazers basketball game. After another investigator confirmed the man spotted was indeed Trueblood, the investigators relayed the information to police officers at the game who located and arrested him. During his arrest, Trueblood was found in possession of a large amount of cash and several types of pills including some that resembled those found in the deceased victim’s bedroom.

On November 10, 2020, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a three-count indictment charging Trueblood with distributing fentanyl, distributing fentanyl resulting in death, and possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl.

On May 30, 2023, Trueblood pleaded guilty to distributing fentanyl.

This case was investigated by WIN and the FBI. It was prosecuted by Lewis S. Burkhart, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

WIN is a Washington County, Oregon-based multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force supported by the Oregon-Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program that includes members from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Beaverton and Hillsboro Police Departments, Oregon National Guard Counter Drug Program, FBI, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

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PORTLAND, Ore.—A former Oregon Department of Human Services employee was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison today for violating the civil rights of a woman with developmental disabilities in his care by engaging in sexual misconduct with her.

Zakary Edward Glover, 30, of Lebanon, Oregon, was sentenced to 300 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release.

“Mr. Glover’s crimes profoundly betrayed the trust placed in him as a state health care support specialist,” said Natalie Wight, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. “We thank our partners at the FBI, Oregon State Police, and Civil Rights Division for their commitment to this victim and the safety of all Oregonians.”

“This defendant engaged in deplorable acts of sexual misconduct and targeted a victim with severe developmental disabilities who was entrusted to his care and could not defend herself,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The defendant breached the public trust and violated the most basic standards of decency. The significant sentence imposed should send a strong message that the Justice Department will do all it can to hold accountable those who abuse their authority by sexual assaulting people in their custody and under their care.”

“Zakary Glover's actions are inexcusable and appalling,” said Douglas A. Olson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Portland Field Office. “The FBI will not stand by when people in positions of trust violate and victimize vulnerable community members. Mr. Glover abused his power and today’s sentence sends the message that the FBI and our partners will hold accountable anyone in a position of power who fails the citizens of their community.”

According to the court documents, Glover served as a Direct Support Crisis Specialist for the Oregon Department of Human Services, Office of Developmental Disabilities Stabilization and Crisis Unit (SACU). SACU operates several 24-hour crisis residential programs in Oregon that serve individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. As a SACU employee, Glover was tasked with ensuring the health, safety and security of the individuals who lived at the residential facility where he worked.

The victim, who has severe autism and cognitive deficits, was one of the individuals under Glover’s care. As part of his duties, Glover took the victim on outings in a state-owned van. The van used for such outings was purposely secured with child locks and a heavy plastic partition between the front and rear seats so that individuals like Glover’s victim cannot get out.

On November 2, 2021, while on an outing with the victim, Glover drove down a dead-end road near a cemetery in Aumsville, Oregon. Upon reaching the dead-end, he parked the van near the cemetery’s gate and proceeded to engage in sexual acts with the victim without her consent. 

On February 18, 2022, a federal grand jury in Portland returned an indictment charging Glover with depriving the victim of her constitutional right to bodily integrity under color of law involving attempted aggravated sexual abuse and kidnapping.

On January 9, 2024, Glover pleaded guilty to depriving the victim of her constitutional right to bodily integrity under color of law involving attempted aggravated sexual abuse.

This case was investigated by the FBI Portland Field Office with assistance from Oregon State Police. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gavin Bruce of the District of Oregon and Trial Attorney Daniel Gruner of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section.

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PORTLAND, Ore.—A Monmouth, Oregon man was sentenced to federal prison today for distributing fentanyl that caused the overdose death of a teenager in Salem, Oregon.

Javen James Pedro, 21, was sentenced to 75 months in federal prison and six years’ supervised release.

According to court documents, on February 24, 2022, officers from the Salem Police Department responded to an overdose of a 15-year-old teenager. Paramedics quickly transported the teen to a local hospital where he died. Further investigation revealed that on the previous day, the minor victim had purchased and consumed counterfeit Oxycodone pills containing fentanyl in front of several other juveniles. Investigators also obtained video surveillance footage from a neighbor showing the minor victim completing what appeared to be a drug transaction with a person determined to be Pedro.

Later on February 24, investigators located and arrested Pedro in Monmouth and he admitted to selling ten counterfeit Oxycodone pills to the minor victim the day prior. Pedro further admitted to selling pills to the minor victim approximately five to ten times previously.

On February 24, 2022, Pedro was charged by criminal complaint with distributing fentanyl. Later, on March 17, 2022, a federal grand jury in Portland indicted Pedro on the same charge.

On February 6, 2024, Pedro pleaded guilty to a one-count superseding criminal information charging him with distributing a controlled substance to a person under the age of 21.

This case was investigated by the Salem Police Department. It was prosecuted by Scott M. Kerin, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

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The City of Richland began work on restoration and repair projects along Richland’s Riverfront Trail. Detours will guide users to safe, accessible alternative routes. 

WSU-Tri-Cities North Richland Riverfront Trail - Work Begins May 2, 2024

A section north of Sprout Street behind the Washington State University Tri-Cities Campus that was damaged by wash out last fall will be restored and repaved. The detour includes a pedestrian friendly and separate biking route. 

Hains Street Levee Riverfront Trail - Work Begins May 13, 2024

A south section of the levee above Hains Street will be closed for asphalt removal, tree, and root removal, and repavement of the trail. Crews will remove trees growing within five feet of the trail to reduce future root damage.  

The approximate half-mile section of the levee, from Porters Real Barbeque to River Road will be closed to safely route users around the area. This project should be complete in approximately three - four weeks.  

For more information and to view the detours, visit ci.richland.wa.us/projects.

The City of Richland proudly announces the appointment of Chris Waite as their new Parks and Public Facilities Director. With a renowned 19-year career in parks and recreation, Waite brings a wealth of experience and a passion for community to this pivotal role.

Waite is recognized as a motivated and focused project administrator who thrives on the creative process and excels in team collaboration. His career highlights include serving as Parks and Recreation Director for the City of Umatilla, Oregon, where he managed three divisions, oversaw department budgets,  and led full-time and seasonal staff. He also served as Cemetery/Parks Supervisor for Billings Parks and Recreation, overseeing cemetery operations and staff while developing division policies and fee structures. Additionally, Waite excelled as a Volunteer Coordinator for Billings Parks and Recreation, spearheading a successful volunteer and community outreach program.

Waite holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Montana and a Bachelor of Fine Art from Brigham Young University-Idaho. He is a Certified Parks and Recreation Executive, Certified Playground Safety Inspector, and is affiliated with the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA). 

“We are pleased to welcome Chris Waite to our Executive Leadership team,” states Deputy City Manager, Joe Schiessl. “I am confident his experience in recreation along with his commitment to establishing partnerships, promoting volunteerism, and engaging our community is the right fit for Richland”.

In his new role as Parks and Public Facilities Director for the City of Richland, Waite will lead efforts to enhance the city's parks, recreational facilities, and public spaces, fostering community engagement and quality of life for residents.

Waite begins his new role on Monday, April 29, 2024. 

For more information regarding Richland’s parks and public facilities, visit www.richlandparksandrec.com

(College Place, WA) In a Special Board Meeting held Thursday night, the College Place Public Schools
Board of Directors voted to alter the daily schedules for Sager Middle and College Place High School for
2024-2025. The District has been evaluating a change to the schedule that would allow bus routes to
separate elementary students from secondary students on buses as is a recommended best practice for
student transport. As a result of evaluating the change, the district found it could also offset its ongoing
bus driver shortage by lowering the number of bus routes daily by 23% requiring less drivers and also
less buses. This will result in an easier time finding enough qualified drivers and save costs on bus
purchases and maintenance.

After a committee of staff from across the district sorted through all of the possible scenarios, issues,
and possibilities, and surveying over 450 students, 275 parents in person and online, and a large
number of district staff, they found great support for the change. The committee members sought to
resolve any issues or conflicts that came up during the process. After nearly three months’ worth of
work, the team felt confident that the change was in the best interest of the students, that any issue
that had been raised could be addressed, and the team voted unanimously to move forward with the
proposal to the CPPS Board of Directors.

The proposal does not impact the start and end times at Davis Elementary School (Monday-Thursday
8:00-2:40, Friday 8:55-2:40), but did add a half day for teacher data collaboration on Thursday, October
17, 2024 (11:45 a.m. release). At Sager Middle School and College Place High School, the school days will
be adjusted on both the morning and afternoon times. Monday-Thursday school times will be 8:35-3:20
and Friday 9:30-3:20. Currently, both schools run Monday-Thursday 8:00-3:00 and Friday 9:20-3:00.  The shift in start times allows the buses to make the two loops in the morning and afternoon, allow enough time for student breakfast, and provide time for morning academic support for students.

College Place Public Schools Superintendent Jim Fry said, “This was a large undertaking from start to
finish. The data we collected reinforced that the change would have a positive impact for students and our
committee’s work showed we could address any issues the change created.” Fry went on to say, “I know
that change will always cause a level of discomfort. We especially know that in our case, our changes impact an entire
community.  We are confident that we have done a comprehensive and thoughtful process and this will go very well for everyone creating exceptional outcomes.”

The District created an FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) to address a large number of questions found at: https://5il.co/2kfog  

Additional questions for community members and parents can be asked at: https://forms.gle/9AMLhydCc5Bp21R47

PASCO, WA – Educational Service District (ESD) 123 is holding a Preschool Round-Up event for families interested in enrolling an eligible child in an ESD 123 Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) preschool site. ESD 123 ECEAP Preschool Round-Up days are May 14 from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM and May 16 from 3:30-7:30 PM at the ESD 123 building in Pasco.

Enrollment specialists will be available to answer questions about the program and assist families in English or Spanish with completing applications for ESD 123 ECEAP sites. Interested parents or guardians are encouraged to make an appointment by calling 509.544.5704, however, drop-ins will also be assisted as staff are available. Families will need to bring the following documentation to complete applications: child’s birth certificate, 2023 tax records (1040 form) or W-2 forms, the child’s immunization records if available, and a copy of Basic Food approval (SNAP) notice if applicable.

ECEAP is a free preschool program for children who will be 3 or 4 years old as of August 31, 2024, and meet certain eligibility requirements. ESD 123 has ECEAP classrooms at 17 sites in Benton City (at Carrusel Childcare Center), Burbank, College Place, Connell, Finley, Mesa, Moses Lake, Othello, Pasco, Prosser, Touchet, and Walla Walla.

The ESD 123 ECEAP Preschool Round-Up is open May 14 from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM and May 16 from 3:30-7:30 PM at the ESD 123 building on 3924 W. Court Street in Pasco. For more information on ESD 123 ECEAP, visit www.esd123.org/eceap or contact Heather Pearson, ESD 123 ECEAP Director, at son@esd123.org">hpearson@esd123.org. 

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About ESD 123:  Educational Service District 123, based in Pasco, WA, is one of nine ESDs in Washington. Dedicated to delivering collaborative solutions that promote learning, ESD 123 serves 23 school districts in seven counties of Southeastern Washington. Under Superintendent Steve McCullough and its board of directors, this legislatively mandated, not-for-profit educational organization provides efficiency of educational systems and equity of learning opportunities for over 70,000 Washington students. For more information about ESD 123, please call 509-544-5700 or 888-547-8441 or visit www.esd123.org. 

Supporting documents are available via the following link:  https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Organization/997
Board of Directors Meeting Schedule & Information:  https://www.wwps.org/district/information/school-board/board-meeting-schedule

Supporting documents are available via the following link:  https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Organization/997
Board of Directors Meeting Schedule & Information:  https://www.wwps.org/district/information/school-board/board-meeting-schedule

WALLA WALLA – Walla Walla Public Schools announces Sarah Edwards, Amy Ford and Bailey Hayes have been named finalists for the Sharpstein Elementary principal position. Parents, staff, community members and students are encouraged to meet the candidates Wednesday, May 8 from 4 to 5:15 p.m. during public meet and greet sessions at the Sharpstein Elementary Library. Attendees are asked to complete candidate feedback cards and be present for all three candidate sessions (translation services will be available).

Sarah Edwards currently serves as the Principal of Discovery Primary School in Fife, WA. She was also Assistant Principal at the same school and at two other schools in Washington state prior. Edwards has Dean of Students experience and was a classroom teacher for 15 years. She holds a Master’s in Education Administration from the University of Alaska and a Master’s in Education in Elementary Education from Grand Valley State University. Edwards received a Bachelor of Arts-English from the University of Michigan.

Amy Ford is currently the Assistant Principal at Green Park Elementary. Prior to her current role, she was the Director of Walla Walla Online. Ford began her career in Walla Walla Public Schools 21 years ago as a teacher at Berney Elementary. She later relocated to Edison Elementary where she taught 4th grade and was the LAP/Title Assessment Specialist. Ford graduated from McLoughlin High School in Milton Freewater. She went on to earn an undergraduate degree in Communications and Master’s in Education from Portland State University along with her Principal Certification through Eastern Washington University.

Bailey Hayes is currently the Assistant Principal at Prospect Point Elementary. Hayes has seven years of classroom teaching experience, including three years at Prospect Point and Blue Ridge Elementary. She has served on numerous committees as a teacher, including English-Language Arts adoptions, Promise Standards review, Discipline/Behavior and Scheduling. Hayes holds a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from Washington State University. She also received her Bachelor of Arts in Education from WSU. 

The new principal will report July 1, 2024.

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Nearly 300 students presented historical research projects at Willamette University in Salem on the annual theme, “Turning Points in History.”

Portland, OR — Participation in Oregon History Day, the statewide affiliate of the National History Day® program, tripled this year over 2023, with 292 students from 12 schools competing in this annual competition. Administered by the Oregon Historical Society (OHS), the goal for the 2024 program was to increase participation statewide, specifically among students in rural communities. Students from 22 cities and towns across Oregon took part, representing Mt. Angel, Independence, Hood River, Creswell, Bend, Beaverton, Medford, and Portland.

The contest took place on Saturday, April 13, at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, and featured students who worked individually or in small groups to produce fascinating projects in the forms of documentary films, websites, performances, exhibits, and papers. Creating projects inspired by the annual theme, “Turning Points in History,” these young historians in grades 6–12 chose topics to explore and proceeded to conduct historical research and practice critical thinking skills as they analyzed primary and secondary sources and considered diverse viewpoints and bias present in these materials. The student-selected topics ranged from the Berlin Wall to the Partition of 1947 to Disney animation to The Simpsons. 

Oregon History Day cannot exist without volunteer judges, who gathered with the participants to evaluate projects, provide feedback to students, and reach consensus on project rankings. Due to the huge influx of students, judges stepped up to evaluate one of the largest groups of projects ever at Oregon History Day. Judges provide substantive feedback about the students’ work, based on a rubric carefully designed by National History Day®. And, with the top two projects in each category able to qualify for the National Contest, judge feedback is crucial for students’ revising and improving their work before they are compared against projects from across the nation. Of the 153 projects considered, 31 qualified to advance to the National Contest, which will take place at the University of Maryland, College Park, near Washington, D.C., from June 9–13. 

“The energy from participating students who showcased their work at the 2024 Oregon History Day event was incredible,” said Chief Program Officer Eliza Canty-Jones. “It was a powerful example of the intelligence and care that young people bring to their studies of history and of the generosity of adult volunteers and educators in making the whole event possible.”

According to Westview High School history teacher and National History Day Teacher of the Year nominee John Santella, “This is such an amazing event. Last year’s students who attended [the National Contest] were so excited by their experience that they approached me about making this a club on the flight home.” His school alone had 103 participating students. 

This year, OHS awarded prizes to outstanding entries that best demonstrated superior research and scholarship related to the contributions, accomplishments, and experiences of specific groups of people in Oregon history. OHS awarded prizes to projects focused on Black history in Oregon and women’s history in Oregon as well as maritime history from anywhere in the world (sponsored by the Naval Order of the United States) with each winner receiving a $100 prize. Those winners are:

Black History in Oregon Award
Racism in Portland: Redlining, Zoning, and Restrictive Covenants
A junior group documentary by Sam Lewis and Max Rosen from ACCESS Academy

Women’s History in Oregon Award
“Lola Baldwin: Breaking Barriers, Empowering Equality”
A senior group website by King Hey Chan, Maxwell Gaston, Tai Wong, and Austin Yu from Sunset High School

Maritime History Award
“The Battles of the Nile, Copenhagen, and Trafalgar and How They Expanded the British Empire”
A junior group website by Ben Giron and Lucas Steinbeck from ACCESS Academy        

For a full list of Oregon History Day projects, including those advancing to the National Contest, visit ohs.org/oregonhistoryday.

National History Day® reaches more than half a million students and tens of thousands of teachers each year via its international student history contest and its wide range of teacher professional development programs, curriculum tools, and other educational activities. Learn more about this immersive program at nhd.org. 

Educators who are interested in bringing Oregon History Day to their classroom can contact OHS Education and Programs Manager Katie Pearson at son@ohs.org">Katie.Pearson@ohs.org for more information. 

About the Oregon Historical Society

For more than a century, the Oregon Historical Society has served as the state’s collective memory, preserving a vast collection of objects, photographs, maps, manuscript materials, books, films, and oral histories. Our research library, museum, digital platforms, educational programming, and historical journal make Oregon’s history open and accessible to all. We exist because history is powerful, and because a history as deep and rich as Oregon’s cannot be contained within a single story or point of view. 

(Portland, OR – April 2024) The Lemelson Foundation is pleased to announce the national debut of an award-winning documentary that celebrates innovation, curiosity, and resilience. American Public Television (APT) proudly presents Pathways to Invention, a documentary that follows modern inventors of diverse backgrounds and their journeys as they develop life-changing innovations.

Produced by Maaia Mark Productions in association with the Lemelson-MIT Program (and with funding from The Lemelson Foundation, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Engineering, and the University of California at Berkeley), the 60-minute special explores whether inventors are born or made through a series of engaging, up-close profiles while examining the tangible impact they’re making across a variety of disciplines including biotech, medical diagnostics and prosthetics, sustainable agriculture, food production, software development and materials science. The documentary's featured inventors were all recipients of the prestigious Lemelson-MIT Student Prize. The program will premiere in May on PBS stations nationwide, available for streaming in the PBS app and on PBS.org as well as on WORLD™. A companion website with related learning resources for all ages will launch on May 1st at pathwaystoinvention.org. 

PATHWAYS TO INVENTION explores the lives of twelve inventors – overcoming obstacles to achieve success - in cities across the country. Each shares their insightful perspective inspiring audiences to discover their own pathways to realizing their goals. Journeying through the workshops, garages, laboratories, and offices of these entrepreneurs, the film considers what it really means to take “leaps of faith” as the accomplished innovators present a realistic approach of persevering through overwhelming odds and obstacles, taking risks, and inevitably experiencing failures before achieving success and discovering that the essence of invention is collaboration, lifelong learning, and resilience. 

“We all have the power in our minds and hands to shape the world,” said Levi C. Maaia, the film’s director, a former high school educator and co-founder of Maaia Mark Productions with Noah Mark, a veteran showrunner and Executive Producer. “The goal of PATHWAYS TO INVENTION is to inspire others to think about new ways they can create solutions to benefit their own lives and humanity at large.” 

Together, Maaia and Mark have collected more than a dozen awards for the film. At the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards (LAIFFA) in the summer of 2022, it was recognized as the season's best documentary feature; Mark and Maaia as best producers; Maaia as best director of a documentary feature; and, composers Michael Mark and Jon Cobert for best original musical score.

The film seamlessly weaves together the distinctive paths of each inventor working to achieve similarly meaningful results such as:

• David Moinina Sengeh, Chief Innovation Officer and Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education for the Government of Sierra Leone, who witnessed those around him struggle with ill-fitting prosthetics that were uncomfortable to wear and designed next-generation wearable mechanical interfaces that improve comfort for amputees. 
• Nicole Black, a materials scientist whose experience growing up as a little girl grappling with hearing loss due to a perforated eardrum led to the groundbreaking formulation of a 3D-printed material – a near-perfect scaffold for the regrowth of human eardrum tissue. 
• A Fulbright Scholar visiting Uganda, Paige Balcom was inspired to develop a small-scale community recycling process in Gulu employing street-connected, at-risk youth. This supposedly “impossible” initiative was the genesis of Takataka Plastics, where Paige now serves as co-founder and is currently working to expand to five towns across Uganda, and eventually scale to other developing countries.
• Since becoming obsessed during college with the programmability of living things at a microscopic level, Geoff von Maltzahn has raised hundreds of millions of dollars to date to fund groundbreaking biotech and life sciences research. Through the management of microbes and the DNA programming of organisms big and small, Geoff and his colleagues are focused on eliminating plant pesticides, creating drought-tolerant crops, sequestering carbon, and eliminating disease.

“The key takeaway to keep in mind about the film is that it’s never too late – or too early – to get on the pathway to invention. We are all aware of problems in our daily lives, and we have what it takes to become collaborative problem-solvers and to invent solutions that can make the world a better place,” replies Stephanie Couch, PhD, Executive Director of the Lemelson-MIT Program.

Championing the idea that most inventors do not emulate the storied life of Thomas Edison nor follow the financial trajectory of Elon Musk, PATHWAYS TO INVENTION brings a relatable aspect to the journeys of each inventor. 

“We all are born curious; we all like to study the world. We like to understand it. That’s the innate curiosity that we all have, and sometimes it’s the environmental factors that drive it out of us,” says Josh Siegel, assistant professor at Michigan State University and inventor whose work focuses on designing platforms for collecting and analyzing vehicle data. “Inventing has taught me to be persistent; inventing has taught me to be creative; inventing has taught me to trust myself as I have never trusted myself before. It’s okay to be imperfect, so long as you’re better than you were. We can invent things, we can invent products, we can invent services. We can create new capabilities; we can create new knowledge. But at the end of the day, what we’re really doing is reinventing ourselves.” 

PATHWAYS TO INVENTION will launch nationally in May on public television and WORLD™ as well as will be available for streaming in the PBS app in conjunction with the release of online learning resources for educators, parents, and students at www.pathwaystoinvention.org. 

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About Maaia Mark Productions: Maaia Mark Productions is a Los Angeles-based film and TV production company focused on amplifying the voices of innovative people doing extraordinary things. By addressing systemic issues through individuals’ narratives, Maaia Mark showcases diverse contemporary innovators, artists, designers, and creators. Central to the company’s mission is spotlighting science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) and amplifying voices from historically underrepresented communities. Through engaging storytelling, Maaia Mark Productions aims to connect with a diverse audience, highlighting the social impact and transformative power of creativity and innovation. Learn more at maaiamark.com.

About Lemelson-MIT: The Lemelson-MIT Program is a national leader in efforts to prepare the next generation of inventors and entrepreneurs. Their work focuses on the expansion of opportunities for people to learn ways inventors find and solve problems that matter to improve lives. Its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion aims to remedy historic inequities among those who develop inventions, protect their intellectual property, and commercialize their creations. Jerome H. Lemelson, one of U.S. history’s most prolific inventors, and his wife Dorothy founded the Lemelson-MIT Program at MIT in 1994. The Lemelson-MIT Program is funded by The Lemelson Foundation and administered by the MIT School of Engineering.

About The Lemelson Foundation: The Lemelson Foundation uses the power of invention to improve lives. Established by prolific U.S. inventor Jerome “Jerry” Lemelson and his wife Dorothy in the early 1990s, and guided today by the Lemelson family, the Foundation believes invention can solve many of the biggest economic, social, and environmental challenges of our time. A private philanthropy located in Portland, Oregon, and operating globally, The Lemelson Foundation has provided over $300 million in grants and other investments to hundreds of organizations around the world. For more information, visit http://www.lemelson.org.

About American Public Television: American Public Television (APT) is the leading syndicator of high-quality, top-rated programming to the nation’s public television stations. Founded in 1961, APT distributes 250 new program titles per year and more than one-third of the top 100 highest-rated public television titles in the U.S. APT’s diverse catalog includes prominent documentaries, performances, dramas, how-to programs, classic movies, children’s series and news and current affairs programs. Midsomer Murders, America’s Test Kitchen, AfroPoP, Rick Steves’ Europe, Pacific Heartbeat, Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Television, The Indian Doctor, Legacy List with Matt Paxton, Lidia’s Kitchen, Kevin Belton’s New Orleans Kitchen, Simply Ming, The Best of the Joy of Painting with Bob Ross, Front & Center, James Patterson’s Kid Stew and NHK Newsline are a sampling of APT’s programs, considered some of the most popular on public television. APT also licenses programs internationally through its APT Worldwide service and distributes Create^®TV — featuring the best of public television’s lifestyle programming — and WORLD™, public television’s premier news, science, and documentary channel. To find out more about APT’s programs and services, visit APTonline.org.

Pathways to Invention: website, local listings, and trailer - pathwaystoinvention.org