Room at the inn
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and a deadly wildfire season, Oregon lawmakers approved $75 million to turn former hotels and motels into emergency homeless shelters. Project Turnkey, as it’s known, funded 867 shelter beds across the state, which is about a 20% increase in the state’s capacity. Local governments and nonprofits running the shelters are beginning to see positive results, but challenges remain. (Zack Demars/The Bulletin)
Portland restaurant owner stole from workers
The owner of a Portland restaurant has been fined by the U.S. Department of Labor for stealing $94,177 in tips and wages from 31 employees. In an investigation last year, the federal agency found Miguel Chi-dzul, who owns and operates Casa Maya Taqueria & Cantina in Portland’s Kenton neighborhood, altered records to delete overtime hours worked by restaurant employees. Oddly, investigators noted, Chi-dzul had himself been the victim of wage theft from his own employer back in 2018. “This case serves as another unfortunate reminder that wage theft is a common and serious concern for restaurant industry workers, many of whom are vulnerable and afraid to complain,” said Carrie Aguilar, Portland’s Wage and Hour Division district director. (Portland Tribune)
Report: Mild recession might be on the region’s horizon
The Pacific Northwest isn’t in a recession yet, but the latest official forecasts predict a mild one with minimal job loss could happen this year, according to a recent report. Scott Bailey, a regional economist for Washington state’s Employment Security Department, says whether a recession happens is up for debate but some red flags have appeared. One of those, he says, is the decline of manufacturing output. “We’ll be looking to see in the next two months whether this was a blip or the beginning of a trend,” Bailey said. Meanwhile, retail and food services remained volatile for a fifth straight month, and employment climbed but didn’t keep pace with population growth. (Sarah Wolf/The Columbian)
Salem man to be sentenced for crashing into tents, killing 4
A Salem man arrested for driving drunk, crashing into a homeless encampment north of downtown and killing four people will be sentenced Wednesday. Enrique Rodriguez Jr. has pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree manslaughter, two counts of second-degree assault, DUII, reckless driving and three counts of recklessly endangering another person. According to police records, he was spotted street racing in the early morning hours of March 27, before crashing into a cluster of tents. His blood-alcohol content was .26% — more than three times the legal limit. (Whitney Woodworth/Salem Statesman Journal)
Oregon pork processor faces $4 million lawsuit over waste pit injuries
A deliveryman who fell into an Oregon pork processor’s open waste pit in Yamhill County is seeking $4 million for injuries he allegedly sustained from the 2021 incident. Alan Jenne, of Montana, claims Carlton Farms, a processor started in 1956 and bought by the Beef Northwest Feeders last year, negligently failed to warn or prevent access to the hazardous pit in an area commonly used for deliveries. Jenne claims the accident caused $1 million in economic damages and $3 million in other damages, such as mental and physical pain and suffering. (Mateusz Perkowski/Capital Press)
