Grant County will clear brush and remove invasive grasses that could ignite
Officials in Oregon’s Grant County plan to remove flammable brush from roadsides along 308 miles of roads that serve as wildfire evacuation routes, with the assistance of a $9.9 million U.S. Department of Agriculture grant. The funds will allow the county to buy a John Deere tractor equipped to remove roadside fuels, and will also pay for herbicide application over invasive grasses in the county. Unlike some federally funded efforts, this program seeks to address wildfire risk both on public lands and in privately managed areas. “Wildfire does not recognize boundaries, so it can burn from federal land onto private land or private to federal land,” said Irene Jerome, fire protection coordinator for Grant County. (Neil Nispersos/Blue Mountain Eagle)
Salem leads Oregon in fatal shootings by police
Salem police have killed more people per capita than other major Oregon cities over the past decade, according to an analysis by the Salem Statesman Journal. The newspaper found Salem police had a rate of nearly 5.7 shootings per 100,000 residents in the last 10 years. By comparison, Portland’s rate was around 4.3, and Eugene had a rate of 2.9 people shot by police per 100,000 residents. People who have had family members killed by police say Salem officers have escalated encounters with people who are experiencing mental health issues. They also note that a lack of body camera footage has contributed to distrust of officers. Salem Police Chief Trevor Womack said the disproportionate number of police shootings in the city is a problem, calling it “a tragedy for everybody involved.” Eugene has a successful non-police intervention program — known as CAHOOTS — that helps de-escalate encounters with people in crisis. Salem does not have a similar program. (Whitney Woodworth/Salem Statesman Journal)
Clackamas County chair’s reversal on homeless housing will cost $3M annually
Clackamas County Chair Tootie Smith changed her vote last week and backed the county out of plans to invest in homeless transitional housing. Originally, Smith voted in favor of the plan. In February, she said it made fiscal sense, because the county could avoid $4 million in annual costs it had been paying for individual hotel rooms, and instead spend $1 million per year on housing at the old Quality Inn, at a net savings of $3 million per year. Without the hotel, the county will now continue paying higher costs for individual hotel rooms. In reversing her vote, Smith said the public “needed more time.” She changed her vote after the Clackamas County Republican Party threatened her with an official censure, according to a party official. (Raymond Rendleman/Clackamas Review)
Crafting connections between sheep ranches and fiber enthusiasts
The owner of a small fiber mill between Eugene and Salem is working to support sheep ranchers at a time of low wool prices while helping textile enthusiasts learn more about the fibers they use in their crafts. Ewethful Fiber Farm and Mill in Halsey sources wool from Northwest farms at an average price of $12 per pound — at a time when wool sold in the state goes for an average of $1.35. The business then turns that wool into fiber products, including yarn, which is available through a monthly fiber subscription club. Owner Kim Biegler also teaches in-person and online workshops in hand spinning and other crafts. (Sierra Dawn McClain/Capital Press)
Vancouver officials tout the success of a second shelter community
A second small shelter community is having success in Vancouver, according to a recent review of the program. The Hope Village site opened in April 2022 along Northeast Fourth Plain Boulevard. It has 20 small shelters that offer heat, electricity and privacy to individuals or couples who had been experiencing homelessness. A review of the program’s first six months found that it offered shelter spaces to nearly 40 people, and five people had found permanent housing since living at Hope Village. A first small shelter community in Vancouver has had similar success since launching. Vancouver is planning to build a third safe rest site in downtown, but city officials are still finalizing those plans. (Mia Ryder-Marks/The Columbian)
Related: Vancouver announces location for second sanctioned homeless community
