By James Day Two more meetings of a rulemaking advisory committee on updating the statewide wildfire hazard maps will be on Zoom in the coming weeks. The committee’s focus for these sessions will be to provide input on whether irrigation for farmland and agricultural crops should be incorporated into the calculations for wildfire hazard assessments. One meeting was held on […]
By Stephen Floyd A lawsuit against PacifiCorp by a local vineyard over the 2020 wildfires has been partially dismissed as a potential trial remains pending. On Dec. 13, Marion County Circuit Court Judge Channing Bennett signed an order dismissing a claim of corruption of evidence in Willamette Valley Vineyards, Inc. vs. PacifiCorp et al. The plaintiff voluntarily agreed to dismiss […]
By Stephen Floyd Willamette Valley Vineyards (WVV) has sued PacifiCorp for $8.2 million after the 2020 wildfires allegedly caused irreversible damage to the quality of wine grapes throughout the region. The Turner-based business filed suit in Marion County Circuit Court July 24, claiming soot and smoke from the fires tainted a “vast majority” of its 2020 vintages. WVV said it […]
By James Day Virtually every local fire agency is heading into fire season with a bit of extra muscle, courtesy of a pair of state grants. The Oregon State Fire Marshal has awarded $6 million in grants to 185 agencies throughout the state to spend up to $35,000 to add staffers for wildfire season. This is the second year of […]
Past acts enhance manslaughter case charges Prosecutors are seeking a stiff sentence for a Silverton man accused of vehicular homicide, claiming prior criminal sentences have had little impact on his behavior. Gustavo Sosa, 27, faces at least ten years in prison if convicted. He has been charged with first-degree manslaughter for a May 23 collision in Salem that killed Victor […]
By James Day Silverton native Ed Grambusch grew up wanting to be an air traffic controller. He tried work of a similar vein as a 9-1-1 emergency dispatcher. But once he hooked on as a volunteer with the Silverton Fire District, the career search was over. Grambusch continued his 9-1-1 work as he worked his way into a career as […]
By James Day A Silverton-area nursery has received a $540,000 state grant to help it grow seedlings needed for Oregon fire restoration efforts. The funds from the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) will allow Drakes Crossing Nursery to expand its business into greenhouse plug production of seedlings and have more stock available for emergencies such as the state’s rash of […]
By James Day Public use of state parks continues to rebound from the pandemic, a new state report shows, with camping visits at Silver Falls approaching pre-COVID levels. Overall, Oregon State Parks experienced its second busiest camping and day-use year in history in 2022, the report says. Visitors logged 2.97 million camper nights, just 1.8 percent less than the record-breaking […]
