Oregon
North Central Oregon and Central Oregon under a wind advisory until Thursday morning
On Wednesday at 2:18 a.m. the National Weather Service issued a wind advisory valid from 10 p.m. until Thursday 10 a.m. for North Central Oregon and Central Oregon.
The weather service states, “South winds 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 45 mph expected.”
“Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result,” adds the weather service. “Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high profile vehicles. Use extra caution.”
Advance Local Weather Alerts is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to compile the latest data from the National Weather Service.
Three Oregon lawmakers say they plan to introduce a bill that would bar utilities from raising rates if they have unresolved wildfire lawsuits for three or more years, describing it as an effort to hold PacifiCorp accountable as the utility faces a series of lawsuits stemming from the deadly 2020 wildfires that ravaged the state.
Republican state Reps. Jami Cate, Virgle Osborne and Ed Diehl announced their proposal in a statement Monday, on the heels of an approved rate increase for PacifiCorp customers and a federal lawsuit against the electric power company.
The federal government sued PacifiCorp last week over the Archie Creek Fire, which ignited in Oregon’s Douglas County in September 2020 and burned more than 200 square miles, about half of which was federal land. The complaint accuses the company of negligence for failing to maintain its power lines to prevent wildfires. In its filing, the government says it brought the suit to recover “substantial costs and damages.”
A PacifiCorp spokesperson said in an emailed statement Monday that the company was working with the U.S. government to resolve the claims.
“It is unfortunate the U.S. government decided to file a lawsuit in federal district court, however PacifiCorp will continue to work with the U.S. government to find reasonable resolution of this matter,” the statement said.
The federal lawsuit was filed on the same day the Oregon Public Utility Commission approved a 9.8% rate increase for PacifiCorp’s residential customers next year. In its rate case filings, the company said its request to increase rates was partly due to higher costs stemming from wildfire risk and activity.
When the new rate takes effect in January, PacifiCorp rates will have increased nearly 50% since 2021, according to the Oregon Citizens’ Utility Board, which advocates on behalf of utility customers.
The three lawmakers said they will introduce their bill in the upcoming legislative session, which starts in January.
“The federal government is doing the right thing by filing this lawsuit, and we stand firmly behind it,” Osborne, who is set to be the future bill’s co-chief sponsor, said in a statement. “PacifiCorp needs to pay up and take responsibility for the destruction they’ve caused, and putting a stop to rate hikes is the best way to achieve it.”
PacifiCorp is poised to be on the hook for billions in damages in the series of lawsuits over Oregon’s 2020 fires.
The company has already reached two settlement agreements over the Archie Creek Fire, including one for $299 million with 463 plaintiffs impacted by the blaze and another for $250 million with 10 companies with commercial timber interests, according to its website.
In other litigation, an Oregon jury in June 2023 found it liable for negligently failing to cut power to its 600,000 customers despite warnings from top fire officials and determined it should have to pay punitive and other damages — a decision that applied to a class including the owners of up to 2,500 properties. Since then, other Oregon juries have ordered the company to pay tens of millions to other wildfire victims.
The wildfires that erupted across Oregon over Labor Day weekend in 2020 were among the worst natural disasters in state history, killing nine people and destroying thousands of homes.
— The Associated Press
Oregon
Oregon lawmakers to introduce bill barring utility rate increases amid unresolved wildfire lawsuits
Watch a helicopter harvest Christmas trees in south Salem
A helicopter makes sweeping passes over a Christmas tree farm in south Salem, quickly delivering bundles of trees from field to truck.
Most grocery stores in Oregon close early on Christmas Eve and are closed on Christmas Day.
Here are the hours, though individual stores’ operating hours may differ.
Is Safeway open in Oregon on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
Safeway will close at 7 p.m. Christmas Eve and will be closed on Christmas.
Is Fred Meyer open in Oregon on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
Fred Meyer will close at 6 p.m. Christmas Eve and will be closed on Christmas.
Is Roth’s Fresh Markets open in Oregon on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
Roth’s Fresh Markets will close at 6 p.m. Christmas Eve and will be closed on Christmas.
Is WinCo open in Oregon on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
WinCo Foods will close at 6 p.m. Christmas Eve and will be closed on Christmas.
Is Costco open in Oregon on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
Costco will close at 5 p.m. Christmas Eve and will be closed on Christmas.
Is Trader Joe’s open in Oregon on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
Trader Joe’s will close at 5 p.m. Christmas Eve and will be closed on Christmas.
Is Grocery Outlet open in Oregon on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
Most Grocery Outlets will close at 7 p.m. Christmas Eve and be closed on Christmas Day. Some Grocery Outlets will be open from 7 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Christmas Day, depending on the location. Check with your nearest store for hours.
Is Walmart open in Oregon on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
Walmart will close at 6 p.m. Christmas Eve and will be closed on Christmas.
Is Target open in Oregon on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
Target will close at 8 p.m. Christmas Eve and will be closed on Christmas.
Are convenience stores like 7-Eleven, Circle K and AM/PM open in Oregon on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?
Most 24-hour convenience stores such as 7-Eleven, Circle K and AM/PM will be open on Christmas Day.
Is Starbucks open in Oregon on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
Starbucks will close at 7 p.m. Christmas Eve and will be open from 7 a.m.-11 a.m. on Christmas Day.
Is Dutch Bros open in Oregon on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
Dutch Bros will close at 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve and will be closed on Christmas.
Is Human Bean open in Oregon on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
Human Bean will close at 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve and will be closed on Christmas.
Ginnie Sandoval is the Oregon Connect reporter for the Statesman Journal. Sandoval can be reached at GSandoval@gannett.com or on X at @GinnieSandoval.
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