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Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek asks Biden for federal help after historic wildfire season

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Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek asks Biden for federal help after historic wildfire season


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Gov. Tina Kotek is asking the federal government to declare a major disaster following a historic wildfire season on the east side of the state.

Kotek sent a letter to President Joe Biden requesting the declaration, which could free up grants to help pay for costs “incurred for responding and recovering from wildfires” between July 10 and Sept. 7, the letter said.

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The Oregon wildfire season saw 1.9 million acres burned, which broke the previous record of 1.2 million acres set in 2012. The fires were predominantly on the east side of the state and burned in large rangeland and grassland areas.

“I am asking President Biden and the federal government to provide relief to the rural Oregon communities who weathered an unprecedented, destructive wildfire season,” Kotek said in a statement. “Our rural communities are still in profound crisis as a result of this season, and I am resolved to secure the federal assistance needed for Oregon to recover and rebuild.”

The request applies to six Oregon counties — Gilliam, Grant, Jefferson, Umatilla, Wasco and Wheeler. Those areas were hit by multiple megafires, blazes that grew over 100,000 acres, and experienced significant damage to utility poles and lines, resulting in power, communication and internet outages, Kotek said.  

Oregon’s congressional delegation echoed her call for relief and urged Biden to grant the request.

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“The 2024 wildfire season has been one of the most devastating and costly fire seasons on record,” U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley as well as U.S. Reps. Earl Blumenauer, Suzanne Bonamici, Cliff Bentz, Val Hoyle, Andrea Salinas and Lori Chavez-DeRemer wrote in a letter to the president.

Fires destroyed at least 42 homes and 132 other structures, according to data from Northwest Coordination Center.

If approved, the declaration would provide federal grants for state, tribal, local governments and certain private nonprofits for costs incurred for responding and recovering from wildfires between July 10 and Sept. 7.

Kotek also requested that Biden waive the state’s share of the cost for emergency work in response to the disaster.

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“The rural counties impacted by the wildfires have limited resources to support the standard share of the cost and the magnitude of state resources deployed across Oregon means state funding is insufficient to reimburse these communities,” the news release said.

Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter in Oregon for 16 years and is host of the Explore Oregon Podcast. He can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on X at @ZachsORoutdoors.



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Updated Oregon Ducks national championship odds after 1st round of College Football Playoff

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Updated Oregon Ducks national championship odds after 1st round of College Football Playoff


After years of talk and anticipation, the 12-team College Football Playoff is finally here, and it brought a lot of intrigue and entertainment over the weekend.

We got big wins for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Penn State Nittany Lions, Texas Longhorns, and Ohio State Buckeyes, while others like the Indiana Hoosiers, SMU Mustangs, Clemson Tigers, and Tennessee Volunteers saw their seasons come to an end short of the national championship.

While this first round of action whittled down the playing field to eight teams, it also gave us a good look at what some of these teams are capable of in the postseason environment.

Which ones are capable of winning the national championship, though?

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That’s a different question. There are still some heavyweights in the conversation, but also some long shots who may have stated their case to be considered as a longshot option.

Let’s take a look at the latest numbers, according to BetMGM.

Here’s a look at the full odds:

We will take a look at the full odds again next week after the quarterfinal games are played.



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Former Oregon football signee Dallas Wilson visits Florida and gets full-court recruiting press

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Former Oregon football signee Dallas Wilson visits Florida and gets full-court recruiting press


GAINESVILLE. Fla. — Former Oregon signee Dallas Wilson, a five-star receiver from Tampa, is getting the full-court press from Florida.

A day after Wilson watched the Gators beat Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa, he made an official visit to Gainesville and was given a front-row seat to Florida’s basketball game against North Florida.

Wilson was decked out in royal blue — shorts, beanie and Jordan-brand basketball shoes — as he watched the Gators (12-0) remain undefeated in convincing fashion, 99-45.

The 6-foot-3 Wilson, who caught 41 passes for 677 yards and nine touchdowns at Tampa Bay Tech this season, initially committed to Oregon in January 2023. But his mother died later that year and now his grandmother has an illness that contributed to his decision to ask for his release from the Ducks and play closer to home.

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Wilson would be another solid piece for Florida coach Billy Napier, whose recruiting class vaulted roughly 40 spots to No. 11 in 247 Sports’ final composite rankings.

The Gators already added former UCLA receiver J. Michael Sturdivant in the transfer portal. He joined an incoming recruiting class that includes receivers Vernell Brown III, Naeshaun Montgomery and Muizz Tounkara.

Wilson’s agent is Vernell Brown Jr., who played for the Gators and previously worked under Napier in a player development role.

Former Oregon football signee Dallas Wilson attends a Florida basketball gamer against North Florida Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Gainesville, Fla. Wilson, a five-star receiver is considering signing with the Florida. Credit: AP/Alan Youngblood

Florida must replace starting receivers Chimere Dike and Elijhah Badger, both seniors who transferred to Gainesville last season. Dike caught a team-high 42 passes for 783 yards and two touchdowns. Badger finished with 39 receptions for 806 yards and four scores.

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Homes at or under $500,000 on northern Oregon coast, Dec. 9 to 15

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Homes at or under 0,000 on northern Oregon coast, Dec. 9 to 15


Prospective homebuyers considering the real estate market had a range of options in various neighborhoods throughout the region between Dec. 9 and Dec. 15. In this article, we outline recent property sales in the northern Oregon coast, all of which featured homes under $500,000.

Below, we provide an overview of the top six properties in each area, chosen for their proximity to the desired price range and the largest living spaces.

Please note that the properties in the list below are for real estate sales where the title was recorded during the week of Dec. 9, even if the property may have been sold earlier.

1. $500K, 3 bedrooms / 2 baths

Situated in the 61000 block of N.W. Cochran Rd., Timber, this single-family home, consisting of three bedrooms and two baths, was sold in December for a price of $500,000, translating to $285 per square foot. The property, constructed in 1981, offers a living area of 1,755 square feet and sits on a 1.8-acre lot. The deal was finalized on Dec. 6.

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2. $497K, 2 bedrooms / 1 bathroom

For a price tag of $497,000 ($248 per square foot), the single-family home, built in 1900 and located in the 37700 block of Parker Lane, Astoria changed hands in December. The home spans 2,004 square feet of living area, with two bedrooms and one bathroom. The property comprises a 0.5-acre lot. The deal was finalized on Dec. 6.

3. $484K, 3 bedrooms / 3 bathrooms

Priced at $484,000 (equivalent to $294 per square foot), this detached house, constructed in 2023 and situated in the 700 block of Quail Glenn Dr., Philomath, was sold in December. The home spans 1,648 square feet of living area, with three bedrooms and three bathrooms. The property comprises a 5,663-square-foot lot. The deal was finalized on Dec. 3.

$484K, single-family home in the 700 block of Quail Glenn Dr., Philomath

4. $475K, 2 bedrooms / 2 baths

At $475,000 ($270 per square foot), the detached house located in the first block of Whealdon Rd., Naselle offered another opportunity below the targeted price range when it changed hands in November. This property, built in 1981, provides 1,760 square feet of living space, featuring two bedrooms and two bathrooms, and sits on a 20.9-acre lot. The deal was finalized on Nov. 27.

5. $460K, 4 bedrooms / 1 bathroom

This single-family house, featuring four bedrooms and one bathroom, underwent a change of ownership in December. Located in the 24000 block of Highway 20, Philomath, the home spans 1,512 square feet and was sold for $460,000, or $304 per square foot. The property sits on a lot measuring 0.9-acre, and it was built in 1952. The deal was finalized on Dec. 3.

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$460K, single-family house in the 24000 block of Highway 20, Philomath

$460K, single-family house in the 24000 block of Highway 20, Philomath

6. $445K, 4 bedrooms / 1 bath

In December, a detached house, with four bedrooms and one bath, located in the 36800 block of Happy Hollow Rd., Blodgett, changed ownership. The property, covering 1,436 square feet, was built in 1943 and was sold for $445,000, which calculates to $310 per square foot. The lot size encompasses 1.2-acre. The deal was finalized on Dec. 3.

Real Estate Newswire is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to generate analysis of data from Propmix, an aggregator of national real-estate data.



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