FILE – View of I-5 from London Peak Scenic Overlook, May 2, 2017
Courtesy of Greg Shine / Bureau Of Land Management
The Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals has reversed a change to fire protection requirements implemented by the Josephine County Commissioners.
Last February, county commissioners relaxed local fire protection requirements, so that some homeowners no longer had to prove they were included in a fire district to protect their home in case of fire.
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The Ashland land-use nonprofit Rogue Advocates appealed that decision, arguing it violates both state law and the county’s own goals for reducing fire risk.
That argument was upheld by the land use board last Friday. In the board’s opinion, it said that the county needs to require new home construction and major renovations to prove they have fire protection.
Josephine County considers relaxing fire protection requirements for residents not living on forest lands
The board found that the county was wrong in saying that forest fire protection already provided to homeowners by the Oregon Department of Forestry meets the state’s requirement. ODF has stated that they provide fire protection on forestlands, not protection of buildings.
“The county’s reading of the JCC [Josephine County Code] to not reflect a concern with protecting structures is inconsistent with the stated intent of the chapter to reduce threats to human life and safety and to structures, as well as wildlands,” the board said.
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The opinion refers to the chapter of county code changed by commissioners earlier this year. The chapter is intended to, “Reduce threats to human life and safety, to structures and to wild lands, and to improve access in emergencies.”
Josephine County residents renew calls for fire protection in unincorporated communities
During oral arguments on June 18, Assistant County Counsel Stephanie Nuttall said the county agrees that houses should have some form of protection, which is the goal of the other sections of the chapter. They argued that the section they changed was under the purview of ODF.
The decision to change the code by county commissioners is related to ongoing struggles to provide fire protection for around 35,000 rural Josephine County residents, who don’t live within a fire district.
Because the changes were reversed, the original requirements are now back in effect. Homeowners will again have to prove they either live in a fire district, pay for protection from a private firefighting company or have a plan and equipment needed to fight a fire on their own.
On Saturday at 12:28 p.m. the National Weather Service issued an air stagnation advisory in effect until Thursday at 10 a.m. for Oregon Lower Treasure Valley as well as Harney, Baker and Malheur counties.
The weather service states to prepare for, “An extended period of stagnant air, with light winds and little vertical mixing. This is due to an inversion near the surface that will continue to trap pollutants.”
“Poor air quality may cause issues for people with respiratory problems,” states the weather service. “Persons with respiratory illness should follow their physicians advice for dealing with high levels of air pollution during periods of stagnant air.”
The quarterback position is one that the Oregon Ducks are constantly trying to stay ahead of. Five of their last seven starters have gone on to start at the next level, and they are expected to make it six of their last eight next year when Dante Moore enters the draft.
The Ducks were thought to have his replacement locked down in 2026 recruit Bryson Beaver, but he decided to enter the transfer portal after Moore announced his return. Time will tell if he made the right decision, because the guy who would have been his mentor used the 2024 season to learn behind Dillon Gabriel, and we see how well that worked out for him.
However, patience is a lost art in college football today, and Beaver wants to go to a school where he has a chance to play. It was revealed earlier today that he has committed to the Georgia Bulldogs for next season.
Georgia has been one of the premier college programs for what seems like forever, but they haven’t always developed great quarterbacks. The last NFL starter they produced was Matthew Stafford 18 years ago, so this is a bit of a puzzling decision for Beaver. It will be a difficult replacement for the Ducks to make, but luckily they have more than a year to secure the future of the position.
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EUGENE — Oregon’s season is going from bad to worse as it is now without its two leading scorers amid the toughest stretch of the year.
Center Nate Bittle is expected to be out for approximately a month with a foot injury and point guard Jackson Shelstad will miss a fifth straight game due to a right hand injury.
It leaves the Ducks (8-9, 1-5 Big Ten) severely compromised entering Saturday’s game with No. 4 Michigan (15-1, 5-1).
“We’ve had some guys that wanted to play more, so here’s their opportunity,” Oregon coach Dana Altman said. “We’ll see how they handle that opportunity.”
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Altman said Bittle, who is averaging a team-high 16.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.3 blocks, injured his foot on UO’s second offensive possession at Nebraska on Tuesday and tried to play through it. Medical tests on Thursday didn’t show any broken bones, Altman said, but Bittle is out “probably a month, maybe more.”
“In his last year and obviously he’s been the guy we’ve been going through,” Altman said. “Tough break for him and feeling sorry for ourself, it’s a tough break for our team.”
Shelstad is averaging 15.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 4.9 assists — all career-highs — despite career-low shooting 39.1% from the field, including 31.4% from three. He re-aggravated a preseason right hand injury, which required surgery, and has not played since the Dec. 28 win over Omaha.
“He can’t get it feeling right,” Altman said. “It’s his right hand so dribbling and shooting have been a problem.”
Amid a three-game losing streak and with two more ranked opponents upcoming, Oregon’s struggles won’t become any easier to manage around. It hasn’t been a strong team offensively even with Bittle and Shelstad; without them, the offensive sets UO can run are cut “drastically” as the center position is no longer a perimeter shooting threat and ball handling suffers.
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“It’s frustrating for the players,” Altman said. “They came here to win. They looked at 15 years of winning some games and they came here to win. It’s tough on the new guys. It’s tough on the vets that are here. It’s really tough for Jackson and Nate; they’re a big part of what we’ve done here.”
