Pacific Power Prepares for Hot Temperatures, Provides Tips for Customers
With high temperatures expected across parts of Oregon and Washington this weekend and early next week, Pacific Power is encouraging customers to prepare for warmer weather. According to a release, Pacific Power relies on a diverse mix of available energy resources to meet peak hour needs during warmer weather, and the company is well positioned to meet customer demand. During hot weather, Pacific Power also takes steps each day to keep electric service reliable for its customers through daily monitoring of substations and circuits that have the highest use and addressing any issues immediately. The demand for electricity typically reaches its highest point on a hot weekday afternoon, generally from about 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. when power is needed to operate irrigation systems and air conditioners. Customers can save on power bills by taking some simple steps to reduce energy usage: Switch energy usage to early morning or late evening whenever possible, set the thermostat on central air conditioning at 78 degrees or higher, health permitting, and turn off lights, computers, televisions and appliances when you are not using them.
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Driver Crashed ATV, JoCo Sheriff's Office Responded, Charges Forwarded to DA
The Josephine County Sheriff's Office was dispatched June 4th at 7:41 p.m. to an ATV crash involving one adult and two juveniles. Deputies responded to the incident in the 1000 block of Caves Camp Road in Williams. It was determined that the driver of the quad ATV, Timothy Cornia, left the roadway, struck a tree and came to rest in nearby blackberry bushes. He had two juveniles riding on the quad with him, and none of them were wearing helmets. All three riders sustained physical injuries and were transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital. Cornia was reported to be intoxicated by hospital staff and the incident was forwarded to the District Attorney’s Office. Charges up for prosecution include DUII, Reckless Driving, and two counts each of Reckless Endangering and Third Degree Assault. The Josephine County Sheriff's Office emphasizes the dangers of impaired driving and urges all motorists to make responsible choices to ensure the safety of our community and to wear helmets when using all-terrain vehicles.
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Jacksonville Man Pleads Guilty to Fraud & Tax Crimes
A Jacksonville man pleaded guilty today to tax evasion, not paying employment taxes, bank fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft, announced U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford for the District of Oregon. Joel Matthew Caswell, 31, pleaded guilty to a Superseding Information charging three counts of tax evasion, three counts of willful failure to pay over employment taxes, one count of bank fraud, one count of wire fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft. According to documents and statements made in court, Caswell has ownership and managing interests in multiple logging and construction businesses that collectively employed approximately 40 employees. He was the trustee and a beneficiary of the Caswell Family Trust. From 2018 through 2022, Caswell withheld but failed to pay over trust fund taxes for multiple businesses. In 2019, these unpaid payroll taxes resulted in the IRS assessing the Trust Fund Recovery Penalty. To evade the IRS’s ability to collect what was owed, Caswell directed customers to write checks to other companies or him personally, moved business funds, and lied to collection officers. Separately, between 2022 and 2024, Caswell executed multiple fraud schemes in Oregon that involved submitting fabricated financial records to a bank, a private lender, and the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) to secure loans. Additionally, Caswell used the name, Social Security number, and date of birth of Adult Victim 1 to obtain a residential mortgage.
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