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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2021 | SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK WILDFIRE SEASON’S TALLY 826,000 acres, 174 homes Records set for poor air quality, but the state’s largest blazes stayed mostly in remote areas Zach Urness Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK The 2021 wildfire season didn’t bring the level of destruction seen during last year’s Labor Day Fires, but it did set rec- ords for poor air quality and burn an area larger than Rhode Island during a historically hot and dry summer in Ore- gon. Wildfires scorched 826,217 acres and destroyed 174 buildings this summer, largely in south-central Oregon, while smoky air plagued southern, central and eastern parts of the state, according to state and federal data. Bend, Klamath Falls, Lakeview and Oakridge set or tied records for the most days where air quality dropped to “un- healthy for sensitive groups” or worse, according to data from the Oregon De- partment of Environmental Quality. Fire season started as early as man- agers could remember, with red flag warnings in April and significant infer- nos by mid-June that strained firefight- ing resources and cost over $499 million to fight – the second-most on record be- hind 2018. The cost estimate won’t be fi- nal or complete until year’s end. Over half the acres burned in 2021 came on the 413,717-acre Bootleg Fire, the state’s third-largest blaze since 1900. The megafire, which ignited July 6, burned 161 homes, cost $100 million to suppress and at one point created its own weather patterns while chewing across drought-plagued forest north- east of Klamath Falls. “The fire behavior on Bootleg was something we’ve never seen before in that area,” said Alex Robertson, regional fire director for the U.S. Forest Service. “We knew it was dry – and it was an area we spotlighted before the season – but to see it grow by 60,000 to 80,000 acres per day was just something outside our experience.” Beyond Bootleg, Oregon’s largest blazes stayed mostly in remote areas, threatening but never sweeping into communities such as Oakridge, Days Creek and Lakeview. Victor Sanchez, left, and Geoff Whatcott, firefighters with Utah Taskforce One, work to secure a fire line on the Bootleg Fire east of Klamath Falls in late July. The Bootleg Fire roared to become one of the largest in Oregon’s modern history. CHRIS PIETSCH/THE REGISTER-GUARD Western Oregon had wildfires up and down the Cascade Range, including the Bull Complex (24,000 acres), Middle Fork Complex (31,000 acres) and the Rough Patch/Devil’s Knob complexes (120,000 acres). See WILDFIRES, Page 4A Absence of financial support leads to new program Fund offers help to undocumented workers Dora Totoian Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Volunteers and employees work at the Marion Polk Food Share in Salem. Fewer in US turn to food banks Ashraf Khalil ASSOCIATED PRESS Hunger and food insecurity across the United States have dropped measurably over the past six months, but the need remains far above pre-pandemic levels. And specialists in hunger issues warn that the situation for millions of families remains extremely fragile. An Associated Press review of bulk distribution numbers from hundreds of food banks across the country revealed a clear downward trend in the amount of food handed out across the country, start- ing in the spring as the COVID-19 vaccine rollout took hold and closed sectors of the economy began to re- open. “It’s come down, but it’s still elevated,” said Katie Fitzgerald, COO of Feeding America, a nonprofit or- ganization that coordinates the efforts of more than 200 food banks across the country and that provided the AP with the national distribution numbers. She warned that despite the recent decreases, the amount of food being distributed by Feeding America’s partner food banks remained more than 55% above pre-pan- demic levels. “We’re worried (food insecurity) could Gayle George of Keizer inspects a packaged salad while volunteering at the Marion Polk Food Share. PHOTOS BY CONNOR RADNOVICH/STATESMAN JOURNAL increase all over again if too many shoes drop,” she said Those potential setbacks include the advance of the delta variant of the coronavirus, which has al- See HUNGER, Page 4A Throughout the pandemic, undocumented people have been ineligible for federal and state unemploy- ment benefits and stimulus checks. In Oregon, the absence of that support led to the creation of the Oregon Worker Relief Fund, part of a program that provides financial relief to undocu- mented Oregonians who have lost wages due to the pandemic. A coalition of 100 organizations such as Farm- worker Housing Development Corporation, Centro Cultural de Washington County and the Oregon Food Bank is overseeing the fund. It received $76 million from the Oregon Legislature and millions more from cities, counties and private organizations, including a recent $5.5 million contribution from Portland us- ing some of its American Rescue Plan Act funds. The fund has distributed more than $58 million to more than 33,000 people since June 2020. But there are an estimated 110,000 undocumented immigrants in Oregon, mostly from Mexico and Cen- tral America, according to the Migration Policy Institute. “Our inboxes are still receiving messages from people who need help,” Francisca Garfia, a spokes- person for CAUSA, said in an email to the Statesman Journal in June. “Many are asking if we’ll be provid- ing a second payment, resources for jobs, or any ad- ditional help as they are still working too few hours.” As the pandemic stretches on, the relief fund will distribute second payments as many hoped. Last Tuesday, the first day to apply for a second payment, the Oregon Worker Relief Fund received 14,000 calls, said Martha Sonato, chair of the fund and political director at PCUN, Oregon’s farmworker union. “The rest of the population has been able to re- ceive multiple stimulus checks. Our undocumented community has not,” Sonato said. “We definitely heard loud and clear that a one-time payment wasn’t enough and that they’d really benefit from a second round of payments.” Help for workers, businesses Find out how big your 2021 tax surplus 'kicker' will be Alia Beard Rau Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Due to the state's nearly $1.9 billion tax surplus, Or- egonians who filed a 2020 tax return and owed taxes will get a record high tax surplus "kicker." The high number was driven by a strong 2020 tax season and economic growth, despite the coronavirus pandemic. Here's how to find out how much you'll get, and when to expect it: amount from their liability before calculating. Or, go to oregon.gov/dor/Pages/index.aspx and click on What's My Kicker. Type in your Social Securi- ty number and filing status and it will do the math for you. What if I don't have to file taxes? Even if you aren't required to file a 2021 tax return for any other reason, you must file a 2021 return to claim the 2020 credit. When will I get it? How much will I get? To figure out your amount, multiply your 2020 tax liability before any credits (line 22 on the 2020 Form OR-40) by 17.341%. Taxpayers who claimed a credit for taxes paid to another state need to subtract that credit Instead of checks, the state will return the surplus to taxpayers through a credit on their 2021 state per- sonal income tax returns filed in 2022. For questions or additional information, call 503- 378-4988 or email questions.dor@oregon.gov. To qualify for the Oregon Worker Relief Fund, peo- ple must be undocumented, at least 18 years old, an Oregon resident and have lost wages and experi- enced hardship due to the pandemic. The average payment from the first round was around $1,700, Sonato said. It’s need-based, using MIT’s living wage calculator to determine one month of expenses based on the number of children and working adults in a family. Payments cover about 70% of recipients’ demonstrated need, she said. The Oregon Worker Relief program also adminis- ters a small enterprise fund for business owners who were ineligible for the Paycheck Protection Program. The program also runs a fund, temporarily closed, for agricultural workers who must quarantine for two weeks after a COVID-19 exposure. The funds have brought relief to a population that the federal and state government has largely ignored. Some recipents have sent messages of gratitude to CAUSA, Garcia said. Messages like: “Doy gracias a Dios y a ustedes por el labor que hacen. Dios los ben- diga...Amen. (I thank God and you for the work you do. God bless you...Amen) COVID-19 has outsized impact Vol. 140, No. 44 Online at SilvertonAppeal.com News updates: h Breaking news h Get updates from the Silverton area Photos: h Photo galleries Serving the Silverton Area Since 1880 A Unique Edition of the Statesman Journal QEAJAB-07403y In Oregon, Latinos have made up 17.7% of CO- VID-19 cases, despite representing only 13.4% of the state’s population, a disparity attributed to being less likely to work from home and more likely to work in a See FUND, Page 4A