Phoenix

Student homelessness in the Phoenix-Talent School District more than doubled after the Almeda Fire destroyed thousands of homes last year.

Last year, hundreds of families in the town of Phoenix lost their homes to a wildfire, leaving them in unstable housing conditions without internet access during a pandemic. A nonprofit offered to provide free WiFi spots around town, but most city councilors oppose that plan.

Governor Kate Brown came to the Rogue Valley Monday to get a first-hand look at the devastation caused by the Almeda Fire. After her tour of the damage in Phoenix and Talent, the governor spoke via cell phone with JPR’s Liam Moriarty about what she saw and what the state government can do to help.

More evacuation levels lowered in Talent and Phoenix; I-5 Exits 21 and 24 have reopened.

Roadblocks are keeping cars out of evacuation zones near the Almeda Fire in Jackson County, but cyclists can still get in. So a group of cyclists is delivering resources to people stranded in their homes.

As the Almeda Fire swept through the Oregon towns of Talent and Phoenix this week, residents evacuated to an emergency shelter at the Jackson County Expo. Soon, many found themselves homeless in their own towns.