The latest and most comprehensive coverage of local News, Sports, Business, and Community News stories in the Klamath Basin, Southern Oregon and around the state of Oregon from Wynne Broadcasting’s KFLS News/Talk 1450AM / 102.5FM, The Herald & News, and BasinLife.com, and powered by Mick Insurance.
Thursday, January 7, 2021
Klamath Basin Weather
Today Mostly cloudy, with a high near 38. Overnight, snow, mainly after 10pm. Low around 32. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of around an inch possible.
Friday Snow, mainly before 10am. High near 38. West wind 7 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.
Saturday Partly sunny, with a high near 37.
Sunday Partly sunny, with a high near 42.
See Road Camera Views:
Lake of the Woods
Doak Mtn.
Hiway 97 at Chemult
Hiway 140 at Bly
Hiway 97 at GreenSprings Dr.
Hiway 97 at LaPine
Today’s Headlines
COVID-19 has claimed eight more lives in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 1,558 the Oregon Health Authority reported as of this morning. Oregon Health Authority reported 764 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19, bringing the state total to 120,223.
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (11), Benton (8), Clackamas (79), Clatsop (15), Columbia (8), Coos (13), Crook (4), Curry (1), Deschutes (10), Douglas (10), Gilliam (2), Grant (1), Harney (2), Hood River (6), Jackson (44), Jefferson
(12), Josephine (11), Klamath (31), Lake (5), Lane (49), Lincoln (3), Linn (19), Malheur (17), Marion (134), Morrow (2), Multnomah (114), Polk (14), Sherman (1), Tillamook (4), Umatilla (50), Union (4), Wallowa (2), Wasco (7), Washington (27) and Yamhill (44).
Vaccinations in Oregon: Today, OHA recorded 6,432 doses of vaccine administered — including 595 second doses —raising the state’s total number of doses administered to 61,671. This figure is based on preliminary reports of 2,818 doses administered yesterday, as well as 3,614 administered on prior days that had not been recorded.
All vaccinations occurred at Oregon hospitals, long-term care facilities, emergency medical service (EMS) agencies, urgent care facilities and Local Public Health Authorities (LPHAs). To date, 225,600 doses of vaccine have been delivered to sites
across Oregon.
The disgraced former owner of the Eternal Hills cemetery argued in court filings Monday that he should be able to buy back the property that was forced into involuntary bankruptcy proceedings in 2017.
Robert Gordon is barred from operating a cemetery in Oregon after he forfeited his mortuary license, and the cemetery, in a 2019 bankruptcy settlement. That agreement allowed a court-appointed trustee to sell the property, which is the final resting place of many, to a new operator. Gordon made his case in a 73-page written argument that Judge Thomas Renn should order the court trustee to accept a $230,000 bid for the property made by Gordon’s
family trust. Gordon argued that the trust’s offer is only for the land, and not for operation of the cemetery.
The Oregon Mortuary and Cemetery Board disagrees, stating in its Nov. 30 argument that Gordon cannot own land zoned as a cemetery if he cannot be a licensed cemetery operator. Gordon pledged that he will sell or donate the cemetery parcels to a person or organization to operate.
A recreational use health advisory has been lifted for all areas of Upper Klamath Lake in Klamath County for the first time in two months. The Oregon Health Authority issued the advisory Nov. 4, 2020. Water monitoring has confirmed that the level of cyanotoxins in the lake is now below recreational guideline values for people. However,
officials advise recreational visitors to be alert to signs of cyanobacteria blooms. Blooms can develop and disappear at any time that conditions are favorable. Only a fraction of waterbodies in Oregon are monitored for blooms
and toxins. People, and especially small children, should avoid recreating in areas where the water is foamy, scummy, thick like paint, pea-green, blue-green or brownish-red in color, if a thick mat of blue-green algae is visible in the water, or bright green cells are suspended in the water.
Power costs for irrigators in the Klamath and Lost River Basins in Oregon will drop by 3.5 percent, according to the Klamath Water Users Association.
The reduction comes as Pacific Power requested in February that the Oregon Public Utility Commission approve a 10% increase in base rates for irrigation. KWUA intervened in the OPUC proceeding to oppose the increase, and the OPUC issued its decision last week.
Investor-owned utilities such as Pacific Power can only charge rates that have been approved by the OPUC. A utility proposing to change its rates typically submits the proposed new rates to the OPUC, and parties supporting or opposing the change are allowed to participate in the resulting rate case. Pacific Power’s last general rate case prior to this year was in 2013, where it obtained approval for a rate structure that has remained in effect since that time. Roughly half of Pacific Power’s retail irrigation customers in Oregon are in the Klamath Basin, and only some of these are represented by
KWUA’s membership. The organization partnered with the Oregon Farm Bureau Federation, which is interested in protecting Pacific Power’s irrigation customers in other parts of the state.
Police Chief Dave Henslee announced Monday night he will retire from the Klamath Falls Police Department, tentatively effective May 1.
Henslee has served as chief of police since 2015, and said he always planned to retire after six years with the department. He has served a total of 28 years in law enforcement, including 22 with the Corvallis Police Department. Henslee said he believes police chiefs and anyone in a high position has a “shelf life,” and that leadership changes are important so that organizations don’t become stagnant. Henslee grew up in Southern Oregon and said that coming back to Klamath has felt like returning home.
Henslee and his wife plan to stay in Klamath County after his retirement from the force. They will turn their attention to running their cattle ranch in Merrill. He also hinted
at possible plans to run for a public office.
If you are an outdoor enthusiast looking for some adventure this summer, the Bureau of Land Management might have just what you are looking for. The BLM Klamath Falls Field Office is looking for volunteer campground hosts for the Gerber Recreation Area. “This location is right by the water and is great opportunity for an adventuresome person or couple with an RV,” said BLM Outdoor Recreation Planner Heidi Anderson. “We are looking for someone who would enjoy working with the public and maintaining the campground.” The campground host makes visitor contacts and helps with minor maintenance like painting, cleaning restrooms, cutting weeds,
and restocking permits and fee envelopes.
The Board of Directors of EagleRidge High School, an Oregon Nonprofit Corporation, will hold a Board Meeting on Wednesday, January 13, 2021, at 4:00 pm via Zoom. The meeting agenda includes discussion of the director evaluation process, policies and procedures approval and in-person instruction. The Board may
also consider other business brought before the board. EagleRidge High School was established to create and implement an autonomous, high achieving and equitable small high school in collaboration with the Klamath
Falls City School District pursuant to the Oregon Charter School law.
Around the state of Oregon
Two Josephine County individuals have died from complications relating to COVID-19 infections.
An 81-year-old man tested positive for COVID-19 Dec. 15, 2020, and died Dec. 26, 2020, at a long-term care facility in Josephine County. He had underlying conditions.
An 88-year-old man tested positive for COVID-19 Dec. 3, 2020, and died Jan. 1 at Asante Three Rivers Medical Center in Grants Pass. He had underlying conditions. These are the 28th and 29th deaths of Josephine County COVID-19 patients.
Jackson County is Distributing PPE To Local Businesses
Pick-up will last until January 8, 2021 or until supplies last at: 1 Peninger Road, Central Point,
Oregon 97502. If you have questions or need to coordinate a pick-up, please contact the Jackson County Expo at (541) 774-8270 or email JC_EOC_Logistics@jacksoncounty.org
The Jackson County Expo is distributing personal protective equipment for businesses in and outside Jackson County.
The distribution will be a drive-through pickup only through Gate 3 between 7:30 a.m. through 10:30 a.m. and there will be a sign in the parking lot to text for what business and how
many bags are needed. Each bag will include sanitizing wipes — both with and without alcohol — no-touch thermometers, gloves and surgical masks. The Expo is currently out of
sanitizing spray. All businesses are welcome to pick up as many bags as they need.
“Jackson County has been provided another allotment of PPE thanks to Business Oregon, and we are distributing it free of charge to Oregon based businesses . . . We are excited
to help our local businesses keep their doors open while helping to slow the spread of COVID-19,” said Helen Funk with the Jackson County Expo.
Oregon State Police declared an unlawful assembly outside the State Capitol Building in Salem Wednesday afternoon after a protest had formed outside, and an opposing demonstration gathered nearby.
Law enforcement officers moved in to the area to clear the crowd shortly before 2 p.m. According to social media posts by organizers, the demonstrations are in support of President Trump, who held a rally in
Washington D.C. on Wednesday.
The nation’s Capitol Building was locked down Wednesday afternoon with lawmakers inside as violent clashes
broke out between supporters of the president and police. New reports say they may have been Antifa or other American groups that were infiltrating the peaceful Trump supporters that began to fight with police and break through barriers and enter the Capitol Building.
As pro-Trump protesters breached the Capitol building in Washington D.C, sending Congress into recess, and the
building into lockdown, several local lawmakers who were there were ordered to shelter in place. Members of Congress were even told to use gas masks after tear gas was dispersed in the Capitol Rotunda Wednesday
afternoon. Following the breach of the building, as people flooded in through broken windows and doors, President Trump tweeted his support for the Capitol police, urging his party to remain peaceful. This move comes after he encouraged his supporters to go to the Capitol earlier in the day at a nearby rally.
The Rogue Valley Mall sent a memo to tenants on Tuesday, warning that planned demonstrations in Washington D.C. on Wednesday could have local implications. Wednesday was the day lawmakers met at the nation’s Capitol in a joint session to certify the Electoral College results from November’s election. As
a result, D.C. is the primary site of a “Stop the Steal” rally, drawing crowds of people who believe that President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the election was not legitimate.
The memo suggests that tenants remind employees to watch for potential threats or suspicious persons, follow instructions from law enforcement in the event of an evacuation or “shelter in place” notice, lock up stores at night, remove valuables from display windows, consider increasing staffing or security, and other measures. Outward-facing tenants were given additional recommendations to be ready for lockdown if needed, consider a plan for boarding up windows in the event of a specific threat, consider leaving lights on at night so criminal activity is more easily seen by law enforcement, and ensure that security cameras are operating and have sight of critical areas.
Congressman Doug LaMalfa of California’s North State says that he will join a growing group of Republican lawmakers in Washington opposing the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory “until a Congressional investigation is complete.”
Congressman Cliff Bentz, the newly sworn-in representative for southern and eastern Oregon, indicated last month that he would support such an investigation — tweeting that he had joined some of his colleagues in the House “in asking for a Congressional investigation and review” of election irregularities. Despite his earlier statement in support of an investigation, Rep. Bentz has not explicitly stated that he will also oppose the Electoral certification. A few days after joining the call for an investigation, Bentz posted a document from the Congressional Research Service that indicated such a challenge may be entirely toothless. If the document cited by Bentz holds true, the best that lawmakers like LaMalfa can hope for is a delay of the election results rather than overturning the outcome or forcing a Congressional investigation.
The Mega Millions jackpot is close to reaching half a billion dollars in what could be the eighth largest prize in the game’s history.
The next chance for a lucky winner is Friday, after no ticket matched the all six numbers pulled Tuesday night, according to a Mega Millions news release. January has a history of big wins for Mega Millions. There have been 16 jackpots awarded during the month since the start of the lottery game in 2002. That includes three of the top Mega Millions prizes — $451 million on January 5, 2018; $437 million on January 1, 2019; and $380 million on January 14, 2011.
The prize money has not cracked the top 10 since June 2019. The highest amount won by a Mega Millions ticket was $1.537 billion in October 2018. 2020 was a great year for Mega Millions players, with five jackpot winners and two states getting winners for the first time — including Arizona, where a player won the year’s largest Mega Millions
prize with more than $410 million. The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350 in the 45 states where it’s played, plus Washington and the US Virgin Islands.
ADDITIONAL FOOD ASSISTANCE BENEFITS AVAILABLE THROUGH JANUARY
The Oregon Department of Human Services will continue to offer increased food benefits in January 2021, to help Oregonians struggling as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This benefit increase applies to current Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients who are receiving less than the maximum allotment.Additionally, in response to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, there is also a temporary increase in SNAP benefits of approximately 15% for all recipients.
SNAP recipients do not have to take any action to receive additional benefits as they will be placed directly on their Oregon EBT cards. Households receiving SNAP benefits will see the additional supplement to their benefits based on a maximum allotment scale. For example, if there are four individuals in a household and that household is currently receiving $500 in benefits, the emergency allotment supplement will raise their benefits to the maximum allowed for households of four, which is $680 per month – or an increase of $180. With the additional increase in benefits, the total food benefits for that household would be $782 for the month. Total supplemental benefits will differ based on each household’s regular monthly allotment.
Additional benefits will be issued on January 12 and January 29. The January 29 benefits are for anyone who began receiving SNAP January 12 or after. Households only receive one allotment.
For more information about emergency supplemental allotments or to review frequently asked questions, visit https://www.oregon.gov/dhs/ASSISTANCE/FOODBENEFITS/Pages/About-SNAP.aspx.
There are 128 active COVID-19 workplace outbreaks in Oregon as of this week, according to the Oregon Health Authority (OHA).
There have been 70 deaths and 14,549 cases associated with workplace outbreaks in
Oregon during the pandemic, according to OHA.
Health officials track outbreaks of five or more employees at workplaces where there are at least 30 workers. An outbreak remains active if there has been a case within the past 28 days. The case count for each workplace includes everyone who is linked to the outbreak, whether they are workers or a close contact.
Most recent onsets reported this week are:
· Deer Ridge Correctional Institution – Most
recent onset Jan. 4
· Two Rivers Correctional Institute – Most
recent onset Jan. 1
· Salem Hospital – Most recent onset Jan.
1
· WinCo Foods Distribution Center – Most
recent onset Jan. 1
· Ajinomoto Foods North America – Most
recent onset Jan. 1
· Oregon State Penitentiary – Most recent
onset Dec. 31
· Powder River Correctional Facility –
Most recent onset Dec. 31
· Legacy Mt Hood Medical Center – Most
recent onset Dec. 31
· Rainsweet Inc – Most recent onset Dec.
31
The largest active outbreak remains at the Snake River Correctional Institution in Ontario. The outbreak was first identified on June 24 and the case count has continued to rise since then. There have been 574 coronavirus cases linked to the outbreak, with the most recent case reported on Dec. 29.
Oregon Has A Plan To Ramp Up COVID-19 Vaccination; Travel Advisories & Self-Quarantine Still In Effect
Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen and Dr. Dana Hargunani, OHA’s chief medical officer, held a media briefing today to
discuss the steps OHA is taking to scale up Oregon’s vaccine program and achieve Governor Brown’s goal of 12,000 COVID-19 vaccinations per day within the next two weeks.
Oregon’s pace of COVID-19 vaccinations is on par with other states, with more than
1.2 percent of the population having been vaccinated as of yesterday.
Director Allen and Dr. Hargunani announced that this week OHA will take the following steps:
· Speed Phase 1A prioritization by
simplifying the staging and sequencing among groups.
· Speed the number of doses delivered to nursing
home staff and residents by activating Part B of federal pharmacy
partnerships. OHA anticipates this change will speed vaccinations to
approximately 80,000 staff and residents.
· Speed the number of doses delivered to health
care workers and other Phase 1A groups by giving them the option to get
vaccinated at retail pharmacies.
· Make more doses available to Phase 1A workers
by leveraging every available public health capability at our disposal.
· Speed the number of doses delivered to
unaffiliated health care workers, nursing home staff and others by supporting
innovative partnerships, such as a collaboration between OHSU and labor
union SEIU to launch a pilot vaccination effort.
Oregon is currently in Phase 1A of the vaccination effort. So far, members of Group 1 of Phase 1A are receiving vaccine, which includes staff who work in hospitals, urgent care settings, skilled nursing and memory care facilities (and residents) and tribal health programs, as well as emergency medical service providers and other first responders.
The changes give providers more flexibility to vaccinate people in other groups in Phase 1A, rather than each group getting vaccinated sequentially.
An Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) adult in custody (AIC)
died January 6, 2021. He was incarcerated at the Two Rivers Correctional Institution and passed away at a local hospital. He tested positive for COVID-19 and was between 85 and 95 years old. As with all in-custody deaths, the Oregon State Police have been notified, and the Medical Examiner will determine cause of death. Department-wide, this is the twenty-fifth AIC to die who tested positive for
COVID-19.
An Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) adult in custody (AIC) died January 7, 2021. He was incarcerated at the Oregon State Penitentiary and passed away at the facility infirmary. He tested positive for COVID-19 and was between 70 and 80 years old. As with all in-custody deaths, the Oregon State Police have been notified, and the Medical Examiner will determine cause of death.
Department-wide, this is the twenty-sixth AIC to die who tested positive for COVID-19.
Oregon Marijuana Sales Soared In 2020, Topping $1B
Oregon recreational-cannabis sales soared in 2020, peaking during a challenging summer
of racial justice protests and coronavirus lockdowns.
The result was a record year of business for the state’s marijuana purveyors, based on data from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, which oversees marijuana sales, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. Total marijuana sales in Oregon jumped from $795 million in 2019 to more than $1 billion — $1,110,520,723 — for the year that just ended.
Oregonians began buying a lot more recreational cannabis in March when Gov. Kate Brown instituted a stay-at-home order and other restrictions in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Sales numbers for marijuana spiked about 20% in March and kept climbing in the following months.
In May, Oregon marijuana sales topped $100 million in a single month for the first time. Sales then surpassed $100 million in each of the three months that followed as well, with a high of more than $106 million in July.
In 2014, Oregon voters approved Measure 91, which legalized the recreational use of marijuana. Regulated sales began the following year.
State tax revenue from marijuana sales in 2020 likely will exceed $150 million. Much of that will go toward substance-abuse screening and programs to address addiction.
Oregon One Of 24 States Paying $300 In Extended Unemployment Benefits In First Week
About 72,000 people in Oregon faced a gap in their unemployment payments when federal legislation stalled. About 59,000 of them had been paid as of Tuesday.
And tens of thousands of Oregonians have begun receiving the additional $300 a week.
“While most eligible claimants received their benefits from last week without any interruption, we hope to issue payments for other this week and next,” he said Wednesday.
When many businesses in Oregon were forced to close in March 2020 and hundreds of thousands of people in the state filed for unemployment benefits, the agency struggled for months to catch up.
This time, the agency was able to recover in a little over a week from the delayed resolution and signing of the Continued Assistance for Unemployed Workers Act into law Dec. 27.
“We’ve got a much more agile agency now,” Gerstenfeld said. “It’s a lot of the same work that had to be done when the pandemic first started and the CARES Act passed.
“We’ve evolved quickly to it and we’re handling it much more deftly, and I think our ability to get so many people their benefit with no pause at all is a testament to the dedication, the expertise of our employees.”
One of the largest components of the new benefits package was the additional $300 weekly
unemployment benefit.
Though it was less than the $600 weekly boost from the CARES Act, which expired in July, the additional benefits required significant programming.
Gerstenfeld said about 122,000 people in Oregon received the $300 weekly boost for last week’s unemployment benefits, which were paid out this week.
“As long as people get at least $1 in weekly benefits, they get the additional $300 benefits each week for the duration of this program,” Gerstenfeld said.
Oregon is one of 24 states to pay the $300 addition, according to unemploymentpua.com.
The weekly additional unemployment benefit runs through March 14.
The marina at the Joseph Stewart boat ramp on Lost Creek Lake is currently closed just for the winter and is planned to re-open in spring.
Some boats are still tied up at the marina, even though the business operating the facility reached the end of its
lease December 31, 2020 and has left the site. Boats still moored at the marina will be allowed to stay until water levels rise enough to make the boat ramp usable. Joseph Stewart State Recreation Area is open year-round.
Access to the lake at the park boat ramp will resume as usual when water levels rise. Basic marina services are planned to resume in Spring 2021, and the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department and Jackson County Parks are coordinating on the details. Anyone with a boat still moored at the marina can contact park manager Nathan
Seable at Nathan.seable@oregon.gov with questions.