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.
Tuesday, March 23, 2021
Klamath Basin Weather
Today Sunny, with a high near 52. Overnight, clear with a low around 26.
Wednesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 54. Light and variable wind becoming northwest 9 to 14 mph in the afternoon. Overnight, a chance of rain before midnight, then a chance of rain and snow showers between midnight and 3am, then a chance of snow showers after 3am. Snow level 5100 feet lowering to 4200 feet after midnight, with a low around 31. Little or no snow accumulation expected.
Thursday Partly sunny, with a high near 47. Clear overnight, with a low around 26.
Friday Sunny, with a high near 59.
Saturday Sunny, with a high near 68.
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
There are two new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 2,365, the Oregon Health Authority reported today. Oregon Health Authority reported 178 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 today, bringing the state total to 161,706. Klamath County reported 9 new cases on Monday. The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 116, which is four more than yesterday. There are 18 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is four fewer than yesterday.
Siskiyou County Public Health is planning a COVID-19 vaccination clinic for Thursday from 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Tulelake Fairgrounds. Those who live or work in Siskiyou County and are eligible for a vaccine under California’s guidelines must make appointments with SCPH to receive a shot. Appointments can be made online or by calling (530) 841-2134. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will be administered at this event, so a second dose will be required in three weeks. There will be a 15-30 minute waiting period after each shot to monitor for allergic reactions.
Financial news and opinion company, 24/7 Wall St., has released its 2021 report of the Most Affordable Colleges With Best Outcomes in Every State, and Oregon Institute of Technology (Oregon Tech) is noted as the highest value for your dollar of any college or university in the state of Oregon.
Oregon Tech’s No. 1 ranking is a result of 24/7 Wall St. using data from the U.S. Department of Education. To determine the best outcomes in every state, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed a range of data at over 6,800 colleges and universities, including tuition costs, graduate employment rates, student debt repayment and median salary after enrollment, to identify the most affordable colleges with the best outcomes in every state.
Universities were only considered for the list if they primarily grant bachelor’s degrees and have at least 1,500 undergraduates enrolled as of fall 2018.
Recently, Oregon Tech also ranked No. 45 of the 50 Best Value Public Colleges in America by news magazine, Newsweek’s ranking of public schools prospective students can apply to that will allow them to maximize their educational potential.
The Supreme Court appeared ready Monday to side with two Dorris agriculture businesses that want to bar labor organizers from their property, a case that could be another blow to unions.
The case before the justices involves Cedar Point Nursery in Dorris, which grows strawberry plants for commercial growers, as well as a farm in Fresno. The justices were hearing arguments in a case involving a California labor regulation put in place in 1975, following the efforts of labor leader Cesar Chavez. The regulation grants unions access to farms and other agriculture businesses in order to organize workers for up to three hours per day, 120 days per year.
Businesses are supposed to be notified before organizers arrive, and organizers are supposed to come during non-work times like lunch and before and after work. But the court’s six conservative justices in particular suggested California’s regulation likely goes too far. If the court does side with the businesses, it would be another hit to unions by the court under Chief Justice John Roberts. In 2018, the court’s conservative majority overturned a 41-year-old pro-union decision that had allowed states to require that public employees pay some fees to unions that represent them, even if the workers choose not to join.
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden will have live online town halls hosted by People’s Town Hall for Klamath and Lake counties on April 6. The town hall will begin at 2 p.m. and residents can participate and watch the town hall on Facebook. It will be entirely virtual. Residents who want to submit questions for Senator Wyden can do so online. Wyden has held 970 in-person town halls statewide in fulfillment of his pledge to hold at least one town hall each year in each of Oregon’s 36 counties. Wyden has postponed in-person town halls until there are clear-cut public health guidelines that a large open-to-all public meeting poses no unusual health risk for Oregonians, according to the senator.
Klamath Health Partnership is now offering a COVID-19 vaccine waiting list for any Klamath County resident. “KHP has been providing vaccines for weeks now,” said Victoria Leon, vaccine coordinator at the organization. “We started by calling our patients directly for appointments. With the governor’s announcement last week, we want a more efficient way to know if our patients are interested in receiving the vaccine.”
Governor Kate Brown announced Friday that phase guidelines will change as early as today. According to Dr. Flor Mounts, KHP medical director, the organization “will continue to prioritize vaccines based on risk and guidelines. This waiting list simply allows us to focus our call outreach to patients who meet criteria and have expressed interest in the vaccine.”Any Klamath County resident, regardless of patient status, may register. Priority will be given to KHP patients. The waiting list can be found at klamathopendoor.org.
Sky Lakes Medical Center receives a limited number of COVID-19 vaccine doses each week and encourages anyone in eligible categories to call the Vaccination Scheduling Center, 1-833-606-4370, on Wednesdays to learn appointment availability for the week.
Education personnel, first responders, and people 65 and older are among those currently eligible for the vaccine, according to the Oregon Health Authority’s criteria. People 45-64 with an underlying health condition that would put them at increased risk and includes people living in low-income senior housing, senior congregate and independent living become eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations on March 29.
After that date, Sky Lakes will begin scheduling appointments for this group depending on vaccine availability.
Frontline workers and individuals 16-44 with underlying health conditions become eligible on May 1.
People who are 45-64 are in Phase 2 and become eligible on June 1. All Oregonians 16 and older become eligible on July 1.
Sky Lakes will begin scheduling appointments for each of the groups after they become eligible and depending on vaccine availability.
Klamath County Library Service District
Good job staying safe, Klamath County! With COVID-19 cases in Klamath County on the decline, the downtown Klamath County Library will reopen on Sundays from 1 pm to 5 pm starting Sunday, April 11th.
The Bookie Joint bookstore, attached to the downtown library on 126 S. Third St., will reopen on Saturdays from 10 am to 2 pm starting Saturday, April 3rd.
The Senior Center Branch Library, 2045 Arthur Street in Klamath Falls, also reopened in March. For complete open hours, visit the library’s website at klamathlibrary.org or call 541-882-8894.
For the most up-to-date information on changes that Klamath County libraries are making in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, visit our Frequently Asked Questions page at klamathlibrary.org/coronavirus.
Around the state of Oregon
Medford Man Arrested For Throwing Homemade Bombs From Car In Rogue Valley
A 23-year-old Medford man is facing more than 30 charges related to throwing homemade explosive devices from a car across southern Oregon’s Rogue Valley in recent weeks, Oregon State Police said Monday.
The OSP Explosives Unit and Medford police raided a Medford home in the 1100 block of Char Way last Thursday, OSP Captain Tim Fox said. Investigators identified a suspect and during the search of the home found several items related to manufacturing destructive devices.
Brian Lighthill was arrested and lodged in the Jackson County Jail on 23 counts of manufacturing a destructive device and nine counts of possession of a destructive device. He remained jailed Monday on $500,000 after an initial court appearance last week.
The incidents first were reported last month in Medford, Central Point and White City. Fox said he was not aware of any reported injuries or damage. Anyone with information about the explosions were asked to contact Medford Police Detective Carson at 541-774-2250 or OSP Detective Keller at 1-800-442-2068 or text *OSP. Court records show Lighthill has past convictions for poaching and meth and heroin possession.
Floor Sessions in the Oregon Capitol Cancelled
Floor sessions in the Oregon Capitol were canceled for the rest of the day Monday and all day Tuesday after lawmakers learned that “someone who was interacting on the House floor last week” has tested positive for COVID-19.
House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, who said she was notified about the situation while on the floor Monday, did not say if the person who tested positive was a lawmaker or staff.
The House of Representatives was scheduled be on the floor for a total of about 10 hours Monday and Tuesday. Kotek said the Legislature is following public health protocols and it is still being determined if they will return to the Capitol Wednesday morning.
The Capitol building has been closed to the public since March as part of a COVID-19 safety measure. Only authorized personnel, which includes lawmakers, staff, police and reporters have access to the building.
The Oregon Department of Education released its updated guidance for classroom spacing on Monday to reflect new recommendations from the CDC issued at the end of last week.
Oregon school districts have been eagerly awaiting the updated plan from education officials, which is necessary for any public school to proceed with the CDC’s change from six feet to three feet of required space for each student. The spacing change is expected to allow many schools to abandon hybrid learning in favor of full-time instruction on campus. However, ODE’s new plan is not without caveats.
Elementary schools will be able to make the shift to three feet of spacing “to the maximum extent possible” without equivocation, but classrooms in middle and high school will be beholden to county case rates. This requirement largely aligns with the CDC’s update, which called for more spacing in upper grades when counties are seeing higher rates of spread. For both middle and high schools, the reduction to three feet of physical distance is allowed when the county case rate is below 200 per 100,000 people. If the county case rate is 200 or more per 100,000 people, six feet of distancing will be required.
The Oregon Century Farm & Ranch Program is seeking applications for its 2021 awards cycle. Families throughout Oregon who have continuously farmed portions of their family acreage for the past 100 or 150 years are invited to apply. The program began in 1958 to honor farm and ranch families with century-long connections to the land.
To qualify for a century or sesquicentennial award, interested families must follow a formal application process. Farmers and ranchers can find the application and program guidelines at http://www.centuryfarm.oregonfb.org, or by contacting Andréa Kuenzi at 503-400-7884 or cfr@oregonfb.org. The application deadline is May 1, 2021
The Oregon Department of Justice (DOJ) has reason to believe that a group of scammers are setting their sights on Oregon to perpetrate “grandparent scams.”
In grandparent scams, older adults are duped into handing over cash at their front door, thinking they’re helping a loved one who is in danger. Scammers pose as panicked grandchildren in trouble, calling or sending messages urging you to wire money immediately. They’ll say they need cash to help with an emergency – like paying a hospital bill or needing to leave a foreign country. They pull at your heartstrings so they can trick you into sending money before you realize it’s a scam.
The Oregon DOJ offers the following recommendations to avoid becoming a victim of a grandparent or family emergency scam.
If someone calls or sends a message claiming to be a grandchild, other family member or friend desperate for money: Resist the urge to act immediately – no matter how dramatic the story is. Verify the caller’s identity. Ask questions that a stranger couldn’t possibly answer. Call a phone number for your family member or friend that you know to be genuine. Check the story out with someone else in your family or circle of friends, even if you’ve been told to keep it a secret. Don’t send cash, gift cards, or money transfers – once the scammer gets the money, it’s gone. Never open your door for anyone you don’t know. Call the police immediately if you have reason to believe you’ve fallen victim to this scam or any other scam.