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, your local health and Medicare agents.
Friday, August 13, 2021
Klamath Basin Weather
Today Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2pm. Widespread smoke, mainly before 11am. Mostly sunny and hot, with a high near 97. Overnight, some showers and thunderstorms with a low around 65.
Saturday A 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms after 11am.
Sunday Widespread smoke before 11am. Sunny and hot, with a high near 98.
Monday Sunny, with a high near 90.
Today’s Headlines
Oregon’s new mask mandate takes effect today. All residents will be required to wear a mask in public indoor settings regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status.
Governor Kate Brown issued the mandate earlier this week due to rising case numbers being caused by the highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19. Health officials say the Delta variant is causing COVID-19 cases to rise to their highest level so far during the pandemic, and masks are the fastest way to reduce the trend.
Water is headed to a critically dry wetland unit on Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge to combat avian botulism, thanks to an arrangement forged between various agencies and stakeholders in the Klamath Basin.
Sump 1B, currently the only wet unit on the refuge, began rapidly losing water primarily due to evaporation and minimal irrigation diversions last month. Irrigators and waterfowl biologists had filled it earlier this summer using water drained from the refuge’s larger Sump 1A, the bottom of which had likely never been exposed to air for millions of years. An outdated formula overestimated the amount of water available in Sump 1A, and unseasonably hot temperatures caused the smaller sump to evaporate more than expected.
Though smoke and significantly reduced irrigation diversions helped the sump to stabilize somewhat over the past few weeks, a significant portion of its waterfowl habitat had already dried up. Approximately 130 endangered C’waam (Lost River suckers) in the sump also risked harm due to low water levels.
On Tuesday, waterfowl conservation organization Ducks Unlimited announced that, along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Tulelake Irrigation District and local farmers, they had secured 10,000 acre-feet of water to deliver to the sump without significant impact to key water features in the basin.
The water will be “borrowed” from PacifiCorp’s hydroelectric reservoirs on the Klamath River, a practice that has been used in recent drought years to provide relatively small emergency flows for downriver communities.
Meanwhile, in a related story, the water distribution site at the County Road Department on 6100 Wasgo Drive will be open from 12 to 6 p.m. today.
This station provides free water to residents of Klamath County impacted by dry wells. In order to be eligible, individuals must call the watermaster’s office to register. This is the third week the station has been open.
Normal hours are Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The facility is run by volunteers from local churches and the community emergency response team.
Lucht, and Mike Britton. Pictured in the background is former Sheriff James Murray “Red” Britton.
Each year the members of the Klamath County Mounted Sheriff’s Posse and the Family of the late Klamath County Sheriff, James Murray “Red” Britton award a scholarship.
This year two scholarship awardees were selected. Bianca Parsons, who is planning to attend the Oregon State University, was awarded a $500.00 scholarship. Accepting this award on her behalf was her grandfather, Captain Mike Parsons, from the Sheriff’s Office Dive Rescue Unit.
Breana Erickson, who will be attending the University of Oregon, was awarded a $250.00 scholarship. She was accompanied by her grandparents Henry and Betty Lucht who are lifetime members of the Klamath County Mounted Sheriff’s Posse.
On Wednesday, August 4, 2021 Klamath County Sheriff Chris Kaber, along with Mounted Sheriff Posse Captain Judi Dunn, Britton Family member Mike Britton, and members of the recipient’s families presented the scholarship awards.
To be eligible for the James Murray “RED” Britton Memorial Scholarship applicants must:
• Be a relative, child or child in guardianship, of a Klamath County Sheriff’s Office employee (active or retired)
or an active Klamath County Sheriff’s Office Volunteer.
• Be a current graduating year high school senior with a 3.0 GPA or higher.
• Be attending college, community college, or vocational technology program of an accredited institution.
• Should be an active volunteer in the community, school, or other civic organizations.
The 1st Annual Klamath Ice Sports golf tournament is back! This year, the tournament will be held at Harbor Links Golf Course on August 28, 2021.
The tournament is a 4 man scramble format and will begin with a shotgun start at 10:00am. The cost is $125 per person or $400 per foursome.
There will be a raffle to follow with wonderful prizes such as a two night stay on the Oregon coast courtesy of Oregon Beach Vacations, two lift tickets at Mt Bachelor for this coming winter season, two tickets to the OSU vs Utah football game, and many more.
Dinner is included following the completion of the tournament courtesy of The Clubhouse Bar and Grill. All proceeds will benefit Klamath Ice Sports. Come out and enjoy a day out on the course while also supporting a great cause.
Around the state of Oregon
There are nine new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 2,928. Oregon Health Authority reported 2,387 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of yesterday, which is a record number of cases and brings the state total to 236,698.
The new cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (6), Benton (21), Clackamas (198), Clatsop (35), Columbia (62), Coos (55), Crook (10), Curry (25), Deschutes (108), Douglas (137), Harney (3), Hood River (11), Jackson (416), Jefferson (20), Josephine (133), Klamath (15), Lake (1), Lane (210), Lincoln (31), Linn (32), Malheur (5), Marion (148), Morrow (14), Multnomah (210), Polk (42), Tillamook (27), Umatilla (121), Union (22), Wallowa (7), Wasco (25), Washington (189) and Yamhill (48).
The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 670, which is five more than yesterday. There are 177 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is five more than yesterday.
Dr. Grant Niskanen, Vice President of Medical Affairs at Sky Lakes Medical Center in Klamath Falls, recently spoke with the Oregon Health Authority about what he is seeing in his Southern Oregon community hospital.
“We had one person a couple weeks ago that got a lung transplant … we have a second person that now is being evaluated for a lung transplant, and when I talk about the patients — like nine or 10 that are currently in our hospital, that’s for an acute infection — that’s not talking about the four or five that have been here for 20 plus days, who are no longer infected, but still need such amounts of high flow oxygen that we’re unable to send them home.”
Klamath County reported 15 new cases yesterday.
Also, the medical and dental departments of Klamath Tribal Wellness Center closed Wednesday, due to positive COVID-19 cases and high risk exposures.
The departments will have a tentative opening date of Friday, Aug 13. Pharmacy services remain open for curbside pick-up. Medical will continue with Telehealth appointments. COVID-19 testing is available at: Sky Lakes Community Health Education Center, 2200 N. Eldorado Boulevard, Klamath Falls. Drive through hours 8 a.m. to noon and 1-4 p.m. weekdays. Rite Aid, 2521 S 6th St, Klamath Falls. Appointments only, hours 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Representatives from Asante, Providence, and Jackson and Josephine County Public Health held a press conference on Thursday to outline the dire COVID-19 situation in southwest Oregon.
Jackson County reported a dizzying 416 new cases on Thursday, another new record for daily cases after hitting 267 earlier this week. Across Jackson and Josephine counties, 150 people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19.
Of those patients, 41 were in an intensive care unit (ICU) and 13 were on a ventilator. There were only four ICU beds available across the region as of Thursday morning.
For Asante and Providence, the sustained rise in hospitalizations means that their hospitals are essentially operating at maximum capacity. In some cases, healthcare workers are working around beds and medical equipment set up in hallways, some of them pulling 20-hour shifts to helps serve the needs of patients. While the state’s metrics on hospital capacity for the region show some available beds, Kotler indicated that looks are deceiving.
Asante Ashland’s critical care beds have been full, and beds freed up to serve as contingency critical care have also been filled.
Events in the Rogue Valley are now being canceled due to the Covid variant breakout.
After a record-breaking 2021 Jackson County Fair, the Expo announced on Thursday that it will be postponing several upcoming events due to the local COVID-19 situation.
Events scheduled within the next 35 days, including the Central Point Wild Rogue Pro Rodeo and the Southern Oregon Brewfest, are being postponed indefinitely. The Expo said that the change was due in part to being “ready to use our facilities to support and serve our community.” While still very much in the early stages, a proposal for a field hospital in southwest Oregon has been floated with the Expo as a potential site.
The Jackson County Fair this year saw more than 70,000 attendees, breaking records for the event.
Volunteers handed out water to homeless people in Portland, Oregon, on Thursday as the Pacific Northwest entered the peak days of a scorching heat wave in the usually temperate region.
Authorities trying to provide relief to vulnerable people are mindful of a record-shattering heat wave in late June that killed hundreds in Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. In Portland, temperatures on Wednesday reached 102 degrees tying a record set for the day in 1977.
It’s supposed to get even hotter today. In Seattle, highs were predicted to reach the upper 90s in a region where many don’t have air conditioning. Scorching weather also hit other parts of the U.S. this week.
The National Weather Service said heat advisories and warnings are in effect from the Midwest to the Northeast and mid-Atlantic through at least Friday. And in Michigan, heavy rains brought flooding, leaving nearly 1 million homes and businesses without power at one point Thursday in the hot weather.
Klamath Falls temperatures are expected in the mid to upper 90’s.
Authorities say they are investigating the deaths of two people found inside a burned trailer south of Roseburg in Azalea after autopsies showed they died of homicidal violence.
Maureen Mathabel, 65, and Brian Dean, 59, were found after people reported the trailer on fire at about 4:30 a.m. on Aug. 6, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release on Wednesday. Sheriff’s officials said the area’s major crimes team is investigating with the sheriff’s office as the lead agency. Investigators urge anyone who may have photos or video or information about the incident to share it with the sheriff’s office.