Contributions from Paul Hanson at Wynne Broadcasting’s KFLS 1450AM / 102.5FM and The Herald & News
TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2019
KLAMATH BASIN WEATHER
Today
A chance of rain and snow mixed with snow during the day, high near 42. Little accumulation. Overnight, rain and snow, low of 36. Little accumulation.
Wednesday
Rain and snow, becoming all rain after 11am. High near 43. Overnight, a little snow with little accumulation expected, low of 29.
Thursday
A 50 percent chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 40. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.
Friday
A slight chance of snow showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 39, low of 29.
Saturday
A slight chance of snow showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 40.
See Road Camera Views:
Lake of the Woods
Doak Mtn.
Hiwy 97 at Chemult
Hiwy 140 at Bly
Hiwy 97 at GreenSprings Dr.
Hiway 97 at LaPine
TODAY’S KLAMATH FALLS AREA NEWS HEADLINES & STORIES…
Fatal Motor Vehicle vs. Pedestrian Crash
On Sunday evening, members from the Klamath Falls Police Department, Klamath County Sheriff’s Office and Oregon State Police responded to a call of a reported vehicle vs. pedestrian motor vehicle crash on Crater Lake Parkway north of the intersection of Pacific Terrace. The officers arrived on scene and found a woman with life threatening injuries, and medical attention was administered by law enforcement personnel and an off-duty paramedic. The woman succumbed to her injuries and detectives from the Klamath Falls Police Department responded to investigate the incident.
The woman was identified as Andrea Louise Campos (D.O.B. 2/1/1961) and investigators determined Mrs. Campos was walking northbound on the sidewalk on Crater Lake Parkway just prior to the crash. It appeared Mrs. Campos had crossed the street in a dark section of the roadway between intersections and where there were no crosswalks. Mrs. Campos walked in front of a motor vehicle traveling southbound on Crater Lake Parkway and causing the collision. The 25-year-old male driver remained on scene and is cooperating with the investigation. The preliminary findings do not indicate the driver of any criminal liability, and alcohol is suspected as a contributing factor regarding the pedestrian. This investigation is ongoing and if any person having additional information regarding this investigation, please call Detective Sean Ferns at 541-883-5336.
Routine Moore Park walk leads to $100K lotto win
A Klamath Falls man won $100,000 on a scratch-off from an Oregon Avenue gas station, according to a news release.
William Blackwell Jr. said he often takes walks along Moore Park in town, adding that this was not his first win from the store. Blackwell said he would use the money to help his mom and buy a better car.
“This still hasn’t sunk in that I won,” Blackwell said. “All I know is I am spreading the wealth. I am going to help my mom and give the clerk who sold me the tickets a tip.”
Jeld-Wen releases annual report; profits are up
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — JELD-WEN Holding, Inc. announced results for the three months and full year ended December 31, 2018, provided its 2019 outlook and announced an upcoming leadership transition with its board of directors. It’s stock currently sits at $20.03 a share.
Highlights:
- Net revenues for the fourth quarter increased 11.8 percent year over year to $1.091 billion, bringing full year revenue to $4.347 billion;
- Net revenue growth for the fourth quarter was driven by a 14 percent contribution from acquisitions, partially offset by a 2 percent foreign exchange headwind, while core revenues were unchanged;
- Net income for the fourth quarter was $39.7 million, an increase of $133.4 million year over year bringing full year net income to $144.3 million;
- Diluted earnings per share (“EPS”) for the fourth quarter was $0.38, an increase of $1.27, and adjusted EPS amounted to $0.41, an increase of $0.15, year over year;
- Adjusted EBITDA (profit) for the fourth quarter increased by $6.5 million year over year to $109.6 million, bringing full year adjusted EBITDA to $465.3 million;
KBHBA expands home show to outdoors experience
Entering its 44th year, an annual expo promoting home and garden products promises to expand bigger and better when the revised Klamath Basin Home Builders Association (KBHBA) Home and Outdoor Expo takes place March 8-10.
Held at the Klamath County Fairgrounds Event Center, the Home and Garden Expo has become a mainstay for vendors and contractors to offer and demonstrate the latest and greatest in home and garden products. This year the event expands under a new moniker — the Home & Outdoor Expo è adding new businesses and outdoor opportunities that abound in the Klamath Basin.
A family-friendly event, a variety of groups cater towards interactive children’s games and activities, alongside demonstrations such as arrowhead knapping. Presentations that in past years have included activities such as tree house design, pottery demonstrations, selecting drought-resistant plants, and CPR and emergency aid classes.
Vaccination bill draws hundreds in heated, emotional hearing
SALEM — The Capitol swelled with a sea of red Thursday as hundreds came to Salem to testify on legislation that would remove parents’ ability to decide whether to vaccinate their child and keep them in public or private school.
The proposal, House Bill 3063, would remove religious and philosophical exemptions for Oregon’s required vaccines, leaving in place only a medical reason for a child to avoid vaccinations. The House Committee on Health Care held the first hearing on the bill Feb. 28, which was introduced last Friday.
Safety and harassment was at issue as much as public policy. Many witnesses favoring the change noted the threats they and others have received from vaccine skeptics. Opponents who want autonomy on whether to vaccinate, most wearing red shirts to signal opposition, pushed back on being called “anti-vaxxers” or crazy.
NAMI Klamath offers family-to-family education course
NAMI Klamath will begin the free family-to-family education course in March.
This course (one 2 1/2-hour class each week for 12 weeks) is for relatives, spouses parents and other caregivers, siblings, grand parents, children of people who have been diagnosed with a serious mental illness such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, clinical (major) depression, borderline personality disorder, panic disorder, anxiety, social phobia, OCD, PTSD and others.
There will be no tests or homework assignments. The class is taught by trained family members of NAMI Klamath.
…For complete details on these and other stories see todays Herald & News. Wynne Broadcasting and the Herald and News…stronger together to keep you informed.
| Monday, March 4, 2019 The downtown Klamath County Library and Chiloquin branch library are hosting free tax aides through the AARP through April 10th. A Spanish language interpreter will be available at the downtown library to assist taxpayers who primarily speak Spanish.Every Wednesday from 1 pm to 7 pm downtown and from 10 am to 5 pm in Chiloquin, specially trained tax aide volunteers from AARP will be on hand to help with your tax preparation needs. You do not have to be a member of AARP (or even a senior citizen) to take advantage of this assistance – taxpayers of any age can drop in.Time with the tax counselors is by walk-in only (it’s best to come early!). Some restrictions may apply; the tax aides may not be able to help with preparing certain types of tax returns.Please bring the following with you: last year’s tax return, a photo ID, Social Security cards for everyone in your household, and health insurance information for everyone listed on your tax return. (If you purchased health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace, bring the documentation “Form 1095A” you received from the government.) Both you and your spouse need to attend the consultation if you’re filing your taxes jointly.For more information, please call the downtown library at 541-882-8894 or the Chiloquin library at 541-783-3315 Klamath Falls USDA Service Center moves to new locationSame faces, new spaces for USDA in Klamath Falls The USDA Service Center in Klamath Falls has moved to a new location downtown. The new office address is 1945 Main Street, Suite 200. They can be reached at 541-883-6924.The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Farm Service Agency (FSA), and Klamath Soil and Water Conservation District have all moved to the new location.”We’re excited to greet customers at our new office location on Main Street,” said David Komorowski, NRCS district conservationist. “Klamath County farmers, ranchers, and forestland owners can expect all the same services they enjoyed at the previous location.”The move will not delay any program delivery or contracts customers already have with USDA. There will also be no change to program sign-up deadlines that have already been announced.The USDA Service Center provides farm production and conservation assistance to agricultural producers throughout Klamath County. For more information, visit www.farmers.go |
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Friday, March 1, 2019
Death, Medical Issues Lead to Actions Against Mentor Oregon Group Homes
Staff drug use on the job, two weeks’ worth of trash piled up and rooms that smelled of urine and feces, were just among some of the violations found in at least nine Klamath County homes for the developmentally disabled.
Documents obtained by the Herald & News outline several investigative findings from February, which include detailed accounts of one patient’s death, the cause of which remains unknown.
Mentor Oregon runs each of the homes mentioned in the report, which came from the Oregon Department of Human Services. There are no active criminal investigations against Mentor Oregon in relation to the death, according to Klamath County District Attorney Eve Costello. A state protective services investigation is pending, however, and could take up to 60 days or more.
The county’s own Department of Developmental Disability Services is now working to make sure conditions improve at each of the homes. The department helps about 600 people countywide who qualify for the program.
Sound the Alarm! Telegraph Fire System Used to Protect Community
It seems absurd to think that a technology invented in the early 19th century would continue to be a vital tool in modern firefighting, yet some communities across the country still operate fire boxes controlled via telegraphs created over a century ago.
One of these antiquated telegraph systems created by the Gamewell Fire Alarm Telegraph Co. is on display in Klamath Falls, amidst other artifacts exhibiting the fascinating history of firefighting in the Klamath Basin.
Alongside fire helmets, buckets, hoses, and highly toxic glass carbon tetra-chloride “bombs” once used as a grenade-style thrown fire retardant on display at the Klamath County Museum rests an odd wooden box with a series of numbered detachable cogs. It includes an old-timey on/off switch, a switcher with numbers ranging from 0 to 4, and odd clockworks meant to automatically send and receive telegraph signals.
Known as a “Central Office Transmitter,” the strange box that appears more akin to an antique cabinet intended to hold family trinkets was once for decades the centerpiece of fire suppression efforts in communities nationwide.
Kelley Minty Morris Appointed to Air Force Council
Klamath County Commissioner Kelley Minty Morris visited Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas last week to meet with military and community leaders from across the country.
Morris was there as a member of the Civic Leader Council for the Air Force, a group of around 30 leaders from across the country whose communities have an Air Force base with a sole mission of training. She was appointed to the council by Air Force General Steven Kwast in early February.
Morris said Kwast oversees 11 air bases across the country who, like Kingsley in Klamath Falls, have a singular training mission. While F-15 pilots are trained at Kinglsey, Morris said other Air Force bases specialize in different aircraft training.
“The whole goal is to open dialogue between the Air Force and community leadership to make sure community leaders know what’s going on with the Air Force,” Morris sai