Contributions from Paul Hanson at Wynne Broadcasting’s KFLS 1450AM / 102.5FM and The Herald & News
Klamath Falls News Update
CONTRIBUTIONS FROM PAUL HANSON, KFLS 102.5FM & 1450AM, and The Herald & News
THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2019
KLAMATH BASIN WEATHER
Today
A 50 percent chance of snow showers. 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…
U.S. Plans to Lift Protections for Gray Wolves
U.S. wildlife officials plan to lift protections for gray wolves across the Lower 48 states, re-igniting the legal battle over a predator that’s run into conflicts with farmers and ranchers after rebounding in some regions, an official told The Associated Press.
Acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt announced the proposal during a Wednesday speech at the North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference in Denver, a weeklong conservation forum for researchers, government officials and others, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Spokesman Gavin Shire said in an interview.
The decision was based on gray wolves successfully recovering from widespread extermination last century, Shire said. Further details were expected during a formal announcement planned in coming days.
Wildlife advocates reacted with outrage and promised to challenge in court any attempt to lift protections. Agriculture groups and lawmakers from Western states are likely to support the administration’s proposal.
Bonanza Senior in Poetry Out Loud State Finals
A Bonanza High School student is among nine Oregon high school students selected to compete for the 2019 Poetry Out Loud state title Saturday in Salem.
Megan Southard, a senior, was among the top three winners of the Southern Regional Poetry Out Loud Contest last week at Rogue Community College, earning her a spot in the state finals and a chance at advancing to nationals.
“I’m really excited,” Southard said. “I definitely wasn’t expecting it.”
Southard has been competing in Poetry Out Loud at the school level since seventh grade, and last year, earned her first trip to the Southern Regionals. This year, she returned, earning her first spot at state.
Poetry Out Loud is a national contest for high school students, organized in Oregon by the Oregon Arts Commission in collaboration with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation.
Home Damaged by Electrical Fire
Klamath County Fire District No. 1 responded to the report of a structure fire in a home on Derby Place Wednesday at 8:17 a.m., according to a press release.
The fire was discovered by a visiting family member and called into 911 by neighbors. The neighbor’s sprayed water on the fire through a kitchen window until fire crews arrived.
Firefighters found a fire in the kitchen area which had extended into the attic space above.Actions taken by firefighters helped keep the spread of the fire limited and they quickly extinguished the fire. There were no injuries to occupants or firefighters during the incident.
The cause of the fire was determined to be an electrical failure in the kitchen area. Klamath County Fire District No. 1 responded with a total of 18 fire personnel from four engines, a battalion chief, division chief and the fire marshal. Damage is estimated at $30,000.00.
Agri-tourism “Meet and Greet”, March 16
Rural Klamath Connects, Gold Dust and Walker Farms, Discover Klamath and Travel Oregon are hosting the second annual Agri-tourism Meet and Greet on Saturday March 16.
The event is open to all farmers, ranchers and producers in the Klamath Basin who are interested in getting involved in agri-tourism. It is free.
The event will include educational tours of four different Basin producers showcasing how they got involved in agri-tourism, a hosted luncheon with a keynote agri-tourism speaker, and the opportunity to meet and network with other area farmers, ranchers and producers interested in agri-tourism.
Wildland Firefighter Remembrance Run In Need of Sponsors
The Wildland Firefighter Foundation invites interested individuals, businesses and community organizations to become sponsors for the Ninth Annual Wildland Firefighter Remembrance Run.
The Wildland Firefighter Remembrance Run will be held at the Lava Beds National Monument May 4.
Since 2011, the Wildland Firefighter Remembrance Run has raised approximately $30,000. Sponsorships are an essential element to help ensure the continued success of this event.
Sponsorships can be secured with either a 150 dollar donation or a raffle prize valued at 150 dollars. Sponsors will have their logo, or name, advertised on the event t-shirt and on a large banner that is displayed at the race start and finish line.
Wednesday, March 6, 2019
Name Change Likely to Tule Lake National Monument
It’s not official yet, but get ready to see some new signs and stationery.
Legislation to change the name from the Tule Lake Unit of the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument to Tule Lake National Monument has passed the House and Senate and now awaits an expected signature of approval from President Donald Trump.
“It was something we hoped would happen,” said Angela Sutton, acting superintendent for the Tule Lake Unit and Lava Beds National Monument. She said no formal steps will be taken until Trump acts on the bill.
Tule Lake’s name re-designation is a small part of the broad-sweeping, 260-page Senate Bill 47 National Resources Management Act that was easily approved by bipartisan votes — 92 to 8 in the Senate on Feb. 12 and 363 to 62 on Feb. 26 in the House of Representatives.
The bill was approved by all California representatives, including Reps. Doug LaMalfa and Tom McClintock, both Republicans from far northern California, and all Oregon representatives, including Rep. Greg Walden, whose district borders California.
Both California senators, Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris, and both Oregon senators, Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, supported the bill.
Senator Merkley Decides Not To Run for The White House
SALEM — U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon announced Tuesday he has decided after months of consideration not to enter the increasingly crowded race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.
Merkley said in an interview that he decided he would be more effective in championing issues by running for his third term in the Senate instead of being a presidential candidate.
The large field of Democratic contenders for the White House was not a major factor in his decision, nor was an Oregon law that prevents him from being on the ballot for more than one elected office in any given year Merkley said.
“I’ve never shied from a fight, and there’s nothing about the field that would make me reluctant to be there,” Merkley told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Monday night.
Interdisctrict School Transfer Still Possible
An Oregon law — known as open enrollment — that allowed students to easily transfer between school districts has expired, according to a press release.
Klamath County students can still request a transfer between districts using interdistrict transfer policies between the Klamath County School District and Klamath Falls City Schools.
The Klamath County School District, when possible, will honor transfer requests. Under interdistrict transfer policies, a student may transfer between districts if the student receives consent to transfer from both the district of residence and the receiving district.
For the 2019-20 school year, Klamath County School District has capped at 140 the number of students who can transfer into its schools from out of the district’s attendance area. The Klamath County School Board made the decision at its February board meeting. The board did not cap the number of students who would be allowed to transfer out of the district.
Pedestrian struck, killed by car near Pacific Terrace
A woman crossing Crater Lake Parkway on Sunday, March 3, at 7:18 p.m. was struck and killed by a vehicle, authorities report.
The accident happened just north of the Pacific Terrace intersection. The area was poorly lit, police said. The Klamath Falls Police Department, Klamath County Sheriff’s Office and Oregon State Police responded to the call.
When officers arrived on scene, they found the woman, Andrea Louise Campos, 58, with with life threatening injuries, and medical attention was administered by law enforcement personnel and an off-duty paramedic.
Campos succumbed to her injuries and detectives from the Klamath Falls Police Department responded to investigate the incident.
Investigators determined Campos was walking northbound on the sidewalk on Crater Lake Parkway just prior to the accident. It appeared she had crossed the street in a dark section of the roadway between intersections and where there were no crosswalks. Campos walked in front of a motor vehicle traveling southbound on Crater Lake Parkway, causing the collision.
The 25-year-old male driver remained on scene and is cooperating with the investigation, reports said. The preliminary findings do not implicate 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, call Detective Sean Ferns at 541-883-5336.
Timber industry challenge to Cascade-Siskiyou Monument expansion gets its day in court
A timber industry lawsuit challenging the Obama administration’s expansion of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument was to be heard by a federal judge in Medford on Tuesday.
The case, Murphy Company v. Trump, argues the former president did not have the authority to enlarge the monument because the expansion included Oregon and California Railroad Revested Lands, also known as the O Lands, that had already been designated for timber production. Murphy Company did not respond to OPB requests for an interview.
The O Lands comprise more than 2 million acres of forest in western Oregon. The land was set aside by Congress in 1937 to provide income for local communities.
Using the executive authority granted in the 1907 Antiquities Act, President Barack Obama expanded southern Oregon’s Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument during his final days in office in 2017.
Sponsorship Opportunities Available at Wildland Firefighter Remembrance Run
The Wildland Firefighter Foundation invites interested individuals, businesses and community organizations to become sponsors for the Ninth Annual Wildland Firefighter Remembrance Run. The Wildland Firefighter Remembrance Run will be held at the Lava Beds National Monument May 4, 2019.
Since 2011, the Wildland Firefighter Remembrance Run has raised approximately $30,000. Sponsorships are an essential element to help ensure the continued success of this event.
Sponsorships can be secured with either a 150 dollar donation or a raffle prize valued at 150 dollars. Sponsors will have their logo, or name, advertised on the event t-shirt and on a large banner that is displayed at the race start and finish line. Lesser donations are more than welcome and greatly appreciated but will not include t-shirt and banner advertisement. Any donation will be promoted on the Wildland Firefighter Remembrance Run Facebook page.
All proceeds are tax deductible and go directly to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation, a nonprofit organization. These proceeds will help families of firefighters killed in the line of duty and assist injured firefighters and their families. They honor and acknowledge past, present, and future members of the wildland firefighting community, and partner with private and interagency organizations to bring recognition to wildland firefighters.
The deadline for submitted sponsorship forms is April 1, 2019. Fillable PDF sponsorship forms can be found online at: http://wffremembrancerun.wixsite.com/2019 and other information may also be found at our Facebook page at:- https://www.facebook.com/wfremembrancerun/
For more information regarding sponsorship opportunities please contact Paul Zerr at 541-810-3112.
…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.