The latest News around the Klamath Basin from Wynne Broadcasting’s KFLS 1450AM/102.5FM, BasinLife.com and The Herald & News.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 2019
Klamath Basin Weather
Today
Sunny, with a high near 86. Overnight, clear and 54 degrees.
Friday
Sunny, with a high near 84. Northwest wind 3 to 8 mph.
Saturday
Sunny, with a high near 88.
Sunday
Sunny, with a high near 88.
Monday
Sunny, with a high near 87.
Today’s Basin Headlines…
According to documents contained in a lawsuit filed by former KID office specialist Linda Seater against the Klamath Irrigation District, former Manager John Wolf was found by a private investigator to have allowed an ongoing unprofessional work environment to develop at the district office.
Seater filed a lawsuit earlier this month against the district alleging the district wrongfully terminated her and is asking for her job to be reinstated and/or up to $750,000 in damages. She is asking for a jury trial in Klamath County Circuit Court.
Wolf retired from his managerial position in fall 2018 after placing himself on administrative leave. Seater was placed on administrative leave the day before Wolf, though there is no evidence that the two instances were related. She was allowed back to work before being terminated earlier this year.
Seater was successful in suing Klamath County in 2013 for wrongful termination from her position as a county tax collector and property control manager.
The Oregon Health Authority updated a recreational use health advisory today for Upper Klamath Lake due to the presence of a harmful algae bloom and harmful algae toxins above recreational guideline values for human exposure.
The advisory, originally issued July 19, applied to the Eagle Ridge County Park area of Upper Klamath Lake. Sampling data received Aug. 8 showed toxin levels above recreational guideline values in the Howard’s Bay area of Upper Klamath Lake. Satellite imagery shows the entire lake affected by a cyanobacterial bloom. Out of caution, OHA is updating the advisory to apply to the entire lake and will continue to evaluate new information as it becomes available.
People should avoid swimming and high-speed water activities, such as water skiing or power boating, in areas of the lake where blooms are identified. Although toxins are not absorbed through the skin, people who have skin sensitivities may experience a puffy red rash.
Water monitoring has confirmed that the level of cyanotoxins in Odell Lake are below recreational guideline values for human exposure. However, officials advise recreational visitors to be alert to signs of algae blooms because blooms can develop and disappear on any lake through the season.
The final Third Thursday event of the year is tonight from 6 until 9pm and with new expansions, it promises to be the biggest yet.
The city and Klamath Downtown Association have expanded the area to include 11th Street between Klamath Avenue and Main Street. Downtown Association Darin Rutledge said the purpose of the expansion is to connect Klamath Commons, the downtown corridor’s newest park, to the event. The park was open on July 1, but Rutledge said organizers decided to wait until the newly planted grass was ready in order to expand Third Thursday.
Rutledge said without the extra space, there might not have been enough space for the record-breaking number of vendors who signed up. The free family friendly event features live music, food and presentations from local fire response organizations for children to enjoy as well. It will also be a good opportunity for people to view the newly decorated Oregon Tech-themed fire hydrants downtown, and to enjoy the recently reopened splash pad at Klamath Commons.
This weekend is the perfect time to take a friend or family member fishing. It’s Free Fishing Weekend, which means they won’t need a license, tag or endorsement to fish, crab or clam anywhere in Oregon.
If you’re taking someone fishing during Free Fishing Weekend, you’ve got lots of options to choose from here in the Basin. Trout anglers should focus on areas where summer water temperatures are cooler meaning lakes at higher elevations and the upper reaches of rivers and streams. ODFW reminds you that when water conditions are low, clear and warm, like they are now, be sure to practice good catch-and-release techniques when releasing fish.
Oregon’s unemployment rate was 4.0 percent in July, the same as the revised June rate of 4.0 percent.
This was Oregon’s lowest unemployment rate in the current series dating back to 1976. It tied the 4.0 percent unemployment rate reached in the state in May, June, and July 2018. The U.S. unemployment rate was 3.7 percent in both June and July 2019. In July, Oregon’s total nonfarm payroll employment added 2,400 jobs, following an over-the-month loss of 1,000 jobs, as revised, in June. Monthly gains for July were strongest in professional and business services, health care and social assistance and construction.
…For complete details on these and other stories see today’s Herald & News. Wynne Broadcasting and the Herald and News…stronger together to keep you informed.