The latest News around the Klamath Basin from Wynne Broadcasting’s KFLS 1450AM/102.5FM, BasinLife.com and The Herald & News.
MONDAY, AUGUST 26, 2019
Klamath Basin Weather
Today
Sunny, with a high near 92. Overnight, clear with a low of around 56.
Tuesday
Sunny and hot, with a high near 96.
Wednesday
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 11am. Sunny, with a high near 95.
Thursday
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 11am. Sunny, with a high near 90.
Friday
Sunny, with a high near 90.
Saturday
Sunny, with a high near 89.
TODAY’s BASIN HEADLINES…
The 2019 season runs from Sept. 3rd to Nov. 3rd. A commercial permit must be purchased to pick any matsutake mushroom on National Forests that is harvested for resale. Permits cost $200 for the season, $100 for a half season permit or $8 per day with a three-day minimum purchase. Harvesters must be 18 years of age or older and have a valid ID in to purchase a permit.
Matsutake mushroom season opens the day after Labor Day, on the Deschutes, Fremont-Winema, Umpqua, and Willamette National Forests.
The Chemult, Chiloquin and Crescent Ranger District Offices will be open Tuesday September 3 for permit sales. Permits also are available at other ranger district offices on the Deschutes, Fremont-Winema, Umpqua and Willamette National Forests.
Each purchase of a permit includes information and a map of areas open to harvest. The permit is not valid on state or private property. Areas closed to harvest include Crater Lake National Park and other posted closed areas
Integral Youth Services is closing it’s Youth Center that is located on East Main Street across the street from Mills Elementary.
The main purpose of the Youth Center was to provide a safe place for youth to go after school because many of the working parents could not afford daycare or the cost of afterschool programs. When Mills Elementary afterschool program became free, the attendance at the Youth Center dropped drastically from an average of 70 to 80 youth per day down to around 25 youth per day.
IYS is also announcing another change moving the downstairs staff offices and the free clothing closet to the top level of the building located on Main Street. Families that are seeking assistance from the HELP Program or any other services will no longer use the 1011 Main Street entrance but instead use the 115 North 10th Street entrance.
Klamath Falls Street Division crews will be performing work during the hours of 4 a.m. through 4 p.m. Citizens are advised to proceed with caution in areas where crews are working.
Work may be delayed due to weather, equipment breakdown or unexpected emergencies. Asphalt crews will be working until 4 p.m. this afternoon on the intersections of Leroy and Pacific Terrace repairing roadway, digging out, rebasing and paving. Sign and Paint crews will be working the rest of the week on crosswalks, legends, parking stalls and curbs on Main Street and Klamath Avenue and will continue with re- striping legends and crosswalks around all City schools.
Planned fall prescribed fire operations will start as soon as conditions allow for smoke management and desired prescription outcomes.
Fire managers on the Fremont-Winema National Forest, Lakeview District Bureau of land Management (BLM) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Sheldon-Hart Mountain National Wildlife Refuge Complex are looking for opportunities to apply prescribed fire to the landscape.
Cooler temperatures, adequate humidity, and favorable winds for smoke management, will allow firefighters to start applying fire to planned units. Burning operations will be monitored and patrolled frequently by fire professionals to ensure public safety. Smoke may be visible on public lands in various areas for the next few months as prescribed operations continue. Each prescribed fire can appear different visually depending on the forest type, fuel load, prescribed fire objectives and how long fire has been absent from the area. Hunters and other recreation users should check current conditions in the area, especially during September and October with the possibility of prescribed fire operations.
A visit to the Oregon Lottery’s “Scoreboard Arena” in Cascade Hall during the Oregon State Fair offers fairgoers an opportunity to have fun, win prizes and get an exclusive video look at Oregon Lottery Scoreboard.
You must be 21 years of age or older to get into the Scoreboard Arena and once inside, you’ll be able to watch videos about Oregon Lottery Scoreboard and play sports-related games for fun and prizes. Oregon Lottery Scoreboard is the Lottery’s new sports betting game that gives players a chance to place wagers on professional sports. The new game will soon be available on its own mobile app as well on the Lottery’s website at oregonlottery.org. The Lottery is targeting the launch of the game for the NFL regular season.
According to Oregon Lottery Spokesman Chuck Baumann they are in the final testing phase and just want to ensure the game and player accounts are fully functional and secure prior to release of the game. Once the game is launched the list of professional sports players will have access to includes the NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, PGA, even NASCAR.
Klamath County Public Works is taking advantage of a rare opportunity to save a lot of money on bridge construction over the next decade.
A large bridge construction project in Eugene by the Oregon Department Transportation employed a temporary bridge to keep traffic running through the project. Now that the temporary bridge has been dismantled, there are over 200 unused, massive beams. ODOT is offering the prestressed reinforced concrete and steel beams up to Oregon counties for free.
Klamath County is looking to take between 36 and 70 115-foot beams for bridges in Klamath County. The beams need to be transported from Eugene to Klamath Falls — no simple task. Each beam weighs 97,000 pounds and will need a truck and pilot cars to transport, and a crane to load and unload. Public Works Director Jeremy Morris estimated transportation will cost between $500,000 and $1 million, depending on how many beams are purchased. The full cost to purchase new beams would be around $2.5 million according to Morris.
Last week Oregon’s seven public universities which includes Oregon Tech reached an impasse in negotiating pay increases, benefits and time off for classified workers.
SEIU Local 503, the union representing classified university workers, said the stalemate could lead to a strike next month, just as the state’s roughly 64,000 university students will be starting classes
The median classified university worker makes $36,000 per year, according to SEIU 503. The universities, meanwhile, say that the combined 12 percent increase for the next two years — 2.5 percent in a cost of living adjustment and 9.5 percent in “step” increases for satisfactory job performance — is a “fair offer.”
Rob Fullmer, an IT specialist at Portland State University cites colleagues who work in dining services or as office specialists who have to take second jobs, noting that about a quarter make so little money that they qualify for food stamps for a family of four.
Earlier this summer the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) and other agencies responded to Lost Creek Lake for a reported drowning of two individuals.
Deputies located the first victim however the search for the second drowning victim has been ongoing as Police, Fire, and Search and Rescue personnel have worked diligently to recover the second victim.
Experts in Side Scan Sonar arrived at Lost Creek Lake Tuesday and quickly located a body approximately 135 feet below the surface. The Jackson County Medical Examiner’s Office has positively identified the subject as Juan Carlos Fuentes age 29.
The Mills Neighborhood Association is no more, but not for long. Due to disagreements involving the direction of the group, all board members and officers resigned, leaving only the president, Isabel Rodriguez, and a few members.
At the first meeting since the resignations a handful of community members in attendance remained optimistic, shared ideas for the new group and elected temporary officers.
There will be another meeting next week on Tuesday at 6 pm at the Integral Youth Services building at 601 East Main in the Mills neighborhood. Elections for the new board and officer positions will be held on October 15th.
The Oregon Health Authority and local public health departments are urging clinicians to be on alert for signs of severe respiratory illness among individuals who report vaping or e-cigarette use.
OHA is aware of a cluster of respiratory illness primarily among teenagers and young adults in 16 states. These people have been hospitalized after experiencing worsening symptoms, including shortness of breath, cough, and chest pain. No deaths have been reported. CDC and the affected states have not identified a cause, but all cases have reported e-cigarette use or vaping. OHA knows of no cases in Oregon.
Before the new illness reports, OHA was already concerned about the health risks of vaping products. A recent report by the agency details the health risks for the products including nicotine addiction, exposure to toxic chemicals known to cause cancer, and increases in blood pressure. Individuals who have recently vaped and are having difficulty breathing should seek medical attention immediately
…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.
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