The latest Klamath Falls News around the Klamath Basin and the state of Oregon from Wynne Broadcasting’s KFLS News/Talk 1450AM/102.5FM, BasinLife.com and The Herald & News.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2020
Klamath Basin Weather
Today A 20% chance of snow in the afternoon, with a high near 35. Snow all evening. Overnight, continued snow showers, low around 28. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible.
Thursday Snow showers, mainly before 10am. High near 35. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.
Friday A chance of snow showers before 1pm, then a slight chance of snow between 1pm and 4pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 35. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Road Conditions
Traveling? Click and check these cameras below for the latest road conditions.
Lake of the Woods Hiway 140
Greensprings Drive at Hiway 97
Doak Mountain looking east
Chemult, Oregon
LaPine, Oregon
Bly, Oregon
Medford at I-5 -Biddle Road & Crater Lake Parkway
Today’s Headlines
AS OF 7AM, ODOT: SW Oregon: Oregon 62 (Crater Lake Highway): Highway is now open between Prospect to Union Creek . Highway remain closed to the north (MP 56-65).
While the Klamath County school district, OIT, and KCC chose to close their doors to students completely Tuesday, the city schools worked on a a two-hour delay. And, even then they had their share of problems.
A Klamath Falls City School District bus located in the vicinity of Lakeshore and South Shore slid off the roadway on a hill. All kids were removed from the bus uninjured. According to scanner traffic a wheel is off the road.
Various reports of 8 inches to one foot of snow fell in a 24-hour period in the Klamath Falls area Monday and Monday night.
ODOT reported a massive delay on highway 140 between Klamath Falls and Medford that took nearly 10 hours to completely clear. Tuesday afternoon, Interstate five was closed between Grants Pass and Roseburg due to heavy snow. Motorists are urged to call 5-1-1, log on to tripcheck.com, and listen for updated weather information before heading out on the highways as the wintry weather continues.
With winter weather patterns returning to south central Oregon, Fremont-Winema National Forest and Bureau of Land Management Lakeview District managers want to encourage visitors enjoying winter activities on public lands to stay safe, be prepared and to be aware of regulations.
Winter can be a great time to explore snowmobile, snowshoe and cross-country ski trails, as well as sledding, snow biking and wildlife watching. However, winter brings increased risk for being outdoors – especially in the remote and rugged terrain of Lake and Klamath counties. In the Forest, the greatest risk comes from quantity of snow and overall depth on roads and trails. On BLM roads, blowing snow and drifts can present a challenge and block roads. Either way, travelers should be prepared and take measures to avoid getting stuck.
As a general rule, when snow depth is 6 inches or greater, it is not safe to be on a Forest road in a wheeled vehicle. The roads are not plowed or maintained by the Forest during the winter and any plowing done by permittees for projects is inconsistent. For those looking to safely enjoy winter recreation, there are Sno-Parks available in the area with access points to snowmobile and winter trails.
Oregon Department of Transportation in association with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, has awarded the Klamath County Sheriff’s Office grant funds intended for traffic safety. Grants, to be utilized for increased traffic enforcement, total $21,500 for 2019-20.
Areas of focus include distracted driving, driving under the influence of intoxicants, occupant protection (safety belts), pedestrian safety, and speed enforcement during specified events.
The grant funds will provide high-visibility DUII enforcement on Super Bowl Sunday, February 2nd, and from August 16 – September 3 through labor Day weekend.
Additional high-visibility campaigns focusing on safety belt use for vehicle occupants will take place February 3-16, May 18-31, and August 24-September 6. Grant funds were also delegated for additional enforcement and presence during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, which resulted in 15 traffic stops and one arrest for DUII, 13 warnings, and one citation for Driving While Suspended.
Sherm’s Thunderbird will continue a 19-year tradition by delivering a semi-truck of donated food to the Klamath-Lake Counties Food Bank on Thursday.
The donation helps sustain food supplies for the food bank’s regional service area. The food bank distributed 2.2 million pounds of food in 2019 thanks to monetary and food donations. Klamath-Lake Counties Food Bank Director Niki Sampson said “This gift fills the gaps of products we’re no longer seeing in any kind of quantity from outside the area resources. We’re a small community, so this truckload of food fills so many gaps and makes the difference in thousands of lives!”
Jimmy Crumpacker, a Tumalo businessman and Republican, announced his bid for Oregon’s 2nd Congressional District yesterday.
Crumpacker is running against Bend physician Knute Buehler for the seat currently held by Representative Greg Walden. Walden, the state’s only congressional Republican, announced he was not seeking reelection in October. A seventh-generation Oregonian, Crumpacker was born and raised in Portland before going to Georgetown University and earning a bachelor’s degree in government, according to his website. He has worked for American Insurance Group and as an investor in oil on Wall Street for First New York Securities. He moved from the East Coast back to Oregon seven years ago. Since then, he founded and manages Crumpacker Asset Management.
Crumpacker has also served on the board of the Oregon Ballet Theatre and Meals on Wheels, an organization that delivers meals to seniors.
…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.