Broadcasting’s KFLS News/Talk 1450AM/102.5FM, BasinLife.com and The Herald & News.
MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2020
Klamath Basin Weather
Today
Scattered rain and snow showers at time, with a high near 45. Snow level rising to 5000 feet. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. Overnight, cloudy with a low around 27 degrees.
Tuesday
Sunny, with a high near 58. Low overnight of 29.
Wednesday
Sunny, with a high near 64. Calm wind.
Thursday
Sunny, with a high near 63.
Friday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 64.
Saturday
A chance of rain and snow. Partly sunny, with a high near 50.
Today’s Headlines
The Klamath County Public Health Air Advisory is Green until noon today.
Klamath County officials talked about the county’s first presumptive case of the COVID-19 Coronavirus at a press conference on Saturday.
Officials say the case is travel-related, just like two cases in Jackson County also announced Saturday morning along with another case in Washington County that is believed to be community spread. Officials aren’t releasing any information about the patient in order to preserve the patient’s privacy.
Klamath County Public Health Officer Dr. Wendy Warren said KCPH is contacting anyone they believe might have been in contact with the patient enough to put them at risk. KCPH Director Jennifer Little said that as soon as the notification of a presumptive case was received, public health began working to identify all close contacts and a proper notification to include risk assessment.
Contact investigation, allows public health to ensure that those at risk are monitored for development of any signs or symptoms. Contacts are monitored for 14 days following their last known exposure and are cooperating fully at this time.
There is no identified risk to the greater community in Klamath County, and there is no community spread at this time.
Sky Lakes Vice President of Medical Affairs Dr. Grant Niskanen described the facility at Sky Lakes Medical Center where they would isolate someone who tested positive for the coronavirus as a negative pressure room where the air from the room is vented outside of the building and doesn’t circulate in the hospital’s ventilation system.
He also said they have the necessary equipment for health care professionals who would treat any patients to keep them safe from the disease as well.
“If someone comes into the emergency room, and they have a flu-like illness, they’re immediately placed in isolation,” Niskanen said.
While other hospitals and clinics around the country are facing shortages of masks, Niskanen said Sky Lakes is in “okay shape.”
Niskanen said Saturday that he expects to see more cases in the area.
Despite the virus reaching the area, Warren did not recommend any school closures Saturday. She instead reminds people to stay home if sick and to take precautions to stop the spread of germs.
Although symptoms of this Coronavirus can be similar to the flu, Warren noted the flu can often spread before a person has symptoms, but that the Coronavirus typically spreads after someone begins to have symptoms.
Meanwhile Oregon Governor Kate Brown declared a state of emergency yesterday to contain the new coronavirus after the number of confirmed cases doubled to 14 from the previous day.
The governor said the declaration means the state’s reserves of emergency healthcare professionals are being activated and that she was giving broad authority to state health officials to take immediate action. She said they would devote all available state resources toward containing this disease. She said the emergency declaration will be in effect for 60 days but could be extended.
The state has so far reported no deaths due to the virus. State officials also said that state lawmakers on Monday will consider an emergency $5 million request to fight the virus.
In its 12th year of service Klamath Basin Rotary’s First Harvest Project provided a massive supply of meat to several support organizations recently to aid hungry and low-income families in Southern Oregon.
Approximately 1,840 lbs. of ground turkey meat was donated by Rotary volunteers. The distribution included 540 lbs. to the Klamath-Lake Counties Food Bank, as well as distributions to the Klamath Falls Gospel Mission, Klamath Basin Senior Center, Klamath Crisis Center/Marta’s House, and St. Vincent de Paul.
Funding for the annual project is supplemented through Klamath County Fair Rotary auction funds from donated animals to Rotary First Harvest. Support for purchasing and distribution was provided by Sherm’s Thunderbird.
For Henley High School Principal Jack Lee the only way to combat instances of cyber-bullying and abuse of social media and other issues teens face in 2020 is through education and possibly limiting cellphone use during class.
Lee is part of a team of administrators trying to educate students and their parents on issues that can many times be related to cellphone use in schools. Lee said he is continuing to look for ways to have kids break free from their phones at school. Lee thinks that of the issues they deal with the phone is a big part of the problem. He hosted a parent and student night at Henley High to share about a variety of issues facing teens in the digital age many that he believes can be traced back to the use of a smartphone or internet use.
Larry Woodruff is Klamath County Fire District 4’s newest fire chief since he took over on January 1 after the previous chief, Casey Haugen, retired at the end of 2019.
Woodruff has been with Fire District 4 since he moved to Klamath Falls from Jackson County in 2003, making his way up to chief from his previous post of division chief. He began his fire career with Jacksonville Fire Department in 2001.
Due to Fire District 4’s crew of firefighters being volunteers, Woodruff said he leads a group of people with a variety of motivations behind putting on that gear for the calls. Some start at District 4 to get the experience to move on to a more full-time or paid position with another department like Fire District 1 or Kingsley Fire.
“You know, we feel pretty fortunate to be able to put out quality people for their hiring,” he said.
Some volunteer in addition to their day jobs because they are passionate about helping people or to give back to their community.
Some of District 4’s volunteers are even nurses or other emergency responders who volunteer with the department, in part to get a better understanding of another aspect of emergency response or to understand what can happen before a patient makes it to the hospital.
With 25 volunteers, Woodruff said District 4 can be called on by District 1 due to Woodruff’s department boarding the largest department in the area. This presents an opportunity for Woodruff’s crew to work alongside that department and develop skills and train even more.
While the previous chief left the department in a good shape, Woodruff said he wants to build on what those before him in his post have built and grow the department’s training program and quality of service.
“I have a passion for Fire District 4, and I want it to be the best possible department it can be, and I think that I have a vision to be able to get it there,” he said. “And I have a bunch of support from the crew here. And with them behind me, there’s no doubt that we’ll be able to get there. So they all share the same passion, which is pretty awesome.”
He’s felt the support of a crew that can match his passion for firefighting.
“It gets into your blood and helping people and putting your training to work,” he said of the motivation that gets volunteers out of bed at all hours of the night to respond to calls and then go about their day jobs still, too. “You know it gives you a good feeling, and they help somebody too.”
He’s also initiating a support group for the volunteers that will raise money to improve the station and get better equipment. He’s also been working on building relationships within the department and with the volunteers’ families to create more of a bond and understanding of how to balance commitment to the fire station and commitment to family.
“You know, we’ve spent a lot of time over the last year building relationships within the department with each other, involving our families, because they give up a lot of time with us so that we can serve the community. And we never really focused on that before,” he said. “And it’s important that we have their support, but we also really want to involve them. Because, you know, our family comes before everything, but we also still want to help in any way we can. And so having a family environment definitely helps with the support for everybody.”
Although he didn’t feel at the start of his career that he always wanted to be a chief, it’s a role he’s grown to embrace.
“I began to have a vision that this place could be amazing, and for that, I wanted to become the chief so I could help make it better,” he said. “But you know I’m not doing it alone by any means.”
Woodruff is always looking for more volunteers, he said, but it is a big commitment with odd hours and a lot of training.
He’s also looking forward to building on the relationship with Klamath Community College and its fire program that allows for students to be resident student firefighters with departments in the area.
“I just think it’s an exciting time for the fire service,” he said. “And I just want to see the district grow into a higher quality care provider than it’s ever been, you know. Everybody that’s here is striving to meet that goal as well.”
Around the state
A cougar was shot by a resident of The Dalles after it apparently attacked up to five goats over a short period of time.
Under Oregon law a cougar can be killed without any type of special permit or license if it has been causing livestock deaths. It is estimated Oregon has about 6000 cougars throughout the state. State wildlife officials are on the scene.
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