The latest news stories in the Klamath Basin and around the state of Oregon from Wynne Broadcasting’s KFLS News/Talk 1450AM/102.5FM, BasinLife.com and The Herald & News.
TUESDAY, JUNE 9, 2020
Klamath Basin Weather
Today – Partly cloudy then becoming mostly cloudy late this morning then becoming partly cloudy. Highs in the mid-60s to mid-70s. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph.
Tonight – Mostly clear. Lows in the lower to mid 40s. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday – Sunny. Highs in the lower to mid 70s. East winds around 5 mph shifting to the southwest in the late morning and afternoon.
Wednesday Night – Partly cloudy. Lows in the mid-40s to lower 50s. West winds 10 to 15 mph decreasing to around 5 mph after midnight.
Thursday – Mostly cloudy. Highs in the lower 70s to lower 80s. West winds around 5 mph shifting to the south in the late morning and early afternoon, then shifting to the southwest around 15 mph late in the afternoon.
Thursday Night – Mostly cloudy with a chance of showers. Lows in the mid 40s to lower 50s.
Friday – Mostly cloudy. Chance of showers in the morning then showers likely and slight chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the lower 60s to lower 70s.
Friday Night – Mostly cloudy. Chance of thunderstorms in the evening, then chance of rain showers and slight chance of thunderstorms after midnight. Colder. Lows in the mid-30s to lower 40s.
Saturday – Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain showers and slight chance of thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 50s to lower 60s.
Saturday Night – Partly cloudy. Slight chance of thunderstorms in the evening, then a slight chance of rain showers after midnight. Areas of frost after midnight. Lows in the mid-30s to lower 40s.
Sunday – Partly cloudy with a slight chance of showers. Warmer. Highs in the mid 60s to lower 70s.
Sunday Night – Partly cloudy. Lows in the lower to mid 40s.
Monday – Partly cloudy. Slight chance of showers in the afternoon. Highs in the mid 60s to mid 70s.
TODAY’s HEADLINES
Water Users React to Restored Project Allocation
Klamath Water Users Association (KWUA) expressed appreciation for the Bureau of Reclamation’s (Reclamation) announcement today that irrigation water supplies from the Upper Klamath Lake / Klamath River system have not changed from the approximately 140,000 acre-feet announced in April.
“This is definitely a relief,” said KWUA President Tricial Hill. “Even though available supplies will only meet about 40 percent of our true need, Project irrigators had planned and managed the best that they could, based upon the meager supply announced in April. The possible reduction we heard about in May has created chaos and more uncertainty in an already terrible year.”
Today’s announcement followed a month-long period of uncertainty when it appeared that supplies could be reduced to as low as 80,000 acre-feet. Many local farmers and ranchers had relied upon the April 1 forecast and had already sunk investment in the ground, based on the earlier forecast of irrigation water supply that would be available. Irrigators are relieved, but remain vigilant, and concerned.
“The Project is still drastically short of water,” said Klamath Project Drought Response Agency (DRA) President Marc Staunton. “We need more people to commit to our land idling program. Irrigators also need to understand that today’s announcement does not provide any water for Warren Act contracts.”
Over recent decades, the Klamath Project has been subject to regulation under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), with increasing requirements for maintaining Upper Klamath Lake elevations for endangered sucker species and Klamath River flows for any coho salmon in the Klamath River below Iron Gate Dam.
“Facts don’t lie: this strategy isn’t helping the species,” said Klamath Irrigation District Board President Ty Kliewer. “Meanwhile, water that was stored under an irrigation water right is being re-allocated to non-irrigation uses, such as flow augmentation.”
The Klamath Project’s demand for irrigation water from Upper Klamath Lake this year is over 350,000 acre-feet. Due to drought and federal operations constraints, the announced Project Supply based on an April 1 run-forecast was 140,000 acre-feet, roughly 40 percent of the need. Under the applicable ESA biological opinions (BiOps), the April Project Supply cannot be reduced. Still, during May, and based on updated runoff forecasts, there was concern that the Project Supply allocation could drop to only 80,000 acre-feet. Farmers who had planned their operations based on the April allocation were suddenly at risk of their limited plantings drying up in the field. The impacts on farm families and local communities could have been catastrophic.
Fortunately, forecasted runoff conditions have improved over the past month. In a statement released by Reclamation, Commissioner Brenda Burman stated that “although the project remains at a painful, record low allocation, I am pleased that the recent improvement in lake inflow allows Reclamation to stabilize water supplies for Klamath Project water users this year.”
Klamath Drainage District (KDD) President Jason Flowers said that his district and others can still adapt to the latest information. “We will manage intensely and do our best,” he said. “That is what we do.”
Still, local irrigation leaders emphasize that disaster relief assistance is sorely needed for the Project. “We are going to have the worst year ever, even with the confirmation of the Project Supply that we assumed in April,” said Tulelake Irrigation District Board President John Crawford. “Our elected officials need to keep the community whole, especially the young farmers that have come back home to carry on the legacy of this basin.”
KWUA Executive Director Paul Simmons said that the Oregon and California congressional delegations are working aggressively to pursue funding avenues to support activities of the DRA. “We have great bipartisan support and are working closely with the members,” he said.
The local irrigation community continues to emphasize that federal agencies must revisit the current practice of reducing Klamath Project water deliveries as the primary means to protect ESA-listed species. “We will continue to push for changes in the regulatory approach and respect for state water rights and sound science,” said Mr. Kliewer.
Reclamation also intends to provide some further augmentation of Klamath River flows, over and above the minimum flows below Iron Gate Dam allowed under the applicable BiOps.
“We have differences of opinion about Klamath River flows,” said KWUA board member Bob Gasser. “But for now, we understand there will be a targeted and carefully managed flow augmentation that won’t further reduce the minor amount of water that we have.”
Between March and September, the amount of water released from Upper Klamath Lake for Klamath River flows will be over 400,000 acre-feet. This is significantly more than will flow into Upper Klamath Lake during that same period, and nearly three times greater than the irrigation supply that will be available from Upper Klamath Lake.
Ms. Hill believes that the Trump Administration inherited a damaging regulatory and scientific approach to the Klamath Project that formed over recent decades but she expects improvement soon. “I am optimistic that today’s decision-makers know there are problems and are committed to fixing them very soon,” she said. “In the meantime, we recognize that this is what Reclamation needs to do now.”
No new deaths statewide and one new local case of Coronavirus was reported by the Oregon Health Authority yesterday.
Klamath County was the only county in Southern Oregon region to report a new case.
The state’s death toll from COVID-19 is unchanged and remains at 164, the Oregon Health Authority reported at 12:01 a.m. today.
Oregon Health Authority reported 114 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 4,922. The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Clackamas (13), Hood River (3), Jefferson (1), Klamath (1), Lane (1), Lincoln (61), Marion (8),
Multnomah (16), Umatilla (8), Washington (2).
An outbreak of seven cases of COVID-19 has been reported at Chaucer Foods in Washington County. The outbreak investigation started on May 31, but the initial case count was below the threshold for public disclosure. OHA is now publicly reporting COVID-19 outbreaks of more than five cases in workplaces with more than 30 employees in its daily news release Monday through Friday.
Around the State of Oregon
LAW ENFORCEMENT Agencies IN GRANTS PASS ARE INVESTIGATING A HOMICIDE.
Late Sunday night, police received a call for a collapsed male at the Best Way Inn which is located at 1253 NE 6th Street in Grants Pass. When AMR personnel arrived, they located a man who was recently stabbed. Grants Pass Police and Fire Rescue personnel immediately responded, rendered aid, and secured the crime scene.
Prior to police and medical arrival, it was determined that two men left the room. The male victim, later identified as 35-year-old Victor Barragan-Cruz of Salem, was rushed to Three Rivers Medical Center where he was later pronounced deceased.
Grants Pass Major Crime Detectives responded and took over the investigation while Patrol officers began checking the area for the two outstanding men who fled from the room. Both men were later detained and interviewed at length about the stabbing.
The investigation identified 24-year-old Esteban Perez-Hernandez (24) of Woodburn as the primary suspect. Perez-Hernandez was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the listed charges. Furthermore, there is no additional threat to the public and a motive for the killing is still under investigation.
Not yet six months into her job as chief, Jami Resch is stepping down from leading the Portland Police Bureau.
Resch announced that she asked Charlie Lovell, an African American lieutenant, to serve as the next chief of police. The sudden change in leadership comes as Portland Police Bureau is under fire for its handling of massive demonstrations stemming from the May 25 death of George Floyd, a black man killed after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
Resch apparently is stepping down on her own, another major shakeup in the Police Bureau following the sudden departure late last year of former Chief Danielle Outlaw, the bureau’s first African American woman to lead the bureau. Outlaw left to serve as Philadelphia police commissioner.
The Bureau of Land Management today announced the appointment of Barry Bushue as the State Director for Oregon and Washington.
Bushue is currently State Executive Director of the Oregon Farm Service Agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and a family farmer. He will join the BLM in the coming weeks.
As a leader and advocate for the natural resource communities for more than 25 years, Bushue is the owner of a retail and agritourism business east of Portland. Throughout his career, he has represented the state and its farming communities – fostering collaborative relationships with numerous stakeholders.
In addition to operating the family farm, Bushue was the President of the Oregon Farm Bureau Federation for nearly 20 years, where he advocated on behalf of the Federation’s farming and ranching members. He also served as the Vice President of the American Farm Bureau, based in Washington, D.C.
Since 2018, he has worked as the official for the Oregon Farm Service Agency, where he oversaw the implementation of programs and policies across 23 county offices, a state office, and a total of 100 employees. As State Director for Oregon and Washington, Bushue will lead the BLM in its management of 16.1 million acres of public lands across diverse landscapes, starting where the Columbia River crosses into northeastern Washington from Canada and ending at the headwaters of the Chetco River near California.
Friday night, a Trooper from the Central Point Area Command stopped a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu for exceeding the speed limit on Interstate 5 near milepost 33 northbound.
During the traffic stop, the trooper noticed signs of criminal activity, and a consent search was conducted. The search of the vehicle revealed approximately 28.8 pounds of methamphetamine and approximately 5.4 pounds of heroin concealed in natural voids of the vehicle’s rear fenders.
The driver was identified as 36-year-old Julian Pineda Casillas from Victorville, California. Mr. Casillas was lodged at the Jackson County Jail for Unlawful Possession and Delivery of Methamphetamine and Heroin.
A man is facing charges after allegedly pointing a gun at several Black Lives Matter protesters in Coos Bay.
Police responded to South Broadway Street near Curtis Avenue this past weekend on reports a man in a truck was pointing a handgun at protesters. Police tracked down and arrested 36-year-old Brandon Moore of Coos Bay on charges of menacing and disorderly conduct.
The Medford Police Department says it found the suspect of a bank robbery, because of an alert citizen.
The suspect robbed the US Bank inside Albertsons last Saturday. The police department was not getting any tips about the robbery all week. On Saturday, someone from the Jackson County Scanner Page called MPD. The person noticed a vehicle in the north Walmart parking lot that was very similar to the truck police were looking for.
Officers went to the parking lot to check it out. During that time they also saw the suspect. Both the vehicle and suspect matched the descriptions officers had. Police took the man into custody. The suspect is 37-year-old John Peter Bosco. Medford Police says he came to Medford from New York. The department says he left town after
the robbery, but then came back.
A civil rights advocate in Oregon is warning the country is on a dangerous path toward authoritarianism and away from inclusive democracy.
Eric Ward, head of the Western States Center, says authoritarianism is on the rise around the world and the United States needs to acknowledge it is part of that trend.
Ward has laid out 21 points he believes people who are focused on democracy should keep in mind as protests over police brutality continue. Those include calls to hold local governments accountable, lifting up the voices of peacemakers, and raising the alarm about the activation of military units.
…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.
More Local Klamath Basin News Here.
The latest State of Oregon Covid-19 News & Preparedness Information Here.
Basin Discounts & Deals, Take-Out, Curbside, Delivery, Preferred Professionals.
Our Basin Life Facebook page Here