The latest and most comprehensive coverage of local News, Sports, Business, and Community News stories in the Klamath Basin, Southern Oregon and around the state of Oregon from Wynne Broadcasting’s KFLS News/Talk 1450AM / 102.5FM, The Herald & News, and BasinLife.com, and powered by Mick Insurance.
TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2020
Klamath Basin Weather
Today Sunny, with a high near 76. Overnight, clear with a low around 42.
Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 81.
Thursday Sunny, with a high near 84.
Friday Sunny, with a high near 86.
Saturday Sunny, with a high near 89.
Today’s Headlines
The state of Oregon’s death toll from COVID-19 is unchanged from yesterday and remains at 215, the Oregon Health Authority reported.
They also reported 168 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today bringing the state total to 10,395.
Klamath County Public Health (KCPH) officials report six new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, bringing the total to 131. As of Monday morning, 5,504 tests have been processed for Klamath County. Multnomah county has had the most daily cases reported in the state for several weeks. Yesterday, 40 cases were diagnosed in Multnomah County.
Locally, the coronavirus cases in Southern Oregon
Klamath County 131
Jackson 152
Josephine 58
Douglas 52
Lake 21
Coos 42
The Trump administration on Monday formally authorized exports from a proposed Oregon natural-gas terminal, the first on the U.S. West Coast. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette signed the order for the proposed Jordan Cove liquid natural gas terminal in Coos Bay, Oregon.
Monday’s approval for the project, which would target markets in Asia, is part of an administration push to promote U.S. oil and gas production and export despite mounting scientific warnings about fossil fuels damaging the climate.
The project “encapsulates what the Trump administration has been working hard on for the past three years – providing reliable, affordable, and cleaner-burning natural gas to our allies around the world,” Brouillette said in a statement.
Owned by Canada’s Pembina Pipeline Corp., the terminal would have federal authority to export up to 1.08 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas, from both the United States and Canada.
Learn about misinformation, fake news and political propaganda in an online workshop from the Klamath County Library
Thursday, July 23 7pm
Via Zoom, hosted by the downtown Klamath County Library
Are you overwhelmed with contradictory messages from politicians, news sources and other media? Learn to distinguish truth from fiction using real-world examples of political ads, news headlines, logical fallacies, graphs/charts, as well as the effect of word choice in messaging, statistical data and other types of (mis)information. Become your own “fact-checker!”. Also, learn how to find accurate information.
The downtown Klamath County Library will host a virtual workshop “Civics for Adults: Misinformation, Fake News and Political Propaganda” on Thursday, July 23rd at 7pm.
The workshop will be held via a Zoom meeting. A link to join the meeting will be emailed 48 hours before the event to everyone who RSVPs at Eventbrite via:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/civics-for-adults-misinformation-fake-news-and-political-propaganda-tickets-112515543018 or by emailing Charla at coppenlander@klamathlibrary.org. Pre-registration is required and limited to the first 35 registrations.
The workshop will be facilitated by Donna L Cohen, MLIS, MEd. Cohen is an Oregonian who has been a teacher and librarian and now devotes her time to developing, refining and presenting civic education for adults. She believes that civic education should be lifelong and also that public libraries are the best place for this. “The life of our democracy depends on its citizens thinking critically, understanding basic political structures and engaging in the work of sustaining and building our society.”
Cohen’s presentation will last just over an hour with time after for questions and discussion. For more information about the workshop or for help using Zoom, please call 541-882-8894 ext. 10 or email Charla at coppenlander@klamathlibrary.org. You can find more information about Cohen at https://www.civicthinker.info/.
The Herald & News has a new editor. Tim Trainor, 38, took over the post Monday.
Trainor has worked for more than a decade as both a reporter and editor in rural newsrooms in Idaho, Montana and Oregon. He spent five years covering business and the environment in Butte, Montana, and most recently served as deputy managing and opinion page editor of the East Oregonian in Pendleton. In March he earned a master’s degree in multimedia journalism from the University of Oregon. His undergraduate degree is from Ohio University in 2005. Trainor enjoys fly fishing, backpacking, rodeos and horse racing.
Rocky Point Fire/EMS Hosts Fundraising Online Auction
To protect the health and safety of friends and neighbors, all onsite activities for the annual July Rocky Point Fire/EMS Summer Festival have been cancelled. However, the fundraising effort continues with an impressive collection of items being offered for bid online at 32auctions.com/RPF. The auction is in full swing and will continue through July 31.
Log on often, because new items will be added throughout the auction duration. Choose among get away experiences, dining, wine cooler, jewelry, auto package, hand-carved bowls, art, gravel, adventures, a restored classic boat, and more.
Support for this important fundraiser helps provide emergency response for anyone in need from the top of Doak Mountain to the Jackson County line, Rocky Point, Lake of the Woods, and neighboring state and federal agencies. To contribute to this auction, or if you have questions, call 541 356-2550.
The Swan Lake Energy Storage Project is moving forward with a tax break recently approved for the $740 million project by Klamath County Commissioners in mid-June.
Commissioners unanimously approved the county’s first Strategic Investment Program abatement, a 15-year property tax break for Rye Development and Portland-based National Grid for a portion of the project during a meeting on June 17 at the Klamath County Fairgrounds. The SIP was put into place in Oregon in the 1990s to attract large capital investment, according to Erik Steimle, vice president of Boston-based Rye Development. Steimle has been working on the proposed pumped hydro facility for the last decade. The project, once constructed, will span a total 300 acres and include two 65-acre reservoirs, to be located about 11 miles northeast of Klamath Falls. An estimated $2.1 million in annual tax revenues as well as one dozen long-term jobs are anticipated for Klamath County through the project. The close-looped system will reuse and recycle the same water, according to a summary about the project provided by developers.
On Monday, the Rotary Club of Klamath County fulfilled a three year project on a south entry sign on Highway 97, welcoming visitors into Klamath Falls.
2020 will be the Rotary Club of Klamath County’s centennial year and this project was designated to celebrate our commitment to service and the community.
A site for the sign atop a long ago closed motel sign has misdirected travelers for over 40 years. Rotarians Tom Schiess and Guy Jakubowski ramrodded the project with design help from local artists and others. Initial prep and painting was completed by Rotarian Aj Halda of Ken’s Auto Body and Tom Schiess. Most of the art was completed by TNT Plasma and letters were completed by United Mechanical with the bulk of the work being completed Guy Jakubowski of S & S Manufacturing.
The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), in association with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA), awarded the Klamath County Sheriff’s Office grant funds for traffic safety during 2019-2020 totaling $21,500.
The grants are being used to increase traffic enforcement with focused patrols for Distracted Driving, Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants (DUII), Occupant Protection (Safety Belts), Pedestrian Safety and Speed Enforcement during the below specified events.
High Visibility Enforcement
During the month of June, deputies provided fourteen (14) hours of High Visibility Enforcement for Speed Enforcement. During these increased patrols, deputies issued seven (7) citations and seven (7) warnings.
• Crash data since 2011 shows an overall decrease in the number of deaths and injuries attributed to speed. Despite advancements in vehicle safety and passenger protection, thousands of Americans die each year in speed-related crashes.
• According to NHTSA, a crash on a road with a speed limit of 65 mph or greater is more than twice as likely to result in a fatality than a crash on a road with a speed limit of 45 or 50 mph and nearly five times as likely as a crash on a road with a speed limit of 40 mph or below.
• Speeding is usually defined as driving in excess of the posted speed limit or driving too fast for conditions. It can have dangerous consequences including: o Reducing a driver’s ability to negotiate curves or maneuver around obstacles in the roadway; o Extending the distance traveled before a vehicle can stop; o Increasing the distance a vehicle travels while the driver reacts to a hazard; o Increasing the risk of crashes and injuries because other vehicles and pedestrians may not be able to judge distance correctly.
Distracted Driving Grant
Now – 9/30/2020
DUII High Visibility Enforcement Events
Now – 9/30/2020
Occupant Protection (Safety Belt) Blitz
Now – 9/30/2020
Pedestrian Safety
Now – 9/30/2020
Speed Enforcement
Now – 9/30/2020
AROUND THE STATE OF OREGON
Fatal crash on Highway 97. On Monday, July 6, 2020 at approximately 7:50 P.M., Oregon State Police Troopers and emergency personnel responded to a two vehicle crash on Hwy 97 near milepost 118.
Preliminary investigation revealed a Hyundai Accent, operated by Beauden Yetter (21) of Terrebonne, was southbound when it crossed into the northbound lane and collided with a Chevrolet Suburban operated by Surun Roth (57) of Stockton, CA.
Roth and his passenger Mean Sok (68) of Stockton, CA. were transported to St. Charles with non-life threatening injuries.
Yetter sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased.
After hitting pause on its web portal last week, the Oregon Department of Transportation says it has completed a multi-year project to update DMV computer systems. The DMV’s online services were put on hold July 2 for the final leg of a 10-year, $90 million push to replace outdated technology at the agency, coming back online Monday morning. Most DMV offices have been open by appointment only since Oregon began reopening from coronavirus closures. Many services have been relegated entirely to online or mail access. Now Oregonians can go online to schedule a DMV appointment, apply to replace a lost or stolen license, order a driving record, pay fees, or begin the process of applying for an ID. ODOT said that the new system is also capable of issuing Real ID-compliant licenses and ID cards to fulfill the coming Transportation Security Administration (TSA) requirement — now scheduled for October 1 of 2021 — in order to board domestic commercial flights. A valid passport will also be accepted by TSA.
After city police declared multiple riots over the weekend, the president of Portland’s police union on Monday urged local and state elected officials to “stand up and defend Portland,” saying the violence and property destruction occurring nightly in the city “is no longer about George Floyd, social justice, or police reform.” People throwing fireworks or rocks at officers and breaking windows at the Justice Center and federal courthouse have “drawn attention away from an important message about social and racial equality that needs to be heard,” he said in the statement. Sunday marked the 39th consecutive day of protests in Portland since the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man who a Minneapolis officer pinned to the ground with a knee to his neck as he lay handcuffed and cried out that he couldn’t breathe.
Fatal crash on Highway 20 in Linn County
On Monday, July 6, 2020 at approximately 6:20 P.M., Oregon State Police Troopers and emergency personnel responded to a two vehicle crash on Hwy 20 near milepost 75 – at the Hwy 20 and Hwy 22 Junction.
Preliminary investigation revealed that a Dodge Ram 1500, operated by Corey Brett (51) of Creswell, OR. was westbound on Hwy 20 when it turned left (across Hwy 22 to stay on Hwy 20) and into the path of a Nissan Rouge, operated by Kaitlyn Allen (20) of Salem, OR. that was eastbound on Hwy 22.
Allen was transported by Air Ambulance to St. Charles in Bend where she was pronounced deceased.
Brett had no known injuries as a result of the crash.
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Soldier who was supporting Operation Joint Guardian.
Oregon Army National Guard Pfc. Alexander Blake Klass, 20, from Willamina, Oregon, died as the result of a non-combat related incident, July 4, 2020, at Camp Novo Selo, Kosovo. The incident is under investigation.
Pfc. Klass was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 162nd Infantry Regiment, 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oregon National Guard, Springfield, Oregon.
Klass joined the Oregon Army National Guard on Jan. 19, 2019 as an Infantryman. He mobilized in January of 2020 and was scheduled to return home from Kosovo in November.
As the deadline approaches to make estimated Corporate Activity Tax (CAT) payments for the second quarter, the Oregon Department of Revenue reminds taxpayers of relief available to those businesses negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
As adopted in administrative rule 150-317-1500, the department will honor a business taxpayer’s good-faith efforts to comply with the CAT and not assess penalties if they document their efforts to comply, including how COVID-19 has impacted their business.
If businesses know they’ll owe $10,000 or more in annual corporate activity tax in 2020 and can pay, they should make estimated quarterly payments and comply with the law to the fullest extent possible.
However, penalties will not be assessed for underestimated quarterly payments or for not making a quarterly payment for the Corporate Activity Tax, if businesses don’t have the financial ability to make the estimated payment.
If businesses have been impacted by COVID-19 and are finding it difficult to calculate or pay an estimated quarterly payment, they should keep documentation showing:
• Their inability to pay a quarterly payment because of insufficient funds due to COVID-19.
• Their inability to reasonably calculate a quarterly payment or annual tax liability due to their business being impacted by COVID-19.
• That the taxpayer is unclear at this time whether the business will owe corporate activity tax in April 2020 due to COVID-19 impacts, after taking into consideration exclusions and subtractions in the law.
Businesses uncertain about their economic future due to the COVID-19 crisis, or those that have been closed during this crisis and have no ability to determine that they will owe a tax this year, won’t be penalized.
Registration for the CAT is still required. Businesses must register within 30 days of reaching $750,000 in Oregon commercial activity in the calendar year. Registration is available through Revenue Online and the department offers a series of online resources to help with registration on the CAT page of the agency’s website.
The CAT webpage also includes links to the administrative rules that govern the tax, a list of basic frequently asked questions (FAQ), and a Beyond the FAQ section that includes high-level summaries of the rules and other topics to help answer taxpayer questions.
Taxpayers with general questions about the CAT can email cat.help.dor@oregon.gov or call 503-945-8005.
Visit www.oregon.gov/dor to get tax forms, check the status of your refund, or make tax payments; call 800-356-4222 toll-free from an Oregon prefix (English or Spanish); 503-378-4988 in Salem and outside Oregon; or email questions.dor@oregon.gov. For TTY (hearing or speech impaired), call 800-886-7204.
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