Klamath Basin News, Friday, July 10 – Oregon Sees Largest One Day Increase in Covid-19 Cases at 389

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FRIDAY, JULY 10, 2020

Klamath Basin Weather

Fire Weather Watch in effect from Saturday, July 11, 02:00 PM until 10:00 PM

Today Sunny, with a high near 87. Overnight clear with a low around 54 degrees.

Saturday Sunny, with a high near 90. Light and variable wind becoming west southwest to 15 mph.

Sunday Sunny, with a high near 85.

Monday Sunny, with a high near 87.

Tuesday Sunny, with a high near 87.

Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 88.

Thursday Sunny, with a high near 89.

Today’s Headlines

Health officials reported 389 new confirmed or presumptive coronavirus cases in Oregon, marking the largest single-day increase in cases since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

According to the Oregon Health Authority, there were also six more deaths from the virus, bringing the state’s death toll to 230.  There are 11,188 confirmed or suspected coronavirus cases statewide, the latest OHA report states. 

A majority of the most recent coronavirus cases were identified in Multnomah (86), Umatilla (55), Marion (47) and Washington (46) counties.  So far about 10.5% of Oregon’s patients (1,162 people) have been hospitalized by the virus. 

Currently there are 192 people with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 in Oregon hospitals. Of those, 59 are in the ICU and 25 are on ventilators.   There are 125 adult ICU beds, 107 pediatric and NICU beds, and 787 ventilators available statewide.

Klamath County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Geoffrey Craig Seymour II and Dillon Eugene Oden Wednesday for their alleged involvement in a shooting last Thursday at a campsite on Eagle Ridge Road.

According to a KCSO press release, Seymour shot at a woman he did not know sleeping in her car, and Oden disposed of the gun.

Both Oden and Seymour were not allowed to own guns.  Both men are being held in the Klamath County Jail. Seymour is facing charges of attempted murder, unlawful use of a weapon, felon in possession of a weapon, point a firearm at another and parole violation. Oden is charged with felon in possession of a weapon, tampering with evidence and parole violation.   The sheriff’s office is continuing to investigate.


Klamath County Commissioner Kelley Minty Morris was appointed to Oregon’s Governor Kate Brown’s Healthy Schools Reopening Council, which will provide feedback to the Governor and Department of Education on their early guidance on reopening schools for the fall.

The state is considering three approaches for education in the fall, including in-person classes, a mixture of in-person and at-home learning and all distanced learning.

The council of 40 members from across the state met for the first time on Tuesday, and Morris said she recommended in-person learning.

She said the council heard from people with concerns about the lack of childcare due to COVID and parents going back to work, along with a student sharing the embarrassment of lacking the technology to do class work at home.

KLAMATH COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT RELEASES PLANS FOR REOPENING

Students in the Klamath County School District likely will be returning to class this fall under a hybrid-learning model that balances in-person classroom instruction with distance learning.

“Based on parent feedback, our goal is to maximize face-to-face learning with as much student-teacher contact as possible while safely reopening schools,” said Glen Szymoniak, superintendent of the Klamath County School District.

Szymoniak said the district’s plan gives the schools flexibility to fully reopen once they can meet all state guidelines and determine their distance-learning program is successful for every student.

“We know that guidance and state mandates can change overnight, and we want our students to be set up for success if we are ordered to provide remote learning fulltime,” he said.

Schools statewide have been closed since March 16 to limit the spread of COVID-19. Districts are working on plans to safely reopen this fall.

The Klamath County School District created its reopening plan in accordance with the following priorities: 1) the safety of students and staff; 2) quality instruction for all students; and 3) avoiding a COVID-related shutdown. It follows current Oregon Department of Education Ready Schools, Safe Learners Guidance that provides clear health and safety reopening protocols as well as social distancing mandates that limit the number of students school districts can accommodate in classrooms and on their buses.

KCSD says letters about the plan were mailed to families this week. The 2020-21 school year for students is scheduled to begin Aug. 31.

In addition to hybrid-instruction, the school district’s plan includes online and distance learning programs for students who are not able to, or would prefer not to, return to a school campus.

“Our plans to reopen schools this fall set students up for success academically, emotionally, and socially,” Szymoniak said.

Under what the district is calling its A-B hybrid plan, students will be with their teacher in the classroom two days a week and participate in distance learning the other three days. Each school will divide students into two groups – A and B. Within those groups, students will remain in small cohorts throughout the day. The cohort attends classes and other activities together, enabling schools to limit and track day-to-day intermingling.

For three days a week, each group will continue learning remotely. The district will provide training to students and their parents in its online and distance platforms. Ongoing tech and academic support also will be available. Students will receive standard letter grades and credits for their classes.

The district also has full-distance learning options. The district’s Great Basin Academy includes a long-standing, accredited virtual school for 7th-12th graders and a homeschool for K-8. Under development is a comprehensive distance learning program that will allow students to take remote classes and remain enrolled in their neighborhood school.

Community support for families will be vital during this time, Szymoniak said.

“We are encouraging parents to form cooperative groups of family and friends who can collaborate to provide supervision, activities, and homework assistance during days students are not in school,” he said.

Klamath County School District schools will host forums in late July and early August so parents can ask questions, provide input, and learn about school cleaning and safety protocols. Updates and the dates and times for parent forums will be posted on school websites.

Over the next few weeks, each school in the district is creating an Operational Blueprint for Reentry that specifically addresses health protocols, equity, instruction, family and community engagement, response to outbreak, mental, social and emotional health, and staffing and personnel. The district will be sharing and asking for input on schools’ reentry plans.

“We need to continue to work together to navigate the state’s evolving efforts to mitigate COVID-19,” Szymoniak said, thanking parents and community members for their ongoing support.

A FAQ link and any updates will be posted on the district’s website at www.kcsd.k12.or.us. The public can ask questions or provide input via email at kcsd_covid19@kcsd.k12.or.us.Parents who want to discuss their student’s options for this fall are encouraged to call Tia Powell at the District Office at 541-851-8740.

Here is a look at KCSD’s reopening plans and options:

  • Blended/Hybrid Learning: A balance of face-to-face classroom instruction and remote learning.
    • Students at each school will be assigned to one of two groups. Each group attends school two days a week, receiving face-to-face instruction with classroom teachers. Students will remain in small cohorts of about 10-20 students throughout the day. The cohort attends classes and other activities together, enabling schools to limit and track day-to-day intermingling.
    • Each group participates in online and distance learning three days a week, using synchronous and asynchronous delivery methods.
    • Parents and students will receive training on the school’s online learning platform.
    • The district will provide ongoing distance learning and tech support to students and parents.
    • Schools will follow strict cleaning and hygiene protocols.
  • Full Distance Learning: Students who are not able to, or would prefer not to, return to a school campus can stay connected to their schools and continue their education through our quality online and distance learning programs.
  • Great Basin Academy: Under our current virtual and homeschool programs, students are enrolled in the Klamath County School District and have access to nutritional and special services, extracurricular activities, and specialized academic programs in our schools.
    • Great Basin Virtual Academy: This online school for 7th– through 12th-graders is a long-standing, accredited program with certified teachers. Students will have access to support from KCSD teachers.
    • Great Basin Homeschool: The district’s Great Basin Homeschool Center provides a full academic curriculum for K-8th graders. Parents are responsible for their student’s academic progress.

To find out more about these options, call Great Basin Academy at 541-883-6699.

  • Comprehensive Distance Learning: The district is working to develop a districtwide online school with certified district teachers delivering instruction. Participating students would remain enrolled in their neighborhood school. The program is under development and more information will be available in August.

The Klamath County Sports Officials Scholarship Committee announced yesterday that they have awarded ten scholarships worth $2,400 to local high school student-athletes. 

With this year’s scholarships, the Committee has surpassed $20,000 in total awards since the fund was established in 2011. Scholarships were awarded to graduating student-athletes at the nine schools serviced by the Klamath County Sports Officials partnership – Lost River, Henley, Mazama, Klamath Union, Hosanna, Triad, Chiloquin, Bonanza and Lakeview.

The scholarships are funded by donations from members of six local officiating associations representing various sports. Members of these groups officiate local youth and high school athletic contests in their respective sports, and are compensated for those services.

Their contributions to the scholarship fund are either deducted from their compensation or contributed to the fund directly.

AROUND THE STATE OF OREGON

A 14 year old girl is missing and is believed to be with an older man in the southern Oregon area. Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office is looking for 14-year-old Kaylena Hope Bledsoe. She was last seen Wednesday morning with 20-year-old James Montross. 

The actual car which is shown on the flyer from surveillance footage, is a burgundy colored Chevy HHR with New York license plates. 

Bledsoe is about 5’5″, has black hair, blue eyes and weighs about 130 pounds. Siskiyou County Sheriff’s ask that you contact them if you know the location of Bledsoe : 530-841-2900.

Bret Alan Hagenno

In Grants Pass, last week a shooting occurred at Pinecrest Drive and Tiffany Way. Detectives located Theodore Homer Robison (55) from Josephine County there, shot several times and he was pronounced deceased..

Investigators identified the suspect as Bret Alan Hagenno, who was found yesterday and was taken into custody. The details of the arrest will be posted when they are available.

Hagenno is know to frequent Josephine and Jackson Counties.  Hagenno will be charged with Murder II in Josephine County. If anyone has information about him, they are asked to contact the Oregon State Police Southern Command Center at 541-664-4600 and reference case SP-20-173329.

Oregon ranks at the top for economic recovery

The coronavirus pandemic and resulting shutdowns have caused nearly all sectors of the U.S. economy to hemorrhage jobs, leading to skyrocketing unemployment claims beyond those seen during the Great Recession.

As states reopen, some of those jobs have started to return, and a recent study from financial site WalletHub found that Oregon tops the recovery list.

WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across three metrics based on changes in unemployment claims — the change in claims from last week compared to the same week last year, the change in claims from last week compared to the start of 2020, and the change in claims since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis compared to last year.

According to the study, Oregon ranked best in the nation for recovery over the past week and second in the nation for recovery since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis.

Proposed Jordan Cove LNG site in Coos Bay

The Jordan Cove LNG energy project received another federal vote of confidence on Monday, but local environmental organizations say the project is a long way from coming to fruition.

The Department of Energy granted Jordan Cove a 20-year authorization to export liquefied natural gas (LNG), primarily to customers in Asia, from a proposed terminal in Coos Bay. The fracked gas would be extracted from shale formations in the U.S. and Canada, delivered via existing pipelines to a compression station near Malin and sent through the proposed 229-mile Pacific Connector Pipeline (also part of the project) to the Coos Bay terminal.

The pipeline, which would impact more than 2,000 acres of forest and cross more than 300 streams, lakes and rivers between the Klamath Basin and Coos Bay, along with the dredging and construction required to build the proposed terminal, has drawn criticism from landowners and environmental groups in southwest Oregon. Various state agencies have yet to grant Jordan Cove the necessary authorizations it needs to begin construction on the project, including a water quality certification, coastal zone dredging permit and easements on state land.

A ballot measure that proposes legalizing the therapeutic use of psilocybin, the active chemical in hallucinogenic mushrooms, has officially made the statewide ballot for Oregon’s election in November.

Sponsors of the petition said in June that they anticipated making the ballot after turning in 164,782 signatures. Just over 112,000 verified signatures are required to make the ballot. The sponsors said that they received official confirmation from the Secretary of State’s office on Wednesday.

Supporters have cited studies that suggest psilocybin can help in treatment for depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues.

If approved by voters, the measure would begin a program to allow the licensed cultivation of psilocybin, and regulate the use of psilocybin therapy. Therapy recipients would have to go three a three-step process — a screening for risk factors, a supervised therapy administration session, and an evaluation following the session.

The Democratic leaders for both chambers of the Oregon legislature proposed on Thursday that the state distribute $500 “emergency relief checks” to Oregonians who have applied for unemployment benefits but still have not received them.

House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, and Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, requested $35 million of the state’s CARES Act Coronavirus Relief funds to pay roughly 70,000 people who are still waiting for benefits, the lawmakers said.

Kotek and Courtney said that the Legislative Emergency Board, a small group of lawmakers that addresses funding needs in between legislative sessions, would meet next Tuesday to consider the proposal.

The lawmakers proposed that the state Department of Administrative Services “develop a simple process” to immediately pay Oregonians who have been waiting on benefits from the Employment Department. It would apply to those have filed for benefits from both the regular Unemployment Insurance program and the Pandemic Assistance Unemployment (PUA) program that was created by the CARES Act.

A volunteer work event to restore meadow habitat east of Butte Falls is set for Saturday, July 18. ODFW and the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest (RRSNF) are hosting the Habitat Restoration at Blue Rock Meadows event.

ODFW and the RRSNF are providing water, snacks, work gloves, loppers, and hand saws, although volunteers may also bring their own tools. Volunteers are encouraged to bring mosquito repellant and should know restrooms are not available.

Volunteers will meet at Butte Falls Ranger Station at 8 a.m. July 18 and drive east approximately one hour to Blue Rock Meadows. Work ends at 12 p.m. Although not mandatory, volunteers are encouraged to register at https://tinyurl.com/ybse8fmu

The project goal is to improve 10 acres of meadow habitat by lopping and piling small diameter trees and seedlings to be burned later by RRSNF crews. Meadows provide an opening for highly palatable grass and forbs for deer, elk, and many other species. Without fire and other natural disturbance, meadows are slowly being encroached on by saplings and brush. This project will mimic natural disturbance by removing the encroaching vegetation and maintaining the forest opening.

On Wednesday, Representative Greg Walden sat down with multiple fire agencies in southern Oregon to talk about the 2020 fire season and COVID-19. 

Officials from the Oregon Department of Forestry, U.S Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management made it clear that this season, fires need to be put out as soon as possible — while also making sure it’s done safely.

The other big topic is how firefighting will look during a pandemic. Firefighters will need to wear a mask and maintain social distancing. Huge fire camps are also not going to be used this year. Different Firefighter groups will be spread out.

U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon is calling for a ban on middle seats on planes after sitting shoulder to shoulder on a packed flight.  Merkley tweeted a selfie showing no social distancing as he flew home on American Airlines.  He said it was a high-risk situation with passengers “breathing inches from your own nose and mouth” and taking off their mask to eat or drink.  He plans to introduce a bill to block middle seats from being sold during the pandemic.

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