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.
FRIDAY 08/14/20
Klamath Basin Weather
Today: Sunny, with a high near 93. Light south southwest wind.
Saturday: Widespread haze after 11am. Sunny and hot, with a high near 97. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 11am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 95. Light and variable wind becoming south 12 to 17 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 26 mph
Today’s Headlines
COVID-19 has claimed eight more lives in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 383, the Oregon Health Authority reported on Thursday.
Oregon Health Authority reported 294 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. Thursday, bringing the state total to 22,300. Two new cases were reported here in Klamath County. Jackson County Public Health reported 15 new cases of coronavirus on Thursday, bringing the county above 500 cases since the pandemic reached southern Oregon in March. The new cases put Jackson County’s total at 514, of which 152 are considered active infectious cases. There have been two deaths attributed to COVID-19 within the past month. According to Jackson County’s most recent demographic data, last updated on Wednesday, 41 people have been hospitalized since the pandemic began — up from just 10 at the beginning of July.
Beginning tomorrow, there will be temporary road closures put in place on the Fremont-Winema National Forest Bly Ranger District for the Deer Creek culvert replacement project.
The project is located on Forest Road 3428 and Forest Road 3428014, which runs between Forest Roads 34 and 28. Signs are being placed at major intersections before the road closures to ensure plenty of space for large vehicles to turn around. The temporary road closure is in place until September 30 or the project is completed, whichever occurs first. The public will be notified when the closure is lifted.
Fremont-Winema National Forest officials are seeing an increase in abandoned campfires and other observed behaviors over the past several weeks that raises the risk of wildfires, despite the Forest being under public use restrictions.
The public use restrictions are intended to reduce the risk of wildfire by limiting campfires and stoves to areas that are safe, as well as restricting smoking, operating motorized equipment and other activities involving an open flame Yesterday firefighters responded to a fire located just off U.S. Highway 97 near Collier State Park on the Chiloquin Ranger District. The fire was quickly lined by a dozer and hose lay and was contained at approximately 1.6 acres. Last night firefighters were working on mop-up..
As part of the order, motor vehicles are not allowed even on open roads if vegetation will come in contact with the vehicle undercarriage. Chainsaw use is also currently prohibited anywhere on the Forest and portable generators are only allowed in the designated areas listed in “Exhibit A”. Any internal or external combusting engine must have a spark arrestor. Additionally, welding or anything involving a torch or open flame are also prohibited.
Around the State of Oregon
For the fourth time in a week, Portland police declared a riot following protesting in the city.
On Wednesday night, hundreds of people gathered in Chapman Square and Lownsdale Square, two side-by-side small parks in downtown Portland. Black Lives Matter protests in Portland have been ongoing since late May after the police killing of George Floyd, a Black man in Minneapolis. The Portland Police Bureau said that starting at 8:30 p.m., the group blocked traffic for several hours on Southwest 3rd Avenue at Southwest Main Street. During that time, several group members made speeches while others chanted
Hundreds of protesters surrounded a pair of buses for hours in Bend Wednesday night after immigration officials detained two men.
At around 11 p.m., the Bend Police Department tweeted that federal officers had arrived in the area to help Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Bend police said they were not helping the federal agents. Shortly after midnight, police tweeted an update saying federal officers left the area and the crowd had dispersed.
Portland State University announced Thursday that campus safety officers will no longer carry guns during patrol.
The move comes as Portland nears 80 days of continuous protests against police violence and systemic racism. Students at Portland State have lobbied to get guns removed from campus security. It was one of the issues that caused students and supporters to shut down a governing board meeting at the school in 2016. In 2018, Navy veteran Jason Washington was killed by a campus police officer during a melee outside of the Cheerful Tortoise. The killing of Washington, who was black, renewed calls to take guns away from campus safety.
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