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, August 28, 2020
Klamath Basin Weather
Today Patchy smoke. Sunny, with a high near 90. Clear overnight, low of 57.
Saturday Sunny, with a high near 90.
Sunday Sunny, with a high near 81. North northwest wind 6 to 8 mph.
Monday Sunny with a high of 86. Mostly clear overnight, with a low around 54.
Tuesday Sunny, with a high near 91.
Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 93.
Today’s Headlines
Klamath County Public Health (KCPH) officials reported four new cases of COVID-19 in the community on Thursday, Aug. 27, bringing the local count to 234. This week’s count is 11.
Oregon Health Authority released its weekly report Wednesday, which showed a 13% drop in daily cases for the week of Aug. 16 to Aug. 23, according to a news release. OHA recorded 1,704 new cases of COVID-19 cases—down from previous week’s tally of 1,963. Slightly fewer Oregonians were tested for the week, which had a total of 24,177 people tested. That total includes testing done at all locations including commercial non-hospital-based laboratories, hospital laboratories and Oregon State Public Health Laboratory.
The rate of positive tests also declined to 5.1% from 5.4%. However, The week of August 16 was a dismal one for coronavirus cases in Jackson County, public health officials reported on Thursday, marking a record high for new cases in a one-week period. Last week, public health officials recorded 130 new cases of COVID-19 — a rate of 59 cases per 100,000 in population. The test positivity rate was 9.2 percent for that week.
Oregon health officials are reporting five new coronavirus-related deaths, bringing the state death toll to 438. Health officials are also reporting 212 new confirmed and presumptive cases of coronavirus, bringing the state total to 25,761 since the pandemic began.
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Benton (1), Clackamas (18), Clatsop (1), Columbia (2), Deschutes (4), Douglas (1), Hood River (1), Jackson (15), Jefferson (2), Josephine (2), Klamath (5), Lane (8), Lincoln (1), Linn (5), Malheur (12), Marion (40), Morrow (3), Multnomah (27), Polk (3), Umatilla (8), Union (2), Washington (47) and Yamhill (4).
Chromebooks can be checked out next week by the families of Klamath Falls City Schools students.
Each Chromebook must checked out at the school the student attends. Every student can check one out, but registration must be completed. If the student does not have internet access at home, a mobile hotspot may also be checked out, typically one per family. Guardians will be given a mobile device checkout agreement with an option to purchase or waive insurance. Insurance payment is due at the time you check out devices.
The Light the Tower event at the Ross Ragland Theater scheduled for last night was postponed late yesterday afternoon. New lighting technology is being installed for the first time in Oregon during this capital campaign. Due to complications in wiring and shipping, a Eugene-based company was unable to make installation deadlines. This did not allow ample time for the Ragland to execute an event for their donors, volunteers, and community.
Executive director Scott Mohon said in a statement that “No one is more disappointed than the board, staff and volunteers who have been working tirelessly to create the best “Light the Tower” Event during this time of COVID,” The theater is looking to reschedule the event in September.
The Klamath County Library announced Thursday that the 2020 Klamath Comic Con has been canceled. According to the release, the cancellation is due to mandates and guidelines related to the COVID-19 pandemic. It had originally been scheduled for October. Since 2014, the library has hosted the event that brings people from across the Klamath Basin together to share passions for comics, gaming, cosplay, anime and more. A date has been set for 2021: Saturday, October 30.
The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a deadly shooting that happened northeast of Weed in the early hours of Thursday morning. Officers from the Weed Police Department received a 911 call about a possible shooting on the north side of Highway A12, somewhere in the subdivision off Perla Drive. Sheriff’s deputies and detectives from the Siskiyou County Major Crimes Unit responded, finding a dead man inside of a structure there. A witness told investigators that the unidentified suspect — or suspects — left the scene. The Sheriff’s Office said that an “extensive” crime scene investigation is now underway. Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center at (530) 841-2900.
Discuss policing in Klamath Falls with Police Chief David Henslee
Since May, high-profile protests against police brutality have led communities all across the country to examine their own police departments. Discuss the state of policing in Klamath Falls during a live video chat with chief of city police David Henslee at the Friends of the Klamath County Library’s quarterly meeting on Wednesday, September 16th at 2pm. The presentation will be followed by a brief business meeting of the Friends.
Henslee has 27 years of law enforcement experience, including serving as an instructor in a variety of policing topics. He’s served as the chief of police for the City of Klamath Falls since 2015. Henslee aims to focus on strengthening relationships with community organizations. Community partnership work he did as a board member of the Oregon Chapter of the FBI National Academy Associates is featured in the book Best Practices in Community Conscious Policing by Brandon Lee.
The presentation is free to the public, but registration is required so we can send you the invite to connect via Zoom teleconferencing. For more information and to register, email the Friends at folklamath@gmail.com.
For more about how you can become a Friend of the Klamath County Library, visit klamathlibrary.org/friends.
Outdoor Gardening Seminar, Fridays at 7pm starting September 11th
Downtown Klamath County Library
Outdoor gardening season might be winding down as we head into fall, but the Klamath County Library knows: a gardener’s passion is year-round. Show off your gardening knowledge in our first-ever Gardening Trivia Tournament, co-hosted by the Oregon State University Klamath Basin Research and Extension Center!
Nicole Sanchez – an assistant professor in horticulture at the extension center and a favorite recurring guest speaker at the library – will test your trivia skills in a variety of topics on Fridays at 7pm starting September 11th! Passionate trivia buffs can accumulate points over all six weeks of the event, and we’ll be giving away prizes for both each week’s top scorers and the competitors who finish the tournament with the three highest cumulative scores.
To register, head to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/klamath-gardening-trivia-tournament-tickets-118500687747 or email Denae Nemanic at dnemanic@klamathlibrary.org. This will be an individual competition held via the TriviaMaker app, which you can use on a home computer, tablet, or smart phone. (Don’t worry if you’re unfamiliar with the app – Denae can walk you through it.)
To get you started, we’ll even give you each week’s theme so you can brush up in advance:
- September 11th: Challenges of Gardening in the Klamath Climate
- September 18th: Growing Vegetables in Cool Climates
- September 25th: Bug Battles: Identifying Pests and Beneficial Insects
- October 2nd: Enhancing Pollinators in the Landscape
- October 9th: Drought-Tolerant Landscape Plants
- October 16th: Gardening Remix – the finale will feature a mix of the most challenging questions from all the previous categories!
A great place to start studying is Nicole Sanchez’s weekly gardening column.
You can find an online archive at the OSU Klamath Basin Research and Extension Center’s website: https://extension.oregonstate.edu/newsletter/130026/archive.
For more information, call the Klamath County Library at 541-882-8894.
Take the Klamath County Library’s storytimes home with you!
Putting together a “family storytime” for your little ones has never been easier. The Klamath County Library is offering Storytime Kits for families starting the week of September 8th.
Each kit comes with two picture books to read together and a themed craft for each child in your family to enjoy. We’ll have a new theme each week, to keep storytime fresh! (Craft kit materials available while supplies last.)
And don’t worry, all you fans of our live Virtual Storytime videos on Facebook – they’re not going anywhere! Join us each Tuesday and Friday at 11am at facebook.com/KlamathCountyLibrary for stories, songs, puppet games, and more.
For more information, call us at 541-882-8894.
Around the state of Oregon
On Wednesday, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched to a motor vehicle crash involving a pedestrian in the 1800 block of Houston Road near Phoenix, Oregon. The victim pedestrian had been walking in the area of Houston Rd. and Calhoun Rd when she was struck by the pickup.
While law enforcement was enroute, several citizens assisted with helping the pedestrian. At the same time other citizens followed the suspect vehicle as it fled the scene.
The suspect vehicle, a white Chevrolet Silverado pickup, fled at a high speed westbound towards Carpenter Hill Road and entered an orchard in the 1300 block. Deputies contacted a female driver in her vehicle. The female suspect was uncooperative during the initial contact with her and throughout her arrest. She was taken to a local hospital for a blood draw and then lodged at Jackson County Jail.
The suspect is Regina Gwen Hayes, DOB 06/02/77 (43 years), of Salem, Oregon.
Hayes was lodged was lodged on charges of Manslaughter 1, DUII, Reckless driving, Hit and Run-Felony. Total bail $117,500.
The deceased has been identified as Dorothy Ann Vickland, 95 years old, of Thornton Colorado. She was visiting relatives who live near the crash scene.
The case will be sent to the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office for further action.
Sales of recreational cannabis have broken $100 million for three months in a row in Oregon as the state continues to wrestle with the COVID-19 pandemic. According to data from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, which oversees marijuana sales, sales have been up since March, when the state went into lockdown to slow the spread of the virus. That month total sales in Oregon were $84.5 million, 30% higher than March of 2019. At the time, some business owners worried the March bump was temporary. But numbers show things have only gotten better, at least for some of the state’s cannabis retailers.
Today the Crane Fire remains 2,993 acres and is now 90 percent contained. Estimated full containment is currently August 31.
The fire was transitioned at 6 a.m. from Pacific Northwest Team 12 to the Fremont-Winema National Forest Lakeview Ranger District. The current organization is a local Type 4 Incident Management Team with Incident Commander Cody Blair.
While firefighting resources are being rapidly released today, there will still be firefighters working on the Crane Fire over the coming weeks. This includes achieving full containment, working on mop-up activities, resource repair work and patrolling the fire.
Area residents and visitors should watch for fire traffic in the area and be prepared to slow down on Forest roads around the fire area.
Even when the fire is contained, there will likely be localized smoke visible from internal pockets of burning fuels over the next several weeks.
The Crane Fire Emergency Closure Order Number 06-02-02-20-02 remains in effect until conditions allow or December 1, 2020, whichever occurs first. There will be public notification when it is lifted.
This is the final Crane Fire update unless there is a significant change in conditions.
Fire information is available on Inciweb at www.inciweb.gov/incident/6985.
Protesters and U.S. agents assigned to protect federal property in Portland clashed late Wednesday outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Building in another night of violence for Oregon’s largest city. Some people in a crowd of about 200 disabled or vandalized building security cameras, shined laser lights at the agents and threw rocks and bottles at them, Portland police said in a statement issued Wednesday. During the clashes, agents shot non-lethal munitions at the crowd and set off stun grenades and irritants that released green and white plumes into the air. One apparently injured protester was carried away by fellow demonstrators, the newspaper reported. A federal agent was injured after being hit in the leg by a rock, and police made 11 arrests, the Portland police statement said. Portland has been gripped by nightly protests for nearly three months since the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The demonstrations, often violent, usually target police buildings and federal buildings.
U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams announced today that 74 people are facing federal charges for crimes committed adjacent to or under the guise of peaceful demonstrations in Portland since at least May 29, 2020.
For more than 90 consecutive nights, Portland has been home to large demonstrations and protests against police use of force and anti-Black racism. On many nights, after peaceful demonstrations end, various public and private buildings have been the target of vandalism and destruction. Local, state, and federal law enforcement working to protect these buildings and ensure the safety of peaceful demonstrators have been subjected to threats and assaults from violent agitators while performing their duties.
“Violent agitators have hijacked any semblance of First Amendment protected activity, engaging in violent criminal acts and destruction of public safety,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our federal law enforcement partners are expeditiously working with local and state law enforcement to identify, arrest, and prosecute these individuals that are disrupting the rule of law in our communities and physically attacking our law enforcement officers and destroying property. Violent agitators not only delay real reform, but make our community less safe by keeping law enforcement from responding to other critical calls for service.”
“While the FBI supports and safeguards Constitutionally-protected activity and civil rights, there is no permit for assault, arson or property damage and these are not victimless crimes,” said Renn Cannon, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Oregon. “Among the victims of violent crime are business owners, residents and individuals exercising their First Amendment rights through protests or other legitimate forms of expression.”
“The nightly violence has to stop,” said Russel Burger, U.S. Marshal for the District of Oregon. “It is drowning out the voices of the many who are calling for change, and pulling police resources away from their primary mission of keeping this community safe. We must all come together to find a productive way to move forward.”
Since May 26, 2020, federal law enforcement authorities have arrested 100 people for crimes committed during local demonstrations. Seventy-four face federal charges, including felonies, misdemeanors, and citation violations. Crimes include assaults on federal officers, some resulting in serious injuries; arson and attempted arson; damaging federal government property; failing to obey lawful orders; and unlawful use of a drone; among others.
Charged defendants include:
- Edward Carubis, 24, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 1, 2020;
- Rowan Olsen, 19, is charged (photos available) with creating a hazard on federal property, disorderly conduct, and failing to obey a lawful order on July 2, 2020;
- Shant Singh Ahuja, 28, of Oceanside, California, is charged with destruction of federal property on July 4, 2020;
- Gretchen Blank, 29, of Seattle, Washington, is charged (photos available) with assaulting a federal officer on July 5, 2020;
- Andrew Faulkner, 24, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 5, 2020;
- Christopher Fellini, 31, is charged (photos available) with assaulting a federal officer on July 5, 2020;
- Theodore Matthee-O’Brien, 21, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 5, 2020;
- Cody Porter, 28, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 5, 2020;
- Taimane Teo, 24, of Eugene, Oregon, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 5, 2020;
- Benjamin Wood-Pavich, 21, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 5, 2020;
- Jacob Gaines, 23, a Texas resident, is charged (photos available) with assaulting a federal officer on July 11, 2020;
- Lillith Grin, 22, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 12, 2020;
- Benjamin Bolen, 36, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 13, 2020;
- Kevin Weier, 36, is charged with attempted arson on July 13, 2020;
- Wyatt Ash-Milby, 18, is charged with failing to obey a lawful order on July 21, 2020;
- Jerusalem Callahan, 24, is charged with damaging government property on July 21, 2020;
- Zachary Duffly, 45, is charged with creating a disturbance on July 21, 2020;
- Caleb Ehlers, 23, is charged with failing to obey a lawful order on July 21, 2020;
- Paul Furst, 22, is charged with failing to obey a lawful order on July 21, 2020;
- Jennifer Kristiansen, 38, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 21, 2020;
- Ella Miller, 26, is charged with failing to obey a lawful order on July 21, 2020;
- Marie Sager, 27, is charged with failing to obey a lawful order on July 21, 2020;
- Giovanni Bondurant, 19, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 22, 2020;
- Bailey Dreibelbis, 22, is charged with failing to obey a lawful order on July 21, 2020;
- Gabriel Huston, 22, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 22, 2020;
- Joseph Lagalo, 37, is charged with failing to obey a lawful order on July 22, 2020;
- Taylor Lemons, 32, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 22, 2020;
- Joseph Ybarra, 21, is charged with arson on July 22, 2020;
- David Hazan, 24, is charged with failing to obey a lawful order on July 23, 2020;
- Nicholas Kloiber, 26, is charged with failing to obey a lawful order on July 23, 2020;
- Cameron Knutson, 28, is charged with failing to obey a lawful order on July 23, 2020;
- Carly Ballard, 34, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 24, 2020;
- David Bouchard, 36, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 24, 2020;
- Dakota Eastman, 30, is charged with failing to obey a lawful order on July 24, 2020;
- Josslynn Kreutz, 28, is charged with failing to obey a lawful order on July 24, 2020;
- Ezra Meyers, 18, is charged with failing to obey a lawful order on July 24, 2020;
- Mark Rolycanov, 28, is charged with failing to obey a lawful order on July 24, 2020;
- Pablo Avvocato, 26, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 25, 2020;
- Douglas Dean, 34, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 25, 2020;
- Rebecca Mota Gonzales, 37, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 25, 2020;
- Thomas Johnson, 33, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 25, 2020;
- Richard Lindstedt, 33, is charged with violating national defense airspace on July 25, 2020;
- Nathan Onderdonk-Snow, 21, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 25, 2020;
- Stephen O’Donnell, 65, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 25, 2020;
- Joshua Webb, 22, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 25, 2020;
- Jeffree Cary, 30, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 26, 2020;
- John Tyler Gabriel, 22, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 26, 2020;
- Noelle Mandolfo, 30, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 26, 2020;
- Patrick Stafford, 35, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 26, 2020;
- Travis Williams, 27, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 26, 2020;
- Caleb Wills, 29, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 26, 2020;
- Brodie Storey, 28, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 27, 2020;
- Edward Schinzing, 32, is charged (photos available) with arson on July 28, 2020;
- James Hickerson, 54, is charged with failing to obey a lawful order on July 28, 2020;
- Ian Wolf, 26, is charged with failing to obey a lawful order and creating a hazard on federal property on July 28, 2020;
- Sabastian Dubar, 23, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 29, 2020;
- Jordan Johnson, 32, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 29, 2020;
- Evan Kriechbaum, 31, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 29, 2020;
- Christine Margaux, 28, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on July 29, 2020;
- Gabriel Agard-Berryhill, 18, is charged (video available) with arson on July 30, 2020;
- Isaiah Maza, 18, is charged (photos available) with assaulting a federal officer on July 31, 2020;
- Dakotah Horton, 24, is charged (photos available) with assaulting a federal officer on August 17, 2020; and
- Dakota Means, 20, is charged with assaulting a federal officer on August 24, 2020.
Eleven others have been issued citation violations. All defendants, unless noted, are presumed to be local residents.
Several of the charges being used to prosecute violent agitators carry significant maximum prison sentences. For example, felony assault of a federal officer with a dangerous weapon is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Arson is punishable by up to 20 years in prison with a mandatory minimum sentence of five years.
It is important to note that while some federal charges require crimes be committed on federal property, others do not. Violent acts committed throughout the city of Portland under the guise of peaceful protest are being evaluated by local federal prosecutors for prosecution.
These cases are being investigated by the FBI; U.S. Marshals Service; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; and Federal Protective Service. They are being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.
Indictments, complaints, and informations are only accusations of a crime, and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Two inmates from the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution died of COVID-19 within hours of each other, prison officials said Thursday. The deaths on Wednesday bring the total of COVID-19 fatalities in Oregon’s prisons to five, according to the Oregon Department of Corrections. The first inmate to die was a man between the ages of 65 and 75 who died during the day. The second inmate was between the ages of 50 and 60 and died in the evening. Both men died at a local hospital, according to a news release.
…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.
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