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.
Wednesday, September 23, 2020
Klamath Basin Weather
Today Mostly sunny, with a high near 79. Overnight a 30% chance of rain, low around 52.
Thursday Showers likely, mainly before 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 68. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Friday Mostly sunny, with a high near 68.
Today’s Headlines
Klamath County Public Health (KCPH) officials reported two new cases of COVID-19 in the community on Tuesday, Sept. 22, bringing the local count to 277. This week’s count in the county is now four.
Jackson County Public Health reported on Tuesday that a fifth person in the county has died due to coronavirus.
COVID-19 has claimed three more lives in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 532, the Oregon Health Authority reported today.
Oregon Health Authority reported 328 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 bringing the state total to 31,313.
Klamath County Public Health Director Jennifer Little encourages everyone to follow CDC guidelines. These include regular handwashing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry.
Avoid close contact with anyone sick and place six feet of distance between yourself and people who don’t live in your household. Remember that some people without symptoms may still be able to spread the virus.
Klamath County Public Health (KCPH) officials report that the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is expecting intermittent smoke intrusion through Wednesday, Sept. 23, according to a news release. The air quality in the Klamath Basin is anticipated to range from moderate to unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Widespread fires in Oregon, California and Washington will continue to affect air quality throughout the Pacific Northwest. To easily monitor the changes in air quality, search for OregonAir in your app store.
Currently, masks and respirators known to protect against wildfire smoke particles, the N95, are in short supply and are being reserved as personal protective equipment for health professionals. The best way to reduce smoke exposure is to stay indoors.
The 173rd Fighter Wing based at Kingsley Field announced Monday that Tactical Air, Inc. agreed to a four-year contract. The company supplies adversary air aircraft for training purposes.
Currently there are two F-5AT aircraft at Kingsley Field, with two more expected to arrive when they begin flying what is commonly called “red air.” That entails simulating an adversary on the field of battle during student training missions.
The aircraft and crews supplied by Tactical Air will increase training capability by freeing up F-15 cockpits for student pilot training in stead of using them to simulate an enemy.
In the past, Kingsley Field has utilized temporary adversary air services, but has not had a four-year contract in place, which meant employees of the company did not often live and work in Klamath Falls.
Crews continue to make progress on both the Two Four Two and the Brattain fires, which are burning in Klamath and Lake counties.
Two Four Two Fire Update, near Chiloquin
Crews will continue mop up and gridding for smoke in the fire area. Firefighters have almost completed mopping up 100 feet around the entire fire perimeter. There is some remaining heat on the west side of Highway 62 that crews will focus on.
Snags remain an extreme hazard to firefighters and the public following any wildfire. Heather Berg, USFS Agency Administrator, stated in Sunday’s virtual community meeting that U.S Forest Service land will remain closed to the public in the fire area. U.S Forest Service and the Oregon Department of Forestry will continue working in the fire area to rehabilitate fire line and evaluate post-fire restoration work.
The Ross Ragland Theater has announced the Fall Session
of the Rag-Tag Children’s Choir.
Grades 4th-6th
Monday’s from 4:30-5:30pm
Instructed by: Danielle Harmon
SIGN UP by Monday, Sept. 28th to explore the world of choral music while learning vocal techniques, music appreciation and participate in a high energy performance on the famous Ragland stage in December!
$115 per child (additional siblings $95)
Call Sam Burris at 541-887-8637 to enroll TODAY!
*Limited space available
The Merrill Lions Club officially kicked off the 83rd annual Klamath Basin Potato Festival Sept. 14 at the Merrill Civic Center.
Vicki Liskey and Diane Ongman emceed the evening, which included introductions of and questions for the queen candidates. Tayla Berry, Bonanza, Grace Nyseth, Henley, Zoe Hill Sparks, Klamath Union, Gabby Haskins, Lost River, Jennifer Ibarra Barajas, Mazama, and Annette Chavez, Tulelake, are running for the title. Elizabeth McKoen, daughter of Mike and Jennifer McKoen, and Oaklee McKoen, daughter of Chris and Loralee McKoen, are serving as this year’s junior princesses.
Also attending the dinner were the candidate chaperones, parents, school administrators and teachers, and Lions Club members.
Bob and Jeanne Petrik of Merrill, and their family, are grand marshals of the 2020 Festival. The Petriks are graduates of Merrill High School and have been active in Lions Club, Lost River Boosters, and Merrill Presbyterian Church for decades. Their contributions to the community have made many projects possible, including the annual Potato Festival and the giant American flag that flies over Merrill.
Around the state of Oregon
OREGON SNAP RECIPIENTS WHO LOST FOOD DUE TO WILDFIRES MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR REPLACEMENT BENEFITS
The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) is currently processing replacement benefit requests for individuals who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and who suffered loss of food due to the wildfires.
SNAP recipients who lost or disposed of food that was unsafe to eat, can request SNAP replacement benefits. Current SNAP recipients should contact their local ODHS office as soon as possible to find out if they are eligible.
Replacement benefits are available to existing SNAP recipients who:
- Lost food due to a power outage
- Lost food due to home damage
- Request replacement benefits within 10 calendar days of experiencing food loss
Replacement benefits are not automatic. The amount of replacement benefits each SNAP recipient will receive is based on their monthly issuance.
Learn more at https://www.oregon.gov/dhs/assistance/food-benefits/pages/replacement%20-benefits.aspx.
SNAP customers can contact their local ODHS SSP, APD or AAA office for more information. Find a local office at: oregon.gov/DHS/Offices/Pages/index.aspx.
For other ways to connect with DHS, contact 211info:
- By calling 2-1-1 from any phone
- Text your zip code to 898211
- By email at help@211info.org
- 211info.org
Brattain Fire Update, near Paisley
Many more positive developments were made Sunday, especially with mop-up activity. Crews experienced only moderate fire behavior most of the weekend, with just creeping and smoldering for several straight days, with smoke mostly coming from the interior and northwest corner of the fire.
Mop-up and patrolling lines continued in all divisions through Monday. Crews are moving into more active repair and rehab operations, and a special suppression repair group was on site on Sunday scouting and looking at road and contingency lines.
Several Oregon businesses have threatened a class action lawsuit against the state over COVID-19 restrictions implemented by Gov. Kate Brown to slow the pandemic. A lawyer representing the businesses argues that Oregon officials should draft a plan to compensate small business owners for financial hardship caused by those restrictions, The Oregonian/OregonianLive reported yesterday.
The demand letter was filed on behalf of a Linn County salon, a Coos County bowling alley and the Wilsonville Family Fun Center, better known as Bullwinkle’s.
“As a result of your orders, my clients and many other businesses like theirs closed as ordered and thousands of workers found themselves without employment,” attorney John DiLorenzo wrote in a tort claim letter to the state Friday.
Brown’s office said Monday it doesn’t comment on pending or potential litigation. DiLorenzo is one of the state’s most high-profile attorneys, having most recently won a $1 billion jury verdict against the state for failing to maximize timber harvests. The state has appealed.
Umpqua bank says it will donate $750,000 toward wildfire relief efforts in Oregon, Washington and California — both for immediate relief efforts and longer-term economic recovery.
In a statement, the bank said that $100,000 will go toward response and recovery efforts in the coming weeks. The remaining $650,000 will be earmarked for community organizations helping small businesses and local economic recovery.
Umpqua Bank says it has also approved a 3:1 corporate match for employees who donate to non-profits supporting those impacted by wildfires. For employees directly impacted by the fires, the bank says it has set up an emergency assistance fund and other resources.
Firefighters continue to make progress on several wildfires burning across the state of Oregon. Fire officials say the Riverside Fire burning in Clackamas County is now 25-percent contained at 137-thousand-971 acres.
The deadly Beachie Creek fire in the Santiam Canyon is now 38-percent contained at 192-thousand-736 acres. And, the Lionshead Fire is now 13-percent contained at nearly 199-thousand acres. The National Interagency Coordination Center says only three fires grew more than one-thousand acres from Sunday into Monday, while six of the state’s largest fires didn’t grow at all.
The sudden wildfires that torched more than 1 million acres across Oregon this month completely destroyed at least seven marijuana businesses and damaged at least dozen more, according to preliminary state survey data.
Marijuana has rapidly grown into a major Oregon industry, with sales topping $100 million a month during the pandemic. Oregon sales were up 41% through August and are on track to top $1 billion for the first time.
The wildfires appear to have directly affected a tiny percentage of the state’s 2,300 licensees but it’s too soon to know whether that destruction and other indirect impacts might have a broader effect on this year’s crop.
Deputies investigating a fatal stabbing on Friday night later arrested a young transient man in connection with the crime, according to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded to the Elderberry Flats area outside of Wimer shortly before 7:30 p.m. on Friday night, arriving to find a man dead at the scene. The person who called 911 to report the stabbing was present during the incident, JCSO said.
The investigation later led to the arrest of 20-year-old Brenden Rex Stansell, who JCSO said is a transient in the Eagle Point area. Stansell was taken into custody on Monday. Stansell faces charges of Murder in the Second Degree and Assault in the First Degree, and is being held without bail. The identity of the victim has not yet been released, and JCSO says that his next-of-kin is being notified. This is a developing story and will be updated with more details as they emerge.
…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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