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, October 28, 2020
Klamath Basin Weather
Today Sunny with a high near 71 degrees.
Thursday Sunny, with a high near 72.
Friday Sunny, with a high near 71. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the afternoon
Saturday Sunny, with a high near 69.
Sunday Sunny, with a high near 71.
Today’s Headlines
Sky Lakes Medical Center has been the victim of a ransomware attack. Medical Center officials have released the following statement:
“To our Sky Lakes community- Earlier today, Sky Lakes Medical Center was the victim of a ransomware attack. Our computer systems have been compromised; as of right now we have no evidence that patient information has been compromised. However, communications with the medical center will be a little complicated until we can get our systems operating again. Our entire Sky Lakes team is working to counter this attack, and we will keep you updated on the ongoing details of our efforts to return business back to normal. Emergency and Urgent care remain available. Many scheduled procedures will go on as scheduled, however, if you have questions please contact the hospital or your provider. Please note, current filled prescriptions will still be available at Sky Lakes pharmacies. Please be patient. We are working to ensure all medical needs are taken care of during this time. Sky Lakes is open and, as always, Sky Lakes is safe and is here to care for you.”
Klamath County Public Health officials reported four new cases of COVID-19 in the community on Tuesday. The local case count is 421. This week’s total is 11.
COVID-19 has claimed nine more lives in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 664, the Oregon Health Authority reported this morning. OHA says 391 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 happened overnight, bringing the state total to 42,808.
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (5), Benton (3), Clackamas (35), Clatsop (1), Columbia (3), Coos (5), Crook (2), Curry (1), Deschutes (5), Douglas (9), Harney (11), Jackson (25), Jefferson (1), Josephine (2), Klamath (5), Lake (1), Lane (31), Linn (6), Malheur (10), Marion (72), Multnomah (72), Polk (3), Umatilla (22), Union (1), Wallowa (2), Wasco (1), Washington (50), Wheeler (1), and Yamhill (6).
Oregon’s rolling average for the past week reached a new high Tuesday, averaging 384 cases a day, up seven from Monday. But that remains significantly lower than some of Oregon’s neighbors, including Washington, Idaho and Nevada, which are averaging roughly 700 to 900 cases a day.
Meanwhile, Oregon is getting more than one-million rapid-response coronavirus tests from the federal government. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced yesterday it’s sending one-million-270-thousand Abbot BinaxNOW COVID-19 point of care antigen tests to Oregon. The department says the shipment is intended to help “facilitate the continued re-opening of Oregon schools, businesses and economy.” Officials say the rapid response tests can diagnose COVID-19 within 15 minutes.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown on Tuesday extended her declaration of a state of emergency for COVID-19 another 60 days until January 2, 2021.
The state of emergency declaration is the legal underpinning for the executive orders the Governor has issued to keep Oregonians healthy and safe throughout this crisis, including her orders on reopening Oregon while maintaining essential health and safety protections, as well as orders around childcare, schools, and higher education operations. Extending the state of emergency declaration allows those orders to stay in effect.
Effective Sunday, November 1st, Moore Park gate hours will be changing for the winter season. The new gate hours will be 6AM-5PM. Please make of note of it. Also all city park restroom facilities will be closed for the winter season.
Because the fire danger level at Crater Lake National Park has dropped from high to moderate, due to recent moisture and predicted cooler temperatures, the park has rescinded the fire restrictions implemented in July and the fire ban implemented in September.
Park officials said that to ensure public safety and to provide the “highest degree of protection to park resources,” some regulatory provisions remain in place.
Maintaining fires in the park is generally prohibited, however campfires are possible at the Mazama Campground in grills or grates provided in designated campsites. The campground is closed for the year. Fires must be fully contained within established fire grills, grates or rings. No bonfires are allowed.
Fires must be constantly monitored while burning and be completely extinguished after use. Fireworks are prohibited in the park at all times.
“Friends of the Children of the Klamath Basin” is holding its annual Potato Sale Fundraiser. Because helping kids is “no small potatoes,” Friends has available 20-pound boxes of premium potatoes for $20 until all boxes are sold.
The fundraiser begins Saturday, November 7, at Klamath Falls Subaru, where premium russet potatoes from sponsor CAL-ORE Produce can be picked up outdoors 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Potatoes also can be purchased and picked up starting November 9 at the Friends of the Children Clubhouse, 3837 Altamont Drive, Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. to noon, and at AmeriTitle and all three branches of Washington Federal Bank, including in their South 6th St. parking lot Friday, November 13, 2-4:30 p.m.
Friends of the Children also will deliver potatoes in the Klamath Basin. To order potatoes for delivery, call (541) 273-2022 and leave a message with your name, phone number, number of boxes desired, and address.
Around the state of Oregon
Oregon is seeing record-breaking early ballot returns with one week to go before the presidential election. Officials say more than one-million residents have already returned their ballots for next Tuesday’s election. That’s 40-percent of Oregon’s registered voters. Back in 2016, only 28-percent of Oregon voters had cast their ballots one week before the election.
An Oregon Office of Emergency Management dashboard shows that at least 4,009 homes were destroyed in eight counties in Oregon in recent fires. Some 2,364 homes were destroyed in Jackson County and 11 in Klamath County.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the state have awarded millions of dollars in aid and other initiatives to help fire victims.
Oregon’s devastating September wildfires that killed nine people and burned more than 1 million acres.
Most of the wildfires in Oregon are contained, though several aren’t yet: the Riverside fire near Estacada (72% contained), the Thielsen fire in the Diamond Lake area (80% contained) and the Slater fire in Josephine County and Northern California (85% contained).
For Oregonians with questions or concerns about voting this election, the state Attorney General’s office says that it has set up a voter protection hotline to provide answers.
The voter protection hotline can be reached at 971-673-4111 for anyone with non-emergency questions and concerns. Messages are reviewed regularly by Department of Justice staff, who can usually return calls within 24 hours on weekdays, or by Monday if left over the weekend. Instructions are offered in English and Spanish, but messages can be returned in other languages upon request.
The AG’s office asserts that voter fraud in Oregon is extremely rare, based on studies throughout the state’s 20-year history with vote-by-mail. Nonetheless, voters who have suspicions about possible fraud and other illegal election activity can use the hotline to report them.
A Portland City Commissioner is proposing a plan to redirect millions of dollars in police funding to community members struggling financially amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty unveiled a proposal yesterday to cut 18-million dollars from the Portland Police Bureau. Mayor Ted Wheeler says he wants to hear more about the potential public safety impact before signing off on it. A public hearing on the proposal is scheduled for tomorrow.
An 18-year-old Sweet Home man has pleaded no contest to two counts of first-degree sex abuse in Linn County Circuit Court.
Seven Lee Bullock entered the pleas last week and is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 6, the Albany Democrat-Herald reported.
The crimes occurred between November 2012 and March 2016 and the victim was a child under the age of 10 according to court documents. Per terms of the negotiated settlement, eight other sex crimes are scheduled to be dismissed at sentencing.
Police are searching for a missing 7-year-old California girl who could be in the Springfield area. Police say Emalee Perry was taken from her home in Red Bluff, California Saturday by her biological mother. Investigators believe they may have been headed toward Springfield or Rainbow.
A Bend, Oregon resident was sentenced to 36 months’ imprisonment today for running an illicit Butane Honey Oil (BHO) extraction lab on rural Bend property, announced U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams.
Jacob Genaro Robe, 31 years old, was sentenced to 3 years in federal prison and 3 years’ supervised release.
“BHO extraction is a highly volatile and dangerous process that has resulted in explosions injuring and killing Oregon residents. When Oregon citizens passed state laws legalizing and regulating the manufacture of marijuana products including BHO, it was meant to bring those black market operations into the light of day and create safeguards protecting the health and safety of Oregon consumers” said U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams. “Those laws are ineffective without enforcement. As this case demonstrates, there are individuals who will violate laws in pursuit of profits over consumer protections and we stand ready to hold them accountable.”
According to court documents, Robe and his brother created a vertical operation growing marijuana, manufacturing BHO and distributing it in other states for significant profit. On March 27, 2018, an Oregon State Police trooper stopped Jacob Robe for a traffic violation near Klamath Falls, Oregon. The officer recognized signs of drug trafficking and eventually located more than $20,000 in cash, BHO, and hallucinogenic mushrooms.
The Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team had previously received information regarding defendant and his brothers having a BHO lab and selling BHO in other states, and detectives served a search warrant on the brothers’ rural property in Bend, Oregon. Also found were freezers with marijuana, drying racks with sheets of BHO and jars with their logo “THE BHOys.” (Photos)
In an unattached two-story structure approximately 179 large, mature, marijuana plants were located along with around 280 starter plants. Law enforcement located an indoor marijuana grow with hundreds of plants, a closed-loop BHO lab, 18 pounds of BHO, 200 pounds of marijuana and thirteen firearms. Police located the firearms in various places in the residence, including positioned near the front door (photo) in the kitchen (photo) and in Robe’s bedroom.
On November 25, 2019 Robe was charged by information, and on January 29, 2020 pleaded guilty to conspiracy to manufacture and distribute marijuana.
Robe forfeited $23,000 in U.S. currency.
Pandemic-related job losses have increased the number of Oregonians eligible for help paying for health insurance. The Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace estimates thousands of Oregonians may be newly eligible.
In recent years, Oregon had made great strides in reducing the uninsured rate. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, 94 percent of all Oregonians had health coverage. Since the pandemic, hundreds of thousands of Oregonians either have lost their job or have experienced a loss in income. As a result, these Oregonians may be newly eligible for financial help to purchase health insurance.
Insurance agents and community partner organizations throughout the state are available to help with applying for financial assistance and choosing private plans. Consumers can also browse plans and find out how much savings they are eligible for by going to OregonHealthCare.gov/WindowShop.
Oregonians who do not get health insurance through their job or a program such as the Oregon Health Plan or Medicare may qualify for help paying for 2021 coverage at OregonHealthCare.gov. Even if people are temporarily uninsured, they can sign up for help by the Dec. 15 deadline to get health insurance for next year.
“A pandemic is no time to go without health insurance and the essential health benefits that come with it,” said Chiqui Flowers, administrator of the Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace. “You can get help paying for health insurance based on your income. Don’t assume you make too much to be eligible.”
Individuals making $51,040 or less per year, and families of four making $104,800 or less, may get help paying for coverage. In 2020, more than seven in 10 Oregonians who chose plans through HealthCare.gov got financial help for monthly premiums and out-of-pocket costs. These savings lowered the average premium to just $145 per month.
To apply, go to OregonHealthCare.gov before Dec. 15 and answer a few Oregon-specific questions to get to the right application. Or they can search the “get help” directory on the site to find an insurance agent or community partner organization who can help them complete the application and enroll. Insurance agents and community partners provide local, one-on-one assistance at no charge to the client. This help is available virtually and over the phone, and in person following safety protocols.