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.
Tuesday, December 29, 2020
Klamath Basin Weather
Today Mostly sunny, with a high near 39. Cloudy overnight with a low of 22.
Wednesday Mostly cloudy, with a high near 42. Chance of snow flurries late afternoon and evening. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. Overnight, snow likely, with a low around 27. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.
Thursday A 20 percent chance of snow before 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 40.
Friday, New Year’s Day A chance of snow after 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 41.
Saturday A chance of rain and snow. Snow level rising to 4900 feet in the afternoon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 41.
See Road Camera Views:
Lake of the Woods
Doak Mtn.
Hiway 97 at Chemult
Hiway 140 at Bly
Hiway 97 at GreenSprings Dr.
Hiway 97 at LaPine
Today’s Headlines
The Klamath County School District and the Klamath Falls City Schools have today announced they will reopen to “in-person instruction” for all students at all grade levels, starting Jan. 11th.
New guidance by Gov. Kate Brown changed COVID-19 case metrics from mandatory to advisory, allowing school districts to work with local public health officials to determine when to reopen schools.
During a meeting Monday with district superintendents and school nurses, county public health officials advised a 10-day waiting period following winter break because of current high case counts of COVID-19 in the county and an expected spike in cases following Christmas and New Year’s.
The reopening date allows for 10 days between the holidays and the first day of in-person classes. All students still will return to class Monday, Jan. 4 for a week of distance learning before transitioning to in-person models.
“The district has been working with public health since September to keep students in school to the maximum degree possible. It will be good to finally get back to all students having the opportunity to do in-person instruction,” said Glen Szymoniak, superintendent of the Klamath County School District.
Paul Hillyer, superintendent of the Klamath Falls City Schools, agreed.
“We are extremely excited to be able to offer in-person instruction to all our students once again,” he said. “This is an exciting development that will help students academically, socially, and emotionally. It will also be exciting for our staff who have so much missed the day-to-day interaction with students.”
All students in Klamath County returned to comprehensive distance learning Nov. 30 after rising COVID-19 cases in the county exceeded state-mandated metrics. On Jan. 11, students will return to in-person instruction models their schools were following before the closure.
Schools must still follow all health safety and health protocols in Oregon Department of Education’s Ready Schools, Safe Learners. The new guidance from the governor does not mean schools can resume in-person instruction without regard for COVID-19 spread in the community.
“We will continue to work closely Klamath County Public Health, the Oregon Department of Education, and Oregon Health Authority to ensure our decision-making process remains grounded in sound science, public health, and student, staff, and community safety,” Szymoniak said.
Both districts will continue to offer virtual options for students and families who are not comfortable returning to in-person instruction because of COVID-19 concerns
Klamath County Public Health officials reported 101 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday. The local case count is 1,842.
Of the 101 cases, 89 were in the database on Saturday, Dec. 26, and count toward last week. This week’s count is 12. The reporting week runs from Sunday through Saturday. Jackson County Public Health reported three more deaths attributed to coronavirus on Monday, bringing the local death toll to 69 since the pandemic began.
COVID-19 has claimed six more lives in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 1,433, the Oregon Health Authority reported today. Oregon Health Authority reported 865 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19, bringing the state total to 110,545.
The new COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (1), Benton (7), Clackamas (125), Clatsop (5), Columbia (5), Coos (1), Curry (1), Deschutes (11), Grant (1), Harney (1), Hood River (8), Jackson (69), Jefferson (1), Josephine (7), Lake (1), Lane (35), Lincoln (2), Linn (12), Malheur (5), Marion (80), Multnomah (121), Polk (32), Umatilla (11), Union (1), Wasco (3), Washington (305) and Yamhill (14).
OHA is providing daily updates on administered doses of COVID-19 vaccines in Oregon on its vaccination data dashboard. Yesterday, 840 doses of vaccine were administered, raising the state’s total number of first vaccine doses to 20,298. All vaccinations occurred at Oregon hospitals and long-term care facilities. The dashboard provides weekday updates on the number of people vaccinated, both by state and by county, along with key demographic information showing the race, ethnicity, sex and age of everyone who has been vaccinated. OHA will begin publishing this data during weekends starting on Saturday, Jan. 2.
There are 515 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 across Oregon, which is 23 more than yesterday. There are 113 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is eight more than yesterday.
About 15 to 20 packages with rice and literature for the Ku Klux Klan were scattered around Tulelake Saturday night or Sunday morning, as people found the materials on the doorsteps of their homes and businesses.
According to the Tulelake Police Department, this is the second time the organization has investigated racist materials distributed in the town. Police Chief Tony Ross said this also happened about four years ago but that they haven’t identified who has been leaving these bags around town. Ross said they could charge the person responsible with offensive littering if they are identified. Ultimately, Ross said the advertisements for the group itself is not illegal.
Similar bags with flyers have been reported across the country over the years, including in North Carolina and British Columbia, Canada. The flyer included a North Carolina phone number, P.O. box and a link to a website that doesn’t work.
Oregon Institute of Technology named Dr. Ken Fincher as the college’s new Vice President for Institutional Advancement Monday.
Fincher will start at Oregon Tech in January where he will lead the development and marketing, communication and public affairs departments at Oregon Tech. He will also be the executive director for the Oregon Tech foundation. He has held the same position at Middle Georgia State University, where was also the executive director of the college’s foundation.
According to an Oregon Tech news release, Fincher oversaw contributions for a new student enrollment center at Middle Georgia State and increased annual giving to the college by 20% over three campaign cycles. Before his position in Georgia, he was an assistant vice chancellor for advancement and community engagement at Washington State University Tri-Cities. He has over 34 years of experience in fundraising.
Fincher earned a Doctorate of Psychology, Non-Profit Management Specialization from University of the Rockies, Colorado Springs,
For the first time in over a century, bull trout were found in a reconnected creek channel crossing the Sun Pass State Forest – a significant milestone in restoring and improving habitat for this threatened fish species, according to the Oregon Department of Forestry.
More than 100 years ago, Sun Creek in Klamath County was diverted for agriculture irrigation, breaking the natural link between its headwaters in the Crater Lake National Park and the Wood River. This disconnected the creek headwaters from other tributaries, hampering migratory fish species like the bull trout, which are listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act.
Crater Lake National Park has taken the lead for decades in protecting and enhancing bull trout populations in the park. In the 1980s, biologists from the park found a native population of bull trout that was struggling from competition with non-native trout and disconnection from its historic habitat due to the Sun Creek diversion.
Mitigation measures like removing non-native fish reduced competition and helped build populations, but reconnecting Sun Creek to the Wood River provided a chance to make a major positive impact in a variety of ways.
Around the state of Oregon
Coos and Douglas counties are among five that will see their COVID-19 risk level drop to high risk at the start of 2021. Gov. Kate Brown announced the changes on Tuesday.
“After weeks of diligent work by local leaders and public health officials to implement health and safety measures in their communities, this week’s county data is a welcome sign that we are making progress in stopping the spread of COVID-19 in Oregon,” Brown said. “The county risk level framework is meant to put us on track to reopen our schools, businesses, and communities. It is not easy. Oregon families and businesses have made incredible sacrifices. If we work together, we will see more counties begin to lower their COVID-19 risk levels. If communities let down their guard too early, we could see our hard-won progress unravel just as quickly.
From Jan. 1 through 14, a total of 24 Oregon counties will be in extreme risk, five will be at high risk, none are at moderate risk and seven are at lower risk. Different health and safety measures are in place at each level of the framework.
Lincoln, Morrow, and Clatsop counties are also going to be moving to high risk.
A man who authorities say attacked two reporters and tried to get into the closed Oregon Capitol during last week’s special legislative session has turned himself in.
KOIN-TV reports 40-year-old Jeremy Roberts turned himself in to the Oregon State Police Sunday afternoon. It wasn’t immediately clear if he had an attorney. Roberts tried to get into the building Dec. 21 and also attacked two reporters covering the protests, authorities said. He is in the Marion County Jail on charges including criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, assault, harassment and a probation violation warrant. Four other men were arrested during last week’s protests.
State lawmakers met for one day Dec. 21 and passed $800 million in relief to people struggling from the pandemic and wildfires, extending an eviction moratorium through June and allocating funds for renter and landlord relief.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office posted on its Facebook page that a missing person, Dystanie Lynn Rome-Elliot, has been found and is safe. The post went on to say that she is now home with her family. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office thanks everyone who assisted in looking for her and those who gave their support.
UPDATE – DEATH INVESTIGATION – LINCOLN COUNTY
Oregon State Police Detectives are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the remains of an individual discovered in rural Lincoln County.
On December 10, 2020, Investigators were summoned to the H.B. Van Duzer Forest State Scenic Corridor for a death investigation. At this location, investigators found the remains of a female child.
The Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office estimate the deceased’s age to be 6.5 to 10 years old. She is approximately 3’10” to 4’6” tall, and had long hair that is dark brown or black. Her race or ethnic origin has yet to be determined, but DNA analysis is not complete.
Due to the condition of the remains she had likely been deceased at least 30 days before she was discovered.
If you have any information that might help investigators in identifying this child, please call 800-442-0776 or *OSP (*677).
No information regarding the cause or manner of death is available for release at this time.
In Eugene, a suspected car theft led police and his victim on a wild chase in west Eugene on Monday in which the victim chased the suspect in another vehicle.
Police say a man stole a Nissan Xterra from a business around 10:30 this morning. The victim then hopped into a red pickup and began chasing the suspect, eventually trapping him in a dead end of Obie Street.
The victim reportedly got out of his red truck and challenged the suspect. Both men pulled guns, prompting the victim to fire at the suspect. Police said the suspect drove off and ditched the car near the Hampton Inn on W. 11th Ave. and went inside. Staff reportedly noticed he was not wearing a mask and demanded he leave. When employees saw officers in the area, they called 911.
A trooper with Oregon State Police responded and found the suspect, Trevor Hudson, 32, nearby. He was arrested for first-degree robbery, unauthorized use of a vehicle, and unlawful use of a weapon.
The vehicle was recovered and returned to its owner.
Researchers say they’ve discovered a cause of marine toxicity along the coast between Northern California and Southern Oregon.
As a result, they’re warning against eating any crabs, clams, or other seafood that comes from the coast. The coastal hot spots they’ve pinpointed apparently began emerging in 2013 and materialized with climate change over the years. They say a heat wave in 2013 set off a chain of reactions within the marine eco-system that included a harmful algal bloom that closed many fisheries in 2015.
Two people died Wednesday after their paddle boards became tangled in debris on the Willamette River in Lane County.
Just before 3:30 p.m., someone called 911 to report that it appeared there was something stuck in debris on the river east of Interstate 5 in Glenwood. Responding deputies from the Lane County Sheriff’s Office discovered two paddle boards in the river and later pulled two bodies from the water. Neither of the victims were identified.
Police are searching for a man who knocked on the door of a southeast Portland home early Monday, asking the residents for help before barging in and stealing valuables.
A couple heard knocking and a man asking for help, at their Mt. Scott — Arleta Neighborhood home, around 3 a.m. When a resident opened the door the man pushed his way into the house. The suspect threatened the couple with a gun and demanded they give him their valuables. The man fled with a cellphone, laptop, wallet, and the victim’s 2019 Acura. Anyone with information about the robbery is urged to contact the Portland Police Bureau.