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.
Thursday, December 31, 2020
Klamath Basin Weather
Today Mostly cloudy, with a high near 38.
Friday, New Year’s Day A chance of rain and snow after 4pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 41. Overnight low of 29.
Saturday A slight chance of snow before 1pm, then a slight chance of rain between 1pm and 4pm, then a chance of rain and snow after 4pm. Snow level rising to 4700 feet in the afternoon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 41. Little or no snow accumulation expected.
Sunday Rain and snow likely, mainly before 10am. Snow level 4500 feet. 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
Klamath County Public Health (KCPH) officials reported 35 new cases of COVID-19 and two deaths on Wednesday.
The local case count is 1,908, while the number of deaths is 18. This week’s count is 77. The reporting week runs from Sunday through Saturday.
COVID-19 has claimed 19 more lives in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 1,468, the Oregon Health Authority reported today.
OHA also reported 1,052 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 today, bringing the state total to 112,260.
The new confirmed and presumptive cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (4), Benton (14), Clackamas (104), Clatsop (12), Columbia (12), Coos (15), Crook (14), Curry (3), Deschutes (47), Douglas (18), Gilliam (2), Hood River (19), Jackson (59), Jefferson (9), Josephine (27), Klamath (29), Lake (1), Lane (80), Lincoln (2), Linn (20), Malheur (31), Marion (121), Morrow (9), Multnomah (168), Polk (20), Tillamook (10), Umatilla (57), Union (3), Wasco (21), Washington (103) and Yamhill (18).
Since the first COVID-19 vaccines began distribution in Oregon, Klamath has vaccinated a larger share of its population than any other county in the state.
As of Tuesday morning, more than 106 people for every 10,000 people in the county had received a dose, according to data from the Oregon Health Authority. Coos County, which is similar in demographics to Klamath County, is close behind with 103.34 people vaccinated per 10,000. Klamath County Public Health spokesperson Valeree Lane said the county’s early success has to do with who is getting the vaccine.
Frontline healthcare workers at Sky Lakes Medical Center and Klamath Tribal Health and Family Services are the only segments of the county’s population allowed to receive doses as part of Stage 1a of Oregon’s vaccine rollout. Healthcare workers make up a larger share of Klamath County’s population than they do in other counties. Sky Lakes has administered 751 doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine as of Monday afternoon, according to public information officer Tom Hottman. The hospital had received 800 doses last week and expects more during the coming days.
While priority was given to providers and staff working directly with COVID-19 patients in the hospital’s isolation unit, lab and testing center, Hottman said they were also able to provide doses to other employees who were lower on the priority list but were more at risk of serious COVID-related illness due to age or underlying conditions.
As announced earlier this week, 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.
All branches of the Klamath County Library District will be closed on Friday, Jan. 1 in observance of New Year’s Day.
The downtown Klamath County Library will close early at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 31 for New Year’s Eve. The libraries will also be closed Monday, Jan. 18 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. No library materials will be due on a day that the libraries are closed for a holiday. For more information call 541-882-8894, or visit the calendar section on www.klamathlibrary.org.
One of the Klamath County Library’s favorite yearly events is heading online! Join us for All-Ages Bingo on the second Saturday of the month (January 9th) at 3pm and on the fourth Wednesday of the month (January 27th) at 7pm, from January through March!
Sign up once at klamathlibrary.org/bingo and get an invite link that you can use for every Bingo event! Bingo cards can be picked up at the Reference desk at the downtown Klamath County Library, or at the desk of your favorite library branch location, the week of each bingo session.
Every bingo will win a “Book Buck,” good for $1 at The Bookie Joint bookstore located in the downtown Klamath County Library at 126 S. 3rd St. Win or lose, every player can also return their bingo card to be entered in a drawing in March for a bingo grand prize!
For more information or for help signing up, contact Denae at (541)882-8894 ext. 22 or email dnemanic@klamathlibrary.org.
Around the state of Oregon
On Wednesday, Modoc County announced its first death related to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Modoc County Public Health department, a nursing home resident died Wednesday. Later that day, neighboring Siskiyou County Public Health announced the 11th death from COVID-19 in that county.
In Grants Pass, two Josephine County individuals have died from complications relating to COVID-19 infections.
A 51-year-old woman tested positive for COVID-19 Dec. 9 and died Dec. 23 at Asante Three Rivers Medical Center in Grants Pass. She had underlying conditions.
A 72-year-old man tested positive for COVID-19 Dec. 10 and died Dec. 23 at Asante Three Rivers Medical Center in Grants Pass. He had underlying conditions.
These are the 21st and 22nd deaths of Josephine County COVID-19 patients.
Weekly report shows cases and hospitalizations dropped Dec. 21-27
OHA’s COVID-19 Weekly Report was released today and showed declines in weekly cases, hospitalizations and deaths. The weekly report features a new format and includes additional information on new cases and data spanning the entire pandemic.
- OHA reported 6,790 new daily cases during the week of Monday, Dec. 21 through Sunday, Dec. 27, a 22% decrease from the previous week. That marked the third consecutive week of declining cases.
- There were 337 persons hospitalized for COVID-19, a 23% decline from the previous week.
- Additionally, there were 86 reported COVID-19 reported deaths, down 100 from last week and representing the lowest total in four weeks.
- There were 134,498 tests for COVID-19 for the week of Dec. 20 through Dec. 26. The percentage of positive tests increased to 6.3%.
- People age 20 to 49 have accounted for 54% of COVID-19 cases, while people 70 and older have accounted for 77% of deaths associated with the virus.
Today’s COVID-19 outbreak report shows 4,567 active COVID-19 outbreaks in care facilities, living communities and long-term care facilities and an additional 296 deaths.
The elected leaders of some Oregon towns gathered in Estacada Tuesday for a rally, calling on businesses to reopen on New Year’s Day.
Those behind the rally said they feel small businesses are suffering, while large corporations are surviving the pandemic. Under the more lenient risk level, restaurants could seat people inside and people could workout indoors at gyms. Gov. Kate Brown’s office responded, saying that local mayors do not have the authority under state law to disregard emergency orders, or authorize anyone else to do so.
A 28-year-old North Bend man was killed Sunday in a road-rage incident, police stated yesterday.
Michael David Moore died after he was run over by the driver of a Chevy Tahoe pickup at around 11:27 a.m. in North Bend. In a press release, District Attorney R. Paul Frasier said it’s clear Moore was intentionally struck. An autopsy showed Moore died as a result of severe crushing injuries to his chest and abdomen, Frasier said. The Coos County Major Crime Team and Coos County Crash Team are investigating with North Bend police.
The investigation so far shows an initial altercation happened in downtown North Bend, according to police. Moore was a passenger in a black Ford Ranger pickup and after the altercation, the Ranger was followed by people in the Chevy Tahoe and what was initially reported as a red Honda Prelude. Frasier said in a news release Tuesday that it was instead a Toyota Camry that also followed the Ranger.
When the Rogue Valley Almeda and Obenchain Fires hit, few Jackson County residents were notified about evacuation orders.
Many were forced to flee with nothing but the clothes on their backs and no notification save for a knock on their door telling them it was time to leave. While emergency officials rushed to respond to the fast-moving flames and to make sure residents were safe, there was also little to no communication with media outlets on the scale of the fire.
The lack of notification to evacuees as well as the lack of communication with media outlets throughout the disaster are just some of the items a private consulting firm will be paid $43,958.80 to review, An 86-page contract and proposal between IEM and the county that News 10 obtained through records request notes that the review will examine “data and audio records” from the Emergency Communications of Southern Oregon (ECSO). It will look into communications sent from the Everbridge Notification System ( that should have notified residents of evacuation orders) as well as social media posts’.
The Oregon State Police is aware of several protests that are planned in the Salem area on Friday, January 1, 2021.
The protests are planned to happen at the Oregon State Capitol, Bush Pasture Park, and Mahonia Hall. These protests could also affect streets in the areas of these locations.
OSP encourages people to exercise their first amendment right, but please do so lawfully, peacefully, and respectfully.
OSP and Salem Police Department will have personnel assigned to monitor these protests. If criminal behavior is observed and the situation allows you will be cited or arrested. If an arrest or citation is not able to be immediately made, police will be investigating criminal behavior. If you feel you are the victim of a crime please ensure that you report that to the police.
OSP has set the following operational goals:
- Ensure a safe, non-violent environment for rally participants.
- Ensure a safe, non-violent environment for citizens of Salem and for those passing through the area.
- Minimize traffic flow issues and disruptions.
- Deter or prevent criminal acts and take enforcement action as necessary.
- Protection of property from damage and unauthorized access.
Measure 110, also known as the Drug Addiction Treatment and Recovery Act, takes on what some are calling a “fair approach” to drug addiction in Oregon.
This measure will go into effect starting February 1, 2021. The approach to hard drug users is shifting from criminalization to treatment and recovery. District Attorney for Jackson County, Beth Heckert says that “it will no longer be illegal to possess small quantities of heroine, methamphetamine, any of those hard drugs, so law enforcement really won’t be dealing with that any longer.” Multiple criminal sentencing laws regulating the possession of controlled substances will change from felonies to violations. Offenders will be given the resources to treat their addictions and recover.
The Oregon Health Authority is administering all health aspects of the act, and the agency is required to establish a treatment and recovery services fund along with fifteen 24-7 addiction recovery centers.
In May of 2016, the Grants Pass Department of Public Safety (GPDPS) received a report involving crimes under Oregon law of Coercion, Computer Crime, and Use of a Child in Display of Sexual Conduct.
The female victim, a resident of Grants Pass, had been contacted by an unknown male subject on KIK social media who claimed to have hacked her Apple iCloud account. The suspect had obtained sexually explicit photos of the victim, taken when she was 15 years old. The suspect threatened to send the photos to the victim’s friends and family if she did not send him more sexually explicit images and videos of herself.
After the female refused, the male suspect sent sexually explicit images of the victim (as a juvenile) to her family and friends via Facebook Messenger under an assumed name.
The investigation was assigned to a detective with the Grants Pass Department of Public Safety, who was able to trace the offender’s IP address to Calgary, Canada. He then coordinated efforts with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and the Southern Alberta Internet Child Exploitation Unit in Calgary, Canada. This collaboration resulted in identifying the suspect as Andrew Neil Cox. The Southern Alberta Internet Child Exploitation Unit served a search warrant at Cox’s residence, where additional evidence of child exploitation was located.
Cox was charged under Canadian law with Accessing Child Pornography, Importing or Distributing Child Pornography, Possessing Child Pornography, and Extortion. On December 11, 2020, Cox was sentenced to five years imprisonment in Canada. Although this was a lengthy investigation, it is an excellent example of the results that can be achieved when law enforcement agencies partner together, whether locally or internationally, to combat child sexual exploitation.
University of Oregon not a hotspot for Covid cases
It was once a coronavirus hotspot, but now outbreaks among college-aged people have dropped so much that Lane County health officials said Tuesday they are considered an inactive category.
Out of more than 50 outbreaks, college-aged individuals account for just 4.4%. The bulk of cases from outbreaks – around 70% – surround long-term care facilities and congregate shelters.
But students at the University of Oregon fear the drop could be short-lived, as students prepare to return from break and begin a new winter term on Monday.
“I think part of the why there has been a standstill with cases among students is mostly due to most of the people who don’t care about the virus went out and partied at the beginning of the term and so by the end of the term, obviously there’s not going to be as many cases because all those people already got the virus,” said Marissa McDaniel, a senior at UO.
In months prior, county health officials expressed concerned about parties and gatherings near the university’s campus. Jason Davis with Lane County public health spoke of a Halloween party that resulted in dozens of cases.
“Six cases from a Halloween party turned into 14 secondary cases. One of those secondary cases caused a workplace outbreak which then resulted in three cases which then resulted in eight secondary cases,” Davis said in November.
Just days later, news of a massive off-campus party drew the eyes of health officials and Eugene Police, who broke up the gathering.
To get in front of a potential spike, the university said it’s taking several steps to prevent cases when students return for winter term.
The first week of classes will be delivered entirely remote, allowing time for students to get tested and quarantine if they are returning to campus. Residence halls reopen on Saturday, and all students living in them will get tested by Tuesday.
“I think it’s really hard to keep college students in check. They are adults and they should just want to do that themselves. There’s only so much the university can do and I appreciate what they’ve been trying to do,” McDaniel said.
In a statement, the university said they flattened the curve around mid-October.
“We believe we succeeded in flattening the curve in UO cases during fall term, in part through our expanded in-house testing capacity for students living off-campus as well as on-campus, investments in our Corona Corps contact monitoring and case management support programs, by identifying isolation and quarantine spaces, as well as regular dialogue and assistance offered to congregate students living facilities and large student housing complexes about managing potential positive cases,” said Saul Hubbard, a spokesman for UO.
Over the past two weeks, UO reported just 12 new cases among students, all of whom live off campus.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) today issued guidance designed to protect and expand recreational shooting opportunities on BLM-managed public lands. More than 99 percent of the 245 million surface acres managed by the agency are currently open to recreational shooting, and this guidance will help ensure that these activities are allowed to continue wherever possible.
“Recreational shooting is a longstanding tradition for millions of Americans, and the Department is proud to support this popular pastime as a key component of the BLM’s multiple-use mission,” said Casey Hammond, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management. “Working with local communities, our state agency partners, and other key stakeholders, we will continue to ensure that public lands remain open to recreational shooting, allowing Americans to pass down our nation’s rich outdoor heritage to future generations.”
The BLM has long prioritized recreational shooting as an important part of its land management mission under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, including on many lands under the National Conservation Lands umbrella: national monuments, national conservation areas and similar designations, national scenic and historic trails, wilderness, and wilderness study areas. The guidance issued today provides additional clarity for federal land managers evaluating recreational shooting activities as part of land use planning decisions and regarding the agency’s implementation of Public Law 116-9, the John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act.
“This guidance from the Bureau of Land Management is enthusiastically welcomed by America’s sportsmen and women. It will help to ensure and increase recreational shooting access and opportunities on public lands and preserve the important gains for sportsmen and women achieved during the Trump Administration through the leadership of Interior Secretary David Bernhardt,” said Lawrence G. Keane, Senior Vice President and General Counsel for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the firearm industry’s trade association. “This guidance will enable our American hunting and shooting tradition and heritage as well as wildlife conservation to thrive for generations to come. Recreational shooting on public lands is directly tied to increased funding for wildlife conservation through the firearm industry’s growing Pittman-Robertson excise tax contributions to the Wildlife Restoration Trust Fund.”
“The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation is grateful for the efforts undertaken by the BLM to protect recreational target shooting opportunities by following the intent of Congress as provided in the Dingell Act (S.47),” said Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation President Jeff Crane. “With 99 percent of the 245 million acres of public land managed by the BLM open to recreational shooting, this guidance will ensure that America’s 32 million recreational shooters continue to have a place to safely participate in this outdoor tradition.”
“This is a great initiative from the administration to encourage and preserve our culture and our rights,” said Dianna Muller, Founder of the DC Project, Women for Gun Rights and retired police officer. “With upwards of 8 million brand new gun owners in 2020, it’s going to be important that they have a place to practice their skill set and enjoy the outdoors with their family. Recreational shooting is great because the whole family can participate, and the injuries are substantially less than other organized sports.”
Subject to site-specific considerations, the BLM’s general policy is to enhance shooting opportunities, or at least avoid a net loss, in its land use planning decisions. State, District, and Field offices have been directed to incorporate specific evaluation standards into their land use planning decisions to ensure nationwide consistency in how recreational shooting is managed on public lands.
The Oregon State Marine Board is urging people operating stand up paddleboards (SUPs) on moving water (primarily rivers) to always wear a life jacket and never wear an ankle or leg leash that is designed for general flatwater use.
“There have been four, really tragic fatalities in recent years where a person, otherwise well outfitted, died because their leash to the SUP became entangled in brush or other debris on area rivers,” said Randy Henry, Boating Safety Program Manager for the Marine Board. “Most ankle leashes used by SUP users are not designed for quick release. If you get it tangled on rocks or downed trees, the leash will hold you underwater.”
Most SUPs are equipped with a leash so the paddleboard can stay within reach if the user falls off. On a lake or other still water, this is an excellent safety tool when used in conjunction with a life jacket. On moving water though, the leash can be deadly. “Quick-release leashes are available and designed specifically for moving water. It’s worn around the waist or can attach to the life jacket,” said Henry.
2020 marks yet another sad milestone. There have been 27 recreational boating fatalities this year, the most in 33 years. Tragically, many were preventable, had the operator taken a basic safety precaution, like wearing a life jacket.
“SUPs are very popular, affordable, easy to purchase, portable, and are a lot of fun,” said Henry. “But understanding the basics is crucial.” Henry suggested people check with the American Canoe Association or visit the Marine Board’s Paddling page for trip planning with safety in mind.