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, February 17, 2021
Klamath Basin Weather
This Afternoon Mostly sunny, with a high near 44. Overnight, cloudy with a low around 24.
Thursday Snow before 1pm, then rain and snow between 1pm and 4pm, then rain after 4pm. High near 39. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible. Overnight, some snow flurries with the snow level 4300 feet. Low around 32. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
Friday A chance of rain and snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 44. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
Saturday A 20% chance of snow showers before 10am. Partly sunny, with a high near 41.
Sunday Mostly sunny, with a high near 48.
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
A renewed push to remove a series of hydroelectric dams along the Klamath River is now in the hands of federal regulators, but some local lawmakers are lobbying in opposition to the project.
The proposal to remove four PacifiCorp dams on the Klamath River has been years in the making, with stakeholders represented by the nonprofit Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC) arguing that it would help native fish populations to rebound.
In July of 2020, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a rebuttal to the original proposal — stipulating that PacifiCorp, which wished to be completely excised from the process after transferring ownership, must remain a co-licensee in order to aid in covering any major liability.
The decision threatened to scuttle the dam removal project. By November, the KRRC had announced a workaround. The governors of both Oregon and California signed onto the project as guarantors, part of an agreement that would still allow PacifiCorp to step away.
The KRRC said last week that this new agreement has been filed with FERC.
Klamath County Public Health officials reported 14 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday. The local case count is 2,728.
Seven cases were counted toward the week of February 7 through 13, as they were in the statewide database Saturday. That week’s total was 41. This week’s total is seven.
Sky Lakes Medical Center will host a special COVID-19 vaccination clinic Saturday for Klamath County residents 75 or older. The clinic will run 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the first floor of the Sky Lakes Collaborative Health Center on the medical center campus. Vaccinations are by appointment only and can be scheduled by calling 1-833-606-4370, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays.
No walk-in slots or on-site appointments are available. Individuals who are 70 and older become eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations next week. Those 65 and older become eligible on Feb. 28, according to the Oregon Health Authority’s phased distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.
There is one new COVID-19 related death in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 2,138. Oregon Health Authority reported 411 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of yesterday, bringing the state total to 150,875.
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (2), Benton (15), Clackamas (40), Columbia (1), Coos (11), Crook (2), Curry (3), Deschutes (8), Douglas (37), Harney (1), Jackson (42), Jefferson (3), Josephine (13), Klamath (2), Lake (3), Lane (21), Lincoln (1), Linn (6), Marion (25), Multnomah (134), Polk (6), Umatilla (4), Wallowa (3), Wasco (1), Washington (22) and Yamhill (5).
Oregon has now administered a cumulative total of 691,455 first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccines. To date, 905,725 doses of vaccine have been delivered to sites across Oregon.
State Senator Dennis Linthicum has introduced a flurry of bills to the Oregon legislature that would bolster private and public charter schools.
The lawmaker says that the Oregon Department of Education is “promoting indoctrination sessions” for public school teachers and administrators.
Sen. Linthicum’s three bills, if passed, would increase the percentage of kids who can enroll in virtual charter schools from 3 percent to 5 percent; would establish an education savings account program giving low-income families to ability to choose a private school without tax penalties; and allow Oregon children to attend any school in the state without school board approval.
The final bill also would amend Oregon’s laws to make immunization records an optional “request” by school districts instead of a condition of attendance, though Oregon law already allows for philosophical, religious, and medical waivers of those vaccine requirements. The lawmaker paired his roll-out of these bills with a barrage aimed at the Oregon Department of Education related to a module included in its email newsletter for math teachers — an optional third-party course called “A Pathway to Math Equity Micro-Course,” intended to help teachers improve outcomes for Black, Latinx, and multilingual students.
KLAMATH FALLS’ MAYOR WESTFALL DECLARES MARCH 12 “BLUE ZONES DAY”
In a City Council Meeting on February 16, Klamath Falls’ Mayor Carol Westfall read aloud the proclamation declaring that March 12 will be known as “Blue Zones Day.”
The announcement comes approximately two months after the community made the announcement that after 6 years of hard work, Klamath Falls became the first certified Blue Zones Community® in the Pacific Northwest.
“We are proud of Klamath Falls for achieving this milestone and honored to be recognized as the first certified Blue Zones Community in the Pacific Northwest,” said Klamath Falls Mayor, Carol Westfall.
Brought to Oregon through an innovative sponsorship by Cambia Health Foundation in collaboration with Sharecare and Blue Zones, the local Blue Zones Project initiative encourages all Oregon communities to optimize their surroundings to make the healthy choice the easy choice.
This initiative is intended to inspire community members to improve their well-being. Cambia Health Foundation, Sky Lakes Medical Center, Cascade Health Alliance, the City of Klamath Falls, and Klamath County provided financial backing to support the project in Klamath Falls. In 2015, Klamath Falls was selected to be the first Blue Zones Project demonstration site in the Pacific Northwest.
Since then, local leaders, volunteers, and organizations throughout the community have worked to achieve certification status. To celebrate Blue Zones Day, local leaders have a full day of COVID-appropriate events planned.
The day will not only celebrate the community certification achievement, but also the 2018 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health prize, which honors U.S. communities working at the forefront of advancing health, opportunity, and equity for all. Residents of Klamath Falls are asked to wear their Blue Zones Project t-shirts on March 12, 2021 and share in the well-being journey, by participating virtually, from a distance, or in-person by registering at www.healthyklamath.org/bluezonesday.
A ribbon cutting ceremony planned for 9 am at Sugarman’s Corner in downtown Klamath Falls will be live streamed on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bluezonesprojectklamathfalls.
For more information about the certified Blue Zones Community achievement, please visit www.healthyklamath.org/bluezonescertified.
About Blue Zones Project Blue Zones Project® is a community-led well-being improvement initiative designed to make healthy choices easier through permanent changes to a city’s environment, policy, and social networks. To learn more about Blue Zones Project, contact the Blue Zones Project team in Klamath Falls at BlueZonesProject@healthyklamath.org, or visit www.healthyklamath.org/bluezones.
An historic marker will be formally unveiled as part of a full slate of activities in celebration of the film “Phoenix, Oregon” on Saturday, Feb. 27 in downtown Klamath Falls with a simultaneous livestream. Film Trail – a network of recognizable signage placed in many iconic filming locations across the state, stitching together film history, communities, and celebrating Oregon’s contribution to filmmaking since 1904.
The sign to be placed in Klamath Falls is the 33rd historic marker designated in the State of Oregon, but only the third in Southern Oregon – two were placed in Ashland in 2020. Additionally, the program has created a large exhibit and mural at the Portland International Airport honoring Oregon’s film legacy.
In an odd twist of timing, the week of its release aligned with a national shutdown of theaters due to the spreading COVID-19 pandemic, however a simultaneous online video-on-demand release of the film resulted in “Phoenix, Oregon” becoming the #1 film in America in Domestic Box Office. As a result of the theater shutdown, the film also holds the somewhat dubious honor of being the all-time lowest grossing #1 move in U.S. Domestic Box Office in history.
Around the state of Oregon
School looks different for kids. While many children still rely on remote learning, we want to make sure they are safe as schools reopen across the state.
This includes making sure kids are up to date on childhood vaccines, like measles. Feb. 17 is School Exclusion Day, and the Oregon Immunization Program reminds parents that children may not be able to attend school or childcare on that day (or when their school reopens) if their records on file show missing immunizations. Schools also have the option of blocking remote learning access for kids without current immunization records on Feb. 17. Under state law, all children in public and private schools, preschools, Head Start and certified childcare facilities must have up-to-date documentation on their required immunizations or have an exemption.
The COVID-19 vaccine is not currently required for children; the current Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs) from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) do not allow for children under 16 (Pfizer) or under 18 (Moderna) to be vaccinated.
“Immunization is the best way to protect children against vaccine-preventable diseases such as whooping cough and measles,” said Stacy de Assis Matthews, school law coordinator in the Oregon Health Authority Public Health Division. “
“Just two years ago, we saw several measles cases in the Northwest. We don’t want another disease outbreak of on top of COVID-19. Immunizations are the most effective way to stop the spread of measles, to keep kids and school communities healthy and safe.”
If a child’s school and childcare vaccination records are not up to date on Feb. 17, the child will be sent home. In 2020, local health departments sent 21,598 letters to parents and guardians informing them that their children needed immunizations to stay in school or childcare.
A total of 3,268 children were kept out of school or childcare until the necessary immunization information was turned in to the schools or childcare facilities. This year, letters to parents were mailed on or before Feb. 3.
Crews from Medford Police, Parks, and citizen volunteers focused on cleaning areas near Railroad Park and under the 10th and 12th street bridges last week.
In total, 70 cubic yards of garbage was removed from the Bear Creek Greenway including from the creek itself during the two day operation. Collected items included loose garbage, food wrappers, needles, cardboard, drug paraphernalia, and discarded plastic. All garbage removal was conducted during the day time and individuals were not asked or told to vacate the area.
During the cleanup, four individuals living along the Greenway were connected with the Urban Campground and moved their belongings to the camp.
The City also partnered with ODOT to clean a campsite on the southwest corner of the Exit 27 interchange and other identified areas within city limits.
The City’s trash collection is up over 30 percent from last year’s record total. Often times the areas being cleaned have bio-waste and drug paraphernalia that have to be handled and disposed of carefully, making the cleanups not only hazardous from a human perspective but also from a health perspective.
“Property ownership along the Greenway includes ODOT, Jackson County, City of Medford and private individuals and each have different rules of engagement with the residents of the camps and the resulting trash. We’re working with our state and local partners on a unified strategy to address these challenges,” said Deputy City Manager, Kelly Madding.
This week’s clean-up effort along the Greenway and recent initiatives to provide a place for homeless individuals to go, such as the Urban Campground, are indicative of the City’s dedication to assist our vulnerable population through a comprehensive effort of working with community partners to provide essential services such as housing, access to health care, food and more.
Tens of thousands of people remained without power Tuesday as crews raced to restore electricity after an icy weekend winter storm downed more than 5,000 power lines in the region. Portland General Electric’s map of power outages listed about 200,000 customers without electricity. Pacific Power listed about 20,000 in Salem and Portland area.
Roughly 700 PGE, contract, and mutual assistance line workers from as far away as Montana and Nevada will continue their 24/7 effort to assess ongoing damage and restore power, according to PGE officials. Near Southeast 62nd and Reedway,
The Oregon Office of Emergency Management is warning residents against using heat sources that can cause carbon monoxide poisoning. The office says you The loss of electricity caused by the weekend’s winter storm also means a loss of heat for many people. should never use kerosene or gas space heaters, a natural gas range or a camp stove to heat your home. Officials are also warning against running a generator indoors.
Meanwhile, the search continues for the driver of a car that crashed off the Glenn Jackson Bridge into the Columbia River between Portland and Vancouver Sunday night.
The daughter of Antonio Amaro Lopez says she believes her father is the missing driver. Abi Amaro says her father has been missing since Sunday morning, when he went to work in Hazel Dell. Family members say his commute takes him over the Glenn Jackson Bridge and that his vehicle matches the description of the car. Witnesses called 911 Sunday night after seeing a car go over the side of the bridge in icy conditions. Search crews still haven’t located the vehicle or any survivors.
The Enchanted Forest theme park near Salem is reporting damage after several ice-covered Douglas fir trees toppled during the weekend’s winter storm.
Park owners tell the Oregonian that roughly a dozen trees came crashing down on the park over the weekend. The trees smashed the park’s kiddie train, smacked the tower off its castle and crushed multiple structures. Park owners met with roofers and a construction crew yesterday to get started on repairs.
The earthquake early warning system known as ShakeAlert will be capable of delivering alerts directly to wireless devices in Oregon on March 11 and to Washington state in May, completing the West Coast rollout, the U.S. Geological Survey said Tuesday.
The ShakeAlert system, which warns of significant quakes, has been enabled in California since October 2019. The system uses a network of sensors that detect the start of an earthquake and calculates magnitude, location and the expected amount of shaking. It sends the information in real time to distributors that send out alerts to cellphones and the internet. The information moves so quickly that people may have valuable seconds to protect themselves before shaking arrives, trains can be slowed or industrial processes stopped.
The Oregon State Police is requesting the public’s assistance to help identify the person(s) responsible for the unlawful taking of at least three mule deer and wasting two of those deer in Harney County.
On November 6, 2020, Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Troopers were notified of a deceased mule deer fawn with a dart in its neck and chest area, in the area of Court Street near Railroad Ave in Burns, OR.
An OSP Fish & Wildlife Trooper also located a second mule deer doe in the vicinity that also had the same kind of dart in her shoulder.
On February 13, 2021 at approximately 12:00 P.M., Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Troopers investigated a third deer shot with a similar dart and severely injured in the same vicinity of the previous two deer. The deer had to be euthanized by the trooper.
If you have any information regarding this incident please contact Trooper Dean Trent through the Turn In Poachers (TIP) hotline at 1-800-452-7888 or 541-589-2547.
**Report Wildlife and Habitat Law Violators** Poaching wildlife and damaging habitats affects present and future generations of wildlife, impacts communities and the economy, and creates enforcement challenges.
The Oregon Hunters Association offers rewards to persons, through their T.I.P. fund, for information leading to the issuance of a citation to a person(s), or an arrest made of a person(s) for illegal possession, killing, or taking of bighorn sheep, mountain goat, moose, elk, deer, antelope, bear, cougar, wolf, furbearers and/or upland game birds and water fowl. T.I.P. rewards can also be paid for the illegal taking, netting, snagging, and/or dynamiting of game fish, and/or shell fish, and for the destruction of habitat.
In addition rewards may be paid for information leading to the issuance of a citation to a person(s), or an arrest made of a person(s) who have illegally obtained Oregon hunting/angling license or tags. People who “work” the system and falsely apply for resident license or tags are not legally hunting or angling and are considered poachers.
EUGENE, Ore.— Carlos Alberto Berrios, Jr., 30, of Ontario, Oregon, was sentenced today to 120 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release for trafficking methamphetamine in and around Malheur County, Oregon, announced U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams.
According to court documents, on April 24, 2018, Berrios was riding in a vehicle when it was stopped for a traffic violation by a Malheur County Sheriff’s Office deputy. Berrios was seated in the vehicle with a backpack on the floor between his legs and a gun holster between his left leg and the vehicle’s center console. After determining that Berrios had an outstanding felony arrest warrant and the driver did not have a license or insurance, the deputy called for a tow truck and began impounding the vehicle. An Ontario Police Officer on scene identified Berrios as a suspect in a recent firearm theft. The deputy searched Berrios’ backpack and found a .45 caliber firearm and approximately eight ounces of methamphetamine.
On June 19, 2019, a federal grand jury in Eugene returned a two-count indictment charging Berrios. On January 23, 2020, he pleaded guilty to possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
This case was investigated by the Malheur County Sheriff’s Office, Ontario Police Department, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). It was prosecuted by Pamela Paaso, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.