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, April 13, 2021
Klamath Basin Weather
Today Sunny, with a high near 57. Breezy, with a north wind 16 to 24 mph.
Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 59.
Thursday Sunny, with a high near 63.
Friday Sunny, with a high near 69.
Saturday Sunny, with a high near 73.
Today’s Headlines
There is one new COVID-19 related death in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 2,441, the Oregon Health Authority reported today. Oregon Health Authority reported 294 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as today, bringing the state total to 170,850.
Klamath County did not report any new cases yesterday.
The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 177, which is two fewer than yesterday. There are 48 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is two more than yesterday.
A special event will allow qualifying Klamath Falls residents 16 and 17 years old to get their first-dose COVID-19 vaccinations.
Appointments are required for the vaccination clinic, which will operate today from 3-8 p.m., on the fourth floor of Sky Lakes Medical Center, in the original medical center. Appointments can be made by calling 1-833-606-4370.
No walk-in slots or on-site appointments are available.
This weekend, southern Oregon counties including Jackson, Josephine, Klamath, Lake and Curry counties eclipsed 115,000 total Covid-19 vaccinations. Klamath County has the third most vaccinations in southern Oregon with more than 19,000 people vaccinated.
In Jackson County, one in four residents have now received at least one shot of a coronavirus vaccine, that’s about 62,293 people.
In Josephine County, more than 24,000 people have been vaccinated against coronavirus. Almost 9,000 people have recieved one shot of a Covid-19 vaccine while the other 15,000 people are fully protected against the virus.
For the last several weeks southern Oregon counties combined have been increasing vaccinations by between 10,000 to 15,000 people by the end of each week.
The Bureau of Land Management Klamath Falls Field Office will make online fuelwood-cutting permits available starting Thursday, April 15. Online permits are available for purchase 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The cost is $5 per cord.
There is a two-cord minimum purchase for every transaction, and a maximum of eight cords may be bought per household each year.
A cord is defined as a stack of split wood four feet wide by four feet high by eight feet in length. Each permit must be validated and attached to the load in a visible location before any cut wood is transported. To purchase a permit online, go to to forestproducts.blm.gov.
Permits are still available for purchase over the telephone using a credit/debit card by calling the Klamath Falls Field Office at 541-883-6916. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Around the state of Oregon
The Oregon Cattlemen’s Association offers the opportunity for six young ranchers to attend the OCA Mid-Year Conference, July 11-13, at the Salishan Coastal Lodge.
The scholarship is available to young ranchers interested in learning more about the work of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association. The scholarship will cover the expense of lodging and event registration. Candidates must be able to attend the full conference and be willing to participate in all facets. This is an excellent opportunity for young ranchers to immerse themselves in the work and mission of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association for the future of the cattle industry.
The application can be found at www.orcattle.com. Any questions may be addressed to the OCA office at 503-361-8941.
Federal officials say that trailers at an industrial site in Medford, which were rumored to house unaccompanied immigrant children, are actually for survivors of the September 2020 wildfires.
The Mail Tribune reported on Sunday that the rumors spurred people with guns to show up at the site to protest the presence of the trailers. Officials say the group did not brandish their weapons in a threatening manner and no one was hurt. Toney Raines, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s coordinating officer for the state of Oregon said Those rumors are false. We are not utilizing the manufactured home units or any of the travel trailers to house unaccompanied immigrants or individuals who are crossing the border in the south, the north or any other border.
The trailers and units have been hauled to several communities impacted by the fires, including 96 in Jackson County.
A bill aimed at banning online sales of vaping products has passed the Oregon House of Representatives. One of the bill’s chief sponsors is Rep.
Pam Marsh of Jackson County. House Bill 2261 would ban all online sales of “inhalant delivery systems,” requiring face-to-face purchases of those products. It specifically appears to target tobacco or nicotine-related products, not marijuana vape devices. Proponents of the bill say that it would make it more difficult for people under the age of 21 to get vaping products.
House Democrats said that more than one in four high school students reported using e-cigarettes in the last 30 days, according to data from 2019.
Idaho lawmakers appeared intrigued but skeptical on Monday when pitched a plan to lop off about three-fourths of Oregon and add it to Idaho to create what would become the nation’s third-largest state geographically.
Representatives of a group called Move Oregon’s Border For a Greater Idaho outlined their plan to a joint meeting of Idaho lawmakers from the House and Senate on Monday. The Idaho Legislature would have to approve the plan that would expand Idaho’s southwestern border to the Pacific Ocean.
The Oregon Legislature and the U.S. Congress would also have to sign off. Supporters of the idea said rural Oregon voters are dominated by liberal urban areas such as Portland, and would rather join conservative Idaho. Portland would remain with Oregon. If everything falls in line with Oregon, supporters envision also adding adjacent portions of southeastern Washington and northern California to Idaho.
Backers said residents in those areas also yearn for less government oversight and long to become part of a red state insulated from the liberal influence of large urban centers that tend to vote Democratic.
The Oregon Supreme Court on Friday ruled that the Legislature will have until Sept. 27 to complete the redistricting process, giving lawmakers more time to draw political boundaries following a delay in crucial census data.
The unanimous decision by the justices will give legislative leaders nearly three extra months to do their work. Redistricting, the process where lawmakers redraw legislative and congressional districts, occurs every 10 years following the census. Districts must be equal in population to each other. Although there’s a set number of state legislative districts, due to Oregon’s population growth in the last decade it is likely that the state will receive an additional seat in the United States House of Representatives.
This means that the number of congressional districts would increase from five to six.
Errol Andam, 49, of Beaverton, Oregon, a former marketing manager at Nike, Inc., pleaded guilty today to wire fraud, money laundering, and making false statements on a loan application as part of a scheme to defraud his former employer, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug.
According to court documents, from 2001 until his termination in 2018, Andam was employed by Nike at its headquarters in Beaverton. Most recently, Andam worked as a manager in the company’s North American Retail Brand Marketing division wherein he managed the design, build-out, and operation of “pop-up” retail venues, temporary Nike shops situated near and tailored to sports competitions and other special events around the U.S.
Under the terms of Andam’s plea agreement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will recommend a sentence of 37 months in federal prison when he is sentenced on July 12, 2021. Andam will ask for a sentence of not less than 24 months. He has also agreed to pay more than $1.6 million in restitution and forfeit $212,838 in criminally-derived proceeds.
Grange Co-op will be giving away a total of 1,500 tree saplings in celebration of Arbor Day. The event will take place today at 11 a.m. and will last while supplies are available.
Limit one tree per household. Arbor Day is a day designated to celebrating nature, and in doing so, individuals are encouraged to spend time outside planting trees. Grange Co-op has been giving away tree saplings in honor of Arbor Day since 2014. To receive a free tree sapling, visit the Arbor Day display at the Grange Co-op store.
This year Grange Co-op is offering a variety of seedlings including Red Maple, Japanese Maple, Eastern Redbud, Maidenhair tree, Heartleaf Hornbeam and Korean Dogwood.
The Oregon Supreme Court on Friday ruled that the Legislature will have until Sept. 27 to complete the redistricting process, giving lawmakers more time to draw political boundaries following a delay in crucial census data.
The unanimous decision by the justices will give legislative leaders nearly three extra months to do their work. Redistricting, the process where lawmakers redraw legislative and congressional districts, occurs every 10 years following the census. Districts must be equal in population to each other. Although there’s a set number of state legislative districts, due to Oregon’s population growth in the last decade it is likely that the state will receive an additional seat in the United States House of Representatives.
This means that the number of congressional districts would increase from five to six. Earlier this year the U.S. Census Bureau announced that data may not be delivered until Sept. 30. Under the Oregon Constitution and state laws, the deadline to redraw districts is July 1.
This prompted Oregon’s Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, and House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland to file a petition with the state Supreme Court, asking for a redistricting extension until the end of the year.