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, your local health and Medicare agents.
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
Klamath Basin Weather
Today Sunny, with a high near 76. Overnight, clear with a low around 46.
Thursday Mostly sunny, with a high near 72. Cloudy overnight with a low around 37.
Friday Sunny, with a high near 75.
Saturday Mostly sunny, with a high near 80.
Sunday Sunny, with a high near 83.
Monday, Memorial Day Sunny, with a high near 87.
Today’s Headlines
There are four new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 2,628. Oregon Health Authority reported 424 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of yesterday, bringing the state total to 199,391.
The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 274, which is eight more than yesterday. There are 75 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is no change from yesterday. 18 new cases were reported here in Klamath County.
Under the latest statewide metrics, Klamath County needs 65% of the population, aged 16+, to receive at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to reduce the county risk level to ‘lower.’
70% is needed statewide to lift most restrictions. As of Tuesday, the graphic from the Oregon Health Authority shows the current vaccination status of Klamath County sits at 42.6%. Statewide vaccinations are at 64.3% Lake County is last in percentage of population vaccinated at just over 33%.
A COVID-19 outbreak at La Pine High School that forced nearly half its staff and students into quarantine has prompted school officials to send students back online for nearly two weeks.
As of Friday afternoon, 15 staff members and students from La Pine High had been diagnosed with COVID-19, which resulted in the massive quarantine, according to a letter sent to families Friday by interim principal Anne-Marie Schmidt. That quarantine resulted in many classes being taught by substitutes, and some students becoming nervous about contracting COVID-19. So although it was frustrating putting students back into distance learning, it was the best decision, she said.
Stewart Decker, M.D., was named President of the Oregon Academy of Family Physicians at the organization’s annual meeting on April 24, according to an OAFP news release.
Decker has been an OAFP member since 2014, his term as president will last one year. He practices family medicine at Sky Lakes Primary Care Clinic in Klamath Falls.
Decker received his medical degree at University of Minnesota Medical School in 2014 and completed his residency in 2017 at OHSU Cascades East Family Medicine Residency Program. While a medical student, Dr. Decker was a member of the Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians and was active in the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) as well.
Before graduating, he spent a year in Peru, where he earned a certificate in international public health.
Klamath Falls will once again have daily service via Amtrak north and south 7 days a week. In another hopeful sign that the travel industry is bouncing back in after pandemic-induced lows last year, Amtrak says it will restore daily service on 12 long distance routes across the country, including two that run through Seattle.
Starting Monday, both the Empire Builder — Chicago to Seattle/Portland — and Coast Starlight — Seattle to Los Angeles — routes will resume daily service, giving passengers on the West Coast more travel options. The routes had previously only been operating three times a week due to low ridership during the pandemic.
The Amtrak Cascades route will also add a second round trip between Seattle and Eugene starting Monday and a third round trip on the Seattle to Portland segment will also be added.
Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1383 announced that due to a scheduling conflict the gathering time for placement of flags at Klamath Memorial Cemetery has changed to 8 a.m. on Thursday, May 27.
Activities had originally slated to commence at 10 a.m. Flags are placed on graves of military members in recognition of the Memorial Day holiday, scheduled for Monday, May 31 this year. Flag removal activities after the Memorial Day holiday remain same as originally scheduled.
The Klamath County Master Gardener’s Association is offering locally grown vegetable starts, flowers, and herbs for sale this week, according to a news release.
Tomato plants, squash and cucumber starts, geraniums and other annual flowers, and an assortment of herbs, including basil, thyme, parsley and sage, are available for purchase. Online orders will be taken through midnight on Saturday, May 29. Plants bought online can be picked up at the OSU Extension Office parking lot, located at 6923 Washburn Way, during four designated times.
Customers may pick up their orders on Thursday, May 27 and Friday, May 28 from 5-7 p.m., or on Saturday, May 29 and Sunday, May 30 from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Proceeds from the sale will help fund scholarships for local college students and support the education and outreach activities of the Master Gardener program.
Around the state of Oregon
The Medford National Weather Service office is having its first Wildfire Awareness Week this week.
The campaign is an effort to help people of Southern Oregon and Northern California prepare for fire season. Each day will be dedicated to a different fire safety or fire weather topic on their website and social media. Connie Clarstorm, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service says “like many people in the community, we felt the impact of the September wildfires and this is our way of reaching out and trying to help people with that preparedness piece as we go into fire season.”
Thousands of Oregonians receiving unemployment will soon have to begin proving that they are looking for jobs, as the Oregon Employment Department puts back in place requirements that were suspended during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
OED estimates that roughly 220,000 people will be covered by the reinstated work search requirement, though deadlines for registering will be staggered over the next five weeks. The requirements will first apply to people receiving regular unemployment or Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC). People on UI will first need to register on OED’s iMatchSkills® system and create a Job Seeker profile. OED said that it will start mailing out notices with registration deadlines “on a rolling basis,” contacting 35,000 people in each wave. If claimants don’t register by their deadline, their benefits will be denied. After that, claimants will have to start reporting their job-seeking activities on their weekly claims.
The deadline is July 31 for all regular UI claimants, and must be submitted every week that they want to receive benefits.
Governor Kate Brown is revising rules for businesses in the Lower Risk category, allowing them to have special sections for vaccinated customers.
Brown announced the new rules yesterday. Vaccinated sections won’t need to require physical distancing or capacity limits for customers. Businesses can still require that vaccinated people wear masks in those areas. Children younger than 15 with a vaccinated parent can be in a vaccinated section if they wear a face mask. Unvaccinated sections must continue to follow health and safety protocols.
A bill passed by the Oregon Senate attempts to bar investigators from lying to a minor during an interrogation in order to gain a confession.
Senate Bill 418, if passed by the House and signed into law, would presume statements made by a minor to be involuntary if the investigator “used information known by the officer to be false to elicit the statement.” The bill would allow the presumption to be overcome if the state can prove “by clear and convincing evidence” that the statement was voluntary and not made in response to the false information.
Supporters of the bill cited studies that demonstrate juveniles have fundamental brain differences from adults, making them more susceptible to police interrogation tactics and indicating that they are less likely to understand their Miranda rights. Another study found that juveniles are two or three times more likely than adults to confess to criminal acts that they didn’t commit
Meanwhile, A bill that would have forced Oregon public schools to reopen for full-time in-person learning this fall has died in the Oregon legislature. In a party line vote, Democrats blocked the Senate bill from moving out of committee. Republicans who sponsored the bill argued this past year and a half has devastated learning for kids in Oregon and caused havoc for parents who tried to make ends meet.