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.
Friday, May 28, 2021
Klamath Basin Weather
Today Sunny, with a high near 77. Overnight, cloudy, with a low around 44.
Saturday Mostly sunny, with a high near 83. Overnight low of 47.
Sunday Sunny, with a high near 85.
Monday, Memorial Day Sunny, with a high near 90.
Tuesday Sunny, with a high near 95.
Wednesday Sunny and hot, with a high near 97.
Thursday Sunny, with a high near 92.
Today’s Headlines
The Klamath Freedom Celebration is conducting a Memorial Day Parade on Monday, May 31st, from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. Main Street will be closed from Spring Street to Center Street to Veterans Park. Barricades and detour routing will be in place for the event.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Oregon and California have announced $1.8 million in Environmental Quality Incentives Program funding to support the Klamath Basin and address critical needs during the ongoing drought.
Applications for drought assistance are due by June 16. In recognition of the catastrophic conditions the Klamath Basin is currently experiencing, NRCS will offer a dedicated sign-up and ranking for the Klamath region without competition from other regions.
California and Oregon NRCS are working together to make sure programs for farmers in the Klamath are well aligned, including communication, timelines, screening, ranking and practice lists. NRCS has allocated $1.134 million in EQIP funding to Oregon and $674,000 to California to address critical needs during this drought. Interested landowners should submit applications by June 16.
Apply in person at a local NRCS field office or online through Farmers.gov.
There are 21 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 2,660.
Yesterday 13 new cases were reported here in Klamath County.
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (2), Benton (3), Clackamas (50), Clatsop (1), Columbia (8), Coos (4), Crook (4), Deschutes (41), Douglas (24), Harney (2), Hood River (1), Jackson (22), Jefferson (3), Josephine (12), Klamath (13), Lane (17), Linn (23), Malheur (4), Marion (54), Morrow (5), Multnomah (64), Polk (4), Tillamook (1), Umatilla (17), Union (1), Wasco (1), Washington (38) and Yamhill (14).
The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 256, which is 17 fewer than yesterday. There are 68 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is nine fewer than yesterday.
Oregon has now administered a total of 2,154,797 first and second doses of Pfizer, 1,572,083 first and second doses of Moderna and 138,588 single doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. As of today, 1,790,838 people have completed a COVID-19 vaccine series. There are 2,206,455 people who have had at least one dose.
Although a few more details are in need of completion, the annual Klamath County Fair is set for Thursday August 5 through Sunday August 8.
Concerts are Friday and Saturday, Demolition derby is Saturday, the catch pen party tent will be open after each concert.
Small stage entertainment and walk around amusement will be on hand as well as Wold Amusements, 4h & FFA animal exhibits and Food concessions
Stay updated by going onto klamathcountyfair.com.
Ashley Marie Smith pleaded guilty to unlawful use of a weapon after she fired a shot at a man in Chiloquin in April who was driving away from an altercation with Smith and others.
Smith was sentenced to one year in prison and two years of parole. Charges of attempted assault, felon in possession of a firearm and first-degree theft were dismissed as a part of a plea agreement.
Deputy District Attorney for Klamath County Cole Chase said that, after reviewing the evidence, it didn’t seem they could prove the attempted assault charge beyond a reasonable doubt because Smith likely would’ve fired more than one shot if she intended to injure someone.
The Baldwin Hotel and Fort Klamath museums will open for the summer season starting on Saturday according to the Klamath County Museum.
Living history re-enactors will be staging demonstrations at Fort Klamath from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, May 29-30 in celebration of opening day.
Admission is free at the museum, located 35 miles north of Klamath Falls on Highway 62. Regular hours at Fort Klamath are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday through Tuesday. The museum is closed on Wednesdays. A new display at the Baldwin Hotel Museum, located at 31 Main St. in Klamath Falls, includes vintage commemorative dishes featuring historic scenes such as the falls on Link River and old schools in Klamath Falls.
The Tallman Rock Chippers Club in Lakeview is returning to the Lake County Fairgrounds this Memorial Day weekend with a two-day rock and gem show on Saturday and Sunday.
This will be the 40th year of the rock and gem show that the Tallman Rock Chippers have held in Lakeview; last year’s show was canceled due to COVID restrictions. LeRoy Johnson, president of the Tallman Rock Chippers, said in the past the show was generally held in August but had to be moved due to wildfires impacting the area, as fire crews would often use the Lake County Fairgrounds as a base camp.
The Tallman Rock Chippers then moved the show closer to Mother’s Day in May, but the often wet weather did not allow for field trips to various rock hounding sites nearby.
Around the state of Oregon
An indictment was unsealed on Wednesday charging a Portland, Oregon, man with fraudulently converting to personal use loans intended to help small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Eric Wade Lysne, 29, has been charged with one count each of wire and bank fraud. The indictment alleges that, since April 2020, Lysne has devised and perpetrated a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration (SBA) and various financial institutions by fraudulently applying for and obtaining Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans using false borrower information. Lysne created fictitious entities, including Paradigm Consulting Groups (Paradigm), on whose behalf he applied for and received EIDLs and PPP loans.
In order to give Paradigm the appearance of a legitimate business, Lysne applied for and received an IRS Employer Identification Number in April 2020 and registered the business with the Oregon Secretary of State the following month.
Memorial Day weekend is traditionally the start of the summer recreation season. For those looking for an adventure on the Fremont-Winema National Forest this weekend, they are encouraged to be prepared for varied and changing conditions and take measures to have a safe and enjoyable weekend.
Current conditions are widely varied. Overall, the Forest is drier than average for this time of year. Recent storms brought significant rain and snowfall over the east side of the Forest, while the west side of the Forest remained dry. This pattern is atypical for the area – usually the west side gets more precipitation. Throughout the Forest there is still snow on north-facing slopes.
Drivers need to be aware that they may encounter snow drifts, icy or muddy conditions on all roads, but especially those on the northern sides of mountains and in shaded areas. These areas increase the risk of getting stuck, as well as potentially damaging roads. If tread tracks are visible in the rearview mirror or if there are increased drifts in the road, drivers are asked to park and walk or turn around and find another area to visit.
Law enforcement officers from multiple agencies descended on a property on Monument Drive near Grants Pass on Wednesday, removing thousands of marijuana plants.
The Josephine Marijuana Enforcement Team (JMET) led Wednesday’s effort to serve a search warrant in the 800-block of Monument Drive. The team was accompanied by elements of Oregon State Police, Rogue Area Drug Enforcement (RADE), the Jackson Coutny Illegal Marijuana Enforcement Team (IMET), the OLCC, Oregon Department of Agriculture, and other officials.
According to JMET, the search found 30,673 illegal marijuana plants that were seized and destroyed. Officers also found six firearms, multiple water pumps, generators, and pieces of heavy equipment that were seized as evidence. Officers initially detained 20 people, but no arrests had been made as of early Thursday afternoon. The investigation is still ongoing.
Oregon Department of Justice announced the conclusion of an investigation related to the use of deadly force by members of the Oregon State Police and Lake County Sheriff’s Office, which resulted in the death of Isaac Matheney on Friday, Jan. 1st.
Oregon DOJ was asked by Lake County District Attorney Ted Martin to assume all prosecution responsibilities. This is the first time a member of law enforcement has been investigated under one of Oregon’s new law enforcement reform laws, House Bill 4301, which was passed by the Oregon legislature in 2020.
The bill provides that peace officers and corrections officers may not use force that impedes normal breathing or circulation of blood of another person by applying pressure on the person’s throat or neck except in specified circumstances.
At the time of the incident, Matheney was involved in a standoff with police after allegedly robbing a convenience store in Silver Lake. After a thorough investigation of the incident, Senior Asst. Attorney General Christian Stringer presented the case to a Lake County Grand Jury.
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival announced Thursday that live performances will return earlier than originally anticipated this year, with the premiere of new show at the outdoor Allen Elizabethan Theatre and a string of weekly concerts.
After coronavirus shuttered OSF for the 2020 season, the theatre company in February outlined a cautious approach to the 2021 season — planning for in-person shows to run from fall into winter, coupled with online recordings of both new and classic shows. However, Thursday’s announcement indicates that the plan has changed somewhat in the intervening months.
A new live show, Cheryl L. West’s Fannie: The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer, will premiere July 1 on the outdoor Elizabethan stage. According to OSF, Fannie is the story of Mississippi-born civil and voting rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer, “painting a song-filled, electrifying portrait of courage, humor, and grit.” E. Faye Butler will portray Fannie from July 1 to August 28, with OSF’s own Greta Oglesby taking over the role from September 1 to October 9.
The Oregon Public Utility Commission is approving a final one-month extension to the moratorium on disconnections for electric and natural gas customers who haven’t paid their bills during the pandemic.
Nearly 87-thousand electric and natural gas customers are at least 90 days behind on payments. That’s more than 230-percent higher than before the pandemic. Disconnections can start August 1st. The PUC is asking utilities to make their best efforts not to disconnect customers who are working to pay their back debts.