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.
Tuesday, June 8, 2021
Klamath Basin Weather
Today A 20% chance of showers after noon, otherwise partly sunny, with a high near 61. Overnight a 20% chance of showers with a low around 41.
Wednesday A 20% chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 3pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 61. Overnight, a chance of showers and thunderstorms with a low around 37. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Thursday Sunny, with a high near 68.
Friday A chance of showers after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 69.
Saturday A chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 74.
Today’s Headlines
There are no new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, and the state’s death toll remains at 2,694, the Oregon Health Authority reported today. Oregon Health Authority reported 125 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of today bringing the state total to 203,374. OHA reported that 14,268 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry.
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (1), Benton (1), Clackamas (19), Clatsop (1), Columbia (3), Crook (1), Deschutes (8), Douglas (5), Grant (1), Harney (2), Jefferson (1), Josephine (2), Klamath (4), Lane (14), Linn (6), Morrow (2), Multnomah (37), Polk (2), Union (1), Wasco (2), Washington (2), Yamhill (10).
Many people in Oregon are looking forward to a time when they can return to doing the things they love. Vaccination in Oregon is the safest and most effective path to reopening our state. As of today, 1,939,623 people in Oregon have completed a #COVID19 vaccine series. There are 2,286,813 who have had at least one dose.
The number of adult Oregonians needing vaccinations to reach the 70% threshold is 106,671. A daily countdown can be found on the OHA website.
A man who was reported missing from the Klamath Falls area in April was discovered dead, the Klamath County Sheriff’s Office confirmed on Monday.
31-year-old Benjamin “Buttons” Mowery was out of contact with friends and family for an unknown amount of time, though he may have been sighted in Klamath Falls on March 24. The sheriff’s office confirmed that he had been reported missing on April 6.
At that time that Mowery’s vehicle had been discovered burned with no sign of Mowery in or near the vehicle.
In a statement issued on Monday, KCSO said only that investigators had located and confirmed Mowery’s death. There was no further information about the circumstances, which the agency said are still under investigation.
“Mr. Mowery’s family has been notified and our thoughts are with them at this difficult time,” KCSO said.
Anyone with information about Mowery’s death is asked to contact the Klamath County Sheriff’s Office at 541-883-5130, or through the KCSO tip line at 541-8505380.
Man arrested in Klamath County with 87 pounds of meth
Methamphetamine and cocaine were found during a traffic stop along Highway 97 in Klamath County over the weekend, according to Oregon State Police.
The traffic stop occurred Saturday, at about 12:19 a.m., on Highway 97 near milepost 287. OSP said a trooper from the Klamath Falls Area Command stopped an SUV for speeding.
The trooper noticed signs of criminal activity during the stop and a consent search was conducted, according to OSP. The trooper located about 87.1 pounds of meth and about 2.2 pounds of cocaine concealed in the vehicle.
The driver, identified by OSP as 42-year-old Pablo Carmona-Carmona, from Yakima, Washington, was arrested. He was booked into the Klamath County Jail for unlawful possession, manufacture and delivery of methamphetamine, and unlawful possession and delivery of cocaine.
HealthyKlamath.org has announced these upcoming community events:
- Join Healthy Klamath, Blue Zones, and Klamath Tree League on June 12th 10-11am for an arboretum cleanup on Bryant Williams Dr (above OIT).
- The next virtual Diabetes Prevention Program at Sky Lakes Wellness Center starts June 12th, call 541-274-2770 to enroll or refer clients.
- Visit https://www.healthyklamath.org/KlamathTrailsChallenge to learn more about the Klamath Trails Challenge happening now through September 9th.
Oregon Tech will require students and employees to have received the COVID-19 vaccine to return to campus for the fall semester, the university’s president announced Wednesday.
The announcement, coupled with a similar one from Eastern Oregon University, means all of Oregon’s publicly funded universities will now require the COVID-19 vaccination for returning students as well as faculty and staff.
The schools will have a process for students to get legal exemptions. Students who attend class fully online and who don’t engage in any on-campus activities will not be required to be vaccinated.
Fall classes will begin on September 29. Oregon Tech joins a growing list of higher education institutions across the country and state that will require the vaccine. According to a Chronicle of Higher Education report tracking college vaccination plans, 470 campuses across the U.S. are planning on requiring the vaccine as of Friday afternoon.
The Klamath Falls city police department is seeking help in locating a vehicle, and identifying the driver involved in a hit and run of a pedestrian which occurred Saturday night, June 5.
The incident occurred in the area of Crater Lake Parkway and Main Street. The vehicle is described as a white 2000-2004 Subaru Legacy which should have damage to the passenger side at a minimum. The victim of the accident sustained serious injuries. They are asking that persons with information regarding the incident contact Detective Sergeant Gregg Wheat at 541-883-5336, call 911, or contact the Anonymous Tip Line 541-883-5334.
Henley Road, between Homedale Road and Highway 39, will be closed from 5 a.m. on Monday, June 7 until 6 p.m. pm Friday, June 11 as BNSF crews replace a railroad crossing.
Matney Way, at the intersection of Highway 39 and Cheyne Road, will be closed from 5 a.m. on Monday, June 7 until 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 8. Flaggers will be on site and detours will be posted. Motorists should use alternative routes. For additional questions or concerns, please contact Ryan Hamilton or Jeremy Morris with Klamath County Public Works at 541-883-4696
In the city, Streets Division crews will be performing work June 7th through June 11th, 2021 during the hours of 4:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Asphalt Crew will be performing prep work and asphalt overlays at the following locations: 6/7 – Upham St. and Worden Ave. (Intersection) 6/8 – Siskiyou St. (from Prescott St. to Van Ness Ave) 6/9 – Siskiyou St. (from Prescott St. to Iowa) 6/10 – Siskiyou St. (from Iowa St. to Van Ness Ave)
Paint Crew will be performing painting of crosswalks, parking Ts and legends at the following locations: 6/8 – 6/11 North 5th and North 6th (from Pine St. to Shasta Way) along with parking Ts on Main St. and Klamath Ave.
Sign maintenance and sweeping will be performed 6/7 – 6/11 throughout the City as needed. Detours and signage will be in place where needed.
Streets Staff thanks our citizens in advance for proceeding with caution in areas where crews are working. Work may be delayed or cancelled due to weather, equipment breakdown or unexpected emergencies. If you would like more information about this topic, please call City Public Works Department at (541) 883-5385.
Wondering what your kids should do this summer, after spending most of the school year at home?
Come and rediscover and redefine summer with us! Klamath Falls City Schools has reimagined summer. Gayle Yamasaki, summer school co-coordinator, said the district will host more than 45 Summer Camps this year, employing more than 90 adults and student helpers and partnering with community-based organizations and small businesses.
From June 14 to August 20 Klamath Falls City Schools will offer — free to Klamath County (priority to KFCS students and families) — camps for grades K-12. All programs are free and people can enroll in as many as they like. Enrollment opened May 31.
Around the state of Oregon
Oregon OSHA confirmed on Monday that it will repeal most elements of a permanent rule codifying COVID-19 rules in the workplace once the state reaches Governor Kate Brown’s benchmark of 70 percent vaccinated.
Governor Brown has repeatedly stated that most of the state’s coronavirus restrictions will be lifted once 70 percent of Oregonian adults have received at least one dose of a vaccine. OSHA said that Brown asked them to review rules currently in place in light of the goal.
Discussions on the broader rule-set are expected to begin the week of June 14, OSHA said. Preceded by a temporary rule, the permanent list of COVID-19 measures took effect on May 4.
The permanent rule did include changes introduced through public comment, OSHA said, but the requirements are “largely consistent” with those in place since November of last year, following guidance from the Oregon Health Authority.
As of Monday morning, OHA reported that 66.2 percent of Oregonian adults had received at least one dose of a vaccine.
Meanwhile, Oregon OSHA issued citations with penalties totaling $44,600 to four employers in May, with all of the cases involving willful violations of rules designed to protect workers from potential exposure to the coronavirus disease.
The citations were issued to two restaurants, a bakery, and a wood products company in Deschutes, Wasco, Linn, and Multnomah counties, respectively.
Penalties ranged from $8,900 to $17,800. Violations included willfully failing to ensure workers and customers wore face coverings indoors, and willfully allowing indoor dining despite operating in a county that was designated as an “extreme risk” for transmission of COVID-19.
Ongoing refusals to correct violations and come into compliance with workplace health and safety standards can lead to additional higher penalties. Meanwhile, if an Oregon OSHA inspection documents violations while a county is at extreme risk, but the county’s risk level drops before the citation is issued, the citation will still be issued. The change in risk levels may affect how the violation needs to be corrected, but not whether it is cited.
Portland police are reporting four people were fatally shot over the weekend at a home in the city.
Officers responded to reports of a shooting at the home in the 10AM hour on Sunday in the southeastern part of the city and found the four people dead from apparent gunshot wounds, police said in a statement. The investigation is continuing and autopsies will be performed, according to police.
No other information about the shooting was immediately made public.
Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek wants to expel a Republican lawmaker who allowed violent protesters into the state Capitol in December.
Kotek introduced a resolution that says if two-thirds of the members of the House of Representatives concur, Rep. Mike Nearman would be expelled from the House. Minutes before the House opened its floor session late Monday morning, her office announced that Kotek appointed a committee to consider expulsion. The committee, composed of three Democrats and three Republicans, will convene later this week and take up the resolution, Kotek’s press release said.
The incident on Dec. 21 rattled lawmakers and staff inside the Capitol and foreshadowed the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol by rioters spurred on by then President Donald Trump. Several of those who were among the crowds in Salem on Dec. 21 later were in Washington during the U.S. Capitol attack.
The Britt Festival Orchestra announced its first set of 2021 performances on Monday, but these particular showings will be a departure from the usual fare.
Brush: Music in the Woodlandsis the project of Pulitzer Prize-winning musician and composer Caroline Shaw and BFO music director Teddy Abrams. From July 30 through August 2, six free performances will be set on the Jacksonville Woodlands Trail system. Audience members will be invited to walk along the trails above the Britt Pavilion, encountering groups of musicians spread out along the path.
The performances are free, but donations will be accepted. Britt said that the intent is to five back to the community after a year that saw the Almeda Fire and COVID-19 pandemic transfigure life in southern Oregon.
A small earthquake that struck near Mount Hood on Saturday night triggered Oregon’s new ShakeAlert system for the first time.
ShakeAlert is designed to give residents a momentary warning before a quake’s shock wave hits them. Saturday’s quake, which measured magnitude 3.9, was too small to trigger regional emergency alert systems that are broadcast over TV, radio and to smartphones. So people didn’t receive warnings on their phones. But the people who deployed the system were heartened that the ShakeAlert technology worked as designed Saturday.
ShakeAlert operates in Oregon, California and Washington. California was first, in 2019; Oregon’s system went live in March, and Washington’s has been active since May.
Firefighters were getting the upper hand Monday on a wildfire burning on the Oregon-Washington border, aided by cooler temperatures and moderating winds, officials said.
The Joseph Canyon Fire has scorched 4,000 acres but grew by only 300 acres on Sunday, according to Larisa Bogardus, a spokeswoman with the Bureau of Land Management. Some 200 people have been assigned to fight the fire, the largest this fire season in the region. It was burning in the northeast Oregon and southeast Washington state in rugged terrain covered by grasses and patches of trees, creating thick plumes of gray smoke. Firefighters were assisted by 12 engines and seven helicopters. Several ranchers and permittees moved cattle out of the fire zone.
The Grants Pass Department of Public Safety is getting reports of phone calls asking citizens to make a donation for our officer who was assaulted at the Boatnik Carnival.
GPDPS said: “These phone calls were made without the knowledge or approval of our Department or the officer. Neither GPDPS nor the Grants Pass Police Association would ever call citizens asking for monetary donations. Please be aware persons calling claiming to be operating on behalf of GPDPS or the officer are not legitimate. We urge anyone who gets an unsolicited call for a charitable donation to always verify the organization and its legitmacy. Unfortunately persons committing fraud will sometimes pose as a charity in order to take your money. Legitimate organizations should offer alternative ways to make a donation other than a phone call”.