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.
Thursday, June 24, 2021
Klamath Basin Weather
Excessive Heat Warning in effect from June 26, 11:00AM until June 29, 11:00PM
Today Isolated showers and thunderstorms after 11am, otherwise mostly sunny, with a high near 90. Overnight, possible showers and thunderstorms with a low around 57.
Friday Sunny, with a high near 94. Overnight low around 65.
Saturday Sunny and hot, with a high near 98.
Sunday Sunny and hot, with a high near 103.
Monday Sunny and hot, with a high near 103
Tuesday Sunny and hot, with a high near 102.
Today’s Headlines
On Monday, Klamath Falls Mayor Carol Westfall, appointed city finance director Jessica Lindsay to act as interim city manager until a replacement can be found for Nathan Cherpeski.
Cherpeski, who has served as city manager since 2013, resigned from his post on May 17 and will assume a new role as city manager of Herriman, Utah.
June 16 was Cherpeski’s last day working for the city. Friday is his last day in town.
During Monday’s city council meeting, Westfall appointed Lindsay to serve as acting city manager starting July 16 and working through Nov. 16 or until the vacancy is filled.
The council voted to direct city attorney Michael Swanson to draft an employment contract detailing Lindsay’s appointment as city manager, stipulating that she will return to her post as financial director once her contract is fulfilled.
Through thunderstorms and high winds, fire crews continue to build containment on the Cutoff Fire north of Bonanza overnight. But the latest report from fire officials indicates that the fire destroyed a number of buildings during its initial spread.
The Incident Management Team said on Tuesday that damage assessment teams would be going into the fire area to determine how properties in the area were impacted. Wednesday morning’s report reflected the new information, with officials reporting 22 structures destroyed. It was not immediately clear if any of those buildings were homes, or how many were outbuildings.
There has been no fire growth in the past 24-hours. Firefighters have shifted their attention to the mop up process. Mop up consists of intentionally identifying hot spots that could threaten the fire line and extinguishing them. Last night’s infrared detection resources have given firefighters detailed information on where many of these hotspots are.
Firefighting traffic remains heavy in the fire area. Fire managers ask that other traffic in the area stay aware and reduce speeds as they share the roads with firefighters. Fire managers would also like to remind people that hazards remain in and near the fire area, including fire-weakened trees, stump holes filled with hot ash and other hazards.
Forecasts call for temperatures in Klamath County to soar headed into the weekend, reaching at least 100 degrees by Sunday. Fire managers are reminding firefighters to drink plenty of water to avoid heat-related illnesses.
Lightning from the most recent round of storms sparked nine wildfires on the Modoc National Forest, and several others in region, as more storms are expected in the area in the coming days.
Tamara Schmidt, public affairs officer for the Fremont-Winema National Forest, said that the Pool Fire is in good shape, and that aircraft are doing detection flights right now, searching for smoke from lightning fires across the forest.. Tuesday’s winds did push the Cutoff Fire, according to the Oregon Department of Forestry Incident Management Team, but crews continue to increase their containment by the day.
Two Sprague River-area residents were arrested earlier this week in connection with a number of burglaries in the Sprague River Road, Chiloquin and Bonanza areas.
Timothy Aaron Hicks and Kyla Diane Belcher were arrested and charged with Burglary I, Theft I, and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.
According to the Klamath County Sheriff’s Office, a search warrant was executed June 21 at a remote location within Klamath Forest Estates “after a weekend long investigation developed probable cause that a substantial amount of recently stolen property from several recent burglaries … would be there.”
The recovered items had been stolen within the past couple of weeks in two burglaries, said Operations Lieutenant Randy Swan. According to a probable cause statement filed in Klamath County Circuit Court, Belcher and Hicks allegedly stole an ATV and over $1,000 worth of tools from an address in Chiloquin last week.
Officers contacted the pair at the Crater Lake Travel Center on Saturday where, according to court documents, Belcher admitted to taking the items and gave directions to the location of the ATV.
The U.S. Supreme Court sided Wednesday with a Dorris strawberry grower, ruling that a California union-organizing law violated the constitutional rights of employers.
In a 6-3 vote, a majority of the court supported arguments presented by Cedar Point Nursery of Dorris, Calif., and co-plaintiff, Fowler Packing Company of Fresno, Calif. At issue was a 1975 state regulation which allowed union organizers access to agricultural employers’ land to meet with employees for a limited amount of time before and after the workday and during lunch breaks.
The growers in the case questioned whether the law violated the fifth amendment by allowing access to private land without compensation. The fifth amendment prohibits the taking of private property for public use without compensation. The dissent wrote that the California law merely regulated the owners’ right to exclude others from the land, but doesn’t give union organizers 24/7 access to the land.
The majority opinion argued that an owners’ right to exclude others from land is a fundamental property right.
All Klamath Health Partnership locations will be closed next Wednesday, June 30th beginning at 12pm/noon. All locations will open regular hours on Thursday, July 1st. Please call us at 541-851-8110 with any questions.
The big metal enclosure jutting off the sidewalk on Main Street in front of the Mermaid Garden Café may seem confusing at first, but it’s called a pedlet, and it serves as a miniature, seasonal boardwalk for people to enjoy outdoor dining or shopping.
The pedlet on Main Street is the first of its kind for Klamath Falls, and was installed in May as a prototype of a Klamath County tourism grant. Now, the city of Klamath Falls in partnership with the Healthy Klamath coalition is rolling out a program to provide another pedlet to a retail or restaurant business downtown, BlueZones Project-Healthy Klamath said in a press release Wednesday. The selected business will have use of the pedlet for the summer and fall of 2021. Local businesses wishing to apply for a sponsored pedlet for the summer are asked to submit an application by Friday, July 9. Applications are available at the city development services building at 226 South 5th Street, and the final selection will be made the week of July 19.
Around the state of Oregon
There are two new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 2,759 the Oregon Health Authority reported today. Oregon Health Authority reported 233 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of today bringing the state total to 207,333.
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (7), Benton (4), Clackamas (14), Columbia (3), Coos (8), Crook (3), Curry (5), Deschutes (14), Douglas (11), Grant (1), Harney (2), Hood River (1), Jackson (18), Jefferson (4), Josephine (6), Lane (13), Lincoln (3), Linn (14), Malheur (2), Marion (29), Morrow (2), Multnomah (27), Polk (8), Umatilla (7), Union (1), Wasco (10), Washington (12), Yamhill (4).
The Oregon Health Authority has reported an additional 8,169 wasted vaccine doses in the last week, on top of the approximately 30,000 doses lost since the vaccine drive began in December.
The state is urging health providers to prioritize vaccinating people, even if that means having to throw out unused doses. Gov. Kate Brown’s office, meanwhile, is trying to make getting a shot more appealing by promising even more prizes, with only those who’ve received a shot eligible.
On top of the existing prizes, which include a $1 million pay-out, Brown’s office promised four travel packages to classic sites in Oregon, worth about $2,000 each. Ten counties have also decided to put up more than $700,000 in prizes and scholarships for people who have received shots by June 28 — the day of the drawing.
The manager and owner of a bar with topless dancing north of Roseburg are facing misdemeanor charges after deputies say they violated liquor regulations.
Top of the Bowl in Drain had been serving alcohol without a liquor license from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release on Monday. The license was surrendered in March after COVID-19 violations and a suspension. Manager Rik Marin and owner and bartender Jamie Hennricks were arrested early Saturday and told deputies alcohol was being served for tips and donations, but with a suggested amount, according to the news release.
A Coos Bay man was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison this week after pleading guilty to sexually exploiting a 3-year-old child while producing child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon. In July of 2018, an undercover agent from Homeland Security Investigations saw a video displaying child sexual abuse streamed on an online video chat, according to federal prosecutors.
Less than 24 hours later, federal agents identified 33-year-old Keith James Atherton of Coos Bay and took him into custody. The investigation into Atherton found that he’d sexually exploited the 3-year-old child, producing explicit images and videos. After searching at least 10 of Atherton’s digital devices, investigators found at least 35,000 images and 8,000 videos “depicting the sexual abuse of infants, toddlers, and young children,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Within days of his arrest, a federal grand jury in Eugene indicted Atherton on three counts of using or attempting to use a minor to produce a visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct and possession and distribution of child pornography.
The Portland Police Bureau will stop pulling over drivers for non-moving violations unless it’s a significant safety issue.
Mayor Ted Wheeler announced that and other changes at the police bureau yesterday. The bureau will also change the way consent searches are conducted, and officers will tell people they have a right to decline the search. Wheeler says the changes are intended to improve equal justice.
White Portlanders make up 75-percent of the population, but account for 65-percent of the traffic stops while Black people account for six-percent of the population and 18-percent of the traffic stops.