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, August 25, 2021
Klamath Basin Weather
Today Areas of smoke along with sunshine, with a high near 82. Overnight, plenty of smoke and haze with a low of 47 degrees.
Thursday Areas of smoke. Sunny, with a high near 82.
Friday Areas of smoke. Sunny, with a high near 85.
Saturday Areas of smoke. Sunny, with a high near 88.
Today’s Headlines
Oregon reports 2,804 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 30 new deaths.
There are 30 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 3,066. The Oregon Health Authority reported 2,804 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 bringing the state total to 260,425.
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (7), Benton (37), Clackamas (171), Clatsop (46), Columbia (15), Coos (65), Crook (22), Curry (24), Deschutes (135), Douglas (240), Gilliam (1), Grant (4), Harney (7), Hood River (12), Jackson (242), Jefferson (7), Josephine (195), Klamath (25), Lake (3), Lane (195), Lincoln (72), Linn (110), Malheur (47), Marion (464), Morrow (10), Multnomah (152), Polk (45), Sherman (3), Tillamook (26) Umatilla (87), Union (15), Wallowa (4), Wasco (50), Washington (162) and Yamhill (104).
The statewide COVID-19 surge continues in Oregon and is now plaguing Southern Oregon and into Klamath County, causing Sky Lakes Medical Center to open a second COVID-19 isolation ward.
As of yesterday morning, there were 20 COVID-positive inpatients at Sky Lakes, 17 of those patients housed in one of the two COVID isolation units. Three were in the intensive care unit, which currently only has two beds available, according to Tom Hottman, public information officer for Sky Lakes.
The decision to open a second COVID isolation unit was made to level out the load of patients, Hottman said. The two units have a combined capacity of 24 patients
According to Valeree Lane, public information officer for Klamath County Public Health, there have been 216 COVID cases reported from Aug. 15-21, more than double the number of cases between Aug. 8-14.
This week, there have already been 99 cases recorded for the county, Lane said. For perspective, the high point during the spring wave was 314 cases in a week, and during the November wave the local high was 288.
Governor Kate Brown announced on Tuesday that Oregon’s statewide mask mandate will be expanded to include outdoor public spaces, particularly large events and other circumstances where physical distancing is not possible.Brown said in a statement that her order was prompted by the spread of the delta variant, particularly among people who have not been vaccinated against the coronavirus.
The new requirement begins this Friday, August 27th, and applies regardless of vaccination status. The Oregon Health Authority also highly recommended masks for private outdoor gatherings when people from different households cannot consistently maintain physical distancing. At the Governor’s direction, the OHA plans to issue a new rule on the topic. The rule does not apply to “fleeting encounters,” such as when two people walk by one another on a trail or in a park. The rule also does not apply to private settings, despite the strong recommendation from the OHA.
- Mask requirements for day-to-day operations at K-12 schools are not governed by this rule, and will instead continue to fall under the “school mask rule”. Outside public events, spectator events, and gatherings of the general public on K-12 school grounds will be subject to the rule. Child care and youth programs will continue to follow existing OHA mask guidance; and
In a related story, Legacy Health is temporarily suspending non-urgent elective surgeries due to a surge in hospitalizations for COVID-19 patients in Oregon. Legacy announced the two-week pause yesterday, saying the Delta COVID-19 variant is severely straining its hospitals and staff. Officials say the pause in non-urgent surgeries will help create bed capacity for critically ill patients.
The City of Klamath Falls and Klamath Falls Police Department are seeking the public’s assistance regarding the evening of August 8th, where the Veterans Park restrooms were vandalized to a point they are unusable and have been locked to public access. Anyone with information about this incident can contact the Klamath Falls Police Department at (541) 883-5336. The restrooms will remain closed until the extensive repairs can be made. As always, the public’s assistance is greatly appreciated.
Armed with a knife and BB gun, a Klamath County man allegedly attacked his father in the woods near the 600 block of Chemult’s Holiday Lane on Friday.
Sean Andrew Martinez-Lima, 22, was arrested on Sunday at St. Charles Medical Center in Bend in connection with the incident, jail records show. He was charged with assault second degree and two counts of unlawful use of weapon.
Throughout the assault, Martinez-Lima told his father that he was going to kill him and “had been planning it for months,” a probable cause statement filed in Klamath County Circuit Court showed.
The victim had lacerations on both arms, his ear and suffered two “BB wounds/pellet wounds to his head.” He was able to disarm Martinez-Lima and escape.
Around the state of Oregon
Statewide Mask Mandate Starts Friday
Gov. Kate Brown says Masks will be required starting Friday, August 27th, in most Oregon public outdoor settings, regardless of vaccination status, as the number of COVID-19 coronavirus cases continues to increase sharply.
Brown’s latest order applies to all outdoor events where physical distancing cannot be maintained. Masks are recommended by the Oregon Health Authority for events at private residences where people from different households mingle and physical distancing cannot be maintained.
Brown said in a statement Tuesday, Aug. 24, that her order was prompted by the spread of the delta variant, particularly among people who have not been vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Her statement:
“Masks are a quick and simple tool we can immediately deploy to protect ourselves and our families, and quickly help stop further spread of COVID-19.
“The delta variant is much more contagious than previous variants we’ve seen, and it has dramatically increased the amount of virus in our communities. Masks have proven to be effective at bringing case counts down and are a necessary measure right now, even in some outdoor settings, to help fight COVID and protect one another.”
The rule does not apply when two people pass each other.
Since mask mandates and other restrictions were lifted June 30, the resurgence of the coronavirus has prompted Brown to reinstate a mask requirement for indoor spaces starting on Aug. 13, and orders for mandatory vaccinations of health care workers, state workers and K-12 public school workers.
Some universities and health care organizations — Oregon Health & Science University, Kaiser Permanente, PeaceHealth and Legacy Health — had already mandated vaccinations for employees and students.
The Food and Drug Administration gave full federal approval on Monday for Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, which had been under an emergency use authorization. The action may prompt some private employers to follow up with their own mandates.
Dr. Dean Sidelinger, the state health officer, said the delta variant is more easily spread by people even though they may not show symptoms.
“This is because they have one thousand times more virus in their nose — which means that those around them are much more likely to get sick because this variant behaves so differently,” he said.
“We are starting to see instances where cases are clustering around events, like outdoor music festivals, that happen outdoors. Wearing masks in crowded settings — even outdoors — will help slow the spread of COVID-19.”
The rule aligns with the exceptions outlined in the recent statewide indoor mask requirements, and does not apply to:
• Children under 5 years old;
• Individuals who are actively eating, drinking, or sleeping — as well as individuals living outdoors, such as persons experiencing houselessness;
• Persons playing or practicing competitive sports, or engaged in an activity in which it is not feasible to wear a mask, such as swimming;
• Individuals delivering a speech or performing, such as with outdoor music or theater;
• Mask requirements for day-to-day operations at K-12 schools are not governed by this rule, and will instead continue to fall under the school mask rule. Outside public events, spectator events and gatherings of the general public on K-12 school grounds will be subject to the rule. Child care and youth programs will continue to follow existing OHA mask guidance; and
• In addition, entities subject to the ADA must continue to comply with that law.
Mask requirements for day-to-day operations at K-12 schools are not governed by this rule, and will instead
continue to fall under the school mask rule. Outside public events, spectator events, and gatherings of the general
public on K-12 school grounds will be subject to the rule. Child care and youth programs will continue to follow
existing OHA mask guidance.
Smoke limited fire activity on most ongoing fires yesterday until some clearing in the afternoon allowed low to moderate activity on ongoing fires. Slightly warmer yesterday than the previous day with moderately low humidity and light winds.
Mostly sunny in the morning with smokey conditions in eastern Oregon. Clouds developed late in the afternoon and
blanketed most of the region by nightfall. There were good humidity recoveries overnight on the west side and moderate to poor recoveries on the east side. No lightning was detected across the region and initial attack activity was light.
After a dry day, the first of a series of upper-level troughs will approach later this afternoon, increasing cloud cover and boosting breezes through Cascade gaps in the afternoon and bring some light rain chances tonight mainly over the Olympics and Washington Cascades. Precipitation chances continue in the northern Cascades Thursday, then shift to northeastern Washington Friday. Gap breezes will pick up a bit more Thursday and Friday afternoons, then calm for the weekend. A flat upper-level ridge will move across the region over the weekend for a brief warming spell before another trough cools the region again early next week.
Diminished fire danger coupled with seasonable temperature and humidity will keep the potential for new significant fires at or below seasonal normal through the work week. Warmer, drier conditions over the weekend will elevate potential for parts of south-central and southwestern Oregon Sunday early next week.
Wildfires happen fast and spread quickly. If you had to evacuate at a moment’s notice, would you be ready?
– Make a plan: http://ready.gov/plan
– Have a go-kit: http://ready.gov/kit
– Receive alerts: http://oralert.gov
– Be ready: http://go.usa.gov/xFd5q
Here are links to be able to see updated info on the larger fires in Oregon:
- Black Butte InciWeb
- Bootleg InciWeb
- Bruler InciWeb
- Bull Complex InciWeb
- Devil’s Knob Complex InciWeb
- Elbow Creek Inciweb
- Fox Fire InciWeb
- Jack Fire InciWeb
- Rough Patch Complex InciWeb
- Middle Fork Complex/Knoll Fire InciWeb
- Skyline Ridge Complex InciWeb
This public lands link is super helpful to check before you head outdoors. The Keep Oregon Green website carries ODF’s public use restrictions. Click the link for up-to-date information:
https://keeporegongreen.org/current-conditions/
Oregon’s Waiting Week for Unemployment Insurance Returns Sept. 5
(Salem, OR)- Starting Sept. 5, the waiting week will again apply to unemployment insurance benefit claims. The waiting week does not impact the number of weeks claimants receive in benefits or the total amount they may be paid. It does mean people need to wait until after the first week they are otherwise eligible for unemployment insurance benefits to get those benefits.
Last year, Governor Brown declared an emergency and waived the waiting week during the pandemic so people were able to receive benefits the first week they filed a claim. Even after the expiration of that emergency declaration, the Governor waived the waiting week further, through the duration of federal pandemic-related unemployment insurance programs.
This decision was based on the Oregon Employment Department’s findings that this further waiver would help Oregonians by providing additional federal resources to people in need. With those federal pandemic unemployment programs ending, Oregon law requires that the normally applicable waiting week resume.
“We know unemployment benefits are a critical safety net and people rely on these funds to provide for their families and stay in their homes. With temporary federal benefits ending Sept. 4 and COVID-19 on the rise, this is a stressful time for many throughout the country. We want to make sure people have the information they need when we return to regular unemployment insurance (UI) benefit rules, including the waiting week,” said David Gerstenfeld, acting director of the Oregon Employment Department.
The department’s resources webpage has a list of organizations and services that may help people during this one-week gap in benefits.
The reinstatement of the waiting week may impact approximately 11,000 people, who include:
- People filing an initial claim for regular UI benefits.
- People currently receiving Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) benefits who were eligible for a regular UI claim after their original PEUC claim expired. PEUC rules required that they continue receiving their PEUC weekly benefit amount if it was at least $25 or more than the WBA on their new claim. Once PEUC ends Sept. 4, 2021, these individuals will be moved back to their new, regular UI claim, triggering a waiting week.
Oregon state law requires people receiving regular UI benefits serve a waiting week. Any changes to this law would require legislative action. The waiting week is the first week of a person’s regular Unemployment Insurance (UI) claim when they meet all eligibility requirements. They must claim the week, but they are not paid for it.
The first week people claim after Sept 4., and for which they are eligible for benefits, will be their waiting week. They need to complete work-seeking requirements and file their weekly claim during their waiting week, but they will not be paid unemployment benefits for it. People already receiving regular UI benefits will not have a waiting week, unless they later file a new claim for regular UI benefits. Oregon Employment Department
A firefighter who died Monday while battling a wildfire southeast of Eugene, Oregon has now been identified as Frumencio Ruiz Carapia of Medford.
Ruiz Carapia, 56, was working along the eastern edge of the Gales fire when he was struck by a falling tree, according to a news release Tuesday from Lane County Sheriff’s Sgt. Tom Speldrich.
Despite immediate efforts by those around him, Ruiz Carapia died at the scene, the news release said. No other injuries were reported.
An investigation showed the accident wasn’t the result of any tree cutting but that the tree unexpectedly snapped and fell to the ground, according to the sheriff’s office.
Nearly 600 personnel are working on the Gales Fire, which is within the Middle Fork Complex of fires that started in the Willamette National Forest the week of July 26.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has authorized the killing of two more wolves in eastern Oregon, several weeks after the state fatally shot two young wolves from the same pack.
The Lookout Mountain pack was suspected of injuring or killing five cows over two weeks in July, and the state on Monday authorized ranchers to kill up to four of the wolves, excluding the breeding pair. Another cow was attacked Friday, and the state approved an extension of the original permit, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.
The pack consists of the breeding pair, both of whom are fitted with radio tracking collars, two yearlings and five 4-month-old pups. Their territory is primarily in Baker County, near the Idaho and Washington borders.
Two of the pack’s seven pups were shot by state officials using a helicopter earlier this month.
FEMA Emergency Housing Projects From Last Year’s Fires Ending In Jackson County
FEMA’s temporary emergency housing projects following the Almeda Fire are wrapping up in Jackson County as the final eligible families begin to move in.
The remaining 69 families will be moving in to manufactured homes at Coleman Creek Estates in Phoenix next week.“It has been probably one of the biggest housing missions in the United States. I’m glad we’re at the end of the system right now, which is good, but we’re looking forward to the next steps,” said FEMA spokesman Paul Corah.
The homes at Coleman Creek Estates are in addition to over 100 at other locations in Jackson County, including Totem Pole Trailer Park in Talent and Rogue Valley Mobile Village in Medford. The homes are rent-free, and families can move out at any time if they find a more permanent housing solution.
“Now, we need to get permanent housing built down in Jackson County, that’s our next stage. We’re not responsible for the permanent housing, but we’re going to be monitoring it and do whatever we can to help the survivors of the state,” Corah said.
According to federal aid regulations, fire survivors can only stay in temporary emergency homes until Mar. 2022, 18 months after the disaster declaration following the Almeda Fire was made. Corah says FEMA is already having conversations with the state and the cities involved about a longer-term plan.
“Will there be a possibility at the end that survivors maybe be able to buy those housing units there? That’s very much going to be a possibility,” he said. “Could we take some of those housing units that when people move out, can we sell them to the local cities or donate them to local cities? We are in talks right now to see what we can do.”
Corah said there is a possibility that FEMA could expand the housing mission to other families in need if some fire survivors move out and there are no more eligible families waiting.
“If there’s a general need that they’re already applied for, or they’re coming to us saying, ‘Hey, something’s changed,’ We’ll certainly take a look at that. If we have a unit available, then we can certainly do that. But it’s going to be on an individual basis, we’re always open,” he said.
UPDATE: Fatal Crash on I-5 near Ashland
On Tuesday, August 24, 2021 at approximately 5:35 A.M., Oregon State Police Troopers and emergency personnel responded to a two vehicle crash on Interstate 5 near mile post 15.
Preliminary investigation revealed a Chevrolet Malibu, operated by Angela Chin-Hugh (59) of Kent, WA. was northbound in the southbound lanes when it collided with a southbound Kia Spectra operated by Cesar Beltran (25) of White City.
Chin-Hugh and Beltran sustained fatal injuries and were pronounced deceased.
OSP was assisted by Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Ashland Police Department, and ODOT. Oregon State Police
Grand Jury Rules Second-Degree Murder Charge For Suspect In Gold Hill Killing
The 18-year-old suspect accused of shooting another man in Gold Hill last week was formally charged in Jackson County Circuit Court on Tuesday.
Deputies arrested Wiley River Foxx in the early morning hours last Thursday after responding to reports of “gunshots, screaming, and subjects fleeing the scene” from the 500-block of Gustaf Street in Gold Hill.
First responders arrived to find the victim, 24-year-old Thomas James Watters, unresponsive. According to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Watters was pronounced dead at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds.
Deputies lodged Foxx at the Jackson County Jail on an initial charge of Murder in the Second Degree. On Tuesday, a grand jury returned an indictment of Foxx on that charge.
Foxx’s next court date will be an arraignment set for September 20. Foxx has not yet entered a plea, and will do so at the arraignment.
Woman Arrested in Attempted Kidnapping in Portland
A woman was arrested Sunday after attempting to kidnap a 6-year-old boy, threatening his parents with a machete and an ax, and shouting racial slurs at the family, authorities said.
Elizabeth A. Zurcher-Wood, 37, approached a family that was waiting in line outside a pizzeria just before 4 p.m. in downtown Portland, the Portland Police Bureau said.
Zurcher-Wood told the family that she wanted to take the boy and lunged at him, according to police. When the family tried to back away and threw objects at Zurcher-Wood to keep her back, police said the suspect threatened them with the bladed weapons and used racial slurs before running away.
Officers were alerted to the attempted kidnapping and responded to Southwest 3rd Avenue and West Burnside Street. After being warned the suspect had a machete and an ax, officers found Zurcher-Wood a few blocks away.
Zurcher-Wood cooperated with officers and was arrested. The machete and ax found in her possession were seized as evidence, police said.
Zurcher-Wood was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on charges of second-degree kidnapping, three counts of second-degree bias, unlawful use of a weapon, second-degree disorderly conduct and menacing.
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to Kill More Wolves
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has authorized the killing of two more wolves in eastern Oregon, several weeks after the state fatally shot two young wolves from the same pack.
The Lookout Mountain pack was suspected of injuring or killing five cows over two weeks in July, and the state on Monday authorized ranchers to kill up to four of the wolves, excluding the breeding pair.
Another cow was attacked Friday, and the state-approved an extension of the original permit.
The pack consists of the breeding pair, both of whom are fitted with radio tracking collars, two yearlings and five 4-month-old pups.
Their territory is primarily in Baker County, near the Idaho and Washington borders. Two of the pack’s seven pups were shot by state officials using a helicopter earlier this month.
Powerball draw dates wrong on 273 printed tickets
The Oregon Lottery is asking players who purchased a Powerball ticket between 8/18 at 8:15 p.m. – 8/19 at 11:45 a.m. with advanced draws to contact Lottery customer service, as the printed draw dates may be incorrect. If they are, Lottery will provide a free bonus ticket that reflects the actual draw date printed on the ticket.
On Powerball tickets with multiple draw dates purchased between 8:15 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 18 and 11:45 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 19, the printed draw dates may be incorrect. An error occurred during the system upgrade to add Monday Powerball draws, and instead of limiting players to only purchase one draw last week, terminals allowed players to continue to select advanced draws. As a result, 273 multi-draw tickets were sold showing incorrect draw dates.
The lottery system sells based on the number of draws chosen, not the actual dates. For example, if a player purchased six draws, the ticket would show three weeks’ worth of Weds/Sat dates. However, once the Monday draws were added to the system, the six draws would happen sooner – three per week instead of two.
To accommodate this error and to meet the dates printed on impacted tickets, Lottery is offering free bonus tickets to impacted players. Players should save their tickets and contact the Lottery to determine if their ticket was one of the 273.
Lottery customer service: 503-540-1000 Oregon Lottery
Note: This issue is unrelated to the nationwide delay in the Multi State Lottery Association (MUSL) releasing Powerball results from Monday’s draw.