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, June 3, 2022
Klamath Basin Weather
Today Mostly cloudy, with a high near 71. Light south southwest wind becoming west southwest 9 to 14 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 21 mph. Overnight, showers mainly after 11pm. Cloudy, with a low around 46. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Saturday A 40% chance of showers. Cloudy, with a high near 65. Showers overnight with a low of 46. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Sunday Showers likely, with thunderstorms also possible after 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 70.
Monday Sunny, with a high near 69.
Tuesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 78.
Today’s Headlines
Two Oregon men — including one from Klamath Falls — have filed a class action lawsuit against Google and YouTube over automatic renewal fees.
Victor Walkingeagle of Portland, and Nathan Briggs of Klamath Falls, filed the suit in federal court in Portland on May 25. They are represented by Stanton Gallegos, an attorney with the Oregon-based law firm Markowitz Herbold PC, according to court documents.
Gallegos has not yet responded to a request for comment on the civil lawsuit. The suit alleges Google and YouTube automatic renewal procedures for various subscription services mislead consumers and violate Oregon’s automatic renewal law.
The social media platforms offer paid subscription services for ad-free content for music, videos and special programming. Oregon and California have aggressive renewal laws that require clear disclosures from companies aimed at helping consumers. They have also sparked some lawsuits.
Briggs and Walkingeagle are seeking $5 million in damages, according to court filings. Google and YouTube — which are both owned by parent company Alphabet Inc — did not respond to a request for comment.
The Health Education Awareness Team at the 173rd Fighter Wing will host a Sentry Eagle 5K Walk/Run on June 23, 2022 at the Crater Lake Airport.
This event is open to the general public and is free to enter. Tables will be set up at 9:00 a.m. and the race begins at 10:00 a.m. There is both a 5K and 2K option for all racers. Additionally, shirts are available to purchase at cost via the QR code on the flyer. The Health Education Awareness Team is a section of the Team Kingsley Resiliency Team whose mission is to improve the overall health and well-being of the 173rd FW, Kingsley Field community members and their families by providing support, education and resources.
This race kicks off the lead up to the Sentry Eagle Open House scheduled for June 25. During the Open House the Kingsley Field gates will be open to the community, providing a behind the scenes look at what the Airmen accomplish every day at the 173rd FW.
Additionally, there will be multiple aerial demonstrations, static display aircraft, flightline operations viewing opportunities, recruiting events, and local vendors.
Klamath County Rotary members spent time yesterday, getting new books ready to give to every first-grader in public and private schools in Klamath County.
The Rotary’s 22nd Klamath Cares, Klamath Reads event, attended by all first-graders, will be tomorrow (June 2) at Mike’s Fieldhouse. In all, 801 students will receive a book. Each student was able to choose a book out of seven different titles that they will take home and keep. Thank you Klamath County Rotary!
Around the state of Oregon
Nike founder Phil Knight has made a $2 billion-plus offer to buy the Portland Trail Blazers and negotiation discussions are ongoing, according to ESPN.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports the offer is being discussed with the trust of Paul Allen, the Trail Blazers owner who passed away in 2018.
The report says it is a written offer made by Knight in tandem with Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Alan Smolinisky, sources tell ESPN. Wojnarowski writes the presence of Phil Knight in the proposed ownership group speaks to its desire to keep the Blazers in Portland. Knight, 84, is the chairman emeritus of Nike, Inc., and was previously CEO of the company.
According to Forbes, Knight is the 27th-richest person in the world with an estimated net worth of $47.3 billion. The deal if reached, may take 6-12 months to complete.
Every public school district in Oregon last year was given the option to ban guns from their properties, but most have declined to do so.
Since a change to Oregon law in September, only 13% of the state’s public school districts have opted to close an exemption that allows holders of a concealed handgun license to carry weapons onto public property where possessing a gun would otherwise be a felony, OPB reported.
According to an analysis by OPB, the list of districts that have banned guns includes some in the Portland metro area — though not yet Portland Public Schools — along with more rural school systems.
Among the 25 that have banned guns are districts in Klamath Falls, Myrtle Point, Tillamook, Pendleton, Tigard-Tualatin, Lake Oswego and Woodburn. The vast majority of the state’’s 197 public school districts have, to date, taken no action.
Oregon’s new paid leave program is on track to start in 2023. Paid Leave Oregon Director Karen Humelbaugh told legislators they’ll be ready for employers to start withholding money from paychecks in January with paid leave being funded by September of next year.
Paid leave will cover medical, family bonding, and safe leave which will include time off for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. It’ll cost one-percent of your salary with employees paying 60-percent and employers paying 40-percent.
ODOT is preparing to expand Oregon’s network to charge electric vehicles.
Transportation officials say 100-million dollars the state received from the 2021 federal infrastructure package will go to expand EV charging stations along seven highway corridors. The expansion will be focused on smaller and rural communities as well to encourage EV sales and tourism.
Oregon has set a goal of having 90-percent of all new car sales to be electric vehicles by 2035.
Oregon officials are beginning the process of distributing 270-million dollars to fund drug addiction treatment programs statewide.
The move is in response to voters’ passage of Measure 110 in 2020. Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen told legislators programs have been approved in two counties with another 12 to 13 counties to get approval soon. All of the money is expected to be distributed by October, if not sooner.
The average for a gallon of gas in the U.S. is hitting a new record.
Triple-A finds the national average price for regular is up to four-67 a gallon. Oregon is averaging over five bucks a gallon, along with Washington state, Hawaii, Illinois, California, Nevada and Alaska.
Anthony Duane Siddle, 60, was arrested this morning in Cave Junction on a warrant out of San Diego. He is wanted in the stabbing death of an 87-year-old woman in April.
The US Marshals Service learned that Siddle might be in the Cave Junction area. A sheriff deputy located Siddle’s vehicle and saw a man in the 1,000 block of Rockydale Road. Additional deputies, as well as US Marshals and an officer with National Park Police, took Siddle into custody without incident.
Siddle is being held without bail in Josephine County Jail, suspected of murder in San Diego. San Diego Police report that 87-year-old Peggy Brandenburgh and her daughter had been stabbed on April 22, 2022. Peggy Brandenburgh was declared deceased at the scene, and her 60-year-old daughter was taken to a hospital and was expected to survive.
As a rule addressing protections against the dangers of high heat in the workplace is set to take effect June 15, Oregon OSHA encourages employers and workers to use new resources developed by the division to help understand and comply with the rule.
Heat illness prevention online course: Designed to satisfy certain training requirements found in the heat rule, the course addresses such topics as common signs and symptoms of heat-related illnesses, risk factors, how the heat index is measured, and access to shade, drinking water, and other measures.
Fact sheet about the key requirements of the heat rule: This five-page document highlights the rule’s key overall requirements, offering a reader-friendly summary of what employers and workers need to know about the rule.
Fact sheet about the heat rule’s rest break schedule options for preventing heat illness: This two-page document provides a quick, easy-to-use overview of the part of the heat rule that addresses rest break schedule options A, B, and C. Oregon OSHA adopted heat and wildfire smoke rules in May. Both rules encompass initial protective measures for workers who rely on employer-provided housing, including as part of farm operations.
The wildfire smoke rule will take effect July 1. Resources to help understand and comply with the wildfire smoke rule are coming.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) says many wildlife rehabilitation facilities are not accepting waterfowl due to the spread of avian flu in wild birds.
ODFW reminds the public that if they see healthy ducklings or goslings without a parent, to leave them alone and let the parents find them. Injured ducks and geese may be brought to an ODFW office for euthanasia.
ODFW asks that you call ahead if you are bringing in injured waterfowl. If you see sick or dead wild birds, ODFW says, “do not collect or handle them but report the incident directly to your local ODFW office or the Wildlife Health lab at 866-968-2600 In Oregon, avian flu was first detected in wild birds in Canada goose goslings at Alton Baker Park in Eugene and it was also found in several red-tailed hawks in May.
Infected birds can shed avian influenza A viruses in their saliva, nasal secretions, and feces.
As summer draws near, here are tips to prepare for wildfire season
Pacific Power is providing actionable tips and guidance as fire season approaches
PORTLAND, Ore. (June 1, 2022) — As weather transitions to summer, Pacific Power is encouraging customers to prepare for wildfire season. Fire-weather conditions, such as severe drought combined with summer windstorms or active wildfires, could lead to safety-related power outages.
“We’re building our system to be more resilient long term – for all seasons and weather conditions – providing value to our customers for decades to come,” said Curtis Mansfield, senior vice president of power and delivery. “We’re investing nearly half a billion dollars across our system in wildfire mitigation strategies over the coming years. This includes round-the-clock reporting of weather conditions; rebuilding portions of the grid with equipment upgrades; and using technology to monitor the system, while increasing inspections and vegetation maintenance on our lines.”
Even as electric providers partner with federal, state and local agencies to plan and get ready for wildfire season, preparedness is a shared responsibility. Helpful information is available to help every customer take steps to plan ahead and be ready for wildfire-related power outages.
Wildfire Safety and Preparedness Webinar
Pacific Power invites you to learn more about its wildfire mitigation plans during a wildfire safety and preparedness webinar on June 13, 2022, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Company representatives will share progress on wildfire safety work including system hardening, enhanced vegetation management practices and expanded situational awareness. There will be a Questions & Answers session after the presentation. Questions can also be emailed to wildfiresafety@pacificorp.com.
Stay in the know
Customers can take steps to make sure that they receive wildfire-related information.
- Log in to your account and make sure all contact information is current. That way, Pacific Power can send alerts and messages.
- In addition to having a back-up plan with medical providers, customers who rely on electricity to store medication or operate medical equipment at home should enroll in the provider’s Medical Certificate Program to receive proactive communications about outages.
Make an outage kit
- Prepare a home outage kit in the event wildfire leads to a power outage. Be sure to include shelf-stable food, water for household members, pets and any livestock, necessary medications, flashlights, batteries and solar or car chargers for electric devices. Keep ice packs or frozen water in the freezer to help keep food cold until ice is available.
- Businesses should prepare to minimize disruption, keep employees safe and protect equipment. Outage kits should include flashlights or camp lights for all areas, including restrooms, battery-powered or hand-crank radios for information, battery-powered fans, extra batteries, car chargers for cell phones and electric devices, bottled water and emergency phone numbers.
Have a plan
- Consider options to relocate with a friend, family member or shelter, especially if a medical condition, medication or equipment requires electricity.
- Businesses should communicate their outage response plan to key employees, plan for workarounds for computers and cash registers, and create a plan to bypass electronic door locks.
- Homes and businesses should consider buying backup generators and follow manufacturers’ safety guidelines.
- Make a plan for watering livestock if well pumps are without power.
- Know how to open and close electric garage doors and security gates.
- Learn how to protect home and business electronics and appliances against data loss and surge damage when power is restored.
Information, resources and checklists
- Pacific Power customers can visit pacificpower.net/wildfiresafety for resources and information including an outage preparation checklist for residential and business customers, an interactive map outlining potential public safety power shutoff areas and the company’s 2022 Wildfire Protection Plan.