Klamath Basin News, Monday, 5/8/23 – Visiting F-35A Lightning II’s from Luke Air Force Base Arriving at Kingsley Field This Week

A squadron of F-35A Lightning II’s from Luke Air Force Base in Arizona is here with the Kingsley Field 173rd Fighter Wing for the next two weeks, arriving on Tuesday, May 9th.

173rd FW Commander Col. Lee Bouma said this will be the second visit from Luke AFB’s F-35s. 

Luke AFB came out last fall for two weeks to train out of Kingsley Field.  The release warns the additional aircraft and flights will increase aircraft noise throughout the community during this time.  Luke AFB is home to the 56th Fighter Wing, an F-35A training wing in Phoenix.

The 173rd FW has an established relationship with the 56th FW. Since 2014, the active association at Kingsley Field, the 550th Fighter Squadron, is a detachment of the 56th Fighter Wing.

Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has announced the start of a construction project beginning today.

Between the hours of 1 p.m. and 11 p.m., ODOT will be paving South Sixth Street between Klamath Community College and Austin Street.

One lane of traffic will be closed. Flagging will direct traffic during construction.   The project is estimated to be completed by Friday.

Future respiratory therapists had hands-on experience with emergency medical transport on Oregon Tech’s campus Thursday.

A code blue, a patient requiring resuscitation or otherwise in need of immediate medical attention as the result of a respiratory or cardiac arrest, happening at any location is a horrible happenstance, but imagine now that you’re employed in a rural hospital with limited supplies and access to care.

Eleven juniors alongside Klamath County Fire District 1 and AirLink Critical Care Transport took part in a mock ambulance and helicopter drill. The students were able to experience the initial care of the “patient,” to ambulance transport, to the helicopter landing and liftoff.

Within the setting of the scenario, a “patient” had arrived at a rural clinic with complaints of chest pain and shortness of breath before entering a state of cardiac arrhythmia and becoming unresponsive.

As the “patient’s” vitals began to drop critically low, the students began to try and resuscitate the patient with chest compressions and assisted breathing.

After the failed attempt, an AED was attached to the “patient,” and the students were told to stand back as the patient took the first 200-joule shock. Still not able to breathe on their own, the students went back to performing more compressions as the “patient’ was given a 1-milligram dose of epinephrine.

Battling for over 10 minutes, after the patient had been shocked five times and given two rounds of epinephrine and a dose of amiodarone, finally, the students succeeded in returning spontaneous circulation to the “patient.”

KCFD1 took over from there. Loading the patient onto a gurney, KCFD1 rushed the patient to an ambulance parked outside of the DOW Center for Health Professions on Oregon Tech’s campus, to then whisk over to AirLink CCT waiting for delivery at Lot O (a gravel parking lot behind the campus stadium).

Wednesday, May 31, the City of Klamath Falls Water/Geothermal Division crews will be shutting down the geothermal system for the summer season. 

Crews will turn off the downtown geothermal infrastructure to allow for inspections and preventive maintenance.

The division’s goal is to have all maintenance completed and the system fully operational by October 2, 2023. During the time the system is off, customers will need to utilize their secondary heat source until the system is recharged and back in service in the fall. 

Water/Geothermal Division Staff would like to thank the citizens in advance for their patience during this maintenance downtime. 

If you would like more information about our geothermal system seasonal shutdowns, please call the Water/Geothermal Division at (541) 883-5388 or City Public Works Department at (541) 883-5363.

Klamath County officials say a flood warning is in effect for the Sprague River.

The weekend saw minor flooding in the area as wet weather continued to hammer the Basin.  At 9 feet, flooding could impact structures near Sprague River, Lone Pine, and downstream.

The overflow created flooding of agricultural fields in the area. Warmer temps in the high mountains are melting the snowpack and increasing river flows. The river is expected to rise above flood stage this afternoon, crest around midnight, and be back below flood stage by early Sunday. 

According to weather and county officials, a crest this high hasn’t happened since 1986.

A 12-hour-mega rescue on Mount Shasta that started late Friday night has come to a close with a missing climber being back home safe.

According to the Mount Shasta Avalanche Center & home of the Climbing Rangers’ Facebook page, the lost climber endured an open bivy at 11,600 feet overnight on the Whitney Glacier.

Officials say that is one of the most difficult and most dangerous areas of the mountain to access.

Officials say extremely poor visibility kept aerial resources grounded, but thanks to USFS  Climbing Rangers, along with Siskiyou County Search & Rescue, crews were able to locate the climber alive and in “good shape.”

Greensprings Market and Deli celebrated its One-Year Anniversary under new ownership Monday, May 1 on Riverside Drive.

A member of the community for more than 40 years, Karen Wynne spent most of her working career in retail before taking over ownership of Greensprings in 2022. (See them on BasinLife.com, our online digital magazine.)

To celebrate her first year as owner and to say thanks, Wynne gave away $1 Oregon Megabucks lottery tickets from the market’s new machine to each patron that came through the door.

Aside from bringing lottery to the business, Wynne has also taken full advantage of the market’s commercial kitchen by offering homemade baked goods and daily specials for sale such as spaghetti, meatloafs and daily soups.   

Located on Riverside Drive, Greensprings Market is open 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays. (See more about them on BasinLife.com and their “BasinLife Special”!)  https://www.basinlife.com/2023/05/05/greensprings-market-deli-with-fresh-hot-cold-sandwiches-drinks-chips-snacks-make-it-your-next-stop/

Around the state of Oregon

Oregon Department of Human Services recovers unused Pandemic-EBT benefits issued to ineligible students

• ODHS has recovered $1.32 million of unused Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT) benefits that were mistakenly issued to ineligible students.
• $1.46 million of P-EB food benefits were mistakenly issued to approximately 3,700 students in Oregon.
• No one that used these mistakenly issued food benefits will be penalized.

(Salem) – The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) has recovered $1.32 million of unused Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT) benefits that were mistakenly issued to approximately 3,700 students in Oregon.

In total, $1.46 million of P-EBT food benefits were mistakenly issued. No one who used these mistakenly issued food benefits will be penalized.

The agency is working in partnership with the school districts and the Oregon Department of Education to notify families. Notices will be mailed to impacted households as quickly as possible.

“We know that this can be confusing for families right now,” said Claire Seguin (she/her), interim director of the ODHS Self-Sufficiency Programs. “Families who were mistakenly issued these food benefits were told that they were eligible for the program and entitled to use the benefits to buy food for the students and children in their households. We apologize for any confusion this has caused. We want to assure anyone who has already used these mistakenly issued food benefits that they will not be penalized in any way.”

The mistakenly issued benefits are a result of an error made by Oregon’s P-EBT vendor that caused benefits to be incorrectly issued to some of the same students who incorrectly received benefits in 2021

Who is eligible for P-EBT food benefits

Children are eligible for Summer 2022 P-EBT if they:

• Were eligible to receive free or reduced-price National School Lunch Program meals or attended a Community Eligibility Provision school​ during school year 2021-2022.
• Were age 5 or younger and enrolled in SNAP during the summer 2022 months.

These additional food benefits are part of the P-EBT program, a temporary COVID-19 response program meant to provide additional food support for children whose access to adequate and quality food received through school programs may have been impacted by COVID-19.

Visit pebt.oregon.gov for more information about the P-EBT program.

Families with specific questions about their child’s eligibility or P-EBT card can contact the P-EBT Call Center at (844) ORE-PEBT or (844) 673-7328. The P-EBT Call Center is available Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific in English, Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese, Somalian, Mandarin and Cantonese. Callers may also request a translator for additional languages.

P-EBT does not replace any child nutrition program already offered and families are encouraged to continue to participate in meal programs in their schools and communities.

P-EBT food benefits are issued in addition to regular SNAP benefits. P-EBT benefits are not considered in a public charge test.

Resources to help meet basic needs

• Find food resources in your community: needfood.oregon.gov
• Find a food pantry: foodfinder.oregonfoodbank.org
• Learn about government programs and community resources for older adults and people with disabilities: Aging and Disability Resource Connection of Oregon at 1-855-673-2372 or www.adrcoforegon.org.
• Dial 2-1-1, or text your zip code to 898-211, www.211info.org
• Find local resources and support by contacting your local Community Action Agency: www.caporegon.org/find-services/
• Oregon Department of Human Services COVID-19 help center 

A bill that would allow Oregonians to pump their own gas anywhere in the state edged closer to passage this week with its second public hearing in the Legislature.

The Senate Committee on Energy and the Environment held a public hearing for House Bill 2426 on Tuesday, and mainly drew support – from lawmakers, gas station owners, industry lobbyists and individuals. The bill comes more than 70 years after restrictions were first enacted.

The proposal would allow all gas stations statewide to offer self-serve gas at all hours while requiring an attendant for anyone who might want to be served, including elderly people and those with disabilities. No more than half of a station’s pumps could be self-serve, prices at all pumps would have to be the same and signs would have to note the service level of pumps.

“One thing we want to do is reduce confusion,” said Mike Freese with the Oregon Fuels Association.

The bill is backed by a bipartisan group of lawmakers – Republican Rep. Shelly Boshart-Davis of Albany and House Democratic Leader Julie Fahey of Eugene are chief sponsors, along with Republican Sen. Daniel Bonham of The Dalles and Democratic Sen. Janeen Sollman of Hillsboro.

It passed the House on March 20, on a 47-10 vote, with bipartisan support and opposition.

Opponents have voiced concerns about the bill having an adverse impact on vulnerable Oregonians who need assistance at the pump, while supporters said it would streamline Oregon’s patchwork of regulations that allow self-serve pumps in eastern Oregon at all times but limit them to nighttime service at the coast.

Sollman, chair of the energy committee, said the proposal also would give customers and owners a choice and help struggling stations that have had difficulty hiring attendants.

“We know that workforce shortages have caused issues for businesses and consumers alike, causing significant constraints and delays at fueling stations,” Sollman testified. “Some gas stations have had to close pumps down or even close for the day because of worker shortages. This bill will allow businesses to remain open and give Oregonians the opportunity of choice to pump their own gas, a concept that two-thirds of Oregonians support.”

A 2021 survey from DHM Research and the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center found that almost two-thirds of Oregonians supported changing the law to allow customers to pump their own gas. Only New Jersey and Oregon have such restrictions.

Republican State Senators Keep Up Walk Out

For the second day in a row, five Republican State Senators in Oregon failed to show up for the floor session preventing a quorum on Friday. Republicans say they’re opposed to bill summaries that aren’t written to an 8th grade level.

Democrats say Republicans want to prevent a vote on a bill that would protect reproductive and gender-affirming health care. Under a new law passed by voters last November, legislators who have 10 unexcused absences will be barred from running again.

Oregon State Fire Marshal announces wildfire grant recipients

SALEM, Ore. – The Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM) announced the recipients of its competitive $18-million Community Wildfire Risk Reduction (CWRR) Grant. These funds will help communities across Oregon reach their goals of improving wildfire resiliency, using local programs and solutions.

In total, 106 organizations were offered grant funding, totaling $18 million. Projects receiving funding include community-wide wildfire defensible space programs, vegetation removal around buildings, community chipping programs, community education related to wildfire preparedness, equipment for vegetation removal, and staff to support these local efforts.

“This grant will allow communities to create proactive, local solutions to lessen the impacts of wildfire,” Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said. “We know that wildfire can happen anywhere in Oregon. Investing in communities in all areas of our state will bring much-needed community risk reduction and resiliency projects and programs to life.”

The CWRR grant is funding local governments, special districts, structural fire service agencies, and non-governmental organizations to support wildfire risk reduction projects, equipment, and staff. In total, 161 entities applied to fund 269 projects totaling a requested $44.5 million, highlighting the need for these grants to support important work in communities across Oregon.

“We are excited that Sumpter was awarded funding through this grant,” Matt Armstrong with the City of Sumpter said. “We are a small town with limited resources; it makes it difficult to fund initiatives focused on preventing wildland fires. The funds will go a long way toward building defensible spaces. We are truly grateful and are looking forward to working with the OSFM.”

Applicants were scored through a diverse scoring committee with representatives from the OSFM, other state government agencies, non-governmental organizations, fire service agencies, special districts, and emergency management.

For a list of recipients, click here. To learn more about how the OSFM is helping Oregonians, visit the Success Stories section on our website.

Private and state partners announce completion of electric vehicle chargers in Oregon State Parks

Installations will improve zero-emission recreation 

SUBLIMITY, Ore.— The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD), electric vehicle maker Rivian, nonprofit Adopt A Charger (AAC), and manufacturer Entec Polymers have unveiled four Rivian Waypoints Level 2 electric vehicle (EV) chargers at Silver Falls State Park. The chargers offer park visitors an historic opportunity to enjoy the outdoors while using zero-emission vehicles to reduce air pollution and protect Oregon’s natural beauty.

In addition to Silver Falls, 17 other chargers have been installed among the following parks:

• Banks-Vernonia State Trail
• L. L. Stub Stewart State Park
• Cape Lookout State Park
• William M. Tugman State Park
• Prineville Reservoir State Park
• The Cove Palisades State Park

Additional information about the OPRD program including charging station locations and charging etiquette is available on the department website.

“We are incredibly grateful for the generosity of Rivian, Adopt A Charger and Entec Polymers. These public-private partnerships allow for innovative projects that help improve state park infrastructure and achieve a shared vision for a cleaner, greener future,” said Oregon Parks and Recreation Department Director Lisa Sumption.

Rivian, working through AAC, donated the installation design, construction costs and EV chargers placed in the parks. Fundraising by AAC brought plastics manufacturer Entec Polymers as a private donor to cover the cost of visitor charging electricity for a limited time.

The Level 2 chargers are compatible with all electric vehicles and are powered by 100% renewable energy via Rivian’s energy matching program. This collaborative effort extends the electric charging infrastructure grid to new areas for EV drivers to explore. The chargers will improve recreational access for all EV drivers, not just Rivian owners.

“We’re proud to support the Oregon State Park mission to provide safe and equitable access to state parks with these electric vehicle chargers,” said Trent Warnke, senior director of Energy and Charging Solutions at Rivian. “Our Rivian Waypoints chargers are compatible with any EV and through our energy matching program, can provide zero-emission energy to any EV driver who might need it—peace of mind in terms of getting where you need to go whether that’s home or onto another one of Oregon’s beautiful state parks.”

Kitty Adams Hoksbergen, executive director of Adopt a Charger added, “the installation of EV charging stations at Oregon State Parks supports OPRD’s environmental stewardship by enabling zero emission travel to these popular destinations. It complements The Oregon Electric Byways and the West Coast Electric Highway, which provide the framework for EV tourism, by closing the gaps in the infrastructure. I am forever grateful to OPRD, Rivian, and Entec for recognizing the need to provide car charging at these parks to help give visitors the confidence to purchase a plug-in vehicle.”

“Entec Polymers is excited to partner with OPRD, Rivian, and Adopt a Charger to improve access to EV charging stations, and to offer visitors a sustainable transportation choice,” said Steve Tomaszewski, senior vice president and general manager of Entec Polymers. “We continue to work with our customers and partners to provide both innovative and environmentally friendly solutions, and to help make e-mobility safe and reliable.”

The new state parks EV chargers join the nearly 1,700 public Level 2 chargers throughout Oregon. More public charging options will help convince more drivers to consider an EV for their next vehicle. Transitioning Oregon’s cars, trucks and SUVs to electric vehicles is part of the state’s plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation.

New Oregon Zoo Resident

The Oregon Zoo has a new resident. Harper is a seven-year-old female white-cheeked gibbon. She arrived this week to join the zoo’s male white-cheeked gibbon, named Duffy.

They live in the Red Ape Reserve, which is shared with the orangutan family. Harper was born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in 2015.

Her move here was recommended to improve the survival plan for gibbons. They are listed as critically endangered. Their numbers have dropped by at least 80-percent over the past 50 years.

Strange-Looking Fanged Fishes Found Along Oregon Beaches

Several scaleless fish with fanged jaws and huge eyes that can be found more than a mile deep in the ocean have washed up along a roughly 200-mile (322-kilometer) stretch of Oregon coastline, and it’s unclear why, scientists and experts said.

Within the last few weeks, several lancetfish have appeared on beaches from Nehalem, in northern Oregon, to Bandon, which is about 100 miles (161 kilometers) from the California border, Oregon State Parks said on Facebook. The agency asked beachgoers who see the fish to take photos and post them online, tagging the agency and the NOAA Fisheries West Coast region.

Lancetfish live mainly in tropical and subtropical waters but travel as far north as areas like Alaska’s Bering Sea to feed. Their slinky bodies include a “sail-like” fin, and their flesh is gelatinous — not generally something humans wish to eat, according to NOAA Fisheries.

Ben Frable, a fish scientist who manages the Marine Vertebrate Collection at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego, said it’s not uncommon for lancetfish to wash up on beaches, particularly in California and Oregon and in other parts of the north Pacific. According to NOAA Fisheries, lancetfish can be more than 7 feet (2 meter) long and swim to depths of more than a mile beneath the surface of the sea.

It’s unclear what might be behind the deep-sea fish washing ashore, Frable said, calling it an area of “open research.” He added that it’s not clear if these incidents are happening more frequently or are just noticed more often in the social media age. Some have also hypothesized that such incidents could be related to weather or climate patterns in the Pacific Ocean, he said.

Frable encouraged people to report any sightings, saying it could provide useful information for researchers.

He also said that incidents like these provide an opportunity “to kind of highlight the true diversity of life on the planet and how there are things that you just don’t think about — but they’re out there. (SOURCE)

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