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Tuesday, June 20, 2023
Klamath Basin Weather
Today
Mostly sunny, with a high near 64. Light winds to 8 mph. Overnight will be clear with a low of 38 degrees and gusty winds at times to 15 mph.
Today’s Headlines
Klamath County residents turned out in force on Friday, for a chance to talk to and hear from U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) hosted his annual Town Hall for Klamath County, held at Oregon Tech. Every year, Merkley visits all 36 counties in Oregon.
Applauded for his commitment to rural communities like those in Klamath Basin, Merkley welcomed the input of his constituents, responding to pressing concerns presented by residents.
During a media conference prior to the Town Hall, Merkley told our BasinLife.com partner, the Herald & News, about some of the items at the top of his list for Klamath County and rural Oregon.
The senator also remarked upon the upcoming change over from the F-15 to the F-35 fighter jets for Kingsley Airbase, pointing out the positive economic impacts of the switch.
Among his recent efforts, Merkley noted the $162 million attained for the sake of improving water quality in Klamath County lakes. Merkley said the decreased availability of water is an unfortunate but unavoidable circumstance.
During the Town Hall, community members also brought up the topic of the changing climate. Wendy Williams wanted to know if President Joe Biden had any intention of declaring climate change a national emergency. Merkley assured Williams he is putting the pressure on the Biden campaign to take the issue seriously and act immediately.
Carl Andrews asked about the proposition to build a new solar panel facility 25 miles east of Klamath Falls.
The topic of Supreme Court accountability also made its way to the floor, eliciting strong disapproval from the senator.
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas made recent headlines when ProPublica unveiled secret luxury trips gifted to him by billionaire real estate developer Harlan Crow for the past 20 years.
Merkley acknowledged the financial struggle to afford higher education felt by many families across the country. Merkley also congratulated Klamath Community College for creating a commercial drivers licensing program, funded by a federal grant of $200,000.
Tomorrow is the longest day of the year, the Summer Solstice 2023……but Mother Nature has asked her friend Old Man Winter to make a cameo appearance here in the Klamath Basin.
Snow fell on U.S. highway 97, Oregon 58, Oregon 140 and Oregon 138 yesterday morning and early afternoon. Some flakes were also reported in Klamath Falls.
We will enjoy daylight from 5:34pm until 8:47pm tomorrow, the most daylight we will see at any point in time in the calendar year from sunrise to sunset.
What we won’t enjoy is near average temperatures.
After near freezing temperatures early this morning, and a freeze warning issuance from the National Weather Service, we will be lucky to hit 60 degrees for a high today. Average high for this time of the year is 75 degrees.
The Klamath County Office of Emergency Management is being reviewed by the state Office of Emergency Management for the way it is handling its finances.
During a Thursday Klamath County Board of Commissioners meeting, commissioners voiced their concerns about its emergency management office being reviewed by the state.
Commissioners said OEM is reviewing the department because of missing or incorrect billing for grants it was receiving.
Documentation from the state shows a number of missing quarterly reports from the county emergency management office.
OEM said the county also failed to provide interagency agreements for organizations that they partnered with on grant projects.
The missing or incorrect documentation could end up costing the county thousands of dollars in potential reimbursements.
Though commissioners noted the review by OEM is different than an audit.
Commissioners said they spoke with Emergency Manager Brandon Fowler and Sheriff Chris Kaber about the situation.
Fowler’s position is part of the Klamath County Sheriff’s Office.
The City of Klamath Falls is facing a lawsuit worth $5.5 million for alleged breach of contract, fraud, tortious interference with a business and three other counts.
Cauble & Whittington LLP, representing Dan Martin Construction LLC, filed the lawsuit Tuesday, May 2 in the Circuit Court of the state of Oregon for the County of Klamath due to the City of Klamath Falls’ failure to sign a contract for phase 2 of a construction project for a new subdivision currently called Hidden Valley (formerly known as Sierra Heights).
According to the lawsuit, waiting on Klamath Falls to sign a contract for phase 2 on the construction project has cost plaintiff Dan Martin Construction more than 43 months of progress resulting in economic damages.
The situation dates back to 2014 when Martin first acquired the subdivision after a former developer defaulted on a loan. At the time, all that was required by Klamath County was the name of the subdivision to be changed and that there be no changes to any parameter of the previously approved subdivision.
Dan Martin Construction then contacted the City of Klamath Falls asking if there were any additional requirements needed. Not hearing back from the city, the county issued a final approval of the subdivision in April of 2015.
Working with the county, the city and sanitation districts on finalizing the underground infrastructure, the phase 1 contract was signed and Dan Martin Construction successfully completed it by building 22 homes.
Three years into the subdivision project and having fulfilled the first construction loan agreement, in 2018 Dan Martin Construction was ready to begin Phase 2 when, according to the lawsuit, listed defendants former city engineer Scott Souders and Director of Public Works Mark Willrett approached Dan Martin (owner of Dan Martin Construction) and informed him that “there was a big problem with proceeding on the project because of the pump station on the subdivision.”
According to the lawsuit, the City of Klamath Falls under direction from Souders and Willrett “moved the goalposts” and required that Dan Martin Construction build and make operational a new pump station before any water would be made available for phase 2.
According to the lawsuit, Martin signed the new agreement under duress as witnessed by the project’s Civil Engineer of Record Mark Cross so as to prevent a halt to construction.
In the fall of 2019, Phase 2 underground water infrastructure was completed by Dan Martin Construction and was approved by the city, the lawsuit states, however Souders and Willrett refused to sign the contract bringing the subdivision project to a halt as the issue became the pump station.
Doing research for the build on the pump station, the lawsuit states, Martin discovered that within the Master Water Plan created by the City of Klamath Falls in 2010 the city stated they would allocate $200,000 for the upgrades required for the pump in the then-Sierra Heights Subdivision.
At the time the lawsuit was filed, the contract for phase 2 had still not been signed and Martin’s permits had expired and his company was 43 months into a 60-month loan agreement.
The Klamath County School District (KCSD) Board of Directors filled an empty seat last week at their regular board meeting.
During the meeting Thursday, June 15, the board chose a replacement for the Zone 2 director position vacated by Laura Blair when she resigned April 12.
After the KCSD board interviewed each of the candidates, Brooke Kliewer was appointed to fill the position.
Two years into her first term, Blair had resigned in response to the enactment of legislation which requires elected school board members to disclose all economic interests.
With that business taken care of, the board turned its attention to its budget. After adopting a third supplemental budget, the board also voted to approve the district’s budget for fiscal year 2023-24 with a total of $158,538,636. The latest supplemental budget addressed a liability issue within the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) fund.
Director of Business Services Dennis Clague said the discrepancy arose from a differentiation between the amount of PERS funding deducted from employees compared to the amount assessed by PERS upon an employee’s retirement.
“The evaluation can and often does identify errors or omissions in the employee’s portfolio,” Clague said. “If they’re accurate, PERS makes an adjustment.”
A reserve fund for this purpose has run dry, leading the board to its decision to allocate $600,000 from the general fund to reconcile invoices.
Klamath Falls Streets Division crews continue to perform Summer maintenance on streets this week.
Work will occur from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, June 20 through Friday, June 23.
Crews are scheduled to perform asphalt repairs at the following locations:
- Tuesday: Shasta Way between Washburn Way and South 6th Street
- Wednesday, June 21 through Thursday, June 22: South 6th Street between East Main Street and Adams Street
Additionally, paint crews are slated to paint crosswalks, legends and curbs Tuesday through Friday in the downtown core on Klamath Avenue, Main Street and Pine Street.
Finally, sign maintenance and sweeping will be performed Tuesday through Friday throughout the city as needed.
Detours and signage will be in place where needed. Work might be delayed due to weather, equipment breakdown or unexpected emergencies. For more information, call the City Public Works Department at 541-883-5385.
Fire season for Klamath and Lake counties started on Friday.
Fire District 1 responded to a small roadside brush fire Friday morning, jumping right into the season. Even with cooler temperatures, fuels that are green can burn and grow rapidly. Crews were able to quickly stop the spread and extinguished the fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
On Thursday, June 15, members of the Klamath County Fair Board, Fair Manager Derrick “DJ” Rowley, and Klamath County Commissioners, Dave Henslee and Derrick DeGroot ceremoniously broke ground on an RV park project at the Klamath County Fairgrounds / Event Center (KCF).
The new facility will double from its previous size of 24 shared sites to 48 full hookup campsites.
The RV community can expect standard amenities inside the campground, including: campsites with both back-in and pull-through options, accommodations for RVs up to 65 feet in length, a fully landscaped facility, and paved driveways. Each site will offer concrete pads, picnic tables, freshwater connections, 30/50-amp electrical service, and sewer drains.
In addition, the facility will be secured with a privacy fence around the perimeter and include its own coded entry gate for easy access off Crest Street. Separating RV traffic from fairground traffic, reducing congestion at the main gate.
Programmers are developing an online booking system to make stays automated. Allowing travelers to easily book their stay and check-in 24 hours a day, without the need to visit the main office during regular business hours. Greatly improving the overall experience.
In addition to the spacious sites, a new ADA-accessible bathhouse with restrooms and showers will be constructed on the north side of the RV park.
This project is the latest in a series of updates for the fairgrounds. In 2021, the fairgrounds / event center crew added more green space as well as utility upgrades to the food court west of the Stillwell Arena. As well as improvements to the meeting rooms in Linman Hall. Soon, additional improvement projects will include new food court bathrooms as well as South 6th St. frontage re-design, and a new maintenance shop.
The campground will be the largest capital project on the 55-acre property since the construction of the Event Center in 2000.
Construction of the RV park is expected to be completed in the late fall of 2023.
The downtown Klamath County Library has lots fun activies and events all summer for children, teens and families.
(And don’t forget to stop by any Klamath County library branch to sign up for the Summer Reading Challenge. Earn free books, library swag, award badges and much more.)
Here’s what the library has scheduled in June for kids younger than 12:
- Family Storytime —10:30 a.m. Mondays and 1 p.m. Fridays. Enjoy stories, songs and games with your little ones. This event is aimed kids 5 years old and younger, but all ages are welcome.
- Bilingual Storytime —10:30 a.m. Monday, June 26. Once a month, Family Storytime goes bilingual. Enjoy stories and songs in English and Spanish with Patricia Ortega, Migrant Preschool Specialist for Southern Oregon Education Service District. This event is aimed at kids 5 years old and younger, but all ages are welcome.
- Fit Kids: Shine with Yoga —1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. for ages zero to 5 and 1:45 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. for ages 5-10 Monday, June 19. Join instructor Jen Singer for a session of stretching and movement for kids. Singer is a Registered Yoga Teacher at a Klamath Falls yoga studio. She fell in love with yoga because she found it so healing, and she loves to share the transformative power of physical movement and guided breath with students of all ages and experience levels.
- Storytime In the Park —10 a.m. Tuesdays at Conger Park; 10 a.m. Fridays at Keller Park; and 3 p.m. Fridays at Eulalona Park. Let’s take the stories outside. If you need directions to any of these Klamath Falls parks, call the library at 541-882-8894.
- Summer Chess Club —10 a.m. Tuesdays. Learn to play chess. This weekly event is for ages 5-18.
- Cubs Club —3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. Enjoy some laid-back crafts, games, movies, and more. For ages 5-8.
- Don’t Miss This! Summer Performance Series —10:30 a.m. Wednesdays. We’ve got a squad of musicians, magicians and more, on deck to entertain you. Stick around after the performance for a picnic lunch on the Klamath County Courthouse lawn. (Like last year, performances will be outside — bring folding chairs or blankets to sit on.) For all ages.
There are many more events planned through the end of June and the rest of the summer.
For more information on any of these events, call 541-882-8894 or stop by the downtown library’s Youth Services desk.
Around the state of Oregon
The Josephine County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in locating another missing woman.
32-year-old Rene Salazar was last seen walking in the 3000 block of Camp Joy Road in Grants Pass Saturday morning around 11:00 a.m.
She was wearing a grey hoodie with the words “search and rescue” printed on it, dark grey yoga pants, and no shoes.
Police said if she’s seen, do not confront her. Instead, call 911.
Anyone with further information about Salazar’s whereabouts is asked to contact the sheriff’s office.
Oregon State Police- Illegal Marijuana Seizure- Josephine County
OREGON STATE POLICE SOUTHWEST REGION MARIJUANA TEAM MAKES ILLEGAL MARIJUANA BUST-JOSEPHINE COUNTY
Last week the Oregon State Police (OSP) Southwest Region Marijuana (SWRMJ) team served an illegal marijuana search warrant, on Valley Heights Rd., in Selma, Josephine County.
As a result, 8,095 illegal marijuana plants contained in thirteen (13) large greenhouses were located, seized, and ultimately destroyed. A firearm was also located and seized. Concerns over multiple potential code violations were forwarded to the Josephine County Public Health Department. Additionally, the property is subject to potential criminal forfeiture.
The OSP SWRMJ team was assisted by the Rogue Area Drug Enforcement (RADE) team of Josephine County, the Marijuana Enforcement Team (JMET) of Josephine County, and the Interagency Marijuana Enforcement Team (IMET) of Jackson County.
The investigation is on-going and no further information is available at this time.
Oregon State Police- Illegal Marijuana Seizure- Multnomah County
OREGON STATE POLICE NORTHWEST REGION MARIJUANA TEAM EXECUTES SEARCH WARRANTS IN LARGE-SCALE MARIJUANA, PSILOCYBIN, AND OTHER DRUG DELIVERY INVESTIGATION – MULTNOMAH COUNTY
On Thursday, June 8, 2023, the Oregon State Police (OSP) Northwest Region Marijuana (NWRMJ) team served search warrants at three (3) locations in Multnomah and Marion counties: a residence in the 2000 block of NE Edgewater Drive, Portland, a high-rise apartment near NW Hoyt St and NW 14th Ave. Portland, and a residence on Wyoming Circle, Salem.
Located and seized from the Edgewater residence included the following:
- 21 firearms, one with an obliterated serial number
- Body Armor
- Approximately $198,000 U.S. Currency
- 428 packages of illegal marijuana extracts (24 pounds)
- 282 pounds of illegal marijuana flower
- 320 marijuana pre-roll cigarettes
- 7,847 marijuana vape cartridges
- 1,161 packages of marijuana candies
- 781 psilocybin mushroom bars, containing 3,124 grams of psilocybin
- 0.6 pounds of dried psilocybin mushrooms
- 2.7 pounds of counterfeit pills which tested positive for methamphetamine
- 0.4 pounds of Xanax pills
- 8.8 grams of cocaine
- Several fraudulent Oregon driver’s licenses
Also discovered were two (2) bays within an attached garage which had been converted for cultivating psilocybin mushrooms; a total of 2,100 bags of suspected psilocybin mushrooms were seized. Detectives located evidence throughout the residence of the myriad of narcotics were being exported from Oregon, throughout the country, where they were ultimately sold on the black market for profit.
The following individuals were arrested and lodged in the Multnomah County Jail on charges of Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine (Felony), Unlawful Importing/Exporting of Marijuana (Felony) x2, and Animal Neglect in the Second Degree.
- Pedro Antonio Valencia-Gonzalez (27)
- Martin Anthony Martinez (25)
- Albert Watak Vakacapelle (27)
- Eric Joon Yi (36)
Additional Charges will be referred to the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office. Additional non-drug evidence was located at the two (2) other locations.
The OSP NWRMJ team was assisted by the OSP Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team, OSP Southwest Region Marijuana (SWRMJ) team, United States Postal Service (USPS), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Portland Office, Westside Interagency Narcotics Task Force (WIN), Clackamas County Interagency Task Force (CCITF), Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation is ongoing and no further information is available for release at this time.
Police in Curry County are investigating an apparent homicide.
At about 1:18 a.m. Saturday, someone called 911 to report a suspicious man on the porch of a home on Winchuck River Road.
According to the Curry County Sheriff’s Office, the caller said the man’s face was “cut up” and he may have been in an accident.
Within minutes, a deputy arrived at the scene and contacted the man. He was identified as 23-year-old Jon Bourelle.
The sheriff’s office said the deputy learned information that led to the home of 59-year-old James Bourelle. When the deputy checked the residence, he found Bourelle dead from an apparent homicide.
Jon Bourelle was reportedly taken to a hospital to be treated for his injuries. Two Brookings police officers accompanied him while the investigation continued, CCSO said.
Shortly after being treated, Jon Bourelle was taken to the Curry County Jail where he was booked for first-degree murder, second-degree murder, and first-degree manslaughter.
CCSO said that due to the ongoing investigation, no further information will be released at this time.
Rogue Music Fest a Big Hit in Jacksonville, Oregon
The Jackson County Fairgrounds were packed Friday and Saturday night, for the start of the Rogue Music Festival.
More than 10,000 country music fans from all over the region were at the Expo, for the start of the two-day concert. The festival wrapped up Saturday night with a huge performance by Country music superstar Carrie Underwood.
Oregon Lawmakers Start Churning Through Bills To Make Up For Time Lost To Republican Walkout
Work at the state Capitol took on a furious pace Friday after top Democrats and Republicans forged a compromise to end the longest walkout in state history Thursday.
Legislators are racing to pass a backlog of bills governing state agency budgets and policies on suicide and overdose prevention, public defense, tax credits, climate change and more before the June 25 deadline for the session to end.
With enough Senate Republicans present for a quorum the second day in a row, state senators passed dozens of bills Friday morning to fund state agencies including the Oregon Health Authority, Department of Corrections and Department of Justice. The budgets were available for quick votes on the Senate floor because members of budget-crafting committees continued their work during the boycott. Those budget bills now head to the House for final approval next week.
Senators also confirmed dozens of appointments by Gov. Tina Kotek to boards and commissions including the Port of Portland Board of Commissioners and Oregon State University Board of Trustees. They also confirmed David Gerstenfeld as the director of the Employment Department. Gerstenfeld had served as acting director since early in the pandemic.
Lawmakers will have to maintain a fast pace with long days when both chambers reconvene Tuesday. Senate President Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, said he won’t require senators to work through the weekend or on the Juneteenth holiday Monday.
Top Republicans agreed to waive rules requiring that bills be read in full to speed up floor sessions as part of their
compromise with Senate Democratic leaders. That agreement has to be reconfirmed each day.
The Oregon Department of Forestry Southwest District is warning Oregonians against debris burns while in fire season. Even so, multiple fire agencies responded to five separate illegal burns in Josephine County on Saturday.
ODF Southwest District declared fire season for Jackson and Josephine counties on June 1. With the official start of fire season comes a list of restrictions. During fire season, debris burning of any kind is illegal.
If you are caught with an active debris burn, Weber said there will be consequences. For a first offense, you will be issued a citation. If you’re caught a second time, you will have to pay a fine.
Jackson and Josephine counties are hardly a month into fire season and Weber said it’s already been busy. She said thankfully, crews have been able to stop any fires from growing too large. Even so, Weber said it’s vital that the public works to ensure we see as few fires as possible this summer. Klamath County’s fire season began last week.
A man in prison for killing his 3-year-old daughter died Thursday night in the Two Rivers Correctional Institution in Umatilla.
The Oregon medical examiner’s office will determine the cause of death, according to the Oregon Department of Corrections.
David Gene Elliott, Jr., 36, had been sentenced to at least 25 years in prison for the death of Aniya Zamora. Elliott and Aniya’s mother, his girlfriend, left the girl alone in a bathtub in April 2013.
The medical examiner said the girl died of cerebral anoxia due to near drowning after blunt force abdominal trauma. Elliott admitted kicking Aniya in the stomach and assaulting the girl’s brother.
He pleaded guilty to murder by abuse and two counts of assault in the third degree.
Aniya’s mother, Mercedes Alvarado, who was home at the time Aniya was in the bathtub but was wearing noise canceling headphones, was convicted of manslaughter in June 2015 and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Oregon lawmakers on Friday took an initial step toward eventually raising salaries for the governor, secretary of state, treasurer, lawmakers and other state elected officials, some of whom are among the lowest-paid in the country.
The Senate Rules Committee voted 3-0 to advance Senate Joint Resolution 34, which would ask voters to amend the state constitution and create a new commission to set salaries for elected officials. The measure still needs a vote from the full Senate and the House before voters would have a chance to weigh in during the November 2024 election.
Gov. Tina Kotek earns $98,600 – less than governors in every state but Maine ($70,000), Colorado ($90,000) and Arizona ($95,000). Treasurer Tobias Read makes $77,000, less than his counterparts everywhere but Wisconsin and Arizona. And Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum’s $82,200 salary is the lowest in the nation.
Oregon’s comparatively low salaries for elected officials came into sharp focus this spring, when Secretary of State Shemia Fagan resigned in disgrace over a $10,000-per-month consulting contract with a troubled cannabis company involved in an audit her office was conducting of the state agency that regulates marijuana. At the time, Fagan said her $77,000 annual salary as secretary of state wasn’t enough to make ends meet.
Fagan earned far less than her deputy – now acting secretary – Cheryl Myers, who made close to $240,000 last year. And Fagan made less than almost every other elected official doing that job across the country. Only the secretaries of state in Wisconsin and Arizona earned less.
A man in prison for killing his 3-year-old daughter died Thursday night in the Two Rivers Correctional Institution in Umatilla.
The Oregon medical examiner’s office will determine the cause of death, according to the Oregon Department of Corrections.
David Gene Elliott, Jr., 36, had been sentenced to at least 25 years in prison for the death of Aniya Zamora. Elliott and Aniya’s mother, his girlfriend, left the girl alone in a bathtub in April 2013.
The medical examiner said the girl died of cerebral anoxia due to near drowning after blunt force abdominal trauma. Elliott admitted kicking Aniya in the stomach and assaulting the girl’s brother.
He pleaded guilty to murder by abuse and two counts of assault in the third degree.
Aniya’s mother, Mercedes Alvarado, who was home at the time Aniya was in the bathtub but was wearing noise canceling headphones, was convicted of manslaughter in June 2015 and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
1,800 nurses are on strike at Providence hospitals
Some nurses at Providence Portland Medical Center, Providence Seaside Hospital and Providence Home Health and Hospice went on strike on Monday.
Providence officials told news reporters the hospitals will remain open and staffed while they reassign employees and bring in traveling nurses to take care of patients at the impacted facilities over the planned five-day strike.
“We do have a replacement workforce, poised and ready to go that will step in to take care of the patients,” Jennifer Gentry, the Chief Nursing Officer for Providence’s Central Division told reporters today.
The two sides have been negotiating a new contract for months. Nurses want better pay, health care, sick time and working conditions, including relief workers when nurses are on break, so nurses don’t have to double up patient loads.
Providence administrators say that hospital officials will not negotiate with nurses while the strike is underway. They say they have offered double-digit wage hikes to nurses, as well as other incentives. Stay tuned.
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