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 and News, and BasinLife.com, and powered by Mick Insurance, your Local Health and Medicare agents. Call 541-882-6476.
Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023
Klamath Basin Weather
Today
Sunny, with a high near 80. Light southwest winds 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. Overnight mostly clear with a low around 48. Gusty winds at time 9-20 mph.
Today’s Headlines
Fun for the whole family is on tap this week as the 72nd Tulelake-Butte Valley Fair returns. This year’s fair will be held from Thursday through Sunday, Sept. 7-10, at the Tulelake Fairgrounds in Tulelake, California.
The fair’s theme, “Growing Traditions Together,” reflects the purpose that the fair has provided each year. “It’s everything that you’ve grown up loving, but evolving to provide entertainment and fun to the younger generation,” said Megan Halousek, Tulelake Fairgrounds office manager and contract coordinator.
Halousek said there will be many new attractions for this year’s fair. “The grounds have been revitalized, and we have new layouts for sheep and swine pens. There are a lot more livestock exhibitors this year, so we created a separate grooming area for beef entrants.”
Kicking off the festivities on Thursday will be Tulelake High School Soccer hosting Modoc at 5 p.m. Then on Friday, Tulelake High will play a football double-header hosting Chiloquin JV at 5 p.m. followed by Butte Valley at 7 p.m.
New for this year are headlining acts: Fleetwood Mask, a Fleetwood Mac tribute band, will perform Thursday, and country music star Joe Nichols with opening act Huckleberry Road, performs Friday, Sept 8th. Gates open at 6 p.m. and tickets are on sale now at$20 general admission.
Joe Nichols has been a mainstay of country music for over two decades, bridging the gap between the genre’s old school roots and contemporary era. He’s a 21st century traditionalist, an artist who’s both timely and timeless, racking up more than 2 Billion streams, a half dozen Number 1 singles and ten Top 10 hits with a sound that honors his heroes. From his first radio smash, 2002’s “The Impossible,” to his most recent “Good Day For Living,” his first Top 20 single in nearly a decade, Nichols has proudly done things his own way, blurring the boundaries between country music’s past and present along the way.
Also new for this year will be the Fair Destruction Derby, with a Power Wheels Derby for kids aged 2-7 years, on Saturday. Gates open at 6 p.m. and tickets are $20 for ages 6 and up, with kids 5 years and under free. The power wheels cars will be provided for the first kids that sign up.
Saturday will also host a parade starting at noon and the 21st Annual Pioneer Day Celebration. The Celebration will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Honker, Tulelake’s Community Center.
All four days will feature vendors, exhibits and carnival, with three outdoor stages and live music for all to enjoy. (Herald and News/TBVF)
The Bureau of Reclamation announced today that the Klamath Project water supply allocation, originally announced on April 13 and increased on May 19, will remain at 260,000 acre-feet and no reductions will be made to Klamath Project water users.
Irrigation districts and Tribes were notified on August 18, that a curtailment may be necessary due to a potential shortfall in water supply. Due to improved hydrology in the Klamath Basin over the last two weeks; opportunities for Upper Klamath Lake water conservation this fall and winter; and coordination with Tribal partners and water users, no curtailments will be necessary.
Reclamation is required to meet a minimum water elevation in Upper Klamath Lake for endangered Lost River and shortnose suckers, as well as to provide streamflows in the Klamath River for threatened salmon.
Reclamation continues to monitor hydrologic conditions and plan for end of season activities as the water year comes to a close. (bureau of reclamation)
Fire management officials at the Fremont National Forest Headquarters in Klamath County lifted public use restrictions on the Fremont-Winema National Forest, Bureau of Land Management Lakeview District, and Sheldon-Hart Mountain National Wildlife Refuge Complex.
These lifts went into effect yesterday.
Crater Lake National Park will lift its fire restrictions on Friday, September 8.
Public use restrictions will remain in place within the Klamath River Canyon.
Lifting public use restrictions means campfires are now allowed outside of designated campgrounds. Fire officials want to remind the public to be cautious with any possible ignition sources and ensure campfires are properly extinguished.
Industrial Fire Precaution Level II Limited Shutdown will remain in effect on public lands where the public use restrictions have been lifted. Power saws, rotary head saws, cable yarding, blasting, and welding many only happen between 8 p.m. and 1 p.m. (Fremont National Forest Office)
Oregon Tech hosted representatives from economic development groups Southern Oregon Regional Economic Development Inc (SOREDI), Rogue Workforce Partnership (RWP), and WorkSource Rogue Valley for a campus tour and information session last week, aimed at fostering collaboration and employer support.
The visit included a meeting with Oregon Tech President Dr. Nagi Naganathan, key members of Oregon Tech’s executive staff, and the career services team. During the event, organizations discussed how their collaborative efforts would benefit local employers and enhance employment opportunities for Oregon Tech graduates.
Participants in attendance included Jaymes Tadlock (SOREDI’s Business Development Manager), Terrill Roper (SOREDI’s Business Development Loan Manager), Tyler Worthley (RWP’s Business Development Manager), Josh Morell (WorkSource Rogue Valley’s Career Developer), Tammy Schroeder (WorkSource Rogue Valley’s Business Team member), and Uriah Lamproe (WorkSource Rogue Valley’s Business Team member) alongside Oregon Tech staff members.
“This collaborative effort demonstrates Oregon Tech’s commitment to advancing workforce development programs through active partnerships with pioneering organizations such as SOREDI, RWP, and WorkSource Rogue Valley,” employer relations advisor Anna Fowler said. “Together, we will continue building a successful regional workforce environment that benefits both employers and Oregon Tech graduates entering the job market.” (Herald and News)
City and County Schools in the Klamath Basin are now open. Be careful on streets and near bus stops and watch for buses and remember these bus safety tips below.
Please be on the lookout for students crossing streets and slow down near bus stops, and stop behind buses when lights flash.
Their bright yellow buses are back on the roads, and they are counting on drivers to follow the rules to ensure students are safe while they are entering and exiting the bus. Also, don’t forget to slow down while driving in school zones and keep an eye out for kids walking or bicycling to school. School buses use flashing lights to notify drivers.
Here is a rundown of what the rules when you are sharing the road with a school bus and students: Yellow lights: Prepare to stop. Slow down. Do not pass the bus. Red lights: Stop. Drivers coming from both directions must stop. Do not pass the bus when the lights are flashing. When the lights turn off, proceed with caution. Be on the lookout for children near the road.
School zones: Oregon state law requires drivers to go no faster than 20 mph in school zones between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays. Bus routes for the 2023-24 school year are available on the KCSD website. Please be sure to check your route on the website for any updates as the first day of school nears. (KCSD press release)
Oregon DMV: Due to staffing, the Lakeview DMV office will be closed Monday, September 4 through Friday, September 8.
After 114 years of services in Klamath County, Mt. Laki Presbyterian Church is closing its doors.
The final service will be held at 10 a.m. Sunday, followed by a small luncheon. The public is invited and encouraged to attend and share stories of their memories in the church. The church is located at 12570 Highway 39 in Klamath Falls.
Last Sunday was Pastor Dave Glidden’s final sermon at Mt. Laki. Delivering the good word for the past 10 years at the Presbyterian church was a gift, Glidden said.
Glidden will continue his work as a Pastor at Klamath Falls First United Methodist Church two Sundays each month.
Mt. Laki Presbyterian Church was first incorporated on the second day of August in 1909, according to a historic news release from the church’s administrative commission, written by Central and South Region Reporter Mike Hubbard.
The congregation grew in the 1960s to include 212 parishioners, an “all-time high” for the local branch.
With only seven practitioners left in the congregation, the session can no longer conform to their bylaws. (Herald And News)
Around the state of Oregon
More people are moving to Oregon after nearly 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced this past year during legislative sessions across the U.S., and over 80 of them were passed.
Oregon has not passed any proposed laws that include preventing transgender students from participating in school activities, blocking funding for gender-affirming care, and limiting people from updating gender information on IDs and records.
Kyle Rodriguez-Hudson, Executive Director of TransPonder, said Oregon has seen an influx of LGBTQ+ people because of Oregon’s more tolerant laws.
Kyle Kurzet, physician, and owner of Transition Health, said one of the stronger protections for LGBTQ+ people that Oregon provides is better access to health care, especially for gender-affirming care.
Kurzet said Oregon Health Plan has provided a lot of much-needed care that is not always offered in other states. (kdrv 12)
Yesterday, Oregon Health Authority (OHA), in collaboration with Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS), announced proposed timelines to begin offering new Medicaid benefits that eligible Oregon Health Plan (OHP/Medicaid) members would receive under Oregon’s ground-breaking 1115 Medicaid waiver agreement with the federal government.
If the federal government agrees to the proposal, eligible OHP members would start receiving benefits for climate-related supports in January 2024, housing insecurity in November 2024, and food insecurity in January 2025.
Oregon would be the first state in the nation to gain federal approval to offer six months of temporary rent assistance as a medically necessary Medicaid benefit. These benefits would first roll-out to people who are at risk of losing their current housing, beginning on Nov. 1, 2024, if the federal government approves the plan.
In lockstep with Governor Tina Kotek’s priority to reduce homelessness, state health officials have determined that the most immediate and effective way to implement Oregon’s new short-term Medicaid housing benefit is to help people who are medically and economically vulnerable avoid becoming homeless in the first place.
According to state housing experts, the rate of Oregonians losing housing is increasing faster than state and local programs can rehouse them, due to a critical statewide shortage in affordable housing. The short-term Medicaid rent assistance benefit will help prevent people from losing housing due to a health issue that disrupts their ability to stay current on their housing payments, or because they need to be connected to mental health or substance use services to maintain stable housing. This preventive approach should help slow the rate of growth in the homeless population. (OHA)
Happy Camp Fire Daily Update for Thursday, September 7, 2023
Click here: happy camp update 97 23
Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) is seeking volunteers for two positions on the Recreational Trails Program (RTP) Grants Advisory Committee.
The positions include an Accessibility representative and an Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) representative.
The 10-member committee evaluates grant proposals for statewide trail projects. They meet once or twice a year, virtually or at locations throughout the state. Time commitment varies and includes reviewing and evaluating 25-40 grant applications each annual funding cycle. Committee members serve three-year terms and are eligible to serve a second term.
Ideal candidates can live anywhere in Oregon with experience in at least one of the following areas: land management, recreation planning, trail planning or design, recreation related volunteerism; or a trail enthusiast who is uniquely qualified to evaluate project proposals through other experience and involvement. Strong candidates may also demonstrate an awareness of statewide recreational trail needs, other broad recreational issues, and the importance of providing equitable, inclusive, and accessible recreational opportunities.
Those interested in serving must submit an RTP advisory committee interest form by Thursday, Nov. 30. The form is available online. (OREGON PARKS AND REC)
Researchers at OHSU have found a new cause of Alzheimer’s Disease and vascular dementia.
A new study led by scientists Oregon Health and Science University found that iron-rich cells in the brain destroy cells that are supposed to help clean connections between nerves. Researchers say it’s surprising this wasn’t found during previous research. They found it using a new technique to isolate the cells.
The hope is that pharmaceutical manufacturers can now use this information to create drugs that can prevent that type of damage in the years ahead. (oregon news)
Another Missing Woman in Oregon
Gwen Brunelle shouldn’t have been in Jordan Valley in late June, buying gas. The Boise woman was supposed to be hundreds of miles away near Fresno, California, getting coached in rabbit judging.
But roughly 24 hours after she told the station attendant she was “in a hurry,” her unattended vehicle was spotted off a state highway north of Jordan Valley.
The 27-year-old woman had disappeared. A missing person report soon triggered one of the most intense searches ever undertaken in Malheur County. Repeated searches found no trace of Brunelle.
Authorities believe she is somewhere out in rangeland that is sparsely vegetated with sagebrush, rabbitbrush, cheat grass and crested wheatgrass. Authorities report that 9 out of 10 of missing people are found within 48 hours.
Only 1 out of a 100 are still missing after a year. In Oregon, 220 people are still missing after being reported in 2022, according to Oregon State Police data. That includes two cases in Malheur County. (oregon news)
Gas prices declined slightly over the past week. Following Labor Day, Triple-A reports the national average declined a penny to $3.81 a gallon.
Oregon’s average declined two cents to four-74. Grants Pass had the highest average at four-94 and Corvallis has the lowest at four-50. The average in Portland was four-83. While demand for gasoline this summer was below average, vacation travel helped boost prices ahead of the holiday weekend. (oregon news)
A new study released by SelfStorage company shows that Oregon has the fifth-largest increase in home prices in the nation over the past decade.
Idaho was number one with an increase of just under 79-percent. Oregon prices increased 61-percent. Illinois had the lowest increase, at 16-percent. The study looked at average prices in 2012-2016 compared to 2017-2022 to see the increase. A SelfStorage spokesperson said that the study underlines the strong differences in parts of America. Most on the list are on the West Coast. (oregon news)
After the weekend’s muddy conditions at Burning Man, people on Tuesday were finally being allowed to leave Black Rock Desert.
But festival officials were urging guests to wait until later in the day, because after the Big Burn Monday night, the wait to leave the makeshift city was over eight hours.
Not everyone was relaxed about the efforts to get out of the muddy playa.
Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen told the media that many people abandoned their cars throughout the playa and still others left trash and other debris along roads in the area.
Allen also told the Chronicle that a number of ‘burners’ were “not showing compassion to their fellow man who have endured the same issues over the past few days.” (peshing county NV release)
Dozens of Oregon homes have already been destroyed this wildfire season. But the State Fire Marshal’s Office says defensible space could prevent more from being lost.
OSFM is now traveling the state to help educate Oregonians about steps they can take now to protect their property.
Assistant Chief Deputy Chad Hawkins, says it’s critical to reduce the chances an ember will spark a fire in your yard. He says”A majority, if not three-quarters of structures lost during a wildfire, is due to what we call ember cast or ember showers. So, it’s those embers that are carried in the wind, whether created by the fire or the prevailing weather patterns or weather conditions in the area at the time of the fire, carrying those embers half a mile, three-quarters of a mile, a mile and a half in some studies.”
He adds there are simple and inexpensive things property owners can do now, “Raking leaves, cleaning gutters. We always think of them as small minutia tasks. But those are the ones that if we let slip just for that one-two minutes, and inevitably deal with that oncoming fire front from that escaped fire, or whatever it may be, that could be the time where your house becomes in jeopardy.” He says an ember can start a fire in just a handful of pine needles. (oregon state fire marshal)
Boaters planning to go on the Willamette River this week should be aware of unusually low water levels.
Officials with the National Weather Service say parts of the river in and around Portland could drop to as low as a foot multiple times in the coming week. Meteorologist Tyler Kranz says the lower water stage will likely expose new hazards to boaters. (oregon news)
Oregon employees who need time off to care for family members or navigate serious illnesses can now take paid leave under the new state’s long-awaited paid family and medical leave program which began on Sunday.
Angela Yeager, a spokesperson for Paid Leave Oregon, said benefit payments will start going out Sept. 13. The program has received over 9,000 applications as of Thursday. The state has approved just over 1,250, according to Yaeger.
The Oregon Legislature established the program in 2019, making Oregon one of just 11 states, along with Washington, D.C., to offer paid family and medical leave.
Oregon’s program is funded by a payroll tax of 1% on gross wages.
Employers with 25 or more workers pay 40% of the contribution while employees pay 60%. Workers participating in the program receive between $63.48 and $1,523.63 a week during their leave, depending on their base salary.
Yaeger said the program “levels the playing field for working Oregonians who may not have had any access to paid time off until now.” (oregon news)
Thanks for reading BasinLife.com from Wynne Broadcasting. Enjoy articles, news and weather updates, music, entertainment news, recipes, business offers, contests and much more right here every day.
Ready to Advertise? Call BasinLife.com at 541-363-7503. We offer more local advertising opportunities than any one in the Klamath Basin. We’re ready to help you with the best digital advertising in Southern Oregon.
You can receive Daily Radio Mentions across our 6 stations, Articles, direct link Banner Ads, floating Banner Ads on hundreds of article pages daily, Social Media Posts, geo-fencing and geo-targeting services, and also available are monthly Email Blasts to thousands of local residents. We keep you updated with the latest smart digital marketing strategies for 2023 for your business. At BasinLife.com we’re still the best value in the Klamath Basin for advertising, as we celebrate our 7th year promoting businesses!
For information or prices on plans, simply call us today at 541-363-7503 or email us at Info@BasinLife.com. Let us keep your business top-of -mind!
Play our $5K U-PICK-EM Contest all season long! Click the pic!
Celebrate the Spanish Holiday at KCC with us at EL GRITO!
