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Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023
Klamath Basin Weather
Today
Widespread haze before 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 63. North northwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph. Overnight cloudy, low around 35 with gusty winds to 20 mph.
Today’s Headlines
The Stop Lights on Main Street in Klamath Falls are back on, rather than blinking as they have been for several months.
During a city council work session held on Monday, City Public Works Director Mark Willrett presented before the council the results from the exercise. The City’s Public Works Department had conducted a survey asking businesses how the traffic signal test has impacted them with 40% of respondents answering that they have seen a decline in customers and sales.
More than 59% of respondents said they didn’t see an impact and that their numbers are roughly the same as typical for the time of year.
One said the testing has resulted in a positive impact and that sales have increased.
Another survey question asked if the traffic pattern has been beneficial for downtown Klamath Falls as a whole; 83.81% answered no.
After a deliberation that left many council members applauding the data in regards to the increase of safety, none argued against the negative effects it’s been having on business and public feedback.
Taking the concerns of the public and local businesses into consideration, Klamath Falls City Council decided to revert and have the downtown signals back to full function yesterday. (News Release/Herald & News)
The Morgan Fire is now approximately 1200 acres, located 8 miles north of Quartz Mountain.
A portion of the fire is within the Coleman Rim roadless area. Safety issues included poor visibility, snags, rough terrain, thick vegetation, rolling debris, and narrow roads. These issues made it difficult for night operations to safely access the south end of the fire.
Fire resources will continue to strengthen the north lines today, using them as an anchor point to continue constructing fireline on the east side, wrapping around to the south. Firefighters expect fire behavior to be similar to yesterday due to predicted 25mph afternoon gusts.
Type 2 Incident Management Team Pacific Northwest Team 7 is arriving today to help support firefighting efforts and will take command of the incident on Thursday Morning. Fire camp is being set up at the Lake County Fairgrounds. The area in and around the Lake County Fairgrounds is expected to see an increase in fire traffic, and the public should use caution when driving near the fairgrounds.
Fire officials urge members of the public to avoid the area of the fire for their own and firefighter safety. Roads are narrow enough that additional vehicles in the area may block fire resources and prevent them from responding in a timely fashion.
There is a Temporary Flight Restriction in place for the airspace over the fire. A Level I (Be Ready) evacuation, issued by Lake County Emergency Management, remains in place for the area.
The Klamath County Veterans Service Office is asking for nominations for the oldest living veteran.
They will be taking nominations through October 31st. To nominate a veteran you can go to the office at 3328 Vandenberg Road or call 541-883-4274. You can also email information to rgthompson@klamathcounty.org. The chosen veteran will be honored Saturday November 11th during the Veterans Day Ceremony at Veterans Memorial Park.
Fall Mushroom season permits are now available for the Klamath National Forest. Mushroom collecting on the Klamath National Forest requires separate permits for Spring and Fall season.
Fall mushroom permits are now available at Forest Service offices in Happy Camp, Macdoel, and Fort Jones. Three different mushroom permits are available for purchase depending on quantity. A $20 permit allows up to eight gallons of mushrooms, collected over four consecutive days, a $50 permit allows up to 20 gallons, collected over 30 consecutive days, additional days may be purchased for $5 a day and a $100 season permit allows up to 40 gallons for the season.
If you reach your gallon limit you can buy another permit. Each permit is only valid for collecting mushrooms from National Forest land within the Happy Camp/Oak Knoll Ranger District, Goosenest Ranger District, and the Salmon/Scott Ranger District.
In order to ensure the sustainability of fall mushroom harvest, each permit has additional conditions and restrictions intended to regulate harvest. It is the responsibility of the permit holder to read and understand those conditions. Ranger districts can also provide information on mushroom harvesting, camping, or fire restrictions.
Klamath County Economic Development Association (KCEDA) will host the 2023 Klamath Basin Oktoberfest this Saturday from noon to 9 p.m. at the Bill Collier Ice Arena at the Running Y Ranch Resort.
People of all ages are welcome. There will be games, activities, live entertainment and food to accommodate all interests and palates. Attendees are encouraged to dress in Oktoberfest attire.
The event promotes Southern Oregon’s brewing products. Local and regional brewers will be in attendance. Oktoberfest’s food options showcase some of the region’s top restaurant vendors. A portion of proceeds from the Klamath Basin Oktoberfest will be donated to SMART Reading South Central and Klamath Ice Sports at the Bill Collier Ice Arena.
Event attendees can look forward to many games and Oktoberfest-inspired contests such as “Best Dressed,” the People’s Choice Award for favorite drink, and beer stein holding competition. Kids can enjoy a Kids Fun Zone provided by 541 Jump. There will also be a Nerf gun arena, Connect 4, corn hole, Jenga, hula-hoops and more. (Herald & News)
Registered Klamath County residents can expect ballots in the mail soon for the upcoming special election.
The only item on the ballot will be a measure for a tax levy to fund local museums.
Measure 18-131 asks whether county residents are willing to increase the five-year tax levy from 5-cents per $1,000 assessed property to 10-cents. The measure states that the budget for the Klamath County Museum, Baldwin Hotel and Fort Klamath Museum is not funded from the county’s general fund, and instead relies on voter-approved levies for financial support since 2011.
According to the measure summary, the museums are the county’s primary means of preservation and sharing of historical documents and artifacts.
Should residents vote to approve Measure 18-131, the estimated total revenue is $646,223 for the first fiscal year from 2024 to 2025. Expected revenue increases each of the five years with the final fiscal year 2029-30 estimated to bring in more than $3.4 million.
A news release from the county said the ballots will be mailed to registered voters Oct. 18 and must be dropped off by 8 p.m. on Nov. 7. (Herald & News)
A free event will be held for families at the Klamath County Museum at 5:00 p.m. Saturday. The museum, 1451 Main St. in Klamath Falls, will present a showing of the 2006 film “Night at the Museum” starring Ben Stiller.
Other activities offered for children and youth will include rubber band boat racing, archaeological digging, and train track building for toddlers.
“Working with children is one of the best parts of our job here at the museum,” said Matthew Voelkel, curator of the Klamath County Museum. “They are our future, and we need them to take an interest in history. Activities like this can help them find that interest. We are excited to offer this program for them.”
The activities will start at 5:00 p.m., and the movie will begin at 6:00 p.m. The event is free, and all are welcome to attend. For more information contact the museum at (541) 882-1000.
For the 11th rendition of the Klamath Independent Film Festival, Oregon’s lone film fest that exclusively showcases Made-in-Oregon shorts and feature-length films, over 50 selected films will be presented in-person and online Sept. 22-24.
The festival has garnered a reputation as the premier Oregon-centric film fest, welcoming visitors to the Klamath Basin from across the Pacific Northwest for a multi-day celebration of Oregon’s diverse landscapes and artistic endeavors.
It features animation, documentaries, and narrative films spanning many genres and topics. Festivities commence on Friday, Sept. 22 with an opening night gala and showcase of four films similarly themed around water – a topic all too timely in the Klamath Basin following years of drought and work underway to remove four dams in the region.
Saturday, Sept. 23 will showcase selected feature-length films, followed by a Q&A with each filmmaker.
Sunday, Sept. 24 begins with a showcase of student films, including those produced by Klamath area students in an annual summer film camp coordinated by Klamath Film, and continues with shorts (films under 40-minutes in length) culminating in the KIFF2023 Awards Ceremony that evening.
A total of $5,100 in cash prizes will also be distributed across seven award categories.
This year the festival is also adding an annual career achievement in film award celebrating individuals with Oregon roots who have had a profound impact on the film industry.
Tickets for the Klamath Independent Film Festival vary from single-day passes for $25, weekend passes for $40, a Friday pass for $15, or a full festival pass for $50. There are also livestream and online access festival passes for $40, which allow access to all of the festival’s films for two weeks.
Klamath Film members receive a 50% ticket discount. For more information and to purchase tickets in advance visit www.klamathfilm.org/festival.
Around the state of Oregon
Today, the Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) announced they will pause Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) program enrollment and open a waitlist due to increased demand and limited funding.
Families who believe they are eligible for ERDC should apply by November 3, 2023 at 11:59 p.m.
Families currently receiving ERDC support will continue to receive benefits after November 3, 2023.
Enrollment in the ERDC program, which is funded by both federal and state investments, has grown by 52% in the 2021-2023 biennium due to expansions in family eligibility and program improvements.
Enrollment has grown 22% in the last two months alone due to changes that include lower copays, enrollment-based pay for child care providers, opening the program to non-working students, extending eligibility timeframes, and minimizing the number of reasons a family may lose their ERDC benefits.
Paid Leave Oregon released new data this week, and some helpful tips for Oregonians who plan to file a claim.
The data through Sept. 17, which is on the Oregon Employment Department’s dashboard, shows about 19,000 people have applied for benefits since Aug. 14.
This number is lower than the forecasted 41,000 applications the program expected to have within the first month of applications being open.
So far, more than 5,800 applications have been approved and about $2.3 million in benefits have been paid. Benefit payments started going out to Oregon workers with approved claims on Sept. 13. Paid Leave Oregon Director Karen Humelbaugh said there are a few things people can do to speed up their claim process.
After submitting an application, employees should check their Frances Online account regularly and respond to any alerts or notifications. The program cannot approve benefits until it receives a complete application, which includes the correct supporting documents. Humelbaugh said “When you don’t attach the correct supporting documents we need to approve your specific type of leave, it takes longer to process your claim, Please use Paid Leave’s official forms whenever possible and make sure to use our employee toolkit to see what official documents you need to have ready.”
Monday at approximately 11:38 P.M., the Oregon State Police responded to a two-vehicle crash on Interstate 5, near milepost 44, in Jackson County.
The preliminary investigation indicated a Ford Mustang, operated by Charles Melvin Cole (85) of Central Point, was traveling southbound in the northbound lanes of Interstate 5. The Ford struck a Dodge Durango, operated by Carl Melborne Dewitt Jr (67) of Grants Pass, head-on. After the crash, a Dodge ProMaster, operated by Evan Ryle Miller (30) of Bellingham (WA), struck debris and was damaged. %
OSP was responding to the report of a wrong way driver approximately 3 minutes prior to the crash being reported.
The operator of the Ford (Cole) was declared deceased at the scene. The operator of the Dodge Durango (Dewitt Jr) and passenger, Jeffrey Adam Dewitt (43) of Grants Pass, were transported to a local hospital for medical treatment of what is expected to be minor injuries. The operator of the Dodge ProMaster was not injured.
The highway was impacted for approximately 3.5 hours during the on-scene investigation.
An invasive insect from Europe and the Middle East that attacks oak trees has recently been found in several Oregon white oaks in Wilsonville.
The Mediterranean oak borer transmits multiple fungal species to the trees it infests. Some fungal species may cause a disease called oak wilt, which may kill oak trees in as little as two to three years.
Mediterranean oak borer (MOB) is a tiny woodboring beetle called an “ambrosia beetle” because instead of feeding on wood, it eats fungus grown in galleries created in the wood of branches and trunks. The fungus grows, robbing tree canopies of water necessary for growth and survival.
This insect was first found in North America when it turned up in 2017 in California, where it has been responsible for the decline and death of many native oak trees. In Europe, it has also been reported from elm, maple, and walnut trees, although damaging attacks have not been reported for these other tree types.
Police arrested a Salem jewelry store owner on Friday on allegations he swapped customers’ diamonds with fake stones or passed lab-grown gems off as all natural.
Douglas Wayne Gamble, 57, was booked in the Polk County Jail on suspicion of aggravated theft and remained in custody on Monday, according to jail records. He was the owner of Timeless Jewelers, which police say closed last October without notifying customers or giving their property back.
In a news release, Salem Police estimated customers who contracted with Gamble to design, repair or consign jewelry lost at least $250,000. Ten people reported to police that Gamble sold them lab-grown stones as natural diamonds, swapped diamond jewelry with synthetic stones, or never received items they’d left with Gamble to repair.
Police are asking any clients who have had similar experiences with Gamble to file a police report online or by calling the non-emergency line at 503-588-6123. Gamble’s bail was set at $100,000 on Monday, court records show. (OregonLive)
PORTLAND, Ore, — The Bureau of Land Management is waiving recreation day-use fees for visitors on September 23, 2023, in celebration of the 30th annual National Public Lands Day.
NPLD is the nation’s largest, single-day volunteer event for public lands held annually on the fourth Saturday in September. To recognize 30 years of care and community and increase recreation access to public land, BLM leaders invite people to explore our unique and diverse natural landscapes and visitor facilities.
“National Public Lands Day serves as a connection between people and public lands,” said Barry Bushue, BLM Oregon and Washington State Director “Whether it’s your first time on public lands or your hundredth, we invite everyone to get outside and enjoy these national treasures across Oregon and Washington.”
Within Oregon and Washington, the BLM’s standard amenity day-use fees will be waived at the following:
- Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area
- Cape Blanco Lighthouse
- Wildwood Recreation Site
- Hyatt Lake Recreation Area
- Gerber Recreation Area
- Yakima River Canyon
- Loon Lake Recreation Site
- Alsea Falls Recreation Site
- Shotgun Creek Recreation Site
- Edson Creek Recreation Site
- Spring Recreation Site
The standard amenity fee waiver does not guarantee admission to some busy recreation areas where reservations for day-use, group sites, and overnight camping are recommended. Please contact the local BLM office if you have any questions about a recreation site you are interested in visiting.
You can search all available BLM recreation opportunities to explore on your public lands at https://www.blm.gov/visit.
Want to join one of BLM’s events and help restore America’s public lands? You can find a volunteer event near you at https://www.neefusa.org/npld-
Know before you go:
Be fire aware. Check for local fire restrictions and active fire closures.
Practice Leave No Trace principles and leave your public lands cleaner than you found them.
The fee waiver only applies to standard amenity fees for day-use at the recreation sites listed. The waiver does not apply to any expanded amenity fees for overnight camping, group day-use, and cabin rentals or individual Special Recreation Permit fees along permitted rivers.
Fee-free days occur each year in celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Washington’s Birthday, Juneteenth National Independence Day, Great American Outdoors Day, National Public Lands Day, and Veterans Day.
The remaining fee-free day in 2023 will be on November 11 in celebration of Veterans Day.
Republicans Barred From 2024 Elections File Papers Anyway
State senators in Oregon with at least 10 recorded absences in the Legislature have filed candidacy papers, despite potential disqualification.
Following record-setting walkouts by Republicans in 2019, 2020, and 2021, voters in Oregon backed a constitutional amendment, known as Measure 113. It disqualifies legislators seeking reelection if they missed 10 or more legislative floor sessions without a valid excuse or permission.
%Nine Oregon Republicans with 10 absences in this year’s session have now reapplied, as well as one independent candidate.
GOP members have staged walkouts in recent years, not only in Oregon, to block Democrat bills covering a range of topics, including transgender health care, abortion, gun rights and more.
This prevented a quorum, the minimum number of members of a deliberative assembly necessary to conduct the procedures of that group.
Statehouses in Tennessee and Montana have also been affected. “It is clear voters intended Measure 113 to disqualify legislators from running for reelection if they had 10 or more unexcused absences in a legislative session,” said Oregon Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade in August.
“My decision honors the voters’ intent by enforcing the measure the way it was commonly understood when Oregonians added it to our state constitution.”
The Associated Press has reported that GOP Senate leader Tim Knopp went to the election offices in Salem early on Thursday and submitted a candidate filing form for the 2024 primary election, paying the $25 fee. Sen. Dennis Linthicum and Sen. Art Robinson also filed, having both exceeded the limit on absences.
All three have said that the way the amendment is written means they are permitted to seek another term. Measure 113 states that 10 or more unexcused absences “shall disqualify the member from holding office as a Senator or Representative for the term following the election after the member’s current term is completed.”
Five Republican senators in the northwestern state are hoping to fast-track a lawsuit over the case. If successful, it could force state officials to allow them another shot at reelection. This could go all the way to the Supreme Court after lawmakers and Griffin-Valade filed a joint motion requesting the case head directly to the Oregon Supreme Court, which would move the process along more quickly.
A joint motion filed in August states: “Immediate review by the Supreme Court is the only effective way to resolve this dispute in a timely manner.” The motion was filed by Knopp, Linthicum, and Robinson, as well as Daniel Bonham and Lynn Findley. “Petitioners and other similarly situated legislators need to know whether they can file for re-election and serve if elected; the Secretary needs to know whether those legislators must be listed on the ballot (and, if so, whether they would be eligible to serve if elected); other potential candidates need to know whether incumbent legislators are running for re-election; and Oregon voters have great interest in the proper construction of a constitutional amendment that was enacted by the voters last fall,” the motion reads, as reported by Oregon Public Broadcasting. (SOURCE)
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