Klamath Basin News, Thursday, Jan. 11 – Schools Open; Winter Weather Affecting Travel In The Basin And Throughout Oregon

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Thursday, January 11, 2024

Klamath Basin Weather

Winter Storm Watch in effect from Friday, January 12, 4:00PM  until Saturday, January 13, 10:00PM.

Today’s Headlines

Klamath County Schools are OPEN TODAY for Thursday, January 11^th, 2024.

Gilchrist School is on a two-hour delayed start today, Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024, due to inclement weather and road conditions. Gilchrist buses will run two hours later than normal. All other KCSD schools are operating on regular schedules.

To find this information our website, go to www.kcsd.k12.or.us. Click on the inclement weather icon on the main page or go to: http://www.kcsd.k12.or.us/…/inclement-weather….

Winter storms are affecting travel throughout Oregon with impacts from snow, ice, high winds and heavy rain. Some highways have seen closures or delays. 

Winter weather will continue to affect travel in the coming days. The National Weather Service is forecasting snowy and icy conditions at higher elevation in the central, southern and eastern parts of the state. Lower elevations could also see snow. The Portland area could receive up to four inches later this week with the potential for icy conditions. Road closures Wednesday morning included:

• OR 62, Union Creek to the Crater Lake National Park west boundary.
• OR 138E, Diamond Lake Junction to U.S. 97, mileposts 79-100.
• OR 230, Union Creek to Diamond Lake Junction, mileposts 0-62.
• OR 66, east of Ashland, mileposts 8-44.
• OR 273, southeast of Ashland, mileposts 0-7.5.

Note: Conditions can change quickly; closures are subject to change. For the latest information, visit Tripcheck.com. Crews are working hard to clear roads, but their job becomes more difficult when disabled cars and trucks block traffic. To help reduce traffic and stay safe, consider working from home or taking public transit. Or, take a snow day and give our crews time to do the hard work and get the roads clear. Safety is our priority. If you decide to travel, plan extra time for your journey and carry emergency supplies. Delays and closures are common during winter storms. Expect to encounter chain restrictions if traveling in mountain passes. Check the weather forecast along your route and visit TripCheck.com for the latest road conditions.  

At their regular board meeting on Monday, the Klamath Falls City Schools board voted unanimously to appoint two of its members to a committee that would start the transition of EagleRidge High School from a stand-alone public charter to a KFCS high school.

KFCS Director of School Improvement Fred Bartels said the transition is pending public input that would take place via polling. The district expects the plans for EagleRidge coming aboard to be finalized by the end of January. In another unanimous vote, the board approved giving students from Crosspoint Christian School the opportunity to play for teams at Klamath Union High School in sports that are not offered there. For example, Crosspoint does not offer baseball or softball, and student athletes wanting to play could for KU. Other meeting topics included public comments from Roosevelt Elementary parent David Hays who expressed concerns that “class sizes, poor instruction and high transfer rates from low-performing schools” had caused a hardship on teachers. In a statement read by Board Chair Trina Perez, Hays said he thought his son’s teacher was overwhelmed, and now his son hates school and has suffered “plummeting grades.” Hays also suggested that the community would greatly benefit from a unified school system, instead of the current two school districts “in such a small community.” A presentation was given by Roosevelt Elementary’s principal, Scott Olsen. Olsen cited regular student attendance rates — especially on Fridays — as a concern for the school, and that regular attendance “is a district- and state-wide issue.”  

Klamath County will be taking a scrutinizing look at its land development code with help from consulting firm Jet Planning.

Desiring to create a new code to better regulate and be more consistent with the city of Klamath Falls in joint planning development within the Urban Growth Boundary, the Board of Klamath County Commissioners accepted a quote from Jet Planning for an analysis of the existing county and city codes during their weekly meeting on Tuesday. Jet Planning will also be comparing the county’s land development codes against other comparable counties in Oregon to add additional concepts for a finalized expanded code analysis. Nobel told the Herald and News that once the analysis is complete a survey will be going out to Klamath County residents for feedback. The Urban Growth Boundary has approximately 45,000 people with roughly half living within the city limits and half living in unincorporated areas. The city provides the full range of urban services to support development within the city limits, whereas Klamath County (except for water service), through special service districts, provides services to the unincorporated areas. During Tuesday’s meeting, the commission also agreed to allow Klamath County Community Corrections to contract with the Sacred Sol Healing Institute to provide focus groups to people who have been involved with the justice system, and who have or are currently participating in a Klamath Justice Advancement Collaborative grant-funded program(s). Stemming from a Justice Reinvestment Grant awarded to Klamath County for 2023-2025 where Klamath County stated they would seek feedback from historically underserved populations participating in one of the grant-funded programs, Sacred Sol Healing Institute will begin by surveying participants to collect program feedback and demographics.  

Cascade Health Alliance and Healthy Klamath will host Family Fun Day from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Merrill Civic Center. The event is free and open to the public, and is the first of two being held to increase awareness of community resources.

Event-goers will be treated to free tacos and raffle prizes, and there will be a bouncy house for kids. Denise Martinez of Klamath Community College said the event’s purpose is “to help get the word out in smaller communities that there are resources available to them.” Currently, there are regular weekly outreach efforts in Merrill, Chiloquin, Sprague River, Klamath Falls and Keno, and are scheduled as follows: Klamath Falls — Every Tuesday, 2 to 4 p.m., at the Klamath County Courthouse, 316 Main St. Keno — Every 2nd and 4th Thursday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Keno Tractor, 15555 Highway 66, Keno Merrill — Every 3rd Wednesday, 1 to 3 p.m., Merrill Water Department., 301 E. First St., Merrill Malin — Every 3rd Thursday, 2 to 4 p.m., Malin Library Conference Hall, 2307 Front Street Malin Chiloquin — Every 2nd and 4th Friday, Farmer’s Market Lot, Chiloquin Sprague River — Every 2nd and 4th Friday, Sprague River Community Center, 23411 Sprague River Road Organizations and vendors can join by contacting jenniferd@cascadecomp.com.  

Changes are ahead for a long-standing program that has benefited Crater Lake National Park operations in the winter months.

Crater Lake Superintendent Craig Ackerman said the park is adopting a Preventive Search and Rescue (PSAR) program that will handle incidents on a year-round basis. For the past 40-plus years the Crater Lake Ski Patrol, a volunteer group, has assisted the park with a variety of winter programs, including patrolling areas used during winter months by cross country skiers and snowshoers, helping in emergencies and providing general information to park visitors. The ski patrol has included volunteers from the Klamath Basin, Rogue Valley and others regions of Southern Oregon and far Northern California. Ski patrol members were required to attend one to two weekends of training in search and rescue, first aid and various duties on a yearly basis. The sessions were coordinated by park rangers. In a statement, Ackerman said, “While the PSAR plan is approved it is not presumed that it gives clearance to abolish the Crater Lake Ski Patrol or their relationship with the park. First, because we have no authority to abolish an independent organization, and second, because I believe it is unwise to simply abandon a 40-plus year relationship with an organization that has provided support for our operation over a long history and has a significant amount of partner support. According to park rangers helping to develop a PSAR program, Crater Lake sees a varying degree of search and rescue incidents throughout the year. “Year to year we are seeing increased visitation in the summer and throughout the winter.” According to a park statement, in 2012 the ski patrol’s leading council was abolished by the Park Service, but was reestablished a year later “after a change in park staffing and with a push from retired park service staff who have led the volunteer group.”  

A groundbreaking took place at EagleRidge High School last week, as the school announced its next steps for the future in a new 5,000-square-foot building to house a Career and Technical Education program at the high school.

All EagleRidge Board of Directors were in attendance for the groundbreaking, including KFCS Superintendent Keith A. Brown and Director of Operations, Daymond Monteith, as well as EagleRidge students and staff. EagleRidge School Board vice chair Cecelia Amuchastegui said. “Working together, we were able to obtain some ESSER funds. We could not have the ESSER funds if we did not have the city schools … to build a building to expand programs” Amuchastegui was KFCS Superintendent from 2004-2010. The new space will be located behind the school, just off Plum Avenue. The new building will replace a space across the street on Commercial Street, which EagleRidge currently rents and holds classes. Amuchastegui mentioned several phases to take place during the building’s construction, which is expected to be completed in time for the 2024-2025 school year. The first phase will be fundraising to go toward the new space, which will be two separate buildings to support EagleRidge’s Construction Pre-Apprenticeship Program, along with its Business Management and Digital Media programs. Mark Wendt will be the contractor and Kinsman Construction is the subcontractor for the new building. Adkins Engineering and Surveying also has been a partner to EagleRidge. EagleRidge students will be seeing first-hand how the new building will be built as under the instruction of Dominic Herrera, will assist in how the building will be built.  

Pacific Power is monitoring these winter storms across the Pacific Northwest. The forecast weather indicates strong winds could result in system interruptions, causing possible power outages in Oregon.

Pacific Power encourages customers to always be prepared for outages and supports state and local emergency management organizations, recommending Oregonians have an emergency plan for up to 72 hours without essential services. Here are some simple steps customers can take to prepare and stay informed:  

• Update your contact information so we can reach you.
• Sign up to receive outage alerts by text, email or phone.
• Restock your outage kit.
• Keep mobile devices charged so that may be used in an emergency.
• Track outages, update contact info and do more with our free app.
• Text OUT to 722797 to report your outage or STAT to check status.

Visit pacificpower.net/outages for restoration estimates. As a reminder, stay away from all downed power lines and utility lines. Even if the lines are not sparking, they could be energized and extremely dangerous. Customers should avoid both downed trees and powerlines as well as keep pets far away from those areas.   Call 911 and report the outage to Pacific Power at 1-877-508-5088.    

The Klamath Chorale will begin regular weekly rehearsals for its 2024 spring concert season on the Martin Luther King holiday, from 7 p.m.-9 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 15, in the choir rehearsal room at Ponderosa Middle School.

The group’s spring performance is titled “From Stage To Screen,” and will take place at the Ross Ragland Theater on Sunday, May 5. The program includes well-known songs from Broadway musicals that have been made into popular movies. The Klamath Chorale is the oldest and largest choral group in the Klamath Basin, at times having up to one hundred members. The group was formed in 1979 by people who enjoyed singing together, and has presented two concerts each year for over 40 years. The group has been led by director Robin Schwartz since 2009, and accompanied by Bill “Slippery” Eaton for many years. Seasonal dues of $25 per person help to defray the cost of purchasing music for its semi-annual concerts. Dues scholarships are available to high school students who wish to join the Chorale. For more information, contact Production Coordinator Charles Cossey at (541) 884-8484. Klamath Chorale can also be found on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/klamathchorale/  

Around the state of Oregon

More problems for Portland based Alaska Airlines. The FAA has grounded those planes until they’re determined to be safe. Alaska Airlines is facing new troubles following a scary incident in which a panel blew out of a plane during a packed flight last week. An Alaska Airlines flight from Everett, Washington to Honolulu was redirected to Portland on Tuesday due to an issue with its radios. The plane was over the Pacific Ocean when it returned to Portland. Flight 819 was at Portland International Airport for about an hour-and-a-half before resuming its flight to Hawaii. The plane was a Boeing 737-900ER. On Friday, the door plug on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-9 MAX aircraft blew out during ascent, tearing a passenger’s shirt clean off his body. Pacific Power rates have increased and will go into effect tomorrow, Jan. 10.  According to a news release from the Oregon Public Utility Commission, prices increased for many reasons. One of them is that the cost of power supplies has increased due to “volatility in the Western electricity market,” and the increased costs that came with wildfire mitigation. The release said that while the exact increase will differ from customer to customer due to customer type and energy usage, the general changes are:

• 9% average increase for residential customers. The release said that a single-family residence using the average 900 kWh a month, will see their monthly bills increase by $14.92.
• 1% average increase for small commercial/business customers
• 7% average increase in revenues for large commercial/industrial customers

The rate increase reflects the reality of high market power prices for utilities and the important actions Pacific Power is taking to reduce wildfire risks on its system.  At the same time, we recognize how difficult it is for families and businesses to adjust to higher bills, and we encourage them to seek out help through energy efficiency programs that reduce usage and rate discount programs to address communities facing high energy burdens.   Oregon Governor Tina Kotek has signed two executive orders to extend work on homelessness. Kotek says she exceeded the goals she set last year to reduce homelessness in the state. Over a thousand new shelter beds were created, nearly 13-hundred homeless households were placed into permanent housing, and over 88-hundred households were kept from becoming homeless. One executive order adds capacity to the state’s shelter system. The other order continues the state’s Interagency Council on Homelessness which advises the Governor on policy.   Governor Kotek says her top priority for the legislature this year is to increase affordable housing.  Kotek is asking the legislature to approve 500-million-dollars on top of the 650-million-dollars approved last year to increase affordable housing. She says it’s a focused, menu driven approach using one-time dollars. She says it’ll jump start affordable housing construction across the state.   Oregon ranks near the middle of the pack in a new list ranking the best and worst states to raise a family.Personal finance company Wallet Hub looked at factors such as family fun, health and safety, education and childcare, affordability, and socio-economics. Oregon ranked 26th in the nation. The top five states are Massachusetts, followed by North Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, and New York. Arkansas, Alabama, West Virginia, Mississippi, and New Mexico are the bottom five or worst states to raise a family. The season of giving extends into the new year for the Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation. This month, it is awarding more than $800,000 to community outreach efforts as part of its biannual awards program. The Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation (CCUIF) said $61,160 went to seven Josephine County nonprofit organizations, part of $817,330 for CCUIF’s January 2024 round of giving, which itself is part of $24,071,273 in total giving by the Foundation since 1997. It said 83 charities in southwestern Oregon from Jackson, Josephine, Klamath, Coos, Deschutes, Douglas and Lane counties are among recipients in this round of the Foundation’s semi-annual giving, including these Josephine County efforts: Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation also gave $7,500 to Klamath County nonprofit Chiloquin Care Program Food Pantry to help fill the Chiloquin Care storeroom with nonperishable supplies to have on hand for emergency needs. It makes its financial outreach awards semi-annually in January and June.  

The Mt. Ashland Ski Area is opening today, Thursday, January 11th.

Mt. Ashland is open to the public today on its 60th anniversary. This year, the ski area has added an extra night of Twilight Ski, which is usually only on Thursdays and Fridays. Skiers and snow boarders can now head to the mountains for Twilight Ski on Saturday nights as well, starting January 18th. Although he was hopeful for a December opening, Mt. Ashland Ski Area’s General Manager Andrew Gast says he’s not worried about there not being enough snow. Today it will also have its Day Onesie event, in which anyone who shows up in a onesie can get a prize.   

Mt. Shasta Ski Park is also now open and asks people to stick to the open run.

For those interested in other winter activities, Lake of the Woods announced on Facebook that their Great Meadow Snow Park is open. Snowshoers, snow mobile riders, and sledders are welcome to get a day pass for $6. Diamond Lake Resort saw more snowfall as well. The resort says it’s confident the tubing hill will open up on Saturday, January 12th, but you can get tickets now.  

Oregon delegates to the Republican National Convention this summer must pledge to back the winner of the state’s presidential primary, a top state party official confirmed.

Tracy Honl, Oregon’s Republican national committeewoman, clarified the party’s rules for the 31 delegates who will cast the state’s votes for the GOP presidential nominee at the July convention in Milwaukee, Wis. A national reporter sparked confusion among some Oregon political analysts last week by asserting the state party would select delegates at a May 25 convention independent of the May 21 primary. The Oregon Republican Party’s bylaws call for a convention where precinct committeepersons — the elected local party officials who vote on party business, including nominating replacements for candidates or elected officials who don’t finish their terms — will select their delegates and alternates. While the bylaws don’t require delegates to support the winner of the primary, a separate set of rules adopted by the state party’s central committee do. Those rules lay out qualifications for delegates, including that they submit a written pledge to support the presidential candidate who wins the state’s primary election. Oregon’s delegates would be free to vote for other candidates if the national convention doesn’t choose a nominee after two rounds of ballots. Oregon’s secretary of state, LaVonne Griffin-Valade, told critics pushing to get Trump off the ballot that she didn’t have the authority to bar any candidate in a presidential race. That case is now on appeal before the Oregon Supreme Court, which has asked for legal briefs by Jan. 9. Trump has appealed the Colorado case to the U.S. Supreme Court.  

The American Red Cross is experiencing an emergency blood shortage as the nation faces the lowest number of people giving blood in 20 years. 

The Red Cross blood supply has fallen to critically low levels across the country, and blood and platelet donors are urged to make a donation appointment to help alleviate the shortage and help ensure lifesaving medical procedures are not put on hold. Over the last 20 years, the number of people donating blood to the Red Cross has fallen by about 40%. When fewer people donate blood, even small disruptions to blood donations – such as the nearly 7,000-unit shortfall in blood donations the Red Cross experienced between Christmas and New Year’s Day alone – can have a huge impact on the availability of blood products and dramatic consequences for those in need of emergency blood transfusion. Blood products are currently going to hospitals faster than blood donations are coming in, and in recent weeks, the Red Cross has had to limit distributions of type O blood products – among the most transfused blood types – to hospitals.  To make an appointment, download the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). The Red Cross and the National Football League (NFL) are partnering this January, during National Blood Donor Month, to urge individuals to give blood or platelets and help tackle the emergency blood shortage. Those who come to give blood, platelets or plasma in January will automatically be entered for a chance to win a trip for two to Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas. For details, visit RedCrossBlood.org/Super Bowl.  

John Exley doesn’t play the Keno game often but bought a ticket at the Oregon City Safeway on December 23 to try his luck.

The 60-year-old from North Bonneville, Wash. wagered on a 10-spot game, meaning he’d need to match all ten numbers drawn between 1-80 to win. He added the Special Keno game play option for no additional cost. To his surprise, he hit all ten for the $1 million win. Claiming a 10-spot win is rare, with Oregon’s last known $1 million Keno winner dating back to February 16, 2000. The odds for this type of win are also higher at about one in 8 million. Last year, Oregon saw 8.5 million winning Keno tickets, averaging $8.71 per claim. Keno games are drawn every four minutes and feature an 8-spot rolling jackpot bonus that is based on sales and continues to grow until the 8-spot game is won. In 2023, Keno players claimed $74 million total prizes in Oregon. The Oregon Lottery recommends that you always sign the back of your winning ticket to ensure you can claim your prize. In the event of winning a jackpot, players should consult with a trusted financial planner or similar professional to develop a plan for their winnings. Players have a year to claim their prize. For more information on the Oregon Lottery visit www.oregonlottery.org.

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