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. Call 541-882-6476.

Thursday, April 25, 2024

Klamath Basin Weather

Summer Camp Registration Now Open for ages 6-18!! 
CLICK HERE:  https://ragland.org/theater-camps/

Each week, BasinLife.com features a Pet of the Week ready for adoption from the Klamath Animal Shelter.

This week’s pet is a dog named ” Vador “.   Vador is an 8 month old male Pit Bull and Border Collie mix, is black and white, and weighs about 40 pounds.

Around the State of Oregon

Oregon U.S. Senator Ron Wyden has voiced citizen safety concerns over the federal legislator’s passing of a new surveillance bill Friday.

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act re-authorizes federal surveillance for the next two years. It gives the government access to internet and cell phone data without the need of a warrant in order to help find foreign threats to the country.

Senator Wyden, who is a member of the federal Intelligence Committee, says he is concerned with how the bill will be put into effect.

Sen. Wyden says he proposed an amendment for the bill aimed at reducing the invasiveness of this type of security surveillance. That amendment was not approved before the bill was passed.

CENTRAL POINT, Ore. – Jackson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) deputies arrested two suspects yesterday after an early-morning burglary in rural Central Point.

Yesterday morning, a JCSO Deputy took a report from ECSO Dispatch just after 8 a.m. of a burglary in the 5700 block of Upton Road. Through the investigation, JCSO deputies identified several suspects and tracked them to an address in the 100 block of Laurelhurst Street, also in rural Central Point. 

JCSO deputies obtained a search warrant for the property and identified a female suspect on scene. During the initial search of the property, deputies located an additional suspect hiding under a shed. The man did not respond to commands to come out and barricaded in the crawl space. After a lengthy standoff, deputies persuaded the man to give up through the use of pepper spray and a K9. 

JCSO Criminal Investigations Division (CID), and Illegal Marijuana Enforcement Team (IMET) detectives responded to assist in the arrest and search of the property. During the search, investigators discovered 10 firearms including a stolen pistol, and an AR-style rifle with no serial number. Deputies also found body armor, an illegally-manufactured silencer, methamphetamine, heroin, Butane Honey Oil (BHO), 35 lbs. of processed cannabis, and 58.3 grams of fentanyl. Deputies also uncovered nearly $19,000 in cash. 

The first suspect was Kelli Margaret Hernandez, 44, of Medford. She was arrested for conspiracy to commit second-degree burglary, and hindering prosecution. She was booked and lodged at the Jackson County Jail.

The second suspect was Mickey Ray Galatz, 28, of Central Point. He was arrested on 15 charges related to the incident, in addition to five outstanding warrants. The new charges include second-degree burglary, first and second-degree theft, second-degree criminal mischief, second-degree trespass, interfering with a peace officer, felon in possession of a firearm, felon in possession of body armor, possession of a prohibited firearm, unlawful possession of methamphetamine, unlawful distribution of methamphetamine, unlawful possession of heroin, and unlawful distribution of heroin. For the fentanyl Galatz was charged with unlawful possession of a schedule II-controlled substance – substantial quantity, and unlawful distribution of a schedule II-controlled substance. The outstanding warrants include probation violations for felon in possession of a firearm, two counts of felony unlawful possession of heroin, attempting to elude police by vehicle, and a Klamath County warrant for first-degree burglary and first-degree aggravated theft. Galatz is lodged in the Jackson County Jail. 

This case is under further investigation with deputies following additional leads. There is no more information for release at this time. 

A fire is burning in the Fremont-Winema National Forest, according to a Facebook post from the South Central Oregon Fire Management Partnership.

The fire is currently 35 acres and has been burning since about 6 p.m. on April 20, the post said. 

“The Fire is a holdover from the lightning that passed through the area on April 13, and is in an area fire managers plan to treat with prescribed fire this spring,” the post said. “…Firefighters are looking for opportunities to carefully manage this fire to a larger size to meet forest health objectives much like the Dillon Creek Fire in 2023.” 

Crews are on scene and managing the fire, the post said. 

Yesterday the Lane County Sheriff’s Office responded to the report of a deceased adult female at a residence in the 28000 block of Hwy. 36 south of Junction City.

Upon arrival, investigators observed the deceased had suspicious injuries that may have contributed to her death.

The Lane County Sheriff’s Office is looking for 49-year-old John Jay Kelley of Eugene. He is considered a person of interest at this time.

Kelley is described as a white male adult with brown hair, green eyes,

weighing approximately 220 pounds and standing approximately 5’08” tall. Kelley is possibly driving a silver 2008 Mitsubishi Outlander SUV bearing Oregon license plate # 532PMQ.

Kelley is considered armed and dangerous. Anyone aware of his whereabouts is asked to call 911 and avoid approaching or contacting him.

A Central Oregon drug trafficker who conspired with others to traffic fentanyl and methamphetamine to Madras and Redmond, Oregon, and surrounding areas, was sentenced to federal prison yesterday. He was originally arrested near Klamath Falls in December of 2022.

Israel Sarabia, 30, of Culver, Oregon, was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release.

According to court documents, as part of a joint drug trafficking investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team (CODE), investigators learned that a Central Oregon drug trafficking organization was using a courier to transport bulk quantities of drugs from either Southern California or Mexico into Oregon.

On December 10, 2022, investigators located and stopped the courier in Klamath Falls, Oregon. While searching the courier’s vehicle, investigators located three packages containing approximately 30,000 counterfeit Oxycodone pills that later tested positive for fentanyl.

Further investigation revealed that the courier was traveling to Sarabia’s residence and that he had been tasked by Sarabia with bringing him fentanyl from Southern California or Mexico.

On March 15, 2023, investigators located and arrested Sarabia near his residence in Culver. On the same day, investigators located and seized 519 grams of methamphetamine, more than 1,000 fentanyl pills, 41 grams of cocaine, and nine firearms from the residence of a co-conspirator who was working for Sarabia and storing drugs on his behalf.

On August 21, 2023, Sarabia pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine.

This case was investigated by DEA and CODE. It was prosecuted by Lewis S. Burkhart, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

The CODE team is a multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force supported by the Oregon-Idaho High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program. CODE includes members of the Bend, Redmond, Prineville, Madras, Sunriver, and Black Butte Police Departments; the Warm Springs Tribal Police Department; the Deschutes, Crook, and Jefferson County Sheriff and District Attorney’s Offices; the Oregon State Police; the Oregon National Guard; DEA; and the FBI.

If you were hoping to get a driver’s license, permit or ID card yesterday, you’re out of luck. 

All Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) offices across Oregon were unable to issue these things because their systems are down, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation Website. 

“All DMV offices are currently unable to issue driver licenses, permits, and ID cards, our system is temporarily down,” the alert said.

There is no information about what caused this outage or when residents can expect service to be restored. 

In the Rogue Valley, Dezerae Jobe woke up over the weekend to a long list of strange emails in her inbox, indicating her Facebook account had been hacked. Now, her friends and others have been scammed — and one person said she even lost $1,000.

Her account was hacked in the early morning hours of Saturday, Jobe told NewsWatch 12 in Medford, and the hackers posted pictures of different items for sale — asking her followers to buy them.

Because Jobe hasn’t lost any money herself, she is unable to file a police report. 

Now, she wants to warn the community and prevent more victims.

Aside from her personal account, Jobe runs two businesses. She was able to recover her photography account but said her vacation rental account and personal account are still under control of the hackers. Jobe said it’s been hard to watch this incident affect her work and her clients.

Jobe says she has reported this incident to Facebook repeatedly. As of Tuesday evening, she has not received any help from Facebook and is still unable to access her account.

If you have been the victim of a scam, call your local police department.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council has recommended to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to cancel this year’s salmon season.

The action would shut down both commercial and recreational salmon fishing. The recommendation cites previous years of drought, wildfires and algae blooms as reasons for a sharp decline in the salmon health and population.

Salmon fishing guide Captain Darren Deel tells Action News Now that the current salmon conditions haven’t been this bad since 2008. He says that while most seasons see 5 to 20 thousand salmon spawning in the Redding area of the Sacramento river “we had 47 spawning salmon in Redding last year.”

The potential closure of the salmon season prompted the Shasta County Board of Supervisors to draft a letter to the Department of Fish and Wildlife urging them to keep the recreational season open saying, “All aspects of our local economy are given a much-needed boon and stimulated by the money that is generated due to recreational salmon fishing.” 

Deel says he and other fishing guides have pivoted to trout fishing, which he says has been very good locally. He also said that the salmon population greatly improved during the last time seasons were cancelled back in 2008 and 2009 and hopes that they can see similar improvements with the possible cancellation this year.   

EUGENE, Ore.—A North Bend, Oregon man suspected of abusing multiple children has been indicted in federal court.

Christopher Jay Young, 39, has been charged in a two-count indictment with attempting to use a minor to produce a visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct and attempting to coerce and entice a minor.

According to the indictment, on or about January 20, 2024, Young is alleged to have knowingly and intentionally persuaded a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct and record the conduct. Young’s crimes involving one minor victim, as alleged in the indictment, are part of a broader series of similar abusive crimes he is suspected to have committed involving multiple other children during a similar timeframe.

Between April 4 and 8, 2024, the FBI applied for and obtained multiple federal search warrants for Young’s person, home and vehicles. On April 11, 2024, special agents and deputies from the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, the Oregon State Police, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, and the Lane County Sheriff’s Office executed the warrants and arrested Young.

Five days later, on April 16, 2024, a federal grand jury in Portland returned an indictment charging Young. He was arraigned on the indictment Wednesday in federal court in Eugene by a U.S. Magistrate Judge. Young pleaded not guilty and was ordered detained pending further court proceedings.

Attempting to use a minor to produce a visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct is punishable by up to 30 years in federal prison with a 15-year mandatory minimum sentence. Attempted coercion and enticement of a minor is punishable by up to life in prison with a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence.

This case is being investigated by the FBI in conjunction with the Lane County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by William M. McLaren, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

An indictment is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.

Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. It is important to remember child sexual abuse material depicts actual crimes being committed against children. Not only do these images and videos document the victims’ exploitation and abuse, but when shared across the internet, they re-victimize and re-traumatize the child victims each time their abuse is viewed. To learn more, please visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.missingkids.org.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

The winner of the Oregon Lottery’s latest million-dollar raffle had stuck the ticket in a Tupperware container with other tickets and just learned she’s the big winner.  

This week, 52-year-old Leslie Carr took the pile of tickets to a retailer where they were checked, and she found she won a million.  

The news about the billion-dollar Powerball win reminded her about the tickets she had and took them in to be checked.  Carr works as a medical receptionist.  She plans to pay off their mortgage, buy a new truck and vacation in Hawaii.

The search for a suspect in a double homicide and kidnapping that resulted in a multi-state Amber alert ended with more tragedy tuesday on Interstate 5 in Eugene.

The freeway was closed to all traffic just before 3pm Monday afternoon, after OSP officers had engaged the wanted man in a high speed chase that began just outside of Albany. Speeds were reported at over 100 miles per hour.

It is believed the suspect, Elias Huiza, a former Yakima, Washington police officer, killed himself with a self-inflicted gunshot when the vehicle pursuit ended right there on I-5. 

Oregon State Police rescued a 1-year old boy from the vehicle.

An AMBER Alert was issued after a man allegedly killed two women – his ex-wife and girlfriend – then kidnapped a boy late Sunday night near Richland, Washington.

Huizar allegedly killed his ex-wife outside William Wiley Elementary School in West Richland on Monday before fleeing the scene, according to authorities.

Early on Tuesday morning around 1 a.m., Elias was possibly spotted in North Portland outside a Plaid Pantry. But by the time police arrived he was gone. Police said the clerk at the store recognized Elias from the AMBER Alert and social media and called 911.

The AMBER Alert extended into Oregon as authorities believe Huizar may have tried flee to Mexico with the child.

When police searched Elias’ home after the deadly shooting outside the elementary school on Monday they found another woman, his girlfriend, dead in the home.

According to court documents, Huizar had entered a not guilty plea on charges of child rape in February. Elias was dating a 17-year-old whom was the mother of 1-year-old Roman. His 17-year-old girlfriend’s 16-year-old friend accused Elias of raping her.

According to the documents, Elias met his girlfriend when he was working as a school resource officer at her middle school. They later reconnected when she was 15 and began a sexual relationship. He got her pregnant and she had his child when she was 16. She was not named due to being a minor.

Elias was a Yakima police officer from June 2013 to February 2022.

The following statement was provided was provided by Captain Kyle Kennedy, Oregon State Police:

I want to start by sending our heartfelt support to the community in West Richland, Washington, a community dealing with senseless tragedy. My prayer is their community will come together to provide support and strength during this grievous time.

The conclusion of this search has been the culmination of the hard work and dedication of our law enforcement partners in Washington and Oregon, as well as federal contributors. Since the start, our goal has been simple—to bring Roman Santos home safely. We did it. Roman is in the care of Oregon officials.

Last evening, the Oregon State Police issued an AMBER Alert at approximately 11:35 p.m. at the request of the Washington State Patrol. This AMBER alert was in response to the murder of two women in West Richland, Washington, and the kidnapping of a 1-year-old infant – Roman Santos.  The suspect in these murders and kidnapping was identified as Elias Huizar. The suspect was reportedly driving a 2009 Toyota Corolla with Washington plates.

Today, at approximately 2:40 p.m., Oregon State Police troopers were observing Interstate 5 for the suspect when he located the vehicle southbound near milepost 221. OSP initiated a traffic stop and the suspect vehicle fled southbound. Two troopers engaged in a pursuit with the suspect vehicle at high speeds heading southbound.

Near milepost 209, there was a minor collision and the suspect vehicle lost control. An exchange of gunfire occurred prior to the vehicle fleeing again southbound. No known injuries occurred as a result of the gunfire.

Near milepost 197, the suspect crashed into a stopped CMV and stopped in the median. As troopers contacted the suspect vehicle, he was deceased of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The infant was located uninjured and removed from the vehicle.

Involved in the exchange of gunfire, was Superintendent Casey Codding and Sergeant Orly Johnson of the Oregon State Police.

The Lane County Sheriff’s Office has been asked to lead the investigation.

We are very proud of the efforts of the troopers involved in this pursuit today. Their dedication and courage are a hallmark of the character of an Oregon State Trooper. Their efforts today were paramount in bringing Roman home safely.

I want to thank our partners:

WASHINGTON: Kennewick PD, Paso PD, Richland PD, Prosser PD, Benton County Sheriff’s Office, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Washington State Patrol, Benton Fire Districts 1 and 4, FBI, US Marshal’s, Fish and Wildlife

OREGON: PPB, OSP, Hillsboro, and Portland FBI.                     

PURSUIT: OSP, Linn County Sheriff’s Office

ON SCENE: Lane County Sheriff’s Office, Eugene Police Department, Coburg Police Department

A majority of U.S Supreme Court justices Monday seemed inclined to side with an Oregon town’s law that bans homeless people from sleeping outdoors, in a case that could have broad implications for local ordinances related to homelessness across the country.

During oral arguments in City of Grants Pass v. Johnson case, conservative justices said that policies and ordinances around homelessness are complex, and indicated it’s a policy question that should be left up to local elected representatives rather than the courts.

Taking a much different tack, the three liberal justices said that Grants Pass officials went too far and targeted homeless people with fines for the basic human need to sleep when they camped outside.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor grilled the lawyer for Grants Pass on how the city law essentially criminalized homelessness.

The case originated in Grants Pass, which argues its ordinance is a solution to the city’s homelessness crisis.

An attorney representing a group of homeless people argued that they are involuntarily without housing because there are limited shelter beds for the number of homeless people in the area. The lawyer also said the ordinances criminalize homelessness through fines and potential jail time for camping or sleeping in outdoor spaces.

The town of nearly 40,000 has about 600 people who are homeless and the only nonprofit that can provide shelter can house only up to 100 beds, according to a brief submitted by the nonprofit, Grants Pass Gospel Rescue Mission.

The justices are being asked to decide whether the enforcement of that local ordinance on regulating camping on public property violated the “cruel and unusual punishment” clause of the Eighth Amendment.

Oregon is receiving over $80-million dollars in federal funding for solar energy projects.

The Environmental Protection Agency announced yesterday Oregon will receive more than 86-point-six-million dollars of the total seven-billion dollars going out nationwide. The grants are part of the EPA’s Solar for All grant competition. The funding will go towards launching programs to provide rooftop solar energy to lower-income households.

The Oregon Health Authority reports the number of people accessing addiction treatment through Ballot Measure 110 continues to grow as more facilities increase staffing.

Since the start of the program in 2022, screening services are up 346 percent and staffing is up 422 percent. Ballot Measure 110 required OHA to organize creation of addiction treatment centers across the state. Despite record growth in service access, nearly one-third of providers report challenges finding enough staff.

The Oregon Spring Cleanup, in partnership with Portland General Electric, concluded on Earth Day yesterday with resounding success.

Between April 13 and April 22, more than 4,000 volunteers across Oregon and SW Washington gathered for a celebration of Earth Day, where they collectively picked up 21,981 pounds of litter and marine debris and removed 21,900 square feet of invasive plant species such as English Ivy and Himalayan Blackberry. Families, community members, neighborhood associations, youth groups, and environmental enthusiasts once again made the Oregon Spring Cleanup the highlight of SOLVE’s annual calendar. 

SOLVE is a statewide non-profit organization that brings people together to improve our environment and build a legacy of stewardship. Since 1969, the organization has grown from a small, grassroots group to a national model for volunteer action. Today, SOLVE mobilizes and trains tens of thousands of volunteers of all ages across Oregon and Southwest Washington to clean and restore our neighborhoods and natural areas and to build a legacy of stewardship for our state. Visit solveoregon.org for more information.

A Happy Valley woman is accused of leading a money laundering cell that hid nearly $100 million in drug proceeds for a drug trafficking organization.

Enhua Fang, 37, is the first of five defendants named in a six-count indictment out of federal court in North Carolina, charged with conspiracy to launder money, conceal money laundering, engage in transactions involving derived property and aiding and abetting in those crimes.

Fang was arrested in Oregon on April 18. She’s being held at the Multnomah County Detention Center in Portland and was due back Tuesday in federal court in Portland to ask a judge for her release.

Prosecutors are urging her continued detention pending trial.

Supermarket chains Kroger and Albertsons said Monday they will sell more of their stores in an effort to quell the federal government’s concerns about their proposed merger.

The companies now plan to sell 579 Kroger and Albertsons stores in markets where they overlap to C&S Wholesale Grocers, a New Hampshire grocery supplier and operator, for $2.9 billion. Under the initial divestiture plan, announced in September, C&S had planned to purchase 413 stores for $1.9 billion.

The updated plan would include selling off 13 additional stores in Oregon and 20 more in Washington. That brings the total number of Kroger and Albertsons stores to be divested in Oregon to 62, and in Washington to 124.

It’s unclear if the new plan will satisfy regulators. In February, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission sued to block the $24.6 billion merger between the grocery giants, saying the lack of competition would lead to higher grocery prices and lower wages for workers.

In Blue River, Oregon a man believed to have been armed with a sword was spotted by people in the community and arrested by Lane County deputies Monday morning after turning up at a gas station.

According to the Lane County Sheriff’s Office, deputies and Oregon State Police troopers responded to reports of a man swinging a sword around and inhaling nitrous oxide in the area of Terwilliger Hot Springs in the morning of April 20. Responding deputies said they were able to stop the man’s car, but he got out and ran into the woods, eluding law enforcement pursuit.

Law enforcement spent the weekend on high alert, looking for any sign of the suspect, who was identified as 33-year-old Andrew Dimmick. At about 6:30 a.m. on Monday, a cashier at the Blue Sky Market in Blue River said she saw Dimmick walk into her store. She said Dimmick appeared completely calm and normal as he bought some tobacco, asked about bus routes, and left.

Lane County Sheriff arrived to arrest him. Dimmick was found hiding in a port-a-potty near the store and is now in custody.

Oregon’s minimum wage will increase 50-cents on July first. Bureau of Labor and Industries Commissioner Christina Stephenson announced the annual adjustment this week, based on inflation.

The Standard rate goes up to $14.70. For workers in 18 rural counties, the non-urban rate will increase to 13-70 an hour, and the Portland Metro Minimum wage will be 15-95 an hour. Oregon switched to a tiered minimum wage in 2017 adjustments based on inflation began in 2023.

The Oregon Cheese Festival is coming to the Expo in Jackson County. 

The event will allow residents to sample artisan cheese from across the region. There will also be speciality food, beer, wine and cider available. 

The Cheese Festival starts Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. for anyone 21 and older. It will also be open on Sunday for all ages from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. 

Tickets are $25 and $35 at the door. 

The Oregon Schools Activities Association won’t change its policy concerning transgender athletes competing in girls high school sports.  

A group of Republican women from the Oregon legislature sent a letter last week to the OSAA demanding transgender athletes be banned from competing in girls’ sports.  

In a response letter to the lawmakers, Oregon School Athletic Association Executive Director Peter Weber says OSAA policies were developed through coordination with member schools and comply with state and federal laws intended to keep students safe and free from discrimination. 

Some Oregon Republicans said the Oregon School Activities Association should only allow biological women to compete in women’s sports. 12 Republican women signed a letter that was sent to the executive director of the OSAA, Peter Weber. The legislators who signed the letter include Jamie Cate from Lebanon and Shelly Boshart Davis from Albany.

The legislators want the OSAA board to take immediate action to protect equal rights of women after what they call an “unfortunate situation” where a 10th-grade biological male student at McDaniel High School competed in the Sherwood Need for Speed Classic in the girl’s division. The athlete came in second place in the 200- and 400-meter races and 7th in the 100-meter relay.

Republican legislators said “Policy 38” in the OSAA handbook, a passage which deals with gender identity participation, claims the gender identity rule “promotes harmony and fair competition among member schools.” However, the letter said that instead of promoting harmony, the policy has sparked outrage and allowed a biological male to find a place in female sports record books.

Republican lawmakers said the OSAA’s policy leads them to believe the OSAA doesn’t deem girls’ sports worthy of protecting, and it creates opportunities for boys who can’t compete at the highest levels against their male peers to compete instead in female sports.

The Republican lawmakers said they want the OSAA to provide a solution for families who want answers. They said they will seek a statutory change in the 2025 session to remove all records set by biological male students allowed to compete in girls’ sports, and award those achievements to the biological female students they believe should have won.

Legislators also said they’re going to encourage parents and girls to take a stand by withdrawing from competitions where biological male athletes are allowed to participate.

Oregon’s young people attending college has dipped 10% in the past decade, a decline turbo-charged by the pandemic.

About 65% of Oregonians in the class of 2011 enrolled in community college, university or trade school within a year and a half of high school graduation. For the class of 2021, the most recent data available, that slipped to just 56%.

Disparities have magnified along geographic and racial lines. Rural students are less likely to attend college than their urban counterparts, with just 35% of rural young men who finished high school in 2019 enrolling right away.

And gaps in college-going have widened between most minority student groups and their white and Asian American peers. Ten years ago, the majority of Oregon’s graduates in every racial group went to college. By 2021, that fell to 41% of Indigenous students, 49% of Latinos and just 37% of Pacific Islanders.

Oregon’s public universities charge resident students the highest tuition and fees among 15 westernmost states. Its community college costs are the second most expensive, cheaper only than South Dakota’s.

Nike Inc. on Friday said in a notice to government officials that it expects to layoff 740 Oregon workers, all at its Washington County headquarters.

The filing came as the second wave of a mass layoff started.

The first wave of the layoff took place in February, shortly after Nike CEO John Donahoe told employees the company would part with 2% of its workforce, but he did not provide information about the number of Oregon jobs that would be impacted.

On Friday, Nike filed that information with the state’s Higher Education Coordinating Commission, as required when mass layoffs occur.

Nike didn’t provide the state with information about the job titles of impacted workers, but the filing suggests that information will be made available.

Nike employs 83,700, according to its last annual report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including 11,400 at its 400-acre headquarters campus near Beaverton.

The new board will guide management of the nation’s largest research forest, shaping research, conservation, and economic outcomes

SALEM, Ore. – The Oregon Department of State Lands is accepting letters of interest for the Elliott State Research Forest Board of Directors. 

Ensuring accountability, transparency, and meaningful engagement is critical to establishing and operating the Elliott as a public research forest. In April 2024, the State Land Board approved a research forest oversight structure that includes appointment of an ESRF Board of Directors.

The ESRF Board will guide management of the research forest, with authority to shape management, research, conservation, economic and social outcomes of relevance at the local, statewide, national, and international level.

The ESRF Board will consist of seven or nine voting and one nonvoting member designated by the ESRF’s lead research entity. Voting members are appointed by the State Land Board. The DSL Director will review letters of interest and develop a list of candidates for State Land Board consideration at its June 11, 2024, meeting.

Individuals interested in being considered for the ESRF Board should review the recruitment flyer and submit the required interest materials no later than Sunday, May 12, 2024.

A group of Portland Public Schools parents have filed a lawsuit seeking $100 million against the Portland Association of Teachers (PAT) and the Oregon Education Association (OEA), alleging their 2023 teachers strike caused negative emotional and educational impacts on students as well as financial losses and work disruptions for parents.

From the attorneys it states “The Nov. 1 to Nov. 26, 2023, strike resulted in nearly a month of closed classrooms and missed extracurricular activities. Shutting down schools causes learning loss, cuts students off from activities such as sports and music, distances them from friends and peers, and induces anxiety and emotional distress. Parents are forced to pay for childcare out of pocket, take leave or skip shifts at work, and deal with abrupt changes and confusion. This lawsuit seeks compensation for the families who endured that disruption because of this illegal strike.”

“Study after study demonstrates the harmful and long-lasting negative effects teacher strikes have on students,” attorney Daniel Suhr claimed in the same release. “The PAT’s illegal strike especially hurt already vulnerable families from low-income households and children with learning disabilities. These families have a right to an uninterrupted education focused on student achievement and development, not union politics.”

The lawsuit claims that the strike was illegal, and that PAT violated Oregon law by “making bargaining demands on a number of topics specifically excluded by law from the mandatory bargaining process.”

Attorneys claim that the strike would have been much shorter if the bargaining only included mandatory subjects, lessening the impact on students and parents. The filing also alleges that much of what the strike sought, a ‘paradigm shift,’ is meant to be resolved by elected officials and not “closed-door union bargaining.”

The attorneys say that the lawsuit is seeking damages for families impacted by education, time, and financial loss, as well as anxiety and confusion. The complaint also seeks to cancel the new contract passed by the unions and school district, saying it was “only entered unto under duress.”

The four involved plaintiff families are asking to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation, their attorneys say.  Stay tuned.

The Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve is back open after the winter season closure.

Tours will be offered five days a week, Thursday through Monday, on a limited basis. They will run on a first come, first served basis between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Entry to the monument is free, however tickets for tours can be purchased on site or at the Illinois Valley Visitor Center.

Meanwhile, Crater Lake National Park visitors can enjoy a free visit this weekend. Saturday is the first day of National Park Week which means the National Park Service is offering free admission to over 400 parks nationwide.

That includes Crater Lake National Park, and it’s only on Saturday. The next fee free day after that is June 19.

FALLEN OFFICERS’ NAMES ADDED TO OREGON FALLEN LAW ENFORCEMENT MEMORIAL

SALEM, Ore. — The names of two fallen law enforcement officers were added to the Oregon Fallen Law Enforcement Memorial during an engraving ceremony on Tuesday, April 16. An honor guard stood watch as the names of Jared J. Miller of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and Joseph W. Johnson of the Nyssa Police Department were added to the memorial at the Oregon Public Safety Academy in Salem.

The additions of Sergeant Miller, end of watch Dec. 9, 2021, and Reserve Corporal Johnson, EOW April 15, 2023, were approved for addition to the state memorial by the Board on Public Safety Standards and Training. The memorial honors Oregon officers who have died in the line of duty since the 1860s. This includes law enforcement, corrections, and parole and probation officers from city, county, state, tribal and federal law enforcement agencies.

Sergeant Miller, Reserve Corporal Johnson and 194 previously fallen officers will be honored during the annual Oregon Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony on Tuesday, May 7 at 1 p.m. at the academy, located at 4190 Aumsville Highway SE in Salem.

The Department of Public Safety Standards and Training is proud to host the ceremony in partnership with the Oregon Law Enforcement Memorial Fund, Oregon Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.), Oregon Fallen Badge Foundation, and various statewide law enforcement associations.

April 30th is the deadline for people registering to vote in Oregon for the first time or for those who wish to change party affiliation.

The upcoming May 21st election is a closed-party primary election for registered Democrats and Republicans.

That means that Democrats will be voting for Democrat and nonpartisan candidates and measures and Republicans will be voting for Republican and nonpartisan candidates and measures.

Non-affiliated and all other voters will be voting on nonpartisan candidates and measures.

You can register to vote at oregonvotes.gov.

Spring into action: Give blood or platelets with the Red Cross 

Make an appointment now to help save lives during National Volunteer Month

During National Volunteer Month in April, the American Red Cross asks donors to help protect the blood supply by making and keeping blood or platelet donation appointments in the weeks ahead. Donors of all blood types – especially type O blood donors and those giving platelets – are needed now to keep the blood supply strong enough to support critical patient care this spring.

The Red Cross depends on thousands of volunteer blood donors to collect about 12,000 blood donations every single day. With no substitute for blood and no way to manufacture it, volunteer donors are essential in transfusion care. Blood drives and donation centers also depend on the generosity and valuable time of those who make it possible for the Red Cross to help people in need. 

Spring into action – book a time to give lifesaving blood or platelets now by visiting RedCrossBlood.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App. Those who come to give April 8-28, 2024, will receive a $10 e-gift card to a merchant of choice, plus be automatically entered to win a $7,000 gift card. There will be two lucky winners. See RedCrossBlood.org/Spring for details.

Visit RedCrossBlood.org and enter your zip code to find additional blood donation opportunities near you.

Visitors to the Winston Wildlife Safari are getting to see a new Wallaroo, Joey. The baby was born last July. At birth, they’re typically less than an inch long and spend up to 270 days in their mother’s pouch. At nine months, they’re permanently out of the pouch. The new joey can be seen regularly in the Australia walkabout section. It’ll be a while longer before keepers can determine its gender.

Oregon’s historic Timberline Lodge, which featured in Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 film “The Shining,” will reopen to guests Sunday after a fire that prompted evacuations but caused only minimal damage.

The lodge said Saturday in a Facebook post that it will support guests while repairs are being done, as well as work to ensure water quality. Historic preservation efforts are also underway.

“There are challenges ahead but we are through the worst of it,” the hotel said. “First responder and Timberline staff efforts have been nothing short of remarkable during a very difficult time. This successful recovery is because of their dedication.”

Embers from the lodge’s large stone fireplace apparently ignited the roof Thursday night, the lodge said. Guests and staff were evacuated as firefighters doused the flames, and no injuries were reported.

Damage from the fire and the water used to extinguish it is “benign” and contained to certain areas, the lodge said.

Its ski area reopened Saturday.

Timberline Lodge was built in 1937, some 6,000 feet (1,828 meters) up the 11,249-foot (3,429-meter) Mount Hood, by the Works Progress Administration, a U.S. government program created to provide jobs during the Great Depression.

It is about 60 miles (100 kilometers) east of Portland.

Kubrick used the exterior of the lodge as a stand-in for the Overlook Hotel in “The Shining,” a psychological horror movie based on the 1977 Stephen King novel of the same name.

Thanks for reading the the news on BasinLife.com from Wynne Broadcasting.

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