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, May 9, 2024

Klamath Basin Weather

Join us for a special Mother’s Day Pancake Breakfast at the Chiloquin Community Center on Saturday, May 11th, from 7am to 11am!

Treat Mom to a delicious morning meal while supporting Chiloquin Visions in Progress and our Community Center.

Adult tickets are $8, Kids aged 6 to 11 are $5, and little ones under 5 eat for free.  It’s a beautiful way to start your Mother’s Day weekend!

Around the State of Oregon

The Pro-Palestine encampment remains on the University of Oregon campus, even after administration warned protestors they would have their academic amnesty revoked if they did not leave by 12 p.m. on May 7^th.

In a statement released May 7, UO President Karl Scholz said the university will be moving forward with the student conduct process related to violating campus policy.

After being threatened to have their academic amnesty revoked, protest organizers planned a morning rally for 10:30 a.m. on May 7, just 90 minutes before the university’s decided deadline. Multiple faculty members, bystanders, and student protestors all did not know exactly what the threat of losing academic amnesty meant.

The revocation of academic amnesty means that the students who are there do now face the threat of suspension or expulsion from the school.

The protestors said they are prepared to risk consequences like suspension or expulsion for however long it takes for their demands to be met.

Yesterday, the Medford Police Department arrested twenty-year-old Elijah Zeigler following a shooting incident that occurred in Medford on Monday night.

The incident stemmed from a dispute between the victim and Zeigler, which originated at a party in Ashland over the weekend. During the altercation, Zeigler allegedly stole an undisclosed amount of cash from the victim.

On Monday night, while the victim was driving in the 1900 block of Gene Cameron Way, Zeigler fired two shots at the victim’s vehicle as it drove by. Both rounds impacted the victim’s vehicle. Fortunately, no injuries were sustained as a result of the shooting. Patrol Officers canvased the area where the shooting took place and recovered shell casings fired from a handgun. A Medford Police Detective was called to the scene to investigate.

On Tuesday, Zeigler was interviewed then subsequently arrested, and lodged at the Jackson County Jail on charges of attempted murder, attempted assault in the first degree, unlawful use of a weapon, menacing and reckless endangering. MPD would like to assure the community there is no further threat to public safety related to this incident.

MPD encourages the public to promptly report any suspicious or criminal activity to law enforcement authorities. The safety and well-being of our community members are our utmost priority.

Anyone with additional information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact the Medford Police Department Criminal Investigation Division at (541) 774-2208. 

Gas prices have fallen slightly in the past week, according to a news release from the American Automobile Association. The national average has dropped two cents to $3.64 a gallon, while Oregon’s much higher gas prices decreased by four cents to $4.46. 

AAA of Oregon says falling crude oil prices have helped push pump prices lower. While some refinery maintenance is still underway in the U.S., the seasonal spring run-up in gas prices is settling down.  But crude oil prices are still the big wildcard as global conflicts in the Middle East and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will continue to keep oil markets volatile.

The national and Oregon prices are still at their highest prices since October, the release said. Oregon is one of 32 states with lower prices than a week ago. 

In the Southern Oregon region, these are the average gas prices by county:

Klamath County: $4.417

Curry County: $4.743

Josephine County: $4.552

Jackson County: $4.535

Lake County: $4.524

The Oregon Health Authority is launching a fentanyl awareness campaign on its social media site.

It’s called “Fentanyl Aware” and will post messages on fentanyl risks, harm reduction strategies, and Oregon’s good Samaritan law that provides legal protections for people using Narcan during an overdose. The messages will be posted over the next five weeks.

For the first time, researchers in Oregon have identified a brain syndrome caused by fentanyl.

A man in his 40s was hospitalized after snorting crushed fentanyl. There were no signs he had previously used opioids. An MRI showed inflammation in the white matter of his brain. It’s happened in heroin patients, but this is the first time with fentanyl. Researchers say it can lead to permanent brain damage. The man was hospitalized for nearly a month before going to a nursing home for further rehabilitation. Researchers don’t know how much fentanyl is needed to cause the syndrome..

A new OHSU study finds the use of nicotine and cannabis during pregnancy dramatically increases the rate of infant death.

Researchers evaluated hospital data and vital statistics from more than three million pregnant patients with documented substance use. They found that the rate of infant death was four times higher in users of both cannabis and nicotine compared with non-users, and nearly twice as high compared with users of just one of those. Researchers are calling for more research and patient education for better outcomes. The study is published in JAMA Network Open.

After a nearly yearlong, nationwide search for the next boss to lead the agency managing Oregon’s water supply, state officials announced Gov. Tina Kotek has chosen a veteran bureaucrat whose appointment could face political pushback.

Ivan Gall has been with the Oregon Water Resources Department for more than 25 years, serving as a hydrogeologist, manager and senior administrator. Gall is currently the agency’s interim deputy director. His tenure has lasted through some of Oregon’s most notable groundwater crises, as first reported by the Oregonian in 2016. Gall was the state’s groundwater manager from 2011 to 2016.

The director of the Oregon Water Resources Department is in charge of regulating water rights as the state grapples with drought, climate change and the consequences of its permissive past, when regulators approved wells across the state that pump far more groundwater than nature recharges each year.

Now, the agency is facing powerful interest groups as it forges ahead with new, politically-fraught rules meant to better protect groundwater in the future. After passing over his application during a first round of recruitment, Kotek is backing Gall to lead the state through all this.

In a statement on Monday afternoon, Kotek said “our state must prioritize policies that will build resiliency for Oregon’s natural and working landscapes in the face of accelerating impacts from a changing climate,” and that she believes Gall is “ready and committed to take on this charge.”

Residents of Ashland are being warned to avoid accidentally feeding bears.

As bears come out of hibernation, they’re hungry and fruits and berries aren’t available, so bears look for other sources of food. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and Ashland Police are warning residents to secure garbage cans, barbecue grills, bird feeders and pet food that will attract bears. In some cases, hungry bears will break into homes, cars, and sheds looking for food.

A Bend, Oregon man with a lengthy criminal history was sentenced to more than 12 years in federal prison this week for possessing methamphetamine and a firearm.

Dana Lee Johnson, 41, was sentenced to 151 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release.

According to court documents, on March 26, 2021, a deputy from the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Tetherow Resort in Bend after a housekeeper found a bag of suspected drugs in a guest room. Upon arrival, the deputy located a one-gallon plastic bag containing approximately one quarter pound of methamphetamine, two hypodermic needles, and a metal safe. The safe was later found to contain an additional half pound of methamphetamine.

Hotel records indicated that Johnson, who had a suspended driver’s license and an outstanding felony warrant for failing to register as a sex offender, was the last guest to stay in the room where the drugs were found.

On April 1, 2021, a deputy returned to the resort after learning that Johnson had contacted the hotel to inquire about the safe he had left behind. One week later, on April 8, 2021, law enforcement officers located and stopped Johnson traveling in a rental vehicle. Investigators searched the vehicle and found more than $7,000 in cash, a rental car agreement in Johnson’s name, and a black backpack belonging to Johnson. Inside the backpack, investigators found and seized an additional half pound of methamphetamine, nearly a half pound of heroin, and a loaded semi-automatic pistol.

On November 18, 2021, a federal grand jury in Eugene returned a four-count indictment charging Johnson with illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine and heroin, and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.

The Oregon Department of Education has renewed a program with the Oregon National Guard that allows students to earn high school credits.

The Oregon Plan was established in 1995 and allows school districts across the state to award academic credits to students who complete qualified military training and instruction. Students learn basic finance, medic training, construction and engineering, and practice working in teams. Several high schools across the state are part of the program.

Planning to travel on an airline? Check your ID. If you don’t have Real ID yet, you should consider adding it to your license or ID card at Oregon DMV.

That’s because, starting May 7, 2025, all travelers must have a Real ID-compliant driver’s license or ID card, or other approved identification, to pass through security checkpoints at airports.

A standard Oregon card will not be acceptable by the Transportation Security Administration.

Oregonians can travel by air after the deadline if they have a DMV-issued Real ID, a passport, or any of the documents.

If you don’t have Real ID yet, we recommend visiting a DMV office soon to apply for one.

Before you go to DMV, make sure you have all the documents you need for Real ID with our online questionnaire.

Oregon credentials are valid for up to eight years. If you upgrade to Real ID at renewal time, you won’t have to come back to DMV and pay another fee to get Real ID before you travel. And if you know you will travel by air before you’re up for renewal, make a plan now to get Real ID before you go.

Passed by Congress in 2005, the REAL ID Act was a 9/11 Commission recommendation that the Federal Government “set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver’s licenses.”

A 32-year-old Brookings man has died just a day after being booked into Josephine County Jail. 

According to the news release, Zachary Dumont was found “unresponsive” in his single cell at about 5:40 p.m. on May 3. Court records say he was booked for one charge of harassment on May 2.

“Medical assistance was rendered until personnel from the Grants Pass Fire Department and AMR arrived and took over attempting life saving measures. Despite the efforts performed, (Dumont) was pronounced deceased,” the release said. “Detectives from the Oregon State Police are investigating this incident which includes determining the cause of death.”

An identity thief with a long criminal past has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty.

Fifty-two-year-old Trino Lopez has 40 criminal convictions dating back to 1995. In 2022, Lopez was arrested after stealing eight-thousand dollars’ worth of items from a car. A search discovered 11-hundred ID theft-related items. Lopez was washing checks, in one case writing a check for 92-thousand dollars. Lopez was working with his fiancée, Tyanna Fitzpatrick. She faces more than 40 criminal counts.

The University of Oregon, and its partners at the University of Nevada, Reno, and the University of California, San Diego, are launching the largest wildfire detection network in the West.

The new ALERTWest system has 12-hundred cameras. They will use artificial intelligence to continuously monitor for new wildfire starts and deliver timely alerts to dispatchers and firefighters. This enables faster response times and helps fire managers better allocate resources when battling multiple fires.

A medical trial at OHSU that uses gene editing had positive results for improving sight in people with a certain type of inherited retinal disease.

The CRISPR [[ crisper ]] gene editing process was used. Around 79 percent of the study participants had improved sight. The study included 12 adults and two children. The inherited retinal disease affects around two out of every 100-thousand people.

Jackson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) deputies responded to a report of a gun shot victim in White City with a suspect running from the scene.

JCSO White City deputies were on scene within minutes to provide life-saving measures to the victim and capture the suspect attempting to flee.

Last night at 11:15 p.m. ECSO Dispatch received a call for shots fired and someone running from the scene. At 11:23 p.m. JCSO White City deputies located the victim near the intersection of 29th Street and Falcon and began life-saving measures. Nearby on Falcon Street, another White City deputy located the suspect attempting to flee and detained him without incident.

The victim was transported via Mercy Flights to a local hospital and is in serious but stable condition. The suspect, Romualdo Balero, 33, of White City, is charged with second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault, felon in possession of a firearm, menacing, and two counts of unlawful use of a weapon. Balero is also known as Romualdo Angulo Llanes. He was booked and lodged in the Jackson County Jail.

JCSO detectives arrived on scene and took over the investigation. This case is open and ongoing with detectives following additional leads. There is no more information available at this time.

A large tree fell and stuck an emergency firefighting vehicle Sunday morning carrying four passengers to the Little Yamsay fireline. No injuries were reported.

South Central Oregon Fire Management Partnership safety Officer Cory Thompson said, in a news release, it “could’ve been a lot worse.”

“The employees are good, just a little shaken up,” Thompson said, adding, “It was a green tree, and it was rotten in the middle. If you looked at (it), you probably could not identify it as a hazard tree.”

All four passengers were evaluated by medical personnel, none were injured.

Electricity demand in the Northwest is expected to grow more than 30% in the next decade, or about 5% more than estimated last year and triple the prediction three years ago, industry experts said in a new report.

Large data centers, an increase in high-tech manufacturing and growing electrification in homes, buildings and transportation are key factors in the forecast.

The projections are in an annual report published Wednesday by the Portland-based industry trade group Pacific Northwest Utilities Conference Committee. For more than 70 years, the group has analyzed annual demand projections from utilities in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana to paint a larger picture of future demand for electricity throughout the region.

In 2022, the committee projected demand would grow about 1% each year to 2032. In its latest report, the committee projects demand in the Northwest will grow at least 3% per year until 2034.

The report said that the rapid expansion of data centers is one of the chief drivers in increased electricity use. Oregon’s data center market is the fifth largest in the nation, according to Chicago-based commercial real estate group Cushman & Wakefield. Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google and X, formerly named Twitter, have massive data centers in eastern Oregon as well as in The Dalles, Hillsboro and Prineville that require enormous amounts of energy to operate. Amazon is planning to build at least 10 more data centers in eastern Oregon.

Pacific Power will host a public forum in Central Point on Tuesday, May 7 to discuss our latest efforts to mitigate the threat of wildfire.

During this conversation, company representatives will detail the important steps we take during wildfire season to keep customers and communities safe. This forum is an opportunity to learn about our comprehensive wildfire mitigation plan in Oregon.

Key Topics: 

• Ongoing efforts to strengthen our system.
• Advanced weather monitoring capabilities.
• Enhanced vegetation management practices.
• Enhanced safety settings for wildfire season.
• Public Safety Power Shutoffs– an important tool when wildfire risk makes it necessary to turn off power to ensure customer and community safety.

Event details:  

Tuesday, May 7 – 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Mace Watchable Wildlife Memorial Center at the Expo

1 Peninger Rd., Central Point, OR

Livestream:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81129751782?pwd=FNy8LTdnewzXbBDtaSZoaJtfiSYzda.1

Protecting our customers and communities while providing safe, reliable power is our highest priority. If you have any questions or would like to request a reasonable accommodation to attend this event, please contact us at 1-888-221-7070.

This is Wildfire Preparedness Week through the 11^th of May. Cal Fire is reminding residents to work ahead of fire season to prepare for warmer weather.

Fire season hasn’t started yet, but the weather has started to warm up. Cal Fire is encouraging residents to get rid of extra yard debris and create a defensible space around their homes.

Brady said besides creating defensible spaces and getting rid of dead and dying plants and debris, residents should also be prepared to evacuate at a moment’s notice. This means having a go bag ready and knowing evacuation routes including a meeting spot with family and friends.

Brady encouraged Siskiyou County residents to sign up for the county’s emergency alert system, Ready Siskiyou. The link to sign up is below:

Brady also encouraged residents of Oregon to sign up for their local wildfire alert systems.

Last week, voters in Crook County began receiving their printed Voter’s Guide for the upcoming election in the mail. Missing from those guides were two pro-Greater Idaho arguments.

The county has admitted that the submissions were made on time and that the error in printing was entirely the county’s fault.

The Greater Idaho movement has asked the county to issue a supplemental page to the guide.  Leaders of the movement asked that the mailer be sent before ballots begin going out to voters, just as the voter’s guide did.  In a meeting held last week, the county declined to issue that supplemental, with Commissioners Brian Barney and Susan Hermreck arguing against the action.  Commissioner Seth Crawford voiced his support for sending the mailer, citing fairness and transparency as his key points. The board’s discussion and proposed remedy can be found at their youtube page,

Crook County is voting this election on measure 7-86, which is an advisory question that asks voters if they want elected leaders to pursue joining the state of Idaho.  Crook is the 13th eastern Oregon county to vote on the idea.  Twelve other eastern Oregon Counties have already passed Greater Idaho measures.

Nearly a third of Oregon households consist of someone living alone.

That’s more than a half-million people with no one else in their household. It is a record high, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis.

Oregon’s shift mirrors national trends, according to Josh Lehner, a state economist who wrote an analysis of the state’s single-person households earlier this year.

Relatively few adults live alone in their 20s and 30s, Lehner noted. People often have roommates to help cover their housing costs, then form couples as they age. Many start families.

The number of people living alone is much higher among seniors. That’s partly because some have divorced, Lehner wrote, and partly because some of their spouses have died. The rate of Oregonians living alone rises sharply after age 75, and nearly all that increase is among women, who tend to live longer.

The number of Americans living alone has more than doubled since 1960, when just 1 in 8 households consisted of someone living by themselves, according to a federal report last year.

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

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