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 them at 541-882-6476.
Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024
Klamath Basin Weather
Poor Air Quality Alert for the Klamath Basin Today
Today
Mostly sunny, with a high near 75. Calm southwest wind around 6 mph in the afternoon. Overnight cloudy with a low around 42 degrees. West wind to 6 mph.
Today’s Klamath Falls Headlines
A 19-year-old connected to a mass shooting in Redding last Friday, in addition to a May shooting incident in Klamath Falls, was arrested in Siskiyou County Tuesday.
According to a news release from the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office, the man, Andrew Greer-Herrera from Lookout, CA, was arrested near Dorris, 20 miles south of Klamath Falls, early Tuesday morning.
Greer-Herrera was one of two suspects at large after five Redding residents were shot last week.
Two of the five — 22-year-old Isaiah Jacob Stanley and 30-year-old Winfred Avant Jr — died while the other three were hospitalized.
The other suspect in the shooting, 18-year-old Trevon Evanoff from Redding — was arrested in Reno, NV last Sunday.
“Throughout the weekend, Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Deputies aided RPD in serving search warrants and pursuing numerous leads around eastern Siskiyou County,” SCSO said in the release.
“By Tuesday, investigators were confident they had located Greer-Herrera and initiated a SWAT response to the residence where he was staying in the Pleasant Valley Highlands above Dorris. Greer-Herrera was subsequently arrested without incident and booked in the Siskiyou County Jail while he awaits arraignment.”
Greer-Herrera is also a suspect in an attempted murder from an incident in May at a Klamath Falls McDonald’s.
Witness testimony is underway at the federal courthouse in Medford for the trial of Negasi Zuberi.
The trial that started this week with a woman from Seattle, who was identified as one of his kidnapping victims.
30-year-old Zuberi of Klamath Falls watched and heard her testimony as he faces eight federal criminal counts that include kidnapping, transportation for criminal sexual activity, weapons and attempted escape charges.
U.S District Court Chief Judge Michael McShane and 16 jurors in the case also are hearing the trial’s first testimony today at the Redden Federal Courthouse in Medford in a trial expected to proceed for three weeks.
Zuberi’s arrest in July 2023 when captured in Nevada, came from allegations he impersonated a police officer to take a sex worker from an area near Seattle, WA, driving her to his Klamath Falls home he was renting with family members, who did not report the kidnapping.
The case accuses him of using a weapon to hold the woman captive, sexually violating her during the interstate trip that ended in his garage where she was put in a cinder block room Zuberi reportedly built in the garage of a Klamath Falls home he rented with his partner and two children.
When prosecutors called their first witness to start today’s testimony, they swore in the woman police say was a Zuberi kidnapping victim who beat in an opening in the door of that cinder block cell with her bare hands during her first day of captivity, taking Zuberi’s handgun from his vehicle during her escape that led to a passerby helping her go to police in Klamath Falls.
Police in Reno, NV, days later arrested Zuberi there after a police standoff in a parking lot after they located him in his car.
In response to Assistant U.S. Attorney for Oregon Jeffrey Sweet’s questions, the woman so far has recounted the night of July 14, 2023, and the morning of July 15, 2023, that she says started in Seattle and ended in Klamath Falls. She told the court how she had provided sex for $100 as a prostitute.
Zuberi paid for “full service, protected sex” for a “car date” in a Seattle alley.
Her account indicated Zuberi falsely presented himself as a police officer throughout an overnight drive from Seattle to Klamath Falls, including when he pointed a taser in her face to put her in handcuffs and leg irons while she was in the back compartment of his car in Seattle. She said he said he was a police officer in a sting operation. Her testimony continued into the afternoon in Medford.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Klecker and law enforcement personnel from the Klamath County Sheriff’s Office, Klamath Falls Police Department and Oregon State Police volunteered their time for three hours Saturday to give tips and training on self-defense moves.
All of the women who attended the second self-defense workshop on the Klamath Community College campus Saturday, Oct. 5, came away with a little more knowledge on how to fend off an attacker.
Ben Klecker, instructor from the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training, says you should know your options, be aware of your environment, adding that If you are in a parking lot and feel threatened, the best defense is to use the parked cars as a barrier.
Christy David, director of the Klamath Advocacy Center, said about 45 attended the free training session. It is the second time KCC has hosted the training on campus. David said there was a good mix of the public participants and some clients from the Advocacy Center at the workshop. The nonprofit Klamath Advocacy Center has been serving victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and human trafficking for over 30 years.
The City of Klamath Falls looks to protect a major water system by entering into a contract with CDM Smith.
Taking the first step in meeting the Oregon Resilience Plan for water system seismic resiliency, the Klamath Falls City Council approved CDM Smith Company to consult on designs for the Center Reservoir Water Tank Expansion Project.
Located atop Sixth Street, the tanks in question are the production control point of the Conger Wellfield that provides 80 percent of the city’s water supply. Built in 1928 and 1930, the center-west and center-east tanks are beyond their intended lifespan and show damage from a previous seismic event that occurred in 1993. They were designed before any earthquake design codes.
The city plans to replace both tanks thereby providing seismic resiliency at the control point while also increasing storage capacity that will enable the city to decommission the Melrose and North tanks, which are some of the oldest in the system.
A few elements of the Center Reservoir Water Storage Tank expansion include building a perimeter retaining wall, leveling the site, installing two new water storage tanks with instrumentation, telemetry panel, altitude valves, isolation valves, booster pumps, control panels and associated power controls.
CDM Smith will consult with the City of Klamath Falls to perform preliminary design and engineering services during construction for a fiscal cost of $2,735,000.
The Klamath Water Users Association (KWUA) and its members expressed in a news release, the deep disappointment and frustration with federal water management, which has allowed staggering losses of waterfowl in the Klamath Basin Refuge Complex.
The latest reports from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists are of an estimated 100,000 waterfowl have died from avian botulism so far this year in the Klamath Basin Refuge Complex.
With hot and dry conditions expected to continue at least through mid-October, that number will unfortunately continue to climb. KWUA and its member districts went to great lengths last winter to re-water parched wildlife refuges, and waterfowl populations rebounded.
By late spring, it was clear that there was a need for water to flow though to mitigate disease risk and avoid drying up wetlands. By July, KWUA’s public appeals became urgent. Unfortunately, the federal reaction was too little, too late. Water deliveries to the wildlife refuges did not begin until August 17, well after the outbreak had already started. Then, on September 3, the federal government prematurely and inexplicably called for a halt to these water deliveries.
Biologists said the current outbreak was preventable if stagnant wetlands that produce botulism could be managed properly – something that farmers and ranchers know from decades of operating Klamath Project facilities so that irrigation water flowed through wetlands in Lower Klamath and Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuges.
Paul Simmons, Executive Director and Counsel of KWUA, says what is currently happening is a reflection of what’s been happening to family farms in the Klamath Basin for the last three decades.
Klamath County continues to face a significant challenge as grasshoppers and Mormon crickets have wreak havoc on crops, rangelands, and natural habitats.
These pesky invaders threaten the livelihoods of the county’s farmers and ranchers, the food supply, and the overall health of the ecosystem and related economy. In response, the Oregon Legislature has acted by passing SB 5701, Section 408 (2024), along with a Temporary Administrative Order. These measures provide financial assistance for pest management efforts aimed at reducing the impact of these insects on agricultural crops.
Klamath County has been granted $100,000 by the Oregon Department of Agriculture to help tackle the problem. To distribute these funds, the County has set up a reimbursement grant program.
A special grant committee has been formed, including representatives from the Klamath Irrigation District, Klamath Drainage District, Van Brimmer Ditch Co., and two at-large citizens. This committee will review applications from affected farmers and ranchers and make funding recommendations to the Board of Commissioners.
Farmers and ranchers can apply for these grants from now until October 31, with the application window closing at 5:00 PM on October 31. Unfortunately, late submissions will not be accepted.
The grant committee will meet in November to review the applications and provide their recommendations to the Board of Commissioners who will make the final determinations for payment. The application can be found online on the Klamath County Grants Website. While the County recognizes that $100,000 won’t cover all the damage caused by these infestations, they are grateful to be able offer some help to those who need it most.
For more information, please contact the Klamath County Grants Office at 541-851-3637.
The Bill Collier Ice Arena in Klamath Falls is at risk of closing after multiple equipment failures.
According to a letter from the ice arena’s Executive Director, Wendy Heaton, during pre-season maintenance crews found a leak in the compressor, and one of the facility’s pumps failed. The arena cannot move forward without fixing both of these issues. According to the arena, the pump is 22 years old and is one of the facility’s two brine pumps which helps to maintain the ice keeping the rink operational.
From offering hockey and figure skating in the winter to roller skating and camps in the summer, Heaton calls the venue one-of-a-kind. She says the arena offers “year-round programs that foster youth development, community involvement, and athletic excellence.”
To get the essential repairs done, the arena needs to raise $50,000. Heaton, along with the arena’s board of directors, is calling on the community for help. To get more information on how to help, visit the Bill Collier Ice Arena’s website.
Klamath County Public Works Department road work projects scheduled this week:
Shasta Way — Sidewalk replacement from Madison Street to Patterson Street; expect daytime travel lane closure with flaggers present.
Arthur Street — Waterline replacement between Shasta Way and South Sixth Street; expect daytime travel lane closure with flaggers present.
Saddle Mountain Pit Road — Bridge closure; detour route through Switchback Road and Forest Service Road 150.
Old Fort Road — Utility work with intermittent shoulder closure.
BLM is preparing for fall and winter prescribed burning.
Fuels specialists may begin ignitions as early as October 15, if conditions are favorable. The Klamath Falls Field Office hopes to accomplish up to 750 acres of pile burning. Ignitions are expected to continue over the next several months as weather conditions allow.
Prescribed burn projects are planned throughout the region. Prescribed burning reduces hazardous fuels which can burn during wildfires. The piles are concentrations of leftover materials from previous thinning projects. Where possible, material was first offered for firewood, commercial sale, or biomass use. Some material was also scattered to rehabilitate sites and close user-created routes. Each project can take several days or several weeks to complete, depending on the size.
Crews will move between each project area based on site-specific weather. Main roads within the project areas will be signed to inform residents and the public of planned prescribed fire activity. No road closures or delays are expected.
All prescribed burning is highly dependent on favorable temperature, moisture, and wind conditions. Each of these prescribed burns will only be implemented if the conditions are right to meet the objectives of the burn. All prescribed burn areas will be patrolled during and following ignitions. Prescribed burns are completed in cooperation with the Oregon Department of Forestry smoke management plan.
Piles may smolder, burn, and produce smoke for several days after ignition. Efforts will be made to minimize smoke impacts to nearby communities.
For more information on prescribed burning or for information specific to the BLM Klamath Falls Field Office, call 541-883-6916.
The Klamath County Veterans Service Office will accept nominations for Klamath County’s Oldest Living Veteran.
The Nomination form will be open through October 31, 2024. To nominate a veteran stop by the Veterans Service Office, 3328 Vandenberg Rd. or call 541-883-4274.
The chosen Veteran will be honored on Monday, November 11, 2024 during the Veteran’s Day Ceremony at Veterans Memorial Park.
All are invited to Rocky Point Quilt’s 23rd Annual Rocky Point Fall Festival, featuring homemade chili, bazaar, bake sale, and quilt raffle drawing on Saturday, October 12th, 10:30 AM to 2:00 PM.
All-you-can-eat chili (with all the trimmings), cornbread, cookies, cider, & coffee, available for only $8.00. Some 90 homemade pies, plus cakes, breads, and specialty baked items will also be for sale.
The raffle drawing for the queen-sized quilt will be held at 1:00. The bazaar showcases a wide array of handcrafted decorations, kitchen items, greeting cards, pet treats, children’s items, and seasonal accessories, suitable for home use and gifts. There will be a quilt display of some of the group’s more recent projects.
Guests will be welcomed to the Cascade Social Club, located on Hwy 140 just west of the Westside Road intersection at MP 42.5, address 31550 Hwy 140 W. The raffle quilt is currently on display at Lake of the Woods Resort, with tickets available at the Lake of the Woods Store. The all-volunteer group supports a variety of community projects. This year, all proceeds from the quilt raffle will benefit Rocky Point Community and Cascade Social Club.
All other proceeds benefit local and neighboring community projects. For more information, call 541 205-8236.
What did one surgeon and a Great Depression-era stock broker have in common? A longstanding struggle with alcoholism.
This weekend, the Ross Ragland Theater will present the “inspiring and often humorous” true story of the two men credited with founding Alcoholics Anonymous with a production of “Bill W. and Dr. Bob.”
A news release from the Ross Ragland said the play “artfully illustrates” the two men’s journeys. The release says the play is about “New York stockbroker Bill Wilson, who crashed with the stock market in 1929 and became a hopeless drunk, and Dr. Bob Smith, a surgeon from Ohio who has also been an alcoholic for 30 years, often going into the operating room with a hangover.”
Director Ronnie Marmo said in the release that their story has served as an inspiration to him personally, having attended AA meetings since the age of 17.
The Ross Ragland Theater will host two performances of the play this Saturday, Oct. 12, at 2 and 7 p.m.Tickets are available for purchase online at ragland.org or at the theater, which is located at 218 N. Seventh St., in Klamath Falls.
Klamath Basin musicians are tuning in and warming up for the next Klamath Music Showcase Series with the application period open for the next two weeks.
The series features musicians from the region with free shows twice a month at Mia & Pia’s Pizzeria & Brewhouse starting in January and continuing through through April 2025.
Applications can be found online at klamathmusic.com/2025-showcase-series-application and must be submitted by 5 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 20.
Though preference is given to local artists, musicians from outside of the Klamath Basin are also welcome to apply. If the Klamath Music committee selects a performer, a member will contact the artist to discuss the booking, payment and additional details.
Showcase Series shows generally last between 45 and 55 minutes with two performers lined up for each show. Preference in selection will also be given to artists who will be performing their own original music and who have yet to participate in this or any other Klamath Music event. Acts with performers under the age of 18 must have permission from a guardian.
Because the showcase series is a family-friendly event, performers are asked to, if necessary, customize their setlist to ensure it is appropriate for all ages. The Klamath Music 2025 Showcase Series takes place every first and third Thursday throughout the months of January through April next year. Shows are free and open to everyone.
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Around the State of Oregon
The value of Oregon’s agricultural products soared 35% in five years ending in 2022, a big jump that highlights farms’ economic role in just about every county in the state.
In 2022, according to results, Oregon produced nearly $6.8 billion of nursery plants, beef, hay, berries, potatoes, beans, milk, eggs and Christmas trees, among other products.
That’s according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s latest census of the nation’s agricultural output, conducted every five years. Farms operate in all corners of the state. The biggest output is concentrated in the upper Willamette Valley and northeast Oregon. Plants, trees, shrubs, flowers and grass are Oregon’s most valuable farm products, the census found. They’re grown most in the damp, fertile soil of Marion and Clackamas counties.
Marion County’s farm products had the most market value of any county in the state, $874 million — about 13% of Oregon’s total. Cattle are Oregon’s second-most valuable agricultural good. The state’s cattle trade is concentrated in Morrow County, whose farm products are just behind Marion County’s in terms of total market value. Oregon farming is far less important to the state’s economy than it was 50 years ago, when agricultural accounted for about 1 in every 18 jobs. But Oregon’s economy is about twice as dependent on farming as the average state’s.
And the number grows. Oregon’s governor and top elections official are calling for an independent external audit of the state’s automatic voter registration system after the Motor Vehicles Services Division found another 302 non-American people were incorrectly registered to vote.
The latest numbers, included in an “after-action” report Gov. Tina Kotek requested from the DMV, join an earlier 1,259 people who were registered to vote despite not providing proof of citizenship when they obtained driver’s licenses.
At least 10 of those individuals voted, though election officials have since determined that at least five of those 10 were citizens when they voted.
The growing number is still a minute fraction of the more than 3 million registered voters in Oregon, but it prompted Kotek and Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade, who she appointed last year, to call for a fuller investigation. Both women are Democrats, and Republicans in the state Legislature have been calling for more investigations for weeks.
Kotek also directed the DMV to pause sending voter data to the Secretary of State’s Office until a data integrity review is completed by the end of the year.
While state and local election officials previously expressed confidence that none of the incorrectly registered voters would receive ballots, a press release from the Secretary of State’s Office on Monday said it can’t guarantee that the 302 ballots will be removed before county clerks start mailing ballots next week.
The office has directed counties to flag those ballots, so if they’re returned they can be removed and not tallied unless the voter demonstrates eligibility.
Oregon is now joining 22 other states by filing a lawsuit against the social media platform TikTok for allegedly exploiting and harming young users.
The state’s Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum made the announcement Tuesday, saying the platform is violating Oregon’s consumer protection laws. According to a letter from Rosenblum’s office, a Pew Research survey conducted last year showed that 63 percent of Americans between the ages of 13 and 17 used TikTok. It also indicated most teenagers used the platform on a daily basis.
The attorneys general involved intend to obtain an injunction that will stop the violations as well as force the company to give up any profits. They also seek to penalize TikTok for up to $25,000 per violation in addition to attorneys’ fees.
Oregon’s Rosenblum joins attorneys general from California, New York, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Jersey, South Carolina, Vermont, Washington, the District of Columbia, Utah, Nevada, Indiana, New Hampshire, Nebraska, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, and Texas aiming to hold TikTok accountable for its role in the nationwide youth mental health crisis.
A man who crashed into a vehicle driven by an 18-year-old OSU student back in 2023, killing him, has been sentenced to several years in prison, Benton County officials reported.
Back on February 10, 2023, Daniel Thomas Stanberry, 34, of Eugene, was driving a car northbound on Highway 99 west about three miles south of Corvallis when he failed to pass another car and collided with a vehicle being driven by Enrique Espinosa,18, also of Eugene.
Espinosa was declared deceased at the scene. Stanberry was arrested and charged with several crimes including manslaughter and recklessly endangering another person. According to Benton County law enforcement officials, Stanberry was convicted of first-degree manslaughter, six counts of recklessly endangering another person, reckless driving, and failing to report as a sex offender on September 26, 2024.
On October 4, 2024, Stanberry was sentenced to 20 years in prison and 36 years of post-prison probation. His driver’s license was also suspended for the rest of his life.
Police are searching for three children missing out of Bend who may be headed toward southern California or Mexico.
According to the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS), 8-year-old Jose Armani Ayala Barboza, 5-year-old Jailyne Ayala Barboza, and 5-year-old Dolce Ayala Barboza went missing with their mother Sara Barboza on Wednesday.
The ODHS says the siblings may be at risk and is asking for the public’s help to locate them. Bend is 135 miles north of klamath Falls.
Jose, who goes by Armani, is petite for his age at 3 feet 11 inches tall. He weighs approximately 39 pounds and has blackish-brown hair with brown eyes. Jailyne is 3 feet 7 inches tall, weighs 36 pounds and had brown hair and eyes. Dolce is 3 feet 5 inches tall, weighs 37 pounds and also has brown hair and eyes. Officials believe they are headed south toward southern California or even Mexico and they also may be with Francisco Guzman or Juan Carlos Ayala Ramirez. If spotted, call 911.
A Central Point man’s solo hike up 9,493-foot Mount McLoughlin here in Southern Oregon took a dangerous turn Sept. 28, when he got lost on his descent.
A text to his girlfriend led rescuers to him as the temperature dropped from a daytime high in the 80s to 29 degrees before sunrise. The 40-year-old hiker started his trek early in the morning, aiming to summit and return home on a day trip while dressed in a cotton T-shirt and shorts, according to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. After reaching the peak, he turned around but quickly found himself off course, venturing into rugged volcanic terrain.
With hours of daylight slipping away, he realized his water and food supplies were running low, the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post about the rescue. To make matters worse, his phone battery was nearly dead. By 5 p.m., the man texted his girlfriend to let her know he was lost and in need of help. She immediately contacted 911, where an operator dispatched search and rescue teams.
Using cellphone tracking, the rescuers pinpointed the man’s location and instructed him to stay put until help arrived. Rescuers hiked through thick brush and over lava fields covered in boulders to reach the hiker around 9:30 p.m. He was tired and dehydrated but well enough to hike out with the rescuers, the sheriff’s office said. He was guided down the mountain to Oregon 140, where he was reunited with his car around midnight and drove home.
Sgt. Shawn Richards of Jackson County’s search and rescue team urged hikers to prepare for Mount McLoughlin’s unpredictable conditions and varying temperatures. He advised people to bring extra water, wear moisture-wicking layers and never hike alone.
A 60-year-old man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for the kidnapping, sexual assault and deadly beating of a 19-year-old woman near Mt. Hood Community College in 1980.
In 2021, new DNA technology identified Robert Plympton as a possible suspect. He was 16-years-old when the murder happened. Detectives saw him spit a piece of gum on the ground. A DNA test matched Plympton to the crime. He was living in Troutdale at the time and was arrested.
A Multnomah County judge found him guilty of the murder.
Three people were arrested in Crescent City Saturday after police say they were involved in assaulting someone with a machete.
to the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a report of an assault in the 900 block of Hamilton Avenue to find “a victim who had injuries from being struck with a machete.” The victim identified three people who they said were responsible. Deputies also learned that the suspects had a gun. Later police obtained a search warrant for an apartment in the 300 block of Harding Avenue, where all three suspects, identified as Ethan Raby, Izayah Raby, and Angel Dominguez, were found.
During the search, deputies seized a machete, two handguns without serial numbers, a short-barrel AR-15 style rifle, several rounds of ammo, and clothing they believe may have been worn during the assault. All three suspects were arrested and booked into the Del Norte County Jail on multiple charges including attempted homicide.
Oregon Students Proficienty Scores Continue To Decline
Assessment data released by the Oregon Department of Education on Thursday, Oct. 3 painted a bleak picture of declining test scores of Oregon students. And critics and some legislators say this is just unacceptable.
The summative assessments in science, math and English language arts were taken in spring 2024, with tests issued to third through eighth graders and high school juniors. Statewide, the assessment scores remain significantly lower than pre-pandemic levels, with only 31% of all Oregon students testing at proficiency in math, 43% in English and 29% in science.
During the 2018-19 school year, 46.5% of Oregon’s third graders tested as proficient in English; five years later in 2024 that percentage dropped to 39%. The story is the same for math — in 2018-19, 46.4% of third graders tested at proficiency, while in tests taken this year that number dropped five percentage points to 39.9%.
Students who participate in OSAS summative tests receive a score between 1-4. Students who score level 1 are below grade level, level 2 are at grade level and scores of 3 or higher represent proficiency in the subject area. The tests cover math, English and science.
“This is not where we want this. This isn’t normal. This is not where we want to be by any stretch of the imagination, and we are setting goals with districts,” said ODE Director Charlene Williams in a press release. “Between the next three to five years, they are setting learning and growth performance targets based on their data.”
ODE also provided information regarding the share of students at each grade level who scored at “Level 1,” or below grade level. For eighth graders, 43% performed below grade level in science, 51% in math and 34% in English. For third graders, 37% are below grade level in both English and math.
Since the 2022-23 school year, some improvements were made in math assessments. Oregon fifth, seventh and eighth graders saw significant improvements in their math scores.
Oregon is not alone in its struggle to catch up to pre-pandemic levels in standardized test scores. Every state experienced a decrease in average assessment scores for math and English between spring 2019 and 2022, according to a report co-authored by Harvard and Stanford Universities’ Education Recovery Scorecard. However, compared to every other state, Oregon was third last for improvement in reading test scores between 2019 and 2023.
Oregon was also the only state that failed to make any improvement in math scores between 2021-22 and 2022-23, a trend the state narrowly avoided repeating by making improving by 0.4 of a percentage point last spring.
“Every child deserves a high-quality, culturally responsive public education to be set up for success. I’m not satisfied with this year’s numbers,” Gov. Tina Kotek said in a press release. “We must double down on our commitment and collaboration to fix the gaps in our system that are failing students. I am focused on working with education partners across the whole system to identify evidence-based solutions, increase high-quality learning opportunities, and strengthen student wellbeing.”
ODE highlighted four key areas to help “accelerate learning” and improve English language arts proficiency: continued and increased investment in literacy, summer and afterschool learning, data-informed policy and practices, and accountability.
Oregon legislators passed the Early Literacy Success Initiative in 2023 and invested $90 million to close the gaps in reading and writing proficiency for underserved student groups. ODE is confident that these investments will make a difference in future English assessments for elementary and middle school students.
The release of OSAS scores precedes district “report cards” and AP scores released later in the fall.
Pacific Power Crews From Southern Oregon Deploy to Georgia for Hurricane Helene Response
In response to a mutual assistance request from Georgia Power, Pacific Power is sending crews, support personnel and equipment from Medford, Bend, Roseburg, Astoria and Grants Pass in Oregon and Walla Walla and Yakima in Washington to aid in power restoration efforts following the catastrophic damage caused by Hurricane Helene.
The Category 4 storm, with sustained winds reaching 140 miles per hour, impacted 10 states, with the National Hurricane Center reporting that its effects extended as far as 400 miles from its landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region.
These teams, totaling 22 Pacific Power employees, will be equipped with 20 trucks and associated heavy equipment to help restore power to impacted communities. Rocky Mountain Power, Pacific Power’s sister company, is also deploying four additional crews to aid in the response.
“Our crews are fully prepared and ready to respond as they work tirelessly through the deployment to restore power to customers in Georgia and to support our fellow line-crews across the affected states,” said Tom Eide, vice president of operations at Pacific Power. “Disasters can happen anywhere, and part of being a good neighbor is answering the call to help.”
Pacific Power is part of a nationwide network of utilities that provide mutual assistance during emergencies and disasters. According to the Edison Electric Institute, approximately 50,000 electric utility workers from 40 states, the District of Columbia and Canada are currently responding to the devastation left in Hurricane Helene’s wake. While power has been restored to 4.69 million of the 6 million customers affected, some areas have experienced such extreme infrastructure damage that a complete rebuild is required.
For more information on Pacific Power’s involvement in the recovery efforts, please follow us on social media.
Anthony Tyrrell Arrested in Portland for Murder of Cottage Woman
In June, a deceased female was located in the Cottage Grove area who appeared to be the victim of homicide. Lane County Sheriff’s detectives identified the victim as a missing person, Rozaleena Faith Rasmussen, 29, from Cottage Grove.
Detectives identified the suspect as Anthony Wesley Tyrrell, 31, of Cottage Grove.
Tyrrell is considered armed and dangerous. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to call 911 and avoid approaching or contacting him.
Oregon Housing and Community Services’ Homeowner Assistance Fund accepting final applications online
—Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) is reopening the Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) online application portal to accept final applications directly from homeowners. Applications must be submitted by Oct. 31, 2024. New applications will be put on a waitlist and prioritized for homeowners most at risk of foreclosure or loss.
Homeowners can now review application criteria and apply directly online using a link on the HAF website: oregonhomeownerassistance.org. If homeowners need or would like assistance with an application, they can contact a HAF intake partner. A list of intake partners can be found at https://www.oregon.gov/ohcs/homeownership/Pages/Homeownership-Assistance-Fund.aspx.
“OHCS is reopening the online application portal through Oct. 31, 2024, to ensure we help as many Oregon families as possible,” said Ryan Vanden Brink, assistant director of Homeowner Assistance Programs. “With our average award of $26,500, we can assist approximately 250 additional households. Any further applications will be placed on a waitlist pending the availability of funds.”
HAF offers federal temporary COVID-19 pandemic relief to help homeowners who experienced financial hardship due to the pandemic. HAF can help homeowners become current on their mortgages, county taxes, homeowners’ (HOA) or condo associations, land sale contracts, secured manufactured home or floating home loans, and lot rent or moorage fees associated with homeowners in manufactured home parks or marinas. Financial hardship includes a reduction in income or an increase in housing costs resulting from the pandemic.
Homeowners are eligible to apply if they meet the program’s general eligibility criteria and are facing foreclosure, involved in a court case that threatens their home, in property tax foreclosure, in collections with their HOA, or in other high-risk situations identified by a housing counselor. Homeowners in foreclosure may have already received outreach letters from OHCS or their county assessor.
OHCS will make its final HAF payments in February 2025, limiting total assistance available to new applicants.OHCS encourages homeowners to explore all other options with their servicer or a housing counselor before applying for HAF. Applying for HAF does not guarantee approval or that a foreclosure will be postponed. HAF is administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury.
Oregon’s 36 counties will need more than an additional $800 million per year to maintain roads and bridges, according to a new study from the Association of Oregon Counties.
The study, presented to the Legislature’s Joint Transportation Committee, comes as lawmakers start to craft a multibillion-dollar transportation package over the coming months. The Oregon Department of Transportation this summer said it needed an extra $1.8 billion annually just to keep up with maintenance — let alone pay for high-ticket projects like a replacement bridge on Interstate 5 connecting Oregon and Washington.
Sen. Chris Gorsek, D-Troutdale and a co-chair of the joint committee, summed the main problem up simply in a meeting last week. The interstate highway system built in the 1950s and 1960s has essentially lived out its useful life, Gorsek added, and Oregon hasn’t kept up with maintaining and replacing roads, bridges and machinery, like snow plows and graders.
Counties are responsible for the largest share of the state’s road system — nearly 27,000 miles of roads and more than 3,400 bridges, about half of the total bridges in the state. The federal government is next, with more than 25,000 miles, followed by cities with more than 11,000 miles of roads and the state at nearly 8,000.
Oregon resident taxpayers preparing their own tax returns in 2025 will have the option to electronically file both their federal and state income tax returns using the combination of IRS Direct File and Direct File Oregon, the IRS and the Oregon Department of Revenue.
The IRS and US Treasury Department announced an expansion of the types of returns that can be filed using IRS Direct File beyond what was available in the pilot program during the 2024 tax filing season.
During the pilot last year, IRS Direct File covered limited tax situations, including wage income reported on a W-2 form, Social Security income, unemployment compensation and certain credits and deductions.
For the 2025 filing season, IRS Direct File will support Forms 1099 for interest income greater than $1,500, retirement income and the Form 1099 for Alaska residents reporting the Alaska Permanent Fund dividend. (See the attached graphic for more on who will be able to use IRS Direct File in 2025.)In the 2024 tax season, more than 140,000 taxpayers in 12 states filed their federal tax returns using the limited pilot program while nearly 7,000 Oregon taxpayers filed their state returns using the free, state-only Direct File Oregon option.
The IRS estimates that 30 million US taxpayers will be able to use IRS Direct File in 2025, including 640,000 Oregon taxpayers who will be able to e-file both their federal and state returns for free.The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced in May that it would make IRS Direct File a permanent option for taxpayers and invited all 50 states to participate to create a seamless free filing system for both federal and state taxes.
Oregon was the first of 12 new states to accept the invitation from the IRS in June.
A OSU study of more than 700 counties across multiple U.S. states found a link between childhood leukemia and levels of decaying radon gas, including those lower than the federal guideline for mitigation.
The findings are important because there are few established risk factors for cancer in children and the role of the environment has not been explored much, said Oregon State University’s Matthew Bozigar, who led the research.
Radon, a naturally occurring gas, is a product of the radioactive decay of uranium, which is present in certain rocks and soils. Upon escaping from the ground, radon itself decays and emits radioactive particles that can get within the body and collect in many tissues, where they can damage or destroy the cells’ DNA, which can cause cancer.
Odorless, tasteless and colorless, radon gas dilutes quickly in open air and is generally harmless before it decays, but indoors or in areas with poor air exchange, it can easily concentrate to dangerous levels and is recognized as a significant risk factor for lung cancer.
Radon, measured with small, passive detectors and mitigated through passive or active ventilation in basements and crawl spaces, has not been linked to other cancers, according to the World Health Organization.
But in an 18-year statistical modeling study of 727 counties spread among 14 states, Bozigar and collaborators not only found a connection between childhood leukemia and radon, but at concentrations below the Environmental Protection Agency’s recommended guideline for mitigation.
1 in 8 Oregonians Lives Below the Poverty Line
On the flip side of the coin is poverty and, in Oregon, one in eight people live below the federal poverty line.
Lehner says one fact that has stood out in recent years is ‘the number of Oregonians in deep poverty,’ some whose income ‘is less than half of the official poverty level.’ This translates to an annual revenue of $7,000 per person, or $15,000 for a family of four.
The poverty threshold set by the government is a yearly income of $15,480 per person or $31,200 for a family of four.
While Oregon’s poverty threshold remains relatively steady, Lehner says there is an increase in people living in deep poverty.
Poverty Has Been Steadily Increasing Among Hispanic and Latino Residents
The biggest change in the racial poverty gap in recent years has been a steady increase in poverty among Hispanic and Latino residents. However, historically low poverty was recorded in 2023 among Black and American Indian population groups. Poverty among Oregon Blacks is close to 25%, more than double the statewide level.
Clackamas County has the lowest poverty rate in Oregon at 6.6%, while Multnomah County, the largest in the state, has the highest poverty level of 12.9% in the metro area. Although Crook County’s poverty is below 8%, it has one of the highest unemployment rates in Oregon.
Overall, the 2023 survey shows that Oregon household incomes are continuing to rise, although poverty rates among some groups, in some locales, are much higher than statewide. (SOURCE)
Snap Benefits provided through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are set to increase this week.
The Cost of Living Adjustment impacts the maximum allotments for those who receive SNAP, commonly known as food stamps. The changes will take effect on Oct. 1 and last until Sept. 30, 2025. SNAP eligibility depends on household income and assets and is adjusted yearly.
Some 42.1 million people – roughly 12.6% of people in the U.S. – benefited from SNAP each month in 2023, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The average benefit was $211.93 per month. State-by-state participation rate ranges from a low of 4.6% in Utah to 23.1% in New Mexico.
The cost of camping is going up in Oregon. The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department is increasing camping, parking and reservation fees to keep pace with inflation.
Most of the increases range from two to five dollars. On October 15th, base camping fees will increase. On January 1st, reservation fees increase from eight to ten dollars. Parking fees will increase from five to ten dollars. On July 1st, the out-of-state 25 percent surcharge on RV campsites will be expanded to all camping.
Utility costs for example have increased by 28% over the last 4 years, but most fees have remained the same. Depending on the fee, the last increase was anywhere from seven to 15 years ago for base fees.
OPRD will increase its base camping fees for the first time since 2017. The increase applies to all camping reservations for 2025. Starting on October 15, 2024, all reservations made for 2025 stays will include the fee increase. OPRD has three main sources of funding: a little less than half comes from constitutionally dedicated lottery funds, about 15% comes from recreational vehicle license plate fees and roughly 35% comes from park fees from visitors. OPRD is not funded by taxes.
Drop and give me… 1,000?
Maj. Tommy Vu of the Oregon National Guard is once again a world champ as of Friday after completing a jaw-dropping 1,027 chest-to-ground burpees in just an hour’s time. A burpee is a full-body exercise that combines a squat, plank, push-up, and jump to burn calories, improve cardio health, and build strength and endurance. And it’s a mean, tough competitive event as well.
Vu previously sweated his way into the record books in March 2023, when he completed 1,003 reps of burpees in an hour.
Habtamu Franke, a personal trainer in The Netherlands, stole Vu’s title later that year by performing 1,010 burpees in 60 minutes flat. The 37-year-old citizen soldier reclaimed his crown last week at Lancaster Physiq Fitness in Salem, working out in front of a countdown clock and rolling camera as family and friends cheered him on.
While the feat awaits certification from the Guinness World Records organization, Vu said he’s already mulling how to master the eight, 12- and 24-hour burpee world records (which, for the record, is 9,119 burpees in 24 hours).
FALL BACK ONE HOUR…starts Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024.
In a little less than a month, it will be time to set your clocks back to standard time.
Daylight saving time will end at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. Most devices these days will adjust automatically to the time change, but don’t forget to set any traditional clocks back by one hour.
Despite several efforts to end seasonal time changes, we will be falling back in November and springing forward in March for the foreseeable future. Oregon, Washington and California have all made multiple attempts to permanently switch to either standard or daylight saving time — but none of the efforts have stuck.
Changing to daylight saving time requires congressional approval — and that approval doesn’t appear to be likely, despite bipartisan efforts to allow states to make the change.
Thanks for reading the the news on BasinLife.com from Wynne Broadcasting.
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