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Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024
Klamath Basin Weather
High Wind Warning in effect today, Nov. 20 at 7PM
Winter Weather Advisory in effect today, Nov. 20 at 4PM
Today
Snow flurries in the morning and rain and blowing patchy snow today, high near 41. Snow level rising to 4900 feet, breezy south winds 15-24 mph through the day and gustier at times. Chance of precitipation 100%. Snow accumulation less than one inch. Overnight, rain and snow, snow level at 4800 feet. Gusty winds 10-14 mph. Chance of precipitation 100%. Little or no snow accumulation.
Today’s Klamath Falls Headlines
OREGON TECH NOTICE: Oregon Institute of Technology will CLOSE at 11AM today, Wed. Nov. 20, 2024, due to inclement weather. See more info here: https://www.oit.edu/ot-alert
Updated at 7:20AM. KCSD update for Nov. 20, 2024: South County schools – Lost River, Malin, and Merrill – will remain on a regular schedule.
ALL OTHER KCSD SCHOOLS ARE NOW CLOSED FOR TODAY, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024, due to inclement weather and road conditions. For closed schools, all afterschool activities and events are canceled. See https://www.kcsd.k12.or.us/
Winter Weather Is Here, Drive Carefully.
Winter storms are bringing gusty winds, rain and snow to Southern Oregon, quickly changing road conditions.
Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is reminding drivers winter weather can change quickly, and road conditions can go from clear to hazardous in a matter of minutes.
ODOT urges drivers to follow several key tips to stay safe: Turn on your windshield wipers and headlights, Slow down and avoid cruise control. Increase your stopping distance And, steer clear of standing water.
Carry chains and check road conditions before traveling using TripCheck.com or by calling 511.
Pack an emergency kit with a flashlight, phone charger, warm clothes, food, and water in case you get stuck. Also, be aware of the dangers of black ice, which can be even more hazardous than snow. Drivers should always be prepared for sudden weather changes—especially in higher elevations.
With millions of people preparing to travel for the Thanksgiving holiday, two strong storm systems, including the first major winter storm of the season, are forecast to bring snow, wind and rain across a large swath of the United States this week.
More than 25 million people are under winter storm watches or warnings this week, according to the National Weather Service.
Emergency workers from local agencies tested their mettle against physical agility and strength tests on the Klamath Community College campus recently as part of “Movember,” a set of weekly challenges during for the month of November to highlight men’s health issues.
KCC is home to the Klamath Regional Training Center, which includes the Emergency Response and Operations Program for students. ERO includes three disciplines: Structure Fire; Wildland Fire and EMT training.
Men — and women — from the Klamath Falls Police Department, Klamath County Sheriff’s office, Oregon Department of Forestry and Wildland firefighting units — as well as community members — tested their endurance against the clock on Nov. 8. They had to run several hundred yards with fire hoses, carry weighted dummies, run up the center’s five-story fire training tower stairs, and then haul up a full fire hose attached to a rope from below. Movember events focus on suicide prevention, physical abilities and cancer, especially prostate and testicular cancers.
At the end of the month, there will be a celebration at the Klamath Basin Yacht Club for all who participated in the events. The public can get in on the action, too, as Healthy Klamath and KBBH are hosting an Army fitness challenge, Wednesday, Nov. 20 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Harbor Isles Tennis and Fitness Club.
If interested in learning more about Movember, check out the website, movember.com. For details on Healthy Klamath and KBBH, visit healthyklamath.org and www.kbbh.org.
The Klamath Basin Home Builders Association came together with Klamath County Community Corrections to celebrate community and local contractors involved with Build My Future.
Coined a big damn deal by community corrections Director Aaron Hartman, Build My Future is an annual event hosted by the Klamath Basin Home Builders Association (KBHBA) that pairs high schoolers from Klamath, Lake, Siskiyou and Modoc counties with local contractors to get hands-on experience with the construction trades by completing the build of a tiny home(s) in 48 hours.
Richard Schmerbach, owner of Linkville Roofing and Siding, says it’s life changing for the students. Schmerbach and his business were among 32 others who, in partnership with the KBHBA and Klamath Community College Apprenticeship Center, worked alongside the high schoolers teaching them the ins and outs of what that contractor is best a — plumbing, heating and cooling, drywall, flooring, electrical — essentially every job necessary to build a home including some design work.
Started in 2019, the Build My Future event was the first of its kind on the West Coast and took inspiration from a similar event held in Springfield, Missouri. Since then, Build My Future in Klamath Falls has grown exponentially year after year. In 2023, the students built a 160-square-foot tiny home, and in 2024, they built two 170-square-foot tiny homes.
One of the tiny homes was raffled off to provide a funding source for Build My Future, and the remaining two were donated to Klamath County Community Corrections for use as sober-supportive housing units at Project Homefront.
Oregon Housing and Community Services is investing $5 million across five counties including Klamath County, to combat youth homelessness — and three of those counties are in Southern Oregon.
According to a news release from OHCS, the $5 million will be dispersed among Josephine, Klamath, Coos, Lincoln and Douglas counties.
Locally, Intregal Youth Services will receive a substantial sum. The Youth Emergency Housing Assistance Program project team analyzed data from both Oregon’s Emergency Homelessness Response and the Department of Education to identify which communities had the highest rate of youth experiencing homelessness to ensure these funds make the biggest possible impact.
Downtown Klamath Falls is gearing up for the 6th Annual Small Business Saturday Shop Hop on November 30.
Local businesses and shoppers are invited to celebrate a day of community, shopping, and support for small businesses, the heart of our community.
Hosted by downtown businesses in partnership with Klamath Falls Downtown Association, the Shop Hop is a wonderful way for the community to come together, discover unique local shops, and enjoy a festive shopping experience.
This year, shoppers have an extra incentive to get out and support their favorite businesses. For every $10 spent at participating stores, shoppers will be entered into a raffle to win incredible prizes, including a “Night on the Town,” generously donated by the Downtown Association, and a 7-night vacation! Supporting our local businesses is more important than ever.
Small Business Saturday is a chance to show our appreciation for the hard working entrepreneurs who bring life and personality to our downtown area. We can’t wait to see the community come out, explore, and enjoy all that Downtown Klamath Falls has to offer. In addition to shopping, there will be plenty of holiday cheer, special promotions, and local products to help you find those one-of-a-kind holiday gifts.
Grab a friend, support your neighbors, and enjoy a day of fun that puts your holiday dollars back into the heart of our town.
The Ross Ragland Theater in Klamath Falls is celebrating its 85th anniversary on November 23rd of this month. Eighty-five years later and under a new name the building still creates countless memories while holding a lot of history. The yearlong celebration will begin with a showing of The Westerner.
Artist Dana Wirth will kick off festivities with Western music in the theater lobby at 6 p.m. Then The Westerner will play on the big screen at 7 p.m.
The theater was originally opened as a movie theater known as the Esquire Theater, serving generations. It opened on November 30 of 1940 with the movie The Westerner starring Gary Cooper. They will be showing that movie in just about ten days. It’s going to be a free event to kick off a yearlong celebration celebrating the building’s 85th anniversary. To get tickets, visit the Ross Ragland Theater’s website.
The Klamath Animal Shelter Pet of The Week, Ready for Adoption is a dog named ” Daisy “.
Daisy is a female Standard Poodle about 6 months old, she is white with brown and weighs around 40 pounds.
Win-R-Insulation, Inc. wants you to know of a special partnership with EnergyTrust of Oregon where you may be able to qualify for a FREE CEILING INSULATION PROGRAM.
Click here for full details: https://www.basinlife.com/2024/07/08/win-r-insulation-announces-free-ceiling-insulation-program-click-here-for-info/
Around the State of Oregon
Oregon is reported to have 835 confirmed cases and at least one adult death caused by pertussis, also known as Whooping Cough.
Lane County is reporting 251 cases, the most in the state. Multnomah County came in second with 183. Cases have been reported in Clackamas, Washington, Marion, Yamhill, Polk, Columbia, and Deschutes counties. Oregon Health Authority recommends Oregonians get vaccinated against whooping cough to protect themselves amid the surge.
The median age of cases is 11, with a range between five weeks and 89 years old. Health officials are alarmed and expect the state to beat the 2012 record of 910 whooping cases recorded, which was the highest annual count since 1953.
OHA said babies too young to be fully vaccinated suffer the most from pertussis.
According to the CDC, infants may experience difficulty breathing instead of coughing. Babies have the highest reported incidence rate and highest likelihood of hospitalization and death.
Multiple victims reported incidents late last week of an individual handing out candy on and near the University of Oregon campus area to individuals before allegedly touching them inappropriately without their consent, according to University of Oregon Police Department officials.
UOPD officials said that they received two reports of similar incidents that occurred on November 14. At 11:30 a.m., a victim who was walking near Straub Hall reportedly was handed candy by an unknown man who then slapped her on the rear end, police said.
Authorities said the second incident occurred at 11:40 a.m. in which a victim reported that a suspect allegedly grabbed the victim’s crotch as they walked in the 1200 block of Agate Street. This incident was reported to the Eugene Police Department and shared with the UOPD, according to UOPD officials.
Authorities said that they have identified a suspect for both incidents and that steps have been taken for their exclusion from campus. Both incidents are under investigation and police officials are asking for anyone who has experienced a similar event or with related information to contact the UOPD’s non-emergency line at 541-346-2919.
Students who have experienced sexual or domestic violence can access immediate resources online or by calling 541-346-SAFE.
Asante Rogue Regional Hospital in Medford is facing another lawsuit related to allegations that a nurse swapped patients’ fentanyl with tap water.
The latest lawsuit, filed on behalf of multiple patients, seeks more than $22 million in damages. According to the lawsuit filings, the plaintiffs claim they suffered physical pain and emotional distress due to not receiving the prescribed medication. The lawsuit alleges that the hospital was negligent in preventing this suffering.
This marks at least the third lawsuit filed against the hospital in connection with the situation. The nurse accused of the tampering is scheduled to appear in court next month for a pre-trial hearing, though a trial date has not yet been set.
The U.S. Forest Service is starting a public comment period today about proposed changes to its forest management plan for Northern California, Oregon and Washington.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service (USFS) is taking public input about a proposed amendment to land management plans for national forests in the Northwest Forest Plan area. The draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the amendment gets published today in the Federal Register, launching an 120-day comment period to allow the public to offer input about how these forests will be managed.
USFS says the draft EIS focuses on balancing economic needs, ecological health, and community safety across the Northwest Forest Plan area. It considers wildfire resilience to address an increasing threat of severe fires. USFS says the proposed amendment provides guidance for managing forests to reflect unique fire patterns, or fire regimes, across Pacific Northwest forests.
This approach includes usage of hazardous fuel treatments such as mechanical thinning and prescribed fire to reduce dense vegetation to lower wildfire risk and affects on communities, critical infrastructure and forests, while maintaining and improving overall forest health across the landscape.
USFS says the draft EIS’ economic opportunities, “seek to support rural economies by promoting a predictable commercial timber supply through sustainable forest restoration and timber production activities.” It says this approach can create local jobs, provide training in forest management and build economic resilience in communities that depend on forest resources.
USFS says improved forest stewardship is addressed by the proposed amendment by improving on the original Northwest Forest Plan with clearer, more specific guidance to distinguish between moist and dry forest types and between young and old forests and, “It also provides direction to use ecological forestry practices that promote landscapes to be more resilient to fire, retain old growth conditions to support at-risk species, and restore non-forest habitats such as meadows and huckleberry patches where they naturally belong.”
The FBI is offering a $250,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the suspect in a string of ballot box fires in Portland, OR and Vancouver, WA last month.
According to a news release from the FBI, the suspect set three fires on Oct. 28 — two at two ballot boxes in Vancouver and one at a ballot box in Portland. Three ballots in Portland were destroyed along with hundreds in Washington.
There was also an attack on a ballot drop box in Vancouver on Oct. 8 between 3:30 and 4 a.m. “A surveillance camera captured images of an early 2003 to 2004 Volvo S-60 sedan, dark in color, with dark wheels and a light-colored interior, driven by the suspect believed to be responsible for these crimes,” the release said.
“The vehicle does not have a Volvo logo on the front grill. At the time of the October 28, 2024, incidents, the vehicle also displayed a fraudulent temporary Washington license plate on the rear and no front license plate. The plate, which is not associated with a Volvo, may no longer be on the vehicle.”
The FBI described the suspect as a white man who is about 30 to 40 years old with “thinning hair.” “It is believed that he may have some experience with metal work and welding,” the release said. “Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact the FBI’s Toll-Free tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), your local FBI office, the nearest American Embassy or Consulate, or you can submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.”
In the Coos Bay area, some people in the community are organizing a candlelight vigil for Joshua McCoy, the 5-year-old boy who was found deceased Tuesday after being missing for several days.
The vigil will take place at North Bay Elementary School in North Bend, at the field behind the playground on Saturday, at 6 p.m. hauna Bogart, one of the people organizing the event.
She said Saturday would have been Joshua’s 6th birthday. While she never met Joshua, she said the community is so tight knit that when tragedy strikes, it’s important to come together. Bogart said, Saturday’s vigil is open to the public. Donations will be accepted for Joshua’s family, some of whom will be present at the vigil.
Oregon school districts are projected to pay $670 million more to the state’s public employee pension program over the next two years, potentially wiping out all increases to school funding proposed by Gov. Tina Kotek.
The increased tab, more than 10% for some districts, follows lagging returns in investments of the Public Employees Retirement system and could affect teaching and learning in some schools. The impact will vary, with most of Oregon’s 197 school districts and 17 community colleges facing an average 1.5% increase in their payroll going to PERS during the 2025-27 budget cycle, according to a PERS presentation last month. But 22 districts are facing average increases of 10% or more in part because investment returns have been lower than expected but mainly because side investment accounts meant to help buffer PERS increases are expiring.
For 72 school districts that don’t have one of these accounts, the average contribution rate for PERS will soon amount to about 27% of payroll. Overall, school districts and colleges will pay $565 million more in the next two years compared with the 2023-25 biennium, while about 77,000 vested employees, who also pay into PERS, will pay $105 million more.
The increased costs to districts will more than erase the $515 million boost proposed by Kotek for school funding for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 school years. She announced in July that she’d ask the state Legislature early next year to send more than half a billion dollars to the State School Fund for the next biennium to boost student outcomes, literacy rates and more. The fund is responsible for the bulk of district funding, and payroll makes up about 85% of school budgets.
A Springfield elementary school teacher is on administrative leave after showing a 1st-Grade class a sexual education video.
The video, titled “Help kids learn why it’s important to keep private parts private” was shown to first grade students at Mount Vernon Elementary. While the video is animated in a more child centric way, the video ends with discussing touching ones privates, and the act of which feeling good.
Springfield Public Schools confirmed that the teacher who showed the video is now on leave. According to the district teachers are expected to utilize District-approved, age-appropriate instructional materials/curriculum when providing instruction to students and that teachers may use special aids with the express approval of the principal. Springfield Public Schools has confirmed that they are investigating this incident.
A new memorial park opening at the state Capitol this month will honor the 790 Oregonians who died, and the more than 180,000 Oregonians who fought, during the 20 years of the Vietnam War.
The memorial is designed to be a reflective outdoor space in Salem’s Willson Park, located in the southwest corner of the Capitol grounds, adjacent to the World War II Memorial. Architect Mike Abbaté designed the memorial to include 46 granite columns engraved with the names of Oregonians who died in the Vietnam War, from 1955 to 1975.
It’s meant to contrast with the solid granite wall of the neighboring World War II memorial. The Department of Defense lists 710 Oregon residents who died in the Vietnam War, but that figure is based only on the state in which a soldier entered the service.
Make fishing part of your Thanksgiving weekend plans with friends and family. Everyone can fish, clam and crab for free in Oregon on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 29-30, 2024.
No fishing/shellfish licenses or tags (including a Combined Angling Tag, Columbia River Basin Endorsement or Two-Rod Validation) are required those two days. Both Oregon residents and nonresidents can fish for free. All other fishing regulations apply including closures, bag limits and size restrictions.
See the Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations for rules and remember to check for any in-season regulation updates too, especially for salmon and steelhead fishing. Click on the zone where you want to fish to see regulation updates.
The Recreation Report is updated weekly and features the best bests for fishing for the upcoming week. Depending on water levels and conditions, fishing could be good for Chinook or coho salmon; again be sure to check regulations first because not all rivers are open.
Trout will also be stocked the week before Thanksgiving at several popular lakes in the Willamette Valley. Prefer to crab or clam instead? MyODFW.com has all the information you need to get started clamming or crabbing.
Remember to check ocean conditions and take safety precautions—always clam with a friend and never turn your back on the ocean. Call the ODA Shellfish safety hotline at 1-800-448-2474 or check their Shellfish Closures page before you go clamming or crabbing. The Oregon Department of Agriculture regularly tests shellfish and closes areas when naturally occurring biotoxins get to levels that make crabs and clams unsafe to eat. Currently, crabbing is open in bays, beaches, estuaries, tide pools, piers and jetties along the entire Oregon coast. Crabbing is closed in the ocean due to the annual closure from Oct. 16-Nov. 30 each year.
As of mid-November, razor clamming is closed from Cascade Head to the California border due to high levels of the marine biotoxin domoic acid, but closures may change by Thanksgiving Weekend so check before you go.
SAFETY TIPS FOR YOUR HOME
Winter has arrived in the Northwest. It is the reminder to check your yard and tend to maintenance issues around your home.
“This is the time to check the condition of your trees and a good opportunity to prune them before they become an issue once storms start,” said Jeremy Gee, Pacific Power’s vice president of health and safety. “Winter storms that bring down branches are a common source of power outages. Check around your property to see if any trees or branches could harm power lines if they fell. Some preventative work now could save you additional trouble and inconvenience related to power outages later.”
Use caution when pruning trees. Don’t use pruning tools or ladders near power lines. Always keep yourself and anything you’re handling at least 10 feet away from overhead power lines. Never try to remove a branch that is tangled or lying across a power line. Instead, call Pacific Power at
1-888-221-7070. We’ll be happy to remove it for you.
Some additional tips for fall safety:
- Treat all electric lines with caution.
- Use only wooden and fiberglass ladders. Metal ladders conduct electricity.
- Be aware and steer clear of overhead electrical wires when installing, removing, cleaning or repairing gutters.
- Never use electrical equipment or tools near a pool or other wet areas such as puddles. Additionally, make sure outlets are equipped with a ground fault circuit interrupter, designed to automatically disconnect if the tool comes into contact with water.
- Plant trees and shrubs away from meters, switching cabinets and boxed transformers. Vegetation that blocks electrical equipment makes repairs and maintenance challenging and sometimes dangerous for utility workers.
- Have help when installing or adjusting a satellite dish or antenna. Make sure you’re working at least 10 feet away from overhead power lines.
- Underground power lines are just as dangerous as overhead ones. If your project involves digging, make sure the locations of underground power lines are marked. Call 811 to have underground utilities located and marked for free.
For more safety tips or to order free Pacific Power safety materials, call toll free at 800-375-7085 or visit PacificPower.net/Safety.
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