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.

 

Wednesday, December 11, 2024

Klamath Basin Weather

Today
A chance of rain and snow after 4pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 44.  Chance of precipitation is 30%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch. Overnight, chance of snow flurries, a low around 29. Southeast wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of around an inch possible.

 

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Around the State of Oregon

An Oregon federal judge temporarily blocked Kroger’s proposed takeover of Albertsons Tuesday, siding with state and federal regulators who argued a $24.6 billion merger between the two supermarket giants would harm consumers and grocery workers.

U.S. District Judge Adrienne Nelson’s temporary injunction, which halts the merger while a Federal Trade Commission Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons is Kroger’s largest rival after Walmart. Albertsons owns the grocery chain that bears its name as well as Safeway, Vons, Randalls and several other chains. The grocers said their merger would help the combined company better compete against brick-and-mortar and online competitors.

The FTC, joined by state attorneys general from Oregon, the District of Columbia and seven other states, argued in its lawsuit that a tie up between Kroger and Albertsons would drive down competition, resulting in higher grocery prices, lower quality of products and less choice for consumers. Judge Nelson said Kroger and Albertsons “engage in substantial head-to-head competition and the proposed merger would remove that competition. As a result, the proposed merger is likely to lead to unilateral competitive effects and is presumptively unlawful.”

The merger is also the subject of another antitrust lawsuit brought by the Colorado Attorney General’s office. The judge in that case has yet to rule.

 

Someone is making a local — and public — statement related to the murder of a national insurance company executive, and Medford police are looking for that graffiti suspect.

The words, “Deny, Defend, Depose” are mixed with the symbol for anarchy on a sound barrier wall in South Medford between Interstate 5 and Rogue Valley Manor. Those three words were found on ammunition used in a deadly New York shooting of national insurance company leader last week. United Healthcare’s Chief Executive Officer Brian Thompson died from the ambush shooting, and police today arrested 26-year-old suspect Luigi Nicholas Mangione for the Manhattan killing.

While New York police say they were helped by a restaurant employee tip that led authorities to the murder suspect, Medford Police Department (MPD) told local reporters regarding the South Medford graffiti vandalism known as tagging, “We have no known investigative leads at this time and no suspect information. If the public has information about this case, they can call us at 541-770-4783 and reference case number 24-19932.”

 

A sergeant with the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office seized over 25 pounds of meth and arrested two men during a traffic stop along I-5 last week.

According to the sheriff’s office, the sergeant stopped a white sedan driving on the northbound side of the freeway for code violations.

During the stop, the sergeant learned that neither the driver nor passenger, 28-year-old Guillermo A. Ayala, and 24-year-old Yesith Leonardo Chriez Bueno, had valid driver’s licenses. He also noticed several signs of possible drug trafficking.

In a subsequent probable cause search of the vehicle, the officer found over 25 pounds of methamphetamine in the trunk. Both men, who are from Los Angeles County, were arrested and face multiple drug-related charges.

 

A Salem man has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his 6-month-old son. Edward Casian was convicted of murder in the second degree in the Marion County Circuit Court, and sentenced on December 9.

The district attorney’s office says the tragic incident happened on April 12, 2022, when emergency services were called to Casian’s residence after Ryker was found unresponsive. Paramedics determined the infant’s time of death to be 7:45 a.m. Initial investigations by Salem Police detectives and Marion County Death Investigators revealed suspicious bruising on Ryker’s body. Dr. Rebecca Millius of the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office initially determined the cause of death to be Sudden Unexplained Infant Death (SIDS). However, due to the concerning bruises, Salem Police Detectives continued their investigation.

In May 2023, Casian was re-questioned and admitted to multiple acts of violence against Ryker. Based on Casian’s statements, Dr. Millius revised the cause of death to Asphyxia Due to Smothering, classifying the baby’s death as a homicide. On December 9, 2024, Casian entered a no-contest plea to Murder in the Second Degree. This plea carries the same legal effect as a guilty plea, acknowledging that the state had sufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Casian subjected Ryker to a “pattern and practice of assault and torture.”

Judge Gardiner sentenced Casian to life in prison, with the possibility of parole after serving a minimum of 25 years.

 

Oregon Housing and Community Services is funding the creation, preservation, and rehabilitation of more than 400 affordable homes across the state. These homes will help fill the need for housing for Oregonians with low incomes, including seniors, youth, and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities.

The Housing Stability Council approved $72.8 million to fund 421 homes through the agency’s Oregon Centralized Application (ORCA) process. Part of this funding will be used to rehabilitate the Rosemont Court in Portland, which will serve seniors.

Another housing development funded is Blossom Gardens in Salem, which is under construction, will focus on serving refugee families. The funding will also preserve two manufactured home parks for homeowners who live at the Rimrock Court Cooperative in Madras and Surfside Mobile Village in Newport. The Housing Stability Council also granted the Homeownership Division approval to update two programs to help spur development and purchase of homes for Oregonians with low incomes.

The Oregon Affordable Housing Tax Credit (OAHTC) Homeownership was expanded to support limited equity cooperatives, an innovative homeownership model with growing interest in Oregon. By offering tax credits to the developer’s permanent lender, OAHTC Homeownership reduces financing costs, and the savings are passed on to residents to ensure housing affordability for those earning 80% or less of the area median income.

 

A 5-year old in the Rogue Valley, Gracelyn Guyette, took fall and couldn’t move her arm.

After examining an X-ray of her arm, doctors at an urgent care clinic sent Gracelyn to the nearest emergency room, Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford. Hospital records listed Gracelyn’s admission type as “Emergent Severe or Life Threatening.”

Doctors explained she’d suffered a broken elbow at the growth plate and required emergency surgery. She needed to be airlifted immediately, the hospital explained, because no pediatric orthopedic surgeon was available locally to perform the procedure.

Hospital staff made arrangements for an air ambulance to transport Gracelyn from Medford to Portland, a roughly 50-minute flight avoiding icy roads and any possible delay. On Feb. 25, 2022, medics loaded Gracelyn into a small plane. The air ambulance, operated by Mercy Flights, flew Gracelyn and her mother to Portland, where she underwent emergency surgery at OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.

The procedure was effective and soon Gracelyn returned home to southern Oregon. Then the bill came. The insurance company, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, expected Gracelyn’s family to pay the full air ambulance bill, nearly $60,000.

The insurer was willing to pay for the ambulance on the ground — to and from the airport — but not the airplane ride. According to its denial letter, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield determined that Gracelyn’s air ambulance ride was not medically necessary.

Portland’s KGW- TV emailed Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield in late November and provided a patient privacy waiver from Gracelyn’s parents.

Nine days later, an Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield spokesperson responded by email. The claim was approved.

 

A 29-year-old man was shot and killed in a shooting at an RV park in Myrtle Creek on Saturday.

According to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a report of a physical disturbance and shots fired at the Rivers West RV Park on Ruckles Drive just after 1:30 p.m. Upon arrival, first responders located Damion Sumner of Dillard just south of the RV park on Booth Ranch Road.

He was suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Responders provided medical aid, however Sumner died at the scene. Police found and arrested the suspect, later identified as 22-year-old Daniel Hetrick of Myrtle Creek.

Hetrick faces second-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon charges.

 

The nation’s longest road — U.S. 20 — will be designated the “National Medal of Honor Highway,” under legislation that the U.S. House of Representatives approved Monday.

The 3,365 mile road begins in Boston at a junction with Massachusetts Route 2 and ends in Newport, Oregon, at a junction with U.S. 101. The Oregon portion of the highway spans 451 miles from Newport — the western terminus — to Nyssa, at the border of Idaho. The bipartisan legislation was approved in a non-controversial voice vote.

The U.S. Senate approved it last year. It now goes to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature. The chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Missouri Republican Sam Graves, said the name change will honor all 3,519 Medal of Honor recipients, and those who receive the award in the future.

He said the medal is awarded to service members who go above and beyond the call of duty and risk their own lives to protect the United States.

 

In the largest national study of its kind, Oregon State University researchers found that low-risk, planned home births are as safe as planned births at accredited birth centers.

According to the study’s authors, the results contradict, “doctors’ long-held concerns about home birth” and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ belief that hospitals — and to a slightly lesser degree, other accredited birth centers — are the safest places to have a baby. Many pregnant women prefer the idea of having a baby at home with the help of a midwife or home care nurse.

In the largest study of its kind, OSU scientists analyzed two national registries for community births to compare health outcomes for both planned births at home and planned births in a birth center with low-risk pregnancies. The researchers analyzed data from more than 100,000 births during a seven-year period, including statistics from all 50 states.

 

Albany Teachers and Students Go Back to Class After Strike Ends

After one of the longest Teacher Strikes in Oregon, the Albany teacher’s union overwhelmingly approved the contract, which included capped class sizes and guaranteed bathroom breaks.

A day after the longest teacher strike in the Greater Albany School District’s history ended, teachers celebrated walking back into their classrooms.

Teachers overwhelmingly approved the new contract after nine months of negotiations, followed by the school board’s approval during an emergency school board meeting Monday night.

“The district is pleased to announce that GAEA and the District have settled the contract, and it has been approved by both the GAEA members and the Board as of 8:26 p.m.,” an e-mail from the Greater Albany Public Schools said.

During the three-week strike, teachers had complained about class sizes reaching high levels and had pushed the district to put a cap on class sizes throughout schools. Kindergarten classes are now capped at 25 students. It was the first teachers strike in Albany in nearly 40 years and the longest one in the district’s history.

 

Oregon has just approved the state’s largest solar farm – and one of the country’s largest – on about 10,000 acres of active farmland in Morrow County as it pushes to fulfill ambitious clean energy mandates.

The mammoth project also takes a novel approach to offset the negative economic impacts to the local agricultural economy.

Sunstone Solar will feature nearly 4 million solar panels, capable of producing up to 1,200 megawatts of power – enough to provide emission-free electricity to about 800,000 homes for a year – and a battery energy storage system that can store up to 7,200 megawatts hours.

Sunstone’s project will take a massive chunk of agricultural land out of production. It will occupy 9,442 acres within a 10,960-acre site of private land about 15 miles southeast of Boardman.

 

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek’s proposed budget allocates more for higher education than the last biennium, but university and community college leaders say the budget doesn’t keep up with increased costs institutions are facing.

The leaders of the universities argue the inadequate funding could make higher education more expensive for Oregonians and slow down the state’s workforce development efforts. The governor’s $138 billion budget, released earlier this week, is a guideline for state lawmakers ahead of next year’s legislative session.

In her proposal, Gov. Kotek doubled down on her top three funding priorities: confronting Oregon’s homelessness and affordable housing emergency, K-12 education and addressing the state’s behavioral health care crisis. Higher education appears to be lower on the list of concerns.

In the 2025-2027 biennium, the governor recommends $4.39 billion for the agency responsible for two main funding streams for colleges and universities: operating revenue to run the institutions and financial aid programs to help students afford the cost of college. The proposal, a 6.4% overall increase from the last biennium, sets aside more than $25 million to build up education pathways that lead to behavioral health care jobs and nearly $29 million to expand select need-based grants, like the Oregon Opportunity Grant.

But those investments fall well short of what college leaders say are necessary, especially when it comes to financial aid for needy students. Higher education leaders in both the community college and university realm want to see lawmakers increase funding for the Oregon Opportunity Grant, the state’s largest student financial aid program.

Both the Oregon Community College Association and the Oregon Council of Presidents are calling for an additional $150 million investment in this program alone, more than five times what the governor’s budget recommends.

 

SOUTHERN OREGON EVENTS

Jacksonville OR will host its Victorian Christmas event every night in December except for Dec. 24 and 25 at 185 N Oregon St.

Admission is free except for some activities, such as Trolley tours. Events include trolley tours, a tree lighting ceremony, a holiday parade, bingo, hot cider and holiday music.

The Crater Performing Arts Center will perform The Nutcracker Ballet on Dec. 14, 15, 20, 21 and 22, with prices ranging from $14 to $30.

Gold Hill is bringing back its Winterfest on Dec. 21 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. There will be games, art activities, food and prizes.

Talent, Oregon is hosting its tree lighting ceremony from 5 p.m.to 8 p.m. on Dec. 6 at Old Town Hall. There will also be a local goods market.

In northern California, Alpaca On the Rocks in Weed CA is hosting a Pictures with Santa event on Dec. 15 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. A $20 admission will cover up to two children, with a $10 admission added for each additional child. There will be vendors, apple cider and hot chocolate.

 

Mt. Ashland Ski Area opened on Saturday

Sonnet, Comer and Windsor lifts will be running from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.  The ski area will feature upgrades such as the widening of Aisle 2 (the entryway to the main mountain), updated LED night lighting for Twilight Skiing beginning Jan. 9, and the opening of the first new chairlift in over 30 years.

The announcement for the grand opening of Lithia Chair will be coming soon with the completion of the chairlift made possible by the largest gift in Mt. Ashland Ski Area history — $2 million from the Sid & Karen Deboer Foundation, with an additional $500,000 from Sid & Karen Deboer.

The Ski Area strongly encourages travelers to continue to check the Mountain report at https://www.mtashland.com/mountain-report for updates on uphill travel access and road conditions. Stay up to date with all of Mt. Ashland Ski Area’s events on the events page: https://www.mtashland.com/event-directory/

Mt. Ashland Ski Area is owned and operated by the 501©3 nonprofit Mt. Ashland Association under a special use permit from the U.S. Forest Service. Its mission is to provide and promote healthy alpine recreation.

 

Pacific Power is reminding customers to be vigilant about fraudulent communications from scammers posing as utility representatives.

This activity tends to increase during this time of year.Customers can protect themselves from these types of schemes by being aware of the following facts:

Pacific Power will not contact any customer demanding immediate payment to avoid disconnection of service.

Pacific Power does not ask customers to make payments by purchasing a prepaid card. You and other customers can always choose how you would like to make your payments. service the same day.

Pacific Power will not demand immediate payment for damaged or broken electrical equipment or any other service.

Pacific Power customer service employees will always have your correct account number. Scammers increasingly have used text messages as a means of targeting victims will not demand payment via text message.

Pacific Power encourages customers to set up their online billing profile at Pay My Bill (pacificpower.net) where they can pay bills and review statements. Scammers may use a sophisticated deceptive tactic that makes it appear to caller ID systems that the call is coming from Pacific Power when it is not. Hang up and call Customer Service directly.

Remember, if you still have concerns about the legitimacy of a call, you can always call our published customer service number, 1-888-221-7070. Pacific Power is asking customers to report information about any scam calls received, including the phone number the person is calling from and any information that may help to track down the fraudsters.  

 

Oregonians lost $136 million from holiday shopping scams last year, according to a new study from Social Catfish.

The study says that Oregon ranked #22 in the nation for victims per capita, with 991 per 100,000 residents losing money in a holiday scam.  Scammers are salivating because Americans will spend a record $240 billion buying gifts online this holiday season, giving them unprecedented opportunities to steal gift-givers’ hard-earned money.

Residents can avoid holiday scams by doing the following:  Be wary of look-a-like stores that have AI chatbots to make it look legit. Carefully check the store’s URL to make sure it’s the official store website — for example, if you’re shopping at Macy’s, the website should be Macys.com instead of Maceys.com.

Look out for deepfake videos that falsely make it look like trusted public figures are promoting Black Friday deals. The video is a deepfake if the audio isn’t matching up, there are extra body parts, or the person is only speaking in one tone of voice or showing one facial expression.

Be careful when marketplaces sell you “discounted” gift cards that have a zero balance. Reverse search the seller to verify their identity.

A popular scam involves the scammer sending an alert to a consumer saying there is suspicious activity. When the consumer goes to verify their account, the scammer has AI customer service representatives steal their information. If you get a suspicious activity alert, avoid this scam by contacting the company “only by using the main number on their website. You are asked to report any scam you’ve discovered to local authorities and the website administrator if possible.

 

Oregon State Parks has added Brookings to the cities where overnight beach camping is banned.

Residents near Mill Beach voiced concerns about public health, risks to public safety, and impacts on the marine ecosystem. Over 90 percent of comments expressed support for the ban. Brookings joins Seaside, Cannon Beach, Manzanita, Rockaway Beach, Lincoln City, Newport, Bandon and Gold Beach where camping is also banned.

 

An Oregon cheese is the world’s best, once again. Tillamook Creamery Maker’s Reserve 2014 Extra Sharp White Cheddar was pronounced the “Best Cheddar in the World” at the World Cheese Awards in Portugal.

The creamery’s Maker’s Reserve cheeses are all white cheddars and are aged for at least three years, according to the Tillamook website. An array of Oregon cheeses have won national and international honors in recent years. 

In 2019, Rogue Creamery’s Rogue River Blue was named the best cheese in the world at the World Cheese Awards, becoming the first American cheese to win the title. In 2022, the creamery’s Bluehorn blue cheese won a Super Gold medal at the World Cheese Awards. Earlier this year, Tillamook claimed four of the top five spots in the sharp cheddar category at the 2024 World Championship Cheese Contest, including first place for its Sharp Cheddar.

 

Travel around Bend and you might notice something different about the sculptures on several of the city’s roundabouts – a pair of googly eyes.

Someone or several people have placed the oversized plastic items on eight public art installations in an apparent attempt to draw some laughs. But officials wrote on Instagram the stunt risks damaging the sculptures and separately said removing them has cost the city money $1,500.

The post is drawing a mixed response on social media — with many people responding in ALL CAPS that they like it.

According to city spokesperson René Mitchell, the adhesives from the eyes can damage metal coatings and may require the sculptures to be repainted or recoated. For the bronze sculptures, damaged wax can lead to blue-green corrosion. Bend has more than 20 sculptures in city roundabouts that were commissioned and donated by the nonprofit Art in Public Places.

People sometimes decorate the art for different holidays, and city officials turn the other way when it comes to wreaths, leis and Santa hats.

If you believe the internet, in his first month at the Ashland Daily Tidings, reporter Joe Minihane skied the slopes of Mount Ashland, ate at 15 restaurants in Roseburg, hiked the Owyhee Canyonlands in Malheur County, took in Autzen Stadium and Multnomah Falls, and visited the Neskowin Ghost Forest on the Oregon Coast.

And sure, more than 1,200 miles of travel to write 10 stories in a month might seem excessive for a local outdoors reporter who was new to his Southern Oregon job, but who could argue with his output? Minihane could. He says none of it happened. 

In fact, he said he’s only been to Oregon once in his life. Yet, his name is attached to those bylines. The reality was that none of the people allegedly working for the Ashland Daily Tidings website- once the paper stopped print operations-  existed, or at least were who they claimed to be. The bylines listed on Daily Tidings articles were put there by scammers using artificial intelligence, and in some cases stolen identities, to dupe local readers.

The Ashland Daily Tidings — established as a newspaper in 1876 — ceased operations in 2023, but if you were a local reader, you may not have known. Almost as soon as it closed, a website for the Tidings reemerged, boasting a team of eight reporters, Minihane included, who cranked out densely reported stories every few days.  The mysterious emergence of AI invaders on the local news scene is a new development in Oregon, and the Ashland Daily Tidings website appears designed to hide its true operators.

After Rosebud Media closed in 2023, the Daily Tidings website emerged again with a claimed staff of eight contributors, none of whom are reporters working in Southern Oregon. Two of the writers have sparse social media presences that suggest they live in South Africa.

Neither responded to a request for comment from OPB, though one did share a social media post in November praising artificial intelligence. 

 

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