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.

 

Monday, January 6, 2024

Klamath Basin Weather

Air Stagnation Advisory in effect from Tuesday, January 7 until Friday, January 10, 12:00 PM

Today
Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 46. Overnight, patchy freezing fog after 10pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 25. North northwest wind 3 to 6 mph.

 

Around the State of Oregon

Two children died of the flu in Oregon over Christmas week, the first such pediatric deaths in the state in two years, according to state health officials.

They’re among 11 deaths of children from the flu nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Every year, the flu kills hundreds of people in Oregon, with the CDC showing 370 deaths in the state 2022, the latest year available. But pediatric deaths are relatively rare, said Dr. Paul Cieslak, head of infectious diseases and vaccinations at the Oregon Health Authority. No children in Oregon died from the flu last year or in the 2021-22 and 2020-21 seasons, but three died during 2022-23 and four died during the 2019-20 season, state data shows.

The last flu season was particularly deadly for children across the country, with 200 dying from the flu, marking a new high from 2019-20 when 199 children died, the CDC said. 

To get a flu shot, go to vaccines.gov, call 211 or go to 211info.org.

Cieslak declined to provide any details about the Oregon kids who died, saying during a Friday news conference only that they were younger than 18 and died the week of Dec. 22 to 28. Their deaths were cited in the latest edition of the health authority’s weekly flu update that tracks hospitalizations in the Portland area.

The newsletter said currently 146 people are hospitalized in Multnomah, Clackamas and Washington counties with the flu. Cieslak said more than 470 have been hospitalized this season in the Portland area. The flu season started at the beginning of October, and Cieslak said it’s been an average year, noting that every year takes a toll.

 

According to a post from Grants Pass Police Department, suspects have been accused of shooting at multiple apartments and then fleeing the scene in a vehicle. 

Four suspects are in custody. They are 32-year-old William Michael of Grants Pass, 20-year-old Joseph Treetop of Josephine County, 18-year-old Easton Foley of Josephine County and 18-year-old Austin Shaw-Rideout of Josephine County. Each of the men is being charged with six counts of attempted murder and six counts of unlawful use of a weapon. 

Police officers checked every apartment for victims and fortunately learned no one had been struck by the numerous gunshots.  The initial investigation did conclude that six people in two different apartments could have been struck by gunfire if the trajectories had been slightly different. For that reason, the case became an attempted murder investigation. 

There were several hundred hours of manpower used to conduct interviews, collect evidence, and search for the suspects. 

 

More than 90% of patients reported a negative experience with Providence while 92% support union nurses and doctors striking to improve care. 

Braga Fresh has voluntarily recalled 12-ounce bags if Market Broccoli Florets over a potential listeria contamination.

The product was sold nationally at Walmart with a used-by date of December 10, 2024. It was distributed to stores in 20 states including Oregon and California.

The affected product packaging has UPC code 6 81131 32884 5 on the back of the bag and lot code BFFG327A6 printed on the front of the bag. Listeria infection can be harmful, especially for pregnant women, elderly, or those with weakened immune systems. In rare cases, it can be fatal.

The FDA says so far, no related illnesses have been reported.  More information can be found on the FDA’s website.

 

St. Helens High School choir teacher Eric Stearns is back in custody facing a new indictment with additional sex abuse charges after six additional alleged victims were identified, according to a Columbia County prosecutor.

Stearns, 46, turned himself in Saturday afternoon to the Columbia County Jail after police showed up to his home earlier in the day when he wasn’t home.

The new 18-count indictment, filed in court Friday afternoon, alleges sexual abuse of 12 different people, starting as far back as January 2015 and in some cases continuing through early this school year. He was placed on leave from his job in mid-November. 

He’s accused of touching students’ lips, necks, buttocks and chests, according to the indictment.

The 18-count indictment now charges Stearns with 13 counts of second-degree abuse, four counts of third-degree sexual abuse and one count of first-degree sexual abuse.

 

Fluorescent lamps are now an item of the past as the rest of Oregon House Bill 2531 took effect January 1, 2025.

The bill originally began with a prohibition of distribution and sales in the state of new screw- or bayonet-base type compact fluorescent lamps on January 1, 2024.

HB 2531 says that fluorescent bulbs contain mercury which can be released into the environment as a liquid or vapor when a bulb breaks.  Mercury exposure can cause negative health effects that can include harming internal organs and the nervous system in humans, as well as in fish and wildlife.

The rest of HB 2531 that began at the start of this year prohibits the sale or distribution in Oregon of new pin-base type compact fluorescent lamps and linear fluorescent lamps — those are the long ones you often see in offices.

All fluorescent lamps will no longer be found on store shelves as many local businesses pulled products down before the new year began. According to the Staff Measure Summary, a civil penalty may be enacted for anyone who violates the house bill.  

 

Flooding remains an ongoing concern in parts of Siskiyou County, particularly in areas like Scott Valley and Fort Jones.

While conditions have improved slightly, the risk of further flooding persists as additional storm systems approach. Bryan Schenone, Director of Emergency Services for Siskiyou County, explained that recent heavy rainfall has led to swollen rivers, including the Scott River, which has merged with Kidder Creek, significantly increasing water levels.   The ground is very saturated, and the water has nowhere to go but into the watershed.  The Scott River continues to swell and push water into the Klamath River, which is already at flood stage.

So far, there have been no reports of major infrastructure damage, though some roadways have been flooded. Schenone emphasized that residents should avoid driving through flooded roads.  Although conditions have slightly improved in some areas, the ground remains saturated, and further rain is expected. Schenone also reminded residents that the situation could change rapidly, and staying updated on weather alerts is important.

 

The Corvallis Police Department and Corvallis Fire Department responded to an active train incident near Avery Park Saturday afternoon.

According to CPD, the train trestle has collapsed. Officers and firefighters are on scene at the incident. Police say initial investigations indicate that the trestle gave way while a freight train was crossing. At this time there are no known injuries, said CPD. The police department has advised the public against entering Mary’s River until further notice due to potential debris in the water. Authorities urged the public to avoid the area as responders are still actively working the scene.

 

You’ll need a Real ID to fly domestically, starting in May of 2025, that’s unless you have a passport or enhanced driver’s license issued by several states.

The deadline is May 7, 2025, but you probably don’t want to wait until the last minute to get your Real ID. You can apply for your Real ID driver’s license or ID card through your local Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

Real IDs are marked with a star on the top of the card. Real IDs will also be needed to access certain federal facilities. Congress mandated the real IDs in 2005 on the recommendation of the 9/11 Commission.

 

On Jan. 1 several new laws will go into effect in Oregon.

In the new year, using drugs on public transportation is becoming a higher-level crime. Senate Bill 1553 expands the definition of “interfering with public transportation” to include using drugs, making it a class A misdemeanor.

Another state law will allow schools to install cameras to record drivers who don’t stop for school buses with safety lights on.  Anyone who goes around or goes past a school bus when it’s picking up or dropping off students, could be cited.

 

The new year is bringing minimum wage increases in 21 states.

That means more than 9 million Americans are getting a pay bump this paycheck.

In Oregon, the minimum wage increases by 50 cents except the raise comes this summer, on July 1. It will then range from $13.70 to $15.95 an hour depending on which county you work in.

Meanwhile, the federal minimum wage has sat at $7.25 per hour since 2009. As of now, 20 states have a minimum wage at or below that amount.

 

Starting Wednesday, January 1, 2025, food vendors and restaurants in Oregon will be required to stop using plastic foam takeout containers due to a law passed by the Oregon legislature in 2023.

The new law bans the usage, sale, and distribution of the plastic foam containers, commonly known by the brand name Styrofoam, effective Jan. 1. It also prohibits businesses from using and selling foam packing peanuts and single-use plastic foam containers contain poly-fluorinated substances which have been linked to reproductive issues, cancer, high cholesterol, and immune system suppression, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.e foam coolers.

Many businesses have already replaced their foam containers with paper or reusable plastic containers, or have avoided them prior to the ban due to environmental concerns.   In addition to the law banning plastic foam containers, in 2023 Gov. Tina Kotek also signed Senate Bill 543, which directs the Oregon Health Authority to create rules and regulations for vendors regarding personal reusable food containers for takeout and leftover meals and now the public can legally use their own reusable takeout containers.

In addition to the law banning plastic foam containers, Gov. Kotek also signed Senate Bill 543, which directs the Oregon Health Authority to create rules and regulations for vendors regarding personal reusable food containers for takeout and leftover meals and now the public can legally use their own reusable takeout containers.

These fraudulent documents are either altered versions of genuine certificates or entirely fabricated ones downloaded from the internet.  Often, a fake certificate will list the manufacturer’s name and an out-of-state dealer or distributor as the initial buyer. If you aren’t sure your VIN is legitimate, officials say you can check it through the NHTSA recall site.

 

Two Oregon men were found dead in a Washington state forest after they failed to return from a trip to look for Sasquatch, authorities said Saturday.

The 59-year-old and 37-year-old appear to have died from exposure, the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office said via Facebook. The weather and the men’s lack of preparedness led the office to draw that conclusion, it said. Sasquatch is a folkloric beast thought by some to roam the forests, particularly in the Pacific Northwest.

The two men were found in a heavily wooded area of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, which is about 150 miles (240 kilometers) northeast of Portland. A family member reported them missing at around 1 a.m. on Christmas Day after they failed to return from a Christmas Eve outing. Sixty volunteer search-and-rescue personnel helped in the three-day search, including canine, drone and ground teams. The Coast Guard used infrared technology to search from the air.

Authorities used camera recordings to locate the vehicle used by the pair off Oklahoma Road near Willard, which is on the southern border of the national forest.

 

Bird Flu Worries Grow in Oregon

The death of an Oregon house cat and a pet food recall are raising questions about the ongoing outbreak of bird flu and how people can protect their pets.

Bird flu has been spreading for years in wild birds, chickens, turkeys and many other animals. It was first confirmed in U.S. dairy cattle in March. The virus has been causing sporadic, mostly mild illnesses in people in the U.S., and nearly all of those infected worked on dairy or poultry farms. When the virus is found, every bird on a farm is killed to limit the spread of the disease.

Oregon health officials traced the cat’s illness to frozen cat food that contained raw turkey. Virus recovered from the recalled pet food and the infected cat matched. Some pet owners feed their animals raw meat, but that can be dangerous, even fatal for the animals, said Dr. Michael Q. Bailey, president-elect of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Cooking meat or pasteurizing raw milk destroys the bird flu virus and other disease-causing germs.

 

Schools in 30 of Oregon’s 36 counties — and schools in other Western states — will receive less federal funding in 2025 after the U.S. House of Representatives failed to reauthorize a 24-year-old bill that typically pays up to $80 million a year for schools and roads in Oregon along with wildfire prevention and conservation work.

The bipartisan Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act — first passed in 2000 — was reauthorized by the Senate in November. But by last Friday, in the run-up to passage of a stop-gap spending bill to keep the government open until March, House Republicans could not reach agreement about how the rural schools bill should be funded and so it died without a vote, said Hank Stern, a spokesman for Oregon’s senior senator, Democrat Ron Wyden, who co-authored the original bill in 2000. Wyden said the failure to approve the money will create needless pain for rural communities.

“This sad state of affairs due to congressional Republican failings is pointless and regrettable,” he said in an email. “Oregonians living and working in counties that have long relied on millions in federal Secure Rural Schools funds will needlessly and unfortunately enter 2025 with an uncertain fate for those resources when it comes to local schools. roads, law enforcement and more.”

Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo, a Republican who worked with Wyden to get the bill passed in the Senate, said in an email he shared Wyden’s frustration. The Republicans decided not to vote on the bill amid a dispute about health care funding that would have killed the stop-gap bill, Stern said. The Secure Rural Schools bill for years has sent hundreds of millions of dollars to counties in 41 states and Puerto Rico that have federal land within their borders. Because those counties provide crucial services to people and industries using those lands for activities that generate revenue for the federal government — such as animal grazing and timber production — the federal government sends money back to those counties to help them pay for services and to weather other changes.

In the West, the money has largely helped keep county and school budgets whole following reduced logging and a reduction in timber revenue from federal forests in the 1990s to save imperiled species. The payments have equaled the average amount counties received from timber harvests from the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management in the top three timber-producing years of the 1980s. Oregon has received $4 billion in funding from the bill in the past 24 years.

 

The Oregon Nurses Association  are starting the new year by planning to have 5,000 health care workers strike at Providence facilities across the state on Tuesday, Jan. 10th — including Providence Medford Medical Center. 

This comes after ONA and Providence have been at odds over a new contract, following the old deal at the Medford facility expiring on March 24. In the most recent development, the two groups bargained for five days until Dec. 20. After a “cool-down” period that ended on Dec. 26, ONA announced the strike today. 

The strike includes health care workers in Medford, Portland, Seaside, St. Vincent, Providence Women’s Clinic, Milwaukie, Willamette Falls, Newberg and Hood River, the release said. 

Workers are expected to start their strike at 6 a.m. on Jan. 10. Medford nurses previously participated in a strike in June, and have been bargaining with Providence since January. 

 

The Red Cross is in need of blood donations. During the holidays, regular donors are on vacation and the supply of blood declines.

Winter weather can also increase demand from people injured in traffic crashes. They need donors with all types, but they especially need people with type O negative. Platelet donations are also important. Donors giving blood through January 3rd will also get an exclusive Red Cross long-sleeved T-shirt.

 

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

Ready to Advertise? Let us get the word out for your business!  We offer more local advertising opportunities than any one in the Klamath Basin. 

Call BasinLife.com at 541-363-7503. Or email us today at INFO@BasinLife.com with your name, business, and what you’re looking for. We’ll customize a plan fit for your budget.

You can receive Daily Radio Mentions across our 6 stations, Articles, direct link Banner Ads, floating Banner Ads on hundreds of article pages daily, Social Media Posts and also available are Email Blasts to thousands of local residents.

We can also keep you updated with the latest smart digital marketing strategies for 2025 for your business. BasinLife.com is still the best value in the Klamath Basin for advertising, as we enter into our 9th year promoting businesses in Southern Oregon.

For information or prices on plans, simply call us today at 541-363-7503 or email us at Info@BasinLife.com.  Let us keep your business top-of -mind!