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, January 8, 2024
Klamath Basin Weather
Air Stagnation Advisory in effect until Friday, January 10, 12:00 PM
Today
Patchy fog before 10am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 47. Light and variable wind. Patchy fog after 10pm, overnight low of 28 degrees.
See Road Camera Views around the Klamath Basin:
Lake of the Woods
Doak Mtn.
Hiway 97 at Chemult
Hiway 140 at Bly
Hiway 97 at GreenSprings Dr.
Hiway 97 at LaPine
Today’s Klamath Falls Headlines
The City of Klamath Falls is pushing its 8th St. geothermal project along by voting to transfer funds from the Water Operations Division.
According to the city, its geothermal utility provides cost-effective heating services to 23 commercial non-profit and government facilities throughout the downtown area.
The 8th St. project, between Klamath Ave. and Pine St., is in its second phase. Jessica Lindsay, the Finance and Business Services Director for the city, says their current budget covers the geothermal pipe’s design and part of its cost, but not all. Lindsay says since the city’s Center Reservoir project, budgeted in the Water Operations Division was pushed out to look for funding opportunities, funding for the 8th St. pipeline could come from there.
Council members voted to take $60,000 from the Water Operations Division to help the project keep moving forward. With the additional funds, the project is planned to be completed this summer.
A 24-year old Klamath Falls man was jailed in the Klamath County lockup after a high speed chase late last week ended in the Gatewood subdivision.
Eli Johnson was booked into the jail on attempting to elude, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, possession of methamphetamine, multiple violations of a restraining order, possession of a stolen vehicle, 3rd degree escape, criminal driving while suspended or revoked, resisting arrest, and numerous failure to appear charges from 2024 and 2023. Many of the charges are felonies.
Klamath County appears as a large risk area for wildfires under The Oregon Department of Forestry and Oregon State University’s final versions of Oregon’s wildfire hazard maps, aiming to help Oregonians identify wildfire risk in their area.
The map places all of Oregon into a “low,” “moderate” or “high” wildfire hazard zone. If a property is listed as “high,” it will be prioritized during the risk mitigation part of fire season. Most of Jackson, Josephine and Curry counties are under a “high” hazard level marked in orange.
About half of Klamath County is under “high” in orange, with the other half being “moderate” in purple. Lake County is mostly under “moderate.” Jackson and Josephine counties are particularly vulnerable.
According to a news release from ODF, property owners will get notifications about the map “over the next several days.” The wildfire hazard map’s purposes are to educate Oregon residents and property owners about the level of hazard where they live, assist in prioritizing fire adaptation and mitigation resources for the most vulnerable locations [and] identify where defensible space standards and home hardening codes will apply.
Residents should be prepared for possible changes, the release said. To help protect these communities, future defensible space and home-hardening building codes may apply to properties with both designations.
All properties with both designations are receiving a certified mail packet informing them of the designations, outlining their appeal rights and explaining the appeal process, and explaining what the designation might mean for them and their property.
These maps were first released in 2022 as a part of Senate Bill 762, a statewide omnibus bill passed in 2021 to mitigate wildfire risk. Along with defensible space and fire hardening building codes, the legislation also called on OSU to develop the two maps.
KWUA Looking For New Executive Director
Klamath Water Users Association is looking for qualified, ambitious applicants to fill the role of executive director of our dynamic organization. Final application date is March 1, 2025. For more information and application, please go to KWUA.ORG
It is with sincere appreciation and great respect for Paul’s dedication to promoting and preserving irrigated agriculture, ecosystems, and the communities of the Klamath Basin, we extend our warmest wishes to Paul Simmons for a happy and healthy retirement this coming summer from his role as Executive Director of the Klamath Water Users Association.
The Chemult Library is closing permanently at the end of the month.
However whenever one door closes, another one opens. And the organization is opening the new Crescent Library next month.
The new Crescent library will be located at 136854 N. Highway 97 in Crescent.
The Klamath County Library is excited to invite the community to the new location where it says, “you’ll continue to find a warm, welcoming environment for reading, learning, and community engagement.” The post also says the library will be keeping the bear on the roof. The last day patrons can visit the Chemult Library is January 31 and the Crescent Library is set to open on February 8.
Across Oregon’s mountains, the snow is piling up. Roughly halfway through meteorological winter, after several ski resorts opened early, in many places, the snowpack is having a good year.
In Klamath County, Rogue and Umpqua, their drainages, their snowpack is 150% of average.
Out on Steens Mountain in southeastern Oregon, it’s 160% of average. Elevations around 4,000 feet and above are well above average. Snowpack is measured by the weight of the snow, to determine how much water is in the snow.
Currently, most of Oregon is not experiencing drought conditions, though some counties in the center and eastern part of the state are drier than normal and there is a moderate drought in a few places.
Klamath Falls Gospel Mission invites you to a luncheon and tour of the house that Klamath Built. Join us on January 16 from 10AM – 2PM, with lunch from 11:30 – 12:30.
Tour the facility, talk with the staff, learn about our programs, talk with residents, ask questions and enjoy a nutritious, delicious, Mission cooked meal.
Klamath Falls Gospel Mission is reliant on support from our community – come and see what Klamath Falls Gospel Mission is accomplishing!
Ragland Theater Winter Classes
From Kindergarten to Adults, The Ragland Theater is offering classes for everyone this winter, beginning this week. We have a variety of classes with multi-class discounts available, plus scholarships for all classes!
Be sure to check out all the details, starting dates, and times for each class on our website here:https://ragland.org/
Classes include:
All Things Tech, Charcoal Drawing Class, Little Rock Stars, Mixed Media Art, Musical Theater, Mexican Cultural Program
Around the State of Oregon
Oregon Nurses Association Strike Begins Friday, Jan. 10th
Providence Health will cap the number of patients at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center and perhaps Providence Medford Hospital, ahead of Friday’s planned strike by doctors, nurses, and other healthcare providers.
The hospital will defer or reschedule procedures that require hospitalist support. Nearly five-thousand members of the Oregon Nurses Association plan to strike all eight hospitals and six clinics starting 6 o’clock Friday morning. Providence says it’ll cause longer delays in the emergency department and more instances where ambulances are diverted to other hospitals.
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.
Some Oregon Fire Crews May Be Heading To Southern California To Fight Pacific Palisades Wildfires and Windstorm
Four fires burning in Los Angeles County Wednesday prompted multiple evacuation orders and warnings amid a windstorm that officials said was expected to worsen through the morning.
The Palisades Fire exploded in size as powerful winds hit northwest Los Angeles, forcing the evacuation of at least 30,000 residents in the affluent community of Pacific Palisades. The Eaton, Hurst and Woodley fires are also burning.
Wildfires fueled by extreme winds have swept across the Pacific Palisades area heading east to Brentwood communities and south toward Santa Monica and into Los Angeles County, devouring structures and forcing the evacuation of more than 30,000 people.
As of 9:30 p.m. 3,000+ acres have burned, fire officials said and over 1000 structures clear to the Pacific Coast Highway and then eastward.
Steep terrain and the strong Santa Ana winds, with gusts up to 60 mph, are challenging firefighting efforts. The winds are expected to linger over the next few days posing serious fire risks in southern California.
The mandatory evacuation order includes more than 10,000 homes and thousands of businesses. Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone gave a bleak outlook Tuesday afternoon during a news conference.
“We are not out of danger,” he said, warning that the most significant threat will be between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. PT when the Santa Ana winds will be at their fiercest.
Marrone urged people to have a wildfire “action plan” and be ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice overnight.
Los Angeles City Councilwoman Traci Park, who represents the area, described the scope and scale of the devastation as “terrifying.”
She urged people to “be packed and ready to go” if people are told to evacuate
- The Palisades Fire was first reported at 10:30 a.m. Pacific Time Tuesday and has grown to at least 2,921 acres with zero containment, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or CalFire.
- More than 10,300 homes were threatened by the blaze, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The number of structures damaged or destroyed was unclear. L.A. fire officials said they had reports of multiple burn victims.
- Several major L.A. roadways were jammed as residents attempted to flee the area, with many being forced to abandon their vehicles in the road and walk.
- A second wildfire, the Eaton Fire, broke out Tuesday night in the hills above Altadena, a community in northern Los Angeles County, also prompting evacuation orders. It’s burned at least 1,000 acres, CalFire says.
- A third fire, the Hurst Fire, erupted in the Sylmar neighborhood of Los Angeles late Tuesday night and quickly consumed hundreds of acres, CalFire said, forcing some evacuations.
- The Woodley Fire started early Wednesday morning.
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency amid the fires.
L.A. County Fire Department is asking for help around the state and beyond.
With that, The Oregon State Fire Marshal is mobilizing 12 strike teams to California to help protect communities threated by wildfires burning near Los Angeles.
The Oregon State Fire Marshal has been monitoring and working with California throughout the event and received a request for assistance late Tuesday evening. As of midnight, the department has 12 strike teams made up of 240 firefighters and 60 engines that will be mobilizing Wednesday morning. The agency will continue to monitor and fill more requests as it progresses.
The strike teams are from Clackamas, Clatsop, Central Oregon, Lane, Lincoln, Linn/Polk, two from Marion, Multnomah, Rogue Valley, Washington, and Yamhill counties.
According to CAL FIRE, firefighters are seeing extreme fire behavior, including short-and long-range spotting. Winds gusts up to 60 miles per hour are expected to continue through Thursday, increasing the dangerous situation. Firefighters and air resources will continue to work to protect the community and infrastructures and gain control over fire containment.
“Oregon and California have a strong partnership supporting each other. We both understand that fire does not recognize map lines, and we are ready to help each other whenever there is a need,” Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said. “During our historic 2024 wildfire season, California sent us help and in their time of need, we are working as fast as possible to lend them support during this emergency.”
Oregon and California have had a strong working relationship with each other in wildfire response since 2017. We work with one goal in mind; protecting people, property, and critical infrastructure.
The request from California came through the Oregon Department of Emergency Management and the Emergency Management Assistance Compact. The compact provides help during governor-declared emergencies or disasters by allowing states to send personnel, equipment, and supplies to support response and recovery efforts in other states. The strike teams will be reimbursed directly by California.
A man who had been missing since December 15 while taking pictures on the Oregon coast has been found dead.
Joseph Neill was last seen when he went out to take photographs of the king tides. According to the Coos County Sheriffs Office, Neill’s body was found on the southern beach area of Haynes Inlet in North Bend.
Upon recovery of the body, the chief deputy medical examiner was requested. It was then determined that the body was that of 72 year old Joseph Neill.
The Oregon Department of Transportation is proudly supporting January’s Human Trafficking Prevention Month, a presidentially designated observance designed to educate the public about human trafficking and the role they can play in preventing and responding to the crime.
Human trafficking is a form of modern slavery that involves the use of force, fraud, or pressure to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act. Victims can be any age, race, gender or nationality.
More than 27 million people annually fall victim to human trafficking worldwide, and according to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, 132 cases involving 248 victims were identified in Oregon in 2023.
As part of the monthly observance, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance holds a Human Trafficking Awareness Initiative Jan. 13-17. During that week, our trained motor carrier enforcement officers and safety inspectors from our Commerce and Compliance Division will be working with law enforcement to hand out human trafficking awareness materials in English and Spanish to truck drivers and motor carriers at weigh stations across the state.
We are sharing awareness information on TripCheck, variable message signs around the state, radio spots, billboard ads and social media posts throughout the month. We have also lit up the Woodburn Bridge in shades of blue to shine a light on human trafficking.
If you suspect human trafficking, do not confront a suspected trafficker or alert a victim to any suspicions.
If it is an emergency, call 9-1-1 or the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. The hotline is operated 24 hours a day by a nongovernmental organization. You may also text HELP or INFO to 233733 (BEFREE).
We are pleased to partner with Department of Homeland Security, Oregon Trucking Association, TAT (formerly Truckers Against Trafficking), Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, Bowman Trucking and law enforcement to raise awareness about human trafficking and provide people with resources to educate and work toward stopping this dreadful crime.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) is inviting the public to get involved in the update of Oregon’s State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP), a crucial blueprint for conservation efforts across the state.
The first community engagement session took place yesterday via Microsoft Teams, launching a six-month process to revise and enhance the Oregon Conservation Strategy. The SWAP is a key component of Oregon’s efforts to protect biodiversity and natural ecosystems.
Developed as part of a national initiative coordinated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, each state has its own Wildlife Action Plan designed to address the conservation of fish, wildlife, and their habitats. The Oregon SWAP focuses on proactively protecting species and habitats that are in decline to prevent future federal or state listings. Oregon is facing a biodiversity crisis that affects the health of its ecosystems, economy and communities.
It is vital for all of us to take action by supporting conservation efforts, restoring natural habitats, and protecting our fish and wildlife. By working together to update the SWAP, we can protect Oregon’s rich biodiversity and ensure a sustainable future for generations to come.
The SWAP provides an overview of key conservation challenges in Oregon, highlighting species of greatest conservation need (SGCN), priority habitats, and strategies to address ongoing issues. As part of the national effort, each state must update its Wildlife Action Plan every 10 years, and ODFW aims to finalize Oregon’s updated SWAP by Oct. 1, 2025.
The Bureau of Land Management will close the East Applegate Ridge Trailhead access from Sterling Creek Road Jan. 13 through Jan. 31 for public safety.
The road will reopen on the weekends to provide access to the trailhead. A private landowner is exercising a right-of-way grant to haul timber across BLM Road 38-2-29.1, which is the route that accesses the trailhead. The timber is being removed from private lands in the area. This closure is necessary to ensure the safety of the public and the heavy equipment operators. They will reopen the road as soon as it is safe to do so.
The western access to the East Applegate Ridge Trail on Highway 238 will remain open. Other trails in the area offer a great alternative, including the Jack-Ash Trail and the Sterling Mine Ditch Trail. January is also a great time to explore some nearby hidden gems, like the Enchanted Forest Trail or the Tallowbox Trail.
The National Weather Service is warning the public of a moderate risk for sneaker waves in Douglas, Coos and Curry counties this week.
Sneaker waves are waves that can run up beaches and outcroppings farther inland than normal waves. These waves can knock people off their feet and roll or carry debris such as tree logs. As sneaker waves recede, they can also carry people out into deeper water. High tides will be on Monday evening from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. through all day Tuesday.
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is warning families about a scam related to AMBER Alerts.
According to the agency, scammers pose as AMBER Alert representatives and offer to ‘register’ your child over the phone. They will ask for confidential information and even request to meet you at your house. CHP says this is not how the AMBER Alert System works and offers the following tips to stay informed and keep your family safe.
CHP is the only agency authorized to activate AMBER Alerts, and no registration is required.
Never provide personal information or answer calls from unknown or potential scam numbers. If you have been contacted by a scammer, report it to local law enforcement immediately.
Flooding and a landslide have closed two state parks on the southern Oregon Coast.
Cape Arago and Shore Acres state parks are closed after a landslide undercut a portion of Cape Arago Highway. Sunset Bay State Park was evacuated Friday morning due to flooding. The Sunset Bay day-use area remains open, but could close if the flooding continues.
There’s no estimate for when the Cape Arago Highway will be repaired. Park staff will assess other damage following the storm.
The Biden administration, which has basically ignored Oregon in the last four years, awarded its third and final national semiconductor research site to Arizona State University on Monday, rejecting pleas from Oregon and Intel to put the site in Hillsboro.
The decision is no surprise. Oregon officials had felt for many weeks that the state’s chances were evaporating. Gov. Tina Kotek dropped her plan to allocate farmland near Hillsboro for the project late last month. Still, Monday’s decision to put the prototyping and packaging site in Arizona will sting. The two other sites went to upstate New York and to Silicon Valley.
The three National Semiconductor Technology Centers come with hundreds of millions of dollars in federal investment in anticipation of millions more from the private sector. They were authorized by the 2022 CHIPS Act, which aims to revive domestic semiconductor manufacturing and make the U.S. less reliant on technology from Asia.
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.
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.
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.
Food vendors and restaurants in Oregon are now 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 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.
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