35.51 F
Klamath Falls
February 14, 2025

Klamath Basin News, Tuesday 1/28/2025 – Kingsley’s 173rd Fighter Wing Doing Night Flights This Week; Lakeview Prison Inmate Escapes From Work Crew; Man Dies In Ski Accident at Mt. Ashland

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.

 

Tuesday, January 28, 2024

Klamath Basin Weather

Air Stagnation Advisory now thru Jan. 30, 6pm

Today
Sunny, with a high near 47. Overnight, clear, with a low around 22. Light north wind.

 
Wednesday
Sunny, with a high near 49. Calm wind. Overnight, clar with a low near 19.
Thursday
Sunny, with a high near 48. Overnight, a chance of rain mixed with snow, snow level lowering to 4800 feet. Low near 29.
Friday
A chance of rain and snow before 10am, then rain likely. Snow level 4500 feet rising to 5400 feet in the afternoon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 44.
Saturday
Rain. Snow level 5200 feet. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 43.
Sunday
Rain and snow likely. Snow level 4600 feet. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 44.
 

 

Today’s Klamath Falls Headlines

A 39-year-old inmate with the Oregon Department of Corrections walked away from a work crew in Lakeview at 7:36 a.m. Monday morning, ODOC said in a news release yesterday.

Police are still searching for him. According to the release, the man — Donald Jones — is a white male who weighs about 275 pounds, is about 6 feet tall and has blue eyes and brown hair.

He went into custody on June 4, 2024 for attempting to elude a police vehicle and unauthorized use of a vehicle out of Coos County. 

Jones was housed at Warner Creek Correctional Facility, a minimum-security prison in Lakeview that houses approximately 486 adults in custody who are within four years of release.

Residents should not approach Jones if they see him, the release said. They should call Oregon State Police at 1-800-452-7888, the non-emergency number of their local police department or the DOC’s Fugitive Apprehension Unit at 503-569-0734. 

 

The 173rd Fighter Wing out of Kingsley Field will be conducting some night flying operations this week.

On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, operations will be happening between 5 and 11 p.m.

The majority of this training will be conducted in the military airspace where pilots can fly without lights, located just east of Lakeview.  Kingsley Field is the premiere F-15C schoolhouse for the Air Force and night flying is one part of the course curriculum for student pilots.

Residents near Kingsley Field will most likely hear the jets during take-off and landing. Community members with questions or concerns can call the public affairs office at 541-885-6677.

 

The Klamath Falls City Council seeks to improve pedestrian and commuter safety in the downtown corridor.

Discussed during a council work session held Tuesday was implementing curb extensions on downtown crosswalks that will allow easier crossing for pedestrians, providing them and motorists with greater visibility of each other and narrowing the roadways to slow down traffic.

Seeing more than 130 reported traffic accidents between 2015 and 2020, equating to an average of 1.9 crashes per month, the city of Klamath Falls conducted an analysis in partnership with the Oregon Department of Transportation in 2017 to look at ways of improving transportation safety in the downtown. 

Findings in the report included that average vehicle speeds were 27 mph and that 10% of drivers routinely exceeded 30 mph in the 20 mph zone and that by having wide lanes on Main Street encouraged the traffic speeding.

A separate analysis also found that the use of traffic signaling wasn’t necessary in the downtown area and their removal and replacement with stop signs at the intersections would improve safety and slow traffic. That prompted the city to do a trial run of the removal in 2023 that saw vehement backlash from the public and Main Street businesses.

With the solution of stop signs out of the question, the city’s public works department was tasked with brainstorming other ways to meet the goals of the council and has since implemented reflectorized backplates and pedestrian countdown timers.

Public works also found that the utilization of sidewalk curb extensions would be a feasible and practical resolution. A curb extension (also known as a bulb-out) is a traffic calming measure that widens the sidewalk for a short distance into the street, reduces the crossing distance and allows drivers and pedestrians better sight of each other when cars are parked on the road.

Called the squeeze effect, the narrowed roadway influences slower driving and studies have found that pedestrians crossing at a curb extension results in an added wait time for a vehicle to stop and let them cross. Coming in multiple styles and forms, public works settled on two styles for the council to decide on — an integrated style directly connected to the sidewalk and a separated style.

 

A high angle shot of a valley covered with snow under the dark cloudy sky

Tips for surviving the cold winter weather

Pacific Power reminds customers they can conserve energy by shifting usage during periods of high demand, helping with the reliability of our electricity service while also saving money on their bills.

  • Set the thermostat to 68°F when you’re at home. Lower the temperature by several degrees when you are away from home and at bedtime. 
  • Clean or replace furnace filters often.  
  • Weatherstrip exterior doors and caulk around window frames to seal air leaks. 
  • Close drapes and blinds at night to keep heat in.
  • Avoid use of portable space heaters.
  • Limit use of appliances like ovens, dishwashers and clothes dryers in the morning from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. 
  • Set your water heater to 120°F and use efficient showerheads. 
  • Turn off lights, computers and electronics when not in use. 
  •  
 

The Ross Ragland Theater’s February schedule is filled with music, food and even a movie.

Performances begin on Feb. 7 with Dusty Leigh and Special Guests. Flamingo Fred will MC the show as host Dusty Leigh welcomes Wassla, Sethro, Va$h and Dream, and Sympho.

Headliner Leigh is far from your average performer. He started by combining the hardcore element of hip-hop with the wittiness of pop, and his style evolved into a genre he refers to as R&C — Rhythm and Country. The 31-year-old entertainer hails from Louisville, KY.

Dusty Leigh and Special Guests: Friday, Feb. 7, at 7 p.m. Tickets start at ten dollars.

Alli Walker, country singer-songwriter, brings her unique blend of country music and bagpipes to The Ross Ragland stage on Feb. 8.

Walker’s dynamic blend of traditional country sounds with pop/rock sensibilities positions her as a dedicated and innovative force in the evolving landscape of country music. Her willingness to push genre boundaries and think outside the box has led her to be recently nominated for a Canadian Country Music Award for Top Female Artist. Her dynamic and innovative fusion of traditional country elements with her Celtic background has become a signature part of her live performances, setting her apart in the Nashville scene. 

Finally, The Ragland Masquerade Education Fundraiser makes its elegant return on Feb. 22. The Masquerade and Youth Scholarship Fundraiser is a premier fundraising gala and social event that raises awareness of the need and benefits of keeping access to the arts education for K-12 students across the Klamath Basin and Southeastern Oregon.

This must-attend event is full of elegance, delicious food and live entertainment, all dedicated to supporting the Ragland in funding our seven revered education programs that help create arts education opportunities for students across the Klamath Basin.

The Ragland Theater education programs offer over 20,000 individual opportunities for arts education to all students in the Basin, K-12, each year.

 

Around the State of Oregon

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office will not be releasing the name of the 76-year-old man who died Friday while skiing on Mt. Ashland.

The ski area said in a press release, the man tragically passed away after colliding with a tree on the Windsor Chair Line Friday morning. The trail is categorized as most difficult. Ski patrol arrived on the scene and the man was taken to the ski area’s medical room.

A Mercy Flights helicopter also arrived to assist in life-saving efforts, but the man succumbed to his injuries. Mt. Ashland Ski Area General Manager, Andrew Gast says he’s heartbroken by this loss and their team extends their condolences to grieving family and friends.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office has a policy of not releasing the names of people who died in non-criminal cases.

 

While the Oregon Cascades are buried beneath heavy snow and glaciers this time of year, new research is showing something big brewing under the surface.

Researchers have discovered an aquifer that was much bigger than they ever expected. “It is all locked up in fractures in the bedrock but it’s what we call active groundwater, meaning it’s constantly flowing,” said Leif Karlstrom, who is volcanologist and professor of earth science at the University of Oregon and a part of the research team.

 Karlstrom — along with researchers from Oregon State University, Duke and the U.S. Forest Service — are trying to map out how much water is stored beneath the volcanic rocks of the Cascades. It was widely known for decades that there was an aquifer in the Santiam Pass region between Eugene and Bend. What they didn’t know was just how big it was. 

Researchers discovered the aquifer to be nearly three times the capacity of Lake Mead, a reservoir that covers parts of Nevada and Arizona. It also supplied water to those two states and California.

Thanks to research from decades ago, it allowed them to get a better understanding of the aquifer’s scale. So, what does it mean to have 19 cubic miles of water running under the crest of the Cascades? Currently, not much. But it could have implications for water resources in the region as drought and hot weather limit snowpacks and water availability.

 

4.7 magnitude earthquake struck early Saturday off the Oregon coast, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The quake’s epicenter was about 123 miles west of Bandon on the southern Oregon coast. No damage was reported. The quake struck at 5:36 a.m. at a depth of 10 kilometers. Earthquakes are common off the Oregon coast. The agency has received nine responses on its online form so far, from people saying they felt the quake.

 

With changes from the Trump Administration, much is still unknown about immigration and the mass deportations promised by the new president. 

President Trump signed several executive orders cracking down on illegal immigration. Over 3,000 serious criminals were removed from cities last week.

Actions are already being taken to protect the rights of immigrants, including a federal judge in Seattle issuing a temporary restraining order on one of Trump’s executive orders to limit birthright citizenship, calling it “blatantly unconstitutional.”

Immigration is a complicated issue and even people who have done everything right are now at risk of deportation, according to some local city officials.

 

After over a year of deliberations, Thursday the Oregon State Marine Board voted in favor of a rule for motorized boats on the Upper Rogue River. 

Board members say after receiving thousands of testimonies, they could not vote in favor of the rule initially proposed. Instead, they voted in favor of a variation proposed by a board member.

The rule approved Thursday states that motorized boats over 15 horsepower cannot be used above Dodge Bridge County Park, on the main stem of the river between Fishers Ferry County Park and Lost Creek Dam. Additionally, charter boats cannot operate upstream of Table Rock Road Bridge and may only operate between Table Rock Road Bridge and Fishers Ferry County Park between May 8 and September 10.

The rule includes a recommendation from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to restrict a motor over 15 horsepower during low water flows to protect spring Chinook salmon. The board will review the new rules after a year.

 

Homelessness in Oregon continues to spread all over the state and increased 24 percent from 2023 to 2024.

A report from Portland State University based on the homeless point-in-time count found a 16 percent increase in the number of unsheltered homeless people.

That’s more than 11-hundred additional people living on the streets. Nearly 25-hundred shelter beds were added in Oregon. 21 out of 36 counties had an increase in shelter beds.

 

Oregon health officials called out three health care organizations this week for unreasonably driving up Oregonians’ medical costs.

The state in 2021 set a cap on annual spending growth for health care organizations at 3.4% per person, part of a regulatory bid to rein in rising health care costs.

The Oregon Legislature authorized the program in 2019 and updated the law in 2021. The Oregon Health Authority on Wednesday flagged three organizations for overshooting this limit between 2021 and 2022 without justifying the increase.

They include Eugene-based Oregon Medical Group and two insurers, Moda Health and UnitedHealthcare,  both of which managed Medicare Advantage plans. Optum and UnitedHealthcare did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment.

 

Employment in Oregon Struggles. In December, Oregon’s seasonally adjusted nonfarm payroll employment declined by 3,700 jobs, following a revised increase of 3,700 jobs in November.

December’s gains were largest in health care and social assistance (+1,900 jobs) and government (+700). Declines were largest in leisure and hospitality (-1,900 jobs); manufacturing (-1,800); financial activities (-1,000); and retail trade (-900).

Health care and social assistance continued its rapid, consistent pace of hiring, adding 18,100 jobs, or 6.2%, in the past 12 months. Within this industry, social assistance added the most jobs, gaining 9,200 jobs, or 12.2%, since December 2023. The three health care industries each added between 3,300 and 4,400 jobs during that time.

December’s growth in government also capped off a year of strong performance. Its 7,000-job gain (+2.3%) was the second fastest growth over the year. Leisure and hospitality cut 3,200 jobs in the past two months. It employed 204,000 in December, which was 3,000 below its average during January 2023 through October 2024.

Cutbacks of 1,500 jobs within semiconductor and electronic component manufacturing contributed most of the December employment reductions in manufacturing. Over the year, manufacturing dropped 2,500 jobs (-1.3%). Several durable goods manufacturing industries have shed jobs in the past 12 months: wood product manufacturing (-500 jobs, or -2.2%); machinery manufacturing (-300 jobs, or -2.2%); and transportation equipment manufacturing (-600 jobs, or -5.3%).

Oregon’s unemployment rate was 4.1% in December and 4.0%, as revised, in November. The rate has consistently remained between 4.0% and 4.2% since October 2023. The U.S. unemployment rate was 4.1% in December and 4.2% in November.


The state of Oregon is suing the federal government over President Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship.

It dates back centuries and under the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution that states “all children born in the U.S. are citizens”. It’s also something no other country in the world does.

Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield says the President’s executive order is a violation of the Constitution. Oregon, Washington, Arizona, and Illinois are filing the lawsuit. It seeks an injunction to prevent the order from taking effect until it can be decided in court. Stay tuned as this issue will likely head to the U.S. Supreme Court.

 

You can start filing income taxes on January 27th. Both the IRS and Oregon Department of Revenue will start accepting tax returns.

The IRS estimates 640-thousand Oregonians will be able to use IRS Direct File and Direct File Oregon free tax software. Use the IRS Eligibility Checker on its website to see whether you qualify for the free software. Refunds aren’t issued until after February 15th for fraud protection. The IRS website has information free tax help.

 

You can nominate your kids’ favorite teacher for the Oregon Education Department’s 2025 Teacher of the Year.

Nominations are being accepted through February 6th for teachers Pre-K through 12th grade. The winner is the face and voice of educators across the state.

Candidates first run for regional teacher of the year and then the statewide honor.

 

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.

 

The Britt Festival Orchestra has announced its 2025 season from June 18 to June 28. 

According to a news release from Britt Festival, the following artists will be performing: 

  • Pianist Clayton Stephenson
  • Violinist William Hagen
  • Violinist Tessa Lark and cellist Wei Yu
  • Vocalist Sun-Ly Pierce
  • Pianist Jaeden Izik-Dzurko 
  • Violinist Simone Porter “Concertgoers are invited to attend free pre-concert talks at the Sam & Hannelore Enfield Stage in the Performance Garden. Each talk begins at 7:00 PM and features a discussion about the performance of the evening,” the release said. “Come and enjoy a full Britt experience at every BFO concert.” Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Feb. 24, the release said. There won’t be a member pre-sale. Residents can click here or visit the Britt Box office at 216 W. Main St in Medford from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, or calling 541-773-6077. 

 

The private foundation of Nike co-founder Phil Knight booked another year of accelerated giving in 2023 as its philanthropy expanded beyond universities and Oregon nonprofits to a presidential foundation and an antipoverty group.

 According to a report, The Knight Foundation gave away more than $190 million in 2023, its third consecutive year of at least $150 million in philanthropic gifts.

 

The foundation had more than $5 billion in assets at the end of 2023, up from $3.8 billion a year earlier, according an annual report filed late last year with the Oregon Department of Justice, which collects the documents as part of its oversight of the state’s charities. 

The Knight Foundation remains the largest grant-making organization in the state. Phil Knight rarely discusses his philanthropy and did not respond to a message sent through Nike.

 

 

Sauerkraut maker Randy Gogolin, who named his company the Pickled Dad, couldn’t keep sample trays filled Saturday at Fermentopia, an event focused on the creativity and tradition of fermented foods and beverages held Jan. 25-26 in the southern Oregon city of Phoenix.

More than 800 people attended the first day of Fermentopia’s debut, and Gogolin and other sellers hope the pop-up market becomes an annual event.

Gogolin was one of 30 makers selling pickled vegetables, tangy sourdough breads, savory miso, zesty hot sauces and bubbly ciders inside the civic center surrounded by a natural wetland area and downtown businesses.

As planned, the first Fermentopia extended beyond the civic center to the Oregon Cheese Cave steps to the north and Moxie Brew Kombucha to the south along the city’s revitalized Main Street. Admission to Fermentopia was $5 and included tastes at every table, from Rogue Creamery cheese to Whistling Duck Farm’s lemon dill sauerkraut and fermented drinks called kvasses.

It was a quiet Friday morning for the employees of a Beaverton Fred Meyer – until 8:30 a.m, when news suddenly broke that the store had sold the winning Powerball ticket with a $328.5 million payout.

The Oregon Lottery said in a statement that the store — located at 15995 SW Walker Road — will receive a $100,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.  The lottery also announced that a ticket holder came forward Wednesday to claim the prize, but added that “it will take time” to confirm the winner and publicly reveal the person. 

Fred Meyer has sold other winning tickets in Oregon recently, including a $1 million raffle ticket in March 2024.

It’s been 25 years since the music group Phish played a show in the Rose City — a number most local fans won’t let you forget. But the time to reset the clock is finally near, with the rock band scheduled to play its first Portland concert of the 21st century in April.

Phish, the American jam band formed in 1983, will play the Moda Center Sunday, April 20, at 7:30 p.m. The stop is part of the band’s 2025 West Coast tour, which includes two shows each in Seattle and San Francisco and ends with three nights at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl. 

General public ticket sales start at noon on Friday, Feb. 7 at Ticketmaster, though fans can request pre-sale tickets on the Phish website through 9 a.m. Monday, Feb. 3. Phish played its most recent Portland on Sept. 12, 1999, at horse racing (and occasional outdoor concert) venue Portland Meadows, which shut down in 2019.

 

Fifty-two organizations will receive $5,000 Arts Build Communities grants in fiscal year 2025, totaling $260,000 for projects that address community issues or needs through the arts.

The Oregon Arts Commission’s Arts Build Communities program is committed to promoting arts access for underserved audiences and targets broad geographic impact throughout the state.

One example of the funded projects is Gather:Make:Shelter’s Monograph Project, touring exhibitions that feature the work of Oregon-based artists with current or former experiences with houselessness.

In recent years, the Arts Build Communities program has generated more than $600,000 in additional community investment, much of it representing salaries paid, as well as products and services purchased in the funded communities.

These grants are made possible through a funding partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. Recipients here in Southern Oregon include the Ashland High Arts Advocates, to support the SAM Project, which partners with local performing and fine artists, teachers and the Ashland School District to match students with arts mentors.

While the SAM Project is open to all K-12 students, it specifically reaches out to and prioritizes students who are low-income, have specific needs or are members of underserved populations. Funds will be used to cover expenses such as mentor stipends, equipment and materials, marketing and operational support.

The Ashland new play festival, to support the 2025 playwriting competition and festival, which fosters new work by diverse emerging and established playwrights, directly engaging the Ashland community. Each year, 70 volunteers help to blind-review 350 scripts to identify finalists. The Artistic Director and team (100% BIPOC) select four to five winners, with at least 50% by BIPOC authors. The plays are presented in staged readings by professional directors and actors, drawing more than 3,000 attendees over one week.

Finally, The Cave Junction farmer’s market, supportin a theater class (March-September 2025) and performance of The Great Melt at the farmers market site. Participating youth will explore how to mitigate climate issues, such as increasingly frequent high temperatures and poor AQI quality days.

Youth will create a visual story around the real-life impact of climate change. Requested funds will pay for Art Educators and purchase supplies.

 

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