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Today’s Klamath Falls Headlines

Swatting Incident Reported by KFPD

Local law enforcement surrounded a neighborhood in downtown Klamath Falls this past weekend due to false reports of an ongoing violent crime.

Captain Rob Reynolds of the Klamath Falls Police Department stated that the agency received two distinct reports regarding a shooting incident on the 300 block of North Sixth St. on Saturday afternoon.

According to Reynolds, the first caller alleged that a man had shot and killed his wife and was attempting to force open the bathroom door where his son had taken refuge. A second caller indicated that they had heard five or six gunshots in the vicinity, as reported by the police scanner. Reynolds mentioned that the initial report was made to the non-emergency KFPD line from a private number. The second caller was also untraceable and, according to Reynolds, sounded like a child trying to disguise his voice.

In reaction to these calls, S.W.A.T. was dispatched to the area, and a perimeter was set up around the neighborhood by both state and city police.

False reports of this kind are known as “swatting,” which involves making false claims of serious, violent crimes to provoke law enforcement into deploying large-scale responses. The act of swatting can lead to various criminal charges.

 

Relax at the Klamath Yacht Club this weekend for a delightful experience of “fun in the sun” during the annual Brats, Brews & Blues Festival.

The Saturday blues festival also serves as a fundraiser to benefit the Klamath Hospice’s Camp Evergreen and Camp Sapling, which are two local initiatives aimed at supporting bereaved youth.

This year marks the 24th annual BB&B festival organized by the Klamath Basin Sunrise Rotary, promising enjoyable food, entertainment, and camaraderie for everyone. From 2 to 4 p.m., immerse yourself in the twangy, sweet sounds of the Brothers Reed, followed by Broadway Phil and the Shouters, who will deliver some classic rocking blues.

The BB&B festival will take place from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 9th at the Klamath Yacht Club, located at 2700 Front St., in Klamath Falls.

Admission is priced at $25 per person, which does not cover food or beverages.

 

An increase in public art is forthcoming in downtown Klamath Falls as the city persists in its commitment to community beautification and revitalization.

This week, the Klamath Falls City Council revealed that it will once again collaborate with the internationally renowned wildlife sculptor Stefan Savides to install a new bronze artwork in the city.

Savides, celebrated for his realistic avian sculptures, has several pieces already exhibited locally, including those at Klamath Commons Park and the roundabout on Homedale Road. His latest commission is a life-sized bronze bull elk, approximately 6 feet tall and 4 feet wide, which will be placed in Baldwin Park after the completion of a related landscaping project later this year.

Savides’ sculptures are praised for their capacity to embody the natural essence of wildlife through clean and elegant designs. His works have been showcased in galleries, museums, and private collections worldwide.

The total cost for the elk sculpture project is $94,300, with the city contributing only $25,000. The remaining amount will be sourced from grants, private donations, and charitable foundations.

Free School Clothing Distribution in Chiloquin August 8–9

Chiloquin, OR – Families in need of back-to-school clothing are invited to a Free School Clothing Distribution event this Friday and Saturday, August 8–9, at the Chiloquin Community Center. The event runs from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. each day.

Gently used school clothing and other essential items will be available at no cost. Parents and guardians are encouraged to come pick out clothing for their children before the new school year begins.

This community project is proudly sponsored by Healthy Klamath, Just Serve, and Chiloquin Visions in Progress (CVIP).

Volunteers are still needed to help sort and organize the donated items. Those interested in volunteering can contact Anita Johnson at 909-240-1048.

This community effort is a great way to support local families and ensure every child has what they need to start school with confidence.

 

Klamath Falls Farmers Market is participating in a nationwide celebration of National Farmers Market Week this Saturday, Aug 9th.

The festivities will commence at 9 a.m. on Main Street in downtown, featuring a special dedication by Mayor Carol Westfall to honor the local organization and the farmers who provide fresh food to our tables.

Fernando Rayas, a local farmer and board member of the Klamath Falls Farmers Market, stated that purchasing local produce “supports a family committed to cultivating food for the community in the basin.” This week’s event is made possible by the sponsorship of Sky Lakes Medical Center and the city of Klamath Falls. Over 50 vendors are expected to participate, showcasing peak-season produce, freshly baked goods, and local artisan crafts and products.

Additionally, the program will include complimentary horse-drawn carriage rides, games, and a photo booth.

The construction of a new facility has been completed, which offers Klamath Crimson Rose enhanced resources to assist young girls and women in embarking on a new journey beyond the criminal justice system.

Dan Golden, the director of the juvenile department in Klamath County, stated that Klamath Crimson Rose (KCR) operates a 90-day behavioral stabilization program that has demonstrated effectiveness for female youth. Following this, Golden mentioned that Crimson Rose collaborates with parole and probation officers in the girls’ home districts to coordinate care plans, aiding in the acquisition of ongoing treatment resources.

Statistics from the Oregon Youth Authority (OYA), the state organization that funds the KCR program and its new facility, indicate that around 75% of girls diverted from the criminal justice system into these youth programs do not re-enter the juvenile court system. The new facility has expanded the total number of available beds to 12.

County Commissioner Kelley Minty commended the program for its achievements since its inception in 2014. The girls referred to KCR are aged between 12 and 20, frequently facing mental health challenges and histories of abuse. A memorandum of understanding between KCR and Klamath Basin Behavioral Health ensures on-site access for the youth in need, which includes both individualized and group therapy sessions, according to Golden.

The educational requirements are also addressed on-site, thanks to a collaboration with Klamath Falls City Schools’ Klamath Institute program, which provides one full-time teacher and a part-time teacher’s aide. The new building design incorporates an education center and an art room, offering young girls a space to learn and express their creativity.

 

Are you planning to take part in the annual Ride the Rim event at Crater Lake National Park? If you have not yet registered, you will need to wait until next year.

The organizers of the annual rides, which occur on the first two Saturdays of September — this year on September 6 and 13 — announced earlier this week that, “Due to an overwhelming response, registration for this year’s Ride the Rim at Crater Lake National Park is officially closed.

We have reached the capacity limits for all designated event parking areas, and the National Park Service has closed registration to ensure a safe and smooth experience for all attendees.” More than 3,900 individuals have registered for the event, which is conducted in partnership with Crater Lake National Park, Discover Klamath, and the Friends of Crater Lake.

In addition to standard bicycles, electric bikes that require pedaling are permitted, as well as walkers and runners. On the Ride days, East Rim Drive, from its junction with the North Entrance Road to park headquarters, will be closed from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The total distance around the lake on Rim Drive is 33 miles, but the area closed to vehicles, from East Rim Drive at its junction with the North Entrance to park headquarters, is 25 miles. Since its inception in 2013, the Ride has attracted cyclists from across the nation and around the globe. Initially named Vehicle-Free Days, the event was renamed in 2015 — when Discover Klamath joined as a partner — because some individuals misunderstood the original name to imply that vehicles would have free access to the park.

 

A ribbon-cutting ceremony held last week marked the inauguration of an expanded segment of the Geo Trail, which was made possible in part by the efforts of civil engineering students from Oregon Tech — who developed the design for a ramp leading to Crystal Terrace as their senior project in 2023.

The Geo Trail in Klamath Falls was established in 2016 as a community-driven initiative. This nearly 2-mile-long recreational trail is situated above Oregon Tech and Sky Lakes Medical Center, offering picturesque views of the Klamath Basin.

Conor Roark, Ashley Ripplinger, Hunter Stubbs, Zachary Walker, Mark Villanueva, and Lief Tuel worked in collaboration with Justin Rodriguez, a professional engineer (P.E.) and a member of the Klamath Trails Alliance Advisory Board, to devise a design that would enhance trail access for residents of the Crystal Terrace senior living facility as well as for commuters heading to Sky Lakes Medical Center.

The team commenced the project during the Fall 2022 and Winter 2023 terms of their senior design course, under the guidance of assistant professor of civil engineering Jintai Wang.

 

The area surrounding the static F-15 jet display in Klamath Falls is set for renovation.

During a recent council meeting, the Klamath Falls City Council sanctioned a construction services agreement with Diversified Contractors, Inc. to carry out the “Veterans Park Plaza Improvement Project.”

For this initiative, the city allocated a total of $175,000 during the budget discussions in May, with financing sourced from the city parks capital outlay fund. Terry Sellars, the maintenance director for Klamath Falls Parks, informed the council that the bids received exceeded expectations. After being put out for bid on June 19, the city received two proposals, both significantly above the allocated budget, with Diversified’s bid amounting to $244,699.

Sellars mentioned that the staff managed to collaborate with Diversified to lower the total bid by $19,500, resulting in a final cost of $225,199, in addition to a contingency allowance of $22,520. The location of the retired jet display is situated on top of the park’s concrete amphitheater, where it was installed in January 2024.

 

Firefighters continue to respond to last week’s lightning fires on the Klamath National Forest

YREKA, Calif.— After a week of days with thunderstorms, officials say the Klamath National Forest had a total of 29 lightning fires. Of those, 19 have been contained. The largest fire, the Big Cliff just west of the Russian Wilderness, was transferred to the Orleans Complex to be managed by the incident management team. Most were in the Highway 96 corridor. Crews engaged in aggressive initial attack, keeping the fires small.

Fires by district:

Happy Camp-Oak Knoll Ranger District

• Peak Fire – On the north side of Tim’s Peak, about eight miles north-northeast of Happy Camp. It is 1/10 acre and staffed with smokejumpers.
• Mattern Fire – On Grider Ridge, about 2.5 miles southwest of Grider Creek Campground. This fire is 1/10 acre and has handline around it.
• Fork Fire – This 1/4-acre fire is also on Grider Ridge, about 2.5 miles south-southwest of Grider Creek Campground, and is contained.
• Lake Fire – Just north of Lake Mountain Lookout, this 1/10-acre fire is contained.
• White Fire – Roughly six miles north of Sarah Totten Campground, the White Fire is 1/10 acre on the east side of White Cloud Peak.
• Cloud Fire – Very close to the White Fire, the Cloud is 1/10 acre and staffed.
• Fish Fire – Up Horse Creek, the Fish Fire is five miles north of Sarah Totten Campground. The Fish is also 1/10 acre and staffed.
• Reeves Fire – The Reeves Fire is up the East Fork of Horse Creek, about two miles south of the Pacific Crest Trail. This fire is 1/10 acre and contained.
• Mole Fire – The Mole Fire is also 1/10 acre and contained. It is up Horse Creek on Middle Creek Ridge, about three miles north of the Horse Creek Bridge.
• Neil Fire – On Johnny O’Neil Ridge about three miles north of Sarah Totten Campground. It is 1/10 acre and staffed.

Salmon-Scott River Ranger District

• Wicks Fire – This fire was reported last night between Meeks and Ruffey Lakes 1.5 miles southeast of Etna Summit. The fire is 1/10 acre, controlled, and in patrol status.

• Blueberry Fire – The Blueberry Fire is in the Marble Mountain Wilderness about one mile west of Blueberry, Wooley, and Heather lakes. Smokejumpers are on scene this 1/10-acre fire.
• Tompkins Fire – Two miles south of Lake Mountain Lookout, the Tompkins is about 1/2 acre. Resources are on scene, including rappelers, an engine, a dozer and a crew from the Siskiyou Unit of CAL FIRE.
• Love Fire – Smokejumpers are on scene of this 1/10-acre fire, located in the Marble Mountain Wilderness about two miles west of Lovers Camp Trailhead.

One fire from the last few days remains uncontained. The Middle Fire, detected on July 31, is roughly six miles north of Sarah Totten Campground. The Middle is five acres with fireline around it. Resources remain on scene mopping up and strengthening fireline.

Weather Outlook

An upper-level trough will pass over the Klamath National Forest on Sunday, bringing cooler temperatures and periods of gusty winds. Another round of isolated afternoon and evening thunderstorms is possible. Warm and dry conditions are expected in the upcoming week.

Fire Restrictions 

The Klamath National Forest is in fire restrictions. This means that, among other things, campfires are only permitted in designated recreation areas. For a list of designated recreation areas and additional restricted activities, visithttps://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/klamath/alerts/fire-restrictions.

Now through August 15th, Rocky Mountain Construction will conduct pavement operations on the segments of Austin Street and Avalon Street.

Traffic management measures, including lane and road closures, will be implemented throughout the construction period. Work crews will operate between the hours of 7PM and 7AM. We advise you to exercise caution when navigating through construction areas. For any inquiries or issues, please reach out to the Streets Division at 541-883-5385.

KLAMATH COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT ROAD WORK

MAJOR WORK FOR THE WEEK OF AUGUST 4-8, 2025
Klamath County will have work crews at the following locations. Please use caution when in
these areas and watch for flaggers. If you are able to avoid the work zones, please use an
alternate route for your safety and the safety of Klamath County employees and our contractors.

Chip Seal Crew
August 7th – Town of Crescent

4:00 AM – Early Morning Broom Crew
August 7th – August 8th – Town of Crescent

Homedale Shoulder Widening – Homedale Road south between Southside Bypass
(OR140) and Brett Way:
Homedale South will be closed between South Side Bypass (OR140) and Brett Way between
the hours of 7:00am – 5:00pm, follow detour signs. Crews will be working in the roadway.

See the following link for a map of roads to be chip sealed for the 2025 season, or log onto the
Klamath County Public Works website at http://www.klamathcounty.org/734/Maps.
In general, flagging stations will be set up at the end of the work zone and delays will be 0 to 20
minutes for the motoring public. Our goal is to minimize the delay to the motoring public. Other
minor work is occurring through the County but we are only listing the major items in this
announcement. There may be adjustments of work schedules due to weather or other items
outside of the County’s control (breakdown of equipment, material/resource availability, etc.)
Please do not contact the County if you do not see work occurring, it could be finished already
or will be rescheduled.

Please drive slow through Chip Seal and Paint Stripe areas. This will reduce damage to the
areas and reduce the probability of oil or paint getting on your vehicle. Klamath County Public
Works and the Board of County Commissioners appreciate the motoring publics’ patience
during the repair season for our local roads and bridges. If you have any questions regarding
work, please contact the Public Works Department at (541) 883-4696.

STREET WORK WEEK OF AUGUST 4, 2025

KLAMATH FALLS, OR – Road work this week will be performed as follows:

Asphalt Crews:
Asphalt crews will be working from 4 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. August 4 through August 6, 2025 as follows:
Monday 8-4-2025: Grind 6th Street from the overpass to Broad, lane will be
closed with no access onto Spring Street. Traffic control will be in place.
Tuesday 8-5-2025: Pave 6th Street from the overpass to Broad, lane will be closed
no access onto Spring Street. Traffic control will be in place.
Wednesday 8-6-2025 and Thursday 8-7-2025: Grind and pave 6th at Oak Lane will
be closed. Traffic control will be in place.

Paint Crews:
Paint crews will be working from 3 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. August 5 through August 8, 2025 as follows:
Tuesday 8-5-2025 through Friday 8-8-2025: Painting Crosswalks and legends on
Washburn from 3 a.m. till 7 a.m., then painting crosswalks, curbs, and legends
around Mills Elementary School, Ponderosa Middle School and Eagle Ridge High
School.

Signs and Sweeping Crews:
Monday 8-4-2025 through Thursday 8-8-2025: Fixing signs and sweeping citywide as needed. All work is weather-dependent. Please use caution while traveling in work zones.

 

City Work Begins on Geothermal Pipeline Replacement Project – N. 8th St

Beginning this week, Bob’s Excavating will be working on N 8th Street. Road and lane closures with flaggers will be in place to direct local traffic. Construction closures and flaggers expected to be in place now  through Friday, October 17th. Please take caution when traveling through or around construction zones.

For more information, please contact Public Works at 541-883-5363.

 

Students from Henley High School constructed a custom ride for a 4-year-old with mobility limitations, enabling him to move around more freely.

Engineering students designed a vibrant red car for Paxton, a 4-year-old from the Eugene area who has a passion for dinosaurs. This initiative is part of the national Go Baby Go program, which promotes mobility through the adaptive design of ride-on cars for children. The car has been modified to meet Paxton’s specific requirements, including head and neck supports, a push-button toggle control, and an adjustable harness system.

Senior students Joshua Weaver and Anthony Flores spearheaded the initial phase of the project. They utilized their mechanical and electrical engineering expertise to create a custom head support system and personalized the car with Paxton’s name and dinosaur decals. Paxton received the car in July, and he was thrilled with it.

Go Baby Go is a national, community-oriented research, design, and outreach program that provides modified ride-on cars to children with limited mobility.