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 BasinLife.com, KFLS News/Talk 1450AM/102.5FM, The Herald and News, and powered by Fairfield Realty, 2700 Washburn Way. Call them at 541-238-5532.

 

Monday, August 31, 2026

Klamath Basin Weather

Frost Advisory in effect from September 2, 04:00 AM until 08:00 AM PDT
Red Flag Warning all day today, August 31^st.until August 31, 08:00 PM PDT

 

Oregon Tech recently hosted the 10th Annual Klamath Tribes Youth Summit (KTYS) from August 11 to 13 on its Klamath Falls campus.

This year’s theme, “Individual Journeys, Shared Purpose,” facilitated a gathering of Native youth from the region for three days dedicated to cultural education, leadership enhancement, and community engagement. In collaboration with the Klamath Tribes Department of Education and Employment, the Oregon Tech Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Cultural Engagement welcomed approximately 50 to 75 participants aged 12 to 18.

The attendees included representatives from the Klamath Tribes, Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, and the Pit River Tribe.

The summit aims to inspire Native youth to delve into and honor their heritage, culture, and communities while also providing them with the chance to experience a college environment and gain insights into higher education opportunities that could shape their futures.

 

Candidate Filings as of August 25, 2026
Current Open City Positions: Ward 3, Ward 4, and Ward 5

The deadline to file for a local municipal office in the General Election was August 25, 2026.

For the November 3, 2026 General Election, for the City of Klamath Falls Elected Positions, the below listed candidates have officially filed as of August 25, 2026 for the offices as listed. They all filed by Affidavit of Nomination and have paid their respective filing fees. If anyone has questions regarding who has filed for the above-reference offices, you may contact the City Recorder.

Candidates who Filed as of August 25, 2026:
Terra Russo (Incumbent) – Ward 3
Abbie McClung (Incumbent) – Ward 4
Clifford Foster – Ward 5
Marc Cross – Ward 5

Qualifications under the City Charter to run for the Mayor Position are: 1) must be a resident of the City of Klamath Falls or area annexed to the City continuously during the four (4) years immediately preceding the election; and 2) must meet state requirements to run for elected office. To run for a City Council position the above qualifications apply, but you also have to be a current resident within the Ward District to be represented. 

 

Around the State of Oregon

The deadline for Oregon families to apply for vital food assistance through the Summer EBT Program is Tuesday.

This program provides $120 for each eligible child to assist with grocery expenses, and once benefits are granted, they must be utilized within 122 days. Many families may have received these benefits automatically if they are participants in SNAP, TANF, or have income-eligible Medicaid members.

However, the Oregon Department of Human Services and the Oregon Department of Education are encouraging families to verify their eligibility. Program manager Christine Doody emphasized the significance of this assistance, stating that while $120 may seem modest, it can significantly impact families facing food insecurity, particularly for school-aged children as they prepare for a healthy start to the academic year.

For further details and to apply, families are advised to visit the program’s website.

 

Governor Tina Kotek has indicated that Oregon should anticipate several additional weeks of wildfires before the season concludes, as fires persist nationwide, placing a strain on regional resources.

During an aerial tour of active fires and burn scars, including the Grasshopper and Cottonwood fires, she noted that the Grasshopper Fire is currently 76 percent contained, while the Cottonwood Fire is 95 percent contained.

The ongoing fires across the country have restricted the availability of resources that Oregon typically relies on for assistance. To date, firefighting crews have utilized nearly one-and-a-half million gallons of water to combat wildfires in the state.

The governor emphasized the strong collaboration between wildland fire crews and federal agencies, highlighting that federal support continues to be directed to Oregon.

 

Oregon Students Head Back to School as Education Rankings Raise Serious Concerns

As students across Oregon return to the classroom this week, there is growing concern about the condition of the state’s public education system — and new test scores are raising some uncomfortable questions about how well Oregon is preparing its students for the future.

A national ranking places Oregon among the worst states in the country for public education, with standardized test results showing significant declines in student performance over the past several years.

Consumer Affairs ranked Oregon as the 11th-worst state in the nation for public education. And results from the 2024 Nation’s Report Card paint an equally troubling picture.

The national average combined score for fourth- and eighth-grade math and reading was 980. Massachusetts ranked highest at 1,022, while New Mexico came in last at 926.

Oregon scored just 959 — the seventh-lowest score in the nation.

That means as Oregon students head back to school this week, educators and parents are facing a serious question: Are Oregon students getting the education they need to keep up with students in other states?

School leaders caution that the test scores don’t tell the entire story.

One factor is Oregon’s testing opt-out policy. Oregon allows families to choose not to have their children take state standardized tests. Massachusetts, by comparison, requires students to take them.

Corvallis Superintendent Ryan Noss said the number of students who opt out needs to be considered when looking at Oregon’s results.

“I think it’s an area that for families to know that those tests do make a difference in terms of how we’re seen and represented,” Noss said.

Bethel Superintendent Kraig Sprloes also pushed back against the idea that Oregon’s rankings tell the whole story.

“I don’t think it’s a true narrative that we’re actually one of the lowest in the nation,” Sprloes said. “I think it’s a true narrative that we have a lot of people who don’t believe in the way that we test.”

But there is another issue that is difficult to ignore: student attendance.

Oregon’s performance has deteriorated considerably since before the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, Oregon ranked 19th-worst based on test scores. Since then, the state has fallen further behind.

Sprloes said attendance has become a major problem since the pandemic.

“We have had really low attendance since the pandemic, one of the lowest in the nation,” he said. “So when we talk about why are our test scores so low and then we look at our attendance…”

The concern is straightforward: students can’t learn if they aren’t in school.

Eugene 4J Superintendent Miriam Mickleson also pointed to declining enrollment as another challenge facing Oregon schools.

“Student enrollment decline certainly is a factor and that is not unique to 4J,” she said. “That enrollment decline, that seems to be the trend in the state and across the country.”

Oregon’s test scores were once much closer to national averages. Scores began declining around 2017, with the drop becoming considerably more pronounced following the pandemic.

And while student performance declined across the country during that period, Oregon experienced a particularly significant drop.

Sprloes said part of the solution could involve changing the way students are tested.

“I think the way to get back to that is have a test that is relevant and timely and makes sense to the kids who are taking it and makes sense to the families who we’re presenting the results to,” he said.

Oregon is now attempting to change the way student progress is tracked.

The 2025 Education Accountability Act, also known as Senate Bill 141, creates a new accountability system within school districts. The law does not eliminate Oregon’s testing opt-out option, but it adds three assessments throughout the school year designed to measure student progress and provide information to parents.

The goal is to give teachers and families a clearer picture of how students are performing in reading and math — and to identify problems before students fall further behind.

Sprloes said families will receive reports showing how their children are performing in reading and math.

“To be able to see kids how they’re doing in reading and math and then to be able to provide that information to our teachers so we can change instruction for the kids but also to our families,” he said.

But those changes won’t happen overnight.

For now, school districts say one of the most important things parents can do is make sure their children show up for school — every day they can.

They also encourage families to allow their children to participate in state testing because the results help schools and state officials understand where students are succeeding and where they are falling behind.

Attendance can also have a financial impact. Oregon distributes education funding based in part on student enrollment and attendance.

As classrooms fill up again this week, the concern isn’t simply about a number on a national ranking.

It’s about whether today’s students are getting the reading, math and other skills they will need when they graduate — and whether Oregon can reverse the downward trend before another generation of students pays the price.

As the new school year gets underway, the question now is whether Oregon can turn its education numbers around before the gap becomes even harder to close.

 

A man from Tri City was apprehended in the early hours of Saturday, August 29, after the Myrtle Creek Police Department (MCPD) reported that he had arranged to meet a minor for sexual purposes following an explicit online exchange.

The investigation commenced on August 28 when authorities discovered that 52-year-old Andrew Anthony Howren had engaged in a conversation with a juvenile, during which he sent sexually explicit messages and images, culminating in a plan for a physical meeting.

At approximately 1 a.m. on August 29, Howren arrived to meet the juvenile and was arrested without resistance. Following his interrogation, he was taken to the Douglas County Jail, where he was charged with online sexual corruption of a child in both the first and second degrees, in addition to luring a minor.

The police have encouraged anyone who may have experienced inappropriate interactions with Howren online to reach out to Detective Kevin Taggart, while also advising parents to vigilantly supervise their children’s online activities and report any suspicious behavior to law enforcement.

 

Oregon’s Secretary of State Tobias Read has announced his intention to proceed with the midterm election in accordance with existing state law, despite the President’s recent executive order concerning vote-by-mail.

The left-leaning Secretary Read noted that the U.S. Postal Service has yet to release updated regulations regarding ballot mailing, which contributed to the High Court’s decision not to block the executive order.

He has directed county clerks to continue with their standard election preparations, ensuring that ballots for military and overseas voters will be dispatched shortly.

Read emphasized that he is in regular communication with the Postal Service to facilitate a seamless and unobstructed election process. Expect this to head to the U.S. Supreme Court to be solved along with other states who refuse to comply. The issue at hand, is to strengthen our American elections and eliminate voter mail-in fraud, which has been uncovered in many states.

 

Mexican National Sentenced for Trafficking Over 70 Firearms 

PORTLAND, Ore.—A Mexican man who was a recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration status was sentenced to federal prison today for trafficking firearms, announced Scott E. Bradford, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

Vincente Cortes Quiroz, 37, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison and 3 years’ supervised release.

According to court documents, investigators learned that Quiroz acquired over 120 firearms in Oregon since 2014 from licensed firearms dealers. Quiroz lied by stating he was a United States citizen on many of the firearm purchase forms. Over 70 firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition were seized from Quiroz’s residence. Two vehicles Quiroz used in his crime were also seized.

“Getting illegal firearms off the streets is a top priority. Through our collaboration with our law enforcement partners, we removed more than 70 illegal guns, making our community safer,” said Scott E. Bradford.

 

As over 20 wildfires rage across 2.6 million acres in Oregon, wildfire officials are reiterating the importance of avoiding drone flights in these areas.

Drones present a serious hazard to firefighting aircraft, leading to potential grounding of planes and helicopters for extended periods until the drone threat is resolved. Such delays can exacerbate the spread of wildfires, according to the Oregon Department of Emergency Management.

Their message is clear: “If you fly, we can’t.” Kenji Sugahara, Director of the Oregon Department of Aviation, emphasized that unauthorized drones can jeopardize lives, as firefighting aircraft operate under extremely difficult conditions and may be forced to vacate the area when their presence is most critical.

Furthermore, the use of drones near wildfires is illegal and can result in severe federal penalties, including up to a year in prison and fines reaching $75,000, a risk that state officials deem unacceptable.

 

Oregon Affordable Housing Development Pairs Homes with Child Care to Tackle Two Affordability Challenges at Once