The latest news stories in the Klamath Basin and around the state of Oregon from Wynne Broadcasting’s KFLS News/Talk 1450AM/102.5FM, BasinLife.com and The Herald & News.
THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2020
Klamath Basin Weather
Fri 12 – 69°/43°Isolated Thunderstorms 30% SW 14 mph
Sat 13 – 56°/38°Mostly Cloudy 20% W 11 mph
Sun 14 – 67°/43°Partly Cloudy 10% W 12 mph
Mon 15 – 68°/40°Partly Cloudy 0% W 14 mph
Tue 16 – 68°/39°Partly Cloudy 10% NW 13 mph
Wed 17 – 75°/43°Sunny 0% NW 12 mph
Thu 18 – 77°/47°Mostly Sunny 0% NW 12 mph
Fri 19 – 79°/49°Mostly Sunny 0% NW 11 mph
Sat 20 – 82°/50°Mostly Sunny 10% WNW 11 mph
Sun 21 – 83°/52°Partly Cloudy 10% WNW 10 mph
Mon 22 – 84°/52°Mostly Sunny 0% WNW 11 mph
Tue 23 – 84°/52°Mostly Sunny 0% WNW 11 mph
Wed 24 – 85°/51°Mostly Sunny 10% WNW 12 mph
Thu 25 – 85°/52°Sunny 10% WNW 11 mph
TODAY’s HEADLINES
The Oregon Department of Education on Wednesday released its long-awaited guidance for schools that are looking ahead to a new school year amid the continued threat of coronavirus, following months of ambiguity.
Under the guidance, each district in the state will work to develop its own plan, an “Operational Blueprint for Reentry” that could consist of bringing students back to the classroom, continuing distance learning, or creating a hybrid learning model. Districts will also have to develop communicable disease management plans in the event of COVID-19 outbreaks at a school, being ready to return to distance learning or modify school calendars if that happens. Before the beginning of the school year, the plan developed by each district must be reviewed by the local school board and made available to the community on the district website, ODE said. Schools within a given district will decide what form their education will take, under the direction of the district.
Multiple employees at Harry & David’s campus in Medford have tested positive for coronavirus, the company’s corporate offices confirmed on Tuesday.
Harry & David is owned by 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. A corporate spokesperson gave NewsWatch 12 the following statement on Tuesday evening: A company spokesperson says the company is actively working with the Jackson County health department. The breakout was reportedly in the specialty foods area of the facility. Officials could not confirm how many employees had tested positive at the Medford Harry & David campus. Many of Oregon’s most recent outbreaks of coronavirus have been among workers at food processing facilities in the state, driving a spike in cases on Sunday and Monday. The Oregon Health Authority has started reporting outbreaks of more than five cases at a single workplace in its weekly reports.
Two Henley High School 2020 graduates have been selected as Ford Scholars, winning Ford Family Foundation scholarships that will pay for 90 percent of their college costs for four years.
Henley’s Jessi Fellows and Karina Gonzalez join five other Klamath County School District graduates in earning the coveted scholarship. Recipients announced earlier were Bonanza seniors Cassidy Byrne, Chris Eck, and Breanna Mestas; Lost River senior Yulisa Alonzo Zamora; and Gilchrist senior Larken Ackley. Of 6,000 or so applicants, the Ford Family Foundation this year selected 113 students from Oregon and 17 students from Siskiyou County, Calif., who demonstrated exceptional academic and personal potential. The Ford Scholars scholarship covers 90 percent of unmet college costs and is calculated on the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, room and board, personal costs, etc.), minus other grants and scholarships.
While there is still optimism for fall sports to start on time at area schools, Mazama high school is in a pinch. Athletic director and vice principal Vic Lease is in need of varsity soccer coaches for both the boys and girls teams.
Lease is optimistic that the large number of soccer enthusiasts that may have been part of the Basin United soccer club at Steen sports park will attract high-quality candidates. Those interested in the positions should contact Lease at Mazama High School, or email him at leasev@kcsd.k12.or.us.
ODFW temporarily lifted size and harvest limits for all game fish at Howard Prairie Reservoir beginning yesterday June 10 through September 30th .
With the high likelihood of a fish kill due to low water levels, expected heatwaves, and summer irrigation drawdown, biologists hope anglers will harvest some of these fish now.
Conditions at Howard Prairie are similar to those in 1992-1993 when the reservoir dropped to its lowest level on record and boat ramps closed due to low water. ODFW STEP biologist Ryan Battleson believes these conditions, combined with a lack of fishing pressure early in the season due to COVID-19 restrictions could lead to a potential fish kill and wants to see those fish harvested instead.
The “dead pool” is the elevation at which no more water could be drained from the reservoir. Currently, Howard Prairie is just 25 percent full and the marina and docks are dry.
No paved boat ramps are currently available. Most angling will be best from personal watercraft or from shore. Afternoon northwest winds do pick up at Howard Prairie, so small vessel anglers should be aware and plan accordingly.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler has no immediate plans to resign.
Wheeler responded to questions on whether he planned to follow Police Chief Jami Resch’s example in stepping down during a recent press conference. Wheeler says he loves being the mayor of Portland and he believes he can lead the city through the changes that are required. Wheeler added that he was overwhelmingly elected four years ago to serve the city no matter what. Resch announced yesterday she is resigning after six months on the job and asking Lieutenant Chuck Lovell, who is a black, to take her place.
Portlanders protested against police violence and systemic racism for the 14th straight night Wednesday.
The demonstrations began a day after Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler announced plans to disband three police units and shift $12 million of city money to support communities of color. The mayor also pledged to advocate for a slate of other police reforms when the city council formally votes on the proposal. The Portland movement came out of the national reaction to the death of George Floyd, a black Minneapolis man killed May 25 after a white police officer knelt on Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes. Dozens of similar demonstrations take place every day across Oregon, including in Eugene and Salem.
…For complete details on these and other stories see today’s Herald & News. Wynne Broadcasting and the Herald and News…stronger together to keep you informed.
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