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Tuesday, June 18, 2024

Klamath Basin Weather

OSU Study shows local agricultural economy impacts over 3,000 jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars.

A recent economic impact study, conducted by Highland Economics and commissioned by the Klamath Basin Research and Extension Center (KBREC) with funding from Oregon State University Extension and Klamath County, Oregon, reveals the Klamath Project’s substantial contribution to the region’s economic stability, numbering in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

The study, currently under peer review, has shed light on the immense contribution of the agricultural economy of the Upper Klamath Basin and the importance of a reliable water supply.

Crater Lake boat tours are back for the summer.

Reservations are open for tours between July 15 and September 15. First come, first serve tickets are also available on location at the park.

There are a few options to choose from including the standard lake cruise, Wizard Island tour, or just simply use the boat as a shuttle to and from Wizard Island for swimming and fishing.

Prices for the standard tour are $33 for kids and $48 for adults.

The trail to get to the boat dock is about 2 miles long round-trip, with a 700 foot change in elevation.

To get more information or to make reservations, head to the Crater Lake National Park website.

The Opioid Settlement Prevention, Treatment & Recovery Board, also known as the Opioid Settlement Board, directs $5 million to recovery centers in Josephine and Klamath counties.

The funding to the two counties is part of a larger $13 million statewide boost in substance use disorder recovery infrastructure.

Funding to individual recovery centers will be identified by the Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission (ADPC) Recovery Subcommittee in collaboration with the Oregon Health Authority.

Settlement Board Co-Chair, Annaliese Dolph, says this investment prioritizes high-need communities lacking access to supports for people in recovery.

A proposed timeline and implementation plan is scheduled to be brought to the Settlement Board for approval by September 1st.

Summer is here and Lava Beds and Tule Lake National Monuments are open and ready for summer operations.

Many of the developed caves at Lava Beds National Monument are open but people are asked to not enter a cave without receiving a cave permit, which are available either at the entrance station or the visitor center. There are several seasonal cave closures on Cave Loop Road to protect bat colonies and they are clearly marked.

Mushpot Cave, recommended as an introductory cave because it is partially lighted and has interpretative signs, reopened earlier this year after being closed for repairs.

For first-time visitors or people not used to caving, other “less challenging” caves include Valentine, Skull, Merrill, Symbol Bridge/Big Painted Cave. Among caves listed as moderately challenging are Golden Dome, Sunshine, Indian Well, while more challenging are Labyrinth, Lava Brook, Hercules Leg, Catacombs and Hopkins Chocolate.

Always check at park headquarters to learn the current status of those and other caves.

Lights can be borrowed at park headquarters but visitors are strongly urged to have their own light sources — not cell phones, however — and be prepared to dress warmly and wear hardhats. Stooping and crawling is often necessary.

The Indian Well Campground is open with sites available on a first-come, first-served basis. The cost is $10 per night, per site. The group campsite is available by reservation only and can accommodate 15 to 40 people. People are reminded the park has no concession food service so overnighters must come prepared.

The park entrance fee for Lava Beds is $25 per car unless visitors have a National Park passes. The fee can be paid either at the fee station or the visitor center.

Traffic-free views of Crater Lake will again be available during Crater Lake National Park’s annual Ride the Rim events on Sept. 7 and 14.

On both days no motorized vehicles will be allowed on East Rim Drive from North Junction Road to the park headquarters area. So far more than 1,200 people have registered for the event — a tradition that draws visitors from around the U.S. and, over the years, several countries.

he route is about 25 miles long and will be closed to motorized vehicle from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Park officials noted people bicycling the distance typically take about four hours. Riders are urged to stop at lake overlooks to enjoy views of the United States’ deepest lake. For those who complete the entire Rim Drive the distance is 33 miles, with about eight of those miles open to motorized vehicles. The section also has some significant inclines and narrow switchbacks

All participants are reminded that the 25-mile section has steep inclines and declines. With a total elevation gain of 3,500-feet the ride is recommended for intermediate to advanced riders. Caution is urged on downhills where some cyclists reach speeds up to 40 mph. The park is located at an elevation of 5,000-plus feet above sea level, which can especially impact riders from lower elevations.

What can riders expect the weather to be like? According to organizers, “Anything and everything! In the past we’ve had sunny, windless days and snow, sleet and hail on others. The point is, come ready for anything and check the weather before you come.

Around the State of Oregon

Providence Nurses in Medford Prepare to be Part of Possible Largest Nurse Strike in Oregon History, Beginning Today

More than 3,000 nurses at the Providence St. Vincent, Newberg, Willamette Falls, Medford, Hood River and Milwaukie facilities will strike beginning today, June 18th.

More than 3,000 nurses across six different Providence Health facilities plan to strike on Tuesday. The Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) gave Providence a 10-day warning. ONA said they are overworked, understaffed and underpaid.

Expressing their [ONA] desire for more affordable healthcare after the pandemic took so much out of them.

The strike is set to last three days, impacting: Providence St. Vincent, Newberg, Willamette Falls, Medford, Hood River and Milwaukie.

Providence said their facilities will remain open during the strike. They said they are putting a pause on negotiations in order to find replacement workers.

On June 14, ONA sent a cease-and-desist letter to Providence, claiming they were violating safe staffing laws which require a certain patient-to-nurse ratio.

Providence said they are working to build out those plans and plan to follow the law as written.

Both Providence and ONA encourage people to come in and seek care despite the strike. Providence said all of their sites will be open and serving patients during this strike.

As for the nurses going on strike, they won’t be too far from work. They will use this time to picket at their relative hospitals throughout the three days.

Former ICU Nurse Pleads Not Guilty To 44 Counts Of Second Degree Assault In Case Involving Suspicion Of Replacing Fentanyl With Tap Water At Asante In Medford

Medford nurse Dani Marie Schofield on Friday pleaded not guilty to an
indictment charging her with 44 counts of second-degree assault on
suspicion of harming nearly four dozen patients in Asante Rogue
Regional Medical Center’s intensive care unit by stealing fentanyl
prescribed to them to ease their pain.

Jackson County Circuit Judge Laura Cromwell told Schofield that she
didn’t qualify financially for a court-appointed lawyer and no defense
lawyer was present as the judge kept Schofield’s bail at $4 million despite
a pretrial officer’s recommendation to lower it to $1 million.

Schofield complained to the court that she’s been locked down in
isolation in jail, hasn’t received her medication, has had no contact with
anyone and barely has running water.

She said she believes her family has contacted a lawyer to represent her
and asked the judge how they should inform the court.

The judge instructed Schofield to file a grievance with the jail about the
conditions and that a retained lawyer should contact the court. A pretrial
conference was scheduled for June 24.

Police and prosecutors say Schofield took patients’ fentanyl for her own
personal use and replaced the liquid drug with non-sterile tap water,
causing them to develop life-threatening infections.

Of the 44 patients identified, 16 died — most in the hospital but others
after they were discharged, Medford Police Chief Justin Ivens said during
a news conference Thursday afternoon.

Schofield, 36, was lodged by Medford police in the Jackson County Jail
after she was arrested about 12:30 p.m. Thursday in the 5000 block of
Rogue River Drive outside Eagle Point.

Jackson County Circuit Court clerk Emily Kaplan denied Schofield a
court-appointed attorney, citing her equity in a 2019 Acura MDX, $348,780 equity in residential property in Medford and $20,000 in a bank account, according to court records.

—————————- Dani Marie Schofield, who worked at Asante Rogue Regional Hospital in Oregon, faces 44 counts of second-degree assault, according to police.

A former intensive care unit nurse has been arrested for allegedly swapping patients’ pain medication with tap water, police in Medford, Oregon, announced Thursday.

Dani Mari Schofield faces 44 counts of assault in the second degree, charges that “reflect the total amount of patients that this investigation revealed to have been affected by Schofield’s criminal actions,” the Medford Police Department said in a statement.

Assault in the second-degree charges are filed when an individual “intentionally or knowingly causes serious physical injury to another,” the statement said.

The arrest comes nearly seven months after officials at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center, a 378-bed hospital in Medford, contacted police with concerns about a growing number of central line infections among patients. Central lines are tubes put into large veins to administer medication.

“There was concern that Schofield had been diverting patients’ liquid fentanyl for her personal use and then replacing it with tap water, causing serious infections,” Thursday’s police statement said.

Police did not say how many of the patients that Schofield allegedly mistreated had died. In March, a lawsuit was filed on behalf of the estate of Horace Wilson, an Asante patient who died after he was admitted to the hospital with a lacerated spleen and broken ribs following a fall off a ladder in January 2022.

The lawsuit alleged that while hospitalized, Wilson’s pain medication was replaced with nonsterile tap water, introducing bacteria into his bloodstream that led to his death.

The lawsuit named both Asante and Schofield as defendants, accusing them of negligence. Neither responded to requests for comment at the time.

The allegations of drug diversion — a term that refers to misappropriating prescribed medications, sometimes to abuse or illegally sell them — were first reported by KOBI-TV in Medford in December 2023. The station said that at least one patient at Asante had died after a nurse allegedly diverted their pain medication.

An attorney for Schofield, who police said left Asante in July 2023, did not immediately respond to a voicemail seeking comment.

Records from the Oregon State Board of Nursing show that Schofield voluntarily agreed in November 2023 to a nursing license suspension, “pending completion of an investigation.”

In an internal memo sent Thursday to Asante employees after police announced Schofield’s arrest, President and CEO Tom Gessel thanked law enforcement for its “tireless work since our team brought concerns forward to them.” (SOURCE)

The Oregon Court of Appeals has denied a motion by Harney County gun owners to dismiss the state’s appeal of a judge’s ruling that found the voter-approved gun control Measure 114 violates the state Constitution.

The appellate court also accepted the state’s opening brief in the appeal even though it came a week after a deadline set in an expedited schedule instituted by the court. State lawyers said they had to wait for corrections to be made in the original trial transcript.

The gun owners who challenged Measure 114 in Harney County now have until July 26 to file their response.

Lawyers for the state argue that Harney County Circuit Judge Robert S. Raschio turned “legal standards on their head” and should have found the measure’s regulations constitutional as written under existing case law.

The trial court “weighed the policy merits of the measure for itself and, at the same time, refused to consider published studies and reports on the public safety benefits of each of the law’s three components,” the state’s opening brief said.

More than 8,700 Oregon homes lost utility service in April because they hadn’t been paying their bills, the highest tally since the state began collecting this data six years ago.

The majority of cutoffs were brief. Utilities reported nearly 7,000 service reconnections in April, apparently because customers paid their bills or agreed to do so, perhaps with help from a payment assistance program. Portland General Electric, Oregon’s largest utility, said three-quarters of customers it disconnected for nonpayment were reconnected within a week.

Ratepayer advocates nonetheless see the spike in shutoffs as a warning sign, an indication that more Oregonians are struggling to cope with the rapidly rising cost of electricity and natural gas.
Oregon’s biggest utilities have raised rates between 35% and 44% since October 2021, according to Jenks. He said utility shutoffs often spike about three months after a cold-weather event because customers typically have 60 days to pay bills after they arrive in the mail.

The Oregon Public Utility Commission said it’s studying the spike in service cutoffs but isn’t convinced that higher rates or last winter’s severe weather explain them

Missing California Woman Rescued And 9 Men Arrested In Human Trafficking Mission In Portland

A missing California woman was rescued, a Gresham man was arrested on a theft warrant, a Portland man was arrested on gun charges, and seven other men were arrested on prostitution-related charges during a human trafficking mission in East Portland on Tuesday, June 11.

According the Portland Police Bureau, the woman was reunited with her family in California. Six other providers were contacted by advocates and offered services.

Daniel J. Harding, 24, of Gresham, was taken into custody for a Clackamas County warrant for second-degree theft. He was caught up in a wave of arrests from the Portland Police Bureau’s Human Trafficking Unit, as it conducted a targeted patrol along Southeast 82nd Avenue.

Shauntae D. Kindred, 46, of Portland, was arrested for felon in possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of a loaded firearm in public, first-degree theft, unlawful possession of a firearm, and parole violations.

Seven men were arrested or cited for commercial sexual solicitation:

Ismael Gonzaga-Pedroza, 22, of Forest GroveRobert Casper, 45, of Onalaska, WashingtonBraulio L. Lazaro, 50, of VancouverGuerner Ramirez Fuentes, 44, of PortlandAlejando Ibarra, 41, of VancouverFiraol Gecho, 22, of Portland,Habtamu Egata, 51, of Milwaukie

During the mission officers also towed four vehicles.

If you or someone you know is being sex trafficked, call 911 or the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or report tips to humantrafficking@police.portlandoregon.gov. (SOURCE)

Lane County, Ore. 15 June 24- On Saturday, June 15, 2024, at 3:08 p.m., Oregon State Police responded to a single-vehicle crash on Hwy 58, near milepost 46, in Lane County.

The preliminary investigation indicated an eastbound Ford F-350, operated by Will Ed Bryson Jr. (77) of Klamath Falls, left the roadway for unknown reasons and struck a tree.

The operator of the Ford (W. Bryson) was declared deceased while in transport to an area hospital.

The passenger of the Ford, Lynda Ellen Bryson (78) of Klamath Falls, was transported by ground ambulance and life-flighted to an area hospital.

The highway was not impacted during the on-scene investigation.

OSP was assisted by Oakridge Fire and ODOT.

Health officials confirm measles in Clackamas County household

Two people believed to have been exposed in Marion County between May 19, June 4

PORTLAND, Ore.—Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and county public health officials are investigating two cases of measles in a single Clackamas County household.

One household member, an unvaccinated adult, was confirmed to have measles Friday, June 14. The individual developed a rash June 11. While the time range of the exposure is believed to be between May 19 and June 4, the specific location of the exposure, which occurred in Marion County, is unknown, suggesting there may be other, unreported measles cases in Oregon.

The second household member, an unvaccinated child, developed symptoms a few days later. Both individuals are recovering.

“Spreading measles from one person to another is pretty easy, as it’s a highly infectious disease,” said Paul R. Cieslak, M.D., medical director for communicable diseases and immunizations at OHA’s Public Health Division. “That’s why it’s extremely important that all adults and children in their household be up to date on vaccinations.”

“Adults of any age born during or after 1957 can still be vaccinated,” added Cieslak.

People might have been exposed if they were in any of these areas during these times:

• Oregon Health & Science University facilities:
  • OHSU Immediate Care Richmond Clinic, between 4:40 p.m. and 5:40 p.m. Wednesday, June 12.
  • OHSU Hospital Emergency Department, between 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 12, and 7:15 p.m. Friday, June 14 (risk at this location is believed to be low because the patient was masked and airborne precautions were promptly implemented).

How measles spreads and symptoms

Measles spreads through the air after a person with measles coughs or sneezes. People are contagious with measles for four days before a rash appears and up to four days afterward. The virus particles can also linger in the air for up to two hours after someone who is infectious has left the area.

Measles typically starts with a fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes. A rash usually follows, beginning on the face and spreading to the rest of the body. Symptoms begin seven to 21 days after exposure to a person with measles. Common complications of measles include ear infection, lung infection and diarrhea. Swelling of the brain is a rare but much more serious complication. In developed countries in recent years, one or two out of every 1,000 measles cases has been fatal.

Determining your risk of measles

Most Oregonians have been vaccinated to prevent measles, usually as children. Anyone who has received a measles vaccination at any time in their life has a low risk of getting measles. Risk is much higher for anyone who has not received measles vaccination who may have been exposed to the disease.

Measles poses the highest risk to:

1. Unvaccinated pregnant people.
2. Infants younger than 1 year old.
3. People with weakened immune systems.

You are considered immune to measles if any of the following apply:

• You were born before 1957.
• You’ve been diagnosed with measles at any point in your life.
• A blood test proves that you are immune.
• You have had two doses of measles vaccine.

What to do if you suspect measles in your household

Public health officials urge people experiencing symptoms of measles not to arrive unannounced at a medical office if they:

1. Have a measles-like rash, or
2. Have been exposed to measles within the previous 21 days, AND
3. Have any other symptom of measles (such as fever, cough or red eyes).

Individuals planning to seek medical care should first call a health care provider or urgent care center by telephone to create an entry plan to avoid exposing others in waiting rooms.

Learn more about measles at https://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/DISEASESCONDITIONS/DISEASESAZ/Pages/measles.aspx.

Razor Clam Harvest Ban Lifted For Northern Oregon Coast Amid Shellfish Toxin Scare

Oregon fish and wildlife officials reopened the northern Oregon coast for razor clamming last week while keeping a prohibition in place south of Yachats and continuing a coastwide ban on harvesting bay clams and mussels.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife had closed the entire coast to shellfish harvesting earlier this month because of a potentially deadly toxin, paralytic shellfish poisoning, or PSP, that had sickened at least 20 people who had eaten Oregon coast mussels.

No one is reported to have died in the outbreak, but some were hospitalized, according to Oregon health officials. Naturally occurring marine toxins are not eliminated by cooking or freezing.

Officials said Friday that two consecutive tests had shown razor clams in the newly reopened area were below the threshold at which harvesting is banned due to biotoxins. They said the earlier closure was precautionary, and that testing had not detected biotoxin levels above the closure threshold.

However, razor clamming is closed from the Yachats River to the California border, where tests have detected high levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning and domoic acid.

Harvesting bay clams and mussels remains prohibited along the entire Oregon and Washington coast.

The state also has reopened commercial oyster fisheries in Tillamook Bay and Netarts, while the Umpqua River/Winchester Bay commercial oyster fishery remains closed. Crab harvesting is open for the length of the Oregon coast.

The Oregon Department of Agriculture operates a toll-free shellfish biotoxin hotline 800-448-2474​ and maintains a list of closures on its website. (SOURCE)

Getting Ready for U.S. Olympics Track And Field Team Trials at Hayward Field

The U.S. Olympic team trials are just around the corner. At the end of June, hundreds of top athletes will compete for a spot in Paris, but only so many will qualify and it all comes down to what happens at Hayward Field.

The trials begin June 21 and conclude June 30 at Hayward Field in Eugene. At least one final race will be held during each evening session.

VIEW SCHEDULE HERE: https://www.usatf.org/events/2024/2024-u-s-olympic-team-trials-%E2%80%94-track-field/schedule

While the track and field trials are a long event, held over eight days, there’s no better place to see Olympic athletes compete than Hayward Field.

Here’s how to get tickets for the competition: https://am.ticketmaster.com/haywardtrackandfield/buy — MORE INFO: https://www.usatf.org/events/2024/2024-u-s-olympic-team-trials-%E2%80%94-track-field

The Oregon Health Athority is rasising awareness for one of the most common forms of financial fraud: Medicare fraud. 

OHA says Medicare loses $60 billion a year to fraud, errors and abuse.

Raising awareness on 6/5 and the week after signifies the 65-yr-old and older population since most people become eligable for Medicare at 65-yrs-old.  To learn more, read the OHA blog here: https://ow.ly/VIRu50Sc7pS

Oregonians Targeted By Text Tolling Scam

A new nationwide texting scam is targeting Oregon drivers now. Ellen Klem, with the Oregon Attorney General’s Office says the phishing scheme started in the midwest earlier in the spring. “I’m honestly not surprised it’s happening now, because now is the time where everyone is gearing up to drive.”

The text claims to be from “Oregon Toll Service” and says the recipient owes an $11.69 outstanding balance; they face a $50 late fee if they don’t click on a link and pay up. Klem says some people may identify the fraud right away, because Oregon doesn’t have tolling, “But, we live next to all these other states that have tolls.” And she worries some will fall for it.

“They are not interested in the $11,” says Klem, “They are interested in much, much more.” She believes the scammers want your personal information, and clicking on the link could allow them to access other data on your phone.

The text has all the markers of a scam, like contact out of the blue from an unknown agency. “There’s a lot of really cheap or free technology out there that allows the scammers to pretend to be somebody they’re not. So, in this case, they’re pretending to be associated with an agency that administers tolls in the state of Oregon. But that doesn’t exist,” says Klem, “Second sign: There’s some sort of emergency. In this case, you have an unpaid bill; that’s frightening to a lot of people.”

She suggests not being in such a rush to respond to every text or email, “These phones, they’re everywhere and we have this sort of automatic response to click on a link or to pick up every phone call. And, I want to remind people just to slow down and think before you click on anything.” Klem adds, “Really, at the end of the day, this is a text message that you can and you should ignore.”

If you get a text, email or phone call you’re not sure is legit, call the Oregon Department of Justice Consumer hotline at 877-877-9392. Volunteer experts are available weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Community members are invited to enjoy Mount Ashland’s summer season starting on Friday.

According to the ski area, the restaurant and retail shop inside the lodge will be open every Friday through Sunday from now until Labor Day. Events including movie nights, tie-dye events, and a disc golf tournament will be offered throughout the summer. Mount Ashland is also kicking off a summer program for kids.

Disc golf, hiking, events, the list goes on. There are tons of things to do at your local mountain playground this summer. Plus, it’s pretty much always 10-30 degrees cooler up here. 

Mountain report https://www.mtashland.com/mountain-report/

Operating schedule https://www.mtashland.com/operating-schedule/

Youth camps https://www.mtashland.com/alpineadventurecamp/

Things to do https://www.mtashland.com/thingstodo/

Summer trail map https://www.mtashland.com/trail-maps/

To find out more, visit the Mount Ashland Summer webpage: https://www.mtashland.com/operating-schedule/

The Grants Pass Downs held their opening weekend for summer horse racing season, bringing large crowds to the races.

The opening day brought around 3,000 fans to the site, bringing more people than the previous years opening day.

Wotherspoon said Fathers Day is one of the most popular days for the Downs, as well as the Fourth of July.

The business the races bring into the community also has an impact on the community, bringing customers to local stores, restaurants and hotels.

Thanks for reading the the news on BasinLife.com from Wynne Broadcasting.

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