12-10-19 KCFD1 responded to a reported structure fire this afternoon on Menlo Way in Klamath Falls. On arrival crews conducted a transitional attack and brought the fire under control quickly. The occupant was able to escape without injury and was attended to by KCFD1 EMS personnel.
KCFD1 was assisted by Klamath Falls Police Department, American Red Cross, and local utility providers.
Roxette singer Marie Fredriksson, known for the global smash hits “The Look” and “It Must Have Been Love,” is dead at 61 after a long illness according to reports.
(Salem) – Oregonians who do not get health insurance through their employers and who do not qualify for the Oregon Health Plan have only until Sunday, Dec. 15, at 11:59 p.m. (Pacific) to sign up for coverage and get help paying for the coverage. Get started now by estimating your subsidy and reviewing the plans and prices at OregonHealthCare.gov/windowshop.
“It’s a busy time of year, but don’t wait until the final hours. There are many health plans to choose from and you’re going to want time to shop for the right one,” said Chiqui Flowers, administrator of the Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace. The Marketplace is a part of state government that helps connect Oregonians to coverage. It partners with HealthCare.gov, the website where people apply for federal subsidies.
Throughout Oregon, between seven and 41 plans are available, depending on your county. People who qualify for subsidies can use that financial help on any plan. Last year, 74 percent of Oregonians who enrolled through the Marketplace got subsidies. The average bottom-line premium for them was $140 per month.
Oregonians will see increased advertising in this final week of enrollment. Video and audio ads on Hulu, Spotify, broadcast TV, and other outlets highlight consumer testimonials and lay out how and why to enroll. Samples are online at http://bit.ly/subsidy-testimonials and http://bit.ly/coverage-and-subsidies.
To get help filling out the subsidy application and reviewing health plan options, use the directory at OregonHealthCare.gov/gethelp, or call the Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace at 1-855-268-3767 (toll-free).
Above: A rain storm is inbound to our region this weekend. Around .5 to 1 inch of rain possible in Klamath Falls.
A low pressure system will bring significant rain over our local region this weekend Friday into Sunday. Snow levels are expected to be near 5800 feet with snow possible in the higher Cascade mountains. Breezy conditions are expected at times.
The majority of the rain is expected south and west of Klamath Falls but we may pickup 1/2 to an inch of rain from the storm and attached fronts.
Snowflake Parade Weather: overcast to partly cloudy skies are expected during the parade tonight with a temperature of about 38-36 degrees.
For the Klamath Falls area: The rain is expected to develop late Friday afternoon or early evening Friday and last into Sunday morning.
SALEM – When Oregon residents update their addresses with DMV, they will no longer be required to apply a sticker on their driver license, permit or ID card as of Jan. 1, 2020. Read more
The second of four planned increases in the gas tax goes into effect January 1, 2020. The increase is part of House Bill 2017, the “Keep Oregon Moving” legislation passed by the Oregon Legislature in 2017.
Gas Tax Increase Schedule
$.10 Total
Accountability Measures
For the first time, Oregon lawmakers set requirements that ODOT and Oregon cities and counties must meet in order to trigger the increase. The Oregon Transportation Commission sent the Legislature a report outlining how ODOT and local governments have met those requirements on November 26, 2019. Two more 2 cent gas tax increases in 2022 and 2024 are also on deck—but only if ODOT meets additional accountability requirements.
Requirements met
I-205 Projects
The gas tax increase was tied to ODOT completing two specific projects to help address congestion on I-205.
Road & Bridge Condition Reports
ODOT worked with Oregon cities and counties to produce a website detailing the condition of the major roads and all Oregon bridges. The site grades the major roads in and through communities as good, fair, or poor so people can see what they’re getting for their increased taxes.
Project Reporting
ODOT also had to provide a list of shovel-ready projects that could be constructed with additional funds and report on the agency’s efforts to address congestion through a number of other important projects in the Portland metro region, including the (I-5 Rose Quarter project, new lanes on OR 217, widening of I-205 between Stafford Road and the Abernethy Bridge, and implementation of tolling.
How the money will be spent
Of the nearly sixty million dollars this increase will raise, 20% goes to Oregon counties, 30% to Oregon cities and 50% to ODOT. ODOT will use its share ($27.9M) of the funds for:
“Accountability ensures that our state and local transportation agencies are spending taxpayer dollars wisely,” said Governor Brown. “In this report, Oregonians can see exactly how we are building a transportation system that supports economic development, reduces congestion and related vehicle emissions, and creates more sustainable, livable communities,” Brown said.
“The Commission is proud of the excellent work ODOT has done to date to implement the 2017 transportation legislation,” noted Oregon Transportation Commission Chairman, Robert Van Brocklin. “The additional funding that we will see beginning next January as a result of ODOT’s work will allow us to make important new investments, including projects to reduce Portland area traffic congestion. It will also allow us to build new and preserve existing transportation investments in every region of the state. We look forward to continuing the work we have been charged with undertaking to keep Oregon moving.”
This first increase would raise the Oregon gas tax from 34 to 36 cents a gallon. The federal tax is 18.4 cents a gallon. Oregon’s counties and cities are allowed to add their own local gas tax as well. At full implementation in 2024, Oregon’s gas tax will be 40 cents a gallon, still less than the gas tax in either Washington or California.
On Thursday, December 5, from approximately 6:20 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. the Snowflake Parade will be conducted in Downtown Klamath Falls. The staging area will be on Spring Street south of Main Street. From there, the parade will begin on Main Street and commence to 2nd Street for a left turn to Timbermill Drive where the parade will disband. Main Street will be closed during this time.
Highway 58 Will Close Tuesday For Semi Truck Removal
Travel Alert: Highway 58 Closure Tuesday
OR 58 Willamette Highway closed Tuesday morning for semi truck recovery
Travelers should take alternate routes, delay travel, or expect long wait
OR 58 Willamette Highway will be closed for about four hours on Tuesday morning, Dec. 3rd, for crews to recover a semi truck that went over the bank last week. The road will be closed from 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. between Crescent Lake and the east end of Oakridge.
Travelers should take alternate routes, delay travel or expect a long wait.
The full closure is needed to remove the truck safely. Three wreckers will pull the semi truck up the embankment and the process will block the entire road.
Source: ODOT
KCFD1 responsed to a report of a structure fire near Henley Rd & Hwy 39. On arrival crews found the residence heavily involved in fire.
No injuries to civilians or responders were reported. KCFD1 was assisted by Kingsley Field Fire, Klamath County Sheriff’s Office, and utility providers.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Photos by Fire District 1
The NWS Medford is watching a developing winter storm that will likely cause weekend travel headaches mostly in Northern California. As of right now 1-2 inches of additional snow expected Saturday into Sunday for Klamath Falls. Snow forecast amounts could change as it gets closer to the weekend.
Thanksgiving Weekend whether you’re traveling across town or across the country, it’s always essential to wear your seat belt. To keep drivers and their passengers safe, the Klamath County Sheriff’s Office is partnering with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to remind drivers to Click It or Ticket. Review these statistics for an eye-opening look at the impact seat belts can have on your safety.
• Thanksgiving weekend, millions of Americans will hit the roads, eager to spend time with family and friends. It’s one of the busiest travel times of the year, and unfortunately, that means more crashes.
• NHTSA is working with local law enforcement to remind everyone through the Click It or Ticket campaign that seat belts save lives. Not only is it the law, but buckling up provides the best defense against injury or death in a crash.
• In 2017, there were 23,551 passenger vehicle occupants (in passenger cars, pickup trucks, vans, or SUVs) killed in traffic crashes in the United States. Almost half (47%) of those who were killed were not wearing seat belts.
• NHTSA estimates that seat belts saved the lives of 14,995 passenger vehicle occupants age 5 and older in 2017. If everyone had worn their seat belts on every trip that year, an additional 2,549 lives could have been saved.
• The facts don’t lie: When you wear your seat belt as a front-seat occupant of a passenger car, your risk of fatal injury goes down by 45%. For light-truck occupants, that risk is reduced by 60%. Make this Thanksgiving different from years past.
• During the Thanksgiving holiday weekend in 2017 (6 p.m. on Wednesday, November 22, to 5:59 a.m. on Monday, November 27), there were 365 passenger vehicle occupants killed in traffic crashes across the nation.
• Nighttime is deadlier than daytime in terms of seat belt use. Over the 2017 Thanksgiving weekend, 57% of passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes at night were unbuckled, compared to 40% during the day.
• Surviving your Thanksgiving drive this year — and making it to next Thanksgiving — can be as simple as buckling up. In the last decade, seat belts saved the lives of more than 100,000 people in the United States. Those people were grateful they wore their seat belts — and so were the law enforcement and emergency medical technicians who may have arrived on the scene.
Remember, this isn’t a choice — it’s the law. Always Click It or Ticket — this Thanksgiving, and every day.
Drive safely this Thanksgiving. For more information, please visit www.trafficsafetymarketing.gov/getmaterials/seat-belts/click-it-or-ticket/thanksgiving-weekend.
Grant Funds Awarded To Klamath County Sheriff’s Office
The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), in association with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA), awarded the Klamath County Sheriff’s Office grant funds for traffic safety during 2019-2020 totaling $21,500. The grants are being used to increase traffic enforcement with focused patrols for Distracted Driving, Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants (DUII), Occupant Protection (Safety Belts), Pedestrian Safety and Speed Enforcement during the below specified events.
Deputy Andrew Nichols recently graduated Basic Corrections with Outstanding Student Award
Klamath County Sheriff’s Deputy Andrew Nichols recently completed Basic Corrections training in Salem, OR and was awarded the Victor G. Atiyeh Outstanding Student Award and the Dr. Ernest M. Ogard, Jr. Academic Achievement Award. The Victor G. Atiyeh Outstanding Student Award is presented to the student who display’s exceptional professionalism and ethics as well as a positive attitude throughout basic training.
Deputy Nichols was evaluated on demonstrated leadership, academic standing, performance in survival skills, and overall health and fitness. This is the highest honor a student can receive from the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST). The Dr. Ernest M. Ogard, Jr. Academic Achievement Award is granted to the top academic student of each Basic Corrections Class. The evaluation process is conducted by Academy staff and considers the student’s academic performance throughout the entire training.
Sheriff Chris Kaber states “It is a great pleasure to see our deputies and staff regularly being recognized for the professionalism, ethics, and positive attitude that we see them exhibit on a regular basis. We congratulate Deputy Nichols on his honors and look forward to his continued service for the citizens of Klamath County.” Please join Sheriff Kaber and Jail Commander Brian Bryson in congratulating Deputy Andrew Nichols on his recent graduation and achievement of these high honors.
Thanks for your service to our community Deputy Nichols!
DON’T FOLLOW YOUR GPS IN A WINTER STORM
MEDFORD – The Jackson County Roads and Sheriff’s Departments are urging travelers to not follow their GPS devices to navigate around road closures in a winter storm.
As a result of Tuesday’s difficult travel conditions and Interstate 5 closures, many drivers diverted onto high mountain county roads in an attempt to by-pass I-5, only to get stuck and require assistance.
Many motorists, including semi-trucks which are prohibited under winter conditions, diverted onto Dead Indian Memorial Road, a remote, steep, narrow road that is 1000’ higher in elevation than Siskiyou Pass and is far more difficult to drive than I-5. Most of these motorists were unprepared for the driving conditions, did not install chains and several crashed or slid off the road requiring assistance. “Diverting from major highways to rural, remote county roads during a winter storm in hopes that you can make it is not a wise decision,” noted John Vial, Jackson County Roads and Parks Director.
The most challenging incident occurred when thirteen vehicles diverted from Interstate 5 onto Colestine Road and spent most of the night waiting for Jackson County Search and Rescue and County Road Department employees to rescue them. Response crews were able to remove the stranded vehicles around 3:00 am Wednesday morning. Sergeant Shawn Richards who responded to the incident noted, “We are seeing an increasing trend of drivers choosing to blindly follow a GPS into areas they are not familiar with and as we have seen in other areas, this could have turned out tragic, I’m grateful this time it didn’t.”
Colestine Road is a narrow, very steep, gravel road that is unmaintained during evening hours, that leads from the summit of the Siskiyou Pass into northern California. The route is signed as not being maintained after dark in the winter.
Jackson County Sheriff’s Office
Jackson County Roads and Parks
ODOT: SW Oregon
Interstate 5 southbound into California remains closed this morning at Ashland exit 11. We are awaiting word after day break from Caltrans on the latest conditions in the Mt. Shasta-Dunsmuir area where blizzard conditions forced the closure last night at about 10 p.m.
One new closure to pass on this: Caltrans reports U.S. 97 south is closed at the Dorris agricultural station. Common sense and safety are the key words today. Stay on maintained state highways.
Do not use GPS to navigate around closures. “If an interstate freeway is not passable due to snow, please don’t think an unmaintained or limited winter maintenance road is better,” said Jeremiah Griffin, ODOT Assistant ODOT District Manager.
Currently, Oregon 66 and Dead Indian Memorial Roads are partially blocked by semis that tried to get around the I-5 closure. Conditions throughout the rest of southern Oregon have not changed since last night so refer to news release from late yesterday afternoon.
ODOT: SW Oregon: High Cascade Highways – Oregon 138E, 62 and 230: These highways are again open after blizzard conditions yesterday and last night. Be prepared for winter weather travel. Chains required on all vehicles, except 4x4s unless towing.
Be prepared for severe winter driving conditions. Motorists urged to wait for daylight to consider travel plans. Monitor Tripcheck and http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/