DIAMOND LAKE – Oregon 138 East (North Umpqua Highway) and Oregon 62 (Crater Lake Highway) are now open. Sections of the two southern Oregon highways had been closed since Sunday due to heavy snow and falling trees.
Motorists visiting the High Cascades this weekend should prepare for possible delays, short-term closures and winter driving conditions.
Oregon 230, a key route between the Rogue Valley and the Bend, remains closed due to heavy snow and downed trees. Cleanup work will continue through the weekend. Workers must remove trees and debris from the snow berm before the blowers can widen the highway for travel.
“We’re glad to get the area back open. We hate to close highways but sometimes winter forces our hand,” said ODOT District Manager Jerry Marmon. “Crews worked tirelessly every day, only to be pushed back by more snow, hazardous high winds and falling trees.”
Visitors to the Cascades should visitTripcheck.combefore they go and be ready for winter driving conditions. Motorists should also:
Be prepared for delays and allow extra time to get to your destination;
Let someone know your destination and when you’ll arrive or be back;
KLAMATH FALLS, OR, January 16, 2020 Snow removal crews will be pulling snow from the curbs and gutters and placing it in the center of the roadways in the downtown core. This work will start at midnight tonight. Downtown diagonal parking will become parallel parking until snow is removed from the center of the roadways. The purpose of loading the snow to the center of the roadways is for ease of subsequent snow removal.
Snow removal crews will begin removal of the snow from the center of the roads beginning the following evening on January 17th starting at midnight.
The City would like to thank citizens, in advance for proceeding with caution in these areas.
### Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact the City of Klamath Falls Public Works Department at (541) 883-5363.
ODOT: SW Oregon:
High Cascade highways remain closed this afternoon due to additional snow and trees that fell overnight and today.
However, Oregon 138E is expected to open a limited distance tomorrow (Friday) by 2 p.m.
The highway will only be open from U.S. 97 west into Diamond Lake and Three Lakes SnoPark only.
No through traffic.
Crews are working on the Oregon 138 connection from Roseburg area, as well as Oregon 62 from Prospect north toward Union Creek and Crater Lake National Park boundary.
Photos from ODOT
Fatal Residential Structure Fire on Eberlein Ave 1/16/2020 At approximately 2:25 A.M. Firefighter taken to Sky Lakes for injuries.
On Thursday January 16, 2020 Klamath County Fire District No. 1 received the report of a structure fire with a possible victim trapped inside at 2154 Eberlein Ave. The fire was reported by group passing by. They stopped and made attempts to get the victim out but were not successful due to the extent of the fire.
Law Enforcement Officers from Klamath Falls Police Department and fire personnel arriving on scene noted a large fire within the kitchen and living room area. Fire personnel simultaneously worked to locate the victim and extinguish the fire.
The victim, Madeline L. Murray, was located by fire crews in the living room area and found deceased. Klamath Falls Police Department has notified next of kin.
We extend our sympathy to the family and friends of Ms. Murray.
Klamath County Fire District No. 1 responded with 15 fire personnel from four engines and two ambulances along with the Fire Chief, Battalion Chief, Division Chief and Fire Marshal. One firefighter was injured and transported to Skylakes Medical Center where they were treated and released. Damage to the home is estimated at $80,000.00.
The fire has been ruled accidental. We encourage all residents to have working smoke alarms and to change the batteries every six months.
KLAMATH FALLS, OR, January 16, 2020 Due to winter weather conditions and for the safety of our citizens, City of Klamath Falls Municipal Court, Administrative offices and Utility Billing offices will be closed to walk-in traffic. We are open for business and handling phone calls but would prefer our citizens stay home and off the roads if at all possible.
More snow and high winds are in the forecast in a winter weather advisory issued by the National Weather Service at 2:48 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 16. The advisory is in effect until 4 p.m. Thursday.
City Streets crews are working diligently to maintain the roadways.
UNION CREEK – High winds pushed crews out of the High Cascades closure area this afternoon.
Due to the hazard to public and crew safety, the Oregon 62 closure is back to Prospect from Union Creek. These winds have halted progress for the day due to hazard trees. Crews will re-evaluate in the morning. But with another foot of snow in the forecast tonight and tomorrow, clean-up work will be evaluated day by day.
The Oregon Department of Revenue will begin processing state tax returns on January 27, the same day the IRS will begin processing federal returns. Taxpayers can submit their returns earlier, but processing won’t start until the tax season officially begins.
Once processing begins, returns will be processed in the order received. However, the Oregon Department of Revenue won’t be issuing personal income tax refunds until after February 15. This refund hold is part of the state’s tax fraud prevention activities and will allow confirmation that the amounts claimed on returns matches what employers report on forms W-2 and 1099. The IRS is also holding federal tax refunds until after February 15, but only for those taxpayers claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit or the Additional Child Tax Credit.
Federal changes from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act directly impact Oregon’s personal income tax, including changes to calculating withholding allowances for tax year 2019. This may mean that more taxpayers have a tax to pay or may have more tax to pay than usual. The department encourages taxpayers to use its online withholding calculator to check their state withholding, so they can make any necessary changes to 2020 withholding. Also, because of these federal tax changes, Oregon now has its own W-4 called Form OR-W-4. Taxpayers can request the new form from their employer or download it at www.oregon.gov/dor, fill it out and return it to their employer.
It’s important to note that beginning January 1, 2020, any changes to your state withholding must be made using Form OR-W-4 because Oregon withholding is calculated using allowances, unlike the federal form.
Here are a few other things for taxpayers to keep in mind this tax season:
E-filing is the fastest way to get your tax refund. On average, taxpayers who e-file their returns and request their refund via direct deposit receive their refund sooner than those who file paper returns and request paper refund checks.
There are many free or low-cost preparation options available for both federal and Oregon tax returns.
Some software companies offer free software use and e-filing for eligible taxpayers. Be sure to access the software through the department’s website, or the company may not allow you to take advantage of the free offer.
AARP and CASH Oregon provide free and low-cost tax preparation services throughout local communities.
All Oregon taxpayers preparing their own return can file electronically at no cost using Oregon’s free fillable forms.
For more information, visit www.oregon.gov/dor and click on “Free tax preparation services” under “More Topics” on the department’s homepage.
Taxpayers can order copies of past returns, letters, or other correspondence—from 2015 to current—through their Revenue Online account. They can also order and pay for these, or older documents, over the phone at 800-356-4222.
Anyone who needs a personal income tax return booklet can download and print it from the department’s website at www.oregon.gov/dor/forms. They can also order a copy online, by calling 503-378-4988 or 800-356-4222, or by mailing their request—along with their name, phone number, and mailing address to:
Forms
Oregon Department of Revenue
PO Box 14999
Salem, OR 97309-0990
Some eligible Oregonians may not be claiming the federal Earned Income Tax Credit. For more information about the credit and eligibility, visit the IRS website at www.irs.gov. Those who qualify for the EITC are also eligible to claim Oregon’s Earned Income Credit, which is 8 percent of their federal credit amount, or 11 percent if they have a qualifying dependent under 3 years old.
Employers must file their income tax withholding returns and reports and remit the income tax withheld from their employees’ paychecks by January 31. The department uses these returns and reports to validate the information on employees’ tax returns. Submitting returns and reports by the deadline helps ensure any personal income tax refunds owed to their employees won’t be delayed.
Employer returns and reports due by January 31 include:
Quarterly Employer Tax Report (Form OQ) for the fourth quarter of 2019.
Statewide transit tax return (Form OR-STT-1 and STT-2), also for fourth quarter.
Employee Detail Report (Form 132).
W-2s and 1099s for each employee or worker, electronically submitted through iWire.
ODOT: SW Oregon: Oregon 138E: The highway is open from Roseburg up to MP 59 at the Tokatee Ranger Station and its employees. All other highways in the High Cascades area remain closed to the public until conditions improve, trees removed and highways plowed. Crews struggled today due to more snow last night and today. Continued snow, wind and falling trees continue to be a hazard for the crews working in various highway segments. Will update tomorrow. Continue to monitor Tripcheck. UPDATE
Update: ODOT highway managers anticipate re-opening OR140, near milepost 25, at about approximately7PM. Crews clearing jack-knifed semi and more.
ODOT: Central Ore.: OR140W at MP 25.2 is blocked in both directions by jack-knifed semi (tanker). Estimated time to reopen, 90 minutes (about 5:00pm). Motorists urged to delay travel until highway is passable again.
UPDATE: Due to heavy snow access roads to the park, OR 230 and OR 62, have been closed by the state. Parks roads are down to one lane in width in some locations due to heavy, blowing snow. The road to the Rim is closed until further notice. Snow continues to fall at a rate of 2″ per hour. Travel to the park is not advised on Wednesday, January 14, 2020. We will notify the public when conditions improve.
DIAMOND LAKE – Oregon 138 East (North Umpqua Highway) and Oregon 62 (Crater Lake Highway) are now open. Sections of the two southern Oregon highways had been closed since Sunday due to heavy snow and falling trees.
ODOT: SW Oregon:
