Bank Deal Means Dorris, tulelake Branches Stay Open

A new agreement between two banking corporations means that a couple of banks that had been scheduled to shut their doors will now be able to remain open. It also means the threat of long trips for routine banking services won't have to happen. Officials of Pacific Crest Federal Credit Union say they've completed an agreement to purchase PremierWest. The deal means that bank branches in Dorris and Tulelake, which had been scheduled to shut their doors, will remain open. Had they closed, customers would have had to go to Klamath Falls to do their banking.

Dam Removal Legislation Stalls

A project that Klamath Basin irrigators and other water users say is critical to their survival is stalled in Congress and it's unclear when -- if ever -- it will be implemented. It's the project to remove several dams along the Klamath River in southern Oregon along with a related water agreement that would determine how the then-free-flowing water would be used. That legislation, however, is stuck in Congress and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has put off making a final decision on its future. Klamath County water users pushing for passage on Capitol Hill.

Owls In NAIA Title Tilt

Owls on the prowl for a basketball championship. The number two-ranked Oregon Tech Hustlin' Owls have made it to the championship game of the N-A-I-A Division Two men's college basketball tournament. The Owls beat Davenport of Michigan, 55-50, last night behind twenty points from Bobby Hunter to advance to the title tilt. That game late this afternoon in Branson, Missouri, O-I-T against the top-ranked team in the nation, Northwood of Florida. It's only the second time that the championships will be decided between the numbers one- and two-ranked teams.

Fleeing Suspect Arrested

It began as a traffic stop and ended with a wild chase on wheels and then on foot. An Oregon state trooper pulling over a man on Highway 97 south of Chiloquin. But when the trooper got out of his car, the man hit the gas. A chase ran up a dirt road, with the suspect nearly hitting a house with his Suburban. The driver then roared across a field and crashed through two fences before he bailed out and tried to run. The trooper got him after a short chase. Now, 23-year-old Nathan Edwards of Chiloquin faces charges that include reckless driving and fleeing an officer among others.

1880s Lawman Honored At Memorial For Fallen

Three new names are being added to Oregon's memorial for fallen law enforcement officers, one of whom was involved in a long-ago incident in Klamath Falls. He's former Lake County deputy sheriff J-F Lewis, who was killed while trying to protect a prisoner from a lynch mob in what is now Klamath Falls. It was called Linkville in those days and what a story! The 19-year-old deputy was killed by a masked gang who wanted to lynch Lewis' prisoner for killing a fifteen-year-old boy. Lewis died but the lynch mob was driven off. And we only know about it because of the efforts of retried Texas detective who worked on this, the coldest of cold cases. Real Randolph Scott-type movie material here.

Winter Weather Moving Back In

The National Weather Service has issued a Special Weather Statement for the Klamath Basin a few days in advance of a weather event. Forecasters are saying winter weather will return this weekend but will become more significant early next week and all through the week. Look for rain with snow increasing above two thousand feet starting Sunday night into Monday. Also significant wind in north-south-oriented valleys, especially. Heavier winter weather ahead as next week goes on and, as always, stay with us for complete weather coverage.