What Would $1,500 Buy you?Smokers spend on average of $1,500 a year on cigarettes.

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WednesdayMarch 25, 2015

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Jerry C. Morris, 70— See page A4

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Crater Lake receives 10 inches of new snow

Ten inches of snow was measured at Crater Lake National Park during the 24-hour period that ended Tues-day morning, and up to an inch an hour was falling through Wednesday afternoon. See page A3.

Tax-foreclosed property auction planned May 6

For the first time in three years, Klamath County will be holding a public auction for tax-foreclosed property. On May 6, the county sheriff’s office will auction off 87 parcels of land. See page A4.

Vol. No. 23,889

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Legislative notebook

By LACEY JARRELLH&N Staff Reporter

U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Hood River, said he has secured a two-year extension of the Secure Rural Schools program for local schools, roads, and law enforcement in Oregon’s rural forested communities.

The Associate Press reported that Tuesday Walden said House Speaker John Boehner agreed to include the extension to Oregon timber counties in the Medi-care Access and CHIP Reauthoriza-tion Act of 2015, a bipartisan agree-ment to overhaul the way doctors are paid by Medicare.

According to a news release, the extension will provide funding to 33 cash-strapped Oregon counties. Walden spokesman Andrew Malcolm said payments were last disbursed in 2013. Statewide, counties received about $100 million, he said. Klamath County received about $9.7 million. Malcolm said he did not know the amount that could be approved, but the payments will be reduced about 5 percent each year.

Secure Rural Schools receives funds from timber operations on federal land. The timber payments began when the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act passed in 2000.

Rep. Walden secures funding for schools, policeSen. Merkley: Three town halls set for April

KCC ponders phase II funding optionsBy HOLLY DILLEMUTHH&N Staff Reporter

How is Klamath Com-munity College going to pay

for $15.7 million in future building expansion and the addition of programs at the institution?

Board trustees discussed

a variety of phase II fund-ing options during a Mon-day afternoon work session, including the possibility for a $6 million community bond

measure and/or an increase in tuition to help pay for the cost of constructing three new buildings and adding several new programs.

The KCC Expansion Proj-ect would add new degree and certificate programs in

business technology, media marketing, aviation airframe and power plant, registered nursing, welding, early child-hood education, and computer engineering technology.

Walden

See FUNDING, page A3

Bond election, tuition increase possible

fire damages business

By TRISTAN HIEGLERH&N Staff Reporter

A structure fire that broke out Tuesday afternoon in Klamath Falls heavily dam-aged a local business.

The blaze, which started around 1 p.m., was at IFA Nurseries, in the 1200 block of South Spring Street.

According to Scott Rice, fire marshal for Klamath County Fire District No. 1, four employees were inside the building when they noticed a strong odor of burn-ing plastic. They also noticed lots of smoke gathering at the ceiling.

Rice said the employees evacuated and called 911 once they were safely out-side. While they breathed in some smoke, no injuries were reported.

Fire crews from KCFD No. 1 and the Kingsley Field

Fire Department responded to the scene. Three KCFD No. 1 engines responded, along with a ladder truck and multiple command vehicles.

The ladder truck was used to position firefight-ers over the roof of the building. They used a

long pole to knock open sky-lights, letting smoke and heat escape the metal building.

The ladder truck’s boom bucket was also used to spray water down onto the roof.

IFA Nurseries is a tree seedling production company with locations in Washington and Oregon. The company’s

corporate offices are located in Wilsonville.

The Klamath Falls nurs-ery was started in 2001 and has expanded to include at least four greenhouses, in addition to the main produc-tion facility (which is where the fire started).

No injuries reported at IFA Nurseries structure fire

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The KCFD No. 1’s ladder truck was used to break open skylights and spray water down into the IFA Nurseries building.

See FIRE, page A3

See KCC, page A3

A major structure fire of unknown origins broke out at IFA Nurseries on Tuesday afternoon. No employees were injured during the incident. Crews from Klamath County Fire District No. 1 and Kingsley Field responded.

Trail Blazers: Portland falls to Golden State, 122-108, see page B1

A ‘hostage situation’

>> See page A2

Minty Morris takes an accidental hit to the face while participating in SWAT training exercise

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