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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Mt. Ashland hopes coming storm will reopen ski area Should Ashland homeowners be able to rent rooms short-term? Beetles taking toll on Ashland pines Forum to explores data gathered in National Monument Northwest Pizza to raise money for Ashland Schools Foundation Education Northwest Pizza to raise money for Ashland Schools Foundation Prisoners in their own home Louie's to donate sales to Helman Hug Fund Ashland High School Drama Club to host Showcase Night on Thursday Ashland Kiwanis recognizes Samara Diab Environment Mt. Ashland hopes coming storm will reopen ski area Wild Side: Selfish and other reasons for saving endangered species Mt. Ashland Ski Area: Low snow closes 'bunny hill' chairlift for beginning skiers With pre-season conditions worst in 25 years, catastrophic wildfires expected in region this summer Legislature might be divided on clean fuels bill, but these Ashlanders weren't Business Breaking ground on organic vineyard practices Southern Oregon University: Recent and pending projects at SOU total about $132 million Test Drive: 2015 Subaru Outback Limited Silvio Calabi: 2015 Cherokee is a modern Jeep Ride & Drive: 2015 Hyundai Genesis Politics and elections Arthur I. Cyr: Iran – a crisis without end Short-term rental restrictions kept in some areas, loosened in others Arthur I. Cyr: South Korea represents long-term triumph – for them and for US Mark L. 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Bachelor Fredrickson leads Grizzlies to season-opening romp Grizz alpine skiers finish strong at state Ashland High's Honsinger tops field in final nordic ski meet Grizz snowboard team heads to state with repeat potential Southern Oregon University Weber, Smith earn All-American honors Oregon's Altman used to rebuilding, reloading AHS grad Bailey claims national wrestling title Thompson, Weber to play in all-star game Beavers get No. 3 seed, host NCAA games Voices Latest Stories Bert Etling: A homegrown news diet Arthur I. Cyr: Iran – a crisis without end Antionette Kerr: Some items shouldn’t fly with TSA Our View: Tuition trauma Letters to the Editor, March 19 Editorial Our View: Tuition trauma Our View: SOU's economic clout Our view: Keep it simple in developing marijuana rules Our View: Ashland is at risk as a bad fire season looms Our View: Ashland backs residents over visitors in lodging decision Letters Letters to the Editor, March 19 Letters to the Editor, March 18 Letters to the Editor, March 17 Letters to the Editor, March 14 Letters to the Editor, March 12 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: Ashland is asking for trouble with new room rental rules Guest Opinion: More reasons to oppose Jordan Cove Guest Opinion: It's Groundwater Awareness Week; test your well Guest Opinion: Ashland schools failed to protect my son from bullying Guest Opinion: There is nothing uniform about the Uniform Crime Report Columns Bert Etling: A homegrown news diet Arthur I. Cyr: Iran – a crisis without end Guest Opinion: Ashland is asking for trouble with new room rental rules Council Corner: City considers the sharing economy Herb Rothschild Jr.: Demonizing Putin makes case for war Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Improv rock and folk band hosts a dance party at the Ashland Community Center Best bets for entertainment around Ashland, March 19 Andrew Lloyd Webber's lush musical 'Sunset Boulevard' opens at Camelot Theatre in Talent Community blog: Herzog scholarship for young writers Movie listings: March 13-18 Theater Ticket Availability Ticket Availability Andrew Lloyd Webber's lush musical 'Sunset Boulevard' opens at Camelot Theatre in Talent Oregon Shakespeare Festival designer for a half-century says he's still learning Ashland High School Drama Club to host Showcase Night on Thursday Music Album reviews: Recent and recommended for March The Farr Side: New format for ‘American Idol’ as show continues a strong run Improv rock and folk band hosts a dance party at the Ashland Community Center The Farr Side: Madonna — ever the trendsetter Nitty Gritty Dirt Band co-founder John McEuen performs at the Unitarian Fellowship in Ashland Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Movies Movie listings: March 20-26 More wonderful wrinkles at 'The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' 8 must-see spring films Movie review: ‘Wrecking Crew’ is a look at the people who really put the bomp Movie review: ‘Cinderella’ is an instant classic Food and Drink Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories A better bedtime Studying stress Eat this, not that Peanut allergy breakthrough Stargazing is a fun, free family activity Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Rogues: Tales from the Valley Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Bert Etling: A homegrown news diet ... Mt. Ashland hopes coming storm will reopen ski area ... Ticket Availability ... Bert Etling: A homegrown news diet ... Mt. Ashland hopes coming storm will reopen ski area ... Ticket Availability ... 2008 CRASH Helicopter officials admits he falsified data Sikorsky crash killed nine firefighters Comment By Mark Freeman for the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Mark Freeman for the Tidings Posted Nov. 24, 2014 at 6:40 PM By Mark Freeman for the Tidings Posted Nov. 24, 2014 at 6:40 PM » Social News The second of two Carson Helicopter Inc. officials indicted on 22 federal charges related to a 2008 helicopter crash that killed nine people admitted in federal court Monday to lying and defrauding the government about the craft's capabilities but denied the crimes contributed to the crash. Steven Metheny, 43, of Central Point, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Medford to one count each of filing a false statement and of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. Forest Service by falsifying information about the performance abilities of four helicopters to gain $20 million in firefighting contracts. The falsified weight and balance data supplied by Metheny and co-defendant Levi Phillips in their winning bid for a Forest Service contract included information about the Sikorsky S-61N that clipped a tree and crashed in August 2008 in Northern California while fighting the Iron 44 wildfire. Seven of the nine killed were Southern Oregon firefighters in what was the deadliest crash of its kind in U.S. wildfire-fighting history. Seven Iron 44 family members of some of the fallen firefighters, including Nina Charlson of Eugene, attended Monday's hearing expecting to hear Metheny admit that the scheme to defraud the Forest Service was a contributing factor in the crash. Several of the family members left in tears when defense attorney Steve Myers specified in court that the plea agreement is no such admission. "I didn't expect that," Charlson said as she left the courtroom. U.S. Attorney Amanda Marshall said in a release Monday evening that defrauding the government about payload capabilities "created a reckless risk of harm to those who used the information in firefighting operations," including those in the Iron 44 crash. Assistant U.S. Attorney Byron Chatfield said in court that the government plans to seek a stiffer than normal sentence under federal sentencing guidelines based on the crimes involving reckless risk of death or serious bodily injury. The two charges together have a potential maximum federal prison sentence of 25 years and $500,000 in fines. Chatfield said in court that federal attorneys intend to seek restitution, but it was unclear Monday whether that would include restitution for the dead firefighters' families. U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark D. Clarke set a March 2 sentencing date for Metheny, who remains free. Phillips, 48, of Grants Pass, pleaded guilty to a similar charge in September 2013 and agreed to cooperate with federal authorities in Metheny's case. Metheny was scheduled to go to trial Jan. 6 and Phillips has a Feb. 2 sentencing date set. The crash occurred on a nearly 6,000-foot-high mountaintop near Weaverville, Calif., while the Sikorsky S-61N helicopter was ferrying out firefighters battling the Iron 44 fire in the Trinity Alps Wilderness Area of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. A National Transportation Safety Board investigation showed the helicopter weighed more than 19,000 pounds when pilots tried to take off from a mountaintop clearing. If Forest Service guidelines had been followed, investigators said, the weight shouldn't have exceeded 15,840 pounds. It concluded in 2010 that Carson's deliberate understatement of the weight of its helicopter and lapses in safety oversight caused the fatal crash. Phillips was the company's director of maintenance, reporting directly to Metheny, a former Carson vice president. Upon sentencing, Metheny's remaining charges will be dismissed. A 25-page indictment against the two men says that roughly between March and October 2008, Metheny and Phillips submitted bid proposals on behalf of Carson Helicopters that contained information the two knew was false. The bid proposals contained falsified weight and balance charts and falsely altered performance charts that were created by Phillips and submitted so the Forest Service could determine whether the helicopters met minimum contract specifications, court documents claim. Metheny knowingly distributed the false information to pilots and in helicopter flight manuals for use in the field. The falsified charts were then used by pilots, unaware of the false nature of the charts, in performing firefighting flight operations, including calculating the helicopter's maximum payload capacity during firefighting operations, thereby endangering the safety of the helicopters in flight, court documents state. Those who died in the crash were: check pilot Jim Ramage, 63 of Redding, Calif.; command pilot Roark Schwanenberg, 54, of Lostine; firefighter David Steele, 19, Ashland; firefighter Shawn Blazer, 30, Medford; firefighter Scott Charlson, 25, Phoenix; firefighter Matthew Hammer, 23, Grants Pass; firefighter Edrik Gomez, 19, Ashland; firefighter Bryan Rich, 29, Medford; and firefighter Steven "Caleb" Renno, 21, Cave Junction. Four others were injured. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 541-776-4470 or [email protected]. Follow him at www.twitter.com/MTwriterFreeman. By Mark Freeman for the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Mark Freeman for the Tidings Posted Nov. 24, 2014 at 6:40 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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