Month: July 2015

A 64-year-old Bend man reported overdue on a motorcycle ride from Bend to Baker City was killed in a crash off Highway 26 in Wheeler County, Oregon State Police reported. Grant County 911 dispatchers and OSP received a report around 10 p.m. Thursday of an overdue, missing motorcyclist, identified as Michael C. Denmark, 64, of

This week, in honor of TV’s “Shark Week,” Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., released a whiteboard video entitled “Loan Shark Week” to urge the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to crack down on predatory payday lending and prevent loan sharks from trapping American families in a vortex of debt. In the video, Merkley explains how payday loan

Bend-based Saving Grace said Friday it is energized by the governor’s signing of HB 3476, also known as the Advocate Privilege Bill. The bill focuses on ensuring victims of domestic or sexual violence access to confidential services. Confidentiality between a victim and a domestic or sexual violence advocate is critical to effective access to services

A wildfire that broke out late Wednesday afternoon about 30 miles north of Madras grew to over 6,700 acres but was 90 percent contained by Friday, just as a new rash of thunderstorms began rumbling across the High Desert, threatening more fires to come. Meanwhile, crews late Thursday afternoon stopped a small fire with a

Oregon State Police said Wednesday they have identified an Idaho man killed when his motorcycle struck a guardrail on Highway 26 east of Government Camp. Wilbur Fawcett, 63, of McCall, Idaho, was heading east around 5 p.m. on Monday when his 2009 Yamaha motorcycle struck the guardrail and he was thrown from the motorcycle, coming

Oregon is the second state in the nation, joining Tennessee, to make community college education free. This comes at a time when college education is only getting more expensive. “I work two jobs and my mom helps me,” Central Oregon Community College student Nina Reese said Thursday. According to the National Center for Education Statistics,

What might have appeared to onlookers to be a rescue on a fast-running stretch of the Deschutes River in Bend Friday morning actually was officials helping a kayaker recover his craft, which the current had lodged against a rock in the riverr, officials said. Two kayakers were paddling just above the Bill Healy Bridge shortly

Effective at noon Friday, obstetrical services at St. Charles Madras are being diverted for about 30 days to allow the hospital “to stabilize its staffing situation and provide a higher level of service to patients,” the hospital organization announced. “The temporary closure will allow obstetrical nurses-in-training to more quickly complete their clinical requirements at the

Newsroom (to submit tips, reach reporters/producers, submit viewer photos and news releases): (541) 617-6231 or stories@ktvz.com Main station phone/e-mail: (541) 383-2121 or ktvz@ktvz.com (Be advised this e-mail is only checked during business hours – for time-sensitive news-related info or questions, please e-mail the newsroom at address listed above.) Address: 62990 O.B. Riley Rd., Bend, OR

Newsroom (to submit tips, reach reporters/producers, submit viewer photos and news releases): (541) 617-6231 or stories@ktvz.com Main station phone/e-mail: (541) 383-2121 or ktvz@ktvz.com (Be advised this e-mail is only checked during business hours – for time-sensitive news-related info or questions, please e-mail the newsroom at address listed above.) Address: 62990 O.B. Riley Rd., Bend, OR

Oregon businesses reported a record 53,300 job vacancies this spring, state officials said Thursday. It’s the largest number of vacancies ever captured by the Oregon Job Vacancy Survey, and an increase of 6,400 vacancies from the prior year. The growing number of vacancies reflects continued strength in Oregon’s labor market, officials said. The ratio of

What parent doesn’t have questions? Is your child’s development on track? Will their smile last a lifetime and can they hear and see okay? Health and development from birth through age five is critical to your child’s success. Healthy Beginnings can help you answer these questions and more. There are no eligibility requirements for this

The newly completed $21 million residence hall at Central Oregon Community College will be open for guided tours from 4 to 6 pm on Thursday, July 16, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, July 17. Refreshments will be served. “We are inviting prospective students, current students and the general community to be

Oregon Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., issued a flurry of news releases Thursday on a variety of legislative issues, from helping marijuana-related businesses be able to do banking to equal treatment in the tax code for same-sex marriages. Merkley and Ron Wyden joined a bipartisan group of senators to introduce the Marijuana Businesses

Volunteers in Medicine Clinic of the Cascades is happy to announce the recent award of two grants; $10,000 from the Robert W. Chandler Discretionary Subfund of the Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) and $10,000 from the Robert W. Chandler II Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation. These gifts will sponsor education programs for volunteers to help

Deschutes County’s Local Public Safety Coordinating Council invites applications from Deschutes County non-profit organizations that are interested in receiving a grant for up to $170,000.00 to help local residents who have been victimized by crime. The deadline to apply is August 17, 2015 at 8:00 AM. The Oregon Criminal Justice Commission (CJC) is administering the

Cancer has touched us in various ways. Tour des Chutes is a day where folks gather to ride to support those who are here and to remember those who are gone. This year, as it is every year, is a celebration – not only that, it’s a party about our abilities. Oregon Adaptive Sports (OAS),

Soccer fever is alive in Central Oregon! The 2015 Bend Unified Recreation Soccer League enrollment is at an all-time record high with more than 1,660 youth participating on 130 teams. Adult volunteers are needed to coach for numerous teams in the joint program between Bend Park & Recreation District and Bend FC Timbers. The fall

St. Charles Foundation and St. Charles Health System invite members of the community to nominate outstanding local physicians for this year’s North Star Award. Presented at the Foundation’s signature annual event, the Saints Gala, this award recognizes an actively practicing physician in Central Oregon whose work has been defined by compassionate patient care, professionalism and

Federal highway officials say Deschutes County ranks fourth in the nation for the rate of drivers in fatal crashes who were found to have been using hallucinogens.. Drugtreatment.com analyzed data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration from 1995 to 2013. They ranked the top five counties by different driving impairments, for those who tested