Month: January 2016

Oregon’s unemployment rate dropped to 5.4 percent in December , from 5.7 percent the private month, the state Employment Department reported Wednesday. Officials said the drop moves Oregon’s rate closer to the national level, as the U.S. unemployment rate held steady at 5.0 percent in November and December. A year ago, in December 2014 ,

There was a statewide call for action Saturday, coordinated by The Rural Organizing Project in the wake of the week’s developments in the refuge occupation near Burns, including the fatal shooting of LaVoy Finicum. Groups and individuals across Oregon said they were hoping to send a message to militias. One such event occurred in Prineville,

The clock is ticking for medical marijuana dispensaries selling recreational products. By rule, recreational marijuana tax payments are due monthly, starting in February. “Before making their first payment, dispensaries must register with us so we can create a tax account for them,” Marijuana Tax Program Manager John Galvin said in Friday’s announcement. “It’s the law.”

On the eve of a short legislative session, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown on Friday updated her proposal to raise the minimum wage, saying it would take effect in July, not six months later. “Based on feedback from stakeholders, I have refined my proposal, beginning implementation in 2016, so workers get higher pay sooner, andextending the

The divisions that have torn Burns and Harney County since armed occupiers took over the nearby Malheur National Wildlife Refuge nearly a month ago were still evident Friday as residents reacted in shock to the FBI’s video of the fatal shooting of a protest leader. Some ranchers are blaming Gov. Kate Brown and other officials

A 42-year-old Vancouver, Wash., man was killed Friday night and three other people were injured, one seriously, when a Gresham man’s pickup slid into the oncoming lane and struck an SUV on snow-covered Highway 26 near Warm Springs, Oregon State Police said Saturday. A preliminary investigation found that around 9 p.m., a 2004 Ford F-250

Say aloha to two new Central Oregon pups. These lucky puppies traveled a long way from Maui to Bend, in search of a loving home. The twp pups were featured on our weekly pet pals segment earlier Friday night, and it’s safe to say our staff fell in love. The dogs arrived through the Wings

Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., on Friday reiterated his opposition to new wilderness and recreation areas in the Ochoco National Forest and pledged to do all he can to stop it. This week, the Prineville City Council voted to oppose the plan, and the Crook County Commission took a similar vote last week. Both held town

A health insurance shake-up is affecting thousands of Oregonians. The state Department of Consumer and Business Services has issued an order of immediate supervision to Moda Health Plan. The state says Moda is experiencing significant financial difficulties. Lisa Morawski, communication director of the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, said Friday, “We learned this

Crater Lake National Park welcomed 664,000 visitors in 2015, a 13.5 percent increase from 585,000 visitors in 2014, officials said Friday. That’s the highest park visitation in 25 years, since the park first implemented modern tracking methods. Higher visitation is partly the result of low snow levels in 2014 and early 2015, which allowed the

The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) announced recently that the City of Prineville has received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its budget. The award reflects the commitment of the city’s Finance Department to meet the highest principles of governmental budgeting. Receiving this award once is a big deal.

Grant County Sheriff Glenn Palmer is defending himself on social media as allegations of him turning in the Bundy militia to the FBI continue to grow. Sheriff Palmer agreed to hold a public meeting in John Day. Two vehicles of refuge occupiers were stopped by FBI agents and Oregon State Police in the late afternoon,

Here’s the full text of the statement by FBI Oregon Special Agent in Charge Greg Bretzing at a Burns news conference where the video of the traffic stop and fatal shooting of militia member LaVoy Finicum was shown. (The FBI posted the video to YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAGxDWKrjPQ . Good evening. My name is Greg Bretzing,

Tension was high Tuesday night in Prineville as over 600 people packed into Carey Foster Hall for the second public meeting in a week where many residents criticized a 312,000-acre national recreation area proposed by the conservation group Oregon Wild in the Ochoco National Forest. And at the end of the night, councilors unanimously agreed

Two lucky puppies from Maui will be greeted Thursday night at the airport in Portland by Humane Society of Central Oregon staff. The puppies are flying courtesy of Maui Humane Society’s Wings of Aloha program, that enables animals to find a new life on the mainland through shelter adoption partners, like the Humane Society of

Feedback from members of the public will be one of the criteria used as Oregon State University – Cascades selects the design and engineering team that will create a long range development plan for the university’s expanded campus in Bend. Three teams will present their skills and qualifications to members of the campus advisory groups

The Oregon state medical examiner has confirmed the identify of Tuesday’s shooting victim on U..S Highway 395 north of Burns as Robert LaVoy Finicum, the Arizona rancher who was one of the main faces of the nearly month-long Malheur National Wildlife Refuge standoff. The Associated Press quoted a law enforcement official who said Finicum was

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., on Thursday unveiled the American Savings Act, major new national retirement security legislation. He said the American Savings Act would give every worker without access to a retirement savings plan through their employer the ability to save for retirement through their own, personal retirement savings account modeled on the same high-quality

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office reported Thursday almost 1,100 pounds of unwanted medication has been collected throughout Jefferson County over the last 18 months. The sheriff’s office participates in the prescription drug take-back program and maintains the county’s three prescription drug drop boxes in which people may dispose of unwanted medicine. The drop boxes were

Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., said Wednesday that hopes of a peaceful end to the Malheur Refuge occupation were “shattered” Tuesday night and urged the people remaining there to leave “before anyone else gets hurt.” Walden issued the following statement on the situation in Harney County: “I’ve been in close contact with local and federal officials