Month: May 2017

(Updates with initial council agreement) The Madras city council members who are already on board with bringing Uber to town tried to create a consensus Tuesday night. And they succeeded. The motion to adopt a franchise agreement with the ride-sharing service was given initial approval in a work session before the council meeting, and will

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Oregon is on track to become the first state to allow residents to skip a gender identity on their driver’s licenses and identification cards. Transgender residents say the change would make them feel safer. The Oregonian/OregonLive says Tuesday (http://bit.ly/2q0Rhm2) the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles doesn’t oppose the change and will

An $8.2 billion transportation funding package has been put before Oregon lawmakers, in early draft form. If passed, the 10-year transportation plan would go toward easing congestion, improving local roads, bridges and public transportation around the state. But, where is the money coming from? The funding draft says the state gas tax would jump by

Middle school and high school students from across Redmond School District recently participated in a competition sponsored by the Redmond Education Foundation called Teen Tank. Billed as an event featuring student innovation and ideas, the competition consisted of teams from Obsidian Middle School, Tumalo Community School, Redmond High School and Ridgeview High School. Inspired by

A 33-year-old Bend man suffered fatal injuries in an off-road motorcycle crash Saturday evening southeast of Bend, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said. Dispatchers received a call around 6:40 p.m. Saturday reporting an injury off-road motorcycle accident on Forest Service Road 23 in the East Fort Rock OHV (off-highway vehicles) area, about 20 miles southeast of

(Updates with OSU-Cascades mention, news releases from each board member) SALEM, Ore. (AP) – The Oregon State Land Board has ditched its plan to sell the Elliott State Forest, deciding to keep it in public hands and ordering the Department of State Lands to examine suggested options, including selling it to Oregon State University as

Amtrak’s Coast Starlight train will resume normal operations Wednesday, more than two weeks after a Northern California railroad bridge was heavily damaged in a derailment, officials said Tuesday. The West Coast train will resume with the departures of train #11 from Seattle and train #14 from Los Angeles, said Amtrak West Coast spokesperson Vernae Graham.

Here are the results of Monday’s KTVZ.COM Poll about construction and tree removal from developer projects: Should city/county codes be more strict about how many trees a developer can remove? Yes – 66% (324 votes) No – 34% (170 votes) Total Votes: 494 Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding

An extensive rock slide just east of Rowena Point has forced closure of U.S. Highway 30, the Historic Columbia River Highway in the immediate area, ODOT officials said Tuesday A large amount of rock fell from a wall next to the highway in the area at about 7:30 Sunday night. Fortunately, no one was in

A driver who may have suffered a medical issue struck at least three other cars, a scooter and a pedestrian in the Bend Walmart parking lot early Tuesday afternoon, police said. Four people went to the hospital for treatment of injuries. Police and fire medics were called to the store on Pinebrook Boulevard after the

MCMINNVILLE, Ore. (AP) – A lawsuit claims an Oregon inmate asked for help 19 times in five hours before he died in jail. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports (http://bit.ly/2psHt07 ) a lawsuit was filed against Yamhill County Jail and its staff Monday on behalf of Jed Hawk Myers, who died in 2015. The suit seeks at least

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – Oregon lawmakers rolled out a 10-year transportation package this week that would raise consumer prices at the gas pump and when buying a new car and impose highway tolls for the first time and a statewide payroll tax. Residents would also see a 5 percent tax on new bicycles and higher

Redmond police responded to a call about two aggressive dogs on the loose and ended up using a Taser to subdue one of them. A neighbor captured a cellphone video of the incident. It starts with Redmond police trying to corral the dog, whose name is Ra’Zac. He escaped with the other family dog, named

SEATTLE (AP) – Seattle Mayor Ed Murray says he is dropping his re-election bid following allegations by four men that he sexually abused them when they were teenagers decades ago. Murray vehemently denied the claims and has said they are politically motivated by an anti-gay conspiracy. He made his announcement Tuesday after insisting for weeks

A new report released Tuesday by the Oregon Employment Department covers employment and economic trends for 23 rural counties in Oregon. It does show positive trends: Recent job growth has been faster than the national average in many areas of the state. Unemployment rates are lower than at any time since 1990 in 14 rural

PENDLETON, Ore. (AP) – U.S. Rep. Greg Walden defended his vote to repeal and replace major parts of the Affordable Care Act, telling constituents at town hall meetings that he saw last week’s action as a way to fix a failing system. The East Oregonian reports (https://is.gd/4tXyxG ) the Republican faced vocal crowds Monday in

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – An ex-Washington County sheriff’s sergeant has been sentenced to five years of probation for having sex with a 15-year-old boy in Idaho. The Oregonian/Oregonian reports (https://goo.gl/ZUdZsp ) 46-year-old Michael Alexander of Lake Oswego pleaded guilty in March to lewd conduct with a child under 16. He was sentenced Monday to probation

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) – What a tangled web a whale has weaved. The Register-Guard reports (http://bit.ly/2qSPTyZ ) whale advocates are hoping to find and free a gray whale whose head and neck are tangled in a large metal crab cage. The whale was first spotted at Dana Point off the coast of Orange County, California,

The Pacific Northwest faces two stark choices for managing its forests, scientists suggest in a new book. One choice leads to stagnant or declining rural communities and risks to some native species, and the other leads to environmental benefits and increases in employment. In “People, Forests, and Change: Lessons from the Pacific Northwest,” forestry scientists

Central Oregon law enforcement agencies, including the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, Bend Police Department, Redmond Police Department, Black Butte Police Department, Sunriver Police Department and the Oregon State Police will be holding the annual Central Oregon Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony next week. This event memorializes Oregon and officers across the country who have lost their