Month: May 2017

In Central Oregon, wildfire is part of our ecosystem. It plays a crucial role in how the landscape develops and changes. That’s one of many reasons why the Deschutes National Forest uses prescribed burns. “The health of the forest actually depends on fire,” Jaimie Olle, public information officer for the forest, explained Friday. “So if

The Coalition for Fair Trade of Hardwood Plywood hosted an event Friday at the National Press Club with guest speakers Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), Brad Thompson, CEO of Columbia Forest Products and Tim Brightbill of Wiley Rein LLP, to discuss China’s unfair trade practices. With the help of illegal government support, Chinese imports of hardwood

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) – The former owner of a Grants Pass gun shop has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for illegal sales. Oregon U.S. Attorney Billy Williams says that in 2012, Wilson Lee Clow Jr., who owned 2nd Amendment Guns, sold high-caliber handguns to a known felon and falsified the paperwork related

Amid an historic global famine crisis, a bipartisan coalition of senators led by Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., is pushing the Trump administration for rapid action to ensure that newly dedicated American assistance reaches hunger-stricken areas as soon as possible. The members of the Senate Foreign Relations and Appropriations Committees wrote to Office of Management and

(Update: fixing typo in 3rd graf) In an effort to improve the lives of our native youth, the Oregon Community Foundation has awarded the Boys & Girls Clubs of Snohomish County a grant to support healthy lifestyles activities at the Warm Springs Boys & Girls Club. This funding initiative supports the effort to combat the

(Update: Fixing typo in last graf) About halfway through construction of the Highway 97 Wickiup Junction railroad overcrossing, ODOT announced Friday it is temporarily suspending further work on the project due to a settlement issue in the embankments by the new structure. It’s the second time in less than a year an unexpected issue has

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. (AP) – A former Klamath County sheriff has been found guilty of five misdemeanor charges in connection with using excessive force against suspects. The Herald and News reports (https://goo.gl/OXnMxZ ) Frank Skrah, whose term as sheriff ended in January, was found guilty Friday of assault, official misconduct and three counts of harassment.

RICHLAND, Wash. (AP) – A worker at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation got radioactive contamination on his clothing during an incident at an underground waste storage tank. Contractor Washington River Protection Solutions says the worker was pulling a robotic device out of the space between the double walls of Tank AZ-101 on Thursday evening. Monitors detected

A project is underway that will impact not only the people in Madras and Warm Springs, but also the thousands who drive through the area every day. A large travel center is being built where people can fuel up, eat and even gamble. “It’s called Plateau Travel Plaza,” Jeffrey Carstensen, the general manager of Indian

Scans this week performed by the State Chief Information Office identified potentially malicious activities on two information servers operated by the Department of Environmental Quality, officials announced Friday. The agency said in an announcement that it “has taken steps to protect sensitive information and eliminate any future intrusion to the agency’s information technology systems. Forensic

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office issued a public alert Friday after it began receiving reports of two scams that are targeting citizens, trying to seek payment for fictitious fees. One scam involves a male portraying himself as a member of the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office and making a claim that a person has a warrant

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – Democrats are planning to make a final push this year to have Oregon join almost a dozen states that want to sidestep the Electoral College and elect the U.S. president by popular vote. Previous efforts to join the so-called National Popular Vote interstate compact have failed three times since 2009, with

A Madras woman who became the subject of a search after she left home and had not been heard from in nearly three weeks was found in good condition Friday when an Oregon State Police trooper spotted and stopped her car in southern Malheur County, police said. Police Chief Tanner Stanfill said the trooper, working

Here are the very close results of Thursday’s KTVZ.COM Poll on President Trump’s claim of being the target of an unprecedented “witch hunt”: Do you agree with President Trump that he’s the target of “the greatest political witch hunt in American history”? Yes – 49% (485 votes) No – 51% (501 votes) Total Votes: 986

Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, both D-Ore., and Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., pushed the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Friday to be more transparent when it comes to the agency’s process for granting federal disaster declarations. The lawmakers’ push follows FEMA’s denial of Oregon’s request for a federal disaster declaration that would bring much-needed

State Rep. Knute Buehler, R-Bend, was not a fan of candidate Donald Trump to become president – in fact, he called for the Republican nominee’s replacement last October, after video of his remarks about treatment of women came to light. “My primary concern was his character, temperament, fitness and his lack of experience to perform

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. (AP) – A Klamath Falls man has been charged with two counts of animal neglect following the deaths of two dogs that were left unattended in a warm vehicle. The Herald and News reports (https://is.gd/jUVl77 ) 57-year-old John Harrison of Klamath Falls pleaded not guilty Thursday. Chief Animal Control Officer Jim Nielsen

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – A cyclist who says he was knocked down by a Portland police officer while following the officer’s orders is suing the city. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports (http://bit.ly/2qEZKJN ) 23-year-old Anthony Allen filed a $475,000 lawsuit against the city on Wednesday. His attorney claims Allen, who is black, was racially profiled. The suit

LAS VEGAS (AP) – A federal judge in Las Vegas is pushing back the trial date for Nevada rancher and states’ rights advocate Cliven Bundy, four of his sons and six other defendants until after a retrial for at least four men whose prosecution ended with a hung jury. Chief U.S. District Judge Gloria Navarro

(Update with ONA comments, info on number of complaints filed) Nurses at St. Charles Bend have filed a formal staffing complaint against the hospital with the Oregon Health Authority, the Oregon Nurses Association announced Thurs day . The hospital defended its use of a “buddy system” for nurses taking breaks that is the focus of