Month: June 2017

FBI agent Joseph Astarita pleaded not guilty to five federal counts in a Portland courtroom Wednesday afternoon, accused of lying about firing two gunshots at LaVoy Finicum during the January 2016 deadly encounter on a highway north of Burns. Astarita, a member of the FBI’s hostage rescue team base in Quantico, Virginia, was charged with

(Update: FBI agent in court, pleads not guilty; FBI statement, including link to indictment) PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – An FBI agent charged with lying about shooting at a key figure in last year’s armed occupation of a national wildlife refuge in Oregon pleaded not guilty Wednesday to five felony charges. W. Joseph Astarita briefly appeared

(Update: Fire chief says butane hash oil lab found in home) Evidence of a butane hash oil lab was found in a Cloverdale-area home heavily damaged by an explosion and fire Tuesday evening, the Cloverdale fire chief confirmed Wednesday. However, Fire Chief Thad Olson said the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office, working with the Deschutes

A former Sisters Realtor pleaded guilty to first-degree forgery Wednesday and was sentenced to two years probation, three days in jail and community service for her role in mortgage and rental fraud schemes, but another person charged in the crimes is on the run, Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel said. Michelle Marie Anderson, 40,

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. (AP) – Police in Klamath Falls arrested a man accused of breaking into a woman’s home, kidnapping her baby and taking the child onto a roof. Klamath County District Attorney Eve Costello says the mother of the 13-month-old boy called 9-1-1 early Wednesday, saying she was stabbed while trying to protect the

The Oregon Construction Contractor Board said Wednesday it found 83 suspected violations of illegal construction resulting from visits to 380 job sites during a recent multistate enforcement action targeting the construction industry. The Oregon “sweep” occurred in early June, when CCB investigators showed up unannounced at job sites in the Bend area and along the

Deschutes County is accepting applications from residents for its 2017 County College program. County College is a series of classes designed to educate residents about county government and services. Each week, County College will feature information from different county departments and include presentations, group discussions, and a tour of a county facility. Sessions are held

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) – Three wildfires burning in grasslands south of Wenatchee, Washington, had grown to approximately 36.7 square miles, or more than 23,000 acres (95 square kilometers) , but had not destroyed any structures. Firefighters on Wednesday were trying to prevent the fires from growing to protect property and sage grouse habitat. A lightning-caused

Bend’s Galveston Avenue corridor is a mix of commercial businesses and residential neighborhoods, making the area increasingly crowded. Parking is not well understood in the area, and no strategy has been formed for that corridor before. While parking exists at local businesses, much of the overflow spreads into the residential streets. The Bend City Council

The Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council announced that House Bill 2745B was signed into legislation by Governor Kate Brown last Thursday. Here’s the rest of the COIC release issued Tuesday: House Bill 2745, an innovative approach to funding transit in Central Oregon, was specifically designed to meet the needs of Central Oregon. Rep. John Huffman of

CANYON CITY, Ore. (AP) – Federal prosecutors and judges are setting up a temporary court in remote eastern Oregon to handle citations against any attendees at the Rainbow Family of Living Light annual counter-culture gathering. Oregon Public Broadcasting reported Tuesday (http://bit.ly/2uf6bE2) that the remote court will be able to handle everything from parking violations to

Beginning Wednesday at 12:01 a.m., all lands managed by the Ochoco and Deschutes National Forests and the Prineville District Bureau of Land Management will move to an Industrial Fire Precaution Level II (IFPL). This level restricts hours of operation for permitted commercial and industrial operations on public lands to between 8 p.m. and 1 p.m.

(Update: Adding House Republicans news release) SALEM, Ore. (AP) – A record $8.2 billion package to fund Oregon’s K-12 public school system cleared the Legislature Tuesday in a 31-28 vote after a lengthy debate in the Oregon House. The package is up 11 percent from the current biennium and now heads to Gov. Kate Brown.

Boating accidents are on the rise in Oregon, and with the Fourth of July weekend right around the corner, law enforcement agencies will be cracking down on people boating under the influence. “Boating is like any other activity, it’s as safe as you make it,” Sgt. Nathan Garibay, emergency services manager for the Deschutes County

Here are the results of Monday’s KTVZ.COM Poll, on an issue the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to take up: Religious rights vs. equal rights: Which right do you think takes priority: religious rights or equal rights? Religious rights – 42% (277 votes) Equal rights – 58% (384 votes) Total Votes: 661

(Update: Comments from more officials on balancing act) The balance of fire in the woods – both as a friend to clear brush and make forests healthy, and the enemy we battle every summer – was the focus of a tour Tuesday by Oregon Department of Forestry and other officials of several prescribed burn areas

(Update: Sheriff’s office releases names, tells what happened) A 66-year-old La Pine man was fatally injured Monday afternoon when he stopped to turn left into a store on Burgess Road and was rear-ended by a tow truck, pushing his pickup into the path of an oncoming SUV, Deschutes County Sheriff’s deputies said. The SUV’s occupants,

(Update: Bureau of Reclamation comment) The federal Bureau of Reclamation and the Deschutes National Forest warned the public Tuesday to stay away from a large sinkhole that has opened up near Reservoir Campground in the southwest side of Wickiup Reservoir. The 10-by-12-foot sinkhole — a measurement up from Monday’s original 4-by-8 foot estimate — is

Bend residents may soon see backflow testers in their neighborhoods accessing water meter boxes. The City of Bend has contracted with Olson LLC to test city-owned backflow assemblies in residential water meter boxes. Annual testing is required by the Oregon Administrative Rules and the City of Bend Code. Underground landscape sprinklers also require a backflow

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) – Two wildfires burning in north central Washington have consumed more than 6,000 acres. The Spartan Fire in Chelan County had burned about 4,397 acres on Tuesday and threatened dozens of homes. The state Department of Natural Resources says the fire is about 10 percent contained by 160 firefighters. Meanwhile, the state