Month: June 2017

(Update with AP story, details) PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – A Beaverton strip club has agreed to pay $1.25 million to a dancer it employed when she was 13 years old. Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian made the announcement Tuesday, saying it’s the largest settlement the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries has ever secured for an

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service is teaming up with Central Oregon irrigators, the Deschutes Basin Board of Control , and the Famers Conservation Alliance to develop watershed plans that would help irrigators conserve water, reduce energy consumption, increase irrigation delivery efficiency, improve public safety, and benefit in-stream habitat for threatened and endangered fish species.

Businesses continued to hire across Deschutes County last month, in spite of historically low unemployment levels, making it challenging to find qualified workers, an Oregon Employment Department regional economist said Tuesday as he released May’s jobless-rate figures for the region. Economist Damon Runberg said Deschutes County has posted 70 consecutive months of over-the-year job gains.

Oregon Governor Kate Brown recently signed a critical health and safety bill into law that protects kids by requiring children under age 2 to ride in rear-facing car seats. The new law makes Oregon the sixth state in the country to raise car seat standards to align with recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Prineville police Captain Larry Seymour recently completed one of the toughest challenges available for local law enforcement officers: the FBI National Academy. In early June, Capt. Seymour and two other Oregon law enforcement officers completed the ten-week training session at the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia. There is a highly competitive process that local

The 2017 Robberson Ford Peanut Butter Drive proved once again how generous Central Oregonians are these days. Thanks to this successful Peanut Butter Drive, Robberson Ford and Newport Market are donating 5,976 40-ounce jars of peanut butter to NeighborImpact’s Emergency Food Assistance Program. Protein-rich foods such as peanut butter play an important role for the

A company has expressed interest in one of seven parcels of available land in Bend’s long-stalled Juniper Ridge project, a 1,500-acre parcel north of town, given to the city by Deschutes County over 25 years ago. Wednesday evening, the Bend City Council will only be discussing future procedures for the individual sale of seven established

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Bryce Fehmel limited LSU to two hits in eight innings, KJ Harrison hit the first College World Series grand slam at TD Ameritrade Park, and Oregon State beat LSU 13-1 for its 23rd straight win Monday night. The top-seeded Beavers (56-4) , who matched the school-record win streak they set earlier

Deschutes County officials said Monday that firearms remain the most frequent method for committing suicide in the county. While some people kill themselves by poisoning, hanging or other methods, guns are still the method used most frequently across all age groups. More recently, nationwide, firearms are being used by children and teens to harm themselves.

A Portland-based band won a major free-speech victory Monday, in a fight that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. “You know, I feel excited, humbled — all the normal things,” Simon Tam, front man of The Slants, told NewsChannel 21 Monday afternoon. Tam said the battle began in 2009, when they started

Oregon continues to play catch-up when it comes to processing backlogged rape kits. In fact, labs are actually falling further behind, despite a new law that requires testing. Last April, Oregon sent 2,800 rape kits to Utah for testing. Since then, half of them have been tested. Despite the progress, the number of rape kits

(Update: Blas goes to court, conditionally released) A 21-year-old Bend man who turned himself in to Oregon State Police faces assault, reckless driving and other charges after a nearly head-on collision Saturday night on U.S. Highway 20 near Santiam Junction that sent three people to the hospital with serious injuries, troopers said Monday. OSP troopers

For customers’ added convenience, Bend’s Main Post Office at 2300 NE 4th Street will host a Passport Fair from 8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. on Saturday, June 24 , offering customers a special one-stop opportunity for passports, passport photos and passport cards. Customers who want to take advantage of this special event and apply for

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) – A federal judge has given the Trump administration more time to review federal monument designations made by previous presidents before it has to respond to a lawsuit brought by two timber companies against President Barack Obama’s expansion of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. Judge Mark D. Clarke ruled in Medford last week

Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, joined by Reps. Peter DeFazio (OR-4), Earl Blumenauer (OR-3), Greg Walden (OR-2), Kurt Schrader (OR-5) and Suzanne Bonamici (OR-1), pressed Monday for a reversal of the Trump administration’s previous decision denying federal disaster relief to Oregon communities following severe winter storms. In a letter to President Trump, the lawmakers

Governor Kate Brown on Monday ordered all flags at public institutions to be flown at half-staff in honor of Oregon native and Medal of Honor recipient Arthur Jackson. Flags should be lowered until sunset on Tuesday. Jackson enlisted in the United States Marine Corps from Portland in 1943. As a private first class, Arthur Jackson

The Humane Society of Central Oregon on Monday offered tips on keeping your pet safe in the heat. With the official arrival of summer this week, they said the best spot for your pet is inside a safe, cool house. Dogs and cats cannot cool their body temperatures as efficiently as humans. Here are their

Three Oregon law enforcement leaders — Redmond Police Chief Dave Tarbet, Crook County District Attorney Daina Vitolins and Baker County District Attorney Matt Shirtcliff — promoted the benefits Monday of federally supported home visiting programs in preventing crime, lobbying for its continued funding. The three are members of the law enforcement organization Fight Crime: Invest

Here are the results of Friday’s KTVZ.COM Poll about rules governing outdoor amplified music festivals: Should outdoor amplified music festivals be required to stop before 10 p.m., be a set distance away from homes? Yes – 78% (646 votes) No – 22% (181 votes) Total Votes: 827

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – Fisheries managers say steelhead fish in the Santiam and Willamette rivers in northwestern Oregon have hit low levels not seen in over 40 years. The Statesman Journal reports (http://stjr.nl/2rJLmDH ) typically about 5,600 wild winter steelhead crossing through Willamette Falls annually. Officials said this year, it was around 800. Numbers for