Month: July 2017

The Oregon District Attorneys’ Association selected Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office Victim Advocate Debbi Wise as the Oregon Victim Advocate of the Year. The award was presented last week in Seaside at ODAA’s annual conference. ODAA is a non-profit association comprised of Oregon’s 36 district attorneys and the members of their staffs, Oregon’s assistant attorneys

(Update: New lightning count) Firefighters spent Wednesday afternoon chasing several new starts ignited by lightning from thunderstorms that passed through Central Oregon, stopping the blazes at small size. By nightfall, firefighters had responded to and contained nine new fires, all under a half-acre, according to the Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center. They also provided assistance

(Update: Comments from family member; GoFundMe page created) A family of six, including a newborn baby, awoke to the smell of smoke early Wednesday, family member Lionel Regan recalled later in the day. “They didn’t see anything other than the smoke, from what I understand,” he said. “And then it just went ‘boom.’ It just

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Authorities say a fire that killed two men in North Portland was caused by a hash oil explosion. Portland Fire & Rescue says 42-year-old Matthew McCrann died at the hospital after Monday’s fire and the body of a second victim, 68-year-old Richard Cisler, was found in the debris. Hashish oil is concentrated marijuana,

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – The board overseeing Oregon’s public pension system is set to vote on whether to downgrade assumptions about how much return the system will get on its investments. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports (http://bit.ly/2w1dMHb) changing the assumptions about returns on the investments that fund payments to public employees in retirement, up for a vote Friday,

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Police in Portland say they are searching for a homeless man who attacked a couple at a new city-designated swimming beach along the Willamette River. Sgt. Pete Simpson said Wednesday the suspect became angry with the couple because they were letting their dog run off-leash near his tent. He says the man assaulted

(Update: Comments from fire spokeswoman, area rancher; containment figure lowered) Firefighters kept working Wednesday to build and bolster lines around two wildfires that merged into one six miles northeast of Madras and raced across more than 10,600 acres by Wednesday morning, but a containment estimate was reduced from 40 to 30 percent after an aerial

Most people know by now that Madras is one of the best places in the country to watch the total solar eclipse in August. Not as well-known is the debate on whether or not to merge the Jefferson County Rural Fire District and the county’s emergency medical services agency. A proposed tax levy to pay

Rep. Greg Walden ‘s proposal to better protect Crooked River Ranch from wildfire advanced through the House Natural Resources Committee on a bipartisan vote Wednesday, the Oregon Republican said. The Crooked River Ranch Fire Protection Act (H.R. 2075) adjusts the wilderness study areas adjacent to Crooked River Ranch to protect the local community from wildfire.

The Crook County FFA Chapter and Crook County Fairgrounds are teaming up to sell Terri Clark concert tickets as an FFA fundraiser to help students attend the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis in October. The Terri Clark concert is sponsored by SMAF Corporation and will be held at the Crook County Fairgrounds on Saturday, August

Dry fuels, afternoon winds and continued hot weather have caused the Whitewater Fire to burn another 30 acres in the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness, growing to an estimated 80 acres, Willamette National Forest officials said Wednesday. Fire managers also said they have determined the cause of the blaze to be a month-old lightning strike. Containment was

Here are the results of Tuesday’s KTVZ.COM Poll, asking people how often they typically are contacted by scammers: How many scammers contact you each day, on average? None – 32% (159 votes) 1 or 2 – 46% (233 votes) 3 or 4 – 16% (83 votes) 5 or more – 6% (29 votes) Total Votes:

(Update: Pacific Power plans to move box in about three weeks) Pacific Power officials said Wednesday a transformer box found to be in the middle of a southeast Bend sidewalk, prompting protests, will be moved in about three weeks. Spokesman Ton Gauntt said the utility wanted to thank disabilities advocate Brian Douglass “for bringing this

A 30-year-old Madras man arrested after a Bend motel robbery and Redmond standoff five years ago has been sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison as a felon in possession of a gun at a Bend motel last year, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. After the 70-month prison term imposed Monday by U.S. District Court

Senator Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., announced Wednesday that he has filed over 100 amendments as part of the Senate’s health care debate, “forcing Republicans to reckon with the damage that their health care plans would inflict on millions of Americans.” Many of the amendments touch directly on affordability and access to health care, including for veterans,

OAKRIDGE, Ore. (AP) – A downed power line sparked a brushfire in Oakridge that destroyed a trailer and shut down Highway 58 for about two hours and limited travel until it was contained. The Register Guard reports Tuesday (http://bit.ly/2uvfqCR) that no one was injured in the blaze that began shortly after 2 p.m. KMTR reported a

The McKay Creek Large Wood and Floodplain Restoration Project is in Phase 2 this summer. The project aims to get the creek back to its natural state after years of being manipulated for various uses. The project will increase the complexity of the stream by adding large woody debris to the area that flows into

Internet scams seem to get more complex and more numerous every day. Often the scam starts with a Craigslist sale. Then a potential buyer reaches out, and asks for an address to send the check to. The check arrives and it’s way bigger than the asking amount. Plus it looks very real, said certified fraud

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Authorities say the body of second victim has been found at the site of an explosion and fire in North Portland. The Portland Fire Bureau said Tuesday that firefighters discovered the body while searching the site near Peninsula Park. A person who had been taken the hospital after Monday’s explosion also died

Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies asked the public for help Tuesday in finding a 74-year-old La Pine man who disappeared Monday morning. But they later reported he’d returned home safely. Sheriff’s Sgt. Jayson Jaynes said later in the day that Dennis Whitney had returned home and the investigation had closed. Earlier, Jaynes said Whitney was believed