Month: August 2017

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – President Donald Trump signed a disaster declaration for damage done by January storms, making federal assistance available in four Oregon counties, including Deschutes. The declaration was approved on Tuesday covering damage from January 7-10 when severe winter storms brought flooding, landslides and mudslides to Columbia, Deschutes, Hood River and Josephine counties. The designation

Each morning, local youth load up work tools into a fleet of passenger vans, trucks, and trailers and travel to work sites up to 50 miles away in Central Oregon. Young people work on Heart of Oregon Corps projects ranging from building affordable homes for low-income families, to maintaining beloved recreational trails, to forest thinning

The Bend Fire Department’s monthly Child Passenger Car Seat Clinic, regularly scheduled on the third Monday of every month, will be rescheduled this month to Monday, August 14, from 11:30 AM until 2:30 PM, to avoid the traffic generated by eclipse visitors. Questions can be addressed to the Bend Fire Department at 541-322-6300.

Governor Kate Brown provided notice Tuesday that she will veto two bills and veto four-line item appropriations passed during the 2017 Legislative Session. Under Article 5, Section 15 of the Oregon Constitution the governor must provide at least five working days’ notice before vetoing a bill. Governor Brown will veto House Bill 3355 , Senate

Due to the 5,515-acre Whitewater fire, the Willamette and Deschutes national forests said Tuesday they have closed a portion of the Mount Jefferson Wilderness Area, including the 10,495-foot peak of Mt. Jefferson. All Willamette National Forest trails that access popular destinations like Jefferson (Jeff) Park and the Mount Jefferson peak are closed for the foreseeable

A 66-year-old Portland man was injured in a fall near the 10,358-foot summit of South Sister Monday afternoon, prompting a tricky ground and air rescue effort that took until early Tuesday to conclude, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said. Deschutes County 911 received a call around 3:40 p.m. reporting that Steve Bachelder had fallen while descending

Due to training, the following Oregon Liquor Control Commission regional and field offices will be temporarily closed. Bend: Closed 8/8 from 10:00 a.m., 8/9, and 8/10 Pendleton: Closed 8/8, 8/9, and 8/10 Eugene: Closed 8/8 from 12:30 p.m., 8/9, and 8/10 Corvallis: Closed 8/8, 8/9, and 8/10 Newport: Closed 8/8, 8/9, and 8/10 Roseburg: Closed

Contrary to NewsChannel 21’s reports Monday night, this morning’s wilderness-permitting meeting at the Cascade Lakes Welcome Center with Rep. Greg Walden is a private event not open to the public. KTVZ apologizes for any confusion about the matter.

Bend’s city charter and governance system could soon undergo several changes, if voters say yes. “I would say every five to eight years, it’s probably not bad for a city to, and cities all across the country to look at their charter,” said Councilor Bruce Abernethy. The city council formed a 10-citizen charter committee that

An apparent cooking fire in an apartment at a Redmond independent living facility Monday injured four people and caused $100,000 damage, officials said. Crews were called shortly after 5 p.m. to Reindeer Meadows at 1601 Southwest Reindeer Avenue on a report of a fire alarm sounding on the third floor, said Redmond Fire Marshal Traci

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – A woman with 19 years of experience at the Oakland, California, police department has been chosen to serve as Portland, Oregon’s next police chief. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports (https://goo.gl/SkvYk8 ) Danielle Outlaw was appointed Monday by Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler. The move comes at a time when community and police relations have been strained

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – Authorities say the body of a 5-year-old boy who disappeared Friday evening at a Salem marine park has been recovered from the Willamette River. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office says Allen “Chaz” Pearson’s body was located Monday afternoon near Wheatland Ferry about 13 miles down the river from where he was last

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Interior Department has unveiled a plan to protect the threatened sage grouse that gives Western states greater flexibility to allow mining, logging and other economic development where it now is prohibited. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke announced the strategy Monday for the ground-dwelling bird that has suffered a dramatic population decline across its

Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District crews responded swiftly early Sunday morning for a reported house fire that turned out to be a small brushfire threatening homes north of the Squaw Creek Canyon Estates area. A neighbor called 911 at 3:34 a.m. after her husband noticed the fire. First units were on scene by 3:50 a.m. and

Mid Oregon Credit Union is collecting needed school supplies for students in Deschutes, Jefferson and Crook counties. The Supplies 4 Schools drive will run through the month of August. This year’s Supplies 4 Schools will assure that children who can’t afford needed and required school supplies will have a sense of belonging and readiness on

Hole-drilling machinery at a solar farm project south of Redmond contacted an overhead power line Monday evening, causing the line to break and nearly 1,100 people to lose power, some for hours, officials said. Redmond Fire Battalion Chief Jeff Puller said crews were called to the scene on S. Highway 97 just after 7 p.m.

Brandon Kautz of Dallas, Oregon, was arraigned Monday in Deschutes County Circuit Court on 32 counts of luring a minor, encouraging child sexual abuse and using a child in a display of sexually explicit conduct. He allegedly posed as a girl on Instagram in order to get boys to swap pictures with him. Alleged victims

Bend police said they arrested a wanted 32-year-old Bend man who committed several traffic violations while riding a stolen, high-end bicycle — one of two taken from a northwest Bend home’s garage last month, worth $17,000 combined. A later raid turned up other stolen property. Police responded back on July 14 to a reported burglary

A five-gallon bucket of concrete sealer fell off a vehicle and began to leak on a southeast Bend street Monday afternoon, prompting a call to a hazardous material team to ensure proper clean-up of the material. A passer-by who reported the spill on Wilson Avenue at Fourth Street said it smelled like benzene, and “the

Downtown Bend draws people from all walks of life, including transients, and some of them have been causing a growing number of problems, business owners say. Kathryn Rocheleau, who owns the Austin Street Tacos cart, is affected by the issue. “They’ve come up to me and asked for free food, which I don’t give them,”