Month: August 2017

(Update: Monday evening update; smoke, ash hit Sisters area, ground burnout helicopters) Thick smoke from a large weekend burnout on the Milli Fire west of Sisters kept smoke swirling and ash falling in the Sisters area Monday – so much that another day of aerial ignitions by helicopter was grounded. The blaze grew by 1,500

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton will visit Portland to promote her new book, “What Happened.” In the book to be released Sept. 12, Clinton discusses her losing presidential bid, her thoughts on being a woman in politics and what it was like to campaign against President Donald Trump. She will speak Dec.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Amazon plans to hire more than 1,000 full-time employees to work in a new packing and shipping warehouse in Salem. The company announced the million-square-foot facility on Monday, but declined to say when it will be up and running. Sanjay Shah is Amazon’s vice president of North America Customer Fulfillment. Shah said in

Oregon wildfires already have burned nearly 500 square miles this year, as one of the state’s many multimillion-dollar forest fires this season smolders and flares away. The Register-Guard reports (http://bit.ly/2iD8e3G ) the blaze, started by lightning in remote, steep terrain on the Willamette National Forest, is close to Eugene and just up the road from Lowell. The

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – A North Carolina man who pleaded guilty to conspiracy in the takeover of an Oregon wildlife refuge has been sentenced to two years on probation. Jason Blomgren traveled to Oregon in January 2016 to perform guard duty during the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Gabriel described

Here are the results of Friday’s KTVZ.COM Poll, asking if you have seen signs of illegal drug activity in your neighborhood. About two-thirds of respondents say they haven’t — but that means the other one-third have. Citizen complaints have led to several drug raids and arrests in the region in recent months. Have you seen

Starting this week, the Sisters Ranger District of the Deschutes National Forest will begin work to restore Glaze Meadow, located 5 miles northwest of Sisters, near Black Butte Ranch. The restoration work will begin on Thursday and continue until late October and is being done in partnership with Trout Unlimited. The goal of the project

The Central Oregon Association of REALTORS® will present the 41st Annual Building a Better Central Oregon Awards on Thursday, Oct. 19 at the The Riverhouse on the Deschutes. BBCO’s main purpose is to recognize worthy residents who have enhanced their community with outstanding new or renovated residential, commercial or industrial buildings. Projects are judged on

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Officials disagree with a federal report which says Oregon has some of the lowest vaccination rates in the U.S. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports (http://bit.ly/2xGxDMB ) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that only 83 percent of Oregon adolescents have received the tetanus diphtheria and acellular pertussis booster, or Tdap. The CDC

A new fundraising record was set at this year’s First Story Charity Golf Tournament & Opening Night Bash. The event raised $233,000 over the two-day event. “I can’t thank our sponsors enough. I am humbled by the outpouring of support,” executive director and tournament host Claire Duncan said. The funds set a new single-year record

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for the Portland area as temperatures are expected to climb back up into the upper 90s and possibly into triple digits in the coming days. KATU-TV reports (http://bit.ly/2vtyzDb ) three cooling centers will be open in Multnomah County on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday

Cascade Natural Gas crews, working on the Bend Westside Replacement project, should complete all service tie overs in this section by Thursday. Crews are currently working in the alley between NW Congress Street and St. Helens Place. The tie-in work will close the affected streets to vehicle and pedestrian traffic between 7 a.m. and 5

Fire managers expanded evacuations Sunday evening near the Chetco Bar Fire near Brookings due to fire activity on the 108,000-acre blaze. Here’s the official announcement from the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, issued at 6 p.m.: Following the advice of the Chetco Bar Incident Management Team, and based on the current fire behavior, the Curry County

Crater Lake National Park has issued a Level 1 Evacuation Notice for Mazama Village, effective at 1 p.m. Sunday. The Level 1 notice informs residents and visitors to “be ready” for a potential evacuation of Mazama Village, including employee dormitories and trailer sites, in the event that the Blanket Creek Fire approaches these areas. Current

(Update: Driver improves to fair condition, more OSP info) A Bakersfield, California woman was killed and a Klamath Falls woman seriously injured Friday afternoon when the driver of a speeding, passing car lost control and collided with an oncoming ODOT emergency response pickup on Highway 97 near Sunriver, Oregon State Police said Saturday. A preliminary

A 36-year-old Hood to Coast runner from Bend was arrested early Saturday morning after the theft of a pickup truck during one of the event’s exchanges in Columbia County, authorities said. David Jon Blackmon faces car theft, DUII and assault charges, among others, Columbia County sheriff’s deputies said. Around 2 a.m., a man who race

SEATTLE (AP) – Seattle officials are considering a ban on plastic straws and other plastic to-go ware, such as utensils. KING-TV reported (http://kng5.tv/2wIuz65 ) Friday that the ban is part of a 2010 ordinance that phases out various plastic products. Each year the city revisits the list of plastic items they want to phase out. The

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) – Linebacker Tre Thomas scored on a 44-yard interception return to lead a Colorado State defense that forced five turnovers, Nick Stevens threw three TD passes and the Rams opened their new on-campus stadium with a 58-27 win over Oregon State on a steamy Saturday. Colorado State moved into its new digs

ENTERPRISE, Ore. (AP) – Oregon wildlife officials have killed a fourth member of a wolf pack in the northeast part of the state. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife tells the Capital Press (http://bit.ly/2bgkOlF) that officials killed the wolf Friday in Wallowa County following attacks on cattle. The agency says the most recent wolf killed was

JOHN DAY, Ore. (AP) – Authorities in eastern Oregon say one man is dead and another is in custody facing murder and manslaughter charges following a confrontation between neighbors in the town of John Day. Oregon State Police in a news release Saturday say 55-year-old Thomas Elliott shot and killed 46-year-old Todd Berry on Thursday. OSP says