Month: August 2017

(Update: Residents return home; evening update; area closure expanded) The Milli Fire has grown to nearly 12,500 acres, but the hard work of nearly 700 firefighters allowed officials on Wednesday to lift the Level 3 evacuation order for the hundreds who have been out of their homes since last Friday. Here’s the full announcement from

The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department will hold a public meeting for a proposed Oregon Scenic Bikeway from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Sept. 19 at Room 1868, 152 NW 4th Street in Prineville. The 37-mile Crooked River Canyon Scenic Bikeway takes visitors from the community of Prineville, across the farm and ranch fields of the

Adults in Crook County who recently quit tobacco or would like to quit can earn $25 by answering questions in a focus group about their tobacco use. A free meal will be provided during each focus group session, and each participant will receive a $25 Visa gift card. Focus group sessions will be held at

In support of its goal to provide a safe and secure environment for the public, employees and public land users, the Bureau of Land Management’s Prineville District will be undergoing an office remodel project beginning the week of August 28 . As part of the work, the front desk area will be closed to public

The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department is proposing amendments to agency rules related to overnight camping rates for state parks. A $2 per site increase in the base rate for overnight rental fees on select types of campsites was approved by the Oregon Legislature as part of the 2017-19 OPRD budget. The deadline for public

Here are the results of Tuesday’s KTVZ.COM Poll, in which we asked if you regretted any of your pre-eclipse purchases: Do you regret any of your pre-eclipse purchases? Yes – 5% (32 votes) No – 95% (554 votes) Total Votes: 586

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – The strong economy has triggered Oregon’s kicker law. State economists said Wednesday that more than $460 million will be returned to taxpayers. Rather than getting a check, taxpayers must claim the kicker as a credit when they do their 2017 state taxes early next year. The kicker law was created in 1979 as

(Update: Suspect surrenders, jailed) A 22-year-old Prineville man sought on charges of stabbing another man in the hand and stealing his backpack early Wednesday morning turned himself in after police asked the public for help finding him. Dustin Scott Collins contacted Prineville police shortly after noon and was taken into custody without incident, said police

Oregon Secretary of State Dennis Richardson announced Wednesday he won’t seek the Republican nomination for governor next year. Richardson was elected last fall, the first Republican to win a statewide office since 2002. Here’s his full statement: Stating he is honored to finish the term and fulfill his elected role as Oregon’s second-in-command, Secretary of

LAS VEGAS (AP) – The top federal prosecutor in Nevada is vowing a third try to convict two accused gunmen of armed assault on a federal officer in a 2014 standoff that stopped a cattle roundup near states’ rights figure Cliven Bundy’s ranch. Acting U.S. Attorney Steven Myhre told Chief U.S. District Judge Gloria Navarro on

All three hiking trails that intersect Mill Creek Wilderness are open to the public again, the Ochoco national Forest announced Wednesday. The forest on Wednesday erminated an August 14 order that temporarily closed the Twin Pillars, Belknap,and Wildcat trails while firefighters suppressed the Belknap fire. The Belknap fire is now 100 percent contained. It started

An Arizona man headed home from the Symbiosis musical festival “aggressively passed” two police cars in a “police-style vehicle” on a winding forest road northeast of Prineville early Tuesday morning, triggering a brief chase that ended when he crashed into a tree and was arrested on charges including cocaine possession, Crook County sheriff’s deputies said.

The Oregon average for regular unleaded gas jumped to its highest price in nearly two years and has the biggest weekly jump in the nation at 10 cents, thanks largely to the eclipse-related demand for fuel AAA Oregon/Idaho reported Tuesday. For the week, the national average for regular unleaded slips a penny to $2.34 a

The Old Mill Distric t has been honored in The Waterfront Center’s 30th Annual Excellence on the Waterfront Awards program. The national program recognizes projects that have high quality design with a sensitivity to surrounding natural water, as well as making civic and environmental contributions that benefit the cultural richness of the community. The Old

Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates ticked up in Central Oregon last month, but at a level deemed “not statistically significant,” the state Employment Department reported Tuesday. The rising unemployment rate is affected by an increase in the labor force, typical in the summer months, said Workforce Analyst Karla Castillo. Still, the unemployment rates in all of

Hundreds of people packed the Sisters High School Tuesday evening for an update on the Milli Fire that has grown to more than 11,000 acres and left hundreds of worried evacuees wondering when they’ll be able to return home. “We wanted to know where it’s going to move, plus, this is a community and we

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – Authorities say a 77-year-old man convicted of murder died at a Salem hospital. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports (https://goo.gl/2Z9iJc ) Leroy Earp was taken to the hospital from prison last week. The Oregon Department of Corrections says at some point Earp became unresponsive and died Monday afternoon. Corrections officials say his death appears to be

(Update: Wind shift sends S. Oregon fire smoke into Bend area; Sisters schools delayed a day; evening fire updates) The Milli Fire west of Sisters continues to grow, topping 11,000 acres by Tuesday — but thanks to a wind shift fro the southwest much of the smoke blanketing the region later in the day was

GRAND MOUND, Wash. (AP) – Authorities say a brush fire south of Olympia in the Grand Mound area burned seven structures, including four homes and a business, before it was contained and evacuation orders were lifted Tuesday night. Thurston County Emergency Management officials said the fire, which started near 183rd Avenue Southwest between Guava Street and

In the weeks and months leading up to Monday’s eclipse, emergency agencies prepared for the worst and urged others to do the same, so grocery stores and restaurants girded for really big crowds. Fears of gridlocked roads, no gas, no food and little water had people stocking up much as they did for Y2K –