Month: September 2017

Although the Fire Danger level for Central Oregon has beenreduced from “Extreme” to “High,” with cooler temperatures and rain in the forecast, fuels are still dry enough to ignite readily. Wind speeds are up a bit, so if a fire were to start, it will be able to escape control fairly quickly. Therefore, the burning

Here are the results of Friday’s KTVZ.COM Poll, asking if you believe more logging would reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfire: Do you believe more logging would reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires? Yes – 78% (864 votes) No – 22% (240 votes) Total Votes: 1,104

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Authorities have rescinded evacuation notices in Multnomah County and the Hood River Valley. The notices had been issued because of the large wildfire that’s been burning since Labor Day weekend in the Columbia River Gorge. Rain and lower temperatures have reduced the threat. Though fire danger has eased, rain falling on charred land

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) – City officials are once again asking people to describe downtown Eugene. The first questions in the online survey ask Lane County residents to choose three words to describe downtown and its public spaces. When the question was posed earlier this year, the top three responses were “dirty,” ”homeless” and “unsafe.” The Register-Guard reports

(Update: Court documents reveal results of search of suspect’s home) ROCKFORD, Wash. (AP) – Police who searched the home of a 15-year-old boy arrested in last week’s shooting of four students at a rural Washington state high school found guns, ammunition and what was described as a “practice Molotov cocktail.” Court documents said officers also found

Two Bend-La Pine Schools’ students have earned top academic recognition as National Merit Semi-Finalists. Susan Garcia, of Bend Senior High School, and Henry Rogers, of Summit High School, are among 165 students in Oregon to earn this prestigious distinction from the National Merit Scholarship Program. “We are tremendously proud of these two students and their

Shelby Paulson, a teacher librarian at Pilot Butte Middle School, was recently selected as the Secondary School Librarian of the Year for Oregon by the Oregon Association of School Librarians. This is the highest award given by the group, which is the professional group for the school librarians and media specialists in the state. Paulson

Well into the 21st century, Bend continues to make “best places to live” lists of various kinds – the latest on Monday, from Money magazine, putting Bend at No. 44 among the 100 “Best Places to Live 2017,” a list it’s made in the past. The Bend profile, written by Sergei Klebnikov, points to the

A new wildfire broke out south of Bend Saturday afternoon, but crews aided by air tankers contained it at 26 acres, on the eve of a major weather change that could bring much-welcome rain to the region, officials said Sunday. Fire crews, engines and air tankers responded quickly to Incident 1174, which broke out near

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Amazon has announced plans for a third Oregon fulfillment center. The company said Monday that online orders will be filled, packed and shipped at the center based in Portland, creating more than 1,000 full-time jobs. The online retail giant previously announced plans to put similar warehouses in Troutdale and Salem. Amazon says it

 SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) – Police say the body of a Cheney marijuana shop employee was found days after he was kidnapped outside of work. The Spokesman-Review reports (https://goo.gl/z733Mh ) that Spokane County Rescue found Cameron Smith’s body Friday afternoon off state Route 904 near Four Lakes. Police say his body was concealed in “heavy cover” several

Watch for paving crews and street closures on Delaware Avenue this week, as Cascade Natural Gas crews continue the Bend Westside Replacement Project. Paving crews will work west on NW Delaware Avenue until they reach NW Jefferson Place. The paving crews will then move to the intersection of Jefferson Place and Broadway and begin paving

Students new to Oregon State University – Cascades this fall will immerse themselves in Welcome Week activities beginning Monday, in preparation for classes beginning on Wednesday. The hallmark of Welcome Week is Convocation, which celebrates the start of the academic year and welcomes new students into the academic community. It will take place on the

WASHINGTON (AP) – Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is recommending that six of 27 national monuments under review by the Trump administration be reduced in size, along with management changes to several other sites. A leaked memo from Zinke to President Donald Trump recommends that two Utah monuments – Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante – be

SEATTLE (AP) – The mass of warm water known as “the blob” that heated up the North Pacific Ocean has dissipated. But scientists are still seeing the lingering effects of those unusually warm sea surface temperatures on Pacific Northwest salmon and steelhead. A federal research survey this summer caught among the lowest numbers of juvenile salmon in

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – A small airplane struck and killed two elk as it was landing at an airstrip on the Oregon coast. Pilot Todd Rudberg of Shoreline, Washington, was touching down at the Nehalem Bay State Park airstrip Saturday evening when an elk ran in front of his single-engine airplane. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports (https://goo.gl/zwcAAx ) Rudberg

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Soda tax supporters have started collecting signatures to put a ballot measure before Multnomah County voters. KGW-TV reports (https://goo.gl/HmnPqB ) the Coalition for Healthy Kids and Education must collect about 18,000 signatures to place the proposal on the May 2018 ballot. Voters would decide whether to add a 1.5 cents tax per ounce

ASHLAND, Ore. (AP) – Jackson County health officials are responding to an outbreak of whooping cough in Ashland schools. Jackson County Medical Director Dr. Jim Shames told the Mail Tribune last week that there are two confirmed cases and one suspected case. All three had contact with each other. School and health officials have not said where

ROCKFORD, Wash. (AP) – A Washington state student accused of a deadly school shooting had been suspended for bringing threatening notes to school shortly before the attack. Freeman School District Superintendent Randy Russell tells The Spokesman-Review (http://bit.ly/2w0GtnZ) that the district followed protocol by suspending the student and sending him for a mental evaluation. The newspaper reported that

LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) – Royce Freeman ran for three touchdowns in the first half and Oregon roughed up Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen in a 49-13 victory over the Cowboys on Saturday night. Allen drew representatives from 16 NFL teams to War Memorial Stadium, but it was the Ducks (3-0) who impressed. Freeman ran for 157 yards