Month: October 2017

CENTRAL POINT, Ore. (AP) – Sheriff’s deputies arrested a southern Oregon man accused of shooting down a drone. Sgt. Julia Denney of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office says 33-year-old Christopher Grindstaff of Central Point turned himself in after hearing about the case online. He’s charged with criminal mischief. The victim told authorities Tuesday that his personal drone

The Tumalo Irrigation District is seeking contractor bids for the fifth phase of its project to pipe the Tumalo Feed Canal, to halt water loss due to evaporation and leaks and protect Tumalo Creek flows and Crescent Lake storage. Here’s a news release distributed Friday by the irrigation district: I n it s continuin g

State air quality regulators and health experts are seeking public comment on proposed new rules to regulate industrial air toxics and reduce the impact these pollutants have on the health of Oregonians. Here’s the rest of an Oregon Department of Environmental Quality news release: The proposed Cleaner Air Oregon rules would set health risk limits

A corrected rate for Oregonians’ tax surplus credit, or “kicker,” for the 2016 tax year has been certified by the Office of Economic Analysis since previous public announcements. The more than $463 million total tax surplus remains the same. The surplus will be returned to taxpayers through a credit on their 2017 state personal income

(Update: Adding new photo, stats) Sixteen Pacific Power crew members from Yreka, Calif., Grants Pass, Medford, Bend and Portland, Ore., are working behind Northern California’s active fire areas to help Pacific Gas & Electric restore electricity. Over the next 10 to 14 days, they’ll work to help rebuild the area’s distribution system by putting in

There are 13 wildfires still burning in Oregon, but most are either fully or mostly contained. We’re coming off the most expensive fire season on record in Oregon, with almost half a million acres of National Forest land burned, 58 percent above average. A good portion of that number comes from the Eagle Creek Fire,

Here are the results of Wednesday’s KTVZ.COM Poll asking about use of neighborhood parks: Do you use your neighborhood park? Yes – 31% (166 votes) No – 35% (186 votes) We don’t have one – 34% (180 votes) Total Votes: 532

Ten years ago, a new era of salmon and steelhead recovery quite literally started out with a bang when Marmot Dam was removed from the Sandy River. More than a ton of high-grade explosives were detonated, taking off the face of the 47-foot high concrete dam. At the time, it was the largest dam breach

In honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Saving Grace presents “In Their Shoes,” an art exhibit highlighting the experiences of domestic violence survivors and their loved ones. For this exhibit, survivors and their supporters decorated footwear to show what it is like to walk in their shoes. Also included in the project are shoes created

WASHINGTON (AP) – As wildfires rage across California and the West, a bipartisan group of senators is seeking to help rural communities better prepare for and prevent catastrophic wildfires. A bill sponsored by senators from three Northwestern states would authorize hundreds of millions in new spending to help at-risk communities prevent wildfires and create a pilot

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. voted against the Senate version of the 2018 budget resolution on Thursday and issued the following statement: “I voted against this budget that allows Republicans to pay for tax cuts benefiting the wealthy at the expense of hardworking American families,” Wyden said. “This bill paves the way for more attacks that

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) – The Medford City Council appears ready to give a green light to Uber and Lyft. The Mail Tribune reports the ride-sharing giants have indicated they want to operate in southern Oregon’s largest city. As in other places, traditional taxi companies complain they are subject to tougher requirements than ride-sharing companies, and are

(Update: Hwy. 126 reopens after repairs) A contractor working on a city of Redmond sewer replacement project struck and cut a natural gas line in southeast Redmond Thursday morning, closing nearby Highway 126 as a precaution during repairs that took several hours. The line was cut around 10 a.m. in the area of Southeast Evergreen

Some residents of in Crooked River Ranch are wondering if it would be better to operate the way the cities of Culver and Metolius do for Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office patrols, instead of a higher property tax, as proposed on a Nov. 7 special election ballot. Both cities pay a flat rate for patrols. Culver

One little hashtag is taking on a huge issue. “I felt violated, I felt humiliated and I felt guilty,” Claire Benke of Redmond said Thursday. “I felt like it was my fault.” She is one of the millions of people who are part of the #MeToo movement, identifying themselves on social media as having experienced

You see the images on TV, first responders helping hurricane victims and fire evacuees across the nation. But did you know that some of those first responders live right here in Central Oregon? When the call comes in that a major disaster has struck, there’s a company in Sisters that jumps into action. So as

The city of Sisters is looking to make sure its neighborhoods are not overrun by vacation rental properties. City Manager Brant Kucera said Thursday he knows that the rental market is important for the city of Sisters, as it is so dependent on tourism for its economy. Kucera said it is difficult to regulate the

Before skiers, boarders and other snow-lovers such as sledders and tubers head to Mt. Bachelor and nearby areas of the Cascades this winter, they can now get a current look at weather, road and traffic conditions, thanks to a pair of new ODOT TripCheck cameras. The pair of cameras added to the growing network of

Java, cuppa Joe, go juice, hojo, or whatever one wants to call coffee, a ready-made cup of it is not far from reach for the majority of U.S. consumers — and a new report out this week shows that the Bend-Redmond metro area (defined as all of Deschutes County) actually is tops in the country,

HOOD RIVER, Ore. (AP) – Charges have been lodged against a 15-year-old Vancouver, Wash., boy who allegedly used fireworks to start a wildfire in Oregon’s scenic Columbia River Gorge that burned out of control, triggering evacuations, the closing of Interstate 84 and causing ash to rain down on nearby Portland. The Hood River County District Attorney