Month: October 2017

The Deschutes County jail is understaffed, and some patrol deputies are stepping in to help cover shifts, officials said. Capt. Deron McMaster told NewsChannel 21 on Tuesday there have been about 20 openings in the past year. The sheriff’s office is now on a hiring blitz as it tries to fill several vacancies in the

Prineville city councilors have approved a resolution to expand the city’s urban growth boundary by 38 acres. That acreage is already part of a 230-acre industrial site. According to the city’s planning director, Phil Stenbeck, the additional acreage was originally zoned as “county-heavy industrial” and is now labeled “city-heavy industrial.” The property is located on

Oregon vehicle registration plates are becoming easier to read at night, with more reflective background sheeting, the DMV announced Wednesday. DMV will start issuing the standard tree plates with the new material this month. DMV’s plate vendor, Portland-based Irwin-Hodson, is using new 3M™ HD License Plate Sheeting. The new plates will first appear starting with

The Oregon State Marine Board said Tuesday it received a petition for rulemaking last week requesting a no-wake and no unauthorized anchoring regulation for the the Fly Creek subdivision on Lake Billy Chinook in Jefferson County. The proposed rule would establish a no-wake zone in the entirety of the Fly Creek Inlet of Lake Billy

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Health officials say a coyote tested positive for rabies after biting a man at a farm in Gervais. Richard Sherman of the Marion County Health Department said Wednesday that the victim reported that the coyote bit him on the leg after walking up to him and sniffing him. The man shot the

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Oregon schools chief Salam Noor has resigned after less than 2 ½ years on the job. Gov. Kate Brown made the announcement Wednesday. She said Colt Gill will serve as acting chief during the search for a permanent replacement. Brown appointed Noor just months after taking over as governor in 2015. His resignation

Here are the results of Tuesday’s KTVZ.COM Poll, asking whether you believe schools should close if specific shooting threats arise: Should schools close if a specific shooting threat arises? Yes – 65% (319 votes) No – 35% (170 votes) Total Votes: 489

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Couples in both Oregon and Kentucky are seeking to adopt a 4-year-old girl from southern Oregon, causing the states to dispute which has jurisdiction over her. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports (http://bit.ly/2hBE3pX ) that Oregon child welfare officials temporarily placed the Klamath Falls girl with her aunt and uncle in Kentucky two years ago.

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. (AP) – An Oregon man accused of having an incestuous relationship with his adult daughter has been sentenced to two years in prison after accepting a plea agreement. The Herald and News reports (https://is.gd/KKwrJ1 ) that 52-year-old Eric Lee Gates of Klamath Falls pleaded guilty to a charge of driving with a suspended

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) – Commissioners in Jackson County are considering whether to change the name of Dead Indian Memorial Road. John Vial, the county’s director of parks and roads, tells the Mail Tribune (https://is.gd/YIg6pc) he fields emails and phone calls each month from people complaining about the name. The newspaper reports that white settlers in the 1850s

The start of fall means the start of influenza season, and public health officials say now is the best time — when the number of flu cases in Oregon is still low — to get vaccinated. The Oregon Health Authority begins tracking flu the first week of October each year. The agency publishes data each

For the first time in about five years, the Bend-La Pine School Board and the Bend Parks and Recreation Board held a joint meeting Tuesday evening. They discussed their partnerships on various efforts and what the next steps might be — and also learned the site for a new southeast Bend high school may be

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., asked the Department of Justice on Tuesday how often it spies on journalists as part of leak investigations, following Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ vow to crack down on leaks to reporters. “Journalists play a critical role in our democracy and the chill associated with the government obtaining their communications records in

Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement after the Environmental Protection Agency, acting under orders from President Donald Trump and EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, officially began the process of rolling back the Clean Power Plan. Merkley said,”The Clean Power Plan is the most significant federal action underway to curb carbon pollution and take on climate

Annual open enrollment for Medicare starts next week, and Oregon’s Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance (SHIBA) Program is available to help. Medicare is health insurance for people 65 years or older or younger than 65 with Social Security Disability Income. People living in Oregon who are 65 years or older may be eligible to sign

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) – A southern Oregon man has been charged with murder with a firearm and three counts of first-degree arson for accusations that he killed a 70-year-old man and then dragged his body into a trailer and set it on fire. The Mail Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/2hAPLRw ) that 24-year-old Troy Miles Dawson was appointed

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Police say they are looking for a pedestrian who shot at a car after being hit by it while crossing the street. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports (http://bit.ly/2hAkxdf ) that the incident happened Tuesday afternoon near Portland State University. Portland police spokesman Sgt. Chris Burley said witnesses told officers that a white four-door sedan hit

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – Investigators say a Gervais man arrested after a crash Sunday that killed a Molalla woman and four children had a blood-alcohol level nearly four times the legal limit. The Statesman Journal reported Tuesday (https://goo.gl/eLndGQ ) that a judge deemed Favian Garcia, 27, “a danger to the public if released” and ordered him

(Update: More from police, parent, school district; about half students stayed away) Mountain View High School in northeast Bend held somewhat normal classes on Tuesday, with an increased police presence and about half of the student body staying away due to a rumored threat of a school shooting that spread like wildfire on social media

From mountain peaks to city skylines, Oregon’s dramatic landscapes are revealed with the state’s new interactive lidar map. Lidar technology offers precise, high-resolution images of the surface of the earth, vegetation and the built environment. The Lidar Data Viewer interactive map features layers for bare earth, which shows everything above the surface of the earth