Month: November 2017

JUNCTION CITY, Ore. (AP) – Junction City police say an adult pedestrian was struck and killed by a train. The Union Pacific train was traveling south Thursday night when it struck the person, whose name has not been released. Police say the railroad crossing arms, lights and signals were all working. Intersections were blocked for hours but

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) – Commissioners in Jackson County decided not to change the name of Dead Indian Memorial Road. The Mail Tribune reports the board received a summary of comments from the community Thursday. Though the vast majority of respondents want the name changed, it was an almost 50-50 split among those who live on the road

WALLA WALLA, Wash. (AP) – The Walla Walla City Council adopted an ordinance that bans new absentee-owner properties for use as short-term rentals. The Walla Walla Union-Bulletin reports the ordinance, which passed Wednesday, puts a halt to the proliferation in the city of new short-term rentals whose owners inhabit them for fewer than 275 days per

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – The Portland Water Bureau has found that lead levels at high-risk homes in the city exceeded federal limits. The Oregonian/OregonLive reported Thursday the city tested water from 134 homes deemed at high risk for lead exposure because they contain plumbing manufactured when fixtures contained substantial amounts of lead. Of homes tested, more than

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Legacy Emanuel Medical Center has been fined nearly $277,000 for failing to ensure that employees get breaks. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that the Bureau of Labor and Industries announced the fines on Thursday, stating the fine is the largest amount of civil penalties in the agency’s history. After dozens of employee complaints came in,

On October 30, Bend City Manager Eric King signed a weather emergency declaration, effective Friday. The declaration allows the use of approved alternative shelter facilities to provide emergency overnight lodging when the temperature is or is expected to be below 25 degrees Fahrenheit and all Bend-area shelter facilities have reached capacity. Alternative shelter facilities must

KIDS Center has been awarded a $10,000 grant from PGE Foundation — the corporate foundation of Portland General Electric — to help support its Project THRIVE program. Project THRIVE ( T reatment, Healing, Resilience, Inspiration, a Voice, and Encouragement) will provide child-friendly medical exams, family support, and therapeutic services to help 100 new children and

Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and several congressman praised new tariffs against subsidized Canadian softwood lumber announced Thursday by the Department of Commerce. First, Wyden’s statement: “With today’s action by the Commerce Department, American lumber mills and millworkers are one step closer to getting hard-won relief against subsidized and dumped Canadian softwood

(Update: Comments from organizer, presenters, participants) More than a dozen men have signed up for a gathering Saturday at Skyliners Lodge, west of Bend, called “Man Camp.” “I hope they come away from this experience feeling better about themselves and also about the future of men and of women — the future for all of

Sunday marks the end of daylight saving time and serves as a good reminder for Oregonians to test their smoke alarms. The Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal is urging residents to test their smoke alarms before automatically changing the batteries. “Smoke alarm technology has advanced and many now come with 10-year batteries and some

Senator Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., along with Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Jon Tester (D-MT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Edward J. Markey (D-MA) introduced Thursday the Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act of 2017, legislation to eliminate human or environmental exposure to asbestos, a known carcinogen. “It’s outrageous

Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., introduced legislation this week that they said would improve the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ ability to serve America’s veterans by removing roadblocks to construction of some VA projects. The bill would expedite the process for more routine construction at VA facilities, including clinics, by raising the cap

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Damian Lillard made a 3-pointer with 0.7 seconds left and the Portland Trail Blazers extended their winning streak over the Los Angeles Lakers to 13 games with a 113-110 victory on Thursday night. Lillard finished with 32 points, and Portland snapped a two-game skid. Jusuf Nurkic added 28 points for Portland. Brook Lopez

WOODBURN, Ore. (AP) – Police say officers in Woodburn shot a dog that was running loose and charging at people, including officers. Woodburn police say officers responded to a vicious dog call Thursday afternoon in a residential neighborhood. Police say officers tried to get children out of the area, but the dog, described as a pit bull,

(Update: Comments from board president, attorney for founders) The clock is ticking for the new board of the Equine Outreach horse sanctuary in Bend to find a home for 67 horses by the end of the year, when the nonprofit organization will dissolve. The new board president, Bill Inman told NewsChannel 21, on Thursday part

(Update: Comments from prosecutor, victim’s sister) SALEM, Ore. (AP) – The persistence of a detective and the sister of a teen girl killed almost 40 years ago led to solving the crime. Marion County prosecutor Paige Clarkson says DNA and other evidence shows a convicted rapist named Gerald Dunlap killed 18-year-old Janie Landers in 1979. Clarkson says

Whether you like it or not, winter weather is here. While many people crank up their thermostat, there are others who simply can’t afford to. NeighborImpact, a 21 Cares for Kids partner, is working to change that. Its weatherization program has been helping winterize homes for more than three decades, but this is the first

Bend’s 14th Street (or Century Drive) between Colorado Avenue and Newport Avenue is set to be improved in the coming months. This project is the last project funded by the city’s transportation bond measure and has been allotted $3.5 million to fix the street, add a bike lane with a buffer and make improvements to

Oregonians can now purchase a voucher for a new license plate featuring a gray whale and her calf, with proceeds going to support the Oregon State University Marine Mammal Institute. The voucher can be purchased for $40 through the institute at whaleplate.com. Once 3,000 vouchers have been sold, the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles will

The Bend Spay+Neuter Project, a local nonprofit committed to providing free and low-cost services for cats and dogs, announced Thursday that it has performed its 50,000 th surgery. The clinic provides spay, neuter and basic wellness services for pets in order to create a more humane community. This latest milestone is indicative of the huge