Month: July 2018

(Update: Ben Lane Fire at 320 acres, 40 percent contained) A new, wind-fanned wildfire quickly spread across about 320 acres in Warm Springs late Monday afternoon and evening, threatening about 25 homes, but more than 100 firefighters were able to stop the blaze, which was 40 percent contained by nightfall, an official said. William Wilson,

On November 15, The Environmental Center will present its sixth Sustainability Awards, honoring businesses, organizations and individuals that are leading the way to a sustainable future in Central Oregon. Applications for awards will be accepted in four categories: Small Business (10 or less employees), Large Business (more than 10 employees), Organization (government and nonprofits), and

As canning season gets underway, the Food Preservation hotline from Oregon State University Extension Service started taking calls Monday. The toll-free hotline at 800-354-7319 runs until Oct. 12 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. When the hotline is closed, callers can leave a message. The hotline is staffed by certified Master Food

Three new members have recently been added to the board of directors for Healthy Beginnings, a Central Oregon nonprofit that provides free health screenings and referrals for young children with the goal of ensuring they enter kindergarten ready to succeed. Amy Lowes, Erika McCalpine and Andrea Zechmann bring a diverse set of skills and backgrounds

While the $150 million winning Powerball ticket was claimed last week, there are several other Powerball prizes that have gone unclaimed. More than $1.1 million in Powerball prizes are scheduled to expire this November if players with the winning tickets don’t come forward. Prizes are good for one year from the draw date of the

A national crisis line for older adults, called the Friendship Line, will become more available in the Central Oregon area. The hotline has existed for 45 years, but the Central Oregon Health Council partnered with its founder, Dr. Patrick Arbore, to bring increased services to this area. It is a 24-hour call line, available 365

There’s a movement calling for Instagram users to change the way they post photos of the outdoors. At issue is something called geotagging. Geotagging is when a poster adds geographical metadata to a photo that pinpoints the exact location of the photo. For example, Blue Pool on the McKenzie River has been tagged more than

Happy Monday evening, everyone! Tonight we’ll see mostly clear skies after the scattered thunderstorms wind down. Most of the thunderstorm activity will be to our southeast tonight, but Central Oregon still has a chance for a few storms. Clouds will clear overnight and we will see mostly clear skies. Overnight lows will be in the

Here are the results of Friday’s KTVZ.COM poll, asking what your favorite way to watch movies at home is: What’s your favorite way to watch movies at home?Rent at store/machine – 12% (125 votes)Streaming service – 47% (483 votes)Watch on cable/satellite channels – 41% (416 votes)Total Votes: 1,024

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – A Portland man who ignited a pipe bomb in a Fred Meyer store has been sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison. Police went to the southeast Portland store in May 2016 after being alerted that someone had placed a small pipe bomb in an aisle. The bomb detonated shortly

GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) – A series of lightning storms ignited dozens of wildfires in southwestern Oregon. The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest reported upward of 30 starts spread out from the Bear Camp Road area to Prospect on Sunday evening. Meanwhile, the Oregon Department of Forestry confirmed 40 fires in Jackson and Josephine County. Most

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife says a small dog attacked in Portland last week was likely bitten by a coyote, not a cougar as initially reported. According to the Portland Police Bureau, a woman reported that the dog was in her yard when a cougar attacked early Thursday. The

There’s a new yoga studio in Central Oregon, and it’s not what you would expect. It has bars on the windows, guards in the corner and inmates on the mats. It’s yoga for inmates — only women, for now — and it’s turned one room at the Deschutes County Jail into a warm and welcoming

(Update: Missing man found safe in Calif.) A missing Sunriver man was found safe and well in California and will be returning home soon, police said Monday. Sunriver police posted to Facebook late Friday that Raul Arturo Rodriguez had been “located, healthy and safe, and his family has been contacted.” The agency thanked all who

Several Oregon metropolitan areas posted increases in the number of auto thefts in 2017, while others saw declines — including the Bend-Redmond metro area (all of Deschutes County), where the car theft rate dropped 24 percent. Overall, the state’s number of vehicles stolen rose 26 percent last year, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau’s

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) – The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife plans to use electronic licensing system that will allow hunters and anglers to buy licenses and tags online. The Mail Tribune reports hunters and anglers also will be able to download an app that will allow them to use their smartphones to tag their

ASTORIA, Ore. (AP) – Rare butterfly caterpillars have returned to the slopes of Saddle Mountain in the Oregon Coast Range. The Daily Astorian reports 500 Oregon silverspot caterpillars have been released there as part of an effort to rebuild the threatened butterfly’s population at key sites. Trevor Taylor of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) – The Eugene Police Department’s “bait bike” program has led to some recent arrests, but officials say the goal of the program is to plant a seed of doubt in the minds of would-be thieves. Sgt. Wayne Dorman says police leave the bait bikes equipped with tracking technology in high-crime areas or

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – An organization that builds and maintains off-leash dog parks in southwestern Washington state says it could be forced to close the parks unless safety concerns are addressed. KATU-TV reports the nonprofit Dogpaw might close down its four Vancouver-area parks after at least five dogs died from encounters at the properties last

Researchers in the Oregon State University College of Engineering have learned the mechanisms behind a means of improved ignition, helping to open the door to better performance in combustion systems ranging from car engines to jet propulsion. The findings are important because reliable ignition is a linchpin for the safe and efficient operation of every