Month: July 2018

(Update: Adding details of fireworks-sparked fire at John Tuck Elementary) Two Redmond-area residents were arrested and a third cited Wednesday after a fight at Redmond’s American Legion Park over the sale of alleged poor-quality marijuana, police said Thursday, just one incident on a very busy day of illegal fireworks and nearly 160 calls for service.

An 81-year-old volunteer driver for St. Vincent de Paul of La Pine was killed Thursday when his truck left Highway 58 near Oakridge and crashed into a tree, Oregon State Police reported. Troopers and emergency personnel responded shortly after noon to the reported single-vehicle crash near milepost 32, Capt. Tim Fox said. A preliminary investigation

Two Bend men have been arrested on reckless burning charges for setting off an illegal “mortar”-style firework at Pilot Butte, sparking a wind-fanned 10-acre Fourth of July wildfire that shut down U.S. Highway 20, prompted the evacuation of nearby apartments and burned power lines, cutting power to 27,000 residents, police said Thursday. Bend police and

Since April, Northwest 14th Street in Bend has been under construction. When the $3.5 million project is complete, the road will be repaired, a bike lane with a buffer added and sidewalks improved. But during the construction period, businesses that line 14th Street are struggling. Cabin 22 owner Mitch Cole said Thursday all the road

(Update: Pilot Butte closed to visitors, hikers) Pilot Butte State Scenic Viewpoint, a northeast Bend landmark and popular visitor spot, remained closed Thursday as firefighters mopped up and watched for hot spots after a 10-acre fire apparently sparked by fireworks that burned about 10 acres, closed U.S. Highway 20 and burned power lines, leaving 27,000

Insurance companies continue to pay hospitals widely varying amounts for the same procedures within hospitals, among hospitals, and across the state, according to a report released Thursday by the Oregon Health Authority. In its third year of publication, the Oregon Hospital Payment Report details the median amounts paid by commercial insurers for the most common

Happy Thursday evening, everyone! A FIRE WEATHER OR RED FLAG WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR CENTRAL OREGON UNTIL 9 P.M. AN ADDITIONAL WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. WINDS WILL BE GUSTY AND RELATIVE HUMIDITY LEVELS ARE LOW. ANY FIRES THAT SHOULD START WOULD SPREAD RAPIDLY. Tonight we’ll see a few clouds

The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation announced Thursday that they will receive a $19,550 grant from First Nations Development Institute to implement the Culture Club program at the Warm Springs Boys & Girls Club . The grant will increase cultural awareness among tribal youth through interactive workshops of artistic and historical value. The

Kids age 17 and under are invited to learn to fish at a Kids Fishing Event on Tuesday, July 10 from 9 a.m.-noon at Shevlin Park Pond in Bend. ODFW staff and volunteers will be on hand to loan out rods, reels and tackle and show new anglers how to rig their line, land a

Here are the results of Wednesday’s KTVZ.COM poll, asking if your pet is bothered by fireworks: Is your pet bothered by fireworks?Yes – 56% (546 votes)No – 25% (246 votes)Not a pet owner – 19% (185 votes)Total Votes: 977

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – Salem’s drinking water advisory is over, and the city is taking steps to try to prevent future advisories that warned that the young and sick shouldn’t use area tap water. The first advisory was issued after the city learned toxins linked to an algae bloom were detected in Salem’s drinking water.

Nanofiber-based wound dressings loaded with vitamin D spur the production of an antimicrobial peptide, a key step forward in the battle against surgical site infections, or SSIs. The findings by Oregon State University researchers and other collaborators, published Wednesday in Nanomedicine, are important because SSIs are the most common health care-associated infection and result in

Heat from a meat smoker used on the night of the Fourth ignited the side of a northeast Bend home’s garage Thursday morning, sparking a fire that caused about $30,000 damage, officials said. Bend fire crews responded about 6:15 a.m. to the reported structure fire in the 1300 block of Northeast Hollinshead Drive, Battalion Chief

Researchers at Oregon State University and a partner facility have identified a protein that powers the virulence of the bacteria that causes gonorrhea, opening the possibility of a new target for antibiotics and, even better, a vaccine. The findings, published Thursday in PLOS Pathogens, are especially important since the microbe, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, is considered a

The first round of Health Care Provider Incentive Program loan repayments, totaling $900,000, was recently awarded to 17 medical, dental and behavioral health providers serving rural and underserved communities in Oregon. The Health Care Provider Incentive Program was established by the 2017 Legislature in HB 3261 to help rural and underserved communities recruit and retain

The Lobster Creek Fire in southwest Oregon is “shrinking,” as due to more accurate mapping, the fire size is now 397 acres, the Oregon Department of Forestry said Thursday. As the edge of the fire cools, allowing closer access, firefighters are able to utilize handheld global positioning system (GPS) devices to trace the perimeter more

Good Thursday Morning, Everyone… After a mild start to the day we can expect to see more sunshine and some of the hottest temps we will see this week. Highs will reach the upper 80’s to low 90’s. Gentle breezes out of the NW will get a little blustery this afternoon and into the evening.

LA GRANDE, Ore. (AP) – A La Grande man convicted of sexually abusing a girl for four years has been sentenced to almost 19 years in prison. The Observer newspaper reports Michael Altherr-Miller of La Grande was found guilty by a jury last month. Prosecutors said the victim was 11 years old at the start

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) – An Oregon program designed to help workers whose employers don’t offer retirement plans has seen rapid growth in the months leading up to this week’s first anniversary. The Register-Guard reports that OregonSaves has enrolled more than 32,000 private-sector employees who previously didn’t have access to a retirement savings option at work.