Month: August 2018

Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley , D-Ore., introduced a bill this week aimed at reducing significant racial disparities in maternal mortality and morbidity. The Oregon senators joined with a dozen colleagues introducing the Maternal Care Access and Reducing Emergencies (CARE) Act, in response to statistics showing the United States is one of only 13

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) – A former Spokane police sergeant convicted of sexually assaulting a female police officer during a drunken house party has been sentenced to life in prison. Gordon Ennis received the sentence Friday in Spokane County Superior Court and must serve seven years before becoming eligible for parole. A jury in March convicted

DAYTON, Ore. (AP) – Officials say they’ve determined the cause of death of a 27-year-old woman whose body was found by joggers at the bottom of an embankment. The Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office tells The Oregonian/OregonLive in a story on Friday that Meighan Cordie died of blunt force trauma. But Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office

The city of Prineville, Central Oregon’s oldest city, is turning 150 this summer — and the Prineville Railway, the longest-running, city-owned-and-operated railroad in the country, is marking its centennial, city officials said Monday as they outlined an upcoming series of special events to mark both occasions. The city is celebrating its sesquicentennial and Prineville Railway

(Update: Adding video, highway reopening) Three brush fires broke out within about two miles of each other along state Highway 126 about five miles west of Redmond Friday afternoon, prompting closure of a six-mile stretch of the highway as crews tackled them on the ground and from the air, officials said. One lane of the

(Update: Comments from area hiker, sheriff’s lieutenant) A blind Paralympian from Bend and her father, visiting from Wyoming, took a canoe trip on the Deschutes River above Dillon Falls that turned tragic Thursday afternoon when the canoe overturned and both were swept over the rapids, killing the man and injuring his daughter, Deschutes County sheriff’s

Happy Saturday, everyone! Saturday begins on a cool note with temperatures in the lower 40s for many. We’ll warm into the low to mid 70s, which is below average for this time of year. We’ll start with sunny skies Saturday and a little smoke. Smoke will come and go over the course of the weekend

The Oregon Liquor Control Commission on Thursday rejected a staff recommended stipulated settlement for a licensed marijuana wholesaler charged with ten violations of OLCC marijuana rules. The commission decided the licensee’s violations were bad enough that a license suspension or fine would not result in the licensee taking the necessary corrective action to come into

Nine Bend residents face various drug-related charges after a raid Thursday at a northeast Bend home that has been the focus of citizen complaints and drug investigations in recent weeks, police said Friday. Police and the Central Oregon Emergency Response Team executed the search warrant shortly after 7 a.m. Thursday at 705 Northeast Franklin Avenue

Oregon Sens. Jeff Merkley, who serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Ron Wyden today announced Friday key provisions in education and health care in the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education 2019 spending bill that will help Oregon communities. Here’s the senators’ news release listing elements of the bill, which passed the full

A special pilot program that will offer discounted rates for electrical and full-hookup RV campsites is now available at selected state parks, including Prineville Reservoir, during September and October. Campers can now apply a special online code to receive a $7 discount off the nightly RV campsite rate, bringing the current rate from $24-33 down

Steelhead retention in the Columbia River and lower John Day River will close effective Monday through the end of the year due to poor returns, officials said. The states of Oregon and Washington decided to close the retention fishery after the run size was downgraded from a preseason forecast of 182,000 to 110,000 adult summer

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – In a settlement with environmental groups, the Trump administration has agreed to designate critical Pacific Ocean habitat for endangered humpback whales. The animals face threats from getting tangled in fishing gear, oil spills and being struck by ships. Federal authorities have designated three groups of West Coast humpbacks as endangered or

ASHLAND, Ore. (AP) – Wildfires have cost the Oregon Shakespeare Festival $2 million in lost revenue because of smoky conditions. The Daily Tidings reported Friday that the well-known festival in Ashland, Oregon is also canceling its free, outdoor Green Show performances for the rest of the season. Since mid-July, the majority of the Green Show

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – A federal judge has dismissed a racketeering lawsuit filed by Lebanon-area landowners who claim their neighbors are growing marijuana, causing them discomfort and reducing their property values. The Capital Press reported Wednesday that several property owners near Lebanon filed a lawsuit last year accusing their neighbors of growing marijuana in violation

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) – Washington’s Supreme Court has cleared the way for a gun-control initiative to appear on the November ballot. The court late Friday afternoon reversed a judge’s decision earlier this month that threw out more than 300,000 signatures used to qualify Initiative 1639, saying the petition format did not follow election law. Thurston

Happy Friday evening, everyone! Our Air Quality Alert has been dropped for the time being. Smoke has moved out of the area with a westerly flow carrying the smoke out to the east. Breezy conditions at times are expected through sunset out of the northwest around 20 miles per hour. Overnight lows will be cold

(Update: DEQ air quality alert ends after very smoky morning) After thick smoke and air quality in Bend that reached the very unhealthy, even hazardous levels Friday morning on various monitors, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality let an air quality advisory end at noon over the region and a broad swath of Oregon. “Wind

Here is the city of Redmond’s road closures and delays update for the week of Aug. 27: City Street Maintenance Operations & ADA Street Improvement Projects: No Projects planned for this week require a road closure or delay. Special Event Street Closures: None Ongoing Closures: 8th Street from NW Quince Ave. to NW Poplar Pl.

(Update: Fire investigator explains how cause determined) An official investigation of the 1,500-acre Milepost 6 Fire that broke out a week ago has determined the fire was ignited by a carelessly thrown cigarette along U.S. Highway 26, six miles south of Madras, officials said Friday. The human-started fire was in addition to more than 50