Month: December 2018

HOUSTON (AP) – James Harden had 29 points and seven Rockets scored in double-figures as Houston used a big second-half run and snapped a three-game losing streak with a 111-104 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night. Clint Capela added 13 points and seven rebounds before fouling out with five minutes left, and

VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) – The Clark County Sheriff’s Office has released the name of a young man who was shot to death at a strip mall near Vancouver. Eighteen-year-old Gage Allan Kiser was killed Monday in Hazel Dell. Authorities said previously that they arrested a 17-year-old as an accomplice in the shooting. Detectives said they

Christmas can be a tough time on a family’s finances, but it’s also a time for giving. And in Bend, two good Samaritans recently stepped in to help out. Unnamed donors paid off layaway accounts for people who could use a hand during the holidays. It happened at the Walmart in Bend. Two anonymous people

Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced their legislation to legalize industrial hemp is included in the 2018 Farm Bill, which was passed by the full Senate on Tuesday. The Farm Bill now advances to the House for consideration. Wyden and Merkley worked with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to ensure the bipartisan Hemp

Happy Tuesday evening, everyone! We’re just ahead of a cold front passing through Oregon. Snow levels will fall to 3,400′ tonight then to 2,700′ tomorrow morning. Winds will continue to be gusty tonight topping 40 miles per hour. Temperatures will fall behind the cold front, but will stay in the 30s and 40s through midnight.

(Update: Adding AP summary of findings) SALEM, Ore. (AP) – With Oregon having some of the highest opioid-abuse rates in the nation, a state audit found many holes in a prescription drug monitoring program that’s supposed to combat the epidemic. The audit, released Tuesday by the secretary of state’s office, noted that Oregon is one

Oregon Farm Bureau Federation President Sharon Waterman witnessed the signing of the new Clean Water Rule at the EPA headquarters in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, along with presidents from other state farm bureaus from across the nation. The following statement was issued by Waterman: “Oregon Farm Bureau applauds the Environmental Protection Agency for listening to

Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced Tuesday that the 2018 Farm Bill doubles the size of the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program and extends it through 2023. Here’s their news release on the program: This critical program, which helps fund collaborative and community-based forest management, has a proven track record of improving forest health,

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) — A Medford man who disappeared after he went snowboarding Sunday in southern Oregon was found alive Tuesday morning. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office says the agency’s Search and Rescue unit found 27-year-old Eli Kepsel and he was en route to receive medical attention for hypothermia, but he was able to talk

A security guard at the Athletic Club of Bend reported a possible cougar sighting on Saturday, and on Monday, more evidence emerged, in the form of a deer carcass. The security guard spotted the cougar toward the back of the property at the athletic club behind one of their basketball gyms, according to the club’s

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), along with Sens. Doug Jones (D-AL) and Tom Cotton (R-AR), announced Tuesday the introduction of bipartisan legislation that would halt the predatory practice of mailing high-interest loans to consumers in the form of “live” checks. When consumers receive these loan checks, the senators said, many unknowingly believe they have received money

The Santiam Pass Ski Lodge in Linn County is among Oregon’s latest entries in the National Register of Historic Places, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department said Tuesday. The USDA Forest Service prepared and nominated this property to the National Register and Oregon’s State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation supported the listing of this nomination.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Federal fisheries managers are increasing catch limits for several West Coast groundfish species that were previously overfished, a move that marks the greatest expansion of a West Coast fishery in years. The National Marine Fisheries Service says catch limits for yellow eye rockfish will more than double, and limits will also

The owners of M&J Tavern in downtown Bend are being sued for music copyright infringement. Because of that, they decided to stop all live music performances — and local musicians are not happy about it. Richard Whittemore, the president of Chukar Inc., which owns the bar, claimed Monday he didn’t know he was violating any

(Update: Correcting woman’s age) A Bend family’s outing near East Lake to cut a Christmas tree Sunday afternoon turned into an hours-long rescue after their pickup got stuck in the snow, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue officials said Monday. They called it a good reminder for backcountry winter travelers to be prepared — and

This week, the Oregon FBI’s Tech Tuesday segment focuses on building a digital defense against fake ticket scams. If you are like me, you don’t want to give your kids (or husbands or parents) any more stuff. Sure all those presents look good under the Christmas tree, but enough is enough. I’m tired of cleaning

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – A dozen state and national health and environment groups are calling on Oregon leaders and legislators to impose a moratorium on new or expanded mega-dairies. The Statesman Journal reports the groups say poor state oversight has allowed large dairies to pollute the state’s air and water, and forced family-scale dairies out

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Public records show Portland officials are in the early stages of exploring whether the city may create a jail alternative for people arrested for non-violent acts related to mental health or addiction. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports Deputy City Attorney Andrea Barraclough responded to Mayor Ted Wheeler’s senior adviser in September, saying the

HERMISTON, Ore. (AP) – The former food services coordinator at the Two Rivers Correctional Institution has been charged with having sexual relations with an inmate. The East Oregonian reported Monday that the Umatilla County District Attorney’s Office indicted 52-year-old Kimberly Porter in October on the misdemeanor count. Department of Corrections communication manager Jennifer Black says

TUALATIN, Ore. (AP) – Christmas tree farmers nationwide have launched a social media campaign to get Americans to buy real trees this season. The Christmas Tree Promotion Board worries that more Americans are opting for artificial trees as they become more realistic-looking. Between 75 and 80 percent of Americans who have a Christmas tree now