Month: January 2019

SEATTLE (AP) – A new draft analysis by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says dams and climate change are the leading cause of high temperatures in the Columbia and Snake rivers that are killing salmon. Now, the state of Washington wants to get involved. The Seattle Times reports the Washington Department of Ecology on Wednesday

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) – Washington is ending its state emissions test program in 2020, claiming that it’s no longer needed following a 15-year phase-out process. KIRO-TV reports the state first began to phase out emissions testing after the Legislature passed a plan in 2005 to phase it out completely by 2020 The Department of Ecology

Good Thursday Morning, Everyone…Today can be viewed as the calm before the storm. A few thin clouds will be accompanied by SE breezes at 5-10 mph and daytime highs in the low to mid 50’s. The leading edge of the advancing storm will thicken our clouds through the evening and deliver a 30% chance of

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – The Portland school board is headed back to the drawing board in its negotiations with city police to deploy nine full-time officers at its high schools. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that amid backlash from students and community members, the board voted Tuesday to pull back a contract it approved on Dec. 11.

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – Animal rights activists have come out in support of a bill in the Oregon Legislature that would ban killing wildlife as part of a contest. The Humane Society of the United States cited several such contests, including the Harney County Coyote Classic, in Eastern Oregon. Five contests cited by the group

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Damian Lillard had 36 points and 11 assists to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a 132-105 win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night. Lillard’s backcourt mate CJ McCollum was excellent as well, scoring 30 points in the win. Donovan Mitchell had 22 points to lead Utah. McCollum, only one

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., said Wednesday he has joined bipartisan colleagues in introducing Savanna’s Act , legislation to combat the epidemic of murdered and missing Native women and girls by improving the federal government’s response to addressing the crisis. The bill increases coordination among all levels of law enforcement, increases data collection and information sharing,

TURNER, Ore. (AP) – Winegrowers in southern Oregon faced financial ruin after a California winemaker claimed wildfire smoke tainted their grapes and refused to buy them. Now, the rejected fruit that was turned into wine by local vintners is facing another setback. Getting the resulting Oregon wines to markets on time is in doubt because

A pack of cigarettes could cost smokers $2 more if the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network gets its way. The group is urging lawmakers to pass this major tax increase during Oregon’s 2019 legislative session. Currently Oregonians only pay $1.33 cents per pack of cigarettes. A $2 bump would make it $3.33 for every

Three of the first people to reach a deadly crash scene east of Bend offered emotional testimony Wednesday on the second day of the manslaughter-DUII trial of Shantel Witt, whose pickup struck and killed cyclist Marika Stone on Dec. 30, 2017. Daniel Miller, who lives on Dodds Road, said he was planning to go and

(Update: Two more measles cases confirmed) VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) – Authorities say there are now 40 confirmed cases of measles in a Pacific Northwest outbreak. Public health officials said Wednesday that 38 cases are in southwest Washington state, one is outside Portland, Oregon, and one is in Seattle. Two of the confirmed patients from southwest

Happy Wednesday evening, everyone! An AIR STAGNATION ADVISORY is still in effect through Thursday at noon. We’re still seeing poor air quality levels from time to time due to high pressure, calm winds, and pollutants combining to give us these conditions. Overnight expect some areas of fog up towards the north, mainly through low lying

Oregon Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, Idaho Sens. Mike Crapo and James Risch, West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski on Wednesday urged federal officials to deliver Secure Rural Schools payments as quickly as possible in the aftermath of the government shutdown. In their bipartisan letter to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue

The measles outbreak underway in the Pacific Northwest has now reached as far as Hawaii. Meanwhile, a child from Washington who is suspected of having the measles was in Bend 10 days ago. On Jan. 19 and 20, the child visited the Mountain Air Trampoline Park and the Juniper Swim and Fitness Center. It’s important

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. (AP) – Oregon water regulators may scale back the number of wells subject to pumping shutdowns in the Upper Klamath Basin, but some irrigators remain uneasy about the proposal. The Capital Press reports that under existing rules, groundwater irrigators within one mile of surface waters can be “regulated off” by senior water

Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., joined their colleagues Wednesday in introducing the Paycheck Fairness Act , legislation that would strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and guarantee that women can challenge pay discrimination and hold employers accountable. “Equal pay isn’t just an issue of fairness, it’s also about economic security for working

(Update: Adding news release on cigarette tax) The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network on Wednesday urged Oregon lawmakers to prioritize and pass a $2 tobacco tax increase on all tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes, in the 2019 session. Gov. Kate Brown’s 2019 budget includes this tobacco tax increase to fund the state’s Medicaid program,

(Update: Trial begins; opening statements, initial witnesses) The closely watched trial of a Bend woman accused of manslaughter and DUII for striking and killing a bicyclist east of Bend in late 2017 began Tuesday, with prosecutors painting a picture of a woman with nearly a dozen drugs in her system and whose words and actions

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Rescuers have reached the wreckage of a plane that was found crashed on the north side of Mount Hood near Eliot Glacier. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports a crew of 23 rescuers reached the wreckage just before 9 a.m. Wednesday. The crew located the plane and a body. George Regis, a 63-year-old Battle

The city of Bend is recruiting for seven community members for the Juniper Ridge Management Advisory Board. The board will be a temporary committee appointed by the Bend City Council and tasked with determining the next steps for the 500-acre city-owned, industrial-zoned site known as Juniper Ridge at Bend’s north end. The committee work will