Month: May 2019

(Update: More teacher comments) Holding signs and wearing T-shirts declaring “Proud Educator,” teachers across Oregon were staging a day of protest Wednesday, some walking out and prompting canceled classes while others rally, march and distribute flyers to call for more state school funding. Many schools in Oregon were closed for at least part of the

(Update: Fire fully lined, road reopened; Level 3 evacuation lowered to Level 1) An early-season wildfire broke out Wednesday afternoon north of La Pine, prompting evacuations in the Lazy River subdivision, where authorities said one home burned, another was damaged and others were threatened until crews stopped the fire’s forward progress. Fire and emergency crews

In response to a recent report about Oregon foster kids being held at gunpoint at an out-of-state facility, state Rep. Cheri Helt, R-Bend, made a motion to move her legislation to increase the number of foster parents from the Human Services and Housing Committee to the House floor for a vote. Helt was the chief

SEATTLE (AP) – Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has signed several bills designed to help the Pacific Northwest’s endangered orcas. The measures include requiring more oil shipments to have tugboat escorts to prevent spills, allowing anglers to catch more walleye and bass that prey on young salmon, and giving state agencies the authority to ban toxic

SEATTLE (AP) – Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has signed a bill intended to increase safety for adult entertainers working at strip clubs and similar establishments in the state. The rules will require safety and rights training for adult entertainers, panic buttons, and for venues to keep and enforce ban lists for violent or threatening patrons.

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) – Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has signed a measure to make daylight saving time permanent in the state if federal law changes to allow it. Inslee signed the measure Wednesday, but it will only take effect if Congress passes legislation allowing states to observe daylight saving time year-round. Currently, it is observed

Tourism in Central Oregon is increasing, and visitors are helping build the city of Bend’s revenue. A new study from Travel Oregon reports that visitors who stay in private homes instead of commercial lodging comprise the largest share of overnight visitor volume. However, those who stay in commerical lodging have a greater economic impact. The

As Oregon faces a rapidly approaching wildfire season, Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., introduced legislation Wednesday to improve forest management and reduce the risk of catastrophic fires in the state. Walden, joined by a group of 18 lawmakers, authored the Resilient Federal Forests Act, which would make significant reforms to forest management policy across Oregon’s federal

Happy Wednesdsay evening, everyone! Tonight winds will stay breezy and gusty at times arouns 25 miles per hour out of the north. For the prescribed burns and brushfires we will see smoke move towards the south. Temperatures will cool quickly tonight into the 50s around midnight. Skies will clear overnight going into tomorrow. Low temperatures

It’s scary for those who wake up in the morning not knowing where they will sleep that night, if they will eat that day, if they will be assaulted or abused that day. This is a hardship faced by many members of our Central Oregon community. Now, United Way of Deschutes County offers the opportunity

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Oregon (BBBSCO) is celebrating their 25th year of defending potential in our region by expanding into the La Pine community. Their plan includes matching 20 local “Littles,” kids who can use a positive role model, with Big Brothers or Big Sisters. The organization has met with La Pine Mayor

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., introduced two pieces of legislation Wednesday to address the growing threat that sunscreen chemicals pose to coral reefs around the world, and to study the impact of these chemicals on human health and the environment. The Oxybenzone and Octinoxate Impact Study Act of 2019 , cosponsored by Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI),

Oregon Secretary of State Bev Clarno released a report Wednesday showing the Governor’s Office and the Office of Emergency Management have taken many steps to better prepare Oregon for a major disaster by implementing or resolving nine of the 11 recommendations made in audit report 2018-03, “The State Must Do More to Prepare Oregon for

If you’re a cyclist who gets concerned when riding up to or through an intersection, there’s newly approved legislation that’s going to the governor’s desk that could increase your safety. The legislation was proposed in large part due to a fatal crash that happened a year and a half ago at the Wall Street and

A 66-year-old Salem man was killed Tuesday night when his minivan left U.S. Highway 20E near Hampton, went into a ditch and rolled several times, Oregon State Police reported. Troopers and other emergency responders were dispatched around 10:15 p.m. to the reported single-vehicle crash near milepost 66, about 65 miles southeast of Bend, OSP Lt.

(Update: Adding current budget figure, 16 pct. increase) The city of Bend on Tuesday held the first of two meetings delving into the city’s proposed $873 million budget for the next two years. The budget committee, made up of the seven city councilors and seven appointed citizens, began their meetings with city staff to review

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – The Oregon Legislature is considering a bill that would let farmers sue companies, such as Bayer and Syngenta, that hold patents on genetically engineered seeds if crops grown from those seeds contaminate other crops. The Statesman Journal reports that contamination from genetically engineered crops can make organic and conventional crops unable

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Portland officials have denied residents’ claims that the city must pay for damage caused by a burst water main that spewed millions of gallons into their homes two months ago, saying the pipe broke spontaneously at no fault to the city. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that denial letters written by a city

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – A Hood-To-Coast runner whose leg was seriously injured when another runner got drunk, stole a truck and ran over her in a designated sleeping area is suing race organizers and the fellow runner for nearly $1 million. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports Cynthia Gillespie claims Oregon relay race organizers didn’t enforce a ban

Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Rob Portman, R-Ohio, Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, and Cory Booker, D-N.J., applauded the passage of their bipartisan resolution, which encourages children to get outdoors by designating May 18, 2019 National Kids to Parks Day. First celebrated by the National Park Trust in 2011, the ninth