Month: June 2019

The Oregon Department of Forestry said it shared its web-based Oregon Wildfire Risk Explorer tool with the state Public Utilities Commission this week in an effort to reduce the number of wildfires started by power lines. ODF was joined at the PUC workshop by Pacific Gas and Electric and Pacific Power to introduce measures utility

(Updating throughout) SALEM, Ore. (AP) — The president of the Oregon Senate ordered the state Capitol to close on Saturday due to a “possible militia threat” from right-wing protesters as a walkout by Republican lawmakers over landmark climate change legislation dragged on. Republican state senators fled the Legislature — and some, the state — earlier

(Update: Highway reopens; more details expected Saturday) One person was killed and five taken to hospitals with injuries after a crash Friday afternoon on state Highway 22E in Marion County, Oregon State Police reported. Troopers and medics were called around 3:10 p.m. to the crash near milepost 21, about two miles west of Mehama, the

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A law passed by the Oregon Legislature gives farmers and ranchers immunity from liability while fighting dangerous wildfires, such as the one that chewed through acres of wheat fields and grasslands last year, a newspaper reported Friday. The law is similar to one that prevents bystanders from being sued if they

On Tuesday, June 4, the Crook County Health Department and local partners conducted a Full Scale County Wide Exercise to simulate the intentional release, spread of an infectious disease such as Plague – the simulation showed that no one was immunized, and there was a need to distribute as much medication as possible in a

Here is the city of Bend’s weekly road project and traffic closure list for the week of June 24-30: Special Events ·Bend Pride 5K Run/Walk will be held on June 22 and will have flaggers at the intersection of NW Galveston Avenue and NW Riverfront Street. ·Blitz to the Barrel will be held on June

(Update: Correcting that Suing is owner, Powell manager of Sons of Beer) The Horseshoe Tavern recently lost its liquor license for the second time, but for the first time under its new ownership. Now, those new owners are struggling to keep the business alive. “There’s a lot of great memories in this bar, ” said

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s recent announcement of its Affordable Clean Energy Rule “is one of Washington D.C.’s biggest pollution rollbacks to date,” the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality said Friday. “The rule will interfere with states’ ability to protect public health and the environment,” the agency said. “Oregonians have made substantial progress in reducing

(Update: Adding Knopp’s interview with KTVZ) State Sen. Tim Knopp, R-Bend, issued a statement late Thursday and also spoke with KTVZ regarding his decision to join other GOP senators and walk out of the legislative session in its closing days over what they call a refusal by Democrats to negotiate the terms of climate change

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – The Oregon House has approved a measure that would ask voters to overturn the state’s decades-long practice of allowing split juries to convict felony defendants, an anomaly within the American criminal justice system that reform advocates have targeted as racist. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports House Joint Resolution 10 passed the chamber 56-0

Happy Friday Central Oregon! It is the first day of summer as the season officially kicks off at 8:54 this morning. We are going to get summer off to a cool start though things will be a bit warmer for your Friday then what we saw for yesterday. Today highs are set to top out

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – A 32-year-old man has been sentenced to 19 years in prison for causing the death of his girlfriend and two of his co-workers while driving drunk on state Hwy. 22E near Gates last fall. The Statesman Journal reports that David Trimble, of Lebanon, previously pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree

U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt announced Thursday that 36 Oregon counties are receiving a total of $37.1 million under the 2019 Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program, demonstrating the Trump Administration’s commitment to local communities. “Payments in lieu of taxes are made to local governments to help offset their inability to tax

State Rep. Cheri Helt, R-Bend, carried House Bill 3450 on the House floor, where it passed with strong bipartisan support on a 56-1 vote. It was written as a pilot program that encourages the city of Bend to construct residential units in mixed-use near transit stops, stores and places of business. This is one more

Volunteers from Bend-based Friends of the Central Cascades Wilderness will help conduct solitude monitoring studies in the Mt Washington and Mt Jefferson wilderness areas this summer, in partnership with the Deschutes and Willamette national forests. The Forest Service is conducting these surveys using Forest Service employees, 30 volunteers from FCCW, and an intern funded by

St. Charles Health System leaders have decided that Saturday, July 13 will be the official closing date for the St. Charles Redmond Family Birthing Center. “Our new OB hospitalist program will be up and running in Bend in early June, and we feel confident we’ll have the necessary services in place to care for moms

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Health authorities in the Portland area say an increase in HIV cases appears to be linked to infected needles. The Oregonian/OregonLive reported Thursday that Multnomah County, where Portland is located, found 42 new cases of HIV among people who report using methamphetamine or other drugs with a syringe. The increase occurred

TUALATIN, Ore. (AP) – The Portland Trail Blazers selected North Carolina forward Nassir Little with the 25th pick in the NBA Draft on Thursday night. In Little, the Blazers added wing depth to their team with the 6-foot-7 wing. Little was one of the final players left in the Green Room, but he eventually found

One in five Oregon children is food-insecure, and that insecurity skyrockets during the summer without access to nutritious meals at school. Summer hunger could be worse this year because of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s decision to end the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer pilot program in the state. The program provides families about $30 a

The Crook County Sheriff’s Office is close to opening its brand-new jail, and that means some wrongdoers won’t have to be on a waiting list to serve their time. For more than 15 years, Crook County has rented beds for some of its inmates at the Jefferson County Jail. Voters approved a bond in 2016