BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — At Assistance League Bend, volunteers don’t just fill roles, they stretch beyond them. “We do. I mean, that’s what you get with an all-volunteer organization,” said Lisa Sarmiento, the assistant treasurer. “Everybody’s pitching in, and maybe they’re out of their comfort zone. I’ve learned a ton about how to work on
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BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — A Bend-area man charged along with his nephew with murder and conspiracy in the 2020 deaths of a couple at their northeast Bend home has pleaded guilty to reduced manslaughter charges and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Kenneth Wayne Atkinson, now 61, and his nephew, Nathan Shane Detroit, now 35, were arrested on murder and conspiracy charges in October of 2021,
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BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) Bend Police are searching for a man who robbed an Abby’s of 86 cents at gunpoint Wednesday night. The incident occurred at Abby’s Legendary Pizza on NE Third Street around 9pm on April 1st. Officers responded to the restaurant at 1115 NE Third Street for a report of an armed robbery. The
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BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Bend Police Department announced Thursday that it’s been awarded the 2025 Enforcement Agency of the Year by the Oregon DUII Multi-Disciplinary Training Task Force. In addition, Bend Police Officer Zachary Childers was named the 2025 DUII Officer of the Year. Officer Childers has been a Bend officer since 2017 and in law enforcement for
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SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — Governor Tina Kotek has appointed Ellen Waterston of Bend to a second term as Oregon’s poet laureate, Oregon Humanities announced Thursday. A celebrated poet/writer, educator and speaker who founded the Writing Ranch and the Waterston Desert Writing Prize, Waterston will serve a second two-year term, ending in August 2028. Waterston is
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More than 100 Central Oregon Community College classified workers “resoundingly” approved a new three-year contact Wednesday that includes raises of up to 28%, averting a first-ever strike that would have begun early Thursday, union leaders said.
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BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The City of Bend and the Bend Police Department will launch an automated traffic enforcement program starting April 15. The initiative begins with a 30-day warning period at three intersections selected for high crash rates and community safety concerns. The program is designed to reduce motor vehicle crashes and increase safety
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BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — There’s good news this morning–and it has to do with all of the winter weather we’ve been seeing this week. Mt. Bachelor received nine inches of snow overnight Wednesday into Thursday morning. From the resort’s Mountain Report, “Old Man Winter really came through for us this time, bringing 9” of blower
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Senator Ron Wyden joined KTVZ’s 5 PM broadcast for a LIVE in-studio interview. You’ll see it in the next slide above, or embedded in the article below. BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Local and state leaders gathered at Bend City Hall Wednesday afternoon alongside U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden to push back against federal efforts they say
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BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Visit Bend said Wednesday it has partnered with KultureCity, a national nonprofit advancing sensory accessibility and inclusion, to become a certified “Sensory Inclusive” organization at its downtown visitor center. The organization said that means the Bend Visitor Center is better prepared to serve people with sensory sensitivities and invisible disabilities, including autism,
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BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Central Oregon Civic Action Project will host the region’s first Civic Action Summit from April 7 to April 9, 2026, at Central Oregon Community College campuses in Redmond and Bend. The 2.5-day workshop is designed to build local expertise in civic assemblies and deliberative democracy. The event is hosted by
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BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Oregon announced Wednesday it has been named a 2025 Pinnacle Award winner for program excellence by the organization’s national leadership. The local agency is one of only five organizations chosen for the honor out of more than 230 agencies across the United States. The Pinnacle
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BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Partners for Affordable Housing and Bend YIMBY will host an all-coalition meeting on April 2 in Bend to discuss housing development strategies and prepare for an upcoming candidate forum. The meeting will take place at 4 p.m. at The Barrel Room at UPP Liquids, located at 550 SW Industrial Way. The
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SALEM, ore. (KTVZ) — The Oregon Department of Transportation and the Oregon DMV issued a warning Wednesday regarding a text message phishing scam targeting drivers. The fraudulent messages falsely claim that recipients owe money for unpaid tolls, license suspensions or traffic violations. Scammers are sending these messages across the country to lure residents to fake
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BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Oregon Parks and Recreation Commission approved the final 2026 Oregon Recreational Trails Plan during its February meeting. The 10-year plan establishes priorities for grant funding and outlines actions to improve non-motorized, motorized and water trails on public land across the state. The plan addresses emerging trends and issues facing the
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BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Central Oregon residents gathered at the Riverhouse in Bend on Tuesday for the “Healing Hearts” fundraiser. The event raised money and awareness for the KIDS Center, which serves as the only child abuse evaluation and treatment center in the region. The KIDS Center provides essential services for families impacted by abuse,
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BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — A 40-year-old Bend man was arrested Tuesday – for the second time in a month – after he allegedly threatened a Deschutes County sheriff’s deputy and fled on a motorcycle. Paul Alfred Akehurst was taken into custody in Deschutes River Woods following a law enforcement search that lasted nearly an hour.
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BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — As Bend’s population continues to climb, city leaders say the growing gap between housing costs and local incomes is becoming one of the community’s most pressing challenges. The city’s population has grown from about 74,000 in 2010 to more than 110,000 in 2026, according to city data and World Population Review.
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BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — St. Charles Foundation has invested $1.5 million to upgrade cardiac care facilities at St. Charles Bend, including the opening of new electrophysiology and cardiac catheterization labs. The investment allows physicians to perform advanced procedures and has resulted in a 27% increase in electrophysiology treatments over the past year. The upgrades focus
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BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Central Oregon Community College will host its annual High School Math Contest on Thursday, April 16, at the Bend campus. This year’s event, themed “Math to the Future,” will take place from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The competition was first held in 1978 and attracts more than 150 students from
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