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Central Oregon

Central Oregon unemployment rates hold steady; job numbers up slightly over the past month and year

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates in Central Oregon were little changed this April, the Oregon Employment Department said Tuesday. Private nonfarm employment increased slightly over the past month and year in all three Central Oregon counties, while total nonfarm employment showed varied growth.  Here’s the full report KTVZ News received from Regional

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Point in Time Homeless Count 2025

Central Oregon’s yearly ‘Point in Time’ count finds number of homeless has risen 17% in past year, 89% over five years

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — There were 2,108 Central Oregon homeless people counted in January’s annual Point in Time Count, a 17% increase from last year, the Homeless Leadership Coalition said Monday. The coalition said the regionwide survey is part of a federally mandated nationwide survey of people experiencing homelessness on a single night in January.

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Keys to fire engine Juniper Flats Fire District

BLM transfers fire engines to fire departments ahead of busy fire season, one to Juniper Flats in Wasco County

PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) — As wildfire season approaches, the Bureau of Land Management is increasing readiness and bolstering rural firefighting efforts by transferring surplus BLM fire engines to local cooperators. Two recently Through the Rural Fire Readiness program, these transfers aim to improve wildfire preparedness, strengthen interagency cooperation, and help protect vital community resources. The RFR

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Central Oregon Irrigation District plans fuels reduction on 150 acres in SW Bend’s Deschutes River Canyon

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Beginning the first week of June, Central Oregon Irrigation District will begin fire fuels reduction work on a 150-acre property in southwest Bend. The heavily vegetated site, located in the steep Deschutes River Canyon, is owned by COID and borders densely developed residential areas. The project is being conducted to reduce

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Former Bend music teacher pleads guilty, receives 20-year prison sentence for online abuse of children

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — A former music teacher for the Bend La-Pine School district was sentenced to 20 years in prison Thursday following a multi-agency investigation regarding his online sexual abuse of children. Erik Ekstrom, 37, was sentenced to a total of 240 months in prison (including time served), with three years of post-prison supervision,

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Prescribed burn near Sisters

Prescribed burning planned Friday north of Sisters; burn northeast of La Pine canceled

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — According to Deschutes National Forest officials, the planned continuation of prescribed burns Friday northeast of La Pine has been canceled due to unfavorable conditions. Firefighters will plan a future date to continue the prescribed burns. Currently, the burn north of Sisters is still scheduled. Earlier information: The Deschutes National Forest plans

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Problem Solvers: After historic 2024 wildfires, Central Oregon ramps up “Firewise” community preparedness

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Oregon experienced its most severe wildfire season on record in 2024, with an estimated 1.9 million acres of forest and grassland burned. “The 2024 fire season definitely was exceptional,” said Ben Walen, a forest resource officer with the Oregon Department of Forestry. With summer quickly approaching, the threat of wildfire is

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COCC art-focused summer camps

COCC finds new funding source to replace cut federal grant for rural arts-focused summer camps

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — A recently canceled $10,000 federal grant awarded to Central Oregon Community College’s rural youth camps from the National Endowment for the Arts, eliminated due to federal program cuts, is being fulfilled by emergency funding from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation. COCC said Thursday that

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