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Prineville BLM fire engine Post-Paulina RFPA. Last summer, the BLM's Prineville District transferred a Type 6 engine to the Post-Paulina Rangeland Fire Protection Association, boosting their wildland firefighting capacity in a key time of fire season.

BLM-Prineville boosts local partner’s wildland firefighting capacity with fire engine transfer to Post-Paulina RFPA

4:11 pm

PRINEVILLE, Ore. (KTVZ) – The Bureau of Land Management’s Prineville District recently transferred a Type 6 engine to the Post-Paulina Rangeland Fire Protection Association, boosting their wildland firefighting capacity in a key time of fire season. The transfer was part of the Rural Fire Readiness equipment transfer program, which aims to bolster the capabilities of local

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Oregon DEQ’s revised air quality advisory lists Central Oregon counties as getting only ‘intermittent’ smoke

11:18 am

PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and Lane Regional Air Protection Agency issued an air quality advisory Monday due to smoke from wildfires across Oregon, but for the first time in a while, all three Central Oregon counties are expected to see only “intermittent” smoke. The following areas are affected: ·        Eastern

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Merkley leads Senate, House colleagues in call for ban on gambling on U.S. elections

11:06 am

WASHINGTON (KTVZ) – Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., led a group of lawmakers Monday in pressing the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to ban gambling on American elections. The letter—signed by Senators Merkley, Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Representatives Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), and John

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Central Oregon Irrigation District to receive up to $15 million from USDA for Water Saving Commodity Program

11:14 pm

WASHINGTON (KTVZ) — Oregon Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden welcomed the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s announcement of $400 million to address drought through investments at the irrigation district scale in 12 Western states. The Central Oregon Irrigation District was selected for this innovative funding opportunity in Oregon. “As climate chaos fuels long-term drought in Oregon

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Merkley, Wyden introduce legislation to create more EV charging stations at highway rest areas

7:23 pm

WASHINGTON (KTVZ) – Senator Jeff Merkley — along with Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) — introduced on Thursday the Recharge your Electric Car on the Highway to Alleviate Range Gaps Effectively (RECHARGE) Act. Currently, locations for electrical vehicle (EV) charging stations along interstate highways are limited by federal law that constrains commercial

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ODOT waves red flag about $350 million budget deficit

3:58 pm

SALEM, Ore. (KGW/KTVZ) — The Oregon Department of Transportation is grappling with a looming financial crisis, as officials scramble to address a projected budget shortfall of more than $354 million over the next few years, KGW reports. The agency, responsible for maintaining and improving the state’s transportation infrastructure, has been under increasing pressure to find solutions

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Wyden, Blackburn introduce bipartisan legislation to tackle health care workforce shortages

3:28 pm

WASHINGTON (KTVZ) — Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., introduced bipartisan legislation Thursday to address the persistent shortage of health professionals. The bill, the Health Workforce Innovation Act, provides federal support for innovative, community-led partnerships to educate and train more health care workers, especially in rural and underserved communities.  “American patients and health care

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Oregon Parks and Rec Department seeks public comment on proposed day use perking permit rate increases

3:21 pm

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department is seeking public comment on a proposed rule change that increases day use parking permit rates. (OAR 736-015-0030, 736-015-0043). Proposed rules will create rate ranges for day use parking permits, similar to campsite and other facilities in state parks. Additionally, the agency is currently taking

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All of Oregon’s congressional delegation backs Governor Kotek’s request for federal wildfire disaster declaration

9:29 pm

WASHINGTON (KTVZ) – Oregon’s entire congressional delegation — Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, alongside Representatives Earl Blumenauer, Suzanne Bonamici, Val Hoyle, Andrea Salinas, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, and Cliff Bentz — sent a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack urging approval of Oregon Governor Tina Kotek’s request for a disaster declaration for Oregon counties facing devastating wildfires. The lawmakers also

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Oregon DEQ continues air quality advisory for Deschutes County, ‘intermittent’ for Jefferson County starting Sunday

12:55 pm

PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) – The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and Lane Regional Air Protection Agency issued a new air quality advisory Friday due to more smoke from wildfires in Oregon, California, Idaho, Washington and Canada. The following areas are affected: Deschutes County Eastern Douglas County Grant County Harney County Klamath County Lake County Eastern

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Pacific Power trims 2025 Oregon residential rate hike request to 14.9%, cites ‘customer concerns about affordability’

1:15 pm

PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Pacific Power has significantly scaled back its proposed Oregon rate hike request for next year, in part due to customer criticism over the impact the earlier proposal would have on households and businesses across the state. “Pacific Power filed reply testimony in the Oregon General Rate Case on Friday, proposing an

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Before flying off to school, Oregon college students urged to add REAL ID to their driver’s license or ID card

4:24 pm

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — As college students head back to school, many will travel by plane. If you plan on flying within the U.S., consider adding REAL ID to your driver’s license or identification card now. Starting May 7, 2025, anyone 18 or older must show federally accepted identification for flights within the U.S. An Oregon-issued driver’s

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Deschutes County seeks state grant for ‘ladder fuels’ treatment to curb fire danger amid Juniper Ridge homeless campsites

3:53 pm

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A lot of time, money and attention has been spent for years on helping homeowners and communities create “defensible space” around their properties, so a wildfire doesn’t have as much fuel to spread and cause even more danger and destruction. Much the same has taken place on national forests and in

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Senator Merkley trashes Postmaster General DeJoy’s ‘Delaying Mail in America’ plan during Senate floor speech

1:36 pm

WASHINGTON (KTVZ) — Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., delivered a speech this week on the Senate floor to call attention to the urgent United States Postal Service issues impacting Oregonians. His speech focused on the first-hand stories of Oregonians who rely on the Postal Service for everything from the delivery of lifesaving medications to running their

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‘I’ll go the jail route’: Homeless man, first arrested under Portland camping ordinance, was cited and released

9:48 am

PORTLAND, Ore. (KGW/KTVZ) — For the first time since Portland City Council passed a new prohibited camping ordinance in early May, police on Friday arrested a homeless person for refusing to move or take an offer of shelter. However, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office declined to book the person in jail, KGW reported. Willamette Week was first to

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Deschutes County encourages residents to review, comment on draft wildfire hazard map

11:39 pm

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Deschutes County is encouraging residents to review and comment on a draft version of the statewide wildfire hazard map, which is available on the Oregon State University Wildfire Risk Explorer website. The wildfire hazard map was created to: Help educate residents about wildfire hazard in their community Assist public agencies when prioritizing

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