SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — Visitors hoping to find a last-minute state park campsite soon will have the chance to view and book same-day campsite openings online statewide, starting Jan. 1. Previously, most sites required booking 24 hours or more in advance of arrival when reserving online. Same-day online reservations started as a pilot project at
Continue Reading
SISTERS, Ore. (KTVZ) — Firefighters on the Sisters Ranger District will continue pile burning as favorable conditions exist this week, the Forest Service said Monday. Starting as soon as Tuesday, firefighters will ignite piles in the following locations: Northwest of Sisters between Black Butte Ranch and Tollgate along Mainline RoadWest of Sisters along Forest Service
Continue Reading
WASHINGTON (KTVZ) — Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., announced Monday that J Bar J Youth Services in Bend has secured a $300,000 federal grant to battle human trafficking. “The crime of human trafficking devastates lives and demands a serious and substantive effort to end it in Oregon and nationwide,” Wyden said. ”I’m gratified that J
Continue Reading
SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) – The Oregon Division of Financial Regulation is seeking information from anyone who has had insurance dealings with Joshua M. Bekhor or his company, Immediate Insurance Services. Bekhor is under investigation for being an unlicensed insurance producer in Oregon and misappropriating insurance premiums. The division received a complaint from an Oregon consumer
Continue Reading
WASHINGTON (KTVZ) — Senate Finance Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., a senior member of the Ways and Means Committee, reintroduced legislation Thursday to put a stop to unfair and outdated federal alcohol taxes on kombucha companies in Oregon and across the country. “Kombucha is not the same as beer or other
Continue Reading WASHINGTON (KTVZ) — Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., led colleagues Thursday in introducing the Billionaires Income Tax Act, legislation to ensure billionaires start paying their fair share in taxes. Wyden is joined by Senators Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., Bob Casey, D-Pa., Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, Tammy
Continue Reading
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Deschutes National Forest, Discover Your Forest and Mt. Bachelor invite you to discover the national forest while participating in your favorite winter activity! Join Snowshoe with a Ranger and Roving Ski Ranger programs at Mt. Bachelor’s West Village this winter. The Snowshoe with a Ranger interpretive program will take you
Continue Reading
SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) – The 2022-23 edition of the Oregon Statewide Report Card is now available on the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) website. This annual look at Oregon’s kindergarten through grade 12 education system includes key data on students, teachers and schools. “Academic excellence for students in Oregon remains the top priority for our agency.
Continue ReadingThe Bend City Council next week will review proposed changes to its water, transportation, and sewer system development charges that include creating more consistency in how fees are structured and lowering costs for smaller housing units.
Continue Reading
OLYMPIA, Wash. (KTVZ) – Just in time for the holidays, WSDOT and ODOT are starting two additional Amtrak Cascades daily round-trips between Seattle and Portland. Beginning Monday, Dec. 11, more trains will run in both directions – for a total of 12 Amtrak Cascades and two Coast Starlight trains every day between the two most
Continue Reading
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The City of Bend said Friday it is launching a new service request app called Bend Works to better serve the community. The streamlined platform provides a quick and easy way to let city staff know about non-emergency service requests. Bend Works will allow the community to track requests that they
Continue ReadingPORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The City Council in Portland approved $2.6 million for permanent police body cameras in a unanimous vote, a crucial step toward the city no longer being among the last major U.S. police agencies without the technology. All of the city’s roughly 800 uniformed officers who interact with the public will have
Continue Reading
HAPPY VALLEY, Ore. (KTVZ) – Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05) officially announced Thursday she will seek a second term to continue representing Oregon’s 5th Congressional District. Here’s the full announcement: Chavez-DeRemer will look to build on her historic victory in 2022, when she became the first Republican woman to represent Oregon in the U.S. House of Representatives
Continue Reading
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Oregon state Rep. Emerson Levy, D-Bend, announced Thursday she is running for reelection in House District 53. Here’s her full announcement: “In the last year, I have been hard at work for our district, putting the needs of Central Oregon at the forefront of everything I do,” Rep. Levy said in
Continue Reading
Oregon Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade announced Thursday she will follow the usual procedure for the state’s presidential primaries and not remove Donald Trump from the ballot for the Oregon Republican Party primary in May.
Continue Reading
(Update: Adding no sentencing date set; could face two-year sentence) BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – After a two-day non-jury trial, a judge on Wednesday found a former longtime Deschutes County sheriff’s deputy and detective guilty of two counts of official misconduct and not guilty on two other charges involving intimate photos transferred from a dead man’s
Continue Reading
SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — In response to the growing role that generative artificial intelligence is playing in society, Governor Tina Kotek announced Wednesday the formation of the Oregon State Government AI Advisory Council to develop recommendations for its utilization across state government. “Artificial intelligence is an important new frontier, bringing the potential for substantial benefits
Continue Reading
WASHINGTON (KTVZ) — Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Senate colleagues introduced bipartisan legislation Wednesday that would address the steep increase in armed robberies against postal workers, who are often targeted for their arrow keys that allow access to some mailboxes and their contents. “For over 200 years the United States Postal Service has been a central
Continue Reading
Some Bend Municipal Airport tenants are warning that the city’s proposed update to rules and regulations for airport tenants could cause some local aviation businesses to move or shut their doors for good.
Continue Reading
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The holidays are here, with more people traveling. Last summer, the TSA announced a new facial recognition screening system. But Senator Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., said Wednesday it has privacy implications, and he’s introducing a new bill to stop it. Merkley said Wednesday, “It’s very hard to know that you can opt out, because the TSA agents just direct you
Continue Reading