(UPDATE: Adding quotes from Senator Merkley and video) BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — After weeks of confusion regarding the legality of hemp on a federal level, a new bill could bring clarity to consumers, producers, and dispensaries. We’ve gone from “more relaxed” after 20-18, to an impending ban on hemp products in 20-25. During the government
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A quiet change in how the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) dates mail could have big implications for things like taxes and Oregon’s elections this year. USPS is now postmarking letters and packages based on when they are processed at a mail facility, not when they are dropped in a box — meaning something mailed on deadline day could receive a next‑day postmark.
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REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) — As child care providers across the country await clarity amid delayed and frozen federal funding, NeighborImpact said Wednesday it has received confirmation of a renewed $2.7 million federal grant that will enable its Head Start program to continue serving families in Central Oregon for the next five years. While NeighborImpact continues to assess how ongoing child care funding uncertainty may affect
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BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Bend City Council meets tonight at 6 p.m. at City Hall, with one of the agenda items centering on an amendment to the city’s agreement with Flock Group Inc. — the company providing automatic license plate reader technology for Bend Police. The proposed amendment would modify the city’s existing contract
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BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Deschutes County Board of Commissioners plans to hold a public hearing next Wednesday to consider proposed wildfire mitigation standards for new residential construction in unincorporated areas of the county. Last fall, following the repeal of the Statewide Wildfire Hazard Map with Senate Bill 83, county commissioners directed staff to modify
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BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — As Oregon Congressman Cliff Bentz reflects on a turbulent year in Washington, one marked by major wins for rural schools and hospitals, he’s also bracing for a political showdown over federal health care subsidies that could raise costs for thousands of Oregonians in the year ahead. Focus on Rural Investments The
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(Update: Video Added) SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield filed a $900 million lawsuit Wednesday against the nation’s largest insulin manufacturers and pharmacy benefit managers. He claimed they “worked together in a coordinated scheme to artificially inflate the price of insulin and other critical diabetes medications — at the direct expense of Oregon patients
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SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) – Oregon’s unemployment rate held steady at 5.2% in November, the Oregon Employment Department said Wednesday, releasing the report after a significant delay due to the federal government shutdown. The agency said the October unemployment rate is not available, since underlying data was not collected due to the federal government shutdown that
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Days after a citizen initiative qualified for the November ballot, Governor Tina Kotek called on lawmakers Wednesday to repeal the challenged gas tax and vehicle fee hikes, and to get to work on new short- and long-term ways to fill the Oregon Department of Transportation’s funding shortfall.
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REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Bureau of Land Management fire crews began three days of prescribed pile burning operations Wednesday on the Cline Buttes west of Redmond, including about 670 acres of hand piles. The BLM said the operations are expected to continue through Friday, as weather and site conditions allow. The burn area is located
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(UPDATE: Adding Video) SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — After months of court fights and legal limbo over their call-up by President Trump, hundreds of Oregon National Guard members and others called up in Portland, Los Angeles and Chicago to protect federal facilities are being demobilized, the U.S. Northern Command confirmed Tuesday. “All Title 10 troops in
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SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — Households in nine more Oregon counties — Baker, Crook, Deschutes, Jackson, Josephine, Malheur, Morrow, Umatilla and Wasco — now have more time to report lost or spoiled food purchased with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits due to recent storms and power outages. If you live in one of these counties and
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(Update: Video Added) REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Housing Works, a housing organization dedicated to fostering stability and affordability in Central Oregon, has announced next week’s one-week opening of the 2026 Housing Choice Voucher Program waiting list. This essential program, formerly known as the HUD Section 8 program, provides rental assistance to eligible low-income residents of Deschutes, Jefferson and
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(Update: Video Added) SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department is seeking public feedback on proposed rules governing unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) takeoff and landing in Oregon’s state parks and along the ocean shore. “The proposed rules establish where and how UAS may take off and land on state park property, to
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PRINEVILLE, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Crook County School Board is seeking input from stakeholders to inform its decision regarding the potential appointment of Dr. Joel Hoff, currently serving as interim superintendent, to the permanent role. On Monday, the district distributed an anonymous survey via ParentSquare, Facebook, and the district website. The survey invites stakeholders to share their perspectives on Dr. Hoff’s leadership as interim superintendent and to indicate whether they support his appointment to permanent superintendent. They said that feedback from students, families, staff and community members is a
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BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Last year during the 2025 legislative session over 34 hundred bills were introduced. Of that number hundreds were passed. These range from unemployment benefits to protections for tenants. Among these laws includes protections for both public and private sector employees who strike. In the past, if you were out of work because
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MADRAS, Ore. (KTVZ) – The City of Madras has identified five finalists for the Chief of Police position: Jamie Carrico, Jeffrey Lee, William Cutshall, Jausiah Jacobsen and James Macfarlane. The finalists were chosen following a comprehensive recruitment and evaluation process led by GMP Consultants, an external consulting firm. The Madras City Council has scheduled interviews
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Since 2020, Cascades East Transit (CET) has operated free of charge, helping Central Oregonians reach work, school, and essential services during and after the pandemic. But after nearly six years of fare-free rides, CET is reintroducing them across Central Oregon beginning February 1, 2026 — part of a broader effort to improve transit access, technology, and long-term sustainability.
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Move brought outrage from conservation groups, while drawing praise from ranchers and Republicans VALLEY FALLS, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Trump administration is moving to permanently delist the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act, a decision spotlighting the struggles of a Southern Oregon ranch family at the heart of the nationwide debate. A Wolf at the Fence Line
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SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) is accepting nominations for a seat on the Pacific Fishery Management Council. The term for this Oregon at-large seat begins on Aug. 11, 2026. Nominations must be submitted by Jan. 23, 2026. The current seat holder, Brad Pettinger, is not eligible for re-appointment,
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