BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Longtime Deschutes County Assessor Scot Langton announced Monday that he won’t seek re-election next year and will retire at the end of his term, in January 2027. At the same time, Langton endorsed Deputy Director Tana West, who filed Monday to run for the office. Langton, who has served as assessor
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SALEM , Ore. (KTVZ) — Christmas and New Year’s Day fall on Thursdays this December and next January. While all Oregon DMV offices are closed on state-observed holidays, the agency said Monday that these closures will have a greater impact on customers in Heppner, La Pine and Oakridge, which are only open on Thursdays; and
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BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Former Oregon House Minority Leader and current state senator Christine Drazan brought her campaign for governor to Central Oregon on Friday, outlining her vision for the state and voicing strong opposition to recent tax and fee hikes passed for the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). Just hours before her interview with
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WASHINGTON (KTVZ) — Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said Friday he and Senate colleagues are demanding information from the Trump administration about how many hazardous fuels projects that have completed environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act have not yet been implemented – commonly referred to as “shelf stock.” “Recent reports indicate that the U.S. Forest
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BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – The Bend Park and Recreation District is seeking input from community members willing to fill out an online survey. A 5–10-minute perception survey is available now through Friday, Dec. 19. BPRD, with help from Probolsky Research, is conducting a Public Perception Survey, seeking valuable insight from district community members on topics ranging from
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A Crook County official on Friday thanked Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ore., and his congressional colleagues for passing a key bill to restore stable federal funding for rural timber-dependent counties.
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(Update: New information from library director) BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — A data breach has prompted the precautionary closure of all Deschutes Public Library locations through the weekend, but library officials say they are confident no patrons’ information has been exposed to potential hackers. “We’re feeling like it’s looking really good” for the library system to
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The chief petitioners on a referendum to have voters decide the fate of gas tax and vehicle fee increases aimed at funding ODOT delivered to the state Elections Division nearly 200,000 signatures on Friday, more than twice as many as required to make the fall 2026 ballot.
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SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — National surveys show that most Americans think juries are important, but about one in four Oregonians didn’t respond when state courts summoned them for jury duty this year. Another 25% asked to be excused from jury service. A new statewide task force will start meeting in January to look at why
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WASHINGTON (KTVZ) — Rep. Janelle Bynum (OR-05) and fellow Reps. Eli Crane (AZ-02), Joe Neguse (CO-02), and Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06) introduced the bipartisan Wildfire Aerial Response Safety Act on Thursday to support wildfire response operations by addressing the impact of unauthorized drones flying in restricted airspace during a wildfire. When an unauthorized drone enters restricted airspace during a wildfire, fire response agencies
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BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday that it’s proud to celebrate the success of the recent, 25th annual Shop with a Cop program, which provided warmth, comfort, and holiday cheer to 95 children across Deschutes County. Thanks to the generosity of donors, volunteers, and law enforcement partners, the program invested $57,000
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VALE, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Bureau of Land Management said Thursday it recently approved the expansion of lithium exploration activities in southern Malheur County, about 20 miles west of McDermitt, Nevada. With this approval, HiTech Minerals, Inc. is authorized to conduct lithium mineral exploration activities over the course of five years. Lithium has been on
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SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture ended Oregon’s SNAP work-rule waivers in November. Because of this, Oregon began applying the work rules statewide Dec. 1, expanding from six counties to all counties, state officials said Thursday. This change affects approximately 37,000 people in Oregon today, and the number of people impacted is
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Earlier this year, Deschutes County amended its outdoor lighting ordinance to reduce light pollution and protect Central Oregon’s night skies while maintaining public safety. They take effect in less than two weeks.
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SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — Wednesday’s first release of Oregon’s jobs report in several months due to the federal government shutdown showed a similar September picture as in previous months: a slow rise in the unemployment rate, despite job growth in several sectors of the economy. The Oregon Employment Department released monthly employment and unemployment data
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(Adding video and quotes from Eagle Scout Chris Piper) BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has drafted a memo to Congress with a plan to cut funding from Scouting America, formerly the Boy Scouts of America. Scouting America has been around for more than 115 years. According to NPR, Secretary Hegseth writes
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UPDATE: Adding video BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Real estate developer Taylor Brooks announced Tuesday that a wholly owned subsidiary recently bought about 75 acres at the city of Bend’s Juniper Ridge industrial property and has landed its first customer: Mike’s Fence Center. TB Bend Land Company LLC purchased Juniper Ridge Large Lot 5, a 74.5-acre industrially zoned parcel, from the
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BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Deschutes County Board of Commissioners announced Tuesday it will host two public hearings in January to gather feedback on the five-commissioner district map recommended by the Deschutes Map Advisory Committee (DMAC). Evening Hearing: Tuesday, Jan. 20, 6:00-8:00 p.m. Daytime Hearing: Wednesday, Jan. 21, during the BOCC’s weekly meeting, starting at 9 a.m.
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BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Deschutes National Forest has finalized its plan to allow Class 1, pedal-assist e-bikes on most than 160 miles of mountain bike trails for much of the year, except for winter. The forest announced Tuesday it has signed the final decision on the Class 1, Pedal Assist E-bikes on Select Trails located on
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DESCHUTES COUNTY, Ore. (KTVZ) — Right now, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office is inviting community members to take part in a short, confidential survey to help inform how the county might reduce the impact from natural disasters. The survey is part of a larger effort to update the county’s natural hazards mitigation plan, which focuses on
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