JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ore. (KTVZ) — Local first responders from Jefferson County participated in the inaugural ‘Chilly Swim for Kids’ on April 18th. The event, held at Lake Simtustus, raised money and tangible goods for the KIDS Center, a non-profit organization. It was a polar bear plunge-type event, where participants dove into the chilly waters. The
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MADRAS, Ore. (KTVZ) — Jefferson County has demonstrated significant economic improvement, moving from the state’s most economically distressed county in 2023 to the eighth position in a new report. Business Oregon released the latest ranking on Feb. 12, 2026, reflecting substantial gains in the local economy. This progress signals a stronger economic outlook for the
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SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — Gov. Tina Kotek has declared a drought emergency in six Oregon counties, citing record-low snowpack and ongoing dry conditions. The declaration, issued through Executive Order 26-07, affects Crook, Grant, Jackson, Jefferson, Morrow and Wallowa counties. This marks the second drought declaration for Oregon in 2026. A total of nine of Oregon’s
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Update: Adding video SISTERS, Ore. (KTVZ) — Firefighters on the Sisters Ranger District are planning prescribed burning ignitions Thursday, if conditions are favorable. Firefighters plan to conduct up to 120 acres of ignitions on Flymon 7 South Prescribed Burn, located 5 miles southwest of Lake Billy Chinook, the Deschutes National Forest said Wednesday in a news
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JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ore. (KTVZ) — Happening next, Lake Billy Chinook is about to get very busy. The Oregon State Marine Board will conduct its annual marine law enforcement training on Lake Billy Chinook in Jefferson County between April 27th and May 8th. According to the board, this intensive training is designed for new or seasonal marine law
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SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — Central Oregon’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rates saw very little movement from January to February, holding steady in Deschutes and Crook counties and dropping slightly in Jefferson County, the Oregon Employment Department reported Tuesday. Here’s that full report, from Regional Economist Patrick O’Connor: Bend MSA (Crook, Deschutes, and Jefferson counties): The Bend
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Chief Meteorologist John Carroll stopped by to speak to the kinder kids at Culver Elementary School. What a great group of well behaved students. They asked many weather questions and became “Weather Detectives” and found all the clues needed to forecast the weather in Culver for the day. John read them his children’s book, The
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CULVER, Ore. (KTVZ) — A father and son are safe after an early morning RV fire at a Culver campground, according to Jefferson County Fire and EMS. Crews were dispatched just after 12:30 a.m. Saturday to a reported RV fire at 2435 SW Jericho Lane. When firefighters arrived, they found a 28-foot motorhome heavily involved
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BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Cascades East Transit will implement significant service enhancements across Central Oregon beginning May 4th, 2026. The changes include increased bus frequency on Bend routes and the launch of a new route in Jefferson County connecting Warm Springs and Madras. The transit system, which is operated by the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council,
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BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Halfway through the 2020s – a decade in which Americans’ lives were greatly impacted by the COVID pandemic – Deschutes County has added more residents than any other Oregon county, while Crook County’s growth rate tops the state. Those are two Central Oregon highlights from the U.S. Census Bureau’s county population estimates for July 1, 2025, released Thursday, which shows a
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(Update: adding comments from Paul Cowsill and board member of historical society) MADRAS, Ore. (KTVZ) — A classic American pop-rock group is heading to Central Oregon, but their upcoming concert is about more than just music — it’s part of a community push to bring a long-awaited historical museum to life. In Jefferson County, history
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MADRAS, Ore. (KTVZ) — Happening now, The City of Madras staff are confronting conditions in the area behind the Madras Homeless Shelter. The City emphasized the implementation of its camping ordinance, as well as balancing enforcement with respect, and public access and safety. The City of Madras shared the below message via its Facebook account.
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PRINEVILLE, Ore. (KTVZ) — Economic Development for Central Oregon received a $50,000 grant from Meta today to launch a project aimed at strengthening rural entrepreneurship in Crook and Jefferson counties. The initiative, titled Crook & Jefferson Innovate, will focus on expanding economic opportunities for approximately 51,000 residents in the region. The funding, provided by the
Continue ReadingBEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The stage is set for a busy Central Oregon campaign season leading up to the May 19 primary election, with dozens of incumbents and challengers vying for new and existing positions, and several funding measures sharing the ballot. Now that Tuesday’s filing deadline has passed, here’s a look at who’s seeking what positions. KTVZ News will have complete Decision 2026 coverage throughout the spring and fall election
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MADRAS, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office issued a warning Friday of another scam that has echoes of many over the years, impersonating officers and trying to part you from your money. “They change from time to time but it’s important to be vigilant,” the Facebook post stated. “We won’t ask for money,”
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MADRAS, Ore. (KTVZ) — Advanced Construction students at Madras High School are building fully functional bathrooms from the ground up as part of a hands-on learning project. The initiative is designed to test skills learned in prior classes while providing students with experience similar to a real-world job site. The project is a core component
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(Update: Adding video) BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — A Jefferson County ranching couple has sued Central Electric Cooperative for more than $10 million, claiming the utility’s negligence and failure to shut down power lines amid dry conditions and severe fire risk sparked last summer’s destructive, 95,000-acre Cram Fire. A Portland attorney for Ronald and Debra Dees, who own and operate The RiverD Ranch, filed the
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MADRAS, Ore. (KTVZ) — A traffic stop on U.S. Highway 26 near Madras led to a drug-detection K-9’s alert, a search and the arrest of two men from Redmond and Prineville on drug charges, authorities said. The arrests wrapped up the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team’s short-term investigation into the sale of methamphetamine and fentanyl
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MADRAS, Ore. (KTVZ) — Jefferson County Fire & EMS crews extinguished a structure fire at the McDonald’s restaurant in Madras Friday morning. No injuries were reported and firefighters contained the blaze before it could spread throughout the building. According to the agency, two employees arriving for work discovered smoke coming from the restaurant and called
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(Update: correction to time truck driver called to report) WARM SPRINGS, Ore. (KTVZ) — The FBI is asking for the public’s help after a fatal hit-and-run on Highway 26 that killed a Warm Springs tribal elder earlier this month. Mary Smith, who lived on the Warm Springs reservation, was struck and left in the roadway
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