Just over 50 percent of Jefferson County voters who took part in Tuesday’s Special Election voted for the Madras Aquatic Center Recreation District to be dismantled. But it looks like voters are not approving the required companion measure: a permanent levy that would create a brand-new district.
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More home-grown beef should be returning to Central Oregon shelves in coming years as The Symons Beef Company soon will start building a 40,000-square-foot meat processing facility on their property just north of Madras.
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SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) – Three months after her first announcement, Governor Tina Kotek said Tuesday she is accepting additional applications for the position of Jefferson County district attorney. Longtime DA Steven Leriche submitted his resignation earlier this year, effective Feb. 2, as he took a position with the Oregon Department of Justice. But he told
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BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Deschutes National Forest announced Tuesday it is seeking public input on its Fuels Maintenance Treatments Project, covering nearly 153,000 acres across the east side of the forest in Deschutes, Jefferson, Klamath and Lake counties. Since 2000, the Deschutes National Forest has planned and implemented hazardous fuels reduction projects to reduce
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A utility maintenance crew accidentally caused a widespread Central Oregon power outage late Tuesday morning, knocking out service for about an hour to more than 11,000 Pacific Power customers from Crooked River Ranch to west of Culver and Madras and north to Warm Springs.
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MADRAS, Ore. (KTVZ) — Record numbers of nearly 1,000 adult steelhead returned to the Pelton Round Butte hydropower project on the Deschutes River during the 2024-2025 run, which ends this month, Portland General Electric and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs reported Thursday. With more than 950 fish passed upstream of Round Butte Dam, the Upper
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(Update: Adding video) CROOKED RIVER RANCH, Ore. (KTVZ) — For the first time in its 48-year history, Crooked River Ranch Fire & Rescue placed an order for a department-funded, brand-new structural fire engine – and it just arrived, so the public is being invited to help ceremonially push it into its new home. The new
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MADRAS, Ore. (KTVZ) – A man who stole a knife from the Madras Bi-Mart and threatened a Domino’s Pizza worker with it ran away Tuesday afternoon but was caught and arrested by police without any injuries, Police Chief Tim Plummer said. Madras officers responded around 1:40 p.m. to reports of an armed subject near Highway
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BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Central Oregon has been the state’s growth engine so far this pandemic-challenged decade, accounting for nearly half of the state’s population increase, according to July 2024 estimates released this week by the U.S. Census Bureau. The Bend Metropolitan Statistical Area – which as of a year ago includes all of Deschutes,
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A Madras woman who threatened another woman with a gun by text message fled police and ran over a pedestrian Tuesday night, Jefferson County Sheriff Jason Pollock said. She was arrested after she crashed her pickup and pointed a rifle at pursuing officers, prompting a tense standoff that a bystander helped to end.
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PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Pacific Power has awarded $925,000 to 11 organizations in Oregon for projects that will expand electric mobility and connect people across the state to the cost-saving, clean-air benefits of electric vehicles. The latest round of Electric Mobility Grants will support a variety of initiatives, including the purchase of electric vehicles and
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MADRAS, Ore. (KTVZ) – A call to Jefferson County 911 dispatchers early Tuesday claiming a person was firing gunshots near a Madras truck stop prompted an emergency “shelter in place” alert to residents and a major manhunt in two locations, but law enforcement found nothing to indicate the report was true. “There is an active
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BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – KTVZ is excited to announce the launch of KTVZ+, bringing 24/7 streaming access from Central Oregon’s News Leader. Now, viewers can stream KTVZ content for free – anytime, anywhere, with ease, on popular platforms like Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and Roku devices.With KTVZ+, you’ll have the ability to watch breaking
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MADRAS, Ore. (KTVZ) — Recent challenging driving conditions are frighteningly clear in videos shared Friday by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office showing the driver of an out-of-control pickup narrowly missing a deputy and slamming into a car that had crashed on snowy Highway 97. “Road conditions were terrible from the snow, causing an array of
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Central Oregon’s two-week bout of cold, snowy weather ramped up again on Thursday morning with a few inches of new snow around the still-very cold region, leading to several crashes and slide-offs and prompting some early closures or late-day cancellations.
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MADRAS, Ore. (KTVZ) — A fire heavily damaged a Madras home on Wednesday and displaced a resident, Jefferson County Fire and EMS reported. Fire crews were dispatched around 11:45 a.m. to the report of a building on fire in the Fairgrounds Road area, said Deputy Chief of Prevention Jared Earnest. Deputies arrived first and confirmed
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MADRAS, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council, in a collaborative effort with the Jefferson County Fire Chiefs, is offering private landowners the opportunity to apply for funding to minimize fire danger as outlined in the Jefferson County Community Wildfire Protection Plan. Eligible residents will be offered a flat-rate reimbursement of $599.99 for treating
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PRINEVILLE, Ore. (KTVZ) — Inspired by Circuit Judge Raymond Crutchley’s announcement and Deschutes County’s Cupid Docket, Crook and Jefferson County Presiding Judge Annette Hillman has added Cupid Dockets on Valentine’s Day, Friday, February 14. Crook and Jefferson County Circuit Court Judges will perform wedding ceremonies for couples wishing to marry on Valentine’s Day. All Circuit
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Longtime Jefferson County District Attorney Steven Leriche has submitted his resignation, effective Feb. 2, Governor Tina Kotek announced Tuesday as she requested applications from those interested in seeking an appointment to the position.
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PowerSchool, the student information system used by Jefferson County School District 509J, was hit by a recent cyberattack in which personal files may have been accessed, officials said.
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