THE DALLES, Ore. (KTVZ) —The popular Lower Deschutes River will remain open for steelhead fishing under permanent regulations. More than 21,000 unmarked summer steelhead have passed Bonneville Dam since July 1. The run to date is the highest in nearly 10 years, though still well below the 20-year average as the upriver summer steelhead run
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WASHINGTON (KTVZ) – Oregon’s entire congressional delegation — Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, alongside Representatives Earl Blumenauer, Suzanne Bonamici, Val Hoyle, Andrea Salinas, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, and Cliff Bentz — sent a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack urging approval of Oregon Governor Tina Kotek’s request for a disaster declaration for Oregon counties facing devastating wildfires. The lawmakers also
Continue ReadingSEATTLE (AP) — Two men accused of sexually assaulting passengers on airplanes in separate incidents during flights to Seattle were sentenced on Thursday. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington said in a statement that Abhinav Kuma of India was sentenced Thursday to 15 months in prison. Kumar, 39, was convicted of
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SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — The impact of this year’s wildfire season continues to reverberate throughout the state as the number of acres burned reaches 1.2 million. At this time, the number of acres burned is four times the average, when compared to the same point in past seasons. As many as 1,261 fires have burned
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SALEM, Ore. – The Oregon State Fire Marshal is mobilizing four structural task forces and its green incident management team to the Telephone Fire burning in Harney County, 12 miles northeast of Burns. The lightning-caused fire started on July 22 and is now threatening homes and structures. As of Thursday morning, the fire was estimated at
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PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Pacific Power has significantly scaled back its proposed Oregon rate hike request for next year, in part due to customer criticism over the impact the earlier proposal would have on households and businesses across the state. “Pacific Power filed reply testimony in the Oregon General Rate Case on Friday, proposing an
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SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — Bureau of Land Management law enforcement rangers recently caught an arsonist who ignited a small wildfire earlier this month, the agency said Wednesday. On Saturday, July 6, the Oregon Department of Forestry responded to reports that a helicopter had located a column of smoke near the Willamette National Forest. They put
Continue ReadingAssociated Press SEATTLE (AP) — Congressional primary races in Washington state are attracting outsized attention, including one that pits one of the last remaining U.S. House Republicans who voted to impeach Donald Trump against two conservative candidates whose platforms are in lock-step with the GOP presidential nominee. Another race in the state’s moderate 8th Congressional
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SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — As college students head back to school, many will travel by plane. If you plan on flying within the U.S., consider adding REAL ID to your driver’s license or identification card now. Starting May 7, 2025, anyone 18 or older must show federally accepted identification for flights within the U.S. An Oregon-issued driver’s
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SPRINGFIELD, Ore. (KTVZ) — With hot, dry temperatures and the possibility of lightning in the forecast, the Willamette National Forest will increase public-use restrictions to Stage 2, prohibiting all open fires. The new restrictions are in effect through Nov. 30, unless modified or rescinded sooner. The Fire Danger Level across the Forest remains “HIGH” and
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WASHINGTON (KTVZ) — Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., delivered a speech this week on the Senate floor to call attention to the urgent United States Postal Service issues impacting Oregonians. His speech focused on the first-hand stories of Oregonians who rely on the Postal Service for everything from the delivery of lifesaving medications to running their
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PORTLAND, Ore. (KGW/KTVZ) — For the first time since Portland City Council passed a new prohibited camping ordinance in early May, police on Friday arrested a homeless person for refusing to move or take an offer of shelter. However, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office declined to book the person in jail, KGW reported. Willamette Week was first to
Continue ReadingBy Chris Isidore, CNN New York (CNN) — Boeing named a new CEO Wednesday after reporting a core operating loss of $1.4 billion in the second quarter — more than triple the loss from a year ago — as increased scrutiny of the safety and quality of its planes kept the troubled company from making
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SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has informed Oregon State Hospital administration that the hospital is no longer in immediate jeopardy status. Surveyors had cited issues related to hourly checks of patient location and wellness. The hospital instituted an administrative directive that updated procedures for completing and documenting viability checks. This
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SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) – Each year, the Oregon Division of Financial Regulation conducts a transparent health insurance rate review process for health plans that comply with the Affordable Care Act for small businesses and people who buy their own coverage rather than getting it through an employer. Conducting a yearly rate review ensures that premium
Continue ReadingWASHINGTON (KTVZ) — Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., released the following statement late last week ay on the Kids Online Safety Act, announcing he would oppose final passage of the legislation, which passed the Senate on Tuesday by a 91-3 vote: “After months of negotiations, the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) has been improved, thanks to hard work by
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SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — Governor Tina Kotek on Tuesday ordered flags at Oregon public institutions to be flown at half-staff between sunrise on Wednesday, July 31 to sunset on Thursday, August 1, in memory of James Bailey Maxwell, 71, the lifelong pilot killed in the crash of his single-engine air tanker while helping fight an
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PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality published the draft rules for the Climate Protection Program for public comment Tuesday. The draft rules set an enforceable declining limit, or cap, on greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels in Oregon that will reduce emissions by 50% by 2035 and 90% by 2050.“This program
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WASHNGTON (KTVZ) – Senator Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced Monday he’s secured critical investments in Oregon transportation, affordable housing, economic development, and community public safety in the second set of fiscal year 2025 government spending bills to pass the committee—a key first step on the road to becoming law. Central
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CORVALLIS, Ore. (KTVZ) – Oregon State University researchers have made the first scientific confirmation in Puget Sound of two distinct shark species, one of them critically endangered. The presence of the broadnose sevengill shark and endangered soupfin shark in the sound, the southern portion of the Salish Sea, may indicate changes in what biologists in
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