Local News

Whether you’re foraging for fun or for profit, mushroom foraging in the Pacific Northwest can be very rewarding.   The commercial Matsutake mushroom season opens Tuesday, Sept. 2, in the Deschutes National Forest, giving harvesters a 62-day window to collect the prized “pine mushrooms” through Nov. 3.  Commercial permits cost $200 for the full season, $100 […]

An oxygen-acetylene welding set-up inside a shipping container leaked, causing an explosion early Friday morning damaging several buildings in NE Bend. Bend Fire & Rescue says it happened just before 5:30am Aug. 29 outside Kercher Electric on NE Yale Avenue. Debris from the explosion landed on the Bend Parkway. Several vehicles hit the debris and […]

The City of Prineville today announced the retirement of Police Chief Jeff Profio after nearly 31 years of dedicated service to law enforcement. Chief Profio has led the City’s Police Department since November 1, 2024. “We thank Chief Profio for his service to the community and commend him for his success at fostering positive relationships […]

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office says a body has been recovered from Lava Island Falls southwest of Bend. Kayakers discovered the body Wednesday, Aug. 27 when they stopped at the island to take photos. That area of the Deschutes River is difficult to access and recovery took several hours. Lava Island Falls is about two […]

A new scientific review says the strategy that Portland General Electric and the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs developed to return fish to the upper Deschutes River isn’t working.  As OJP previously reported, there is significant disagreement between the utility and the tribe, which co-own the dams, over a device called a “selective water […]

Oregon lawmakers will hold a special session on Aug. 29 to consider funding for the Oregon Department of Transportation. The governor’s proposal includes raising payroll and gas taxes as well as vehicle registration fees. It also seeks to stronger accountability. Recent investigations into ODOT have revealed a lack of financial transparency.    Thousands of Oregonians […]

As of Monday, Aug. 25, the fast-moving Flat Fire in Central Oregon was 5% contained.  Eric Perkins, operations section chief for the Oregon Department of Forestry, reported on Monday morning that the fire stopped advancing forward. “Lots of structures in along this southern end of the fire as it moves into town … that fire […]