Local News

Effective immediately, the Deschutes National Forest is temporarily closing an area east of Forest Service Road 11 on the Sisters Ranger District for public safety due to the Akawa Butte Fire. The area is closed to the public due to hazards and hazardous conditions created as a result of the Akawa Butte Fire.   For more information […]

Bend travelers flying out of the Redmond Airport may soon have an alternative to expensive Ubers, high-priced parking spaces or coordinating early morning rides with friends and family.   Cascades East Transit, Central Oregon’s public transit agency, is pushing to bring a new direct bus service from Bend to the Redmond Municipal Airport. While logistical details still need to be ironed out, the agency hopes to begin the service within the next […]

Seven horses and a pair of goats slept in barns at the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center Sunday night, just a few hours after they were rushed away from the flames of a newly sparked wildfire west of Redmond.   At first, it appeared the animals might soon be forced to find a different place to stay. Setup was beginning for the fairgrounds’ signature event — the Deschutes County Fair — would fill barns with award-winning livestock […]

This past Friday, July 17, Dr. Stephen Kornfeld, a semi-retired Bend oncologist, was in Klamath Falls viewing a bird that he hadn’t seen before: a Least Bittern. An avid birder, he was on board the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius in April when the Andes hantavirus spread — a rare strain that can transmit person-to-person. […]

Monday, July 20, 2026 at 7:00 PM Fire officials will provide the latest updates on current fire activity, firefighting efforts, evacuation information, and answer questions from the community. The meeting will be livestreamed on the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SCSRPD Oak Fire west of Redmond Web page: centraloregonfire.org/Deschutes County Sheriff’s Facebook page: facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1381273814180057&set=a.206553228318794Watch Duty Fire Info: […]

Due to continued hot and dry conditions as well as increased fire starts, the Deschutes National Forest will include all Wilderness areas under Stage 1 public use fire restrictions starting Monday, July 20. Effective at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, July 20, Stage 1 public use fire restrictions prohibit open fires, including wood, biomass and twig […]

The Deschutes County Board of County Commissioners voted to place a divisive districting proposal on November’s general election ballot.  After hearing heated commentary from the public during the July 15 meeting, county commissioners voted 2 to 1, approving edited language for the ballot measure. Commissioner Phil Chang was the sole opponent.  To the satisfaction of word nerds and legal beagles in attendance, commissioners took pains over the meanings of “mode” versus “method,” “elector” and “voter.” With a limit of 175 words, […]

Oregonians kept more than 130,000 mattresses and box springs from landfills during 2025, the first full year of a new statewide recycling program with free collection points in nearly all of the state’s 36 counties. The Mattress Stewardship Program went into full swing in January 2025, three years after the state Legislature passed a law to make […]

The fifth pharmaceutical company sued by Oregon’s attorney general and dozens of other state attorneys general for violating federal antitrust laws in the last decade agreed to settle, this time for nearly $30 million. Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield announced Wednesday that generic drug manufacturer Glenmark, accused of participating in an elaborate price fixing scheme […]

A large number of storm cells passed through Central Oregon July 15th 2026. Overall, the area covered by Central Oregon Fire Management Service and the Oregon Department of Forestry received more than 2000 lightning strikes, starting more than 50 fires. Since this morning (Friday, July 17), an additional 20+ starts have been engaged across the […]