News

As fire crews continue getting the upper hand with the Bench Fire, burning four miles southwest of the Warm Springs community, it will be some time before the reservation is fully restored. The fire destroyed six tribal homes and five outbuildings. As of Aug. 6, it was 84% contained at 67,071 acres. The reservation is also dealing with a water shortage which was exacerbated by a 6-inch […]

Sixteen Democratic lawmakers want Oregon State Treasurer Elizabeth Steiner to conduct what they say is a long overdue comprehensive audit of the Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund. In an Aug. 3 letter, the lawmakers told Steiner, a fellow Democrat, they are concerned about the fund’s overreliance on private equity to boost returns. “We believe this […]

The ongoing threat of a major earthquake affecting Oregonians who live west of the Cascades and a major maintenance backlog for Oregon prisons are fueling debate over how best the state should protect incarcerated people during dangerous seismic events.  The tension between some left-leaning prison rights advocates and state officials traces back to the ongoing […]

The plane crash west of Tumalo on Aug. 4 appears to have been a suicide, according to law enforcement officials. Authorities have identified Bend resident Steven Nicholas Charlton, 48, as the pilot of the 2025 Cirrus SR22T, which he took airborne at 1:34 pm from the Bend Municipal Airport, five hours before the crash law enforcement […]

It’s a challenging time to be a grape grower. Doug Maragas of Margaras Winery has been watching the fires and waiting to learn just how deep the impact will be. The Bench Fire, which is 67,238 acres and 84% contained as of Tuesday, burned up to the edge of one of the vineyards on land he’s leasing near the Pelton Dam. The grapes need to be tested to determine if they’ve been affected by the […]

A former British airliner once suited to carry 100 passengers now skims the Central Oregon High Desert carrying only two people: a pilot and an officer trying to decide where to send 27,000 pounds of reddish-pink slurry tumbling to the ground.  They are among the first to reach the fanning flames of the Bench Fire burning on the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs […]

A committee appointed to help spur Bend’s housing production has come up with a set of policy recommendations the Bend City Council will discuss this month — including whether to ask voters to help subsidize affordable housing through a tax measure.  The recommendations are intended to propel Bend toward lofty home building targets established by the state. That could mean expanding property tax and infrastructure fee exemptions for affordable […]

Throughout the country, the costs of the conflict in Iran have had wide-ranging effects, and we’re not just talking about gas prices.  Dozens of municipalities across at least seven states, including Minnesota and Michigan, have reported that their water and wastewater systems were hit with cyberattacks in the last week of July. Now we know Oregon was also hit. While federal and state officials said a preliminary investigation hasn’t confirmed Iran’s involvement, the attacks mirror those the country has waged against U.S. water systems in […]