Columbia Ward 2 candidates discuss public safety, transit, infrastructure at Muleskinners forum

KMIZ on June 14, 2025

Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Candidates in the race for Columbia’s Ward 2 on Friday introduced themselves and their platforms to the Columbia Muleskinners Democratic Lunch Group.

The city called for a special election on Aug. 5 after former Councilwoman Lisa Meyer announced that she would step down on May 16. Two candidates running for the position include Vera Elwood and Ken Rice.

This is Elwood’s first attempt at public office, while Rice ran an unsuccessful campaign in the spring for the Columbia Board of Education.

Elwood is endorsed by former Ward 2 Councilwoman Andrea Waner, former Ward 2 Councilman Mike Trapp and the Boone County Democrats gave her its endorsement following Friday’s luncheon. Rice said Meyer had reached out to him to run for her seat.

Rice stated in his campaign announcement that addressing infrastructure, affordable housing and public safety would be focuses of his campaign. Elwood wrote in her campaign announcement that her focuses include ““improving infrastructure, creating a safer and more welcoming city, and ensuring every voice in the community is heard and uplifted.”

At Friday’s luncheon, Elwood highlighted the need for full staffing across all city departments.

“We have incredible people here in Columbia who are trying to do great work and are working with incredibly short staffed crews, and are not able to meet the capacities and goals of their departments,” Elwood said.

Elwood also noted issues with public transit in Ward 2; specifically for residents in the northern part of the ward, she said its almost completely inaccessible.

“When you look at public transit, it barely reaches out into Ward 2. It kind of barely scrapes the bottom of Ward 2. We have one bus line that runs through us, and the vast majority of our ward is not able to easily access public transit,” Elwood said.

Elwood said safe and accessible streets for people of all abilities are crucial and expressed confidence that the city could reach zero traffic deaths with the right policies.

“Policies about what street development looks like, what sidewalk development looks like. Once the policies are written, once we know what a safe sidewalk, what safe transit looks like, we need to actually have those in place,” Elwood said.

Elwood also expressed support for better support for local businesses and workers to “keep Columbia’s money in Columbia.”

“Preventing outsourcing, looking at expanding the reach of prevailing wage, and offering that on more projects to make sure that we are not, having city projects staffed by people who do not work in Columbia,” Elwood said. “The city can buy all of the asphalt that it wants, but if we do not have people who know how to lay that asphalt are paid well enough to take the job in the first place and are treated well enough to stay in that job, share their knowledge, and grow in their knowledge, the potholes are never going to get filled.”

Rice made headlines earlier this year by asking for community help in paying off school lunch debt. Rice on Friday addressed infrastructure and public safety needs. He also recognized the Second Ward’s need for another bus stop and suggested the benefit of more buses.

“Staffing across the board has been an issue for people. Well, if we can help, get them transportation to work, well, then, you know, there’s more people that that they can staff their, their businesses with,” Rice said.

He also explained the need for maintenance on power lines in the area.

“We have power lines that back in 2013, we realized we had a problem. 2015, we got funding for it to fix those power lines and get them going. 2016, we paused it and we’re still on a pause nine years later. That’s unacceptable,” Rice said.

To address improvements to public safety, Rice said funding changes may have to happen to redirect more money public safety agencies.

“Reasonable thing we may have to look at is, a public safety tax over time, because the people of this town understand that we need to fund these, essential services,” Rice said.

Overall, Rice said he wants to continue to be accessible to the constituents of Ward 2 as Election Day nears.

“I am committed to being accessible. I’ve already started I had a town hall the other day, and invited people from Ward two to come in and speak whatever they, about their issues. I want to be able to meet the people where they’re at, wherever that may be,” Rice said.

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Sunriver Nature Center takes in four raptors displaced by destructive Rowena Fire

KTVZ on June 14, 2025

Tyson Beauchemin

SUNRIVER, Ore. (KTVZ) — The destructive Rowena Fire forced the evacuation of the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center & Museum, so the Sunriver Nature Center stepped in to provide a temporary home for four displaced raptors.

“We are currently caring for two bald eagles, a red-tailed hawk, and an American kestrel — all of whom were safely relocated to our site late last night,” Sunriver Nature Center Executive Director Shannon Ries told KTVZ News on Friday.

“While we are not legally permitted to display these incredible raptors to the public, we believe it’s important to show our support for the people — and animals — impacted by this natural disaster,” Ries added.

“This effort reflects a shared commitment among Oregon’s nature and wildlife organizations to support one another in times of need,” she said. “We’re grateful to be in a position to help, and we hope that by quietly doing our part, we can ease the burden on our colleagues and provide a safe, stable environment for these birds while their permanent home recovers.”

The nature center’s lead wildlife manager has experience with bald eagles, but this situation gives the center an opportunity to train other staff.

The Sunriver Nature Center says it’s prepared to house these birds for as long as needed.

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‘No Kings’ protests planned across Central Oregon

KTVZ on June 14, 2025

Claire Elmer

(Update: Adding video)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — This Saturday is Flag Day, the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday…and, a day of protests.

In response to the Trump administration’s recent controversial actions, the ‘No Kings’ movement has protests planned tomorrow in Prineville, Madras, Redmond, and Bend.

KTVZ News spoke with event volunteer, Cyndi Davis, to learn about the organization’s goals for the events. 

“It’s a community action fair, to foster community, share information, talk about the impacts that this administration has had on local, Central Oregon nonprofits, and other groups. Our intent is to help educate folks about the power of democracy and our constitution and using your voice. We are 100% committed to nonviolent action, peaceful protesting,” said Davis.

Sheila Miller with Bend Police told KTVZ the department supports the public’s right to protest — officers will only be present at the Bend protest “if requested” by organizers, or if a crime occurs. 

Organizers encourage you to come with an open mind and peaceful attitude. “We invite everyone to come and use their voice. That’s even with our hecklers and possibly people from the other side of this. We all have a voice. We respect that right that we have in this country to use your voice. We welcome everyone tomorrow to join in with that conversation. Put out a welcoming hand to them and invite them in and and have some conversation,” said Davis.

In response to the ‘No Kings’ protests, local supporters of President Trump have organized a ‘Ride and Drive’ event. That group changed course due to the downtown Bend cycling race, the Cascade Classic Cycling Criterium. They now plan to walk to drake park. KTVZ reached out to that event’s organizer for comment, but have not received a response. 

Organizers of ‘No Kings’ emphasize a commitment to nonviolence, and say all participants are expected to de-escalate conflict, and keep the focus on peaceful action.

“Let’s use our energy to unify our voice, to support democracy, and our constitution. We hope that everybody puts their best foot forward when they show up to drake park and help us celebrate that uniqueness that the United States has and that we desire to keep,” said Davis.

KTVZ will be covering the events. Be sure to stay with us for updates throughout the weekend.

See below for times and locations across Central Oregon: 

Prineville: 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.; Pioneer Park – 450 NE Third St

Madras: 12:00 – 2:00 p.m.; North Y near Sonic Drive-In – US 26 and NW Maple St

Redmond: 1:30 – 3:00 p.m.; Joann Fabric and Crafts – 732 SW 6th St

Bend: 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. at Drake Park, followed by march to Peace Corner at Newport Avenue and Wall Street – 777 NW Riverside Blvd

*The Sisters protest has been canceled due to conflicting Sisters Rodeo events

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Pool serviceman who murdered Palm Desert senior during burglary sentenced

KESQ on June 14, 2025

City News Service

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A pool serviceman who fatally beat a 93-year-old Palm Desert woman while trying to steal from her was sentenced today to 19 years to life in state prison.

An Indio jury in April convicted Benjamin Cabrera Briones, 62, of Thousand Palms of second-degree murder, as well as burglary and forgery, for the 2021 slaying of Jean Grace Willrich.

During a hearing at the Larson Justice Center in Indio Friday, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Anthony Villalobos imposed the sentence required under state law for the crimes.

“She suffered massive blunt force trauma to her face,” Deputy District Attorney Hawlee Valente told jurors at the close of the trial. “He beat her, bludgeoned her repeatedly. He applied all of his body weight on her collar bone. That’s intent to kill.”   

Briones, who was both a pool serviceman and general handyman, had gone to the residence on the pretext of fixing a toilet. The prosecution, however, argued that his real motivation was theft.

“He intended to defraud, and the victim was an easy target,” Valente said.

On the morning of Nov. 29, 2021, the defendant arrived in his work truck clearly marked “Briones Pools” at the victim’s house in the 77000 block of Michigan Drive and remained for almost exactly 50 minutes — a time frame that sheriff’s detectives were able to confirm relying on tape from security surveillance video cameras at neighbors’ properties, according to the prosecution.

Valente said he wore latex gloves during and after the murder.   

After leaving the property, Briones drove to an ATM outside an Albertson’s supermarket and deposited one of her checks into his business account, according to the prosecution.

Deputy Public Defender Richard Verlato asserted Briones did not have an intent to kill when he arrived at the home — to which he’d been invited — but in the course of speaking with Willrich, “he freaked out,” causing him to lose control and fatally assault the woman, for whom he had once worked maintaining her pool until she fired him over a payment dispute.   

On Nov. 30, 2021, a concerned friend, Patricia McDonald, went to the victim’s house and used a spare key to enter, finding Willrich “laying in a puddle of dried blood, her face swollen,” according to trial testimony.   

Sheriff’s Investigator Gustavo Castaneda testified that during an interview with Briones, the defendant admitted turning hostile when Willrich started questioning why he was walking around her home and not fixing the toilet.

“That’s when he proceeded to assault her,” Castaneda said. “Mr. Briones explained to us how he punched her, choked her and eventually got on top of her. He continued to punch her, hit her with both open and closed fists because she wouldn’t stop screaming. When she stopped moving, he got up, grabbed (her) checks and left.”  

Valente said after a search warrant was executed at the defendant’s residence, blood-stained shoes, a shirt, pants and other items of evidentiary value were seized. A notepad bearing names and addresses was also located, and “Willrich’s name and address were the only ones crossed out,” the deputy district attorney said.   

Briones was arrested without incident on Dec. 3, 2021, during a traffic stop near Bob Hope and Frank Sinatra drives in Rancho Mirage.   

The defendant had no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.

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Carbajal Demands Hegseth Resignation Over Signal Leak, Trump Loyalty Questions

KEYT on June 14, 2025

Ryder Christ

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.) called for the resignation of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during a tense House Armed Services Committee hearing on Thursday, accusing the Pentagon chief of jeopardizing national security, politicizing military service, and being “an embarrassment to this country.”

Carbajal’s remarks came amid mounting bipartisan scrutiny of Hegseth following revelations that he shared the launch time of a U.S. airstrike on Houthi militant targets in March via unsecure Signal group chats. One group reportedly included The Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg, while another included Hegseth’s wife, brother, and personal attorney. Hegseth allegedly accessed the chats through his personal phone rather than a secure government-issued device.

“You broke the law in sharing classified information and in doing so, endangered the lives of our service members that you are responsible for,” Carbajal said. “Your inability to hold yourself accountable makes you incapable to lead. This alone makes you unfit to be the Secretary of Defense.”

Hegseth has maintained that no classified information was shared.

“Nobody’s texting war plans, and that’s all I have to say about that,” he said earlier this week. “There’s no units, no locations, no routes, no flight paths, no sources, no methods, no classified information.”

The Pentagon’s Inspector General has since launched a formal investigation into whether national security protocols were violated and whether any messages were deleted to evade federal record-keeping laws.

The controversy has triggered internal fallout within the Pentagon, including reports of low morale, senior staff resignations, and growing concerns over Hegseth’s leadership. Carbajal also cited Hegseth’s deployment of Marines to Los Angeles during anti-ICE protests and his handling of the war in Ukraine as part of what he called a broader pattern of misconduct.

During the hearing, Carbajal pressed Hegseth on whether loyalty to former President Donald Trump had become a prerequisite for military or civilian service in the Department of Defense.

“Do you think political allegiance to Trump is a requirement for serving our nation, either in uniform or a civilian in the department?” Carbajal asked.

“I’m incredibly proud as there are millions of Americans—” Hegseth began.

“No, no, no, no, no, no, no,” Carbajal interrupted. “Not today, Hegseth. Yes or no.”

“Congressman, you know what a silly question that is,” Hegseth replied.

“But silly enough to warrant a very straightforward answer. Yes or no?” Carbajal pressed.

“We all support and defend the Constitution of the United States—” Hegseth began again.

“You know what? I’m not going to waste my time anymore,” Carbajal said. “You’re not worthy of my attention or my questions. You’re an embarrassment to this country. You’re unfit to lead. And there’s been bipartisan members of Congress that have called for your resignation. You should just get the hell out and let somebody competently lead this department.”

The exchange prompted someone off camera to say, “Mr. Chairman, do we not have any decorum in here?”

Committee Chair Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) quickly called for order, saying, “Let’s maintain decorum in this hearing, please.”

Shortly after the hearing, Carbajal posted video of the exchange on social media, adding a punching fist emoji, an American flag emoji, and a fire emoji.

Backlash against Hegseth has intensified in recent days. Lawmakers from both parties have expressed concern over his handling of sensitive information and perceptions of political favoritism within the military. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta are among those calling for accountability, with Panetta calling the Signal incident “one of the most serious breaches of trust I’ve seen in the modern Pentagon.”

During the hearing, Hegseth also confirmed that the Pentagon maintains contingency plans for potential military operations in regions such as Greenland and Panama—a revelation that drew additional skepticism from Democratic lawmakers.

Local conservative and former Santa Barbara City Councilman Dale Francisco criticized what he described as a double standard, noting that Carbajal was more forgiving of Democratic-appointed military leaders after the deaths of 13 U.S. service members during the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.

On August 26, 2021, a suicide bombing at Abbey Gate outside Hamid Karzai International Airport killed 13 American service members during the final stages of the U.S. evacuation.

At the time, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin—appointed by President Biden—led the Pentagon. Carbajal condemned the attack in a public statement but did not call for Austin’s resignation.

“As a veteran, I know how families feel when their loved ones are called to duty,” Carbajal said in 2021. “My thoughts remain with the service members who gave the ultimate sacrifice, the injured, and their families. I thank all those in the military, diplomatic, humanitarian, and intelligence communities for their patriotism.”

As investigations continue, Carbajal’s remarks have emerged as one of the most forceful congressional condemnations of Hegseth’s tenure to date.

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Jose Malvido is a candidate for the U.S. Rep. for Arizona District 7

KYMA on June 14, 2025

Eduardo Morales

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – José Malvido is running for the open congressional seat left after the passing of Congressman Raul Grijalva.

Malvido has worked for a variety of non-profits and medical organizations.

“I spent my life working for communities and accountability and transparency has been a part of my game,” he says.

Some of his key focuses are medicare for all, no college tuition, and raising the minimum wage.

Malvido says he’s campaigning for the seat because he doesn’t like how the country is currently being run.

“I don’t care if I serve several years, the main thing I want to do is disrupt what’s happening and prevent the erosion of the three branches of government,” he explained.

While Malvido may not have as much political experience he sees this as a positive thing.

“No I’m not a politician and I think that’s why that also makes me more qualified because I don’t care about being a politician, I care about serving the people,” Malvido says.

He says he is against what he describes as the genocide in Palestine, against the current ICE raids, and wants to be a voice for marginalized communities throughout Arizona.

“I will take Yuma County and especially the pueblitos into account and not ignore you, and just to make it further, I’ll find pathways of direct communication with folks in the communities,” Malvido said.

The Arizona Special Primary Election will be held on July 15. 

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Police believe four suspects, including two juveniles, were tied to 12 car thefts in 48 hours

KRDO on June 13, 2025

Celeste Springer

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) — The Pueblo Police Department says they’ve arrested four people in connection with stolen vehicles; police believe the group could have stolen as many as 12 in the last 48 hours.

According to police, they recovered several stolen vehicles in the early morning hours of June 12. Police say at the scene, the suspects took off in one of the reported stolen vehicles.

Police say they lost control of the car, and crashed at the intersection of Pueblo Boulevard and Redwood Lane. After the crash, police say they got out of the car and ran off. Four suspects were later located and arrested.

Police say of those arrested were two adults and two unnamed juveniles. The two adult suspects were Gabriel Cervantez, 24, and Jynessa Wisthoff, 20. In addition to being charged with motor vehicle theft, police say the two are charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

“Besides the vehicle thefts, they may also be responsible for thousands of dollars in damage due to broken vehicle windows. Further criminal charges are anticipated,” wrote the Pueblo Police Department.

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Multiple fire crews help with house fire in Paso Robles

KEYT on June 13, 2025

Caleb Nguyen

PASO ROBLES, Calif. – Multiple fire crews helped with a house fire in Paso Robles just past 3:00 p.m. Friday, according to CAL FIRE SLO.

CAL FIRE SLO, Templeton Fire, Atascadero Fire and Paso Robles Fire and Emergency Services crews helped with the response.

The cause of the fire is under investigation and more information on the incident will be provided as it becomes available.

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“I’ve never seen anything like it” Trooper recounts fiery lsland Park crash

KIFI on June 13, 2025

Ariel Jensen

ISLAND PARK, Idaho (KIFI) — The Idaho State Trooper who answered the call to the fiery crash in Island Park opens up about what he witnessed that day. Idaho state police take calls reporting crashes regularly, some are minor, but others are deadly.

The lead investigator of the island park crash, Trooper Braidan Hill, says he has never seen anything like this before. 

“I didn’t really know what to expect, but as I was getting closer, you could see the black smoke coming up from the van that was already on fire. Then once I got there, both lanes of travel were completely blocked and traffic was starting to back up, and it was pretty chaotic on the scene. There are people just all over on the north and south sides of the crash,” said Hill.

Trooper Hill was the second officer to arrive on the scene. He immediately jumps into action.  

“At first, I didn’t know that there had been other people who had gotten trapped inside of the vehicles. I thought that all of the occupants had gotten out of both of the vehicles until I had spoken with the deputy, who told me there was several people stuck inside of the vehicles. And I was pretty emotional at that point, just seeing those people’s reactions that the other occupants with their friends and family members and that got stuck inside the van,” said Hill.

This crash involved international travelers, making the investigation a lot longer to process than other crashes and more personal.

“We started getting calls from the Chinese consulate and Italian consulate to start making notifications to the family. And then a part of that we had to write a letter to each family stating that their family members were involved in that crash, so they could get expedited visas to come over to the United States and provide DNA samples to positively identify the deceased,” said Hill.

Idaho State Police determined the driver of the Dodge Ram crossed the center line and collided with the eastbound Mercedes van. They did confirm that alcohol was a factor. However, the case is still considered an ongoing investigation.

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Deschutes County commissioners vote 2-1 to add six Safe Parking microshelters on spot near Sheriff’s Office

KTVZ on June 13, 2025

Barney Lerten

(Update: Adding video)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — It wasn’t your typical split as Deschutes County commissioners voted 2-1 Wednesday to lease a small parcel at the county’s Public Safety Campus to Mountain View Community Development for up to six micro-shelters to house the homeless, part of its Safe Parking program.

Commissioners Phil Chang and Patti Adair voted to have county staff draft a lease with with Mountain View Community Development of the quarter-acre parcel at the southeast corner of the campus housing the sheriff’s office and other departments.

But fellow Commissioner and board Chairman Tony DeBone said he would not support the move, questioning the timeline, long-term funding certainty and other aspects of the project. He said Safe Parking sites, to him, involve RVs or trailers and not more permanent structures, though these don’t have plumbing, only electrical hookups.

“I just don’t see this as a residential area – I never have,” DeBone said.

Rick Russell, lead pastor of Mountain View Fellowship and executive director of the development organization, said of the 96-square-foot “pods,” “Everything here is meant to be portable and temporary.”

Chang often, but not always, is on the losing end of 2-1 votes on the board he shares with two more conservative officials.

Adair noted the Safe Parking program’s 35% success rate and said, “We’re going to have to be incredibly careful who stays there.”

Bend Mayor Pro-Tem Megan Perkins urged the board to approve the “valuable addition” to the Safe Parking program that began in Redmond and expanded to Bend.

You can watch the complete discussion from the KTVZ+ livestream above and view the presentation to the board about the plans below.

Microshelters presentation Deschutes County commissionersDownload

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