Jefferson City still looking to open conference center on time despite loss in state funding

KMIZ on July 30, 2025

Nia Hinson

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Leaders in Jefferson City say they’re still on track to open a new conference center downtown.

That’s despite a loss of $20 million that was supposed to help pay for the project after state lawmakers cut the funds during its special session. Leaders in Jefferson City met Wednesday night about the financial aspects of the center, which is being built on Capitol Avenue between Madison Street and Monroe Street.

The city is aiming to have it built by June 2028.

President of the Jefferson City Regional Economic Partnership Luke Holtschneider said the city is hoping to try again in the future.

“The state is a partner, and just based on proximity and the use of the parking garage as part of this overall development, continue and engage with the state and see if there can be some partnership,” Holtschneider said.

The center will hold roughly 29,000 square feet of conference space and 204 hotel rooms, according to Jefferson City Regional Economic Partnership’s website. Holtschneider said the city is still having discussions about what the hotel will be, but it’s been narrowed down to Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt, who have all expressed interest.

Mayor Ron Fitzwater called the news regarding losing state funding a “gut punch.” However, Fitzwater said the city wont give up on the project because of it.

“We’re going to rally around it,” Fitzwater said. “Hopefully, we can go back to the legislature next year, make our case again, work with the governor’s office and hopefully this time get in the initial governor’s budget…. We need this conference center in the capital city and we’re staying laser-focused on that effort.”

Fitzwater said the center is slated to cost $130 million, but could change throughout the design phase of the project. He also said the city is considering other ways to make up for the loss, including “squeezing the project” to try and close the gap, or having good luck with interest rates falling over the next few years.

“There are other things we have not looked at yet and we didn’t want to put it in the financing,” Fitzwater said. “We’ve not looked at naming rights and some other revenue sources. They’re not going to close the entire $20 million but they’ll help us close it a little, so every additional thing we do can will help the project.”

As part of the construction of the center, the capital city will also lose out on 400 parking spaces due to the demolition of the Madison Street parking garage. Holtschneider said the city is working with a private parking operator to try and come up with a plan.

“They would look at developing a displacement plan that would ultimately help the city mitigate some of the downtime during the demolition and construction of the new project…utilizing existing parking assets within the city, and potentially some private parking lots to accommodate those that would be displaced during the demolition of the existing garage.”

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More lightning brings new wildfires around Central Oregon, the largest at about 27 acres, as stormy weather lingers

KTVZ on July 30, 2025

Barney Lerten

(Update: New fire, Incident 667, burns about 27 acres)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Central Oregon received more lightning on Tuesday, and interagency resources responded to several smoke reports, leading to at least a half-dozen new fires, officials said Wednesday.

A new fire, Incident 667, was reported late Wednesday morning southwest of Mackey Mountain, burning in grass and brush about 20 miles east of Hampton, in the southeast corner of Crook County.

Officials said interagency engines and overhead staff were on scene, with more resources on order. It ws estimated at 27 acres, according to Watch Duty.

Here’s the officials’ earlier Wednesday update:

The newly reported starts, all lightning-caused, may have been holdovers from Monday or new strikes from Tuesday’s storms.

While most have been contained, there are two fires receiving ongoing suppression work. The Boulder Fire, 2 miles north of Juniper Butte outside of Prineville, remains at 21 acres and is staffed with engines, a water tender, and overhead; and the Kwolh Fire, just south of Mt. Bachelor, is two 0.10-acre fires and is staffed with rappelers.

With more lightning in the forecast for Wednesday, firefighters are prepared to respond to any new starts or holdover fires from Monday and Tuesday.

Visit the official source for wildfire information in Central Oregon at centraloregonfire.org for wildfire updates or follow fire information on X/Twitter @CentralORfire. Call 9-1-1 to report a wildfire. For smoke and air quality information visit fire.airnow.gov.

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Level 3 sex offender notification: Emerio Francisco Gutierrez Jr.

KYMA on July 30, 2025

Dillon Fuhrman

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The Yuma County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) has issued a notification regarding a Level 3 sex offender in the Yuma community.

YCSO says 38-year-old Emerio Francisco Gutierrez Jr. told them he is living in the area of E. South Frontage Road and S. Fortuna Road in Yuma.

Gutierrez is described by YCSO as five-feet, three-inches tall, weighing 140 pounds, has black hair and brown eyes, and is not wanted by YCSO at this time.

In September of 2005, Gutierrez pled guilty to one count of attempted sexual conduct with a minor in the Yuma County Superior Court, YCSO says.

He was sentenced to 3.5 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections, with credit for 107 days served, and placed on lifetime supervised probation, according to YCSO.

In September of 2010, YCSO says Gutierrez was then convicted of failure to register as a sex offender in the Yuma County Superior Court.

“His probation was revoked and he was ordered to serve 7.5 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections, with credit for 267 days served prior to sentencing,” YCSO says.

Gutierrez is considered by YCSO as a Level 3 sex offender with a high risk to reoffend.

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Mt. Bachelor partners with St. Charles to offer medical services at mountain clinic

KTVZ on July 30, 2025

Barney Lerten

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Starting this winter, health care providers from St. Charles will begin offering services to guests and employees of Mt. Bachelor at the clinic, located in the ski patrol building near the West Village area, the two organizations announced Wednesday.

Providers from St. Charles Urgent Care clinics will staff the St. Charles Mountain Clinic Fridays through Sundays and during holidays, they said in a joint news release. 

“We are very excited and also humbled to take on this responsibility for the community,” said Dr. Steve Gordon, president and CEO of St. Charles. “Our organization and Mt. Bachelor have a lot in common, in terms of our history and commitment to the Central Oregon community, and we are thrilled to be able to work more closely together through this new collaboration.” 

The St. Charles and Mt. Bachelor teams will work together over the next few months to determine what level of services will be provided, the levels of staffing and more before ski season opens – typically in late November. 

“At Mt. Bachelor, the safety and well-being of our guests and employees is critical,” said John Merriman, Mt. Bachelor President and General Manager. “Partnering with St. Charles – an organization deeply rooted in this community – allows us to expand on that commitment with expert medical support right here at the mountain. We’re incredibly proud to offer this new level of care as part of the Mt. Bachelor experience.”

About St. Charles Health SystemSt. Charles Health System, Inc., headquartered in Bend, Ore., owns and operates hospital campuses in Bend, Madras, Prineville and Redmond, along with primary and specialty care clinics throughout the Central Oregon region. St. Charles is a private, nonprofit Oregon corporation and is the largest employer in Central Oregon with more than 5,300 caregivers. We proudly partner with our local medical community to provide a wide variety of health services.

About Mt. Bachelor

Mt. Bachelor is the premier ski area in the Pacific Northwest, offering 4,323 acres of lift-accessible terrain with 360-degree descents from its 9,065’ volcanic peak. The mountain resort is served by two carpets and 12 lifts, including seven high-speed quads and one high-speed 6-pack. Mt. Bachelor also features 15 Woodward Mountain Parks, 56 km of groomed cross-country trails, snowshoeing, and sled dog rides. Summer attractions include downhill mountain biking, ZipTour ziplining, hiking, dining, camping, and tubing or whitewater rafting with Sun Country Tours. Mt. Bachelor is part of POWDR, a family-owned and operated Adventure Lifestyle Company©. For more information visit www.mtbachelor.com.

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Animal Samaritans launches $100K spay & neuter program for unincorporated Coachella Valley communities

KESQ on July 30, 2025

Garrett Hottle

THOUSAND PALMS, Calif. (KESQ) Animal Samaritans Veterinary Clinic in Thousand Palms has committed $100,000 toward free spay and neuter surgeries for qualified residents in unincorporated areas of the Coachella Valley.

The initiative aims to reduce the number of unwanted pets and cut down on euthanasia rates at high-risk shelters.

August’s round of surgeries is already full, with 85 slots booked. 

“The demand is higher than the money we have,” said Tom Snyder, CEO of Animal Samaritans.“But we want to stretch it out, and give every community an opportunity.” Tom Interview Transcirp…

The program, which began in May, is rotating monthly across the valley. Snyder says the next clinic is scheduled for September. with the location to be announced soon.

“We launched this program because the need was just so great,” Snyder added.“Spaying and neutering helps keep animals out of shelters and gives pet owners support they may not otherwise get.” 

Organizers say interested residents will be able to sign up for future clinics online or via phone.

Stay with News Channel 3 for updates on September’s participating community and continued coverage on access to pet care services in underserved areas.

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SPECIAL REPORT: How Baby Sonny impacted the Yuma community

KYMA on July 30, 2025

Manoah Tuiasosopo

Reporter Manoah Tuiasosopo shares how Baby Sonny’s short life impacted the community and a movement to make sure it never happens again.

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – A tragedy that shocked the community: A newborn baby found in a trash can at a hotel in Yuma.

On the morning of May 1, a routine task turned tragic when an employee at the Best Western Hotel in Yuma discovered something suspicious while taking out the trash. Inside, a garbage bag with the body of a newborn baby.

First responders arrived quickly, but despite their best efforts, it was too late.

“Our crews arrived that day. They did locate this baby in the trash receptacle. They immediately grabbed that baby out, opened up that bag and began performing life saving techniques…It was shortly discovered after that they were going to be unsuccessful in reviving Baby Sonny,” said Captain David Padilla, Public Information Officer with the Yuma Fire Department (YFD).

The heartbreaking discovery sent shockwaves through the community and made headlines across Arizona.

Though responding to crises is part of the job, Captain Padilla says this call left a deep emotional impact on first responders. Many of whom had to move on to the next emergency without a moment to process.

“Behind every headline, there are real-world men and women that are experiencing these calls with the community and often times, they’re going to run a call like Baby Sonny’s call then get back on the fire truck and ambulance and do it again for a different call, show up to help grandma get up off the ground,” Padilla expressed.

In the aftermath, YFD reintroduced its Chaplain Program and expanded its peer support services to help staff cope.

With no one stepping forward and few answers, community leaders held a public prayer service in Baby Sonny’s honor.

Yuma Mayor Doug Nicholls said the city felt it was crucial to acknowledge the young life lost.

“We felt it was really important to make a statement. Bad news travels really fast. We took it on our own, and not having anyone to connect to, we kind of adopted Baby Sonny as our own,” Mayor Nicholls explained.

Nicholls says the response to the event was widespread and heartfelt adding, “The thing that amazed me the most, it wasn’t the response from the community because I fully expect that out of Yuma, it was how wide that spread. I’ve been getting comments from people throughout the state that saw the news piece on it. I think really shows how Yuma really wants to protect and honor life and it was more than just the tragedy, it was the reaction the community had was also part of the story.”

As for his name, officers chose “Baby Sonny” to offer the little one some dignity and because the discovery happened on a sunny Yuma day.

“Not having really other name and not wanting to call him baby John Doe, Baby Sonny became the way they could refer to him and honor him as a little person,” Nicholls spoke.

In all 50 states, the Safe Haven Law allows parents to safely and anonymously surrender unharmed newborns to designated locations such as fire stations, police departments, hospitals, or designated churches without facing criminal charges for abandonment.

“There are plenty of options regardless of the circumstances. I guess that’s the thing that’s really important to emphasize is that we don’t know the circumstances surrounding Baby Sonny, we don’t know what happened, but I am thankful that we live in a community that values life and responded the way we did.”

Tori Bourguignon, Executive Director, Amberly’s Place.

Amberly’s Place is a local nonprofit supporting survivors of child abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking.

Bourguignon says Amberly’s Place, the City of Yuma, and Onvida Health are partnering for a collaborative effort to raise awareness of safe havens and educate the public of local resources in hopes to prevent future tragedies.

“I think until Baby Sonny, you didn’t hear a lot about safe havens in our community, in particular. Now that we have this situation, I think we need to raise the awareness of what the options are and do our level best to prevent this from happening again, and be able to people options regardless of their circumstances.

Hotel management says they are working with the Yuma Police Department (YPD).

YPD says the investigation is still ongoing and continue to urge Baby Sonny’s mother, or anyone with information, to come forward.

Baby Sonny’s final resting place surrounds him with many young lives lost at a very similar in age. The only difference is the baby doesn’t have a family name.

Despite that, Baby Sonny will forever belong to the entire Yuma community.

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Man accused of murder in February Moberly homicide case arrested in Illinois

KMIZ on July 30, 2025

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man who was accused of murder in a shooting death in Moberly earlier this year has been arrested.

A Wednesday press release from the Moberly Police Department says Todd Turner, 38, was arrested in Cahokia Heights, Illinois, on suspicion of first-degree murder in the death of Donald Hickem. He was charged with the crime in Randolph County on Wednesday afternoon. Turner is currently being held in the St. Clair County Jail in Illinois and waiting to be extradited back to Randolph County, the release says.

The release says Hickem, 37, was found dead with gunshot wounds in the 500 block of North Moulton Street on Feb. 1. Charges including first-degree murder and armed criminal action were initially filed against  Timothy Turner, 37, of Columbia.

Timothy Turner was shot and killed by Columbia police after a standoff in the 1500 block of Raleigh Drive in Columbia. Charges were not filed against the officers said to be involved. Timothy Turner allegedly had a knife and started swinging while police were at the residence, previous reporting shows.

Court documents in previous reporting say a phone registered to Timothy Turner was found at the Moberly residence, court documents say. A witness who knew Timothy Turner allegedly told police that the Turners entered an alley near the home and Todd Turner had told Timothy to put his gun away, court documents say.

The witness walked down the alley and heard four-to-five shots, the statement in previous reporting says. The witness went inside a home and came back out to see the Turners in a vehicle, with Timothy Turner pointing a gun at the witness, the statement says.

The witness claimed in a probable cause statement filed on Wednesday that they left with the Turners in Timothy Turner’s vehicle and they planned on driving to Illinois.

The statement says that lab results from June 18 determined the bullets recovered from Hickem’s body were fired from two different guns. Additional information from cellphones and video allegedly showed the Turners at a gas station in Wright City later in the day on Feb. 1.

Check back for updates.

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Small Business Spotlight: Big Ed’s Artisan Bread brings fresh-baked goods to Central Oregon

KTVZ on July 30, 2025

Kelsey Merison

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — This month’s Small Business Spotlight is highlighting Big Ed’s Artisan Bread of Bend. Big Ed’s can be found in restaurants and retailers across Central Oregon–and has its own retail space at 601 NE 1st Street.

At Big Ed’s, it’s all things bread all the time.

Big Ed's sourdough

“Loaves, English Muffins, buns, hoagies,” said Seth Chilcutt, the general manager at Big Ed’s. “We also offer a wide spread of baked goods at our retail store–like pies, brownies, bagels, and granola.”

Seth Chilcutt is the bread man at the store–but it’s a family-run business.

Seth Chilcutt of Big Ed's Artisan Bread live on KTVZ News at SunriseSeth Chilcutt of Big Ed’s Artisan Bread live on KTVZ News at Sunrise

“We’ve been very lucky to be around for over 12 years now. We really are a proud Central Oregon company, and we want to be involved in as many places as we can be,” Chilcutt said. “We’re really blessed to be in such a great community. If it wasn’t for our local businesses and our incredible staff, really, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do. We have so many local businesses that love our product and really support us.”

You can find Big Ed’s in more than 150 spots across Central Oregon and beyond.

Loaves of Big Ed's breadLoaves of Big Ed’s bread

“If you’ve eaten out in Central Oregon, you’ve very likely enjoyed our products,” Chilcutt said.

To learn more about Big Ed’s, click here.

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YFD battles SUV fire, one person hospitalized

KYMA on July 30, 2025

Eduardo Morales

UPDATE (1:45 PM): What started as an SUV fire spread to a house ended up with one person in the hospital.

The fire happened Wednesday morning off of Seventh Avenue and 21st Street, near St. Francis of Assisi Church.

Firefighters found heavy smoke and flames when they arrived.

“The vehicle is a total loss. Some of the fire had impinged on the home. There is some damage to the home externally. Thankfully, we were able to clear it of any occupants and no damage to the home’s interior,” said Captain David Padilla, Public Information Officer with the Yuma Fire Department (YFD).

Someone inside the home was treated for medical issues.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The Yuma Fire Department (YFD) responded to a house fire late Wednesday morning.

According to a reporter on scene, the fire happened before noon in the area of Seventh Avenue and 21st Street.

The reporter on scene says a woman is receiving medical assistance.

KYMA will have more information on this developing story.

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‘Very different spot’: ODF says 2025 wildfire season has seen much less acreage burned so far, compared to last year

KTVZ on July 30, 2025

KTVZ

(Update: Adding video, Adding comments by Oregon Dept. of Forestry)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Millions of acres were burned across Oregon during the 2024 wildfire season. Six “mega-fires” (over 100,000 acres each) burned across Eastern Oregon, and the state spent nearly $350 million to put them out.

But this year, the season looks drastically different. It started much earlier, with the Roweena and Fairy fires sparking in early June.

“Even looking at July last year, we’re in a very different spot,” Oregon Department of Forestry Public Information Officer Jessica Neujahr told KTVZ News on Wednesday.

This year has technically been a much more active season, but last year’s season saw a significant difference in acreage on ODF-protected land.

“On ODF-protected land, we have had 578 fires that have burned 12,533 acres. And then, compared to last year, we had 494 fires,” Neujahr said. “So less fires in numbers, but the acres burned were 257,235 acres.”

That does not include the nearly 100,000-acre Cram Fire, earlier this month in Jefferson and Wasco counties.  

ODF says weather patterns have played a major factor

“We’re still seeing these weather patterns with the lightning and the heat and everything like that, but it’s a much more natural wave, I guess you can say,” Neujahr said. “So we have our peak, and then it goes down, and then it pops back up, and then it goes back down.”

August will remain a pivotal point of the wildfire season. The National Interagency Fire Center says August and September will see a significant wildfire risk in the Pacific Northwest.

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