Month: September 2025

Triton Notary

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ)– Oregon Congresswoman Janelle Bynum, along with other lawmakers from California and Oregon, aimed at giving wildfire victims better access to relief funds. Below are the full details.

Bynum Co-Leads Bipartisan Bill to Support Victims of Wildfires

Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Janelle Bynum (OR-05) introduced H.R. 5225, the Protect Innocent Victims of Taxation After Fire Extension Act, alongside Reps. LaMalfa (R-CA), Thompson (D-CA), McClintock (R-CA), Sherman (D-CA), and Bentz (R-OR).

The legislation builds on the law passed in December 2024 as part of the Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act (Public Law 118-148), which ensures wildfire survivors aren’t taxed on payments meant to cover their certain disaster losses or costs, including living expenses, lost wages, or compensation for injury, death, or emotional distress, if the fire was declared a federal disaster between 2020 and 2025.

This bill extends that same protection through 2032 and allows victims to claim the exemption in the year they receive payments, instead of having to amend prior tax returns and wait for IRS refunds.

“When families are trying to pick up the pieces after a wildfire, they don’t need Uncle Sam taking a cut of their relief,” said Rep. Bynum. “This bipartisan bill ensures that wildfire survivors won’t be taxed on the very funds that are meant to help them rebuild their lives and homes. I’ll continue working with anyone – Democrat, Republican, or Independent – to prevent wildfires and support victims in the aftermath.”

“People who lose everything in a wildfire should not have to face the added burden of being taxed on payments that are supposed to help them recover,” said Rep. LaMalfa. “This bill gives wildfire victims certainty and fairness in the tax code while making sure they can focus on rebuilding their lives instead of fighting with the IRS to change past tax returns to receive refunds.”

“Californians are all too familiar with the devastation caused by wildfires. In the wake of losing their homes and livelihoods, it is wrong to tax survivors on settlement money that is meant to help them rebuild their lives. Survivors can’t afford to wait around for Congress to provide them retroactive relief,” said Rep. Thompson. “I am proud to work with my colleagues to ensure future settlements to survivors remain tax exempt through 2032, so Americans struck by disaster can focus on rebuilding their lives.”

“Californians are constantly under threat of wildfire,” said Rep. McClintock. “This bill reauthorizes commonsense protections and ensures victims are supported when tragedy strikes.”

“The Palisades Fire in my district caused immense devastation, displaced many families and destroyed entire communities, and the last thing fire victims should face is a tax bill on their recovery assistance,” said Congressman Brad Sherman. “This legislation ensures that fire victims in my district and around the country are not unfairly taxed as they focus on rebuilding their lives and livelihoods.” 

“The horrific wildfires in the West have cost families their property, homes, and in some cases their jobs. Until late last year, the United States Tax Code added insult to injury by taxing settlement funds meant for recovery,” said Congressman Bentz. “People who lose their homes and wages due to wildfire should not be taxed on the funds they received as result of these disasters. By extending such protections through 2032, we are helping victims get at least a little closer to recovery from their losses.” 

The extension represents a bipartisan commitment to ensuring wildfire survivors receive the help they need without facing additional financial stress. By extending this tax relief, Congress is giving families and individuals the certainty they deserve while they work to recover and rebuild after devastating fires.

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Lynsey Harris

BEND, Ore. — (KTVZ) The September 11th attacks forever changed America — and for two KTVZ broadcasters, the memories of that morning remain unforgettable.

Jason Carr and Bob Shaw were live on the air when the first images of the burning World Trade Center appeared. Shaw recalled watching the second plane strike: “I watched it fly in and hit the second tower.”

Carr said the moment was hard to process. “We both looked at each other dumbfounded. When the second plane hit, that’s when it really changed everything.”

Both men say the events reshaped their view of journalism and community. “There was a level of patriotism and people coming together in a way I hadn’t seen in my lifetime,” Carr said.

Shaw added, “It didn’t matter what political party you belonged to. We were all Americans. My biggest memory was how my parents grieved and how they reacted.”

As Central Oregonians remember the lives lost, Carr and Shaw say the lessons of 9/11 — resilience, unity, and reflection — still resonate today.

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Harley Coldiron

(Update: Adding video)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — A long-standing homeless camp at Second Street and DeKalb Avenue continues to spark frustration among nearby workers and concern from city officials, as drug use, mental health crises, and ongoing cleanup efforts collide with calls for more lasting solutions.

Many of the encampment residents are locals, including Brittany, who grew up in Redmond and attended both Redmond Proficiency Academy and Redmond High School.

She says her struggles began after losing her father at age 12, “My sister gave [drugs] to me after my dad died. I was 12, and I was really athletic,” Brittany recalled.

The camp sits in a designated “no camping” zone, but enforcement is limited, as Code Compliance Officers for the City of Bend don’t work at night. Zachary Nichols, who has lived unhoused for seven years, said people are well aware of the routine.

“Our due line is between 5:30 and 6 p.m. to set it up, and then seven in the morning to take it down, so that way the city doesn’t take it,” Nichols said. “I clock that crap down all the time.”

The City of Bend says code compliance officers monitor the site daily, enforcing regulations and offering resources. Contractors clean the corner twice a week, and police issue citations daily for trespassing and drug use. Still, some neighbors say it isn’t enough.

“This has to be relabeled a drug problem, not a homeless problem,” one nearby worker told KTVZ News. Another described open drug use, adding: “We’ll be having our morning coffee and they’re smoking off their foil, or heating up a shot, right out in the open.”

The City of Bend told the Problem Solvers that Bend Police even has a detail dedicated solely to the 2nd Street area.

The same worker we spoke to recalled walking by a body, “There was a guy lying out clearly dead. They were having a full conversation sitting there. The guy was dead. They’re laughing, joking, heckling us as we walked past.”

For some unhoused residents, housing isn’t an option if it comes with restrictions. But others, like Jeremy, his wife, and their dog Charlie, say they would accept it in a heartbeat. However, living on the streets makes it that much tougher to acquire housing.

“Housing would be phenomenal…I’m on the list, I think. I fill out all the different forms, but there’s no phone, no phone number. Nobody can reach you. You can’t reach anybody,” Jeremy said.

Until lasting solutions emerge, the tension continues for those living in the camp and those working nearby.

“If they could treat us like we were human beings, that would be great,” Jeremy said.

“I just sleep on the [expletive] concrete. I don’t get much sleep,” Brittany added.

One nearby worker summed it up, “If you had to be here every single day and live with it, you wouldn’t be okay with it.”

The Problem Solvers have done many other reports on homeless encampments in Central Oregon. To watch them, click here.

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KTVZ – News Team

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — To honor the nearly 3,000 lives lost in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Bend Fire and the Bend Heroes Foundation placed 35 flags at the Veterans Memorial Bridge. One of the flags carried the names of all the victims.

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