Rob Namnoum
Vista Ridge High School won the Qdoba Friday Night Blitz Spirit Award during week eight of the high school football season. Recently, we presented the Qdoba Friday Night Blitz Spirit Award plaque to the Wolves cheer squad and football team.
Jesus Reyes
DESERT CENTER, Calif. (KESQ) – Four people were injured following a crash between an SUV and a big rig on Interstate 10 in Desert Center Tuesday afternoon.
The crash was reported at around 5:15 p.m. on the westbound side of I-10 near Corn Springs Road.
Details on what led to the crash were not available.
Two people were airlifted to the hospital. Two other patients were taken by ground ambulance, according to CAL FIRE.
There are no road closures in the area.
Tyson Beauchemin
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — If you have not made your Thanksgiving plans, it’s not too late. There’s going to be a massive banquet in Bend, with some of the best food imaginable.
The Riverhouse Convention Center is holding a Thanksgiving grand buffet from 1-4 p.m. It’s a buffet-style meal with all the Thanksgiving staples, like turkey and stuffing. But it goes beyond that, with whole hams encrusted with brown sugar and maple, smoked prime rib, shrimp, and charcuterie platters.
Executive Chef Frederick Schumann invites everyone to join.
“We want you to come here and have dinner with us, because we just want you to skip the cooking and clean up at your house, right?” Schummann said. “We’re going to prepare amazing food for you – just as good as Grandma, if not better. And we don’t want you to have to go home and worry about the hassle of doing it all. We want to do that for you.”
Schumann showed KTVZ News around the kitchen, proudly displaying the large amount of preparation they aere doing for the event.
. “We cook amazing food here, and we want you to enjoy it and we take great pride in that,” Schumann said.
Alongside all the food, there’s going to be live music and activities for kids. There’s also going to be an art station for them to write letters to Santa. For adults, there’s a bar, and the games will be on.
Now here’s the best part: zero cleanup after Thanksgiving.
Tickets are online or on sale at the door. The cost is about $97 per person, with discounts for seniors, veterans and groups. More information is available on the event website.
KTVZ
(Update: Video Added)
SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — Sentences are being recalculated for hundreds of current or former Oregon prison inmates after a state Supreme Court clarification prompted a Department of Justice review – and that includes over a dozen released inmates who have been returned to custody.
The court’s clarification to its July 10 decision in the case of Torres-Lopez v. Fahrion has prompted a review of DOJ guidance to the Oregon Department of Corrections on the topic of sentence recalculation, impacting hundreds of adults in custody and many who have already been released, DOC officials said late Tuesday.
“We recognize that the Oregon Supreme Court’s decision to change sentence calculations has significant and immediate impacts on victims, survivors, the formerly incarcerated, and their families,” DOC spokesperson Amber Campbell said.
“As we implement these changes, the Department of Corrections remains firmly committed to public safety, accountability, and full transparency throughout every step of this process,” she added in a news release that continues in full below:
In close consultation with the Governor’s Office, DOJ, and out partners in public safety, DOC has brought back some formerly incarcerated individuals into custody because of a recalculation of their release date per this recent Supreme Court ruling and DOJ guidance. DOC is also actively recalculating the sentences of several hundred adults who are currently in custody.
The role of DOC in the criminal justice system is to obtain sentencing judgments from the courts, accurately provide all affected parties with a release date, incarcerate those individuals for their full sentence, and partner with counties to oversee those who are released on parole and probation.
The Oregon Supreme Court’s Torres-Lopez v. Fahrion decision significantly constrained DOC’s discretionary authority in the sentence calculation process. DOC’s legal counsel, the DOJ, gave advice that a literal interpretation of court judgments was the correct course of action. This resulted in a hand review of almost 11,000 sentences whose judgments could be affected by Torres-Lopez v. Fahrion.
Many judgments were unclear. For instance, Case No. 20CR08127 in Jackson County had several counts in one sentencing document. Each count specified, “Defendant shall receive presentence incarceration credits pursuant to ORS 137.370(4) from 6-10-21.”
Before the Oregon Supreme Court’s Torres-Lopez v. Fahrion decision, DOC would have only applied credit for time served to one count, despite what the documentation indicates. However, in this case, the formerly incarcerated person’s release date was reduced by several years due to duplicate applications of “Time Served Credit” in the judgment. Other examples of unclear sentencing documentation may be seen at: Judgment Examples.
After the Oregon Supreme Court’s clarification on Nov. 14, the DOJ supplied new advice to DOC, prompting another recalculation for a subset of these affected cases.
For those judgments containing consecutive sentences within a single case, DOC is now applying Time Served Credit to the sum of the consecutive sentences. These recalculations found that 20 formerly incarcerated individuals owe additional time, of which 17 have been returned to custody.
DOC said it wishes to thank Oregon State Police, county parole and probation officers, county sheriffs, and local law enforcement for their assistance in bringing these individuals back into custody safely.
Crime victims who want to receive updates about an offender’s recalculated release date should subscribe to VISOR (Victim Information System in Oregon), if they haven’t already. You can also visit the Victim Information System in Oregon to receive alerts about changes to an offender’s current location, custody status, and release date.
DOC has recommended that district attorneys and defense attorneys review judgments with their courts, to ensure the sentencing documentation matches the agreements made between the parties.
To ensure clarity and support for everyone impacted, DOC has established several ways for affected parties to ask questions about changes to sentences. For updated information, you can subscribe to DOC Sentence Recalculation.
Claire Elmer
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — At the Deschutes County Courthouse former La Pine Middle School volleyball coach Sierra Stigall appeared for a scheduled plea hearing.
Stigall faces dozens of serious counts, including rape, sexual abuse, and luring a minor, involving two boys under 14.
Stigall is accused of abusing at least one boy she coached outside her brief 2024 volleyball season with the Bend-La Pine School District, as investigators say she later coached a youth baseball team outside the district as well.
Stigall’s bail was previously reduced from $500,000 to $100,000, and she has since posted that bail.
Stigall left the Deschutes County Jail under strict release conditions, including electronic monitoring, surrendering her passport, and having no contact with minors.
Before Monday’s hearing began, the prosecutor and Stigall’s defense attorney briefly spoke and agreed to push back the hearing.
In court, the judge approved their joint request, pushing Stigall’s plea entry to February 17th.
The investigation is still active, and more information could emerge as the case moves toward that February court date.
If convicted on the most serious felony counts, Stigall could face years in prison under Oregon’s sentencing guidelines.
We’ll continue to keep you updated as the case develops.
Below are some of our previous articles about her case.
Former La Pine volleyball coach Sierra Stigall faces dozens of sex crime charges involving two alleged underage victims, and new questions have emerged over how a letter from a former employer was described in open court during a recent hearing on Monday.
Stigall is charged with a growing list of felony counts, including rape, sexual abuse, sodomy, and luring a minor. After Monday’s hearing, the case now includes a second alleged minor victim with accusations that encounters with one or both alleged victims potentially occurred through November of this year.
Stigall previously served as a seventh-grade volleyball coach at La Pine Middle School for a short season in the fall of 2024. Authorities say at least one alleged victim was someone she coached outside of her brief employment with the Bend-La Pine Schools. Court documents also indicate she later coached a youth baseball team in the La Pine area.
At the Monday hearing in Deschutes County Court, Stigall’s defense attorney told Judge Raymond Crutchley he had a letter from Stigall’s family that they said came from her former employer, a feed store in La Pine.
In court, the defense characterized the letter as describing Stigall as a good employee and indicating she would be able to return to work at the feed store if she were released from jail.
Judge Crutchley noted that Stigall had been employed and could likely be employed again, citing that among the factors he considered before ultimately reducing her bail from $500,000 to $100,000. The judge also imposed conditions including monitoring, surrender of her passport, and no contact with minors if Stigall were to post bail and be released.
Monday’s courtroom exchange was included in KTVZ’s earlier reporting on the case.
After that story aired, Kimball Pet and Farm Supply contacted KTVZ and posted on Facebook, saying the business had never stated that Stigall could return to work there. In response, KTVZ released the court video showing the statements made by the defense and the judge during the public hearing.
KTVZ’s Claire Elmer spoke with the feed store’s owner by phone on Tuesday morning to clarify details. The owner then provided KTVZ with a copy of the letter she says she gave for use in court, and its wording appears to differ from how it was described during the hearing.
Both the letter and the court recording have been shared with the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office, which has confirmed receiving the materials but has not provided further public comment.
The owner of Kimball Pet and Farm Supply has been encouraged to contact prosecutors directly if she believes the letter was mischaracterized in court.
Even with the reduced bail amount, Stigall remains in custody as the case moves forward. KTVZ will continue to follow developments in both the criminal proceedings and the questions surrounding the feed store letter.
Nia Hinson
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Shopping for Thanksgiving this year likely put less of a strain on people’s wallets this year, according to a survey.
The American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual Thanksgiving survey shows a Thanksgiving dinner was down about 5% in 2025, compared to 2024. The report states an average dinner for 10 people costs roughly $55.18, or $5.52 per person. The country last saw a record-high cost in 2022, when the average dinner for 10 cost $64.05.
The items within the survey include a turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls, peas, cranberries, a veggie tray and pumpkin pie with whipped cream.
People who include a boneless ham, russet potatoes or frozen green beans on the menu this year will pay slightly more, sitting at $77.09.
The most notable items that saw a drop in prices this year are the turkey, stuffing and dinner rolls. The turkey–which some consider a staple at the table– saw the largest decrease of 16.3%. Dinner rolls weren’t too far behind and decreased by 14.6%.
Other popular items, such as whipped cream, pumpkin pie mix and frozen peas saw a hike in prices this year compared to last. Sweet potatoes jumped by about 37% and a gallon of milk, by 16.3%. However, anyone who purchased a veggie tray saw the biggest increase in price of all items, increasing by 61.3%.
An ABC 17 News reporter went to grocery stores around the City of Columbia to see how national prices compare to the local price. The results from the survey, Trader Joe’s and the Schnucks on Providence Road are listed below:
Survey:
16 pound turkey: $21.50 or $1.34 per pound
Stuffing mix: $3.71
Two frozen pie crusts: $3.37
Half pint of heavy whipping cream: $1.87
1 pound of frozen peas: $2.03
12 dinner rolls: $3.56
Pumpkin pie mix (30 ounces): $4.16
1 gallon of whole milk: $3.73
3 pounds of sweet potatoes: $4.00
12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries: $2.28
Schnucks:
16 pound turkey: $1.99 per pound
Stuffing mix: $1.19
Two frozen pie crusts: $4.59
Pint of heavy whipping cream: $6.64
1 pound of frozen peas: $1.19
Hawaiian rolls: $3.99
Pumpkin pie mix (30 ounces): $5.09
1 gallon of whole milk: $4.24
3 pounds of sweet potatoes: $1.17
12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries: $2.49
Trader Joe’s:
16 pound turkey: $2.49 per pound
Stuffing mix: $4.99
Two gluten free frozen pie crusts: $5.49
Pint of heavy whipping cream: $3.99
1 pound of frozen peas: $1.79
8 dinner rolls: $2.99
Pumpkin pie mix (30 ounces): $2.49
1 gallon of whole milk: $3.99
3 pounds of sweet potatoes: $4.18
12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries: $2.49
According to Hy-Vee’s website, the lowest price for a fresh whole turkey is $2.48 per pound, while the cheapest stuffing mix hovers around $1.88. Sweet potatoes cost about 41 cents.
Those who choose to shop at Walmart may save some money. A fresh turkey cost $1.47 per pound, while the cheapest stuffing mix is $1.88. However, a sweet potato will cost roughly 77 cents.
Columbia shoppers most notably will pay slightly more for their turkey this holiday compared to national prices.
Kathy Reineking, is Trader Joe’s shopper from Georgia, but came to Columbia for the week to host Thanksgiving for her family. Reineking said she headed into the grocery store thinking she would shell out a lot more money than she did, especially the turkey she purchased from Hy-Vee.
“I’ve seen it be as much as $3 at other places so I don’t know if that was a better price than what it would normally be but I thought it was a really good price,” Reineking said. “I haven’t shopped as much as I did last year at this time but I’d say to me they’re (grocery prices) are about the same.”
Others, like Rita Fleisch say they’ve been feeling the financial strain all year long, something that’s only increased during the holidays.
“It’s been really chaotic because of the tariffs and everything, we try to adjust with our eating habits to accommodate what’s available and then on sale,” Fleisch said. “Basic needs like flour, sugar or salt, everything’s more expensive.”
According to the survey from the farm bureau, the Midwest will pay the second least amount on a Thanksgiving dinner this year, sitting at $54.38. The south will pay the least at $50.01, while people on the northeast and west coast will pay more than $60 for 10 people this year.
KTVZ
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Diabetes is one of the most common health challenges in Central Oregon. To coincide with Diabetes Awareness Month, the Central Oregon Health Council has released Diabetes in Central Oregon: A Community Snapshot, a report on diabetes prevalence and control based on actual, up-to-date regional data.
According to the Oregon Health Authority, more than 9% of Oregonians have been diagnosed with diabetes. The CDC estimates that another 38% of adults in Oregon have prediabetes — and most don’t know it.
COHC said it is committed to improving health care across the region and has made diabetes a major focus of the 2025–2029 Regional Health Improvement Plan (RHIP). Staff at the Health Council analyzed recent data to understand where communities are finding solutions to help manage their diabetes and where challenges exist that could benefit from added support.
“Looking closely at how diabetes affects different communities gives us more than data; it gives us direction. These insights can help us form stronger partnerships and explore new ways to support the health of every person in Central Oregon. We’ve uncovered some interesting findings and want to thank all the partners whose collaboration made this work possible,” said Program Manager Mary Burns, who took lead on creating the report.
The report can be found below and also is available for download on the Central Oregon Health Data website at www.centraloregonhealthdata.org.
About the Central Oregon Health Council
The Central Oregon Health Council (COHC) is a nonprofit organization working to improve health outcomes and health equity across Central Oregon. Through collaboration with healthcare and community partners, we identify needs, coordinate solutions, and develop projects and programs that advance the goals of the Regional Health Improvement Plan.
KTVZ
(Update: Signatures received; timeline)
SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — The chief petitioners on a referendum to have voters decide the fate of gas tax and vehicle fee increases aimed at funding ODOT delivered to the state Elections Division nearly 200,000 signatures on Friday, more than twice as many as required to make the fall 2026 ballot.
They hand-delivery of the signatures to the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office was done in unusual, visual fashion: by horse-drawn carriage. They were accompanied by others affiliated with the Right to Vote on the Gas Tax PAC and its project No Tax Oregon.
A spokeswoman for the office confirmed to KTVZ News that the Elections Division had received the signatures.
According to statute, the office has until Jan. 29, 2026 to verify the voter signatures, 30 days after the Dec. 30 signature submission deadline.
Earlier story:
SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ-Nov. 25) — The organizers of an Oregon initiative campaign to refer to voters the recent package of gas tax and vehicle fee increases to fill ODOT’s funding gap said Tuesday they already have gathered nearly twice the number of required signatures, but aren’t pausing their campaign.
According to the group No Tax Oregon, as of midday Tuesday, the estimated number of signatures collected was well above 150,000, a little over a week since the effort began. They have until Dec. 30 to gather 78,116 verified voter signatures for verification by the secretary of state and meet the referendum requirements for the November 2026 election.
On Saturday alone, the group said volunteers collected more than 25,000 signatures during the Sign Across Oregon event. Combining Sunday’s total, this marks the second weekend in a row that more than 40,000 signatures were gathered.
KTVZ spoke to Ceta Kelly, a volunteer at one of the petition sites, who’s outspoken about the bill.
“I don’t want to pay double registration. I’m on a fixed income like most people here. It’s a retirement community” Kelly told KTVZ. “it’s a bipartisan issue. Everybody. Everybody in Oregon should be signing this thing and let it go to to a vote. So we can let them know, get your money somewhere else.”
Shelly, another volunteer, told KTVZ News, “”I think as people of Oregon, we want our voices heard and we feel like they completely ignored their voice. So that’s why we’re out here”
State Representative Ed Diehl, R-Stayton, one of the three chief petitioners on the referendum, emphasized in Tuesday’s news release the unprecedented nature of the effort:
“We are making Oregon history. This is the largest volunteer signature effort the state has seen in years—possibly ever. People aren’t just willing to sign; they’re seeking us out. Oregonians want the right to vote on these taxes and fees, and they know Salem is not representing their interests.
“They voiced their opposition repeatedly through the regular session and again during the emergency session, but the Governor and the Democrat majority ignored them and rammed this bill through anyway. At some point, the people have to rise up and say ‘no more,’ and that’s exactly what we’re seeing with this movement,” Diehl said.
In talking about the policy implications, Senate Republican Leader Bruce Starr, R-Dundee, also a chief petitioner, commented on the negotiation process and the need to come back to the table:
“Republicans offered real alternatives that maintained our roads and bridges without massive new taxes. We stand with Oregonians who want the opportunity to vote on the governor’s gas tax increase. Oregonians want state government to prioritize tax dollars, not just always ask for more.”
On the impact of the gas tax on ordinary Oregonians, Co-Chief Petitioner Jason Williams of the Taxpayers Association of Oregon said:
“The overwhelming response to this petition is a result of the fact that Oregonians know that the cost of this tax is too much. Many families will be paying $300 to $600 more in higher costs because of this enormous tax increase. Seniors on a limited income and the unemployed will be hit with a cost that they cannot afford.”
No Tax Oregon said it “will continue to gather signatures for the foreseeable future and expects to at least double its initial goal of 100,000 signatures.”
The legislation that goes into effect Dec. 31 includes a 6 cent hike in the 40-cent a gallon state gas tax, as well as higher payroll tax, vehicle registration and title fees, and a new charge for electric vehicles. It is expected to bring in $4.3 billion over the next decade. Supporters said the funds are needed to avert major layoffs at ODOT and sharp cuts in services such as winter road plowing.
Ryan Shiner
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The City of Sedalia announced in a Tuesday social media post that the Pettis County Health Center has set up three naloxone vending machines for public use.
Naloxone – also known by its brand-named version Narcan – is used to reverse the effects of opioid overdoses.
One machine is outside the Pettis County Health Center, another is north of the entrance to the Sedalia Municipal Building and a third is near the Fielding Building at State Fair Community College, the post says.
All three can be accessed for free 24 hours a day, the post says.
“With all three machines now operational and maintained by the Pettis County Health Center, the machines give residents one more tool to use in an emergency, similar to the way defibrillators, fire extinguishers, and first aid kits are placed in public spaces as precautionary safeguards,” the post says. “The overarching message shared by project partners and families is simple. Being prepared saves lives, and having Naloxone accessible to everyone gives the community one more way to care for one another.”
A similar program was introduced in Columbia last month.
Mitchell Kaminski
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
With the federal government shutdown over and SNAP benefits restored, local nonprofits say the demand for emergency assistance remains, and CoMoHelps will continue taking requests for at least another week.
The collaborative relief fund — relaunched in October as SNAP benefits were halted — has now allocated nearly $60,000 to 11 agencies, according to emails from Boone County Commissioner Kip Kendrick. Kendrick said the fund — supported by the Veterans United Foundation, United Way, and the Community Foundation of Central Missouri — raised an additional $23,000 in community donations.
CoMoHelps leaders say the need has expanded beyond food. Shutdown-related uncertainty pushed many families into difficult choices about basic expenses.
“We intentionally tried to make sure that we were very thoughtful about the money that was given for the requests that were coming in,” Heart of Missouri United Way President and CEO Talia Jackson said.”What we saw early on is that organizations were maybe trying to look at what they were going to need between the time of the shutdown, all the way until the end of the year or beyond, and we wanted to take a conservative approach, not knowing how much fundraising we were going to be able to bring in.”
Jackson added requests have continued even after the shutdown ended. In all, organizations submitted close to $113,000 in requests, which went far beyond food assistance. Some agencies sought help to stock diapers at daycare centers or cover tuition for parents who couldn’t afford it, while others requested gas cards for families struggling to get to work.
“People were having to make decisions. ‘Do I put gas in my car or do I go get food?’ And sometimes you might have to prioritize getting gas so that you can get to the job and have money to be able to still have some food on the table,” Jackson explained. “We saw things like gas, rent, and utility requests. We saw child care diapers. So it was a lot of the what we’re calling basic needs on top of just food.”
The Columbia Housing Authority was among the agencies that applied for assistance. Chief Executive Officer Randy Cole told ABC 17 News the Columbia Housing Authority received $2,500 to support on-site food access at Paquin Tower and Oak Towers. The funding will help provide food for roughly 200 households at Paquin and another 146 residents at Oak Towers.
“We get direct engagement and feedback from 30-to-40 residents on a monthly basis and food access comes up often as a topic of concern,” Cole said. “With the SNAP benefits having some uncertainty, some of our residents as well as our staff, saw that as a need. And so we want to make sure we have a really good amount of food access onsite, knowing that there’s colder winter months coming too, so it might be harder for some of our elderly disabled population to get out.”
Cole said the CHA has received notice of its award and is still waiting on final paperwork, but expects the funding to arrive soon. The agency plans to spend a portion of the money each month over the next two to three months to help stretch the support through the winter.
“We’re an organization with a lot of needs that serves a lot of residents. So we’re going to continue to look for resources for a variety of needs, including additional rent assistance or other basic needs that our residents might need help with, additional food security, all types of things that we can help our residents maintain that stability,” Cole said.
CoMoHelps is continuing to monitor requests and feedback they are receiving through at least November. Since not all the initial requests were fully funded, Kendrick says the group may go back to the nonprofits that were only partially funded to see if they still have additional needs.
“We’re just going to kind of allow the community to tell us what is needed in terms of how long we need to keep it open. But if those requests dry up and we still have dollars in the hopper, we haven’t quite decided how we’re going to deal with that,” Jackson said. “The beauty about the collaborative effort that these five organizations came together and did is that we meet all the time. We’re always having conversations.”
Even before the shutdown, food insecurity was already a significant issue in Boone County. More than 15,000 residents rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and more than 15% report experiencing food insecurity, according to county officials.
“Our residents feel the community support,” Cole said. “Columbia is a great town with a lot of people that care about our most vulnerable populations, and people feel that at the ground level and we regularly hear a lot of positive feedback from our residents.”
