Deadline extended for some Oregon counties to replace SNAP food lost during recent storm

KTVZ on December 24, 2025

Campbell Porter

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Oregon households that lost food bought with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits during recent storms now have extra time to request replacements, according to the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS).

The agency announced Tuesday that residents in 19 counties will have 30 days, until Jan. 16, 2026, to report food losses caused by power outages that began on Dec. 17.

The extended deadline applies to households in Jefferson county. It also applies to those in Benton, Clackamas, Clatsop, Columbia, Coos, Douglas, Hood River, Klamath, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Multnomah, Polk, Tillamook, Wallowa, Washington, and Yamhill counties.

For residents outside those counties, the usual 10-day rule for reporting food loss still applies, and applicants may need to provide proof of loss.

How to request replacement benefits

ODHS says people can request replacement SNAP benefits in several ways:

Call 800-699-9075 (relay calls welcome).

Fill out a request form and email it to oregon.benefits@odhsoha.oregon.gov.

Visit a local ODHS office.

Mail requests to:ONE Customer Service CenterPO Box 14015Salem, OR 97309(Mail must arrive by the deadline.)

Or, log in to a ONE Online account.

Approved replacement benefits will be loaded onto the household’s existing EBT card. The amount cannot exceed the household’s normal monthly SNAP benefit.

Where to find help

For Oregonians in need of additional food or community resources:

Visit oregonfoodbank.org to find a local food pantry.

Contact the Aging and Disability Resource Connection at 1-855-673-2372 or visit adrcoforegon.org.

Dial 211, text a ZIP code to 898-211, or go to 211info.org for local assistance.

ODHS oversees SNAP in Oregon, a federal program that supports roughly one in five Oregonians with food assistance. Applications for SNAP and other benefits are available at benefits.oregon.gov

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Oregon health officials urge beach safety after heavy rainfall

KTVZ on December 24, 2025

Tracee Tuesday

PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Oregon health officials are reminding beachgoers to take precautions even though the state’s beach monitoring season has ended for the year.

The Oregon Beach Monitoring Program, part of the Oregon Health Authority, wrapped up its 2025 sampling season in mid-September. Still, officials say bacteria levels can rise after periods of heavy rain, increasing health risks for swimmers.

Visitors to the coast are encouraged to wait at least 48 hours after rainfall before entering the ocean, shower after swimming, wash hands before eating, and avoid swallowing seawater.

The seasonal monitoring program operates from mid-May through mid-September, issuing advisories only during active sampling months.

For current beach conditions and more safety information, visit healthoregon.org/beach or contact OBMP at 1-877-290-6767.

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Tracking traffic and weather during holiday travel

KESQ on December 24, 2025

Kendall Flynn

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (KESQ) – Over 10 million people in Southern California are expected to travel ahead of Christmas, with 8.9 million expected to travel by car, according to Auto Club of Southern California.

Many of those drivers will head to Interstate 10, and through the Coachella Valley. While traffic is always anticipated around the holiday season, storms are now increasing travel times even more.

The Valley and Southern California are set to see rain from Tuesday night through Christmas Day, with the bulk of storms coming in for Christmas Eve. On Tuesday, the Valley saw scattered rain showers, which caused slow traffic on the I-10.

“I drove all the way to Riverside, on the way there it wasn’t bad. On the way back, [traffic] was a lot,” Les Bertrand, a Palm Springs resident, said. “I just got back. Right now it’s a lot of traffic because of the rain. So it was backed up a little bit. Usually it’s like an hour drive… [now} almost two hours.”

As the rain is expected to continue, residents and local law enforcement are reminding drivers to prepare for wet roads and drive carefully.

“Make sure your windshield wipers are brand new or at least fairly new,” Bertrand said. “Because once that rain starts pouring down, it’s really hard to see. And your tires, your tires are everything in the rain.”

“Just make sure that people are mindful of their driving capability. Plan ahead,” Lt. Gustavo Araiza with the Palm Springs Police Department said. “They’re going to have to drive slower, and obviously, when it comes to the roadway getting wet, it makes it easy to lose control of the vehicle.”

News Channel 3 is tracking traffic and weather conditions. Stay up to date on air and online at kesq.com.

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ABSOLUTELY COLORADO: Springs Rescue Mission holds annual Christmas banquet

KRDO on December 24, 2025

Heather Skold

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Homeless shelter guests of all ages received a warm Christmas meal Tuesday afternoon.

Hundreds were treated to a savory dinner and music, and given everyday essentials, including socks, gloves and hats.

“We’re so blessed, and too often we lose focus on what’s important, and this is a good reminder that no matter how tough we think we have it, there’s always somebody who’s got it a little harder than we do. So, so for that reason, it’s extra special to come out and give a part of ourselves,” said Gary Rafferty, a Springs Rescue Mission volunteer.

Volunteers not only served guests, but took time to write them messages of encouragement and peace.

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Neighbors spread holiday cheer one candy cane at a time

KYMA on December 24, 2025

Danyelle Burke North

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – A local family is continuing their neighbor’s legacy and spreading holiday cheer throughout their community this Christmas.

Beloved neighbor Grandma Candy Cane used to pass out candy canes every night at her Yuma home for decades. but after she passed from cancer a few years ago, neighbors wanted to keep her legacy alive and keep passing out the treats to families.

This December, the Rosillo and Hernandez family have stood outside their home every night passing out more than 800 candy canes so far.

“She would just you know go through each car and give them candy canes. You know, she was the soul of her neighborhood,” said neighbor Aida Hernandez.

This is the family’s first year doing this, and they say they hope to keep the tradition ongoing for several more years to come.

You can stop by the home for a sweet treat near the corner of West Westridge Drive and South Las Palmas Vista Avenue in Yuma.

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Rain Doesn’t put a Damper on Holiday Errands

KEYT on December 24, 2025

Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) People like Charlotte Heath are enjoying the showers that started in Santa Barbara on Tuesday afternoon.

“It is like Christmas and it is like is snowing,” said Heath who spent the afternoon shopping with her grandmother Jane Maurer.

“I was buying four new tires and I said we have a Christmas tree because everyone is sick in my family,” said Maurer who is also a singer at the Old Mission Santa Barbara.

As they chose a tree at Big Wave Daves at La Cumbre Plaza Maurer said she had just finished a holiday album that is available on all platforms to buy.

They were far from alone.

Educator Eban Robinson bought a tree, too.

“Last minute tree shopping, older son, cant live without a tree,” said Robinson.

He like the light rain.

“Nice change it give us a winter feel i would say. For the holidays,” said Robinson.

The Big Wave Dave crews said they would bring the few trees left to their Ventura location near the Pacific View Mall for Christmas Eve shoppers.

The rain may be coming down harder by then.

A record amount of people are heading home or on vacation before and after Christmas Day.

First responders including firefighters hope people will stay off the roads if they get too wet.

Your News Channel will have more on the storm on the news tonight.

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RivCo Animal Services reports major lifesaving gains in latest quarterly report

KESQ on December 24, 2025

Jesus Reyes

Riverside, Calif. (KESQ) – Riverside County Department of Animal Services (RCDAS), along with Outcomes for Pets Consulting Group, released its data from January through September 2025 for the county-wide animal sheltering system.

RCDAS Q3 Report_Jan-Sep_12.22Download

The data covers an important period in the county’s shelter system as it continues to work to solve its overcrowding issue and concerns over euthanasia rates.

The most recent RCDAS daily report card shows that dog space remains at a critical overflow, just under 200%.

The agency has implemented several changes as it continues to work toward a 90% live-release rate.

Key Highlights from the Report:

Cat lifesaving saw the most significant gain in 7 years and for dogs, the highest in 4 years (page 4)

Live Release Rate rose to 81% for dogs (75.3% in 2024) and 72% for cats (62.2% in 2024)

Euthanasia decreased by 1,316 fewer dogs and 630 fewer cats (page 7)

Adoptions climbed 5 percentage points for dogs and 8 percentage points for cats, compared to 2024 (page 6)

Transfers to partner shelters and rescues remained well above national averages, with 3,408 dogs and 951 cats transferred (page 6)

Programs such as Dog Day Out, Ticket to Ride, increased adoption hours, and fee-waived adoptions improved visibility, reduced kennel stress, and increased live outcomes for shelter pets (pages 2, 3, and 9)

“These outcomes show what is possible when we stay focused on the right strategies,” said Fourth District Supervisor Manuel Perez. “Every improvement represents real lives saved, and our teams and partners deserve credit for the work behind these numbers.”

For more information, including how you can adopt or help, visit https://rcdas.org/rivcorise.

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Ventura County Emergency Office issues evacuation order for Ventura Beach, warnings elsewhere

KEYT on December 24, 2025

Caleb Nguyen

VENTURA, Calif. (KEYT) – The Ventura County Emergency Office issued an evacuation order for Ventura Beach alongside warnings for several other areas starting at 6:00 p.m. today due to upcoming storms.

Warnings for the Mountain Fire burn scar, the area of Matilija Canyon/North Fork/Camino Cielo and the communities of Camp Chaffee/Foster Park paired with the beach order are in affect until 6:00 p.m. Christmas Eve, according to the VC Emergency Office.

A hazardous weather advisory is also underway until 6:00 p.m. Christmas Eve for Creek Road from Highway 33 East to Encino Drive where the VC Emergency Office advises extreme caution driving during the storm.

A map for affected areas is available on the VC Emergency website.

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Dog missing for three months reunited with owner in ‘Christmas Miracle’

KIFI on December 24, 2025

Par Kermani

AMMON – After several months missing, Tank the dog has been safely reunited with his owner, thanks to efforts by the community, Snake River Animal Shelter, and BCSO Animal Control Officer Bolleurs. The reunion, just days before Christmas, is being hailed as a holiday miracle.

“It is a Christmas miracle,” said Michelle Ziel-Dingman, executive director of the community organization involved in the search. “A dog has been reunited with its owner with the help of the community.”

Tank had been missing for almost three months when his owner first put out a desperate plea for help on Facebook. The community immediately rallied, transforming the search into a full-scale operation.

The breakthrough came when residents began spotting Tank on their home security cameras. These sightings provided crucial information, helping searchers narrow down the dog’s location.

It all went when a team of community members set up a specialized trap and were finally able to safely capture Tank. After months apart, Tank now gets to spend the holiday with his loving owner.

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Adopt-A-Family Program nears goal as Christmas approaches, faces $65K shortfall in donations

News-Press NOW on December 24, 2025

TaMya Bracy

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — With Christmas just two days away, the Adopt-A-Family program is close to having all of its families adopted.

This year, the program reached 881 families and 2,850 people. Seven families still need to be adopted.

AFL-CIO Executive Director Nichi Seckinger said 15 adopters came in on Monday to adopt several families.

“Which is wonderful. We’re just waiting for them to get items back for us, so we can get them to the families or to get the items delivered to the household,” she said.

There are 28 families on the wait list for the agency’s Gift Room.

“The thing with our wait list families is because they didn’t get registered for the program, they can get items out of the Gift Room, but we don’t supplement their shopping,” she said. “If they can’t find things in the Gift Room, unfortunately, there is nothing else we can provide for them.”

Seckinger said the Gift Room is currently depleted, as all possible gifts are out, ready to be rehomed to families.

“As far as storage area and our supply room, there’s very little left. The only thing left are board games and Barbies, she said. “That’s only because we had so many to start with, and they just weren’t going as fast as some other things; everything else is pretty much cleared out back there.”

Seckinger said donors are continuing to drop items off at the Gift Room as Christmas inches closer.

“We do have stuff coming in, we’ve had donors walk in yesterday and today. I know we had a couple more people call and said that they are going bring some stuff by for the room, which is wonderful,” she said.

The program is $65,000 behind in monetary donations. Seckinger said the agency will finish out the year with all families adopted, but is worried about what will be left when Adopt-A-Family is done.

“The agency is going to have to cover that cost, and that’s where we’re nervous because we just don’t have a lot in reserve to cover Christmas. Christmas doesn’t pay for itself. The agency doesn’t really have the dollars to cover it,” she said.

Seckinger said there are costs associated with the program that are, unfortunately, unavoidable.

“That’s where it’s going to end up hurting the agency,” she said. “If we can’t get those things covered, it’ll put us in a bad position into next year, and can jeopardize some of the other programs as well.”

Seckinger expressed gratitude for the community, noting that any donation has been helpful.

“It’s such a stressful but fulfilling thing to run this program and to see what people are capable of doing for each other. To know that it has a profound effect on the adopters as much as it does the folks they helped,” Seckinger said. “We know that we’re doing the right thing with this program, and we know that it’s a good thing; we know it’s exactly what people need this time of year. Without the support from the community, we couldn’t do it.”

Monetary donations can be dropped off at AFL-CIO Community Services, located at 1203 N. Sith St., or by visiting its website.

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