Month: September 2026

Felicity Desuasido

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Redmond Fire & Rescue is holding a blood drive in honor of Michael Kienzle, a firefighter-paramedic and community mentor who passed away on June 7, 2026, following a battle with leukemia.

Kienzle was diagnosed in early 2024 with T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic leukemia, a rare and aggressive form of cancer.

Kienzle dedicated his career to public service as a firefighter-paramedic while also serving as a mentor to young athletes in his community.

The blood drive was organized to carry forward his legacy of helping others and supporting community health.

Community members can participate in the drive by visiting the American Red Cross website and entering the sponsor code KienzleStrong to schedule a donation.

Those who want to donate can also visit the Redmond Fire & Rescue Station on NW Dogwood Ave. between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m on Sept. 22.

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Kelsey Merison

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, Jeff Merkley and Elizabeth Warren, alongside U.S. Reps. Val Hoyle, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Suhas Subramanyam, introduced legislation today aimed at banning corporate and private equity ownership of medical practices.

The proposal, titled the Stop Corporate Takeovers of Physicians Act, seeks to eliminate legal loopholes that allow private equity funds, insurance companies and for-profit corporations to control clinical operations and staffing.

The legislative push comes as corporate ownership of medical practices reaches historic highs. Approximately 80% of doctors in the United States are currently employed by corporate entities, up from 62% in 2019.

Modeled on existing Oregon state law, the proposed federal measure would prohibit management services organizations from using captive physician agreements or managing administrative and operational tasks to dictate care delivery.

The legislation specifically targets management services organizations, which lawmakers say have been used by corporate actors to exercise control over physician practices. Under the proposed bill, management services organizations would be barred from controlling clinical operations, hiring and firing decisions, work schedules, compensation, billing practices and revenue targets. The bill also bans restrictive contract provisions, including noncompete and nondisclosure agreements.

The federal bill is modeled on legislation passed in Oregon that physicians have used to challenge corporate acquisitions. Oregon House Majority Leader Ben Bowman, author of Oregon Senate Bill 951, pointed to state-level results as a model for federal action. “With big bipartisan majorities, Oregon passed the strongest ban on the corporate practice of medicine in the country,” Bowman said. “Oregon has shown that it’s possible to stand up to corporate profiteering in health care and win. Now it’s time to take that fight nationwide.”

Sponsors of the bill argued that corporate influence places profit margins ahead of patient health. U.S. Sen. Wyden, D-Oregon, emphasized keeping health decisions between patients and physicians. “Americans want medical decisions to stay between patients and their doctor, not dictated by corporate actors and private equity firms focused on maximizing profits,” Wyden said. “I’m proud of Oregon’s pioneering state law that has been used by doctors to protect their independence and it’s time to take that model to the federal level.”

Other lawmakers voiced similar concerns about investor oversight in clinical settings. U.S. Sen. Merkley, D-Oregon, said corporate takeovers are damaging the care system. “Billionaire corporations are using sick patients to turn healthy profits and Americans are fed up,” Merkley said. U.S. Sen. Warren, D-Massachusetts, added that stopping corporate expansion is necessary to lower medical expenses. “Patients want to know that decisions about their health are being made by their doctors, not by Wall Street investors,” Warren said.

U.S. Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, co-leading the House effort, criticized private equity consolidation of local clinics. “Across the country, private equity firms and corporate conglomerates are buying up American physician offices,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “To increase shareholder profits, these entities often cut corners, leading to patients paying more for significantly worse care.”

The measure has gained backing from several medical associations and advocacy groups, including the American Academy of Emergency Medicine, the American Economic Liberties Project, the Coalition for Patient Centered Care, the Bull Moose Project, the Center for Health and Democracy, OrthoForum, the Alliance of Independent Dentists, the Private Equity Stakeholder Project and the Association for Independent Medicine.

Medical professionals and advocates highlighted the impact of physician ownership on quality of care. Dr. Vicki Norton, president of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine, expressed support for the federal legislation. “The American Academy of Emergency Medicine believes that local physician ownership of their practice is the best arrangement for the physicians, the medical staff, the hospital and, most importantly, for the patient,” Norton said.

Industry analysts also supported tightening existing rules. Emma Freer, senior fellow for health care at the American Economic Liberties Project, described the bill as a key measure to protect independent providers. “The Stop Corporate Takeovers of Physicians Act will strengthen long-standing bans on the corporate practice of medicine, ensuring clinical decisions are made by licensed professionals sworn to care for patients, not corporations beholden to shareholders,” Freer said. Joe Van Wye, policy director at the Coalition for Patient-Centered Care, added that corporate decision-making undermines community health care by raising costs and worsening working conditions.

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Kelsey Merison

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — A new report on the health of Oregon’s forests shows tree death and damage decreased in 2025, but drought continues to put stress on trees across the state.

The Oregon Department of Forestry and the USDA Forest Service recently released the results of their annual aerial forest health survey. The survey found 181,500 acres of Oregon forestland showed signs of tree death or damage in 2025.

That figure was well below the 10-year average and less than half the peak recorded in 2022.

In 2025, about 0.7% of Oregon’s roughly 30 million forested acres showed signs of death or damage, compared with 0.8% in 2024 and 1.8% in 2022.

Drought remains a major concern

The report found drought remains a significant stressor for Oregon’s forests, particularly because it can make trees more vulnerable to insects and disease.

ODF Forest Entomologist Christine Buhl said drought is often accompanied by rising temperatures, creating additional stress for trees.

“Together these are often the underlying cause of tree deaths in our state,” Buhl said. “Drought reduces tree growth and lowers their defenses against insect pests and some diseases, which healthy trees may otherwise resist or tolerate.”

The report found 78% of the damage detected during the 2025 aerial survey was linked to the combination of drought and opportunistic beetles attacking stressed Douglas-fir, true fir and pine species.

Eastern Oregon sees highest levels of damage

Eastern Oregon had the highest percentage of forest death and damage in the state.

Union County had the highest percentage, with 2.4% of its forested acres showing signs of death or damage. Umatilla County followed at 1.24%, while Harney County recorded 1.12%.

Coastal counties and areas bordering the Coast Range had the lowest percentages of forest death and damage.

The report also tracks other causes of tree injury and death, including disease, storms and wildfires.

Tree diseases remain a concern

Researchers found levels of many common tree diseases remained relatively unchanged in 2025, although they noted some diseases can be difficult to detect from the air.

One exception is sudden oak death, a disease caused by the water mold Phytophthora ramorum. The disease was first discovered near the California border in 2001 and continues to spread north and northwest through Curry County.

Sudden oak death can infect dozens of shrub and tree species and kills Oregon’s native tanoak trees.

Oregon is working with federal land managers to slow the disease’s spread by identifying newly infected areas and cutting and burning infected vegetation. Private forestland is also being treated.

Swiss needle cast also remains a concern for Douglas-fir trees, particularly in the Coast Range where late-spring atmospheric moisture is high.

ODF Forest Pathologist Gabriela Ritokova said the fungal disease causes trees to lose needles prematurely, resulting in sparse crowns and slower growth.

According to the report, Swiss needle cast can reduce volume growth by 20% to 50%.

Survey has tracked Oregon forests for decades

The annual aerial survey is conducted by trained observers who fly over forested areas throughout the Pacific Northwest in fixed-wing aircraft.

Observers typically fly between 1,500 and 2,500 feet above the ground, following a systematic grid spaced four miles apart. Flights generally travel between 90 and 140 miles per hour.

The survey is the longest continuous forest health survey of its kind in the United States. It began in 1947 and has been conducted every year except 2020, when the survey was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

ODF says information gathered on the ground by Oregon State University Forestry Extension staff, natural resource agencies, universities, landowners and members of the public also helps provide a more complete picture of forest health.

The full 2025 Oregon Forest Health report is available through the Oregon Department of Forestry. Data from annual aerial surveys is also available through the USDA Forest Service.

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