Bend shuts Franklin Avenue underpass through Thanksgiving

KTVZ on September 14, 2026

Spencer Sacks

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — A segment of Franklin Avenue between Hill and First streets in downtown Bend is closed as crews begin work on a major utility project. Both lanes of the Franklin underpass are shut down while workers excavate the roadway to install a new water pipe and utility channel.

The closure is scheduled to remain in place until Thanksgiving, when the road will temporarily reopen for the holiday season.

The excavation effort is designed to replace infrastructure and prevent potential pipe ruptures. Todd Johnson, a representative for the City of Bend, said the city is working to upgrade the system proactively to avoid emergency repairs.

“Should there ever be a catastrophic failure, you know, bursting out of those water lines, then then people would definitely recognize it and inconvenience folks,” Johnson said. “But yeah, just trying to stay ahead of potential maintenance needs. And, you know, it’s it’s less expensive to put this in now than to try to deal with it under an emergency situation.”

The underpass closure has caused disruptions for drivers navigating nearby intersections, including Hill Street and Franklin Avenue. To ease driver frustration, city workers have been handing out informational fliers paired with $5 gift cards to Thump Coffee. City of Bend representative Jacob Larsen noted that the outreach effort is aimed at thanking community members for their patience.

“We decided to come out and distribute some coffee gift cards to kind of thank our community members for, you know, following the detour and doing the right thing,” Larsen said. “So we’re handing out some gift cards to kind of thank our community for this project.”

Area business owners, particularly on the east side of the underpass, raised concerns about customer access and detour signage clarity. One local business owner reported that patrons encountered difficulties reaching the store due to the current road conditions.

City officials responded to the feedback by adjusting signage and traffic designs. The city specifically modified design plans near the intersection of Third Street and Franklin Avenue to address public input.

“We’ve generally tweaked a few of the designs,” Johnson said. “We heard a lot of feedback at Third and Franklin. So we looked at the design there, relook at it right of way that that intersection design change changed a little bit based on the feedback as well.”

The temporary reopening of both lanes for the holiday period comes following a request from the Downtown Business Association to support local merchants during the shopping season.

Crews plan to implement a subsequent closure of the Franklin Avenue underpass following the holidays to resume work on the utility project.

Click here to follow the original article.

Coast Guard rescues injured hiker from North Sister lava field

KTVZ on September 14, 2026

Felicity Desuasido

ASTORIA, Ore. (KTVZ) — A U.S. Coast Guard aircrew evacuated an injured hiker from a lava field near North Sister in the Three Sisters Wilderness on Saturday, Sept. 5. The aerial extraction was required after ground crews reached the victim, but could not transport him out due to hazardous terrain.

Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Northwest District command center received notification of the incident at approximately 4 p.m. from the Oregon Emergency Operations Center. The male hiker had sustained injuries to his knee and wrist.

Ground search and rescue crews, including EMTs, reached the hiker to provide initial medical treatment and stabilization. However, steep terrain and loose rocks prevented the ropes team from hiking the patient out or creating secure anchors for a rope rescue.

An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station North Bend arrived at the scene at approximately 6 p.m. Facing deteriorating weather conditions, the crew hoisted the hiker from the location at approximately 7 p.m.

Following the air evacuation, the crew flew the hiker to Eugene Airport. Local emergency medical personnel met the aircraft at the airport and transported the patient to Riverbend Hospital.

Lt. Cmdr. Brandon Books serves as a search and rescue pilot at Air Station North Bend. Books praised the coordination between the flight crew and ground teams during the operation.

“Tough mountain hoists are always a big challenge, but our helicopter crew leaned on their everyday practice to stay calm and focused,” Books said. “That preparation, along with great help from our partner agencies on the ground, made it possible to lift the hiker out safely and get him the medical help he needed.”

Click here to follow the original article.

Record-high diesel prices add pressure for Missouri farmers

KMIZ on September 14, 2026

Ellyse Edwards

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Diesel prices reached record highs again in Missouri and Columbia on Monday, putting more burden on farmers already facing high operating costs and tight profit margins.

AAA reported Missouri’s average diesel price at $5.91 per gallon Monday, up more than 36 cents from $5.549 one week ago. The statewide average has increased nearly 94 cents from $4.972 one month ago and about $2.50 from $3.406 one year ago.

AAA lists Monday’s statewide average as the highest diesel price recorded in Missouri.

“Record diesel prices are another significant blow to farmers who are already dealing with historically high input costs and tight margins,” Missouri Farm Bureau President Garrett Hawkins said in a statement to ABC 17 News. “Fuel touches nearly every part of a farm operation, from running tractors and combines to hauling grain, livestock and supplies. When diesel prices rise, the cost of producing food rises with them.”

Hawkins said farmers are often unable to pass their increased operating expenses directly to customers.

“Farmers are price takers,” Hawkins said. “We don’t get to simply pass higher fuel, fertilizer, seed and equipment costs along to our customers. Those expenses come directly out of the farm’s bottom line.”

LINK: ABC 17 Fuel Finder

Columbia’s average diesel price also reached a record high Monday at $5.903 per gallon. That is up more than 39 cents from $5.510 one week ago and more than $1 from $4.891 one month ago.

Diesel averaged $3.449 per gallon in Columbia one year ago.

Some stations in Mid-Missouri are selling diesel for $6 per gallon or more.

GasBuddy reported the national average price of diesel increased 31.6 cents during the past week to $6.183 per gallon.

Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, attributed the increase to several international developments, including tensions between the United States and Iran, hostilities in the Red Sea, the shutdown of Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline and attacks that took two Russian refineries offline.

“Diesel prices could climb even faster in the wake of the new refinery attacks,” De Haan said. “While most of the country transitions to cheaper winter-blend gasoline this week, the scale of ongoing geopolitical escalations makes meaningful price relief unlikely in the near term.”

Gasoline prices are also increasing across Missouri.

GasBuddy reported Missouri’s average gasoline price increased 15.9 cents during the past week to $3.99 per gallon Monday. The statewide average is 15 cents higher than one month ago and $1.11 higher than one year ago.

The national average price of gasoline increased 17.2 cents during the past week to $4.25 per gallon. That is 19 cents higher than one month ago and $1.14 higher than one year ago.

Click here to follow the original article.

Debates over safety continue as artificial intelligence continues to expand

KESQ on September 14, 2026

Matthew Pearce

THOUSAND PALMS, Calif. (KESQ) — Artificial intelligence (AI) advancements prompted former President Barack Obama to urge Democrats to prioritize developing a plan with guardrails, saying it would be a focus of his if he were running for president in 2028.

Speaking at a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee fundraiser Thursday, Obama said Democrats should focus on creating a public conversation about a framework for how AI affects workers and families in the United States.

In response, President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to reject AI guardrails, saying, “The only control or ‘guardrails’ that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades!”

But experts and students are raising concerns over how the technology is trained, its growing autonomy and whether safety guardrails can keep up.

In software development, programmers place AI agents inside controlled virtual environments known as sandboxes to carry out tasks safely. However, College of the Desert instructor Felix Marhuenda-Donate reported that AI agents have bypassed sandbox containment to access the open internet and target external websites without maintaining transparency about their actions.

In the classroom, artificial intelligence is reshaping how students approach their coursework. Audrey Isbell, a sophomore at College of the Desert, expressed concern about the technology’s growing reliance in academic settings.

“Seeing it grow and seeing us as students be needing to use that tool for every assignment is very disappointing in a sense, because I feel that we’re not doing the hard core thinking anymore that we used to do,” Isbell said.

Beyond academic integrity, expanded public access to conversational AI platforms has raised broader concerns regarding user safety, including instances where accessible tools encouraged harmful behaviors such as eating disorders or suicide.

As AI systems advance, technical capabilities scale rapidly alongside computing resources. Marhenda-Donate, an instructor at College of the Desert who trains himself and his students on evolving programs, detailed how rapid growth affects language models.

“If you throw enough power, enough compute and enough data at it, you can make the language model better and better and better every time,” Marhuenda-Donate said. That increase in power has coincided with unexpected autonomous behavior by AI agents.

Marhuenda-Donate cited an instance where internal OpenAI models broke out of controlled environments to retrieve specific information from an external source.

“They escaped containment and they went out on the open internet. And to get the answer that they wanted, they figured, well, it’s Hugging Face that has it. So they attacked that website. They brought it down, they got their answer and then they came back,” Marhuenda-Donate said.

Beyond unauthorized web access, researchers and educators expressed deep concern over AI models lacking transparency about their actions. “But the fact that they lied about it and say that they didn’t, they were just in containment the whole time… that’s the part that scares us,” Marhuenda-Donate said.

Establishing effective oversight remains a complex challenge, as monitoring alone may not fully control AI behavior.

“If we bring everybody to the table… every frontier model that you have is going to be, you know, looked through with a fine tooth comb… so we need to be very careful and not just monitor them, but giving them tasks where we are 100% clear with them what to do and what not to do. But that still doesn’t satisfy. It still will not be a guarantee that they won’t do it,” Marhuenda-Donate said.

He added that implementing realistic safeguards would require cooperation from all major global entities in the AI race, including China, though he currently does not see that international agreement taking place.

Click here to follow the original article.

Bob Mackie, legendary costume and fashion designer, dies at 87

KESQ on September 14, 2026

Tommy Gallegos

PALM SPRINGS, CA (KESQ) – Bob Mackie, the celebrated costume and fashion designer whose dazzling creations helped define some of entertainment’s most unforgettable stars, has died at 87.

Mackie’s death was announced Monday, September 14, through his official Instagram account. His representatives did not immediately disclose a cause of death.

“It is with a heavy heart that we share the news that Mr. Bob Mackie passed away today,” the statement read. “He lived his 87 years to the fullest, fulfilling his dream of being a Fashion and Costume Designer, which is all he ever wanted to do. His genius and extraordinary designs will live on forever, continuing to bring beauty into this world.”

For more than five decades, Mackie transformed the worlds of television, film, theater and fashion with designs known for their glamour, wit, theatricality and unmistakable sparkle. His career included collaborations with some of the biggest names in entertainment, including Cher, Tina Turner, Diana Ross, Elton John, Bette Midler and Carol Burnett.

Mackie reportedly visited the Coachella Valley for decades before moving here in 2019.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Bob Mackie (@bobmackie)

Mackie was particularly celebrated for his longtime work with Burnett and Cher. He designed costumes for the entire 11-year run of The Carol Burnett Show, creating many of the show’s most memorable visual moments. His relationship with Cher likewise became one of the defining collaborations of his career, producing some of the singer’s most iconic stage and television looks.

His extraordinary career earned him nine Emmy Awards and three Academy Award nominations, along with induction into the Television Academy Hall of Fame. Mackie also received the Geoffrey Beene CFDA Lifetime Achievement Award. His theatrical work brought another major honor when he won a Tony Award, Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award for The Cher Show.

Mackie’s legacy was celebrated earlier this year at the Palm Springs Art Museum’s Art Party 2026, where he was the evening’s honoree.

The museum had announced that legendary entertainer Carol Burnett, Mackie’s longtime collaborator and friend, would present him with the Art Party Honoree Award. The January 24 gala brought the two longtime collaborators together onstage for a celebration of Mackie’s contribution to fashion, costume and popular culture. In a Facebook post this morning, the museum extended its condolences to Mackie’s family, friends, collaborators, and “the many people whose lives were enriched by his artistry.”

Now, following his death at 87, Mackie leaves behind a legacy that extends far beyond individual costumes. His designs helped shape the way generations of audiences remember some of the world’s most celebrated entertainers.

Click here to follow the original article.

El Paso County Commissioners adopt proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2026-2027

KVIA on September 14, 2026

Nina Gallegos

UPDATE (9:30 p.m.): The El Paso County Commissioner’s Court voted 5-0 to adopt the budget for Fiscal Year 2026-2027.

The County adopted the No-New-Revenue tax rate, a move Precinct 2 Commissioner David Stout said required difficult financial decisions in the previous budget year.

Commissioner David Stout said the county was only able to reach the lower rate because commissioners made difficult choices last year, including a minimal tax-rate increase.

“I have seen in the past people push hard to add items to the budget,” Stout said. “They celebrate when they are included. They take credit for delivering them and then walk away when the bill comes due.”

Stout said the county’s decision last year helped make the current tax rate possible.

“We were only able to go down to the no-new-revenue rate this year because of the difficult decision some of us took last year to increase the tax rate minimally,” he said.

Under the new rate, homeowners whose property values have remained unchanged would pay about $17 less per year, according to the budget presentation.

The 2026 tax rate was at $0.451133, while the tax rate for Fiscal Year 2027 is $0.4477.

According to the county’s taxpayer impact statement, the median homeowner could see their annual property tax bill increase by nearly $70, despite the lower tax rate.

Public safety was another major focus of the budget discussion. It makes up the biggest portion of the budget at $171.8 million, or 36%.

More than $6 million was added to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office budget. The increase comes as the Sheriff’s Office faces a deficit of more than $4 million this year.

Overtime expenses are a significant part of that shortfall.

During the budget discussion, commissioners questioned why overtime costs have increased so substantially this year.

The Sheriff’s Office said staffing shortages are one factor.

Deputy Gailey told commissioners that a number of employees have left the department for other employment opportunities, increasing the need to bring in additional personnel.

“We have seen a number of people leave the department for other opportunities or employment,” Gailey said. “So that’s impacting the requirement we’re having to bring in.”

Commissioners said they will ask Sheriff Ugarte to attend their next meeting in person to provide a more detailed explanation of the Sheriff’s Office’s overtime costs.

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) – In Monday’s El Paso County Commissioners Court meeting, commissioners will vote whether to approve a budget amendment to the county’s 2025-2026 operating budget.

The amendment is to use funds from the Sheriff’s Office general fund in the amount of $47,975 to cover the costs of replacement doors and substation restroom cabinets.

The funds will also cover the cost of an elevator contract. The budgetary amendment won’t impact El Paso County’s overall budget of $681,614,389.50, according to the agenda.

County commissioners will also decide whether to approve and adopt the proposed El Paso County budget for Fiscal Year 2026-2027, beginning Oct. 1.

Click here to follow the original article.

Brawl ends in deadly stabbing in Gasconade County

KMIZ on September 14, 2026

Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A brawl involving eight people ended in the stabbing death of a person in Owensville.

Henry W. Lorton, of Owensville, was charged Monday with second-degree murder and three counts of first-degree assault. The Missouri State Highway Patrol identified the man who died as Trey R. Johnson.

Investigators identified Lorton from surveillance video from a bar and restaurant that was near the fight, which occurred in a parking area in the 100 block of North First Street, according to a probable cause statement. One person was stabbed in the chest and pronounced dead at the scene, while three other people suffered cutting injuries, the statement says.

Two of the victims were taken to Mercy Hospital in St. Louis for treatment.

The fight happened at about 1:30 a.m. Sunday, and authorities arrested Lorton at his home about four hours later.

Lorton admitted to being in the fight and getting jumped by four men when he tried to walk away, according to the statement. He allegedly said he blacked out and the men were gone when he woke up.

Henry Lorton PCDownload

Lorton told authorities that he did not have a knife and that he didn’t stab or cut anyone, according to the statement.

Lorton is being held at the Franklin County Jail without bond. An initial court hearing was set for Tuesday.

In an interview with ABC 17, Scott Griffith, Owensville Police Chief, said that they have not seen a crime like this in a decade.

“In Owensville, we don’t have a lot of major crime. Our last incident that would be considered a homicide occurred ten years ago. So we don’t have this, a lot, as other places do,” said Griffith.

Griffith said that because Owensville does not have crimes like these, it will take time to heal.

“Well, this is a tragic event for Owensville as we don’t have, much, you know, major crimes such as this here. So people are just, you know, coming to terms with something that happened here, and that, we’ll have to try to move past,” said Griffith.

He added that he is grateful for the Missouri State Highway Patrol and other outside help to have a timely arrest, noting that the arrest happened roughly 16 hours after the crime.

“And all the other first responder agencies that came together that night in a small town where you have minimal staff on at any given time at that time of night that came together to make an efficient investigation,” said Griffith.

Click here to follow the original article.

Stagecoach 2027 lineup announced: Garth Brooks, Riley Green and Zach Top to headline

KESQ on September 14, 2026

Tommy Gallegos

INDIO, CA (KESQ) – Stagecoach is returning to the Empire Polo Club in Indio April 23-25, 2027, with Garth Brooks, Riley Green and Zach Top set to headline the three-day country music festival.

The newly announced lineup features a mix of country stars, rock acts and crossover performers, including Hardy, Willie Nelson & Family, Kelly Clarkson, Brothers Osborne, Shaboozey, Dasha, Stella Lefty, Stephen Wilson Jr., Journey, Pitbull, Carín León, Matchbox Twenty and Cameron Whitcomb.

One of the weekend’s biggest moments could come from Florida Georgia Line, which is scheduled for a special late-night performance. It will mark the duo’s first officially announced performance since Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley began teasing a reunion earlier this year.

Held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, Stagecoach has become one of the country music world’s biggest annual festivals. The event attracts tens of thousands of fans to the Coachella Valley each spring and has grown into a major destination for country music, live entertainment and festival culture.

Fans hoping to attend should mark their calendars for September 18 at 11 a.m. PT, when passes go on sale. The festival says you can secure your spot for just $49 down with the payment plan.

Those unable to attend in person can follow along through Amazon Music’s exclusive livestream coverage across its participating platforms.

Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing coverage of Stagecoach 2027, HeadTrip and Coachella 2027 and the Coachella Valley’s biggest music festivals.

Click here to follow the original article.

Diesel prices hit record high in Idaho

KIFI on September 14, 2026

Maile Sipraseuth

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI)– Diesel prices reach a record high in Idaho, with the average diesel price reaching $6.07 in the state, according to AAA.

For trucking companies, that means hundreds of extra dollars they must pay to stay on the road.

“It’s definitely getting more expensive. I just barely filled up, it was a little over $250 to just top off the tank so [it’s] getting pretty high,” Jace Lawson, a truck driver stopping in Idaho Falls for gas said.

These gas and diesel price hikes result from rising oil prices because of the conflict in Iran.

According to GasBuddy, the average gasoline price rose nearly 15 cents in the last week to $4.77. That’s 37 cents per gallon higher than a month ago and $1.29 higher than a year ago.

Regular gas prices in Bonneville County average $4.75 a gallon, while the highest prices are in Clark County are $5.49, according to AAA.

“Average gasoline and diesel prices rose in every state over the last week as geopolitical tensions escalated on multiple fronts, with friction between the U.S. and Iran, new hostilities in the Red Sea, and the shutdown of Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline all combining to jolt prices sharply higher,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. 

You can look at the latest gas prices locally here.

Click here to follow the original article.

YMCA of El Paso Celebrates 50th Annual Turkey Trot, Presented by GECU Foundation

KVIA on September 14, 2026

Nichole Gomez

El Paso, TX (KVIA-TV)-The YMCA of El Paso, together with the 50th Anniversary Title Sponsor, the GECU Foundation and GECU, will officially kick off the 50th Annual YMCA Turkey Trot.

It is now the region’s biggest holiday race and marks the official start of the Sun Bowl Parade. The funds collected  support YMCA financial assistance, helping ensure children and families can access YMCA programs.

WHEN: Tuesday, September 15, 2026 at 10:30 a.m.WHERE: Houston Park 900 Montana Ave. El Paso, TX 79902

Click here to follow the original article.