Author: KTVZ

Barney Lerten

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Amid U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods, Bend’s Campfire Hotel said Friday it’s offering a “tariff-free” enticement: a 20% discount on room stays for all Canadian travelers.

Many residents are boycotting American-made goods and cancelling travel plans to the United States, an especially troublesome outlook for hotels on the High Desert, which rely on international visitors.

The Campfire Hotel says it wants Canadians to know they are wanted in Central Oregon, even as international travel is on shaky ground.

“We do kind of see ourselves as rebellious, and more importantly, fully inclusive,” General Manager Keagan Parks said. “We like to make sure that we have a safe space at Campfire Hotel, and that everyone always feels welcome here.”

Parks told KTVZ News about 2% of their visitors come from Canada. That might not sound like a large number, but to them, every guest matters.

KTVZ News is closely following the effects of tariffs here locally. Always feel free to reach out to our newsroom if you’d like to talk about how they impact you.

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Barney Lerten

(Update: Second outage planned in same area)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Pacific Power says it plans a 15-minute power interruption late Thursday night for 6,530 customers in northeast Bend to carry out maintenance work – the second such outage affecting the same area in less than two weeks.

The interruption will start at approximately 11 p.m. and last up to 15 minutes, the utility said Tuesday.

The interruption will affect 6,530 customers in the Bend area, and those affected will be notified by customer service.

“Customers affected are served by our Pilot Butte Substation,” PacifiCorp Communications Specialist Omar Granados told KTVZ News before the first outage. “The area affected is near Highway 20, north and west of Mountain View High School.”

“This planned interruption is necessary to perform maintenance on equipment in facilities,” Pacific Power said.

“We are committed to ensuring the safety of our customers and our employees while this work is underway,” the utility said. “We understand the inconvenience of an interruption and will make every effort to minimize its impacts.”

For more information, contact Pacific Power Customer Service at 1-888-221-7070.

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John Carroll

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Last year was a record year for wildfires in Oregon, as 1.93 million acres were burned, surpassing the old record of 1.2 million acres, set in 2012. Is this a byproduct of the warmer and drier climate? Can we expect more intense fires in the near future?

KTVZ Chief Meteorologist John Carroll spoke with Dr. Erica Fleischman, director of the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute and Professor at Oregon State University. Here’s what she had to say:

“The world is becoming a warmer place, the western United States is becoming a drier place, our population is increasing, so you have more people in areas that are increasingly fire-prone.

“As weather patterns change, it can become more difficult to suppress these wildfires, so increasingly wildland firefighters are reporting extreme wildfire behavior.

“We now have large fires that are burning in really hot and windy conditions. They are creating their own weather patterns, and it just isn’t safe to be on the ground or planes to be flying through these areas. If you have a wind-driven fire, and that is the most destructive to human lives and property, it is just not safe to have people in that fire path.”        

The population numbers are growing … more people, more sparks, more fires. The fuels are not native to the landscape.   

Cheatgrass over the High Desert grows in early spring and dies by late spring, leaving dry brush that once ignited will cause accelerated and rapid-fire growth.   

Extended periods of drought have dried out the ground litter … leaves, pine straw and sticks, if left unmanaged, will intensify the fire potential and the rapid growth.  

So we have these variables, all contributing factors to growing wildfire behavior, but now…. add in a warmer climate, which is happening, and you double down on the danger and devastation.       

We can do things that will help. Prescribed burns will reduce the undergrowth in forests, planting fire-resistant plants will help, being aware of our behavior when we are out and about. All of these will help. We are not going to stop the wildfires, but we can do our best to try to stop them before they start.

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KTVZ – News Team

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Are you looking for something to do this weekend in Central Oregon? Matthew Draxton highlights three local events, from a new bike festival supporting the Bend Endurance Academy to an Earth Day celebration!

For many more, and to submit your own events, visit https://events.ktvz.com.

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Dylan Anderman

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — If you’ve opened social media recently, you’ve likely seen it — hundreds, even thousands of people dumping ice water over their heads. No, it’s not the return of the viral ALS Ice Bucket Challenge from 2014. This time, it’s the Speak Your Mind Challenge, and it’s sparking a national conversation around mental health.

What Is the Speak Your Mind Challenge?

The challenge was created by the University of South Carolina’s student-led organization, MIND — short for Mental Illness Needs Discussion — in partnership with the national nonprofit Active Minds, a leader in mental health awareness and education.

The mission? To get people talking about mental health in a way that’s fun, creative, and community-driven.

How It Works

The challenge is simple:

After being nominated by someone, you record a video of yourself pouring ice-cold water over your head.

Before you get soaked, you nominate 2 to 5 other people to take on the challenge.

Post the video to social media using the hashtag #SpeakyourMIND and tag @uscmind.

Optionally, participants can donate to the USC MIND fundraising page, where 100% of proceeds go to Active Minds.

It’s a lighthearted but powerful way to spread awareness — and in just a few weeks, it’s taken off across the country.

Central Oregon Joins the Movement

Right here in Central Oregon, local students and athletes have jumped in — literally — to support the cause. From creative takes involving tractors to bold jumps into rivers the youth in our community are proving that nothing can stop them from speaking their mind — and supporting mental health awareness while they’re at it.

At its heart, the Speak Your Mind Challenge is about breaking the stigma around mental illness, encouraging open conversations, and showing that mental health matters — in every community.

Whether you’re in South Carolina or Central Oregon, it’s clear: The movement is making an impact.

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Barney Lerten

(Update: adding video)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — When a piece of hardware – like a screw – needs to be inserted into a patient’s spine, it’s important that it is placed in precisely the right spot.

“The margin for error is very, very small when inserting instrumentation into the spine. One to two millimeters can make a huge difference as to where you put a screw into the spine,” said neurosurgeon Dr. Raymond Tien.

Now, thanks to donors to St. Charles Foundation, spinal surgeons in Central Oregon are the first in the state to have access to a new, state-of-the-art spinal navigation system to help ensure that spinal surgeries performed at St. Charles are incredibly accurate. The Seaspine 7D spine navigation system arrived last fall and it allows surgeons to see the spine in three dimensions while inserting a piece of hardware.  

Tien just used the system for the first time to place hardware in the spine of a patient.

“The procedure went perfectly and faster than it would have gone previously. It’s eye opening how accurate this system is and how easy it is to use,” said Tien.

Patients may need this kind of procedure due to a degenerative or congenital condition or medical trauma, like a fall or car crash. When placed correctly, hardware can help stabilize an unstable spine.

For the past 20 years, surgeons performed spinal surgeries using an X-ray unit in the Operating Room to help them visualize the anatomy. Tien says surgeons took many X-rays of the spine to create as complete a picture as possible. However, he says, the two-dimensional images are not as accurate as 3D images – and the process exposed everyone in the room to a lot of radiation.

With the new system, patients get a high-resolution CT scan prior to surgery. That scan is uploaded to the computer as a reference. Surgeons then place a marker on the patient’s spine that a camera can see. The navigation system has an array of lasers and light-emitting diodes that take a flash photo of the marker exposed in the spine. With those images, surgeons then have an accurate 3D model of a patient’s spine.

“We can see directly on the computer where we are touching and see in very high fidelity where we are inserting the hardware and make adjustments on the fly,” said Tien. “This tool provides us an incredible level of accuracy and precision.”

St. Charles Foundation Executive Director Jenny O’Bryan says this piece of equipment is the largest investment the organization has made in 2024 – spending nearly $700,000 to bring the Seaspine 7D spinal navigation system to Central Oregon.

“Our donors want to ensure that Central Oregonians are receiving the best care possible from the best providers, utilizing the best equipment available. If you or your loved ones need spinal surgery, you want to know that your surgeons have the best equipment on hand. Thanks to our donors, that’s the case,” said O’Bryan.

In addition to its precision, Tien says the new tool also helps save time for patients. He also believes it will allow for surgeons to take on more complex cases.

“There is a real tangible value in the level of patient care that we can provide now that we weren’t able to prior to this,” said Tien. “Without a doubt, we are very grateful for what the donors to the Foundation have been able to do for the hospital and for the community.”

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Barney Lerten

NEWELL, Calif. (KTVZ) — Modoc County, California authorities shared some photos with the public this week, warning of a wolf that was spotted in the area, south of the Oregon-California border. that’s apparently not fearful of people.

The wolf was seen Tuesday morning off Highway 139, north of the Dry Lake Fire Station, sheriff’s deputies said in a Facebook post.

“The person that took the photos said that wolf was not threatened by his presence as he stopped along the road to take pictures,” deputies said, adding: “We are working with livestock producers in the area to spread the word.”

Modoc County is about four hours south of Bend, along the Oregon-Nevada border

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