Author: KTVZ

Barney Lerten

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Central Oregon users of a popular website and smartphone app to track the latest fires, crashes and other emergencies were alerted twice in 24 hours to a reported structure fire at a large local store – but it turned out to be a pair of tech hiccups, nothing more.

The alerts were sent by PulsePoint Tuesday evening and Wednesday afternoon, indicating several Bend Fire units and Redmond Fire as well were called out to a structure fire at the new Bend Costco on the city’s north end. In the first case, the “incident” finally showed as being cleared about 12 hours later.

But in both cases, quiet police scanners and no reports of smoke columns or fire sightings in the area were a clue that something was amiss.

When KTVZ News inquired about what happened, Deschutes County 9-1-1 Operations Manager Chris Perry gave us the answer.

“9-1-1 staff are conducting training exercises ahead of fire season, using the test environment of our dispatch software,” Perry told us. “The test environment usually doesn’t have access to the outside world and allows us to simulate different training scenarios internally.”

“Unfortunately, there have been a few glitches with system settings during our training, which we’ve now resolved,” Perry said late Wednesday afternoon.

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Barney Lerten

(Update: Adding video, More information about suspect, arrest)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Armed Bend Police officers and the region’s SWAT team surrounded a southeast Bend apartment in a standoff Wednesday afternoon, calling on a fugitive inside to come out with their hands up or force could be used. Two people eventually came out and were detained, one of whom was arrested.

Around 2:45 p.m., Bend Police learned that Brach Addison Roberts, a 32-year-old Bend resident, had an active statewide felony warrant and was reportedly in possession of an illegal firearm, Bend Police Communications Manager Sheila Miller said.  

Officers determined that Roberts was in an apartment at the Old Mill Apartments at SE Third Street and McKinley Avenue, Miller said. The Central Oregon Emergency Response Team was activated, and McKinley Avenue was blocked off between Third and Fourth streets as officers tried to contact Roberts, using a loudspeaker to hail him in an effort to get him out of the apartment.

Bend Police advised the public by social media around 4:40 p.m. of the large police presence and road closure, asking people to avoid the area. Two armored vehicles were on the scene before the standoff ended.

 Ultimately, officers negotiated Roberts out of the apartment, and he was taken into custody without injury or incident around 5:35 p.m. Roberts was taken to the Deschutes County Jail on his felony warrant. Jail records Wednesday night showed Roberts being held on $75,000 bail for a probation violation.  

A KTVZ News crew on scene watched as a man and woman in the apartment surrendered and were taken into custody with their hands up and without apparent incident. They were handcuffed and surrounded by officers with guns drawn and wearing body armor.

Miller told KTVZ News the woman was briefly detained, but only the man was arrested. Soon, the street reopened, while some police remained on scene to search the apartment. Miller told us later they did not find a gun on the suspect or in their search of the apartment.

A viewer earlier shared a video in which an officer could be heard using the loudspeaker, telling someone to come out with their hands in the air and with no weapons in their hands.

“If you don’t comply, force may be used against you,” the officer said, also advising a K-9 team could be deployed and munitions could be used – and that someone inside already was under arrest. “We know you’re in there.”

Last year, court records show Roberts pleaded guilty to resisting arrest and third-degree escape and got a 30-day jail term.

He pleaded guilty in 2023 to fentanyl delivery, was sentenced to 15 days in jail and 18 months probation, and a $75,000 bench warrant was issued last fall for violating probation by failing to report to his probation officer as directed.

Robert also pleaded guilty in 2016 to fleeing or attempting to elude police and in 2009 to second-degree assault.

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Barney Lerten

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — State Treasurer Elizabeth Steiner announced Wednesday the 2025 Oregon Financial Empowerment Award recipients, recognizing outstanding efforts to boost financial literacy across the state. This annual recognition, now in its fourth year, coincides with Financial Literacy Month.

Treasurer Steiner emphasized the vital link between financial know-how and overall well-being, stating, “For the past four years, we have proudly recognized the individuals and organizations dedicated to strengthening our communities through financial education. Because of the continued passion and expertise of our Financial Empowerment Award honorees, we can see firsthand how investing in financial knowledge pays dividends for all Oregonians.”

The 2025 awardees are:

Financial Empowerment Educator of the Year: Bekki Tucker, Caldera High School (Bend). Tucker is lauded for her work in developing personal finance curricula for the Bend-La Pine School District and for contributing to statewide guidelines for the new personal finance graduation requirement. She will receive $1,500, and Caldera High School will receive $500. Additionally, $500 in Oregon College Savings Plan scholarships will be awarded to students selected by the school.

Tucker highlighted the universal importance of financial education, noting,

“Financial education will change your trajectory in life. This is important for all kids and not just for kids who may be struggling. Everyone needs to understand how financial decisions impact them now and for the rest of their lives.”

Financial Empowerment Community Champion: UPLIFT Leadership (Portland). This nonprofit empowers teens with career exploration, employment skills, and budgeting knowledge, helping them assess job market realities and manage future finances. UPLIFT Leadership will receive $2,000 and has designated the Oregon TRIO Association to receive an additional $500 as part of the award’s “Pay It Forward” initiative. Kyle Kavas, founder and president, stated,

“Financial literacy is critical for career readiness and college access. We must support Oregon youth so they can successfully enter the workforce, support economic development, and achieve financial prosperity.”

Nominations came from across the state and the winners were selected by a subcommittee of the Financial Empowerment Advisory Team, a public-private partnership that helps to amplify financial literacy and financial inclusion efforts statewide.

This recognition comes at a crucial time as Oregon prepares to implement a new personal finance course requirement for high school graduation, starting with the class of 2027 (or 2028 with a one-year delay). Treasurer Steiner, a former state legislator, championed this initiative.

Principal Chris Boyd of Caldera High School underscored the importance of financial literacy, sharing that a student survey revealed a strong desire for more real-world financial knowledge. “We want to protect them because when they don’t know how to navigate the personal finance world, we can anticipate that the finance world might take advantage of them.”

Recent data from Oregon State Treasury’s Oregon Financial Wellness Scorecard indicates a concerning downward trend in financial confidence and literacy across the state, highlighting the critical role of the awardees’ work. Supportive findings from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control have recognized economic stability as a key social determinant of health, shining a light on the impact that financial security can have on general health and well-being.

Nominations for the 2026 Financial Empowerment Awards will open in November.

As Oregon’s chief financial officer, Treasurer Steiner oversees various programs within the Oregon State Treasury dedicated to safeguarding the state’s and its residents’ financial well-being, including the Oregon Unclaimed Property Program and state-administered savings programs: OregonSaves, the Oregon College Savings Plan, and the Oregon ABLE Savings Plan.

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Barney Lerten

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook joined six other Oregon superintendents in a video released Wednesday expressing their support for children and families in response to announced and enacted cuts to federal programs and grants that help communities across the state.

“The goal is to initiate a conversation about the real harm being done to the children of our state,” according to a media advisory sent to KTVZ News by Bend-La Pine Schools.

Cook says in the video: “We’ve already seen cuts of over $100 million in federal grants that were serving our most vulnerable children and families in this state. This creates even greater gaps in access to their basic health care.”

In a joint statement accompanying the video release, the superintendents said: “Whenever a resource disappears for children and families, it also disappears for schools. Many people rely on schools to fill the gaps, but we cannot continue to do so. The gaps are already too large, and they are continuing to grow.”

The seven participating school districts are Bend-La Pine Schools, Portland Public Schools, Salem-Keizer Public Schools, Beaverton School District, Hillsboro School District, Eugene School District and Tigard-Tualatin School District. 

‘Our statement is motivated by a deep-seated belief in Oregon and its people. We believe that the people of our state can be united in a common belief that children, families, and schools deserve our support and protection,” the superintendents said.

“We don’t want children and families to be hungrier. We don’t want children to be less prepared for their first day of kindergarten. We don’t want families to have even less access to basic health care. We believe that most Oregonians can agree on these basic issues of health, wellness, and dignity.”

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Isabella Warren

(Update: Adding video, comments from National Homelessness Law Center)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — On the eve of the Deschutes National Forest’s closure of nearly 36,000 acres south of Bend for fuels reduction work – and the deadline for over 100 homeless people living off China Hat Road to move elsewhere – the controversy is drawing national attention from critics of the plan.

The American Civil Liberties Union and the National Homeless Law Center are among groups around the country focusing on what both groups blame on the Trump administration and the latter calls “possibly the largest federal eviction of a homeless community in recent history.”

Advocates are making their way to China Hat Road to protest Thursday’s closure.

“These people are in the forest because they really have nowhere else to go, and come tomorrow, they’re still not going to have anywhere else to go,” said Jesse Rabinowitz of the National Homeless Law Center.

“Every step of the way, it seems like some people in Oregon, whether it’s the town of Grants Pass or it’s the federal government through the Forest Service, are pushing a harmful false myth that people experiencing homelessness should be rounded up and thrown into jail,” he added.

But Rabinowitz says the outcome of Thursday’s action is unpredictable.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. We don’t know what time it’s going to happen. We don’t know what it’s going to look like,” he said Wednesday. “And people are terrified. People are terrified of losing everything they have. “

Rabinowitz points to the Trump administration, claiming it is to blame for the federal government’s crackdown, part of the Forest Service’s wildfire strategy, dating back to 2023 during the Biden administration, now carried out during Trump’s second presidency. 

“The Trump administration has made it very clear that they have a desire to round up homeless people and force them to government detention camps, and make it illegal to be homeless in the United States,” Rabinowitz said.

Here’s the law center’s full news release sent Wednesday to KTVZ News.

Trump’s Move to Evict Homeless Oregonians from Forest is Flashpoint for America’s failure to solve homelessness.

Advocates warn of mass displacement and potential police violence ahead of May 1st raid

Deschutes, Oregon, April 30th, 2025- Tomorrow, the Trump Administration’s US Forest Service will evict nearly 100 homeless Oregonians living in Deschutes National Forest under threat of 1 year in jail, $5,000 in fines, or both. Recently, the Trump administration announced that the Deschutes Forest would be opened to logging.

Residents of the forest filed a request for a Temporary Restraining Order, surfacing nearly 80 disability claims and the government’s failure to conduct a full environmental impact assessment. Yesterday, a US District Court, District of Oregon judge denied this request, setting the stage for the first major confrontation between the Trump administration and homeless residents.  As of April 29th, nearly 100 people were still residing in the forest, setting the stage for possibly the largest federal eviction of a homeless community in recent history.

“My family goes back three generations here in Bend. My very first job was framing houses – you could say my family and I literally helped build this town. But now? There’s no way I could afford to buy a place here. Anyone could be just one missed paycheck, one slip on the ladder, or one sick day away from losing everything. Bend used to feel like a more accepting place. Just because we’re living out here doesn’t make us bad people, but the way we’re being treated makes everything that much harder. It’s incredibly difficult to get back on your feet once you’ve been knocked down. If they force us out on May 1st, we still won’t have anywhere else to go. It’ll just make it even tougher for us to rebuild our lives,” said Chris Daggett, who currently lives in the Deschutes Forest.

As is true whenever governments displace communities, this traumatic eviction will make homelessness worse by severing ties with services, exacerbating health conditions, destroying communities, and wasting resources. Nobody wants to experience homelessness. Living in the forest is the last resort for people fleeing abuse, who can’t afford rising rents or struggle to make ends meet with jobs that don’t pay enough.  Instead of forcing people into another forest or into town, politicians should move people into housing.

This harmful eviction comes as the Trump administration proposes cuts and policy changes that will make homelessness worse, and amid threats to force homeless people into government-run detention camps. Following last summer’s Grants Pass ruling, over 150 cities have passed laws that make it illegal to be homeless and do not help anybody.

“Everybody needs a safe place to live, and those of us living in the forest are trying our best to survive. People I care about are facing the unimaginable: losing everything they own or risking one year in jail and a $5,000 fine. I’ve seen the fear in their eyes, the sleepless nights, the sheer desperation. The constant patrols and threats have created an atmosphere of terror. People are afraid to even step outside their camps, paralyzed by the stress of potential tickets and further harassment. A Forest Service officer told me that the closer it got to the deadline, the worse it would get for us. He has also made statements to other campers that they will be arrested and their belongings burned if they remain past the deadline. That’s not a warning; it’s a threat. The stress is palpable. This eviction won’t just displace people; it will destroy lives. Since shelters are full and housing is too expensive, we will still have no choice but to sleep outside. Sleeping unsheltered in the Central Oregon winter is a death sentence. Where else do they want us to go?” said Mandy Bryant, who currently lives Deschutes Forest.

“It never should have come to this,” said Chuck Hemingway, a retired attorney who is advocating on behalf of Forest residents and who filed claims to stop the eviction on both environmental review and disability grounds. Instead of battling this out in court, wasting taxpayer money and government resources, the Trump administration should fund the housing and support that are proven to solve homelessness. Nobody wants to be out here, living in the forest. They were forced into homelessness by out-of-control housing costs, the COVID-19 pandemic, and wages that are just too low.”

“This eviction is a waste of government resources that will displace communities and push homeless people into other cities and forests while doing nothing to address the growing lack of housing that people can afford,” said Jesse Rabinowitz, spokesperson for the National Homelessness Law Center.  Sadly, this is consistent with Trump’s policies to make homelessness worse. And, like most of his policies, this eviction hurts us all, but hurts Black, brown, immigrant, queer and disabled folks the worst. This eviction comes during a massive increase in backwards, anti-homeless laws that are deeply unpopular, do nothing to help people, and make homelessness worse. In fact, through this eviction, the Trump administration, will put even more pressure on the local and state government by pushing more homeless people into surrounding cities, while cutting funding for the very housing and supportive services needed to address the crisis.  We need leaders to solve the root cause of homelessness- the lack of housing and healthcare that people can afford- not waste time and money kicking people from encampment to encampment.”

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Triton Notary

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ)–  A ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday introduced Bend to Mid Oregon Credit Union‘s latest branch. The new three-story building is Mid Oregon Credit Union’s new headquarters in Bend’s Old Mill district.

As an homage to the history of the mill, this is a mass timber construction, rather than a steel building. The site of the new building was the location of the mill’s tool shed. Although it offers plenty of modern amenities, Mid Oregon Credit Union is very aware of its local roots.

Kevin Cole, CEO of Mid Oregon Credit Union, told KTVZ News “That relationship dates all the way back to 1957, when eight teachers in Prineville decided to get together and create a credit union to help serve educators in the tri-county region. Since that time, we’ve grown to over 50,000 members. We are Central Oregon’s credit union. We are the only financial institution headquartered in this area, and we take that responsibility very seriously.”

The first floor of the credit union includes all the features of all the other locations. Outside, there’s a drive-thru ATM and a drive-thru teller lane. The upper floors house offices for lenders and the wealth management department. All told, the 16,000 square foot building cost a little more than $9.5 million.

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Triton Notary

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Central Oregon residents gathered in a pub Tuesday night to talk about something that seems impossible for the average American: universal health care. Health Care for All Oregon is working to create legislation for free coverage for Oregonians.

Not only do members feel it’s possible, they think the stage is set for it to happen, specifically here in Oregon. That’s because Oregon’s state Constitution includes the right to affordable health care.

Nick Campbell from Health Care for All Oregon told KTVZ News, “We’re organizing now to make sure people are educated about this, know that it is real and it is possible, and you know that’s what Health Care for All Oregon is all about.

“We are doing this because it is very real here in Oregon, in a way that it is not in any other state in the nation. Oregon can lead the nation, make history, and be the first state in the country to accomplish this.”

Health Care for All Oregon expects there to be strong resistance to its efforts from the many people who benefit from privatized health care. The group will have more events locally and will try to get more people involved. For now, they’re pointing people to their website HCAO.org.

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Isabella Warren

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ)– After nearly five years, J. Smith is leaving China Hat Road. His van was towed away on Tuesday, in hopes of being repaired, as he looks for his next home.

“This is the face of a handicapped senior citizen with a clean record who deserves better than what he’s gotten from our public servants,” Smith told KTVZ News.

In just over 24 hours, hundreds of homeless people like Smith must be gone. The Forest Service is beginning work in the area just south of Bend for forest mitigation, called the Cabin Butte Vegetation Management Project.

Some advocates and residents sued the Forest Service in federal court this month in a bid to delay or stop the year-long closure, but a judge denied the plea Tuesday.

“What must be done has to be done,” Smith said while packing his van Tuesday. “But there are ways of doing things that are more efficient, and compassionate at the same time.”

Jennifer Noske is struggling to pick up what’s left of her home, due to her disability.

“I have fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis and spinal stenosis and myopathy. I have had no help. I don’t even know if I have much hope,” she said.

As the clock ticks to the midnight deadline Thursday, Noske says she worries fleeing might be the only option, if she’s not packed in time.

“The only thing you can control in your life is what’s around you, to a certain extent. When you lose that, it’s just, it’s kind of pretty unbearable and heartbreaking.”

KTVZ News will have live coverage of the closure on Thursday, beginning on our Sunrise newscasts.

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Barney Lerten

PRINEVILLE, Ore. (KTVZ) — “To enhance public safety and reduce the risk of wildfires,” the Bureau of Land Management said Tuesday it’s prohibiting campfires on BLM-administered lands in the La Pine area from May 1 to October 31.

“This decision is part of an effort to reduce human-caused wildfires that have threatened lives, property, and essential utility infrastructure that have increased over the past several seasons,” the agency said.

The restrictions are new this year, as a result of several human-caused fires that originated from escaped campfires, BLM Prineville District Public Affairs Specialist Suzannah Burke told KTVZ News.

During recent years, the BLM said, the La Pine area has experienced devastating fires, including one that damaged restoration efforts from a previous wildfire.

“Escaped campfires are a significant contributor to these wildfires,” the BLM said.

The human-caused Darlene 3 Fire broke out last June 25 just east of La Pine and burned over 3,000 acres, threatening the community for a time. The BLM said decades of extensive fuel treatments in the area helped firefighters keep it from reaching town.

This summer, the BLM said, campfires, charcoal fires and any type of open flame will be prohibited on BLM lands in the La Pine area.

Properly commercially manufactured portable propane campfires, metal camp stoves used for cooking, and shielded lanterns fueled by bottled propane or liquid fuel are the only exceptions. All cooking stoves, portable propane campfires, or lanterns must meet UL/CSA safety standards.

These restrictions will apply to BLM-administered lands within the following boundaries: South Century Drive on the north, the Fremont-Winema National Forest boundary on the south, and the Deschutes National Forest on the east and west.

“Public use restrictions are one tool that we use to address repeated human-caused wildfires, particularly when we can identify one specific cause, like escaped campfires,” said Lisa Clark, Deschutes Field Manager.

The BLM urged all visitors to respect these restrictions to help protect the natural landscape and ensure the safety of everyone who enjoys the beauty of the La Pine area.

For further information, please contact the BLM Central Oregon Field Office or visit the BLM website at https://www.blm.gov/programs/public-safety-and-fire/fire-and-aviation/regional-info/oregon-washington/fire-restrictions.  

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Barney Lerten

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — It’s a rough spring for Central Oregon allergy sufferers, and Dr. Ripdeep Mangat of Allergy and Asthma Care Center tells us he’s been very busy helping many struggling with severe symptoms.

So that’s our KTVZ.COM Poll question:

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