Author: KTVZ

Lance Campbell

We asked… and Central Oregon, you delivered — and what a beautiful view you gave us.

Tonight, we asked you to share the moments that made you stop, look up and reach for your camera. You answered with sunsets spilling across the High Desert, stunning familiar landscapes in a whole new light and unforgettable moments beneath the night sky.

But as beautiful as the photos are, the best part is what’s behind them.

Each one is a moment someone in our community noticed, appreciated and chose to share — a reminder that sometimes the most extraordinary views are right here at home.

Tonight, we got to see Central Oregon through your eyes. And we loved every second of it.

So, from Tracee and Lance, thank you. Thank you for sharing your views, your moments and a little piece of the place we all call home.

Watch the video above to see some of the incredible photos you shared with us tonight.

Keep looking up, Central Oregon. There’s a whole lot of beauty out there — and we can’t wait to see what you capture next.

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Claire Elmer

(Update: adding video)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — For many American ranchers, higher beef prices at the grocery store haven’t necessarily translated to bigger profits.

Central Oregon farmer Chris Casad, owner of Casad Family Farms, says what producers earn for their cattle has only recently started catching up with decades of low prices and the rising costs of fuel, feed, transportation, and other expenses.

“The beef market’s been up, but it’s been correcting itself from about… 20, 30, 40 years of very low prices consistently,” Casad said.

Now, some producers worry an influx of lower-priced foreign beef could push those returns back down.

President Donald Trump has announced a plan that would allow up to 300,000 metric tons of beef intended for ground beef into the United States at lower tariff rates for 90 days.

Trump says the imported beef would be sold at prices 25% below the current market in an effort to lower grocery bills for American consumers.

Here in Central Oregon, farms that sell beef directly to consumers may be somewhat insulated from fluctuations in the broader cattle market. But Casad says the national market still has a major impact on local producers.

Many ranchers raise calves before selling them into the larger cattle market. That makes the timing of the administration’s proposal particularly concerning for producers with spring calves, which are typically sold in the fall.

“It’s a very hard time of year for that to happen because everyone who does have spring calves… generally, they’re taking them to sale sometime from September to November,” Casad said. “It’s pretty tough.”

Additional lower-cost beef entering the market during that period could put downward pressure on what ranchers receive for their cattle, potentially cutting into one of their primary sources of annual income.

The concern comes as the U.S. cattle herd is already at its lowest level in roughly 75 years. Rebuilding the nation’s cattle supply takes time because producers must retain breeding animals rather than sending them to market.

Trump has argued temporary imports could provide some relief for consumers while domestic cattle supplies recover.

However, some economists have questioned whether the proposed volume of imported beef would be large enough to meaningfully lower prices shoppers see at grocery stores.

For Casad, the concern is what happens to producers if cattle prices fall before ranchers have had enough time to recover from years of tighter margins.

“Every dollar that gets pulled from a rancher’s pocket inevitably is going to be putting someone out of business or making it that much less viable for someone to continue on,” Casad said.

The potential impact will ultimately depend on how the plan affects both cattle markets and retail beef prices — and whether consumers see meaningful savings without creating longer-term challenges for American ranchers and family farms.

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Claire Elmer

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — According to Bend Police, a Bend man was arrested Saturday night after accidentally shooting a 24-year-old woman through the floor of a home in the 63000 block of Layton Avenue.

Brandon Paul Ferris, 53, faces assault charges after a firearm discharged inside the residence.

Bend Police responded to the home at approximately 8:08 p.m. on Saturday, August 22nd, following a report of a gunshot wound.

Investigators determined that Ferris was in an upstairs bedroom showing a 9 mm handgun to a visitor when he mistakenly loaded a live round instead of a training cartridge and fired the gun.

The bullet passed through the bedroom floor and struck the woman in the room below, hitting her in the arm and abdomen.

Arriving officers rendered aid to the victim, who was then transported to St. Charles Bend with non-life-threatening injuries.

Ferris was arrested at the scene without incident and transported to the Deschutes County Jail on suspicion of third-degree assault and fourth-degree assault.

Following the incident, Bend Police issued a reminder to firearm owners regarding safe handling practices. Department officials emphasized that gun owners must know how to properly handle and secure firearms, keep weapons pointed in a safe direction at all times, keep fingers off the trigger until ready to shoot and check that a firearm is unloaded whenever picking it up.

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Spencer Sacks

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — A proposed amendment to the Oregon Constitution that would protect hunting, fishing, farming, ranching and trapping has advanced to its next legal phase after gathering the required signatures.

The Oregon Secretary of State’s office sent Initiative Petition 25 to the state Attorney General to draft the official ballot title and summary for the measure.

Initiative Petition 25 was introduced after a previous proposal, Initiative Petition 28, failed to qualify for the November ballot. While IP 28 sought to remove certain protections for agricultural and wildlife harvesting activities, IP 25 aims to permanently establish them as fundamental rights rooted in food security, rural life and personal liberty.

Kari Goodheart serves as the chief petitioner of the Oregon Freedom Amendment, which is sponsoring the measure. “This is about protecting the people’s ability to continue the practices that have helped sustain Oregon communities for generations,” Goodheart said in a statement.

The proposal has gathered bipartisan backing among state lawmakers. State Sen. Christine Drazan, R-Canby, endorsed the initiative during a visit to Central Oregon, pointing out previous legislative opposition to IP 28. “Every single member of the legislature came out in opposition to IP 28. Everybody did,” Drazan said. “What a wonderful, wonderful opportunity for us to come together. Put it on the ballot and allow for for our hunting and fishing and farming and ranching activities to be protected in our Constitution.”

State Rep. Emerson Levy also announced support for the constitutional measure. “Hunting, farming, fishing, ranching are deeply embedded in Oregon’s culture and traditions, particularly here in Central Oregon,” Levy said in a statement. “They deserve constitutional protections.”

If passed, Initiative Petition 25 would add Section 44 to Article I of the Oregon Constitution. The text guarantees rights to cultivate crops, raise livestock, harvest natural resources and participate in science-based conservation programs. It establishes these activities as a public right and the state’s preferred method for managing fish, wildlife and natural resources.

Under the amendment, state and local governments could only regulate these activities through rules or laws that are reasonable, narrowly tailored and necessary for public safety, public health or wildlife conservation. The measure explicitly prohibits laws or initiative petitions from reclassifying generally accepted agricultural, farming, ranching or hunting practices as animal abuse, neglect or cruelty.

The text also outlines limits regarding legal liability and property rights. It does not authorize trespass on private property, restrict private property rights or grant civil or criminal immunity for intentional, negligent or reckless misconduct. State authority to enforce laws against intentional animal torture outside of regulated activities would remain intact, as would the authority of wildlife agencies to establish bag limits, seasons and conservation rules. The text also contains a severability clause ensuring remaining provisions stay valid if any part is struck down.

The Oregon Attorney General’s office will draft the official ballot title and summary for Initiative Petition 25 following the referral from the Secretary of State.

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Kelsey Merison

CROOK COUNTY, Ore. (KTVZ) — On Saturday, much of our region will be under a red flag warning, as firefighters continue to button up the active wildfires.

The Rowe Creek Complex Fire, burning in Crook, Wheeler, Wasco, and Jefferson counties, sits at just under 374,000 acres burned with 89% containment.

Today, firefighters will continue much of the work they have been doing in the Mill Creek area for the last several days, focusing on hot spots and unburned fuel inside the fire’s control lines.

There’s a community listening session happening tomorrow in Prineville, where residents can sit down and have an informal conversation with fire team members working on the Rowe Creek Complex. That’s at Wild Ride Brewing on Third Street in Prineville, starting at 4 p.m.

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Kelsey Merison

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — A preliminary report is shedding new light on a deadly plane crash west of Bend earlier this month.

The NTSB says a Cirrus SR-22-T crashed about 12 miles west of the Bend Municipal Airport on August 4th, killing the pilot.

According to preliminary data, the plane spent several hours flying in the area before descending to about 5,000 feet. In the final seconds of recorded data, fuel sensors showed zero gallons in the left tank and one gallon in the right.

The plane then entered a steep nose-down attitude before impacting terrain.

The aircraft was substantially damaged and has been recovered for further examination.

The NTSB says the investigation is ongoing, and the preliminary report does not identify a probable cause of the crash.

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Lance Campbell

BEND, Ore. — The countdown to the 23rd annual Bend Film Festival is underway, with organizers announcing the first 22 competition features selected for this year’s event.

BendFilm announced the competition feature lineup Friday morning, including eight narrative features, eight documentary features, three environmental and outdoor features and three Indigenous features.

The newly announced films include Take Me Home, State of Firsts, Union County, Hanging by a Wire, A Life Illuminated, The River Remembers, The Lake and Aanikoobijigan (Ancestor), among others.

BendFilm Managing Director of Programming and Artistic Vision Selin Sevinç said this year’s selections explore the human experience.

“I think this year’s fest offers a slate of films that boldly examines the human heart,” Sevinç said. “My hope is that the festival once again will gift the audience a space to pause and allow expansion of the imagination, empathy, and compassion.”

Friday’s announcement is only the first portion of the 2026 lineup. BendFilm says additional announcements covering shorts, spotlights, Local Focus selections and more will be released over the next several weeks.

Festival passes and ticket packs are already available. Ticket reservations begin Sept. 11 for BendFilm members, followed by sponsors and All Access passholders Sept. 15 and Full Film and Student passholders Sept. 17. Individual tickets become available to everyone Sept. 18.

The 23rd annual Bend Film Festival runs Oct. 7–11 in Bend.

KTVZ’s Lance Campbell is working to learn more about this year’s selections and what audiences can expect from the festival.

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Adrielle Hasara

Bend, ORE. (KTVZ) — The Oregon Working Families Party has cross-nominated Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek for a second term in the state’s gubernatorial race.

The decision follows a party vote backing candidates who agree to specific policy commitments focused on working-class families.

Oregon utilizes a fusion voting system, which allows more than one political party to nominate the same candidate on an election ballot.

The nomination was finalized following a vote at the party’s convention on Aug. 16 at the ILWU Local eight Union Hall in Portland, which brought together more than 200 members, elected officials and organizational representatives from across the state.

Gov. Kotek accepted the cross-nomination during the event, emphasizing economic priorities for working residents. “Thank you to the Oregon Working Families Party for inviting me to your convention and for the honor of earning your cross-nomination,” Kotek said. “Oregonians deserve a governor who will defend frontline communities from immediate attacks and deliver on a better future. My opponent does not share our vision for Oregon and I refuse to let us go backward. But this election is not only about what we are fighting against – it is also about what we are fighting for: an Oregon where working people can afford a home, quality child care and the basic costs of living; where they can join a union, raise a family and retire with dignity. I’m proud to earn this cross-nomination by re-committing to that work.”

As part of the cross-nomination, Kotek agreed to a set of policy commitments. These include enforcing state sanctuary protections and the Immigrant Justice Package, maintaining farmworker overtime rules, protecting climate measures and expanding universal preschool statewide using the model established by Multnomah County’s Preschool For All. Her commitments also include holding corporations accountable when receiving public funds, expanding higher education access, increasing campaign finance transparency, investing in restorative justice programs, creating jobs through clean energy and infrastructure projects and meeting with the Working Families legislative caucus during legislative sessions.

Party leaders characterized the endorsement as an agreement built on specific policy benchmarks. Annie Naranjo-Rivera, state director of the Oregon Working Families Party, highlighted the significance of candidate commitments to working-class voters. “Across the country we see candidates winning when they stand with working people. By attending our convention and committing to working people’s issues, Gov. Kotek is grounding herself with the priorities of Oregon’s multiracial working class,” Naranjo-Rivera said. “The Governor made commitments that give working people across Oregon concrete policy goals to organize around and fight for in the November election.”

Naranjo-Rivera noted that the cross-nomination followed detailed discussions with party members about challenges facing Oregon families. “Our members have sent a clear message: they will support candidates who can point to a concrete plan for working people,” Naranjo-Rivera said. “This cross-nomination is not a favor. It is the result of Gov. Kotek being in dialogue with members of our party, hearing what multiracial working-class families in Oregon are up against and putting her name on commitments that working families can hold her to.”

The policy commitments will serve as focal points for the party’s organizing efforts leading up to the November election.

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Adrielle Hasara

Bend, ORE. (KTVZ)— U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley joined Congressional colleagues Friday to introduce legislation aimed at preventing domestic abusers from legally obtaining firearms.

The Lori Jackson-Nicolette Elias Domestic Violence Survivor Protection Act would prohibit individuals subject to temporary restraining orders from purchasing or possessing firearms. The bill also extends federal protections to domestic violence survivors who have been abused by dating partners.

The legislation is named in memory of Jackson, a mother killed by her estranged husband who legally purchased a handgun while under a temporary restraining order. It also honors Elias, a mother murdered in front of her children by her former husband after he refused to surrender his handgun despite active restraining and stalking orders.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, and U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-Connecticut, are leading the bicameral bill alongside Wyden and Merkley. The measure has drawn 18 Senate cosponsors, including Sens. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin, Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, and Dick Durbin, D-Illinois

Sen. Wyden, D-Oregon, advocated for the legislative change to protect survivors. “Keeping guns out of the hands of domestic violence abusers is common sense,” Wyden said. “It’s past time to help end the cycle of gun violence and provide domestic violence survivors with bare minimum protection against their abusers and our bill is the way to do it.”

Sen. Merkley, D-Oregon, emphasized the risks survivors face when attempting to leave abusive situations. “Common-sense measures to ensure abusers and violent offenders are barred from accessing firearms are the least we can do to protect the safety of both domestic abuse survivors and our broader communities,” Merkley said. “Domestic abuse survivors shouldn’t have to worry that their abusers can obtain a gun either during or after they escape abusive situations.”

Numerous national advocacy and public safety organizations have endorsed the bill. Supporters include Brady, Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund, GIFFORDS, Newtown Action Alliance, Everytown, Jewish Women International, March for Our Lives, the National Domestic Violence Hotline, the National Network to End Domestic Violence, the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence and the CT Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

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Adrielle Hasara

Bend, ORE. (KTVZ) — Oregon has received conditional approval from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to launch Explore Health, a new state-based health insurance marketplace.

The platform will replace Health care.gov for Oregon residents starting Nov. 1, 2026.

The marketplace is designed for residents who do not have health coverage through an employer or government programs such as the Oregon Health Plan, Medicare or Veterans Affairs. The transition moves Oregon from a federally managed platform to a state-run marketplace.

Through Explore Health, Oregonians will be able to shop for health coverage, check eligibility for financial assistance and enroll in individual plans.

The development of Explore Health follows the passage of Senate Bill 972 by the Oregon Legislature in 2023. State officials said the transition was shaped by feedback from consumers, community organizations, health care partners, insurance companies and agents across Oregon.

Chiqui Flowers serves as director of the Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace. Flowers noted that the approval allows the state to tailor the platform to local needs.

“This approval is an important step toward improving the shopping and customer service experience for people in Oregon who use the Marketplace,” Flowers said. “Explore Health will give Oregon the flexibility to design a Marketplace experience around the needs of our diverse communities and respond to local data, feedback and changes in federal policy.”

Additional information about Explore Health, open enrollment details and consumer assistance resources will be published in the coming weeks at ExploreHealthOR.gov.

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