Author: KTVZ

Campbell Porter

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Deschutes County Fairgrounds has contracted a private parking personnel company to manage traffic and congestion for this year’s event.

A team of 25 people is dedicated to directing vehicles entering and leaving the fairgrounds. Additionally, the Redmond Police Department has assigned two units for traffic patrol to assist with the flow of vehicles in the surrounding area.

The decision to hire outside help was a deliberate response to attendee feedback, according to Jeff Curtis, Deschutes County Fair director. Curtis said the fair administration aims to ensure guests can enter and leave the grounds efficiently.

“Our efforts on parking this year are very deliberate,” Curtis said. “We listen to feedback that people want to get to the fair, have a good time and they want to get out in an efficient way. So we are attempting to make it an even better experience overall and getting them parked efficiently, filling the fairground’s parking lot, and doing it in a timely fashion is our mission.”

Curtis noted that the primary mission of the contracted staff is to fill the fairgrounds parking lot in a timely fashion. These efforts are expected to continue throughout the duration of the fair.

The Redmond Police Department has coordinated its efforts with the fairgrounds to manage the increased volume of vehicles. Officers are paying extra attention to the areas surrounding the fairgrounds specifically when the event closes for the day.

The changes come after traffic problems during last year’s FairWell Festival, when long backups and congestion prompted city officials to revise traffic plans for the remainder of the event. Those adjustments included opening additional exits, adding traffic control measures and encouraging drivers to use alternate routes.

Click here to follow the original article.

Kelsey Merison

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — Judge Bethany P. Flint is retiring from the Deschutes County Bench effective July 31, 2026, following an announcement by Governor Tina Kotek.

Her seat on the bench will appear on the November ballot.

She was appointed by Governor Kate Brown (D) on February 12, 2015, to succeed Judge Roger J. DeHoog, who was appointed to the state’s Court of Appeals.

Click here to follow the original article.

Kelsey Merison

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Marked for Love, the organization known locally as Every Child Central Oregon, has joined NeighborImpact to form a new Supportive Services department. The transition integrates the group’s staff, warehouse operations and family support services into NeighborImpact’s existing regional infrastructure.

Every Child Central Oregon is one of KTVZ’s 21 Cares for Kids partners.

The new department will continue managing a diaper bank and providing direct support for families involved in foster care. It also administers the Medicaid-funded Health-Related Social Needs program, which connects eligible residents with food and housing supports. To date, that program has helped 546 clients access nearly $1.5 million in assistance.

The department recently utilized its local partnerships to deliver supplies to families affected by the Bench and Beachcomb fires in Warm Springs. After a child welfare partner was placed under a Level 3 evacuation notice, the team delivered children’s clothing, diapers, wipes, portable baths and Pack ‘n Plays to the Warm Springs Child Protective Services office. A second delivery provided diapers to families at an evacuation shelter, while the NeighborImpact Food Bank donated five pallets of water to the community.

Melissa Lovemark serves as the Supportive Services director and continues to lead the program’s operations. She emphasized that the merger allows the team to maintain existing service levels while expanding their reach.

“This transition protects the relationships and services our partners already know while giving the program a stronger foundation,” Lovemark said. “The work continues, but the team now has more capacity to support families, coordinate resources and respond when community needs arise.”

The department works with child welfare staff to provide furniture, hygiene supplies, car seats and other essentials intended to help families care safely for children. Lovemark noted that the ability to provide these items quickly relies on established trust within the community.

“Much of this work happens quietly because it is built on relationships developed over years,” Lovemark said. “When partners tell the team that families need clothing, diapers or a safe place for a baby to sleep, the response does not need to be complicated. The team looks at what is available and gets it where it needs to go.”

Scott Cooper, executive director of NeighborImpact, said the integration provides the new department with the infrastructure of a larger organization. NeighborImpact is a private nonprofit that has served Central Oregon since 1985.

“The strength of this work has always been in the relationships and the ability to respond quickly to what individuals and families actually need,” Cooper said. “As part of NeighborImpact, Supportive Services can continue that approach with the added infrastructure and resources of the larger organization.”

NeighborImpact provides services including food security, housing, energy assistance and financial empowerment. The agency primarily serves Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson counties, as well as the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.

Click here to follow the original article.

Kelsey Merison

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Kenneth Michael Anderson, an Oregon Department of Human Services employee, was arrested yesterday on a charge of second-degree child neglect. Police said Anderson left an eight-month-old child in an unattended vehicle for 30 minutes this past Tuesday at the agency’s office in Bend.

Anderson, a 56-year-old family time coordinator, had driven the infant to the SW Emkay Drive office following a supervised family visit in Redmond. The child was evaluated at St. Charles Bend and released without injury to her resource parents.

According to investigators, the baby fell asleep during the drive from Redmond to Bend. Anderson parked the van at the welfare office at approximately 2:30 p.m., walked into the building and subsequently left the premises in a different vehicle to travel to another location. The infant remained in the parked van.

Within 30 minutes, Anderson realized he had forgotten the child and contacted his supervisor. The supervisor located the baby in the unlocked vehicle and provided care until the child could be transported to the hospital for evaluation.

Bend Police received a report regarding the incident at approximately 1:37 p.m. on Wednesday. Following an investigation, detectives arrested Anderson the next day.

National safety data provides context on the dangers of leaving children in vehicles. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a child’s body temperature rises three to five times faster than an adult’s temperature. In 2025, 31 children died of heatstroke after being left in hot vehicles.

Click here to follow the original article.

Kelsey Merison

CROOK COUNTY, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Crook County Sheriff’s Office is reminding residents of a place to go if they need to evacuate their animals.

It says the Pet Evacuation Team is available 24/7 at Sky Hawk Ranch in Redmond.

If you are being evacuated, bring your animals directly to Sky Hawk Ranch, located at 6287 NE 33rd Street in Redmond. No appointment is necessary, just show up.

The pet team will provide:

-Safe, temporary shelter

-Fresh water

-Feed and basic care

If you need help transporting your animals, call (541) 233-7646 for transportation assistance.

Click here to follow the original article.

Spencer Sacks

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Redmond Air Tanker Base has pumped more than 1 million gallons of retardant in the last two weeks, reaching its typical annual volume in just 14 days. Crews at the base are currently supporting firefighting efforts for the Akawa Butte Fire, the Rowe Creek Complex Fire and several other blazes across Central Oregon.

As one of five regional bases in Oregon, the facility serves as a primary hub for a fleet of air tankers. Large tankers operating out of the base carry between 3,000 and 4,000 gallons of retardant per drop to suppress wildfires throughout the region.

Eric Graff, the Redmond Air Base manager, said the facility typically pumps about 1 million gallons of retardant per year. “Our yearly average is about a million gallons per year and we’ve pumped over a million gallons just in the last ten days,” Graff said.

The base operates as a full-service facility where staff members mix retardant, fuel aircraft and manage crew logistics. Graff said the base handles orders for fires as dispatches arrive. “We send the we load the tankers up with retardant, send them out to fires, reload them, refuel them, take care of the air crews needs lunches, dinners, transportation,” Graff said. “We mix a lot of retardant every day.”

There are 45 air tanker bases across the United States that serve as hubs for a fleet of more than 30 large and very large air tankers. The aircraft are owned by private companies and contracted by the U.S. Forest Service. While some companies maintain their own hubs, such as Erickson in Madras, most tankers move throughout the country based on service requests.

Graff said the proximity of the base to active fires is a critical factor in the effectiveness of the response. “The rule of thumb is, wherever the fire’s at, they go to the closest reload base to reload,” Graff said. “So it makes a difference on that fire. If they don’t have to travel to far to reload that retardant and get back to the fire. So being in Central Oregon, we we’re very busy right now especially.”

When a tanker returns to the facility, ground crews work to minimize the time it spends out of service. Graff said the turnaround time for aircraft in the loading area is rapid. “When it gets into the loading pit, we can load it and fuel it and normally have it out within 15 minutes or so,” Graff said.

Click here to follow the original article.

Claire Elmer

(Update: adding comments from Red Cross)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — As wildfire evacuations continue across Central Oregon, some evacuees say they were quoted sharply higher hotel rates while trying to find a place to stay after being forced out under Level 3 “Go Now” orders.

One Central Oregon couple and their pets spent six days at a Red Cross shelter after evacuating their home. They told The Problem Solvers that other families at the shelter said they were quoted as much as $750 a night for local hotel rooms. Those rates have not been independently verified.

Under Oregon law, hotel rooms can be considered an essential consumer service during an emergency, and a price increase of 15 percent or more may be considered excessive unless the increase is tied to verified emergency-related costs. But those protections apply only after the governor declares an abnormal market disruption.

The Problem Solvers asked the governor’s office whether that protection applies to the current wildfire situation, but have not received a response.

Isabel Anderson, American Red Cross Cascades Regional Communications Manager, said Red Cross shelters are available at no-cost for those needing a place to stay, and people do not have to stay overnight at a shelter if they do not want to.

“Just because you go to the shelter doesn’t mean you have to stay overnight. Just talk to our volunteers, get information about what’s going on, get a warm meal, get water, charge your devices, talk to one of our mental health specialists, and then go. But you’re also more than welcome to come in and stay the night,” Anderson said.

The Red Cross says not only are its shelters are free, evacuees are welcome to bring their pets.

“We will accommodate your pets, we will figure out something,” Anderson said. “We have partners we can work with. So please come and come with your pet. And we will take care of all of you.”

Anyone who suspects price gouging can contact the Oregon Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at 503-378-8442 or visit oregonconsumer.gov.

The Problem Solvers also reached out to The Oregon Restaurant and Lodging Association (ORLA) for comment, who provided the following statement post-deadline: “ORLA is not in a position to comment on the pricing decisions of an individual property or speculate about the factors that may influence rates at any given time. Hotel rates are determined by a variety of market conditions and business considerations.”

Click here to follow the original article.

Kelsey Merison

OREGON (KTVZ) — The Oregon Department of Human Services has extended the deadline for residents in 10 counties to request replacement SNAP benefits following food losses caused by wildfires and evacuations in July. Households in the designated areas now have until Aug. 14 to report their losses.

The extension applies to food bought with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits that was lost or spoiled during the recent fires. The counties included in the extended deadline are Crook, Deschutes, Gilliam, Jackson, Jefferson, Sherman, Umatilla, Union, Wasco and Wheeler.

Replacement benefits are added directly to a household’s existing Electronic Benefits Transfer card once a request is approved. The maximum replacement amount is limited to the cost of the food lost and cannot exceed the household’s normal monthly SNAP benefit.

For residents living outside of the 10 specified counties, the standard reporting requirements remain in effect. These households must report food losses within 10 days of the incident and the Oregon Department of Human Services may request proof of the loss.

Affected households can request replacement benefits by calling 800-699-9075 or visiting a local department office in person. Requests can also be submitted online through a ONE Online account or by filling out a replacement request form. Those choosing to submit by mail must send their forms to the ONE Customer Service Center at PO Box 14015 in Salem, provided the mail arrives by the August deadline.

Additional resources are available for individuals needing help meeting basic needs. The Oregon Food Bank provides a directory of food pantries at oregonfoodbank.org, and the Aging and Disability Resource Connection of Oregon offers information on government programs at 1-855-673-2372. Residents can also dial 211, text their zip code to 898-211 or visit 211info.org to find local community resources.

The extended deadline policy is scheduled to end Aug. 14, 2026. After that date, the standard 10-day reporting rule will apply to all Oregon counties again.

Click here to follow the original article.

Kelsey Merison

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Oregon is hosting three community enrollment events in August to help families register for after-school programming. The events are scheduled to take place in Bend and La Pine between Aug. 11 and Aug. 13.

Families attending the events can meet club staff, ask questions about programming and complete enrollment for the upcoming school year. The organization is also opening its newest club location in La Pine to expand services for youth in south Deschutes County.

The sessions in Bend will take place at Orchard Park, located at 2001 NE 6th St., and Al Moody Park at 2225 NE Daggett Ln. The La Pine event is scheduled for the La Pine Parks & Recreation facility at 16405 1st St. All three events will run from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

The after-school program is designed for school-aged youth and includes access to healthy meals, snacks and homework help. Participants can also engage in sports, recreation, arts, STEM and leadership programs with adult mentors.

Financial assistance is available for families through the support of community partners and donors. Staff will be available at the events to answer questions regarding transportation, membership and these assistance programs to ensure all children have the opportunity to attend.

Families can learn more and complete registration online at www.bgcco.org. Enrollment assistance will also be provided on-site during the community events in Bend and La Pine.

Click here to follow the original article.

Spencer Sacks

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs declared a state of emergency recently after the Bench and Beachcomb fires merged, consuming more than 60,000 acres. At least six homes have been destroyed by the wildfires in the Warm Springs area.

The crisis on the reservation comes as more than 1 million acres have burned across Oregon in recent weeks. Thousands of firefighters from across the state, the nation and other countries have traveled to Oregon to battle the ongoing blazes.

Tribal communities face different logistical struggles during disasters than other municipalities due to tribal sovereignty. Because of this legal status, emergency responses for the tribes are coordinated through the federal government rather than the state.

The community is currently experiencing a significant shortage of food and water as officials work to manage the fires. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and other federal agencies have been engaged to provide equipment and funding to the region.

Edward Henderson, CEO of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, said the emergency declaration was a necessary step to coordinate with federal resources. “That allowed us to reach out to the federal government side, FEMA and other agencies,” Henderson said. Henderson noted that tribal officials are still evaluating specific requirements while actively fighting the blaze. “What things will we shy, what funding, what equipment, what was our needs in order to fight the fire?” Henderson said. “Because because again, we’re still in the middle of fighting the fire. And then so that was very nice to hear that.”

The community currently faces a significant shortage of daily essentials, including food, water and clothing. Henderson said the tribes are seeking immediate relief as well as assistance for families who lost their homes and belongings. “We need, like the short term food, water and things like that and then trying to lean forward a little bit and look for the long term stuff for the people that lost their house in their homes, you know, beds, bedding, clothes, things like that,” Henderson said.

Environmental and cultural impacts are also a major concern for tribal members. Henderson explained that the fire has destroyed areas used for gathering traditional foods on the southern end of the reservation. “That’s that’s part of the weight that the tribal members carry, especially out on the south end where there were first foods out there that are now no longer harvestable that burnt, gone,” Henderson said.

The fires have also damaged the tribes’ primary revenue sources. Unlike many cities, the reservation does not have a tax base and relies on harvesting timber and generating hydro power from a local dam. Henderson described watching the fire move toward the timber as a significant blow to the community’s economic stability. “And then just watching the fire go west now toward the timber. You know, as you know, this reservation, this town does not we don’t have a tax base. So we rely solely on revenues, whether it’s the hydro dam and the power or the harvesting of the timber,” Henderson said. “And so watching that burn up is kind of a to do.”

Community members have begun fundraising efforts to support Warm Springs and alleviate the shortages of food and water.

Click here to follow the original article.