Author: KTVZ

Kelsey Merison

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Boneyard Pub announced today that its location on NE Division St. in Bend will close on October 11th, 2026. While the restaurant is shutting down, the original Boneyard Beer taproom at 37 NW Lake Place and the production brewery will remain open.

The announcement comes despite strong sales growth for the brewery side of the business. Founded in 2010 by Tony Lawrence, Boneyard Beer has seen sales rise 32.5% year to date, with its flagship RPM IPA volume sales up 42.8% in the Pacific Northwest.

Boneyard Beer founder Lawrence reflected on the decision to step away from the restaurant industry while continuing brewery operations. “The Boneyard Pub is a separate business from our tasting room and production brewery. Running a restaurant these days has had its challenges,” Lawrence said. “I am incredibly humbled and grateful to my team and the community for making Boneyard what it is today. The nature of how Boneyard was built was a sum of odd parts, literally parts from 13 different breweries and the same can be said about how we built our pub and tasting room. We are who we are because of our incredible team and the local community here in Bend and beyond. We’re going back to where it all started, at our Lake Place tasting room and brewery.”

Following the pub’s closure, the company is assisting displaced employees in finding work at Boneyard, Deschutes Brewery and other businesses in the local community. Customers with unused pub gift cards can redeem them at the Lake Place location through the end of 2026.

The pub on NE Division St. will maintain operations until its planned closure date on Oct. 11, 2026.

Click here to follow the original article.

Kelsey Merison

BURNS, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Bureau of Land Management has postponed a wild horse rescue operation on Riddle Mountain near Burns, following a temporary restraining order linked to ongoing litigation.

The gather operation was scheduled to begin September 9th to assist a wild horse herd facing severe food and water shortages.

The rescue effort was planned after a record dry winter and a wildfire season that consumed 70% of the herd management area. The intense heat from the fires destroyed local vegetation and altered soil structure, placing the herd’s health under immediate threat.

Don Rotell serves as the Burns District Manager for the Bureau of Land Management. He emphasized the agency’s responsibility to protect wild horse populations during extreme weather events.

“It’s our responsibility to manage and protect these herds,” Rotell said. “When fire and severe drought shrinks water sources and reduces forage, it’s the horses and other plants and animals that pay a price.”

Rotell warned that the court-ordered delay could disrupt the operational timeline required to safely gather the herd.

“We want healthy horses on healthy rangelands,” Rotell said. “Unfortunately, the practical implication of this delay is that it may not be possible to round up these horses before late fall storms make roads in the area impassable.”

The rescue operation was planned as part of the agency’s post-fire emergency stabilization and rehabilitation plan for the region. Without immediate stabilization after a wildfire destroys vegetation and alters soil structure, winter storms can wash away topsoil and allow invasive weeds to spread, causing ecological damage that can last for decades.

To help the land regenerate, the agency is resting the rangeland and prohibiting cattle grazing during the recovery period. Suspending cattle grazing is intended to relieve pressure on limited forage and water resources so the land can continue supporting the horse herd and other native wildlife.

The agency said its drive-trap gather operations are guided by the Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program, which enforces handling standards that prioritize animal safety and well-being.

The Bureau of Land Management stated that it will provide further updates about the operation online.

Click here to follow the original article.

Kelsey Merison

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ore. (KTVZ) — Developing now, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office has released its monthly report for August.

The sheriff’s office responded to 883 calls for service, including 104 in Culver, 50 in Metolius, and 37 in Crooked River Ranch.

Deputies made 138 traffic stops and issued 20 traffic citations.

The office also reported 89 cases taken, 29 in-custody arrests, and two criminal citations.

Click here to follow the original article.

Kelsey Merison

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Bend’s Summit High School has just obtained a new certification that could help them save lives.

Summit is now the first school in Oregon to be certified in Project ADAM, a national program focused on cardiac emergency preparedness.

Summit staff have been trained to respond quickly and effectively to sudden cardiac arrest and use a defibrillator in emergencies.

Now, the school can be ready for the moments where every second counts.

Click here to follow the original article.

Claire Elmer

(Update: adding comments from principal)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Bend Senior High School students began the new school year inside the newly completed first phase of the school’s campus replacement.

The voter-approved project brings open learning spaces, natural light, modern technology, and classrooms designed for their intended subjects—including new science facilities.

“These spaces are conducive to learning and are the learning environment that our staff and students deserve,” Principal Christopher Reese said. “In the old building, we were in science classrooms that were never designed to be science classrooms. Now, these science classrooms are better than I had in college.”

The design also incorporates details honoring Bend High’s history. The school traces its roots to 1904, when classes were held in a log cabin near what is now Drake Park.

That connection between generations is represented by what the school calls the “Long Blue Line.”

“Our current students are a part of that long blue line. Past generations are a part of that long blue line,” Reese said. “The long blue line also represents the future.”

Construction is far from finished. Phase Two will add new gymnasiums and an auditorium, but the work will create temporary challenges. Reese said the school expects to spend about a year without a gym and two years without an auditorium, requiring staff and students to find creative alternatives for athletics, assemblies, and other events.

“If all of this construction has taught me one thing, it’s patience, flexibility, and kindness,” Reese said. “We might have to change direction, and we’re okay with that.”

Reese said the school is keeping its focus on the completed campus, expected in about two years.

“When it’s all said and done, our community, our current students, and our staff are going to have something to behold,” Reese said.

Click here to follow the original article.

Claire Elmer

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Students are back in class this week, and the ongoing rebuild of Bend Senior High School is bringing new traffic patterns around the campus.

Students, staff, and visitors now enter and exit the school from Northeast Ninth Street. The change is expected to increase traffic along the roadway and has prompted an extension of the school zone.

Bend Police School Resource Officer John Horvath is urging drivers to plan ahead, remain alert, and allow extra time when traveling near the school.

“Remember just to go slow. Leave a little bit early. Give yourself a little more time,” Horvath said. “You don’t want to be driving quickly through school zones because it’s dangerous for the students. It’s dangerous for the drivers.”

Horvath said drivers should also expect increased traffic enforcement as the school year begins.

“There will be more officers out there looking to make sure that you are following the speed limits in the school zones,” he said.

The extended school zone on Northeast Ninth Street includes flashing lights that will operate when students are present. During those times, the speed limit is 20 mph.

Bend-La Pine Schools said students also helped develop safety messaging before the start of the school year to inform families about the new entrance and traffic changes.

Drivers are encouraged to watch for students walking or biking, avoid distractions, and follow all posted speed limits around the campus.

Click here to follow the original article.

Lance Campbell

A new community hub is taking shape in Redmond, bringing recreation and community resources together under one roof. Lance is reaching out to Redmond Area Park and Recreation District today for a look inside, what the new facility will offer and the latest timeline for opening. More tonight at 6PM on KTVZ News.

Click here to follow the original article.

Kelsey Merison

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — Oregon lawmakers approved millions of dollars in emergency funding during the September meeting of the Joint Legislative Emergency Board, with much of the money going toward wildfire suppression.

The board approved 42 items totaling $139.6 million in General Fund support.

Of that, $122.8 million was allocated to the Oregon Department of Forestry and the Office of the State Fire Marshal to help cover wildfire suppression costs through the remainder of the 2026 fire season. Legislative fiscal documents show ODF expects wildfire suppression costs to exceed available agency resources and has been working to maintain cash flow as the season continues.

The board also approved $7.5 million to address a projected operational funding shortfall at Southern Oregon University.

Another $1.25 million was allocated to the Secretary of State for election security efforts, including expanding the BallotTrax ballot-tracking system statewide and increasing the number of ballot drop boxes.

Lawmakers also received an update from the Oregon Public Defense Commission. The report showed a 68% decrease in the number of unrepresented cases.

The board was also briefed on state debt refinancing. According to the information presented, $202.7 million in bonds were refinanced, with an estimated $23 million in savings over the life of the bonds.

In addition, lawmakers authorized the Oregon Department of Emergency Management to apply for a $3.2 million FEMA nonprofit security grant. The funding would support physical security improvements and other security-related activities for nonprofits considered at high risk of terrorist or extremist attacks.

The Oregon Legislature’s Emergency Board handles emergency funding and other state financial matters between regular legislative sessions. The board’s September meetings are part of the 2025-26 interim legislative period.

Click here to follow the original article.

Adrielle Hasara

Bend, Ore. (KTVZ) — Nearly 600,000 Oregonians are receiving notices this month that they could lose their health care coverage following federal budget cuts enacted under HR one. The Oregon House Committee on Health Care met today to hear updates from the Oregon Health Authority regarding how the federal budget reconciliation law will affect state residents, including teenagers and senior citizens.

According to Oregon Health Authority officials, the potential loss of eligibility is driven by a new wave of federal paperwork and reporting requirements. State Reps. Rob Nosse, Lesly Muñoz, Cyrus Javadi and Travis Nelson convened with health officials to assess the impact of the federal policy changes on Medicaid recipients and local health care systems.

Oregon Health Authority officials informed the House Committee on Health Care that the projected coverage losses stem from residents becoming ineligible under new administrative processes. State officials noted that the federal budget reconciliation law, known as HR 1, introduced a new wave of documentation and reporting mandates.

State lawmakers expressed concern over the potential strain on health care facilities, particularly in non-metropolitan areas. Rep. Javadi, D-Tillamook, highlighted the financial risks facing local medical centers and Medicaid recipients. “Hundreds of thousands of Oregonians are about to be kicked off Medicaid and rural hospitals are at risk, all because Trump’s bill gave trillions in tax giveaways to the top 1%,” Javadi said. “It’s not right and many people are going to needlessly suffer.”

Legislators also discussed the state’s options for mitigating the effects of the federal legislation. Rep. Nosse, D-Inner SE & Inner NE Portland, noted the burden placed on state leaders to respond to the federal policy. “We didn’t put Oregon in this position. Trump did,” Nosse said. “Every option has real costs for real people and now it’s on us to figure out how to protect people in this state from the mess he made.”

Other lawmakers focused on the administrative hurdles facing individual policyholders who must repeatedly verify their status. Rep. Muñoz, D-Woodburn, criticized the repeated verification process required by the new rules. “People who are already doing everything right are being told to prove it over and over again, or they’ll lose their care,” Muñoz said. “Trump and Congressional Republicans are tearing people down and harming our communities.”

The reporting guidelines have been characterized by federal officials as employment verification, though state lawmakers argued the rules act as a barrier to care. Rep. Nelson, D-N & NE Portland, commented on the structure of the reporting requirements. “Trump didn’t have the guts to say “I’m cutting your health care,” so instead he buried it under a mountain of paperwork and called it “work requirements,”” Nelson said. “Oregon wouldn’t be having this hearing if our federal administration spent a quarter of the energy fixing things as it does finding new ways to make people’s lives harder.”

Click here to follow the original article.

Adrielle Hasara

Bend, Ore. (KTVZ) — The COCC Foundation has opened scholarship applications for the 2026-27 academic year, offering a share of $2.4 million in funding, including full scholarships valued at $5,500. Students interested in applying can find more information on the college website.

Click here to follow the original article.