Category: ktvz-local-news

Barney Lerten

 PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Due to July’s persistent hot and dry weather, national forests across the Pacific Northwest increased or implemented public use restrictions last week.

Through these public use restrictions, as well as high to very high fire danger levels, firefighters are urging the public to be vigilant in preventing human-caused wildfires when recreating outdoors.  

Current public use restrictions can be found on national forest webpages or by checking at the local ranger district before recreating in an area. Even if campfires are allowed, please consider whether having a fire is necessary. For information on campfire safety, visit: https://smokeybear.com/en/prevention-how-tos/campfire-safety.

Here are a few tips to keep yourself, your family, and communities safe as fire season ramps up in the Pacific Northwest: 

Stay vigilant if wildfires are burning in your area or near your community.

Know that conditions may change quickly.

Adhere to local fire restrictions.

Sign up for emergency alerts with your local county.

Become familiar with the three evacuation levels.

Know where to find up-to-date evacuation information for your area.

Make a plan to keep your family safe.

To prepare for smoke from current or future wildfires, here are some helpful links: 

Smoke-Ready Toolbox for Wildfires | US EPA.

Oregon Smoke Blog

Washington Smoke Blog

Though early this week, some areas of the Pacific Northwest will experience cooler temperatures than normal, fire danger levels will stay high to very high because already dried fuels will remain susceptible to ignition sources. In addition, warmer, drier conditions will quickly return to the Pacific Northwest, increasing the potential for wildfires across Oregon and Washington.

Currently, there are seven large wildfires burning on national forest lands in the Pacific Northwest. Firefighters and aviation resources are ready to respond to growth on these existing fires as well as engage in quick and risk-informed action on any new fire starts.

Resources, including USDA Forest Service firefighters and incident management teams, continue to be prepositioned in the Region to support aggressive suppression response. 

For more news and information about national forests in the Pacific Northwest, visit our news page at https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/newsroom/releases or our home page, at https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06. For more information about the USDA Forest Service, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov.

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Barney Lerten

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The City of Bend said Tuesday it is joining the Youth Career Connect program to engage with local youth, offer valuable interview and on-the-job experience and foster a deeper understanding of the essential services that keep our city thriving.

Youth Career Connect is a program that brings together Central Oregon high schools, local businesses, Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council (COIC) and East Cascades Works to empower young individuals to kickstart their careers while also enabling local employers to train and build our future workforce.

Youth Career Connect connects young individuals between the ages of 15 and 21 to local internships, offering valuable work experiences.

The city said it will be working with a total of 10 interns throughout the summer across a wide variety of departments. During their time with the city, interns will work on various projects, ranging from operational experiences such as exploring the city’s water infrastructure, building safety and code compliance, and street maintenance to contributing to community-focused communications initiatives.

“The city is proud to partner with Youth Career Connect to welcome summer interns across city departments,” said Human Resources Business Partner Carly Murray.

“We are excited to play a role in helping prepare the next generation of the workforce as they explore potential career paths and build professional skills, while also providing them with the opportunity to understand our operation and what it means to be a public steward. And if we happen to get a future employee or two out of these experiences, well that’s a double-win in our eyes!”

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Barney Lerten

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — A Bend man wanted on three felony arrest warrants and with four drug-dealing convictions in his lengthy criminal history was arrested late Monday night by drug agents who deployed a drug-detection K-9 and seized methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl powder found in his pickup truck.

Members of the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement (CODE) team concluded the drug investigation late Monday night by arresting Jacob Allen Raines, 45, Lieutenant Mike Landolt said in a news release Tuesday.

Prior to this arrest, Raines had been arrested and convicted of delivery of a controlled substance on four occasions, Landolt said.

A short-term investigation by the CODE team revealed Raines had warrants for his arrest and that he was continuing to distribute illegal narcotics in the Central Oregon area, the lieutenant said.

CODE Detectives conducted a surveillance operation and were able to locate him in Bend, driving a red 2006 Dodge Ram pickup.  As detectives followed him, they observed traffic violations, Landolt said.

Landolt said the suspect then pulled into a parking lot at 110 NW Sisemore Street. Around 9 p.m., a Deschutes County sheriff’s deputy pulled in behind the pickup and contacted Raines in the driver seat.  He was arrested on the outstanding warrants as CODE Team detectives continued the investigation.

Landolt said drug detection K9 “Bonnie” was deployed and alerted to the odor of drugs in the vehicle. A search of the vehicle revealed about an ounce each of meth, cocaine and fentanyl powder.  There was also a scale, packaging material, and items associated with the distribution of illegal narcotics.

Raines was taken to the county jail, where he was lodged on the warrants and held without bail on a parole violation. Landolt said additional drug charges will be referred to the district attorney’s office for possessing and distributing illegal narcotics. 

“CODE would like to thank the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance during this investigation,” Landolt said.

The Central Oregon Drug Enforcement (CODE) team is a multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force supported by the Oregon-Idaho High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program and the following Central Oregon law enforcement agencies:  Bend Police Department, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, Redmond Police Department,  Prineville Police Department, Crook County Sheriff’s Office, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Madras Police Department, Oregon State Police, Sunriver Police Department, Black Butte Police Department, United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Warm Springs Tribal Police Department, Deschutes, Crook, and Jefferson County District Attorney’s, and the Oregon National Guard.

The Oregon-Idaho HIDTA program is an Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sponsored counterdrug grant program that coordinates and provides funding resources to multi-agency drug enforcement task forces to disrupt or dismantle local, multi-state and international drug trafficking organizations.

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Barney Lerten

BEND, Ire, (KTVZ) — Deschutes County commissioners on Monday announced their nominees for the county’s District Mapping Advisory Committee, which will create a map of five districts so voters can be asked next year if the newly expanded, five-member board should be elected by district, rather than at-large.

The committee will be tasked with drafting a commissioner district map, which will be considered by the board and then by Deschutes County voters in 2026. If passed by voters, the new districts would be in place for the 2028 election.

This initiative follows the passage of Ballot Measure 9-173, which expands the Board of County Commissioners from three to five members.

Approved by voters last November, the ballot measure laid the groundwork for two new commissioners to be elected at-large in 2026.

In response, the BOCC agreed to appoint a citizen advisory committee to propose representative districts for each board member, instead of maintaining five at-large positions. Commissioners will select a total of seven members to serve on the DMAC.

Commissioner Chair Tony DeBone said he will appoint:

Ned Dempsey, Bend

Bernie Brader, La Pine

Commissioner Patti Adair will appoint:

Matt Cyrus, Sisters

Phil Henderson, Bend

Commissioner Phil Chang will appoint three of his five nominees:

Melanie Kebler, Bend

Andrew Kaza, Redmond

Carol Loesche, Bend

Jim Porter, Tumalo

Bryce Kellogg, Bend

Commissioners will confirm the committee appointments during their regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday at 9 a.m. in the Barnes Sawyer Room of the Deschutes Services building at 1300 NW Wall St. in Bend.

The meeting is open to the public and can be attended in person or virtually. The meeting agenda and virtual login information are available at deschutes.org/meetings.

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Barney Lerten

(Update: Wednesday changes in evacuation levels)

ASHWOOD, Ore. (KTVZ) — Days of cooler weather have helped hundreds of firefighters battling the nearly 96,000-acre Cram Fire, where containment has reached 77% and more evacuation levels were lowered or lifted Wednesday.

Here’s an update Wednesday afternoon from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office:

“What a day! Today we downgraded so many zones, the screenshot shows the new area.

Roads are only open to residents in the area, but please be cautious of fire personnel and apparatus in the area.

The bottom Eastern corner of the evacuation levels have not changed. This is the area south of Ashwood. NE 15, SE 17 and SE 18.

The rest of the zones have either been downgraded or completely lifted. Thank you for your patience and as always, THANK YOU to the men and women who have worked tirelessly on the Cram Fire.

Wednesday morning Cram Fire update:

Fire Information Line: (541) 216-7206Email 2025.cram@firenet.govInformation Resources: https://linktr.ee/cramfire2025

Size: 95,736 acres | Cause: Under Investigation | Total Personnel: 662| Containment: 77%

There has been no recent growth of the Cram fire and crews patrolling the fire area yesterday reported only one visible smoke that was far interior to the fire’s edge. Current fire activity is minimal, limited to creeping and smoldering in dead vegetation underneath trees, or heavier fuels well within the interior of the fire.

Today, firefighters will continue to patrol the fire perimeter and structures interior to the fire. They will be checking for and extinguishing any areas of heat, ensuring nothing is left that could reignite. Crews will also be engaged in suppression repair, working to restore soil stability and vegetative cover from areas impacted by suppression-related activities.

Fire activity has decreased significantly, and as containment and suppression repair objectives are met, firefighting resources and excess equipment will be released from the incident and made available to fill other needs.

Weather: Today and tomorrow will be warmer and drier, with high temperatures in the low 80s and humidity close to 20%. Winds will increase in the afternoon, becoming northwesterly and gusting up to 20 mph.

Evacuations: Evacuations remain in effect, but some zones have recently been downgraded and all Evacuations have been lifted in Wasco County. Please refer to official evacuation maps for the most up-to-date info: Jefferson County: tinyurl.com/JCSOEvacMap, Wasco County: tinyurl.com/WascoCountyEvacMap, Crook County: tinyurl.com/CrookCountyEvacMap

Smoke Outlook: An interactive smoke map for your area is available at https://fire.airnow.gov.

Safety: The public plays an important role in preventing the next wildfire; use caution with all ignition sources. For prevention tips, visit https://keeporegongreen.org.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office issued this Facebook post Tuesday afternoon:

“We are still at 73% containment for the Cram Fire, but we have made some more evacuation level updates!

The map reflects the most current changes. Please click the map to see your address in relation to zones and the fire.

MAP: https://fr911orgis.maps.arcgis.com/…/weba…/index.html…

Those that remain in a level three are currently just around the burn perimeter.

Zones dropped to zero:

NE 10

NE 12

NE 8

NE 6

West side of SE 15

SE 16

Thank you for your patience during the Cram Fire. As some teams demobilized and have started to head back home, we want to thank them for all their hard work from helping us spread the message to being on the ground fighting this fire. Everyone contributed so much! Drive safely home back to your families! We still have some teams that remain in the area, so be cautious as you are driving, in case there are fire personnel or apparatus in the area!”

Tuesday’s Butte Creek Fire update:

Butte Creek Fire Update – Tuesday, July 22, 2025

Fire Information Line: (541) 216-7206 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Email 2025.buttecreek@firenet.gov

Size: 2,050 acres | Cause: Undetermined | Total Personnel: 196 | Containment: 30%

Northwest Complex Incident Management Team 3 assumed command of the Butte Creek Fire at 6:00 pm, Monday, July 21.

Butte Creek Fire is about 1.5 miles west of Simnasho, Oregon on the Warm Springs Reservation. The fire is north of Warm Springs and east of highway 26 in the Beaver Creek drainage. Ongoing fire suppression efforts by the Warm Springs Agency Fire Management have been successful; utilizing air and ground resources. The fire is in steep, rugged terrain.

Monday, firefighters implemented strategic firing operations in the Coyote Creek area to minimize the grass, brush and understory on the eastern portion of the fire. Firefighters are working the northern flank toward where the fire drops down into Beaver Creek Drainage and were supported by helicopters doing water drops to limit eastern progression of the fire at the confluence of Beaver and Coyote Creeks.

Success rates are high at this point and resources under Warm Springs management have done a great job to have set the incoming team up well for additional success.

Temperatures are expected to be about ten degrees higher today and northwest winds may gust up to 16 miles per hour. There is a low likelihood of rain showers occurring in the fire area today. Firefighters will continue efforts to hold the fire in Beaver Creek while working on contingency fireline connecting old roads to the north.

Firefighters and equipment assigned to the Butte Creek and Cram Fires are also prepared to provide support for initial attack of new fire starts.

Closures: Closure information for Butte Creek Fire is posted by Warm Springs Police Department at facebook.com/WarmSpringsPoliceDepartment

Evacuations: Evacuation Information for Butte Creek Fire is available at SARTOPO.com/M/jjL6u6k

Facebook: facebook.com/CTWSFireMgt

InciWeb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident…/orwsa-butte-creek

Fire Information Line: (541) 216-7206, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Smoke & Air Quality Information: fire.airnow.gov

Meanwhile, as of Monday evening, no evacuations remain on the Warm Springs Evacuation Map for the 381-acre Greeley Heights Fire in Warm Springs

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Barney Lerten

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates throughout Central Oregon continued to creep upward in June. Meanwhile, seasonally adjusted total nonfarm employment declined in all three counties over the same period, the Oregon Employment Department said Tuesday.

(Editor’s note: The following numbers in this report are not seasonally adjusted.)

Bend MSA (Crook, Deschutes, and Jefferson Counties): The Bend MSA seasonally adjusted unemployment rate continued to increase over the month of June and is now 4.6%, up from a revised rate of 4.4% in May—in June of last year, it was 0.3 percentage point lower at 4.3%.  

The Bend MSA gained 150 jobs (+0.1%) from May to June and total nonfarm employment is now 113,400. Job gains were concentrated within leisure and hospitality (+740 jobs) with most gains occurring in accommodation and food services (+650 jobs), and within trade, transportation, and utilities (+70). Other notable gains were recorded in manufacturing (+20 jobs); information (+10 jobs); and financial activities (+10 jobs).

The majority of losses occurred in private education and health services (-260 jobs) and government employment (-240 jobs) with losses primarily within local government education (-410 jobs). Other noteworthy losses occurred in professional and business services (-120 jobs); other services (-50 jobs); and mining, logging, and construction (-30 jobs). 

Total nonfarm employment increased by 0.1% (+80 jobs) from June 2024 to June 2025. Over-the-year job gains were concentrated within private education and health services (+530 jobs); professional and business services (+500 jobs); manufacturing (+220 jobs); and mining, logging, and construction (+110 jobs).

Over-the-year losses were largest within trade, transportation, and utilities (-580 jobs) with 480 jobs lost within the retail trade subsector, and leisure and hospitality (-370 jobs) which saw accommodation and food services decrease by 310 jobs over the month. Smaller but notable job losses were also recorded in government employment (-100 jobs), primarily within local education (-540 jobs), other services (-90 jobs), financial activities (-80 jobs), and information (-60 jobs). 

Crook County: The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased slightly over the month of June and is now 5.3%, up from a rate of 5.2% in May—in June of last year, it was 0.1 percentage point higher at 5.4%.  

Crook County saw an increase in total nonfarm employment over the month, with a gain of 100 jobs (+1.3%) in June. These gains were primarily concentrated within the public sector (+50 jobs), leisure and hospitality (+30 jobs), and professional and business services (+30 jobs) with smaller increases in construction (+20 jobs) and trade, transportation, and utilities (+10 jobs). All other major industries saw little to no change over the month.  

Over the past year, the county lost 150 jobs (-2.0%). Losses were concentrated within public-sector employment, driven by losses in local government (-120 jobs). The private sector lost 40 jobs over the year, a 0.6% decrease. Notable private-sector job losses occurred in trade, transportation, and utilities (-70 jobs); information (-60 jobs); and other services (-30 jobs). Smaller losses were also seen in manufacturing (-20 jobs) and leisure and hospitality (-10 jobs). Private-sector job gains over the year were not as large and were concentrated within professional and business services (+90 jobs); and mining, logging, and construction (+40 jobs), primarily within construction with a gain of 50 jobs over the year. Smaller losses were also seen in financial activities (+10 jobs) and private education and health services (+10 jobs). 

Deschutes County: The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 4.5% over the month of June, slightly higher than May’s 4.4% rate. In June 2024 the unemployment rate was lower at 4.1%. The unemployment rate is 1.2 percentage points above its record low of 3.3% before the onset of the pandemic.  

Deschutes County total nonfarm employment saw little movement from May to June, with a slight decline of 40 jobs, and employment is now 98,690. Job gains were recorded primarily within leisure and hospitality (+670 jobs) with 590 jobs gained in accommodation and food services. Smaller but noteworthy gains also occurred within manufacturing (+60 jobs); trade, transportation, and utilities (+50 jobs); and information (+20 jobs).

Losses were more widespread and concentrated within government (-320 jobs) with the majority of losses seen in local government education (-380 jobs); private education and health services (-250 jobs); and professional and business services (-150 jobs). Other losses were also seen in other services (-60 jobs) and mining, logging, and construction (-60 jobs).  

Total nonfarm employment decreased 0.1% (-140 jobs) from June 2024 to June 2025. Over the year, job gains were strongest in private education and health services (+450 jobs); professional and business services (+200 jobs); and manufacturing (+290 jobs). Within manufacturing durable goods had the most gains, increasing by 220 jobs over the year.

The information industry also gained 10 jobs over the year. Most over-the-year losses occurred within the trade, transportation, and utilities (-470 jobs) supersector with the retail trade subsector declining by 410 jobs, followed by losses in leisure and hospitality (-310 jobs) which lost the most jobs in accommodation and food services (250 jobs). Smaller losses were also seen in financial activities (-130 jobs); government (-120 jobs); mining, logging, and construction (-50 jobs); and other services (-10 jobs). 

Jefferson County: The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased in June, going from 4.7% in May to 5.0%. Last year the unemployment rate was 0.4 percentage point lower at 4.6% in June. Shortly before the first impacts from COVID-19 were felt the rate was 4.3%. 

In June, total nonfarm employment increased by 30 jobs (+0.4%). Private-sector growth (+20 jobs) was led by leisure and hospitality (+30 jobs), with smaller gains of 10 jobs each in professional and business services; trade, transportation, and utilities; and construction. Government employment also increased, rising by 10 jobs over the month, with all the gains taking place within local government. Job losses were not as widespread and occurred within manufacturing (-40 jobs). All other industries remained stable with little to no change. 

Jefferson County’s total nonfarm employment rose by 120 jobs over the past year (+1.8%). Job gains were concentrated within the public sector (+130 jobs); professional and business services (+60 jobs); mining, logging, and construction (+40 jobs); and private education and health services (+20 jobs).

Public-sector growth was driven by both local (+80 jobs) and state (+40 jobs) government employment. Private-sector losses were stronger than private-sector gains for a total loss of 10 jobs year-over-year in the private sector. Losses occurred within leisure and hospitality (-60 jobs); trade, transportation, and utilities (-30 jobs); manufacturing (-20 jobs); and other services (-20 jobs), while all other industries remained unchanged over the year. 

Next Press Releases 

The Oregon Employment Department plans to release the July county and metropolitan area unemployment rates and employment survey data on Tuesday, August 19, and the statewide unemployment rate and employment survey data for July on Wednesday, August 13.        

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Isabella Warren

(Update: Adding video, Adding more details)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ)– Around 1 a.m. on Sunday, Bend Police responded to a car fire near Pilot Butte. The fire, which was caused by a road flare, is being investigated as arson.

Anna Berry recalls the moment she saw her car in flames.

“We woke up to the sound of either a car alarm or a horn blaring. And when we got outside, we found that the car was on fire, which was not what I was expecting. “

Her home surveillance footage showed the moment around her car was intentionally set on fire. The suspect can be seen with a flare approaching the car. Minutes later, the area is bright from the flames. The front of the car was completely torched, with an estimated $5,000 in damages.

“(I feel) some anger, mostly worry and fear, that they’re still there,” she said Tuesday.

Aureanna Gabriella Hernandez witnessed the car on fire, and lives just down the street.

“That’s, like, unheard of,” she said. “And we live a couple of blocks down, so it was even more scary that night. Like thinking, wow. Like that was in our community. That was in our neighborhood.”

Berry is now asking for the public’s help.

“We don’t really have any leads to finding the person. And if that makes me feel a little less safe or worried about, you know, our safety and protecting our belongings and our property. “

It’s the third case of arson in the area in the past week. A resident of a small homeless encampment north of Bend was arrested on arson and other charges Friday, accused of setting a vehicle fire that spread to a nearby trailer and trees. Another woman appeared in court last week after being charged with arson, after one RV at Green Acres RV Park south of Redmond was engulfed, with the fire spreading to other trailers and flames threatening nearby propane tanks.

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Tracee Tuesday

(Correction: Cars and Coffee is a monthly event authorized by Dilly Dally Coffee.)

BEND, Ore. [KTVZ] — Residents were stunned Sunday morning when they heard and saw a car burning rubber in West Bend. According to the Bend Police Department, a man crashed his classic car after speeding out of the SW Colorado Avenue roundabout. 

When officers arrived around 9:40 AM, witnesses explained that they were enjoying their morning coffee at Dilly Dally Coffee on Emkay Drive, when they say, who we now know as Bend resident, 67-year-old Tony Conte, lost control of his 1968 Pontiac Firebird while accelerating at a high rate of speed.   

He not only struck a fire hydrant, but damaged his own car.    

Conte and his passenger initially claimed a deer caused the crash—but officers say multiple witnesses disputed that story.   

Conte was arrested on suspicion of reckless driving and second-degree criminal mischief.   

Witnesses also say it was a dangerous situation because Conte lost control of his car which could have resulted in multiple injuries to pedestrians and onlookers.      

Bend Police are reminding everyone to drive slowly and avoid using neighborhood streets for racing. 

Aaron Hofferber, the event coordinator for Dilly Dally Cars & Coffee, told KTVZ News the event was authorized in partnership with Dilly Dally Coffee Co.

“We have no control over sole individuals and the choices they chose to make once they leave private property onto public roads,” Hofferber told us.

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Barney Lerten

Board plans no public interviews of five candidates for interim sheriff before selection

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — At their first meeting in weeks, Deschutes County commissioners approved two expenditures related to homelessness Monday afternoon, but not without a split vote and some familiar debates as they wrestled with the challenging issues. 

First, commissioners voted 2-1 to approve spending up to $250,000 a year for at least the next two years to partner with the city of Redmond on a long-discussed managed camp to be built on the city’s eastside. Commissioners Patti Adair and Phil Chang voted yes, while Commission Chairman Tony DeBone was opposed. 

A land exchange between the county and the Oregon Department of State Lands has been on hold for years, due to the need to remove homeless who are camping on the parcel. 

A work group of city and county staff, along with Redmond Mayor Ed Fitch, City Councilor Cat Zwicker, Adair and Chang, has been meeting to provide input on the design and operations. 

An intergovernmental agreement says the “County will make good faith efforts to budget up to $250,000 per year, for not less than two years for Managed Camp operational costs.” 

The location for the planned 36-space managed camp is a county-owned parcel north of Redmond Airport and north of the Oasis Village camp along Highway 126. 

The Redmond City Council is scheduled to approve the city-county intergovernmental agreement on the consent agenda of Tuesday evening’s council meeting. 

Fitch talked with commissioners Monday about the continuing challenges the region faces in homelessness in the wake of recent Forest Service and BLM land closures. 

“A lot of areas are being closed to the homeless, for a variety of reasons,” he said. 

There was a bit of Catch-22 in the familiar discussion, with some details not in place yet. Zwicker said the city will go out to formal bids for a contractor to flesh out those details, including supplies and services. 

Chang said after two fires last week tied to homeless issues, “people are on pins and needles. I know a lot of people really do want to help.” 

But DeBone said he doesn’t support that funding future operations of the camp largely depends on future actions by the governor and Legislature. While he voted no, DeBone said afterward it had been a “good, thoughtful discussion.” 

Commissioners also voted 3-0 to fund an added hour of security patrols in the East Redmond area, until Dec. 1, at $82.50 an hour, which if continued would cost about $30,000 a year. A current county contract with a private security company ends in July of next year. 

DeBone explained later to KTVZ News, “Instead of just making a presence where the future road is going and the land swap, we asked them to be seen on the whole east side of Redmond, where people are unsanctioned long-term camping.”

Commissioners did not take to a vote a staff-provided option to also add more security patrols at Juniper Ridge north of Bend, where over 200 homeless have moved in recent months to the city-county-approved Temporary Safe Stay Area. The county already funds two hours of security patrols a day (costing $165 a day) on county-owned land at Juniper Ridge, while the city does the same on its land. 

Commissioners also made known their choices for a seven-member advisory panel that will help draw up district zoning for the expanded five-member county commission voters approved last year, taking effect next year.

DeBone and Adair each are making two appointments, while Chang will make three. He listed five choices Monday, including Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler, but said he will narrow it to his three picks by Wednesday’s planned vote on the committee members.

Another closely watched matter was not on the agenda – the board’s impending selection of an interim sheriff before current Sheriff Kent van der Kamp’s retirement takes effect July 31. 

Five applicants are in the field, and commissioners said they will meet individually with the candidates before a special meeting planned for next Tuesday, July 29 to make the appointment. 

DeBone later explained that he plans to provide his colleagues with “two prioritized names. Commissioner Chang asked for us to invite all five to a board meeting so he could ask questions in public. We determined that we are not going to meet in a public meeting as a group.”

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Isabella Warren

(Update: Adding video, Adding comments from community coordinator, details on priorities)

La PINE, Ore. (KTVZ) — Over the course of nearly two years, the Newberry Regional Partnership surveyed the community on top issues. The group has established a five-year strategic plan as the region grapples with growth. 

Community coordinator Kathy DeBone talked with KTVZ News on Monday about the community’s priorities in the survey: “No. 1 was, expand enforcement of illegal camping laws on public lands, at 80.6%, No. 2 was develop critical care specialist and emergency room services in south county, at 75.8%.” she said. “No. 3 was expand after-school STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and summer activities to keep students engaged and learning, at 67%.”

The partnership includes local, state, and federal organizations. Action has already been taken for La Pine’s continuing homeless issue. Thousands of pounds of trash were picked up at abandoned camps by community partners last year, and more are scheduled through August and September.

“People think it’s just one thing that’s going to fix everything, but it’s not,” DeBone said. “It’s not going to fix everything. We have people who do need care. I think we have a lack of capacity for that care.”

The plan will also focus on infrastructure, like the expansion of Highway 97 and public transportation, improved recycling and the area’s culture.

“La Pine and this area has been discovered,” DeBone said. “So we are going to have to deal with it. It’s not, it’s not a question of if, but when.”

After 2030, the Newberry Regional Partnership says it has 67 more topics to tackle. You can find more information about the plan at newberryregionalpartnership.org.

Below is the group’s recent news release:

The Newberry Regional Partnership, in collaboration with the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council, is proud to announce the publication of the Newberry Country Strategic Action Plan (2025-2030) booklet.

This pivotal plan establishes a clear road map for the future growth, development, and enhanced quality of life in south Deschutes County and north Klamath County, collectively known as Newberry Country.

The unveiling of this comprehensive plan marks the culmination of an extensive effort that brought together invaluable community input and a rigorous nine-month strategic planning process. This collaborative approach ensures the plan genuinely reflects the diverse needs and aspirations of local residents.

The Newberry Country Strategic Action Plan (2025-2030) presents a series of community-based strategies designed to inform and guide sustainable development, ultimately enhancing and improving the quality of life for all who call the region home.

“This plan is a testament to the power of community collaboration,” said Kathy DeBone, Newberry Regional Partnership Community Coordinator. “We extend our deepest gratitude to the community for its invaluable engagement, and to the NRP advisory board and our funders for making this transformative project possible. We believe the Newberry Country Strategic Action Plan will serve as a vital guide, helping us foster sustainable growth and a vibrant future for everyone in our region.

Geoff Wullschlager, City Manager for the City of La Pine, was quoted, “In one of Oregon’s hidden gems—Newberry Country—a bold movement is underway to preserve, protect, and expand the livability, resilience, and quality of life for residents and visitors alike.”

James Lewis, General Manager of the Sunriver Owners Association, adds: “The ultimate goal is to provide Newberry Country with all of the elements inherent to a complete community— not only to fill in the missing elements, but to plan for growth.”

Newberry Regional Partnership would like to thank the community for its engagement, and the NRP advisory board and funders for making this project possible. 

About the Newberry Regional Partnership (NRP):

The Newberry Regional Partnership is dedicated to advancing rural vitality in an evolving Newberry Country through civic engagement, community-led action, and partnerships.

About the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council (COIC):

The Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council Rural Community Building Program empowers local community members to identify their unique goals and design projects to address local needs by developing connections with partners and resources to bring their visions to life.

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