Category: ktvz-local-news

Kelsey Merison

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Redmond Fire & Rescue will reopen outdoor burning beginning at 8 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, following recent rain and cooler temperatures that have lowered the risk of fire spread.

Fire officials are reminding residents that debris burning is prohibited inside Redmond city limits at all times under Redmond Fire & Rescue Ordinance No. 5. Violations can result in citations and fines.

Campfires, warming fires and cooking fires in approved fire rings or appliances are allowed year-round, including within city limits, as long as all regulations are followed. Officials note that all types of fires can still be banned during peak fire conditions.

Burn permits required

A burn permit is required for open burning outside Redmond city limits. Burn barrels do not require a permit, but residents must still check the burn line before burning.

Outdoor burning is evaluated daily before 8 a.m. Residents must call the outdoor burning line at 541-504-5035 and use the online permit system to determine whether burning is allowed.

Permits are available through the Before You Burn app or Redmond Fire & Rescue’s website.

Anyone conducting an outdoor burn is responsible for the fire, including potential suppression costs. Fires must be constantly attended by an adult until they are completely extinguished and cold to the touch.

Fire officials also require:

At least 10 feet of clearance around the fire from combustible materials. At least one portable fire extinguisher rated at 4-A or other approved firefighting equipment, such as a shovel and dirt, garden hose or water truck. Fires must be extinguished if weather or local conditions make them hazardous. Fire code officials can order any hazardous fire to be extinguished. Yard debris burning

Residential yard debris burning is allowed only outside Redmond city limits with a valid permit.

Burn piles and approved containers must be kept a safe distance from structures. Approved containers must be at least 15 feet from structures, while larger burn piles require greater distances.

Burn piles must also be sized so they can be completely extinguished by the required time listed on the burn information line.

Burning debris after dark is prohibited.

How to report an illegal burn

Residents can report illegal burning by calling non-emergency dispatch at 541-693-6911.

To report someone burning items not approved by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, call DEQ at 541-388-6146.

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Kelsey Merison

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Bend Police Department is saying goodbye to Sgt. Tyson Poole as he begins his retirement after more than 25 years in law enforcement.

Poole spent the past 13 years serving with the Bend Police Department.

The department recognized Poole on Monday, thanking him for his service and contributions to the Bend community.

Bend Police said it is grateful for Poole’s dedication and wished him well in retirement.

From all of us here at KTVZ News, thank you for your years of service and dedication to our community!

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Kelsey Merison

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — A 40-year-old Bend man was arrested Tuesday morning after police said he tackled a woman and attempted to sexually assault her in a railroad underpass along Third Street.

Bend Police responded around 9:31 a.m. Sept. 29 to a report of a woman running to a business in the 200 block of NE Third Street after reporting she had been sexually assaulted.

According to police, the 39-year-old Bend woman told officers she was walking through the railroad underpass along Third Street when she encountered Sheldon Shawn Doveri, whom she vaguely knew.

Police said the two briefly spoke before Doveri masturbated in front of the woman, tackled her and attempted to sexually assault her.

The woman fought to get away, and police said a bystander entered the underpass, causing Doveri to run away. The woman then ran for help and called 911, providing officers with a description of the suspect.

Officers found Doveri a short time later near NE Fourth Street and Hawthorne Avenue. He was arrested and taken to the Bend Police Department before being lodged in the Deschutes County Jail.

Doveri is accused of attempted first-degree rape, first-degree sexual abuse, harassment and public indecency.

Police have not yet identified the bystander who intervened. Detectives would like to speak with the man if he witnessed the incident.

Anyone who witnessed the incident is asked to call nonemergency dispatch at 541-693-6911.

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Adrielle Hasara

Bend, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs will host the Statewide Veterans Day Ceremony on Nov. 11 at the Oregon State Capitol State Park in Salem. The event begins at 11 a.m. and is free and open to the public.

The ceremony will take place on the Capitol Mall, located directly across Court Street from the front entrance of the Oregon State Capitol. The event will feature remarks from state leaders and special guests, alongside traditional ceremonial elements honoring the service and sacrifice of Oregon veterans. For those unable to attend in person, the ceremony will be livestreamed on the department’s Facebook page.

In addition to the ceremony in Salem, the department maintains a Statewide Veterans Day Events Calendar highlighting local observances and community celebrations throughout Oregon. The calendar is accessible online at oregondva.com/event-calendar. Organizations hosting Veterans Day events are encouraged to submit details for inclusion using the “Add Your Event” link on the webpage.

Established in 1945, the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs serves a veteran community that spans five eras of service members. The agency administers programs and provides advocacy and assistance to help veterans access earned benefits, including connections to local county and Tribal veteran service offices.

Additional details regarding the ceremony will be announced in the coming weeks.

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Kelsey Merison

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Assistance League of Bend will distribute free handmade hats and comfort items to cancer patients and survivors at the annual Heaven Can Wait 5K Walk/Run this Sunday, Oct. 4, at the Redmond High School football stadium.

The event raises funds for Sara’s Project, a fund of the St. Charles Foundation that supports breast cancer patients.

Sara’s Project provides education, early detection and support services to assist people facing breast cancer throughout Central and Eastern Oregon.

Assistance League of Bend, an all-volunteer nonprofit serving Deschutes County, has participated in the Heaven Can Wait event since 2014.

The distribution will take place from 8:30 a.m. to noon at the stadium. Volunteers plan to hand out knitted beanies, sewn sleep caps, fleece hats and cotton sunhats. Other items available free of charge include “Knitted Knockers” breast prostheses, comfort shawls and lavender pillows.

The giveaway is conducted through Assistance League of Bend’s Hats & More program, which began in 1997. Since its inception, the program has distributed thousands of handmade items to community members through the infusion center at St. Charles Cancer Center, Summit Health, Partners In Care, Ronald McDonald House and the Deschutes County Public Health Department.

The handmade items are intended to offer physical warmth and emotional support to individuals undergoing cancer treatment. One cancer patient who received a handmade hat described the experience. “It’s like getting a hug; you feel warm and you feel loved,” the recipient said.

Assistance League of Bend operates with no paid staff, allowing funds raised to stay local to support community-based initiatives in Deschutes County. The organization is also a partner of KTVZ’s 21 Cares for Kids.

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Campbell Porter

(KTVZ) — Law enforcement agencies across Central and Eastern Oregon are increasing high-visibility patrols to target distracted driving. Officials warn drivers that holding or using an electronic device while operating a vehicle carries immediate legal and financial consequences.

Under Oregon law, operating a motor vehicle while using an electronic mobile device is a Class B traffic violation for a first offense, carrying fines up to $1,000. Violations can escalate to Class A offenses for repeat offenders or for infractions committed in school or work zones, resulting in fines up to $2,500 and potential jail time.

Officers are reminding motorists to put phones away, set navigation routes prior to driving and limit hands-free setups strictly to necessary situations. Lucy Stout serves as a communications specialist for Commute Options, a Bend-based non-profit organization dedicated to active transportation and community infrastructure options.

“Distracted driving isn’t just dangerous—it’s expensive,” Stout said. “A single text or phone check can cost you thousands of dollars, raise insurance rates, or cost you your driver’s license. More importantly, it endangers everyone sharing the road.”

The enforcement initiative is supported by a grant awarded to Commute Options from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration through the Oregon Department of Transportation.

ODOT manages the state’s comprehensive infrastructure network and safety initiatives, while NHTSA leads national efforts to curb risky driving behaviors through education and enforcement partnerships with state and local police.

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Kelsey Merison

CROOK COUNTY, Ore. (KTVZ) — In Crook County, the four-legged members of Search and Rescue are preparing for tough calls. 

The Crook County Sheriff’s Office K9 Team recently completed the second part of it’s training, with three days of hard-work at Walton Lake. 

The dogs practiced detection from the shoreline, simulating a search with no boat available. 

The team says the training helps prepare its K9’s and handlers for real-world conditions.

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Felicity Desuasido

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Redmond Municipal Airport will host a TSA PreCheck enrollment event from Oct. 20 through Oct. 23. The event is organized in collaboration with IDEMIA, an authorized enrollment provider for the program.

The enrollment event offers local travelers the chance to apply for or renew membership in the security program. IDEMIA charges an application fee of $76.75, which covers a five-year membership upon approval.

The enrollment event will take place in the terminal conference room across from baggage claim at 2252 Jesse Butler Circle in Redmond. Applicants are required to provide identity and citizenship documents, submit fingerprints, have a photo taken and pay the application fee during their in-person appointment.

Airport officials recommend completing the application online beforehand to speed up the process. Approved applicants typically receive their Known Traveler Number in three to five days, which must be added to airline reservations to receive screening benefits.

Interim Airport Director Jason Neff noted that the event comes ahead of major upcoming travel periods.

“With the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday travel season approaching, TSA PreCheck® is one of the easiest ways for passengers to speed up their trip—especially when connecting through larger airports with busy security lines,” Neff said. “We’ve extended appointment hours for this enrollment event from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and we encourage travelers to take advantage of this convenient opportunity before the next event in 2027.”

The TSA PreCheck program was created in October 2011 to provide streamlined security screening for low-risk passengers. Participating members have access to dedicated screening lanes at more than 200 airports nationwide, with 99% of members waiting 10 minutes or less in line. PreCheck travelers do not need to remove shoes, belts or light jackets and can leave laptops in their carry-on bags.

Travelers who cannot attend the Redmond event can complete an online application and schedule an appointment at any of IDEMIA’s enrollment centers operating nationwide.

The next TSA PreCheck enrollment event at Redmond Municipal Airport will take place in 2027.

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Claire Elmer

(Update: adding Rep. Janelle Bynum lead request)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Rep. Janelle Bynum, D-Oregon, and two other congressional lawmakers led a group of 24 members of Congress today in requesting a formal review of the Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to study and regulate microplastics in drinking water and ecosystems.

Rep. Janelle Bynum, D-Oregon, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Illinois, and Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-New Jersey, sent a letter to U.S. Government Accountability Office Acting Comptroller General Orice W. Brown asking the nonpartisan agency to audit the EPA’s microplastics activities.

The requested GAO review asks for a complete accounting of EPA research, monitoring capabilities, risk assessments and regulatory policies regarding micro- and nanoplastics since fiscal year 2023.

The audit request comes as the EPA’s Safe and Sustainable Water Resources Strategic Research Action Plan for fiscal years 2023 through 2026 nears its conclusion.

Lawmakers stated that Congress lacks a clear assessment of what the agency has accomplished and what additional work is necessary to establish reliable monitoring and health risk evaluations.

In their joint letter to the GAO, Bynum, Krishnamoorthi, Watson Coleman and their colleagues wrote, “Even as the EPA’s FY2023-FY2026 research plan approaches its conclusion, Congress lacks a clear assessment of what the EPA has accomplished in its work on microplastics and what work remains necessary to support reliable monitoring, risk assessment and potential regulatory action.”

In April 2026, the EPA published its draft Contaminant Candidate List 6, which included microplastics as a priority contaminant for research and potential regulation. However, when the EPA published its proposed Sixth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule in July 2026, the agency omitted microplastics from the list of contaminants public water systems would be required to monitor.

In December 2025, seven governors had petitioned the EPA to include microplastics in the monitoring rule. Although the agency requested method development input in February 2024, the EPA stated in its July 2026 proposal that no validated analytical method was available in time to meet statutory deadlines.

In response to the omission, congressional lawmakers have pushed for expanded oversight of microplastics across multiple federal agencies.

In July, Rep. Bynum led a bicameral letter requesting the EPA add microplastics to the drinking water monitoring rule. Bynum also introduced the Microplastics Safety Act, a bipartisan bill that would direct the Food and Drug Administration to conduct a study examining the health impacts of microplastics in food, water and consumer products.

Research on microplastics defines the particles as plastic debris ranging from five millimeters down to one nanometer in size. Testing conducted by Environment Oregon across 30 of Oregon’s rivers, lakes and urban waterways detected microplastic fibers in 100% of the samples collected.

Public concern over plastic contamination has grown alongside questions regarding federal action. During a joint press conference announcing the Contaminant Candidate List, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. questioned the necessity of prolonged regulatory delay. “Why do we need to know anything more?… Shouldn’t we be acting right now?” Kennedy said.

Lawmakers emphasized that an independent audit of the EPA’s efforts is essential to safeguard public health and environment quality across the country.

In concluding their letter to the GAO, Bynum, Krishnamoorthi, Watson Coleman and their co-signers wrote, “Addressing microplastic pollution is critical for protecting the health of Americans and safeguarding our waterways and ecosystems. Our constituents deserve to know what microplastic exposure means for their families’ health and the requested information above will be critical in informing Congress’s work in tackling this challenge.”

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Claire Elmer

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Today, The Oregon Department of Administrative Services published the maximum allowable rent increase percentages for calendar year 2027. The maximum allowable rent increase percentage for tenancies subject to ORS 90.324(b) is set at 10%.

The annual announcement complies with state law under ORS 90.324.

According to the Oregon Department of Administrative Services, “no later than September 30th of each year, the Oregon Department of Administrative Services shall calculate the maximum annual rent increase percentage allowed for the following calendar year.”

The allowable rent increase cap for calendar year 2026 was 9.5%.

The published rates include specific limits for manufactured dwellings and marinas, which the agency defines as facilities.

For tenancies subject to ORS 90.600 (one) in facilities with more than 30 spaces, the agency set the maximum rate “as six %.”

Different limits apply to smaller residential properties and specific tenancy categories.

According to the Oregon Department of Administrative Services, for tenancies subject to ORS 90.600 (one) in facilities “with 30 or fewer spaces or for tenancy types subject to ORS 90.323, percentage is the lesser of: Ten %; or Seven % plus Consumer Price Index (CPI).”

Questions regarding the administration of the maximum allowable rent increase and other landlord-tenant concerns can be directed to Oregon Housing and Community Services.

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