Category: ktvz-local-news

Adrielle Hasara

Bend, ORE. (KTVZ) — The Deschutes National Forest lifted the temporary emergency closure for the Akawa Butte Fire area today, reopening the land to the public while urging visitors to exercise caution.

Forest Service officials warned that burned landscapes contain safety hazards that did not exist prior to the fire or were worsened by its impact. These hazardous conditions may persist for several years following a wildfire.

Visitors entering the burned area are advised to stay situationally aware and watch for overhead, ground and environmental hazards. Officials recommend looking up for snags, exposed rocks and burned upslope areas that could fall, noting that wind and rain events increase the risk of tree falls.

Travelers should also inspect the ground for rock debris, trail and road edge erosion and ash pits formed by burned tree stumps or root pockets. Weather conditions should be checked prior to travel, particularly at higher elevations, as rain, wind, ice and snow heighten the risk of rock falls and slides. Areas located below severely burned terrain face an elevated risk of flash floods and landslides.

The announcement was issued by Forest Service Public Affairs Officer Kaitlyn Webb. Members of the public seeking more information or with questions can contact the Sisters Ranger District at (541) 549-7700.

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Adrielle Hasara

Bend, ORE. (KTVZ) — Oregon state revenues increased by $55 million in the latest quarterly revenue forecast released Wednesday. The overall increase was driven largely by higher personal income tax collections.

Despite the gains in personal income tax revenue, collections from Oregon’s Corporate Activity Tax came in below initial expectations during the forecast period.

State Sen. Bruce Starr, R-Dundee, who serves as the Senate Republican Leader, commented on the forecast following its release on Wednesday. Starr pointed to economic pressures facing both residents and commercial enterprises across the state.

“Oregonians are doing their part to keep our economy moving, even as energy bills and the cost of living take a bigger bite out of their paychecks. But their resilience shouldn’t distract us from the warning signs in Oregon’s economy,” Starr said. “The drop in expected Corporate Activity Tax revenue reinforces that we need businesses staying and growing in Oregon, not packing up and taking jobs with them. We are ready to lower costs, grow our job base and make Oregon a place where people and businesses can afford to succeed. What’s been missing is a willing partner in the Governor’s Office.”

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Adrielle Hasara

Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield announced a $17.1 billion multistate settlement Wednesday with Meta, requiring the company to redesign safety features on Instagram and Facebook for young users. Under the agreement, Oregon will receive more than $125.

The settlement involves 47 states, Washington, D.C., American Samoa, Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands. It addresses claims that Meta designed its platforms to keep children scrolling while providing misleading information to parents and the public regarding youth mental health.

Oregon Rayfield detailed the impact of the agreement on young users and state families. “Kids are not a business model. For too long, Meta chose profit over the well-being of the young people using its platforms and Oregon families paid the price,” Rayfield said. “This settlement changes that – not just with a record payment, but with real, independently verified changes to how these platforms work for kids.”

Under the terms of the settlement, Meta must implement a combined two-hour daily time limit across Instagram and Facebook for minors, featuring mandatory pauses after 15 minutes of continuous use, as well as at 60 and 90 minutes. This daily cap will remain in place for five years, but will drop to 60 minutes for 10 years if platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube adopt similar limits.

The platforms will also enforce nighttime access blocks between midnight and 6 a.m., along with a ban on push notifications for minors from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays during the school year. Meta is required to install stronger age verification systems, more user-friendly parental controls and restrictions on features such as beauty filters and visible like counts.

The agreement mandates stricter controls on content related to bullying, eating disorders, suicide and self-harm. An independent auditor, working alongside the settling states, will regularly verify that Meta implements these product changes and ensure they function as intended.

In addition to the $17.1 billion payout to states, a separate contingency payment of up to $5.7 billion could become available if states reach similar agreements with other social media firms, potentially delivering an extra $54 million to Oregon. The agreement also resolves claims that Meta improperly shared nonpublic Facebook user data with third parties, including political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica, prior to the 2016 election, providing Oregon an additional payment of more than $10.1 million.

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Kelsey Merison

LINCOLN COUNTY, Ore. (KTVZ) — Oregon State Police are investigating extensive vandalism at multiple state parks in Lincoln County.

The damage happened sometime between 10 p.m. Friday and 7 a.m. Saturday.

Police say several restrooms were targeted, with paper towel dispensers removed and other fixtures destroyed or taken. Fires were also intentionally started at several locations.

The affected parks may include:

Agate Beach State Wayside

Otter Rock State Park

Gleneden Beach State Park

Fogarty Creek State Park

OSP is asking anyone who saw suspicious activity or has relevant video to contact police.

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Kelsey Merison

CROOKED RIVER RANCH, Ore. (KTVZ) — Next, a black bear was spotted in Crooked River Ranch on Tuesday.

The sighting was reported around 7:30 a.m. on SW Mare Place.

Oregon State Police and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife have both been notified.

Officials are reminding people not to approach or bother the bear.

If you see it, you’re asked to immediately call non-emergency dispatch.

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Kelsey Merison

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — A 15-year-old Bend boy was arrested Tuesday morning after police say he pointed what appeared to be a handgun at three teens during a dispute at a Bend apartment complex.

Bend Police responded to the Westside Village Apartments in the 1400 block of NW Albany Avenue around 1:39 a.m. Aug. 25 following reports of a dispute involving a gun.

According to police, the incident stemmed from a confrontation between a 17-year-old and the 15-year-old over social media.

Police said the 17-year-old was sitting in a car with friends outside the apartment building when the 15-year-old came out of his apartment and pointed a gun at each person in the group. The weapon was equipped with a laser sight.

Members of the Central Oregon Emergency Response Team responded to the scene. At about 7:38 a.m., officers called the teen out of his apartment, and he was detained without incident.

Officers then executed a search warrant at the apartment and found a realistic replica handgun with a laser sight, according to police.

The 15-year-old was transported to Deschutes County Juvenile Community Justice on suspicion of three counts of menacing.

The case remains under investigation by Bend Police.

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Kelsey Merison

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ore. (KTVZ) — Right now, most evacuation levels in Jefferson County have been lifted following the Rowe Creek Complex.

The only area still under an evacuation level is SE 19th and the southern half of NE 18th. Those areas remain at Level One — Be Ready.

All other evacuation levels and zones have been lifted.

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Kelsey Merison

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Bend Police Department has a reminder for motorists: School starts September 9th, which means more kids will be walking and riding bikes on our roads.

You’ll also see more school buses and vehicles dropping off and picking up students.

That means school zones will be active.

Officers are asking drivers to pay attention, slow down, and help keep kids safe this school year.

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Claire Elmer

(Update: adding video, information on program)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — For Pacific Power customers, the timing of electricity use could matter just as much as the amount of energy used.

The utility offers smart meters and a voluntary “Time of Use” rate plan designed to help customers better understand their energy habits — and potentially save money by shifting some electricity use to lower-cost hours.

The concept is simple: Electricity generally costs more when demand is high and less when fewer people are using it.

Customers enrolled in the Time of Use plan may be able to lower their bills by moving some everyday activities to off-peak hours. That could include using a dishwasher’s delay setting, putting lights on timers, or charging an electric vehicle when demand is lower.

Those changes could also benefit the broader electric grid. When many customers shift their energy use away from the busiest times of day, it can help reduce strain on the system and make better use of available power during periods of lower demand.

Smart meters provide customers with more detailed information about their electricity use, making it easier to see when energy consumption is highest and where changes could help reduce costs.

The program gives customers another way to manage their electric bills — not only by using less power, but also by being more strategic about when they use it.

According to Pacific Power, on-peak hours are between 5:00p.m. — 9:00p.m. and off-peak hours are between 6:00a.m. — 5:00p.m. and 9:00p.m. — 6:00a.m every day. Customers must be enrolled in the program to receive Time of Use pricing.

More information about Pacific Power’s Time of Use program is available at pacificpower.net/tou.

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Adrielle Hasara

Bend, ORE. (KTVZ) — A 15-year-old Bend resident was arrested early Tuesday morning after police said he pointed a realistic replica handgun with a laser sight at a group of teenagers outside an apartment building.

The teenager was taken into custody on suspicion of three counts of menacing.

The incident occurred around 1:39 a.m. at the Westside Village Apartments in the 1400 block of NW Albany Ave. According to Bend Police, the encounter stemmed from a confrontation between the 15-year-old suspect and a 17-year-old over social media.

The confrontation began when a 17-year-old victim was hanging out with friends in a car outside the suspect’s apartment building. The 15-year-old exited his apartment and pointed the replica weapon at each person in the group using a laser sight.

Members of the Central Oregon Emergency Response Team responded to the scene. At approximately 7:38 a.m., officers called the 15-year-old out of the apartment and he was detained without incident.

Officers executed a search warrant on the teen’s apartment and recovered a realistic replica handgun equipped with a laser sight. Police then transported the 15-year-old to Deschutes County Juvenile Community Justice on suspicion of three counts of menacing.

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