Category: ktvz-local-news

Kade Linville

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – There’s a new garden to check out this memorial day weekend, Bends Orchard park has now planted a hummingbird habitat thanks to the collaboration of Pollinator Pathway Bend, East Cascades Bird Alliance, and Wild Birds Unlimited.

“This garden is more than a beautiful space—it’s a living example of how even small residential gardens can support wildlife when we choose native plants,” said Pollinator Pathways President Gwen Bartonek. 

Bartonek designed the park with help and input from Lisa Sanco and Barb Rumer. The garden uses plants native to the high desert, and is designed to inspire visitors to use native plants in their own yards and gardens. The Orchard Park garden’s plants are sourced locally from Wintercreek Nursery, Great Basin Nursery along with community member Barb Rumer’s personal garden.

The initiative to use local plants to promote the health of native hummingbirds and other pollinator species. Other parks with successful pollinator habitats include Al Moody Park, the Bond/Wall Triangle, Brooks Park and Franklin’s Corner

“We hope that increased awareness of our cause will inspire members of our community to plant native wildflowers in their own gardens and help grow the pollinator pathway” said Barnotek. You can visit the Pollinator Pathways website to learn more about future gardens, and how you can get involved.

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Triton Notary

SISTERS, Ore. (KTVZ) — We have much more information for you from the sister’s story we first told you about last night. A Sisters man is under arrest in a guns-drawn traffic stop after he allegedly hit another man with his car. We spoke on Thursday with the man who was allegedly hit.

It started just before 11 a.m. Wednesday in Sisters. Brian Owen says he was walking on the sidewalk along Highway 20 when he heard someone yelling at him from across the street. He could not understand what the person was saying, but the next thing he knew, the man drove his car across the oncoming lane of traffic and headed straight toward him.

Owen says he was flipped over the front of the car and his back smashed the driver’s side mirror. Despite being hit by the car, Brian says he only has some cuts and bruises. He’s left with more questions than injuries.

Owen told KTVZ News: “I would probably ask him like, why? What came about him? What did I do to him to deserve to be ran over? Like what came across his mind to just decide to run somebody over for no reason.”

Eyewitnesses saw the man drive off in a gold-colored sedan. Well, a short time later, sheriff’s deputies were called to the Mainline gas station after a report of a man brandishing a knife during a disagreement. When police got there, they saw the same gold-colored sedan from earlier. The man tried to drive away but was stopped and taken into custody. Neither of these alleged victims had ever met this man before.

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Claire Elmer

Update: Adding video.

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — If you drive around Bend, chances are you’re familiar with the Reed Market and Bond Street roundabout at the Old Mill District — and the traffic that comes with it. 

An expansion of the roundabout to two lanes was originally slated for completion by July 2026, but the City has pushed the project back to 2030. 

In response, the Southern Crossing Neighborhood Association (SCNA) is taking its argument in favor of prioritizing the expansion to the Bend City Council. 

New developments in the area have raised concerns for some residents — not just for daily traffic, but fire evacuation routes.

“The whole west side of town, there’s a National Forest there. So if there were wind-driven fire that was coming out of the National Forests, the people on the south and west side of town would be trying to evacuate,” said Todd Torczon, a board member with the SCNA and mechanical engineer by degree. 

Because Torczon’s house backs up to Reed Market, he has a front-row seat to watch what he calls a ‘pattern change’ over recent months — increased traffic and longer back-ups. With numerous new housing developments completed and more being constructed, concern over how this highly-used intersection will be impacted is at the forefront of many residents’ minds. 

“A full lane of traffic on Reed Market and a full lane of traffic on Bond/Brookswood, and they come to a single lane roundabout. That’s kind of like taking two lanes on a road and squeezing it down to one lane. And what would you expect? Massive backups. It’s impacting visitors, businesses and residents alike. They have the money in the budget. This is just a question of priorities,” stressed Torczon. 

The budget Torczon is referring to is the Transportation Construction Fund schedule. According to the schedule, $4.25 million is budgeted for the Bond & Reed Roundabout project, but the majority would not be funded until 2029-2030. The same figures totaling $4.25 million starting in 2026 have been allocated to the Brosterhous & Chase intersection. 

The Brosterhous & Chase intersection project, in part, would create a parallel road to Reed Market on the eastside of 3rd Street. The SCNA is hoping that the City Council will reconsider the schedule and prioritize the Bond & Reed Market Roundabout. 

In September 2023, ODOT released a report noting the roundabout’s current traffic and safety issues, implying the work should be done sooner rather than later. In its statistics, it claimed the expansion could reduce traffic delays by more than 80 percent.

The Engineering Director for the City of Bend, Ryan Oster, said that fire evacuation routes are taken into consideration; but, said their study suggests the roundabout expansion is not urgent, and was pushed back due to other projects taking precedence. 

“That was done so that we could prioritize some other projects in town, just due to the limited funding we had. We did do some initial study work at the Bond Reed Market roundabout a couple of years ago and, at the time, determined that it had the capacity within the system to continue to operate kind of the way it is for a few more years,” said Oster. 

Finding a balance between high-risk yet ‘one-off’ events — such as evacuation routes — and day-to-day traffic has been the goal of the City. “You don’t build your entire system out based on, you know, a wildfire evacuation plan, because then the entire system would be eight lanes everywhere. You got to thread that needle and find a healthy point,” Oster reiterated. 

The Southern Crossing Association has a survey on its website to get input from you. It intends to take those results to the next City Council meeting to show that the community supports moving up the project’s start date. 

To participate in the online survey, you can go to https://bendscna.org/traffic/#roundabout. They are asking that responses be completed by May 31st. It is open to anyone who uses the roundabout and is familiar with traffic in the area, not just those living within the SCNA boundaries. 

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Barney Lerten

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — A Portland-based winery is getting ready to open a new dining spot in downtown Bend. Here’s a first look at Amaterra Kitchen + Social Club.

As we told you in March, Amaterra is taking the Bond Street spot formerly occupied by the Domain Serene Wine Lounge, which closed in January.

The restaurant will have full tastings and a full-service dinner menu, with locally sourced ingredients.

CEO and co-founder Marcus Breuer says he looks forward to bringing his wines and culinary vision to Central Oregon, a place he once called home.

“My wife and I have had a home over here for a long time,” he told us. “We lived here for three years, so that gave us a lot of opportunity to know the buildings, know the town, know the restaurants, know the dining scene and everything, and gave us a lot of confidence that we could make a big impact here.”

Amaterra will open its doors on Friday, June 6th, with reservations available starting next week. The tasting room will be open daily from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., while the restaurant will welcome guests in the evenings.

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Harley Coldiron

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Fourth graders at Buckingham Elementary in Bend were pumped up and ready to learn about the weather as KTVZ’s Chief Meteorologist John Carroll made a special visit. He talked about how to figure out the weather by looking for signs in the sky.

If your interested in our weather team stopping by, always feel free to contact us at weather@ktvz.com

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Tracee Tuesday

(Update: Adding video)

CENTRAL OREGON [KTVZ] — Central Oregon’s housing market continues to evolve. It presents both challenges and opportunities.   

Affordability and supply, remain at the forefront of concerns.   

According to Rocket, in Bend, the median home list price reached $899,000, in April 2025. That’s a 14.5% increase from 2024.  

What follows is Redmond, with a median price of approximately $500,000. 

These rising prices, coupled with mortgage rates between 6% and 7%, make homeownership a challenge for many.     

In Bend, prices are also rising because of the type of ‘buyers,’ said Principal Broker, Lynnea Miller of Bend Premier Real Estate.   

“Believe it or not, we have a lot of people who are buying homes in the million-dollar price point – $2 million price point, who are cash buyers.  It depends on where they’re from, and so, our feeder markets typically are from the Bay Area. We steal from the Bay Area. We have a lot of people who have a lot of money moving into this area. and so that’s also driven our prices up. With a median home price of $830,000 it’s not affordable for the average person. They just can’t afford this town.”   

Another reason: Miller says, as of the date of this report, Bend only has four months of housing supply, indicating a seller’s market. 

Another main factor driving up housing costs: Developer fees.   

“You’re not trying to sit back and negate, like I said, the intent behind people introducing these new codes, because again, everybody loves trees. We want to live in a place that has a lot of trees. We want to live in places that the roads are nice. We want to live in places that the landscaping looks beautiful,” said Jason Myhre, Chief Communications Officer, with Pahlisch homes. 

Myhre added: “It’s very inviting so, we all want to live in those places, and Development wants to continue to develop those, places. But, it’s just trying to look at, again, are we continuing to add layers? And if so, it’s obviously going to affect, time and cost and, which then just gets passed on to the end consumer with the finished product.” 

Myhre also points out, we have to move away from finger-pointing on who’s responsible for the higher cost of building a home, as it’s a collaborative effort between your City and the Developer.   

So, what can you do as a consumer, to express your concerns over exorbitant fees and ultimately change the outcome?   

Reach out to your local City Council, as ‘they’ adopt the methodologies for System Development Charges (SDCs); fees paid by developers to help fund infrastructure for new growth.   

What about the folks who make normal working-class wages, but are not able to attain home ownership, like first-time home buyers? 

There are programs out there that can help, said Scott Nordquist, Vice President of Resource Development, of Bend-Redmond Habitat for Humanity. 

“What we do with Bend-Redmond Habitat for Humanity is we provide pathways to homeownership for regular working-class Oregonians. So, our typical home buyers are folks who make 25, $30 an hour.  Our buyers might have a mortgage of, you know, $1300, $1400, $1500, and then a few years from now, they still have that mortgage, so, as their wages continue to go up, they really have a foundation for stability, and a mortgage that they can afford.” 

Take a look at Bend-Redmond Habitat for Humanity’s Qualifications Guide. 

The minimum annual income range to qualify for a home is $35,000 to $56,720.  

If you’re not quite ready to become a homeowner, what are your rental options?    

That’s coming up in part ii of our Problem Solvers report.    

As Central Oregon navigates these housing challenges, the collaboration between policymakers, developers, and the community will be crucial in fostering a more balanced and inclusive market.    

KTVZ News will continue to monitor these developments and provide updates on efforts to enhance housing affordability and availability in the region.   

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John Carroll

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — On Thursday, the fourth-graders at Buckingham Elementary School got a visit from KTVZ Chief Meteorologist John Carroll to discuss weather forecasting.

The students were curious about the origin of the word “meteorologist” and found out it has little to do with meteors. They all became “weather detectives,” as John discussed how a meteorologist must look for clues to solve a mystery – and the mystery is the forecast.

They also enjoyed topics like the water cycle and the Adventures of Robbie the Raindrop, Carroll’s children’s book.

The KTVZ Local Alert Weather team would like to thank Ms. Sullivan for contacting us and helping arrange the visit.

If you’s like one of our meteorologists to come to your school, you can email john.carroll@ktvz.com or shannon.brady@ktvz.com and we can sort out the details of our visit.

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Barney Lerten

(Update: Police confirm subject of search, take wanted suspect into custody)

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Redmond Police released a statement Thursday evening regarding the arrest of a wanted fugitive after police surrounded a Redmond home for more than an hour.

Here is the latest release from the Redmond Police Department:

On May 22, 2025, at approximately 1:49 PM, Redmond Police Department (RPD) Investigators were able to identify Tyler Kane at a location in SW Redmond.  Tyler Kane, a 30-year-old-male, was originally sought on Tuesday, May 20.  He was wanted on a Probation Violation and several local charges in connection with a domestic violence incident and burglary.  RPD, with assistance from the Central Oregon Emergency Response Team (CERT), took Tyler Kane into custody at approximately 5:11 PM.  RPD utilized multiple resources during this operation,n including K9 and drones.   

Mr. Kane was taken into custody without incident.   

Mr. Kane was lodged at the Deschutes County Jail on a Probation Violation Warrant, Theft 1, Theft II, Burglary 1, Coercion, Harassment-Domestic Violence, and Criminal Mischief 1. 

RPD appreciates the services from our partner agencies the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, Bend Police Department, and CERT for their assistance on this call.  

RPD would like to remind the community if they, or someone they know, are a victim of intimate partner violence, you are not alone.  Resources are available by calling the Saving Grace hotline, available 24/7 at 541-389-7021. 

—

Earlier info:

Police equipped with several drones, a K-9 team and an armored car converged on a home in southwest Redmond Thursday afternoon, looking for and finding a fugitive wanted in burglary and domestic violence incidents.

Until the situation ended, the public was asked to avoid the area.

“There is a high police presence in the area of the 200 block of SW Third Street,” a Facebook post around 3:30 p.m. said. “Please avoid the area if possible to allow for resources to get into and out of the area. There is no known threat to the community at this time.”

A KTVZ News photographer reported seeing four drones on the scene and heard officers calling for “Tyler” to come out. Around 5:15 p.m., someone was taken into custody

Redmond Police Lt. April Huey later confirmed to KTVZ News they were looking for Tyler J. Kane. Police had asked the public for tips earlier in the week to find him.

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Barney Lerten

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Longer, warmer days are here—and so is Summer with the Library! Starting June 1, readers and adventurers of all ages can join the free Summer with the Library program and dive into a season of stories, activities, and fun. Participants can earn a free book at summer’s end. 

All reading counts—whether it’s a physical book, audiobook, e-book or anything in between. Track your progress with a paper reading and activity log or use the Beanstack app. Paper logs are available at all Deschutes Public Library locations starting June 1, or sign up online at dpls.beanstack.org/reader365. 

“Summer with the Library keeps minds engaged and celebrates the joy of reading,” says Deschutes Public Library’s Youth Services Supervisor Chandra vanEijnsbergen. “We create meaningful ways for people of all ages to stay connected and engaged all summer long.” 

Don’t miss the Summer with the Library Kick-off Celebration on Saturday, May 31 • 10:00 a.m.–noon at Alpenglow Park in Bend. This all-ages celebration features outdoor exhibits from the Children’s Museum of Central Oregon, live music from Ian and the Oopsies, library swag, and more. Check out our online calendar and events guide for a full lineup of programs happening in June, July, and August. 

“Not everyone can make it into the library, so we bring the Summer with the Library program to local communities,” says vanEijnsbergen. “Our Community Librarians deliver books and activities that spark curiosity and connection, wherever people are.” 

Visit the library’s website at www.deschuteslibrary.org/summer for a full list of programs, including when and where the library will be near you. 

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Barney Lerten

(Update: Adding video)

SISTERS, Ore. (KTVZ) — Muriatic acid fumes from a chemical storage closet on Tuesday brought Sisters-Camp Sherman firefighters and a Salem hazardous materials team to the Tollgate subdivision’s pool facility, officials said. No injuries were reported.

At 4:19 p.m., the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District was notified of a hazardous materials incident at the Tollgate subdivision pool facility, Shift Commander Pat Burke said in a news release Wednesday.

Maintenance personnel from the Tollgate Homeowners Association reported that muriatic acid was ”fuming” from the vents of the facility’s chemical storage closet.

Fire and EMS crews responded promptly and confirmed the presence of a hazardous materials spill. A safety perimeter was quickly established to contain the incident and protect nearby residents and property. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.

To support the containment efforts, Hazmat Team 13 from Salem Fire Department was dispatched to the scene. The spill was successfully mitigated, and fire crews were cleared from the scene at 10:18 p.m.

Agencies assisting in the response included the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District, Black Butte Rural Fire Protection District, and the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office.

The Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District reminds all residents and visitors in Sisters Country to report spills immediately. If a spill occurs and you are unsure how to handle it, evacuate the area and call 911. First responders are trained to safely contain and hazardous materials.

If you have questions about chemical safety or emergency preparedness, please contact the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District at 541-549-0771.

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