Category: ktvz-local-news

John Carroll

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Last year was a record year for wildfires in Oregon, as 1.93 million acres were burned, surpassing the old record of 1.2 million acres, set in 2012. Is this a byproduct of the warmer and drier climate? Can we expect more intense fires in the near future?

KTVZ Chief Meteorologist John Carroll spoke with Dr. Erica Fleischman, director of the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute and Professor at Oregon State University. Here’s what she had to say:

“The world is becoming a warmer place, the western United States is becoming a drier place, our population is increasing, so you have more people in areas that are increasingly fire-prone.

“As weather patterns change, it can become more difficult to suppress these wildfires, so increasingly wildland firefighters are reporting extreme wildfire behavior.

“We now have large fires that are burning in really hot and windy conditions. They are creating their own weather patterns, and it just isn’t safe to be on the ground or planes to be flying through these areas. If you have a wind-driven fire, and that is the most destructive to human lives and property, it is just not safe to have people in that fire path.”        

The population numbers are growing … more people, more sparks, more fires. The fuels are not native to the landscape.   

Cheatgrass over the High Desert grows in early spring and dies by late spring, leaving dry brush that once ignited will cause accelerated and rapid-fire growth.   

Extended periods of drought have dried out the ground litter … leaves, pine straw and sticks, if left unmanaged, will intensify the fire potential and the rapid growth.  

So we have these variables, all contributing factors to growing wildfire behavior, but now…. add in a warmer climate, which is happening, and you double down on the danger and devastation.       

We can do things that will help. Prescribed burns will reduce the undergrowth in forests, planting fire-resistant plants will help, being aware of our behavior when we are out and about. All of these will help. We are not going to stop the wildfires, but we can do our best to try to stop them before they start.

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KTVZ – News Team

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Are you looking for something to do this weekend in Central Oregon? Matthew Draxton highlights three local events, from a new bike festival supporting the Bend Endurance Academy to an Earth Day celebration!

For many more, and to submit your own events, visit https://events.ktvz.com.

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Dylan Anderman

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — If you’ve opened social media recently, you’ve likely seen it — hundreds, even thousands of people dumping ice water over their heads. No, it’s not the return of the viral ALS Ice Bucket Challenge from 2014. This time, it’s the Speak Your Mind Challenge, and it’s sparking a national conversation around mental health.

What Is the Speak Your Mind Challenge?

The challenge was created by the University of South Carolina’s student-led organization, MIND — short for Mental Illness Needs Discussion — in partnership with the national nonprofit Active Minds, a leader in mental health awareness and education.

The mission? To get people talking about mental health in a way that’s fun, creative, and community-driven.

How It Works

The challenge is simple:

After being nominated by someone, you record a video of yourself pouring ice-cold water over your head.

Before you get soaked, you nominate 2 to 5 other people to take on the challenge.

Post the video to social media using the hashtag #SpeakyourMIND and tag @uscmind.

Optionally, participants can donate to the USC MIND fundraising page, where 100% of proceeds go to Active Minds.

It’s a lighthearted but powerful way to spread awareness — and in just a few weeks, it’s taken off across the country.

Central Oregon Joins the Movement

Right here in Central Oregon, local students and athletes have jumped in — literally — to support the cause. From creative takes involving tractors to bold jumps into rivers the youth in our community are proving that nothing can stop them from speaking their mind — and supporting mental health awareness while they’re at it.

At its heart, the Speak Your Mind Challenge is about breaking the stigma around mental illness, encouraging open conversations, and showing that mental health matters — in every community.

Whether you’re in South Carolina or Central Oregon, it’s clear: The movement is making an impact.

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Barney Lerten

(Update: adding video)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — When a piece of hardware – like a screw – needs to be inserted into a patient’s spine, it’s important that it is placed in precisely the right spot.

“The margin for error is very, very small when inserting instrumentation into the spine. One to two millimeters can make a huge difference as to where you put a screw into the spine,” said neurosurgeon Dr. Raymond Tien.

Now, thanks to donors to St. Charles Foundation, spinal surgeons in Central Oregon are the first in the state to have access to a new, state-of-the-art spinal navigation system to help ensure that spinal surgeries performed at St. Charles are incredibly accurate. The Seaspine 7D spine navigation system arrived last fall and it allows surgeons to see the spine in three dimensions while inserting a piece of hardware.  

Tien just used the system for the first time to place hardware in the spine of a patient.

“The procedure went perfectly and faster than it would have gone previously. It’s eye opening how accurate this system is and how easy it is to use,” said Tien.

Patients may need this kind of procedure due to a degenerative or congenital condition or medical trauma, like a fall or car crash. When placed correctly, hardware can help stabilize an unstable spine.

For the past 20 years, surgeons performed spinal surgeries using an X-ray unit in the Operating Room to help them visualize the anatomy. Tien says surgeons took many X-rays of the spine to create as complete a picture as possible. However, he says, the two-dimensional images are not as accurate as 3D images – and the process exposed everyone in the room to a lot of radiation.

With the new system, patients get a high-resolution CT scan prior to surgery. That scan is uploaded to the computer as a reference. Surgeons then place a marker on the patient’s spine that a camera can see. The navigation system has an array of lasers and light-emitting diodes that take a flash photo of the marker exposed in the spine. With those images, surgeons then have an accurate 3D model of a patient’s spine.

“We can see directly on the computer where we are touching and see in very high fidelity where we are inserting the hardware and make adjustments on the fly,” said Tien. “This tool provides us an incredible level of accuracy and precision.”

St. Charles Foundation Executive Director Jenny O’Bryan says this piece of equipment is the largest investment the organization has made in 2024 – spending nearly $700,000 to bring the Seaspine 7D spinal navigation system to Central Oregon.

“Our donors want to ensure that Central Oregonians are receiving the best care possible from the best providers, utilizing the best equipment available. If you or your loved ones need spinal surgery, you want to know that your surgeons have the best equipment on hand. Thanks to our donors, that’s the case,” said O’Bryan.

In addition to its precision, Tien says the new tool also helps save time for patients. He also believes it will allow for surgeons to take on more complex cases.

“There is a real tangible value in the level of patient care that we can provide now that we weren’t able to prior to this,” said Tien. “Without a doubt, we are very grateful for what the donors to the Foundation have been able to do for the hospital and for the community.”

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Barney Lerten

NEWELL, Calif. (KTVZ) — Modoc County, California authorities shared some photos with the public this week, warning of a wolf that was spotted in the area, south of the Oregon-California border. that’s apparently not fearful of people.

The wolf was seen Tuesday morning off Highway 139, north of the Dry Lake Fire Station, sheriff’s deputies said in a Facebook post.

“The person that took the photos said that wolf was not threatened by his presence as he stopped along the road to take pictures,” deputies said, adding: “We are working with livestock producers in the area to spread the word.”

Modoc County is about four hours south of Bend, along the Oregon-Nevada border

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Jillian Fortner

(Update: adding video, comments from Deschutes County Health Services and Bend father)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – According to Deschutes County Health Services, dog attack reports have increased from the previous year.

The majority of reported animal bites occurred in the city of Bend.

“Dogs are the No. 1 one (bite reports) around the area. They represent about 95 percent” of the total, Environmental Health Specialist Brody Hodges told KTVZ News.

Most attacks happen in the spring and summer, with May usually being the peak month. They are reported from inside the home, as well as at dog parks and by those who are walking or running on area trails.

Bend resident John Heylin tells us his daughter was bitten by a dog at a garage sale in Bend. He says the bite tore out a part of his 8-year-old’s lip, and she has needed multiple surgeries.

“She has a permanent scar on her face and has changed from a kid who loved dogs to one that I have to pick up whenever a dog comes near her,” Heylin said Thursday.

Heylin said he enjoys walking on the trail behind his house with his daughter, but worries about the increase he sees in off-leash dogs.

“I see dogs off-leash back here all the time, and they shouldn’t be,” he said.

In Bend, dogs should be leashed unless they’re in one of the nine designated off-leash areas.

“Feels like there’s a crescendo of issues with dogs off-leash, especially in the last year,” Heylin said. “If you go on Reddit, if you go on Nextdoor, if you go on Facebook, people complain about it, but nothing’s really being done.”

After this experience, Heylin is pushing for tougher leash laws across the city.

He’s still frustrated by the lack of consequences for the dog who hurt his daughter. His family is consulting with a lawyer to explore seeking damages for his daughter’s surgery expenses.

“As far as what’s going on with my daughter and I, I mean, the homeowner’s insurance doesn’t cover that breed of dog, so we’re kind of (stuck) with what we can do at this point,” Heylin said.

Deschutes County Health Service says if you report a dog bite, the dog is required to be quarantined for 10 days. You can learn more about animal bites at a Deschutes County web page here.

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Kelsey Merison

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The City of Redmond has set a goal to reduce water usage by 10% this summer, with the community’s help.

According to the city, Redmond’s water usage typically increases during the summer months, from 2.6 million gallons to more than 14 million gallons per day.

The goal is all a part of a nationwide challenge to be both proactive and reactive.

“Every year, nationwide, there’s a Mayor’s Water Challenge to try and reduce your use of water by about 10%, (that) would be the ideal goal. But anything is great,” Redmond Mayor Ed Fitch told KTVZ News. “We’ve been doing it every year, and it makes a difference. If we’re successful, the winning person by lottery would probably get a lot of prizes, non-cash prizes from the Wyland Foundation.”

Fitch has a few tips and incentives for reducing water usage.

“If you can irrigate a little better, if you can use your water more wisely, there’s a lot of opportunities to conserve. And on the city website, there’s opportunities to get rebates for better irrigation systems, better irrigation controls, nozzles inside your home to reduce the intake of water,” Fitch said.

The Mayor says the city will be working with the Legislature and the state Water Resources Department to come up with more ways to reduce its water usage for years to come.

“Obviously, we live in a high desert. With climate change, there’s been less precipitation, hotter temperatures. We’re also seeing a huge population growth. So there’s a lot of concern at the state level that they cannot allocate any more water because it’s been overused in our aquifer,” Fitch said.

“We also had a slight reduction in the level of the aquifer over the past 10 or 15 years.. Access to future water is going to depend upon better conservation, more stewardship of the water that we have.”

Click here to view the city’s water conservation rebates page on its website.

—

Here’s the city’s news release on the effort:

Redmond Joins National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation, April 1-30 – Residents Encouraged to Submit their Conservation Efforts at mywaterpledge.com 

REDMOND, OREGON – This April, City of Redmond Mayor Ed Fitch joins mayors across the nation in challenging residents to make a long-term commitment to conserve water, reduce pollution, and manage natural resources more efficiently. By participating in the National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation, residents of Redmond can contribute to their city’s water conservation goals while competing to win over $50,000 in eco-friendly prizes, including $3,000 toward home utility bills, water-saving fixtures, and more. 

“Decreasing water availability is a reality that requires us all to rethink our stewardship of this natural resource.  Last summer the city crews shortened water schedules in parks, fixed leaks, and updated sprinkler heads, successfully reducing water use by 12% (7,273,862 gallons) from the prior year,” states Mayor Ed Fitch. “I encourage residents to take the pledge, no matter how small, and learn first-hand the impact they can have when we work together.” 

Residents can participate in the challenge by visiting www.mywaterpledge.com between April 1-30 to make a series of simple, online pledges to conserve water, reduce pollution, and save energy. The initiative, started over a decade ago, was conceived by a group of mayors looking for innovative ways to engage their communities in addressing water challenges across the United States. Each year, residents from over 2,000 cities across the nation pledge to reduce their freshwater consumption by billions of gallons, cut millions of pounds of waste sent to landfills, and prevent thousands of pounds of hazardous waste from entering local watersheds. 

This year, the challenge introduces new features, such as an AI-driven impact insight tool that helps residents see how their pledges address local water issues, reduce utility costs, and enhance community health. Residents can also participate in the MyVolunteer Water Project, a year-round platform that offers hands-on opportunities to support sustainability through home, community, and workplace projects.  

The National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation is presented by the Wyland Foundation, with support from the U.S. EPA WaterSense, The Toro Company, Zenni Optical, and the National League of Cities. 

About the Wyland Foundation 

Founded in 1993 by environmental artist Wyland, the Wyland Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting, protecting, and preserving the world’s oceans, waterways, and marine life. Through community events, education programs, and public art initiatives, the foundation inspires environmental stewardship across the globe. Learn more at www.wylandfoundation.org. 

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