Category: ktvz-local-news

KTVZ – News Team

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — In an effort to reduce traffic and improve air quality, Commute Options is putting on its annual “Get There Challenge.”

The contest is set to promote greener, more active, and more affordable transportation options–that includes taking transit, walking, biking, carpooling, and opting for remote work. 

The goal is to help Oregon become a better place to live, work, and play.

The event will take place from October 1st to October 14th. Participants in the challenge are automatically entered to win prizes across the state.

Top trip loggers in 10 categories can win $100 e-gift cards at the end of the two week challenge. All participants will be entered in a raffle to win prizes from local sponsors.

Click here to learn more on the Commute Options website.

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Spencer Sacks

(Update: Full Story with quotes from Bend City Engineering Director, Ryan Oster and added video)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ News) — The Bend City Council voted unanimously late wednesday afternoon on a new shared bike and pedestrian bridge design.

During its bi-weekly work session, the council discussed a variety of projects in the midtown crossing area.

One of which is the Hawthorne Bridge connecting the east and west sides of Highway 97, ideally making it safer for pedestrians to cross. 

The council has now selected a new design planners believe will alleviate money concerns, and be within the city’s budget.

KTVZ News spoke with Ryan Oster, the city’s engineering director, to learn more.

“We’ve added a couple of years worth of escalation into things such as material cost and labor costs. so as projected right now, we think we’re within budget to start constructing in ’27 or ’28,” he said.

This new design, known as a Truss Bridge type, received rave reviews from the council.

While there are concerns of where the money comes from, the city got major grants from the state and federal governments, totaling close to $30 million.

Oster added, “Just want to emphasize, because I think there’s a lot of people that might not quite fully understand, that very, very little of the funding for this is actually coming from local sources. There’s very little coming from the voter passed, GO (general obligation) bond. We used that couple million dollars in seed money to acquire the state and federal grant money. So it’s a wonderful investment for the community and requires very little money from from the ratepayers here in the city.”

While there’s still a long way to go, city officials said they are excited about the prospects of what could become a landmark piece of Bend. City officials will be meeting again in the near future to finalize the specific bridge design.

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KTVZ

SEATTLE (KTVZ) – The U.S. Coast Guard rescued a fisherman early Tuesday morning after his commercial fishing vessel capsized near the entrance to Waldport, Oregon. 

Around 5:40 a.m., watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Columbia River received a VHF radio mayday call from the commercial fishing vessel Ambition, reporting it was disabled in the surf near the entrance to the Alsea River. 

The mariner stopped responding to radio calls shortly after, officials said. 

Sector Columbia River issued an urgent marine information broadcast and launched a 47-foot motor lifeboat crew from Coast Guard Station Yaquina Bay and an MH-65E Dolphin helicopter crew from Air Station North Bend.

Sector Columbia River also contacted the nearby commercial vessel, the Predator, which agreed to assist. 

The helicopter crew arrived on scene first and decided they were the best resource to assist, officials said. They deployed a rescue swimmer and safely hoisted the man from the water.

Once aboard the helicopter, the crew evaluated the captain for mild hypothermia and transported him to Samaritan Hospital in Newport for a higher level of care. 

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Barney Lerten

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Central Oregon Community College announced Thursday a new $1.33 million grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration that will provide scholarships and paid field placements in behavioral health for up to 18 students a year.

“This funding will bring essential support for students pursuing futures as qualified mental health associates and certified alcohol and drug counselors, with an overall goal of increasing the number of behavioral health paraprofessionals in our area,” said project lead Sean Roberts, Ph.D., an assistant professor in COCC’s human services program.

Here’s the rest of the COCC announcement about the new grant:

Enrolled COCC students pursuing a certificate or associate degree will receive scholarships of $4,000 and living stipends of $6,000 to complete a practicum. 

“These students will fill a critical health gap in Oregon while building meaningful careers,” Roberts added.

The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration has designated Central Oregon as a health professional shortage area. A 2022 study by the Oregon Health Authority found that Oregon ranked fourth in the U.S. in unmet mental health needs.

The behavioral health employment need across the country is significant, expected to rise by 17% between 2024-34, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

COCC’s addiction counseling and behavioral health program offers a workforce-ready associate degree and three-term certificate — the latter with 100 of the 1,000 supervised hours required for the state exam.

Students can complete all the certificate-focused coursework needed to pursue their addiction counseling certification in just nine months, attending classes two days a week.

The trainings provide all the necessary coursework and field experience for students to attain state certification to become a certified alcohol and drug counselor and/or a qualified mental health associate.

The program also offers an Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer degree, with a focus on behavioral health.

For more information, contact Sean Roberts at 541-617-4614 or sroberts5@cocc.edu.

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Barney Lerten

(Update: Investigators find cause of house fire)

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Authorities have found the cause of a fire that heavily damaged a southwest Redmond home Wednesday night. Residents got out unhurt and firefighters stopped its spread to nearby trees and grass.

Redmond Fire & Rescue crews were sent around 9:20 p.m. to the reported fire in the 300 block of Southwest 35th Street, Fire Marshal/Public Information Officer Tom Mooney said.

Crews arrived to find flames erupting from the single-story home and spreading to the trees and grass, he said. They quickly deployed hand lines to put out the house fire and stop its spread into the wildland-urban interface.

As the fire was quickly brought under control, crews learned all occupants escaped without injuries. Mooney said a resident was displaced and is being assisted by family members.

Mooney said Thursday that the “cause of the fire was determined to be the improper disposal of smoking material, igniting nearby vegetation. The fire then spread to the wooden deck that was attached to the residence and then damaged the residence.” 

“Redmond Fire & Rescue would like to thank Cloverdale RFPD, Redmond Police and Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance,” Mooney said in a news release.

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John Carroll

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — What a trio of gardens this week!

Deanna sent in a lovely picture of her paradise complete with mountain views and birds overhead.

Suzie sent in her pergola picture that she simply calls “Our Garden.”

Finally, we have a lovely garden sent in by Audrey. This garden delight has a “real-life Gnome” hidden in the foliage. See if you can spot the Gnome.

Thanks for sending in the great pictures this week! See many more and share yours for a chance of a prize, under the Contests tab here.

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Harley Coldiron

MADRAS, Ore. (KTVZ) — Hundreds of inmates at Deer Ridge Correctional Institution gathered this week to watch a basketball game between prisoners, correctional officers, and the Side Door Foundation—a nonprofit that travels the country using sports to build community and promote rehabilitation inside prisons.

“It’s pretty cool, something special,” said Marcus, one of the incarcerated men at Deer Ridge. “Doing more things like this definitely helps out our community here. It brings us together as one.”

The Side Door Foundation, which has introduced similar programs to 11 prisons in six states, utilizes sports as a means to foster connections, highlight potential, and instill hope in inmates.

For Frank, who has been behind bars for seven years, the experience was a first. “I’ve never really seen people come together like this,” he said. “It’s pretty cool.”

The man behind the program, Brett Hollins, understands the challenges of incarceration firsthand. Once a Marine and a star basketball player at Southern Oregon University, Hollins spent four years in prison himself. It was there that he decided his path forward would lead him back inside prisons, this time to inspire others.

“All it takes is one decision,” Hollins said. “Seeing the amount of people here that need help, I can’t put this behind me. Just showing up gives them a sense of hope that they can go out and live a productive life after this.”

On the court, Hollins still has skills, and the prisoners know it. They erupted in cheers when he blocked an inmate’s shot, and gave him some friendly trash talk after a few baskets they called “lucky.”

Yet, even with his experience playing college basketball, it wasn’t enough to stop the Deer Ridge team. They controlled the game the entire time and went on to win 71-54.

Between coaching and organizing the events, he joined in the action, battling both inmates and community members like Summit High School basketball coach Joe Wells.

“For us to be able to do that through sport, it’s magical,” Wells said. “The opportunities I get to help these young men on their path—wherever they’re going—are powerful.”

Hollins stresses the importance of accountability, but also of second chances. “Ninety percent of inmates are coming home,” he said. “If we’re not willing to give them opportunities, how are they supposed to live a productive life?”

For many inmates, the games offer not just entertainment, but a reminder of what life could look like beyond prison walls. “Just promoting positivity,” Marcus said.

Frank added, “I want to get out, be with my family, and try to get a good job. Change the things I used to do.”

For Hollins, that message is the ultimate goal: showing that redemption is possible, one game at a time.

Side Door Foundation is funded entirely through Hollins students’ loans as he pursues his master’s degree. If you want to donate to his cause, click the link here.

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Barney Lerten

UPDATE: Adding video

CHEYENNE, Wyoming (KTVZ) — A Bend man has been sentenced to two years in federal prison and a year of supervised release for hitting a Yellowstone National Park employee with his car a year ago.

David Tyler Regnier, 67, was sentenced Monday after being convicted by a federal jury in May on a felony charge of assaulting a federal employee with a dangerous weapon. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Kelly H. Rankin also ordered the defendant to pay a $10,000 fine, the U.S. Attorney’s Office confirmed Wednesday to KTVZ News.

According to court documents and evidence presented at Regnier’s three-day trial, on September 18, 2024, two Yellowstone National Park employees were directing traffic near Canyon Junction, where road construction was underway. They noticed a Jeep approaching the intersection and driving the wrong way down the road to bypass waiting traffic.

Prosecutors said Regnier expressed his displeasure at how traffic was being directed through the construction zone.

One employee told Regnier that he could not proceed and needed to back up. The other employee stood in the way of the Jeep with a stop sign. Regnier accelerated, driving into the employee and physically pushing him backwards. The employee jumped out of the Jeep’s path after it struck him.

Regnier was later stopped by Yellowstone National Park Service law enforcement officers and arrested.

Regnier faced a potential sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison, with three years of supervised release, along with a fine up to $250,000.

National Park Service law enforcement officers investigated the crime. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook prosecuted the case.

The Cowboy State Daily reported the sentencing judge rejected a defense objection claiming that Regnier’s conduct did not constitute aggravated assault. Rankin said his use of the Jeep made the vehicle a “deadly weapon,” intending to do more than just frighten the employee.

Though the employee was able to jump out of the way, prosecutor Cook argued that conditions that rainy day could have caused the worker to slip under the car’s tires and be seriously injured.

Regnier gave an emotional statement to the court, apologizing to the federal employee he had hit. His defense claimed his conduct that day was tied to medical problems that led him to panic. Defense attorney Ryan Wright said Regnier was desperately seeking a bathroom.

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Claire Elmer

(Update: Adding video)

SISTERS, Ore. (KTVZ) — First responders for the recent, devastating Flat Fire received a large donation Wednesday morning in Sisters. A total of $25,000 was donated by AT&T and First Net. 

Of the total, $15,000 was given to the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District and $10,000 went to the Red Cross of Central and Eastern Oregon. 

Firefighters from across the state came to Central Oregon to fight the over-23,000-acre fire, saving hundreds of homes. The Red Cross also responded right away, providing resources to evacuees. 

The donations are meant to recognize those heroic efforts, and help with both recovery and future preparedness.

Steven Lord, community risk manager for Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire, spoke with KTVZ about what they plan to do with the donated money. 

“All the money that we get are going to go towards us developing a program that we can actually do some fuels mitigation to help out of our all of our constituents,” Lord said. 

Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire Chief Tony Prior echoed Lord’s sentiment, saying, “Funding in the plans that we have is is tough to do on a normal budget. It’s nice to see other agencies invest in that, because we believe it’s important, but they also do too, so we’re sharing that value together.”

Morgan Schmidt, executive director of the Red Cross of Central and Eastern Oregon, was also present to accept the donation on behalf of the organization. 

Schmidt said, “We’re really grateful, and it helps us do what we do, not only during fire season, but also year round — which is show up on somebody’s hardest day and be a comforting presence, a safe place to rest, a place to get a hot meal.”

Both the fire department and Red Cross say preparation is key. As a reminder, you can book a free fire risk evaluation with the fire district for recommendations on preparing your property for fire season. 

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