Category: ktvz-local-news

Barney Lerten

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — A wanted Bend man who eluded a police manhunt in April tried to flee again after a Walmart shoplifting incident Thursday evening by driving from a car’s front passenger seat, but was caught and arrested, police said.

Around 6:20 p.m., Thursday, May 29, Bend Police were investigating a hit-and-run crash in the parking lot of Walmart when they were contacted by loss prevention personnel about a pair of shoplifters who left the store without paying for more than $500 in groceries and placed them in the trunk of a white sedan, police Communications Manager Sheila Miller said.

When officers contacted the car’s occupants, they tried to flee before stopping. The front passenger, later identified as David Alan Mills, 46, then repeatedly attempted to drive the vehicle from the passenger seat in an effort to get away from officers, Miller said.  

Mills had an outstanding felony warrant for first-degree burglary, felon in possession of a firearm, unlawful use of a weapon, menacing and fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer stemming from an April 17 incident in which a large manhunt took place and northeast Bend residents were alerted about two men, one possibly armed, who ran from officers at a traffic stop.

Mills was taken into custody and taken first to St. Charles Bend before being booked into the Deschutes County Jail on the warrant, as well as new charges of second-degree theft (shoplifting), misdemeanor driving with a suspended license and methamphetamine possession.  

Mills was arraigned Friday on two formal misdemeanor charges of meth possession and second-degree theft and is scheduled to enter a plea on June 20, court records show. He has a lengthy arrest record dating back at least 20 years. Jail records Friday show Mills is being held without bail for a parole violation.

Click here to follow the original article.

Barney Lerten

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Redmond Municipal Airport announced Friday that American Airlines will again provide direct seasonal service to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), beginning next Thursday, June 5, through October 6.

The non-stop flights will depart from RDM at 12:37 P.M., arriving in DFW at 6:10 P.M. Departures to RDM will leave DFW at 10:15 A.M., arriving in RDM at 12:31 P.M. 

“This will be the farthest eastbound direct flight offered at RDM and will connect passengers to some outstanding locations,” states Airport Director Zachary Bass.

“American Airlines has more than 800 outbound flights departing daily from DFW, significantly increasing travel options for Central Oregon business and leisure passengers connecting through Dallas.”

The daily non-stop flights will be operated by American Airlines utilizing the Airbus A320 series aircraft, which accommodates up to 150 passengers, configured with 12 recliner seats in first class and 138 seats in economy. 

This new service to DFW will operate alongside continuing nonstop service to Phoenix (PHX), providing local residents access with just one stop across American’s comprehensive global network. 

With this new flight, RDM now offers direct flights to 13 locations: Burbank, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Palm Springs, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Rosa, and Seattle.

The Redmond Airport terminal is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Boarding lounge amenities include a children’s play area, Nursing Room, a free book exchange, a coffee/gift shop, a family-friendly restaurant, and a full-service bar (located post-security) that opens daily at 10:00 A.M. 

Additional links to TSA, Airport amenities, Air Carrier, and flight information can be found online at www.flyrdm.com.

Click here to follow the original article.

Barney Lerten

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) — With a warm and windy weekend ahead, Redmond Fire & Rescue decided to close outdoor debris burning for the season and enact a burn ban Friday evening at sunset, two days ahead of earlier plans.

During the closure, until further notice, all outdoor debris burning is prohibited in all areas served by Redmond Fire & Rescue in Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson counties.

Fire Marshal Tom Mooney told KTVZ News the early closure was “due to the (forecast) high winds. Our threshold is anything over 10 mph.”

As a reminder, the closure of outdoor debris burning and the enactment of the burn ban prohibits all of the following:

1. Backyard or open burning (branches, yard debris, etc.).

2. Agricultural burning (agricultural wastes, crops, field burning, ditches etc.).

3. Any other land clearing, slash, stump, waste, debris or controlled burning.

4. The use of any type of weed burning torches.

5. Bonfires

3. Burn Barrels

The burn ban does not prohibit:

1. Small outdoor cooking, warming or recreational fires at residential properties. These include portable or permanent fire pits, fire tables, and campfires, with a maximum fuel area of three feet in diameter and two feet in height in a safe location away from combustibles or vegetation and are fully extinguished after use.

2. Barbeque grills, smokers and similar cooking appliances with clean, dry firewood, briquettes, wood chips, pellets, propane, natural gas, or similar fuels.

There may be more restrictive fire safety rules on Deschutes County-Owned Land and Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF)-protected land. ODF restrictions may include prohibitions on campfires, smoking, target shooting, powered equipment, motorized vehicles, and other public/private landowner and industrial fire restrictions. More details about ODF fire restrictions are available at Oregon Department of Forestry Public Fire Restrictions. More details about fire restrictions are available at Deschutes County-Owned Land.

Outdoor fires in violation of this closure will be immediately extinguished. If a fire agency responds to a fire that has been started in willful violation of this closure, the person responsible may be liable for all costs incurred, as well as legal fees per ORS 478.965. Burning restrictions are authorized under Oregon Revised Statute 478.960, Oregon Fire Code 307 and Redmond Fire & Rescue Ordinance 5. 

Redmond Fire & Rescue encourages the public to use extreme caution with activities that could start a fire. It is everyone’s responsibility to prevent and be prepared for wildfires. Residents are encouraged to continue exercising caution and taking steps to prevent and prepare for the threat of wildfires. That includes:

Creating defensible space:

• Mowing and watering lawns.

• Removing brush, dry grass, and leaves from underneath decks and crawlspaces.

• De-limbing tree branches 6 feet off the ground and well away from your roof.

• Planting low-growing, fire-resistant plants near your home.

• Eliminating fuel sources near and around your home – firewood, fuel tanks, etc.

To request a defensible space assessment of your property please visit, www.rdmfire.org.

Maintaining access:

• The road or driveway to your home should be clear of all debris, dense vegetation, and low-hanging branches. The roadway should be at least 12 feet wide drivable. Turn-out areas are needed if the road or driveway to your home is not large enough for two-way traffic or your home is located at the end of a long driveway or dead-end road.

• The driveway to your home should be designed without sharp curves or steep grades.

• If crossing a bridge is necessary to access your home, it should support 75,000 pounds.

Signing up for Alerts:

To make sure you are receiving the most current alerts regarding Emergency Evacuations (Fire, Flooding, Public Welfare, etc.), Natural Disasters (Fire, Flooding, etc.), Severe Weather or Neighborhood Emergencies, you can sign up for Deschutes Alerts.

Click here to follow the original article.

Barney Lerten

(Update: New fire update)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — A wildfire broke out Friday north of Skyliners Road, about four miles west of Bend, putting up smoke that was visible over a wide area as crews quickly stopped its spread and worked to put it out.

The Trail 32 Fire (Incident 185) was reported around 2:45 p.m. and later determined it burned about a half-acre before its forward progress was stopped. Crews were building a hand line around the fire, which burned in grass, brush, logs and duff.

While the fire burned in the area of the Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District of the Deschutes National Forest, officials said later the point of origin was found to be on private land.

“The fire was human-caused and is under investigation,” officials said shortly after 5 p.m., as crews began mop-up operations.

No structures were threatened, they said. Three engines and a hand crew were working to finish containment.

Shortly after she left the fire scene, Bend Deputy Fire Marshal Cindy Kettering told KTVZ News, “A number of Forest Service and Oregon Department of Forestry resources are on scene.”

A helicopter and fixed-wing plane were the first air resources on scene to assist.

Kettering said when she left the scene, “they were already getting a good knock on it.”

The fire had a moderate rate of spread in trees and brush and was burning on the ground, not up in the trees, Kettering said.

The fire was constrained on the west side by a rock cliff and to the East by a Forest Service road.

Click here to follow the original article.

Barney Lerten

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) – The Oregon Department of Forestry on Friday deployed 14 firefighters to Alberta, Canada, four to Alaska, three to Minnesota and one to Florida to help fight wildfires.

“With fire season beginning in some parts of the state, this will be the agency’s last big out-of-state resource push until the rainy fall returns in Oregon,” ODF said in their announcement.  

ODF Public Affairs Officer Jessica Neujahr told KTVZ News that the two firefighters going to Alaska, Ben Duda and Eric Metzger, are from Sisters, while some of the others are from John Day and Fossil.

Those being deployed to Alberta and Alaska are going through the Northwest Compact, which is a mutual assistance agreement among six states and five NW Canadian provinces and territories. Those deployed to Minnesota and Florida are going through state-to-state mutual aid agreements.

Both agreements are in place for organizations to easily share resources with one another, creating a larger and more comprehensive fire management system.  

“These agreements help bolster Oregon’s complete and coordinated fire protection system and create a cache of reciprocal resources for all of us to call on when needed,” said Michael Curran, ODF’s Fire Protection Division Chief.

When wildfire activity is low in Oregon, firefighters can be spared to help in places experiencing high levels of wildfire. This two-week rotation with our partners is our firefighters’ chance to enhance existing skills, learn new ones, and build on long-standing relationships.

“Know that we don’t share these resources without appropriate vetting. Before committing to any out-of-state deployment, we make sure that our own fire management system is still adequately staffed and ready to respond to fires here in Oregon. Serving Oregonians is our first and primary priority,” said Curran.

Oregon can and has called on its out-of-state partners to send resources when wildfires here exceeded our local and state response capacity, most recently in 2024 when ODF received firefighters and equipment from about 21 states, provinces and territories.

Click here to follow the original article.

Barney Lerten

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Central Oregon drug agents raided and dismantled an illegal psilocybin mushroom grow operation at a southeast Bend apartment this week and arrested a resident on drug charges.

Members of the Deschutes County Illegal Marijuana Market Enforcement (DCIMME) team and the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement (CODE) team concluded a drug investigation with Wednesday’s raid, Bend Police Lt. Mike Landolt said.

A short-term investigation revealed that Nygel Marcus Boothe, 29, was manufacturing and distributing psilocybin mushrooms. On Wednesday, detectives served a search warrant at an apartment in the Stillwater Crossing Apartments. 

Landolt said detectives located a large-scale psilocybin grow within the residence where Boothe, his girlfriend and two juvenile children reside.  Detectives located psilocybin mushrooms, a psilocybin mushroom grow operation, a handgun, and evidence of drug distribution within the apartment.   

“Detectives were aware of the dangers associated with a psilocybin mushroom grow within a residence, which pose a significant health hazard for people living in that environment,” Landolt said in a news release. “All evidence and hazardous items were removed from the apartment as part of this investigation.”

The Oregon Department of Human Services was contacted and responded to the location to assist police and assure the safety of the children.

Boothe was taken to the Deschutes County Jail and booked on several drug charges.

Court records show Boothe was arraigned Thursday on two felony counts of manufacturing and delivery of a controlled substance. He was granted conditional release, including no use or possession of controlled substances without a valid prescription and not to associate with those using illegal drugs or frequenting places where they are used, kept or sold. He’s due back in court June 24 for arraignment on an expected grand jury indictment.

Landolt said Boothe was living with a “significant other” who may be facing similar criminal charges at a later date, after the case is presented to a grand jury. 

Landolt said DCIMME would like to thank the Bend Police Department and the Department of Human Services for their assistance during this investigation. 

The Central Oregon Drug Enforcement (CODE) team is a multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force supported by the Oregon-Idaho High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program and the following Central Oregon law enforcement agencies:  Bend Police Department, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, Redmond Police Department,  Prineville Police Department, Crook County Sheriff’s Office, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Madras Police Department, Oregon State Police, Sunriver Police Department, Black Butte Police Department, United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Warm Springs Tribal Police Department, Deschutes, Crook, and Jefferson County District Attorney’s, and the Oregon National Guard.

The Oregon-Idaho HIDTA program is an Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sponsored counterdrug grant program that coordinates and provides funding resources to multi-agency drug enforcement task forces to disrupt or dismantle local, multi-state and international drug trafficking organizations.

Click here to follow the original article.

Barney Lerten

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — Oregon Governor Tina Kotek has formally requested Presidential Disaster Declarations to provide federal support for flood recovery in communities devastated by the 2025 floods across Coos, Curry, Douglas, and Harney counties.

“Although this disaster hit some of the most economically vulnerable communities of our state, residents had each other’s back and got through the initial emergency. But they can’t do recovery alone,” Governor Kotek said. “These communities urgently need both state and federal support to help them recover.” 

The Governor’s Presidential Disaster Declaration request includes: 

Public Assistance for Coos, Curry, Douglas, and Harney counties to repair roads, public buildings, and utilities. 

Individual Assistance for Coos, Curry, and Douglas counties, and separately for Harney County and the Burns Paiute Tribe, to support families displaced by flood damage. 

Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funding statewide to invest in long-term resilience and flood protection. 

The requested declarations would open access to federal funds to help with cleanup, emergency housing, infrastructure repair, and long-term rebuilding. They would also support hazard mitigation projects like reinforced levees, improved floodplain management, and more.

“This is the second major disaster Harney County has faced in a year, following wildfires in 2024,” Oregon Department of Emergency Management Director Erin McMahon said. “With limited local capacity, federal resources are essential to help these communities recover and to prevent future devastation.” 

From mid-March to mid-April, Oregon experienced a historic combination of severe storms, rapid snowmelt, and record-level rainfall. The resulting floods caused landslides, infrastructure failure, and widespread displacement, especially in isolated, rural areas. Homes, businesses, bridges, and utility systems were damaged or destroyed. Many residents are still unable to return home. 

In Harney County, the situation was especially severe. The flooding breached levees and led to the failure of the only wastewater system serving the City of Burns and the Burns Paiute Tribe. Sewage-contaminated floodwaters caused serious public health hazards, damaged homes, and forced extended evacuations.

On March 17, Governor Kotek declared a state of emergency due to flooding and landslides in Southern Oregon. On March 31, the Governor declared another emergency due to severe flooding in Southeastern Oregon.

The requested declarations would open access to federal resources to help eligible individuals and households with uninsured or underinsured expenses and serious needs, support economically and physically impacted small businesses, and support public infrastructure repairs and long-term rebuilding. They would also support hazard mitigation projects like reinforced levees, improved floodplain management, and more resilient infrastructure. For updates and information on available recovery resources, visit www.Oregon.gov/OEM. 

Explore the interactive story map to see the devastating impacts of Oregon’s 2025 floods and the ongoing recovery efforts in Coos, Curry, Douglas, and Harney counties: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/5b3ecd47075844fe8a1d95f28a8e643b 

Click here to follow the original article.

Jillian Fortner

(Updated with comments; Jillian Fortner has a report at Six

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Oregon’s ski season got off to its earliest start in decades, with lifts spinning before Thanksgiving at both Mt. Bachelor and Mt. Hood Meadows.

Hoodoo Resort also recorded one of its earliest openings on record.

“It came with a ton of early-season snowfall, and that just kicked off the year in such a positive way,” Lauren Burke, Mt. Bachelor’s director of marketing and communications, said Friday.

Jillian Fortner takes a look back at the highs of the 2024–25 season tonight on KTVZ News at 6:00 p.m.

By March, Mt. Bachelor’s base depth was nearing 160 inches. Cold temperatures throughout the winter helped preserve the snowpack and stretch the season well into spring.

“We saw consistent snowfall throughout the year and then wrapped it up a couple days ago on Memorial Day. So it was an above-average season,” Burke said.

Mt. Bachelor recorded about 450 inches of total snowfall in the 2024-25 season.

Back in 2023-24, the total snowfall only reached around 375 inches. Mt. Bachelor said icy conditions and strong winds impacted their operations that year.

“If you remember, we had major icing, both in town and on the mountain. We saw multiple days of 100+ mph winds,” Burke said.

But not every skier noticed a big difference.

Teddy Hoffman, a Central Oregon local who’s been skiing since he was 3, says he hit the slopes around 35 times this season. He said the snow and conditions didn’t feel all that different from the previous year.

“I’d say it was about the same. There was a little more snow, but yeah. The conditions, nothing seemed too crazy,” Hoffman said.

Nationwide, the National Ski Areas Association says this was the second-highest ski season on record for visits. In the Pacific Northwest alone, resorts saw about 4.7 million visits which is a nearly 11% increase from last year.

Mt. Bachelor hasn’t released its visitor numbers just yet. The resort’s summer operations begin June 26th.

Click here to follow the original article.

Isabella Warren

(Update: Adding video, details)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Following KTVZ News’ coverage of Senate Bill 992, which would allow grocery and convenience stores with bottle returns to refuse returns during nighttime hours, homeless advocates have reached out to share their side of the dangers.

Homeless in the city of Bend are using the state’s ten-cent bottle and can deposit system as a form of employment.

“I can’t think of a better group of people to work with. And they really need the help. It’s a hand up, not a hand out. Choice, not charity,” said Justin Gottlieb, who is the creator of the organization We-Can and was formerly homeless.

His organization’s business model gives those still on the street a chance at a paying job, by doing daily deposits.

“Instead of trying to buck the system or break the $35 a day rule, I decided to pay folks who had their $35 limit, who maybe couldn’t collect $35 in cans, and pay them $0.40 on the dollar. “

Supporters of the bill argued that the later deposits have opened up areas to open-air drug markets and brought more homeless people to the area.

 Business owners near Bend’s only BottleDrop say the homeless can be dangerous, especially at night.

Oregon Spirit Distillery owner Brad Irwin told us, “It does attract people who hang out or loiter, and generate income. And it does have a negative public perception, and it does have genuine safety concerns.”

But Gottlieb and other canners hope to prevent that with their canning group

Roger, who helps Gottlieb, said, “When you get close to the end of the month, you look forward to this guy showing up with his bottles. You can take in a bag and get $8, and then, guess what? You’ve got enough money to go in there and get a sandwich over at Safeway or something. “

It hasn’t come without pushback, though. We’ve reported over the years that Bend residents have been complaining about strangers going through their recycling bins to get cans and bottles.

Back in 2020, Bend Police Communications Manager Sheila Miller told us, “If it is garbage or recycling that is in a recycling bin that’s going to be picked up by the company that contracts with city or county services, that is not public property. It is not lost or found property. That is the property of either the property owner or the company that is contracted to collect that property.”

Click here to follow the original article.

Shannon Brady

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Oregon’s changing climate is already impacting ecosystems and communities, especially here in Central Oregon. Traditional food gatherers of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs say things are changing quickly.

Laurie Danzuka says, “All the places I used to go when I was younger, we no longer go to those places.”

Starla Green, another traditional food gatherer, lives on the Deschutes River and spoke about the changes to the river and fishing practices. She said: “For the fish, the water temperatures, it affected the fish…The fish counts have gone down in years past. Growing up, people would bring us 100-200 salmon at a time to take care of, to preserve, to put away. Now, we’re even lucky to get 10 or 20.”

Not all communities experience climate change equally. Indigenous and rural communities are often more vulnerable, socially, geographically and economically, and feel the impact sooner and more severely.

Other members of the tribes shared concerns with KTVZ news about water quality and availability, growing seasons, and changes to the river.

The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs are working to protect their lands and traditions through sustainability and conservation efforts through their Conservation Lands Program.

As the climate continues to shift, adaptation and resilience will be key for communities across the globe .

Click here to follow the original article.