Category: ktvz-local-news

Kelsey Merison

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Get ready Central Oregon, Bend’s first pickleball-taphouse is set to open its doors this Sunday, September 21st!

Ballers & Brews is welcoming patrons to its taphouse from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. this Sunday and the courts will be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

It says it’s mission is to bring together food, fun, and fitness in a vibrant, welcoming space.

Courts are available for booking two weeks in advance on its website.

Read more from the press release about the grand opening date below:

“Ballers & Brews, Bend’s first pickleball taphouse, is set to open its doors to the public on Sunday, September 21st, offering a one-of-a-kind destination that brings together food, fun, and fitness in a vibrant, welcoming space. Courts are available for booking two weeks in advance on our website via Court Reserve!

Located just a stone’s throw away from 10 Barrel East, this venue promises to be the ultimate hangout for locals and visitors alike.

Owned by Bend resident Leslie Koegler, Ballers & Brews is the culmination of a decade of enjoying the best of Bend’s food truck scene and a love of pickleball. With a commitment to creating a truly special space, this family-friendly destination has been designed with careful thought and attention to detail, ensuring everyone has a good time, year-round.

A New Take on Pickleball and Dining

Ballers & Brews isn’t just another food truck lot; it’s a destination where good times meet great food, cold drinks, and exciting pickleball action. Here’s what you can expect:

A 2,500 Square-Foot Taphouse: Stay cozy and warm through the seasons in theexpansive indoor seating area, complete with TVs and two outdoor fire pits.

750 Square-Foot Covered and Heated Rooftop Deck: Perfect for private events,sunset views, and gathering with friends.

Covered and Heated Pickleball Courts: Open at 7:00 am daily, these courts willfeature a breakfast food cart to get your day started right. Courts can be reservedtwo weeks in advance on Court Reserve.

Beverages: Premium wines via our “Big Baller’s Wine List”, spirits and craftcocktails, 20 beers on tap as well as mocktails/NA options.

The Best Grub: A curated selection of six food trucks serving up the finest bites fromaround the Pacific Northwest including: Manzanita Grill, Chonie’s Pizza, Bread &Bunny, 5th Street Bagels, IndoDaddy, and The Mighty Greek.

Barking Bar: Furry friends are welcome! The Barking Bar will offer fire hydrant fedwater taps for your four-legged companions, ensuring they’re taken care of whileyou enjoy the day.”

Click here to follow the original article.

KTVZ – News Team

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Happening Wednesday, September 17th, the Central Oregon Veterans Ranch will host a ribbon cutting and open house in collaboration with the Bend Chamber.

Featuring bites from Executive Chef Bryant Kryck of ROAM at the Oxford Hotel and drinks from Oregon Spirit Distillers. Kryck began his career ten years ago and is a US Army military police veteran.

The event will take place at the ranch, located at 65920 SW 61st Street in Bend, from 3-6 p.m.

Local businesses, individual supporters and veterans are welcome to come out and see what the ranch is up to and hear its plans for serving the Central Oregon veteran community going forward.

Click here to follow the original article.

Tracee Tuesday

PRINEVILLE, Ore. {KTVZ} — The Crook County Fair Board held its regularly scheduled meeting Monday night in Prineville. 

One of the big topics on the agenda was the fair’s contract with the Crooked River Roundup (CRR).  The CRR Board says they’re not happy with their current short-term contract. Their deal with the fair for the 2025 rodeo and race season was set at $25,000.  Doug Smith, CRR’s Race Chair, argued that they bring in major revenue to the fairgrounds — pointing to investments like $500,000 spent on a jockey room — and say the contract doesn’t reflect their role.  Here’s what CRR’s Board of Directors want:  

a 20-year contract that addresses key concerns, that includes flexibility to renegotiate project costs 

Rent tied to profits rather than automatic increases 

Help from Crook County with possible grandstand upgrades.  

They’d also like the fairgrounds to share some of the grant funding it receives for facility improvements. 

The Fair Board, however, says it needs profits to maintain the fairgrounds itself — things like upgraded bathrooms — and insists that changes should be made only within the current contract. Smith says that’s exactly the problem, calling the deal too strict and inflexible.  While the Fair Board acknowledged the CRR is a significant revenue source, however, at this time, they are only prepared to review the current contract and go from there. 

The Fair Board also decided to continue the discussion during a special public meeting scheduled for October 1st at 5:30 PM.   KTVZ News will be there to bring you the outcome.

Click here to follow the original article.

Triton Notary

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ)– A Bend man successfully avoided getting scammed last week by recognizing some key signs. Kevin Davie reached out to KTVZ News after being contacted by someone claiming to be Publisher’s Clearing House. They told Davie he’d won their $850,000 and even a car. However, Davie remembered reading an article about Publishers Clearing House declaring bankruptcy this April and got suspicious. The scammers tried their best to sound official, but he wasn’t convinced.

Kevin Davie told KTVZ News “They were very thorough. I mean I’ve got this here, but they, they gave me confirmation numbers, claim numbers, and everything, so you know it was, it was quite elaborate.”

The scammers asked Davie to go buy a gift card for about $400. No matter what someone says on the other end of the line, once someone’s asking you to send cryptocurrency or gift cards, it’s most likely a scam. Davie wanted to share his story with all of you in hopes other people avoid it.

Click here to follow the original article.

Barney Lerten

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The City of Bend said Monday it is requesting proposals from qualified parties to analyze permitting processes and recommend best practices. This work is intended to improve housing permit review times in Bend.

The Request for Proposals (RFP) opened Monday and closes on Oct. 13 at 4 p.m., according to the city.

The city’s announcement continues in full below:

This analysis intends to fulfill a purpose outlined by the Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing grant that was awarded to the City of Bend by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

That purpose is to support the identification and removal of barriers to affordable housing production and preservation, including ways to streamline and modernize local permit processing and eliminate requirements that unduly delay the permitting process or establish unreasonable thresholds for approvals.

Specific requirements are outlined within the Request for Proposals document, which can be found at bendoregon.gov/housing.

The City will select one respondent, and cost proposals shall not exceed $175,000. The respondent could be a single person or one agency with multiple designated staff, and the work deliverables should be completed within six months of entering an Agreement for Award.

Interested parties should direct questions to the Issuing Officer, Mellissa Kamanya, either via email or by attending virtual office hours (registration is required, and the process is indicated in the Request for Proposals document).

For additional information on the PRO Housing grant and its planned outcomes, the PRO Housing grant application and its approved Action Plan can be found by visiting bendoregon.gov/housing.

Click here to follow the original article.

KTVZ

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — With a mission of encouraging carpooling, bus rides and bike trips in the name of recognizing that some one-third of Americans aren’t able to drive, Central Oregon Community College is participating for the first time in the national Week Without Driving initiative, Sept. 29 to Oct. 3.

As fall term gets underway, faculty, staff and students are being encouraged to try different modes of getting to campus, in partnership with Commute Options, the city of Bend, Cascades East Transit and other regional groups and agencies.

Here’s the rest of Monday’s COCC announcement:

“Not everyone drives, and Week Without Driving helps us understand what it’s like for those who can’t, such as those with vision impairment or a low-income level or people facing mobility barriers,” said Hal DeShow, assistant professor of geology at COCC, who presented the idea of participation to the college’s board of directors earlier this year.

“Plus, it’s a chance to connect — ride the bus with a colleague or classmate, share a laugh while trying the new Veo bikeshare program, or walk and talk your way to campus.”

Started in Washington state in 2021 by an advocate for those living with disabilities, Week Without Driving is a challenge to experience a week’s worth of commutes or trips, barring single-occupancy car travel. Staged from California to Maine, the educational campaign is a way to highlight the needs of non-drivers to elected leaders, policymakers, transportation departments and entire communities.

COCC’s president, Dr. Greg Pereira, and other college leaders will be hosting a series of morning meetups throughout the week at Bend-area coffee shops and other locations to treat participating COCC staff and students to coffee and pastries, and to complete the commute together.

Each day of the week will spotlight a different mode of travel: carpooling on Monday, walking or rolling on Tuesday, bus riding on Wednesday, ridesharing on Thursday and “anything goes” on Friday.

Last year, across all 50 states and Washington, D.C., 523 local organizations and 10 national organizations promoted Week Without Driving events and advocacy.

For more information on COCC’s Week Without Driving, contact Lucas Alberg, director of marketing and public relations, at 541-383-7599 or lalberg@cocc.edu.

Click here to follow the original article.

KTVZ – News Team

With a mission of encouraging carpooling, bus rides and bike trips in the name of recognizing that some one-third of Americans aren’t able to drive, Central Oregon Community College (COCC) is participating for the first time in the national Week Without Driving initiative, Sept. 29 to Oct. 3.

As fall term gets underway, faculty, staff and students are being encouraged to try different modes of getting to campus, in partnership with Commute Options, the city of Bend, Cascades East Transit and other regional groups and agencies.

“Not everyone drives, and Week Without Driving helps us understand what it’s like for those who can’t, such as those with vision impairment or a low-income level or people facing mobility barriers,” said Hal DeShow, assistant professor of geology at COCC, who presented the idea of participation to the college’s board of directors earlier this year. “Plus, it’s a chance to connect — ride the bus with a colleague or classmate, share a laugh while trying the new Veo bikeshare program, or walk and talk your way to campus.”

Started in Washington state in 2021 by an advocate for those living with disabilities, Week Without Driving is a challenge to experience a week’s worth of commutes or trips barring single-occupancy car travel. Staged from California to Maine, the educational campaign is a way to highlight the needs of nondrivers to elected leaders, policy makers, transportation departments and entire communities.

COCC’s president, Dr. Greg Pereira, and other college leaders will be hosting a series of morning meetups throughout the week at Bend-area coffee shops and other locations to treat participating COCC staff and students to coffee and pastries, and to complete the commute together. Each day of the week will spotlight a different mode of travel: carpooling on Monday, walking or rolling on Tuesday, bus riding on Wednesday, ridesharing on Thursday and “anything goes” on Friday.

Last year, across all 50 states and Washington, D.C., 523 local organizations and 10 national organizations promoted Week Without Driving events and advocacy.

For more information on COCC’s Week Without Driving, contact Lucas Alberg, director of marketing and public relations, at 541-383-7599 or lalberg@cocc.edu.

Click here to follow the original article.

Barney Lerten

(Update: Police detail sequence of events)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Bend police say a man stabbed his father at their home Monday afternoon, then fled the scene by car, but was caught after a chase that reached speeds of 100 mph.

Here’s the full news release from Bend Police Communications Manager Sheila Miller:

Date: Sept. 15, 2025  

Case #: 2025-00055284 

Incident: Bend man arrested after stabbing his father, eluding traffic stop 

Date / Time of Incident: Sept. 15, 2025 / 3:57 p.m. 

Location: 61400 block of Little John Lane, Bend  

Arrested: Thomas William Wooley, 35-year-old Bend resident 

Offenses: Assault I, Fleeing or Attempting to Elude a Police Officer  

At approximately 3:57 p.m. on Monday, Bend Police responded to a report of a stabbing in the 61400 block of Little John Lane. The caller reported that a man, 35-year-old Thomas William Wooley, had stabbed his father at their residence, then fled the area in a white two-door Honda Accord.  

(Miller later told KTVZ News that the caller was in the home, but was not the suspect or victim.)

Officers responded to the home within five minutes, where they found a man with a serious stab wound to the chest. Officers cleared the home, rendered treatment to the victim, and began searching the area for Wooley. The victim was transported to St. Charles Bend by Bend Fire & Rescue.  

At approximately 4:17 p.m., an officer in a marked patrol vehicle located Wooley driving in Deschutes River Woods in the suspect vehicle. The officer attempted to stop Wooley, but he accelerated away from the officer and took off southbound on U.S. Highway 97.  

Officers pursued the suspect and were joined in their pursuit by members of the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office.  

Wooley continued to speed away from officers at speeds up to 100 MPH. Wooley pulled onto the shoulder at approximately 4:21 p.m. near Lava Butte. Officers took Wooley into custody without incident and transported him to the Bend Police Department to continue the investigation.  

The Bend Police Department wishes to thank the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, Bend Fire & Rescue and the Oregon State Police for their assistance on this incident.  

Click here to follow the original article.

Barney Lerten

IDANHA, Ore. (KTVZ) — A motorcycle rider was seriously injured in a collision with a pickup Saturday night that closed state Highway 22E at Idanha for several hours, Oregon State Police said Monday.

OSP troopers responded shortly before 8 p.m. Saturday to the reported crash near milepost 54 on the highway, a key route between Central Oregon and the Willamette Valley.

Troopers said witnesses reported the motorcyclist was traveling west at a high rate of speed when he crashed into a Chevy pickup whose driver was pulling into their home’s driveway.

The motorcyclist, identified as Peter Joseph Okrasinski, 52, of Sheridan, Oregon, was flown to Salem hospital with serious injuries, OSP reported.

There were no reported injuries to the pickup driver, a 35-year-old Idanha resident, or his 63-year-old passenger, troopers said. The pickup driver was tested, and troopers found no signs of impairment.

The crash closed Highway 22 for several hours for crash reconstruction work, the agency said.

KTVZ News also heard from a motorist who said many travelers headed home to Central Oregon had to turn around and return to Salem for the time being, or find another route.

Click here to follow the original article.

Harley Coldiron

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Redmond 7-Eleven has installed a temporary door as it begins rebuilding its storefront, after a Bend driver suspected of DUII crashed into the building just before midnight Sunday. The store remains closed while crews construct a safe entrance for customers.

Redmond Police Lt. April Huey said the 42-year-old Bend man was cited and released on a charge of Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants. In most DUII cases, suspects are released to a sober adult; if no one is available, they are lodged in jail.

She added that the extent of damage caused in a DUII typically does not determine whether a suspect is released or booked into jail.

No injuries were reported; however, the store was closed when KTVZ News visited the scene on Monday afternoon. Construction workers said they are working to build a temporary entrance for customers, but currently, there is no estimated time of completion. The store and the entire parking lot are closed to the public.

The 7-Eleven is the only one in Redmond and is heavily frequented by residents.

Click here to follow the original article.