Local News Archives for 2013-08

Man Remains in Critical Condition After Crash

The victims of a Thursday night accident in northeast Bend have been identified as Douglas McDonald, 23,  and Daniel Dillard, 61, both of Bend.

 

Sgt. Tom Pine with Bend Police reports Dillard was driving his Harley Davidson motorcycle when he collided with a Ford Mustang driven by McDonald at the intersection of Bear Creek and Quail Run Place around 5:45 Thursday night.

 

Dillard was taken to St. Charles with critical injuries where he remains today. McDonald did not appear to have sustained injuries in the crash.

 

At this time, neither speed nor intoxicants appear to be factors in the accident and no charges have been filed. The investigation is continuing.

 

Suspect dead in another Oregon State Police involved shooting

OREGON STATE POLICE-INVOLVED SHOOTING INVESTIGATION - OFF HIGHWAY 20 SOUTHEAST OF SISTERS


News Release from Oregon State Police
Posted on FlashAlert: August 30th, 2013 12:58 PM
An multi-agency investigation is beginning into an Oregon State Police-involved shooting of a subject following a attempt to elude along Highway 20 near Sisters in Deschutes County. The person in the vehicle is deceased at the scene but it is too early to confirm if the death was the result of shots fire by officers present.

Preliminary information indicates on August 30, 2013 at approximately 11:50 a.m., Oregon State Police (OSP) stopped a vehicle eastbound on Highway 20 near milepost 85 following a driving complaint. During the contact, the male driver pointed a firearm at trooper and then fled eastbound in the vehicle with troopers in pursuit.

Spike strips were deployed near Sisters and the vehicle turned off Highway 20 onto Harrington Loop Road. After the vehicle came to a stop, shots were reported fired and the male driver was found deceased inside the vehicle. No officers were injured.

The area of the shooting incident is closed. A multi-investigation team is enroute to investigate.
 

New Study Shows Welfare Pays More than Minimum Wage Jobs in Most States

Welfare pays more than minimum wage jobs in 35 states.

 

Kathryn Hickok is the publications Director with the Cascade Policy Institute.

 

"The ramifications are the incentive for work is decreased and its easier to go on welfare.  In 13 states, including here in Oregon that's more than $15 an hour which is around $31,000.  At that point, it may be very difficult to incentive entry level work that may be available to them."

 

Authors of the study want congress to reduce dependence on public assistance by rewarding work.  

 

They would like to see welfare works requirements strengthened and welfare benefits that outpace entry level income, discontineud.

Plans Move Ahead on Replacing the Fall Creek Bridge on the Cascade Lakes Highway

The federal government is providing a 1.1 million dollar grant for the replacement -- with a 10 percent local match.

 

Deschutes County Road Department Engineer George Kolb says the bridge needs to be replaced.

 

"This bridge is an old timber bridge, it has some concrete, but it can't handle large loads right now.  And we put in a temporary fix, but it's really gotten to the point it can't handle motor homes and things like that."

 

According to ODOT ratings, the brdige is in need of significant repair believing it has outlived most of its useful life.

 

The brdige is eligible for federal funds since the bridge passes through the Deschutes National Forest.

 

Construction on the bridge should start in 2015.

A Bend Woman Remembers March on Washington Fifty Years Later

Loretta Slepikas was only 23 back then, but she remembers it well.

 

She spoke about that event with the Bend Bulletin and they put her interview on "You Tube."

 

"It was that spriit that we felt it was the end of prejudice that things have really changed. But of course a couple months later, President Kennedy was assassinated in November, and then Bobby  Kennedy and then Malcolm X. It wasn't the end and it isn't the end still.  There's a lot of work to do."

 

In 1963, Slepikas was 23 years old and was a college student in Wisconsin.  She went to the march with her best friend in college who was a black woman from Harlem.

 

Myrlie Evers Williams Speaks at 50th Anniversary of March on Washington

The widow of slain civil rights leader Medger Evers told the audience that when Dr. King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech, African Americans were fed up and were demanding a change in race relations.

 

"Dr. King took the helm and under his leadership and for those who gave their life for this, like Medger Evers and they said enough is enough America."

 

Others speakers included President Obama and former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton.

More Federal Funds Available to Help Oregon Homeowners Avoid Foreclosure

A new state foreclosure prevention program called "Home Rescue Program"  should help 25-hundred homeowners state-wide.

 

You must meet income requirements and show a ten percent loss of income in the last year.

 

New application slots open up every two weeks on Wednesdays at noon, until all the program funds are exhausted.

 

The funds come from the U.S. Treasury's "Hardest Hit Fund" which gave Oregon $220 million in 2010.

 

To apply go to www.oregonhomeownerhelp.org

Nearly Five Thousand Residents on Bend's South Side Will Be Without Power Wednesday Night

People living along both sides of Highway 97 from Pinebrook Boulevard to Deschutes River Woods will be without power as Pacific Power moves power lines for the ongoing Murphy Road Improvement Project.

 

Affected customers should have been individually notified by the company.

 

The power will be out from 11 P.M. Wednesday night until 5 A.M. Thrusday morning.

 

It is suggested people in the area use battery operated clocks or a cell phone alarm and that they charge mobile devices in advance.

Government Flats Complex, now 75 percent contained

GOVERNMENT FLATS COMPLEX UPDATE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE              

August 28, 2013 @ 8 AM                                                                                       

                                Email: govflatfire@gmail.com                        Inciweb: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3662/

 

Blackburn Fire Update:

The Government Flats Fire Complex has not grown in size for the last few days. It remains at 11,434 acres and is estimated at 75% contained.

Firefighters were complimented on the good work and safety record they have accomplished, but they were also reminded that there is a lot more work to be done.  The incident commander requested the forces to be vigilant and maintain safety awareness as they work to fully contain this fire. 

Today, crews will continue seeking and extinguishing burning or smoldering hot spots found in downed logs and vegetation, primarily on the west and northwest edges of the fire. Their work is similar to putting out a huge camp fire – drown and stir until the last ember is out.  The work is done in a methodical manner by gridding an area, then re-gridding the area from a different direction until no smoke or other indications of hot embers are found.  It is then rechecked the next day until it is out.  Because this fire is so large, crews start at the outer boundaries and work their way in 200 to 300 feet. 

Four 2-person crews are working each night using infra-red detection devises for locating hot areas.  These areas are then marked with flagging for the firefighters on day shift to extinguish.

Firefighting crews and resources continue to be released from the Government Flats Fire Complex and will be available after a rest period for reassignment to other fires.

The public is reminded that fire equipment traffic will be heavy in areas near to the fire. Please use caution if driving in these areas.  Some roads into the fire area are closed to non-fire traffic.   

There is currently an area closure on some roads, trails and facilities within the Mt Hood National Forest in the vicinity of the fire. Listings of the road, trail and campground area closures may be found at these web sites: Mt Hood National Forest Area Closure  or http://inciweb.org/incident/maps/3662/

Government Flat Complex at a glance:

Reduction in the fire acreage is due to more accurate mapping.

Total Complex Acreage:  11,434                                                   Blackburn Fire Acreage:   11,221

Complex Containment:   75 Percent                                          Total Personnel Assigned:   627

Structures Lost to the Fire: 4 homes/9 outbuildings                  Structure currently threatened:  0

Cost of the Incident to Date:  $ 12 million

Resources:  20 crews/21 engines/ 8 dozers/ 10 water tenders/ 7 helicopters

Ownerships involved: Private, U.S. Forest Service, City of The Dalles, and Bureau of Land Management

Cooperators include Oregon Department of Forestry, Oregon State Fire Marshal, BLM, USDA Forest Service, City of The Dalles, Wasco County Sheriff’s Office, Wasco County Emergency Operations Center, Hood River County Division of Emergency Management, Hood River County Sheriff’s Office, American Red Cross, Oregon National Guard, and Oregon State Police.

Oregon Rest Area Assault, false report, Salem woman cited

UPDATE: ASSAULT INVESTIGATION AT INTERSTATE 5 BALDOCK REST AREA DETERMINED FALSE; WOMAN FACING MISDEMEANOR CHARGE


News Release from Oregon State Police
Posted on FlashAlert: August 27th, 2013 12:52 PM
An investigation by Oregon State Police (OSP) Criminal Investigations Division detectives into an alleged August 16, 2013, assault on a woman at the southbound Interstate 5 Baldock Rest Area was confirmed today as a false report after a follow up interview.

On August 27, HEATHER TREVINO, age 33, from Salem, was cited by OSP detectives on a charge of Initiating a False Police Report, a Class C misdemeanor. She is scheduled to appear in Clackamas County Circuit Court on September 25, 2013, at 3:00 p.m.

The investigation started August 16 at approximately 5:00 p.m., when a report was received regarding an unknown male suspect assaulting an adult female with her child in a wooded, back section at the southbound Interstate 5 Baldock Rest Area south of Wilsonville. Officers from OSP, Clackamas County Sheriff's Office, Wilsonville Police Department, and Canby Police Department responded to the rest area and conducted an extensive ground search with air support for a possible suspect.

TREVINO, whose name has not been released until today, was taken to a local hospital for treatment of injuries sustained in the alleged attack. Her injuries, which are now believed to be self-inflicted, included throat ligature marks, bruising, and scrapes on her body.

No other information will be released pending her appearance in court. Because she was cited to appear and not lodged in jail, no photograph is provided with this release.

OSP thanks the assisting public safety agencies, Oregon Travel Experience rest area staff and the public for their help during the initial area search response and investigation.

### www.oregon.gov/OSP ###

Klamath Falls Murder Case, suspect may be on the run

KLAMATH COUNTY MAJOR CRIME TEAM ASKING FOR PUBLIC'S HELP IN HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION, SEARCH FOR PERSONS OF INTEREST (PHOTOS)


News Release from Oregon State Police
Posted on FlashAlert: August 27th, 2013 10:49 AM

Photo/sound file: /images/news/2013-08/1002/67116/Cheng_Sio_Saechao.jpg
Photo/sound file: /images/news/2013-08/1002/67116/Mogelberg.jpg
Photo/sound file: /images/news/2013-08/1002/67116/Mogelberg.2.jpg
Photo/sound file: /images/news/2013-08/1002/67116/Unknown.personofinterest.jpg
Photo/sound file: /images/news/2013-08/1002/67116/Uknown.personofinterest.2.jpg
 

Note: Questions about this investigation should be directed to District Attorney Rob Patridge at (541) 883-5147.

***

On Monday evening, the Klamath County Major Crime Team was activated to respond to a homicide in north Klamath County. The investigation is in progress and the Major Crime Team is naming several persons of interest and an identified vehicle that law enforcement is asking for the public's help in locating.

On August 26, 2013 at approximately 7:55 p.m., 9-1-1 received a call and emergency personnel including the Klamath County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to respond to a body discovered on South Chiloquin Road near Highway 62 (http://mapq.st/18iw3w2). The body of CHENG SIO SAECHAO, age 28, was discovered deceased at the scene. SAECHAO has previously resided in northeast Portland.

The ongoing investigation by the Major Crime Team has identified DAVID GUY MOGELBERG, age 33, from Klamath Falls, as a person of interest who is also wanted on a felony warrant. MOGELBERG is described as a white male, approximately 5' 5" and 155 lbs. He has substantial neck tattoos and is wanted on a felony warrant for Assaulting a Public Safety Officer.

A second unidentified while male adult is also a person of interest in the homicide investigation. They may be traveling with a third unidentified person.

Photographs of MOGELBERG and the second unidentified person of interest are provided with this news release to help investigators in this case. There is no photograph of the third unidentified person that they may be traveling with.

The men were last seen driving a blue 1990's Jeep Cherokee possibly displaying Arkansas or Arizona license plates. The vehicle has mismatched rims. Front rims are black, the rear right rim is silver in color, and the left rear rim is 5-spoke and white in color.

The public is advised not to approach the persons of interest or the vehicle. Anyone with information within the Klamath County area about the deceased man, persons of interest, or the vehicle should call 9-1-1. Others with information related to this case is asked to call Klamath Falls Police Department at (541) 883-5336 and ask to be connected with the Command Post. The Command Post number is not a media information line.

The Klamath County Major Crime Team is comprised of the Klamath County Sheriff's Office, Klamath Falls Police Department, Oregon State Police, Klamath County Community Corrections, and Klamath County District Attorney's Office.

### www.oregon.gov/OSP ###

Latest from Central Oregon Fire Dispatch Center: Several weeks remain in the western fire season, and fire danger remains high locally.

Central Oregon Fire Update

           

Central Oregon – There were no new smoke reports Monday night.  Crews continue to follow up on the remaining reports from the storms on Sunday, August 25.  Resources not assigned to a smoke report are staged and remain in a state of readiness.   

 

National Preparedness Level today is at 4 meaning there is still a high demand for firefighting resources.  Several weeks remain in the western fire season, and fire danger remains high locally.  Hunting season is bringing more people out raising the probability of warming fires.  Please follow all campfire restrictions and county or city burning regulations.

 

Crews continue to respond to abandoned campfires outside hosted and developed campgrounds.  Public Use Restrictions continue on all open fires, including charcoal fires on the Prineville District of the Bureau of Land Management, the Deschutes National Forest and the Crooked River National Grasslands. Campfires are prohibited except in hosted and developed campgrounds. A list is available on either of these two web sites http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon/fire/ or http://www.blm.gov/or/districts/prineville/index.php. These restrictions do not apply to affected Wilderness areas on the Deschutes National Forest.

 

For public and firefighter safety the Area Forest Closure is still in effect within the Green Ridge fire boundary, and roads within the fire perimeter remain closed to public travel. For details and updates please visit the Deschutes National Forest web site http://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/centraloregon/alerts-notices

 

The forecast today is for temperatures in the 80’s with humidity in the teens and twenties.  Winds for the next few days should be generally from the southwest.

 

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Evacuation Order Lifted for Fire near The Dalles

GOVERNMENT FLATS COMPLEX UPDATE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE              

August 27, 2013 @ 8 AM                                                                                       

 

                                Email: govflatfire@gmail.com                        Inciweb: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3662/

 

Blackburn Fire Update:  The last several days of hard work by fire crews has resulted in the lifting of all evacuation levels by the Wasco County Sheriff’s Office and a reduction of the Mt. Hood National Forest’s Area Closure.  The team’s fire behavior analyst stated that the fine fuels (grass and small branches) are starting to dry out from the recent moisture and are becoming more combustible.  Any burning has a low possibility of spreading but it will make detecting hot areas easier, allowing a more complete mop-up.

The night shift crew is being reduced to patrolling and looking for hot spots. Crews are using hand-held infrared detectors to help locate heat pockets. 

Firefighting crews and resources are beginning to be released from the Government Flats Fire Complex and will be available after a rest period for reassignment to other fires.

The Wasco County Sheriff Department expressed their sincere appreciation to the public for their patience and cooperation during the evacuations and road closures. They would also like to inform county residents about the Wasco County Citizen Alert System (reverse 911 notifications). This is a very efficient method for providing emergency information to those affected. For more information click onto the Wasco County Website:   www.co.wasco.or.us

The Mt Hood National Forest Area Closure has been modified to a smaller area. Forest roads into the fire are still closed due to heavy fire traffic. Listings of the road, trail and campground area closures may be found at these web sites: Mt Hood National Forest  (http://www.fs.usda.gov/mthood) or http://inciweb.org/incident/maps/3662/

The best fire protection is prevention! Residents may obtain information from the Oregon Department of Forestry or the Mid Columbia Fire and Rescue on steps to take for your property to survive a wildfire.  Remember:  it is the little things that matter.  A few projects each weekend can make a huge difference.      

Government Flat Complex at a glance:

Reduction in the fire acreage is due to more accurate mapping.

Total Complex Acreage:  11,516                                                   Blackburn Fire Acreage:   11,221

Complex Containment:   55 Percent                                          Total Personnel Assigned:   789

Structures Lost to the Fire: 4 homes/9 outbuildings                  Structure currently threatened:  0

Cost of the Incident to Date:  $ 11 million

Resources:  26 crews/31 engines/11 dozers/12 water tenders/12 helicopters

Ownerships involved: Private, U.S. Forest Service, City of The Dalles, and Bureau of Land Management

Cooperators include Oregon Department of Forestry, Oregon State Fire Marshal, BLM, USDA Forest Service, City of The Dalles, Wasco County Sheriff’s Office, Wasco County Emergency Operations Center, Hood River County Division of Emergency Management, Hood River County Sheriff’s Office, American Red Cross, Oregon National Guard, and Oregon State Police.

###

Senator Ron Wyden Tours Preventive Wildfire Efforts

He toured the Deschtues National Forest off of Skyliners Road on Monday.

 

The area is slated to undergo significant thnning over the next four years.

 

Deschutes National Forest Supervisor John Allen says the "West Bend Project" was the focus of the tour.

 

"It was primarily for the senator to hear from collaborative members about the agreement we've reached to create a healthy forest and also help to prevent wildfires and high risk in our neighborhoods and communities."

 

The West Bend Project started a year and a half ago, funds thinning of national forest land to help prevent the catastrophic wildfires we've been seeing in recent years.

Man Arrested for Stealing from the Sheriff

A 32 year old Deschutes County man is arrested for burglary, theft and other charges after a Deschutes County Sheriff's Office investigation reveals he was in possession of some of their property.

 

On July 23rd, Ryan Fischer Salt allegedly burglarized and stole about 26 bullet proof vests from the sheriff's range and vandalized the property.

 

Lt. Scott Beard says Salt was arrested earlier this week and booked in the Deschutes County Jail for 26 counts of Possession of Body Armor, Burglary 2, Theft 1, Criminal Mischief 1 and Probation Violation.

 

He is being held with no bail for Probation Violation and $80,000 bail for the rest of the charges.

 

Beard asks if you have any information on this case to contact the Deschutes County Sheriffs Office at 541-693-6911.

Lightning Storm impacts Klamath Falls area

KNF Lightning Fires

Recent lightning storms ignited 42 fires on the Klamath National Forest since Aug. 20. The largest is the 1.5-acre Fourmile Fire on the Happy Camp Ranger District. Suppression crews continue to make good progress with available resources on all of these fires. None have grown significantly since yesterday.

The weather forecast calls for slightly warmer temperatures and dryer conditions through the next several days. Holdover fires are expected to present themselves as conditions become favorable to increasing fire activity. There is a possibility of thunderstorms again on Sunday.

Forest fuels remain tinder dry and fire danger level is extreme. Hunters and other forest visitors are cautioned to be aware there are fire crews working in various locations around the forest. Please pay extra attention and care when driving or pursuing recreational activities on the forest.


Salmon River Complex

Firefighters on the Salmon River Complex continue to mop-up, patrol and conduct fire suppression repair throughout all divisions on the fire. There has been no significant fire growth or events on the Salmon River Complex in the last 24 hours. The Klamath Hotshots along with other resources are working the area where the fire is backing down between Jackass Gulch and Kelly Gulch. They are trying to clean up that area in terms of more squared up containment lines.

As a result of new fire starts and lightning threats (on the Klamath National Forest) and to ready for initial attack, a staging area with initial attack resources has been established at the Incident Command Post in Etna, CA. The initial attack resources in staging include:

  • One Hotshot crew
  • One strike team of type 3 engines
  • One type 3 engine as a sigle resource
  • One dozer
  • One Wildfire Use Module


Butler Fire

Patrol status continues for the fire edge along the Salmon River Road.  No firing activity occurred this afternoon in the McNeal Creek to Hotelling Ridge area along the Salmon River Road.  A heavy helicopter is assisting crews in containing spots near Cold Spring in the head of McNeal Creek.

Crews are finishing preparations to support firing the line along Hotelling Ridge to the Trinity Alps Wilderness boundary.   Containment lines are in place in the Wilderness.  A small crew is taking protective measures for a log cabin near Red Cap Lake.  The cabin is not threatened at this time.

Crews are holding the line and anticipating the fire’s approach to the established line between Whitey’s Peak and Somes Mountain.  They are prepared for defensive firing, if necessary.  Where previous firing occurred to strengthen containment lines on the northwest portion of the fire, crews mopped up hot spots to insure against flareups.

The structure protection group is assessing needs for residences in the area north of Forks of Salmon and implementing protective measures around homes, as necessary.

The Six Rivers National Forest has issued road closures for the 10N13 system of roads approaching Antenna Ridge, effective  Thursday, August 22, 2013.





 

FOX News reporting that Mayor of San Diego is resigning, listen for updates on the hour and half hour news on 1110 KBND

Democrats call for San Diego mayor to resign

Posted: Aug 23, 2013 3:00 PM PDT Updated: Aug 23, 2013 3:00 PM PDT

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) - Democrats gathered for their national summer meeting have voted unanimously to demand the resignation of San Diego Mayor Bob Filner because of numerous sexual harassment allegations against him.

Friday's vote during the Democratic National Committee's meeting in Scottsdale, Ariz., came as San Diego's City Council was mulling a deal with the former Democratic congressmen that could include his leaving office.

The DNC's resolution passed on a voice vote of 230 of the committee's members.

DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz on Thursday called Filner's conduct "outrageous" and "unacceptable" and repeated her call for him to resign.

More than a dozen women have accused Filner of sexual harassment. Some of the women contend he cornered, groped and forcibly kissed them.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

 
 

Timber Harvest Proposed within Pole Creek Fire Area

Timber Harvest Proposed within Pole Creek Fire Area

Timber salvage sale environmental assessment released; 30 day comment period to begin

 

SISTERS–Today the Sisters Ranger District of the Deschutes National Forest is releasing an draft environmental assessment for a timber salvage project within the Pole Creek fire area.  The lightning-caused fire began in early September of last year and burned 26,120 acres, all on the Deschutes National Forest. 

In December of 2012, the Sisters Ranger District began an environmental assessment (EA) of a timber salvage project within the Pole Creek fire area.  The proposal, as analyzed in the EA, is to harvest only dead trees with no green needles on 980 acres (4% of the burned area), which will produce 11 MMBF (million board feet) of commercial timber and .8 MMBF of firewood. 

Approximately 60% of the fire occurred in land allocations where timber harvest is either not allowed or is allowed with restrictions.  No timber harvest is proposed for these areas, which include the Three Sisters Wilderness, Whychus Creek Wild and Scenic River corridor, Inventoried Roadless Area, Late Successional Reserve, and Riparian Reserve land allocations.

Roughly 40% of the fire burned on lands allocated for timber harvest (Matrix land allocation) under the Northwest Forest Plan or in areas outside of the Northwest Forest Plan.  All of the proposed timber harvest would occur on these lands (Matrix lands).

The final acreage proposed for harvest was filtered through several criteria.  Some primary criteria included:  no areas over 30% slope, no construction of new or temporary roads, no white-headed woodpecker habitat and no potential wilderness areas. In addition, design criteria for the project included: use only ground-based logging equipment; leave six wildlife trees per acre; favor large ponderosa pine for snag retention; no harvesting in nesting, roosting, foraging or dispersal habitat for the northern spotted owl and no removal of primary habitat elements for the northern spotted owl.

Following the publication of a legal notice in the Bend Bulletin on Monday, August 26, 2013, a 30-day comment period on the draft EA will begin.  The document is available for review at http://data.ecosystem-management.org/nepaweb/nepa_project_exp.php?project=41286 or by contacting Michael Keown, Sisters Districts Planning and Environmental Coordinator, 541-549-7735. Public comments can be taken in writing, over the phone, and in person. 

Update on Government Flats Fire

Fire crews had a good night of work. The positives were: they were able to continue building and strengthening control lines and fire growth was low. The negatives were because of the rain and 80% humidity along the lines, they were not able to burn out vegetation between the constructed lines and the active fire. Today crews will continue to build and improve firelines, taking advantage of cooler temperatures and lower fire intensity to place control lines closer to the fire edge. Crews will attempt to conduct burn-out operations as conditions allow. Firefighters were reminded to be cautious of the rain-slickened exposed soils when driving or walking.

Structure resources managed through the Oregon State Fire Marshal are continuing to mop up around structures that were saved along Mill Creek and Upper Mill Creek roads today. In addition, overhead personnel will be going through neighborhoods that were placed under evacuation notices yesterday to formulate structure protection contingency plans in case the winds today cause the fire to break from containment lines.

The general fire area received a tenth of an inch of rain. The fine fuels (small branches and grass) react to the environment quickly. They will dry out faster than larger fuels, within an hour or two. As the day progresses, these finer fuels may ignite and burn more readily. Breezy west winds are forecast over the fire today, with gusts up to 35 mph over exposed ridges.

The three-fire complex has burned approximately 12,023 acres. The Wells Road fire (66 ac) and the Government Flat fire (229 ac) are both 100% contained. The Blackburn fire (11,728 ac) is estimated at 20 percent containment. There are currently 1008 personnel assigned to the fire comprised of 36 hand crews, 180 engines, 10 helicopters, 14 dozers, 10 water tenders, and associated support and overhead personnel.

Evacuation Notifications Summary: Evacuation levels were modified this morning at 10:00 AM by the Wasco County Sheriff's Office and the Hood River County Division of Emergency Management to reflect the following:

Level III (GO NOW)
* Residences on Ketchum Road and any side roads up to the junction with Vensel Road.
* Residences on Upper Mill Creek Road west of 9595.
Level II (Get Set)
* Residences on Upper Mill Creek Road east to the junction of Reservoir Road.
* Residences on Reservoir Road
Level I (Get Ready)
*Residences between the junction of Upper Mill Creek Road and Reservoir road east to the 6500 block of Mill Creek Road.
*Residences on Chenoweth Road between Vensel Road and Browns Creek Road and any side roads.
*Residences for ALL of Browns Creek Road and any side roads.
*Residences for the 5000 block of Cherry Heights to Browns Creek Road and all side rods.
*Wells Road and any side roads
*Obrist Road.
*Residences on Mosier Creek Road between addresses 2855 to 3475 and any side roads.
*Residences on Vensel Road to the Osburn Cut-Off and any side roads.
*Residences on Godberson Road within three miles of the southern end of Godberson Road and any side roads.

Level I Evacuation Notice in Hood River County for Fir Mountain , Fir Mountain Loop, and Swyers Drive has been removed.

When you hear the terms Level I, II, or III evacuation notice, remember "ready, set, go." Level I means be aware of the fire in your area and start getting ready, Level II means make final preparations and get and set to evacuate, and Level III means evacuate immediately--GO NOW.

The American Red Cross is available to provide shelter as needed to residents affected by the evacuations. Residents can register on their Safe and Well program on line at www.redcross.org. Their public number is (888) 680-1455.

For information regarding evacuation notices, please contact the Wasco County Sheriff's Office at 541-506-2580 or the Hood River County Division of Emergency Management at 541-386-1213 during business hours.

The Mt. Hood National Forest has announced the following closures:
Information on Mt Hood National Forest road, trail and campground closures can be found at their web site: Mt Hood National Forest.

The following campgrounds are closed: Knebal Springs, Lower Eight Mile Crossing, Eight Mile, and Gibson Prairie. Five Mile Lookout is also closed.

The following major trails are closed:
*Surveyors Ridge # 688 both south and north trailheads
*Eightmile Loop #496
*Knebal Springs # 474
*Bottle Prairie #455
*North-South #451
*Oak Ridge #688A
*Dog River #675
*Zig Zag #678

Forest Roads 17, 1720, 4430 and all their associated spur roads are closed along with and all other National Forest System Roads and minor trails within the closure area depicted on a map posted on InciWeb.org at http://inciweb.org/incident/maps/3662/

Cooperators working the incident include Oregon Department of Forestry, Oregon State Fire Marshall's Office, BLM, USDA Forest Service, City of The Dalles, Wasco County Sheriff's Office, Wasco County Emergency Operations Center, Hood River County Division of Emergency Management American Red Cross, Oregon National Guard, and Oregon State Police.

Not much fire activity from latest storm reported, yet.

Central Oregon Fire Update

           

Central Oregon – Storm system moved north out of the Central Oregon area last night and early this morning.  Only two smoke reports last night, one of which was a mistaken report and the other handled by the rural fire department.

 

The burn ban continues on open fires, including charcoal fires on the Prineville District of the Bureau of Land Management, the Deschutes National Forest and the Crooked River National Grasslands. Campfires are prohibited except in hosted and developed campgrounds. A list is available on either of these two web sites http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon/fire/ or http://www.blm.gov/or/districts/prineville/index.php. These restrictions do not apply to affected Wilderness areas on the Deschutes National Forest.

 

For public and firefighter safety the Area Forest Closure is still in effect within the Green Ridge fire boundary, and roads within the fire perimeter remain closed to public travel. For details and updates please visit the Deschutes National Forest web site http://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/centraloregon/alerts-notices

 

The National Weather Service is lifting the Red Flag Warning for the Central Oregon area by 11:00 a.m. this morning.

 

 

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Developer Looks to Bring More Apartments and Retail to the South Side of Bend

The Bend City Council just approved changing the zoning at Reed Market and 15th from residential to mixed employment.

 

This will allow David Ditz to put in apartments and stores along the two acre parcel.

 

Bend Mayor Jim Clinton applauds the move.

 

"I  think it's great you're willing to do something in that part of town and maybe stretching beyond a strip mall with some uncertainty.  But I've seen the combination of residential and retail work in other cities and I'm glad you're willing to try it here."

 

Ditz is still working on obtaining financing for the project, but believes the zoning change will help him secure it.

Jefferson County School Officials Break Ground on New Performing Arts Center

The groundbreaking yesterday (Thurs) marks the start of the construction phase of the new 18-thousand square foot state of the art facility.

 

 Superintendent Rick Molitor says people are looking forwrd to the center.

 

"It's really exciting.  It really is highlighting the first performing arts center in Jefferson County.  It will have just under 600 seats and it'll be an auditorium for performances of musicians, art performances and plays."

 

The athletic facilities should be done by late August of 2014 -- with the Perfomring Arts Center to be finished by that fall.

 

This project is being funded by a 26 million dollar bond that was approved by voters last year.

A Look at the Economic Impact of the Arts in Central Oregon

A recent survey found that 16 million dollars are spent annually.

 

Kelly Cannon Miller of the Deshcutes Historical Museum, is member of the "Arts and Culture Alliance" that conducted the survey of its members.

 

"We were really excited about what we found.  We found combined we represent 160 full time jobs in our economy and we're spending 16 million dolalrs on payroll, buying office supplies, all of that is part of economic development."

 

Cannon Miller says they believe that the creative arts in central Oregon is growing and could easily have a bigger economic impact in the future with more investment.

More evacuations in The Dalles, possibly 100's impacted

Hundreds of people are impacted again near The Dalles as gusty winds, this time from the west force new evacuation orders this afternoon.  

 

Forecasters had predicting a big challenge from the weather system that moved through Oregon on Thursday, and it did produce substantial winds at The Government Flats Complex, which is made up of three fires.  

 

David Morman is one of many Fire information Officers in a very busy fire dispatch center.

 

"I think someone mentioned we were over 200 but that's a soft number- there were some evacuations in effect from earlier - concerns about the blackburn fire - one of three on this complex, because there were concerns about northern and eastern direction - from that fire. "

 

Morman says they are working the fire day and night- but right now it's also a fight to get enough resources - Fires are burning in 10 western states and many are competing for top priority status.

 

He's also heard local reports that livestock are also impacted by the evacuation orders.

 

That area has a history of large, fast moving fires.  It has many rural ranches and outbuildings.  The city's Water Treatment Facility is still safe, but the fire has burned through part of the watershed which could have longterm impacts to local residents.

  

 

Advice For Oregon HUnters

Before going into the outdoors in pursuit of big game mammals, the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (ODFW) and Oregon State Police (OSP) remind hunters to review the 2013 Oregon Big Game Regulations for important information including:

* Significant changes in bag limits for elk hunters have eliminated the harvest of antlerless elk on National Forest lands of the Cascade's west slope units including Dixon, Evans Creek, Indigo, McKenzie, Rogue and Santiam. Archery hunters should also pay close attention because in past years they were allowed to harvest antlerless elk in most of these units. These changes are in response to concerns about overall elk populations and calf recruitment, so hunters going to these areas are urged to study the regulations closely to learn about legal bag limits for their hunting season.

* Hunters with an Oregon Disabilities Hunting and Fishing Permits should closely review the regulations for bag limit changes during elk seasons. The harvest of antlerless elk on National Forest lands was eliminated for persons holding those permits (check page 88).

* Hunters who possess controlled elk hunt tags should closely review both controlled hunt bag limits and hunt area boundaries.

Also, due to high fire danger this year many private landowners will either limit or not allow access to hunters, especially during early seasons. It is the responsibility of every hunter to know the access policies for any private land they intend to hunt. It is never an excuse to not have received permission to hunt on anyone's private land. Questions about access to private lands for hunting should be directed to the respective landowner.

Copies of the 2013 Oregon Big Game hunting regulations may be obtained from any point of sale license agent, at any ODFW office, online at http://bit.ly/14Eoxuf. Questions about the hunting regulations can be directed to any local ODFW or OSP office.

### www.oregon.gov/OSP ###

Noticeable Smell of Smoke in Bend

The area's air quality isn't bad, but you can definitely smell the smoke.

 

Bruce Prudhomme is with the central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center.

 

"I went to the satellite imagery and pulled it up for the western U.S. and the satellite is showing smoke centered here and winds are rotating clockwise.  And smoke is coming from the south, southwest and its blowing smoke and the odor you are detecting there."

 

We are expected to smell the smoke for awhile, since the winds are expected to continue from the south, bringing smoke mostly from the northern California fires.

SE Bend Residents Face Water Woes

Homeowners in the Mountain High, Nottingham Square, Tillicum Village and Timber Ridge neighborhoods must pay 5-thousand dollars and more to put in new water lines.

 

Bob Speik has lived in Tillicum Village for twenty years.

 

He says this all started when the city took over its utility, formerly Juniper Utility that served these subdivisions.

 

"They're putting in new pipes and tearing up the streets. They just have to patch up the street and not return it to the pristine condition.  Seecondly, we can put them $5,143 now or $26 a month for the next thirty years.  The catch is we owe $9381, so that's on every house."

 

Speik says residents are looking at hiring an attorney to fight plans to collect the money in 2015.

 

They claim in order to enforce the homeowners agreement with the city, they need 80 percent of the residents to agree -- and they were never asked.

Deschutes County Jail Work Starts

Excavating work is starting on the 22-thousand square foot addition to the jail.

 

Susan Ross is the Property and Facilities Director for Deschutes County.

 

"We got a little bit delayed over issuing our bonds and through design.  These things tend to take longer than expected.  At this point, we're about a month and a half later than we thought we would be, but we're still on target to be done mid summer of 2014."

 

Site work is expected to last for the next six weeks.  By October, construction will get underway.

 

When the remodel is complete, it will add 72 new rooms to the jail with a capacity to house 144 more inmates.

Bend Representative is skeptical that a special session in Oregon would result says if a special Session is called

State Representative Jason Conger of Bend is skeptical about a special session resulting in a "grand bargain" on pers reform.

 

The governor announced last week that he plans to make a decision within a few days on whether or not to call a special session. 

 

He was speaking last Thursday to teachers and school leaders from Hermiston and Pendleton about the possibility of PERS reform. He say he would make his decision on a special session within 10 days. 

 

"I have a certain amount of doubt- given that we just spent 6 months relentlessly trying to come up with a pers reform package trying to make it through the legislature...and it didn't happen."

 

The main topic would be a deal that combines PERS reform and some form of a tax increase.

 

The special session may also include a new plan for the Columbia River Crossing.  The project was considered dead after the Washington legislature failed to approve its part of the funding for the bridge. The new plan could involve just Oregon and the Federal Government.

 

 

No new local fires overnight, but another Fire Weather Watch is issued.

Central Oregon Fire Update

           

Central Oregon – No new fires were reported to COIDC overnight Monday. Four fires were staffed overnight with smoke jumpers and rappellers. Two fires are within the 3 Sisters Wilderness, 1 just east of Waldo Lake Wilderness and 1 by Windigo Lake all within the Deschutes National Forest.

 

Local IA forces continue checking on all the recent fires to ensure they are out and responding to holdover fires from the lightning storms of last week. Amazingly they continue responding to abandoned illegal campfires across the area. A ban is still in effect on open fires, including charcoal fires on the Prineville District of the Bureau of Land Management, the Deschutes National Forest and the Crooked River National Grassland of the Ochoco National Forest. Campfires are prohibited except in hosted and developed campgrounds. A list is available on either of these two web sites http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon/fire/ or http://www.blm.gov/or/districts/prineville/index.php. These restrictions do not apply to affected Wilderness areas on the Deschutes National Forest.

 

For public and firefighter safety the Area Forest Closure is still in effect within the Green Ridge fire boundary, and roads within the fire perimeter remain closed to public travel. For details and updates please visit the Deschutes National Forest web site http://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/centraloregon/alerts-notices

 

The Willamette National Forest, McKenzie River Ranger District is working a fire located just off the Old McKenzie Pass Highway 242, between Hand Lake and Scott Lake. For current information you may call (541)822-3381 or (503)-854-4210. Fire updates will be posted on the Willamette National Forest website at www.fs.usda.gov/willamette.

 

Staffing is slowly decreasing as mop up objectives are met on the Geneva 14 fire located on Oregon Department of Forestry protection 1 mile south of Fly Lake. For current information please call Central Oregon Department of Forestry Information at 503-302-7088.

 

A Fire Weather Watch has been posted for Central Oregon effective Thursday morning through Friday evening for scattered thunderstorms with abundant lightning. Winds from the north to northeast at 5 to 10 mph are in the forecast for the afternoons through Wednesday. Relative humidity will decrease a little more each day as temperatures remain in the high 80’s.

 

 

Evacuation Order Issued for Fire near The Dalles

Subject: Level III evacuation order for Obrist Road

 

(Definition: Level 3: Fire is in the area. People are to leave immediately. Access into the area is restricted.)

 

News Release from: Oregon State Fire Marshal LEVEL III EVACUATION ORDER FOR OBRIST ROAD

Posted: August 19th, 2013 3:21 PM

Oregon Department of Forestry

Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal

The Wasco County Sheriff's Office has issued a Level III Evacuation for residents on Obrist Road west of the intersection of Dutch Flat Road at Obrist Road because of Blackburn Fire activity.

This evacuation notice is effective today, August 19, 2013 at 3:00 pm.

An American Red Cross has established a shelter for displaced residents at Dry Hollow Elementary School located at 1314 E. 19th St. in The Dalles.

For information regarding the evacuation, please contact the WASCO County Sheriff's Office at 541-506-2580.

 

Governor announces Key Education Appointments, 3 people from Central Oregon

 

Governor Kitzhaber Announces Key Education Appointments

Choices for Higher Ed Coordinating Commission and Institutional Boards Sent to Senate for September Confirmation



(Salem, OR) — Governor Kitzhaber today announced appointments to four new higher education boards. The Governor’s appointments to the Higher Education Coordinating Commission and the Boards of Trustees at Oregon State, Portland State, and University of Oregon mark the latest step in a comprehensive overhaul of Oregon’s public education system and in improving coordination among Oregon public universities, community colleges, private colleges and universities, career schools, and state financial aid and student access programs. 
 
"We have recruited an outstanding, experienced set of leaders to serve on Oregon’s higher education boards," said Governor Kitzhaber. "Together, they offer deep and broad expertise in all aspects and levels of education, which will inform their work to ensure that Oregon's higher education system is efficient, equitable, and well-coordinated. I am confident these appointees will be laser-focused on supporting Oregon students while helping to deepen relationships among higher education, K-12, early learning providers, and other education partners."
 
The Higher Education Coordinating Commission was re-chartered by the Oregon Legislature in 2013 through House Bill 3120, which granted it authorities previously vested in the State Board of Education, State Board of Higher Education, and OSAC. It oversees a complex system that enrolls more than 380,000 students in eight public universities, 17 public community colleges, 67 private for-profit and independent colleges and universities, and that receives state general fund appropriations of $835 million per biennium. The HECC is made up of nine voting members, including at least one from each Congressional District, and five non-voting students, faculty, and staff.  Voting members are subject to Senate confirmation.
 
On July 1, 2014, the HECC will become the foremost state board providing leadership on higher education issues. Its responsibilities include allocating state funding to public universities, community colleges, and financial aid; approving new programs at universities and colleges; overseeing the Office of Degree Authorization and the regulation of private career schools; and developing policy, funding, and coordination strategies to help Oregon's post-secondary system achieve the state's 40-40-20 goal.
 
Boards of Trustees at OSU, PSU, and UO were established by Senate Bill 270 in 2013. They will provide fiscal stewardship for each university while promoting student equity and access and excellence in teaching, research, and community service. The Governor is required to appoint 11 to 15 members to each board, with appointees subject to Senate confirmation. Students, faculty, and non-faculty staff members serve for two-year terms, with four-year terms for the others. SB 270 permits the Governor to decide whether the faculty and staff serve as voting or non-voting members. The President of the university serves as an ex officio non-voting member. 
 
Beginning July 1, 2014, these institutional boards will be responsible for overseeing their respective institutions, including the authority to hire the President, issue bonds, set tuition (subject to HECC and legislative oversight), and operate as separate legal entities. The boards will also be focused on implementing Oregon’s education goals by supporting initiatives that help more Oregon students earn post-secondary degrees at an affordable price.
 
Interim Chief Education Officer Nancy Golden welcomed the new appointees’ record of leadership. "I look forward to partnering with the HECC to refine and implement the Oregon Education Investment Board's strategic plan as it relates to community colleges, universities, and financial aid," said Dr. Golden. "The Governor’s appointees to the university boards have a deep appreciation for the value of public higher education, and they bring their wisdom and experience to help OSU, PSU, and UO seize opportunities and avoid pitfalls associated with changes in the business and delivery of higher education." 

Full list of candidates for Senate confirmation

 

 

Portland State University Board of Trustees

Name Residence Slot Term Expires

1 Christine Vernier Portland, OR at large (voting) June 30, 2017

2 Fariborz Maseeh Newport Beach, CA at large (voting) June 30, 2015

3 Gale Castillo Portland, OR at large (voting) June 30, 2015

4 Rick Miller Lake Oswego, OR at large (voting) June 30, 2015

5 Jim Francesconi Portland, OR at large (voting) June 30, 2017

6 Paul DeMuniz Salem, OR at large (voting) June 30, 2017

7 Pete Nickerson Portland, OR at large (voting) June 30, 2015

8 Peter Stott Portland, OR at large (voting) June 30, 2015

9 Sho Dozono Portland, OR at large (voting) June 30, 2017

10 Swati Adarkar Portland, OR at large (voting) June 30, 2017

11 Tom Imeson Portland, OR at large (voting) June 30, 2017

12 Pam Campos Beaverton, OR student (voting) June 30, 2015

13 Maude Hines Portland, OR faculty (voting) June 30, 2015

14 Erica Bestpich Portland, OR staff (voting) June 30, 2015

Oregon State University Board of Trustees

Name Residence Slot Term Expires

1 Darald Callahan San Rafael, CA at large (voting) June 30, 2015

2 Elson Floyd Pullman, WA at large (voting) June 30, 2015

3 John Turner Pendleton, OR at large (voting) June 30, 2017

4 Kirk Schueler Bend, OR at large (voting) June 30, 2017

5 Laura Naumes Medford, OR at large (voting) June 30, 2015

6 Michele Longo Eder Newport, OR at large (voting) June 30, 2015

7 Orcilia Forbes Portland, OR at large (voting) June 30, 2017

8 Pat Reser Beaverton, OR at large (voting) June 30, 2015

9 Patty Bedient Sammamish, WA at large (voting) June 30, 2015

10 Paul Kelly Portland, OR at large (voting) June 30, 2017

11 Rani Borkar Portland, OR at large (voting) June 30, 2017

12 Taylor Sarman Corvallis, OR student (voting) June 30, 2015

13 Brenda McComb Corvallis, OR faculty (voting) June 30, 2015

14 Mark Baldwin Albany, OR staff (voting) June 30, 2015

Near Bend: Crash involving semi results in minor injuries

One person received minor injury Monday morning in a two-vehicle traffic crash at the intersection of Highway 20 and Ward Road eats of Bend. Oregon State Police (OSP) is continuing the investigation and enforcement action is pending.

According to Lieutenant Carl Rhodes, on August 19, 2013 at approximately 11:07 a.m., a Saturn four-door driven by RUBELYN HANSEN, age 34, from Bend, was stopped northbound on Ward Road. HANSEN attempted to cross Highway 20 toward Hamby Road when she pulled into the path of an eastbound GMC pickup driven by CORY WILL, age 27, from Bend, and both vehicles collided.

WILL was not injured.

HANSEN was treated and released at the scene for her minor injuries. An infant boy passenger in a child safety seat was not injured.

OSP troopers from the Bend Area Command office are investigating the crash. OSP was assisted at the scene by Deschutes County Sheriff's Office, Bend Police Department, Bend Fire Department, and ODOT.

 

Morning update on Fire near The Dalles

 

The Government Flat Complex is estimated at 3,000 acres with no expected time or date of full containment. The Complex is being managed under a unified command of Oregon Department of Forestry Incident Management Team 3 (IC Chris Cline) and Oregon State Fire Marshal's Green Team (IC John Ingrao).

 

Governor Kitzhaber issued a Conflagration Act proclamation on Saturday evening. This action based on the potential threat to the community and its infrastructure has allowed a FEMA declaration to be made. FEMA provides an avenue for reimbursements of some of the cost by the Federal government. This assistance starts when homes and infrastructure become threatened and ends upon the lifting of that threat.

 

The Blackburn Fire grew on all sides, working its way downslope into the Mill Creek drainage overnight. Firefighters today will continue to work on holding and checking the fire spread, building on their successful efforts of yesterday and last night.

Acreage is estimated at 2700 acres, based on the Infrared flights last night. The fire is expected to continue making upslope runs today with similar weather conditions as what was seen yesterday. Crews were warned to expect wind gust above 25 mph today. The "Gorge" wind influence leaves no part of the fire unaffected.

 

Good progress is being made in pre-triaging of structures and the Water Treatment Plant. This effort is to lower the potential for fire damage of buildings and other infrastructures.

A Level II (get Set) Evacuation notification remains in place today for the Upper Mill Creek area. A road block has been installed at the Upper Mill Creek Road and Reservoir Road junction. Area residents only will be allowed into their property.

 

No growth was seen on the Government Flat Fire or the Wells Road Fire. Work efforts on these two fires will be to continue patrol and dealing with hot burning areas within the control lines. There is considered a low risk of further fire spread, but the wind continues to be a concern.

 

On the Complex there are 500 firefighters and support personnel. There are 5 Task Forces of structural engines from Clackamas County, Washington County, Hood River County, Marion County and Multnomah County assisting local resources from Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue. Each Task Force includes 5 engines and a leader. In addition 14 hand crews, 16 wildland fire engines, 5 dozers, 5 water tenders and 5 helicopters are working the fires on day and night shifts.

 

Cooperators working the incidents include Oregon Department of Forestry, Oregon State Fire Marshall's Office, BLM, City of The Dalles, Wasco County Sheriff's Office, Wasco County Emergency Operations Center, American Red Cross, US Forest Service and Oregon State Police.

###

Central Oregon Fires Update

Central Oregon Fire Update

           

Central Oregon –  One new fire to report this morning, 2 to 3 acres of grass and brush, burning north of the Paulina Highway in the Lost Creek area south of Bonnieview Ranch, crews are working it now. Sunday late afternoon 4 smoke jumpers were dispatched to incident #634, a ¼ acres fire near Lemish Lake, 4 miles west of Crane Prairie Reservoir. Additionally, 4 Rappelers were dispatched to incident #632, a ¼ acre fire near Windigo Lake, 5 miles south of Crescent Lake. Both fires were staffed overnight and they should be completing mop up today. Local IA forces will be checking on all the recent fires to ensure they are out and responding to holdover fires from the recent lightning storms that blanketed the Central Oregon Area over the last week.

 

Sunday’s smoke column to the west of Bend and Sisters is a new fire on the Willamette National Forest along Old McKenzie Pass Highway 242. For current information you may call the McKenzie River Ranger District at (541)822-3381 or (503)-854-4210 or (503)-298-8190. Fire updates will be posted on the Willamette National Forest website at www.fs.usda.gov/willamette.

 

The “Geneva 14” fire about 15 miles northeast of Sisters and 1 mile south of Fly Lake off the 2055 road is on Oregon Department of Forestry protection. Staffing is slowly being released as objectives are met. For current information please call Central Oregon Department of Forestry Information at 503-302-7088.

 

For public and firefighter safety the Area Forest Closure is still in effect within the Green Ridge fire boundary, and roads within the fire perimeter remain closed to public travel. For details and updates please visit the Deschutes National Forest web site http://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/centraloregon/alerts-notices.

 

Breezy westerly winds, 5 to 10 mph, are in the forecast for the afternoons through Wednesday. Relative humidity will decrease a little more each day as temperatures remain in the high 80’s. The potential for thunderstorms returns to the region on Thursday and Friday afternoons and evenings.

 

The ban on open fires remains in effect. Please visit http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon/fire/ or http://www.blm.gov/or/districts/prineville/index.php for the current restriction.

 

 

 

#          #         

Butler Fire Update

 

BUTLER FIRE

Detected: Wednesday, July 31, 10:00pm Cause: Under Investigation

Location: 10 miles east of Somes Bar, CA Fuels: Timber and Brush

Estimated Size: 15,900 Committed Resources: 961

Containment: 25% Structures Damaged or Destroyed: 0

Operational Objectives-- Keep the Butler Fire:

South and west of the Salmon River to Hotelling Ridge.

East of Somes Mountain down to Orleans Mountain continuing to Salmon Summit.

South of line from Somes Mountain to Butler Flat.

North of the Siskiyou/Trinity County line from Salmon Summit to Hotelling Ridge.

Incident Summary: The fire made a run toward the ridge below Orleans Mountain today, but lost energy in lighter fuels as it neared the top. Crews made very good progress constructing direct line up the McNeal Creek drainage, with the intent to tie in with the established dozer line on the ridge. Fire crews are continuing regular patrols along the Salmon River Road to prevent fire spread across the river.

Fire Behavior and Environmental Conditions: A dry and unstable air mass will support potentially active burning during this evening’s shift. The southwest edge of the fire may see accelerate toward indirect fireline as northeast winds reach the area overnight. The fire should continue to back into the upper Butler Creek drainage, and crews may conduct defensive burnout operations to strengthen containment line along the northwest section of the fire area. Burnout operations may also occur in the McNeal Creek drainage as conditions allow.

Closures:

Bow season for deer hunting opened August 17, 2013. Hunters are reminded that a Forest Closure Order is in effect around the Butler Fire and Salmon River Complex on the Klamath and Six Rivers National Forests. To see the full Forest Closure Order, visit: www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5430601.pdf.

The Salmon River Road is closed between Forks of Salmon and the junction with Highway 96 at Somes Bar.

North Fork/Sawyers Bar Road is closed to the public at this time.

Health Advisory: The North Coast Unified Air Quality Management District is providing daily notifications of any air quality health advisories or alerts. For additional information, call the NCUAQMD 24-hour Air Quality Advisory Information line at 1-866-BURN DAY (1-866-287-6329), visit the District’s website at www.ncuaqmd.org, or the Siskiyou County Pollution Control District at www.co.siskiyou.ca.us/AG/apc.aspx.

Evacuation Advisory: At this time, an Evacuation Advisory remains in effect in and around Forks of Salmon. Please see www.inciweb.org/incident/3577/ for updates and a map. For information on how to prepare for an evacuation, visit the Ready Set Go website at www.ReadyforWildfire.org.

Please be careful with anything that can cause a spark. Motorists can inadvertently create a trail of sparks along the highway, igniting wildfires. Simple actions may prevent costly fires: shorten towing safety chains to be sure they do not drag on the roadway; check tire pressure, wheel bearings, breaks, and make sure no metal parts are dragging underneath the vehicle; and carry a small fire extinguisher in case an accident creates a fire start. More fire safety information is available at http://www.preventwildfireca.org. Please report all fires or any suspicious activity by calling 9-1-1.

Latest on 17m dollar Salmon River Complex Fires, containment expected today

 

 

Date Started: July 31, 2013

Size: 14,171 acres

Percent Contained: 85%

Estimated Cost to Date: $17,200,000

Est. Date of Containment: 08/19/2013

Total Personnel: 720

Committed Resources: 11 crews, 38 engines, 1 dozer, 19 water tenders and 6 helicopters

 

Southern California Incident Managenment Team 3 arrived this evening for an inbriefing and will begin transitioning with the current Califonia Interagency Incident Management Team 1 tomorrow.

Today’s Actions: Firefighters extinguished a number of spot fires below the Sawyers Bar Road and continued mop up and patrol of handlines. Crews monitored and held the containment lines around the fire’s edge.

Tonight, fire crews will mop up, patrol and hold firelines to reduce the threat of spot fires. Structure defense will continue around the community of Sawyers Bar.

Fire Behavior: Today’s fire behavior included active backing and isolated single tree torching. Minimal interior burning is expected overnight due to rising humidity and lower temperatures.

A Red Flag Warning is in effect from 2pm Monday through 11pm Wednesday for abundant lightning with dry fuels.

Air Quality: Clean air respite centers are still available at the Happy Camp Community Resource Center, HUB Communities Resource Center in Montague, Scott Valley Family Resource Center in Fort Jones, Madrone Senior Center at the Yreka Community Center, Mt. Shasta Community Resource Center and Dorris City Hall.

A daily air quality report for Forks of Salmon, Sawyers Bar, Etna, Fort Jones and Yreka will be distributed with the morning update and posted on the Klamath National Forest Website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/klamath.

For additional information on smoke conditions and health effects, visit Siskiyou County Pollution Control District (http://www.co.siskiyou.ca.us/ag/apc.aspx), the national Interagency Real-Time Smoke Monitoring network (http://app.airsis.com/usfs/fleet.aspx) or the North Coast Unified Air Quality Management District (http://ncuaqmd.org/). Residents are encouraged to visit the "Protect Yourself from Smoke" Website for smoke protection information at http://www.cdc.gov/Features/Wildfires/.

Closure Order: Deer hunters are reminded a Forest Order is in effect around the Salmon River Complex and Butler Fires on the Klamath and Six Rivers National Forests. Sawyers Bar Road remains closed to public traffic from Etna Summit to Forks of Salmon. Residents, with proof of residency, will be allowed through the closure. Residents may encounter one-way traffic control within the closure area. Salmon River Road remains closed west of Forks of Salmon. Please see http://tinyurl.com/lsbx7ne for the full closure order and associated map.

Evacuations: An Evacuation Advisory remains in effect for all residents along the North Fork Salmon River from Kelly Gulch to Idlewild and Mule Bridge to the Marble Mountain Wilderness Boundary. See http://inciweb.org/incident/article/3575/19865/ for more information on the evacuation advisory.

Bend Traffic Alert from Cascade Natural Gas

Construction Update Bend Replacement Project PH.2

Week of August 19, 2013

 

Cascade Natural Gas continues to replace aging gas lines with new on Bend’s west side.  So far,  crews have installed 215’ of 6” steel gas main line and 214’ of 6” Polyethylene main on NW Galveston/Tumalo Ave. 

 

Today (Monday 8/19), the crew will dig across NW Riverside Blvd. and into the grass median east of NW Riverside.  Access to NW Riverside Blvd. south of NW Tumalo will be closed during the day but will be reopened around 5:00 pm.   NW Riverfront Ave. will be open for local access only.

 Due to the traffic congestion, Cascade Natural Gas is asking people to avoid this area if at all possible.      

 

Cascade Natural Gas advises Bend residents living in the construction zone to keep vehicles out of the work area during the day to allow crews access to the gas lines. 

 

If you’d like more information as to when pipeline crews will be working on your street, visit Cascade Natural Gas on the web at cngc.com, or call 888-522-1130.

 

Deschutes County Commission to Decide Contract with 911 Employees

A four year labor contract with 911 Employees Association  is up for consideration by the Deschutes County Commission Monday.

 

The collective bargaining agreement between the two expired in June of 2011.

 

The Bend Bulletin reports that Deputy County Administrator Erik Kropp says they have been in negotiations since February of 2011, and they considered binding arbitration, but were finally able to come to an agreement.

 

The agreement applies to all regular full time employees in the 911 Service District,  excluding elected officials, supervisors, confidential employees and volunteers.

 

It includes a 2.9% Cost of Living Adjustment retroactive to July of 2012; and other cost of living arrangements.

 

Employees voted to ratify the agreement in early August and if the Commission approves the contract, will go into effect immediately.

Garbage Fire Damages Landfill

Bend Fire officials say a smoldering object, like a charcoal briquette was the probable cause for a fire that caused about $30,000 damage at the Knott Landfill Friday evening.

 

Battalion Chief Dave Howe says firefighters were called to the receiving building at the Deschutes County Landfill around 5:30 P.M., to find the building filled with smoke and a fire in a loaded open topped solid waste truck parked in the area where trash is dispersed.

 

Firefighters were able to put out the fire and remove the smoke from the building; the truck was still drivable and it was moved to an area where the contents could be emptied and fully extinguished.

 

Damage was limited to an overhead door and some plastic windows, as well as smoke damage.

 

Howe reminds the community to be very careful disposing of anything that has burned; such as briquettes or woodstove ashes, and to make sure they are fully cold before disposal.

OSBA Joins An Effort to Help PERS Reform Stand Up in Court

The OSBA will file papers this week to help defend against a lawsuit against Senate Bill 822.

 

It's the only PERS  reform that passed the legislature this year.

 

Alex Pulaski with the OSBA  says school districts across the state are seeing shrinking dollars in the classroom because of the Public Employees Retirement System.

 

"As you look around the state, we've got the shortest school years.  We have the third highest class sizes in the country and it's a direct result of the high cost of PERS.  We believe these employees deserve a fair retirement, but the pendulum has swung and we feel it has to swing back."

 

This week the OSBA will file papers with the State Supreme Court asking they be allowed to intervene in the litigation.  They want to help defend against the effort to get rid of the PERS reform passed this year.

Redmond Library Patrons Work Out Plan to Donate to Their Branch

The library's system had pooled all donations into one fund and people couldn't specify which branch the funds would go to.

 

Recently, some Redmond supporters of the library refused to donate anymore if they could not donate directly to the Redmond branch.

 

Mike Lee, the head of the "Friends of Redmond Library"says a meeting this week resulted in a new memorandum of understanding between Redmond and the library.

 

"So the purpsoe of this is to allow our community members to donate directly to our beloved library and help them feel comfortable making a donation to and to clarify in the Redmond community the relationship between Redmond and DPL."

 

Some patrons and artists that used to donate funds to the Redmond library had stopped donating, if they couldn't direct the funds.

Central Oregon Fires Appear Under Control

The Green Ridge Fire near Camp Sherman is now fully contained.  Nearly 200 personnel continue to mop up that fire.

 

There were three new smoke reports overnight, but all have been contained to a quarter acre or less.

 

Central Oregon continues to be impacted by smoke.  It's coming from northern California and southwestern Oregon fires.  In the early morning and evening hours in areas like Sisters, the smoke settles in the valley and then the smoke moves southerly.

 

Firefighters warn people, a ban on open fires remains in effect.  Campfires are prohibited except in hosted and developed campgrounds.

Jefferson County Paramedic Dies Following Motorcycle Accident

64 year old Don Heckathorn of Madras had been in critical condition following last Thursday afternoon's accident.

 

His son, Sheriff's Captain Marc Heckathorn says his dad passed away very peacefully last night (Wed) surrounded by friends and family.

 

Police say Heckathorn's motorcycle was allegedly struck by a car whose driver allegedly ran a stop sign at an intersection of Highway 97 south of Madras.

LaPine Woman Dies in Single Car Accident

Christine Furtado was eastbound on Paulina Lake Road at a high rate of speed just before 5 P.M., lost control on a curve, left the road and hit two trees.

 

She was pronounced dead at the scene.

 

Police say alcohol and speed were factors in the crash.

Mirror Pond Committee Decides to Hold Open Meetings

The group met for the first time this week, but wouldn't let the public or media sit in.  They said they were "work sessions" and not public meetings.

 

City Councilor Mark Capell serves on the committee.

 

"The reason we need to meet out there without the public is there are a couple of sensitive issues and its difficult to be forthright about.  Like the McKay family that owns the land under Mirror Pond and Pacific Power that own the dam.  They don't want to discuss it in public, until they know what the public wants and that's where we're at."

 

Capell says despite legal advice that the meetings didn't need to be open, they have decided to hold open meetings going forward and then go into executive when they need to.

New LaPine Community Health Center Opens

LaPine had its own medical clinic and Deschtues County had its behavioral health clinic nearby.

 

Dr. Michelle Cox with Deschutes County Behavioral Health says all care is moving in this direction -- consolidating healthcare.

 

"In essence, LaPine had its own medical center and all the behavioral health was in a facility by the county half a mile down the road.  When you're trying to help people get healthy, especially in rural areas, it helps people. We can communicate as providers much more easily."

 

Deschutes County hopes to expand the medical and mental health clinics to Sisters and Redmond.

Oregon's July Unemployment Rate Ticks Up Slightly

Leisure and Hospitality businesses continued to show growth, while construction and government jobs are down.

 

State Economist Nick Bieliciks anlayzes the numbers.

 

"We saw an increase in unemployment.  It's similar to what we've seen in recent years.  It has to do more with entrants coming into the labor force.  An example of this would be a student looking for a summer job, but unalbe to find one."

 

The state has added an average of 29 hundred jobs a month in the past ten months.

A Bend Man Wants to Preserve Mirror Pond By Dredging and Not Removing the Dam

Don Smith of Bend served on the Bend Parks and Rec Board for 16 years.  He recently wrote a "Letter to the Editor" offering his solution.

 

"The dam is not our problem.  The dam is a problem of the owner, which we are not.  Taking out the  dam will  cost about 11 million dollars.  I'm sure the owner would love the city and the Parks and Rec Department to participate and let taxpayers help pay for that and any possible litigation, when people upstream and downstream are irritated at the result."

 

Smith believes the city should just consider dredging or doing nothing.  He doesn't think the future of the dam should be part of the discussion.

 

He recommends we do the same amount of dredging we did in 1984.  He says that amount served us for thirty years.

 

City and Parks and Rec Department leaders hope  to identify  a preferred strategy this fall.

Memorial for John Hammack Expected to Bring Out Hundreds

John Hammack died when the top of a dead tree fell on him earlier this month.

 

A public memorial service for him is scheduled for 3 P.M. Tuesday at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds in Redmond.

 

Hundreds are expected to come out to pay tribute to him.

Bend's Taco Del Mar Held Up

A bearded man wearing a red baseball cap with a gun -- held up the  restaurant at the Cascade Village Shopping Center just before 7 P.M. Monday night.

 

Initial reports indicate the man was given money and ran off.  Police were called in, but were unable to find him. 

 

The suspect is described as a 6 foot tall white man.  He had a pit bull dog with him.  He was wearing a red baseball cap, had a thick black beard and was wearing a red plaid shirt.

 

Police say the man is considered armed and dangerous.

Third Oregon Firefighter Dies in the Last Couple Weeks

Hall was a contract dozer operator who was working on rehabilitating the fire line.  He was found slumped over in his pick up and was unresponsible on Saturday.

 

BLM employees administrered CPR until a life flight helicotper arrived, but Hall was pronounced dead at the scene.

 

 It appears Hall may have suffered a medical emergency.

Republican Leaders in Oregon Elect New Party Chair

Members voted to elect former congressional candidate Art Robinson.  

 

Former party chair, Suzanne Gallagher resigned before a recall vote was taken.

 

John Philo with the Deshcutes County Republicans says it had to be done.

 

"We had problems raising funds at the top of the Oregon republican top.  Her plans conflicted with the rest of the plans of the Executive Committee.  There wasn't unity there. And it's always tough to remvoe someone from office, but in the end, Suzanne Gallagher had the graciousness to step down from that position."

 

Art Robinson is a chemist by profession.  He ran unsucessfully in 2010 and 2012 against U.S. Representative Peter DeFazio.

 

Philo says he is an effective fundraiser.

Busy Boys and Girls Club in Central Oregon this Summer

On average about 800 kids have been attending the clubs in Bend, Redmond and Terrebonne.

 

Executive Director Lisa Maxwell says they've tried to keep the kids occupied and learning.

 

"All three clubs were very busy this summer, doing fun activities and helping with learning disguised as fun, and working on leaderhsip and  character development so they're ready to head off to school."

 

The Boys and Girls Club will be holding an open house this Wednesday for parents who want to enroll their kdis in the after school program this fall.

 

The open house is Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Bend club.

Lost ATV Rider Found Near East Fort Rock

Around 8:30 Sunday night, members of the riding party called 9-1-1 to say they hadn't heard from 33 year old Julio Medellin of Bend.

 

Apparently Medellin was lost and was going around in circles trying to get back to the staging area.

 

Medellin was found just before midnight.  He had also run out of gas.

 

He returned in good condition, although very cold.

Central Oregon Fires Update

Over the last 12 hours, the Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch reports there have been over 350 lightning strikes recorded in Central Oregon.

 

Katelo Butte, south of Bend, has 6 reported smokes in one of the more heavily impacted areas, but other reported fires appear to be small.

 

The Green Ridge Fire burning northwest of Sisters is now at 1307 acres and is 75% contained.  Full containment is expected Sunday.

 

A reminder that a memorial for John Hammack, the firefighter killed in the Sisters Fire is scheduled for Tuesday, August 13 at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds at 3 p.m.

Lots of Lightning recorded from lastest storm

Central Oregon Fire Update

           

Central Oregon – Over the last 12 hours in excess of 350 lightning strikes have been recorded in the Central Oregon area. The Dispatch Center has been very busy recording smoke reports and dispatching resources. Most of the available air resources have been temporarily grounded due to thunder cells or heavy rain showers where they are located. When the weather clears they will be launched to deliver repellers and smoke jumpers to many of the smoke reports. The Katalo Butte area southwest of Bend has 6 reported smokes one of the more heavily impacted areas. The other smoke reports are scattered over the Central Oregon region. Currently all fires appear to be small and updated information will be available tomorrow morning.

 

Update on the Green Ridge Fire which is burning 14 miles northwest of Sisters, Oregon is now about 1307 acres and is 75% contained, with 535 personnel assigned. Full containment is expected Sunday evening August 11. Light rain fell over the fire area this afternoon. Today crews made excellent progress with line improvement and mop up along the eastern flank. The burn out operation along the southwestern flank is going well and will continue tonight if weather conditions allow. There currently are no evacuations in place. A new area closure was implemented last night east of the fire area. Forest Road 11 remains open. Visit the Deschutes National Forest web site for details.  http://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/centraloregon/alerts-notices. Additional fire information is also available at http://www.inciweb.org/incident/3594/.

 

A Memorial for John Hammack has been scheduled for 3 p.m. on Tuesday August 13, 2013 at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds in Redmond.

 

For the latest air quality information visit the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality web site at www.deq.state.or.us/aqi/. For additional air quality information and an explanation of the data visit http://www.epa.gov/airnow/aqi_brochure_08-09.pdf

 

For current state road information call 511 or visit Oregon State Department of Transportation at http://www.tripcheck.com

 

Businesses are open and look forward to serving your recreational needs, so don’t miss the opportunity to visit the Camp Sherman area and enjoy the Metolius River. Six popular campgrounds remain open along the Metolius River, however three campgrounds are closed. The Lower Bridge, Allen Springs, and Pioneer Ford Campgrounds remain closed.

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No Charges in Dragged Dog Case, DA says it was an accident

Chance: DA Reminds Community To Report

 

I have reviewed the investigation involving Chance, the dog that somehow managed to survive being dragged by a car travelling 40-50 mph. I’m happy to report that Chance continues to improve and heal, thanks in no small part to the great veterinary care and support he’s received. By all accounts, he’s a friendly dog who’s shown tremendous heart in his recovery.

 

Based upon the investigation conducted by the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, the District Attorney will not be filing any criminal charges. Experienced deputies and detectives worked on this investigation and I agree with their conclusion that this was a tragic accident and not a criminal act. 

 

That said, at least three different people witnessed the dog being drug down the highway and none of them called 911 or non-emergency dispatch to report what they saw; however, they did come forward after the media coverage of this incident. Chance was found by a passing motorist approximately 36 hours after he was dragged down the road. The people interviewed had various reasons for not reporting. I would like to remind our community to please call law enforcement when they witness a crime or suspected crime, including animal abuse or neglect, and give law enforcement agencies the opportunity to take appropriate and timely action.   

 

You may call the non-emergency dispatch line at 541-693-6911 if you don’t feel it is an emergency. In this case, it would have been entirely appropriate for the eyewitnesses to call 911.

 

Thank you to everyone who has supported Chance in his recovery, including Brightside Animal Shelter. 

Madras Man seriously injured in crash, OSP investigates

Oregon State Police (OSP) is continuing the investigation into Thursday afternoon's serious injury traffic crash involving a motorcycle and car on Highway 97 at the SW Dover Lane intersection south of Madras. The crash seriously injured a Madras-area man.

On August 8, 2013 at approximately 3:00 p.m., a 1996 Cadillac four-door driven by GERALD S. GREEN, age 36, from Prineville, was eastbound on SW Dover Lane when GREEN failed to stop at a stop sign and collided with a northbound 2012 Harley Davidson motorcycle operated by DONALD W. HECKATHORN, age 64, from Madras.

HECKATHORN, a paramedic with Jefferson County EMS ambulance, was seriously injured and transported by air ambulance to St. Charles Medical Center in Bend. He was wearing a protective helmet.

GREEN was not injured.

OSP troopers from the Madras work site are continuing the investigation. Senior Trooper Clint Prevett is the lead investigator. No citations or enforcement decision at this time.

OSP was assisted at the scene by Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, Jefferson County EMS, Jefferson County Fire District #1, and ODOT.

Photographs - Oregon State Police

### www.oregon.gov/OSP ###

Douglas Complex Fires, Friday 8a update

News Release from: Oregon Dept. of Forestry DOUGLAS COMPLEX UPDATE - AUG. 9, 2013 MORNING

Posted: August 9th, 2013 8:54 AM

Douglas Complex Fire Update

Oregon Department of Forestry Team 2- Dennis Sifford, Incident Commander Phone Numbers: 541-832-0136; 541-832-0137 Douglas County Information Number: 888-459-3830 Hours of operation: 8:00 am - 9:00 pm

August 9, 2013

8:00 am

Current Situation: The Douglas Complex currently consists of Rabbit Mountain, Dad's Creek, and Farmer's fires. Overall the primary focus is to strengthen control lines on the Rabbit Mountain and Dad's Creek fires.

Rabbit Mountain - 22,540 acres

The southwestern corner of the fire around Riffle Creek continues to grow while the remainder of the fire containment lines in the other areas around the fire are holding. Water drops from helicopters and hose lay will assist in the efforts to construct fire line in the southwestern area.

Dad's Creek - 21,242 acres

The south end of the fire continues to burn near the rugged areas of Reuben Creek where fireline is being constructed. Containment lines in the Rattlesnake Creek, Dry Creek and Poorman Creek areas continue to be strengthened to secure homes. Crews worked to tie lines together on the west side on the fire, and are nearing completion.

Weather: A Red Flag warning continues for the fire and surrounding area due to the chance of lighting that will last through 11:00 pm Friday, August 9th. Weather over the fire will include light clouds coming in and potential lightning forming about 1:00 pm. These lightning storms are predicted to bring rain.

Evacuations and Closures:

* Cow Creek Road from Riddle into the fire area and from Glendale into the fire has been closed except for residents. The National Guard will be conducting traffic control at the road blocks and not interfere with firefighters working in the area.

* The Level 2 evacuation for McCullough Creek Road, Reuben Road, and Mt. Ruben Road in Douglas County and Lower Grave Creek, Grave Creek, and Lower Wolf Creek in Josephine County. The area from the community of Wolf Creek to Watertank Gulch is at a Level 1 evacuation.

* Residences in the area are still considered threatened. This means evacuations could be necessary at some point in the future. Any official evacuation orders would be issued by the Douglas County or Josephine County sheriff's offices.

Public Safety/Prevention: Firefighters are contending with hazards, like falling boulders and trees, old mine shafts, and narrow roads which are affecting access into some of the fire area. Values at risk include homes, commercial timberland, and critical wildlife habitat. There are no reports of homes burned. Seven minor injuries have been reported. Two outbuildings have burned.

Douglas Forest Protective Association has increased prevention restrictions for both industry and the public. Check www.dfpa.net before commencing your activities.

Fire Statistics:

Location: 7 miles north of Glendale, OR

Percent Contained: 32%

Complex Size: 44,045 acres

Cause: Lightning

Start Date: 7/26/13

Total Personnel: 3,138

 

 

Resources Include: 93 Type 2 hand crews, 4 Type 1 hand crews, 120 engines, 28 dozers, 46 water tenders, and overhead personnel, and National Guard resources

Air Resources: 12 Type 1 helicopters, 7 Type 2 helicopters, and 6 Type 3 helicopters

Places to get information:

Douglas Forest Protective Association -www.dfpa.net Twitter - www.twitter.com/DouglasFPA Facebook - www.facebook.com/DouglasForestProtectiveAssociation

InciWeb - https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3559/

Douglas Complex Photos - To view: https://tinyurl.com/DouglasFire2013

ODF PIO Blog - https://wildfireoregondeptofforestry.blogspot.com/.

ODF Southwest Oregon District - www.swofire.com American Red Cross - www.redcross.org/nss Air Quality - www.oregonblogspot.com

Friday morning Central Oregon Fires update

Central Oregon Fire Update

           

Central Oregon – Over the last 24 hours initial attack forces responded to 4 new fire starts in the Central Oregon area, all have been reported as less than 0.5 acres. Red Flag warning remain in place for the entire Central Oregon area for abundant lightning through Sunday evening. Some of the storms may bring localized wetting rain. Resources remain at the ready to respond to any new fire starts as they are reported.

 

Across the state new fire starts and existing fires require the combined efforts of all wildland firefighters in the region. This includes federal, state, tribal, contractors and cooperators who provide fire suppression assets like aircraft, equipment and firefighters. These assets continue to be shifted around the region as fire priorities are set and adjusted throughout the day. Firefighter and public safety are the highest priorities. Communities; infrastructure, such as transmission lines; and economic concerns, such as industrial timber lands, are also high priorities.

 

Update on the Green Ridge Fire which is burning 14 miles northwest of Sisters, Oregon is now about 1150 acres and is 50% contained, with 581 personnel assigned. Full containment is expected Sunday evening August 11. Overnight crews continued the burn out operations along the southwest and western flanks and started mop up on the far eastern flanks. Those efforts will continue today, and residents in the Camp Sherman area will see the burnout operations. There currently are no evacuations in place. Additional information is also available at http://www.inciweb.org/incident/3594/.

 

For the latest air quality information visit the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality web site at www.deq.state.or.us/aqi/.

 

A community meeting is scheduled for today, Friday, August 9th at 6:30 p.m. at the Camp Sherman Fire Hall.  Members of the Incident Management Team and Deschutes National Forest Staff will present the latest information on the Green Ridge Fire. Everyone is welcome to attend.

 

Businesses are open and look forward to serving your recreational needs, so don’t miss the opportunity to visit the Camp Sherman area and enjoy the Metolius River. Six popular campgrounds remain open along the Metolius River, however three campgrounds are closed. The Lower Bridge, Allen Springs, and Pioneer Ford Campgrounds remain closed.

Salmon River Complex Update. Friday morning

Salmon River Complex Update

Email: salmonrivercomplex@gmail.com

InciWeb: http://www.inciweb.org/incident/3575/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/info_ciimt1

Flickr: http://tinyurl.com/n3tgqta

Fire Facts:

Date started: July 31, 2013 Number of Personnel: 1,182

Location: 4 miles west of Sawyers Bar, Salmon River, CA Crews: 32

Size: 9,188 acres Engines: 54

Percent Contained: 16% Dozers: 5

Estimated Containment Date: unknown Water Tenders: 20

Cause: Human Helicopters: 2 Type 1, 3 Type 2, and 1 Type 3

Cost to Date: $6,600,000 Air Tankers: available upon request

Structures Threatened: 50 Injuries to Date: 3

Todays’s Update:

Last night, crews patrolled and continued preparations around Sawyers Bar, Idlewild and Mule Bridge. Two minor injuries occurred yesterday.

Today, crews will continue structure protection, patrols and fireline construction along Sawyers Bar Road, also constructing indirect line along the

west flank of the fire. Firefighters will continue to take advantage of today’s moderate fire behavior and construct direct line along the north edge

in Specimen and Jackass Creeks. Crews will chip slash to clear contingency lines ahead of the fire at Mule Bridge, Idlewild and Swayers Bar. Due to

predicted lightning activity levels, team resources will prepare for initial attack on the Salmon/Scott River Ranger District north of the North Fork

Salmon River within the district boundary.

A Red Flag Warning is in effect until 11:00 p.m. today for dry thunderstorms and associated erratic winds.

Evacuations:

An Evacuation Advisory is in effect for all residents along the North Fork Salmon River from Kelly Gulch to Idlewild and Mule Bridge to the Marble

Mountain Wilderness Boundary. See http://inciweb.org/incident/article/3575/19865/ for more information on the evacuation advisory. The

Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office and the Office of Emergency Services are working with fire managers to assure close communication and

coordination. An evacuation center has been established by the Red Cross at Etna Union High School, 400 Howell Avenue, Etna. Domestic pets

may also be taken to the high school where kennels will be available. Large animals may be taken to the Dean McBroom Ranch at 1442 Sawyers

Bar Road, Etna. Call 530-467-3711.

For tips on how to prepare for an evacuation and what to do if you are evacuated, residents are encouraged to visit the “Ready, Set, Go” Website

at http://www.readyforwildfire.org/.

Fire Behavior and Smoke:

Last night, fire behavior was limited to creeping and smoldering with most of the heat being retained in heavy fuels and stumps.

Today, due to scattered precipitation occurring yesterday afternoon, the fire is expected to have limited spread northeasterly into Sawmill Gulch;

easterly beyond Tanners Peak; and westerly towards Big Creek.

All communities near the fires should expect to be impacted by smoke. For information on smoke conditions, visit

http://www.co.siskiyou.ca.us/AG/apc.aspx, http://app.airsis.com/usfs/fleet.aspx or http://www.airnow.gov/.

Smoke can pose health concerns. Residents are encouraged to visit the “Protect Yourself from Smoke” Website for smoke protection information

at http://www.cdc.gov/Features/Wildfires/.

Closures:

A portion of the Klamath National Forest near the fire area is closed to public entry. See the Klamath National Forest Website at

http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5430601.pdf for a description and map.

Sawyer’s Bar Road is closed to public traffic from Etna Summit to the Forks of Salmon. Residents, with proof of residency, will be allowed through

the closure. Residents may encounter one-way traffic control within the closure area. The Salmon River Road is closed west of Forks of Salmon.

For information on the Orleans Complex (Butler Fire), please call 530-618-2101.

###

John Day Fire update from Thursday Night, Fire makes a run

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Distribution: Major Media

August 8, 2013 @ 10 p.m.

 

 

The Grouse Mountain Fire, a branch of the GC Complex, made a significant push early this evening when wind direction abruptly changed. Aided by strong north winds, fire runs have approached the limits of John Day along the northern boundary of the city. The Grant County Sheriff's Office has issued pre-evacuation notices for residences in three areas on the north side of John Day: Ironside, Valleyview, and Charolais Heights. At this time, there is no report of any damage to structures.

 

Fuels burning nearest to town are primarily grass and brush, with scattered juniper. Current acreage for the fire, previously estimated earlier today to be 2,000 acres, is not now known. Fire crews are engaging in aggressive initial attack, working through the night with dozers, engines, and hand crews to begin establishing containment fire lines. Steep terrain has made dozer and engine access difficult.

In addition to the threat to John Day, the fire - currently burning on private lands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), is also threatening to cross over into the Malheur National Forest.

The fire is east of Highway 395, which remains open, but fire-related traffic in the area may be heavy.

Earlier today, two cabins were known to be within the fire perimeter, as well as two other structures near the fire area at that time that were threatened, but there are no reports of damage. The Mt. Vernon Rural Fire District has been providing structural protection.

The Grouse Mountain Fire is one of a number of fire starts in Grant County called the GC Complex ("GC" for Grant County) from Wednesday, August 7. ODF provided initial attack yesterday and today, directing suppression actions on the wildfire. Oregon Interagency Incident Management Team 4 was briefed on the situation earlier today and took over the complex of fire starts on various ownerships within Grant County at 6 p.m. tonight. ODF will continue working on the Grouse Mountain Fire as a branch of the larger GC Complex (GC for Grant County).

Current weather forecasts predict continued chances for lightning and erratic winds through the weekend. Safety hazards for fire fighters include rattlesnakes and falling snags.

The cause of the Grouse Mountain Fire remains under investigation.

Bend To Hold Spirit of 45 Day Ceremony in Bend Sunday Evening

"Spirit of 45 Day" is a national celebration of the anniversary of the end of World War Two.

 

Veterans Advocate Dick Tobiason says it will be at Sunday August 11th at the Bend Heroes Memorial.

 

"This is the first year it's been done in 500 cities.  It's the first time it's been done in Bend and the only other Oregon city is in Salem."

 

The ceremony will be held Sunday at the Bend Heroes Memorial at the corner of Newport Avenue and Drake , beginning at 6 p.m.

 

City Councilor Victor Chudowsky will read the "Spirit of 45 Day" proclamation.

 

The event is to honor the World War Two veterans who help bring the war to an end.  August 14th marks the 68th anniversary of the end of the war.

 

Bear Creek Elementary Principal Holds Meet and Greet With Parents and Students

Anissa Wiseman, who previously was the head of student services at Pine Ridge Elementary, will be the principal at Bear Creek for the next  year, regardless of what the school board decides on the employment of former principal Matt Montoya.

 

"As the leader,  the interim leader, I want to focus on all positive things like how the staff and community can support the kids.  I want to work on continuing the programs here.  It is a situation I'm not invovled in, so I can't really comment on that other piece."

 

The other piece has to do with Montoya's fate, which is still up in the air.

 

His wife, Jen, was at the meet and greet as a parent, since her son goes to Bear Creek.

 

"A couple weeks ago  the school district sent out a statement that they have selected an interim principal, Anissa.  But now she's speaking as if she's got the permanent job,  So no, I did not get a clear answer as to why."

 

The school board is scheduled to disucss whether principal Montoya will  be fired at their next board meeting August 20th.

 

The school district has refused to say why they are looking at firing Montoya -- saying it is a personnel matter.

John Day Fire Update

GROUSE MOUNTAIN FIRE UPDATE AUG. 8, 2013


News Release from Oregon Dept. of Forestry
Posted on FlashAlert: August 8th, 2013 11:29 AM

 

The Grouse Mountain Fire started on Wednesday afternoon, August 7. It continues to actively burn 3 miles north of John Day. The city is not threatened by the fire at this time. The fire is currently estimated to be 2,000 acres. The fire is burning primarily in rugged terrain with juniper, grass, and brushy fuels. Active fire spotting, torching, and fire runs have been observed and are expected to continue today. Large piles of decked juniper in the area have added to the intensity of the fire. Immediate concerns are for further fire spread north and east towards the Forest Service.

Fire crews worked through the night with dozers, engines, and hand crews to begin establishing containment fire lines. Steep terrain has made dozer and engine access difficult.

Today, 8 engines, 2 dozers, 2 water tenders and 3 hand crews are assigned to the fire.

The fire is on private land but is within one-half mile of USDA Forest Service ownership. Immediate concerns are for further fire spread north and east towards the Malheur National Forest boundary
.
The fire is east of Highway 395. The highway remains open but fire-related traffic in the area may be heavy.

Two cabins are within the fire perimeter but there are no reports of damage. Two other structures near the fire area are threatened. The Mt. Vernon Rural Fire District has been providing structural protection.

The cause of the Grouse Mountain is under investigation. The fire is currently 15 percent contained with no estimate the date for full containment at this time.

The Oregon Department of Forestry is directing suppression actions on the wildfire. Plans are for oversight of all wildfires currently burning in Grant County to transition to Oregon Interagency Incident Management Team 4 Team later today. At that time, ODF will continue working on the Grouse Mountain Fire as a branch of the larger "GC Complex" (GC for Grant County).

Current weather forecasts predict continued chances for lightning and erratic winds through the weekend. Safety hazards for fire fighters include rattlesnakes and falling snags.

In related fire activity, the Department of Forestry, along with federal resources, assisted the John Day Rural Fire Department to suppress at least three lightning-caused fires that started Wednesday afternoon on the southeastern edge of John Day threatening an estimated 400 homes. Aggressive air and ground attack successfully reduced the risk of these fires spreading beyond an estimated 400 acres and onto nearby Department of Forestry-protected lands. Two outbuildings and a garage were damaged by these fires.

 

Thursday Morning Central Oregon Fire Report

Central Oregon Fire Update

 

           

Central Oregon – Over the last 24 hours Initial Attack forces responded to 11 new fire starts and were successful containing them. Initial Response resources remain ready to respond to any new fire starts as they are reported. Air tankers which were focusing on the Green Ridge fire are now being shared with the Grouse Mountain Fire just North of John Day and new starts in the Vale area. A Fire Weather watch and Red Flag warning remain in place for the entire Central Oregon area for scattered thunderstorms beginning tonight through Sunday evening. Some of the storms may bring localized wetting rain.

 

In general the Central Oregon skies will remain smoky as the upper elevation westerly winds continue to blow smoke from the wild fires in SW Oregon which are combining with the local fires to create the current conditions. Air quality in the Camp Sherman area was described as light filtered smoke with fairly clear air in the valley bottoms. The latest air quality information is available at www.deq.state.or.us/aqi/.

 

Update on the Green Ridge Fire which is burning 14 miles northwest of Sisters, Oregon is now about 958 acres and remains at 30% containment, with 620 personnel assigned. Overnight crews successfully completed a burn out operation along the southern flanks of the fire. This operation was visible from Camp Sherman. Later in the evening winds picked up and the eastern flank of the fire spread to the east with some spotting occurring up to ¾ of a mile. Today firefighters will focus on containing these new spots and construction of new firelines in efforts to corral this fire. There currently are no evacuations in place. Additional information is also available at http://www.inciweb.org/incident/3594/

 

For those wishing to visit the Camp Sherman area and enjoy the Metolius River, businesses are open and look forward to serving all your recreational needs. Six popular campgrounds remain open along the Metolius River, however three campgrounds are closed. They are Lower Bridge, Allen Springs, and Pioneer Ford Campgrounds.

 

A community meeting has been scheduled for this coming Friday, August 9th at 6:30 p.m. at the Camp Sherman Fire Hall.  Members of the Incident Management Team and Deschutes National Forest Staff will present the latest information on the Green Ridge Fire. Everyone is welcome to attend.

 

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Latest on the Salmon River Complex Fire

Salmon River Complex Update

Email: salmonrivercomplex@gmail.com

InciWeb: http://www.inciweb.org/incident/3575/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/info_ciimt1

Flickr: http://tinyurl.com/n3tgqta

Fire Facts:

Date started: July 31, 2013 Number of Personnel: 1,100

Location: 4 miles west of Sawyers Bar, Salmon River, CA Crews: 31

Size: 8,927 acres Engines: 40

Percent Contained: 16% Dozers: 6

Estimated Containment Date: unknown Water Tenders: 14

Cause: Human Helicopters: 2 Type 1, 3 Type 2, and 1 Type 3

Cost to Date: $5,500,000 Air Tankers: available upon request

Structures Threatened: 50 Injuries to Date: 1

Today’s Update:

Today, crews will look for opportunities to construct line northeast of Tanners Peak Trail. Line construction will continue on the ridge north of

Sawyers Bar heading east towards Tanners Peak. Structure perimeter defense will continue in Sawyers Bar, Idlewild and Mule Bridge. Crews will

keep pace with the fire’s westward progression and watch for spot fires crossing the road to the south. The expected fire spread is northeasterly

into Sawmill Gulch, north to the south fork of Cherry Creek and westerly an additional one-quarter mile across Big Creek.

A Red Flag Warning is in effect until 11:00 p.m. Friday for dry thunderstorms and associated erratic winds.

Evacuations:

An Evacuation Advisory was issued for all residents along the North Fork of the Salmon River from Kelly Gulch to Idlewild and Mule Bridge to the

Marble Mountain Wilderness Boundary. See http://inciweb.org/incident/article/3575/19865/ for the evacuation notices. The Siskiyou County

Sheriff’s Office and the Office of Emergency Services are working closely with fire managers to assure close communication and coordination. An

evacuation center has been established by the Red Cross at Etna Union High School, 400 Howell Avenue, Etna. Domestic pets may also be taken to

the high school where kennels will be available. Large animals may be taken to the Dean McBroom Ranch at 1442 Sawyers Bar Road, Etna. Call

530-467-3711.

For tips on how to prepare for an evacuation and what to do if you are evacuated, residents are encouraged to visit the “Ready, Set, Go” Website

at http://www.readyforwildfire.org/.

Fire Behavior and Smoke:

Last night fire behavior moderated to creeping and smoldering with the most heat being retained in large diameter fuels and stumps. Today, winds

will become easterly and line up with east/west oriented drainages producing an opportunity for upslope and westward fire movement with group

tree torching or short crown runs. Thunderstorms will build this afternoon producing gusty winds and a good chance of precipitation.

All communities near the fires should expect to be impacted by smoke. For information on smoke conditions, visit

http://www.co.siskiyou.ca.us/AG/apc.aspx, http://app.airsis.com/usfs/fleet.aspx or http://www.airnow.gov/.

Smoke can pose health concerns. Residents are encouraged to visit the “Protect Yourself from Smoke” Website for smoke protection information

at http://www.cdc.gov/Features/Wildfires/.

Closures:

A portion of the Klamath National Forest near the fire area is closed to public entry. See the Klamath National Forest Website at

http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5430601.pdf for a description and map.

Sawyer’s Bar Road is closed to public traffic from Etna Summit to the Forks of Salmon. Residents, with proof of residency, will be allowed through

the closure. Residents may encounter one-way traffic control within the closure area. The Salmon River Road is closed west of Forks of Salmon.

Residents are encouraged to complete their fire hazard reduction to assist firefighters in defending their homes. For fire prevention information

visit “One Less Spark, One Less Wildfire” at http://www.preventwildfireca.org.

###

AMBER Alert Update from Oregon State Police

Oregon State Police (OSP) IS NOW asking the public to call the AMBER Alert tipline with any tips related to YESTERDAY afternoon's AMBER Alert activation in Oregon.

The AMBER Alert tipline is 1-866-5AMBER5 (1-866-526-2375). The tipline is staffed at the OSP Northern Command Center in Salem until further advised.

Calling 9-1-1 is a secondary option for calls.

There are no updates on confirmed sightings in Oregon at this time.

Police believe 40 year old James DiMaggio abducted 16 year old Hannah Anderson from San Diego County.

DiMaggio is believed to have killed HER mother. DiMaggio was seen driving a Blue Nissan 2013 Versa, license plate 6 W C U 986, traveling northbound on Highway 395 near Alturas California YESTERDAY afternoon. A possible sighting of the car was also reported near Lakeview, Oregon.

8-8-13

***************************************************************************

NEWS RELEASE

Oregon State Police (OSP) requests media ask the public to call the AMBER Alert tipline with any tips related to Wednesday afternoon's AMBER Alert activation in Oregon. The AMBER Alert tipline is 1-866-5AMBER5 (1-866-526-2375). The tipline is staffed at the OSP Northern Command Center in Salem until further advised. Calling 9-1-1 is a secondary option for calls.

We appreciate the interest in our efforts to assist San Diego County, California Sheriff's Office regarding the search for the suspect, missing children, and vehicle. Information and links to photos provided by San Diego County Sheriff's Office regarding the AMBER Alert is available on our website at:

http://www.oregon.gov/osp/NEWSRL/Pages/news/08_07_2013_amber_activate_sandiego.aspx

There are no updates on confirmed sightings in Oregon at this time. Significant developments related to the Oregon AMBER Alert will be sent in news release(s) and Twitter (@ORStatePolice).
 

Redmond Police and Fire Drill Thursday Morning

CITY OF REDMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT

             777 SW Deschutes Avenue, Redmond, Oregon 97756

                            Phone (541)504-3400 / Fax (541)504-3490

 

 

                                                  PRESS RELEASE

 

 

**Media Advisory – Training Exercise in South Redmond**

 

Date:               August 8, 2013

 

Time:               7 AM through 11 AM

 

Location:        Ridgeview High School

                        4555 SW Elkhorn Ave

 

 

 

The Redmond Police Department and Redmond Fire & Rescue are hosting a multi-agency training exercise this morning.  This training exercise will involve multiple public safety agencies from around Deschutes County and will include a significant amount of activity at Ridgeview High School located on SW Elkhorn Ave in Redmond.

 

This training exercise is part of our ongoing effort to improve our interagency coordination and response to critical incidents.  Ridgeview High School will not be accessible for approximately 2 hours beginning at 7:30 AM.  Media outlets are advised they may receive calls regarding police and fire activity at this location.  There are no road closures for this event, but there is signage informing motorists of the training.

 

Further information regarding media inquiries will be provided throughout the morning.  The points of contact for media are Lt. Nathan Garibay and Fire Marshal Traci Cooper.

 

We will provide further information later in the morning.

 

Prepared by:  Lt. Nathan Garibay

 

Amber Alert issued for California Homicide suspect, could be in Oregon

AMBER Alert Activation in Oregon in Search for Missing Children, Suspect out of San Diego, California (Photos) - 08/07/13
At the request of San Diego County, California Sheriff's Office, an AMBER Alert has been activated in Oregon for two children last seen August 3, 2013 that may be traveling with a 40-year old man from southern California who is a suspect in a homicide investigation.

A vehicle related to the AMBER Alert activation in California is believed to have been spotted Wednesday, August 7, in northern California along Highway 395/299 from Alturas northbound possibly toward Oregon or Nevada. At approximately 2:00 p.m. a possible sighting of the vehicle was reported in southern Oregon near Lakeview. Law enforcement officers from multiple agencies are on the lookout for the vehicle.

The suspect, JAMES LEE DIMAGGIO, age 40, is believed to be operating a blue 2013 Nissan Versa with California license plates 6WCU986. Two children identified as HANNAH ANDERSON, age 16, and ETHAN ANDERSON, age 8, may be with the suspect.

Information related to this activation, along with photographs of the suspect, children, and vehicle, are available at:
http://www.amberalert.com/alerts/0062BD31C33369FD5CAD1E6D1F1E9148/

If anyone sees the suspect vehicle in Oregon please call 9-1-1 or Oregon State Police at 1-866-5AMBER5.

Questions about the original case should be directed to San Diego County Sheriff's Office at 1-858-974-2321.

Additional information about Oregon's AMBER ALERT program is available on the Oregon State Police website at http://www.oregon.gov/OSP/AMBERALERT/pages/index.aspx

### www.oregon.gov/OSP ###

New Fires Reported in Klamath County area, 500 lightning strikes recorded

TUESDAY NIGHT’S THUNDERSTORM SPARKS

NEW FIRES IN KLAMATH COUNTY

 

Lakeview, Ore – Throughout south central Oregon, over 500 lightning strikes were detected in Klamath and Lake Counties from thunderstorm activity Tuesday evening. As a result, interagency firefighting crews are currently suppressing 20 fires in Klamath County on lands managed by the Oregon Department of Forestry and Fremont-Winema National Forest.

 

A reconnaissance airplane and firefighters on the ground will continue to search for and report additional new fires throughout the day. Some areas of the Forest are receiving light rain, which is assisting with fire suppression efforts.

 

 

FIRE ACTIVITY

(8/7/2013)

 

 

INCIDENT

 

BLM

 

NPS

 

FS

 

ODF

 

US FWS

 

 

TOTAL

Klamath County

0

0

1

19

0

20

Lake County

0

0

0

0

0

0

TOTAL

0

0

1

19

0

20

Note: The total number of fires is confirmed, as of 1:30 p.m. on 8/7/13.

 

A Red Flag warning for thunderstorms producing an abundant lightning in Klamath and Lake County is in effect through midnight on Thursday. A Red Flag warning means that critical fire weather conditions will contribute to extreme fire behavior.

 

Fire danger throughout south central Oregon remains extreme. Fire officials ask the public to be sure of what public use restrictions are in place for the areas they plan to recreate on. For updated information, please call the South Central Oregon Fire

Management Partnership (SCOFMP) fire information hotline at 541-947-6223.

 

New Central Oregon Fires pop up overnight

 

Central Oregon Fires Update

           

Central Oregon – Overnight crews responded to 7 new fire starts in Central Oregon. Three were reported in the Cabin Lake Area, two in the Wickiup Reservoir area and one each in the Odell Lake and Crescent Lake areas. As of early this morning responding forces reported no problems containing any of these new starts.

 

Central Oregon skies will remain very smoky as the upper elevation westerly winds continue to blow smoke from the wild fires burning in SW Oregon. A combination of a Fire Weather Watch and a Red Flag Warning has been issued for the Central Oregon Area for thunderstorms beginning Wednesday evening through Sunday. Local Initial Attack resources are fully staffed and available for immediate response to any new starts.

 

Update on the Green Ridge Fire which is burning 14 miles northwest of Sister, Oregon, is now at 620 acres and 30 percent containment with 483 personnel committed to this fire. There currently are no evacuations in place. Additional information is also available at http://www.inciweb.org/incident/3594/.

 

Due to fire suppression activities, the Deschutes National Forest has initiated an Emergency Closure in the area of the fire.  Key areas included in the closure include:

  • Forest Road 14 from the 900 junction to the 1490 Junction
  • The East Metolius Trail
  • Lower Bridge Campground
  • Wizard Falls Fish Hatchery
  • Allen Springs Campground
  • Pioneer Ford Campground

These closures will remain in effect as long as needed for public and firefighter safety.

 

Campfire Restrictions have also been implemented effective August 2, 2013 on the Prineville District of Bureau of Land Management, the Deschutes National Forest and the Crooked River National Grassland of the Ochoco National Forest. Specific information is available at www.blm.gov/or/districts/prineville or www.fs.fed/us/r6/centraloregon

 

Structures Threatened in California Fire, 4.2 million cost of fire suppression so far...

Salmon River Complex Update

                Email: salmonrivercomplex@gmail.com

                InciWeb: http://www.inciweb.org/incident/3575/

                Twitter: https://twitter.com/info_ciimt1

Flickr: http://tinyurl.com/n3tgqta

Fire Facts:

 

Date started: July 31, 2013

Number of Personnel:  1,021

Location: 4 miles west of Sawyers Bar, Salmon River, CA

Crews: 30

Size:  6,686 acres

Engines: 66

Percent Contained: 16%

Dozers: 6                   

Estimated Containment Date: unknown

Water Tenders: 12

Cause: Human

Helicopters:  2 Type 1,  4 Type 2, and  1 Type 3

Cost to Date: $4,200,000

Air Tankers: available upon request

Structures Threatened: 50

Injuries to Date: 1

 

Tonight’s Update:

There was an increase in fire activity today when the inversion lifted. Smoke could be seen from the valley near Etna. Most of the increased fire activity was in the northeast corner of the complex. Fire growth was to the west and north, but still below the dozer line along Yellow Jacket Ridge. Helicopters were used to slow the fires’ progress. Firefighters completed the structure defense perimeter in the Idlewild area and along Sawyers Bar Road to Whites Gulch.

 

Tonight, firefighters will monitor constructed lines and defense perimeters around structures throughout the fire area.  A red flag warning is in effect starting at 11:00 p.m. for potential dry thunderstorms.

 

Fire Behavior and Smoke: 

The Boulder and Shelly Fires are still separated by the Little North Fork drainage, but are expected to combine into one fire.  Limited fire spread is expected tonight because of nighttime conditions.

 

All communities near the fires should expect to be impacted by smoke.  Southerly winds are predicted for the next several days and may help improve air-quality within the river corridor.  For information on smoke conditions, visit http://www.co.siskiyou.ca.us/AG/apc.aspx, http://app.airsis.com/usfs/fleet.aspx or http://www.airnow.gov/ .

 

Public Safety:

Smoke can pose health concerns.  Residents are encouraged to visit the “Protect Yourself from Smoke” website for smoke protection information at http://www.cdc.gov/Features/Wildfires/.

 

Evacuations:

Currently there are no evacuation orders.

 

Closures:

A portion of the Klamath National Forest near the fire area is closed to public entry. See the Klamath National Forest Website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5430601.pdf for a description and map.

 

Sawyer’s Bar Road is closed to public traffic from Etna Summit to the Forks of Salmon.  Residents, with proof of residency, will be allowed through the closure. Residents may encounter one-way traffic control within the closure area. The Salmon River Road is closed west of Forks of Salmon.

 

For tips on how to prepare for a potential evacuation and what to do if you are evacuated, residents are encouraged to visit the “Ready, Set, Go” website at  http://www.readyforwildfire.org/  

 

Please make sure you mow early in the mornings when it is cooler and not on windy days. For fire prevention information visit “One Less Spark, One Less Wildfire” at  http://www.preventwildfireca.org

 

Lastest from Central Oreogn Interagency Dispatch Center

Update from evening report- 8-6-13

 

Central Oregon Fire Update

           

Central Oregon – No new fire starts to report today in Central Oregon.

 

Central Oregon skies have been very smoky the past few days.  Morning satellite imagery shows smoke drifting into the area from southwest Oregon. We can expect this pattern to continue for the foreseeable future.

 

The Green Ridge Fire is currently 550 acres, and is 30% contained.  The expected containment date has been bumped out to Saturday, August 10th.  Today fire managers continued to have trouble with the southeast corner of the fire, with crews chasing and confining spot fires in that upper portion of the fire area. They were aided by air tankers and helicopters.  Crews will be performing mop-up operations and reinforcing lines on the south side of the fire tonight and tomorrow in preparation for burnout operations as conditions allow. 

 

The public meeting that was held last night to inform local residents of the fire situation was well attended. 

Another community meeting has been scheduled for this coming Friday, August 9th at 6:30 p.m. at the Camp Sherman Fire Hall. 

 

 

 

#          #      

Bear Creek Parents Upset Over How Principal Matt Montoya is Being Treated by the Bend LaPine School District

Principal Matt Montoya is still fighting to keep his job  -- and while the school board decides whether to let him go -- an "interim" principal has been appointed.

 

Her name is Anissa Wiseman and she is holding a "Meet and Greet" Wednesday, August 7th,  to introduce herself to the famlies.

 

The head of the Bear Creek Elementary Parent Teacher Organization, Kathi James, doesn't like how this whole thing is being handled.

 

"What it appears to a lot of parents, is they think they have a new principal and they want us to go away and not worry about trying to save Mr. Montoya's job anymore."

 

James says she will go to Wednesday's Meet and Greet with an open mind, but feels the way Principal Montoya has been treated by the shcool district has been shameful.

 

Parents have rushed to defend Matt Montoya and the job he did at Bear Creek.

 

The school board plans to hold another public hearing on the subject on August 20th.

COVO Tries to Regroup After Executive Director Quits

Last month, the former COVO director, Allison Perry quit.

 

One bone of contention centered around thE head of the COVO Board living in a home for low income veterans.

 

Linda Heatley underwent surgery on her knee after falling on the ice and is living with her niece and her Marine hsuband in COVO housing.

 

Perry didn't think it was right and neither did some board members who quit over it.

 

Board President Linda Heatley told KBND's Kelly Bleyer the truth is more complicated.

 

"There's a lot of things that happened, and I'm not at liberty to say because I don't have the authority of the board to do that, but it wasn't just that.  Let's say irreconcilable differences."

 

Heatley says they would like to hire a veteran to run COVO -- someone who knows first hand waht the veterans are going through.

Firefighter in Southern Oregon is Killed in Crash

The 19 year old man was killed when a water truck ran off Bear Camp Road in Grants Pass Tuesday morning.

 

U.S. Congressman Greg Walden talked about it with the Rotary Club of Bend.

 

"Tragically we've lost another firefighter, this one in southern Oregon.  They found his water truck upside down and now we've had two firefighters who have died -- the one in central Oregon and this one.  We've got to do a better job."

 

Fire officials say Jesse Trader died when he was returning Tuesday morning after spending all night at the Big Windy Complex of fires.

 

The Big Windy Complex Fires consists of three  fires along the lower Rogue's wild section.

Gasoline Prices Dip, Latest Numbers from AAA of Oregon

August 6, 2013

For Immediate Release

 

Gas Prices Dip to Start August

But Oregon average is second-highest on record for this calendar day; national average is third-highest

 

            “Drivers in all but ten states are paying less for gasoline than a week ago.  The national average for regular unleaded slips two cents this week to $3.61, while Oregon’s statewide average also falls two cents to $3.86.” AAA Oregon/Idaho Public Affairs Director Marie Dodds says, “Through the first six days in August, the national average is down about two cents and Oregon’s average is down about one-and-a-half cents.  Despite the small decreases, the national average is still the third highest on record for this calendar day.  The highest price was $3.87 in 2008 and the second highest was $3.70 in 2011.  In Oregon, the current price is the second highest on record for this calendar day.  The highest price was $4.05 in 2008 and the third highest was $3.75 in 2011.”

            The national and Oregon averages remain lower than the peak price so far this year.  The 2013 peak price for the national average is $3.79 on February 27.  The peak price for the Oregon average this year $3.98 on May 22.

            Gas prices can be volatile during the month of August.  The national average declined by 5.9 cents in August of 2010 and 8.9 cents in August of 2011, but increased by 33 cents during the month last year.

            AAA expects that gas prices in the coming weeks may increase due to the potential for late-summer hurricanes and accompanying refinery problems. These types of issues can disrupt production, distribution and gasoline supply at a time when many Americans are filling up their tanks for summer travel. However, if no major hurricanes threaten the Gulf Coast and refineries continue to run smoothly heading into the mid-September changeover to winter-blend gasoline, gas prices could remain flat or even decline further.

            Slightly cheaper West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil prices have provided some downward pressure on gas prices. The price of WTI has retreated somewhat from the 16-month high of $108.05 per barrel on July 19, but it remains near the highest level for this time of year since 2008. The driving factors continue to be positive signs for the global economy and continued unrest in Egypt.  Egypt is not a major oil producer; however it does have control over both the Suez Canal and Sumed Pipeline, which are key points of transit for the global crude oil supply in the Middle East.

             At the close of Monday’s formal trading on the NYMEX, WTI settled down 38 cents at $106.56 per barrel.  Today WTI is trading around $106, compared to $103 a week ago.  WTI prices are up about two percent in the last month.

 

This week two states have regular unleaded at or above $4 a gallon, down from three last week.  For the 25th  consecutive week, there are no states below $3 a gallon.  Hawaii has the most expensive gas in the country for the 42nd consecutive week at $4.37, followed by Alaska at $4.06, Connecticut at $3.99, California at $3.95 (down four cents and fourth for the second week in a row), and Washington at $3.91 (down two cents and fifth for the third week in a row).  Oregon is seventh for the second consecutive week at $3.86 (down two cents).   Idaho is ninth up from 11th last week at $3.84 (up four cents).  For the 16th week in a row, South Carolina has the cheapest gas in the nation at $3.28 a gallon (down three cents).

            Diesel prices are fairly stable in many markets this week.  The national average remains at $3.88.  Oregon’s diesel average holds steady at $3.93.  Diesel is at or above $4 a gallon in nine states (including the District of Columbia), same as last week.   Hawaii is most expensive at $4.91, followed by Alaska at $4.29, Connecticut at $4.21, New York at $4.20, and California at $4.15 (up two cents).  Washington is eighth down from seventh last week at $4.05 (same as last week).  Idaho is seventh up from eighth last week at $4.06 (up a nickel).   Oregon is 20th down from 18th last week.  A year ago, the national average for diesel was $3.82 and Oregon's was $3.90.

 

 

Fuel prices are updated daily at AAA's Daily Fuel Gauge at www.aaafuelgaugereport.com/.  To check fuel prices across Oregon and the nation, go to the AAA Fuel Price Finder at www.AAA.com.  AAA Oregon/Idaho provides more than 749,000 members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services, and is an affiliate of AAA National, serving more than 53 million motorists in North America.

U.S. Congressman Greg Walden Talks to Bend Rotary About the Affordable Care Act

Specifically, Walden wants to preserve successful health insurance programs like the one offered by the Bend Chamber of Commerce.

 

It allows 141 businesses in central Oregon to group together to offer more affordable health insurance to about two thousand employees.

 

Walden is concerned it will not be approved by the federal government as a bona fide multiple employer organization and will not be approved by the state of Oregon.

 

Walden plans to send a letter to the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Labor to ask what they plan to do to protect plans like this.

Deschutes County Commissioners To Hold Last Public Hearing on Creating Alfalfa Fire District

Alfalfa residents are trying to put the issue on the November ballot to allow them to create a fire district to better train their volunteer fire department.

 

David Warren has worked to get the issue before voters the last several months.

 

"We're hearing absolutely overwhelming support.  Everyone contacted has been very supportive.  We've heard a few concerns, but overwhelmingly there's be way more people who support it than don't.  Even more than I hoped for, honestly."

 

The public hearing is Tuesday night at the Alfalfa community Hall, beginning at 6 P.M.

 

If approved, Alfalfa residents would pay a tax rate of up to $1.75 per one thousand dollars of assessed property value.

The Sisters City Council To Appoint A New City Manager

The council will meet on Thursday and the issue is on the agenda.

 

Ghorayeb took over as the interim city manager back in April, a week after long time city manager Eileen Stein resigned.

 

Gorayeb says he knows in the past there's been some acrimony on the council, but he wants to look forward, not back.

 

"Honestly I'm not interested in looking at the past.  I wasn't part of it and I want to move forward.  As a city council I believe we've made good, smart decisions in managing Sisters."

 

Gorayeb has lived in Sisters for seven years.  His backgorund is in commercial real estate. He currently serves on the Sisters School Board and the Sisters Park and Rec Board.

Hundreds of Children Being Trafficked for Sex in Portland

Here is today's news release.  1110 KBND News also interviewed Nita Belles with the Central Oregon Chapter of Oregonians Against the Trafficking of Humans (or OATH) on Friday. It's available on this site as a Podcast under "Your Town" Icon.  Belles talks about the overall problem and ways they are trying to reduce and prevent sex trafficking.

 

**********************************************************************

 

 

PORTLAND, Ore. – Today, U.S. Attorney Amanda Marshall and Portland State University released the findings of a research study documenting that at least 469 children were the victims of sex trafficking in the last four years.

 

The Portland State University (PSU) study was sought by the United States Attorney’s Office and conducted in partnership with the Department of Human Services Child Welfare (DHS) and the Sexual Assault Resource Center (SARC), in order to quantify the scope of child sex trafficking in the Portland area and provide data to guide intervention and services for these children.

 

"The results of the PSU study are truly shocking," said U.S. Attorney Amanda Marshall. "The data confirms that we have a devastating epidemic of child sex trafficking within our community – an epidemic that demands action."

 

Christopher Carey, PhD, JD of Portland State University and Lena Teplitsky, Portland State MPH Candidate collected quantitative and qualitative data on documented Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) cases in the Portland Metro Area between December 2012 and June 2013.

What we found:

 

 

 

 

*At least 469 children were trafficked for sex in the Portland Metro Area in the last four years. This number represents CSEC victims served by DHS & SARC.

 

• The average age at which victims were referred to DHS or SARC was 15.5. The youngest victim in the system was 8.1.  

 

• 96% of victims are female, close to 3% are male, and approximately 1% are transgender.

 

• 40.51% of victims are Caucasian, 27.08% are African American, and 5.12% are Hispanic. 2

 

 

 

Eugene area Woman Faces Charges after Motorhome Rolls down Hill

A Eugene-area woman is facing multiple charges after a stalled motorhome she was operating Sunday evening rolled down an embankment as some of its occupants were trying to push it off Highway 12 6E east of Vida. The motorhome overturned onto its top injuring at least four people. Charges include DUII, Reckless Driving, Assault, and Recklessly Endangering Another Person.

On August 4, 2013 at approximately 7:00 p.m., OSP received a report of a possible DUII driver in an older model motorhome traveling along Highway 126E near Nimrod in Lane County. As an OSP trooper was enroute to the area, the motorhome occupied by 11 people stalled on the highway near milepost 34. Five of the 11 occupants attempted to push the motorhome backwards onto the side of the highway with MARY LOUISE WRAGGE, age 45, from Eugene, steering. The motorhome rolled off the highway, down an embankment and overturned entrapping six occupants and several dogs inside.

Firefighters and medical personnel from McKenzie Fire & Rescue and Springfield Fire & Life Safety responded to the scene where they worked for about 45 minutes to extricate those trapped inside. The motorhome's 11 occupants were assessed and treated at the scene. Four people, including WRAGGE, were transported by ambulance to Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend for non-life threatening injuries.

Subsequent to the initial investigation, OSP cited WRAGGE to appear at a later date in Lane County Circuit Court for several criminal and traffic offenses including:

 

Bend Seniors Group Sues Bend Parks

The United Senior Citizens of Bend (USCB) are seeking nearly $1-million from Bend Parks and Recreation District claiming the district reneged on a partnership created nearly a decade ago.

 

The Bend Bulletin reports the USCB claims the two groups had a legally binding partnership to manage the Senior Center that is now struggling.

 

The senior group is also seeking a court order barring the district from calling the Reed Market Road building the  "Bend Senior Center" because it confuses the public with the services they provide at Bend's Community Center.

 

In 1997,USCB teamed up with Bend Parks and Rec, raising more than $1.9 million to build the building, which opened in 2001.

 

The USCB says it's become increasingly clear that the district only wants to offer opportunities to more affluent seniors.

 

The USCB moved to Bend's Community Center in 2011 to provide more services for low income seniors and began it's crusade to sue the district.

New Fire Closures near Camp Sherman

 

Emergency Fire Closure for Green Ridge Fire

SISTERS- The Sisters Ranger District of the Deschutes National Forest is implementing emergency fire closure to protect public and firefighter safety as crews continue to work on the Green Ridge Fire, near Camp Sherman, OR.

Beginning today the public will not be allowed in the closure area and on certain roads and trails around the perimeter of the area until the emergency closure is lifted.

The emergency closure includes the area defined by the roads listed and the roads themselves (map attached):

·         From the junction of Forest Roads 11 and 1120 north along Forest Road 1120 to its intersection of Forest Road 14,

·         North along Forest Road 14 to its intersection with Forest Road 1490,

·         Northeast and then southeast along Forest Road 1490 to its intersection with Forest Road 1140,

·         South along Forest Road 1140 to its intersection with Forest Road 1154,

·         East along Forest Road 1154 to its intersection with Forest Road 1150, and, finally,

·         South along Forest Road 1150 to its intersection with Forest Road 11, where the closure began.

Key areas included in the closure include the East Metolius Trail, Lower Bridge Campground, Wizard Falls Fish Hatchery, Allen Springs Campground, and Pioneer Ford Campground.

The closure will remain in place as long as it is needed to provide for public and firefighter safety during firefighting activities on the Green Ridge Fire.  The Green Ridge Fire is approximately 150 acres and is 0% contained.  It is burning on the steep slope below the ridgeline, and has been burning uphill to the east.  The steep terrain is making access difficult and hazardous for firefighters.  Helicopter bucket drops on the fire are expected to continue throughout today.

For more fire information contact the media desk at Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center at 541-416-6811.  Or follow on Twitter @CentralORFire.

-USFS-

New Arson Case in Bend

Date:   Friday, August 02, 2013                                   Case # 2013-160162, 2013-160178, 2013-160181

 

Date & Time of Incident:      08/02/2013 @ 0230 hrs

Type of Incident:                    Arson

Location of Incident:  Ponderosa Park SE 15th St., 1700 SE Tempest Ariel Glen Apartments, SE Cessna Dr.
 

 

 

Narrative:

On 08/02/2013 at approximately 0230 hrs, a citizen reported what was believed to be a large bon fire at Ponderosa Park on SE 15th St.  Officers arriving on scene discovered the fire had spread into nearby trees. The Bend Fire Department responded and extinguished the fire.  There was no structural damage.

At approximately 0453 hrs, Officer responded to a reported dumpster fire at 1700 SE Tempest, the Ariel Glenn Apartment Complex.  This fire was dowsed by a responding officer who utilized a fire extinguisher.  This fire did not cause any structural damage but did however damage paint on the side of a building.

At approximately 0506 hrs, a Deschutes County Deputy responding to the Ariel Glenn dumpster fire discovered smoke coming from the bed of a pick-up truck on SE Cessna.  The deputy was able to dowse the fire with a fire extinguisher before there was any damage to the vehicle.

The Bend Police Department and Bend Fire Department investigators are currently investigating these incidents.

Anyone with information regarding these fires is asked to contact the Bend Police Department through Deschutes County Dispatch at 541 693-6911. 

 

 

CORRECTION FROM FOREST SERVICE

 

Green Ridge Fire Update

           

Central Oregon – The Green Ridge Fire, burning approximately 13 miles NW of Sisters, Oregon in the Camp Sherman area, grew to 150 acres yesterday and is 0% contained.

 

The fire is burning on the steep slope below the ridgeline, and has been burning uphill to the east. The steep terrain is makes access difficult and presents a hazard to firefighters. 

 

Although the fire was putting up smoke yesterday, it was reported that the fire was mainly staying close to the ground but occasionally making short runs and torching out trees.  The fire is burning in a mix of Ponderosa, fir, and manzanita.  Firefighters will work to construct hand-line where possible, while dozers will work to construct line on the east and west sides of the fire.  A helicopter will continue to make bucket drops on the fire. 

 

In addition to the evacuation of Lower Bridge Campground on Tuesday, yesterday fire managers evacuated Allen Springs and Pioneer Ford Campgrounds to ensure public safety.  Fire managers indicate that the fire is burning within ½ mile of private property, and that 4 residences and the 3 campgrounds are threatened.  Ground resources include 6 crews, 10 engines, 4 water tenders, 3 dozers, and miscellaneous personnel. Agencies involved include the Forest Service and Oregon Department of Forestry, as well as private contractors.

 

Over 1,800 lightning strikes were reported within the last 48 hours. Over 75 smoke reports were called in, and most of those reports have been located and have either been suppressed or are staffed at this time.   

 

 

You can follow us on Twitter @CentralORFire

 

CORRECTION:  In this morning's news release it was stated that fire managers evacuated Allen Springs and Pioneer Ford Campgrounds (in addition to Lower Bridge Campground).  That was erroneous.
 
Lower Bridge Campground was closed for public safety so that a helicopter could draw water from the Metolius River to facilitate bucket drops on the Green Ridge Fire.  
 
As a precautionary measure, Pioneer Ford Campground was CLOSED last night, and campers were re-located.  Allen Springs campground campers were asked to vacate the campground by 10:00 a.m. this morning.  
 
We regret the error.  Thank you for your continued patience as we gather information regarding local fire activity.    
 
EARLIER NEWS RELEASE:
 
 

Green Ridge Fire Update

 

NEWS RELEASE FROM 8 AM

 

Green Ridge Fire Update

           

Central Oregon – The Green Ridge Fire, burning approximately 13 miles NW of Sisters, Oregon in the Camp Sherman area, grew to 150 acres yesterday and is 0% contained.

 

The fire is burning on the steep slope below the ridgeline, and has been burning uphill to the east. The steep terrain is makes access difficult and presents a hazard to firefighters. 

 

Although the fire was putting up smoke yesterday, it was reported that the fire was mainly staying close to the ground but occasionally making short runs and torching out trees.  The fire is burning in a mix of Ponderosa, fir, and manzanita.  Firefighters will work to construct hand-line where possible, while dozers will work to construct line on the east and west sides of the fire.  A helicopter will continue to make bucket drops on the fire. 

 

In addition to the evacuation of Lower Bridge Campground on Tuesday, yesterday fire managers evacuated Allen Springs and Pioneer Ford Campgrounds to ensure public safety.  Fire managers indicate that the fire is burning within ½ mile of private property, and that 4 residences and the 3 campgrounds are threatened.  Ground resources include 6 crews, 10 engines, 4 water tenders, 3 dozers, and miscellaneous personnel. Agencies involved include the Forest Service and Oregon Department of Forestry, as well as private contractors.

 

Over 1,800 lightning strikes were reported within the last 48 hours. Over 75 smoke reports were called in, and most of those reports have been located and have either been suppressed or are staffed at this time.   

 

 

You can follow us on Twitter @CentralORFire

 

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Forest Service Identifies Firefighter Killed Fighting Sisters Area Wildfire

Another firefighter, 45 year old Norman Crawford of Sisters was also injured when the  snag fell him.  Hammack was pronounced dead at the scene.  Crawford was taken by ambulance to St. Charles Medical Center in Bend where he was treated and released.

 

The injuries occured as the tree fallers worked to suppress a fire caused by a lightning storm in the Mt. Washignton Wildnerness near Dugout Lake.

 

The accident happened just after 9 a.m. Thursday morning.

Traffic Advisory from Redmond Police

 

From the Redmond Police Department: 

 

"We are currently experiencing traffic backups in the area of the Deschutes County Fair & Expo, especially in the area of Highway 97 & Yew Avenue.

 

Please allow for extra time to get into the fairgrounds and consider alternate routes such as Airport Way from the north via Highway 97 to Veterans way rather than Yew Avenue.

 

Concert attendance is expected to be high tonight expect significant delays during fair closing hours as well.

 

Watch for updates on Redmond Police Facebook & Twitter accounts."

Authorities confirm death of Fire Fighter near Sisters

Authorities with the Forest Service are confirming that a fire fighter was killed and a second injured today (Thursday) west of Sisters.

 

They were joining other crews battling a string of lightning-sparked fires in the high Cascades.

Deschutes County Sheriff's Search and Rescue crews, and an ambulance headed to the area of Forest Roads 470 and 1030, about seven miles west of Sisters.

 

The incident reportedly involved a fallen tree snag hitting at least one of the firefighters.

 

Earlier- Rappel teams and water-dropping helicopters also were sent to the area.

The Deschutes national Forest Service will be releasing more details - they say probably within the hour.

Suspect Found for House Fire

NEWS RELEASE

Bend Police Department

 

 

 

Date:   August 1, 2013                                                             Case # 2013-158607

 

Date & Time of Incident:      July 31, 2013 @ 12:31 PM

Type of Incident:                    House Fires

Location of Incident:  134 NW Colorado Ave. & 242 NW Hill Street

 

Victim Information:

 

Smith, Lonny Joseph, 36 year-old male; 134 NW Colorado Ave

Helms, Shaneka Darshell; 36 year-old female; 134 NW Colorado Ave

 

Suspect Information:

 

Garner, Sarah Beth; 38 year-old; W/F; 242 NW Hill Street

 

Narrative:

 

On Wednesday, July 31, 2013, Bend Police made contact with Sarah Garner. After contacting Garner she was taken into custody and transported to St. Charles Medical Center for a mental health evaluation.  The case is being forwarded to the District Attorney’s Office for review, however the investigation is ongoing and any assistance from the public would be greatly appreciated.  If anyone has information please contact the Bend Police Department at 541-322-2960.

 

 

Charges: Arson I, Recklessly Endangering, Reckless Burning

Update on Oregon Fires

Here is the latest on all those Oregon wildfires:

 

News Release from: Oregon Dept. of Forestry FIRE UPDATE FOR AUGUST 1, 2013

Posted: August 1st, 2013 11:16 AM

This is an Oregon Dept. of Forestry (ODF) fire update for August 1, 2013.

 

Southern Oregon continues to be the focus of firefighting activity in the state with numerous large fires burning in the region.

 

FIRES ON OREGON DEPT. OF FORESTRY-PROTECTED LANDS

 

The 28,496-acre, lightning-caused Douglas Complex fires are burning seven miles north of Glendale in Douglas County, and are 7 percent contained.

 

The Douglas Complex is now the highest priority nationally for resources.

 

Approximately 470 homes are threatened. The Oregon Office of the State Fire Marshal is managing the fire jointly with Oregon Department of Forestry.

 

Oregon National Guard air and ground resources continue to be mobilized to the Douglas Complex, some will be helping with road and traffic control. The Governor has declared a State of Emergency for Josephine County.

 

Douglas Complex Special Message: In Douglas County evacuations are still in effect for Reuben Road, Mt. Reuben Road and McCullough Creek Road. Josephine County is also continuing evacuations for Poorman Creek, Lower Graves Creek Road, Grave Creek Road, and Lower Wolf Creek.

 

Current Situation: The Douglas Complex currently consists of Milo, on the east side of Interstate 5; Rabbit Mountain, on the west side of Interstate 5 and northwest of Glendale, Dad's Creek, west of Glendale, and the Farmer's Fire south of Glendale. The Oregon Military Department and the Oregon Office of Emergency Management are assisting with response to the Douglas Complex. The Oregon Army National Guard is providing aviation assets at the request of the Oregon Department of Forestry. Five aircraft are prepared to help with fire suppression including three HH-60M Blackhawk helicopters, one CH-47 Chinook helicopter, and one UH-72 Lakota. Approximately 125 Soldiers along with 26 High Mobility Multi Wheeled Vehicles are also slated to be called-up on State Active Duty within the next 72 hours to assist with traffic control in the evacuated areas.

 

Milo

Milo Branch is a group of smaller fires, all less than 20 acres in size. Firefighters are patrolling these fires today. No further control problems are expected on these fires.

 

Rabbit Mountain

Near Middle Creek, firefighters continue to make progress on line construction as well as setting up hoses and water for use in extinguishing heat along the fire line. The containment line held yesterday with some mop up started.

 

Dad's Creek

The south end of the fire continues to burn actively near Grave Creek. Structural engines worked with hand crews to contain the spread of fire on the West end of Grave Creek road. Overnight, firefighters working in the Cow Creek Road area made good progress. Crews have been working to scout the areas on lower Wolf Creek to Grave Creek to provide structure protection needs. The structure protection task forces assigned to that division reported good results with continued active fire behavior.

 

In Josephine County, overhead personnel spent a large part of the day accessing the area and reported challenging terrain, limited access, and active fire conditions. Approximately 30 homes are being threatened in the Grave Creek, Poorman Creek, and Lower Wolf Creek areas.

Firefighters contained a spotfire that crossed Lower Grave Creek Road yesterday afternoon. Today, they will be removing any vegetation that may be considered a fire hazard around structures in Poorman Creek.

 

The fire is expected to burn actively again in the afternoon when winds start to affect fire movement. Areas around Glendale will see less smoke in the area today due to the change of wind direction from the northwest.

 

Weather: The red flag warning was lifted yesterday with the lightning staying to the east. Today, a cooler marine weather pattern is expected to move into the area. Temperatures will be lower and humidity a little higher. Winds will pick up in the afternoon, coming from the west and rotating northwest with gusts up to 20miles per hour. A drying trend is forecasted for the weekend.

 

Evacuations and Closures:

 

· Cow Creek Road from Riddle into the fire area and from Glendale into the fire has been closed. The public is asked to honor the road blocks and not interfere with firefighters working in the area.

· Evacuations have been ordered for McCullough Creek Road, Reuben Road, and Mt. Reuben Road in Douglas County, and Poorman Creek Road, Lower Grave Creek, Grave Creek, and Lower Wolf Creek in Josephine County.

· Residences in the area are still considered threatened. This means evacuations could be necessary at some point in the future. Any official evacuation orders would be issued by the Douglas County or Josephine County Sheriff's Offices.

 

Fire Information Meetings: A public meeting is planned in Wolf Creek tonight at 6:00 pm at the Wolf Creek County Park. This is a change from the original planned location due to the capacity of the community center.

 

Public Safety/Prevention: Firefighters are contending with hazards including falling boulders and trees and old mine shafts, which are affecting access into some of the fire area. Values at risk include homes, commercial timberland, and critical wildlife habitat. There are no reports of homes burned. Two minor injuries have been reported. Two outbuildings have burned.

 

To address any concern as a result of smoke in the area, an air quality sensor has been installed in Glendale. Go to www.oregonsmoke.blogspot.com to track air quality measurements.

 

Douglas Forest Protective Association has increased prevention restrictions to IFPL 3, where a 1 p.m. shutdown is in effect. Public restrictions are also in place. Check www.dfpa.net before commencing your activities.

 

Resources include 52 Type 2 hand crews, 78 engines, 18 bulldozers, 19 water tenders and overhead personnel, as well as National Guard and State Fire Marshal Office resources. Air resources include 3 Type 1 helicopters, 6 Type 2 helicopters, and 2 Type 3 helicopters, plus 5 National Guard helicopters.

 

 

The lightning-caused Brimstone Fire is now 1,711 acres. Crews continued aggressive suppression efforts and containment of the fire is now estimated at 15 percent. Crews will take advantage of the cooler temperatures and light winds today to reinforce the fire lines by laying hose throughout the trailed areas and cool the hot spots.

 

Extreme fire conditions still threaten the control lines. Spotting occurred last night and into the morning, up to 2 acres in size, but crews were able to control them. The fire team is preparing for increased winds and a warming trend starting Friday that could affect fire behavior and pose hazardous conditions for firefighters.

 

Approximately 700 personnel are now assigned to the fire under the supervision of the Oregon Department of Forestry. Resources include 26 crews, 27 engines, seven bulldozers, and 15 water tenders. No injuries to fire personnel have been reported since the start of the fire.

 

Fire suppression costs to date are approximately $4 million.The fire is being managed by the Oregon Department of Forestry with many cooperators including the Office of State Fire Marshal, Bureau of Land Management, Josephine County Emergency Services, Josephine County Forestry, Josephine County Sheriff's Department, Josephine County Search and Rescue, Rural Metro Fire Department, City of Grants Pass, and the National Weather Service.

 

No evacuations have been announced for residential areas around the fire area, but structural fire protection personnel have assessed homes should an evacuation become necessary. To find out more about evacuation planning, call the Josephine County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at (541) 474-5305.

 

Firefighters ask that the public not use roads in the Upper Quartz Creek Rd and Hogs Creek Rd areas because these roads are narrow and are being heavily used by fire engines, trucks hauling water, and bulldozers.

 

Information about the Brimstone Fire can be learned by calling (541) 479-3842.

 

Information about other fires in southwest Oregon can be had by calling the Joint Information Center (JIC) at (541) 471-6620.

 

Big Windy Complex is lightning-caused and now estimated at 3,703 acres. The Complex consists of the Big Windy (Josephine County), Calvert Peak and Jenny Fires (Curry County) and is located on Medford District, Bureau of Land Management lands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry. It is burning in steep river canyon country and is 0 percent contained.

 

Location is approximately 8 miles northwest of Galice; the north part of the fire is within two miles of Winkel Bar on the Rogue River. Fire spotting has been a concern. Pacific NW IMT2 is assigned to this fire. The fire is currently moving in a southeasterly direction and is still south of the Rogue River; it has progressed down to the south near the old Biscuit fire scar.

 

Crews were transported by boat yesterday to work on structure protection for the Black Bar Lodge and Zane Grey cabin. Containment efforts continue on the south flank along the Bear Camp Road and also started working the ridge west of Calvert Peak Fire and completed Â1/2 mile of tree felling.

Air operations were not utilized yesterday due to poor visibility. Six medivac sites have been established for quick response to emergencies.

 

Closures in Place:

The Bear Camp Road is officially closed with closure orders and maps issued by the Medford District of the Bureau of Land Management/Grants Pass Interagency Office and the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest/Gold Beach Ranger District. The Josephine County Sheriff's Office and the Curry County Sheriff's Office are providing staffing at the closure points and signs are in place.

 

Rogue River Trail from Grave Creek to Rogue River Ranch is closed.

The BLM portion of the Wild Section of the Rogue River is closed from Graves Creek to Mule Creek due to extreme fire conditions and public health and safety issues.

 

Cooperating agencies & partners: Oregon Department of Forestry, Medford District Bureau of Land Management, Josephine County, Curry County, Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest.

 

The Ferguson Mountain Fire in Eastern Oregon, Lake Unit, was reported Sunday; this 15-acre fire is now 100 percent lined and is 98 percent mopped up.

 

A 10-acre lightning-caused fire burning in timber and brush on the Central Oregon District was reported last night threatening 12 homes in the Squaw Creek Canyon Estates 6 miles northeast of Sisters. This fire is now fully lined.

 

The 503-acre Davis Creek Fire burning in the John Day Unit of the Central Oregon District is 100 percent contained. The fire was burning in grass and timber fuels. There are still hot spots and the fire is in patrol status. Cause is under investigation.

 

FIRES BURNING ON OTHER LANDS

The 3,948-acre, lightning-caused Whiskey Complex fire burning in timber six miles east of Tiller on the Tiller Ranger District of the Umpqua National Forest is 15 percent contained. The Complex consists of 4 fires, they are the Whisky Fire (2,250 acres), the Big Brother Fire (250 acres), the Buckeye Fire (550 acres) and the Smith Ridge Fire (30 acres). Continued dry weather is forecast. The incident is being managed by a unified command: Oregon Interagency Incident Management Team and the Douglas Forest Protective Association. For more information go to: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3562/

 

The 1,750-acre lightning-caused Labrador Fire (USFS) is burning in an area south and west of the Illinois River in inaccessible country approximately 30 miles southwest of Grants Pass, Oregon. Fire behavior yesterday continued to be moderated by smoke over the area. Suppression efforts are aimed at allowing the fire to slowly back down to the Illinois River on the south and east edges.

 

Suppression efforts are hampered by steep terrain and little road access, fire crews are also dealing with significant poison oak issues. Crews are continuing structural protection in Oak Flat and on private lands, and indirect fire line preparation. The structure protection at Oak Flat in Josephine County is nearly complete and fire fighters remain spike camped in the area in case they are needed.

 

*A public meeting will be held at the Josephine County building at 102 South Redwood Highway in Cave Junction at 7 pm tonight. Information will be shred along with maps and presentations by fire managers.

 

Continued limited use of aircraft due to smoke over the fire, aviation resources being made available to other fires and will be re-engaged when smoke clears. Trail and road closures are in place. For more information go to: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3563/

 

The 108-acre Browns Creek Fire burning 17 miles northwest of Gilchrist near Browns Creek on Wickiup Reservoir is 100 percent contained. All campgrounds are now open and Forest Road 42 was opened last night.

 

More Fire News - Help Wanted to Determine Fire Causes

 

A series of wildfires that have occurred recently in the Blackwell Hill and Gold Hill areas of Jackson County are clearly human caused and likely intentional.

 

The Oregon Department of Forestry's Southwest Oregon District is asking the public's help in identifying the people responsible for starting these fires.

Please call the Southwest Oregon District office at (541) 664-3328 if you have information that will help identify the people or the vehicle that started three fires on Blackwell Hill Rd around 5:00 p.m. on July 25. Another fire occurred on Monday, July 29, around 5:00 p.m. along Hwy. 234 near the Gold Hill Sports Park.

 

FIRE STATISTICS

Fire statistics are for the current year and the average over the past 10 years for the 16 million acres of private and public forestland protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry.

 

January 1, 2013, through today:*

Lightning-caused fires: 95 fires burned 717 acres Human-caused fires: 419 fires burned 2,498 acres

 

Total: 514 fires burned 3,215 acres

 

10-year average (Jan. 1 through the present date in the year):

Lightning-caused fires: 119 fires burned 5,424 acres Human-caused fires: 344 fires burned 1,420 acres

 

Total: 463 fires burned 6,844 acres

 

Fire statistics can be accessed any time from the ODF website.

 

*Note: When personnel are heavily engaged in firefighting activities, the latest information may not always appear in the statistics.

 

NEWS MEDIA

News media may call the Fire Information Duty Officer pager, 503-370-0403, 24/7 for fire information. The duty officer will call back promptly. Media may also call the Oregon Department of Forestry headquarters office, 503-945-7200, weekdays during business hours.

 

OTHER FIRE INFORMATION

For information on wildfires on all jurisdictions in Oregon, go to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center<https://www.nwccweb.us/> website, or the national Incident Information System<https://inciweb.org/> site.

 

ODF maintains a blog<https://wildfireoregondeptofforestry.blogspot.com/> that includes breaking news on wildfires statewide, along with current fire statistics. The Southwest Oregon District maintains a blog<https://swofire.blogspot.com/> with wildfire info specific to the region. In addition, the district provides a Twitter<https://twitter.com/swofire> feed on fires as they occur.

 

ABOUT THIS UPDATE

This update focuses primarily on firefighting activity on Oregon Department of Forestry-protected lands involving fires 10 acres or larger in size or of other significance. It also reports on ODF's actions as a partner in fighting major fires that start on lands protected by other agencies.

 

ODF is responsible for fire protection on private and state-owned forestland, and on a limited amount of other forestlands, including those owned by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in western Oregon. Because fires may cross ownerships, and because of the need to share firefighting resources, agencies work closely together.

BANK OF THE CASCADES ENHANCEMENTS

BANK OF THE CASCADES TAKES STEPS TO ENHANCE LOCAL BANKING CONVENIENCE

·         Mortgage Center moves to new location with larger team and expanded programs for area home buyers and home owners

·         ATM services expand with Old Mill ATM and a new mobile ATM van

·         Online services expanding with new Online Banking, Bill Pay and upcoming availability of Mobile and Mobile Remote Deposit

 

Bend, OR  (August 1, 2013) — Serving a growing mortgage customer base and continuing its tradition of financing the home loan needs of its neighbors in Central Oregon, Bank of the Cascades has taken steps to enhance convenience for customers by moving its Mortgage Center from downtown Bend to the Old Mill on July 29. The Bank’s Old Mill branch, located at 233 SW Wilson Avenue, has been repurposed to serve as the new Mortgage Center. The move is designed to take advantage of a central location, more parking and proximity to several of the area’s title companies. In conjunction with the move, the Bank is expanding its’ mortgage lending team and offering of home loan products and services to best serve the purchase and refinance needs of its customers and community. 

 

“We are very proud to have been a leader in providing quality mortgage services in Central Oregon for over 33 years and, most recently, have been growing our team of local mortgage loan experts to respond to the opportunities for home buying, building and refinancing in our community,” said Lance VanSooy, Vice President and Mortgage Regional Manager for Bank of the Cascades. “We understand this community and the home buying process, and are here to make it easy for our customers to get into the right program for their needs. We are striving to close home loans in under 30 days. We want to make the process easy while delivering quality programs with low rates and fees to make home buying, building and refinancing opportunities available in our community.”

 

In addition to conventional, VA and First Time Buyer home loans, the Bank now provides a new 5/1 ARM loan that offers a fixed rate for the first five years followed by an annually adjusted rate for the remainder of the loan. Additionally, the Bank continues to offer HARP loans to refinance homes with current mortgages that may be underwater, as well as a

“New Beginnings” program for previous home owners looking to start over. These programs have provided many local residents opportunities for home ownership at affordable prices.

Other Bank efforts to make banking easier for customers include the installation of a free-standing ATM next to the Old Mill Ticket Center. The new machine, and all other Bank of the Cascades ATMs, offer surcharge-free services to customers and visitors whose banks are part of the MoneyPass ATM network. In addition to the Old Mill ATM, Central Oregon residents will be seeing a new mobile ATM van at various community events.

 

“We are making many exciting changes to provide more convenient banking services for our customers,” said Debbie Amerongen, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Bank of the Cascades. “We also want to welcome friends, neighbors and visitors to access our services whenever possible.”

Amerongen said the Bank recently purchased the mobile ATM van to support local community events including those sponsored by the bank such as Bend Summer Festival and Redmond Music on the Greens.

 

“We want to make banking easy for people and it has been great to see the positive reaction to the convenience of a mobile ATM at summer events around Central Oregon,” said Amerongen who added that the Mobile ATM will also travel to Boise, Idaho in the Fall to support events throughout the Treasure Valley communities served by Bank of the Cascades. 

 

According to Amerongen, the expanded ATM services are the first of many steps over the next few months to enhance the Bank’s accessibility and customer convenience. In August, all new online banking and bill pay services with enhanced features will be delivered, followed by the rollout of Mobile Banking and Mobile Deposit in the fall.

 

“While remaining committed to the advantages of local banking, we want to provide customer choice access in our branches, at ATMs, online, and through mobile or tablet access, no matter where they are and at times most convenient to them,” said Amerongen.

Bank of the Cascades is the principal subsidiary of Cascade Bancorp (NASDAQ: CACB). Headquartered in Bend, Oregon, Bank of the Cascades delivers personalized relationship banking, competitive financial products, and advanced technology applied for the convenience of customers. Founded in 1977, Bank of the Cascades offers full-service community banking through 28 branches in Central Oregon, Southern Oregon, Portland/Salem and Idaho’s Treasure Valley. Throughout its history, the bank has been recognized for its long-standing tradition of corporate philanthropy. For more information, visit www.botc.com.

Latest Fire Stats from Lightning Storm

HERE IS THE LATEST MEDIA RELEASE:

 

 

FIRE NEWS--Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center

For Immediate Release:  August 1, 2013  9:15 a.m.

  Website: www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon/fire Follow Us On Twitter: @CentralORFire

 

 

New Starts Following Lightning

           

Central Oregon – Lightning throughout yesterday afternoon through the evening in Central Oregon had crews chasing smoke reports and responding to incidents.

 

By this morning, 48 incidents had been responded to following the lightning. Several fires were responded to and put out following smoke reports; however, 17 fires continue to burn:

 

·        5 small fires on Little Round Top Mountain on the border of the Willamette National Forest and the Deschutes National Forest.

·        2 fires west of Cultus Mountain

·        1 fire NE of Odell Butte

·        1 fire one mile NE of the Junction of the Forest Roads 46 and 41

·        4 small fires north of Suttle Lake

·        2 fire 2 miles NE of Trout Creek Butte

·        1 fire on Green Ridge

·        1 fire 2 miles north of the junction of Forest Roads 22 and 23

 

Currently a fire on Green Ridge in the Sisters Ranger District of the Deschutes National Forest is causing Lower Bridge Campground to be evacuated for public safety.  The fire is not threatening the campground; however, a helicopter making bucket drops on the fire needs to work in the area and people are being evacuated to allow the helicopter to work safely. A 20-person hand crew is also responding to the fire.

 

In one of the larger incidents, airtankers dropped retardant and engines and crews responded to a fire, approximately 5 miles northeast of Sisters, OR that was threatening structures in the Squaw Creek Canyon Estates on private, state-protected lands. By 6:30 p.m. the crews had put dozer line completely around the fire. Crews continue to staff the fire today to strengthen line around the fire.

 

 

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