LATEST NEWS

NWS Pendleton has issued a Red Flag Warning for the Blue Mountains in Morrow, Umatilla, and Walla Walla counties. This runs today from 12 PM to 11 PM.

GRANT/MORROW/UMATILLA COUNTIES – (Press Release from FEMA) The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) authorized the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs for the Boneyard Fire burning in Grant County, Oregon, and the Battle Mountain Complex Fire, which includes the Monkey Creek, Snake, and North Fork Owens Fires burning in Grant, Morrow and Umatilla counties, Oregon.

UMATILLA COUNTY – The Umatilla County Emergency Operations Center has removed evacuation levels from the following areas in Umatilla County:. For the area of South of Coombes Canyon Rd and North of milepost 32 on Highway 395 S (Gurdane Rd) between the County Line on the west and just west of East Birch Creek.

Roxy Mayer, Press Secretary, Office of Governor Kotek. Governor Kotek Invokes The Emergency Conflagration Act in Response To Series Of Fires In Umatilla County. Salem, OR — Governor Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act on the evening of July 17, in response to several fires in Umatilla County. The resources necessary for protecting life and property from the fires are beyond local capabilities. Assistance with life, safety, and structural fire protection was requested by the Tri-County (Umatilla, Morrow, Gilliam) Fire Defense Board and the state fire marshal concurred with that request.

In May, Crook County voters approved a ballot measure that expressed citizen support for the Greater Idaho movement. But what does its passage mean and what can residents expect to happen now? Voters approved Measure 7-86, an advisory question regarding citizen sentiment for relocation of the Oregon-Idaho border, by a 53.44%-46.56% margin. Crook County is one of 13 Oregon counties whose citizens have voted in support of the Greater Idaho...

Maine chef Erin French stopped by Pastificio d'Oro, Gracie's Apizza and more.

NOAA Fisheries has received a request from Army Corps of Engineers for authorization to take marine mammals incidental to Baker Bay Pile Dike Repair Project in Baker Bay, Oregon. NOAA Fisheries is requesting comments on its proposal to issue an incidental harassment authorization to incidentally take marine mammals during the specified activities. NOAA Fisheries is also requesting comments on a possible one-time, 1-year renewal that could be issued under certain circumstances and if all requirements are met, as described in Request for Public Comments at the end of this notice. NOAA Fisheries will consider public comments prior to making any final decision on the issuance of the requested MMPA authorization and agency responses will be summarized in the final notice of our decision.

MALHEUR COUNTY, Oregon (CBS2) — Wednesday's weather will lead to extreme fire behavior and growth. A Red Flag Warning for severe thunderstorms was issued and will be followed by a Flash Flood Watch. Thunderstorm wind gusts may reach 75 mph and are expected to impact the Durkee Fire footprint....

Your browser does not support the audio element. Back in the 1970s, botanist Barbara Wilson found a fun way to pass the time during her daily 80-mile roundtrip commute from Iowa to Nebraska. “I saw roadkill,” she said. “I would pick up the best of it ... and prepare it...

Oregon has recorded 2,190 lightning strikes over the last fortnight, fueling wildfires across Southern, Central and Eastern areas of the state where nearly 800,000 acres are in flames. There are now 38 wildfires throughout the state, with the largest being the Durkee Fire in Baker County where none of the...

Summers in the Western United States are a challenge. Whether you live in Arizona, California, or our state of Idaho, it's hot. The summer of 2024 is projected to be one of the hottest and most dangerous on record, posing a significant threat to our communities. . Fortunately, the Gem...

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Seasonal temperatures and sunshine remain around the Portland, Vancouver metro area on Wednesday. Afternoon highs will return to the low to mid-80s on Wednesday – about normal for this time of the year. Sunny skies will also continue as haze lingers along the horizon. Clouds will increase slightly along the coast as a light drizzle or two is possible during the morning hours.

More Oregonians are suffering from respiratory, heart and mental health issues caused by extreme weather events linked to climate change, and rural, elderly and minority communities are being hit the hardest, a new state report found. But new investments in portable air conditioners, home air filtration systems and gardens and green spaces are helping lessen […] The post Climate change a growing public health threat in Oregon, but state adapting, report finds appeared first on Oregon Capital Chronicle.

BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) — Firefighters in the West are scrambling as new wildfires threaten communities in Oregon, California and Washington, with at least one Oregon fire so large that it is creating its own weather. Interstate 84 in eastern Oregon was closed in both directions Tuesday between Ontario and...

Kohr Explores: Great Oregon Steam-Up back for 54th year.

Oregon farmers raising sheep, chicken or cows will soon have to comply with new state rules. Environmental groups and some small farm advocates say the changes bring much-needed clarification on who qualifies for a permit usually reserved for large, commercial-scale livestock farms, while some agriculture trade groups say the changes put more undue burden on […] The post Oregon livestock farmers will soon face more oversight appeared first on Oregon Capital Chronicle.

FEDERAL INVESTIGATION TARGETS PAMPLIN: The three-alarm fire that sent smoke billowing from Ross Island on July 20 may be the least of Robert Pamplin Jr.’s problems. An email WW obtained under a public records request shows federal Department of Labor investigators are probing the tangled finances of the shrinking Pamplin empire. (Pamplin Communications sold its 24 Oregon newspapers last month.) As WW previously reported, Robert Pamplin sold Ross Island from Ross Island Sand & Gravel to the Pamplin pension fund for $10.8 million in an unusual 2022 transaction that left the fund holding an asset Pamplin previously argued in court had no value and which is still subject to an expensive, unfinished reclamation plan. (The Department of Labor regulates pension funds.) On May 2, David Wehr, a DOL investigator in Seattle, wrote to the state seeking information about Ross Island Sand & Gravel’s obligation to post a $6 million bond to ensure completion of the reclamation project. “We would like to know if the bond has been provided, how the amount of the bond was determined and what liabilities exist if the bond is not established,” Wehr wrote. (The company has failed to post the bond and faces a $2.9 million state penalty for that failure.) DOL and Pamplin representatives did not respond to requests for comment. Bob Sallinger, executive director of Willamette Riverkeeper, has said for years Pamplin should turn over Ross Island to a responsible custodian. “This fire just speaks to the neglect that’s occurring,” Sallinger says. “Dr. Pamplin made a lot of money mining Ross Island. He owes it to the public to resolve these issues and make the community whole.”

The Oregon Department of Agriculture has released its 2024 Top 20 Commodities Posters and Agricultural Statistics Brochures, based on values and estimates from the 2022 crop year. Oregon’s nursery and greenhouse industry remains the leading agricultural commodity in the state, with a value of $1.22 billion in 2022. Cattle and...

On Wednesday at 4:01 a.m. an air quality alert was issued for Douglas, Jackson, Josephine and Klamath counties. According to the National Weather Service, "Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has issued an Air Pollution Advisory in effect until 5 p.m. this afternoon. Wildfires burning in the region combined with forecast conditions will cause air quality levels to fluctuate and could be at unhealthy levels. Smoke levels can change rapidly depending on the weather. People at risk include infants and young children, people with heart or lung disease, older adults and pregnant people. People can take the following precautions to protect their health: - Follow local burn restrictions to prevent deteriorating air quality. - Avoid strenuous outdoor activity during periods of poor air quality. - People with heart or lung problems and young children are especially vulnerable. These people should stay indoors while smoke levels are high. - Use certified High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters in indoor heating, ventilation, cooling and air purification systems. - Avoid using wood-burning stoves and other sources of indoor smoke if possible. DEQs color-coded Air Quality Index provides current air quality conditions and ranks air quality as follows: Green is good. Yellow is moderate. Orange is unhealthy for sensitive groups such as children, the elderly, pregnant women and those with respiratory conditions. Red is unhealthy for everyone. Purple is very unhealthy for all groups. Maroon is hazardous."