eastern Oregon

Firefighters continue to battle more than a dozen large fires across Oregon, as this extended fire season continues.  And it should come as no surprise, much of that fire activity is primarily east of the Cascades.  Kaitlyn Webb, with the Deschutes National Forest, said vegetation is still very dry.   “We really...

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife was very busy last week with several depredations in the eastern part of the state.   Investigators were called all to private pasture land in the Silver Creek area of Harney County on Monday, February 27th.  Th...

The idea of moving the Idaho/Oregon border appears to be gaining traction in Boise.  Former Oregon House Speaker Mark Simmons, who lives in Elgin (outside of LaGrande), testified recently before Idaho’s House State Affairs Committee, in support of the Greater Idaho Movement.   "We se...

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife investigators say a livestock herding dog was killed in a depredation last week in Union County.  Crews were called to Bazine Creek area Thursday where the dog was found dead on private land.  While ODFW has not confirmed which pack is responsible for last week’s depredation, the Department says it could possibly be the same wolves responsible for a pair of d

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife investigators were called out to two separate attacks on livestock in the eastern part of the state last week.  Crews were called to the Beagle Creek area of Baker County, where one dead and one injured calf were discovered.  ODFW sa...

After eight years as President of the Snake River Sugarbeet Growers Association, Randy Grant officially retired from his post last week.  The organization saw many changes under Grant’s leadership, including unification with the Nyssa-Nampa Growers Association who joined the organization in 2022.  Unification h...

The Oregon Health Authority urges people to test their homes for a deadly gas this month.  It’s the second leading cause of lung cancer behind smoking, and it’s tasteless, odorless and invisible.   “Radon is something that comes from the ground, it’s from geology," noted Jara Popinga.  "It’s a breakdown of uranium rock; ...

The final week of the year was a busy one for Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife crews, as they were called to depredations leading to the deaths of four calves.     The first incident was reported Christmas Sunday, on private land in Union County’s High Valley area.  When crews arrived...

Despite the spring rains we saw across much of the Pacific Northwest, drought conditions continue for much of Central and Eastern Oregon.  The water year officially ended in July, and Larry O’Neill, with the Oregon Climate Office, says conditions didn’t improve much in the last two months.   “The average...

On Monday, Oregon Senator Ron Wyden met with a local farmer, student and nonprofit organizer in Bend discussing his new effort to reduce fuel prices.  Last week, Wyden unveiled his “Taxing Big Oil Profiteers Act”, and he said it sends a message.   “For ex...