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Local News
Local News
Madras Scout Earns Eagle Rank — First in Jefferson County in 15 Years
Seventeen-year-old Giovanni Martinelli has become Jefferson County’s first Eagle Scout in more than a decade and a half, achieving Scouting’s highest honor after 10 years of dedication to Troop 9058 in Madras.
Local News
Bean Foundation Awards $50,000 to Jefferson County Museum Project
The Jefferson County Historical Society received a $25,000 grant — plus a $25,000 matching commitment — from the Madras-based Bean Foundation, the largest single funding boost yet for the effort to convert a 118-year-old church into the county’s first dedicated museum.
Local News
Crooked River Ranch Community Steps Up, Donating Supplies to Families Hit by Spokane Fires
Residents of Crooked River Ranch organized a donation drive to help families displaced by fires in the Spokane area, collecting needed supplies and coordinating delivery through a partnership with Crooked River Ranch Fire & Rescue.
Local News
Jefferson County Farmers and Ranchers Brace as Drought Drains Irrigation Water Before Season's End
One of the most severe droughts in decades is squeezing Jefferson County's agricultural community hard. With weeks still left in the growing season, some area farmers are already out of irrigation water — and state officials have taken the extraordinary step of cutting allotments even to senior water right holders.
Local News
OSU Extension Delivers Air Filter Kits, Masks to Warm Springs Community Amid Smoke Crisis
When wildfire smoke descended on the Warm Springs community in late July, Oregon State University Extension Service workers scrambled to get box fan air-filter kits and N95 masks into residents’ hands — a grassroots response that illustrates the network of support Central Oregon communities have leaned on during a brutal 2026 fire season.
Local News
Jefferson County Farmers Count the Cost of a Historic Drought Season
With 94% of Jefferson County in severe drought and the North Unit Irrigation District delivering some of the lowest water allotments in years, local ranchers and farmers are wrapping up one of the hardest growing seasons in recent memory.
Local News
Three Weeks On, Warm Springs Focuses on Long Road to Recovery After Bench Fire
The Bench Fire on the Warm Springs Reservation is fully contained, but the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs say rebuilding will take months -- and years. A wildfire recovery fund has already surpassed its original goal, and water service has been restored.
Local News
Black Bear Spotted in Crooked River Ranch Neighborhood — Residents Urged to Stay Alert
A black bear was spotted Tuesday morning in the SW Mare Place area of Crooked River Ranch. Oregon State Police and ODFW have been notified, and officials are asking residents not to approach the animal.
Local News
Warm Springs Tribe Unveils New Executive Leadership and Major Community Projects
The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs has introduced new top executives and revealed ambitious plans including a Highway 26 rest area feasibility study, a Youth and Elder Center, and a warming and cooling shelter — all detailed in the tribe's inaugural Tomahawk Newsletter.
Local News
Warm Springs Rebounds: Evacuations Lifted, Community Aid Wraps Up, Back-to-School Events Ahead
Evacuation orders across the Warm Springs Reservation have been lifted following weeks of intense wildfire activity. The community is now focused on recovery, back-to-school preparations, and early childhood enrollment for the coming year.