Make the McKenzie Connection!
Make the McKenzie Connection!
Sorted by date Results 151 - 175 of 1879
Visitors encouraged to stay safe, avoid wildfire areas and campfires Grab your bow for big game as the archery season for deer and elk began on Saturday, August 31st, in the Willamette National Forest. Some popular hunting areas are near wildfires with closure areas that will affect the hunting season. There are fire-related closures in place that primarily impact the Santiam Unit (16), the McKenzie Unit (19), and the Indigo Unit (21). Some roads and sites also remain closed from past wildfires...
Oregonians are likely to see more money back on their state tax returns in 2026 as tax revenues continue to exceed forecasters’ expectations. The state’s latest quarterly economic forecast, released Wednesday, anticipates a personal income tax “kicker” of $987 million. Oregon’s unique kicker law requires that when the income tax payments are at least 2% higher than budgeted, the excess revenue is sent back to taxpayers. Meanwhile, lawmakers are expected to have $676 million more available...
The federal government will move ahead with plans to kill tens of thousands of barred owls in Washington, Oregon and California to protect threatened spotted owls. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a decision on Wednesday to adopt a controversial barred owl management strategy that calls for lethal removal of the birds by shooting them with shotguns and, in some cases, capturing and euthanizing them. Barred owls are native to the eastern U.S. but began expanding their range in the...
BLUE RIVER: Over 650 firefighters are using firelines to control the spread of the 3,000-acre Ore Fire. On Tuesday, the fire was 25 percent contained. Despite a little over 3/4 of an inch of rainfall recorded at the Cougar Dam weather station last week, officials say pockets of heat from dense fuels remain within the fire interior and increased fire behavior will be possible as skies clear, temperatures rise, and humidities drop, causing fuels to begin to dry. A slow warming/drying trend is...
EUGENE: Supporters have described it as “potentially the most technologically advanced waste processing facility in the country.” Opponents, though, say the $150,000,000 waste sorting facility is “a massive project that will increase costs of living for all Lane County residents.” At issue is the CleanLane Resource Recovery Facility (previously known as IMERF) the county plans to build in Goshen. An August 20th Lane County Board of Commissioners’ vote to approve it was a replay of December...
With climate change driving hotter, drier summers across the West, the intensity of recent fire seasons is outpacing workers’ ability to track and analyze fires with traditional methods. “There simply aren’t enough boots on the ground, or eyes in pairs of binoculars to cover the base and the extent of what we’ve been dealing with and that’s been true across the western U.S. and the world,” said Sarvesh Garimella, the chief scientist and chief technical officer at weather app MyRadar. Ho...
After last year’s success, they had to do it again. The Army Corps Of Engineers has released its 2024 giant Cats and Infrastructure calendar. Last year it was an internet sensation, going beyond being viral to being featured on TV talk shows. This year they decided to time the release of their calendar with National Cat Day and it appears to have a gentler approach, compared to last year, when giant cats appeared to be trying to destroy infrastructure. Also new to this year is a dog calendar. T...
The Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division has named Mihnea Moga as Prosecutor of the Year for 2023. The Oregon Hunters Association provided a framed wildlife print during a ceremony at the Oregon District Attorney Association Summer Conference in Seaside earlier this month. Moga, former Deputy District Attorney (DDA) for Columbia County, graduated from Willamette University College of Law and has a long-standing dedication to Oregon’s natural resources. Moga included classes on w...
A new study from the U.S. Geological Survey looked at how wildfires impact mercury concentrations in headwater streams in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey found wildfires are increasing mercury concentrations in Pacific Northwest headwater streams. Mercury is a naturally occurring metal found in rocks and soil. But under the right conditions, it can be converted into methylmercury, a highly toxic form that accumulates in organisms such as fish and...
PCT: It’s estimated someone would have to complete five million steps to traverse the entire 2,650-mile-long Pacific Crest Trail. Charles Costa isn’t counting but each of his steps has a purpose - supporting charities focused on emotional health and suicide prevention. The British-born singer/songwriter’s goal is to “run the equivalent of 90 marathons in 90 days to support the invaluable work carried out by James’ Place, a A decade ago, a skiing accident left Costa with a brain trauma that cont...
FINN ROCK: People had a chance to hear some good news during last Saturday’s briefing on the Ore Fire at the McKenzie High gymnasium. Oscar Vargas, along with Jason Boehm, is one of the fire’s two incident commanders. Both gave the local community high marks for the welcome area residents have received. Vargas outlined his team’s approach as “being safe and being smart” while efforts are underway to either “put fires out or keeping them small.” He also provided some insight into current ways...
The Lane County Sheriff’s Office is investigating numerous reports of vehicles being broken into in the McKenzie Bridge area on July 21st. A local business owner observed the suspect vehicle driving through the area early in the morning and contacted police when he learned of the break-ins. Deputies determined that Codey Lee Lewis owned the vehicle. Later that night, Coburg Police located Lewis. He was lodged at the Lane County Jail on unrelated warrants and the vehicle he was driving was i...
It’s been a labor of love and a long time coming with the Upper McKenzie Community Center getting a fresh start inside and out so we wanted to thank you all for your patience. The new roof is going on this week - just in time for a bit of rain, too. A beautiful new access ramp and new stairs have been poured out front. Next comes the railing which still needs to be created and installed. And just so you all don’t feel alone in the process of permitting and rebuilding, I wanted to let you kno...
The Lane County Sheriff’s Office Cadet Program is for young men and women between the ages of 18 and 21, who have an interest in law enforcement. Our Cadet Program provides an opportunity to get first-hand experience to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to prepare the cadets for full-time employment, hopefully with LCSO! Although being a Cadet is not a pre-requisite to becoming a Deputy Sheriff, we want to offer you every opportunity to gain experience and be successful in your c...
Feller bunchers, dozers, water tenders, and other specialized equipment play a key role in the initial attack and suppression of Oregon’s wildfires. Much of that equipment is provided by local operators under a contract agreement with the Oregon Department of Forestry. “One piece of equipment can do the work of a 40-person crew,” said Craig Pettinger, Oregon Department of Forestry’s interim district forester for its South Cascade district. “It’s not just the equipment but the experienced...
Persistent drought in the West over the last two decades has limited the amount of electricity that hydropower dams can generate, costing the industry and the region billions of dollars in revenue. The sector lost about 300 million megawatt hours of power generation between 2003 and 2020 due to drought and low water compared with the long-term average, researchers from the University of Alabama found. That equals about $28 billion in lost revenue. Half of the drop in power generation was due to...
WALTERVILLE: The “custom” in Curanns Custom Taxidermy is something his clients have come to rely on. Earlier this month a lot of other people had the chance to see an example of his work when he drove the result of a major reconstruction project to its new home in Veneta. Standing 10 feet, 2 inches tall, the giraffe on Curran’s trailer made quite an impact on unsuspecting motorists when it came into view. Some were distracted to the point it made traffic merges challenging and one, Curran said,...
EUGENE: While discussing rate changes, Eugene Water & Electric Board commissioners considered how these adjustments might influence Eugene businesses and residents to move toward more eco-friendly power and water alternatives that could improve the overall community. “We want people to use less energy and electricity, and no matter what happens it will always be beneficial for us to use less electricity,” said Commissioner Mindy Schlossberg. “It takes a while to build habits in people, even though we might not need to do it right now, I think...
Of forest properties burned in the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire, estimates are approximately 144,000 of that amount were on U.S. Forest Service land, 8,000 acres within Bureau of Land Management boundaries, and around 20,000 acres of private forest land. More than 1 million acres were impacted around Oregon in that year - close to 3% of the state’s forestland. Almost all of it was on the west side, where the industry is centered. Of private owners, Weyerhaeuser was the hardest hit - reporting t...
The U.S. men’s eight rowing team is coming back home with a bronze medal from the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, a group that includes Grant High School alumnus Pieter Quinton, second from right. Like jigsaw puzzles? See how quickly you can rebuild this one and help the rowing team stroke their way to the top of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Go to: tinyurl.com/c4dzs9aj Block Party Springfield’s “The Block Party,” now in its fifth year, exists to celebrate Springfield on one magical night, Downtown, from 4 to 9 p.m. This year’s beverage garden, s...
The Lane Regional Air Protection Agency (LRAPA) has lifted the air quality advisory for eastern Lane County that has been in effect since July 26, 2024. After 17 days of heightened concern due to wildfire smoke, a shift in weather patterns has brought a welcome improvement to air quality in the region. A persistent northwest airflow across the state has been instrumental in clearing smoke from the area. While this is good news, LRAPA reminds residents that wildfire season is not over, and conditions can change rapidly. For the next few days,...
Supporters of a ballot measure that would establish an independent commission for setting the pay of elected officials have launched a campaign. If passed in November, Measure 116 would set up the Independent Public Service Compensation Commission - to decide salaries for elected officials including the governor, state lawmakers, judges, and district attorneys. Robin Ye is the political and strategy director for the organization East County Rising, which is supporting the measure. “It’s abo...
The wildfire season in Oregon has likely not yet peaked and already 1.3 million acres have been blackened or are ablaze, with 34 large fires burning. And five of them have spread over 100,000 acres each. “We are on a trend of possibly setting a record in the state of Oregon for the number of acres affected by fire,” Carol Connolly, a spokesperson for the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center, which coordinates fire resources, told the Capital Chronicle. “Typically the Northwest peaks aroun...
FINN ROCK: Many of today’s McKenzie Valley residents have heard of recent riparian restoration efforts in the “Finn Rock Reach” near Milepost 38 of Hwy. 126. Fewer, though, recall the former Finn Rock Logging Camp which had long roots, stretching back to 1890, and a sawmill in Rosboro, Arkansas built by Thomas “Whit” Whitaker Rosborough. After Rosborough’s honeymoon itinerary swung through the Pacific Northwest, he’d always had a longing to return. He did in 1939, moving to Springfield,...
The Lane County Sheriff's Office marine patrol wants to alert boaters that a downed tree is almost a complete river blockage just above Belknap Hot Springs Resort. It is only passable on river right and is visible from upstream. Hazard signage has been posted upstream at Frissell and Olallie boat launches....
