Air quality advisory extended through Saturday for Northwest, Central, Eastern and some parts of Southern Oregon

Sept. 18, 2020 The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality extended an air quality advisory through Saturday for Northwest, Central, Eastern and some parts of Southern Oregon due to smoke from fires in Oregon and California. ** Información en español ** Smoke is beginning to clear out of the I-5 corridor. Portland and Salem areas were still at the unhealthy  levels Friday morning,…

Birch Creek Fire Update

Sept. 18, 2020 PENDLETON, Ore. – Firefighters continue to make progress securing containment lines on the Birch Creek Fire yesterday, which is burning on the North Fork John Day Ranger District west of the junctions of Forest Service Road (FSR) 54 with FSR 5412 and FSR 5411, approximately 12 miles northeast of Ukiah, Oregon. The Birch Creek Fire remains approximately…

Air quality update: Advisory lifted for Oregon Coast, smoke to remain elsewhere next couple of days

Date: Sept. 16, 2020 The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Lane Regional Air Protection Agency and the Southwest Washington Clean Air Agency updated an air quality advisory Wednesday for Oregon and Southwest Washington due to smoke from fires in Oregon, Washington and California. ** Información en español ** DEQ has lifted the air quality advisory for the Oregon Coast. The coast should…

Birch Creek Fire Update

Sept. 16, 2020 PENDLETON, Ore. – Improved weather conditions aided firefighters battling the Birch Creek Fire yesterday, which is burning on the North Fork John Day Ranger District west of the junctions of Forest Service Road (FSR) 54 with FSR 5412 and FSR 5411, approximately 12 miles northeast of Ukiah, Oregon.  A local Type 3 Incident Management Team led by…

Temporary Closure at Wildhorse Due to Air Quality

Sept. 15, 2020 Mission, OR – Due to air quality conditions, Wildhorse Resort & Casino will close some of its operations out of an abundance of caution for guests and employees. Gaming operations will close at 4am on Wednesday, September 16. On-site restaurants and the Cineplex will close this evening, September 15, at regular closing times and reopen Thursday at…

Governor Kate Brown Announces Unified Law Enforcement Plan to Protect Free Speech, Bring Violence to an End in Portland

This is an Aug. 30 news release from the office of Oregon Gov. Kate Brown Plan includes community forum for Mayor Wheeler, protest organizers, and community leaders to work toward racial justice and police reform in City of Portland (Salem, OR) — Governor Kate Brown Sunday, Aug. 31, released the details of a unified law enforcement plan to protect free speech and bring violence…

CTUIR strives for effective testing and tracing

An official news release from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation: AUGUST 26 – MISSION – Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center (Yellowhawk) continues to provide regular COVID testing to enrolled Tribal Members of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR). As testing has steadily increased, Yellowhawk has identified some challenges to ensuring testing is performed in a timely manner. The CTUIR…

Chromebooks for students delayed due to national demand

From a news release issued Aug. 25 by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation MISSION – In July, the Board of Trustees (BOT) for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) approved the purchase of a Chromebook for every school-age tribal member. However, due to increased demand across the country, the Chromebooks are not expected to arrive…

Update on Meacham Complex fire

August 24 – Mike Almas’ Northern Rockies Type 2 Incident Management Team (IMT) began managing the Meacham Complex on Friday, August 21, 2020. The Meacham Complex of fires includes the Hager Ridge Fire, Horse Fire, 896 (Horseshoe Ridge) Fire, and other smaller fires located approximately twenty five miles east/southeast of Pendleton, Oregon. In addition to those fires, Mike Almas’ IMT…