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Good morning, Northwest.
Ten years ago today, a group of armed, anti-government militants took over the remote Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters in Eastern Oregon.
The 41-day siege thrust remote Harney County into a culture war over who owns the American West, one that has since bled into national politics.
People who live in Harney County mostly say they’ve moved on. They did so a long time ago and are focused instead on solving issues in their community like a dwindling groundwater supply.
OPB’s Conrad Wilson and Eli Imadali start this morning’s newsletter with stories from residents on how they’re putting the events of a decade ago behind them.
Here’s your First Look at Friday’s news.
—Bradley W. Parks
Winter sunlight fades over a cluster of buildings on the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, where an armed occupation led by the Bundy family took place 10 years ago, in Harney County, Ore., on Dec. 17, 2025.
Eli Imadali / OPB
10 years after the Malheur occupation, Harney County is moving on
The tips of the sagebrush flicker in the fading winter light over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Crisp gusts sweep across the high desert; a vast sea of greens and browns for miles in every direction.
This landscape, in a remote corner of southeast Oregon, was the backdrop when a group of armed, anti-government militants, led by Ammon Bundy and his brother, took over the refuge headquarters on Jan. 2, 2016.
“We stand in defense,” Bundy said in an interview with OPB, hours after breaking into the U.S. Fish and Wildlife property. “When the time is right we will begin to defend the people of Harney County in using the land and the resources.”
Over the course of a 41-day-long occupation, residents found themselves at the center of a fight over access to public lands, and a culture war over who owns the American West.
In the decade that’s passed, many people in this deep red corner of Oregon remember the occupation as an exploitation. And ultimately, a movement that failed to take root. (Conrad Wilson)
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3 things to know this morning
- Oregonians who apply for a new driver’s license or state ID often sail through the transaction without learning that they might be automatically registered to vote, if they aren’t already, but that would change under new rules being considered by the Oregon secretary of state. (Dirk VanderHart)
- Cascades East Transit was hoping to launch a shuttle service later this year, but like other local transit agencies around the state, it’s delaying projects to see how a political fight over transportation funding will play out. (Kathryn Styer Martínez)
- Residents of Longview, Washington, will have a new mayor starting Jan. 8, and a vote on the largely ceremonial role will happen during the City Council’s first meeting of 2026. (Erik Neumann)
Mohamed Adan sits during his sentencing hearing at the Multnomah County Courthouse in Portland, Ore. on Dec. 30, 2025.
Courtesy of Multnomah County District Attorney's Office
Headlines from around the Northwest
- Youth correctional facility in Woodburn works to make its library accessible to youth once again (Lauren Dake)
- Clackamas Community College bond construction project looks to open doors for students, businesses (Tiffany Camhi)
- Portland man receives life sentence for killing partner after local group paid his bail (Joni Auden Land)
- Oregon, Indiana headed for a rematch, this time with a spot in the national title game at stake (Tim Reynolds)
Listen in on OPB’s daily conversation
“Think Out Loud” airs at noon and 8 p.m. weekdays on OPB Radio, opb.org and the OPB News app. Today’s planned topics (subject to change):
- 10 years after the armed occupation of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge
Peanut the turtle gets a chin scratch from his owner Ruby at the Bend pet parade, July 4, 2025.
Meagan Cuthill / OPB
10 OPB news stories that were bright spots in 2025
A lot of news can be heavy. Many headlines focus on tougher subjects like accountability investigations, extreme weather and wildfires. While we’ve begun a new year, let’s flip back to some positive pages before we totally close the book on 2025.
Here are 10 stories by OPB that highlight how Pacific Northwest communities inspired us, made us laugh and created joy in 2025. (Meagan Cuthill)
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