Eastern Oregon
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Religion
Pope Leo XIV appoints new bishop for Catholics in central and eastern Oregon
At 47 years old, Rev. Thomas Hennen will become the youngest bishop in the U.S. to lead a diocese. He also has experience with ministries for LGBTQ+ Catholics.

Heat advisory, red flag warnings in effect across Eastern and Central Oregon
The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for the Lower Columbia Basin of Oregon and Washington including parts of the Blue Mountains and Yakima Valley. Temperatures are forecasted to reach 105 degrees Fahrenheit Tuesday — nearly 12 degrees warmer than average.

Wildfire
Cold Springs Fire breaks out in Umatilla County’s Hat Rock area
Level 3 (Go Now!) evacuation orders have been downgraded near a wildfire in Umatilla County.

Health
Volunteers fill gaps in rural Oregon emergency medical care
Rural EMS struggles to staff ambulances, relying frequently on costly air resources and unpaid volunteers.

Friends of the Children mentoring program expands to Eastern Oregon
At a time when many social services are contracting, La Grande is getting a new program to help kids

Umatilla burrowing owls get banded as part of a long-running research project
At Umatilla’s former chemical depot, scientists band baby burrowing owls nesting in old juice barrels, part of a yearslong effort to track their migration and ancestry.
Infrastructure
Pendleton powers wastewater plant with ‘solar canopy’
The Eastern Oregon city hopes solar energy will eventually supply electricity to all plant operations.
Politics
Bentz defends Republican tax and spending bill, despite costs and cuts impacting his district
Bentz voted to pass the bill despite past vows not to add to the national deficit, and representing many Oregonians who could lose access to Medicaid.

Oregon could see temps in the upper 90s this weekend
Temperatures are expected to heat up into the 90s across much of Oregon this weekend as the state braces for its first heat wave of the year. Some areas including Eastern and Southern Oregon could see temperatures reach 100 degrees.

Grant County moves to cut funding for its only public library
One of Oregon’s most sparsely populated counties has seen a contraction of public services in recent years. The county's library director said losing county funding could close the library.