Wildfires

Many Central Oregon cities started fire restrictions this week as the forecast for much of the state predicts dry, warm weather and little precipitation ahead.

But there was a glimmer of hope: Federal firefighting managers said their workforce is about where it needs to be for the fire season ahead, despite the Trump administration’s efforts.

The Manitoba wildfires have forced 17,000 people to flee the province. Plumes of heavy smoke are expected to drift into the United States over Friday and Saturday, affecting millions of Americans.

The decision to delay a vote on Senate Bill 83 came as a surprise to Republicans on the Committee, who later accused Democrats, House Speaker Julie Fahey, D-Eugene, and Gov. Tina Kotek of using it as a bargaining chip in negotiations over a wildfire funding proposal that would redirect $1 billion from the state’s “kicker” tax return.

The Butte Creek Fire was first reported just before 3 p.m. on Sunday on the east side of the John Day River, just north of Clarno, Oregon.

The Bureau of Land Management has announced new fire restrictions on its public lands across Oregon and Washington.

Even if Democrats agree on such a move, a vote to suspend the kicker would require two Republican votes in the 30-member Senate and four in the 60-member House.

After Oregon’s devastating 2020 Labor Day fires, the Legislature passed a bill that was supposed to lead to more wildfire awareness and resilience. But the resulting map led to a huge backlash from property owners – a backlash so strong that a few weeks ago, the state Senate voted unanimously to eliminate it.

After the devastating 2020 Labor Day fires, the Oregon Legislature passed a bill that was supposed to lead to more wildfire awareness and resilience. It created a map of areas at high risk of fire. But that map led to a huge backlash from property owners. Now one of the democratic state senators who helped create the map is sponsoring a bill that would repeal it. We’ll talk to Jeff Golden, who represents the Ashland area, about why — and what should happen instead.

Trump administration funding cuts and a loss of federal workers who help support wildland firefighting continues to make planning for the upcoming wildfire season a challenge, according to forest and fire officials in Washington state and Oregon.