Oregon Air Quality Update: Prineville, La Pine and Burns Among the Worst This Morning
Much of Western Oregon is waking up to surprisingly clean air Tuesday morning, but cross the Cascades and the picture changes fast. Wildfire smoke continues to hang over portions of Central and Eastern Oregon on August 11, with Prineville, La Pine, Burns, Madras, Enterprise, Bend and Redmond, and John Day all reporting air quality in the EPA’s “Unhealthy” category early Tuesday. At the same time, Portland, Eugene, Salem, Corvallis and much of the Oregon Coast were firmly in the “Good” range....
TRAVEL
Oregon is a beautiful destination for travelers who enjoy exploring the great outdoors. With its diverse landscape of mountains, forests, waterfalls, and coastline, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
Bend’s Old Cracker Barrel Is Getting a New Life as a Carhartt Store
A familiar building on Bend’s north side is getting a new tenant, and this time the name going up outside will be one that plenty of Oregonians already have hanging in their closets. Carhartt is...
One of Oregon’s Most Haunted Lighthouses Is Hosting a Halloween Night of Ghost Stories
There are plenty of ways to spend Halloween in Oregon, but few come with crashing Pacific waves, a historic lighthouse perched high above the coast, more than a century of local history, and stories...
8 Oregon Hiking Trails Where You Can Escape the Wildfire Smoke Today
If you’ve looked outside lately and wondered whether hiking in Oregon now requires a complimentary respirator, you’re not alone. Wildfire smoke continues to affect a large portion of the state this...
FOOD & DRINK
Explore Oregon’s food and drink scene – from locally sourced ingredients to craft brews and award-winning wines. Plan your culinary adventure now!
A Former Coast Guard Ship Is Now One of the Oregon Coast’s Coolest Seafood Restaurants
Some restaurants give you a waterfront view. Big Fish Cafe gives you that, plus the entire boat. Tucked beside the Umpqua River in Reedsport, this wonderfully unexpected restaurant occupies a former...
This Historic Pendleton Steakhouse Is One Of Oregon’s Best Places To Experience The Old West
Walk through the doors at Hamley Steakhouse & Saloon and it doesn't take long to realize this isn't just another place to grab a bite to eat. Rich woodwork, handcrafted details, glowing antique...
The Seafood At This Unassuming Family Restaurant Might Ruin Every Other Oregon Coast Spot For You
Some restaurants feel connected to the place around them from the moment you walk through the door. The food makes sense for the landscape. The menu reflects what people have eaten in the region for...
Klamath Falls Man Killed While Fighting Wrights Spring Fire in Southern Oregon
A dangerous shift in the Wrights Spring Fire turned deadly Friday, claiming the life of a Klamath Falls man who was operating heavy equipment as crews worked to slow the wildfire east of Chiloquin. The Klamath County Sheriff’s Office identified the man as 47-year-old...
The Oregon State Fair Returns This Month With 11 Days of Rides, Concerts and Deep-Fried Everything
There’s a point every August when Oregon starts trying to squeeze every last drop out of summer. The evenings get a little shorter, school supplies start appearing everywhere, and then the Oregon State Fair rolls into Salem with glowing carnival rides, packed...
Cleaner Air Is Coming to Western Oregon Tonight, but Wildfire Smoke Could Worsen Farther East
After several days of staring through a brown haze, people across western Oregon may finally be able to open a window and see the hills again. Wildfire smoke that settled over Portland, Salem, Eugene and much of the Willamette Valley is expected to begin thinning...
Highway 26 Remains Closed Between Prineville and Mitchell as Massive Oregon Wildfire Burns Nearby
One of Central Oregon’s most important east-west highways remains shut down as firefighters continue working along the sprawling Rowe Creek Complex. As of Thursday, August 6, U.S. Highway 26 was still closed between Prineville and Mitchell. Oregon Department of...
One of America’s Most Legendary Rodeos Returns to Oregon This September
There are a lot of great events in Oregon every year, but only a handful feel like they belong to the state’s identity. The Pendleton Round-Up is one of them. For more than a century, this iconic Eastern Oregon event has drawn crowds from across the Northwest and far...
National Media Claims Timberline Lodge Is “At Risk of Burning Down,” but the Facts Say Otherwise
Wildfires are serious. Evacuation notices are serious. And when fire officials tell Oregonians to prepare, people should pay attention. But serious situations don’t need to be exaggerated to generate clicks. A national news story published by The Independent on...
Yes, Wildfire Betting Is Really a Thing, and Oregon Senators Want It Stopped
As wildfires force evacuations, destroy homes and send smoke across Oregon and the West, some people are apparently watching the devastation with something other than concern. They’re betting money on it. Online prediction markets have begun offering contracts that...
A Forgotten Newspaper Clipping Reveals Oregon’s Wildfire Debate Was Already Raging More Than 120 Years Ago
Smoke had drifted into Lane County again, turning the sky a sickly-yellow and the surrounding hills into indistinct hazy blue, when I found myself remembering an old newspaper clipping I’d saved during some research into western Oregon history. The clipping came from...
Oregon Republicans Push Constitutional Right to Hunt, Fish and Farm After IP 28 Fails
In a state where fishing boats crowd coastal harbors, hunting camps are a longtime family tradition and farms stretch from the Willamette Valley to the high desert, a new political battle is taking shape over how Oregon protects those ways of life. Republican leaders...
Wildfire Smoke Pushes Portland to Fifth-Worst Air Quality in the World
Portland residents woke up Tuesday to a familiar and unwelcome sign of Oregon’s intense wildfire season: a hazy skyline, muted views of the surrounding hills, and the smell of smoke hanging in the air. By Tuesday afternoon, Portland’s air quality had deteriorated...