Dead Fish, Drawdowns, Dams, and Lawsuits Muddy the Waters in Oregon’s Push to Save Salmon
If you've spent much time scrolling through Oregon news lately, you've probably seen some version of the same strange story. A reservoir is being lowered. A dam is spilling more water. Fish are dying. A town is worried about its drinking water. Someone is suing the federal government. Somewhere else, environmental groups are suing because agencies aren't doing enough for salmon. And depending on who made the video you're watching, you're likely to come away believing either that Oregon's dams...
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.
This Remote Oregon Mine Lets You Dig for Real Sunstones and Keep What You Find
There are road trips where the destination is the whole point, and then there are those wonderfully strange Oregon adventures where simply getting there feels like part of the story. Way out in the...
More of Highway 26 Reopens as Rowe Creek Complex Reaches 84% Containment
Travel conditions are slowly improving east of Prineville as portions of U.S. Highway 26 reopen following weeks of wildfire activity from the massive Rowe Creek Complex. The highway is not fully...
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...
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!
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...
Mo’s Flew 200 Pounds Of Their Famous Clam Chowder To Washington, D.C. For America’s 250th
An Oregon Coast restaurant known for steaming bowls of clam chowder recently carried a substantial taste of the Pacific Northwest all the way to the nation’s capital. Mo’s Seafood & Chowder was...
The Blueberry Pie At This Cute Little Bakery Might Be Portland’s Most Craved Slice
Rainy afternoons, neighborhood strolls, and a stop for something sweet feel like a natural part of life in Portland. In a city where people care deeply about good food and local businesses, there's...
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...
Mt. Hood Meadows Ordered to Evacuate as Grasshopper Fire Threatens the Area
Mt. Hood Meadows is under a Level 3 “Go Now” evacuation order as the Grasshopper Fire continues burning through the forests east of Mount Hood. The popular ski resort announced the evacuation Tuesday morning, asking employees, visitors, and members of the public to...
Oregon Wildfires Top 2 Million Acres, Closing In on State’s All-Time Record
Oregon’s already devastating 2026 wildfire season is now within striking distance of becoming the largest on record for total acreage burned. As of Monday morning, August 3, 60 large fires had burned an estimated 2,014,481 acres across the state, according to figures...
Firefighters Make Major Progress as I-5 Wildfire Near Grants Pass Reaches 96 Acres
Firefighters working through the night have completed fireline around the entire perimeter of the wildfire that erupted beside Interstate 5 north of Grants Pass, an important step forward after the fast-moving blaze destroyed a home and threatened surrounding...
Historic Fire Lookout Destroyed by Grasshopper Fire in Mt. Hood National Forest
A longtime piece of Oregon’s wildfire history has been lost to the Grasshopper Fire. Officials with the Mt. Hood National Forest confirmed Saturday that the Flag Point Fire Lookout was destroyed by the wildfire overnight, despite an extensive effort by firefighters to...