heatherroberts

Oregon’s DEQ is relaunching the “Bad Apple” campaign, to encourage people to reduce the amount of edible food they throw away.  The DEQ’s Elaine Blatt said the on-air and online campaign is just in time for the holiday feasting season.   “We focus on mainly rais...

State officials say they are not changing their approach to bird flu, despite the recent report of Oregon’s first human case of the virus.  Monitoring continues at a Clackamas County poultry farm, after a worker tested positive for H5N1.  The Oregon He...

Investigators say 17 people face federal charges for conspiring to defraud the U.S. of more than 2.4-million dollars in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program money.  Federal prosecutors in Portland say the group operated in several states as well as on-line via curb pick up programs.   ...

October is Farm to School Month and many Oregon schools will be taking part.  One goal of the Farm to School program is to get locally grown and caught food to kids in schools.   "Basically, the program works by helping connect producers and ranchers and processors to schools across the state to help them get their products into schools," said Amy Gilroy with the Oregon Department of Agr

The U.S. Forest Service is looking to shore up its wildland firefighting force in the Pacific Northwest.  Recruitment events will take place across Oregon next month, with stops in Bend, Sandy and La Grande on September 12th, in an effort to hire a couple hundred permanent seasonal positions.   “...

A proposed bill in Salem would impose a moratorium on new mega farms in Oregon.  Lawmakers are considering two amendments to either pause new licensing of all factory farms for eight years, or only the largest poultry farms for two years.  Lucy Go...

Pile burning, and the smoke it produces, could soon be a thing of the past in Oregon.  Via a pilot project, the Bureau of Land Management is testing the CharBoss Air Curtain Incinerator to burn the debris left behind from hazard tree logging efforts.   “It’ ...

A bill supporters claim will fix Oregon's farm worker overtime law has cleared the state Senate.  But, opponents say the measure doesn’t mitigate the risk to the state’s farming community.   House Bill 4002 cleared the state legislature last year, mandating overtime for ag workers, and creating a host of problems for producers.  The new bill introduced ...

As we prepare to “spring forward” this weekend, a bipartisan bill in the U.S. Senate looks to stop the twice-yearly time change.  Oregon’s Ron Wyden recently reintroduced the Sunshine Protection Act, which would keep Daylight Saving Time year-round.  But fellow Oregon Democra...

It may be cold with snow on the ground, but the U.S. Forest Service is already looking to the fire season ahead.  Oregon’s ongoing drought, more frequent heatwaves and less rain and snow, mean longer and more intense fire seasons.   “The h...

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek has declared drought emergencies for Crook and Jefferson counties in the central portion of the state. That now directs agencies to prioritize assistance to the region. Both counties requested the declaration in January...

The Oregon Legislature is considering whether to put a measure on the ballot asking voters if hunting and fishing should be a constitutional right.  Currently, signatures are being gathered for an initiative that would ban fishing and hunting.  Amy Pat...