Rogue Valley Times named best paper in its division, brings home 10 reporting awards
Journalists from around the Northwest were recognized Friday during the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association 2026 Pacific NW News Conference held in Salem, with the Rogue Valley Times being named the top paper in its division and garnering 10 reporting awards. Newsrooms around the region that included Oregon, Washin
Semi-truck fire slows Saturday traffic on I-5
A burning semi-truck on Interstate 5 created a dramatic spectacle Saturday near Albany. Oregon State Police said the truck was hauling 12 tons of hay when its cargo caught fire. When emergency responders arrived on the scene near Milepost 222, the truck and trailer were completely engulfed in flames. The smoke could be
Salem police arrest 2 on drug charges after traffic stop
SALEM Ore. (KPTV) - Police arrested two people early July 25 after a traffic stop near Market Street and Hawthorne Avenue Northeast, authorities said. Officers arrested Shatemra Rowles, 44, and Rylee Obert, 29, both of Salem, at about 12:18 a.m., according to the Salem Police Department. Police said Rowles was...
Fire and Rescue Calls: Car and tree fires, mutual aid responses
Editor’s note: This log is based on information submitted to the media by Philomath Fire and Rescue:. • 1:48 p.m. — Firefighters were dispatched to a car fire in the 23000 block of Rexford Lane. The fire was fully extinguished within three minutes of arrival. For full details and a photo, see separate story.
Fireworks blast hole in Salem amphitheater dome, police say
SALEM Ore. (KPTV) - Fireworks set off on the stage of Salem’s Gerry Frank/Salem Rotary Amphitheater at Salem’s Riverfront Park early July 5 blew a hole in the venue’s dome, causing thousands of dollars in damage, according to a Salem police report. A City of Salem employee...
Woodburn bicyclist, 79, killed in crash with SUV on Highway 99E, Oregon State Police...
MARION COUNTY, Ore. — A 79-year-old Woodburn man was killed Friday afternoon after he was struck by an SUV while riding a bicycle on Highway 99E, according to Oregon State Police. OSP said troopers responded at about 2:58 p.m. Friday, July 24, 2026, to a vehicle-versus-bicycle crash on Highway...
Department of Revenue short service disruption
The Oregon Department of Revenue’s Salem office and all its contact centers will be temporarily closed for an all-staff event, 2:30–3:30 p.m., on July 28. The department’s five regional offices, in Bend, Eugene, Gresham, Medford, and Portland, will remain open during this time. The department’s contact centers and th
Experienced climber from Kuna missing on Mount Jefferson
An experienced climber from Kuna is missing on Mt. Jefferson in Oregon. The Linn County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call July 24, 2026, at about 11:35 a.m. reporting that a climber had fallen on Mount Jefferson. The caller relayed information from two climbers who said they saw an unknown climber fall down the west
Silver Falls…Without the Falls: Howard Creek
Looking for a lovely forest hike without crowds and without a long drive? Those can be few and far between in the summertime, especially in the populous western half of Oregon. It seems that more people are hiking these days, but we have lost many westside trails to wildfires in recent years, putting more pressure on t
It’s one of the driest years in decades. Lane County reservoirs prove it
Water managers with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers shared a pessimistic outlook on the agency's 13 Willamette Valley reservoirs July 23. According to the engineers, 2026 is the Willamette Valley's sixth-driest year since 1980 and the second-driest since 2006, with both rainfall and snowpack down. That means Lane Coun
