Wildfires across Oregon have so far burned over one million acres. Although milder weather has brought some relief to firefighters, officials say they still have a long way to go.
Firefighters battle the Chalk Fire in this supplied photo from Sunday, July 28, 2024.
Courtesy of U.S. Forest Service via InciWeb
As of Tuesday, there have been over 100 active fires reported across the state, 36 of them are large fires burning 100 acres or more. There are also five “megafires” currently burning over 100,000 acres.
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Jessica Neujahr, a public affairs officer with the Oregon Department of Forestry, says the recent dip in temperature has provided some relief and allowed firefighters, especially in northern Oregon, to be proactive.
“We’ve had a little bit of rain and that allowed them to boost up some containment on some of those fires,” said Neujahr.
Firefighters battling the Durkee Fire, which is the state’s largest wildfire, have it 51% contained as of Tuesday. New mapping shows the fire has burned more than 290,000 acres. The Lone Rock Fire in Morrow County also saw an increase in its containment lines as officials reported was 77% contained Tuesday.
Despite the recent cool weather, Neujahr says crews still have a long way to go as wildfire season typically peaks in August. Temperatures are expected to rise, and dry conditions are likely to return by the end of the week, she said.
According to Neujahr, this wildfire season has seen a significant rise in human-caused wildfires. Statewide, there have been 567 human-caused fires which have burned over 170-thousand acres. About 357 fires were caused by lightning strikes.
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A comfort dog visits the Oakridge Fires incident command post recently in this supplied photo.
Courtesy of U.S. Forest Service via InciWeb
“The best thing that people can do right now is to check their local fire restrictions to make sure that they’re not bringing a potential fire hazard onto the landscape,” said Neujahr.
Being extra careful and mindful of potential fire starters like avoiding driving over dry grass will help prevent new fires, Neujahr added.
Oregon, along with most of the Pacific Northwest region, remains on a national preparedness level five status, meaning the state has the potential to exhaust most, if not all, its firefighting resources.
Neujahr says officials have been pulling any available resources granted to them through the state’s emergency declaration ordered by Gov. Tina Kotek earlier this month.
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This week, ODF pulled additional resources from the Oregon National Guard including ordering four hand crews and two medevac helicopters.
Type a location, such as Oregon or Washington, in the search box at the top right of the graphic below to see the latest on fires in the region:
“It is good for us that we’ll get more resources, “said Neujahr. “But it doesn’t change the fact that resources are still strained across the board.”
ODF and other firefighting agency partners have pulled nearly 10,000 firefighters from more than 20 states to help crews battle wildfires in Oregon.
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“We’re really trying to protect our firefighters and our incident management teams,” Neujahr said. “This is very exhaustive work and they’re working immensely hard at trying to keep these fires as small as possible … We’re working towards longevity.”
Get the latest updates at the State of Oregon Fires and Hotspots Dashboard.
The University of Oregon’s Board of Trustees voted Tuesday to approve a $1.55 billion operating budget for the next fiscal year.
But they asked university leadership to return with an amended proposal by Dec. 15, when more details about future budget cuts will be known.
FILE — The Board of Trustees recently approved next year’s budget for the University of Oregon. The vote comes several weeks after the school’s president announced that he wants the university to reduce its annual budget as revenues and out-of-state enrollment decline.
Brian Bull / KLCC
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The vote comes several weeks after University of Oregon President Karl Scholz announced that he wants the school to reduce its annual budget by around $65 million.
At a trustees meeting Monday, Scholz said the estimated budget shortfall for next year is just around $23 million. But he said out-of-state enrollment is below historical norms for the second year in a row, and it’s unlikely to bounce back.
“One year can be an aberration. Two years is a pattern,” said Scholz. “And I believe we have to treat it as a new reality.”
Scholz said in May that discussions about the budget would happen over a six-month period. He said no final decisions about cuts would be made over this summer.
On Monday, UO Senate President Dyana Mason told trustees that the Senate had approved a new process to allow for community feedback in the cost-cutting process.
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Mason said the provost will work with the deans on budget proposals, finding “clear rationale” for why programs are considered for elimination.
The provost would then bring those proposals to the Senate Committee for Academic Modifications—which includes staff, faculty and students—for feedback.
Once the plans are nearly finalized, the Senate could then hold a period for public comment.
Mason told trustees that a six-month timeline is better than the three months that frustrated some staff last year, but she recommended taking however much time is necessary.
“The worst situation would be rushing forward to make decisions without appropriate evidence, data, feedback from the people that are most in the know about the impact on our students,” said Mason.
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UO’s Board of Trustees Chair Steve Holwerda said that every week that university delays the decisions could cost them millions of dollars.
Nathan Wilk is a reporter with the KLCC newsroom.This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
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Oregon’s juvenile justice system has been reshaped in recent years by a sweeping reform law that changed how the state handles minors accused of serious crimes.
Senate Bill 1008, which took effect in 2020, ended automatic transfers of juveniles into adult court and eliminated life without parole sentences for juveniles. The law also created “second-look” hearings and established parole eligibility after 15 years for certain offenders who committed crimes before turning 18.
To help explain the law and its impact, KVAL’s Frannie Pedersen put together a timeline video tracing the history of Senate Bill 1008, from the passage of Measure 11 in 1994 to the reforms that later reshaped Oregon’s juvenile justice system.
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The video breaks down how the law changed, why lawmakers pushed for reform, and how SB 1008 continues to influence Oregon’s justice system today. Viewers can watch the full video for a detailed timeline and explanation of the changes.
PORTLAND, Ore. — A New Jersey man was sentenced to federal prison last Friday for conspiring to distribute fentanyl, announced U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford for the District of Oregon.
Mark T. Eager, 34, was sentenced to 135 months in federal prison and five years of supervised release.
“This defendant showed a blatant disregard for human life by trafficking fentanyl across the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Bradford. “My office will continue to pursue those who profit from poisoning our communities, and we will use every available resource and partnership to combat fentanyl trafficking and keep Oregonians safe.”
“This investigation brought together law enforcement agencies from across the nation,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Seattle acting Special Agent in Charge April Miller. “Homeland Security Investigations special agents from Portland, Newark, and Houston contributed to the case, along with the Portland Police Bureau and HIDTA HIT officers, who were instrumental in identifying Eager. His 11-year sentence sends a clear message: no matter where you are in the country or the world, if you attempt to sell narcotics online to Americans, we will find you.”
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“Fentanyl trafficking poses a grave threat to communities across the United States, and Homeland Security Investigations is committed to working with our partners to disrupt and dismantle the criminal networks responsible,” said HSI Houston Special Agent in Charge Lucia Cabral-DeArmas. “This case demonstrates the power of interagency collaboration under the Homeland Security Task Force initiative, leveraging resources from across the country to hold traffickers accountable and protect the American people. We will continue to pursue those who endanger lives through the distribution of dangerous synthetic opioids, and we remain steadfast in our mission to safeguard our communities from the violence and instability caused by transnational criminal organizations.”
“By following this offender’s digital trail, Homeland Security Investigations and our law enforcement partners nationwide executed federal search warrants, dismantled an active dark web fentanyl packaging operation and recovered deadly amounts of fentanyl, thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency, and a trove of electronic devices and packaging materials,” said HSI Newark Acting Special Agent in Charge Spiros Karabinas. “This case is a powerful example of how coordinated, data-driven investigations can disrupt dangerous networks and help protect our communities from lethal synthetic opioids.”
According to court documents, from November 2023 through June 2024, Eager and his co-conspirator sold fentanyl on the Dark Net and Telegram. Eager operated as the vendor WRSEH10 and marketed the fentanyl as “China White Synthetic Heroin.”
In June 2024, HSI agents executed search warrants on two residences associated with Eager in Kearny, New Jersey, and seized over 360 grams of powdered fentanyl, counterfeit M30 pills, drug ledgers, cellular phones, two computers, and drug packaging consistent with three deliveries that were sent to Oregon.
On September 4, 2024, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a four-count indictment charging Eager with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and distribution of fentanyl.
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On February 4, 2026, Eager pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.
HSI Portland and HSI Houston investigated this case with assistance from HSI Newark, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Interdiction Task Force (HIT). Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Kerin prosecuted the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey assisted the U.S. Attorney’s in Oregon in obtaining the search warrants that were executed in Kearny.
