Here’s a quick road construction update for May 22-28.

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Here is Deschutes County’s road construction update for the week of May 22-28.

2022 Guardrail Improvements (Sunriver Area) – Guardrail replacement work will be occurring on Cottonwood Road and Solar Drive. Work will include removal of existing guardrail and installation of new guardrail in the vicinity of the BNSF Railroad overcrossing on Cottonwood Road and the Solar Drive Bridge. Road users should anticipate single lane closures facilitated by flaggers and delays of up to 20 minutes during work hours.  Work hours are 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Monday through Friday (excluding holidays).

Chip Seal (Bend Area) – Deschutes County crews will be chip sealing the following roads (weather permitting):

Prescribed burns for Crescent and Sunriver happening today. Learn more here.

Two prescribed burns are planned in the Deschutes National Forest for Friday. The following is information written by the forest service:

Firefighters on the Crescent Ranger District plan to conduct a 73-acre prescribed burn approximately seven miles southwest of Crescent, east of Highway 58 and west of Highway 97.

If conditions remain favorable, firefighters will begin ignitions around 9 a.m. on Friday. Ignitions will last one day. Smoke may be visible to residents in the Two Rivers and Cascade Estates neighborhoods. Signs will be posted along Highways 58 and 97 as needed, and flaggers will be available in the event that smoke impacts the roadways. No…

Prospective homebuyers in Oregon can continue to send “love letters” to win over sellers in a competitive housing market.

A federal judge on Wednesday permanently blocked a ban on the personal messages some buyers write to sweeten their offers on homes. The Oregon Legislature had approved the ban last year, saying such letters could aid sellers in illegally choosing buyers based on factors like race, color, religion, sex or sexual orientation, which would violate federal fair housing laws.

The Pacific Legal Foundation, a conservative public…

Big funding for multiple irrigation districts, including Tumalo, announced. Learn more here.

Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced on Wednesday the Tumalo, Owyhee, East Fork and Ochoco Irrigation District projects will be receiving critical federal funding that will help communities with limited water supplies.

These projects—funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and Fiscal Year 2022 appropriations bill—will support efficient irrigation methods with better resource management providing water for agriculture, protecting and restoring wildlife habitats and improving water quantity and quality.

This funding will help establish climate resilient solutions to offset the impact of drought throughout the regions of Deschutes River, Tumalo Creek, Snake River and Hood River watersheds.

Existing open irrigation canals will be…

Brightways Counseling Group of Bend was named SBA’s 2022 Small Business Person of the Year. Find out more here.

PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) — – The U.S. Small Business Administration 2022 Small Business Person of the Year is Brightways Counseling Group of Bend, founded by husband and wife team Kevin and Angie Shaw.

Founded in 2017, Brightways Counseling Group counselors provide whole person care for people suffering from a variety of different mental health issues in Central Oregon. What started with one clinic and eight employees has grown to four locations in Bend, Madras, Redmond, and Woodburn, Oregon with 65 employees who in 2021, helped 2,634 patients be the best version of themselves.

The SBA Small Business Person of the…

Oregon’s “Zoom towns” are continuing to see growth. Find out which cities grew the most here.

Author: Brandon Sawyer (Portland Business Journal)

PORTLAND, Ore. — Oregon’s best known and largest city grew 5% between 2016 and 2021, slightly more than the state overall at 4.7%.

However, Portland’s population declined slightly at the end of that five-year span, falling by 0.9% in 2021 to 658,773, according to certified estimates as of July 1, prepared by Portland State University’s Population Research Center.

Migration toward the suburbs and so-called “Zoom towns” may have contributed to slowing growth in the urban center recently. Oregon cities with 5,000 or more residents in 2021 that enjoyed the most growth of late…

The region is technically still in drought, even with this rare April snow. Learn more here.

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Climatologists say rare April snow, along with rain sweeping across the Pacific Northwest this week could increase water supplies, slow snowmelt and lengthen the irrigation season.

Impacts, however, will vary by region, and experts predict drought conditions will persist, the Capital Press reported.

Washington state climatologist Nick Bond said irrigators will benefit from April storms, but it won’t be enough to end the eastern Washington drought.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in eastern Washington it would take 159% to 368% of normal precipitation levels over the next two months to end the…

Late-season snow fall will affect the openings of some campgrounds. Learn more here.

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Recent late-season storms have brought much-needed snow to the Deschutes National Forest’s upper elevations. However, Forest Service officials said Tuesday the heavy snowfall has also affected the ability to conduct annual preseason safety inspections, maintenance and repairs and hazard tree removal in some campgrounds.

Traditionally, a number of campgrounds in the Crane Prairie and Wickiup Reservoir areas open in time to coincide with the start of the annual fishing season.

“While fishing season opens Friday, April 22, snow impacts have prevented our campground concessionaire from completing critical hazard tree removal work and maintenance at these facilities,” the statement said.

Campgrounds in those…

The chance of measurable snow on the floor of the Willamette Valley goes down considerably by April. Snow in the hills? Sure. But it is “very rare” for snow to fall down to the valley floor, as it did April 11, 2022, the National Weather Service said.

In much of the Portland/Vancouver metro area, this is the latest measurable snow in the spring. Here is the record report from the Portland weather service office for Monday’s snow:

For PORTLAND AIRPORT (1941-2022), this snow was…

** Most ever in the month of April,…