Oregon had the highest voter turnout rate in the nation. Learn more here.

By the Associated Press

For the first time ever, Oregon had the highest voter turnout rate in the nation for last November’s elections.

Former Oregon Secretary of State Phil Keisling, who now leads a national effort to expand voting from home, said 61.5% of all the eligible citizens in Oregon cast a ballot, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported Thursday.

“We edged out Maine by .05%,” he said.

Keisling said Oregon has had a relatively high turnout rate since the state implemented its pioneering vote-by-mail system 25 years ago. He said the numbers have really ramped up…

Oregon is launching an abortion hotline that will offer free legal advice. Learn more here.

By Claire Rush of AP News

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon is launching a new abortion hotline offering free legal advice to callers, moving to further defend abortion access after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last summer and eliminated federal protections for the procedure.

The state’s Department of Justice announced the initiative Monday. It is modeled on similar hotlines launched by the attorneys general of New York and Delaware, as states where abortion remains legal have seen an increase in the number of patients traveling from areas where the procedure has been banned…

Smith Rock State Park is slated to get a new, wider pedestrian bridge this summer, which means there will be no bridge access for about four weeks during construction in mid to late summer. The exact dates depend on nesting season and streamflow.

The bridge spans the Crooked River in Central Oregon near Bend and connects the front of the park with many but not all of its hiking trails and climbing destinations. There will be no temporary bridge, and…

“Space, Hope and Charity” is a new documentary about a young woman from rural Oregon who wants to study astrophysics. Find out more here.

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – The new documentary film “Space, Hope and Charity” tells the remarkable journey of Charity Woodrum, a young woman from rural Oregon who overcomes tragedy as she pursues a career in astrophysics.

Woodrum grew up in poverty in Canyonville, where she had dreamed of working for NASA one day, but had never met a scientist. At the age of 28, married and nine months pregnant, Woodrum decided to follow her passion and returned to school to study physics.

Woodrum was thriving at the University of Oregon. By her junior year, she had…

Bend High School has been awarded a large grant from the American Welding Society. Learn more here.

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Bend Senior High School has been awarded a $24,510 grant from the American Welding Society to upgrade its welding program and give students the opportunity to earn an entry-level, Level 1 welder certification while still in high school.

“We are really excited, since this will allow us to provide our students hands-on experience with the tools and equipment that are being used in the workplace right now, and create a pipeline for local businesses who desperately need these trade professionals,” instructor Chuck Hill said.

The funds were provided through the AWS Foundation as part of a nationally competitive…

Skyline Sports Complex in Bend has a groomed cross-country ski area. Find out more here.

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Thanks to recent snowfall and help from volunteers, the Bend Park and Recreation District has a groomed cross-country ski area at Skyline Sports Complex in Bend.

The ski grooming at Skyline Sports Complex is done by community volunteers in partnership with Mount Bachelor Sports Education Foundation and BPRD.

Currently, there is a one-kilometer loop groomed for skiing, no track set. The groomed area is flat and users are asked to do their part to maintain the groomed surfaces by not walking or bringing dogs through the area.

“We need everyone’s cooperation to help keep this in-town skiing opportunity for…

The Gateway North development in Bend, which will include a new Costco, has been given preliminary approval. Learn more here.

By Central Oregon Daily News

The Bend City Council has given preliminary approval to the Gateway North development that will include a new Costco with a gas station. The approval comes after some contention last month over a key sticking point — parking spaces.

The Gateway North development would be located between Robal Lane and Cooley Road along Highway 20. It would include the Costco with a gas station and a car wash. It would also replace the current Costco on the city’s east side.

The development also includes 422 units of housing and commercial uses including restaurants.

In January 2021, there were 13 people of color in the Legislature. That number will rise to 17 next year, and lawmakers are celebrating the step toward greater diversity while acknowledging that there is more work to be done to make Oregon’s legislative body look more like the state it represents.

The Legislature will remain overwhelmingly…

The Summit Storm football team is bringing home the hardware as state champions.

The Storm defeated Wilsonville 35-28 in Hillsboro Friday night to take the Oregon 5A high school football title.

It was a tight game throughout and the teams went back and forth in second half before Summit was able to pull away to a 35-21 lead with just over three minutes to play.

Wilsonville scored in just a few seconds to make it a one score game, but Summit was able to play keep away in the final minutes to secure the title.

Summit finishes 12-1 on the…

A Portland couple welcomes IVF twins from embryos frozen in 1992. Learn more here.

By Jen Christensen and Nadia Kounang, CNN

In April 1992, Vanessa Williams’ “Save the Best for Last” topped the Billboard 100, Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton was running for the White House, “Who’s the Boss?” aired its final episode, and the babies born to Rachel and Philip Ridgeway a couple of weeks ago were frozen as embryos.

Born on October 31, Lydia and Timothy Ridgeway were born from what may be the longest-frozen embryos to ever result in a live birth, according to the National Embryo Donation Center.

The previous known record holder was Molly Gibson, born in 2020 from an…