Legal treatments for psychedelic mushrooms begin in Oregon. Learn more here.

By Ryan Haas (OPB)

Thanks to Hollywood, people across the country are familiar with a cocaine bear, but only in Oregon can a person find a psilocybin bear.

“These are our vibrating tactile neural feedback bears, but they are getting a psilocybin treatment as you can see,” therapist Cathy Jonas said as she pointed to the blindfolded stuffed animals in reclining chairs.

Jonas’ mental health practice, EPIC Healing in Eugene, is among several businesses that are first in line to provide legal treatments to people using psychedelic mushrooms.

Drought has been declared in Deschutes and Grant counties. Find out more here.

By: Hailey Dunn of KOIN

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Gov. Tina Kotek declared a drought emergency in both Grant and Deschutes counties on Friday.

Kotek issued an executive order that directs state agencies to prioritize resources and access drought-related emergency tools for the impacted areas.

The two counties are experiencing extreme drought conditions as the average precipitation recorded in the area has been well below average, Kotek said. Similarly, the counties’ streamflows are reported to be below average with Deschutes recording 78% and Grant 44% of its average streamflow.

Additionally, Kotek said in a…

Rebates for buying an electric vehicle will be suspended in Oregon. Learn more here.

By The Associated Press

Oregon will temporarily suspend rebates for buying or leasing an electric vehicle for a year starting in May.

SALEM, Ore. — Oregon will temporarily suspend rebates for buying or leasing an electric vehicle for a year starting in May because too many people are applying and the program is running out of money, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported Thursday.

A growing number of Oregonians are buying or leasing electric vehicles, with over 60,600 registered in the state.

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality announced Wednesday…

A local Bend man was killed in an avalanche at Paulina Peak. Learn more here.

La PINE, Ore. (KTVZ) – The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday identified a 33-year-old Bend snowboarder who was killed in an avalanche Wednesday afternoon while out with two friends who were skiing at Paulina Peak.

Despite hours of CPR life-saving efforts — at first detecting a faint pulse — a rescue effort for Erik Maxim Hefflefinger instead became a lengthy, cautious recovery mission by first responders and Sheriff’s Search and Rescue volunteers.

On Wednesday at 12:48 p.m., the SAR unit was dispatched to a report of an avalanche at Paulina Peak, in the Newberry National Volcanic Monument east of La Pine, Sergeant Jason…

92/9 and BackyardBend welcome Kiss the Tiger March 26th to the Volcanic Theatre Pub. Kiss the Tiger is one of the hottest bands to come out of Minneapolis in years and are here to rattle your bones and bust you loose!

Fronted by the magnetic and disarming Meghan Kreidler, Kiss the Tiger doesn’t just play, they combust.  

Over the past few years, Kiss the Tiger has set the Twin Cities ablaze. In addition to headlining their own barn-burning shows, Kiss the Tiger have opened for prominent acts like Lake Street Dive, The Suburbs, Ike Reilly, Jackie Venson, Black Joe Lewis, and Daughtry. They have also brought their…

I-84 in Eastern Oregon is closed in both directions this morning. Find out more here.

KATU, LA GRANDE, Ore. — Friday morning I-84 was closed in both directions between Exit 265 and Exit 304 due to winter weather conditions, including multiple commercial trucks that had spun out on the ice and blocked the road.

ODOT said crews had been working through the night to clear away the blocking vehicles and get the interstate open for traffic.

By 8 a.m. ODOT said that many of the trucks blocking lanes have been moved, and that crews were plowing routes to prepare for opening the lanes.

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE BY KATU NEWS HERE

Oregon’s laws regarding self-service gas may change as a bill moves to the House.. Learn more here.

KOIN News, Amanda Arden

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The bill that will allow Oregonians to pump their own gas at stations around the state will move to the House floor after members of the House Committee on Emergency Management voted to advance it in a work session Thursday.

House Bill 2426 is a bipartisan bill with chief sponsors Rep. Shelly Boshart Davis, R-Albany; Rep. Julie Fahey, D-Eugene; Sen. Daniel Bonham, R-The Dalles; and Sen. Janeen Sollman, D-Hillsboro.

The bill would allow…

Central Oregon’s drought conditions remain the worst on record. Learn more here.

By Rachel Ramirez, CNN

Cate Casad started noticing the for-sale signs pop up over the last year on farms around Central Oregon, which has been mired in water shortages amid a yearslong megadrought.

Casad and her husband, Chris, are first-generation farmers and ranchers who started off with just a few acres of land east of Bend, then moved north in 2017 to scale up their farm. Now, the couple manages around 360 acres of farmland in Jefferson County, where they grow organic food and raise cattle, heritage breed hogs…

The mask mandate in healthcare settings ends in April. Learn more here.

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Oregon healthcare settings, including hospitals and doctors’ offices, will no longer impose mask requirements for workers, patients or visitors starting next month.

In a release on Friday, the Oregon Health Authority announced the mask mandate, which has been in place since August 2021, will end on April 3.

Today’s Country, KSJJ 102/9 welcomes multi-platinum recording artist and songwriter Jimmie Allen, who will be performing live and outdoors at Century Center on Thursday, August 24th.

Allen was nominated for Best New Artist at the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards. He was also nominated for Male Artist of the Year at the 57th ACM Awards. Allen launched his career with two consecutive No. 1 hits off his 2018 debut album Mercury Lane. His single “Freedom Was A Highway” with Brad Paisley went #1 in February of 2022. Allen won both the ACM New Male Artist of the Year award and CMA New Artist of the Year award in April and November 2021, respectively. Jimmie Allen has amassed more than 1 billion on-demand…