The air quality advisory has been extended until the end July. Find out more here.

By Central Oregon Daily News

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and Lane Regional Air Protection Agency have extended an air quality advisory for Deschutes County and Lane County because of the smoke coming from the Bedrock Fire until at least July 31st.

The DEQ recommends to stay inside whenever possible, avoid areas with high levels of smoke, and to wear N95 masks if you are at risk or have medical conditions. At risk groups, according to the DEQ, include infants, older adults, pregnant people, and people with heart or lung disease.

SEE THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE

Invasive vine mealybugs have been found in Southern Oregon. Find out more here.

By Rolando Hernandez (OPB)

An invasive vine mealybug was found in Southern Oregon in 2021 and since then, vineyards have been fighting to eradicate the insect. The pest can cause significant damage to Oregon’s grape vines, affecting fruit quality and mold growth. State funding from SB 5506 will invest more than $400,000 to monitor, research and suppress the insect before it becomes widespread in the state.

Brian Gruber is the president of the Oregon Winegrowers Association. Greg Jones is the vice chair on the Oregon Wine Board’s board of directors. And Vaughn…

For the second day in a row, the Boulder Fire burning southeast of Mount Hood showed no growth as fire crews made major progress in containing the blaze.

The fire started July 8 near Boulder Lake Trailhead, about 9 miles southeast of Government Camp, bringing closures to a handful of nearby campgrounds. It remains listed at 234 acres.

A total of 385 fire personnel, aircraft and other heavy equipment have “been so effective at limiting fire growth that fire managers are beginning to transition to the mop-up phase of suppression operations,”…

Deschutes and Crook counties are in a state of severe drought. Learn more here.

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Despite experiencing heavy rainfall and a series of spring storms, the majority of Deschutes and Crook counties remain entrenched in a state of severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Consequently, Deschutes Basin irrigation districts are preparing for the need to curtail water as early as mid-July due to the dwindling natural flow in the Deschutes River.

Jeremy Giffin, Deschutes Basin watermaster for the Oregon Water Resources Department, highlighted the significance of the situation, stating, “While recent rainfall has provided some relief, the long-term recovery requires several years of above-average precipitation. Unfortunately, the snowpack we achieved during the winter is…

A red flag warning has been issued for the Willamette Valley through Wednesday due to extreme heat, high winds, low relative humidity and unstable conditions. Fireworks could bring new ignitions that spread rapidly, officials said.

“Conditions may be favorable for rapid spread on any new or existing fires,” the National Weather Service in Portland wrote. “Extreme fire behavior is possible.”

Fire danger…

A brush fire spotted Sunday morning in Washington state across the Columbia River from Hood River has burned more than 530 acres and prompted evacuations for everyone within a two-mile radius of the blaze.

Firefighters worked overnight to quell the Tunnel 5 fire, which spread rapidly due to hot, windy conditions and “extreme terrain,” the Southeast Washington Interagency Incident Management Team said Monday.

The fire is 0% contained, fire officials said.

No injuries have been…

Self-serve gas will be legal in Oregon. Learn more here.

By Kristian Foden-Vencil (OPB)

Alex Fox was sitting at a Shell station just off I-5 in Portland on Friday as an attendant filled up his SUV.

He’s an Oregonian, so he understands the long-standing tradition of granting the gas pump a wide berth. But he welcomes self-service gas.

“I like the idea of being able to do it myself,” he said. “Because there’s been times where I’ve had to wait for a few minutes, which is fine. But, if I’m in a rush it would be nice to just do it…