Debris Burning Season Reopens in Jefferson County — Know the Rules Before You Light

The North Unit Irrigation District has set its 2026 water allotment at just 1.3 acre-feet per acre — well below normal — as Wickiup Reservoir heads toward critically low levels this fall amid one of Oregon's most persistent drought stretches in decades.

The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs are developing a major new 500-kilovolt transmission line that would increase the region's electrical capacity tenfold and open the door to large-scale renewable energy development on tribal lands.

Central Oregon Community College and its faculty union reached a tentative agreement just days before a strike was set to begin, sparing students at the Madras and Prineville campuses any disruption.

Investigators confirmed Saturday that human remains discovered on the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation belong to a teenager missing for more than six months, bringing a painful resolution to a long-running search.

Jefferson County has moved forward on grant administration services for the Madras Food Pantry Project, supporting an organization that served more than 2,000 county families in a single month this year. A signature gala fundraiser is planned for December 4.