Sports
Track and Field Season Builds Toward Districts as Jefferson County Athletes Eye State
With the OSAA district and state track and field championships approaching in late May, Jefferson County athletes from Madras and Culver are putting in their final reps of the season.
Local News
Crooked River Ranch Uses Goats to Build Wildfire Defensible Space as Insurance Costs Soar
With wildfire season arriving early and home insurance increasingly difficult to obtain in rural Jefferson County, Crooked River Ranch is deploying goats to clear vegetation and create defensible space around homes.
Jefferson County
Jefferson County Budget Adds New Deputy Sheriff Position as Public Safety Costs Rise
The Jefferson County 2026-27 budget includes funding for a new full-time position at the sheriff’s office, a top priority for Commission Chair Mark Wunsch as call volumes and costs grow across the department.
Local News
ODOT Hosts May 27 Open House on $42 Million Madras Highway Reconstruction
The Oregon Department of Transportation is inviting the public to review plans for a major reconstruction of U.S. 97 and U.S. 26 through downtown Madras, a $42 million project expected to run from summer 2026 through spring 2028.
Public Safety
Culver Man Sentenced to 30 Months in Federal Prison for Traveling to Sexually Abuse a Minor
A Guatemalan national unlawfully residing in Culver was sentenced May 14 to 30 months in federal prison for crossing state lines to sexually abuse a child on multiple occasions in 2025.
Business
Madras Wells Fargo Branch Closing in June, Leaving Jefferson County Without a Major Bank Branch
The only Wells Fargo branch in Jefferson County will close on June 24, redirecting customers to Redmond. The closure has become a flashpoint in the county commissioner race, with candidates pointing to it as a symptom of a broader service drain.