Madras Names Brenda Fahey as City Administrator, Filling Key Leadership Post

With 94 percent of Jefferson County under severe drought designation and portions now classified as extreme, local farmers and ranchers face a difficult 2026 growing season. A state drought emergency declaration issued in April unlocks additional assistance, but water shortages remain a pressing concern.

The 2026 Jefferson County Fair and Rodeo runs July 22–25 at the Event Complex on Fairgrounds Road in Madras. The four-day event is free to attend and features livestock and 4-H/FFA exhibits, live entertainment, carnival rides, a rodeo, and free historical homestead tours.

Starting Monday, July 20, the Deschutes National Forest expanded Stage 1 public use fire restrictions to all Wilderness areas, including the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness bordering Jefferson County. Open fires — including wood, charcoal, and twig stoves — are prohibited as fire danger reaches extreme levels.

The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs are among the tribal partners working with the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission to restore Pacific lamprey populations to Oregon rivers through translocation efforts that bypass impassable dams — reviving a species with 450 million years of history and deep cultural significance to the Warm Springs people.

A new investigation by KLCC and ProPublica spotlights Madras-area farmers who have watched their water disappear during drought years while senior rights holders upstream continued drawing heavily from the Deschutes River. With all Central Oregon counties now under a state drought emergency, the issue remains urgent in 2026.