Government

Two off-duty firefighters from Crook County are being credited with saving a motorist’s life after a dramatic crash on Highway 20 near the Yukwah Campground on Saturday morning, Mar. 22nd.

Following an ongoing dispute over public records sought by The Prineville Review from Crook County since November, Oregon’s Public Records Advocate has raised serious concerns about the county’s handling of public records requests—both generally and in relation to this publication’s outstanding requests.

A Crook County water district is facing severe financial and governance issues following allegations of misappropriating thousands of dollars, general mismanagement, and potential ethics violations by its elected board—nearly half of which has now resigned.

Two newly appointed Crook County School District Board members were sworn into office during a special meeting late last week after being appointed to the vacant positions by the existing board. The appointments, which cover Zone 1 and Zone 3, follow the resignations in recent months by Jessica Brumble and Cheyanne Edgerly.

A fatal officer-involved shooting occurred in Madras on Thursday evening, resulting in the death of a 28-year-old man, according to Madras Police. The incident led to the temporary closure of U.S. Highway 97 for several hours as authorities conducted their investigation.

The Crook County School District has finally released an unredacted version of its written meeting minutes to the Prineville Review from its December 2024 illegal executive session over discussions of a complaint against Athletic Director Rob Bonner.

Following a February 17 press conference by Oregon House and Senate Republicans addressing the controversial statewide wildfire risk map, the Eastern Oregon Counties Association (EOCA) is formally requesting that the state of Oregon repeal the wildfire hazard map adopted under SB 762 (2021).  

The Crook County School District Board appears ready to take action related to a potential separation agreement with Superintendent Dr. Melissa Skinner during a special meeting that will take place virtually this evening (Jan 27th, 2025).

Deputies from the Crook County Sheriff's Office and its Search & Rescue team responded to calls for help from two separate motorists on Sunday, according to a press release.

The Redmond Airport will be hosting multiple TSA Pre enrollment events in partnership with one of TSA's PreCheck authorized enrollment providers throughout 2025.