Government

Crook County Parks and Recreation District (CCPRD) is celebrating a significant achievement after earning national accreditation through the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA).

Crook County voters in the Juniper Canyon area now have a new location to return their ballots ahead of the November general election, following the installation of an official ballot drop box at the Juniper Canyon Fire Station.

The Alfalfa Fire District's sale of a taxpayer-owned ambulance to Central Oregon Community College (COCC) for $15,000 is facing new scrutiny after records obtained by the Prineville Review revealed the college had apparently already paid the district before the vehicle was offered through a public auction that ultimately drew no other bidders.

Watt and Jennifer Childress are law-abiding residents of Nehalem, but both have had recent run-ins with the “food police.” Earlier this year, the couple learned that potlucks open to the public are illegal in Oregon.

The Alfalfa Fire District has finally released some of its 2026 bank records to the Prineville Review following weeks of delays, revealing nearly $90,000 in checks, a $157,420 FEMA deposit and thousands in other spending — but significant records needed to determine where some of the money went remain missing.

The Crook County School District Board is preparing to take up a significant slate of policy changes at its October meeting, following months of work by the district’s Policy Review Committee throughout the year.

A legal fight that began over something as basic as the Alfalfa Fire District failing to make meeting minutes available within a reasonable time could end up answering a much bigger question for Oregonians.

Five current members of the Ochoco West Water & Sanitary Authority Board have entered stipulated final orders with the Oregon Government Ethics Commission over violations of Oregon’s Public Meetings Law, bringing at least part of a nearly year-long state investigation into the troubled special district to a close.

Crook County will host a multi-agency resource event later this month aimed at connecting residents impacted by recent wildfires with recovery assistance and services.

Crook County District Attorney Kari Hathorn has ordered the Crook County Vector Control District to release public records sought by the Prineville Review after finding the district failed to respond to the original request