News Stories for Mon., June. 4, 2018

Authorities say a 39-year-old off-duty firefighter was killed when his motorcycle struck a large bear and he was hit by another vehicle.  Oregon State Police says Rhett Larsen, of Bend, died at the scene of Saturday night’s crash near milepost 80 on Highway 26 near Warm Springs.  The Bend Fire Department on social media Sunday called the fire engineer a “respected leader” and that he is deeply missed.  Authorities say Larsen struck the bear, which also died, when it ran onto the highway. Police say Larsen was thrown from his motorcycle and hit by a Ford SUV driving in the opposite direction.  The SUV driver was flown to a hospital with undisclosed injuries. State police did not comment on her condition Sunday.  The collision closed the highway for several hours.

A Netflix drama called “The O.A.” is filming in Oregon and some scenes are scheduled to  be filmed in and around Warm Springs next week. Community members are invited to apply to appear on screen as paid background actors. To apply to work on the show, visit www.pdxtras.com and. When you get to the “How did you hear about us?” section, select “REF: Warm Springs” to ensure that they see your application specifically for scenes filming in Warm Springs.

Officials in Salem, have lifted a drinking water advisory after tests determined the Water is safe.  City officials lifted the advisory on Saturday after tests on samples collected on Wednesday and Thursday found toxin levels below advisory levels.  Officials announced the advisory last Tuesday due to an algae bloom in Detroit Lake, a municipal reservoir, that contaminated tap water in the area.

The Klamath Tribes filed a complaint on May 23 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against United States Bureau of Reclamation, the United States Fish & Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service over alleged violation of the National Environmental Policy Act. over two endangered species of fish in Oregon and California – the c’waan (Lost River sucker) and koptu (shortnose sucker), which are “essential treaty-protected resources for the tribes.”  The action seeks a declaration that reclamation associated with the  irrigation project known as the Klamath Irrigation Project is unlawfully jeopardizing the c’waam and koptu and adversely modifying their critical habitat.