On Wednesday, July 16, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek declared a state of emergency over the wildfires at the request of the Oregon Department of Forestry and the Oregon State Fire Marshal.
According to Forest Grove Fire & Rescue, about four acres of grass field and some adjacent brush were burned Sunday evening near the intersection of NW Thatcher Road and NW Kemper Road. The cause appeared to be a welding job in the middle of the field that went awry, the agency said.
A woman cycling on NW Dairy Creek Road in the northern Mountaindale area was struck by a vehicle overnight and lay in a ditch all night before a passerby found her and called for help Sunday morning.
A two-vehicle crash on Highway 47 just north of Greenville Road on Wednesday evening led to the arrest of a Banks man on charges of DUII, reckless driving and assault.
Celebrating its 51st anniversary, the annual Forest Grove Concours d’Elegance will be returning Sunday, July 20, to the campus of Pacific University. The event funds the Rotary Club of Forest Grove’s Scholarship Fund, benefiting graduating seniors from Forest Grove, Banks and Gaston high schools.
A pest that has destroyed over 10 million ash trees across the eastern United States is expected to reach its peak emergence in Oregon this month. First discovered in Oregon in trees growing at Forest Grove's Joseph Gale Elementary School, the insects are expected to devastate Oregon's ash trees.
The Portland office of the National Weather Service has issued a Heat Advisory for Sunday, July 13 from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and an Extreme Heat Watch from Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday evening.
The Oregon Department of Forestry is raising fire danger from moderate to high Monday in NW-02 and NW-03, the eastern and central portions of the Tillamook Forest and surrounding areas, including in and near Timber, Buxton, Manning, Hayward and Banks.
Banks Mayor Marsha Kirk's plan to remove one of two applicants for a vacant council seat from consideration Tuesday night failed after the city council overturned her decision and chose the applicant Kirk had earlier removed, April Cannon.
