ADVISORY: Vote For Your Northwest Bat In The Bat Beauty Contest, This Sunday (Photo)Bureau of Land Management Ore. & Wash. - 10/23/26 11:08 AM
When: Sunday, October 24, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. PT
Where: BLM Bat Week webpage
Who: Ryan GosWING, an Oregon pallid bat
MEDFORD, Ore. – It's bat-ck! The Bureau of Land Management is hosting its annual Bat Beauty Contest with a brand new group of stunning contestants.
On Sunday, Oct. 24, Oregon’s own Ryan GosWING will go head-to-head with Dolly BATton, Miss Montana, in the first round. Visit the BLM’s webpage to learn more about Bat Week and vote for Ryan GosWING.
If he makes it through the first round, he’ll represent the Pacific Northwest in the Final Four on Wednesday, Oct. 28. Oregon bats have taken home the crown in the last three contests! Most recently, Hoary Potter was named the winner.
Help us take home a four-peat by voting for this year's Oregon bat when the contest begins on Oct. 24. Make sure you're following Bureau of Land Management so you don't miss your chance to vote!
See the attached media advisory from the BLM for more details.
-BLM-
The BLM manages about 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
Bend Police Dept. - 10/21/26 1:33 PM
Oct. 21 Silver Rail Elementary School Shooting Update
UPDATE: The Bend Police Department has confirmed that the firearm used in Thursday's shooting was purchased legally. We are not sharing further information about the firearm at this time.
The Bend Police Department continues its investigation into last Thursday's tragic incident at Silver Rail Elementary School.
This morning, dozens of officers were waiting at each of our Bend public schools to welcome students back to their classrooms. They'll be there again at the end of the day. You'll likely see an increase in police presence in and around our schools over the coming days and weeks. That's because we want students and staff to feel as comfortable as they can during a difficult, emotional time.
Our Department will continue working with the Bend-La Pine Schools as they assess safety protocols and operations in their schools.
Bend Police detectives continue this complex investigation. They have served search warrants at the shooting suspect's home, as well as on his electronic devices and his social media accounts on a variety of platforms. That work continues, and it takes time.
Our detectives continue to investigate details surrounding the firearm used in this incident.
There are still a lot of pieces to this case that we are unable to share at this time, and we appreciate your patience as we ensure the integrity of the investigation. It is important to our Department that we do this right.