BURNS, Ore. – A more than 50-mile stretch of highway in Oregon has been closed near where an armed group has been occupying a national wildlife refuge.
The Oregon Department of Transportation reported on its website that U.S. 395 was closed between the towns of Burns and John Day on Tuesday evening. The Oregonian reports (http://bit.ly/1UpuciO ) that there had been a meeting scheduled between some members of the group and local residents in John Day on Tuesday night.
Federal and state law enforcement did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
A group led by Ammon Bundy seized the headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge south of Burns on Jan. 2 as part of a long-running dispute over public lands in the West.
Bundy is the son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who was involved in a high-profile 2014 standoff with the government over grazing rights.
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