Month: July 2011

A Georgia couple was rescued from the South Sister this weekend, after calling for help from their cell phone — the second rescue in two days assisted by a phone. An outdoors expert talked Monday about why it’s important to not always have your cell phone, but be prepared with other basics as well. While

A long-abandoned home in northeast Redmond frequented by graffiti vandals and reportedly used by transients was destroyed in a smoky, human-caused fire Saturday evening, authorities said. The first alarm came in at 6:08 p.m. of flames coming from the single-story home at 275 NE King Way, near Canal Boulevard, said Redmond Fire Marshal Traci Cooper.

Another warm summer weekend has kept Deschutes County Sheriff?s Search and Rescue crews busy assisting lost or injured hikers in the woods west of Bend. Cell phones played a key role in two incidents, as the hikers used them to contact 911, and searchers used their GPS coordinates to help focus the successful search efforts.

A major search effort Saturday on the lower Deschutes River for a fly fisherman who slipped and was swept away nearly a week ago recovered the Hawaii man?s body about 2 1/2 miles downstream, providing sad closure for family and friends, officials said. Boats, rafts and airplanes joined ground crews searching in and along the

A Bend man allegedly driving drunk and recklessly with a suspended license on the north side of Redmond eluded spike strips several times early Saturday before hitting a set, ending a noisy pursuit that awakened many residents along the way. Chad Steven Pommarane, 35, refused to pull over and was able to swerve around and

A Bend man accused of stabbing a neighbor last weekend was pulled over and arrested Thursday on Highway 97 near the Juniper Butte weigh scales north of Terrebonne, police said. A guns-drawn “high-risk traffic stop” by Bend police brought the arrest, without incident, of Patrick Olstad, 42, around 11:30 a.m. just south of the Juniper

“The detectives in Portland said that — that the story behind this is so interesting, that it could make a movie,” said Ron Henderson, part-owner of Saxon’s Fine Jewelry in Bend. Five guys, three who met in prison, are accused of a string of heists in Nevada, California, Tennessee and Oregon, including right here in

The Jefferson County Sheriff?s Office said Friday it’s looking for whoever is responsible for repeatedly vandalizing the property at Panorama Park, at Crooked River Ranch, in recent weeks. The property is for public use, which includes the park, play structures and restrooms and landscaping, said sheriff’s Det. Starla Green. Over the last month, the property

The wildfire season in California has been tame so far, but that isn’t stopping lawmakers from trying to make sure the cash-strapped state has enough money to fight future fires. They already have a solution: charge an annual firefighting fee to people who live in or near forests. Neighboring states have been using similar fees

A diamond theft ring that has spanned across the country leads to seven arrests on federal charges. One Bend jewelry store was hit hard by a theft. — but another may have been spared Five of the seven suspects were arrested at a Salem house Tuesday, and police say they’re involved in jewelry heists from

It’s not all about cycling this week in Central Oregon. The 22nd annual Oregon High Desert Classics hunter-jumper horse competition also kicked off Wednesday night, and organizers said they expect it to be the largest to date. More than 600 horses and riders, hundreds of spectators from all over the world are coming to Central

Mountain View High School in Bend will lose its naval science program after this year, ending a 17-year run for the NJROTC. The Navy requires schools with more than 1,000 students to have at least 100 cadets enrolled in the program. Mountain View’s enrollment has hovered around 65 students for the last few years, forcing

Tall grass, lots of weeds and a hot sunny day — the perfect recipe for a brushfire. And they don’t all happen in the woods or near rural homes, either. What happens when those fires spark inside city limits? Property owners who fail to trim down and keep up with Bend’s vegetation ordinance, for example,

Deport illegal immigrants or allow them to stay? It’s an ongoing, vocal debate in the community and around the nation. Immigration reform was the hot topic of discussion at Thursday’s City Club of Central Oregon meeting in Bend. The City Club’s purpose is simple: “Where conversation creates community”. Thursday’s forum did just that, with discussion

Recovery efforts continued Thursday on the lower Deschutes River near the Trout Creek Campground in Jefferson County for a man swept away while fly-fishing Sunday night. As 54-year-old Steve Adams’ family copes, campers and river-goers are taking steps to be extra-cautious. The scene at Trout Creek was much more relaxed Thursday than it was earlier

Saxon’s Fine Jewelry in Bend’s Old Mill District was robbed in bright daylight during on a crowded Friday afternoon in late May, and two suspects eluded capture. Now there’s news that five suspects were arrested, accused of hitting jewelry stores from Bend to Nashville. It was the May 20th, the day before the Pole Pedal

It was bombshell news in the sports world from Tiger Woods: He announced he was essentially firing his caddie of 13 years, part-time Sunriver resident Steve Williams. What most people didn’t know until Wednesday was that Williams kept quiet about what he calls the “shocking” decision for two weeks, after Tiger first told him at

Three major issues: a hydroelectric plant, how the mayor position is filled and fire department staffing were all on the Bend City Council agenda Tuesday night. It would cost $5.6 million to build but would generate $200,000 in the first year of operation — a hydroelectric plant to be built two miles outside the city,

The Bend Senior Center is looking to expand. Over the last four months, a citizens committee has met to analyze the needs of the center including the spaces and how to accommodate future growth. Officials say they’ve already outgrown the space. The current building is about 14,000 square feet, and of that only 8,000 can

The loss of a loved one can be tough on anyone, especially for a young child. But this week, a program in Bend is showing Central Oregon kids how to heal through expression and art. Nine-year-old Nicholas is one of the 35 kids attending “Camp Courage” this summer. He lost an aunt and grandma last