Month: March 2012

Two more cougars ? a mother and son ? were killed in a neighborhood east of Sisters late last week, bringing the total to five killed as they stayed in a populated area, hunting for food, officials confirmed Monday. U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services workers killed the female and juvenile male Thursday night, said

As the Redmond School District looks to put a policy in place about texting between students and teachers, the court of public opinion is weighing in on an issue that is at the center of a child sex abuse case. If Redmond does adopt such a policy, they would be only the second Central Oregon

Some of the roughly 360 workers losing their jobs at T-Mobile’s Redmond call center could find a similar job in Bend this spring, as TRG Customer Solutions says it’s hiring for 100 new full-time jobs in May. TRG’s call center offers technical support for companies. A representative said Friday that one of their clients is

What do you have planned for Spring Break with the kids? The High Desert Museum south of Bend has a suggestion and it has something do with fiery, frozen and explosive fun. It’s the second annual Science Party, and this time, it’s focusing on fire and ice. Museum staff invited the audience to look at

The Target store on Bend’s north side celebrated a grand milestone with a complete renovation, and it reopened Sunday. After three months of renovation, everything in the store is brand new, from all the fixtures to even the shelves. But maybe the most exciting new feature is the fresh food and produce, which the store

Col. Lee Ellis, a prisoner of war for more than five years when his plane was shot down. Ellis is now founder and president of Leadership Freedom, serving as a leadership consultant. And on Saturday, at a special event at The Riverhouse in Bend, Ellis was teaching service members leadership under all circumstances. “How no

The rumbling sound of motorcycles from the Patriot Guard led Saturday’s funeral procession for 26-year-old Air Force First Lt. Justin Wilkens, in his hometown of Bend. Volunteers lined the street leading to Westside Church, holding American flags, as hundreds assembled inside to hear the memories of a special young man. “I can’t imagine looking at

A seniors apartment building in the small community of Fort Rock burned to the ground in a fast-moving fire late Friday afternoon, but all the residents evacuated safely, officials said. The Rock View Apartments had seven units and a common room for card-playing and other gatherings, said Christmas Valley Fire Chief John Trauth. Fort Rock,

Under gray skies, with snow flurries swirling in the chilled wind, a Bend family marked a somber homecoming Thursday afternoon as a military escort returned the remains of 26-year-old Air Force First Lt. Justin Wilkens to the Bend Airport, a fitting landing spot for a young man who loved to fly. Wilkens was one of

Thousands of people in Central Oregon own at least one dog, but Bend Police Chief Jeff Sale says only a small portion actually pay for a dog license. He’s proposed police take over licensing from the county to help pay for animal control calls. “I’m guessing it’s more around the 80,000 mark for total number

Hundreds of new jobs could be up for grabs as the state Department of Corrections has plans to finally begin use of a long-mothballed medium-security prison in Madras. Right now, only the minimum-security prison at the Deer Ridge Correctional Institution is in use while the medium-security facility has remained empty since it was built in

The latest storm moved on and the skies turned sunny for much of Central Oregon Thursday morning, but the danger was far from over as wet streets turned icy in temperatures right around freezing, triggering a new rash of crashes. Highway 97’s northbound lanes north of Bend were closed for more than an hour by

About 350 people filled a Bend meeting room Wednesday night for a rare, if not unprecedented public meeting called by Mt. Bachelor to both state their case and hear from critics of the resort’s recent decision to close down some weekdays during the spring ski-snowboard season. Most of those on hand: season pass-holders, upset about

A complaint filed with the National Labor Relations Board against St. Charles Health System by the Service Employees International Union Local 49 could delay a union decertification vote by about a month — and depending on the outcome, could scrap the vote entirely, an official said Tuesday. The roughly 600 members of the union, voted

A big decision and many smaller ones face the Bend Park and Rec Board as they consider whether to put a $30 million to $40 million bond measure on the November ballot. The possible bond was up for discussion during Tuesday night’s work session at the Park and Rec district office. “I think we heard

Two men whose car was stopped at a northwest Redmond intersection late last week face drug charges, one involving heroin trafficking, drug agents said Tuesday. Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team detectives, assisted by Oregon State Police, contacted driver Shawn Jacob Flores, 28, of Bend, and passenger Barrett Wayne Hamilton, 39, of Redmond, at the corner

In the blink of an eye, John Hale lost his younger brother. He knows Dean is resting in peace. Now he’s focusing all his faith on Patty, Dean’s wife, who’s clinging to life in the St. Charles-Bend ICU, three days after a horrific head-on car crash west of Bend that also killed the other driver.

Bend police warned Central Oregonians on Tuesday to be on the lookout for Internet and phone scams, as several have been reported over the past few weeks — and one hit a resident to the tune of several thousands of dollars. One person was scammed on a Christian dating website, said Lt. Brian Kindel. The

The High Desert welcomed the official start of spring Tuesday with a late, if selective blast of winter: a blustery, powerful storm that dumped a half-foot to even a foot of snow in the La Pine-Sunriver area in just a few hours, but only a rain-snow mix to the north. Despite the intense snowfall in

Images Salon, which has been in Bend for 28 years, held a fund-raiser Sunday for Noel Aponte, who i friends with the owner, Pam Walker. Aponte lived in Bend several years ago, then moved to the East Coast. He suffered a spinal cord injury last December. after his return to Central Oregon. Employees at the