Month: April 2012

Spring is here, and we have a way for you to spring clean, go green and collect some cash. All you need is a refrigerator that you don’t use any more. Energy Trust is sponsoring a free fridge recycling program. The best part — no hauling the fridge to the dump yourself, and you get

Since 1974, when the Fair Labor Standards Act was established, companion workers were deemed exempt from federal minimum wage and overtime laws. But longer hours and more required care has prompted the U.S. Labor Department to propose a big change two years. The proposal would force employers to pay home care workers, or companions, at

Police still were searching Wednesday for the the man who robbed the Bank of the Cascades on Bend’s south side. Bank customers, employees and nearby businesses are trying to get back to normal, all while hoping it doesn’t happen again. A man walked into the bank around 1 p.m. Monday and made a verbal threat

On his way to becoming a chef, this wasn’t supposed to happen to 28-year-old Justin Tomomatsu. Two years ago, grim news for both his parents. “They both developed cancer at the same time,” Tomomatsu explained. “Two weeks apart — first my mother with pancreatic cancer and then my dad with esophagus cancer.” Pushing aside his

Along O.B. Riley Road in northwest Bend sits one of several homes owned by House of Hope Ministries. On Monday night, a tragedy happened there, but the organizations founders say it only underscores the need for what they do. Police recovered a body of a white male in his 20s. The cause of death remains

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Extended unemployment benefits for 8,000 Oregonians expired last week. The federal government has decided that the program can’t be extended any longer, based on the latest jobless rate. While the unemployment rate is still high, it has been going down slightly. In fact, it’s gone down enough that it’s surpassed the rate needed for the

Newberry Crater south of Bend soon could become a bit more active, now that the BLM has approved a closely watched geothermal test project. “There is potential of small seismic events,” said BLM spokeswoman Lisa Clark said Monday. “We feel that people in the area might feel a little rumbling, but it will probably feel

Central Oregonians gathered in celebrations of Easter Sunday, one of the most sacred days of the year for the world’s Christians. Almost 70 percent of U.S. adults celebrate Easter as a religious holiday — and it’s and not just about decorating eggs and going on egg hunts, according to a recent survey by the American

Two snowmobilers were taken to the hospital Sunday after their snowmobile went over a snow bank along the edge of Fall Creek, west of Bend, and crashed into the opposite side, throwing them both into the water. Authorities said it was the second such incident in the same spot in just over two weeks. Despite

A tough decision for Deschutes County Sheriff Larry Blanton; release inmates early or pay to rent beds at another jail. For the first time, he’s renting beds from Jefferson County. “Not a good day for Deschutes County and the sheriff’s office, when for the first time in history, we’ve had to rent jail beds from

A flue fire that spread all too fast destroyed an historic Grange hall in the small ghost town of Ashwood on Sunday, but members preparing a potluck breakfast for after church services escaped unharmed and residents were able to save a piano and other irreplaceable items. The fierce that tore through the Ash Butte Grange

Central Oregon Locavore and Whole Foods Market held a “Meet Your Maker Market and CSA Fair” in the Bend Whole Foods parking lot Saturday afternoon. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, that’s where locals buy a share from a farmer and in return receive produce throughout the farming season. Consumers and visitors were able to

The two people who surrendered and were arrested after a nearly three-hour standoff at a La Pine-area home were identified Saturday as a pair of California teen runaways, a 16-year-old girl and 15-year-old boy. Deschutes County sheriff’s Lt. Chad Davis said Saturday that both teens are in the juvenile detention center and face first-degree burglary

One of Central Oregon’s more different Easter egg hunts on Saturday was not your usual park or backyard affair — instead, it was in a swimming pool. More than 50 kids participated in the Underwater Egg Hunt at the Cascade Swim Center in Redmond. A few hundred eggs were dropped into the pool — some

A new, deadly mix of heroin has been sweeping through the Northwest in the past month, causing numerous deaths in Washington state, while Central Oregon police and fire medics said Friday they also have been grappling with a rising number of heroin overdoses. It started in Seattle — seven deaths in five days. And just

As Holy Week continues, Catholics all over the world today celebrated Good Friday. In Central Oregon, churches observed the holiday with their own special services. Leading up to Easter Sunday, for Catholics, Friday meant remembering Jesus’ death on the cross. At St. Thomas Catholic Church in Redmond, parishioners celebrated in a special service which included

It’s something many of us do every day: use Google to search for something online. But how private are your search records? A prominent local case involving rape charges against Thomas Bray was back in court Friday, and a ruling by the judge could have you thinking twice the next time you go online. “Here

A Portland-area man found guilty but insane in the murder of his father and attacks on his nephew and niece more than a decade ago has been granted state permission to get two limited passes a week to leave a Bend secure residential treatment facility for 45 minutes at a time. Hearing the news Friday,

The National Weather Service has extended its flood advisory for central Deschutes County until 9 a.m. Saturday due to continued high water levels on the Deschutes River in the Tumalo area. Forecasters said the water levels on the river between Bend and Tumalo “remained near steady overnight, while slowly falling on the Little Deschutes River”