Month: June 2012

It’s happening again. Graffiti vandals struck Sunriver overnight, spraying bike tunnels and private homes and other spots. It’s a seasonal issue; When school lets out, relatively minor crimes spike. “We see graffiti, tipping over benches, garbage cans, mailbox damage, things like that,” Bend police Lt. Paul Kansky said Friday. Old Mill District officials tell us

The first whooping cough case in Deschutes County had health officials encouraging everyone to get vaccinated on Friday. A three year old child was infected, and it’s especially worrisome for many parents, because it could be fatal for newborn babies. Luisa Hernandez is a mother of five who also watches children in day care. After

The State Board of Higher Education has formally hired Michael Gottfredson to lead the University of Oregon. Gottfredson was appointed president of Oregon’s highest-profile university on Friday. He has been a senior administrator at the University of California, Irvine for 12 years. He was the only finalist to replace Richard Lariviere, who was fired last

A 19-year-old Coos Bay man arrested in March for having sex with a 15-year-old girl has pleaded guilty to third-degree rape. Jonathan Roman-Castro will avoid jail time as part of an agreement, but must undergo socio-sexual evaluations. The World newspaper reported (http://is.gd/IhQcM6 ) that Roman-Castro and the girl had sex at a large house party

The Oregon Supreme Court has ruled that 20,000 pages of so-called perversion files compiled by the Boy Scouts on suspected child abusers over a period of 20 years will be open to the public. The Supreme Court on Thursday denied an attempt by the Boy Scouts of America to keep the records gathered from 1965-1985

Tense moments on the Deschutes River Wednesday afternoon as two stranded kayakers had to be rescued from rocks in the middle of the river. Witnesses say the two were coming down the river south of the Old Mill District when they got stuck in some rocks just before the Bill Healy Bridge. “We saw a

Tense moments on the Deschutes River Wednesday afternoon as two stranded kayakers had to be rescued from rocks in the middle of the river. Witnesses say the two were coming down the river when they got stuck in some rocks just before the Bill Healy Bridge. “We saw a kayak stuck on a rock, and

Clackamas County rescuers are responding to a report that a climber has fallen on Mount Hood. KGW reports (http://is.gd/PdBlFy ) dispatchers received a call shortly before 5 a.m. Thursday that one member of a climbing party slid about 1,000 feet at the Hogsback section of the climb near the summit. Sgt. Brian O’Neill says favorable

Local production company Shore Thing Productions takes a “revolutionary” spin on the award-winning musical “1776,” based on the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In a couple of weeks, they’ll take it to the Tower Theater stage in a performance that organizers say you just have to see. What is normally a cast of 24

Authorities say an Eagle Point man died shortly after a police officer shot him with an electrical charge from a stun gun. The Mail Tribune reports (http://is.gd/SRNed0 ) that Jackson County sheriff’s investigators do not know if the stun gun charge caused the death of 44-year-old Scott Chappell. They will await autopsy results to see

The bids are in for removing a dock that floated from Japan to an Oregon beach after being set adrift by last year’s tsunami. The Oregon Department of Parks and Recreation said Thursday the lowest bids are for breaking down the dock and hauling it off. They range from $79,922 to $84,496.50, with one for

A Clackamas County sheriff’s spokesman says the man who died after falling about 1,000 feet on the south side of Mount Hood was an “extremely experienced” mountaineer from Portland. Sgt. Adam Phillips said 56-year-old Mark Cartier died early Thursday after falling from near the 10,000-foot level of the Cascade Mountain peak. Cartier had been climbing

The outdoor portion of the Sunriver Homeowners Aquatic and Recreation Center just opened, and it’s already award-winning. But the award has nothing to do with the three pools, lazy river, two water slides or year-round sledding hill. It’s about what you don’t see — a solution to a serious environmental problem buried underneath the facility

Compass Commercial Real Estate Services is pleased to announce a pledge of $25,000 to help support the establishment of a four-year campus for OSU-Cascades. The commitment was made to support OSU-Cascades? goal of securing 40 pledges of $25,000 (payable over five years) in order to demonstrate that the Central Oregon community is behind the expansion

Things are going to look a little bit different Wednesday in the parking lot of Bend-based IdaTech “What we know is out of 140 employees 50 employees had to go, between Tijuana and Bend,” said a former employee who did not want to be identified. The announcement came early Tuesday morning and affected roughly 30

Things are going to look a little bit different Wednesday in the parking lot of Bend-based IdaTech “What we know is out of 140 employees 50 employees had to go, between Tijuana and Bend,” said a former employee who did not want to be identified. The announcement came early Tuesday morning and affected roughly 30

People are flocking to an Oregon beach to see a Japanese dock that floated across the Pacific after last year’s tsunami. But state officials aren’t interested in turning it into a tourist spot. Some residents who live nearby want to see the dock left on Agate Beach as a memorial to tsunami victims. Oregon Department

Oregon voters get bombarded every two years with dramatic claims and counter-claims over the latest crop of ballot measures. Now, a panel of citizens is coming to the rescue. The state Legislature last year voted to keep and expand an experiment with hiring average voters to cut through the drama and offer an objective view

Oregon Department of Transportation has been dependent on one single source of revenue to help maintain roads, and that’s the gas tax. While it’s been effective, its not very fair to all cars. This fall, ODOT will test new options to change that, including using your smartphone to count your miles. As people get cars

Cycling across 13 states, over 3,000 miles, raising $300,000 to help 10,000 kids — that’s the goal for Dr. Lori Salierno. Her cross-country bike ride passed through Bend Wednesday morning. Salierno is the founder of Celebrate Life, a faith based non-profit that mentors at-risk kids. Her trek started this weekend on the Pacific coast and