Month: July 2012

Authorities checking reports of a loud “boom” near Tumalo Reservoir west of Bend Monday night found what it was Tuesday – and old refrigerator placed in an abandoned concrete pump house – then blown up with an explosive. The explosion most likely resulted from use of a binary explosive called Tannerite, sold as an exploding

A visitor from Washington, D.C., faces DUII and possibly other charges after an early-morning crash in Sunriver over the weekend, police said Tuesday. Sunriver police responded around 1:35 a.m. Sunday to a crash on Abbot Driver near the entrance/exit to the resort community, said Sgt. P.J. Beaty. Eric John Harrison, 29, of Washington, D.C., was

A 20-year-old Bend man was taken to the hospital for treatment and later to jail Tuesday, arrested on DUII and assault charges after an early-morning crash in the Old Mill District that left his passenger critically injured. Officers responded around 4:25 a.m. to the reported crash on SW Columbia Avenue, said Lt. Paul Kansky. An

The Sisters Ranger District wants to remind people that even a friendly Fido doesn’t always fit with recreating at a popular swimming area like Scout Lake. Scout Lake is one of the most visited swimming areas on the Deschutes National Forest and one of the few recreation sites where dogs are not allowed because of

St. Charles Health System is pleased to announce it has contributed $20,000 to the United Way of Deschutes County to fund part-time staff positions at Central Oregon 2-1-1. A program designed to help individuals find the help they need among the myriad of nonprofit and government agencies and programs, Central Oregon 2-1-1 provides a single

The Ochoco National Forest building and parking lot will be closed to the public for remodeling starting August 4th for 8 to 10 weeks. The front desk staff will be temporarily relocated to the Prineville BLM office next door and phones will be forwarded to the Prineville BLM. All public services will still be available

A Prineville man was arrested early Tuesday, accused of pointing a rifle at his ex-wife and threatening to shoot her during an argument at their home, Crook County sheriff’s deputies said. Deputies and Prineville police were dispatched shortly after midnight to a mobile home park at 3050 N. Main Street on a report of menacing

Retail gas prices are climbing in Oregon and across the country, reflecting higher crude oil prices, AAA-Oregon reported Tuesday. The national average for regular unleaded adds seven cents this week to $3.48 while Oregon’s statewide average jumps nine cents to $3.64. After six weeks of declines, Oregon’s average held steady last week, then shot up

Bend Park & Recreation District’s Quail and Harvest parks will be temporarily closed Friday through Sunday due to asphalt maintenance projects. Both parks are expected to re-open by Monday, July 30th. In the meantime, people are encouraged to use other area parks. Quail Park is located at 2755 NW Regency Street. Alternate parks in the

A problem with electrical wiring beneath the front steps apparently sparked a fire that heavily damaged a Metolius home while the owners were away at a church funeral, authorities said Tuesday. Losses are estimated at $22,500 to the structure and $15,000 to the contents of the double-wide manufactured home of Roland and Pamela Swearingen at

While the Aurora, Colorado tragedy has caused the public to grieve, mental health professionals are not immune from the grieving process. One licensed clinical psychologist in Central Oregon says he feels for the mental health professionals and the people who tried to prevent a crisis like it from happening. Dr. Michael Conner is a licensed

A juvenile playing with fireworks sparked a brushfire along the railroad tracks behind a southeast Bend home Monday afternoon, but neighbors with hoses helped fire crews keep the blaze from spreading, officials said. The youth, who was not named, was cited by police for reckless burning and referred to Deschutes County juvenile authorities for further

Driving on Oregon Highway 101, you can stop for the views, the beach or the lighthouses — or just keep going, to one of the state’s most popular tourist spots, the Oregon Coast Aquarium. For adults its $18.95 to get in, for seniors and teens $16.95, kids are $11.95 and anyone under 2 is free.

Thomas Bray, a 38-year-old ex-COCC anatomy teacher, is accused of raping two Bend women in February of last year. On Monday, another woman who burst into the courtroom during testimony had to be escorted out by a Deschutes County sheriff’s deputy. The incident began and ended very quickly. A woman wearing camouflage pants made a

A popular recreation area on the Sisters Ranger District northwest of Sisters is getting added protections — including boulders in campsites and decommissioned trails — “to preserve its beauty and health into the future,” officials said Monday. The Sisters Ranger District is addressing overuse issues in the Meadow Lakes Basin area, near Cache Mountain, “and

About 100 slots are available for area high school students to be screened Wednesday night for life-threatening heart defects. The free screenings will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. at The Heart Center — 2500 NE Neff Road — as part of an initiative by the Children’s Heart Fund, a program of the St.

The Deschutes County Road Department will be chip sealing Deschutes Market Road from Highway 97 to the Bend city limits near Yeoman, beginning at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday and ending Thursday morning. Chip sealing will then move to Hamehook Road from Deschutes Market Road to Butler Market Road late in the morning on Thursday, ending

Central Oregon jobless rates stayed stuck in place in June, the state Employment Department reported Monday — still well below year-ago levels, but held back by sluggish job growth. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in June held steady in Crook County, and was essentially unchanged in Deschutes and Jefferson counties. The High Desert picture was

Two California men arrested late last week in a drug bust in a Madras Safeway parking lot remained in the Jefferson County Jail Monday, held for federal officials as suspected illegal immigrants, authorities said. Around 9:30 p.m. last Thursday, detectives with the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team contacted and arrested Adalid Ortiz-Juarez, 24, of Walnut