Month: July 2012

A free document shredding/drug disposal event will take place at the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Substation in Sisters, 703 N. Larch, on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. There is no cost to the public for up to four medium-size boxes of personal documents. Shredding The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office and SecureShred are collaborating

The Family Access Network is the recipient of a $1,000 grant from the Pacific Power Foundation to help support a FAN advocate. “We are very appreciative of the grant funds from the Pacific Power Foundation. This grant will help support our most needy children at Jewell Elementary School, those struggling to make it from day

Have you ever wanted to played the ukulele? A group of ukulele players threw a festival over the weekend to help you learn. The inaugural “Ukulele University” festival took place at Runaway Ranch in Bend. The owners of the ranch asked the Bend Ukulele Group if they wanted to start a festival. Around 180 people

While the adults were racing in the Cascade Cycling Classic all this week, on Sunday kids got their turn to compete in a race. Cyclists from 2- to 16-years-old came out to race Sunday afternoon at Summit High School. Little riders raced for a couple of laps, while 13 to 16-year-olds took park in a

Oregon voters will have a chance to legalize marijuana for anyone over 21 years of age. Last week the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act got enough petition signatures to make the November ballot, and on Thursday, Bend voters for and against the act spoke out. “It’s been unenforceable, frankly, and there’s needed to be a regulatory

Central Oregon Lowe’s Home Improvement employees were in Redmond Saturday, helping to improve a local disc golf course. Last year, the Redmond Parks Department approved a disc golf course on Southwest 15th Street and Black Butte Boulevard. But finances have kept it from getting any improvements. More than 20 volunteers from the city, disc golf

Did you know Central Oregon has its own off-road race track? If you didn’t, organizers of the Off-Road Race Track want you to come out to one of their events.If you didn’t, organizers of the Off-Road Race Track want you to come to one of their events. Race trucks, off-road buggies, ATV’s and mini trophy

Three statewide GOP candidates visited Central Oregon on Saturday, the candidates for attorney general, state treasurer and labor commissioner. The candidates were in Madras, attending the Jefferson County Fair Parade and had lunch at the home of Rick Allen, former Madras mayor and currently city manager of La Pine. The Oregon Republican Party couldn’t find

Law enforcement officials told CNN the man charged in a shooting at an Aurora, Colorado movie theater dyed is hair red and told police he was the Joker. James Holmes, 24, burst into a midnight showing of the new Batman movie and opened fire early Friday morning. “There was a moment where my daughter tripped

The Redmond man arrested in a northeast Bend rape and assault case went to court Friday as new information came to light. A grand jury will be meeting Monday to discuss additional attempted murder and attempted kidnapping charges against Jody Brooks, arrested early Thursday morning. He’s the man police and prosecutors say broke into his

In the wake of the Aurora, Colo. tragedy, officials from St. Charles Medical Center and the Deschutes County 911 dispatch center agreed Friday that they would be able to handle an emergency situation in which a large group of people need immediate medical attention. “The (preparation) work happens before these emergencies,” Rob Poirier, manager of

For business owners in Bend, a glimpse Thursday at the health of the city of Bend. At this year’s state of the city breakfast, a new twist: City staff took submissions for the top 10 questions the public had for the city. Not surprisingly, most were related to the economy. Bend mayor Jeff Eager said

A teen driver escaped injury when the car he was driving left a curve on Juniper Canyon Road southeast of Prineville, overturned and crashed through a barbed wire fence, Crook County sheriff’s deputies said. Deputies and Crook County Fire and Rescue personnel responded around 11:40 p.m. to the reported crash on Juniper Canyon Road, about

The first week of testimony wrapped up Friday in the trial of Thomas Bray, an ex-COCC anatomy teacher accused of raping two women in February of 2011. The 38-year-old faces 11 felony and misdemeanor counts of sex abuse, and could get years in prison if convicted. At the request of the accusers, no cameras are

A passing motorist Friday morning spotted a crashed pickup with two injured people inside on Waldo Lake Road near the Willamette Pass Ski area, about eight hours after the crash occurred, Oregon State Police said. The driver and passenger were taken to Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend in Springfield for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries,

At the request of President Obama, Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber on Thursday ordered all flags at public institutions statewide to immediately be lowered and flown at half-staff until sunset on Wednesday, July 25, as a mark of respect for the Aurora, Colo. shooting victims. “My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families

The Northwest Professional Rodeo Association has approved a three-year contract to hold the NPRA finals at the Crook County Fairgrounds in Prineville. The 2012 Finals will be held September 21 & 22. The NPRA board recently met and approved the three-year contract. “The 2011 Finals held at Crook County last September went off without a

Starting next Wednesday, July 25, Forest Service (FS) Road 2610 will be closed at the junction with Highway 26 for two days for construction. A cattleguard is being replaced on the FS Road 2610. The road will be re-opened on Friday, July 27. During the construction period no detours will be in place. There will

The Bend Park & Recreation District’s Quail Park will be temporarily closed Friday through Sunday due to an asphalt maintenance project. Located at 2755 NW Regency Street, the park is expected to re-open by Monday, July 23rd. During the closure, people are encouraged to use other parks in the area including: — Lewis & Clark

Deschutes County has initiated a process to develop a 20-year land use plan for rural South County, defined as the area between Lava Butte and the South County border (excluding Sunriver and La Pine). Public input and an understanding of current conditions will be used to create goals and policies to address topics such as