Month: September 2012

In the midst of the Pole Creek Fire and all other potential disasters, experts gathered in Sisters Saturday to get information out into the community. The Life Flight helicopter touched down outside Sisters Elementary School to kick off to The Disaster Preparedness Fair. There were several companies and booths with information people need when faced

A failed power cord on an appliance in a carport apparently caused a fire early Saturday that destroyed a northeast Bend home, displacing a family of four, officials said. The fire was reported around 12:30 a.m. at a home at 951 NE 11th Street, at the corner with Greenwood Avenue (Highway 20) just near Pilot

Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said Friday she has issued a declaration ending a program that allowed hundreds of parents to lower or otherwise modify their child support payments during the state’s economic slowdown. Rosenblum cited Oregon’s slow but steady economic recovery in halting the program. The “Recession Response Project” allowed more than 1,200 qualifying

To better prepare Central Oregon for a major disaster, a group in Sisters is holding a disaster preparedness fair this weekend. The group came together and began planning a year ago. They say they began to look at the infrastructure and realized with the South Sister “bulge” (a small but noticeable uplift, found by satellite),

The Pole Creek Fire has taken a toll on the wildlife in the area south of Sisters, forcing many out their natural habitat. Wildlife experts say wildfire smoke can make the animals nervous and confused, and sometimes separate the young from their mothers, and from the eyes of humans. But they have some advice and

When people have nowhere else to turn, Bend’s Community Center is often where they end up. “This young man came in — I guess he and his wife were living in their car and they needed some blankets. He got them right then and there,” said Virginia Reddick, president of the United Senior Citizens of

Why does Oregon’s history rock? From the Oregon Trail to Portlandia, Oregon is full of fascinating, rich, and quirky stories that make up our state’s history. To tell these stories, the Oregon Historical Society and Clear Channel Outdoor are sponsoring the first ever “Oregon History Rocks Billboard Contest,” open to students across the state. The

The 2012/13 Annual Campaign for United Way of Deschutes County has officially kicked off. A goal of $1.25 million has been set for the 2012/13 Living United Campaign. Fulfilling the organizational mission to, “Bring people together to improve lives and strengthen our community,” United Way of Deschutes County partners with 26 agencies in the county,

Bend Spay and Neuter Project has been chosen by The Petco Foundation along with 99 other non-profit organizations nationwide to compete in an online voting competition on Facebook to win one of ten prizes in the amount of $10,000. The top ten organizations with the most votes will win a $10,000 prize. Bend Spay and

Local and regional animal rescue groups and shelters are holding a special adoption event at PetSmart Friday, Saturday and Sunday, September 14-16. This is part of PetSmart Charities’ National Adoption Event. Each time this event is held, up to 21,000 homeless animals are placed into new homes. The number of abandoned and rescued cats, dogs,

A second person who was bitten by the same Crook County cat sick with plague in June has tested positive for antibodies to the disease on follow-up blood work, Crook County Health Department officials said Friday. The woman, who asked not to be identified at this time, was bitten by the cat at the same

The Prineville Police Department will be conducting its third Pedestrian Safety Operation on Friday, September 21 at different locations in the downtown area. The operation will be conducted between the hours of 10:00 am and 1:00 pm. The Prineville Police Department, in addition to the pedestrian safety violations, will be enforcing the mobile communication device

One of the two U.S. Navy warships moving toward the Libyan coast in the wake of an attack that killed America’s ambassador was named for a Bend High graduate and Navy SEAL killed in action in Panama 23 years ago. Two U.S. officials told CNN the ships were the destroyers USS Laboon and the USS

Support is strong in Oregon for using public lands for wind and solar development — but only if it’s done with conservation in mind, according to a new poll. The results found almost eight in ten Oregonians (78 percent) favor giving some of the proceeds from energy developers’ rents and royalties to counties and states,

A voluntary health advisory was put into effect Thursday evening by the Deschutes County Health Department until further notice for the community of Sisters due to high levels of wildfire smoke The advisory is a result of the hazardous air pollution created by the Pole Creek Fire specifically in the evenings, through the night and

It wasn’t the birthday a Prineville man wanted for his son. Gary Bond’s son, Garrett, loves motorcycles. So Gary saved enough to finally get him one. But Wednesday morning, someone spoiled the surprise by stealing it. Gary kept the bike in a relative’s backyard to hide it from Garrett. It is a red and white

The House on Thursday passed a plan with bipartisan support to provide an additional $800 million for wildfire fighting to the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior for 2012 and 2013. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., said, “I’ve worked with my colleagues at the leadership table and on the Appropriations Committee to provide the

Residents in the Crossroads subdivision near Sisters have experienced wildfires before. They have defensible space around their homes and evacuation plans, but that does not make the Pole Creek Fire any less scary. “If this forest burned, it would never be any good the rest of my life,” Crossroads resident Gene Todd said Thursday. On

The Deschutes County Jail is over capacity, and the sheriff wants to expand, but already voters have said no, turning down a bond measure back in 2010. The sheriff then asked county commissioners for $10 million coming from the county, and the sheriff’s budget to expand the jail, but one commissioner, Tammy Baney, had a

A 48-year-old Bend man was arrested on drug charges while standing on a northeast Bend sidewalk, followed six hours later by a raid on a nearby townhouse, drug agents said Thursday. Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team detectives arrested Matthew Collins, 48, around 5 p.m. Tuesday on drug charges as he stood near the intersection of