Month: November 2012

It’s looking unlikely that the U.S. Senate will pass a collection of bills to protect public lands, including wilderness designations in five states. In Oregon, that means plans for the areas known as Cathedral Rock and Horse Heaven are on hold again. A few lawmakers in Congress want to add their states’ pet projects to

Thanksgiving is just four days away but the Bend Community Center was having a feast of its own Sunday. Officials estimate that their meals served more than 500 people at both their breakfast and dinner Thanksgiving meals. NewsChannel 21 visited the center about 15 minutes after they opened their doors for dinner at noon, and

More than two months after a Madras farmer drowned, apparently trying to save his fatally injured son in Lake Billy Chinook, a special sonar system located the 73-year-old man’s body Friday afternoon, Jefferson County Sheriff Jim Adkins said. Around 3 p.m., Gene Ralston of Idaho-based Ralston & Associates and his team used their side-scan sonor

A winter preparedness event held Saturday in Bend sought to remind the public to take care of their bodies and homes during the cold season. Experts hope despite anything that comes along including health, emergencies or disasters, people will still make a big effort. Rite Aid in Bend held the winter wellness event and invited

Newport Avenue Market hosted a combined bone marrow donor drive and fundraising event Saturday to help save one of their own. Former employee and Bend resident Jeff Grandmason was diagnosed with a blood disorder four years ago then developed Gillian-Barre syndrome. Just recently, Grandmason was diagnosed with leukemia. Newport Avenue Market employees are hoping one

You know it’s holiday time when you start seeing more and more holiday bazaars.And this weekend is filled with them across Central Oregon. The Deschutes County Fair and Expo Center was ready for Christmas as hundreds attended the annual Holiday Food and Gift Festival, which is now its 15th year. The three-day festival is filled

Convicted of fatally shooting his son, Jim Hargrave was sentenced to life in prison with a chance of parole in 25 years during an emotional hearing in a Deschutes County courtroom Friday morning. Hargrave, 63, was convicted of murder by a jury a week ago in the shooting death of his son Steven, 29, last

Workers at Bend’s historic Pine Tavern Restaurant discovered a potentially explosive natural gas leak Friday evening, prompting evacuation of the 76-year-old business and other nearby stores and streets, but there were no injuries, officials said. Around 5:45 p.m., employees of the iconic restaurant at the foot of Oregon Avenue by Mirror Pond called Deschutes County

Leaders in Washington, D.C., met Friday to discuss how to avoid another possible recession. Congress has until Dec. 31 to come up with a plan before tax breaks expire and massive budget cuts go into effect. A sign things could be headed in the right direction: The New York Stock Exchange ended trading Friday up

The home-building industry has taken a beating nationwide in the last several years. During the housing crisis, resale of existing homes outpaced new home construction sales 24-to-1 across the country. To entice buyers back to new construction, builders changed their plans. Central Oregon builders have gone away from building theater rooms, two-story entries and outdoor

Forest Service offices throughout Central Oregon began selling permits to harvest Christmas trees from the Ochoco and Deschutes National Forest starting Friday. The permits can be purchased for $5 at Forest Service offices and retail outlets throughout Central Oregon. The following retail outlets will also have Christmas Tree permits available no later than Friday, November

So far, 100 homes, built from the ground up in Bend — and the 100th family is starting its life again. On Friday, Amber Schmied and her 3-year-old daughter, Kassidie, celebrated the end of a two-year endeavor and a Bend Area Habitat for Humanity milestone by moving into their new home. Habitat helps low-income families

You see them all over. Kayaks, canoes, even stand-up paddle boards. Paddlecraft are becoming more affordable and available at almost every retailer these days, and many vacation destinations rent paddlecraft for day use. But there’s more to it than just trying out the activity and deciding to buy a paddlecraft. Each year, thousands of people

Just in time for busy holiday travel, Redmond Municipal Airport announced Friday the designation of a new “cell phone parking area,” a short-time spot to wait just off the airport — for free — for folks arriving on flights. “his newly designated parking area is a convenient alternative for those waiting in their vehicle to

Dr. Nicole MacTavish, principal of Redmond High School, announced Friday that sophomore Rebekah Lovsness has been elected to serve on the Executive Board of the Oregon Association of Student Councils. Lovsness decided to run for the office after participating in her Leadership class at Redmond High School: “Last year, I was class president; just being

Every time you go out for a bite to eat, you might wonder just what’s going on in that kitchen. Using Deschutes County health scores, I scoped out some of the “cleanest of the clean” in town, to find out how they keep everything in tip-top shape. A clean kitchen starts simple. “Wash your hands,

Rep. Greg Walden, newly elected to the top House Republican political position, talked Friday on MSNBC about efforts to find common ground in budget talks and the need for the GOP to “learn from our losses” and project a positive message. Here’s the full transcript of Walden’s appearance, as provided by his office: LUKE RUSSERT:

MountainStar Family Relief Nursery is extremely pleased to announce that the Broken Top Community Association collected 3,523 pounds of food (over 1.7 tons) from residents of the Broken Top community this week and donated it to MountainStar for distribution to approximately 100 families. Families served by MountainStar qualify as low-income, with many living on less

Underneath the streets of Bend, 480 miles of sewer system run through the ground. A recent discovery of a broken century-old sewer line prompted city officials on Thursday to point to problems lingering beneath the streets. “We have capacity issues in certain parts of town where the lines are too small to handle the flows.

A 32-year-old Bend man was arrested Thursday, accused of burglarizing at least one and perhaps other homes in the Widgi Creek subdivision west of Bend, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said. Deputies responded around 9:35 a.m. to a report of a man seen walking from house to house in the 60000 block of Golf Village Loop