Month: December 2012

The city of Bend said Thursday it will not appeal a recent decision by Oregon’s Land Use Board of Appeals that sent its controversial surface water project plans back to the city for more work. In early December, LUBA determined Bend’s Water Public Facility Plan did not adequately cover the Bridge Creek water project and

A fatal “medical crisis” sent a driver’s pickup truck careening onto a downtown Bend sidewalk, then striking a mini-van and two other cars before coming to a stop during Thursday’s lunch hour, police said. Fortunately, no one else was injured, they added. Officers responded around 12:20 p.m. to the reported four-vehicle crash near NW Wall

Oregon customers of PacifiCorp will see their electric rates barely budge next year due to a decision issued Thursday by the Oregon Public Utility Commission. Overall rates will go up by just 0.5 percent beginning Jan. 1, 2013, not the 3.5 percent increase the utility had requested when it submitted its initial filing to the

A Las Vegas man stopped for speeding on Highway 97 near Bend last week faces drug charges after an Oregon State Police trooper found about 3,000 Oxycodone pills worth $90,000 hidden in his car, troopers said Thursday. “The OSP Drug Enforcement Section continued the investigation to the point the following information can be released,” the

As the Internet becomes increasingly important to American consumers, businesses and innovators, Internet Service Providers are increasingly imposing caps on the amount of data that consumers may move over the Net. Data caps are appropriate if they are carefully constructed to manage network congestion but, as the New York Times has editorialized, they “should not

The Shepherd’s House, a local charity serving Bend’s homeless, has struggled throughout 2012 to meet the needs of Bend’s homeless on a very tight budget. Every month the organization barely raised enough support to keep the doors open. The Shepherd’s House is asking the community of Bend to consider donating to The Shepherd’s House as

The Bend Police Department would like to take this time to remind community members and visitors to our area about driving safely during this holiday season. While this is a great time of year to celebrate with friends and family, there is an increased possibility of people driving while impaired or in an unsafe manner.

Mt. Bachelor and Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Oregon are excited to be partnering again during the Charity Ski Weeks program at Mt. Bachelor. The program, which has given over $340,000 to Central Oregon area non-profit organizations through the Charity Ski Week program over the past four seasons, gives locals another way to support

A small army has been deployed to Connecticut — not to investigate, not to interview — but simply to bring a smile to so many tear-stained faces. “They have a sensitivity that we don’t have as humans — they can tell by instincts,” Sisters resident Dale Coats said Wednesday. Coats is certified with a group

The Oregon Air National Guard will be on high alert again this Christmas Eve as they work closely with the United States Air Force and the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) to monitor the skies and track the annual flight of Santa Claus. “Year after year, on Christmas Eve, we receive reports from the

Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber has joined Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy in calling for a moment of silence to be observed Friday at 9:30 a.m. local time to remember the victims of the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut. “As we observe a moment of silence tomorrow, I will be thinking of all victims of gun violence, including

Based on a recommendation from Bend Fire and Rescue, City Manager Eric King has declared an emergency that began on Tuesday, Dec. 18. Severe weather conditions may result in capacity being reached at local shelters, threatening life and/or property, and creating a need for temporary housing facilities within the city. The declaration is valid when

There’s some good news for DirecTV satellite subscribers in Deschutes County — you can now access local high-definition programming, including KTVZ-NewsChannel 21. DirecTV announced Wednesday that they have added local HD programming to their choices for Bend-area (Deschutes County) subscribers. That includes HD programming on KTVZ-NBC, as well as KFXO-Fox and other local channels. DirecTV

The former executive director of the Redmond Proficiency Academy is headed to prison. Michael Bremont was sentenced Tuesday to 19 months behind bars, followed by five years probation. Bremont is convicted of sexually abusing two former students of his. One of those students, now an 18-year-old, addressed the courtroom Tuesday, saying Bremont stole her innocence

If it’s used for winter, sold in a store, chances are it’s flying off the shelf. Snow and ice hit the High Desert, and we all head to the nearest hardware store to stock up for the fight against Mother Nature. “It’s been crazy the last couple days,” Tom Byrne, Ace Hardware store manager in

It’s been 10 years since the La Pine Food Basket Program started after Deschutes County Sheriff Larry Blanton saw a need. It’s a partnership between the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office and The Riverhouse hotel in Bend, along with other partners A few days before Christmas, sheriff’s deputies and Bend police arrived at The Riverhouse to

At BBT Architects in Bend, big plans are in the works. “These projects came at the perfect time for us, and we’re really excited about what it means, for us and Madras,” BBT Principal Architect Renee Alexander said Wednesday. Last spring, Jefferson County voters approved a $26.7 million bond for district wide improvements. One of

The Oregon Public Utility Commission said Wednesday it has approved rules to help resolve rural telephone problems. The rules are aimed at addressing issues such as calls not being connected, dead air, long setup times, and poor voice quality that have been plaguing rural telephone users. Since opening the rulemaking in June 2011 (Docket 1547)

Wild Adventures at the High Desert Museum, public art in the City of Redmond and a celebration of the life and art of the late Apolonia Susana Santos at the Museum at Warm Springs are three of the 23 Arts Build Communities grants funded by the Oregon Arts Commission this month. The grants, totaling $114,000,

Sunriver Resort will end 2012 as it always does, with flurry of charitable activity surrounding their annual Traditions events. Their final donation of the season will be to Newberry Habitat for Humanity for $2,720, which includes funds from Gingerbread Junction “lot sales” and a matching contribution from the Resort. This worthy organization will use the