Month: February 2013

It’s the day of love, and while many spent Valentine’s Day celebrating with flowers and chocolate, others here in Central Oregon rallied together to show their support for same-sex marriage. “If two people love each other, they should be able to be together, and be recognized as together,” Bend resident and same-sex marriage supporter Victoria

Love is in the air on Valentine’s Day, but why should you go all out for your partner just one day out of the year? You shouldn’t, says Bend Family Therapy licensed marriage and family therapist Kristin James. James says only about half of all relationships last more than seven years, and one of the

A Redmond fugitive who had threatened police and his parole officer refused to pull over Thursday morning, sparking an on-and-off chase from southwest Redmond into the Terrebonne area that ended when his SUV crashed into an OSP pickup truck, police said. The pursuit began around 10:45 a.m. after the driver of a black Chevy Suburban

Oregon State Police said Thursday it recently received grant funding from the Oregon Department of Transportation for overtime enforcement on selected state highways to curb often tragic “roadway departure crashes.” A “roadway departure crash” is defined as a non-intersection crash which occurs after a vehicle crosses an edge line or a center line, or otherwise

Now available for purchase at the Central Oregon Visitors Association, the 2013 Central Oregon Golf Trail Players Card is back at an even more amazing value with four additional courses. Due to expected high demand and limited supply, customers are urged to act quickly. Player’s Card holders get one 50% green fee discount at each

Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Rand Paul, R-Ky., Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., today introduced legislation that would allow American farmers to grow and profit from industrial hemp. The Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2013 would remove federal restrictions on the domestic cultivation of industrial hemp. Specifically, the bill would remove

Every year, the federal government spends billions of dollars funding research into science, technology, energy, medicine and more. This research often leads to innovations that create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of people. However, much of it is published behind the paywall of peer-reviewed journals, limiting access to innovators and the

It’s a day based around love, romance and chocolate. A day when couples are supposed to tell each other how much they mean to one another. For one Bend couple, this is their 59th Valentine’s Day together. Lloyd Cook met Ruth in February of 1953 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during a trip to see his brother.

A Prineville man pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to possessing a firearm and ammunition after being convicted in an Oregon court of domestic violence — a law that federal prosecutors say they are looking to enforce more often. According to court documents and statements, Willard Bryan Wilhelm, 33, pleaded guilty without a plea agreement

Bend police wanted a way to track crime, and possibly even stop it before it occurs. So they recently created a new position and hired a crimes analyst to research and track trends — and it’s already paying off. Armed with technology, an ability to see patterns and experience with crime in Los Angeles ,

Thousands of dollars were raised over the holiday season in downtown Bend through a community effort called A Christmas of Change. ACOC is an annual event designed to raise funds to support the work of local charities, to help the celebration in downtown for the month of December, and to foster a greater sense of

A new, yet not so new measure for Deschutes County voters will be on the May ballot. A property tax which helps pay for the 911 dispatch center will be expiring this summer, and voters will be asked if they want to keep it in place for five more years, officials said Thursday. “A lot

The Bend WinterFest starts this Friday, an event that attracts more than 30,000 people. One of the more popular events: ice carving. And a Bend man will be there, carving away. To get to Jason Waldron’s creativity with ice, it starts with a piece of wood. “It starts with a manzanita, usually kind of inspires

Bend police Sgt. Scott Vincent has roamed the halls of Summit High School for just four months, but he’s become a familiar face, armed with a new program known as “Text a Tip.” “It allows them to contact the school’s resource officer and communicate with them back and forth and get an idea of what

Secretary of State Kate Brown today unveiled the online version of the 2013-2014 Oregon Blue Book, the state’s official almanac. “The publication of the Blue Book is a special occasion for all Oregonians,” said Secretary Brown. “It’s an opportunity to review our state’s history and revel in its natural beauty and cultural institutions.” The release

A Bend man urges you to be prepared if you ever plan on heading into the backcountry, and he should know: Recently, he helped dig out a man trapped in an avalanche at Utah’s Alta Ski Area. “By the time we got to his face, he was unconscious,” Todd Glew, a guide with Timberline Mountain

A rise in salmonella illnesses in 2012 linked to chicken in Oregon and Washington is a reminder that all poultry products carry the risk of contamination, but proper handling and preparation of chicken will help people avoid illness, officials said Wednesday. Last year, Oregon saw 56 cases of Salmonella Heidelberg, a marked increase over previous

Dredge out the silt, or pull out the century-old dam and let Mirror Pond return to a more natural-flowing Deschutes River? Those are two of the options Bend community members are being asked to consider. And perhaps nobody has more on the line than the homeowners fronting Bend’s icon. “It’s an icon to the city

A new CNN/ORC poll just released shows 53 percent of Americans who watched the President Obama’s speech gave him a thumbs up. Central Oregonians say moving forward, jobs need to the his top priority. “It is our generations task then to re-ignite the true engine of America’s true economic growth, a rising, thriving middle class,”

Deschutes National Forest Supervisor John Allen said Wednesday he has signed a decision on the Mt. Bachelor Ski Area Improvement Project. The decision will allow a series of improvements proposed by the ski resort to move forward over the next 10 years, officials said. In 2010, Mt. Bachelor, Inc. submitted a proposal to the Forest