Month: March 2013

As you begin spring clean-up on your property, experts say it might help to think like a wildfire. If a fire could reason, it would head for the house first, because it’s the largest fuel source around. There are several potential paths. Blocking each of them greatly improve the odds of your home surviving an

Highway 97 was partially blocked about 23 miles north of Madras for several hours Monday after a low-speed non-injury crash involving two semi trucks, Oregon State Police reported. Troopers said ODOT crews and flaggers were on scene, coordinating vehicle and load removal, which involved removing lumber by hand to transfer onto another vehicle before the

One of the country’s most divisive topics is moving onto one of the biggest stages of debate in America. Starting Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court will begin hearing its first two major cases regarding same-sex marriage: One is the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, a federal law defining marriage as between a man and a

Economic Development for Central Oregon announced late Monday that it has met its obligation to generate $350,000 in pre-paid travel to demonstrate the community’s support of new air service between RDM and LAX by American Airlines. The $350,000 is part of a multi-part incentive package Central Oregon offered American Airlines. As of the close of

The Redmond City Council has proclaimed the week of April 7-13, 2013, as Arbor Week. As our city celebrates Arbor Week, tree plantings in several parks and at the Redmond Wastewater Treatment Plant are scheduled. Arbor Week serves to educate children and adults about the importance of trees, honor the significant role trees play in

ODOT issued a friendly reminder on Monday: Please remove your studded tires by Sunday. Given the current weather forecasts, ODOT said it does not plan to extend the Oregon studded tire season. “ODOT encourages you not to wait until the deadline if you aren’t driving in snow between now and then,” the announcement said. The

There was, once again, little change in the February seasonally adjusted unemployment rates in Central Oregon, the state Employment Department reported Monday, Deschutes (10.5%) and Crook (13.4%) counties saw no change in their unemployment rate from January, while Jefferson County (12.0%) only saw a small reduction from its earlier rate of 12.1 percent. Crook County

During the months of February and March, the Bend Walmart Supercenter donated over 20 pallets of brand new unsold merchandise to the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office for distribution to local community organizations. The over $20,000 worth of donated boxes of product included shoes, clothing, hats, gloves, puzzles, games, and toys. The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office

Two drivers received minor injuries Sunday afternoon and one was cited after a two-car traffic crash on Highway 97 about five miles south of Crescent, Oregon State Police said. Around 4:40 p.m., a 1994 Honda Accord driven by Raymond N. Anderson, 31, from Warm Springs, was northbound on Highway 97 near milepost 191 when it

About four in 10 Oregon households use only wireless phones now, having cancelled their land line telephone service. However, many seniors and people who live in rural areas still depend on landlines, and consumer watchdogs are making sure they do not lose them. Ana Montes, an organizer with The Utility Reform Network, is concerned that

Local robotics team High Desert Droids and their alliance partners (Error Code Xero of Wilsonville and Skunkworks of Des Moines, WA) were the Regional Winners at the Central Washington FIRST Robotics Tournament held March 21-23 at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, WA. Fifty teams – 46 from Washington and 4 from Oregon – participated in

A chilly Sunday morning didn’t stop hundreds from enjoying some mud and icy water in Sunriver. About 350 participants took part in the first “Mudslinger” race — a 1.5-mile race that’s impossible to come away clean from. People crawled through mud pits, climbed over obstacles and mastered a rope course. Many finished caked in mud,

Recent reports show women’s gun ownership and participation in shooting sports in on the rise. The New York Times reports women target shooting increased by more than 50 percent from 2001 to 2011 and more than 40 percent for hunting, according to the National Sporting Goods Association. Gallup poll reported that just 13 percent of

A California truck driver was unhurt Saturday night when he swerved to avoid an animal in the road and his rig overturned along Highway 97 north of Madras. But it’s the animals he was transporting – a load of occupied beehive boxes – that prompted extra caution by first responders, who decided it was best

About 50 Central Oregonians took to the streets of downtown Bend Saturday, demanding gay marriage equality. The group marched along Wall Street, holding up signs and chanting. It was one of many protests held across the U.S. organized by the United for Marriage: Light the Way to Justice. The protests come just days before the

About a dozen protesters who gathered in Bend on Saturday were crying out for stricter gun laws, more background checks and bans on assault-style weapons. “Since the Sandy Hook massacre, more than 2,200 Americans have been shot by guns,” said event organizer Jim Hauser. The group held up signs for hours during a fund-raising event

Six people were injured, one seriously, Friday afternoon in a multi-vehicle crash in the Salt Creek Tunnel on Highway 58 east of Oakridge, Oregon State Police said Saturday. Icy road conditions were a contributing factor in the crash that closed the highway for two hours. According to Trooper Ron Martin, around 4:10 p.m., troopers, local

Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said Saturday they need tips from the public to investigate a gunshot found to have been fired through the front window of a Deschutes River Woods home, apparently early last Friday morning, March 15. No one was injured, but one resident of the home near Baker and Indian Summer roads heard

An April 2 sentencing date was set in court Friday for a Redmond man arrested last July on charges he broke into his ex-wife’s home in Bend, then raped her at knifepoint and threatened to kill her. Jody Gene Brooks, 52, entered into a plea agreement on March 12, pleading guilty to four of the

After three weeks of construction with limited one-lane traffic, starting Monday, Sixth Street in downtown Redmond will be fully closed to traffic between Antler and Deschutes avenues — a bid to speed the improvements and get back to normal faster. “It’s tough, and we just hope the locals don’t forget about us,” Urban Legends owner