Month: March 2013

KIDS Center (Kids Intervention and Diagnostic Service Center), a non-profit child abuse intervention center serving all of Central Oregon, cares for victims of child abuse every day, including over 890 children in 2012. Dedicated equally to the prevention of child abuse, KIDS Center again kicks off the Blue Ribbon Campaign this April. The Blue Ribbon

Pacific Power warned customers and the public Thursday to be wary of giving their information out, especially right now, because of a phone scam targeting utility customers in Oregon and Washington. Crooks are posing as customer service agents and trying to get money and steal personal information. “We urge our customers to be extremely careful

Business supporters of the United Way of Deschutes County gathered together at St. Charles Health Care banquet facility Wednesday for the annual Workplace Appreciation Breakfast. This event provided an opportunity for United Way to recognize workplace supporters and to express gratitude and appreciation for the contributions of area companies, employee groups, and volunteer workplace campaign

For the second year, the High Desert Porsche Club has set aside scholarship funds to enable area high school students to attend a Deschutes County’s SkidCar training. The $2,000 donated by the car club for scholarships enables 22 students to attend the training. Most have already attended a class this month, and the last student

With games beginning in mid-April, adult softball season is fast approaching at the Bend Park & Recreation District. Local men and women ages 18 and over are invited to get their teams and sponsors in order. Teams are a minimum of 12 players. League fees are $745 per competitive league team and $350 per recreational

The quilted masterpiece, Two Rivers, Three Sisters, is returning from a three-month exhibition in Portland to display at St. Charles-Bend. This unique, forty foot long quilt made by eighteen Central Oregon master quilters will hang in the hospital gallery during April and May. “Hundreds of people saw the quilts in Portland and I had numerous

Caregivers at Pioneer Memorial Hospital were beaming with excitement this week, as they watched 13 brand new hospital beds being assembled in the hallway! The 2012 goal for the Prineville Hospital Foundation was to purchase the new in-patient beds costing $115,000 to replace beds that were over 17 years old and functionally obsolete. Daleena Green,

Deschutes County remains among the 100 fastest-growing metro areas in the nation, despite the struggle to recover from a big recession hit, new Census Bureau figures out Thursday show. Deschutes County (now classified as the Bend-Redmond Metro Area) grew by 2.9 percent, or 4,382 people, between the April 2010 Census and last July 1, to

Three Bend fires that were fortunately stopped small in recent days have prompted reminders from fire officials about some simple ways to prevent blazes from igniting in the first place. In the first incident, around 9 a.m. Saturday, firefighters responded to a reported roof fire at a home at 18890 Shoshone Road in Deschutes River

An advisory committee again dug into the discussion Wednesday of options about the future of Mirror Pond amid a host of questions about cost, sustainability and wildlife. The Mirror Pond Management Committee held a work session to discuss the focus of an assortment of options to deal with the silt buildup and the pond’s future.

Deschutes County officials said Wednesday they may trim a planned May 21 ballot proposal to fund 911 services, even before it’s sent to voters. On Feb. 25, county commissioners approved putting the local option levy renewal on the May 21 ballot. The levy renews a current rate of 23 cents per $1,000 assessed value for

It took a day and a half for 115 cardinals to choose a new leader of the Catholic Church. To the cheers of hundreds of thousands, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina appeared, ready to lead the church. The newly chosen pope selected Francis as his new name. As he greeted the throng gathered St. Peters

Twenty nonprofit organizations throughout the state, including Bend, will receive $87,870 in grants from Oregon Humanities for public programs in 2013–14 that create conversation about some of Oregon’s most compelling issues, including urban gentrification, intercultural understanding, and the immigrant experience. The 2013 Public Program Grant recipients, listed by city, are as follows: Ashland—$5,000 to Chautauqua

Health advocates are asking the Oregon Legislature to nearly double the state tax on a pack of cigarettes, from $1.18 to $2.18. Deschutes County health experts said Wednesday that statistics show higher taxes can help curb smoke, but one business owner says he believes the tobacco industry is being unfairly targeted. “Do you know how

Sisters voters passed a school district local option tax Tuesday night — nearly 80 percent of those voting supported the plan. As you might expect, it was all smiles at the school district headquarters Wednesday. Passing the levy is worth $1.2 million a year to the district – so it means there won’t be any

Whole Foods has made an announcement that could change the way you do your grocery shopping. It all has to do with three letters: GMO. They stand for genetically modified organisms and it has to do with how your food is grown. There’s differing opinions on whether GMO are actually bad for you, but Whole

One week after a string of seven arson fires hit downtown Bend, police released a new damage figure for two church buildings — $2 million in total — as they continue hunting for any suspects. Lt. Chris Carney said the main building of Trinity Episcopal Church, built in 1929 and listed on the National Register

A couple staying at a Sisters motel got a shocking wake-up early Wednesday – an alleged burglar who then ran, sparking a cat-and-mouse search through town until he was found hiding in a lumber yard, authorities said. Shortly after 6 a.m., Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the reported burglary at the Sisters Inn

Implemented in stages since 2001, Oregon law requires Oregon residents 12-years-of-age and older who operate powered boats of more than 10-horsepower to obtain their Mandatory Boater Education card. Failure to have a card under the above conditions might result in a $110 ticket. This card is NOT a license to operate a boat, as there

An assessment released Wednesday by the Northwest Power and Conservation Council shows that the efficiency of electricity use continues to improve and that the region is on track to meet the council’s goal to improve efficiency by 1,200 average megawatts in the five years between 2010 and 2014. Expressed as power generation, that is enough