Month: April 2013

Because of its efforts to reduce the vulnerability of homes and landscapes to wildfire, Deschutes River Woods, with assistance from volunteers of the rural subdivision’s neighborhood association, has earned Firewise Communities/USA® recognition from the National Firewise Communities Program. “This award is the culmination of 10-plus years of effort on the part of DRW residents to

A smile is never too far from 15-year old Eli Reimer’s face, even at 17,598 feet. “For him, even if he was tired, it didn’t take much to get him to smile. And that did inspire us,” Eli’s dad, Justin Reimer, said Wednesday, after father and son returned home from the adventure of a lifetime.

In order to improve access to higher education in the rural areas of Central Oregon, The Partnership to End Poverty has awarded the La Pine Parks and Recreation Foundation a $25,000 grant. The funds will be used to hire a part-time educational coordinator and work closely with Central Oregon Community College to develop credit and

On Tuesday, Caldera welcomed five artists for a curated residency called East Meets West. Empowered by the Golden Spot Award from The Ford Family Foundation, Caldera has created this special two-week residency to bring together artists from the east and west sides of the state. With a belief in an aesthetic influence of place, artists

Last summer, when a gunman held up the Arco gas station near NE 27 th Street and Highway 20, it took six months to make an arrest in the case. After a masked man’s holdup Wednesday night, it took only about three hours, thanks to an observant officer on the other side of town, police

Funds are now available to help qualified homebuyers in Redmond, LaPine and Bend, through the two-year-old Neighborhood Stabilization Program, according to Cyndy Cook, executive director of Housing Works, which administers the grants in Redmond and La Pine. In Bend, the city’s Affordable Housing Division administers the funds. “The assistance program applies federal stimulus money to

Secretary of State Kate Brown released a performance audit Wednesday that recommends significant changes to increase accountability in the Oregon University System and its seven universities. Oregon leaders agree that a college education is a key to the state’s future and are working to strengthen the Oregon University System. The audit report found several areas

Bend Spay and Neuter Project wants Central Oregon to “Beat the Heat” this April, so they are offering $10 spay surgeries for female cats all month long! This program is being offered in an effort to reduce the number of unwanted kittens who will end up at the Humane Society of Central Oregon this spring

A NE Bend home sustained more than $10,000 in damage Wednesday night from a chimney fire that most likely was caused by improper flue installation, fire officials said. Firefighters were called shortly after 8 p.m. to the home owned by John Evans at 365 NE McCartney Drive, said Bend fire Capt. Don Segal. It originally

Until a few years ago, 32-year-old Christi Bruchok had never ridden a bike. “At a young age, I kind of learned to not hate… but I had an aversion to the outdoors and activities like that,” Bruchok said Wednesday. Now she and her boyfriend, Tauru Chaw, are pedaling together through a 17,000-mile tandem bike ride.

When a wildfire ignites, a home can catch fire in just seconds. On Wednesday, fire experts held a demonstration at Lane Knolls Estates in southeast Bend to show what good defensible space should look like around a home. When flames start burning, fire crews say they’ve seen many homeowners have regrets about steps not taken.

The sudden passing of former Oregon House Speaker Lynn Lundquist was a shock to many. For one of his friends and former colleagues, it’s his passion he will miss the most. “Lynn sort of lived the renaissance life. He was a politician. He was a farmer. He was a government official. He was a business

The House Human Services and Housing Committee voted unanimously Wednesday to pass HB 3440, a bipartisan bill to extend Temporary Assistance for Needy Families aid to struggling families. “Many Oregon families have fallen on hard times during this recession,” said Rep. Jason Conger (R – Bend) one of three chief sponsors of the bill. “Our

Whole Foods Market® has selected The Environmental Center to receive 5% of all sales on Wednesday, April 24th. “Caring about our communities and environment is one of our company’s core values. The partnership between Whole Food Market® and The Environmental Center is a perfect example of how two like-minded organizations can come together and do

Saving Grace will hold its semi-annual volunteer training over the course of three weeks starting Saturday, April 20, through Thursday, May 9. The 40-hour training, which will be held over a series of Tuesday and Thursday evenings (with the exception of one Wednesday) and three Saturdays, will prepare volunteers to work directly with the individuals

A Bend man was arrested early Wednesday on car theft and other charges after he eluded Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies near La Pine, then returned to the area hours later and drove up and down the street, honking the horn, deputies said. Around 9:20 p.m. Tuesday, a deputy spotted a suspicious car in the area

A 20-year-old Bend man was arrested early Wednesday, accused of stabbing his roommate several times during a dispute a short time earlier, police said. Police responded around 1:30 a.m. to a home at 387 SE Dell Lane on a reported stabbing, said Sgt. Tom Pine. Arriving officers found Jesse James West, 23, inside the home

Thirty one out of 36 businesses visited in Prineville passed a check for alcohol sales to minors by refusing to sell alcohol to a minor volunteer. The sales checks were performed March 20 by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, the agency said Wednesday. The sales check resulted in a compliance rate of 86 percent which

Yearone of a block grant program for Oregon counties impacted by wolf depredationhas gone relatively smoothly, officials said Wednesday, but less funds are available for round two, evenas thestate’s known population of wolves continues to grow. Nonetheless, the state Department of Agriculture said mosteveryone agrees that the money spent to compensate Eastern Oregon ranchers forlivestock

A Sept. 17th murder trial date was set Tuesday for an 86-year-old La Pine-area man accused of fatally shooting his 83-year-old wife, as court documents revealed he claimed to have done so because he was sure his wife and daughter were conspiring to kill him. Attorneys in the case of Lawrence Loeffler met with Deschutes