Month: June 2013

The tragic news from Arizona late Sunday, of 19 firefighters killed battling a wildfire, no doubt rekindles painful memories for many long-time Central Oregon residents – especially the tight-knit community of Prineville, nearly 19 years after 14 firefighters, including nine Prineville Hotshots, died in a fire on Colorado’s Storm King Mountain. The elite group of

Many like to enjoy a nice cold beer on a hot day, and more than 800 people in Bend Sunday enjoyed their brews on the run. The annual Beer Run is part of the Bite of Bend, and race organizers say it likely attracted a record number of participants. The hot weather didn’t stop unique

From toddlers running a half-mile to elite athletes taking on the marathon and triathlons, it was a big weekend for athletes and Sunriver. The 17th annual Pacific Crest Sports Festival attracted more than 5,500 participants and hundreds of spectators. The competition began Friday with the Tour de Crest bike tour, the half and full marathons

Firefighters and medics were alerted and standing by at Redmond Airport Saturday afternoon as a small plane with three people aboard – and a throttle cable problem – came in for an emergency landing, but it landed safely with no other problems, officials said. The alert was issued shortly before 2 p.m. as the Columbia

A climber at Smith Rock State Park fell 25 to 30 feet Saturday afternoon, prompting a rescue effort to bring him to an area where a Life Flight helicopter picked him up to be flown to a hospital, authorities said. Redmond Fire Department medics responded around 12:20 p.m. to the reported fall in the Rope

The Humane Society of Central Oregon would like to offer tips on keeping your pet safe in the heat. With the temperatures predicted to hover around 100 degrees Fahrenheit for the next few days, the best spot for your pet is inside a safe, cool house. This year the heat has already caused heat exhaustion

You hear about them on the news, but on Saturday, a couple hundred people got to see local K-9s in action. The annual Central Oregon Police K-9 Trials took place at Bend High School. Handlers and their dogs competed in events like handler, protection, fastest dogs and agility. It was all a fundraiser for active

With the recent ruling by the Supreme Court on gay marriage and gay rights, the Central Oregon Pride Festival had even more reason to celebrate on Saturday. The ninth annual event took place in Bend’s Drake Park and dozens came out to celebrate, some wearing colorful rainbow costumes. Organizers told NewsChannel 21 the event gets

Weather forecasters are predicting some of the highest temperatures of the summer for Bend starting this weekend. Now is a great time to revisit your irrigation timer schedule and take advantage of the new irrigation hours that allow watering at night, officials said Friday. The City Council approved new irrigation hours as part of a

School’s out for summer, and kids in Bend may actually look forward to their next encounter with the “heat” this summer, thanks to 7-Eleven® stores’ popular Operation Chill program that rewards positive behavior with a very cool treat. Through Operation Chill®, law enforcement officers from participating local police and sheriff’s departments can “ticket” youngsters caught

Oregon State Police, the Oregon Department of Transportation and law enforcement partners statewide on Friday urged all travelers during the upcoming Fourth of July holiday weekend, and the hot days ahead leading to the holiday, to partner with us in keeping our roads safe for everyone. Last year’s 30-hour Fourth of July holiday period was

Cascade Natural Gas Corp.’s Phase 2 of the west side pipeline replacement project in Bend is scheduled to begin Monday. Cascade is updating infrastructure to ensure customers have safe and efficient gas service now and well into the future. Phase 2 of the project is expected to last through November, weather pending. The project begins

A resident in the Boonesborough area north of Bend reported seeing two cougar cubs in a yard Friday morning, prompting a search that failed to find them or any adult animals, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said. Deputies were dispatched around 8:30 a.m. to the reported sighting of two small cougar cubs at a home on

A 40-year-old Madras man, suspected of trafficking large amounts of methamphetamine throughout Central Oregon, was arrested at a Crooked River Ranch home, just before drug agents raided his Madras mobile home, officers said Thursday. Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team detectives contacted Gonzalo Avila Jr., 40, in the driveway of the CRR home around 12:45 p.m.

School children won’t be back in the classroom for a while yet, but the new school year in Oregon begins Monday 1. It is also the deadline for districts to submit plans for a new teacher evaluation system, mandated by the state Legislature. A few districts started early and developed pilot programs. Erin Whitlock, a

Over the past few months, a series of high-profile cases have highlighted fraud in the food stamp program, called SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) in Oregon. Salem police busted Holver Paniagua-Millan, a produce stand owner, for buying food stamps at 50 cents on the dollar and using them to stock his shelves. They say

A Bend woman who went hiking in the Green Lakes area west of Bend with her dog Thursday called for help when she said patches of snow obscured the trail, leaving her unsure of her location. A rescue team found her about four hours later, officials said. Deschutes County 911 got a cellphone call around

Nearly a year after the Pole Creek Fire sparked near Sisters and burned nearly 27,000 acres, restoration work in underway along Whychus, Snow and Pole creeks. The blaze left the area with blackened trees and bare earth. “When the fire burned through, here it removed all of that protective layer and exposed a lot of

Thursday was National HIV Testing Day, an annual effort to encourage people to get screened for the virus that causes aids. Although Deschutes County did not hold a special event, they want to educate everyone about the importance of testing. “Everywhere,” said Sari Qurada, Deschutes County’s HIV prevention program director. “People are infected, and all

A K-12 state budget has been approved by the Oregon Senate, but some senators and school leaders are unhappy with the decision and hope more money can be found. Senators approved the $6.55 billion education budget Wednesday on a 22-8 vote, but some senators say the work isn’t over, still hoping to get schools more