Month: June 2013

MountainStar Family Relief Nursery is extremely pleased to have received two grant awards totaling $25,000. These generous donations will help to support our core early childhood abuse-prevention services and enable us to take the documentation of our results to a new level. MountainStar is the recipient of a generous Oregon Community Foundation grant totaling $15,000

The cost of child care in Oregon continues to rise, even as wages decline, especially for the state’s most fragile families, a new Oregon State University report said Thursday. According to the report, looking at child care in the state and in every Oregon county, child care prices increased 13 percent from 2004 to 2012

An ongoing enforcement initiative conducted by the U.S. Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division, focused on the restaurant industry in Oregon, has found widespread violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act’s minimum wage, overtime and record-keeping provisions, the agency said Thursday. “The division is committed to strengthening compliance in this industry and is collaborating with

Oregon Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley expressed concern Thursday about revelations that federal officials have collected phone records for millions of Verizon customers; Merkley calls it ‘an outrageous breach of privacy’ Wyden (D-Ore.), released this statement Thursday following news reports alleging that the U.S. Government has collected the phone records of millions of Verizon

Fire investigators said Wednesday a fire at a southeast Redmond wood shaving plant is still smoldering, so they haven’t been able to enter and begin their investigation. Fire Marshal Tracie Cooper said it could be several days before they can begin their investigation into what sparked the blaze. For much of the day Wednesday, firefighters

Searchers found two missing Eugene hikers near George Lake, at the base of Mt. Washington, late Wednesday morning, a few hours after family members reported their situation to authorities. Shortly after 8 a.m., Deschutes County 911 got a report through Lane County dispatchers of the two missing hikers, identified as Glen Baxendale, 74, and Jerry

A stretch of warmer days expected on the High Desert may have many Central Oregonians headed to nearby lakes and rivers. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is asking you to be safe when you hit the waterways. Deputy Bradley Hamlin spends much of his summer patrolling Lake Billy Chinook. “Occasionally, you will find a fire

A Bend woman is blazing a trail east. She’s on a mission to open some eyes to an often-overlooked part of the American West – one right outside our door. NewsChannel 21 was there Wednesday for the first part of her adventure. Wildlife biologist Sage Clegg, 33, knows her trails. She’s hiked what is considered

With the warmer weather in Bend, many people are leaving their cars at home and commuting to work on two wheels. “Biking to work is a great option — it’s healthy, get a suntan, it’s fun,” Commute Options Executive Director Jeff Monson said Tuesday. But it can be dangerous if you don’t follow the rules

A bill honoring the lifelong achievements of former Oregon House Speaker Lynn Lundquist passed the House on a unanimous vote Wednesday. Carried and sponsored by Rep. Mike McLane (R-Powell Butte), House Concurrent Resolution 32 recognizes Lundquist and his legacy of public service. Lundquist died in early April at the age of 78. From 1995 to

Less than a month after a critical bond measure passed to pay for Deschutes County 911 services, the agency’s director has resigned, citing family and health reasons. Last month, voters overwhelmingly passed a new, slightly smaller five-year 911 operating levy by a 3-to-1 ratio. In a letter sent last week to county Administrator Tom Anderson,

After holding the fire through hot and dry afternoon conditions several days in a row and significant mop-up work by firefighters, fire officials declared the 3,300-acre Gordon Butte Fire along the Lower Deschutes River contained at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday. A helicopter and hotshot crews have been released, while two engines remain to patrol the fire

Redmond school officials say 29 valedictorians will be graduating on Friday night. A new way grade point averages were measured prompted a policy change, and several students say they’re pleased with the outcome. “It’s definitely bittersweet,” Lili Wager said Monday as she described graduating high school. Wagner and Whitney Allen are two of this year’s

Bend-area home prices have jumped more than 20 percent from a year ago, CoreLogic reported Tuesday. The data shows home prices in the Bend metro area (Deschutes County) rose by 20.3 percent in the year ending in April. The report says that includes a 2.5 percent rise from March to April. Meanwhile, CoreLogic says, U.S.

The state Board of Parole and Post-Prison Supervision reversed course Tuesday and decided not to release a man who killed a John Day police officer in 1992 — at least, not until the fall. The board issued a brief statement, saying it had rescinded the scheduled Friday release of Sidney Dean Porter, “after consultation with

Landing your first job can be a job in itself. “I have no experience, no connections so it’s going to be tough to find someone that will let me in,” a Summit High School junior looking for work said Tuesday. “One of the problems is, nobody hires under 18,” another student said of his struggle

Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum on Tuesday invited homeowners who fear they may fall into foreclosure to participate in the “new and improved” Oregon Foreclosure Avoidance Program. The program should become available in early August, 61 days after Gov. John Kitzhaber on Tuesday signed into law Senate Bill 1552. The new program, just like the

Downtown Bend Athletic Club trainer Scott Schaffer, 49, is a professional body builder, and said he works out 20 minutes a week. He’s using his knowledge to help his clients who have misconceptions about working out. A six pack and bulging biceps is pretty normal for a bodybuilder, but it’s the way Schaffer stays fit

A community radio station in Bend is expanding its reach to listeners to tell them more of what’s happening in our area. KPOV, a non-profit station, began airing a new news program five weeks ago. KPOV has been broadcasting to Central Oregonians since 2005, and its latest program has been on the minds of many

St. Charles Health System is one of five health systems in the country highlighted for an innovative behavioral health initiative in a June 3 American Hospital Association letter addressed to President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. AHA President and CEO Rich Umbdenstock sent the letter in response to the president’s call to help