Month: July 2013

Gov. John Kitzhaber on Tuesday ordered all flags at public institutions to be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Wednesday in honor of John Percin, Jr. “John Percin, Jr., was a graduate of West Linn High School and a member of one of the country’s distinguished hotshot fire crews,” said Governor Kitzhaber. “He

A Baker City-area Interstate 84 rest area and the freeway’s westbound lanes were closed Tuesday morning due to a leak of a hazardous flammable toxic liquid from a barrel in a pickup bed, Oregon State Police said. A cleanup crew was en route as the Oregon Department of Transportation, OSP and Baker City Fire Department

The Bend Police Department said Tuesday it will be designating two officers to the downtown district through the summer months Officers Wes Murphy and Joe Pacheco “will be assigned to downtown in an effort to be more responsive to the increased calls for service during the summer months,” said Lt. Chris Carney. “These officers will

A 25-year-old Bend man was found dead Monday morning after his SUV left a road south of Malheur Lake in rural Harney County and overturned, Oregon State Police reported Troopers said they are looking into the cause of the crash, but said David Guzman-Ramirez, 25, was not wearing a seat belt and was thrown from

A Bend woman was critically injured Monday afternoon in a collision involving her motorcycle and an SUV at the intersection of Highway 20 and Cook Avenue in Tumalo, Oregon State Police said Tuesday. The SUV driver was cited for failure to yield, they added. According to OSP Sgt. David Pond, around 2:25 p.m., a Harley

The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department will hold an open house July 29 to receive public comment on the proposed designation of the Kiwa Butte/Dina Moe Humm Trail as a State Designated Regional Scenic Trail. The trail is primarily used for mountain biking and is located southwest of Bend. The open house will be held

After 80 years serving homes on Bend’s Westside, Cascade Natural Gas decided it’s time to update the aging pipes. “We’re replacing it with a polyethylene pipe,” utility Gas Operations Manager John Brand said Monday. “So (it’s) basically a plastic gas pipe that doesn’t corrode at all, bringing it up to modern standards, if you will.”

As more details emerge about the tragedy in Arizona, Central Oregon firefighters say safety is the No. 1 thing they focus on. Before a new firefighter even sets foot on the fire line. they first have to go through a week-long training course. “For an entry-level firefighter, the first thing that happens is they attend

New and expecting parents these days are having to worry about paying for much more than diapers, formula and the hospital bill. Child care in Oregon is more expensive than nearly anywhere else in the country. According to a new report from Oregon State University, only two other states charge more. The average annual cost

High temperatures on the High Desert are sending many to the pool to beat the heat. But how much faith do you put in the lifeguards watching you and your family? Lifeguards have to go through an extensive training program to learn first aid, CPR and rescues. The local Red Cross has a program that

The firefighting tragedy in Arizona rekindles many painful memories for people here in Central Oregon. A memorial in Prineville was erected in honor of the 14 firefighters that died 19 years ago this Saturday in Colorado, as well as wildland firefighters from the past, present and future. “He enjoyed smoke jumping. He jumped some 100

A wildfire in northern Arizona killed 19 firefighters over the weekend, many of them from Prescott. On Monday, several people talked about the fallen heroes, celebrating their lives and the sacrifice they made to keep others safe. The flames spread quickly through the forests of northern Arizona, taking the lives of 19 elite firefighters in

The noise and bright lights of fireworks delight humans, but can terrify our companion animals. The week surrounding the 4 th of July is the Humane Society of Central Oregon’s busiest week of the year. There is a dramatic increase in lost and frightened animals due to the sounds of fireworks. If you lose or

This year’s 4 th of July Pilot Butte public fireworks display will commence at approximately 10pm on Thursday, July 4 th . In preparation, the Oregon State Parks Department and Bend Fire Department ask that the community observe the following restrictions to Pilot Butte State Park from July 2 through July 5: The access road

Have you wondered how your County tax dollars are spent? Do you know what services Deschutes County provides to you? For the fourth consecutive year, County residents have an opportunity* to enroll in Deschutes County College, a free and fun program aimed at educating the community about County government. Deschutes County is committed to engaging

Bend Area Habitat for Humanity and Heart of Oregon Corps are hiring! We’re looking for Clean Energy Service AmeriCorps crew members to work on weatherization and construction sites alongside Habitat for Humanity crew leaders and volunteers. If you are 18-24 years old and are looking for training in construction and clean energy job skills while

More than two-fifths (44 percent) of Oregon’s job vacancies in fall 2012 were reported by employers as “difficult to fill,” according to a new report from the Oregon Employment Department. Major findings about Oregon’s difficult-to-fill job vacancies include: –Difficult-to-fill vacancies are more likely to require education beyond high school and much more likely to require

At the June program meeting, Meyer Memorial Trust’s board of trustees awarded four grants worth $90,000 to nonprofit organizations in Central Oregon. Three of the grants were made in the Grassroots Grants program, which awards grants up to $40,000, usually to smaller organizations. The remaining award – $20,000 to Jefferson County Habitat for Humanity –

Highway 20/Cascade Avenue will be again be closed to traffic from 6 am to 4 pm on Saturday, July 13 for the Sisters Quilt Show. Westbound traffic (coming from Bend & Redmond) will be routed north on Locust St., west on Barclay Drive and south onto Larch St. for access to downtown and the show.

The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department on Monday launched a new photo contest to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Governor Oswald West’s landmark 1913 bill protecting public access to the Oregon coastline. OPRD is inviting people to submit both contemporary and historic family photos of recreation on the Oregon shore throughout the month of July