Month: July 2013

GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — Officials say a wind-driven wildfire near the rural Southern Oregon community of Williams has been 75 percent contained after racing across half a square mile and destroying one vacant home and several vehicles. Rogue Valley Incident Management Team spokesman Don Hickman said as many as 150 homes were threatened earlier

GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — Officials say a wind-driven wildfire near the rural Southern Oregon community of Williams has been 75 percent contained after racing across half a square mile and destroying one vacant home and several vehicles. Rogue Valley Incident Management Team spokesman Don Hickman said as many as 150 homes were threatened earlier

A fire broke out in the kitchen area of the lodge at Kah-Nee-Ta Resort & Spa on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation late Thursday afternoon and spread to the attic area, causing extensive fire and water damage and forcing closure of the resort’s lodge for an undetermined time, authorities said. On Friday, General Manager Carlos

The Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems (OAHHS) honored Rep. Jason Conger (R – Bend) Thursday as their Legislator of the Year. The award recognizes Rep. Conger’s work on hospital and healthcare issues during the 2013 Oregon Legislature. “Rep. Conger was a tireless advocate for Oregon’s hospitals this session,” said Andy Davidson, president and

A passer-by’s pounding on a neighbor’s door and a Madras police officer’s use of a garden hose kept a small porch fire that damaged a vacant southeast Madras duplex early Friday from possibly getting much larger, officials said. The neighbor of the unoccupied duplex at 496 SE Ninth Street was awakened around 4:45 a.m. by

St. Charles-Bend is ranked as the third-best hospital in Oregon for 2013-14 by U.S. News & World Report, the hospital reported Friday. The annual U.S. News Best Hospitals rankings, now in their 24th year, recognize hospitals that excel in treating the most challenging patients. St. Charles-Bend actually tied for third in the Oregon rankings, behind

Due to hot and dry weather conditions and the low amount of live fuel moisture, the Bend Fire Department, in conjunction with Oregon Department of Forestry said Friday it has increased the level of fire danger to “extreme.” Fires under extreme conditions begin and spread quickly, and burn intensely. All fires are potentially serious for

The Deschutes Public Library in downtown Bend was evacuated and adjacent roads closed late Thursday morning after someone found what looked like a hand grenade — but it turned out to be a bicycle lock fashioned to look like such a device, police said. Sgt. Dan Ritchie said a woman found the item in bushes

The city of Bend said Friday it is conducting an independent audit of transient room tax collections that’s expanded to include vacation rental properties not registered with the city. TRT is the tax paid when someone stays at a hotel, motel or rental property in Bend. This year, the expanded audit is “an effort to

Fire managers will institute Industrial Fire Precaution Level-II restrictions for the Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests, Crooked River National Grassland, and Prineville District of the Bureau of Land Management at midnight Sunday. “Our conditions are relatively dry for this time of year, it’s been getting drier,” Fire Manager Doug Johnson said Thursday. Under an Industrial

Oregon lawmakers recently passed a bill to regulate the use of drones, saying police cannot use them without a warrant, unless it’s an emergency. It’s a controversial issue here in Oregon and across the United States. On Thursday, the City Club of Central Oregon brought the debate to Bend. “Cameras can sense nitrogen levels, nutrition

This weekend, the annual Balloons Over Bend will be putting on a colorful display. Along with that display are elements that may frighten animals. The unknown sight of a low-flying balloon and its shadow can scare any animal. The unpredictable landings may bring a balloon into one’s backyard. The sound of the hot air balloons

The group pushing to ban single-use plastic bags in Bend addressed the Bend City council at Wednesday night’s meeting. but left without any response. Alisdair Nielsen addressed councilors in the visitor’s section of the agenda, urging city leaders to adopt a resolution banning the bags. Nielsen told councilors his group has support of several stores

The American Red Cross on Thursday launched the Team Red Cross Mobile App, which allows people to sign up to help, get an overview on basic tasks and receive notifications about Red Cross disaster volunteer opportunities in their community. “When people see an emergency happening in their community, they often want to help but may

A hiker descending from the summit of South Sister fell 10 to 20 feet and was briefly knocked unconscious Wednesday, prompting a rescue effort in which an AirLink helicopter flew Deschutes County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue medics to the scene, then took the hiker to the hospital. Deputies were dispatched around noon to the report

Citizens, advocates and local businesses came together Wednesday to again call on the Bend City Council to ban plastic bags, but the plea at its meeting prompted no response or action. The event, hosted by citizen-based environmental advocacy organization Environment Oregon, is part of their effort to keep plastic bags out of the Pacific and

Several wildfires broke out around Central and south-central Oregon Wednesday afternoon, including one that closed Highway 97 in Klamath County for two hours, sending smoke across the road as it quickly grew to about 10 acres. That fire, called the Military Fire, broke out around 1:30 p.m., burning in private timber and brush along the

Stand up paddleboarding is a sport that’s exploding in popularity in the U.S. and in Central Oregon. In this week’s edition of “Get Started,” NewsChannel 21’s Kim Tobin gets some lessons in how to stay afloat. Before splashing into the water, Sun Country Tours owner Dennis Oliphant makes sure his clients learn the basics on

Putting one foot in front of the other, Bend resident Sage Clegg watched more than 600 miles pass beneath her, plus 200 more miles on bike. “You look out east and it looks dry and boring,” Clegg said Wednesday. “But it’s not — there are so many hidden gems in our own backyard.” Clegg set

Wednesday’s planned 200-acre prescribed fire on the east side of the Crooked River National Grassland known as “North Cyrus” has been postponed until further notice due to unfavorable weather conditions, officials said. The North Cyrus project is located in between highways 97 and 26, about seven miles northeast of Terrebonne and 12 miles north/north east