Month: November 2013

Deschutes County officials revealed Wednesday that Community Development Department workers used their CPR training and an automated external defibrillator machine to save a man’s life earlier this month. Here’s the county’s news release on the incident: On Thursday, November 7 at approximately 10:15 a.m., a regular customer (contractor) of the Deschutes County Community Development Department

Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Mike Lee (R-UT), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Rand Paul (R-KY), Jon Tester (D-MT), and Mark Begich (D-AK) have introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act urging congressional approval as a condition for any American troop presence in Afghanistan past 2014. The Obama administration is reportedly negotiating an agreement that could

This year, the city of Bend said it has improved 277 curb ramps to comply with disabled-access guidelines. The city has been under a federal mandate for years to make city streets more accessible, and some are dissatisfied with progress made so far. Four of those sidewalk ramps were brought up to par this year

It’s been named home to one of the top golf courses in the United States. And now, Pronghorn Resort is getting bigger. “We’re making a $20 million investment,” General Manager Spencer Schaub said Tuesday. “We’re going to be building a 105-room hotel.” Groundbreaking is slated for April. The three-story hotel will go up right by

The Central Oregon Llama Association (COLA) and its members once again are showing their community spirit by joining several local area holiday parades this season. The COLA organization brings people and llamas together, and participating in local community events is just one of the many means this friendly organization supports the economy, education, and community

The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) has awarded Redmond Fire and Rescue the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its budget. According to the Government Finance Officers Association: This award represents a significant achievement by Redmond Fire and Rescue. It reflects the commitment of the fire department and staff to

The Ray’s Food Place grocery stores in Bend and Redmond will close as their parent firm has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, but others in La Pine, Sisters and Prineville will stay open, the company announced Tuesday. C&K Market Inc. plans to close about one-third of its Ray’s Food Place, Shop Smart and Lo Bucks

The Central Oregon Trail Alliance and U.S. Bureau of Land Management are partnering with the Oregon National Guard Youth Challenge to build and improve trails at the Maston Area on Saturday. The 50-plus Youth Challenge cadets will be raking and shoveling sandy areas, digging out loose rocks and back filling necessary areas. The Maston is

You would think that not much could be done to improve the lowly coat hanger — but you would be wrong! Some 1,350 Central Oregon students proposed improvements to gadgets, systems or processes — including the coat hanger — in Inventerprise 2013, the annual science problem-solving contest sponsored by Bend Research, with help from Bend-La

Crook County is hopping aboard the Twitter train. Several agencies, including the sheriff’s office, fire and rescue, health department and Prineville police, plan to use it to get the word out quickly. “This is our kickoff week so right now — our first message is just a greeting,” Prineville police Capt. Michael Boyd said Tuesday.

Law enforcement agencies from across Central Oregon are joining the state in an 11-day “high-visibility enforcement” campaign dedicated to DUII enforcement over the Thanksgiving holiday week, police said Tuesday. Area agencies participating in the increased traffic enforcement include the Bend Police Department, Crook County Sheriff’s Office, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Oregon

Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Reps. Ted Poe, R-Texas, and Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation Tuesday aimed at combating child trafficking. The Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act would support and protect victims of child trafficking with increased resources for law enforcement and victim services that would be funded

Retail experts say Black Friday should be a bit calmer this year. A Nielsen study says just 13 percent of people surveyed will visit a store on Black Friday, down 4 percent from last year. Local businesses hope that means more people will shop locally on Saturday. “This was a storm tree that fell down

A big building boom is on the way for Bend. “Over the next 10 years we will be building between 70,000-140,000 square feet of residential and academic space,” said Kelly Sparks, the associate vice president of finance and strategic planning at OSU-Cascades. To build OSU-Cascades’ four-year university, you need hands — a lot of them.

As Central Oregon changes from fall to winter weather conditions, the Deschutes County Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee wants to remind property owners they need to keep sidewalks clear of snow and ice, for safety and legal reasons. Many residents and business owners are not aware of safe sidewalk codes in each city within the

Beginning Wednesday and continuing as conditions allow, specialists will begin three higher-visibility pile burning operations on the Deschutes National Forest. They are: 1) along Cottonwood Road in Sunriver near the wastewater treatment plant, 2) near Lava Lands Visitor Center, and 3) adjacent to Highway 97 between State Recreation and Vandervert roads. Smoke from these operations

Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum announced Tuesday that Oregon and several other states have entered into a settlement with Google Inc. regarding Google’s manipulation of “cookie” settings on Apple’s Safari web browser in 2011 and 2012. A cookie is a small file placed in a web browser in order to gather information about a user’s

This season, holiday shoppers in Central Oregon can give cheer to area seniors by participating in the Be a Santa to a Senior program. The program – run by the local Home Instead Senior Care office in partnership with Bendbroadband/Zolo Media, COCC Criminal Justice Club, Fox Hollow Independent and Assisted Living, KNLR 97.5 Radio, St.

A dog was injured last week after it got caught in an illegal trap at Shevlin Park, and warning signs have gone up at the popular park west of Bend as authorities urge caution and look for whoever laid the traps. The traps were discovered last Monday and the park was scoured for more traps

A fire that destroyed a pickup camper and killed a 54-year-old man east of Bend early Saturday morning was accidental in nature, but the exact cause could not be determined, officials said Monday. Bend firefighters and Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies found Bruce Hammer’s body in the camper destroyed by fire off Alfalfa Market Road east