Month: December 2013

It’s less than three weeks to Christmas, and while Bend may not be the biggest city around, businesses have plenty of locally made gift options for everyone this holiday season. Here’s how you can put a little Bend under your Christmas tree> Whether they’re naughty or nice, Bend’s gift list covers them all. “Think beer,”

A fund has been established for donations toward the medical expenses for a 23-year-old Madras woman allegedly shot and critically injured by her boyfriend last weekend. The donation account was set up at U.S. Bank in Jessica Haynes’ name, according to her sister, Melissa Schonneker. Haynes, though still in critical condition, has stabilized for now

J Bar J Youth Services is pleased to announce the award of a $25,000 grant for one year of capacity-building to meet the needs of at-risk youth in Central Oregon. J Bar J is seeking to further diversify revenue for the five programs serving teens which include; Academy at Sisters, Big Brothers Big Sisters of

Winter weather has led DMV to rescheduling drive tests at several locations around Oregon on Friday , but most offices remain open for business. DMV will call to reschedule drive tests due to weather-related cancellations. DMV suggests that you first check OregonDMV.com before visiting any field office in person, especially in winter weather conditions. Customers

The National Weather Service reports that bitterly cold air along with any sustained winds will produce dangerously low wind chill temperatures of below zero Friday night through Sunday morning over much of the High Desert. People should dress appropriately in layered clothing and cover any exposed skin to prevent frost bite. Frost bite and hypothermia

With winter’s firm grip on Central Oregon, many of the area’s lakes, rivers and ponds have frozen over, prompting a warning from area firefighters. “There is ice everywhere — especially on the river it can be really, really iffy,” Bend Fire Capt. Chuck Goss said. “I wouldn’t venture out any pond that isn’t already established

An Amber Alert was issued Thursday in Benton County, Wash., for a 14-year-old Kennewick girl who was abducted and is believed to be in danger. Police are looking for Elizabeth Romero, who was last seen getting into a green Ford Escape at 1800 W 7th Avenue in Kennewick on Wednesday. Her family believes she may

An abandoned building collapsed in southwest Redmond Thursday afternoon, one day before it was scheduled to be torn down, police said. It occurred around 2 p.m. at the old warehouse for Eberhard’s Dairy, at SW Fourth and Cascade Avenue Police said a construction working preparing the building for demolition hit some main support columns. When

In mid-December, the Sisters Ranger District will close a public comment period on two paved path projects in the Sisters area that was reopened in early November. The public comment period, which was reopened on November 7 to allow for more public discussion about the project and included a public field trip, will close on

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., made a stop in Bend Thursday, one of several where he’s talking about issues related to charitable giving — a timely issue at the holidays — and vowing to fight to preserve tax deductions that help fuel donations. After answering questions from students at Summit High, Wyden and officials with several

St.Vincent de Paul Redmond will host a warming center on Sat. Dec.7 from 8-5 p.m. Hot beverages, soup, blankets, sleeping bags for homeless and others in need. The location is 1612 SW Veterans Way in Redmond, the Social Services site for SVDP Redmond. SVDP will also be partnering with the Pet Evacuation Team on Saturdayto

The Pet Evacuation Team (P.E.T.) warns of dangerous sub-zero temperatures and advises how to care for outdoor animals. Possible temperature drops to minus 25 for this weekend and beyond are a real danger to both people and animals. If you have outdoor animals, Regional P.E.T. Coordinator Jamie Kanski recommends the following steps to keep your

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office will participate in a statewide traffic safety campaign focusing on DUII enforcement during the 2013 holiday season. The campaign will run from December 13, 2013 through January 2, 2014. As part of the campaign, the sheriff’s office will increase traffic patrols directly focusing on DUII related investigations. The Deschutes County

Applications for the OSU Master Gardener™ Program in Central Oregon are now available. The program targets individuals interested in becoming a trained volunteer who wants to learn and share research-based gardening information. Program starts with ten classes that meet on Saturdays from 9 am – 4 pm, January 18 – April 5, 2014 at OSU

The Bend City Council unanimously passed a resolution Wednesday night, backing the Mirror Pond Ad-Hoc Committee’s view that the iconic pond should stay. But they acknowledged that costs, regulations and talks with Pacific Power over the fate of the century-old dam that created it will weigh into the final outcome. “It’s a complicated situation,” Mayor

As frigid, below-freezing temperatures hit Central Oregon, the Humane Society of Central Oregon would like to remind people to provide extra care for their pets. Pets are best kept inside. Bring your pet inside when the temperature drops to 32 degrees with the wind-chill factor. Dogs and cats can get frost bitten ears, nose, and

On Friday, Redmond’s BrightSide Animal Center will receive eight dogs as part of the Wings of Rescue airlift that is bringing 500 dogs facing euthanasia in California to shelters and rescue organizations in Oregon and other northwestern states. “The plane will be touching down in Redmond sometime tomorrow; we’re awaiting confirmation of the time of

Beginning Friday, depending upon weather conditions, the Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District will conduct pile burning in the area around Phil’s trailhead west of Bend. The pile burning will not cause any trail closures; however, people recreating in the area may encounter smoke particularly around the trailhead and The Lair. The pile burning will be done

Lights-R-Us in Bend specializes in installing holiday lights — with not just any bulb. “We started a business installing LED holiday lights seven years ago,” owner Brennan Morrow said Wednesday. Light emitting diodes, or LEDs, are this season’s hot Christmas lights trend. “This year, we were blindsided. We sold out in less than a week,”

Bend resident Craig Wilhelm served in the Army in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now he’s entering a new, quite different field of combat: politics. The 42-year-old announced Wednesday he’ll seek the Democratic nomination for Oregon House District 54. Wilhelm, vice president of business development for Resource Recycling Technologies, is the first Democrat to file, but the