Month: December 2013

Bend police are seeking the public’s help in finding a thief who forced his way through the gate of an RV storage facility and drove away with a 23-foot trailer Friday morning. Officer Don Jordan said a while male adult, 30 to 50 years old, broke into the storage facility on S. Highway 97 around

A shed and walkway cover was destroyed by a fire that sent up tall flames visible across Madras late Saturday night, but fire crews saved much of the adjacent, long-vacant house, officials said. Jefferson County Fire District No. 1 crews were called to the reported structure fire around 11:40 p.m. at 212 SW Fourth Street,

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office – Adult Jail Transport Division, coordinates safe and secure inmate transportation to and from court, medical appointments and other court related appearances. This division is also a member of the Northwest Shuttle system, which coordinates prisoner transfer between jails and prisons throughout the Northwest. In 2013, the Transport Division logged

A two-story home southwest of Redmond was destroyed by a fierce fire visible for miles Friday evening, and while no one was home and no injuries were reported, the blaze displaced a family with two children just days before Christmas, officials said. Redmond Fire and Rescue crews responded just before 7 p.m. to the reported

Ky Karnecki’s Wild Mountain produce and jerky stand was dismantled Friday, just days after he filed a $2.5 million federal lawsuit against the city of Sisters. His temporary use permit expired on October 21, and he’s continued to operate without a permit. He said the city gave him a building code for permanent use rather

A Redmond woman has been sentenced to three years’ probation and forbidden from owning any animals for five years after 24 cats, three rats and a dog were seized from her mobile home last spring, Deschutes County District Attorney Patrick Flaherty said Friday. Neighbors of Catherine Hicks, 59, contacted sheriff’s deputies last April 2, concerned

Morning Star Christian School in Bend is one of just 43 schools nationwide piloting a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) curriculum provided by Project Lead The Way. The non-profit provides hands on ways for students to learn more about those crucial topics. The U.S. lags behind much of the rest of the world in

A Bend murder trial was delayed by about six months Friday while attorneys continue to sift through evidence. Luke Wirkkala, 32, is accused of shooting and killing David Ryder, 31, last February. His trial was scheduled to start next month, but is now scheduled to start June 3 rd . In court documents, prosecutors said

One driver sustained non-life-threatening injuries in a three-vehicle crash Thursday afternoon in southwest Redmond, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said. Deputies were dispatched around 3:50 p.m. to the crash at the intersection of SW Helmholtz Way and Wickiup Avenue, said Sgt. Kevin Dizney. An investigation found that a gold 2002 Ford Focus, driven by Koeddy Laemmle,

Central Electric Cooperative’s crews temporarily removed from service a 115,000-volt line feeding the Black Butte Substation for 40 minutes Friday afternoon. The disruption that was began around 2:30 p.m. ended at 3:10 p.m., and emergency repairs to the line went smoothly, a spokesman said. By de-energizing the line, crews were able to work safely and

Law enforcement officials in the Pacific Northwest Region of the Forest Service recently honored two prosecutors with the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office for their assistance in resolving recent vandalism and theft cases. John Byas, patrol commander for the Pacific Northwest Region of the Forest Service, recognized the work of Chief Deputy District Attorney Stephen

Fire tore through a Madras mobile home Thursday morning and began spreading to a second before crews were able to stop the flames. No injuries were reported, but the American Red Cross stepped in to assist the displaced mother and three children. Resident Melanie Smith and two children (one was in school) got out with

Redmond High School has received a $750 grant from the Redmond Garden Club to purchase instructional tools for plant grafting. Each year, the Redmond Garden Club offers grants to local schools for instructional equipment for education about plants and gardening in the classroom.This is the second grant that Redmond High School has received for its

Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum announced Friday Oregon’s participation in a $2.1 billion settlement with Ocwen Financial Corporation and its subsidiary Ocwen Loan Servicing. Ocwen is the nation’s fourth-largest mortgage servicer, specializing in high-risk loans. Forty-nine states, plus the District of Columbia and the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, settled allegations about misconduct in the course

Three Madras residents, including two suspected illegal immigrants, were arrested behind a Redmond store, accused of methamphetamine trafficking — and hiding a half-pound of the drug under a boy’s sweatshirt, Central Oregon drug agents said Thursday. Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team detectives contacted and arrested the two men and a woman in the back parking

TripAdvisor ® , the world’s largest travel site, announced Thursday its annual TripIndex Ski, a cost comparison of 25 popular ski destinations throughout the U.S. and Canada. And Bend is back in the almost-top spot, when it comes to bang for the buck. While it revealed that on average, ski destinations in the West ($446)

The Bend-Ft. Rock Ranger District of the Deschutes National Forest said Thursday it has issued a final decision approving the West Bend Project, to treat vegetation on about 26,000 acres by the western edge of Bend The focus of the vegetation management project is to restore the health of the forest and make it more

There are mixed feelings on how old kids should be before they get cell phones, iPads and other technology. While some schools in Bend are investing in iPads for students, the Waldorf School in Bend is doing the opposite. “There’s a little bit of perception, like, what’s going on at the Waldorf School,” parent and

The last thing on any child’s mind when they get to class Monday morning, should be how hungry they are. “Everyone knows you can’t learn when you’re hungry,” said Amy Fraley, director of Backpacks in Bend. Backpacks in Bend is a program that, thanks to donations, fills 1,000 packs a week with non-perishable food for

Announcing the formation of a new nonprofit organization designed to help people see and be seen in their lives as they cross their metaphorical thresholds to healing and greater authenticity. Threshold Journey is based in Sisters, and was founded by Jack Erskine and Christy Close Erskine, husband and wife Pastors and Spiritual Leaders. The couple