Month: December 2013

Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber is setting his sights on a major overhaul of the state’s tax system. The Democrat kicked off his campaign for re-election this week. But behind the scenes, he’s gathering business and political leaders for talks that include one of the most politically taboo topics in Oregon: a sales tax. Oregonians proudly

Christmas is getting closer and closer and this year, retailers in Bend are smiling. More and more of you are headed to their shops. Store owners in the Old Mill District say business is a lot better than it has been over the last few years. This weekend, they expect to be busy, as Christmas

Jefferson County Sheriff’s Capt. Marc Heckathorn knows first hand how important a will can be. “My father was the chief of Jefferson County EMS, and died in a car crash this summer,” Heckathorn said. In August, 64-year-old Don Heckathorn was struck and killed by a car whose driver failed to stop at a stop sign

Little d Technology and Sunriver Books and Music are partnering to sponsor a book drive now till December 20. Books purchased as part of this book drive are given to children participating in SMART, Start Making A Reader Today at New Generations Preschool, Three Rivers, Rosland and La Pine Elementary schools. Books can be purchased

On Monday 12/16 and Tuesday 12/17, you can ride on CET buses for a canned or dried food donation. Food donations as described below will be honored to purchase a ride. Monthly passes and other fare products will still be valid. Zone 1 day pass = 2 itemsBend Dial-A-Ride single ride = 1 itemZone 2

Central Electric Cooperative announced Frida that some current and former members are eligible to receive capital credits payments totaling $1,417,600. CEC members will begin receiving their checks this week. Individual checks will average $112.55 and will be paid to 8,894 present and former CEC members who purchased power in the years of 1988 and 1989.

Over the last year and a half OSU-Cascades has made significant progress toward expanding into a four-year university. Thursday night, an open house was held to show the progress that has been made. Sustainability and creating a campus as beautiful as Central Oregon was the message project designers conveyed to those in attendance. Several renderings

During the season of giving, remember the homeless, abused and neglected animals in our community. There are holiday opportunities to help the nearly 4,000 animals cared for by the Humane Society of Central Oregon each year. Humane Society Wish Trees: Wish Trees are the Humane Society of Central Oregon’s annual drive for donations to meet

At Real Food Street Bistro in Bend, they’re serving up something hot. “I’m making sweet potato chips. They just go in the fryer and I keep stirring them,” owner Jay Miller said Thursday. A tasty treat on a cold day. But it’s the cold that scares some people away from eating outside at the cluster

As the sun sets in Prineville, lights turn on across the city. A winter wonderland at the Crook County Fairgrounds, the first “Christmas In The Pines.” “We are starting a tradition — it has started,” said Stanley Flynn, a Christmas in the Pines volunteer. It’s a Christmas spectacular , with more than 800 strings of

In a major leap forward for the group, an alliance of business, government and higher education organizations has pledged $50,000 to fund Bend 2030, an all-volunteer nonprofit community organization with a mission of bringing to life a community vision for our town. At a Holiday Giving Reception at the North Rim Lodge sponsored by BendBroadband

The Children’s Trust Fund of Oregon announced Thursday that Oregonians and Lithia Auto Stores rallied to help the “Keep Kids Safe” license plate program reach its annual sales goal of 500 plates. The “Keep Kids Safe” plate was released in October 2012 as a sustainable source of revenue for child abuse prevention programs across communities

Five people involved in a major Central Oregon mortgage and loan fraud scheme that cost banks more than $22 million were sentenced this week in federal court, with ringleader Tyler Fitzsimons getting a 7 1/2-year prison term and ordered to pay all that money in restitution. Over the past two days, Chief U.S. District Judge

Central Oregon law enforcement agencies are joining their counterparts across the state in a three-week High Visibility Enforcement campaign dedicated to DUII enforcement, beginning Friday and extending through Jan. 2. Participating local agencies, which include the Bend Police Department, Crook County Sheriff’s Office, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Oregon State Police, Prineville

A Sisters man was cited for careless driving Wednesday after he lost control of his SUV during a pass on icy Hwy. 97 northof Klamath Falls and crashed into a car, sending both sliding into an irrigation canal, one atop the other, Oregon State Police said. Three members of a Chelan, Wash, family — including

Economic Development for Central Oregon is pleased to announce the hiring of Jim Boeddeker as Venture Catalyst Manager, replacing Jim Coonan in the role, effective December 23. “As a founder himself of several companies, Jim Boeddeker is intimately familiar with what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur,” noted Jim Coonan. “He’s particularly adept at

Secretary of State Kate Brown is reminding all Oregonians that they can report state government fraud, waste or abuse to the Oregon Government Waste Hotline . Anyone can report with complete confidentiality any waste or misuse of state government resources. “We are fortunate to have a state government that expects the best of its employees,”

The Oregon State Police periodically receives complaints regarding telephone calls from individuals claiming to be OSP troopers or representatives seeking money in association with dropping criminal charges, clearing arrest warrants, or threats of arrest if demands are not met. Reports from some other law enforcement agencies also indicate similar scam tactics for which citizens statewide

Family Access Network Foundation announced that Rob Fincham has accepted a position on our Foundation Board. The mission of the Family Access Network is to improve lives by ensuring all children in Deschutes County have access to basic-need services. Rob Fincham is a Financial Advisor with Fincham Financial Group and Eagle Strategies, LLC. He moved

Deschutes Brewery announced Monday that it has established its first sustainability report with the Global Reporting Initiative framework and standard. It is the first craft brewery to use the GRI model, and this report marks a baseline performance benchmark for the future. To develop the report, which tracks more than 45 measures of economic, environmental