Month: February 2014

The Bureau of Land Management Prineville District Office has completed an Environmental Assessment, Decision Record and Finding of No Significant Impact for the proposed Oregon Badlands Wilderness Management Plan and Environmental Assessment. The Decision Record, FONSI and EA can be downloaded at http://www.blm.gov/or/districts/prineville/plans/nepa-details.php?id=2074 The Prineville District selected Alternative 2, and included elements analyzed in other

Chuck Keers has been hired to replace Executive Director Vicki Ertle, who is retiring after 20 years leading the Family Resource Center of Central Oregon. Keers comes with a 35-year history of working with nonprofits serving children and families and has a record of expanding services, collaboration and strengthening administrative systems. “I’m extremely honored to

The Bend-La Pine School Board met Tuesday night for the first time since a suicide at Bend High School Friday afternoon, offering a statement of sympathy for those affected and praise for staff and first responders. “Our hearts go out to all the students, staff, family and community members affected by the tragedy at Bend

The Deschutes County Road Department is responsible for the maintenance of more than 900 miles of roads. This does not include roads within your city limits. During a county-wide snowstorm, there is in excess of 1,800 lane miles that county crews need to clear of snow in order to maintain traffic flow. Deschutes County road

A Bend man was able to dig himself out of an avalanche at Tumalo Mountain over the weekend — and knows how fortunate he was to not be seriously injured, or worse. Zach Violett found himself partially trapped in an avalanche at the mountain west of Bend Saturday morning. Violett said Tuesday he was buried

St. Charles Health System is set this spring to float about $80 million worth of tax-exempt bonds — the second-most in its history — for a wide range of projects by the region’s largest employer, including replacement of Prineville’s Pioneer Memorial Hospital and major renovations at its Bend and Madras hspitals. The little-known Hospital Facility

Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) this week teamed up with colleagues Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) to introduce drought relief legislation to help farmers, businesses and communities suffering from historic drought conditions in Oregon and California. The legislation establishes emergency provisions to assist drought-affected areas, as well as $300 million in emergency

Deputy Superintendent Rob Saxton announced Tuesday that Oregon’s K-12 public school enrollment has hit an all-time high, the second year of increases after five years of declining enrollment. According to counts by Oregon school districts, education service districts and state education agencies, there were 567,098 students enrolled in K-12 public schools last fall. That’s an

With many areas still battling to clean their roads, Jefferson County 509-J schools have decided to delay classes by two hours Tuesday morning. The Prineville Senior Center also is closed Tuesday. Those are the only announcements received so far by NewsChannel 21. Please provide any updates to us at stories@ktvz.com.

The Deschutes County Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee will be seeking nominations from now until March 1 of businesses that make the extra effort to keep their sidewalks clear of debris and hazards. Last year, the award was expanded to recognize year-round maintenance of sidewalks. The Safe Sidewalk Awards will be presented during a Deschutes

A 73-year-old Ashland woman on a cross-country ski trip west of Bend got lost and made a call for help Monday afternoon, prompting a 3 -hour search effort by rescuers who found her after dark, cold and tired but otherwise okay, authorities said. Deschutes County 911 dispatchers got a call around 3:20 p.m. from Sophia

The High Desert continues to dig out after a three-day storm that left two to 2 1/2 feet of snow across much of the region. With warmer temperatures and rain in the forecast, the concern now is flooding. “With this warm weather and the threat of rain, we’re concerned,” Hardy Hanson, the city of Bend’s

A Redmond-area couple was arrested Monday during a raid on their mobile home, accused in a string of mail, ID and credit card thefts and forgeries across much of Oregon over the past few months, police said. Redmond police have been investigating several cases of ID theft, forgery, fraudulent use of a credit card and

City of Redmond Public Works Department crews have been working around the clock since Friday afternoon to clear city streets of the recent snowfall. By the end of the business day Monday, officials said, all city streets will have been plowed at least once. Here’s the rest of Redmond’s snow removal update. Residents can expect

On Sunday, Feb. 2, several Central Oregon law enforcement agencies participated in a one-day high visibility enforcement campaign to detect and deter DUII drivers during and after the Super Bowl. The results are as follows: -3 DUII arrests made during grant funded overtime (2 OSP-Bend & 1 Redmond PD). -5 DUII arrests made on 02/02/2014

A powerful snowstorm that dumped 2-plus feet of snow across much of Central Oregon also proved deadly in three storm-related fatalities – a couple walking an unplowed driveway to their home in the Crossroads area west of Sisters and a well-known Tumalo-area man who apparently collapsed and died while shoveling snow, authorities said Sunday. A

As the region digs out from feet of snowfall, Jefferson County School District 509-J, Culver and Sisters schools and the Redmond Proficiency Academy made early calls Sunday — classes will be canceled Monday. Bend-La Pine Schools announced Sunday night a two-hour delay Monday, with no morning kindergarten classes. Central Oregon Community College campuses and OSU-Cascades

If the spotted owl became a symbol of intractable conflict over the fate of the forests of western Oregon, across the Cascades, forest and wilderness advocate Tim Lillebo over those same decades became a passionate yet affable, sometimes lightning-rod symbol of collaborative progress and a way forward to preserve the Ponderosa pine forests of Central

The sun broke out and temperatures warmed over many parts of Central Oregon’s snowy winter wonderland Sunday morning — providing better conditions for government crews, contractors and regular folks to get busy shoveling, plowing, blowing and moving aside two-plus feet of snow from the past two days’ onslaught. Temperatures quickly rose to freezing in Bend

Bend High School was on lockdown for hours Friday afternoon after a student took his own life amid his classmates. “A male student died from self-inflicted gunshot wound on campus,” Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Ron Wilkinson said Friday afternoon at joint press conference Friday with Bend police. Officers scrambled to secure the scene shortly after