Month: April 2014

As long-term care insurance rates continue to rise, the Oregon Insurance Division is urging consumers to carefully examine their options and how this type of insurance fits into their overall financial strategy. “Consumers facing rate increases may have options to reduce their premiums,” said Insurance Commissioner Laura Cali. “For consumers thinking of buying this type

Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum warned consumers Tuesday about a sophisticated phone scam targeting Oregon taxpayers during this tax season. Victims are told they owe money to the IRS or Oregon Department of Revenue and they must pay immediately through a temporary debit card or wire transfer. If the victim refuses to pay, they are

Two more prescribed fires are tentatively planned for ignitions beginning Wednesday, with others lined up in coming days, officials said. Up to 200 acres could be burned mile south of Black Butte Ranch and 1 miles southwest of Highway 20 near Sisters. Up to 500 acres could be burned over the next few days 12

Homeless and runaway teens have a safe place to call home in Central Oregon — and it’s rebounding from a technical glitch that cost them a crucial grant a year ago but prompted a successful community fund-raising effort. Cascade Youth & Family Center received an award from the Oregon Department of Human Services, Administration for

Bend Memorial Clinic has joined the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Network to become its tenth affiliate in the greater Northwest. The affiliation will expand local access to cancer treatment options and help foster advances in cancer care. Bend Memorial Clinic includes more than 120 providers representing 30 specialties including urgent care, primary care, specialty care,

A 73-year-old Prineville-area man told NewsChannel 21 Monday evening how he confronted an alleged drunken intruder at his home late Saturday night, chased him to a back bedroom and tackled him, holding him down while his wife called police.. Deputies and a Prineville police officer were dispatched around 11:30 p.m. to a burglary in progress

These days, Gregory Ereman of Bend enjoys simple things, like going on walks and reading the paper. He can’t believe how much his life has changed in just a year. “This is a matter of life and death. A year ago I was afraid,” Ereman said Monday. “(I had problems with) teeth, skin cancer —

In downtown Bend, more open for business signs hang than vacancies for lease. “It’s showing a level of stability in the marketplace and the restaurant and retail spaces showing that businesses are coming downtown, staying downtown, and … staying in business,” Downtown Bend Business Association executive director Chuck Arnold said Monday. For seven years, the

A 43-year-old walnut truck driver from Washington state was cited after running into the back of an SUV on Highway 97 south of Madras Friday evening, a crash that sent both drivers to area hospitals, Oregon State Police reported. Around 6:10 p.m. Friday, a Chevy Tahoe driven by Kelly Gross, 46, of Culver, was southbound

Two pieces of equipment failed Monday afternoon and caused a circuit to open at Central Electric Cooperative’s Sisters substation, knocking out power to nearly 170 members between Sisters and Bend, officials said. Utility spokesman Jeff Beaman said the first call on the outage was received around 3:30 p.m. and service was restored to about 100

This past winter several businesses and agencies have worked hard to ensure pedestrians have had clear paths to reach their destinations. On June 23, these businesses and agencies will receive Safe Sidewalk Awards from the Deschutes County Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC). The Safe Sidewalk Awards will be presented at the Deschutes County Board

Mid Oregon Credit Union has teamed up with Secure Shred, a division of Bend Garbage & Recycling, to provide Central Oregonians a safe method for disposing of personal documents. Free Shred is intended for private residential document shredding only, no commercial or business shredding provided. Personal documents with staples and paper clips are okay. Spring

Entry forms for the 2014 Sisters Rodeo Parade are now available. The parade will be held on Saturday, June 14, starting at 9:30 a.m. in downtown Sisters as part of the 74th Sisters PRCA Rodeo. Entry deadline is May 15th with parade position numbers to be sent out after that date, according to the committee.

An Estacada couple recently received an offer they couldn’t refuse – a promise to pave their entire driveway for $1,500. The $1,500 was the most homeowner Fern Mathews said they could afford. That wasn’t a problem for the workers who showed up at their house. We’ll work with you, one of them said. In fact,

Based on a fundamental chemical discovery by scientists at Oregon State University, it appears that trees may soon play a major role in making high-tech energy storage devices. OSU chemists have found that cellulose – the most abundant organic polymer on Earth and a key component of trees – can be heated in a furnace

Central Oregon Partnerships for Youth (COPY), a program of the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, is offering a class to prepare volunteers to become mentors for children with an incarcerated parent. After initial training and comprehensive background checks, volunteers are matched with a child in Bend, Redmond, Sisters or La Pine that share similar interests and

Camp Invention, a national educational program recognized for fostering innovative-thinking, real-world problem solving, and the spirit of invention, is coming to Miller Elementary the week of June 16 – June 20 . The week-long day camp experience for students entering grades 1-6 encourages inventive young minds through hands-on problem solving, using science, technology, engineering, and

The Deschutes and Crook counties’ sheriff’s offices sent three K-9 search teams Friday to the hard-hit community of Oso, Wash., to assist in the recovery efforts from the recent deadly landslide that thundered down in the foothills of the Cascades northeast of Seattle. Deschutes County Sheriff Larry Blanton said he has been in contact with

A 3.3-magnitude earthquake five miles northwest of Sherwood Sunday evening shook the ground enough that about 1,200 people reported feeling it to the U.S. Geological Society. The quake struck at 8:33 p.m. and was measured at a depth of 19 kilometers (about 12 miles). There were no immediate reports of damage, according to KGW in

A 38-year-old Bend man suffered non-life-threatening injuries Sunday evening when he lost control of his speeding dirt bike and it crashed into a rock embankment in Deschutes River Woods, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said. Deputies and Bend Fire medics responded around 5:25 p.m. to the reported crash near 60270 Crater Road, south of Bend, said