Month: April 2014

Central Oregon’s April 1st snowstorm fell on the day snow accumulation usually peaks for the season on the High Desert. “As of about eight weeks ago, we were in dire straights — we were at very low snowpack,” Deschutes Basin Wastermaster Jeremy Giffin said Thursday. Recent wet and snowy weather has helped, but the snowpack

In 2013, the broadest measure of labor underutilization, designated U-6 (which includes the unemployed, workers employed part time for economic reasons, and those marginally attached to the labor force), was 16.5 percent in Oregon, down from 17.2 percent in 2012, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. Regional Commissioner Richard J. Holden noted that

Starting Monday, patients arriving at St. Charles Bend with vascular disease, aortic aneurysms or traumatic vascular emergencies will have access to a state-of-the-art hybrid operating room equipped with the latest technology available to potentially save both life and limb. The new operating room is a hybrid that can function as a traditional operating room or

On Memorial Day, May 26, Interstate 84 from the Oregon/Idaho border to Portland will be dedicated as “Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway.” This is a project of the Oregon State Council, Vietnam Veterans of America. Thanks to legislation passed by the Oregon legislature, and signed by Governor Kitzhaber on April, 11, 2013, fifteen signs will be

They’re the noses, the alarms, the crucial helpers — unless you can’t fork over $25,000 to get one. “Crook County, especially Prineville, hasn’t had a drug dog since about 2009,” sheriff’s Deputy Mitch Madden said Wednesday. But Madden’s working on it — in fact, he’s made it his mission to bring a drug-detection dog to

A big metal fence usually indicates where your tour of the Mirror Pond dam ends. PacifiCorp opened up the gates Wednesday for a special behind-the-scenes tour. They explained the facility to reporters and Bend Park And Recreation Board members. City Councilor Victor Chudowsky also was on hand. “We have some gates that we call sluice

As construction business rises again on the High Desert, the city of Bend is concerned about the number of construction mishaps also on the rise, in the form of underground lines being hit or cut.. Over the last six months, three sewer lines were cut by contractors and 14 natural gas lines. “We’ve had these

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Oregon elected three new Advisory Board members in March: Richard Andrews, Director of Internal Controls at Les Schwab Tire Centers; Dawn Cofer, Branch Manager at Bank of the Cascades; and Tina Whittington, Vice President at Umpqua Bank. Katy Sparks, the Marketing and PR Manager at Bend Memorial Clinic, is

The location of OSU-Cascades west Bend campus is moving forward. Oregon State University President Ed Ray made the comments in his State of the University address at the Tower Theatre Wednesday night. “We are committed to do our best to mitigate adverse impacts, particularly in the near-campus neighborhood,” Ray said. He added if problems arise,

Proposed regulations by the Food and Drug Administration has brewers across the country and the High Desert frustrated. The government agency wants to regulate what happens with the spent grains from the brewing process. Many breweries sell the byproduct to cattle ranchers for feed. The rule change would make brewers meet the same standards as

“So what do you want to read about?” Carolyn Dunaway asked one of her students Wednesday. It’s a question the long-time librarian asks students nearly every day. “It’s always been a great job, because I love books, and I like to make sure the kids love to read,” Dunaway said. But a declining budget over

The city of Redmond announced late Wednesday that Jeffrey Tripp has been hired as the new Airport Director for Roberts Field Municipal Airport. Tripp most recently held the position of airport manager for the City of Prescott, Arizona. He earned a Master of Aeronautical Science in Aviation and Aerospace Safety Systems and a Bachelor’s in

No more leak in the Mirror Pond hydroelectric dam means no end to summer recreation on the river. “That’s great news for us, because we have several thousand floaters going down the river every week, in the middle of the summertime,” Bend Parks and Rec District Executive Director Don Horton said Wednesday. So that’s one

A Culver man was arrested Monday on attempted murder and other charges, accused of shooting his adult stepson in the chest during a fight at their home last Friday night, Jefferson County Sheriff Jim Adkins said Tuesday. The bullet went through the victim, who “amazingly” was recovering well at a Bend hospital, the sheriff added;

The House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, chaired by U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.), held a hearing Wednesday on ensuring the security, stability and freedom of the global Internet. Walden and other members of the panel sought answers regarding the Obama administration’s proposal instructing the International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to explore

First, Southern California shook with a magnitude 5.1 earthquake. Then, an even bigger one off the coast of Chile — this one at a terrifying 8.2 magnitude. That’s shaking up the question here in Central Oregon: Could we be next? “You know, earthquakes are a top-level hazard in the state of Oregon,” Laurie VanLeuven of

Redmond School District Superintendent Mike McIntosh has announced the selection of Tony Pupo as planning principal for the upcoming Hugh Hartman Elementary School. Pupo will be responsible for leading planning efforts for Hugh Hartman Elementary School scheduled to open in 2015. He is currently an assistant principal at Redmond High School and has been with

While the city of Bend’s controversial water pipeline replacement project still faces some legal challenges down the road, another big-ticket city water facility is full-speed ahead. With no legal appeals filed, Deschutes County’s recent land use approval of Bend’s water filtration plant is final, city officials said Wednesday. As a result, the city and contractor

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement on Wednesday’s Supreme Court’s ruling on McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission: “Today, the Supreme Court delivered another massive blow to the nation’s already crumbling system of campaign finance laws. Unlimited corporate and individual spending is corrosive to democracy and undermines the political process. “As

A fiery debate in Arizona now finds a new home in Oregon. Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer recently vetoed a bill that would have allowed businesses to deny services to gay and lesbian customers, based on religious beliefs. There’s something similar in the works in Oregon: the Protect Religious Freedom Initiative. It comes as Oregonians wait