Month: May 2014

A new report shows Oregon class sizes are impacting lessons. The recently released survey of Oregon teachers, ordered by the Department of Education, shows 76 percent of instructors say classrooms are too crowded. Results were released Wednesday of the survey, conducted through the New Teacher Center’s Teaching, Empowering, Leading and Learning survey. Survey results for

A partial transformer failure has prompted Central Oregon Community College officials to close the Boyle Education Center Friday while repairs are made. Here’s the rest of the COCC announcement distributed The main transformer outside of Boyle Education Center had a partial failure late Thursday and now needs to be replaced. The temporary replacement is scheduled

Central Oregon law enforcement agencies concluded their five-day High Visibility Enforcement campaign dedicated to DUII enforcement occurring over the Memorial Holiday Weekend. The Bend Police Department dedicated officers to both grant-funded overtime and straight time enforcement over the holiday weekend resulting in 12 DUII arrests, three suspended licenses, two driving with a suspended license charges,

Redmond police arrested a 43-year-old man late Wednesday afternoon who was spotted lying in the grass and pointing what appeared to be a rifle at Obsidian Middle School – although it turned out to be a pellet gun, and he said he was shooting rock chucks. Police responded around 4:45 p.m. to the school at

As of May 15th, the federal Bureau of Land Management has prohibited the use of fireworks and exploding targets on all BLM-managed public lands throughout Oregon and Washington. Here’s their full notice, issued Thursday, on the ban: As we celebrate America’s wilderness areas with the 50 th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, we are reminded

Oregon has added tens of thousands of new jobs while recovering from the Great Recession, but recent job growth completely overlooked younger workers, a new report out Thursday says. There were fewer workers ages 14 to 21 in 2012 than in 2010, the state Employment Department said in its new report, “Endangered: Youth in the

Wheel Fun Rentals, the No. 1 recreational rental company in the U.S., has announced it will renew its partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters for a program called “Biking Buddies.” This program provides free rentals to underprivileged children and their mentors around the nation. More than 5,000 “Biking Buddies” passes have been distributed to Big

The trek to Portland for medical care is a daily ritual for Central Oregon veterans, as the High Desert’s Bend VA clinic offers some services, but not everything former servicemembers need. “You couldn’t get prostate surgery, you couldn’t get knee replacement, hip replacement, you couldn’t get heart surgery,” Bend veterans advocate Dick Tobiason said Wednesday.

A 61-year-old Oakridge man was thrown and killed Wednesday evening when his pickup truck left state Highway 58 east of Oakridge, went airborne over Salt Creek and landed on the opposite side, Oregon State Police said. Around 7:30 p.m., a 2005 Dodge R250 pickup driven by Ronnie Lee Sieben was heading east on Highway 58

“Where are the cats?!” asks the Bend Spay and Neuter Project. “We know they are out there, and we want them fixed!” This Friday, all cat spay/neuter surgeries are just $10! First come, first served! Cats must be dropped off at 8:30 am and they will take the first 20 cats who show up! Pick

Republican Senate nominee Monica Wehby stopped in Bend to have a meet and greet with female voters, hoping to leave the scandals of the primaries behind her. The main talking point of what was billed as a “kitchen table conversation” — one of several around the state — was campaign strategy. The predominantly Democratic state

Bend police found a transient wanted by his probation officer and put him in handcuffs – but before officers could take him away, he ran and jumped head-first into a nearby irrigation canal, floated downstream a bit, stood up, got out and ran again, but was found hiding behind a tree, officers said. The incident

United Airlines has announced it is dropping United Express service from Portland to Redmond, Eugene and Seattle on Sept. 1, with operator SkyWest Airlines citing “underperformance of those markets.” However, officials in Central Oregon say that is not exactly the case. “It had nothing to do with our market — it was an aircraft issue,”

The 2014 Champions for Children Luncheon, presented by PacificSource Health Plans was held Wednesday at the Riverhouse Convention Center. Over 250 guests attended. The Master of Ceremonies were Renee Nelson and Bob Shaw from KTVZ NewsChannel 21. Healthy Beginnings is a “21 Cares for Kids” partner. The event is an annual fundraiser/friendmaker for Healthy Beginnings

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released its 2013 analysis of motorists and passengers using safety restraints, and Oregon topped the list with 98.2 percent usage. The results are from probability-based observational surveys conducted by 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. Territories. “This is outstanding news for Oregon and Oregonians,” said Oregon

The Deschutes National Forest and Upper Deschutes Watershed Council will complete work this week on a fish habitat restoration project on Whychus Creek. The work began at the beginning of May and is the first phase in restoring historic steelhead trout and chinook salmon habitat in Whychus Creek. The Forest Service has reconnected historic flood

Oregon Manifest and Deschutes Brewery have teamed up to bring the best of two worlds together: bikes and beer. Oregon Manifest, a nonprofit organization that recently launched with “The Bike Design Project”– a pioneering bike design competition which partners five high-level design firms with American bicycle craftsmen to create the Ultimate Urban Utility Bike—has partnered

Oregon Department of Education Deputy Superintendent Rob Saxton, Oregon Education Association President Hanna Vaandering, and Confederation of Oregon School Administrators Executive Director Craig Hawkins announced the results of the Teaching, Empowering, Leading, and Learning Oregon Survey which was administered statewide this spring. Over 19,300, or just under 60 percent, of school-based educators around the state

2 nd Street Theater and Stage Right Productions, the nonprofit that operates 2 nd Street, are thrilled to announce that they have been chosen as one of five theaters in the United States to produce one of the winning plays in the American Association of Community Theatre’s 2016 NewPlayFest. AACT NewPlayFest is a national new

Implemented in stages since 2001, Oregon law requires Oregon residents 12-years-of-age and older who operate powered boats of more than 10-horsepower to obtain their Mandatory Boater Education card. Failure to have a card under the above conditions might result in a $110 ticket. This card is NOT a license to operate a boat, as there