Month: May 2014

A Bend woman was arrested early Monday on DUII, assault and other charges after her SUV struck and critically injured a bicyclist at a northeast Bend intersection, police said. Erin Michelle Fast, 24, was driving an Isuzu Trooper eastbound on NE Revere Avenue shortly after midnight when she struck a bicycle ridden by Robert Sean

A Bend woman was seriously injured and a Bend man was cited for driving with a suspended license after a rollover crash near Brasada Ranch in the Powell Butte area Sunday night, Crook County sheriff’s deputies said. Deputies were dispatched shortly after 8 p.m. to the area of SW Shumway Road near Alfalfa Road on

There was no significant change to Central Oregon unemployment levels in April, as a mixed job picture emerged, the state Employment Department reported Monday. Hiring was mixed across the region, with Deschutes County experiencing moderate job growth, Crook County seeing no change, while Jefferson County shed about 50 jobs on a seasonally adjusted basis. Nationally,

Drunk driving is one of America’s most often committed and deadliest crimes. All 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have established a threshold making it illegal to drive with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 grams per deciliter or higher. Yet 10,228 people died in 2010 in traffic crashes in which at

Cascade Lakes Highway will be open to through traffic at noon on Tuesday, Deschutes County road officials said. Caution: Beware of spots of ice that may still exist on the road. Some trailhead and campground accesses are still blocked with snow. Off road parking is very limited between Mt Bachelor and Elk Lake. No Parking

Aquatic invasive species boat inspection stations are now open in Ashland, Gold Beach, Klamath Falls, Lakeview and Ontario. All vehicles carrying motorized or non-motorized boats (kayaks, canoes, paddleboards, sailboats, etc.) are required to stop. Motorists are alerted to inspections stations by orange “Boat Inspection Ahead” signs followed by a white “Inspection Required for All Watercraft”

This past weekend marked the final days at Deschutes County transfer stations to dispose of yard debris in an effort to create and maintain defensible space around your home. Residents from across Deschutes County responded by bringing 4,525 cubic yards of flammable yard waste to transfer stations in Cloverdale, Redmond and La Pine on May

A Mt. Angel man was killed and seven people were injured, three seriously, in a three-car crash early Sunday afternoon on Highway 20 near Santiam Pass, blocking the highway for close to two hours, Oregon State Police reported. Troopers said a 2008 Ford Focus driven by Ellen Freddi, 34, of Jefferson, Oregon, was heading east

To celebrate its completed merger with Home Federal Bank, Bank of the Cascades pledged Monday to invest heavily in communities across Oregon and Idaho’s Treasure Valley. The bank will provide $2 billion in credit to small businesses and individuals over the next three years, and is prepared to deliver $175,000 in philanthropic giving to nearly

A new study has found that the most common fish species in Oregon – the speckled dace – is actually at least three separate and distinct species. The findings suggest that Oregon may have greater biological diversity in its native fish populations than previously recognized, said researchers at Oregon State University who led the study.

The 2014-15 fiscal year Deschutes County proposed budget was released Friday, and its growth reflects a return to economic growth in the area. “After several difficult years brought on by the economic downturn and the resulting plight of the development and real estate market in Central Oregon, the FY 2015 budget proposal reflects the second

A southeast Bend resident tried to put out a smoky house fire rather than evacuate Sunday afternoon, prompting officials to warn how dangerous that can be. The fire — sparked by a cigar in a home with no smoke alarms — caused an estimated $100,000 damage. A passer-by flagged down a police officer to report

A 32-year-old motorcycle rider was flown to a Bend hospital Saturday with non-life-threatening injuries after reportedly striking a bear that ran out in front of her on Century Drive southwest of Bend, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said. Sheriff’s deputies, the U.S. Forest Service and Sunriver Fire Department medics were dispatched around 4:45 p.m. to the

A 37-year-old Prineville man, weeping and asking forgiveness from the victim’s family, pleaded guilty to criminal negligent homicide and received a five-year prison term Friday in last year’s car-motorcycle crash on Highway 97 south of Madras that fatally injured Jefferson County EMS manager Don Heckathorn. Gerald Scott Greene entered the guilty plea before Circuit Judge

A 30-year-old Prineville man who pleaded guilty to attempted aggravated murder and arson for setting a 2002 fire at a Crook County prosecutor’s home is back in a Central Oregon jail, awaiting his retrial later this year on attempted aggravated murder and other charges. Nathan Wayne Galloway recently was moved from the Snake River Correctional

A 21-year-old Prineville man was killed and his 20-year-old passenger injured Saturday when their truck crossed into the oncoming lane and struck the side of a semi-truck on Highway 97 north of Madras, Oregon State Police reported. Jordan Alan Dunaway was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, reported around noon about 15 miles

Neither has an unbroken string of victories, but Marshall Greene and Sarah Max again showed their dominance in a variety of sports Saturday by taking the men’s and women’s crowns in the 2014 U.S. Bank Pole Pedal Paddle for the sixth and fourth times, respectively. For Greene, 32, it was a return to the top

The U.S. Bank Pole Pedal Paddle isn’t just for the elite competitors. What makes the event special is that everyone can do it. From male and female, to young and old, Bend’s biggest race has something for everyone. Competitors from all over came to Bend to take in the different events the PPP has to

A Bend motorcyclist went to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and a Medford driver was cited after a collision on Highway 97 north of Bend that blocked much of the road for about a half-hour Friday afternoon. Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched around 3:30 p.m. to the reported crash at 61 st Street, between

Anticipation for the U.S. Bank Pole Pedal Paddle race is building by the hour. With less than 24 hours until the start of the race, some competitors were unsure as to when they were scheduled ti start, prompting fast moves by organizers The confusion caused many to call the Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation, trying