Month: July 2014

Due to less snowpack and lower rainfall this winter, many Oregon lakes and rivers will be reaching historically low levels, which will expose previously unseen hazards to boaters this summer, state officials warned Thursday. Stumps, rocks, logs and other obstructions could be just below the surface, resulting in hull or prop damage in areas that

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., introduced a bill Thursday that he said would fast-track the phase-out of the most harmful chemicals identified by scientists – chemicals that don’t break down in the environment and that build up in the food chain so that even small amounts can be dangerous. Known as persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic chemicals

A car crash on Bend’s south end late Wednesday night sent a 26-year-old Sisters man to the hospital, facing drunk driving and other charges, police said. Officers were dispatched around 11:35 p.m. to the reported rollover crash on Knott Road near Tall Pine Avenue, said Sgt. Elizabeth Lawrence. A 1998 Subaru Legacy driven by George

What would you do to cure cancer? How would you get from New York City to San Francisco? Two seemingly unrelated questions, but 20 students from the University of Illinois are answering them together. They are nearing the end of a 4,500-mile bike ride across country, with proceeds going toward cancer research. “Today was 90

It’s muddy, messy, splashy work on Jack Creek, but boy will the bull trout be grateful. “We removed an irrigation dam, now we’re adding gravel to the stream, grading it to where we want it to be, so fish can swim up and downstream,” Sisters Ranger District fish biologist Mike Riehle said Wednesday. For about

The 10-day-old, more than 40,000-acre Shaniko Butte Fire was 80 percent contained by late Wednesday, with the firefighting force dropping below 300 and full containment predicted Sunday night. In a late Wednesday update at the fire’s InciWeb site (http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3960/), officials said a recent drop in acreage to 40,575 was due to more accurate mapping. They

The 12,520-acre Waterman Complex of wildfires was 90 percent contained by late Wednesday, as crews quickly caught three new fire starts in the area from the latest round of lightning. Also, the last, lowest (Level 1) evacuation notice was lifted Wednesday at 8 a.m. for the formerly evacuated area of Marks Creek. That came 24

Evacuation levels were lowered near the Bridge 99 Fires on Tuesday and two campgrounds reopened. Bridge 99 Complex – 9 a.m. WednesdayStart date:7/13/14Cause:LightningEstimated Size:Bridge 99 Fire: 5,300 acres; (no change)Southern portion Bear Butte 2 Fire: 619 acres (+2)Total complex acres 5,917 (+2)% Contained:50%# ofFirefighters:822Injuries to date:1Estimated Containment Date:N/A Closures:Pioneer Ford, Lower Bridge, Allen Springs, Canyon

The eyes in the sky are here. “Last year, we started just about a month later, so it is a little earlier this year,” Command Sgt. Maj. Shane Lake said Wednesday. “We start preparing — really it’s year round, but in March we start preparing our crews for the fire season that comes in the

A second coach-related sex scandal hits Madras High School in just eight months as a track coach was arrested Monday. Melissa Bowerman, the Madras High School head track coach and daughter-in-law of late Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman, is behind bars after Oregon State Police charged her with second-degree sex abuse involving a 17-year-old male student.

With hot and dry conditions expected to continue and fire suppression resources already responding to numerous wildfires around Central Oregon, the Prineville District Bureau of Land Management, the Deschutes National Forest and the Ochoco National Forest, including the Crooked River National Grassland, are implementing campfire restrictions. Effective 12:01 a.m.Friday, open fires, including charcoal fires, will

Food banks in Washington and Oregon received the equivalent of more than 85,000 pounds of food from the 2nd Annual Northwest Farmers Fighting Hunger Cash/Food Drive – nearly 50 percent more than the 58,000 pounds donated in 2013. The campaign, a joint effort between the states’ Dairy Products Commissions, Departments of Agriculture, food banks and

Calling all DIY beverage makers! Oregon State Fair’s Homebrewed Beer and Amateur Wine competitions are officially open. Competition handbooks describing more than 80 total beer and wine categories are available online. Important dates:Homebrew entries due July 31Amateur wine entries due July 25 (registration due July 24) ******************* OREGON STATE FAIR HOMEBREW BEER AND AMATEUR WINE

The Buzzard Complex of fires that burned almost 400,000 acres of rangeland in southeast Oregon were 90 percent contained by Wednesday and crews were helping battle other blazes sparked by new lightning in the area. Here’s Wednesday’s update, in full: 2014 Fire Information West Zone: (541) 493-2105 buzzardcomplex@gmail.com www.buzzardcomplex.blogspot.com http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3951/ Current Status:The Buzzard Complex is

Bend Park & Recreation District reminds citizens that dogs must be on-leash in the city limits except in the seven designated off-leash areas owned and managed by the Bend Park & Recreation District. “Off-leash areas are located throughout the community and provide a variety of opportunities for dogs and people to recreate,” states Jan Taylor,

FREE Residential Document Shredding Event, Food Drive, And Drug Disposal Saturday, July 26, 2014 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. At the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Substation In Sisters Contact: Lt. Deron McMaster – 541-388-6655 This event will take place at the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Substation in Sisters, 703 N. Larch, Sisters, Oregon, on Saturday,

“It bit me and scratched me and bit me a few more times,” 6-year old Kaylee said. It is a day she will not forget. Kaylee and her family were at Ochoco Reservoir when a dog attacked her. She and her 8-year old brother Kaiden say the dog owner dropped a water bottle and asked

Deschutes County is looking for two residents to serve on the Deschutes County Audit Committee. Please apply now. We will keep the search open until the positions are filled. The County will schedule applicant interviews as needed. The Audit Committee is an advisory committee to the Board of County Commissioners that: Provides oversight and coordination

Deschutes County seeks a new volunteer Planning Commission member from the Redmond area and is accepting applications until Friday, July 25. The term for this position is from the date of appointment through June 30, 2018. The Planning Commission reviews land use policy and zoning regulations and makes recommendations to the Deschutes County Board of

The Waterman Complex Fire closed Highway 26 East of Prineville to Mitchell for several days, but Tuesday it’s now open again for residents, but in limited fashion. One lane re-opened with a pilot car after earlier evacuations — and later in the day,. two lanes, at 35 mph, with motorists warned not to stop int