Month: July 2014

A Bend police officer on downtown patrol Tuesday was approached by a 24-year-old man who was “acting strangely” and called in backup when the man produced a knife and advanced toward him, officers said. The man ran but was quickly apprehended. Shortly after 2 p.m., the officer assigned to work the downtown area was approached

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon voters will be deciding this year whether to legalize marijuana for recreational use. State elections officials certified Tuesday that the petitioners submitted enough valid signatures to qualify the measure for the November ballot. Election workers say there were 88,584 valid signatures — about 1,400 more than required. The measure would

The Wheeler County town of Mitchell, population 130 or so, is the closest community to the Waterman Complex fire. It’s an area so rural that it doesn’t even have cellphone service. That is, until now — and only for now. The fire camp has requested the use of a COW, or Cell on Wheels. It’s

A lot of people watched the storms roll through today and with the high-risk of fire, the fire lookouts have an important job, like the one whose job is to scan the horizon atop Lava Butte, south of Bend. “I take an exceptional pride in the job, because I don’t want anything to burn up.

When fire season sparks on the High Desert, Butler Aircraft Manager Kurt Newton sums it up in two words: organized chaos. “We’ve got to get these guys up in the air — that’s one of our biggest goals,” Newton said Tuesday. A seven-truck fleet and a 12-man crew pump 15,000 to 18,000 gallons every day

The dangers of firefighting aren’t solely on the fire lines, a reminder seen Friday in a pair of injury rollover crashes involving vehicles en route to two of the wildfires burning in Central Oregon. One went to a Portland hospital with what Warm Springs officials revealed Tuesday were “serious but none-life-threatening injuries.” A fire engine

The roof of the Prestige Senior Living High Desert facility in northeast Bend is littered withAvitrol, a bird repellent used by licensed pest control agencies. The repellent can cause seizures to birds, often in mid-flight. And during last week’s heat wave, it even led to deaths. “Many of the birds were found on the pavement,

Maturity has its rewards, and at the Humane Society of Central Oregon that means all animals six years and older will have the bonus of half off the adoption fee through July 31. The benefits of adopting a mature pet includes a calmer animal that already has good family life manners. “What you see, is

The head track and field coach at Madras High School was arrested Monday by Oregon State Police on charges she engaged in an unlawful sexual relationship with a 17-year old boy on the track team. OSP said it is continuing the investigation and requesting contact from anyone with information or who may have been a

The American Red Cross said Tuesday it is facing a looming blood shortage, leading to an urgent need for donors of all blood types to roll up a sleeve and give. Donations through the Red Cross are down about 8 percent over the last 11 weeks, resulting in about 80,000 fewer donations than expected. The

Local youth are invited to participate in Bend Park and Recreation District’s Youth Flag Football League this fall. The league is open to boys and girls entering 1st through 8th grade in the upcoming 2014-15 school year and runs from September 2nd through November 2nd. The league registration deadline is August 3rd. Focusing on the

Aircrews from the Wyoming Air National Guard’s 153rd Airlift Wing, who fly C-130 Hercules aircraft equipped with the Modular Airborne Firefighting System, are among the latest National Guard members to join in the response to wildfires in Oregon and Washington state. The aircrews from the 153rd AW join Guard members from four states in assisting

Catastrophic disasters often impact rural areas and the human cost can be very high. In these times of crisis, small, rural communities are often ill-equipped with facilities to manage large numbers of casualties. When the time comes, communities must be prepared to use available resources in order to properly manage the remains that will result.

Smokejumping — it’s the kind of firefighting adrenaline junkies fall for. But don’t be fooled: This work is no walk in the park. “We can get to the middle of nowhere fast and put a lot of people on the ground,” said Redmond smokejumper Jacob Welsh. The Redmond Air Center opened in 1964, and ever

In eawrly June, it was smoke-filled skies over Bend, now smoke blankets nearly everywhere else on the High Desert. “In Deschutes County — in Bend, we are surrounded by wildfire right now,” Project Wildfire Program Coordinator Alison Green said Monday. There are roughly 20 fires burning across Central Oregon, some of them massive. From Warm

Bend police staked out, surrounded and arrested an Idaho man wanted on aggravated assault and strangulation charges in the parking lot of a northeast Bend Safeway store Monday morning after learning from federal marshals the violent, likely armed fugitive was in the area, officers said. Bend police were contacted by U.S. marshals around 6:30 a.m.

Smoke is a burning topic on on the minds of Central Oregonians. And Monday, Samantha O’Connor went out to Warm Springs to find out more about the haze. The smoke was thick — you could smell it and feel it as soon as you got out of the car. But officials tell NewsChannel 21 that

The Logging Unit Fires is a newly established and jointly managed group of nine fires on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, one of which is threatening dozens of homes. “We still have two fires, the Camas Prairie Fire and the Bear Butte 2 Fire. Those two are still a large threat to resources,” Incident Commander,

NE Smith Rock Way will be closed to thru traffic on Monday, July 28 , and Tuesday, July 29 , from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day to facilitate removal of several Poplar trees adjacent to the roadway. Traffic will be detoured via NE 17th Street to NE Wilcox Avenue to NE 33rd Street.

There was widespread improvement to unemployment levels across the High Desert in June after several months of stagnation, the Oregon Employment Department reported Monday. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates in Central Oregon are at their lowest levels since the summer of 2008. Hiring was up in Crook and Deschutes counties, both outpacing the statewide job growth