Month: July 2014

Heat and winds steered the 6,020-acre Waterman Complex Fire toward trouble Wednesday as the residents of the Marks Creek area were told to pack up and leave after an early-morning Level 3 evacuation notice. What homeowners will come back to depends on the weather and progress on the fire lines, especially the 3,800-acre Bailey Butte

A 57-year-old Bend man was killed in a motorcycle crash discovered by a passer-by who had stopped along Highway 395 near Ukiah in northeast Oregon, Oregon State Police said. According to OSP Sgt. Sterling Hall, shortly before 1 p.m. Tuesday, a citizen had stopped along the side of Highway 395 near milepost 53B when he

Back in August of 1996, a nasty thunderstorm strikes Central Oregon. “I looked up in the sky and there were these huge billowing clouds, and I thought, ‘Oh my goodness, it looks like a fire,’” said Linda Swearingen, who owned a house int he Sundance subdivision southeast of Bend and at the time was running

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office issued evacuation orders and warnings Thursday due to the fast-growing Bridge 99 Complex of fires that have grown to nearly 3,500 acres. All private lands along the Metolius River from Allen Springs Campground to Lake Billy Chinook (including the Metolius Arm) are in a Level III Evacuation Order (leave now).

With many families still priced out of homes and rental units in Central Oregon, NeighborImpact and Housing Works announced Thursday a unique partnership to bring more affordable housing to the region. With rental vacancy rates still less than 1 percent and home prices rising, two of the region’s senior nonprofits are answering the call to

Nine months after placing him on paid leave due to an unspecified investigation, the city of Prineville tersely announced Wednesday that Police Chief Eric Bush has been fired for the job he held for a decade. Police Capt. Michael Boyd has been the interim chief since Bush was placed on paid leave last September. The

Effective Friday at 12:01 a.m, Industrial Fire Precaution Level III (IFPL) will be implemented on lands administered by the Deschutes National Forest, Ochoco National Forest, Crooked River National Grassland, and the BLM Prineville District Office. Under IFPL III, personal and commercial woodcutters are prohibited from operating power saws. Personal and commercial woodcutters are reminded of

Beginning next week, fish passage for bull trout and redband trout will be restored on Jack Creek. Starting on Monday, the Sisters Ranger District, the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council and the Lundgren family will partner to remove an irrigation dam and diversion ditch to improve juvenile and adult passage for bull trout, which are listed

Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum filed a lawsuit Thursday against Living Essentials and Innovation Ventures, the makers of the energy drink 5-Hour ENERGY®. The lawsuit alleges that the companies repeatedly violated the Oregon Unlawful Trade Practices Act (UTPA) by making deceptive and misleading claims about their 5-hour ENERGY® products. The suit also alleges that the

In possibly one of the most extensive investigations involving Oregon State Police Fish & Wildlife Division troopers, a Bend man has pleaded guilty and been sentenced on felony and misdemeanor charges for illegal guiding and hunting activities in Central Oregon. A total of 23 people have been charged for more than 200 counts/charges filed in

The Shaniko Butte Fire was very activeon Wednesday, growing to about 18,000 acres – and the wind and fire never let up through the night. Thursday morning, the fire made a run toward the Lower Deschutes River near the small community of Dant, and the west edge of the river. In addition, the Ward Canyon

Redmond Fire and Rescue said Wednesday it has hired paramedic Dan Cox to be Central Oregon’s first community paramedic. Tom Wright, retired paramedic, was also hired to assist with evaluation and data management. Through the patient’s primary healthcare provider referral, Dan will soon be providing in-home care in Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson counties. Target populations

Smoke covered the High Desert Wednesday, which some long-time residents are used to seeing during fire season. But for visitors and newcomers, it can be a harsh reality. “To have it so close, where you see the smoke and you smell it. and to see the planes going over our house — it’s frightening, it’s

Governor Kitzhaber on Wednesday verbally declared a state of emergency in response to wildfire activity across the state. The emergency declaration enables the Oregon National Guard to mobilize resources on an as-needed basis to assist the Department of Forestry, the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office, and others with firefighting. “Oregon is facing a severe fire

Drones: the launch of a whole new perspective, a soaring industry — and it’s happening on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. “When we think about commercial applications, Warm Springs is the perfect area to fly over,” Warm Springs Economic Development Corporation CEO Jeffrey Anspach said Wednesday. A partnership between Warm Springs, universities and Unmanned Aerial

State Senator Tim Knopp (R-Bend) has been appointed to Deputy Caucus Leader of the SenateRepublican caucus. The caucus Deputy Leader assists in caucus tactics, strategy and administration andworks to advance the principles, campaigns and legislative priorities of the Senate Republicans. Knopp joins Senator Larry George (R-Sherwood) and Senator Brian Boquist (R-Dallas) in the position of

Oregon businesses reported 11,700 more job vacancies in the spring of 2014 than they did the prior year, officials said Wednesday. Businesses had approximately 46,900 job vacancies in the spring months of 2014, according to a Job Vacancy Survey recently completed by the Oregon Employment Department. The last time vacancies were at this level was

The Buzzard Complex of range fires in southeast Oregon approached 90,000 acres by late Tuesday, with significant burning activity throughout the day and well into the evening, officials said. Here’s the rest of the Tuesday night update about the fires, which were spreading east from Harney into Malheur counties: At least two fires merged together

Sunscreen, water, a baseball cap — the essentials for any summer day at the beach or on a hike. But for homeless Bend resident Julie Sage, her backpack of supplies is her life. “It’s a struggle,” Sage said Tuesday of the heat. “It’s exhausting. It totally drains you.” Sage said she has lived outdoors for

Gun deaths outpaced motor vehicle deaths in Oregon in 2011, the most recent year for which comprehensive nationwide data is available, according to a new analysis released Tuesday by the Violence Policy Center. Overall in 2011, gun deaths outpaced motor vehicle deaths in 14 states: Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon,