Month: August 2014

More heavy winds pushed the day-old Pole Creek Fire southwest of Sisters to 4,300 acres on Monday, officials said late in the day – but fortunately, winds were pushing the fire into the Three Sisters Wilderness, not toward populated areas. Fire bosses said about 200 firefighters were on the line as of Tuesday morning, with

Not one, but two cougar cubs — apparently malnourished and hunting for food — were roaming a southeast Prineville neighborhood on Sunday. Because of the danger in a residential neighborhood, authorities decided they had to shoot and kill them. Crook County sheriff’s deputies asked the kids playing outdoors in the Crystal Springs neighborhood to go

Firefighters worked Sunday to hold and improve the lines on the 168-acre Burgess Road Fire near La Pine and officials said it didn’t grow, with full containment expected at 8 p.m. Even with containment, despite winds gusting again to about 30 mph, crews will continue mopping up and looking for any remaining hot spots for

An extensive and growing search for a missing 7-year-old La Pine-area autistic girl with Down syndrome who wandered from home through an accidentally unlocked gate ended happily about 90 minutes later when her brother found her uninjured in the woods near their home, authorities and family members said. Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched around

An extensive ground and air search for more than six hours over a wide area of southeast Bend ended in success early Sunday when an 86-year-old, nearly deaf man suffering from Alzheimer’s was found lying by a large juniper tree along SE 27 th Street, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said. Bend police called in Deschutes

After more than a month on the lam, federal officials caught an escaped Deer Ridge Correctional Institution prisoner on Friday afternoon in downtown Portland, officials said Monday. Federal Protective Service told The Oregonian officers spotted Clinton Orvill Swearingen outside Pioneer Courthouse on Friday at about 4 p.m. He was sitting with a backpack and other

A Deschutes County Jail inmate who escaped from a work crew working outside the jail Sunday evening, running through the parking lot and scaling the fence, was captured running through a southwest Bend neighborhoods Monday afternoon, officials confirmed. Around 12:30 p.m. came word a resident in the 61000 block SW Duncan Lane saw someone matching

Madras-area residents were urged Wednesday to stay on the lookout, three days after a Linn County man scaled the fence and escaped from the Deer Ridge Correctional Institution east of town. Oregon State Police, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and the Madras Police Department are still searching for Clinton Orvill Swearingen II, 31. who was

The Deschutes County Historic Landmarks Commission will visit a number of historic sites in Sisters Country on Tuesday, Sept. 9th, including stops in downtown Sisters, Camp Polk Military Site, Cemetery and Homestead, Freemont’s 12 Mile Tree Blaze, and Tumalo Dam. For those interested in attending, a detailed agenda with meeting times and locations can be

After an unarmed Missouri teenager was shot and killed by a police officer, the question now is: Was the officer justified in killing Michael Brown? “This is the universal code for I surrender,” said Michael Brown’s cousin Eric Davis while on his knees and holding up his hands. “I can hear my cousin’s voice right

An Oregon Department of Justice investigation found insufficient evidence to bring criminal charges against fired Prineville police chief Eric Bush regarding allegations of improper use of “flex time,” city office equipment or travel reimbursements, Crook County District Attorney Daina Vitolins reported Monday. Vitolins said she had asked the Oregon DOJ Criminal Justice Division last October

Saving Grace is proud to announce its inclusion in the list of Oregon Business magazine’s annual list of the 100 Best Nonprofits to Work For in Oregon. This is the sixth consecutive year Saving Grace has made the prestigious list. This year, the list and rankings were based on the confidential input of the 5,500

On Wednesday, construction crews will begin work on the asphalt overlay for Bridge Drive and Otter Drive in southern Deschutes County. Road work includes: 1. Installation of a waterproof membrane on the bridge over the Little Deschutes River on Bridge Drive. Initial grinding will take place on Wednesday, August 20 with the membrane application occurring

After recent reports of callers fraudulently identifying themselves as collection agents, the Oregon Department of Revenue on Tuesday reminded taxpayers to take measures to protect their personal identifying information. Taxpayers have reported receiving phone calls from individuals identifying themselves as Revenue representatives or IRS agents. The caller says the victim has a tax debt and

The city of Bend on Tuesday offered a neighborhood update on the Reed Market Road construction phasing and detours between Third Street and Newberry Drive: A single-lane closure of Reed Market Road between Third Street and Ninth Street will begin on Monday, Sept. 8, after Labor Day weekend.Expect traffic delays and use caution in the

It’s not every day you see people dressed in shorts and flip-flops trekking through icy patches while they shop and dine in Sunriver. But then again, weather can be a funny thing, especially this stormy summer in Central Oregon. “We were sitting and drinking coffee and this guy comes along with a snow plow on

It’s a tour that’s making a big splash in a small town. “The Commemorative Air Force has what’s called a flying museum, and we take these planes, the B-17 and the B-25 out on tour every summer,” pilot John Magoffin said Monday. “We like to go to smaller towns, 8,000 to 12,000 people, so that

A city crew working to fix a water leak hit a natural gas line Monday morning in northwest Bend, and the resulting leak prompted closure of Riverside Boulevard and the evacuation of homes within a half-block radius for over two hours, officials said. The road reopened later in the day. The incident occurred around 9:35

Applications are being accepted for the 2015 PRCA Sisters Rodeo Queen. According to John Leavitt, queen selection committee chair, applications will be accepted until September 17. Tryouts are scheduled for Sunday, September 21, 1 p.m. at the Sisters Rodeo Arena. Applicants must be 18 years to 23 years of age before June 1, 2015, single,

In Oregon last year, 997 child passengers under age 8 were injured and three were killed in motor vehicles crashes. Of these, 12 were riding totally unrestrained, ODOT officials said Monday. Among 4- to 8-year-olds who, by law, should be riding in restraints designed for children, one in three was restrained in an adult belt