Month: September 2014

The second ever comprehensive study of elder financial exploitation in Oregon was released Wednesday at the Financial Crimes and Digital Evidence Conference in Salem, sponsored by the United States Attorney’s Office. The study of over 600 reports was conducted by the Office of Adult Abuse Prevention and Investigations), a shared service between Department of Human

The sun is still shining, but it’s that time of year the High Desert returns to the locals and regional tourism experts are wrapping up the season with a smile of satisfaction. “It’s just such an exciting time for tourism,” Central Oregon Visitors Association President and CEO Alana Hughson said Wednesday. “We’re going to finish

The Environmental Center is accepting applications for the 2014 Sustainability Awards, now through October 1st. Awards will be given to a citizen, small business, large business, and organization (agency or nonprofit) that are leading the way to a sustainable future in Central Oregon. Application forms and information about the awards can be found on The

The Bethlehem Inn Board of Directors announced Wednesday that the Rev. Jenny Warner has been elected to its board. Reverend Warner is the Pastor for Justice, Spirituality and Community at First Presbyterian Church in Bend. She received a B.A. in Intercultural Studies and Psychology in 1992, and in 2010 received a Masters of Divinity from

Oregon state agencies plan to use their collective buying power to purchase less-toxic products – making Oregon safer and providing opportunities for Oregon businesses., officials said Wednesday. On Wednesday, state COO Michael Jordan approved new purchasing guidelines for state agencies to support the purchase of less-toxic products without compromising effectiveness or best-value. Here’s the rest

Bend-La Pine Schools seeks volunteers to join a committee of local stakeholders and staff members who will be tasked with analyzing current school attendance areas, reviewing population forecasts and making recommendations for attendance area adjustments to the superintendent in preparation for the opening of two new schools in 2015. The committee will be made up

The Bend Area Habitat for Humanity Executive Director, Mark Quinlan, is leaving his post to accept a position at the University of Oregon School of Law in Eugene. Quinlan will administer a program that oversees Community Dispute Resolution Centers throughout the state. During Quinlan’s 6 year term as executive director, Habitat has provided homeownership to

The Redmond City Council voted unanimously this week to enter into a ‘”sister city” relationship with the town of Cuautla in the state of Jalisco in Mexico. This is the first official sister city agreement signed by the city of Redmond. Sister city relationships are broad-based partnerships between the two communities and entered into to

A runner in southwest Bend happened upon a cougar Monday morning, prompting a search by Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies that turned up tracks but no sightings, they said. “You know, it’s actually pretty rare, but we do live in cougar country,” Deschutes County sheriff’s Sgt. William Bailey said Tuesday. Around 7:45 a.m. Monday, deputies were

To educate its members about national and regional growth in utility-developed community solar projects and the possibility of establishing one of its own, Central Electric Cooperative today announced a slate of October informational meetings. Members can attend any one of eight meetings that fit their schedule. A community solar project is a single, large facility

About 1,600 Pacific Power customers in the Culver area will have their electricity interrupted during the early morning hours Friday so crews can safely upgrade substation equipment to provide for more reliable system operation. The outage will begin at 1 a.m., officials said, and service will be restored by 5 a.m. or earlier if possible.

Dan Reesor, a prosecutor with the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office, was diagnosed with liver cancer earlier this year. His doctor told him without a liver transplant, he will die. But a doctor for the county’s insurer, Employee Benefit Management Services, said the procedure, estimated to cost $1.4 million, was not “medically necessary” – and

After several months of discussion with residents and revisions to ease concerns, the Redmond City Council approved the Southwest Area Plan unanimously Tuesday night “You hate to be trite and say, ‘We listened to the citizens,’ but in fact, we did,” said Mayor George Endicott. After being rejected three times, the city reached out to

After a four-day trial, a Deschutes County jury convicted a 51-year-old man Tuesday on 10 rape, sex abuse and other charges in the molestation of a then-9-year-old girl seven years ago in La Pine. A judge then handed down a 50-year sentence, the prosecutor in the case said. William Paul Cisneros “showed no remorse” for

A graphic video came out yesterday of NFL player Ray Rice punching and knocking out his then fiance, now wife, and it has sparked new debate over domestic abuse. Th video, being shared across the globe, highlights the harsh reality of domestic abuse, and has sparked discussion on the High Desert and elsewhere about a

The statistics are staggering: One person commits suicide every 40 seconds – more than all the yearly victims of wars and natural disaster, according to the World Health Organization. Deschutes County Health experts say those numbers can change. Suicide is preventable “We know that people can get through this issue we know that reaching out

A temporary recreational shooting closure for the Zimmerman Cinder Pit on the Sisters Ranger District will begin on September 14 and end on December 1, 2014. The closure of the pit has been put in place to protect contractors who will be clearing trees in several areas of the pit for future cinder mining by

The Veterans Day Parade of Bend is seeking veterans, community organizations,schools, bands, businesses and individuals for the 2014 Veterans Day Parade on November 11, which will be at 11 a.m. in downtown Bend. Participants must register at a planning meeting October 6 or October 27, the last chance for officials to accept new parade entrants.

In what he termed “an effort to protect private property rights and farm and ranching jobs in rural Oregon,” Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., voiced his strong support Tuesday for a bill to block a proposal by the Obama administration to, in his view, unilaterally increase their regulatory authority over the nation’s waters. The “Waters of

The American Red Cross is launching a first-of-its kind Blood Donor App Tuesday that puts the power to save lives in the palm of your hand. The Blood Donor App allows users to schedule blood donations, track their total donations, earn rewards and invite friends to join them on a lifesaving team. The new app