Month: October 2014

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality said Friday it is seeking public comment through Friday, November 7 on proposed rules that would lay out the next phase of Oregon’s Clean Fuels program. The program, approved by the Oregon Legislature in 2009, seeks to cut greenhouse gases by lowering the carbon content in Oregon transportation fuels.

One of Ed Munoz’s favorite photos of his son is the last one he took of him. “He saw the sunset, and he just said, ‘I want to look at it a little more,’ and he climbed up on the roof,” Munoz recalled. It was also one of the last sunsets Shane Munoz ever saw.

The public is invited to two upcoming open house gatherings to learn about road safety issues in Bend and explore optionsto improve safety for people walking and biking across busy, multi-lane roadways. Data has shown patterns of crashes on certain multi-lane roads, especially Third Street, Greenwood Avenue and Colorado Avenue. To learn more about the

Fuels specialists plan to ignite several prescribed burn units in the Sisters Ranger District and on the west side of Ochoco National Forest in coming days. Ignitions are dependent upon appropriate weather conditions and permission from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. Up to 110 acres could be burned three miles west of Sisters and

A Portland man was arrested Thursday night after a crash on U.S. Highway 97 at the Oregon Highway 138 junction in Klamath County, accused of passing a semi truck in a no-passing zone, Oregon State Police said. Around 7:25 p.m., a 2014 Hyundai Elantra driven by Nicholas J. Raptis, 39, from southwest Portland, was northbound

October and November are the two busiest months for vehicle-wildlife collisions, statewide and nationally. With more wildlife crossing roads all over the state, Oregon State Police, the Oregon Department of Transportation and Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife urged motorists Friday to be on alert. According to statistics from ODOT’s Crash Analysis & Reporting Section,

Starting Saturday, it’s open season for rifle hunters in Central Oregon. To celebrate and educate, Search and Rescue personnel in multiple counties are manning hunting booths. “Lost hunters are always a problem for us this time of year,” Crook County Emergency Manager Michael Ryan said Thursday. In hopes of cutting down cases of having to

It’s been an uplifting couple of days in Warm Springs as the region’s largest conference on drones and unmanned vehicles wrapped up Thursday. Thursday afternoon, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office demonstrated its field search robots as about 200 people gathered at Kah-Nee-Ta Resort for the biannual Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems conference. The gathering was

Friends of 33-year-old Shane Munoz who was killed during what police describe as a home invasion burglary, said Tuesday they don’t believe Munoz is accused of burglarizing someone’s home the way police describe. That friend didn’t want to be on camera or be identified but says Munoz isn’t the type of person to invade someone’s

Perhaps the most high-profile race Oregon voters will decide Nov. 4 is the one for governor. The two major-party candidate, Democrat incumbent John Kitzhaber and Republican challenger Dennis Richardson. met for a debate last week in Sunriver, giving their view on a number of critical issues to Oregon’s future. Here’s a sampling: Recreational marijuana (Measure

Vallejo, Calif., Police Chief Jospeh Kreins said Wednesday his department is investigating a downtown Bend incident last weekend in which Vallejo Sgt. Michael Kent Tribble pulled a gun during a fight. “We’ve opened our own administrative investigation. I’ve spoken with the chief of police in Bend,” Kreins told TV station KTVU. “We, of course, take

Saving Grace Executive Director Janet Huerta and staff member Ashtyn Ryan received an award in a Portland ceremony Wednesday night for being one of the Top Ten Nonprofits to work for in Oregon. Saving Grace received the award for being the second-Best Medium-Sized Nonprofit. All top 10 nonprofits received trophies and made speeches, like at

Wednesday night, at an awards gala in New York City’s Central Park, Bend real estate developer Brooks Resources Corporation received an award from Americans for the Arts: “The BCA 10: Best Businesses Partnering with the Arts in America for 2014.” The award recognizes only 10 companies in the United States for their exceptional commitment to

Dr. Heather West, an oncologist at Bend Memorial Clinic, is usually the one telling patients about the importance of mammograms. On Thursday, she practiced what she preaches and underwent her first mammogram. “I thought it might be a good opportunity to put my money where my mouth is, so to speak,” West said. West turned

Student enrollment in Bend-La Pine Schools continues to surge and is up 300 students this year, the district said Thursday. As of Thursday, the school district has 17,163 students, an increase of about 2 percent above last year’s figure of 16,863. During the past decade, enrollment in Bend-La Pine Schools has steadily increased, up more

It’s a rare sight when dozens of men and women are lining up to go into a jail, high-fiving the sheriff on the way in. But that was the scene Wednesday night as Deschutes County sheriff’s officers unveiled their sparkling new jail expansion. “It’s been a long time and a long process for us,” said

Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO), host of the annual Bend Venture Conference (BVC), has selected the five launch stage companies that will go on to compete for an estimated $500,000 at the 2014 BVC as Craft3, a CDFI lender that expanded operations to Central Oregon last year, adds a $26,500 investment to the BVC

The Oregon Health Authority said Thursday it has lifted a health advisory for the Willamette River issued over two weeks ago due to high levels of blue-green algae, but the one issued for Wickiup Reservoir around the same time is still in place. The Willamette advisory, issued September 16 and updated two days later, covered

As fall starts to show its colors and the weather starts to change, it is also time for the annual Crook County United Fund Campaign. Here’s their announcement, issued Wednesday: Once again, we are encouraging Crook County residents to “Give Where You Live.” This is a very simple idea, but it can make a huge

The Bureau of Land Management Prineville District Office will temporarily redirect public access to Reynolds Pond during construction work to upgrade the access road and parking lot. Located between Bend and Alfalfa, the road to access Reynolds Pond from Walker Road will be closed October 14 through November 30. A detour route off of Alfalfa