Month: November 2014

The number of people who call Central Oregon home is growing — no news to just about anyone these days. But new annual estimates out Tuesday from Portland State University show which areas are growing the fastest. And once again, Deschutes County is in a familiar spot from past years: leader of the 36-county pack,

Despite the biggest single month in job growth in nearly two decades, Oregon’s unemployment rate was unchanged at 7 percent in October “because more and more Oregonians are entering the labor force and looking for work,” the state Employment Department reported Tuesday. Here’s the rest of the state’s news release on the latest job-market figures:

There are more than 20,000 people who live in Crook County. More than 200 of them are homeless, and there is only one homeless shelter in the whole county. But expansion is on the way. Redemption House currently only houses women and children. “When it comes to rural areas, you have this big-city problem, but

A 19-year-old Redmond-area woman whose body was found Sunday morning in a dry irrigation canal died of accidental hypothermia related to exposure, police said Tuesday. They also confirmed they had conducted a search after being called to the area of a nearby bar hours earlier, just after 3 a.m. on a report that Garr was

Bend’s Community Center is partnering with the Marine Corp League’s 2014 Toys For Tots campaign. They are now taking applications Monday – Friday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. All applications must be in by December 15, 2014. Applications are available at the Bend’s Community Center located at 1036 NE 5th Street in Bend. Toy

With the cold weather and season’s first significant snowfall on the ground, and with more wet, ice and snow on the way, Central Oregon road condition will be very hazardous at times. The La Pine Fire District would like to remind drivers of the following simple steps to ensure your winter travel is safer. Note

With the recent onset of freezing temperatures and snow accumulations, federal land managers would like to remind the public that wood cutting season ends November 30 on federal public lands in Central Oregon. This seasonal restriction is in place to protect roads that are more likely to be saturated with water during the period of

Central Oregon quickly transformed into a winter wonderland, but while it’s pretty to look at, it can be deadly to drive in. And there were major problems in many areas on Monday as folks went back to work. “It’s really slippery out there,” said Bend resident Debbie Molnar. “I stayed inside as much as I

So far, Redmond police are keeping quiet on the details in the death of a man whose body was found in a burned-out car. But the father of 21-year-old Sam Villa tearfully talked about his son Monday — and said he believes it’s murder. “He didn’t deserve to die like that, and I think the

Police on Monday identified a 21-year old man whose body was found in a car that burned on a northwest Redmond street late Friday night and a 19-year-old woman found dead in a dry irrigation canal Sunday morning off South Highway 97. They sought information from the public in both active investigations but said they

One day after searchers found and recovered the body of an avid Bend mountain climber from the snowy slopes of the Middle Sister, his employer at a popular downtown Bend restaurant shared a few memories of the adventurous, popular outdoorsman. Ben Newkirk “worked to live,” Cheri Helt of Zydeco said Monday Helt, who declined to

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Nearly a dozen dogs that were braving the cold weather at a Madras shelter are in warm homes for now, thanks to a Bend non-profit and others who stepped up to help with foster homes. Kate Scheideman of Madras became a new “mom,” just for the weekend. “She’s super adorable, she’s affectionate. She’s been watching

Oregon public health officials said Monday are seeing less resistance in bacteria most responsible for serious respiratory infections such as pneumococcus, thanks to the state’s low antibiotic prescribing rates. But people continue to misuse antibiotics, and that can lead to dangerous and potentially deadly drug resistance, said Ann Thomas, M.D., a public health physician in

More than 11 million acres of dry forest in Oregon and Washington are in need of restoration, according to a new study reported Monday by scientists for The Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Forest Service. The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Forest Ecology and Management, is a comprehensive, data-driven analysis of where, how much

As Central Oregon continues to shiver under frigid, record-breaking cold and dig out from up to a foot or two of snow, one school district — Jefferson County 509-J — canceled classes Monday, hours after calling a two-hour delay. KWSO radio in Warm Springs reported the school district was having an issue with frozen pipes

Upgrades have been completed at four Bend-La Pine schools, with four more big projects set to start in the spring under a $96 million bond measure approved last year by district voters, officials said Monday. “The completion of these projects has increased safety and improved learning opportunities for kids in our schools,” said Superintendent Ron

An attic fire near a wood stove caused about $2,500 damage to a manufactured home in the Romaine Village area of southwest Bend early Monday, displacing a family of five on a very cold night, authorities said. Bend Fire and Rescue responded shortly before 12:30 a.m. to the reported fire in the home of Salvador

Police in Klamath Falls exchanged gunfire with a fleeing grocery store robbery suspect Sunday night and the suspect was killed, Klamath County District Attorney Rob Patridge said. Officers from the Klamath County Sheriff’s Office, Klamath Falls police and Oregon State Police pursued Lenny Miles, 34, who fled with cash stolen from Frontier Market, at the

Average retail gasoline prices in Oregon have risen 0.8 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $3.06/g Sunday, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 1,307 gas outlets in Oregon. That compares with the national average that has fallen 1.7 cents per gallon in the last week to $2.89/g, according to gasoline price website GasBuddy.com.