Month: January 2015

Oregon businesses reported 45,700 vacancies in the fall, an increase of 13,400 vacancies from the prior year, the state Employment Department reported Thursday. The growing number of vacancies reflects strong job growth across Oregon in recent months, the agency said. Three large but diverse industries reported the most job vacancies in the fall, the department

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., on Wednesday applauded the announcement of funding for six majorconservation projects in the state. The six projects – all designed by local partners in Oregon – will receive help from a new program designed to support public-private partnerships and address complex conservation and natural resources projects. These funds will help projects

he 2015 tax filing season will begin next Tuesday, as scheduled, for both the Oregon Department of Revenue and the Internal Revenue Service. Both agencies will begin accepting returns electronically and processing all returns on January 20 . The Department of Revenue encourages Oregon tax payers to e-file their state and federal tax returns. ”

The results of the 2014-2015 Oregon Kindergarten Assessment were released Wednesday. This is the second year the state has collected a snapshot of children’s skills and knowledge when they first enter kindergarten. The state wants to ensure that student success starts early. Children currently enter kindergarten having had a wide variety of informal and formal

In aneffort to encourage families to start saving for college early, the OregonCollege SavingsPlan hasannounced its Baby Grad promotion. Any Oregon CollegeSavings Plan (OCSP) account opened on behalf of a newOregon baby during themonths of January, February and March of this year will automatically receive a$25 matchingcontribution from the OCSP. “We are really excited to

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., on Tuesday introduced two amendments to a Senate bill to approve the Keystone XL pipeline. Wyden said his amendments would require foreign oil companies – not taxpayers – to be responsible for cleaning up oil spills and ensure taxpayers receive fair returns for energy produced on public lands, while minimizing environmental

This year Sisters Folk Festival’s Americana Arts Outreach Scholarship (APAOS) fund received over $15,000 in grant awards. The fund provides arts-related scholarships for children in Sisters Country. Funding came from foundations, businesses and individual donors, all helping to expand the program and reach more children. Sisters Folk Festival Inc. (SFF) and Family Access Network (FAN),

Bend’s Project Connect seeks volunteers for service projects on behalf of non-profits, including BrightSide Animal Center’s Thrift Store, on Martin Luther King Day, Monday, January 19th. At our Thrift Store, 838 NW 5 th St. in Redmond (next to Grocery Outlet), we are looking for volunteers to help organize our storage area. We get many

As soon as Redmond police officers learned Tuesday a missing woman was found safe, they turned to Facebook to offer an update — it’s where they’d first posted on Sunday that Redmond resident Linda Whipple was missing. “That one post had reached 40,000 people,” Lt. Keith Knight said Tuesday. “To me, it’s amazing.” If you’ve

The Bend-La Pine School Board unanimously chose Pacific Crest as the name for the new Bend middle school Tuesday night. The name was chosen from a list of six finalist names, which also included: Bachelor Butte, Bridge Creek, Deschutes River, Manzanita and Discovery. The new school is slated to open in the fall, near William

The year 2015 is a big budget year for Oregon state government, with a recovering economy making for shifting priorities. Gov. John Kitzhaber is focused on education, but some Central Oregon lawmakers have concerns about where that money will come from. The biennial budget proposed by Kitzhaber is more than $18 billion, half of which

Seven people, including a 2-week-old baby, escaped a house fire in La Pine Monday night. The house is gone — and amazingly, this is not the first time this family has had to flee a fire. “Last night, the children came banging on the door, we were just going to bed about 11:30,” Rosemary Kim,

In honor of the one-year anniversary of Oregon’s historic anti-tethering law, Fences For Fido’s Central Oregon chapter is launching Unchain Central Oregon, with the goal of freeing 50 “fidos” in 2015. Fences For Fido, an all-volunteer nonprofit, reaches out to families with dogs living outdoors on chains, offering a free fence, spay/neuter, and a new

Personalized learning opportunities await Redmond Proficiency Academy high school students as the engage in January Term, a three-week program in which students participate in a single course of study. This unique opportunity, modeled after intensive academic terms offered at some universities, allows students to take one course that meets for a few hours each day

Prineville police on Tuesday identified a 73-year-old Bend pilot killed when his small plane crashed on takeoff Sunday afternoon from Prineville Airport. Bruce J. Myers died when his single-engine RV-9A plane crashed while taking off from the airport shortly after 2 p.m. Sunday, said Police Chief Les Stiles. Federal Aviation Administration records show Myers was

Nine Bend Endurance Academy junior cyclocross riders performed strongly in competition at the USA Cyclocross Nationals, held Jan. 7-12 in Austin, Texas. The BEW sent three junior women and six junior men, along with two coaches and several parents. “There were several groups from Oregon and we all shared transportation, housing and went out for

Each year, Deschutes Brewery dedicates $1 per barrel sold to nonprofits throughout its distribution area as part of its commitment to building a healthier society. In 2014, this came to more than $285,000 going to organizations that provide services for the environment, children, families, animals, education and those supporting arts and cultural activities. In addition,

Two days after turning to the public for help in finding a missing Redmond woman, police said Tuesday she had been found safe in Southern California. In a posting to its Facebook page, police said Linda Whipple “has been located in Oceanside, California. She is safe and has been in contact with family.” Police thanked

After the second holdup of a northwest Redmond Subway sandwich shop in three weeks, likely by the same knife-wielding robber, some area residents said Monday they were worried and anxious for police to catch the culprit. The holdup was reported around 8:23 a.m. at the Subway at 520 NW Fir Avenue, according to Redmond police

Deschutes County Commissioner Tammy Baney was invited to be a featured speaker at the 12 th Annual Leadership Summit of the Oregon Business Plan at the Portland Convention Center last week. She was honored to present to the over 1100 Oregon business leaders and elected officials on behalf of the Oregon Transportation Commission. In her