Month: February 2015

Data from 500 GPS radio collars will soon replace an older population model and conventional wisdom about mule deer in the southern Blue Mountains. Beginning March 1, about 500 adult female mule deer between Prineville and Ontario will be collared so wildlife managers can better understand their ranges and movements. Leading Edge Aviation, a company

A fire in a southeast Bend industrial park Thursday night caused $30,000 damage to a welding shop, but likely would have been far more severe and spread to adjoining businesses if a sprinkler system and fire alarm hadn’t kicked in, officials said. Firefighters responded around 9:40 p.m. to a fire alarm sounding at Wilson Warehouses,

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., released the following statement Friday after the U.S. House of Representatives failed to pass a bill that would extend funding for the Department of Homeland Security for several weeks. “At a time like this, we should be working together on a bipartisan basis to fund and strengthen Homeland Security, but instead

On Feb.14, DutchBros. Coffee ‘s company-wide food drive collected 487,966 pounds of nonperishable items for food banks across seven states, a 109 percent increase over last year’s total. “Unbelievable,” saidDutchBros. Coffee co-founder, Travis Boersma. “Once again, we’ve been blown away by the communities support and willingness to make a difference.” Dutch Bros. Central Oregon drew

Recreational and medical marijuana should not be sold at the same retail outlets unless both products are tracked and tested in the same way, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission said Friday in a message to the Oregon Legislature. The request was approved by all five commission members as part of a memo to legislators that

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., secured a commitment from U.S. Forest Service Chief Thomas Tidwell at a hearing Thursday to provide much-needed funding to resource-dependent counties in Oregon, take the next step toward a solution in the Klamath River Basin and fix the broken funding system for fighting wildfires. In a hearing before the Senate Energy

“We got a message from (our son) Christopher: ‘I’m locked in a room, they took the chairs from me, they turned down the lights and they locked me in this room,” said John Kriner of Prineville. A message no parent wants to hear, especially if their son has autism and Asperger’s Syndrome. “It struck a

A La Pine man arrested late last month after a reported drive-by shooting in northern Klamath County and a standoff at a La Pine home has surrendered to face attempted murder charges, Oregon State Police said Thursday. Gary Thomas Davis, 31, turned himself in to troopers at the OSP office in Bend on Wednesday on

Many people have been praying for snow, only to have those prayers answered with sun and record-breaking temperatures. Now snow is finally back in the forecast, which is good news for ski resorts like Hoodoo, after only being able to open for 11 days so far this season. The ski resort says it needs 3

An immediate departure for Redmond’s only aviation fueling company could leave the airport in limbo. The city says it is for the sake of keeping the airport’s crucial federal grants. On Tuesday night, the Redmond City Council voted to give Butler Aircraft Services 90 days to cease operations at Roberts Field (Redmond Municipal Airport). Butler

According to data released Thursday by CoreLogic, nearly 900,000 single-family homes across 13 states in the western U.S., including nearly 13,000 in Deschutes County, are currently designed at “High” or “Very High” risk for wildfire damage, representing a combined total reconstruction value estimated at more than $237 billion. Of the total homes identified, just over

Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum testified Thursday before the Senate Education Committee in support of SB 187, the Oregon Student Online Personal Information Protection Act (OSIPA). The legislation would prevent third-party vendors who contract with a school from selling student data, using the data for advertisements, or from creating a profile of a student for

Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and John Boozman, R-Ark., along with Rep. Mark Takano, D-Ca., introduced Thursday the GI Bill Fairness Act, legislation that would ensure wounded Guardsmen and Reservists receive the GI Bill benefits they’ve earned. Members of the Guard or Reserve who are wounded in combat are often given orders under 10 USC 12301(h)

The Redmond School District Board of Directors has voted to be a receiving district during open enrollment for the 2015-2016 school year. The district has chosen to participate in open enrollment since the enactment of Oregon House Bill 3681 in 2012. The law allows students to transfer to school districts outside of their legal residence

A trip to the grocery store is something most Americans make at least once , if not twice a week. But how clean is your neighborhood store? From start to finish, you may be able to find germs in your grocery store. “You know, I’ve wondering about those little dirty hands that were just fingering

Dozens piled into the Central Oregon Environmental Center in downtown Bend Wednesday night to talk cougars. The group specifically was there to become more educated in cougar euthanization and to discuss alternatives. “It’s one of the first things you can do – it’s to become a well-educated person on this issue and then take some

Oregon’s senior senator and 2nd District congressman offered diametrically opposing reactions to the FCC’s 3-2 vote Thursday to impose Net neutrality rules and regulate Internet services like a utility. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., lauded the Federal Communications Commission approval of rules that he says will protect the free and open Internet: “Today is a win

A 42-year-old man who became trapped in a burning, long-vacant home in Madras Sunday night was critically burned before he could be rescued by firefighters, authorities said Wednesday. Madras Police Chief Tanner Stanfill identified the man as Bruce Miller, a transient from Warm Springs. He was listed in critical condition Wednesday evening at the Oregon

In a time when the Internet is known for hate tweets and Facebook wars, Timothy Phanco from Bend took to the Web to create a page to spread love and compassion. “I’ve had a pretty dark past, and I wanted to find a way to give back,” said Phanco, who founded the Facebook page “Pay

Oregon gained manufacturing jobs in 2014 at a rate more than double the national average, reports the 2015 Oregon Manufacturers Directory ® , an industrial database and directory published by Manufacturers’ News, Inc.. According to data collected by MNI, Oregon manufacturers added 8,641 jobs, or 3.9 percent, from December 2013 to December 2014, more than