Month: February 2015

Bend police turned to the public for help Monday in finding a man who asked to view two rings at a jewelry store on Valentine’s Day, then walked out with them and ran away before police were called. Police were called around 6:15 p.m. to the reported theft at Kay Jewelers, 3188 N. Highway 97

Fire managers plan to take advantage of recent warmer weather to conduct jackpot burning across as many as 1,000 acres over the coming weeks between the Crooked River National Grassland and the Maury Mountains southeast of Prineville. Jackpot burning is part of a hazardous fuels reduction program that addresses high concentrations of naturally-occurring or thinning-related

The shifting school boundaries for Bend-La Pine Schools will affect many local families as the changes impact nearly every elementary school, and all middle and high school boundaries in Bend. Affected families will receive notification letters from the district. Students whose boundaries are changing can request to stay at their current school. Students now in

After a four-month search, Bend Area Habitat for Humanity announced Monday the selection of Scott Rohrer as its next executive director. “Because of Habitat’s complexities as an operator of two ReStores, a home builder and repair contractor and a financial institution that provides mortgages to families, we needed to find a leader that has had

Alaska Airlines is adding two additional flight options to the Redmond Municipal Airport, to Seattle and Portland, beginning June 7, the airport announced Monday. Alaska Airlines will be adding a new morning flight from Seattle (SEA), arriving in RDM at 9:00 a.m. and departing at 9:30 a.m., as well as a new evening flight from

One of two suspects in a Prineville carjacking Friday was arrested as a passenger in a Redmond traffic stop Saturday afternoon, Crook County sheriff’s deputies said. Redmond police informed the sheriff’s office shortly before 1 p.m. that they had taken Dominick Ramon Isherwood, 24, of Prineville, into custody without incident during the traffic stop, said

A driver heading south on Highway 97 at Bend’s north end ran a red light and hit a car crossing the highway at Cooley Road Sunday afternoon, sending one passenger to the hospital with minor injuries and leading to charges against the offending driver, police said. Bend police and fire medics responded shortly before 3

Capping a year-long investigation of Redmond methamphetamine trafficking, police raided six homes in Redmond and Madras and made a traffic stop in Redmond over eight days, leading to 13 arrests, including a 17-year-old juvenile, and the placement of six children in state custody, officers said Friday. By early Sunday, over a week after the first

A West Coast labor dispute that had led to weeks of slowdowns appears to be at an end. The dispute at West Coast ports from San Diego to Seattle caused big problems for International trade. After nine months, negotiators reached a tentative contract on Friday. Newport Avenue Market in Bend is running low on items

At Saturday ‘s American Birkebeiner cross-country ski race in Hayward, Wisconsin, XC Oregon racer Sarah Max (Bend) finished 8th overall in the women’s 51km skate event for a career-best finish in a race won by 2014 Olympian Holly Brooks of Anchorage. XC Oregon’s Matt Briggs (Bend) finished 24th in the men’s 51km skate event won

Three residents at Bend’s Stone Lodge Retirement Community have been hospitalized for a flu-related virus, officials said Saturday. According to Brian Fawkes, a spokesman for Stone Lodge’s parent company, Holiday Retirement, the senior complex on Northeast 27th Street is currently under “infectious disease protocol.” “We need to close down our kitchen and completely disinfect it,”

Claire McDonald’s artwork was chosen as the official logo for the U.S. Bank Mini Pole Pedal Paddle T-shirt for 2015. She is a 4th grader at Highland Elementary. Her artwork was selected among 120 entries. She will be awarded with a Round Table pizza party for her class, a gift from Saxon’s, $100 gift card

New Oregon Gov. Kate Brown tackled a wide array of questions at her first news conference Friday, saying she’d not been asked by former governor John Kitzhaber or his staff if she’d pardon him, should that situation arise. She also said she’ll uphold his moratorium on death-penalty executions for now, pending a broader discussion. Two

The Oregon House on Friday approved in a party-line vote the “Motor Voter” bill that would register all eligible Oregon drivers to vote, much to the delight of new Gov. Kate Brown and Democrat lawmakers and the dismay of House Republicans. The bill passed 35-24, split on party lines, and now goes to the Senate.

Last March, Deschutes County commissioners established a moratorium on the operation of marijuana dispensaries, but with the “sunset clause” set to repeal May 1, the county has drafted proposed new rules on where they can — and can’t be. In anticipation of this repeal, staff is proposing text amendments that define, permit, and establish standards

“Kevin Perry acted justifiably,” Deschutes County District Attorney, John Hummel, on Thursday. “He used justifiable force to defend Amanda Weinman and himself inside his house.” What defines justifiable force? According to Oregon law, a person is justified in using physical force upon another person for self-defense or to defend a third person from what the

Fifty Oregonians lost their lives due to fire-related injuries in 2014, officials said Friday, the highest count in six years. The 2014 tally was the most since 53 fire fatalities in 2008. Residential fires accounted for 34 of the 50 deaths. The 16 non-residential fatalities occurred in incidents involving motor homes, outdoor fires, motor vehicle

Airsoft guns are looking so much like real ones police officers have a hard time telling them apart. But young airsoft players and their parents say it is a safe sport and a worthwhile experience. The call of the battlefield beckons many in Bend. Bend Airsoft is hosting airsoft battles in an area clearly marked

Recent oil train accidents raise serious concerns about newer rail cars that carry crude oil in Oregon and across the country, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said Friday. Wyden urged the administration to take into account a series of accidents involving new cars as it finalizes oil train safety rules, in a letter to the White

We know when we’ll vote again, but who will be on that ballot is far less clear. Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown will be sworn in as the 38th governor of Oregon this Wednesday at 10 a.m., when John Kitzhaber’s resignation becomes official. Speculation is swirling at the Oregon Capitol over who Brown will