Month: April 2015

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife faces an ongoing cash flow problem that has repeatedly put the agency’s financial health at risk, according to a new audit by the secretary of state’s office. Inflation, expanding responsibilities and a growing maintenance backlog are driving up costs. Meanwhile, revenue is not keeping pace, the office said

Redmond police thanked the public Thursday for tips that helped lead to the arrest of a Prineville man who officers say refused to pull over for police two weeks ago, crashed a friend’s car and fled. The car was returned to its owner – and the man was arrested earlier this week, driving the same

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office is seeking $295,899 from the county to improve medical care for jail inmates, according to Jail Captain Shane Nelson Wednesday. “We have a proposal to add nurses so that we will have nursing coverage 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Nelson said. The announcement comes nearly four months

A group supporting efforts in the Legislature to hike Oregon’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2018 issued a study Wednesday touting the benefits to workers and businesses. But a Central Oregon economic development official took issue with the findings and said the impact is likely to be far more negative than supporters claim.

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., visited OSU-Cascades in Bend Thursday to talk about impending “drastic cuts” to Pell grants for students as he wrapped up a statewide campaign targeting a Republican-passed budget that he says will hurt many. Merkley spoke of “the very real impacts that the recently passed Senate budget will have on Oregonians and

The Rotary Club of Bend is seeking to partner with a Central Oregon non-profit organization over the course of the next Rotary year, which begins July 1. A request for proposal has been issued by the club, which will select a local organization to partner with to provide financial and hands-on project support. “Our club

The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department will open the gate for vehicle access to the Pilot Butte summit on Friday. The gate will open at approximately 8:00 a.m. each day throughout the season, weather and road conditions permitting. The gate closure time is 8:00 p.m. and is subject to change as the days get longer.

A bill offered by state Rep. Gene Whisnant, R-Sunriver, to make college more affordable and accessible unanimously passed the Oregon House on Wednesday. By requiring collaboration between public universities and community colleges to make fixed-cost baccalaureate degrees a reality in Oregon, HB 2937-A seeks to keep Oregon’s best and brightest students in state as they

Governor Kate Brown, Business Oregon and the Port of Portland announced $300,000 in state investments Wednesday to help Oregon’s small businesses continue to export their goods. “The movement of goods in and out of Oregon is essential to the state’s health now and in the future,” said Brown. “These investments help build a dependable and

Celebrate the heritage of Deschutes County during May, a month dedicated to engaging in historic preservation. The Deschutes County Historical Society, Deschutes County Historic Landmarks Commission, City of Bend Landmarks Commission, City of Redmond Landmarks Commission, The Tower Theatre Foundation, and the BLM Prineville District Office partner to celebrate the myriad of ways that historic

Oregon DMV is posting approximate wait times for the 37 of its 60 field offices equipped with automated wait-time systems. This allows customers to pick an office based on the wait time. It’s especially helpful for those who live in areas with more than one DMV office nearby. Wait times are posted on the web

The Pacific Power Foundation has awarded $2,000 to Healthy Beginnings to help support the program’s efforts to expand access to health and early intervention services to the region’s young children – especially the most vulnerable populations living in Central Oregon. Funding will support the program’s community screening, referral and follow-up services as well as parent

Deschutes Brewery announced Wednesday its craft beers will be available in Wayne County, Michigan beginning June 1. The Oregon-based brewery will partner with West Side Beer Distributing’s Romulus Office for distribution of its beers in the South Detroit area. The move expands Deschutes’ presence in Michigan beyond its fall 2014 distribution in Grand Rapids, E.

Franklin’s Corner Community Garden will open Saturday, April 18. Open plots are available and are expected to be claimed quickly. Registration for plots begins at 9 a.m. A work party to prepare the garden for the season will follow from 10 a.m. until noon. Bring tools and dress for the weather. You can rent a

The City of Prineville has launched a new series of short podcasts which will highlight and personalize the people who work for, and volunteer with, the city. Hosted and produced by Bill Mintiens, owner of Jakie Spring Media LLC which has a public relations contract with the city, the podcasts are intended to both educate

Families with incoming kindergarteners in the Bend-La Pine Schools are encouraged to register their children for the upcoming 2015-16 school year during kindergarten round-up events at neighborhood schools on Wednesday, April 22. Parents will be able to ask questions, meet teachers and administrators, learn more about the school and register their students. Each school has

Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., called on the Interior and Commerce departments on Wednesday to conduct a national report detailing the economic benefits of our country’s outdoor economy. While the federal government currently collects certain data on the benefits of the outdoor economy, the lawmakers said there’s a lack of clear and

From Prineville to Sisters and Redmond to Bend, volunteers are needed to help our parks, waterways and natural lands. On April 17th and 18th over 200 volunteers across the region will pitch in to pick up litter, plant trees and restore our parks and natural areas. Now in its 26 th year, SOLVE IT, presented

The City of Redmond wants pickleball and tennis enthusiasts along with all public interested in parks and recreation activities in Redmond to be aware of an upcoming Parks Committee meeting that will discuss pickleball options. Pickleball is a fast growing sport and the existing facilities managed by the Parks Division does not meet the current

The city of Bend is working on a proposal for a 5 cents-per-gallon gas tax that would help fund improvements to the city’s battered roads “For our roads to get fixed, I would pay five cents a gallon,” one driver said Tuesday. “I would if I had to,” another driver said. Gas prices change at