Month: April 2015

New Approach Oregon has hired a lobbyist to help pass bills in the Oregon legislature that would reduce marijuana offenders’ jail sentences and clear marijuana-related offenses from criminal records. The group behind Oregon’s law to legalize marijuana is also teaming up with the Bus Project to organize volunteers, host phone banks and win endorsements for

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and here on the High Desert, one local organization is looking to shed light on a dark topic. Saving Grace is an organization that promotes a violence-free lifestyle, and Tuesday night they decided to “Take Back the Night.” Sexual assault is not easy to talk about, but Saving Grace

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Oregon issued its April water supply outlook report Tuesday, which showed — as most expected — a continued trend this year for record-low snowpack throughout the state. As of April 1, 76 percent of Oregon’s long-term snow monitoring sites were at the lowest snowpack levels on record. In

The Oregon House voted unanimously Tuesday to pass HB 2300, a bill that would allow terminally ill patients to access experimental treatments that have not yet been approved for market. Rep. Knute Buehler, R-Bend, who led the bipartisan work group assigned to the bill, spoke in favor of HB 2300, also known as Right to

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and House Republicans said Tuesday they each have introduced bills to reform state government ethics laws amid the still-brewing scandal involving former governor John Kitzhaber and his fiancee, Cylvia Hayes. Here are the governor’s and House GOP news releases, in full: Governor Brown’s Ethics Bills Introduced With Bipartisan Support Governor Kate

The U.S. Department of Education released a new report Tuesday detailing what it called the unmet need across the country for high-quality preschool programs. And Oregon fared below the national rate. According to the report, A Matter of Equity: Preschool in America, of the approximately 4 million 4-year olds in the Unites States, about 60

High Country Disposal will provide free collection of miscellaneous household waste and appliances the week of April 20 – April 24. Collection is for residents within the city of Redmond only. The collection day will be the same day as regular garbage service, during the week of April 20. Free collection is limited to the

A recent AARP survey of Oregon registered voters age 45 and older, found that 85 percent of Oregonians want to live independently, at home as long as possible, as long as they have the help of a family caregiver. Also, 91 percent support requiring hospitals to explain and demonstrate medical tasks; and four in five

An AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps team, known as Green One, is no stranger to environmental work, and now they are ready to save some energy. The nine-person team will work with the Environmental Center until May 22, educating Bend residents about energy conservation. The Environmental Center is involved in a competition with 49 other

At least nine small fires were set off a forest road east of La Pine within a 2-day period last month, and now U.S. Forest Service law enforcers are seeking any tips from the public in hopes of finding who did it. Firefighters were called out to the blazes March 8 th and 9 th

Prineville’s Ochoco Creek Park was quiet Monday , but late Friday afternoon, a fight there drew police and dozens of angry onlookers, and what happened still has many people talking. One of the young adults on hand was among those who caught the scene on their camera phone. A group of about 30 young adults

Volunteers in Medicine Clinic of the Cascades (VIM) is pleased to announce the recent award of a $5,000 grant from Les Schwab Tire Centers. The gift provides funding that will support ongoing volunteer training. Les Schwab Tire Centers has invested in the success of VIM’s volunteer program since 2011. “We are very thankful for Les

Cascade Angels Fund 2015, LLC announced Tuesday it will receive a $25,000 investment from local nonprofit Craft3 to spur economic growth in Central Oregon. Craft3 is a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) lender founded in 1994. Over the past twenty years, Craft3 has invested over $322 million from offices in Ilwaco, Port Angeles, Seattle and

The city of Bend’s Business Advocacy program is producing a new electronic newsletter to keep businesses with a city business license up to date on information that may impact their decisions. Businesses that don’t have the license will not receive the newsletter. You can see the April newsletter at www.bendoregon.gov/businessnewsletter. To sign up for future

Central Electric Cooperative is proud to join other electric cooperatives around in the nation in showing our appreciation for linemen through the observance of a formal day of recognition. “These are the people who push through bad weather to make sure members have power,” says Bob McConnell, CEC director of Operations and Engineering. “Linemen work

Redmond has been selected as a top retirement destination by Where to Retire, a magazine geared toward helping people with retirement relocation decisions. The town is profiled in the May/June issue, available nationwide on April 14. Where to Retire Editor Annette Fuller said Redmond possesses qualities important to today’s retirees. “With more than 320 sunny

Fire managers on the Ochoco National Forest have canceled the planned ignition of hand piles along Forest Service Road 22 leading to Walton Lake. The project will be considered again this fall when cooler, wet conditions return. The piles were determined to be too green to fully consume. The hand pile unit is roughly 100

Governor Kate Brown on Monday declared drought emergencies in Crook, Harney, and Klamath counties due to low water levels and record-low snowpack. The drought continues to have significant impact on agriculture, livestock, and natural resources in each of the jurisdictions. The counties requested the state to take action, and the Oregon Drought Council considered the

For the first time, scientists at Oregon State University are measuring atmospheric temperatures with fiber optic thermometers suspended from unmanned aircraft—combining two emerging technologies to probe a poorly understood swath of Earth’s atmosphere. With funding from the National Science Foundation, John Selker is buying two new unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to loft sophisticated measuring instruments

Punishments for drivers whose blood alcohol content is measured above legal thresholds for impairment have reduced the likelihood of repeat offenses, a University of Oregon economist says in a study released Monday His study of data gathered from 1999 to 2011 in the state of Washington — where, like Oregon, a BAC over .08 is