Month: May 2015

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., introduced a bill Tuesday that he said would spur the use of low-carbon biomass energy to heat and powerhomes and businesses, while reducing the risk of wildfires and creating jobs in rural areas. Wyden said the BioEnergy Act of 2015 would establish a competitive, cost-share grant program at the Department of

When you are struggling with a gambling problem, sometimes you just need someone to talk to. Beginning this month, the Oregon Lottery is teaming up with GamTalk (http://www.gamtalk.org/) to provide a free online support service for Oregonians with gambling issues. GamTalk is an “online community” that provides an opportunity for people to anonymously discuss their

State Sen. Tim Knopp (R-Bend) testified Monday in the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources in support of bringing a federal geothermal research facility to south Deschutes County. The measure, House Joint Memorial 19, would urge the U.S. Secretary of Energy and Congress to site their prospective Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy

A fugitive at the wheel of an SUV fled police in northeast Bend after an alleged assault Monday morning, knocking down fences at a school that went into “lockout” mode and at two nearby homes, officers said. He soon dumped the SUV, stole another and got away, despite an extensive search. Police responded shortly after

A high note was hit by Bend’s own Bella Acappella Harmony Chorus who placed second out of ten in small chorus competition at the recent Regional Sweet Adelines Convention and Competition in Reno, Nevada on May 2, 2015. The second place medal for outstanding acappella achievement was awarded to Bella Acappella in the category of

The Prineville Police Department and the Crook County Sheriff’s Office are joining other Oregon law enforcement agencies in a statewide safety belt and child car seat traffic enforcement “blitz’ from May 18-31. The enhanced “Click or Ticket” enforcement is provided through overtime funding from the Oregon Department of Transportation and the USDOT’s National Highway Traffic

Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today welcomed the first-in-depth report from the Government Accountability Office on landscape-scale restoration of forests. Wyden and Murkowski requested the report from GAO. The Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and National Park System have all undertaken landscape-scale projects as a way to make forests healthier, more

A social club in Bend welcomes new residents and those looking for something new to the area and introduces them to activities in the community. Mercedes Nibler moved from the Portland area to Bend in 2014. When she moved to Bend she was looking for a change. “I decided to move everything and sold my

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office is proud to offer the citizens of Deschutes County an awareness and personal protection class on the evening of Wednesday, May 27h, at the main Sheriff’s Office located at 63333 W. Highway 20, Bend. The class is from 6 -8 p.m., with registration starting at 5:30 p.m.; no per-registration is

The City of Bend and the Environmental Center have partnered on a new education program called “Our Water System: A Journey through Bend.” The program consists of four classroom lessons: an overview of the Deschutes Watershed and how our community uses water, a school ground tour of how water gets into and out of our

A formal investigation has confirmed the death by suicide of a Portland martial-arts studio owner at the Deschutes County Jail, nearly a week after his arrest on sex abuse charges, Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel said Monday. Here’s the full text of a statement issued Monday morning by Hummel on the April 26 th

The Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation has released the details of the new 2.34-mile trail run course that replaces the Nordic leg of next Saturday’s 2015 U.S. Bank Pole Pedal Paddle due to low snow conditions at Mt. Bachelor. “Generally, this is a fun, rugged run” on service roads and mountain bike trails around the

A Powell Butte man was hospitalized and cited by Oregon State Police after a two-pickup collision Saturday afternoon at the intersection of Highway 126 and the Powell Butte Highway, troopers said. The crash occurred shortly after 3 p.m., when a 1974 Ford pickup driven by Paul J. Smith, 53, of Powell Butte, turned left from

A 54-year-old Prineville man was in critical condition at a Bend hospital Sunday after experiencing apparent medical issues and crashing his minivan off Southeast Juniper Canyon Road, Crook County sheriff’s deputies said. Deputies and Crook County Fire and Rescue medics were dispatched around 1:45 p.m. to the scene near milepost 1 in Prineville, said Sgt.

A man was injured in a reported 50-foot fall from a cliff along the west side of the Deschutes River in Bend Sunday night, but reportedly was alert and talking to responding fire medics, initial reports indicated. A friend apparently called police to report the fall shortly before 9 p.m., which occurred midway between the

President Obama lobbied hard at Nike’s world headquarters Friday for a proposed Pacific Rim trade deal, claiming it won’t lead to the wave of outsourcing past trade pacts have due to its enforceable provisions and instead will open the door to American companies seeking a fair playing field in overseas markets. To the many critics

The Bonneville Power Administration said Friday it is positioned to meet the ongoing power needs of its customers, as well as its non- power obligations, including those aimed at protecting fish. BPA said the agency and its federal partners have been monitoring the downward trend in water supply forecasts throughout the winter and spring and

The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued its May water supply report Friday, and as with most recent surveys, it’s not looking good for Oregon. The report says Oregon’s snowpack is 90 percent below normal for this time of year. Low summer streamflows are the reality this year. According to the report, the statewide snowpack was

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., this week co-sponsored legislation that would direct federal regulators to update and expand disclosure rules that govern commercial and political ads. Wyden said the Sunshine in Sponsorship Identification Act introduced by Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and also cosponsored by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Claire McCaskill

A sleeping homeowner awakened by smoke alarms in Bend’s Romaine Village on Friday put out a fire in the bathroom, then evacuated before fire crews arrived, officials said. Firefighters responded just after noon to a reported fire in the bathroom of a double-wide manufactured home at 19930 Limelight Drive, said Bend Fire Department Engineer Jeremy