Month: May 2015

After renting for years, Maren Poletay’s landlord sold the home she shared with her kids, her aging father and their three dogs. Although they can afford $1,700 to $1,800 a month in rent, they’ve yet to find a home, so for now they live at a Bend motel. Maren and other renters feel greed is

Two weeks after Bend Police Chief Jim Porter proposed an expanded civil exclusion zone for downtown Bend, city councilors decided on a 5-2 vote Wednesday night to take that step, described as a tool to deal with violent and/or chronic offenders and make the city core a safe place to work, live and visit. Since

The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday passed an amendment to the Veterans Administration funding bill, led by Sens. Steve Daines (R-MT) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) that would let VA doctors discuss and make recommendations about use of medical marijuana with their patients. Under current regulations, VA doctors are prohibited from completing forms seeking recommendations or

A Sisters man was hospitalized and a Bend woman was cited after she turned left into the path of another car and they collided on Highway 20 in Tumalo early Wednesday evening, Deschutes County sheriff’s officers said. Deputies were called around 5:30 p.m. to the crash on Highway 20 at Fifth Street, said Sgt. Kevin

The Oregon Health Authority on Thursday lifted a health advisory issued six days earlier for Detroit Lake after new water monitoring confirmed that blue-green algae and toxin levels had dropped below levels of concern for humans, though not for dogs. The lifted alert came just in time for Memorial Day weekend visitors to the lake,s

Bend’s population grew by 3.4 percent in the year ended last July 1 to an estimated total of 84,080 residents, the U.S. Census Bureau said in figures released Thursday. So the city added 2,812 residents in the previous 12 months. Maybe. Another group of number-crunchers still have the city below 80,000 residents, at the same

It’s been one year since Oregon’s gay marriage ban was struck down. The anniversary is reason to celebrate for Deschutes County’s first same-sex couple to apply for their marriage license. George Jackson and Dale McCraken have been together for 21 years. They were actually married in 2004, before the law changed, and had a domestic

An AMBER Alert was issued, then canceled Wednesday afternoon by Oregon State Police after a driver on I-5 in southwest Washington spotted and called in a van matching the description of one driven by a non-custodial father who allegedly abducted his two young children at a home in Nampa, Idaho. Idaho State Police issued the

Here’s something not news to many: There’s a housing crisis in Central Oregon, with Bend as its no-vacancy epicenter. Not just an affordable housing crisis — finding a place to live, period. Families who don’t normally struggle to find housing are now struggling, amid vacancy rates in the very low single digits. The answers to

The Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of summer, and also happens to be the beginning of the summer concert lineup in Bend’s Old Mill District. “We’re really excited to kick it off with The Decemberists and Spoon, Jenny Lewis and Ryan Adams, and of course Robert Plant with the Sensational Space Shifters,” Les

Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum announced Wednesday a settlement regarding RadioShack’s proposed bankruptcy sale of its customers’ personally identifiable information to General Wireless. A coalition of 38 states had opposed the sale of consumer data. The settlement agreement provides that most of RadioShack’s consumer data will be destroyed. No credit or debit card account numbers,

Remember your prom experience? How about when you graduated from high school? The Oregon Liquor Control Commission reminds parents that while some things have changed, other pressures teens face are exactly the same. Prom and graduation should be celebrated as alcohol and substance-free events. However, statistics show that one third of the alcohol-related traffic fatalities

As Trade Promotion Authority, or “fast track,” legislation continues to be pending on the Senate floor, Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., said Wednesday he has filed a package of amendments focused on creating good-paying jobs in America. “The trade policy we put in place today will have profound effects on our workers and our economy for

U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell announced Wednesday the Bureau of Reclamation will invest nearly $50 million to improve water efficiency and conservation in a dozen Western states, including three canal-piping projects by Central Oregon irrigation districts. “In a time of exceptional drought, it is absolutely critical that states and the federal government leverage our funding

The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee passed a bipartisan measure Wednesday to ensure that people who are traveling with a secured knife are not prosecuted under local or state laws. The measure is led by Sens. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore. “The bill that Senator Enzi and I introduced and the Commerce

The Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation is putting on the 4 th Annual Central Oregon 500+ Road Ride, June 3-7. All rides are based out of Bend each day and feature the classic, scenic and sometimes grueling climbs! There are two options each day. 100 miles or 100 km. This is a perfect event for

The American Red Cross urges donors to choose their day to give hope to patients in need by donating blood during the “100 days of summer. 100 days of hope” campaign, officially sponsored by Suburban Propane. “Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer and vacation season, and the start of a seasonal decline in

All seven school bond and local option levies passed in Tuesday ‘s election, continuing recent positive trends on such votes, officials said. Passing bonds were the Reynolds School District ($125 million), Woodburn School District ($65 million), Marcola School District ($7.8 million) and St. Paul School District ($5.3 million). Blue Mountain Community College saw its $23

The High Desert Museum announced Wednesday participation in Blue Star Museums, a collaboration among the National Endowment of the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and more than 2,000 museums across America to offer free admission to the nation’s active duty military personnel including National Guard and Reserve and their families from Memorial

A large burn pile of uprooted trees escaped north of Madras Tuesday and burned about an acre of cheatgrass, sagebrush and juniper before fire crews stopped it, officials said Wednesday as they warned of very dry fuels for so early in the season.. The fire broke out around 2 p.m. on private ranch land near