Month: June 2015

Anticipated warmer and drier weather is prompting officials with the Oregon Department of Forestry to declare the start of fire season with ODF’s Central Oregon District, effective Saturday morning. That’s about the same time as last year, but is still about three weeks ahead of what is considered normal, officials said — noting that the

Beginning July 1, Oregon households will be allowed to legally grow up to four marijuana plants as a result of the statewide legalization of marijuana passed by Oregon voters in November 2014. Next Tuesday, the Redmond City Council is scheduled to vote on standards for marijuana cultivation in residential zones. The proposed actions will add

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., wrote the following op-ed piece on his introduction of the Breaking Down Barriers to Innovation Act, aimed at fixing what he calls outdated elements of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act: Right now the U.S. Copyright Office is deciding whether Americans will be able to unlock phones and other devices they’ve paid

A 70-year-old Sisters man was killed Thursday night in a rollover crash on Fryrear Road east of Sisters, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said. Sgt. Aaron Harding said Michael Anthony Graham was driving a 1996 BMW 328 convertible north on Fryrear near Warrin Road when the car left the road and rolled several times, throwing the

As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau considers new rules to rein in predatory practices in payday and similar types of lending, Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and 31 Senate colleagues expressed support Thursday for the agency’s first steps and urged the strongest possible rules to combat the “cascade of devastating financial consequences” the high-priced loans often

School is not quite out yet for Central Oregon students, but the countdown to full-day kindergarten has already begun. “It’s great that she’s going to be in school all day,” Redmond parent Autumn Loewen said Thursday of her daughter.”Getting ready for those upper-grades is going to help her, and just from working parents, the monetary

Becky Stock has joined BrightSide Animal Center, a high-save shelter in Redmond, as its new executive director, board president Mark Crose announced Thursday. Stock’s appointment was the culmination of a three-month nationwide search. “We were fortunate to attract a diverse field of highly skilled candidates from all over the country, but found the right person

Craft Kitchen and Brewery will be opening their doors on Saturday, June 13 th . With farm to table foods blended with southern flavors, this small batch, family friendly brewery is going to be the go to place to celebrate summer with your family. During their opening month, Craft Kitchen and Brewery will be donating

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., on Thursday again urged lifting the federal ban on industrial hemp, saying it has a wide variety of uses and economic benefits in Oregon and nationwide. Hemp-based products contributed $620 million to the U.S. economy in 2014, but current federal regulations prohibit farmers from growing hemp in the United States, the

The Oregon Senate agreed Thursday to raise the statute of limitations on rape from six years to 12, but that fell short of a 20-year limit backed by Sen. Tim Knopp (R-Bend), victim advocates, the Oregon District Attorneys Association and a bipartisan group of legislators. Following debate on HB 2317, Knopp introduced a referral to

NeighborImpact is participating in the 2015 Backpack Buddies Food Drive from now until June 12. As a community partner in Central Oregon, the CenturyLink Clarke M. Williams Foundation will donate $1 (up to $1,000,000 nationwide) for every 6 pounds of food donated to NeighborImpact. Additionally, every $1 in cash donated to our food program will

A climber fell hundreds of feet to his death on Mt. Hood Thursday morning and a recovery effort has begun to carry his body off the mountain, Clackamas County sheriff’s deputies said. KGW reports rescuers reached the man before noon and said he had not survived the fall. First reports of the fall came just

The Oregon Student Information Protection Act was passed out of the Oregon House Education Committee on Wednesday and is on its way to the House floor for final passage, Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said. Senate Bill 187-A has already been unanimously approved by the Oregon Senate, and will now move to the floor of the

The April “Bras for a Cause” campaign of Soroptimist International of Bend has collected a total of 956 new and gently used bras to help bring awareness to the fight against international human trafficking. These garments will help create a pathway to a better life for a woman rescued from the sex slave trade in

A new building for the Deschutes National Forest’s Crescent Ranger District will be dedicated in mid-June and the public is invited. On Tuesday, June 16, the Forest Service’s new Crescent Ranger Station will be dedicated through song and celebration. The public is welcomed to join in all the activities. The dedication will begin at 11:00

How would you feel about five guaranteed days of paid sick leave? The Oregon Legislature is considering requiring businesses with 10 or more employees to provide sick leave, and some Central Oregon businesses are opposed to the proposal. “It’s a hardship on small business,” Lori Anton, the general manager of Consolidated Towing in Bend, said

A La Pine family of three awoke to a smoke detector and escaped a fire that heavily damaged their home late Wednesday night, officials said. La Pine Rural Fire Protection District crews responded around 11:30 p.m. to the reported fire at 51924 Dorrance Meadow Road, said Fire Chief Mike Supkis. Two engines, a water tender,

It is close to impossible to find a hotel room in Bend because of two major events. This weekend is the Deschutes County Fair and the Bend Premier Soccer Cup. With many tourists heading to the area, resort and hotel phones have been ringing off the hook. “There first question is, do you have any

Warmer weather and favorable winds are lining up for fuels specialists on the Sisters Ranger District to conduct a prescribed burn Friday. Up to 42 acres could be burned mile east of Black Butte Ranch and one mile south of Highway 20 in the Glaze Meadow area. The prescribed fire is part of the Glaze

Implemented in stages since 2001, Oregon law requires Oregon residents 12-years-of-age and older who operate powered boats of more than 10-horsepower to obtain their Mandatory Boater Education card. Failure to have a card under the above conditions might result in a $110 ticket. This card is NOT a license to operate a boat, as there