Month: June 2015

Medical marijuana has been legal in Oregon for quite some time. “It’s a wonderful release of pain,” said Christmas Valley resident James Brookins, who has been using medical marijuana for 16 years. Brookins said the use of cannabis also helped him reduce his dosage of opioid painkillers, on which he has relied on ever since

TECH (Teen Elder Computer Help) is an intergenerational training class developed by and coordinated by the Central Oregon Council on Aging (COCOA). The program holds classes where teens spend one-on-one time with seniors to teach them how to use modern technology. The purpose of the classes is to help seniors remain in contact with their

A Bend man with a knife was caught on camera in Orchard Park last week, threatening to kill himself or officers and highlighting what police call a rising challenge — one they are addressing with more training to defuse such situations. The tense encounter showed the man waving the knife at officers who had guns

The Oregon Liquor Control Commission on Tuesday launched a public information campaign to educate Oregonians about the new recreational marijuana laws, which go into effect in just over two weeks, on Wednesday, July 1. The campaign, What’s Legal? Educate Before You Recreate, provides key information about what is allowed under the new laws — and

Over the last month, the price of a dozen eggs has risen sky high, and the Midwestern bird flu just might be the culprit. The High Desert isn’t exempt when it comes to the rising price of eggs. Whether it’s bakeries, grocery stores or everything in between, many Central Oregonians are feeling the effects of

Retail gas prices have unexpectedly jumped in many areas of Oregon over the past week, which AAA Oregon-Idaho said Tuesday was due to a decline in gasoline stocks caused by high fuel demand and persistent refinery problems that limited production. For the week, the national average for regular unleaded climbs a nickel to $2.80 a

Sens. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) sent a letter Tuesday to PayPal, the global online payments system, calling on the company to change its user agreement. They said PayPal recently released a new user agreement that would require consumers to consent to receive autodialed or prerecorded

Sen. Ron Wyden, D- Ore., said Tuesday he will object to the Senate’s consideration of the Department of Energy’s nominee for Assistant Secretary of Energy for Environmental Management, in a hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Wyden said he would hold up the full Senate proceeding to vote on the nomination of

Rare footage of kit fox pups playing in the Eastern Oregon desertwas captured on video recently by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists who have been studying the foxes since 2012. Kit fox are a “strategy species” in the Oregon Conservation Strategy. Strategy species are those with small or declining populations or that are

The Oregon Department of Transportation said Tuesday it plans a two-year, two-phase project to address earth movement, and bridge and highway damage from an active landslide on the east end of the Sheep Creek Bridge, about 25 miles east of Sweet Home. The Sheep Creek Bridge was built with its eastern abutment located on an

The Deschutes County Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee has selected the 2015 Big Chainring Award recipients. Phyllis Lewis, Bob Haas and the City of Sisters will be recognized on June 24 for their contributions to pedestrian and bicycle friendly environments in Deschutes County. The awards will be presented at the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners

It’s that time of year when walking through the farmers’ market is a sensory overload with sights, sounds and smells of fresh juice, vegetables, breads, jams and meat. Biting into a fresh tomato or drinking lavender lemonade has never tasted better. Though there is an abundance of fresh food in our region, there are still

NorthWest Crossing has been named as one of the 50 Best Master-Planned Communities in the United States by Where to Retire Magazine. The biannual list, which appears in the July/August issue of the magazine, was a result of a nine-month selection process, during which a team of editors reviewed hundreds of neighborhoods across the country.

St. Charles Family Care and Immediate Care announced Monday they will be the anchor tenants of a new health care building located on the northwest corner of Third Street and Badger Road, near Walmart on Bend’s south end. The health system said it has entered into a letter of intent with developers Taylor Northwest and

A southwest Redmond assisted living facility was hit by a smoky fire early Tuesday that prompted evacuation of over a dozen residents – but the situation could have been far worse, if not for the building’s fire alarm and sprinkler systems, officials said. Redmond Fire and Rescue was called out around 12:35 a.m. to a

Bend police issued a new warning Tuesday about a familiar scam that’s still hitting the area, well after tax-filing season: threatening calls claiming to be from the IRS and demanding payment for supposed taxes owed. “The Bend Police Department has become aware of local citizens receiving phone calls and being pressured into giving up personal

Boardman had a windfall this month, not only being the spot where the winning $5.5 million Oregon’s Game Megabucks ticket was sold, but also claimed. Steve Myren of Boardman claimed the $5.5 million prize Friday , becoming the 246th Megabucks millionaire, Oregon Lottery officials said. Myren purchased his ticket at the Boardman Chevron station Sunday,

A group of Senate Democrats, including Oregon’s Ron Wyden, wrote to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on Tuesday to express concern with a draft proposal to reform the Pay as You Earn (PAYE) program for student loans. The program allows eligible borrowers to cap their monthly payments at 10 percent of discretionary income and

The FBI is announcing a $5,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest in the murder of Theresa Dashewich, a 47-year-old woman who disappeared from a Montana truck stop a year ago and whose body was found several days later and 375 miles away in a culvert off a South Dakota interstate highway. The

The Bethlehem Inn announces the election of Sandy Gianotti to the Board of Directors. Gianotti serves as the Executive Vice President & Chief Risk Officer for Bank of the Cascades and has enjoyed a 35-year career in banking, which includes experience in Risk, Audit, Compliance, Accounting and Operations. She earned a B.S. in Accounting from