Month: July 2015

An SUV caught fire Sunday morning on the Powell Butte Highway east of Pronghorn Resort, and while everyone got out unhurt, the blaze that consumed the vehicle also sparked a small brushfire, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said. Deputies responded shortly after 6 a.m. to the reported car fire north of Bend, said sheriff’s Sgt. Kevin

Given the continued trend of hot and dry conditions, and fire suppression resources already responding to numerous wildfires around Central Oregon, public lands managers are implementing campfire restrictions and further restricting industrial activity, effective later this week. The restrictions will be for lands of the Prineville District Bureau of Land Management, the Deschutes National Forest

The Redmond Chamber of Commerce & CVB released the winning entries of this year’s Redmond Fourth of July Parade, presented by St. Charles Health System, which drew thousands of spectators to downtown Redmond for the one and a half hour community spectacle. Of the nearly 80 entries this year, awards were given within five categories

Phase 4 of a Cascade Natural Gas pipeline replacement project began Monday in northwest Bend, officials said. Steel main pipelines and service lines will be replaced as part of the project, which is required to continue to provide customers safe and reliable natural gas service. Crews will be working on NW Kansas Avenue, NW Riverfront

Last year, as part of its strategic planning process, the Board of Directors crafted the following Vision statement for High Desert Chamber Music: The vision of High Desert Chamber Music is to be recognized as the leader and premiere resource of chamber music opportunities in the region. The reputation of HDCM will be one that

Join the City of Bend from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 11, during the Bank of the Cascades Bend Summer Festival to see city equipment, experience interactive displays and learn more about your city. Geared towards families and fun, the city’s displays will include Police K9 dogs, fire engines, snow plows and

A 14-year-old Madras boy on a family firewood-cutting trip northeast of Prineville was struck by a falling tree and fatally injured Saturday morning, Crook County sheriff’s deputies said. The sheriff’s office was dispatched to the accident shortly before 8 a.m., said Sgt. Bill Elliott. The caller gave few details but said a 14-year-old boy had

Launching a larger boat at Prineville Reservoir is proving difficult if not impossible due to low water levels – at levels typically seen in late summer or early fall, authorities said Monday. “Currently the Prineville Reservoir is experiencing low water levels similar to what we would normally see around mid to late September,” Crook County

The Bethlehem Inn announced Monday that it is has received grant funding from Bank of the Cascades in the amount of $2,500. The Bank of the Cascades funding will support the single adults and families that come to the Inn seeking emergency shelter, meals and case management services. Last year the Inn provided 796 adults

Three Siberian huskies have been taken into custody and their owner cited on accusations the dogs attacked a group of alpacas in a pasture southeast of Bend, killing two of them and injuring three others, two of which had to be euthanized, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said. Deputies were dispatched around 5:45 a.m. Thursday to

A heavy ground and air assault has slowed a new, 70-acre fire burning in the forested hills above Detroit Lake, allowing ODOT to keep Highway 22 open east of Gates, but holiday-weekend returnees were warned to expect slowdowns due to firefighting efforts. Meanwhile, the still-growing, nearly week-old lightning-sparked Corner Creek Fire south of Dayville has

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office participated in a statewide traffic safety campaign increasing traffic patrols during the 4 th of July weekend to focus on DUII enforcement. The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office along with the Oregon Department of Transportation encourages all drivers and passengers to make a conscious effort to use their seat belt at

A forest fire broke out Saturday afternoon in the steep, tree-covered hills over Detroit Lake and within hours was within a mile of state Highway 22, prompting ODOT to urge drivers to use other routes that connect Central Oregon with the Willamette Valley. Elsewhere, It wasn’t just another workday, but it was a workday nonetheless

Two days after a resident east of Bend called 911 to report he’d been shot in an encounter with a masked intruder at his home, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said Wednesday that they have determined it was not true and that the wound was self-inflicted. The shooting reported by Wickiup Road resident Todd Dickerson, 40,

As crews continued mop-up work Friday, investigators said the 10-acre wildfire that broke out Thursday afternoon along Tumalo Creek in Shevlin Park west of Bend was human-caused. It quickly grew to 8-10 acres, prompting road closures, evacuation of the park and pre-evacuation notices to two nearby subdivisions. It is “undetermined if (the fire) was accidental

A smoky fire destroyed a detached garage/shop in Deschutes River Woods south of Bend Friday evening, with losses topping $100,000 to the structure and vehicles inside. But fire officials said the homeowner’s and neighbor’s prudent preparations of “defensible space” made a big difference in keeping it from spreading. The initial dispatch call was received at

A two-story home was heavily damaged by fire Friday night in the Juniper Canyon area southeast of Prineville, Crook County Fire and Rescue officials said. Fire Chief Matt Smith said crews were dispatched shortly after 9 p.m. to the house fire, including three engines, two water tenders and an ambulance. Arriving firefighters found flames burning

More heat has meant more rapid growth — and no real holiday in sight for close to 850 firefighters working to corral a now over-19,000-acre wildfire south of Dayville, one of many burning around the state as a very risky Fourth of July weekend begins. The new wildfire (Incident #318) was reported one mile west

Drivers with fuel-efficient vehicles are not contributing as much to the gas tax as their low-mileage counterparts. “We have to find another way to find out how to pay for the system,” said Peter Murphy, the Oregon Department of Transportation’s Region 4 public information officer. Oregon was the first state to implement a gas tax

A hiker from Eugene injured in a fall near a lake north of the North Sister was hoisted aboard an Oregon Army National Guard helicopter late Thursday afternoon for a trip to a Springfield hospital, capping a seven-hour Deschutes County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue effort that began with a text-message emergency beacon. County 911 dispatchers