Month: August 2015

Firefighters quickly knocked down a slow-moving brushfire on a hillside in southwest Redmond early Thursday morning, officials said. Redmond Fire Department crews were called to Southwest 33 rd Street and Reservoir Drive just before 2 a.m., said Battalion Chief Chris Simmons. They found a brushfire about 20-by-20 feet on the hillside, burning in sagebrush and

Fire investigators working on the Stouts Creek Fire east of Canyonville have determined that the fire was human-caused and appears to be related to an individual mowing grass. Fire officials said Thursday that the responsible party was allegedly in violation of a Regulated Use Closure because they were mowing after the shutdown time when the

Three Eastern Oregon wildfires have covered more than 36,000 acres and two have prompted more evacuations, officials said late Wednesday. The Windy Ridge Fire has grown to more than 6,000 acres. The Baker County Sheriff’s Office has issued a Level III Evacuation Notice to the areas of the Ebell Creek and Alder Creek Roads near

A Bend company announced Wednesday that it’s closed on a $76 million private equity investment. G5 is a digital marketing company with a focus in property management, but it has a different mentality than most. The office has a relaxed vibe, with a “bring your dog to work policy, a keg on a site, and

Oregon State Police said Medford police on Wednesday arrested an inmate who had walked away Sunday morning from a mobile fire camp at the Stouts Creek Fire near Canyonville. Kenneth Curtis Polchowski was apprehended around 8:30 p.m., OSP said. They had no additional details. The Warner Creek Correctional Facility inmate had been housed at the

Bend-based G5, which touts being “the leader in maximizing digital marketing effectiveness for the property management sector,” announced Wednesday the closing of a $76 million investment led by Radnor, Pa. based Peak Equity Partners, a private equity firm focused on the enterprise software market. “The investment enables G5 to build on its ten year history

A new season of Redmond’s Art Around the Clock rotating outdoor gallery will be unveiled Friday at 8:30 a.m. in Centennial Park. The public is invited to participate in this Ribbon Cutting event, celebrating the Redmond Committee for Art in Public Places (RCAPP) presentation of five new juried sculptures. The sculptures will be displayed throughout

At Wednesday’s meeting of the Central Oregon Visitors Association Board of Directors, the annual election of Directors and Officers for Fiscal Year 2015/2016 were ratified as follows: Tom Anderson, Administrator, Deschutes County (Ex-Officio) Tammy Baney, Commissioner, Deschutes County Penny Bennington, Owner, Bennington Properties Dan Despotopulos, Manager, Deschutes Fair & Expo Scott Huntsman, Manager, Black Butte

The City of Bend is hosting three open houses for individuals seeking assistance in completing short term rental operating license applications. City staff will be available at these open houses to assist with any questions about permitting or licensing a short term rental. All open houses will be held in the Council Chambers at Bend

A semi-truck overturned and blocked Highway 20E about 50 miles east of Bend for several hours Tuesday night, Oregon State Police reported. There were few initial details, but medics and crews were dispatched to the scene around 7:20 p.m., said OSP Sgt. Cari Boyd. ODOT and fire medics were on scene and a tow truck

Statewide cultural organizations will receive a record $2.6 million in grants from the Oregon Cultural Trust in fiscal year 2015-16, up a full 30 percent over last year and surpassing $2 million for the first time. Three of the latest recipients are in Central Oregon. The dramatic increase in funding results from a record fundraising

A new report concludes that blooms of toxic cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, are a poorly monitored and under-appreciated risk to recreational and drinking water quality in the United States, and may increasingly pose a global health threat. Several factors are contributing to the concern. Temperatures and carbon dioxide levels have risen, many rivers have been

The Redmond City Council on Tuesday night accepted Mayor George Endicott’s appointment of Heather Carlin to fill a recent vacancy on the council. The seat was vacated when former Councilor Ginny McPherson resigned in July. “I have a genuinepassion and concern for the City Redmond,” Carlin said of her appointment. “I look forward to serving

A man sleeping in an older travel trailer on his father’s property east of Bend was awakened early Wednesday by popping sounds and found the RV was on fire, thus able to escape without injury, officials said. Firefighters were dispatched about 12:15 a.m. to the property of Warren Michael at 63355 Pioneer Loop on the

There were some tense moments at St. Charles Bend Tuesday evening as a woman’s verbal threats of violence against staff prompted a roughly half-hour lockdown of the hospital, an official confirmed. As staff were informed later, just before 6 p.m., the lockdown was ordered after a patient made threatening remarks to Emergency Department staff. “Hospital

To the applause of the audience, a Prineville police officer recovering from a brutal assault by a burglary suspect received a special honor at Tuesday evening’s city council meeting. The city provided its first Law Enforcement Purple Heart to Sgt. Jimmy O’Daniel. On March 21, O’Daniel responded to a burglary at Terry’s Jewelry store on

A head-on car-truck collision on Highway 97 in Sherman County Friday evening sent an Enterprise man to the hospital with serious injuries and facing reckless driving and heroin possession charges, Oregon State Police said Tuesday. Around 5:45 p.m. last Friday, a 2005 Audi A5 driven by Caden Jay Christman, 19, was heading north on Highway

Three people were seriously injured, at least two critically, Tuesday morning when a Bend man’s SUV crossed the center line of Highway 97 south of Bend and crashed head-on into a Sunriver man’s pickup truck, Oregon State Police reported. The crash occurred around 8 a.m. near milepost 147, about six miles south of Bend, just

The International Federation of Fly Fishers is is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year in Bend. Hundreds of people from around the globe will make Central Oregon their home through the weekend. The Wild Women of the Water will host many workshops throughout the International Fly Fishing Fair. “I’ve organized 18 women as students, plus

Birthing services at St. Charles Madras will continue to be diverted to other hospitals while the facility stabilizes its staffing situation, officials said Tuesday. St. Charles Madras has been in a temporary divert status for OB services since July 10 due to a staffing shortage. The hospital had hoped to resume normal operations this week,