Month: September 2015

Chipotle Mexican Grill will open its first Central Oregon outlet in northeast Bend on Friday morning, officials confirmed Wednesday. But invited guests already were lining up Wednesday night for a special event, and a sign at the restaurant said it opens Thursday. The Denver-based company said the Bend Chipotle will formallyopen its doors at 11

Healthy Beginnings is promoting a healthier, fitter community by presenting Cardio for Cause, a monthly fundraising campaign to raise funds to support Healthy Beginnings’ 18 community screenings. Join us for our upcoming class, featuring Bliss on October 10th! From 8:00-9:00am on the second Saturday of each month, Healthy Beginnings will host a variety of o

Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., expressed concerns Wednesday after the U.S. Senate passed a bill to avert a looming government shutdown by funding the government at current levels throughDec. 11. Merkley noted the legislation also includes $700 million in emergency funding to help with the costs that were incurred by this year’s record

The roundabout at Bend’s Brookswood Boulevard and the new Murphy Road will be closed Sunday night and Monday night for striping work, officials said. Crews will begin striping work at the intersection at 7 p.m. both nights and the roundabout will reopen by 7 a.m. the following morning. The same detour used for the earlier

A new set of flippers is splashing up seawater in the Oregon Coast Aquarium’s Seal and Sea Lion Exhibit. Koa, the California sea lion, brings energy to the 95,000 gallon pool that makes him hard to miss. “Koa has such an expressive face,” said Brittany Blades, who is the animal’s primary trainer and a mammalogist

Beginning Thursday, if you are 21 or older and have a valid ID, you can purchase recreational marijuana. The Oregon Health Authority is overseeing the early sales period for pot while the Oregon Liquor Control Commission accepts, approves, and helps put retail recreational marijuana stores into place. “We believe it could mean big things,” member

As hunting season gets underway, fire managers want to remind everyone that fire danger is still a concern in Central Oregon, even though campfires are allowed in most places on federal public lands. OnFridayafternoon, firefighters responded to a small, human-caused fire on the Ochoco National Forest. An investigation determined the fire was caused by an

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A woman who says she’s led more than 100 searches for the body of a North Dakota oil patch worker who was bludgeoned to death says she won’t stop looking now that another man has confessed to ordering his killing. James Henrikson, 36, onFridaypleaded guilty in federal court in Washington state

A fire late Tuesday night caused significant damage to the Big Dog Saloon at Crooked River Ranch, officials said Wednesday as they continued to investigate what caused it. Crooked River Ranch Fire and Rescue crews were dispatched around 10:40 p.m. to the saloon, located on Commercial Loop, said Fire Chief Richard Hoffman. They arrived to

New city of Bend regulations say anyone who is maintaining a vacation or short-term rental must notify neighbors within a 250-foot radius. Many people are receiving those notifications now, and at least some are puzzled about that they can do. Property managers can hand-deliver or mail notices, or post a large sign on the rental’s

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., announced Tuesday that Oregon has received a $3 million federal grant to reduce fire risks to more than 2,200 homes in parts of Crook, Deschutes and Klamath counties that are adjacent to forests. The grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency willfund the thinning and limbing of trees, clearing out of

Juniper Golf Course management will have until the end of October to draft a new contract for approval by Redmond city councilors. The city has until the end of the year to finalize a contract. The community golf course has evolved for over 50 years in the community, though it moved to a new location

Liquidated and delinquent debts owed to the state of Oregon have almost doubled since 2008, to nearly $3.2 billion, and the state needs a sustained focus to improve collections performance over time, a new audit released Tuesday by Secretary of State Jeanne Atkins found. Collection rates on delinquent receivables have dropped since 2008, according to

An Oregon Zoo pygmy rabbit was already a big winner in the scientist-led #CuteOff this month, but the Portland zoo doesn’t seem to be resting on its laurels. Last week, a trio of 10-day-old cougar cubs at the zoo’s vet center caused a minor internet commotion, showing up on animal blogs as far afield as

Starting as early as Thursday, fuels specialists on the Deschutes National Forest intend to ignite several prescribed burns across the forest, beginning east of Highway 97, a mile west of Horse Butte along the south side of Bend, and three miles west of Sisters, next to Black Butte Ranch. If conditions remain favorable, fuels specialists

The FBI on Monday released its annual Crime in the United States report for American cities. Nationwide, most figures showed an improvement from the previous year, as they did for several cities in Oregon and on the High Desert. Nationally, the estimated number of violent crimes in the United States decreased by 0.2 percent in

A Redmond man arrested after a crash just over a year ago on Highway 97 south of Redmond that killed his 7-year-old stepdaughter is expected to change his plea at a hearing on Thursday, prosecutors told NewsChannel 21. William Fix’s trial on first-degree manslaughter, assault and DUII charges was scheduled to start on Oct. 13.

A fire that caused $30,000 damage to the garage of a southeast Prineville home late Monday night was caused by spontaneous combustion of spilled deck stain, investigators said Tuesday. Crook County Fire & Rescue responded around 11:10 p.m. to the residential structure fire reported at a home on Southeast Knowledge Street, Fire Marshal Casey Kump

Weary and wary residents in the John Day Valley have been living with fire for more than a month; smoke, loss and fear have all affected the community, making “normal” seem unachievable. Fall rains will eventually extinguish the interior fire within the Canyon Creek Complex Fire, but in the meantime some residents within the fire

The Family Access Network Foundation (FAN) has received a generous $7,500 donation from the Bill Healy Foundation to help connect families to basic-need services at John Tuck Elementary School in Redmond. The funds will go directly to serve our most needy population, children whose families struggle to meet essential needs such as food, shelter, health