Month: October 2015

Fire managers on the Ochoco National Forest plan to take advantage of favorable weather on Monday to ignite another prescribed burn, the location of which depends on the amount of precipitation that arrives this weekend. Predictions call for varying amounts of rain in the Ochocos this weekend. If conditions are dry enough on Monday, fire

Deschutes County Sheriff Shane Nelson confirmed publicly Friday that Capt. Scott Beard is the officer on paid administrative leave due to being suspected of stealing money from several multiagency law enforcement accounts, as reported Wednesday by NewsChannel 21. A source familiar with the investigation had confirmed the reports to KTVZ recently. NewsChannel 21 is protecting

Redmond High School’s principal informed parents Friday about two unrelated safety incidents this week, the first involving hunting knives in a student’s car and the second when a student arrived Thursday with part of a ceremonial JROTC drill rifle, prompting a 10-minute “lock-in” of students in classrooms. Here’s the full text of the message from

Come out and support Central Oregon Special Olympics! Central Oregon Law Enforcement Officers will be at your service on Saturday, October 24th from 11am to 3pm and 4pm-8pm. Come to Red Robin located at 625 SW Powerhouse Drive to have a gourmet burger, salad or another great entre. Let officers from around the area serve

Amid a missing money scandal within the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, NewsChannel 21 decided to take a closer look at how police on the High Desert seize money in asset forfeiture cases and manage those accounts. Asset forfeiture is a legal term describing how police seize money used or earned for criminal purposes. There are

Local youth are invited to participate in the Bend Park and Recreation District’s Youth Basketball League. The league is open to boys and girls in 3 rd , 4 th and 5 th grades. The deadline to register is Sunday, November 8 th . The fee is $70 for in-district residents and $84 for those

The Central Oregon Fire Chiefs Association announced that burn season will open on Saturday for many of the local fire districts regionally in Central Oregon. With the recent precipitation received in areas, the Fire Chiefs local fire departments, the US Forest Service, the BLM and Oregon Department of Forestry have agreed that many areas are

Affordable housing is a key issue for many residents living in Bend. The Bend City Council recently agreed to exempt up to $1 million in development fees to help make more lower-cost housing projects happen, and a citizen advisory panel has recommended four proposals in the first round. The city’s Affordable Housing Committee chose four

Although fall is here, many people are still running their sprinklers. With the onset of freezing nighttime temperatures, it’s a good idea to make sure sprinklers aren’t set to spray onto nearby streets and sidewalks. Freezing temperatures can quickly turn irrigation overspray into icy hazards for pedestrians and cyclists. The Deschutes County Bicycle and Pedestrian

Central Oregon Community College’s Campus Public Safety Department has received the Western Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators Department of the Year award. The association represents higher education, security, public safety and police departments in six states (Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Alaska, Northern California) and the province of British Columbia. “This is a tremendous accomplishment

The Oregon Health Authority’s Office of Equity and Inclusion announced three Dr. Bruce Goldberg Health Equity Champions for 2015 during its annual meeting Thursday at the Oregon Convention Center. This year’s recipients are state Representatives Alissa Keny-Guyer (D-Portland) and Knute Buehler (R-Bend), and the Oregon Health Equity Alliance. “We are so fortunate to have partners

Senator Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., took to the Senate floor Thursday to discuss the impending deadline to lift the debt ceiling before the nation’s borrowing authority runs out on Nov. 3. Merkley noted that America has an obligation to pay its debts and that the full faith and credit of the United States should not be

The bridge that crosses Little Hay Creek on Forest Road 2610 of the Lookout Mountain Ranger District has temporarily closed to all public use until structural repairs can be made. Forest Service employees discovered a sub-structure failure in the bridge during a routine inspection this morning that renders the bridge unsafe for motor vehicles and

NPG of Oregon Inc., a cluster of television stations that includes the NBC, FOX, CW, and Telemundo affiliates in Bend, Oregon, is accepting applications for a Commercial Producer. Duties include script writing, electronic field production, post production editing and other components necessary to build effective and creative television commercials. This job requires the ability to

The city of Bend announced a request for proposals on Wednesday from parking enforcement contractors. Currently, the city contracts through Diamond Parking. That contract has almost run its four-year course. Now the city is on the search for new parking enforcement proposals and plans, with new technology being a key focus. “We’re always looking for

A growing body of evidence suggests that two natural compounds, vitamin D and xanthohumol, have the ability to address imbalances in gut microbiota that may set the stage for obesity and metabolic syndrome – problems that affect about one out of every three adults in the United States, researchers said Thursday. To explore and identify

The spotlight returned Wednesday night to the big dreams and the struggling reality of Juniper Ridge, a 1,500-acre mostly vacant city-owned parcel on Bend’s northern outskirts where the future is as rocky as the terrain. City councilors got an update on the decade-old project, which still needs a lot of work and funding to live

Fire managers on the Ochoco National Forest plan to conduct prescribed burning in two project areas this week, depending on favorable weather conditions. Fire managers will burn 50- and 100-acre blocks at a time, and continue as long as weather and fuel conditions allow, officials said Thursday. The Spears prescribed burn unit is a total

After months of controversy, a pair of solar-energy farms proposed for Bend’s Eastside appear to be a go, thanks to the last-minute withdrawal of a land-use challenge. Two solar farms totaling 140 acres were opposed by some neighbors, concerned the large arrays of solar panels would hurt their property values and cause other negative impacts.

Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel announced Wednesday his investigation has uncovered evidence that a forensic analyst suspected of stealing drugs from the Oregon State Police crime lab in Bend also tampered with evidence in cases not assigned to her. Nika Larsen was put on paid administrative leave last month. Hummel said there will be