Month: October 2015

Opponents of the OSU-Cascades Westside campus now under construction are giving their so-far unsuccessful appeal efforts one more try, filing a request for review with the Oregon Supreme Court. The Truth in Site Coalition announced on its Facebook page that the petition was filed Tuesday with the court. “TiS has consulted with many and believes

A dog that jumped over the wall at the Peter Skene Ogden Wayside on Wednesday fell about 10 feet down in the Crooked River Canyon – but it was where it landed, inside a five-foot-deep crevasse, that made for a trickier rope rescue, authorities said. According to an Oregon State Parks ranger, the owner of

Senator Jeff Merkley, ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee, brought a key Oregon witness to testify before the panel Wednesday on what he called an impending rural housing disaster. Specifically, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Development agency – due to a budget miscalculation – has stopped paying its share of low-income

Oregon’s newest state forest, the Gilchrist, is growing. Earlier this month, the Oregon Department of Forestry purchased over 20,000 acres of forestland in Central Oregon, increasing the size of the Gilchrist State Forest by almost half. Expansion comes as part of an agreement with The Conservation Fund to purchase forestland located adjacent to Gilchrist. The

Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., introduced legislation Wednesday to make college more affordable for students and families in Oregon and across the country. The PARTNERSHIPS Act would encourage states to hold down college tuition costs by creating a program that provides federal matching funds for states that agree to end tuition growth at

A 33-year-old Bend woman accused of shoplifting numerous big-ticket items from the Bend Fred Meyer and selling them on Craigslist has been arrested and faces more than two-dozen theft and related charges, police said Wednesday. Store loss prevention agents bought back some items during their investigation and a raid on her home turned up more,

What parent doesn’t have questions? Is your child’s development on track? Will their smile last a lifetime and can they hear and see okay? Health and development from birth through age five is critical to your child’s success. Healthy Beginnings can help you answer these questions and more. On Friday, November 6 th , Healthy

At Wednesday night’s meeting at City Hall, Bend City Council will declare October Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The proclamation will be followed by brief remarks by Saving Grace Development Outreach Coordinator Erin Rook about the agency’s awareness raising campaigns, the impact of domestic violence in Central Oregon, and ways for the community to get involved.

Fire Chiefs with the Black Butte Ranch Fire District, Cloverdale Fire District and Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District have announced that Open Burning will be allowed beginning Saturday at 7 a.m. Residents are encouraged to contact their local fire department for current regulations regarding open burning prior to burning. For More Information Contact: Black Butte Ranch

On Thursday, fuels specialists plan to ignite a 127-acre prescribed burn in the Pringle Falls Experimental Forest, about 25 miles southwest of Bend. The Pringle Falls Experimental Forest is a diverse field laboratory within the Deschutes National Forest. This is the third consecutive year fuels specialists will be putting fire on the ground in the

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office is seeking information for a possible owner of a cow found wandering at large between Bend and Redmond earlier this month. The cow has a distinctive brand, deputies said, but efforts to locate the owner/registrar of that brand have been unsuccessful. No additional information was gained in checking with the

Visit Bend Marketing Director Nate Wyeth received a letter in August that’s taking his job to a whole new level. “Dear Mr. Wyeth, this letter is to inform you that we can grant your request for exemption,” reads the first line of the certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration. The exemption allows Wyeth to fly

MountainStar Family Relief Nursery hosted its 11 th Annual Children’s Expedition Luncheon at the Riverhouse Convention Center on October 6 th . With 250 guests in attendance, the child abuse prevention nonprofit raised $74,000 in support of its programs that help strengthen vulnerable local families living in crisis. Two supporters of MountainStar, David and Shelley

About 30 representatives of small businesses attended a public hearing the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries held Tuesday in Bend. The agency was gathering input on a recently passed law requiring employers with more than 10 workers to offer five paid sick days a year. According to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, more

Central Oregon’s employment growth is showing signs of slowing, fueled by a surprising sharp drop in school hiring, the state Employment Department reported Tuesday. Deschutes County posted the largest monthly job losses on a seasonally adjusted basis since the recession, said Regional Economist Damon Runberg. The rate of job growth in Jefferson County was essentially

The American Cancer Society released new breast cancer screening guidelines on Tuesday. The new guidelines say women should get yearly mammograms starting at the age of 45, rather than 40, as before. The reason for the change is because of new clinical trials that show a large amount of false positives in younger women. One

This summer, as thousands of firefighters dug lines to contain blazes across the Pacific Northwest, wildfire investigators did their own digging behind the scenes – searching for clues to how the fires started. And their work is far from over. While arson is always on the table at the outset of an investigation, human-caused wildfires

he Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Oregon State University said Tuesday it will not accept horses for anything but emergency services until at least next Monday due to a diagnosed case of equine influenza virus at the hospital. One horse has been tested and found to be infected with this virus, and has been moved to

After receiving a report of a cougar in the Bear Creek Elementary area, Bend police searched for the cat without luck Sunday night, leaving some neighbors worried about pets and children. “It’s kind of unnerving,” said Eric McElroy, who said his roommate spotted the cougar in their backyard off NE McCartney Road “He freaked out

It will cost you a little less to heat your home or operate your business with natural gas this winter. On Monday, the Oregon Public Utility Commission approved new rates to take effect beginning Nov. 1, to reflect changes in commodity natural gas prices. Natural gas rates are going down in Oregon for the customers