Month: November 2015

Several hundred acres of slash piles are planned to be burned south of Bend Friday, Deschutes National Forest officials said. Pile-burning units slated for ignition on Friday are just south of Deschutes River Woods, east of the High Desert Museum and south of Bend. Officials said fire could be visible from Highway 97 while piles

Despite the winter weather that has descended on Central Oregon, residents in the Bend area took advantage of the Half Price Yard Debris Sale and delivered 9,115 cubic yards of flammable yard waste to Deschutes Recycling. I n partnership with the FireFree program, Deschutes Recycling offered the Half Price event to encourage residents to recycle

The Bend City Council votedWednesday night to allocate more of the city’s general fund for the 2015-17 biennium — more than $4.7 million worth — to street maintenance and preservation. But councilors warned that some of the added revenue comes from one-time or variable sources, and that the long-discussed $80 million street maintenance funding gap

Following a threat written in a bathroom at Summit High School, about 25 percent of students were absent Thursday, according to school district officials, who added that an upcoming holiday break likely added to the dip in attendance. Summit High School officials informed parents Wednesday night that bathroom graffiti with a “threat toward our school”

With the colder weather and season’s first snowfalls already on the ground, and heavy holiday travel periods coming up The La Pine Fire District would like to remind drivers of the following simple steps to ensure your winter travel is safer. Tips start with the easiest and least costly and the first few even cost

Almost a year after an inmate died from a meth overdose in the Deschutes County Jail, a $10.7 million lawsuit against the sheriff’s office and jail staff is moving forward. The attorney representing the family of Edwin Mays III told NewsChannel 21 Thursday that she and her staff finished depositions with Sheriff Shane Nelson, Lt.

NeighborImpact has received a $100,000 grant from Oregon Housing and Community Services to help create and preserve homeownership in Central Oregon. This grant, submitted in September, is to be used to provide closing costs and down payment assistance for low- and very low-income Oregonians and to decrease the gap in minority homeownership, officials said. With

Chiming in on one nationwide outdoor retailer’s announcement it will encourage people to get outdoors the day after Thanksgiving, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department will suspend day parking fees on Friday, Nov. 27 at all 26 state parks that charge one. “Rain or shine, windy or not, we’re thankful Oregon’s outdoors are a constant

The Crook County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday it has received numerous reports of citizens receiving phone calls that are believed to be from the IRS. The recorded message says that the person receiving the call owes money to the IRS and threatens you with a lawsuit if you don’t pay the required amount of money

The Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division said Thursday it will be taking extra steps to protect mule deer on winter ranges in Eastern Oregon, along with a special emphasis in Central Oregon this year. Troopers primarily from the La Pine, Bend,and Klamath Falls offices will be converging on deer winter ranges near the

The Deschutes County Justice Court is now offering an online payment option. Previously, defendants would submit payment by visiting the court’s Redmond office, or by phone or mail. To make an online payment, defendants can visit www.deschutes.org/court. Major credit cards, debit cards and eChecks are all accepted. The Justice Court is a state court administered

Oregon State Police on Wednesday identified three victims of a deadly head-on crash Tuesday night on Highway 97 north of La Pine, which came minutes after a high-speed pursuit was called off. Meanwhile, Deschutes County Sheriff Shane Nelson spoke of his agency’s pursuit policies. Brett M. Young, 47, of La Pine, who OSP said was

It’s a humanitarian crisis on a massive scale that might be arriving in Oregon soon. Millions are fleeing death and destruction in Syria. President Obama announced the U.S. would accept 10,000 refugees in 2016. Although governors do not have the authority to decide whether they’re accepting refugees in their states, many have voiced their opposition.

It was an emotional Wednesday afternoon as friends and neighbors remembered two Bend residents killed Tuesday night after a La Pine man left his lane and his pickup hit their car head-on, according to police. Steven Clink, 33, and his mother, 50-year-old Pamela James, lived at the Bend Value Inn on Northeast Division Street, where

A 3-year-old boy who wandered off as his family cut firewood in the woods south of Bend was the subject of a major search effort as darkness and temperatures fell Wednesday evening. It ended happily when a Deschutes County sheriff’s K-9 team found the shoeless toddler about two miles away, deputies said. Dispatchers got a

Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Patty Murray, D-Wash., and 18 of their Democratic Senate colleagues on Wednesday asked the Government Accountability Office to assess public health and safety programs designed to affect gun safety, and to provide best practices for the storage and security of guns in households. In a letter to Gene L. Dodaro, Comptroller

Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced Tuesday that projects in Bend, Cottage Grove and Eugene have earned federal farm-to-school grants totaling almost $225,000. “From apples to zucchini, Oregon’s farm-to-school programs achieve two key goals: local farmers gain lifetime customers and youngsters grow up with the knowledge of fresh, healthy and tasty produce,” Wyden said.

As Oregon State University – Cascades creates a long-range development plan for its new campus over the next year and a half, it will consider input of four advisory groups recently formed to build on the work of the Campus Expansion Advisory Committee task forces and provide expertise and insight to campus leaders in the

A plea hearing has been delayed until January for a northeast Bend grocery store owner accused of selling methamphetamine out of his store. Antonio Rico-Sanchez, 49, was arrested last February and indicted in March on nearly two-dozen counts after a year-long investigation. He has been awaiting further proceedings out of custody. Police said the owner

The Central Oregon chapter of Fences For Fido would like to let the community know that they can help give the gift of freedom and warmth this holiday season by volunteering, donating, or nominating a dog for a fence. Fences for Fido is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization that provides fences free of charge to families