Month: December 2015

A 37-year-old Bend woman was arrested on assault charges early Thursday, accused of injuring her boyfriend with a broken glass during an argument, police said. Officers responded to St. Charles Bend shortly before 4 a.m. on a report of an assault victim seeking medical treatment, said Sgt. Dan Ritchie. Investigating officers learned that Genaro Soto,

At first, it sounds like just another Central Oregon drug bust, though at an unusual location – a Bend fast-food restaurant. But coming just two days before Christmas, the arrest was followed by a police and community effort to make sure the man’s three children might still find a reason to smile on Christmas. Central

Avalon Aeropub, located upstairs in the boarding lounge at the Redmond Municipal Airport (RDM), will be closed beginning Monday for a month of remodeling and expansion work, officials said Thursday. The restaurant is expected to reopen Feb. 1, after a project to double the square footage and the seating capacity of the dining area. Upgrades

The owner of Game Quest in Bend is choosing not to honor a customer’s expired gift card. He argues the law is on his side, but many customers are unclear what the law is, amid what’s become a social media-fueled controversy. Since 2008, around $50 billion in U.S. gift cards have yet to be redeemed.

U.S. Bank and the Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation are hosting the U.S. Bank Pole Pedal Paddle Logo Contest. The public is encouraged to visit the downtown Bend U.S. Bank branch Dec. 31 and Jan. 8 to vote on their favorite logo. The winning logo will be featured on all U.S. Bank Pole Pedal Paddle

Using a shovel, Deschutes Basin Watermaster Jeremy Giffin brushed snow off solar panels powering a monitoring station on Cultus stream Wednesday. “Just trying to troubleshoot what the problem is and get the gauge reporting again,” Giffin said. Using a Sno-Cat, Giffin traveled 25 miles in the Cultus Lake area, repairing broken gauges on a couple

Medical marijuana dispensaries will start collecting a 25 percent tax on the retail price of recreational marijuana products next Monday, the Oregon Department of Revenue said Wednesday. Dispensaries started selling nontaxable limited recreational marijuana products–seeds, leaves, flowers, and non-flowering plants — to those 21 or older — on Oct. 1, 2015 under Senate Bill 460.

The community is invited to an evening celebration in honor of Heather Anderson, Oregon’s 2016 Teacher of the Year. Anderson, a fourth-grade teacher at Juniper Elementary School, was awarded Oregon’s highest teaching honor by the state superintendent of education this winter. Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Shay Mikalson will formally congratulate Anderson and recognize her for

Crook County District Attorney Daina Vitolins was elected president of the Oregon District Attorneys Association at their annual business meeting on Dec. 2. A long-time member of the ODAA, Vitolins will be the association’s first female president and will take office on January 1. Founded in 1952, the ODAA is a voluntary association of the

On June 5, the Oregon Department of Forestry announced the start of wildfire season and just six days later, a fire broke out at Shevlin Park in Bend. It was the start to one of the most destructive wildfire years. By the end of the fire season, 631,000 acres had burned in Oregon, costing $240

The fog that many Central Oregonians woke up to Wednesday had many air travelers worried about whether they would make it to their destinations on time. “We typically get fog during the winter, so the air carriers are the ones that make decisions on whether they cancel the flights or not.” said Nicole Jurgensen, airport

Is running one of your New Year’s resolutions? Are you interested in participating in one of Bend’s many races but not sure how to start? The New Year is the perfect time to begin training for races in 2016! Healthy Beginnings (a “21 Cares for Kids” partner) is partnering with FootZone to offer a 10K

As the countdown begins toward 2016, Better Business Bureau has tallied the year’s top scams with the help of Scam Tracker. Investigators collected reports from more than 10,000 consumers nationwide and processed the data using a heat map so that users can see what scams are happening in their area. “Scammers are elusive,” says Tyler

A small Willamette Valley city will be going back to the drawing board in 2016 to decide how to revise its land use plan and provide the land for housing the state says it needs for 20 years of expected growth. The Lafayette City Council approved an expansion of its urban growth boundary, or UGB,

Oregon State Police on Wednesday identified three people killed Tuesday afternoon when their SUV crossed into the path of a freight train and was struck in northeast Oregon. The crash occurred shortly before 3 p.m. Tuesday south of Union in Union County, said Sgt. Kyle Hove. OSP identified the three occupants of the blue 1998

As Oregonians prepare to ring in the New Year, they ‘re also preparing for a lineup of new laws that go into effect on Friday, Jan. 1 st . Some of the most notable laws passed by the Oregon Legislature this summer affect the workplace, education and transportation. On New Year’s Day, Oregon will become

A Madras couple pleaded not guilty Tuesday to murder by abuse and several other charges, accused of causing the death of her 1-year-old daughter through neglect and maltreatment, including lack of food and medical care and leaving her alone for long periods of time. Garry Lee Vineyard II, 20, and Raine Jasmine Austria, 25, appeared

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A federal judge has accepted a proposed settlement affecting employment opportunities for thousands of Oregonians with disabilities. U.S. Magistrate Judge Janice Stewart approved the settlement on Tuesday. The settlement stems from a class-action lawsuit filed in 2012. The suit alleged that Oregon relies too heavily on so-called “sheltered workshops,” where people

The 2015 Oregon Legislature passed many new consumer protection bills that take effect starting Friday, Jan. 1, 2016. The following is a sample of the bills the state Department of Consumer and Business Services is implementing that it says will provide valuable benefits or rights to consumers. Protection from unlicensed lenders: Senate Bill 278Makes it

Central Oregon is finally getting the snow it needs for many local businesses to function. Sunriver was busy Tuesday with families and tourists shopping and enjoying the snow. Tourism numbers are up, and so is the snowpack across Central Oregon. Business at The Village at Sunriver was booming, perhaps even more than many retailers expected.