Month: December 2015

From a railing vandalism seen around the world to a shocking lottery winner and the world’s oldest cat, here are some of the local stories NewsChannel 21 reported during 2015 that went viral, sparking lots of attention: Tumalo Falls Etching Back in May, Brett Nelson took a photo of a man and his children etching

On Dec. 9, the Oregon State Sheriff’s Association met for their annual conference and awards banquet in Bend. During the awards banquet, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Ron Larson was selected as the Enforcement Deputy Sheriff of the Year for the state of Oregon. Larson was nominated by Sheriff Jim Adkins of the Jefferson County

A bridge vital to the Deschutes River trail network will be getting a replacement in the coming year. Farewell Bridge is by the Old Mill District, where Farewell Bend Park connects to Riverbend Park. On Monday evening, the Bend Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve the Bend Park and Recreation District’s draft plans for a

Local nonprofit organization Better Together is joining hands with Bethlehem Inn to collect gloves for its residents. The glove drive, designed to honor a spirit of service, continues through January 14 th . Glove donation sites include: The Bend Rock Gym Bend/Redmond NeighborImpact High Desert Education Service District Gloves will be distributed to residents in

A new law enacted by the Oregon Legislature that takes effect Saturday will change the way auto insurance claims involving injuries and uninsured drivers are paid by insurers – and those changes could impact auto insurance rates, NW Insurance Council President Kenton Brine said Tuesday. “Consumers should know that changes made to Personal Injury Protection

Want a new twist to your New Year’s resolutions? Focus on positive changes for your four-legged friend. The Humane Society of Central Oregon would like to suggest resolutions that improve the quality of life of your pet and our community. Want to give back to the community? Volunteer your time or talents to the Humane

While computer programs that process Oregon unemployment benefits and taxes handle most transactions accurately, the systems are inflexible, difficult to maintain, and should ultimately be replaced, according to a Secretary of State audit released Tuesday. The audit reviewed the Oregon Benefits Information System (OBIS) and the Oregon Automated Tax System (OATS) operated by the Oregon

The Prineville Police Department said Tuesday it will be participating in statewide high-visibility enforcement targeting impaired drivers during the New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day holiday. Officer Jordan Zamora said, “Our goal is to increase the number of officers on the street aggressively seeking out impaired drivers. High-visibility enforcement is designed to deter people from driving

Hundreds of volunteers are needed for the seventh annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service on Monday, Jan. 18, 2016. Several nonprofits in Bend, Redmond and Prineville have developed MLK Day projects — creating a need for hundreds of volunteers to paint, build, arrange flowers, craft valentines, make dog beds and more. Volunteer Connect

Oregon Treasurer Ted Wheeler said Monday he was among the first voices nationally – and among the most persistent – to ask the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to require a common-sense disclosure on behalf of shareholders: Corporations ought to reveal their spending on political activity. That idea has sparked an unprecedented number of comment

Average retail gasoline prices in Oregon have risen 4 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $2.33 a gallon as of Sunday, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 1,307 gas outlets in Oregon. That compares with the national average that has not moved in the last week to $2.00/g, according to gasoline price website

With all the fresh snow falling in Central Oregon’s mountains, skiers and snowboarders have been flocking to Mt. Bachelor. Skiing and boarding in deep powder is fun, but it can also be dangerous and lead to injuries. Tree wells can be skiers’ and snowboarders’ worst nightmare. These areas of loose unpacked snow at the base

Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore.,each plan three Central Oregon town halls next week in Deschutes, Jefferson and Crook counties. Fulfilling his promise to hold annual town halls in each of Oregon’s 36 counties, Wyden will kick off 2016 with town halls Jan. 3-6 in Crook, Deschutes, Jefferson, Wasco, Wheeler, Gilliam, Sherman and Hood

NewsChannel 21’s Kandra Kent takes a look back at 10 of Central Oregon’s biggest stories of 2015, in chronological order, including some that rocked the entire state and region. Gov. Kitzhaber resigns What started as a historic fourth term for Gov. John Kitzhaber quickly turned into another record when he became Oregon’s first governor to

On Oct. 29, Marion Sheriff Deputy Dave Zahn went to Detroit Lake to take pictures of Old Detroit, the 200-person town abandoned and flooded in the 1950s after the Detroit Dam was built. Every fall and winter, the remains appear again when the water levels drop. This fall, however, Zahn saw even more than he

A Prineville man was killed and a Prineville woman injured when she lost control of her SUV and it crashed Saturday evening on Juniper Canyon Road, Crook County sheriff’s deputies said Sunday as they identified the victims. Deputies were dispatched at 5:16 p.m. Saturday to the reported single-vehicle rollover crash near milepost three on Juniper

The Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs said Monday it has recently determined that the personal information of 967 Oregon veterans may have been compromised. “A preliminary and ongoing investigation indicates that copies of DD214’s (DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) may have been in the possession of a person unauthorized

Two boys’ outing on the ice covering the Little Deschutes River nearly turned tragic Saturday afternoon north of La Pine when one fell through the ice and both were rescued, fire officials said, calling it a timely reminder of a wintertime safety rule: Stay off the ice. The incident was reported around 1:30 p.m. near

Drones have been flying off the shelves at D’s hobbies in Bend for the past month as a popular Christmas present – but one with a new federal string attached for many of them. The store is keeping busy just after Christmas, as many shoppers are wanting to buy drones. “This year was probably our

A two-vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 20 west of Santiam Pass sent six people to the hospital on Christmas Day and closed the slick, snow-packed road for about three hours, Oregon State Police reported. The crash occurred shortly after 10 a.m. near milepost 77, just east of Santiam Junction, according to OSP Lt. Bill Fugate.