Month: December 2015

The State Board of Education approved temporary rules Thursday governing the new Oregon School Capital Improvement Matching program, which will provide matching grants to support improvements to school facilities. Communities that pass general obligation bonds to improve their local school buildings will be eligible to receive matching grants of up to $8 million. The Oregon

The Shepherd’s House in Bend is opening a new home Saturday in Bend for addicted or abused homeless women with children. The home is the first step toward a program serving as many as 40 homeless women and children, making this the largest shelter and program dedicated to homeless women and children in central Oregon,

New details emerged Thursday from interviews with the Iraqi man who used a Website to buy, through a Bend deli, an Oregon Lottery Megabucks ticket late this summer — and just last week showed up in Salem to claim his $6.4 million jackpot. The Lotter.com shared an interview and photo of the man, identified as

Northern spotted owl populations are declining in all parts of their range in the Pacific Northwest, according to research published in The Condor. Based on data from 11 study areas across Washington, Oregon and Northern California, a rangewide decline of nearly 4 percent per year was estimated from 1985 to 2013. Researchers found evidence that

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service said Thursday it is making about $40 million in financial assistance available in 2016 to agricultural producers across the West who want to restore and protect habitat for the greater sage grouse. The funding comes from the national Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW) initiative, an innovative partnership between NRCS, the

A group of 72 leading climate change scientists have written a letter to major U.S. presidential candidates urging strong American leadership on clean energy – and calling for a “vibrant economy free from carbon pollution by mid-century.” The effort began as a letter from nine scientists from Harvard University, Stanford University, University of California at

The Crescent Ranger District is seeking comment on a proposal to turn the Crescent Lake Guard Station into a recreation rental. Built in the early 1930s, the Crescent Lake Guard Station is a one-bedroom, one-bath cabin located on the eastern shore of Crescent Lake in Klamath County and managed by the Crescent Ranger District on

A Redmond woman employed for two months as a Ridgeview High School teachers’ aide before resigning in October faces several charges of furnishing alcohol to minors, as well as allowing them to consume marijuana, officials said Wednesday. Krista Michelle Floyd, 29, worked at the school since August, teaching credit recovery classes among other duties, according

Firefighters normally put out fires — not start them. But nothing beats a burning house for realistic training in life-or-death situations, and a donated house on Tumalo Reservoir Road was set blaze several times for Wednesday’s drill, often referred to as “Burn to Learn.” Three engine crews from Bend Fire, one from Sisters and one

This Saturday, the Deschutes National Forest will open their Bend office between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. to give fourth-graders an opportunity to redeem their free Christmas tree permit. The free permits are part of the “Every Kid in a Park” program, a national initiative to help kids and their families explore public lands. The

A police officer shot and critically injured a combative man Wednesday on Highway 101 in Newport after attempts to subdue him with pepper spray and Tasers failed, Oregon State Police reported. Shortly before noon, Newport police reported to a report of an unwanted subject at Agate Beach RV Park in Newport, troopers said. Two Newport

It’s the season of giving, and in Redmond that means giving back to four-legged friends. BrightSide Animal Center is vowing to make life a little easier for its residents this holiday season. BrightSide is a high-save shelter focused on rescuing and re-homing animals. The shelter recently rescued 17 dogs scheduled for euthanasia in California, but

It was snowing earlier Wednesday on Mount Bachelor, but that’s not what has most people concerned. Heavy rains and strong winds have been causing issues in central Oregon for the past few days. According to Wade Fagen, owner of Fagen Tree Service and Wood Chips, “We’ve probably had about seven or eight people call in

Mt. Bachelor announced Wednesday that it will give $50,000 in cash to local non-profit organizations as part of its annual Charity Ski Week program. When combined with other charitable initiatives, Mt. Bachelor will donate nearly $120,000 this winter to Central Oregon programs dedicated to education and community service. The Charity Ski Week program allows skiers

On Sunday, December 20 , the La Pine Christmas Basket Association will again distribute food baskets to an estimated 550-600 families in Southern Deschutes County. This event will occur at the La Pine Events Center located at 16505 1 st Street, La Pine. The distribution will begin at 10:00 AM and will conclude at 4:00

The city of Bend announced it will close Bond Street between Industrial Way and Arizona Avenue for up to four days, starting Monday, to accommodate a sewer line installation in the southern lane of Arizona Avenue. Bond Street will be closed (between Industrial Way and Arizona Avenue) to northbound through traffic. Businesses and offices accessed

Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and John Boozman, R-Ark., announced Wednesday that their bill to ensure wounded members of the Guard and Reserve will receive the GI Bill benefits they’ve earned passed the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee. The bipartisan GI Bill Fairness Act would ensure that servicemembers of the Guard or Reserve who are wounded in

A transient from Linn County was arrested by Redmond police on Tuesday, accused of writing fraudulent checks in large amounts at area RV dealers, and officers said Wednesday they are looking for any other victims. Police on Tuesday began investigating allegations that Aaron Paul Bostwick Sr., 48, was writing fraudulent checks to buy RV generators

Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., has joined Oregon’s two Democratic senators in criticizing GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump’s call for a ban on allowing Muslims to enter the U.S. “This is not what we’re about as a party, and this is not what we’re about as a country, and we cannot yield to this,” Walden told

A 46-year-old man from the northeast Oregon town of Cove was arrested Tuesday in the Nov. 29 armed robbery of Prineville’s Circle K convenience store, police said. Police had released three security-camera images in hopes of generating tips and finding the man who held up the convenience store on West Third Street around 3 a.m.,