Month: January 2016

A Washington state woman improved to good condition Tuesday at St. Charles Bend, two days after her snowmobile struck a tree Sunday at Paulina Lake, officials said. Shortly after 11 a.m. Sunday, Deschutes County 911 received a call of an injured snowmobile rider at Paulina Lake near the Little Crater Campground entrance, said sheriff’s Sgt.

The American Red Cross has an emergency need for blood and platelet donations. The non-profit supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood, and they say they’re running short. Red Cross officials in Bend said there have been a variety of factors leading up to the blood shortage. Donations typically slow down around the holidays,

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown on Monday ordered all flags at public institutions to be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Saturday, the day of the memorial service for Lance Corporal Ty L. Hart. “Lance Corporal Ty Hart represents the best of Oregon,” Brown said. “I ask all Oregonians to keep Ty’s family and

In one of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge takeover’s weekend postings to social media. leader Ammon Bundy displayed a Bronze Star, uniform, American flag and other items given to him by veterans and family members who he said support their cause — items he said he only reluctantly accepted. “Liberty loving veterans support the #OregonFront”

A Portland resident who is the second suspect arrested on murder charges in a fatal Juniper Canyon shooting last fall was arraigned Monday afternoon in a Crook County courtroom. Justin James Rennels, 27, entered a not guilty plea and was appointed an attorney. Rennels is the second man arrested on murder charges in the shooting

Gas prices are the lowest they’ve been in seven years, with average retail prices in Oregon falling 8 1/2 cents in the past week. Nationally, prices have fallen 6 1/2 cents. With all these gas savings, sales of large vehicles have gone up significantly, and it seems there’s no end in sight. “What we’ve seen,

The Burns Paiute Tribe said Monday it has asked that the U.S. Justice Department prevent armed militants from freely moving on and off the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, as it said “pressure builds for the FBI and local law enforcement officials to put an end to the illegal occupation.” Thousands of ancient Native American artifacts

The Paulina Ranger District of the Ochoco National Forest is seeking public comment on a proposal to restore fish habitat and floodplain conditions along 1 1/2 miles of Deep Creek, with the main project area located near Deep Creek Campground. The proposed project would be similar to stream restoration work recently completed in the Ochoco

After hearing plenty of opposing testimony from a packed audience, Crook County commissioners voted Thursday night to not support Oregon Wild’s proposal for a 312,000-acre national recreation area in the Ochoco National Forest. About 600 residents packed the county fairgrounds to make sure their voices were heard on the issue. Some residents were asking their

A Bend man allegedly involved in a drug deal gone bad has been arrested on several charges, including firing a gun in the air from a car while being pursued by the intended customers wanting their money back, police said Monday. Daniel David Olano, 19, is the only one charged in the incident, which occurred

Have a howling good time at a local brew pub during the Pup Crawl and help raise money for homeless animals. Join us for the Humane Society of Central Oregon’s 5 th Annual Pup Crawl on February 2, 4, 5, 9, 11, 12, 16, 18 and 19 from 4-7 p.m. each night. Join us at

The Madras DMV field office will be open three days a week instead of five, Tuesdays through Thursdays, starting March 1, the agency announced Friday. Business hours will remain the same: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., closing from 12:30-1:30 p.m. for lunch. “The change will help rebalance staff levels to better match customer volume at

Fire managers on the Crooked River National Grassland plan to burn about 68 acres of slash piles along Highway 26 near the base of Grizzly Mountain starting Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. This is the same burn project that firefighters attempted two weeks ago, but was canceled due to snow and rain. Managers are hoping

Average retail gasoline prices in Oregon have fallen 8.5 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $2.10 a gallon Sunday, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 1,307 gas outlets in Oregon. That compares with the national average that has fallen 6.5 cents per gallon in the last week to $1.82 a gallon, according to

For the 11th straight year, the Central Oregon Homeless Leadership Coalition is conducting a one-day count of people who are struggling with homelessness. Thursday’s count is part of a national effort to identify the number of people struggling to find appropriate and adequate housing. This year’s count will be a departure from past year’s efforts,

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A magnitude-7.1 earthquake knocked items off shelves and walls in Alaska early Sunday morning, apparently sparking a natural gas leak, explosion and fire that destroyed four homes in Kenai while jolting the nerves of residents in this earthquake-prone region. There were no reports of injuries. Alaska’s state seismologist, Michael West, called

A 20-year-old Bend man was quickly arrested, thanks in part to neighbor intervention, in a violent early Friday break-in that damaged two law offices and a spa at a northwest Bend office building, police said. Officers responded around 3:20 a.m. to the reported criminal mischief at 225 Northwest Franklin Avenue, said police Lt. Jason Maniscalco.

Since last summer, five hotels have been either built or announced in Bend. A new hotel has just been approved in southwest Bend. A permit for building has also been issued for a Marriott hotel on Industrial Way, where the large Crane Shed used to be located. A My Place hotel also seemed to pop

When people keep moving to a place like Bend, where state land-use laws limit how to handle that growth, if you can’t grow out (which critics call sprawl), you either have to grow up — and there’s much resistance to tall buildings blocking mountain views — or grow inward, as in infill, which can spark

Art as a means to address community need is reflected in 30 Oregon projects awarded $190,000 in 2016 Arts Build Communities grants from the Oregon Arts Commission. Vacant downtown storefronts become celebrations of community in Corvallis; Fishtrap inspires 1,700 in Wallowa County to read Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town” before engaging in discussions, events and activities