Month: February 2016

Crooked River Ranch resident Mitchell Julio Morris, 20, appeared Monday in Jefferson County Circuit Court on two counts of aggravated murder and other charges in the shooting deaths of his two roommates last Friday evening. Morris appeared via video link from the jail and said little during the brief hearing, but a detective said in

Oregon’s private employers were looking to fill about 48,000 job vacancies at any given time, according to new annual figures from the Oregon Employment Department’s Job Vacancy Survey. The Job Vacancy Survey provides a snapshot of the labor market job seekers face. The 48,000 job vacancies in 2015 represented a slight increase from 45,000 vacancies

The Oregon Senate passed Monday two bills written and championed by state Rep. Knute Buehler, R-Bend, to protect government whistleblowers and tackle drug abuse and overdoses. Oregon whistleblowers will receive enhanced protections and transparency through the legislation from Buehler, who initially introduced whistleblower legislation last session in response to the Kitzhaber-Hayes whistleblower, Michael Rodgers. “Last

The last day to mail ballots for the Tuesday, March 8 Special Election on the city of Bend’s gas tax proposal is this Wednesday, March 2, Deschutes County Clerk Nancy Blankenship advised Monday. After that date, to be sure they count, Blankenship advises voters to take ballots to an official drop site: Deschutes Service Building

Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., along with Al Franken, D-Minn., Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., led the charge Monday to extend overtime pay to millions of Americans working long hours without fair pay. Last year, the Department of Labor proposed an expansion to overtime pay protections that could benefit 5 million

The High Desert Museum is offering week-long, summer camps that focus on nature, art and science for kids in grades K-5th from June 20 through August 26. The camps are broken down by grade the child would enter in the fall. With different themes each week, the camps will spark imaginations, inspire and enrich kids

Average retail gasoline prices in Oregon have risen 1.4 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $1.89 a gallon Sunday,, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 1,307 gas outlets in Oregon. That compares with the national average that has increased 3.7 cents per gallon in the last week to $1.74 a gallon, according to

One of several transients ordered by police to vacate a homeless camp on a city-owned lot in northeast Bend was arrested Saturday and jailed on a probation violation, as well as marijuana possession after about 15 pounds were found in his tent, officers said Sunday. Bend police on Feb. 19 became aware of transients living

This time of year, many farmers, ranchers and land owners use fire to ready their land for the spring and summer growing season. This practice is a great way of eradicating noxious weeds, removing dead plant material and prepping the land for new crops. But this practice can also be dangerous if not done properly.

Hydro Flask, the Bend-based maker of high-performance, insulated stainless steel flasks, announced Monday it will be acquired by a subsidiary of Helen of Troy, a leading global consumer products company that said it was paying $210 million for the business.. “Helen of Troy will add Hydro Flask to its strong portfolio of well-recognized and trusted

A 60-year-old state prison inmate, convicted in 1993 of a Deschutes County murder and sentenced to life in prison, died Saturday at a Portland area hospital, the Oregon Department of Corrections said. As with all unanticipated deaths in state prisons, the Oregon State Police Criminal Investigation Division is conducting an investigation, the agency said. Staff

As the investigation continues into a double-homicide on Crooked River Ranch, neighbors in the quiet, close-knit community expressed shock Sunday. Residents living on Sand Ridge Road said Sunday they hope their neighborhood can get back to normal after their quiet community turned into a crime scene Friday night. Jay Smith, who lives less than a

A late-night drug raid this week on a Tumalo home tied to the heroin trade around Deschutes County led to charges against four residents, police said. Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team detectives, assisted by Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies and Oregon State Police executed a search warrant around 11 p.m. Wednesday at a home at 19882

Fired Deschutes County sheriff’s captain Scott Beard was conditionally released from the Lane County Jail on Friday, a week after being arrested on federal charges of theft and money-laundering, the U.S. Department of Justice confirmed Sunday. Beard, whose duties included overseeing Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team assets, is accused of stealing more than $200,000 from

The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs is well on its way to greater control of hunting within the reservation, and on its vast ceded lands around the state. For the last several years, the tribes have quietly negotiated with the state of Oregon on an agreement allowing them to issue their own tags and set

A St. Charles Bend pharmacy technician has been arrested on theft, drug possession and other charges, accused of stealing $10,000 worth of a pain-killer drug from the hospital pharmacy in recent weeks, some of which were sold to others, police said Friday. Police were called to the hospital on Feb. 19 to investigate an employee

A small air conditioning unit failed and caught on fire in a computer server room at the Bend Research facility in Tumalo early Saturday morning, but a sprinkler system kept the blaze from spreading and possibly causing millions of dollars in damage, an official said. Bend firefighters responded around 3:30 a.m. to the monitored fire

Sisters City Manager Andrew Gorayeb has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the results of an outside investigation of several workplace complaints filed against him, the mayor confirmed Friday. Sisters Mayor Chris Frye told NewsChannel 21 the workplace complaints are not related to anything in terms of his physical behavior or to the city’s

The Oregon Senate overwhelmingly approved Friday a bill sponsored by state Rep. Tim Knopp, R-Bend, allowing an unlimited statute of limitations for first-degree sex crimes when there is additional supporting evidence of the crime. That evidence can be through non-DNA physical evidence, such as a confession by the defendant to that particular crime; a videotape

The Bend Police Department Citizen’s Academy has received recognition as a national and regional model and continues to be a highly popular program in the Bend community. The goal of the program is to inform and educate participants about the Bend Police Department. In doing so, it provides a variety of ways we carry out