Month: March 2016

As the weather warms up, Cascade Natural Gas will begin phases 3 & 4 of the Natural Gas Pipeline replacement project. On Monday morning, crews will start replacing gas lines on NW Tumalo Ave Just east of the intersection with NW Riverside Blvd. The construction will shut down a block of NW Tumalo Ave between

It’s the same watchtower overlooking the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, but the guards at the entrance are now members of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. More than a month after the 41-day occupation ended, officials are still picking up the pieces. The sign at the entrance is gone to get repaired after occupiers had

The occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge had many origins. From the imprisonment of the Hammond family to Constitutional rights.At the heart was always Harney County ranchers. “We want to get the rancher back to ranching,” occupation leader Ammon Bundy had said in January during a press conference. “We’re here to help the people

A new group, Stand Up, is taking a different approach to help the homeless in Central Oregon. They developed a smartphone app that asks one simple question. ‘What do you need right now?’ Jewel, a homeless Bend woman, answered the question this way Thursday: “At this time of year, (we still need) warm coats and

A 37-year-old Bend massage therapist has been arrested and charged with sexually assaulting two clients during massage sessions, Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel said Thursday. Christopher Rosario, who worked at Massage Envy at Bend’s Cascade Village Shopping Center, was arrested Sunday by Bend police and was charged this week with sexually assaulting two of

To celebrate the end of its first ice season, Bend Park & Recreation District is offering special pricing for ice skating at The Pavilion on the next two Sundays, March 27 and April 3. On both days, open skate will be available for only $6 per person including skate rental (half price of the regular

Madras police said they are looking for four men, at least two of them armed, who allegedly entered two men’s home early Thursday morning, demanded money and drugs, assaulted them and stole a pickup truck and other items. The abandoned pickup truck was found around noon on a canal road near Depot Lane in Madras,

Sunriver police warned residents Thursday evening to “be on the lookout for anything suspicious in your neighborhoods” after two home break-ins in the past two days. Sgt. Joe Patnode said nothing was taken in one break-in in the resort community. But in the other case, he said, someone entered an unlocked residence and took $22

Starting Monday, April 18, Mt. Bachelor will transition to spring operating hours, and new this year the lifts will open to the public an hour earlier (8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.). “You asked, we listened,” said John McLeod, Director of Finance and interim General Manager at Mt. Bachelor, “For the past several years, our spring

The Oregon Department of Transportation confirmed Thursday it won’t extend the 2015-16 studded tire season past March 31. Studded tires are allowed in Oregon from November 1 through March 31 each year. The law allows ODOT to extend the studded tire season when necessary, but officials said the current weather forecasts do not support an

Coffee has become a staple not just in America but around the world. But multiple studies have been released about whether or not it is good for you, each saying something different. One study, put out by Authority Nutrition in January, gives seven reasons as to why coffee is good for you, including that it

The Humane Society of Central Oregon is reminding people to avoid the impulse purchase of live rabbits, chicks or ducklings as Easter gifts. This Easter bring home an adorable stuffed toy, chocolate bunny or box of Peeps that can be enjoyed in your holiday celebration. Chocolate is toxic to our pets, so keep it out

The popular spring chinook fisheries on the Deschutes and Hood rivers will open this spring, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said Thursday. Deschutes River According to Jason Seals, ODFW fish biologist, managers are predicting over 4,000 adult hatchery fish will return to the Deschutes, which is well above management goals to obtain hatchery

Governor Kate Brown has named Elizabeth Woody of Warm Springs and Portland to a two-year appointment as Poet Laureate of Oregon. Woody will be Oregon’s eighth poet laureate since 1921. She succeeds Peter Sears, who has held the post since 2014. “The energy of Elizabeth Woody’s words bring to life the landscapes, creatures and people

Reporters got their first look Wednesday at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters since an armed occupation that drew widespread attention ended early last month. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service offered the guided media tour two days after Interior Secretary Sally Jewell visited Harney County, including a private visit to the refuge and meeting

The Bend-Redmond Metropolitan Area – defined as all of Deschutes County – had Oregon’s fastest growth rate last year, at 2.9 percent, and was No. 8 among nearly 400 metro areas in the nation, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Wednesday night. In its new estimates, the Bend-Redmond metro area added 4,870 people in the year

To ensure that Central Oregon’s youngest residents have the opportunity to participate in fun and healthy outdoor events that encourage physical play, PacificSource Health Plans has donated 50 entry fees to the Little Fry Run in Bend on April 10, part of the yearlong Kids Rock the Races series. Parents need only enter a promotional

Redmond city councilors just approved a major expansion of security cameras at Redmond Airport, and more TSA screeners also are being hired — an outcome of growth at the airport as much as the rising concern over terrorism. The project comes from a security budget of nearly $89,000. Redmond Airport Security Manager Nicole Jurgensen said

Four senators from three states that have legalized recreational marijuana pressed federal financial regulators Thursday to issue clear guidance for financial institutions serving legal marijuana businesses, making it easier for them to access banking services, rather than operating on an all-cash basis. In a letter to the six top federal financial regulators, Sens. Jeff Merkley

A Prineville transient was arrested and jailed on assault and other charges Wednesday, accused of going to the home of an acquaintance and hitting him several times on the head with a tire iron, Crook County sheriff’s deputies said. Deputies and Prineville police were dispatched around 11:40 p.m. Tuesday to a reported assault at a