Month: March 2016

A 22-year-old Redmond man who was an assistant coach for a Redmond youth lacrosse club made his first court appearance Wednesday, one week after his arrest on charges he had sexual contact with at least one underage female. Dakota Wayne Harless has been charged with two counts of third-degree rape, third-degree sodomy and second-degree sexual

To celebrate National Puppy Day, the Three Rivers Humane Society in Madras was giving out extra treats for their furry companions — some who must stay outside in the brisk early-spring weather. At one point, the shelter said it had more 50 puppies in kennels; typically, the shelter houses between 35 and 75 dogs. The

KIDS Center (Kids Intervention and Diagnostic Service Center) and MountainStar Family Relief Nursery will kick off the Blue Ribbon Campaign on April 1. The Blue Ribbon Campaign coincides with April’s “National Child Abuse Prevention Month.” The Blue Ribbon Campaign began in 1989 as one woman’s tribute to her grandson when she tied a blue ribbon

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and 16 fellow Democratic senators are urging Senate appropriators to dedicate funds for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to conduct research into the causes and prevention of gun violence.. A 1996 Republican appropriations rider prohibits federal funds from being used to advocate or promote gun control, which some have

After months of deliberations and social-media campaign wooing by several East Coast cities, Deschutes Brewery announced Tuesday that it has chosen Roanoke, Va., as the location for its much-sought East Coast expansion. A crowd gathered at the craft brewing pioneer’s downtown Bend brew pub Tuesday morning to watch a live video feed from Roanoke, where

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., announced Tuesday the VA will offer relief from an unfair hardship for National Guardsmen and Reservists in Oregon, in response to a request by Wyden earlier this year. The change by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs helps Guardsmen and Reservists nationwide who, because of paperwork delays at the VA, were

Just hours after ISIS claimed responsibility for the terror attacks in Brussels, Belgium on Tuesday, Becky Felix is still trying to cope with the news. “It hits close to home,” Felix said. It’s a tragedy that is affecting many thousands of people around the world, even here in Central Oregon. Several students from International Cultural

The fourth Central Oregon Fire Science Symposium will kick off Thursday in Bend. The three-day symposium brings resource managers and fire management specialists together with researchers and students from across the Western United States to present and discuss current and upcoming fire science and how it relates to resource management. The Forest Service, Association of

The Redmond School District will offer kindergarten registration for all upcoming 2016-17 kindergarten students beginning the week of April 4. For in-town kindergarten students who will attend the Redmond Early Learning Center: This includes families living within Redmond city limits whose neighborhood schools include John Tuck Elementary, M.A. Lynch Elementary, Sage Elementary, Tom McCall Elementary

A 69-year-old California woman was killed in a two-vehicle head-on crash Monday afternoon that closed U.S. Highway 26 for close to two hours at the eastern border of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, Oregon State Police said. The crash was reported shortly around 3:20 p.m. at milepost 106, at a bridge over the Deschutes River

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown on Tuesday ordered all flags at Oregon public institutions to be flown at half-staff immediately until sunset on Saturday as a mark of respect for the victims of the terrorist attacks in Brussels. “On behalf of all Oregonians, I offer my sincere condolences to the people of Belgium and those who

Airport security is ramping up nationwide following the attack at the Brussels Airport. Travelers heading through Redmond Airport will have longer check-in times than expected. Redmond Airport Security Manager Nicole Jurgensen said Tuesday that at this point in time, there’s not a new security procedure she can let the public know about. But she added

Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said Tuesday they have received information that someone has either started or re-started a telephone scam in Central Oregon, and issued a warning to avoid being ripped off. Sgt. Vance Lawrence said a caller will identify themselves as being from the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office by name and/or rank and name.

After hearing testimony on a rare prosecution request, a Deschutes County judge ruled Tuesday that a Bend woman’s admission to a social worker of fatally smothering her 92-year-old grandmother is admissible in court, and imposed a murder charge. Circuit Judge Beth Bagley set a May 5th plea hearing for Angela Judd, 45, who allegedly used

February revealed a continuation of the job trends we have seen over the past several months, as Deschutes County continues to add jobs at a fast pace, one of the fastest-growing economies in the nation, the state Employment Department said Tuesday. Employment levels are little changed in Crook County. However, unemployment rates are declining due

Discussions are under way on a Sunriver- and Spring River-area expansion of the Deschutes County Rural Enterprise Zone, which is jointly sponsored by the county and the city of La Pine and managed by Economic Development for Central Oregon. The current enterprise zone covers an area of 7.6 square miles and includes the city of

A high-ranking member of the Obama administration visited Harney County and the Malheur Wildlife National Refuge Monday, focusing more on efforts to foster collaboration on land use issues with local residents and the reopening of the refuge to the public than the 41-day occupation that drew national headlines. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell met with employees

New market research shows that the retirement savings crisis in Oregon is more profound than initially believed: More than 1 million people currently lack the ability to save for retirement through employers, according to the updated figures. The statistics help to underscore the importance of the under-development Oregon Retirement Savings Plan, which was passed by

Volunteer Connect is excited to announce that grants totaling $10,000 have been received from the Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation and the ESCO Foundation, which will help expand volunteering by children and youth in Central Oregon. With this grant funding, Volunteer Connect will activate more than 500 young volunteers in our Central Oregon communities. In

As Bend 8-year-old Sicily Billelo straps in for a day on the mountain, she prepares to reach the next level of her big snowboarding adventure. For the second year in a row, Sicily is headed to Copper Mountain, Colorado to compete in the USASA National Snowboard Championships. And her mom Nikki couldn’t be more proud.