Month: March 2016

In the midst of tax season, the IRS warns taxpayers to be on high alert for common scams. According to an IRS official, tax schemes are up 400 percent this year. Tax agent Jamasa Sattler consults at Helping You Tax & Accounting in Redmond. Sattler said Wednesday this is the calm before the storm of

A settlement has been reached between the family of Loretta Macpherson, 65, and St. Charles in Bend after a medication error at the hospital led to the death of the Sisters resident in late 2014, an attorney and hospital officials confirmed Tuesday. The family’s attorney, Jennifer Coughlin said Tuesday she cannot disclose the amount of

Several dead animals can be seen on a private farm in northeast Redmond. According to one neighbor, the pile of carcasses has been there for days. Paula Harris said Tuesday she has lived near the farm for 10 years. In the past, she’s seen the farm rehabilitate animals. But last week, as she was walking

A Prineville juvenile’s report of long-term abuse led to a Redmond traffic stop Tuesday and the arrest of a 36-year-old Prineville man on two-dozen rape and abuse charges, police said. In early February, the juvenile, under 16 years of age, reported being the victim of several sex-related crimes “over a long period of time from

The High Desert Region Porsche Club of America (Bend) recently donated $3,600 to the High Desert Driver Education Program. This fund will pay for 40 students to take SkidCar training with Deschutes County. The Deschutes County SkidCar can simulate the driving conditions of rain, ice and snow, while allowing drivers to gain experience and confidence

A Metolius 18-year-old improved to serious condition Wednesday, one day after he was critically injured and a 16-year-old girl from Culver was cited on DUII and other charges after Oregon State Police said she ran a stop sign and her car was struck by a semi-truck on Highway 97. Troopers and other emergency personnel responded

According to a newly released 170-page document in the shooting death investigation of LaVoy Finicum, one officer regretted switching from a gun to a Taser. Finicum, the former spokesperson of the armed occupation, was shot and killed on Jan. 26 by Oregon State Police troopers on Highway 395 north of Burns. One of them, who

Prineville police said Tuesday they are adding extra patrols around schools after two Crook County Middle School students reported a man approached them in a pickup as they walked home from school and offered them a “treat.” Around 3:20 p.m. Monday, the juveniles reported the unknown adult male approached them, driving an older, silver and

Crook County sheriff’s deputies arrested a 28-year-old Bend man Tuesday on rape, kidnapping, sex abuse and other charges in connection with an alleged assault at a “rave”-style party in Powell Butte late last month. Bend police and the Crook County Sheriff’s Office began a joint investigation March 1 into the rape allegations, said sheriff’s Detective

Oregon’s unemployment rate dropped to 4.8 percent in February from 5.1 percent in January, to the lowest level in 21 years, the state Employment Department reported Tuesday. The last time Oregon’s unemployment rate was this low was in April 1995 , when the rate was also 4.8 percent, officials said. A year ago, in February

The Deschutes National Forest, in cooperation with Discover Your Forest, will be opening the new Cascade Lakes Welcome Station west of Bend this Saturday. The new Welcome Station is situated at the gateway to some of the most popular recreation sites on the forest. Located on a national scenic byway on Century Drive near the

Next Monday, construction crews will begin work on the installation of a roundabout at the intersection of Powell Butte Highway, Neff Road and Alfalfa Market Road east of Bend, Deschutes County officials said. A temporary bypass road will be installed on Powell Butte Highway to facilitate traffic through the project, officials said. The $2.5 million

Saving Grace is currently accepting applications for its semi-annual advocacy training. This 40-hour training — held over three weeks in April — prepares volunteers to work directly with survivors of intimate partner violence and sexual assault seeking services from Saving Grace. Participants gain the necessary background and skills to assist with a wide-range of services

On Saturday, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office in partnership with Secure Shred and NeighborImpact, hosted the first Bend shredding event of 2016 at the Sheriff’s Office in Bend. In a three-hour period, 358 vehicles came through the shred event, dropping off nearly six tons of documents for shredding, about 1,200 pounds of food and money

Nearly 2,500 Pacific Power customers on Bend’s Westside lost power for up to four hours Monday evening, and a utility official said repair crews found a familiar cause: a squirrel that got too close to some power equipment. A posting on Pacific Power’s outage-page Website (https://www.pacificpower.net/ed/po/ooi.html) just after 5 p.m. said 2,470 customers were affected.

The new $21 million residence hall at COCC opened in August, but a third of it sits empty. “It’s a little disappointing,” COCC Dean of Students Alicia Moore said Monday. Based on past research from a housing feasibility study that we had done as well as the local rental economy, we had hoped to have

Travel issues due to snow and ice continued Tuesday over much of Central Oregon’s higher elevations, with Highway 97 closed for hours overnight north of La Pine by a crash involving two semi-trucks and two other vehicles. ODOT reported shortly before 2 a.m. that two semis jackknifed on the icy roadway at milepost 157 north

An Oregon union called on lawmakers Monday to follow California’s lead and raise the minimum age to buy tobacco products from 18 to 21, calling it “vital legislation that will protect kids and save thousands of lives.” Here’s the rest of their news release: “California legislators overcame heavy-handed lobbying and threats from the tobacco industry,

A Bend man missing for over a day was found in good condition Monday evening near China Hat Butte southeast of Bend, where his new pickup he’d taken for a Sunday drive had become stuck in deep snow, authorities said. Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies and Sheriff’s Search and Rescue teams on foot and by ATV

The Bend Park & Recreation District is seeking adult volunteers to coach youth lacrosse for the 2016 Youth Lacrosse League. Program participants are boys and girls in first through eighth grade. Volunteer coaches are an essential part of the program, providing support with program logistics, coaching and mentoring youth. Volunteers must enjoy working with youth