Month: April 2016

Given favorable weather conditions, Deschutes National Forest fuel specialists on the Sisters Ranger District plan to conduct a prescribed burn on Tuesday. The prescribed fire area is 2 miles north of Sisters, adjacent to the Sage Meadow and near the Sage Woods communities. The 154-acre unit is also mile south and west of the Indian

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — David Fry, a college dropout from Ohio, had a taste of fame as the last occupier of a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon. Fry became one of the public faces and voices of the standoff at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, using a digital camera to broadcast his commentary as an

The Bend Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution awarded two DAR Youth Citizenship Medals earlier this month for service, courage, leadership and patriotism. This year’s recipients are Alice McKnight, a 7th grader at Rimrock Expeditionary Alternative Learning Middle School, and Levi Follett, a 10th grader at Mountain View High School. Alice developed her own

Bend City Councilor Victor Chudowsky, whose recent leading opposition to a voter-rejected city gas tax put him at odds with a majority of his colleagues, announced Monday he won’t seek re-election this fall, having made progress on many issues of interest. Chudowsky was elected to a four-year term in November 2012. Here’s his statement, in

Bend Park & Recreation District’s Ponderosa Park skatepark at SE 15th Street and Wilson Avenue will be temporarily closed Wednesday, April 20 through Tuesday, April 26 due to a warranty maintenance project. The skatepark is expected to reopen on Wednesday, April 27. During the closure, skaters are encouraged to use “Pondi” the old skatepark at

A 33-year-old Madras fugitive who eluded capture after a two-county high-speed chase last week was arrested Sunday on Interstate 84 east of The Dalles after yet another police pursuit that ended with the help of “spike strips,” Oregon State Police reported. Police had been advised to be on the lookout for Malcolm Scott Harpole. OSP

Redmond Habitat for Humanity is seeking families and individuals who may need emergency repair assistance for their homes. A new Critical Repair Program has been initiated to help seniors, the disabled, veterans and families who may not be able to afford needed repairs for their homes in the Redmond area. To find out if you

Bend City Councilor Nathan Boddie met Thursday with federal officials in Washington, D.C., to discuss impacts of climate change, water policy and wildfire risk as they relate to Bend. Boddie said in a news release Friday that he was accompanied by other elected officials as part of The Mountain Pact, an organization that advocates for

Highway 97 near Crescent in Klamath County was closed or restricted for several hours Sunday after a semi-truck jackknifed and spilled much of its load of 48,000 pounds of dog food, officials said. The crash was reported by ODOT around 4:20 p.m., as the agency urged drivers to delay their trip or make alternate plans.

Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., along with a bipartisan group of 24 senators and representatives, on Friday urged President Obama to remove barriers to research on medical marijuana and facilitate new medical research on cannabis and its derivatives. “Twenty-three states have passed laws establishing medical cannabis programs and an

A 22-year-old Bend man was arrested Sunday afternoon, accused of firing a gunshot during a fight with another man at a northeast Bend home earlier in the day, police said. Officers were sent just before 6 a.m. to a home in the 20600 block of Tango Creek Avenue on a reported dispute, said Lt. Nick

With a busy season of road projects getting started, the city of Bend will be releasing a weekly road and traffic report each Friday to help travelers plan their best routes and make it to their destinations on time. This is intended to provide information about various projects that are happening within the city on

Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel said Friday he’s charged two Bend residents, Ethan Allen Buck and Glen William Lacoss, with the felony crime of first-degree aggravated animal abuse for separate attacks on a cat and dog. Buck, 23 is alleged to have severely beaten his girlfriend’s 7-year-old lab, Chevy, on April 3rd. In a

As warmer spring weather inspires us to get out and enjoy all that central Oregon has to offer, ODF reminds us to practice fire safety to prevent uncontrolled fires. Warm dry weather, alternating with cooler moist periods can give a false sense of reduced fire danger. Burning yard debris from landscaping projects or fuel reduction

It’s a touchy subject, brought out into the open. Have you ever wondered about the lack of diversity in Central Oregon? One Oregon professor is traveling the state in an effort to answer that very question. Walidah Imarisha is traveling to rural areas of Oregon that have a small black population. She’s explaining Oregon’s black

Monday was supposed to be a totally joyous day for Casey Purcell, as she gave birth to her second child — a son, Jaxxon. But while in labor, someone stole her car from the St. Charles Bend parking lot, with her new-baby supplies still inside. Friday was a much better day, thanks to some folks

Every hour, someone in the United States is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Walk MS aims to change that. “We’re in this fight until we find a cure, so we need everyone’s help to do this together,” said Walk MS manager Andrea Kofoed. About 450 people answered the call for help Saturday. Participants gathered in Riverbend

It’s taken longer than expected, due to legal challenges, but Bend officials gathered Friday to celebrate the completion of a new $70 million system to treat Bend’s Bridge Creek surface water and a replacement 10-mile pipeline. “It’s a very exciting day,” said Bend City Engineer Tom Hickmann, who has been working on this project for

A Friday groundbreaking in Culver means more than just a new water park for the town. The Culver Splash Pad will honor 10-year-old Brandon Johnson. “He was born with half a heart, so the hospital was nothing new to him. He was almost 6 years old when we found the first brain cancer,” said Brandon’s

The video of surfer Gerry Lopez skimming the waves of Bend’s Water Park in the Old Mill District is making the rounds. Lopez is only one of the incredible athletes that local photographer and videographer Paul Clark has decided to highlight in Central Oregon. “Well, as a photographer, I’m interested in people being self expressive