Month: May 2016

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Monday it has finalized critical habitat for the Oregon spotted frog within its known range in Washington and Oregon. Critical habitat is defined by the Endangered Species Act as areas vital to the long-term survival of listed species, and the agency said Monday’s designation reflects the latest science

Until now, Bend has been the largest metro area in Oregon without a four-year university. OSU-Cascades expanded to a four-year university last fall and the campus that opens this fall is already beginning design work on plans to expand. On Monday evening, OSU-Cascades hosted a community forum to introduce the campus design team. The university

Redmond remains a much cheaper place to buy a home than Bend, but the two cities’ rise in sale prices over the past year is similar, as are some of the other statistics released by Beacon Appraisal Group over the weekend. The monthly report shows Bend’s median sale price at $365,000 in April, up about

The devastation from the fire that tore through Fort McMurray, Alberta in recent days brings to mind the blazes Central Oregon has seen and battled over the years. But unlike the U.S., Canada has sharply limited prescribed burns and has done little other fire prevention work, a professor said Monday. Prescribed burns were used more

The city of Redmond’s HOPE Playground will have a temporary closure for repairs. The playground will be closed from Monday to Friday, May 16-20 to address cracks in the flooring, officials said Monday The playground flooring was installed in September and cracking during the winter time was expected, officials said. The repairs should take one

Bend Memorial Clinic announced Monday it will be discontinuing occupational medicine services onJune 1 “inan effort to streamline the services and care we offer in the community.” The BMC Occupational Medicine Department will continue to see patients through the end of May, officials said The Center Old Mill, located inside the BMC Old Mill DistrictClinic,

A 24-year-old La Pine woman escaped with only minor injuries Monday morning when her SUV left Highway 58, rolled several times and caught fire, Oregon State Police reported. Troopers and other emergency personnel responded around 6:45 a.m. to the reported single-vehicle crash on Highway 58 near milepost 19, east of Lowell, said OSP Capt. Bill

An unprecedented number of Deschutes County voters have registered to vote this election year — and more voters than ever are switching parties. “This is the first election that I’ve been super-interested in,”Bend resident Amanda Hargreaves said Friday. “Mostly because of Bernie Sanders.” The other two remaining candidates in the race for the White House,

Curious about what it’s like to drive a school bus? Community members interested in a job as a school bus driver are invited to an open house recruitment event at the Bend Bus Yard from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.Saturday, May 21. During the event, potential drivers can step aboard a bus and take it

Oregon law enforcement agencies will be out with the improving weather, May 16 – 29 , in a campaign aimed at using the proper restraint systems. They’ll also be looking for speed violators and drivers using handheld cell phones. The “Click It or Ticket” blitz , funded by grants from ODOT’s Transportation Safety Division, reminds

Average retail gasoline prices in Oregon have risen 6.8 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $2.39 a gallon on Sunday,according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 1,307 gas outlets in Oregon. That compares with the national average that has fallen 0.8 cents per gallon in the last week to $2.21/g, according to gasoline price

Telephone scammers continue to hit residents in the Central Oregon area, falsely claiming to be calling from the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office or other local law enforcement agencies, officials said Sunday. “Most recently, victims are instructed to go to Fred Meyer — Walmart has also been used in the past — and purchase some type

Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies were working Saturday to learn what caused a single-vehicle early-morning SUV crash on the Powell Butte Highway near Bend Airport that killed a 25-year-old Powell Butte woman. Deputies responded shortly before 5 a.m. to the reported crash on the highway east of McGrath Road and west of the weigh scales near

Thousands of women all across the nation are grabbing their tool boxes.For the ninth year, Habitat for Humanity and Lowe’s are partnering for their annual Women Build Week. More than 300 Habitat organizations nationwide are participating, including Bend Area Habitat. “I really can’t even put it into words. We’ve wanted to own our own house

A raid early Saturday on a La Pine home led to the arrest of the 33-year-old resident and recovery of a motorcycle reported stolen a few days earlier, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said. Deputies were dispatched Thursday on a report a motorcycle had been taken from a carport in the area of Jackpine and Ash

Movie-goers got a special treat Friday night as the Tower Theatre hosted the Sprout Film Festival. Instead of typical Hollywood actors, these short films featured adults with disabilities. The non-profit organization Sprout says it has been making the invisible visible for nearly 40 years, by creating short films featuring people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Two campers were injured when they fell 15 to 20 feet at a Smith Rock State Park camping area late Friday night, fire officials said. One was flown to an area hospital and the other taken by ambulance. Redmond Fire and Rescue responded just after 11 p.m. to the report that a camper had fallen

A 27-year-old Bend man was arrested Friday on assault and robbery charges, accused of stealing another man’s bike and punching him in the face when he went to retrieve it, police said. Police responded around 9:15 a.m. to a reported robbery at the Sud-N-Shine Car Wash at 61516 Highway 97, said police Sgt. Mike Landolt.

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office has tallied its costs and said it spent over $100,000 sending personnel to Harney County during the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge takeover earlier this year. The state plans to reimburse the county for most of that, and the sheriff said they will seek the rest from federal officials. Sheriff Shane

A 19-year-old Bend resident was jailed on DUII, assault and other charges after a crash early Saturday on a Forest Service road near Tumalo Falls that sent four passengers to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said. Deputies and Bend Fire Department medics responded around 4 a.m. to the report of an