Month: June 2016

A group of economic development organizations representing a large geographic area and a majority of Oregon’s population base on Wednesday issued joint statements of opposition to Oregon Initiative Petition (IP) 28. Those organizations include Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO), Greater Portland Inc (GPI), Strategic Economic Development Corporation (SEDCOR) and Southern Oregon Regional Economic Development,

Next Monday, Deschutes County will honor two Sisters businesses for their exemplary efforts in keeping sidewalks safe for pedestrians. Bi-Mart and Melvin’s Fir Street Market will receive Safe Sidewalk awards from the Deschutes County Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC). The Safe Sidewalk awards will be presented at the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners Business

Every year, Oregonians lose thousands of dollars to telephone scams. Last year, Jeff D. from Silverton, learned his aging father wired $1,300 to a scammer in Paris, Texas. The scam was simple. A caller told his father over the phone that he had won $350,000 and a GMC Denali. There was just one catch –

Business is steady at Trigger Happy Guns, as the Bend gun shop’s staff see more people taking up arms to protect themselves. “Business is good. It’s obviously, you know, going up a little bit. A lot of people are scared out there. They feel like if somebody can do this in Florida, why can’t they

Oregon State University-Cascades soon will have brand new facilities for students in southwest Bend, and with opening day about three months away, progress continues on the 10-acre campus. “We’re on schedule, and things are moving along really well,” John Condon, facilities and operation manager for OSU-Cascades, said Tuesday. The new campus facilities, which will partially

Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., said Wednesday a major mental health reform bill to help mentally ill patients and their families was unanimously approved by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, an important step forward for the legislation. The Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act (H.R. 2646) would help improve the nation’s mental healthcare system

Three years after a leak in the century-old Pacific Power hydro dam that formed Bend’s iconic Mirror Pond prompted the utility to announce it wished to divest itself of the facility to the community — prompting much debate over its fate — the utility has done a quiet about-face and plans to keep producing power

Just days after the Florida mass shooting, people across the U.S. are still grieving. Tuesday night in downtown Bend, the Bend United Methodist Church held a candlelight vigil. Bend residents are still trying to make sense of the terror attack that hit Orlando early Sunday morning. On Tuesday, the church opened its doors and allowed

Two Stayton residents died after their car crossed the center line of Highway 22 and collided head-on with a semi truck late Monday night, Oregon State Police reported. Shortly before midnight, OSP troopers and medics responded to the reported crash on Highway 22 near milepost 20, just east of Stayton in Marion County, said OSP

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., applauded Tuesday’s ruling by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals upholding the FCC’s net neutrality rules “to preserve the free and open internet.” “The open internet is a cornerstone of free speech, education and commerce in the 21 st century,” Wyden said. “It gives businesses the freedom to compete no matter

The Deschutes County Community Development Department has drafted its Annual Report and Work Plan for fiscal year 2016-17. The document summarizes achievements over the past year and outlines anticipated projects and goals in each of CDD’s four divisions for the next fiscal year. It is available for public review on CDD’s website at www.deschutes.org/cdd. CDD’s

Taking advantage of cooler weather and localized precipitation, the Deschutes National Forest fuel specialists and firefighters will conduct a prescribed burn on Thursday as a live fire training exercise for new firefighters. This week, the Central Oregon Fire Management Service, a service-first organization made up of Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests and Prineville BLM fire

The inaugural Annual Luncheon for the La Pine/Sunriver Economic Development Program, held at Crosswater Golf Club on June 7 to a sold out crowd, highlighted the progress in the South County area. “The energy and enthusiasm in South Deschutes County is palpable,” said Janet Burton, EDCO Area Economic Development Manager. “A lot of positive things

The nation is still reeling from the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. “It just hurts,” said Rita Schenkelberg from Central Oregon Pride. Central Oregon Pride organizers said Monday they’ve hired a private security company and have also requested officers from local law enforcement agencies. Schenkelberg said she

Tax Day was almost two months ago and, while most Oregonians have paid what they owe or received their refund, that’s not stopping fraudsters from trying tax-related scams around the country, officials warned Tuesday. The IRS reports that the latest variation on scammers’ fraudulent collection calls is the bogus “Federal Student Tax.” Like all phony

Deer Ridge Correctional Institution in Madras will be holding a recruiting event for correctional officers on Saturday, June 25 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The state Department of Corrections recently announced it had received state funding for 33 more staff positions at the facility. Here’s the rest of the agency’s recruiting announcement: Correctional officers

The AR-15 is the most popular weapon in the U.S. because of its simplicity and design. The owner of Redmond Black Rifle/Colfax Tactical said Monday this type of firearm is not considered an assault rifle, but rather a semi-automatic weapon. Larry Myers said he expects gun sales to increase, as the gun reform debate is

Over the next few months, Bend Area Habitat for Humanity and the Central Oregon Association ofREALTORS® (COAR) are working to build a home for the Casner Family. With the goal of raising $75,000 byAugust 31 st , COAR members are excited to be a part of the project. “COAR recognizes the need in our community

Business Oregon has approved a request from Deschutes County, the city of La Pine (zone sponsors) and Economic Development for Central Oregon to expand the county’s Rural Enterprise Zone boundary to include Sunriver Business Park and Spring River Plaza. The new areas combined are 0.12 square miles, bringing the total zone up to 7.63 square

Central Oregon Council on Aging is proud to announce that it has received a $2,000 grant award from Meals on Wheels America for its participation in the 14th Annual March for Meals campaign. This past March was COCOA’s second year participating in the national Meals on Wheels awareness campaign designed to celebrate the proven collaboration