Month: July 2016

A power outage hit Bend’s Shops at the Old Mill District for about two hours Wednesday afternoon, prompting some stores and the movie theater to close and others to accept only cash payments. Pacific Power spokesman Ry Schwark said the outage affected 382 customers around 3:20 p.m. Utility crews later patrolled the lines, found a

The Bend Fire Department announced with pride Wednesday that its EMS Physician Advisor, Dr. Helenka Marcinek, was selected by the Oregon Health Authority to receive a professional achievement award – the State EMS Director’s Award. This particular recognition rises above the level of nomination: It is essentially a lifetime achievement award, bestowed on an individual

Awareness around lead in our drinking water in Oregon is rising, and some schools in our state have had issues with high levels of lead in their drinking water. Given that children are especially susceptible to lead exposure because their bodies absorb metals at higher rates than adults, NeighborImpact thought it necessary to test all

Last Wednesday, Dutch Bros Central Oregon partnered with thecommunity to raise $8,639 for two local girls to help offset medical expenses they have accrued from much-needed medical treatments. “Our Central Oregon community never ceases to amaze us by the love and support they have for one another,” said Kaelyn Costa, Dutch Bros Central Oregon owner.

The Redmond School District Board of Directors has selected Travis Bennett of Redmond to the district’s five member governing board. A total of three individuals were interviewed for the board vacancy during a board meeting held at the district office on July 21. Candidates Dearric Winchester, Michael Baumgartner and Travis Bennett were each interviewed for

A Redmond man was charged with murder Tuesday in the apparent homicide of a Bend woman whose weekend disappearance prompted a widespread search. Authorities also said a body had been found but they have not yet confirmed if it is that of Kaylee Sawyer, 23. Edwin Enoc Lara, 31, earlier called a person of interest

The family of Kaylee Sawyer, a missing Bend woman and apparent homicide victim, issued the following statement late Tuesday night, thanking all for their support and assistance from helping in the search to attending a candlelight vigil in her honor:: “Our hearts are broken. We do want to thank all of the volunteers who came

PRINEVILLE, Oregon (AP) — It was not long ago that Crook County had five major lumber mills. Timber was king, and the rural Oregon county was the nation’s top producer of Ponderosa lumber. But amid restrictions on harvesting from federal lands, logging started to freefall around 1990. The county’s mills began closing. The global recession

Tierra Newton is one of many Central Oregon Community College students who’s shocked by the disappearance and apparent killing of Kaylee Sawyer. “It’s really scary to know that that could of been any one of us,” Newton said Tuesday. Saywer went missing early Sunday morning near her west Bend apartment complex, which is just steps

The wife of Edwin Lara, arrested in the disappearance of apparent homicide victim Kaylee Sawyer, is a new Bend police officer who notified authorities of his “potential involvement” as soon as she learned of it on Monday, police said. Isabel Ponce-Lara, a recently hired Bend police officer, reported to Redmond police “her husband’s potential involvement”

Bend City Councilor Douglas Knight announced Monday his candidacy for re-election to a second four-year term in council Position #2. So far, the council candidates who have filed include Ron Boozell and Justin Livingston for Position 1, Knight and Bill Moseley for Position 2, incumbent Sally Russell for position 3 and Bruce Abernethy for Position

Central Oregon’s job picture changed little in June, with unemployment levels ticking upward in all three counties, a state Employment Department economist said Tuesday. “Job gains (were) fairly consistent with seasonal norms over the past several months,” said Regional Economist Damon Runberg. “Unemployment levels ticked up across all three counties in June behind strong labor

Hot, windy weather Monday fueled a wildfire burning on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, nearly doubling in size to 9,000 acres, but crews also made strong progress and brought it to 80 percent containment, officials said. Nearly 200 firefighters and support personnel were on the Rattlesnake Fire, which broke out late Sunday afternoon 10 miles

Save OutdoorSchool for All campaign officials announced Monday that petition signatures have officially been verified by the Secretary of State’s office, and that the measure will be on theNovember ballot. The campaign ultimately collected more than 140,000 petition signatures, far surpassing the 87,213 signature requirement needed to qualify. Here’s the rest of the group’s news

A little under three hours to the north of Bend, up Highway 97, left on Highway 26, and a right at Highway 35 will lead you to the quaint city of Hood River. The town lies in the Columbia River Gorge, where the Columbia River meets the Hood River. Signs which line the streets of

Last Monday morning, we set out to go to Hood River for a Road Trip! It was a great experience as a new reporter to pick the brains of the pros with Emily Kirk and our photojournalist, Steve Kauffman. We set out around 9 a.m. and arrived a couple hours later at Cooper Spur Mountain

Bend police were examining surveillance video and seeking the public’s help Sunday after a man wearing a mask and sunglasses held up a southeast Bend Dutch Bros coffee stand at gunpoint late Saturday night. Shortly after 11 p.m., a man displaying a handgun entered the Dutch Bros at 603 Southeast Third Street, at the corner

To address the growing problem of unmanned aircraft systems impeding wildland firefighting efforts, the U.S. Department of the Interior and industry partners said Monday they have activated a prototype warning system that provides real-time alerts and geofencing alarms to prevent drone pilots from interfering with firefighting operations. “This pilot project makes initial wildfire location data

While thousands of people from across the country responded to the emergency request for blood and platelet donations issued by the American Red Cross in early July, a critical blood shortage remains. The Red Cross urges eligible donors to give now to help ensure blood is available throughout the rest of the summer to meet

A Mississippi man who took off in his new Lancair kit plane from a private airstrip west of Redmond on Sunday said he didn’t like the way the aircraft sounded, so he quickly turned back and returned to the runway. Unfortunately, he forgot to deploy the landing gear, resulting in a crash-landing that damaged the