Month: September 2016

A fire at a commercial metal-plating business in southeast Bend Friday morning caused little damage as fire and smoke detection systems did their job, officials said. Firefighters responded just after 9 a.m. to the reported fire at Bend Plating at 550 Southeast Bridgeford Boulevard, said Battalion Chief Todd Riley. The arrived to find a fire

The La Pine owners of five pit bulls that attacked a Deschutes County sheriff’s deputy investigating reports of aggressive dogs have been cited for maintaining dangerous dogs, deputies said Friday. The dog’s owner, Charles Williams, was cited Thursday on five counts of maintaining a dangerous Dog and arrested on an unrelated arrest warrant, according to

The Bend Energy Challenge, Bend’s team in a national competition to save energy, has been installing free energy saving light bulbs — LEDs — at homes since last November, and just hit the 25,000 milestone. The free LED program is a made possible through a collaboration with the Energy Trust of Oregon and Central Electric

The Bend Park and Recreation District tested samples of water in more than 150 water fixtures in its recreation facilities, parks and other locations owned by the district and released the results Friday — a mostly clean bill of health. The testing to determine presence of lead and copper in drinking water found a significant

This week’s release of economic data for 2015 by the U.S. Census Bureau highlighted an improving economy and a major reversal of national economic trends plaguing the nation since the recession, NeighborImpact reported Friday. Nationally, median income rose 5.2 percent. Unemployment fell to 5 percent. Wages (adjusted for inflation) rose 2 percent and poverty declined

An escaped campfire in southeast Bend Thursday morning was the latest in a string of such incidents, prompting Bend firefighters to remind resident it’s still fire season and extreme caution needs to be taken with campfires. In the past week, the Bend Fire Department has responded to several campfires that have escaped their fire rings,

A Deschutes County grand jury returned an Indictment Thursday adding a second-degree manslaughter charge against a Tillamook man already jailed for criminally negligent homicide in the bow-and-arrow death of his bow hunting companion. The Indictment alleges that early Monday, Michael Shawn Pekarek, 52,, caused the death of Jeffrey Lynn Cummings, 45, of Wood Village, the

The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a recall of 1 million Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones Thursday , calling the devices “serious fire and burn hazards.” Among those incidents were 26 reports of burns and 55 reports of property damage caused by fires in cars and a garage, the CPSC said. “Consumers should immediately stop

The U.S. Senate passed provisions Thursday to help rebuild housing for Columbia River tribes lost to the construction of dams close to 80 years ago. All four Northwest senators — Oregon’s Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, and Washington’s Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell — backed the proposal. The provisions are part of the proposed Water

A Redmond police officer was justified in striking and fatally injuring a Redmond man who was pointing a loaded handgun at passing motorists and at officers, at a point when he was aiming at and walking toward a police sergeant on a busy street, Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel ruled Wednesday. Hummel held a

Crook County authorities and other agencies investigating the death of a woman whose body was found in a vehicle late Tuesday afternoon on the Ochoco National Forest about 30 miles east of Prineville said Thursday an autopsy determined it was suicide. An autopsy was performed Wednesday afternoon at the state Medical Examiner’s Office in Clackamas,

At a press conference on Wednesday, Sheriff Shane Nelson discussed his offices plan to open up a ‘Sober Station’ in Deschutes County. The station would help people dealing with a mental health crisis. The concept is still in it’s early stages, but is not original. Other counties around the state have these stations to help

Just days after a 2-year-old was killed in a head-on collision, we looked into what is being done to make that stretch of Highway 20 safer. It turns out the Oregon Department of Transportation already was planning to make some changes to the highway to improve safety. Highway 20 between Bend and Sisters sees around

The only state to see a significant increase in food insecurity rates since the Great Recession is Oregon, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The report said more than 16 percent of Oregon households between 2013 and 2015 reported difficulties affording meals; that’s up from the previous three-year period,

Starting Oct. 1, it will cost some Central Oregon visitors a few more bucks to cruise around. The Redmond Airport proposed a customer facility charge for rental cars, and city councilors approved the move Tuesday night. Redmond Airport Director Zachary Bass said while it will cost a little more ($3 a day, for up to

Bend fire investigators said Wednesday a small brushfire tackled off Hamby and Neff roads east of Bend Sunday night was likely human-caused, but they could not determine if it was accidental or intentional. Firefighters were called out to tackle the fast-moving brushfire reported off Hamby Road east of Bend that closed a nearby stretch of

In week 2 of our monthlong Let’s Talk suicide prevention campaign, we hear from two more suicide survivors. They are considered survivors because they lost a child to suicide. Both families are using their grief to fuel their message as a method of survival. “(It was a) huge shock to our family — we had

The Bend Chamber of Commerce held its annual business SAGE Awards ceremony at a new location Tuesday night. There also was a new surprise award — a Corporate Excellence in Business award whose winner had no idea they were even nominated. This is the 27th year for the awards, but the first year the event

The public got a look at Oregon State University-Cascades’ new campus in Bend Tuesday when the school hosted an open house to celebrate completion of its first academic building. The 10-acre campus will provide classrooms and lab space, as well as a dining hall and residential housing for 300 students. Tykeson Hall, which was completed

Oregon State University–Cascades’ new campus on Bend’s Westside opened Tuesday, fulfilling a 30-year quest for higher education in what had been the largest region in the state without a four-year university. “This campus launches a new era for educational attainment, economic growth, community partnerships and cultural enrichment in Central Oregon,” said Oregon State President Ed