Month: September 2016

Traffic is moving again on U.S. Highway 20 over the Sheep Creek Bridge, 26 miles east of Sweet Home at milepost 56.6, ODOT reported Tuesday. The roadway was closed on August 2 for repairs to the bridge and abutments that required the removal of the eastern-most span. The bridge’s eastern abutment rests on an active

New voter registration data released Tuesday by the Oregon Secretary of State’s office shows that the state is on track to add over 250,000 new voters through the Oregon Motor Voter program in time for the November general election. Through all methods, 298,320 new voters have been added to the rolls in Oregon since August

A 20-year-old Bend man, arrested in early July on charges he kicked and punched his dog, has been arrested again, now accused of the armed holdup of a Dutch Bros coffee drive-thru in southeast Bend later that month, police said Monday. Police responded shortly after 11 p.m. on July 23 to the reported armed robbery

Oregon’s payroll employment grew for the 50th consecutive month as employers added 4,600 jobs in August, after a revised gain of 5,000 in July, the Oregon Employment Department reported Tuesday. Since June 2012 , economists said, Oregon’s economy has expanded rapidly, adding 208,200 jobs–an average gain of 4,200 jobs per month. Oregon hasn’t seen such

A group of young plaintiffs is getting their day in court once again Tuesday in Eugene, arguing that the federal government’s inaction on climate change is directly harming the well-being of America’s youngest generation. The 21 plaintiffs range in age from 8 to 19 and are arguing their constitutional right to a healthy planet is

With a freeze warning in effect over much of Central Oregon the night couple of nights, the impact felt on the homeless grows as well. The Bethlehem Inn emergency shelter in Bend has run out of sleeping bags. The shelter needs tents, warm clothes and sleeping bags. Typically, they see nearly about 100 people a

A 38-year-old Portland man who failed to return from a Saturday hike up South Sister was found late Monday morning in good condition, about three to four miles south of the summit, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said. The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Unit was in the second day of its search for

The Ochoco National Forest is start construction on a 12-acre stretch of McKay Creek this week, and for fisheries biologist Jennifer Mickelson, this project is her baby. “This has been a long time coming and we are excited to see work happening on the ground,” Mickelson said Monday. Mickelson has been working on the restoration

A Sherwood man made his first court appearance Monday on manslaughter, DUII and assault charges after he lost control of his pickup on a curve Sunday on U.S. Highway 20 west of Tumalo and crossed the center line, colliding with two cars and killing a 2-year-old Bend girl. David William Fincher, 45, who was taken

Pacific Power said Monday it has contracted with the owners of seven renewable energy projects to acquire the renewable attributes of those projects to help meet the Renewable Portfolio Standards of Oregon, Washington and California. Four of the projects are new solar projects scheduled to begin operation in Oregon in the fourth quarter of this

Bend-La Pine Schools is seeking an interested volunteer to join the Budget Committee. The committee, which includes the seven elected members of the Bend-La Pine Schools Board of Directors and seven members of the community, currently has one opening. The committee works with district staff to review and approve the school district’s budget each year.

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality said Monday it has issued a $20,147 penalty to Hank Elliott Investment Company, LLC for operating a sewage drill hole without a permit at the Mt. Vista Mobile Home Park, 64900 Hunnell Road in Bend. Elliott owns the park, which disposes of sewage and sanitary waste through a sewage

Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore, along with 27 of their Senate colleagues, have sent a letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan urging him to bring the $1.1 billion Zika funding legislation passed by the Senate to the House floor for a vote. There are now more than 18,000 cases of Zika reported in

Central Oregon Partnerships for Youth (COPY), a program of the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, is offering a class to prepare volunteers to become mentors for children with an incarcerated parent. After initial training and comprehensive background checks, volunteers are matched with a child in Bend, Redmond, Sisters or La Pine that share similar interests and

State officials are working with prevention groups on ways to lower the rate of suicide in Oregon, which is high relative to the rest of the country. Many experts and community leaders agree suicide has become an epidemic in the United States. “Rates of suicide have been going up since the year 2000, and we’ve

The Redmond Police Department conducted two enhanced DUII enforcement patrols in August. During this effort, Redmond police put two additional officers on the road, funded by DUII grant funds. These two officers worked a total of eight hours, resulting in approximately 16 traffic stops being conducted. No DUII arrests were made; however, during one of

Cascade Natural Gas crews on a major gas line replacement project will be doing more work in downtown this week, moving into the alley between Northwest Wall and Bond streets. Starting at the intersection with Franklin Avenue, the crew will work south, installing a 2-inch main gas line, closing that alley, with limited access for

A La Pine shop building used for an RV repair business went up in flames early Sunday morning, but a person inside awoke to heavy smoke and was able to escape unhurt, fire officials said. The La Pine Rural Fire Protection District responded shortly before 5:30 a.m. to the reported structure fire in the 52500

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Dakota Prukop says he’s lucky to be surrounded by so many playmakers at Oregon. From prolific running back Royce Freeman to Olympic hurdler Devon Allen, the Ducks’ new quarterback has lots of options. And that makes his job easy, he said Saturday night after No. 24 Oregon defeated Virginia 44-26. “It’s

A new proposed shopping center on the north end of Bend could bring in two new restaurants by next year — ones very familiar to many: Cracker Barrel and Chick-fil-A. The city of Bend confirmed to NewsChannel 21 on Friday that a developer has submitted an application to build a new 55,000-square-foot shopping center on