Month: November 2016

Several High Desert Middle School Hispanic students said they were targeted by a group of classmates who allegedly used racial slurs, and one parent said she thinks this week’s presidential election outcome might have encouraged the hate. “They said that we’re dumb, we’re rapists, we’re retarded, we have no jobs,” student Brian Zendejas said of

BEND, Ore. (AP) — A 20-year-old man accused of killing his two housemates in Jefferson County has pleaded not guilty. The Bulletin of Bend reports (https://is.gd/QXXW7D ) that Mitchell Morris on Thursday pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder in connection to the deaths of 18-year-old Bailee Ray Southwick 21-year-old Mackenzie Lyman. Morris is accused of

A police chase on Halloween of a stolen car on Highway 26 from the Sisters area to Bend has led to two raids, charges against eight Redmond and Bend residents and the recovery of 10 cars, trucks and a camp trailer stolen from car lots in Central and Western Oregon by a ring that traded

Help make the holidays brighter for survivors and their children by adopting a Saving Grace family. The Adopt a Family program is a long-standing holiday tradition that gives community members and businesses an opportunity to make the holidays a little brighter for families dealing with domestic violence and sexual assault. To help bring this holiday

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Macy’s Inc. has announced plans to close its stores in downtown Portland and at the Lancaster Mall in Salem early next year. The Statesman Journal reports (http://stjr.nl/2fpz0Hl ) that the announcement comes as the Cincinnati-based retailer posted year-over-year sales declines in a Thursday earnings report. Macy’s has also agreed to sell

Helping your neighbors and their families stay warm just got easier. Pacific Power will match every dollar you donate to the Oregon Energy Fund with $2 more. “Despite Oregon’s recent economic recovery, many of the jobs created are lower wage positions that often cannot sustain a family. That means many Oregonians are working harder for

Oregon has 1,500 residents who are active-duty members of the military and more than 330,000 veterans. One of the largest advocacy groups for veterans said, now that Donald Trump has been elected to lead the nation, he needs to fulfill his campaign promise to take care of those who serve. Joy Ilam, the legislative director

Veterans Day is a sea of red, white and blue, but those flags don’t just pop up out of nowhere. NewsChannel 21 was given a behind-the-scenes look at what goes on before those many flags fly in Central Oregon. “We have approximately 1,450 flags,” Randy Povey, co-chair of Flag City USA, said Thursday. A total

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — A Lane County man convicted of robbing two banks has been sentenced to nearly six years in prison. The Register-Guard reports (http://bit.ly/2g28cQF ) that 40-year-old William John Kesler, of Veneta, was sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty to two robbery charges as part of a plea deal that got him a shorter

A 24-year-old Ontario, Oregon man refused to pull over for a traffic stop in southwest Redmond and led police on a high-speed chase for several miles early Thursday, trying to hit an Oregon State Police car head-on and ramming a Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies parked car, authorities said. The driver abandoned his pickup but was

Oregon State University-Cascades is serving a total of 1,122 students at its new campus and its Graduate & Research Center, officials said Wednesday. The Bend campus’s official enrollment report represents a 10 percent overall increase in OSU-Cascades students and a six percent increase in undergraduate degree-seeking students. Included in the official fall enrollment total are

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — A federal judge in Oregon says a lawsuit brought by young climate activists against the federal government can proceed. U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken on Thursday denied requests by the federal government as well as trade groups representing energy giants to dismiss the case. They had argued that lawmakers and federal

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse and numerous other Republican lawmakers have sent a letter opposing the removal of four dams on the Snake River to restore wild runs of salmon. The lawmakers sent the letter on Thursday to members of the House Appropriations Committee, asking that money be retained in the federal

Numerous traditional Veterans Day parades and events are taking place around Oregon on Friday – but also, a growing number of restaurants and other businesses are offering free or reduced-price meals or other discounts to veterans and active service members, to honor those who have served our country. Here is the Oregon Department of Veterans

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Republicans, by the thinnest of margins, managed to grab one seat from the Democrats in the Oregon Senate, while the ratio remained the same in the state House. Results from the 2016 general election show that the Democrats will still dominate the legislature, though they are one seat short of a

The City of Bend is seeking applicants to fill three positions on the Bend Fire Department Civil Service Commission which is established by city ordinance. Commissioners serve on a voluntary basis. They are appointed by the City Council for the purpose of ensuring that appointment and promotion of employees, compensation practices and discipline are conducted

Oregon voters returned a record number of ballots in Tuesday’s general election, breaking 2 million votes, the Oregon secretary of state announced Thursday. The 2.02 million ballots returned in the recent election beats the previous record, which was 1.84 million ballots returned for the 2008 general election. “This has been a historic election year for

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A struggling aviation company in Portland has filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports (https://is.gd/pZfYWb ) that Ericson Inc. filed for bankruptcy late Tuesday and said in a statement that it is going forward with a reorganization plan supported by its major creditors. Erickson said in a written statement it expects

BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) — Police say a Washington state man running a Ponzi scheme disguised as a financial planning firm bilked people in four states out of $500,000 — in some cases, their life savings. The Bellingham Herald reports (https://goo.gl/PDIxIR ) that David P. Thomas of Bellingham was booked into jail Wednesday for investigation of

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) — A stone marker recognizing a Medford veteran who died for his country will be unveiled on Veterans Day. The Mail Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/2emyHQy ) that Newell Barber was killed when his plane was shot down over France in August 1918. Medford named its first public airfield after Barber two years later.