Month: December 2016

Deschutes County announced Thursday it had agreed to pay just over $1 million to settle a $16.6 million federal lawsuit filed by the family of a county jail inmate who died of a drug overdose two years ago. While there was never a dispute that the December 2014 death of Edwin Mays III at the

The Redmond Urban Renewal Agency announced Wednesday the approval of the purchase of the buildings and land located at 716 SW Evergreen Avenue in downtown Redmond, site of the current City Hall. This investment puts Redmond one step closer to the development of a Family Entertainment Center in the heart of downtown, officials said. The

A southeast Bend couple had a big scare early Thursday when their doorbell rang around 12:30 a.m. and a man at their door pushed his way in. Steve and Lisa Craft were fast asleep in their home on Aberdeen Drive when their frightening incident began. “The doorbell rang, and I got up and went to

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – The Oregon Supreme Court has ruled that two boys who saw their 7-year-old brother get killed by a pickup truck in Central Oregon can proceed with a lawsuit seeking damages for emotional distress. Multiple news outlets reported previous case law barred the boys, who were 8 and 12 at the time

Two women are suing a Bend massage spa for more than $11 million after claiming a massage therapist sexually abused them. Christopher Rosario, 37, who worked at Massage Envy at Bend’s Cascade Village Shopping Center, was arrested in March by Bend police and charged with sexually assaulting two clients during massage sessions. He is scheduled

The Chevron on Highway 97 in Redmond is in hot water after reports of selling bad gasoline surfaced, but state regulators said Thursday the problem has been resolved. “We did drain the tank and let the material set overnight, we ended up with about a 50/50 mixture (of) water (and) gasoline,” said auto technician Scott

CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) – A Dallas High School teacher charged with having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student is expected to change his not guilty plea next month. The Gazette-Times reports (http://bit.ly/2hxtHpI) that Kirk Myrold, of Albany, has pleaded not guilty to felony charges of sexual abuse and luring a minor. A change of

Thanks to community tips and help from businesses, three south Deschutes County teens – two 19 and one 16 – have been arrested in last week’s armed robbery of a 7-Eleven convenience store in southeast Bend, police said Thursday. Two men, one with a shotgun, entered the store at 1185 SE Third Street around 3:45

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) – Authorities say a southern Oregon couple who left town with their 7-year-old daughter in violation of a court order in October have been arrested in Florida. The Mail Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/2hxx5Bb ) that Trevor and Sara Long, of Ashland, were arrested Thursday at a hotel in Orlando. They have been charged

BRIDAL VEIL, Ore. (AP) – A hiker has been rescued after she slipped on ice and fell 40 feet down a cliff at Wahkeena Falls in the Columbia River Gorge. Authorities said Thursday that the 57-year-old woman was able to break her fall by grabbing onto a tree branch and was expected to survive. A

COOS BAY, Ore. (AP) — The Coquille Tribal Police has hired a new drug officer, a 1-year-old English Springer Spaniel trained to sniff out three types of narcotics. The World reports (http://bit.ly/2hY9vkv ) that the dog named Ben will help officers search for methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine. He’s replacing Stormy, a black lab that sniffs

Sprinklers and workers wielding fire extinguishers helped limit the damage when spontaneous combustion of soybean oil sparked a fire at a southwest Bend kettle corn business, fire officials said. Firefighters responded around 3:45 p.m. to the reported structure fire at Suzy Q’s Kettle Corn, located in a small commercial mall on Southwest Division Street, said

Several cars are in the shop after filling up at the Chevron gas station on Highway 97 in Redmond. “The symptoms all point to water in the fuel tank,” Randy White, service manager of Wright Ford, said Wednesday. Jorilynn Messner is one of the customers who experienced problems shortly after she hit the pump. “The

A 30-year-old Bend man has been arrested on robbery and theft charges, accused of shoplifting from the Market of Choice on Wednesday night, then brandishing a knife when confronted by security, police said. A big clue came with the ID found in a nearby parked car. Police responded shortly before 9 p.m. to the reported

A large two-story home in Powell Butte was destroyed by fire early Thursday morning, but the owners were not home at the time, Crook County Fire and Rescue officials said. Firefighters were dispatched around 1:30 a.m. to an unknown fire burning near Southwest Riggs and Copley roads in Powell Butte, said Fire Chief Matt Smith.

After a major day-long multi-agency search effort failed to bear fruit, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday it’s scaling back the search for a Prineville man missing for over a week. Lester Hyder, 69, last was seen in the Crescent area on Tuesday, Dec. 13, when he and his brother were heading north on

MountainStar Family Relief Nursery announced Thursday that a grant from the Central Oregon Health Council will allow the nonprofit to open a preschool program at its Bend site starting in February. MountainStar provides at-risk children ages birth to three years with a wide range of support services designed to strengthen families, as well as prevent

Applications for the OSU Master Gardener™ Program in Central Oregon are now available. The program targets individuals interested in becoming a trained volunteer who wants to learn and share research-based gardening information. Program starts with ten classes that meet on Saturdays from 9 am – 4 pm, January 14 – April 1, 2017 at the

Influenza cases are rising in Oregon, and although the increase is expected this time of year, Oregon Health Authority officials said Thursday it shows flu season is off to a strong and early start. It’s also a good reminder that it’s not too late to get a flu shot, said Paul Cieslak, MD, of the

Rep. Greg Walden (R-Hood River) announced Wednesday that he has nominated two Central Oregon students for acceptance to one of the prestigious United States service academies. Walden’s Service Academy Nomination Board — active and retired military officers who interview potential candidates for the service academies — recommended each student based on their academic performance, extracurricular