Month: March 2017

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Tyler Dorsey scored 20 points and made the go-ahead layup with 1:08 left, and third-seeded Oregon ended No. 7 Michigan’s dramatic postseason run with a 69-68 victory in a Midwest Regional semifinal on Thursday night. Dorsey, the man the Ducks call “Mr. March,” had his sixth straight game scoring 20

Deschutes County law enforcement agencies continued the search Thursday for a high-risk sex offender who fled supervision. Justin Lampke is a Level 3 sex offender on lifelong post-prison supervision. “We would consider him dangerous, yes,” said Deschutes County Parole and Probation Deputy Director Tanner Wark. Authorities initially alerted the public Wednesday after Lampke did not

Oregon’s unemployment rate is breaking records. At 4 percent last month, it’s the lowest it’s been since comparable records began being kept in 1976. But not everyone is enjoying this milestone. Like many, Bend business owner Ron Platt is feeling the effects of the low jobless rate. He’s been trying to find qualified people to

A 21-year-old Crooked River Ranch man was sentenced Wednesday afternoon in a packed, tearful courtroom to two life prison terms without parole for the February 2016 shooting deaths of his two roommates. And as he has since that day, he maintained his silence about why he did it. In a courtroom filled with the victims’

(Update: Judge denies defense motion for change of venue) A Deschutes County judge on Thursday denied a request by Edwin Lara’s defense attorneys to move his murder trial to a different county due to pre-trial publicity. Circuit Judge Michael Adler rejected their motion, telling the court Lara will get a fair trial in Deschutes County

(Update: Thursday’s court appearance; bail raised, plea entry set) A Deschutes County judge on Thursday raised the bail from $200,000 to $500,000 for a Bend babysitter accused of leaving seven young children alone in her home on numerous occasions to go to a gym or tanning salon. Circuit Judge Beth Bagley also set an April

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – A 26-year-old man has been found guilty of murder in the shooting of a man outside a Portland nightclub. The Portland Police Bureau said in a news release that a Multnomah County jury on Thursday found Xavier Bolden guilty of murder in an incident in which Duriel Harris was killed outside

A Central Oregon lawmaker’s proposal to crack down on illegal poaching activities — by offering free hunting tags to tipsters — received its first public hearing Thursday in the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. HB 3158, drafted by House Republican Leader Mike McLane (R-Powell Butte), would provide free hunting tags to Oregonians who report

BANKS, Ore. (AP) – The Oregon Board of Education has approved a contract between an Oregon school district and a tribe that allows district teams to remain the Braves. Board officials voted unanimously Thursday for the agreement between the Banks School District and the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde. The agreement lets the district

(Update with comment from Patch) PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – An Oregon judge who last year ruled that a transgender person can legally change their sex to “non-binary” has given the OK for a Portland resident to be genderless. Multnomah County Judge Amy Holmes Hehn on March 10 granted a petition allowing Patrick Abbatiello to go

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – The state Senate has approved raising Oregon’s minimum age for tobacco use to 21. The bill approved 19-8 on Thursday now heads to the House. If the proposal is eventually signed by Gov. Kate Brown, Oregon would be the third state to increase the legal age for buying and possessing cigarettes

(Update: Adding his previous violation, arrest; also newer photos) Deschutes County authorities issued a community alert late Wednesday, asking the public to help the look for a convicted sex offender on lifetime post-prison supervision who failed to return home Tuesday night. Justin Lampke, 43, is on supervision after convictions of sexual abuse and attempted sodomy,

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – The Oregon Court of Appeals has ruled that a trial to determine responsibility for a snowboarder’s death should move forward. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports (http://bit.ly/2nVTvj7 ) that a 2012 crash at the Mt. Hood Skibowl’s Dog Leg run killed 17-year-old Taylur DeWolf of Sandy. A Multnomah County jury found in 2013 that

Ranchers running beef cattle on dry and dusty landscapes should consider smaller cows to get the best out of their herd, researchers say. That’s the recommendation of a recent interdisciplinary study involving rangeland researchers in Oregon, Wyoming and Oklahoma. Breeding smaller cattle could be a long-term strategy that will help ranchers and ease pressure on

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – A man convicted of illegally having sex with a teenage girl will not have to pay for his victim to get a tattoo of his name removed from her neck. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports (http://bit.ly/2nN7cE3 ) that the Oregon Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday that 28-year-old Jaime Alonso should not be held

WOLF CREEK, Ore. (AP) – The historic Wolf Creek Inn is expected to reopen May 1. The Grants Pass Daily Courier reports (https://is.gd/FsdXUI ) details are still being ironed out, but plans call for state parks employees and volunteers to run operations, with the inn’s restaurant remaining closed. The state has been unable to find

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) – A homeless man with a lengthy criminal record has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of a Eugene woman. The Register-Guard reports Vyacheslav Stefanskiy apologized to relatives of Marissa Nevills at Wednesday’s sentencing, but could offer no explanation for why he stabbed her 22 times. The 26-year-old Stefanskiy

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – The 71-year-old mayor of a southern Oregon town who was arrested and accused of setting up a meeting to have sex with a 14-year-old girl who was actually a police officer has resigned. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports (https://goo.gl/Djrl48 ) Kenneth Barrett resigned as mayor of Winston and deleted his Facebook account. Court

A citizen standing outside the Albertsons on Bend’s north side spotted and followed a robbery suspect Wednesday evening, helping lead to his capture by police just minutes later, officers said. Police responded to the Northeast Third Street supermarket around 6:45 p.m. on the reported robbery, said Sgt. Mike Landolt. The robber demanded money from a

The Bend-Redmond Metropolitan Area (defined as all of Deschutes County), as well as Crook and Jefferson counties are growing at a rapid pace, among the fastest in the state and in some cases the nation. according to new Census Bureau estimates released Thursday.. “You know, in Oregon, we are still one of the faster-growing areas,”