Month: June 2017

(Update: Both lanes open again) Several people were reported injured, one seriously, in a three-vehicle crash Friday afternoon that blocked U.S. Highway 97 south of Sunriver for over an hour and brought a helicopter and several ambulances to the scene, initial reports indicated. The crash was reported shortly after 3 p.m. south of Vandevert Road

As part of an ongoing campaign to halt the spread of invasive weeds, this year the Forest Service will treat more than 10,000 acres of weed infestations on Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests and the Crooked River National Grassland administered lands. Often overlooked or unrecognized, invasive weeds are a major threat to both public and

Ryan Franklin was a treasured member of his Idaho Falls community. Franklin, a former teacher and coach turned firefighter, loved to serve others. He was also an avid runner and bike rider, and participated in the Pacific Crest Sporting Events each year with his friends and family. On May 18, 2016, while on a training

Ride Bend, a pilot, free summer shuttle for Bend’s greater downtown area, rolls out Friday and runs through Labor Day, city officials said. The goal of the route is to provide transit service for visitors and residents to connect between downtown Bend and the Old Mill District, as well as other popular destinations in Bend’s

Former Redmond High School assistant football coach Gene Dales has been named head coach of the RHS Panthers varsity football team, Principal Paul Nolan recently announced. “Gene has been with our Panther program for some time now, knows our students well and has their trust and respect,” Nolan said. “He is the perfect candidate to

(Update: Adding that new law doesn’t take effect likely until 2019) A bill recently signed into law in Oregon allows drivers who crash into deer and elk on the road to harvest the animals’ meat for food. It’s not as rare as you might think. About 20 other states also let people take meat from

Central Oregon Veterans Outreach is hosting the 2017 Veterans Stand Down and Community Resource Fair on Wednesday, June 28 from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm at the Bend Elks Lodge, located at 63120 Boyd Acres Rd. in Bend. This event is focusing on our homeless and low-income veterans and civilians who are needing to connect

Extreme temperatures are in the forecast for the weekend and the American Red Cross urges residents to be aware of the steps they should take to avoid heat related illness. Follow these simple, tried and true steps to keep yourself and others safe before and during a heat wave. Before* Listen to local weather forecasts

The City of Bend Charter establishes the governmental structure and procedures for the city. On June 21 , 2017, the Council adopted a resolution to establish a committee to consider and recommend Charter amendments to the voters by May 2018 . The Committee is established to complete the following: · Develop a recommendation on charter

(Update: Fire official gives apparent cause of blaze and neighbors react to fire) A smoker’s carelessness apparently sparked an intense, fast-moving fire that destroyed or damaged two homes, a mobile home and several other structures and vehicles in the area of a southeast Bend mobile home park Wednesday evening, one in a string of fires

The Central Oregon non-profit arts and culture sector is a $34.7 million industry — one that supports 968 full-time equivalent jobs and generates $2.4 million in local and state government revenue, according to the new Arts and Economic Prosperity Economic Impact Study. This is the fifth year that Americans for the Arts launched the study

The Deschutes County Circuit Court and Oregon’s Statewide Family Law Advisory Committee have received a prestigious national award for their informal, expedited domestic relations trial program. The program is used in all types of family law disputes, including divorce, child custody and child support, spousal support, and parenting time. Deschutes County Circuit Court Judge Wells

The Oregon House approved legislation Thursday paving the way for continued growth in the state’s newest agriculture industry. SB 1015 eases restrictions on the sale of industrial hemp products by allowing growers to sell their crops to OLCC-licensed processors, who would then be allowed to put industrial hemp products up for sale in licensed retail

Oregon Treasurer Tobias Read was in Bend Thursday to discuss the future growth of business and industry in Central Oregon. Local businesses owners and investors sat down with Read to give their input on how they want to see the state’s $94 billion budget utilized to best benefit the future of Bend’s economy. He said

A new Oregon state law has put requirements on car seats. Under the new law, children have to stay rear-facing unless they are over 2 years old and also over 20 pounds. Car crashes are the No. 1 killer of children between 1 and 12. Sixty percent of accidents are head-on collisions, and facing seats

Construction projects are stalling across the country, and Central Oregon is no exception to the struggle by many employers to find enough skilled workers. “The tight labor market and shortage of people in the trades is really starting to affect projects,” Sisters Interim City Manager Rick Allen said Thursday. “It’s driving up costs. In some

(Update: Ashes from marijuana pipe sparked blaze, not cigarette) Bend fire officials said ashes from a marijuana pipe that were put in a trash can sparked a fire that caused $100,000 damage to the second story of a duplex on Awbrey Butte Thursday morning — one of five Bend fires in just 24 hours caused

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – Concern is growing in a conservative, remote corner of Oregon as people start arriving in a national forest for a Rainbow Family of Living Light annual gathering, a counter-culture get-together expected to draw thousands. Officials with the Malheur National Forest said this week that 600 Rainbow Family members already are camped

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – Democratic lawmakers in Salem have surrendered their efforts to overhaul Oregon’s corporate tax code before the Legislature adjourns. The announcement came in a statement Thursday morning issued by Gov. Kate Brown, House Speaker Tina Kotek and Senate President Peter Courtney. Democrats exhausted their efforts in recent weeks to raise millions of

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – A person with knowledge of the deal says the Portland Trail Blazers traded the No. 15 and No. 20 picks in the NBA draft to Sacramento in exchange for the No. 10 pick, Gonzaga center Zach Collins. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday because the deal had not been