Month: September 2017

(Update: USFS corrects area of closure) On Wednesday, the Deschutes National Forest will close the Deschutes River Trail between Benham East Day Use area and the Benham Falls Overlook along the Deschutes River. The trail will reopen at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. From 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., heavy equipment and crews will be working

Central Oregon students have a chance to devise new ways to travel in the 26 th annual Inventerprise contest, sponsored by Bend Research, a division of Capsugel, now a Lonza company, and by Bend-La Pine Schools and Central Oregon Community College. The theme of this year’s contest challenges students to invent or improve means of

ASHLAND, Ore. (AP) – Southern Oregon University has recovered less than one-third of the $1.9 million that it was tricked into paying to criminals posing as construction contractors. The Mail Tribune reported (http://bit.ly/2fidSaC ) Tuesday that in April, the university wired the money to fraudsters who pretended to be contractors in charge of working on the

Amid significant rainfall, the Central Oregon Fire Chiefs Association lifted the restrictions only on recreational fires, not debris burning, on Wednesday. The Fire Chiefs from most firefighting agencies including municipal and rural fire departments, the US Forest Service, and the BLM have agreed due to the weather pattern changes, each jurisdiction will allow outdoor recreational

The Redmond Proficiency Academy student leadership team is sponsoring a week of service for its high school students Monday through Friday, Sept. 25-29. This is the third year that RPA high school students will participate in Service Week, and the students are incredibly excited to take part in this growing tradition at RPA. The RPA

Here are the results of Monday’s KTVZ.COM Poll, asking people (in the wake of Bend’s decision to move the NW Portland Avenue/11th Street stop signs) if you agree with removing stop signs from major city streets: Do you agree with removing stop signs from major city streets? Yes – 26% (111 votes) No – 74%

The Redmond Police Department took 23,000 calls from the public in 2016. The department wants to add more officers to its police force, meaning a public safety fee could be in residents future. The fee would help add more staff to handle the demand. Right now, police say there are not enough officers to keep

(Update: NWS confirms it was tornado) LEBANON, Ore. (AP) – Authorities say a small tornado damaged buildings at a dairy farm southeast of Salem in the area of Lacomb. Lebanon Fire District officials say firefighters were called to Spencer’s Dairy Farm Tuesday afternoon. Officials say crews found five buildings at the dairy were extensively damaged by wind. Fire

(Update: Interview with surrogate mother) A Bend woman is doing something unusual and unexpected. Not only is she a surrogate mother due in nine days, she is also donating all money received for surrogacy to help pay for another woman’s lifesaving medical procedure. They say there’s no such thing as a selfless good deed, but

(Update: More from fire department on its efforts) The city of Bend is moving forward on an initiative to make the city more energy-efficient. It’s offering an update to the city and councilors, a year after the city council adopted a climate action resolution that calls for a collective effort to improve the city’s energy

Holiday hiring is already underway, and Better Business Bureau Serving the Northwest reports employment scams are trending up from last year. In 2016, more than 1,900 employment scams were reported to BBB Scam Tracker, resulting in more than $730,000 lost. From January to September 2017, there have been nearly 1,400 scams reported resulting in more

Incumbent Crook County Commissioner Brian Barney has filed for election to fill the seat he currently holds, after being appointed in February, to fill the two year term of the seat vacated by Seth Crawford after his election to County Judge. “Working with Judge Crawford and Commissioner Brummer has been a great experience, we work

Researchers at Oregon State University have identified a pair of proteins that show promise as the basis for a gonorrhea vaccine, the school said Tuesday. The findings are an important step toward a potential new weapon in the fight against a sexually transmitted disease that affects millions of people around the globe, with nearly 80

Resorts and campgrounds along the Cascade Lakes Highway have had an up-and-down summer this year, for reasons as clear as the skies often weren’t. Elk Lake Resort owner Patrick Prieve said Tuesday this last month though has been extremely challenging. With fire and smoke and now rain and snow, resorts are worried about their bottom

Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced Tuesday a $1 million emergency relief grant for the Oregon Department of Transportation to support cleanup operations in the wake of destructive wildfires. “The fires burning today reinforce how important it is to fund huge wildfires the way that we fund other natural disasters,” Merkley said. “Emergency grant

Attorney General Rosenblum today announced Tuesday that Oregon is on the leadership team of a multi-state investigation of manufacturers and distributors of prescription opioids. As part of the investigations, a bi-partisan group of 41 attorneys general are seeking documents and information from various manufacturers and distributors of prescription opioids. This information will enable them to

ODFW announced Tuesday has launched a new online Coyote and Gray Wolf ID Quiz to help people differentiate between wolves and coyotes. Find the online quiz at http://bit.ly/2x56uoU or at the ODFW Wolves website, http://www.dfw.state.or.us/wolves/. The quiz uses actual photos of various wolves and coyotes of various ages to test user’s knowledge, and gives tips

The Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District on the Deschutes National Forest said Tuesday it has reduced the area closure in place for the Nash Fire. South Sister Climber, Moraine Lakes Trail East of the South Sister Climber Trail, Soda Creek and Green Lakes Trails have been reopened, based on reduced fire activity on the Nash Fire.

An Oregon Health Authority education campaign aimed at youth and young adults raised awareness among its target audience of the risks associated with marijuana use, an independent evaluation has found. “Stay True to You,” OHA’s youth marijuana use prevention campaign, was launched in July 2016 in two pilot communities–the Portland metro area (Washington, Multnomah and

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) – A 15-year-old boy has pleaded not guilty in a school shooting that left one classmate dead and three wounded in Washington state. Court documents released Tuesday revealed that Caleb Sharpe entered the plea Friday during a brief court appearance two days after the shooting at rural Freeman High School. Sharpe, a sophomore, is