Month: July 2018

On Thursday, the Bend Police Department will be conducting an enhanced distracted driving enforcement detail at unspecified locations in the city from 1-5 p.m., officers said Tuesday. Sgt. Eric Hagan said the goal is to educate the public on cell phone usage in an attempt to reduce the number of traffic incidents caused by the

St. Charles Bend is one of two hospitals in Oregon and among 89 hospitals nationwide involved in a project designed to improve the care children with asthma receive in the Emergency Department and in the hospital. Led by Dr. Sunitha Kaiser and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the project — Pathways for Improving Pediatric

A grill fire inside Rays Food Place in Sisters Monday evening was quickly extinguished before spreading, thanks to quick action by employees on scene and a fast response by crews from the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District, officials said Tuesday. The fire was reported around 6:40 p.m. at the grocery at 635 North Arrowleaf Trail. All

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) _ The U.S. Geological Survey recorded a series of earthquakes in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Oregon Tuesday morning. The 10 quakes between 7:30 and 11 a.m. were located about 125 miles west of Gold Beach, and occurred at a depth of 6.2 miles (10 kilometers). They ranged in magnitude

SEATTLE (AP) – Two Seattle police officers who fired a barrage of gunshots at a fleeing car have been fired. The Seattle Times reported Monday that Interim Police Chief Carmen Best found that officers Kenneth Martin and Tabitha Sexton recklessly fired at the stolen car after failing to follow department policies. Best wrote that their

Strong hiring and low unemployment rates continued in Central Oregon counties last month, a state Employment Department economist reported Tuesday. Here’s the monthly report from Regional Economist Damon Runberg: Hiring in June was fairly typical for this time of year. On a seasonally adjusted basis employment levels were little changed and unemployment levels remained stable

A continuous wall on the border between the United States and Mexico would harm a multitude of animal species by fragmenting their geographic ranges, Oregon State University distinguished professor of ecology William Ripple has concluded, supported by thousands of other scientists around the globe. Ripple is one of 16 co-authors from the U.S. and Mexico,

Good Tuesday Morning, Everyone…A combination of conditions will mar our sunny skies today. Mid -level moisture coming from the south will bring us some high thin clouds, much like what we saw yesterday. Surface winds from the NW at 5-10 mph will carry smoke throughout the region. Highs will be in the mid to upper

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) – More than 1,800 city of Medford customers may have had their financial information compromised. The Mail Tribune reports the city said Monday that an unnamed financial institution notified the city that its online payment system was possibly compromised on April 19. Deputy City Attorney Eric Mitten says the city launched an

Due to low water levels, Powder House Cove boat ramp on Prineville Reservoir will be closed to trailered boat launching the rest of the year, the state Parks and Recreation Department announced Tuesday. The agency said Prineville Reservoir water levels are too low for boats to safely launch from the ramp. The ramp will remain

A 64-year-old Bend climber who fell on the west side of Mount Jefferson and suffered a leg injury as he descended from the summit was rescued over the weekend, Linn County sheriff’s deputies said Monday night. Undersheriff Paul Timm said the agency received a call shortly after 7 p.m. Friday that a climber was injured

(Update: Fire held to 1/8 acre; cause undetermined; power restored) Crews worked into Monday evening repairing internet and cable lines after a small brush fire along Century Drive in southwest Bend apparently sparked an outage affecting south Bend, Sunriver and La Pine, at the same time triggering a power outage that lasted several hours for

The Wilson Prairie Fire was reported around 3:30 p.m. Monday afternoon burning on Oregon Department of Forestry-protected lands within the Morrow County Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Park. The fire is located about 23 miles southwest of Heppner. As of Monday evening, the fire was estimated at 120 acres, burning in grass, brush and timber. The cause

Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced Monday that airports in Hillsboro, Albany, Klamath Falls, Bend and Grants Pass will receive a combined $14.3 million in federal grants for facility improvements and aviation training. “Quality of life throughout Oregon requires secure and reliable movement of products and the people who transport those goods,” Wyden said.

(Update: Bessie Butte Fire at 25 percent containment, China Hat Road reopens to public) The Bessie Butte Fire southeast of Bend reached 25 percent containment Monday as crews spent the day mopping up and putting out hot spots, enabling officials to reopen China Hat Road. Although it’s uncertain when full containment will happen. Kassidy Kern,

Winds from the north on Sunday helped push the 50-acre Bessie Butte Fire southeast of Bend away from the city and populated areas. But on Monday, the winds shifted, coming from the south — and that was bringing in smoke from large fires south of the High Desert and making for a familiar gray haze

SEATTLE (AP) – Nannies, house cleaners and other domestic workers in Seattle will gain new labor protections under legislation passed by city leaders. The City Council on Monday unanimously approved a so-called “bill of rights” that ensures domestic workers receive minimum wage, rest and meal breaks and other rights. Eight states have passed similar legislation,

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Portland’s mayor has warned protesters camping at the office of the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to disband before they are removed by police. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said Monday that protesters should peacefully disengage because although he supports their cause, he believes the demonstration is no

Research shows that Kodiak brown bears that sync their stream-to-stream movements to salmon spawning patterns eat longer and more than bears that don’t, with one bear in the study consuming greater than 2 tons of fish in one summer. Individual sockeye salmon populations spawn for about 40 days, but “resource surfing” bears can fish for

The Ochoco National Forest and the Central Oregon Wild Horse Coalition reminded horse enthusiasts and other members of the public Monday not to pet or feed wild horses, because doing so can actually harm the animal and require its removal from its native range. Earlier this month, campers on the Lookout Mountain Ranger District befriended