Month: September 2018

An Ohio man accused of leaving his baby in the woods south of Bend back in May pleaded not guilty to child abandonment and other charges during a court appearance Friday. Brandon Michael Blouin, 26, also is charged with first-degree custodial interference, second-degree child neglect, endangering the welfare of a minor, criminal mistreatment and felon

Three Portland-area hospitals have been fined a potential $5.1 million for more than 5,100 meal and rest period violations — the largest such penalties in state Bureau of Labor and Industries history, the agency announced Friday. The hospitals’ parent organization strongly disputed the claims and vowed to contest them. Legacy Meridian Park Hospital, Legacy Mount

In July and August, the Redmond Police Department conducted a DUII High Visibility Enforcement effort. During this time, Redmond police placed six additional officers on our roadways funded by DUII grant funds. A total of 24 hours were worked on grant time, resulting in the arrest of one DUII driver. Redmond patrol officers working their

Here are the cities of Bend and Redmond road closures and delays report for the week of Sept. 17: BEND: Special Events · Festival of Cars, September 15 from 7 a.m. – 4 p.m., Idaho Avenue between Wall Street and Bond Street, road closure. · Oktoberfest, September 21 from 3 p.m. – 10 p.m. and

With the arrival of consistently cooler weather, the Prineville District Bureau of Land Management, the Deschutes and Ochoco national forests and Crooked River National Grassland will lower the Industrial Fire Precaution Level to Level 2. The change will go into effect at 12:01 a.m. Saturday on public lands in Central Oregon. This level will allow

Fire managers on the Ochoco National Forest are working southwest of Walton Lake to prepare the nearly 4,700-acre Canyon prescribed burn area for ignition in late September, officials said Friday. The use of prescribed fire in this area is intended to reduce hazardous fuels and improve big game habitat. The burn unit covers 4,685 acres

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) – The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office will use state grant money to go after black market marijuana producers and legal growers who harvest more than their license allows. The Mail Tribune reported Friday that the nearly $600,000 grant will pay for three detectives, one crime analyst and a part-time prosecutor. That’s in

SEATTLE (AP) – Seattle city leaders have proposed new rules for storing guns. KOMO-TV reports that under the new rules, gun owners must lock guns in a secure safe or face fines up to $1,000 – up to $10,000 if the gun hurts someone or is used in a crime. The gun safe to be

A 24-year-old Redmond man was sentenced to 75 days in jail and three years probation Thursday for the June 2017 drunken-boating crash of a rental boat on the rocky shore of Lake Billy Chinook that injured five people, two seriously, Jefferson County District Attorney Steve Leriche said Friday. Under the terms of a plea deal,

Depending on appropriate weather conditions, the Deschutes National Forest plans to apply herbicides to invasive plants within an area adjacent to the Metolius River and the Metolius River Trail from October 1-5. The Sisters Ranger District will use two herbicides (Aquamaster® and Polaris®) to treat invasive non-native ribbongrass, reed canarygrass and yellow flag iris on

Friday Morning, Everyone…A chilly body of air over the Pacific NW will keep our temps well below average today, but mostly sunny skies are expected to prevail at the same time. Highs will be in the upper 60’s to low 70’s and winds generally out of the west will be pretty gentle at 5-10 mph.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – A Portland woman is planning to sue the city after she was injured when police used “flash-bang” grenades and other crowd-control devices against people protesting a rally by extreme-right demonstrators last month. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports lawyer J. Ashlee Albies says in a letter to city officials Wednesday that 53-year-old Michelle Fawcett

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – The parents of a 17-year-old high school football player have filed a lawsuit against a northern Oregon school district, claiming it failed to properly respond to a concussion their son received during a game. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the lawsuit filed Wednesday in Umatilla County against the Hermiston School District is seeking

Clear skies started off our Thursday here in Central Oregon, but clouds developed across the region as we progressed through the day. The clouds are coming from a low-pressure system sitting off the coast and are moving east across the state. The highest concentration of clouds and rain is west of the cascades with just

SEATTLE (AP) – The Tacoma school district says it may sue its teachers union if teachers continue their strike over contract negotiations. The Seattle Times reports the teachers strike has kept thousands of children out of classes for almost a week as the Tacoma Education Association continues pressing Tacoma Public Schools for an increase in

Young people who identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual are at increased risk of using substances such as alcohol, nicotine and marijuana, a new study from Oregon State University has found. These youth are also at higher risk of polysubstance use, meaning they are more likely to use more than one substance than their heterosexual

Providing care for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease can be a challenge, but AARP and the Alzheimer’s Association have announced an enhanced online tool to make it easier to find information and resources. The Alzheimer’s Association and AARP announced they are joining forces to extend the reach of the Community Resource Finder, an online

Senators Jeff Merkley, who serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Ron Wyden announced Thursday key provisions in the Energy and Water 2019 spending bill that will help Oregon’s coastal communities and will advance innovation in clean, renewable energy. The bill passed the full Senate on Wednesday. Here’s their news release on the elements funded

Continuing his push for active forest management to prevent unnaturally catastrophic wildfires, Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., held a hearing Thursday to examine the health impacts of wildfire smoke that has inundated communities in Oregon and across the West this summer. The hearing, entitled, “Air Quality Impacts of Wildfires: Mitigation and Management Strategies,” also focused on