Month: September 2018

Housing Works, the regional housing authority for Central Oregon, announced Wednesday that the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded 40 additional “mainstream” vouchers, which provide rental assistance for non-elderly persons with disabilities and their families. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley on Tuesday announced more than $2.7 million being distributed to Oregon

As Congress negotiates a new Farm Bill and funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a new USDA report shows food insecurity continues to decline in Oregon, the Oregon Food Bank said Wednesday. According to the 2017 Household Food Security Report, the number of Oregonians struggling to put food on the table decreased from

At the request of property owners, Deschutes County is considering amending its comprehensive plan to add a new zoning designation for the future development of a broad swath of land west of Bend. The new Westside Transect Zone would provide a transitional buffer between higher density areas within the city of Bend and open spaces,

The Oregon Coast Aquarium reported Wednesday is treating an unusually high number of common murre ( Uria aalge ) chicks this season. The chicks, which are often mistaken for baby penguins, are being found all along the West Coast abandoned, dead or in very poor health. Just this week, the aquarium received three chicks, in

U.S. Forest Service officials in Central Oregon are working hard to protect our wilderness areas from an invasive species: us. Reports show that areas such as the Three Sisters Wilderness have seen a 200 percent jump in visitors in just te past five years. In 2016, volunteers had to break down almost 2,000 campfires and

SCAPPOOSE, Ore. (AP) – The family of a 20-year-old Scappoose man who died after returning from a summer fighting wildfires in Oregon and Washington says he died of complications from pneumonia. Local TV stations including KGW report that Eric Aarseth returned from the fire lines last week and was sick but didn’t seek medical attention.

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., on Wednesday urged the U.S. Forest Service to continue its Legacy Roads and Trails program that addresses plugged culverts, landslides, and washouts of roads and trails in our national forests. Wyden and two other senators wrote Interim Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen to ask that her agency continue tracking and reporting

SHADY COVE, Ore. (AP) – Authorities in Jackson County are looking for a suspect who set a string of grass fires last week in Shady Cove. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department says witnesses reported seeing a light-colored Pontiac Sunfire sedan leaving the scene near Highway 62 around the time the fires were reported late on

Good Wednesday Morning, Everyone…Even though we are keeping an eye on a low pressure system developing along the coast of British Columbia, high pressure will continue to dominate the weather for the Pacific NW. Central Oregon will see plenty of sunshine today with warm daytime highs in the mid to upper 80’s. Breezes out of

Wednesday marks the first day of school for many Bend-La Pine Schools students, which made Tuesday night a time to pack lunches, prepare schedules and get ready to start the new school year on the right foot. The Joyce family of Bend was getting ready to say goodbye to summer and hello to a new

Saturday marks the start of National Suicide Prevention Week. To build awareness and work toward preventing suicide and suicide attempts, the Central Oregon Suicide Prevention Alliance and community partners are coordinating several activities throughout September. Suicide is one of the leading causes of preventable death in Oregon. In Deschutes County, about 29 people die by

Visit Bend’s Pillars of Art program has been paying artists to draw on the walls since 2011, but the newest featured artist was just nine years old when the program got its start. Now a 16-year-old high school junior, Cedar Zagurski of Bend is the youngest artist ever selected for the program, which features one

Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., announced Tuesday more than $2.7 million for new Section 811 Housing Choice Vouchers that will assist people with disabilities in accessing affordable housing and an array of supportive services. “These vouchers allow public housing authorities to better serve Oregonians with disabilities,” Merkley said in a news release. “As

SCAPPOOSE, Ore. (AP) – Authorities say a 92-year-old woman and two dogs died after a house fire in Scappoose, northwest of Portland. KGW-TV reports fire crews found a fully engulfed home at about 1:45 Monday morning. Scappoose Fire says two people who escaped the blaze were outside the home when crews arrived. Firefighters say the

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Grant County has agreed to pay The Oregonian/OregonLive $28,000 in legal fees that the news organization spent to obtain public records about Sheriff Glenn Palmer’s management of his office. The Oregonian/OregonLive reported Tuesday the money likely will come from the Grant County Sheriff’s Office communications budget. Palmer and the Grant County

(Update: Detectives determine no outstanding suspects) SEATTLE (AP) – Seattle police detectives have determined that there are no suspects in the deaths of two women in a University District apartment building. The department said in a written statement that officers went to the apartment at about 9:30 Tuesday morning after building managers found a seriously

Happy Tuesday evening, everyone! Winds will be breezy at times out of the north tonight gusting 20 miles per hour. We’re still going to see clear skies tonight. Lows will be rather chilly, but around average tomorrow morning, in the upper 30s and lower 40s. Some haze is likely closer to the Cascades and areas

(Update: Adding details, background) BOISE, Idaho (AP) – Cities can’t prosecute people for sleeping on the streets if they have nowhere else to go because it amounts to cruel and unusual punishment, a federal appeals court said Tuesday. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with six homeless Boise, Idaho, residents who sued the

EVERETT, Wash. (AP) – A man whose 5-year-old son was shocked by power lines in downtown Everett is now facing a charge of reckless endangerment. The Daily Herald reports that the 34-year-old man brought the boy to a work site on June 22, and that witnesses said he and the boy entered a hydraulic lift

(Update: Harpole also located, no charges brought) The third of three transients who jumped in a northeast Bend irrigation canal when confronted by Deschutes County sheriff’s detectives on Monday has been located unhurt and like the others does not face charges, deputies said. Mitchell Harpole, 27, was located in Bend around noon Tuesday, Lt. Chad