Month: October 2018

Fire managers on the Ochoco National Forest accomplished the Lunch 1 prescribed burn on Tuesday, decreasing the fuel loading on 400 acres of public lands up the Duncan Creek drainage while lessening the severity of potential wildfire severity in the future, helping protect the private land in the area and improving the forage availability for

The Bend Park and Recreation District said Wednesday it is seeking to better understand residents’ desires for organized recreation programs and services. A community-wide survey will help the district to align recreation programs and services with the community’s priorities. A statistically valid survey is being distributed to 5,000 household mailboxes beginning this week. Questions will

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., applauded Wednesday the Department of Veterans Affairs for making changes he has long advocated to better protect aging veterans from financial scammers known as “pension poachers.” Wyden said the reforms will help stop scammers who pose as “advisors” and profit by selling unsuspecting veterans financial products they don’t need and pushing

The city of Bend has launched the public survey for the 2020-2025 Consolidated Plan, which gives the community an opportunity to comment on needs and priorities for affordable housing and community development programs. The anonymous survey takes about 15 minutes to complete and is open to the public through Friday, Nov. 30. Each year, the

An audit released Wednesday by Oregon Secretary of State Dennis Richardson found the Public Employees Retirement System, or PERS, struggles to proactively manage IT resources or projects and is failing to protect its critical Information Technology (IT) systems from a disaster. Auditors found that PERS management has not developed long-term disaster recovery plans and that

GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) – A class-action lawsuit claims the city of Grants Pass is running homeless people out of town, violating their constitutional rights. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the suit, filed Monday by plaintiff Debra Blake, alleges the city’s anti-camping ordinance and criminal trespass laws represent cruel and unusual punishment and are selectively enforced against

(Update: More from court, ruling) At the close of an unusual day-long trial Tuesday involving a FedEx truck driver contesting a traffic citation, a Deschutes County judge ruled the driver was not guilty of a traffic violation when a cyclist collided with his truck as it made a right turn at a downtown Bend intersection

SPRINGFIELD, Ore. (AP) – Authorities say a 60-year-old man in Springfield ambushed firefighters who showed up to put out a blaze at a house in a residential neighborhood and fired on police as well before he turned the gun on himself. Springfield police Lt. Scott McKee told The Register Guard Wednesday that police believe the

LONGVIEW, Wash. (AP) – Longview police fatally shot a man who broke into a home and fired shots at officers. The Longview Daily News reports that the officers were called to the home at about 3 a.m. Wednesday. Cowlitz County sheriff’s deputies joined the Longview officers, who arrived on scene and contacted a male subject

Good Wednesday Morning, Everyone…With sunny skies and mild temperatures our forecast is sounding a bit like a broken record these days. High pressure will keep our skies clear once again today. Highs will be in the upper 60’s and if we get any breeze at all, it will be light and variable for most. Skies

A rare virus is popping up around the country, it mimics symptoms of polio, and a stroke. The virus is called “acute flaccid myelitis,” and it’s become a nationwide problem. The Centers for Disease Control have now confirmed 62 cases in 22 states. Dr. Terri Mucha, the medical director at the Family Choice Urgent Care

TACOMA, Wash. (AP) – The FBI is investigating after a Puyallup tribal police officer fatally shot a 45-year-old man outside the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Washington. KOMO reports that details about the early Tuesday incident were scarce and police have not said what led up to the shooting. The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office

November can mean football, Thanksgiving and pumpkin spice everything. But it also means writing: Nearly half a million people around the world set aside time every November to write their stories as part of National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo. This annual creative writing project aims to get people of all ages to write 50,000

In preparation for the fall 2019 opening of Bend-La Pine Schools’ new 600-seat elementary school in north-central Bend, a volunteer team – working with district staff – has formed to define the new school’s attendance area and redraw attendance areas throughout Bend in ways that balance enrollment and reduce pressure felt at the district’s overcrowded

The Oregon Water Resources Department has announced five recipients of its 2018 Stewardship and Conservation Awards, which recognize the efforts of entities and individuals that are making concerted efforts to conserve water. The award recipients include Woody and Megan Wolfe, Central Oregon Irrigation District, City of Bend, City of Ashland, and the City of Lake

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) – Washington state transportation commissioners have approved toll amounts for the new state Highway 99 tunnel in Seattle. KOMO-TV reports the tolls approved Tuesday by the state Transportation Commission will range from $1 during slow traffic hours to $2.25 during rush-hour traffic on weekday afternoons. The tolls will increase by 3 percent

ASTORIA, Ore. (AP) – The Astoria City Council has taken a step toward cracking down on motorists who illegally park near “The Goonies” house. The Daily Astorian reports the City Council held a first reading of an ordinance Monday to modify city code and enhance the fees people will have to pay if they violate

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – Oregon regulators have fined the state’s second-largest dairy more than $187,000 after finding 224 violations of its wastewater permit. The Statesman Journal reports the state Department of Agriculture announced the fine last week against Lost Valley Farm near Boardman. The violations that occurred between June 2017 and August 2018 include allowing

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – A Salem man running for election in the House District 19 race has falsely listed having a master’s degree in the Oregon Voters’ Pamphlet. The Statesman Journal reports electrician Mike Ellison has completed most of his graduate work through the Oregon Institute of Technology, and plans to defend his thesis after

In late September, we reported on tree removal along a stretch of Hwy 20 west of Sisters. In the first phase of tree removal earlier this month, ODOT cut down 86 trees that were marked as hazardous. They were marked that way because they were identified to have a potential to fall during the winter