Month: October 2018

The future of Big Sky Park and a proposed expansion plan was brought in front of the Deschutes County commissioners Monday evening. The hearing room was packed as many people came out to voice their opinion on the addition of the most contentious element, a bike park. Commissioners heard an appeal filed by the Bend

A Bend health and physical education teacher is using his knowledge of sports psychology to develop a plan to get students more focused. But the equipment and software needed is expensive. NewsChannel 21’s Audrey Roberts paid a visit to Richard Chroninger’s sports psychology class and says she did not find students sitting and reading textbooks

(Correction: Licenses are through Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries) Many homes in and around Bend are vacation rentals and second homes. One family with a second home in the Awbrey Butte area recently had a very bad experience with the woman who had been cleaning their home for just over a year. An out-of-state

The Redmond Airport is busier than ever, and that prompts a warning. Travelers planning to fly this holiday season need to be prepared for full parking lots and long security lines, otherwise they run the risk of delaying their flight plans. This month alone, the airport has served nearly 80,000 passengers. Zachary Bass, the airport’s

Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., on Tuesday requested that the Department of the Interior explain the high number of vacancies to advisory groups dedicated to ensuring critical community input in Oregon and nationally on public land management issues — criticizing the agency’s failure to reappoint well-qualified, well-regarded and widely supported volunteers. The Bureau

Voters have until Nov. 6 to decide whether they want to amend the Oregon Constitution and ban any and all statewide taxes on groceries. Measure 103 is an initiative that sounds simple, but its details leave a lot of voters confused. Members of the “Yes on 103” campaign told NewsChannel 21 they don’t want to

(Correction: Thoma no longer president of Stage Right Productions) A 50-year-old Bend businessman was back in court Tuesday for his arraignment on charges of connecting with a child under 16 on the Internet and later committing several sex crimes with the youth at the juvenile’s home. Officers determined that after Gregory Thoma met with the

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Authorities have arrested the husband of a woman whose body was found near a summer camp southeast of Portland. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office arrested 45-year-old Martin Gallo-Gallardo Monday. The sheriff’s office says he’s facing a murder charge in the death of 38-year-old Coral Rodrigues-Lorenzo. Her body was

Happy Tuesday evening, everyone! Tonight we’re seeing clouds push in from the northwest as a warm front approaches bringing rain, higher snow levels, and temperatures slightly above average. Mostly cloudy skies will be overhead by 9 p.m., and we’ll see sprinkles and light showers developing around 10 p.m. Overnight expect the majority of the rain

Two incidents Tuesday involving suspicious people in the area of Redmond’s Vern Patrick Elementary led first to a lockout and later a lockdown at the school, Principal Jennifer Hesse said in a note to parents. Here’s that note, in full: “Earlier today I was contacted by Redmond Police Department (RPD) informing me of a potentially

Bethlehem Inn announced Tuesday it has an urgent need for food donations in support of its Emergency Meal Program. The Inn said its pantries and freezers are running low and the number of people seeking support is rapidly increasing. The following items are among the items needed to help replenish supplies to allow Inn staff

The Oregon Department of Forestry, which protects roughly 16 million acres of private, state and federal lands, officially declared the end of fire season statewide on Monday, Oct. 29. For ODF, fire season is declared and terminated at the district level, based on local fire danger conditions. Of the department’s 12 districts across the state,

Humans love to celebrate Halloween with costumes, candy and parties.These may be fun for us, but can be confusing, harmful and stressful for our companion animals. Our pets do not understand why family members transformed into a zombie, and why scary people keep ringing the doorbell and yelling “trick-or-treat.” The Humane Society of Central Oregon

The first quarterly returns and payments for the new statewide transit tax are due by Wednesday, Oct. 31, the Oregon Department of Revenue reminded employers Tuesday. While employees pay the tax, Oregon employers are responsible for withholding it from employee wages, just like for personal income taxes. Employers can file their quarterly returns and remit

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Court records say a Portland man who was killed last week was stabbed in the chest with a sword that was hidden in a cane. A probable cause affidavit says Timothy Cato pulled out the sword while 28-year-old Tyler Chism was arguing with his girlfriend around 2 a.m. Thursday in Northwest

As fall weather brings more moisture, shorter days and cooler temperatures, fuels specialists are beginning to burn piles of leftover vegetation across the Deschutes National Forest. Beginning this week and continuing through the next few months depending on conditions, specialists will begin burning a variety of units across the forest. This week, planned units across

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – The race for Oregon governor took an unexpected turn Tuesday when the candidate of the state’s third-largest party withdrew and threw his support behind Democratic Gov. Kate Brown. Patrick Starnes of the Independent Party said in a joint telephone interview Tuesday with Brown that he backs her because she supports campaign

The Oregon Public Utility Commission said Tuesday it has approved lower natural gas rates for residential and commercial customers of the three regulated utilities – Avista Utilities, Cascade Natural Gas Company, and NW Natural – which go into effect Thursday, Nov. 1. Industrial customers for Avista and NW Natural will also realize a decrease in

Two Bend teens, ages 18 and 17, have been arrested on charges of robbing a 16-year-old of a “large quantity” of marijuana he’d offered to sell them, police said Tuesday. The 18-year-old also is accused of pointing an apparently replica handgun at the younger teen to demand the return of a stolen cellphone. Officers responded

Hemp production in Deschutes County is causing a smell that’s upsetting neighbors. Specifically, there’s a small field off of Cooley Road in Bend where, right now, pounds of hemp are out drying in the High Desert sun. Stan Stone lives right next to that field. He is not happy about it. “The smell is terrible,