Month: December 2018

Over 1,000 people were without power for a while starting about 7 a.m. Tuesday on Crooked River Ranch. A fire on a power line knocked a transformer to the ground on SW Equestrian Place. Pacific Power reported at least 1,100 people lost power. One of those residents lives a few miles away from the fallen

More than 20 breweries across Central and Eastern Oregon are coming together for a single beer and a single cause. The Bend Resilience Beer Fest will take place from 2 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 5, at the Les Schwab Amphitheater. Breweries from Bend, Redmond, Terrebonne, Sisters and John Day will pour their own

This week, the Oregon FBI’s Tech Tuesday segment focuses on building a digital defense against online shopping scams. If the pressure of the jingle bell frenzy already has you frazzled – you will be happy (or maybe not happy) to know that Christmas is just one week away. Just seven very short days to get

A phony business operating under the name Amelia Cotton Quilt Company and a Salem address is scamming consumers across the country this holiday season, according to the Better Business Bureau Northwest + Pacific. BBB Northwest + Pacific said Tuesday it is processing hundreds of complaints from people who say they paid for quilts but have

Keep Oregon Green, in partnership with the USDA Forest Service and the Oregon Department of Forestry, on Monday launched the sale of a brand new Oregon license plate design. The plate will feature the iconic image of Smokey Bear, set against a green forested backdrop and the words ‘Keep Oregon Green,’ as a reminder of

Oregon’s unemployment rate edged up to 3.9 percent in November from 3.8 percent in October, the state Employment Department reported Tuesday, while noting that the state’s jobless rate has remained close to 4 percent for the past two years. The U.S. unemployment rate held steady at 3.7 percent in both October and November. In November,

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., asked the Federal Communications Commission on Monday to adopt a new three-digit phone number for those needing mental health and suicide support. Wyden noted in his letter to the FCC that suicide rates are rising nationally with the Centers for Disease Control reporting more than 40,000 Americans died by suicide last

A powerful, wet and windy storm blew into the Pacific Northwest late Monday and Tuesday, bringing heavy rain over a wide area, knocking out power to thousands and raising a threat of flooding in the valleys and avalanches in the mountains. A high wind warning was in place for much of the area as winds

(Update: 90-year-old man found, Mt. Washington Dr.) A 90-year-old man who walked away from his northwest Bend home late Monday afternoon and failed to return, prompting an extensive search and public alert, was found early Tuesday by a citizen who spotted him sitting along Mount Washington Drive and called police, officers said. Shortly before 1

Good Tuesday Morning, Everyone… Rain was light, but consistent overnight and it turned into heavy rain this morning. Showers will stay with us today and we will see high wind added this afternoon. Highs will be in the upper 40’s to low 50’s and SW winds will gust as high as 35-40 mph. This storm

(Update: Adding nurse’s comment, video) Registered nurses at St. Charles Bend have filed three federal unfair labor practice complaints, accusing the hospital of intimidating and inappropriately disciplining several nurses who raised concerns about patient safety and inadequate staffing or engaged in legally protected union activities, the nurses’ union said Monday. The hospital issued a statement

Officials are taking steps to expand both the Deschutes County Fairgrounds and Redmond’s urban growth boundary. The basic idea behind both expansions is to keep up with Central Oregon’s growth. The Oregon Department of State Lands, Deschutes County, and Redmond are collaborating to make these proposed land changes a reality. On Monday night, the Redmond

(Update: Wind gusts could hit 65 mph in La Pine, Sunriver, 70 mph in E. Klamath, Lake counties) The National Weather Service has issued a high wind warning for Central Oregon from 10 p.m. Monday to 3 p.m. Tuesday, warning that gusts could reach 60 mph in the Bend area, peaking Tuesday morning. The warning

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Damian Lillard scored 22 of his 39 points in a dominant third quarter and the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 131-127 on Monday night. Lillard hit five of his six 3-pointers in the third when the Blazers outscored the Clippers 42-28. Portland was 10 of 20 from 3-point

CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) – Kylor Kelley set a school record with nine blocks and added 10 points and nine rebounds as Oregon State beat Pepperdine 82-67 on Monday night. Tres Tinkle had 21 points, seven assists and five steals and Stephen Thompson Jr. added 20 points for the Beavers (7-3), who broke a two-game skid.

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – Oregon’s secretary of state, the highest-ranking elected Republican in state government, has withdrawn his decision to leave the state land board. Dennis Richardson’s government and legal affairs director, Steven Elzinga, said in an email Monday that Richardson reversed his decision after receiving verbal advice from the state attorney general. In October,

(Update: Judge won’t exclude blood-draw results from upcoming trial) A Deschutes County judge on Monday refused to exclude the results of blood drawn from Shantel Witt, who is set to go on trial next month on DUII and manslaughter charges in a crash that killed Bend bicyclist Marika Stone nearly a year ago. Circuit Judge

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – Oregon lawmakers will consider making it illegal for businesses to fire employees who flunk drug tests for using marijuana off the clock, reviving a workers’ rights campaign that failed in the statehouse last year. The Statesman Journal reports that a proposed bill would also change state law to protect job seekers

Two dogs died in an outbuilding fire in the Juniper Canyon area southeast of Prineville early Monday morning, but first responders rescued eight others from inside or next to the burning structure, officials said. Crook County Fire and Rescue was dispatched shortly before 2 a.m. to the report of a large fire in the area

Happy Monday evening, everyone! A HIGH WIND WARNING is in effect for most of the High Desert for strong wind gusts topping 45 to 55 miles per hour with sustained winds of 30 miles per hour overnight. The warning expires at 3:00 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. Secure any decorations outside and garbage cans as winds will