Month: December 2018

SEATTLE (AP) – A necropsy has determined that a seal lion died from a gunshot wound, marking the 10th to have been found shot and killed in the Puget Sound. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports the Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network confirmed the death of the sea lion found in west Seattle last week. Sixteen

PENDLETON, Ore. (AP) – A Washington state man accused in the deadly shooting of a co-worker in northeast Oregon has pleaded not guilty. The East Oregonian reports 52-year-old Antonio Vasquez-Vargas was arraigned Monday in Umatilla County on charges of murder and felon in possession of a firearm. Judge Cristopher Brauer entered the not guilty pleas

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – A homeless Portland man accused of strangling a woman and leaving her body in his van has pleaded guilty. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports 58-year-old Terry Hickman pleaded guilty Monday to first-degree manslaughter and attempted second-degree assault in the death of 29-year-old Dallas Boyd. According to a memo file by prosecutors, Hickman told

Bend City Manager Eric King has signed a weather emergency declaration effective Dec. 1. The declaration allows the use of approved alternative shelter facilities to provide emergency overnight lodging when the temperature is or is expected to be below 25 degrees Fahrenheit and all Bend-area shelter facilities have reached capacity. Alternative shelter facilities must complete

Local volunteer and community activist Lindsay Greco is passionate about the holiday season. Not only does she enjoy celebrating with a Christmas tree, but she wants others to have the same opportunity , which is why she founded The Christmas Tree Project of Bend . The organization is dedicated to providing free, decorated Christmas trees

The Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems announced Monday that new price data for common hospital procedures is available on its OregonHospitalGuide.org website. The new pricing data, based on state reporting, shows the costs for the most common inpatient and outpatient procedures for every hospital in the state, and allows potential patients to compare

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – A Salem man has been arrested for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend and strangling her dog. The Marion County Sheriff’s Office says 50-year-old Richard Allen Lipps tried to bite deputies and later spat at them after they came to arrest him early Monday. Lt. Chris Baldridge said in a statement that deputies

Happy Monday evening, everyone! Tonight we’re looking at mostly clear skies with cold temperatures. We’ll also see some areas of patchy freezing fog again as high pressure sits overhead creating an inversion. Areas in low lying elevations or near canyons will be cold to start the day and will have a tough time warming up.

Deschutes Brewery announced that they are raising funds to support a new area nonprofit called Friends of the Children–Central Oregon as part of their Community Pints promotion. For every pint purchased on Dec. 4, 11, 18 and the 26, $1 goes directly to Friends-Central Oregon. Friends-Central Oregon is a new non-profit that has their own

The Red Cross Cascades Region is seeking nominations for its annual Hero Awards celebration, honoring ordinary people who have done extraordinary things in our community. Heroes will be honored at the Cascades Region’s 22nd Annual Heroes Breakfast in Vancouver, Washington, on Friday, March 22, 2019. Nominees must reside or work in the Cascades Region (Oregon

The Deschutes National Forest’s Supervisor’s Office and all Ranger District offices will be closed on Wednesday for a National Day of Mourning as a mark of respect for George H.W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States. Normal business hours will resume at all offices on Thursday. Christmas tree permits may be purchased when

(Update: Adding Redmond, La Pine included) Many post offices in Oregon and southwest Washington will be open for retail services on Sundays during the month of December leading up to Christmas, including three in Central Oregon, according to Portland District Manager William Schwartz. “We realize many of our customers may not be able to get

HILLSBORO, Ore. (AP) – Authorities say three employees from Intel’s Hillsboro campus were taken to a hospital for mysterious respiratory issues for the second time in less than a week. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports Intel said Monday morning the three people were being treated for minor breathing difficulty. Officials at Tuality Healthcare in Hillsboro said three

(Update: Adding total cost) Plans to modernize Swalley Irrigation District’s aging irrigation infrastructure by piping more than 16 miles of open canals have been approved to move forward into construction, officials said Monday. A team of federal, state and local project partners released a Final Watershed Plan-Environmental Assessment for the nearly $15 million Swalley Irrigation

NEWPORT, Ore. (AP) – A 30-year-old doctor from Corvallis has died while surfing near Devils Punchbowl, about eight miles north of Newport. KGW reports that police received a 911 call that Toren Stearns was in the water and in distress at around 3:30 p.m. Saturday. The U.S. Coast Guard sent out a cutter boat and

Deschutes Public Library has announced Rocket Men: The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man’s First Journey to the Moon as the 2019 ” A Novel Idea…Read Together ” selection. The book, written by best-selling author Robert Kurson, was revealed at a public unveiling on Saturday at the Downtown Bend Library.

The Bend Chamber of Commerce announced Monday that Vic Martinez of PayneWest Insurance will be the 2019 Board of Directors Chair. Vic has served on the Executive Board for the past two years in the capacities of treasurer and, most recently, chairman elect. The Chamber thanks current Chair Heather Hansen of Bryant Lovlien & Jarvis

Obsidian Hall is the new name of the dining and academic building at Oregon State University-Cascades following a campus-wide engagement campaign involving students, faculty, staff and stakeholders. Signage designating the building name was recently installed on the west and north faces of the building. The process to name the building included a call for students

SELCO Community Credit Union, through its annual SPARK! Creative Learning Grants program, has awarded a record $45,587 to 54 teachers across Oregon, including 14 in Central Oregon. The SPARK! Creative Learning Grant program, which provides funding for innovative educational and extracurricular programs, awards grants of as much as $1,000 to K-12 educators across the 26

A fire Monday morning destroyed a barn and its contents northwest of Tumalo, causing an estimated $140,000 in losses but no injuries, officials said. Bend firefighters responded shortly after 6 a.m. to the fire, which destroyed a 30-by-40-foot barn and shop in the 65000 block of Tweed Road, Battalion Chief Dave Howe said. Crews arrived