Month: March 2019

More than a year after Oregon’s ethics watchdogs found Cylvia Hayes guilty of 22 violations for misusing a public position for personal gain, the Bend resident and former first lady has agreed to pay a $44,000 settlement of the case. The Oregon Government Ethics Commission will take up a stipulated final order resolving the case

Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., announced Wednesday they are co-sponsoring a bipartisan bill that would provide health care benefits to more veterans who served decades ago in the Korean Demilitarized Zone. Their bill would move the start date for the presumption of service connection to all veterans exposed to Agent Orange in the

The Oregon Legislature has agreed to pay pay more than $1.1 million in damages to nine women who were sexually harassed at the state Capitol as part of a settlement agreement with the state’s Bureau of Labor and Industries. In the agreement, signed Tuesday, lawmakers also agree to leave legislative counsel and human resources officials

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) – The Washington House has approved a measure that would remove parents’ ability to claim a personal or philosophical exemption to vaccinating their school-age children for measles. The vote comes in the midst of an outbreak that has sickened 71 people – mostly children – in the state. The chamber passed the

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) – A former student who threatened a shooting at Oregon State University has been sentenced to time served and will be on federal supervised release for three years. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Oregon says 23-year-old Christopher Strahan pleaded guilty Tuesday to making interstate threats. He has been in

The Better Business Bureau is warning you to be on the lookout for unlicensed contractors who could scam you out of your money. Oregon is growing, especially Central Oregon, and that means more people are looking to build, buy, rent or repair homes. But it also means there’s an increased opportunity for scammers to step

Good Wednesday Morning, Everyone… Culver Schools: Normal Schedule; Buses Are On Snow Routes Snow began to fall just before 5:00 AM and with temperatures only rising into the low to mid 30’s today, the moisture heading in our direction is likely to stay in the form of a wintry mix of snow and sleet. Breezes

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – A proposed bill in Salem would effectively ban capital punishment in the state by limiting it to terrorism-related killings. House Bill 3268 would also grant new sentencing trials to all people currently on death row. Lawmakers cannot introduce an outright ban on capital punishment without sending the measure to the ballot

On Feb. 25, Independent We Stand , a national small business movement, kicked-off its fourth annual America’s Main Streets contest to help consumers, small business owners and Main Street organizations reward a deserving Main Street with $25,000 in cash and sponsor-related prizes . Downtown Bend is among this year’s nominees. ” Our Independent We Stand

Oregon’s system for protecting its historic places and investing in their restoration and reuse is considered “worst practice” in the U.S. by national leaders in the preservation movement. Two bills introduced by the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday are intended to fix that, according to their supporters. The legislation would help curb

Weather forecasts are calling for several more inches of snow Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, followed by some rain, and then freezing temperatures on Wednesday night. These conditions have the potential to add a significant amount of weight to snow-covered roofs. If possible, Bend Fire officials say, try to remove some of the existing snow

Mt. Bachelor, a POWDR company, announced Tuesday its plans for Sunchaser Spring, a uniquely Bend outdoor adventure spring celebration, which runs through Memorial Day weekend and will offer all-day adventure from morning turns and afternoon trails to evening fun. With more options than ever to explore the outdoors of Central Oregon, Mt. Bachelor is the

Potential homeowners can consider using an Oregon First-time Homebuyers Savings Account to help save for a new home and possibly reduce their taxes. In 2018, the Oregon Legislature passed House Bill 4007, which allows Oregon taxpayers to deduct up to $5,000 ($10,000 if filing jointly) per year from their taxable income for deposits and earnings

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) – A ban on single-use plastic bags has passed the Washington state Senate. Lawmakers approved the measure 31-14 Tuesday, sending it to the state House. The bill would ban stores from giving out single-use plastic bags starting in 2020 and require an 8-cent charge for other bags handed out. Passage in the

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – Mike Conley scored 19 of his career-high 40 points in the fourth quarter as Memphis used a late rally to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 120-111 Tuesday night. Conley made six of his seven shots in the fourth as Memphis erased a nine-point Portland lead in the final quarter with a

A cross-country skier experienced a serious medical issue at Virginia Meissner Sno-Park west of Bend Tuesday afternoon, prompting her husband to call for help and a rescue operation to commence, officials said. Deschutes County 911 dispatchers got a call shortly before 2 p.m. from a man reporting his 57-year-old wife had been cross-country skiing when

Bend’s median home sale price dropped sharply from record territory in February, but Redmond’s market kept on reaching new heights, a report out Tuesday shows. Redmond-based Beacon Appraisal’s analysis of home-sale data found that Bend, which soared to a record $450,000 median sale price in January, had dropped $23,000 to $427,000 in February, as the

The non-profit Oregon Community Trees has awarded grants to eight cities across Oregon to help them hold Arbor Week events in April. Recipients of this year’s grants are Ashland, Bend, Coburg, Corvallis, Cottage Grove, Echo, McMinnville and Monmouth. All eight have earned the Tree City USA title, reflecting their commitment to protecting and promoting urban

Happy Tuesday evening, everyone! We’re currently under a WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY as the next system pushes up from the south. This round of showers will start as snow and slowly transition to mixed showers by mid morning Wednesday. Snow levels tonight will be around 500′ rising to 3,400′ by the morning. We’ll see about 1-4″

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney is taking a 10-day medical leave to recover from a flare-up of an existing eye condition. Spokeswoman Carol Currie confirmed Tuesday that Courtney is suffering from a recurrence of thyroid eye disease. It is an autoimmune condition that causes eye swelling, irritation and decreased vision. Currie