Month: March 2019

In January, deer and elk in Oregon were in good body condition, and it looked like another mild winter for the state. Then came February. “We got two feet of snow in 24 hours here in Central Oregon, and then another foot over the next 36 hours,” said Rob Tanner, co-founder and president of Oregon

Mid Oregon Credit Union has announced it will make a $50,000 gift toward St. Charles Bend’s new patient tower, which is scheduled to open May 19. “St. Charles is a key community asset that benefits all of Central Oregon, providing access to health care for our members,” said Bill Anderson, CEO of Mid Oregon Credit

On a long, busy Wednesday night for the Bend City Council, they approved the first two ” neighborhood greenways ” on less-busy streets, talked tiny homes and snow removal efforts and declined to hear an appeal on a recently approved, controversial 179-unit apartment complex on the city’s Westside. The council also adopted their goals for

The Oregon Department of Transportation on Thursday reminded drivers that studded tires season ends on Sunday, March 31, but urged motorists not to wait to remove them. “Drivers are encouraged to not wait until the March 31 deadline to remove their studded tires especially if they aren’t driving in the mountain passes between now and

(Update: Knopp opposes legislation, pay raise) SALEM, Ore. (AP) – Oregon lawmakers are considering raising their annual pay by nearly $20,000 in an effort to attract more qualified candidates to the Legislature. Senate Majority Leader Ginny Burdick is behind the measure, Senate Bill 959, to bump pay by 63 percent. The Democrat from Portland told

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – The Oregon Department of Human Services said Thursday that a data breach may have exposed the personal information of the 1.6 million residents the department serves. The department said it isn’t sure exactly how many people had their information exposed after nearly 2 million employee emails were made vulnerable to unauthorized

Greenwood Avenue between Third Street and U.S. Highway 97 (the Bend Parkway) will be closed to westbound traffic four days a week for about seven weeks, beginning April 1, for a railroad maintenance project, officials said Thursday. The closure is for the safety of the traveling public as the BNSF Railway replaces railroad bridge decking

The Oregon Senate on Thursday approved a measure that would bar prison and jail officials from using dogs to force inmates out of cells. The Oregon Senate Democrats issued this news release on the measure and reasons for it: No one should be threatened with an attack dog, including inmates. Unfortunately, Oregon law has not

A Redmond police officer encountered an 18-year-old downtown late Monday night with silver paint on his hands and he was arrested the next day, accused of two-dozen graffiti taggings around the city. Police contacted Devin Knight around 11:40 p.m. Monday in downtown Redmond and the officer noted he had silver paint on his hands, Lt.

Three Bend residents were arrested on drug and other charges Tuesday in a raid on a former rafting company bus parked on a street in southwest Bend, police said. Police served a search warrant on the bus around 9:45 a.m. Tuesday in the area of Shevlin Hixon Drive and Columbia Street, Lt. Jason Maniscalco said.

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – Several counties in Western Oregon and Southwest Washington issued burn bans Wednesday after firefighters battled dozens of brush fires. One of the fires reported near Stayton, Oregon Tuesday night, grew to 60 acres (24 hectares) and prompted evacuations. People were allowed to return home Wednesday. Crews also battled a wind-driven fire

The federal government’s proposed changes to food assistance eligibility has hunger-fighting groups in Oregon and across the nation concerned. The U.S. Department of Agriculture wants to take away states’ ability to issue waivers suspending the three-month limit over three years for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to able-bodied people who aren’t working at least 20

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Sen. Steve Daines , R-Mt., on Thursday asked the Department of Justice a series of questions about when and how the government can collect information about Americans’ location, in a bipartisan letter to Attorney General William Barr. The senators asked Attorney General

A strict new gun control bill has been put before Oregon lawmakers at the request of a group of students. Senate Bill 501 would impose six new limits on gun owners — and though it hasn’t even had a hearing as of yet, it has a worried Redmond gun-maker organizing a Salem rally this weekend

Good Thursday Morning, Everyone… A strong SW flow from that big storm in California will bring a chance of rain showers to the high desert all day today. Westerly and SW breezes will be gentle at 5-10 mph and daytime highs will reach the low 50’s. Scattered evening showers will break up and leave us

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Damian Lillard had 33 points and 12 assists to lead the Portland Trail Blazers past the Dallas Mavericks 126-118 on Wednesday night. Seth Curry scored 20 off the bench for the Blazers, who have won five of six as they try to secure home-court advantage in the first round of the

The Santiam Park Fire, reported Tuesday afternoon near the North Santiam State Recreational Area off Highway 22 near Lyons, was mapped at nearly 190 acres Wednesday, but crews had it 80 percent lined, with all evacuations lifted, officials said late in the day. Unified command, consisting of the Oregon Department of Forestry, Linn County Sheriff’s

Happy Wednesday evening, everyone! High pressure is exiting towards the east allowing for clouds to be pulled up from the south. Overnight we see more clouds overhead followed by rain showers. The chance for rain showers lasts overnight through the first half of the day Thursday. Overnight lows will be in the upper 20s and

Oregon State Police distributed an Amber Alert on Wednesday afternoon from Nampa, Idaho police for an endangered 10-year-old girl apparently heading to Portland with her mother. Less than an hour later, they reported she’d been found safe in Cheney, Washington. Alissa Helmandollar was last seen at a Nampa hotel Tuesday afternoon with her mother, Brooke

The Redmond Municipal Airport said Wednesday it expects increased travel during the 2019 spring break season and recommends passengers plan for longer wait times at the TSA security checkpoint and limited availability in RDM’s paid parking lot. “We encourage travelers to plan ahead and prepare for the possibility that the 1,150-space passenger parking lot may