Month: April 2019

You don’t have to imagine Deschutes County adding the equivalent of a city of Redmond in population in less than a decade. That’s because it just happened. New Census Bureau population estimates released Thursday show the county added 34,266 residents between the 2010 Census and last July 1, for a total population of 191,996 people.

The Bend Park and Recreation Board and Budget Committee took a tour Wednesday of upcoming projects around the community, a yearly spring opportunity to look at the changes to come in the new fiscal year. Starting at Larkspur Community Center, a bus filled with board members and staff traveled to several park and trail locations.

Another major irrigation canal piping project is planned for the south side of Bend. The Arnold Irrigation District said it wants to modernize aging infrastructure. That means taking open irrigation canals that leak much of their water before it’s delivered and turning them into underground, closed-pipe systems. The district oversees 40 total miles of piping

Juntos Aprendemos, a Spanish language program focused on preparing Latinx children and families for kindergarten, launched in two elementary schools in Deschutes County last week, Bend’s Jewell Elementary School and the Redmond Early Learning Center. The program equips 3 to 5-year-old Spanish-speaking students and their parents with the early literacy and school readiness skills needed

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – An audit found Oregon’s Department of Education only made limited progress in addressing the state’s dismal high school graduation rates. The secretary of state’s office said Wednesday that “significant work is needed” if Oregon wants to improve the number of high schoolers graduating within four years. The report found the state

An Oregon State University scientist is part of a $10.7 million National Institutes of Health grant to develop a vaccine for gonorrhea. Aleksandra Sikora, a researcher with the OSU College of Pharmacy and Oregon Health & Science University’s Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute, will work with principal investigator Ann Jerse of the Uniformed Services University

Electric car users in more Oregon cities, including the Central Oregon Community College campuses in Redmond and Madras, are getting help with charging up from a Pacific Power grant program. Electric vehicle charging station projects from Seaside to Grants Pass – 10 in all – will receive up to 100% of eligible costs. The program,

Oregon State University said Wednesday it has received an additional award of $108.12 million from the National Science Foundation to manage the construction of a third Regional Class Research Vessel to help bolster the nation’s aging academic research fleet. In 2013, NSF selected Oregon State to lead the initial design phase for as many as

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – Former Oregon first lady Cylvia Hayes of Bend has agreed to pay a fine of $50,000 after she was accused of committing 22 violations of state ethics laws. The agreement, contained in a report released Wednesday by the Oregon Ethics Commission, is subject to approval by the commission at its meeting

(Update: Adding opt out fee info) Pacific Power announced Tuesday it is bringing “more efficient and effective” smart meters to residential and business customers in Central Oregon, replacing thousands of aging electric meters throughout the spring and summer. About 76,000 new meters will be installed in Bend, Culver, Madras, Metolius, Powell Butte, Prineville, Redmond, Terrebonne

(Update: Adding info from prosecutor, sentencing hearing) A 26-year-old Ohio man who abandoned his 1-year-old son in the woods south of Bend nearly a year ago has accepted a plea deal that will send him to prison for more than 2 1/2 years, a court petition filed Tuesday stated. Brandon Michael Blouin made worldwide headlines

A Mt. Bachelor Ski Patrol member triggered an avalanche and was briefly buried in the resulting slide during hazard reduction work in a closed area of the mountain Tuesday morning, resort officials confirmed Wednesday. The “small avalanche” occurred before the resort’s 9 a.m. opening while the ski patrol was on routine daily safety routes on

The High Desert Education Service District’s board of directors voted unanimously Tuesday night to approve a new policy designed to promote belonging, connection and inclusion for students, families and employees of the organization. The policy, developed by a team of HDESD employees and administrators, is one of four projects currently underway in support of the

Good Wednesday Morning, Everyone… After waking up to mostly cloudy skies we will see some clearing and that will take us into a very fair day. Mostly sunny skies will be accompanied by highs in the mid 60’s and gentle NW breezes at 5-10 mph. Skies will stay mostly clear tonight and we are expecting

Gov. Kate Brown signed legislation Tuesday that will allow Redmond to take part in a pilot program intended to expedite development of affordable housing outside urban growth boundaries. The passage of HB 2336 is expected to bring an additional 485 new homes to Redmond in Skyline Village, with half of those homes designated deed-restricted at

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – CJ McCollum had 33 points, Damian Lillard added 29 and the Portland Trail Blazers took a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder with a 114-94 victory on Tuesday night. Maurice Harkless added 14 points and nine rebounds for the third-seeded Blazers, who opened a playoff

CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) – A national conservation group is calling on the federal government to take action to protect fish runs on the Willamette River. The Corvallis Gazette-Times reported Tuesday that America’s Rivers named the Willamette in northwest Oregon to its annual list of “America’s Most Endangered Rivers” released Tuesday. America’s Rivers says the Army

Don’t wait until the last minute to apply for controlled hunts this year, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife advised Tuesday. There is always a rush the last few days before the May 15 deadline — last year, 83,630 of 471,262 total applications were submitted on the last day. ODFW said it expects even

Legislation to regulate the middlemen driving up the cost of prescription drug prices passed the Oregon House on Tuesday, supporters said. House Bill 2185 institutes changes for ‘Pharmacy Benefit Managers,’ or PBMs, the corporations that administer nearly every pharmaceutical benefit program in the United States, and seeks to protect local pharmacies, according to Oregon House

Retail gas prices are very expensive for this time of year due to shrinking gasoline stocks from refinery maintenance, increased demand for gas and higher crude oil prices, AAA Oregon/Idaho reported Tuesday. For the week, the national average jumps eight cents to $2.83 a gallon, its highest price since last October. The Oregon average shoots