Oregon’s unemployment rate barely budges in February as job gains stall
Oregon’s unemployment rate stood at 4.7% in February, little changed from January’s rate of 4.8%, but total job gains seen in January slowed to a…
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Bend Cracker Barrel shuts suddenly, citing pandemic impact, staffing struggles; 29 lose jobs
The Cracker Barrel Restaurant in northern Bend, which has struggled since the pandemic hit a year after it opened, shut its doors suddenly Monday…
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Oregon House passes self-serve gas bill on 47-10 vote, sending measure on to Senate
Legislation that would allow Oregonians to pump their own gas, ending one of two such bans in the U.S., won Oregon House approval on a 47-10 vote,…
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Bend restaurant seeking to add new location runs into city permitting backlog, long delays
A Vietnamese-inspired boba restaurant with locations in downtown Bend and Medford is working to open a second southwest Bend location, but has hit…
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On Equal Pay Day, Fagan issues report finding state worker wage gaps remain, 6 years after Pay Equity Bill
Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan released an advisory report from the state Audits Division Tuesday, examining the impact of House Bill 2005,…
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Oregon marijuana prices, among lowest in U.S., still dropping
Oregon’s legal marijuana prices spiked during the pandemic, but in their latest report to lawmakers, the OLCC says the prices have fallen 16% from…
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New Redmond gym welcomed as a boon for climbing community
Central Oregon’s climbing community is embracing Redmond’s new indoor climbing gym this week.…
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Some Central Oregon businesses see a boost from lingering late-winter snowfall
Snow has fallen in Bend at least 25 days since the start of 2023, according to the national monitoring service Certified Snow Totals. But for some…
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‘I’m really, really happy’: 35 businesses join effort to help employees with workforce housing pilot project
This week, nearly three-dozen businesses and organizations joined the effort to help employees find and be able to pay for housing. They joined an…
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Bend Chamber, Kôr Land Trust announce 35 employer partners for workforce housing pilot
The Bend Chamber and Kôr Community Land Trust announced Thursday the 35 employer partners who qualified to provide their employees with preference…
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FBI in Portland, Seattle offer $25K rewards to find vandals who hit Tumwater, Oregon City electrical substations
The FBI Portland and Seattle field offices offered rewards of up to $25,000 Thursday as the seek the public’s help to identify the individual(s)…
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Oregon and High Desert’s jobless rates don’t budge as 2023 begins
In a start-of-year rarity, the Oregon Employment Department released both state and Central Oregon January unemployment rates on Tuesday — and…
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Car sales and repairs, telecom, imposter scams again top Oregon DOJ consumer complaint list for 2022
To kick off National Consumer Protection Week (March 5-11), Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum released Tuesday the Oregon Department of Justice’s…
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Bend’s median home sales price slips in February, while Redmond’s rises, appraiser’s report says
Bend’s and Redmond’s median home sales prices went in opposite directions last month, with the Bend figure continuing its recent up-and-down…
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Wyden, Merkley, colleagues introduce legislation to protect workers’ right to organize
Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., said Monday they have joined a bipartisan group of senators to introduce comprehensive legislation that…
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World’s Last Blockbuster in Bend still seeing surge in sales, visitors sparked by online Super Bowl ad
The World’s Last Blockbuster, located in Bend, recently did an online-only ad during the Super Bowl, exclusively through social media. And the store…
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St. Charles Interim President/CEO Dr. Steve Gordon accepts permanent position
St. Charles Health System’s Board of Directors announced Monday that Interim President/CEO Dr. Steve Gordon has accepted the position for the…
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Cascade Natural Gas: No cold-snap outages in Bend, Redmond after 2,500 customers were asked to curb use
The request by Cascade Natural Gas to about 2,500 Bend and Redmond customers to curtail non-essential use during the latest cold snap may have done…
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St. Charles physicians, health care workers withdraw petition for union representation
The Central Oregon Providers Network union and St. Charles Health System jointly announced Thursday that COPN has withdrawn its petition to represent…
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Bend gas station owner testifies in favor of latest self-serve gas legislation in Salem
The owner of several Central Oregon gas stations went before state lawmakers (in virtual fashion) Tuesday to testify on behalf of allowing…
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