Zika speaks on Oregon House passage of child care reform legislation
State Rep. Jack Zika, R-Redmond, spoke to NewsChannel 21 on Friday after the Oregon House passed legislation to create more badly needed child care…
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City of Bend urges residents to cut water use amid chlorine shortage; plant should be back online soon
The city of Bend is asking all of its water customers to make a voluntary reduction in water usage, starting Friday, due to a continued shortage of…
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Closed Warm Springs mill’s log decks spontaneously combust, spark 500-acre wildfire
Three old log decks at the former Warm Springs Forest Products sawmill spontaneously combusted late Thursday afternoon, the fires merging in a…
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Madras man charged with burglary, theft at Bridges High School
A 29-year-old Madras man was jailed on burglary, theft and other charges for stealing items from Bridges High School, the former Westside School on…
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Warm Springs treaty turns 166: ‘The real story of the West’
Friday marked a milestone. On this date in 1855, a treaty paved the way for what would become the state of Oregon, and land ownership as it exists…
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Record-breaking C.O. heat wave due: How to stay cool, and why it’s a struggle for some
A record heat wave incoming to Central Oregon is causing some to prepare for heat safety and search for spots to stay…
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Cooling centers opening in Bend, Redmond, Madras for unhoused residents
With the National Weather Service issuing an excessive heat watch for Central Oregon, members of the Homeless Leadership Coalition are organizing…
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Prineville man seriously injured in Powell Butte UTV-car crash
A Prineville man driving a side-by-side UTV was seriously injured Thursday when he failed to yield to a car that struck the vehicle on Southwest…
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ODOT reopens McKenzie Pass Highway for the summer
Oregon Highway 242, the McKenzie Pass Highway, reopened for the summer earlier this week, the Oregon Department of Transportation…
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Bend-Redmond hourly wages 6% below US average, but health care field fares better
Workers in the Bend-Redmond metro area (defined as all of Deschutes County had an average (mean) hourly wage of $25.39 in May 2020, 6 percent below…
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Intense thunderstorm dumps hail, heavy rain across northern Bend
A slow-moving thunderstorm cell parked itself over the north end of Bend late Wednesday afternoon, dumping up to an hour of torrential rain and hail…
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‘It’s something special’: 75th Crooked River Roundup in Prineville kicks off
After almost two years with no event, the city of Prineville, which proudly calls itself the “Cowboy Capital of Oregon,” is hosting the 75th annual…
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A first: Central Oregon fire crews get assist from 2 visiting task forces amid high fire danger
The Office of Oregon State Fire Marshal has sent fire crews from elsewhere in the state to Central Oregon to serve as backup due to the high wildfire…
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Fire crews searching for ‘sleeper fires’ after C.O. lightning storms
With hundreds of lightning strikes rolling through Central Oregon over the last couple of days, sleeper fires are now a concern for crews in the…
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Tempers flare, one arrest during Emerson Avenue homeless camp cleanup in NE Bend
A scheduled homeless campsite cleanup and removal Wednesday on Bend’s Northeast Emerson Avenue included some times of tension between police and…
Continue ReadingAs temps, fire danger rise, Forest Service, BLM, ODF enact C.O. campfire, other public use restrictions
The U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management and the Oregon Department of Forestry announced seasonal closures and limited-use regulations…
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Bend man’s theft arrest prompts police reminder: Mark your tools, other items
A Bend man jailed for theft and a probation violation after he allegedly entered several vehicles in northeast Bend is expected to face more charges…
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Downtown Bend restaurants still struggling to hire enough cooks for the kitchen
Many restaurants in Bend are seeing a spike in revenue better than before the pandemic. However, those same restaurants are also struggling to feed…
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‘Quite critical’: Red Cross in need of blood donors on the High Desert, across the region
Blood donation rates for the Red Cross are at a low right now across the Pacific Northwest, just as summer increases the demand.…
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C.O. hospitals, first responders can be spread thin during busy summertime
Central Oregon is not only expected to have another intense fire season, but also a traditionally busy summer season — perhaps the busiest. People…
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