Local News Archives for 2017-06

Suspicious Device Found On Highway 20 In Bend

 

BEND, OR -- Highway 20 (also known as Greenwood) at the base of Pilot Butte was closed for a short time, Friday, after a suspicious device was discovered near the 12th Street crosswalk. Bend Police Sgt. Tom Pine tells KBND News, "There was a call to the non-emergency dispatch center that there was a suspicious device. So, we drove over here and said, 'That could be dangerous.' We don't really know. We're going to pretend it's dangerous and try and keep everyone safe."

 

The device was surrounded by sandbags while BPD waited for the Oregon State Police Explosives Unit responded from Salem. Oregon's Department of Transportation shut down the roadway while a member of the bomb squad detonated the device, just before noon. Click HERE to hear audio from the scene. 

 

Sgt. Pine says, "The device that was reported could have potentially been dangerous. We just don't know what it is, that's why we call the OSP guys because it's an unknown to us. And, at this point, it's still an unknown. Based on the information we have, we don't know right now if it would have been a dangerous device; if it was a dangerous device." Highway 20 reopened just after noon. The investigation is ongoing. 

 

FRIDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: Bend Police confirm the device was "authentic" and describe it as a six-inch galvenized pipe with a cap on both ends. The investigation continues, and police ask that anyone with specific information or knowledge about this specific incident to contact BPD at 541-693-6911.

Traffic Congestion Expected Over Long Weekend

BEND, OR -- With a record number of people expected to hit the road, this holiday weekend, the Oregon Department of Transportation is hoping to keep everyone moving. ODOT’s Peter Murphy says Incident Response trucks will patrol highways across the state. "They try to get ahold of accidents, crashes, or whatever happens as quickly as they can to move things out of the way." 

 

While there aren’t any major highway projects underway in Central Oregon, Murphy says ODOT is shutting down construction across the state, through the long weekend, "Getting stuff out of the way, getting crews, getting cones, you know, getting all that stuff off the highway system so we can be as mobile as possible out there on the system."
 
Despite those efforts, Murphy says conditions are still ripe for congestion. "We’ve got record numbers of cars on the road, coming into the Central Oregon area. We’re going to add Fourth of July on top of that; we’ve got Rainbow people coming in for their activities, and it’s just going to be an extremely busy highway over this Fourth of July holiday." Murphy tells KBND News Highway 97 at Empire logged nearly 10% more vehicles in May compared to the year before. "What that means, ultimately, for motorists is that they just have to pay more attention, which is an easy thing to say and much harder to do when you’re out there on the road. But, what we’ve noticed is that distracted driving is the key to so many of these crashes. And then you throw in a record number of drivers on the road and you’ve got the potential for some serious problems." He recommends leaving early, so you don’t feel pressured to speed, make sure kids are entertained, so they're not a distraction and stay off your phone.
 
Multiple law enforcement agencies will conduct enhanced patrols on Highway 97 near Lava Butte, south of Bend, Friday afternoon. That area has seen a dramatic increase in crashes, recently. Officers will focus on speed and distracted driving. 

 

Bachelor Offers Fourth Of July Skiing

BEND, OR -- If you didn’t get enough of the snow, this winter, Mt. Bachelor has a chance for you to revel in it just a little bit longer. Summer operations start Saturday, with mountain biking and scenic lift rides. Then on Sunday, the resort launches JulySki. "We’ve never had the two of those together; the biking and skiing, specifically," says Mt. Bachelor's Stirling Cobb. "Personally, I’m super excited for this, just because to be able to ski and bike at the same mountain on the same day, that’s a pretty unique experience. I’m not too familiar or aware of any other places that are doing something like that."

 

Cobb tells KBND News, “We were fortunate to have such a great winter, and we’ve done a little bit of snow farming to kind of maintain it in places over the past few months, but this is all natural snow." He says it's indicitive of how much snow fell this winter. "I think this is the ninth time in Mt. Bachelor history that we’ve been open for skiing on July Fourth. So, that just goes to show how much snow we really received.”

 

Skiing and snowboarding will be available Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. "Skiing is from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Sunrise to Summit. Basically, Sunrise lift is kind of access. Guests will come up Sunrise and then do laps off of Summit, and then be able to ski down." Those who purchase a $29 JulySki lift ticket also get a free ticket to the Sunshine Bike Park for the day. The mountain bike park opens daily at 11 a.m. Summer operations continue through Labor Day. 
 
Stock Photo

ODF Imposes Additional Fire Restrictions

BEND, OR -- The Oregon Department of Forestry has imposed additional fire restrictions for ODF-managed lands in Central Oregon. Warm temperatures are quickly drying fuels, increasing the risk of rapid fire growth. 

 

The Regulated Closure takes effect Friday and prohibits smoking, unless in a vehicle on improved roads. Open fires are not allowed, including campfires and charcoal fires, except in designated areas. And, the use of fireworks and blasting is strictly prohibited. For a complete list of restricted activities, click HERE
 
Restrictions apply to private and public lands protected by the Central Oregon District. 

Pilot Butte To Close For 4th Of July

BEND, OR -- The annual Fourth of July fireworks display from Pilot Butte in Bend begins at 10 p.m., Tuesday. Access to the summit will be closed to all vehicle traffic, beginning Sunday. And, the State Parks Department will close trails and roads to everyone, from 10 p.m. Monday through Wednesday morning.

 

The main parking area at the base of the Butte is open for fireworks viewing, on a first-come-first-serve basis. Personal fireworks are not allowed and pets should be left at home.
 
Pilot Butte State Park will fully reopen Wednesday afternoon, after all fireworks and equipment have been removed. 

Maple Bridge Climbing Route To Reopen

REDMOND, OR -- Redmond’s unique climbing route under the Maple Avenue Bridge in the Dry Canyon reopens this weekend. It was created in 2015 but officials shut down the route last year amid concerns the city or staff could be sued if someone got hurt while using the free feature.

 

Redmond Parks Division Manager Annie McVay says that changed when Governor Brown signed a new law. "In this past Legislative session, the recreational immunity statute that was sort of challenged in the past couple years by a few lawsuits was corrected and strengthened so that we were able to put the bridge back on our insurance policy." She tells KBND News safety was a concern from the beginning. "When we were proposing the idea of the bridge, of course, everyone’s first thought was, ‘oh, that’s so dangerous!’ when, in fact, it’s not.  So, we worked with our insurance company to go over all the safeguards of the bridge and had that worked out before we opened the bridge, two years ago."
 
Workers are reinstalling the bottom holds that were removed last year while the city waited for the Legislature to act. "We’ve been excited to reopen the bridge for a long time. We keep getting questions from local climbers about when it’s going to reopen. And, we’re so excited to have a definitive answer, now." The climbing route is open sunrise to sunset, starting Saturday.
 
McVay says a local climber is working with the city to plan the second route under the bridge. Click HERE to learn more about the site.

Gathering Could Bring Thousands Through C.O.

BEND, OR -- Thousands are expected to travel through Central Oregon on their way to the John Day area, for the annual Rainbow Family Gathering, which begins Saturday. The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office issued an advisory, this week, encouraging residents to take precautions so as not to become a victim of petty crimes like theft, vandalism or trespassing. The agency warns the area could see increased vehicle traffic and hitchhiking, along with lost or stranded motorists trying to get to the event.

 

Sheriff’s Captain Paul Garrison says the event attracted more than 20,000 to 30,000 visitors to the Ochocos in 1997, straining law enforcement and social services. "We saw a rise in petty thefts with local merchants, vandalism, trespassing. I’m not saying this entire group is that way; obviously, it only takes a few bad apples to give a reputation."

 

The Rainbow family is a loosely affiliated group with no organized leadership. KBND listener “Jim” attended annual gatherings for several decades, but hasn’t gone in recent years. He says the crowd has changed. "Many years ago, it was just a bunch of kind of old hippies getting together and not causing trouble. But, the newer generation, it’s more like seeing what they can take and not cleaning up after themselves." But, he believes most members of the group aren't dangerous, "The main impact in Central Oregon is going to be when this group comes through. They clean out all the services, all the food banks and anything they can possibly get their hands on. And, there is a lot of petty theft. But, it’s more nuisance than threat; I think that’s the best way to put it."
 
Jim says this year the Bend area is in for a double dose of the group. "The following weekend is the Oregon Country Fair in Veneta. So, you’re going to have people at the Rainbow Gathering, and they’re going to be going all the way back through to get to Veneta. So, we’re going to get this group passing through twice." The gathering ends July 7, the same day the Oregon Country Fair begins, west of Eugene. Capt. Garrison says they’re ready, even though the group isn’t actually meeting here. "We anticipate that. We haven’t staffed additionally for it, because again, it’s not an immediate impact to us." He says it's possible some members stay in Central Oregon through the August 21 eclipse. 
 
Click HERE to listen to the full conversation with Capt. Paul Garrison and Jim, or visit our Podcast Page.
 
 
PHOTO: 2013 Rainbow Gathering near Jackson, Montana.

 

Burnout Op Planned For Sheep Springs Fire

SISTERS, OR -- Wildland fire crews continue to battle the Sheep Springs Fire, about 20 miles north of Sisters, in the Brush Creek Drainage. It’s grown to about 63 acres since it was discovered early Monday morning. Officials believe it started when two lightning strikes hit trees in an area previously burned by the B & B fire in 2003. 

 

The area is predominantly covered in snags which pose a serious hazard for fire personnel. Managers are using existing forest service roads to create containment lines to reduce firefighters' exposure to overhead hazards. They plan burnout operations to contain the fire, Thursday. It could take up to two days to complete. 

Local Districts React To State K12 Budget

REDMOND, OR -- State lawmakers say the $8.2 billion education budget passed this week doesn’t do enough to help districts improve educational outcomes. Bend-La Pine Schools officials say it's the amount they were expecting, but Redmond Superintendent Mike McIntosh says it’s more than he was counting on. The Redmond School Board passed the district's 2017-2018 budget, Wednesday night. "And, that budget is based on 8.1 [billion] and so we’ll have some adjustments to make, once we figure out what the actual number is," says McIntosh. "So, what the news brings to us is, frankly, some relief because there will be additional revenue for us to backfill some of those things that we had not originally planned to fund." 

 

He hopes the additional funds will be enough to hire a few more teachers, "I have three elementary schools that desperately need another teacher to get their class sizes under control. We will probably not have enough money to add our last day back; we’re still running one day short of a full calendar and I don’t think there will be a big enough difference to add that back. We’ll fund the CTE program the best we can based on General Fund expenditures and if we get [Measure] 98 money, we’ll get a chance to maybe reallocate some of those." Measure 98 was passed by voters in November; it helps fund Career and Technical Education (CTE). McIntosh believes Redmond could get an additional $750,000 for CTE programs, this year, but those funds are distributed through the Oregon Department of Education and the agency has not yet announced how much each district will receive. 

 

Overall, McIntosh says he's cautiously optimistic about the next two-year state budget cycle that starts July first. "One can’t argue that this is the best K12 budget we’ve ever had, right? It’s the most money that’s ever been allocated. But, it allows us to be doing the same things we’ve been doing, without being able to do better and more for our underserved kids. There’s a tremendous amount of pressure on us to serve kids who are high on the poverty scale, who have language deficiencies in various ways, who have special needs in all kind of ways. Frankly, that just takes money and time and people." And, he says he’d hoped the Legislature would deal with two big drains on his district’s budget – health insurance and the Public Employee Retirement System (PERS). "Those are growing, insurmountable issues, at this point. The disappointment, if you will, with regard to what is going on over there, this Legislative session, neither of those were addressed. There were some failed attempts, but neither of those two issues – PERS and/or healthcare costs – were addressed. And those, for public agencies, remain high on our list of things that continue to add costs."
 
McIntosh expects his school board will approve a supplemental budget in the fall to account for the additional General Fund money and whatever extra the district receives through Measure 98.

FBI Agent Indicted For Lying About Finicum Shooting

PORTLAND, OR -- An FBI agent has been indicted for his actions during the 2016 traffic stop where LaVoy Finicum was shot and killed, during the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Following the shooting that killed Finicum, investigators found a round that hit the canopy of Finicum's pickup. Deschutes County Sheriff Shane Nelson led the investigation into the shooting and says, "One of the gunshots in the roof of Finicum’s pickup was one of the unaccounted for rounds." 

 

Agent Joseph Astarita, a member of the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team (HRT), is accused of firing the shot. U.S. Attorney for Portland Billy Williams says Astarita lied about taking the shot. "Special Agent Astarita falsely stated he did not fire his weapon during the attempted arrest of Mr. Finicum, when in fact, he did." Astarita is charged with three counts of making false statements and two counts of obstruction of justice.

 

Williams says the indictment "does not change the quality or the outcome of the investigation." It was determined that the Oregon State Police officers who fatally shot Finicum in January 2016 were justified. However, Sheriff Nelson tells KBND News the FBI agent's actions damaged the integrity of the law enforcement profession. "This type of behavior stands in stark contrast to the professionalism and integrity displayed by the Oregon State Police and Superintendent Travis Hampton."

 

 

Officer-Involved Crash Shuts Down Hwy 126

REDMOND, OR -- Three people were hurt in an officer-involved crash near the Redmond Airport, Wednesday evening. Highway 126 was closed for several hours for the investigation.

 

Redmond Police Lt. Curtis Chambers says it all started with a police chase, just after 5 p.m. "Redmond Police were in pursuit of a vehicle that went into vacant land on the north side of Highway 126, just north of the Redmond Airport." He tells KBND News, "The suspect in that pursuit abandoned his vehicle and ran from the scene. Officers were responding to the area in an attempt to set up a perimeter, when this crash occurred."

 

Lt. Chambers says the officer involved in the crash was on his way to help with the perimeter. "The officer was stopped, signaling a left turn into a private driveway. The officer did not have his emergency lights or siren activated and was waiting for oncoming traffic to clear before turning left." That's when his patrol car was rear-ended at a high rate of speed by a pickup driven by 24-year-old Kelsey Dixon, of Powell Butte.

 

Dixon's truck then traveled into the oncoming lane and was struck by a westbound pickup, driven by a 43-year-old Christopher Lane, of Redmond. Lane was seriously hurt and flown to the hospital. Dixon was taken by ground ambulance with non-life threatening injuries. 

 

Redmond PD has not released the name or condition of the officer involved, although Lt. Chambers says he was taken by ambulance to the hospital for treatment. 
 
THURSDAY PM UPDATE: Redmond Police have identified the officer involved in the crash. Officer Wooten (pictured below) sustained non-life threatening injuries to his neck, back and arm. He was taken by ambulance to St. Charles Redmond where he was treated and later released. The investigation into the pursuit is ongoing. RPD has not yet identified the suspect they were searching for when the crash occurred. 
 

Susp'd DUII Driver Accused of Assaulting Road Crew

PRINEVILLE, OR -- A suspected impaired driver is accused of assaulting a Crook County Road Department construction crew near Prineville Reservoir, Wednesday morning. According to the Crook County Sheriff’s Office, 25-year-old Christopher Imbach, of Bend, blew past a flagger who was controlling traffic on Reservoir Road. 

 

Imbach attempted to swerve around workers trying to stop him, just before 9 a.m. He reportedly flicked a marijuana joint at the crew, along with a water bottle. They used construction equipment to stop his vehicle, but Imbach got out of his car and allegedly attacked a worker, who quickly took the suspect to the ground. The rest of the crew helped pin him down until deputies arrived. 
 
Imbach is accused of DUII, reckless driving, attempted assault and other charges. 

Former Sisters Realtor Convicted Of Fraud

BEND, OR -- A former Sisters realtor pled guilty and was convicted, Wednesday, of forgery. The Deschutes County District Attorney says Michelle Marie Anderson was involved in an ongoing mortgage fraud scheme, implemented by Mark Broeg. He’s accused of racketeering, mortgage fraud and other theft-related charges. 

 
State investigators say Broeg created a fictitious business which he used to obtain fraudulent loans, while posing as a mortgage broker. Anderson used Broeg to try to complete a fraudulent home purchase. Broeg failed to appear for his April trial and a warrant has been issued for his arrest. 
 
Anderson was a licensed realtor with Artisan Realty Group in Sisters and can never again work as an agent. D.A. John Hummel stresses she is not the same Michelle Anderson who is a realtor with Cascade Sotheyb's in Bend, and isn't involved in the case. 

Testers To Access Neighborhood Water Meters

BEND, OR -- Bend residents can expect to see backflow testers accessing neighborhood water meters, soon. Annual testing is required by city and state regulation. Workers will test city-owned backflow assemblies in residential water meter boxes. 

 

Safe Drinking Water Coordinator Donald "DJ" Buhmann says that without a properly functional backflow assembly, contaminates can enter pipes and get into household water. "It is not only essential for good health, but it is an Oregon Rule and a City Code that these specific assemblies are on our water pipes to help prevent contamination." 

 

Bend contracts with Olson LLC, and city water customers can expect to see crews working in city water meter boxes throughout the summer and fall. 

 

Underground landscape sprinklers also require a backflow assembly which must be tested annually. That backflow tester is independently hired by the homeowner. 

Sisters Mtg Addresses Prescribed Burn Air Quality

 

SISTERS, OR -- Oregon’s Departments of Forestry (ODF) and Environmental Quality (DEQ) met in Sisters, Tuesday, to discuss how to improve air quality during prescribed burns. The Smoke Management Advisory Committee was formed by ODF and DEQ to address policies and procedures used during burns. Doug Grafe is the Chief of Fire Protection for ODF. He tells KBND News, "We regulate prescribed burning on Forest land across the state of Oregon, which is approximately 30-million acres of forest land." every five years

 

Grafe admits he hears complaints from residents during burn season, but he says the operations are necessary for forest health. "We have meteorologists who work throughout the spring and fall burn seasons to identify good days for burning, where we can get that smoke up and out. And, that’s the focus and goal of the Smoke Management Program is to reduce those emissions into where people live around communities." He adds, "We do, locally, make a good effort to communicate publicly when and where the burns are going on. And, our job in administering the Smoke Management Program, is to minimize emissions from prescribed burns and provide the best opportunities for disbursement of the smoke."
 
The 20-person group meets with local officials across the state every five years. Grafe says, "We have a robust committee, representatives from county commissioners to city mayors, to forest land owners, the Lung Association, Natural Resources Conservation, and a broad representation of Oregonians to help us improve the system." Tuesday’s meeting was the second of five slated for the summer. In August they'll meet in Southern Oregon and Salem. Grafe says the committee will decide in the fall whether changes should be made to how prescribed burns are conducted. 

 

Local Counties Get Over $4M For Federal Lands

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Oregon will receive a total of $19.7 million in Payments In Lieu of Taxes – also known as “PILT” – from the U.S. Department of the Interior. Deschutes County is set to receive nearly $3 million ($2,292,489), Crook County will get almost a million dollars ($971,490) and $412,308 is going to Jefferson County. 
 
The payments are part of a record $464.6 million dollars distributed across the country, this year; it’s the largest amount allocated in the PILT program’s 40-year history. 
 
The federal payments are meant to help local communities offset losses on property taxes from non-taxable federal lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service and for federal water projects and some military installations.
 
In a statement, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said, "Rural America, especially states out west with large federal land holdings, play a big part in feeding and powering the nation and also in providing recreation opportunities, but because the lands are federal, the local governments don't earn tax revenue from them. PILT investments often serve as critical support for local communities as they juggle planning and paying for basic services, such as public safety, firefighting, social services and transportation."

Fire Danger Rises In Central Oregon

BEND, OR -- The Forest Service raised the Industrial Fire Precaution to Level II, early Wednesday morning, in response to continued hot and dry conditions. The move restricts hours of operation for permitted commercial and industrial operations on lands managed by the Ochoco and Deschutes National Forests and the Prineville District of the Bureau of Land Management. Things like Power saws, blasting and metal cutting can only be used between 8 p.m. and 1 p.m. 

 

Click HERE to learn more about the Industrial Fire Precaution Level.

 

Local Fire conditions also prompted the Deschutes National Forest to increase the fire danger rating level to High, this week, which lets recreational visitors know that vegetation ignites easily and unattended campfires or debris fires are likely to escape. 

Elderly Woman Rescued From Deschutes River

SUNRIVER, OR -- An elderly woman was rescued from the Deschutes River near Sunriver, Tuesday morning. Deschutes County 911 received a report of an apparent deceased man floating in the river in the Oregon Water Wonderland area.

 

A Responding deputy was flagged down by a neighbor that said their 80-year-old mother had gone missing in the night. A Sunriver Police officer borrowed a motorboat from another resident and began searching the river. He then found a person caught in a tree snag. The officer picked up a DCSO deputy and sergeant and went to the apparent drowning victim when they discovered it was the missing woman; she was alive but unresponsive.
 
They pulled her out of the water and took her to a private dock where they provided first aid until medics arrived. She was taken to St. Charles Bend. The initial investigation indicates the woman may have been trying to take her own life. 

Fallen Tree Had 100-Year History In Downtown Bend

BEND, OR -- Crews continue to clean up the mess left when a large tree fell at the Bend-La Pine Education Center. The white fir stood next to the administrative building on NW Wall for at least a hundred years; it came down during the storm that blew through downtown Bend Sunday night, damaging the steps and entrance on the west side of the building.

 

Alandra Johnson, with the district, mourns the loss of the tree, but acknowledges it could've been worse. "We're just really happy that, even though this tree feel down, no one was injured, and our building is intact. That entrance is closed, but we're going to be - it's going to be okay." The building is expected to remain open during repairs.
 
The tree can be found in old photos of downtown Bend. "It was approximately 50-feet tall, and from historic photos, it appears to have been original to the construction of the building. The building was built in 1917 and it appears like the tree was standing at that time; so it was a pretty old tree."
 
No word yet on what will become of the leftover wood. 
 
 
Photo circa 1940, courtesy of the Deschutes County Historical Society

Lightning Sparks Fires Across The High Desert

SISTERS, OR -- Lightning over the last 48 hours sparked eight new fires in the Sisters area. Most were quickly extinguished, Monday; but two continued to burn into the evening. One was very visible from Highway 20 and Santiam Pass, burning in heavy brush in an old fire scar from the 2003 B & B fire. Crews expected to have it contained by late Monday night. 

 

The other is also burning in a fire scar from the B & B, near Metolius. Due to the risk of falling trees and limbs, crews are unable to take direct action. A fire management team will take over this morning, and work to develop a containment strategy. 
 
Continued hot and dry temperatures have prompted Forestry officials to raise the fire danger to high.
 
 
Stock Photo

One Killed, Two Hurt In Burgess Road Crash

LA PINE, OR -- The Deschutes County Sheriff's Office continues to investigate a multi-vehicle crash that left a La Pine man dead and two others hurt, Monday afternoon.

 

According to investigators, 66-year-old Warren Hensman was waiting to make a left turn into The Corner Store, just after 12:30, when he was rear-ended by a tow truck. The impact pushed Hensman’s pickup into oncoming traffic where it was struck head-on by a car. He was extricated by medics, but died on the way to the hospital. 

 

The two occupants of the High Lakes Towing truck were unhurt. The driver and a 10-year-old boy in the other car were both taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. 
 
Burgess road was closed for several hours to allow for the investigation.

Public Input Sought On Galveston Parking

BEND, OR -- the Galveston corridor, near downtown Bend, is a mix of housing and increasingly popular businesses, leading to a number of parking complaints. Bend's Growth Management department launched a parking study in April, at the request of City Council, in an effort to evaluate the issue.

 

Senior planner Karen Swirsky says crews are now collecting data to see if they can quantify the problem. "We have gone through that area and we have catalogued all the parking spaces. In August, which is the peak period for parking usage, we will actually do what's called an inventory. So, we have a crew that goes out on an hourly basis and does a license plate survey, so we know how many spots are being used; how often their turning over." 
 
She says an open house, Tuesday evening, is a chance for the public to provide input. "We have a lot of anecdotal stories people tell us about issues that they've had, and we know some of the businesses on the Galveston street generate a lot of on-street parking." Swirsky tells KBND News, "Galveston is an area of intense public interest, so we felt like it was better to err on the side of having more public involvement, rather than less."
 
Tuesday's open house is 4:30-7 p.m. at the Westside Village Magnet School gym, with brief presentations at 5 and 6 p.m. Click HERE to learn more about the city of Bend's current parking studies. 

Investigators Say Train Responsible For Grass Fires

BEND, OR -- Fire crews spent more than an hour chasing grass and brush fires along the railroad tracks, stretching from Redmond to Bend, Monday morning. The first was reported near Highway 97 and NE Hemlock, in Redmond, at about 9:15 a.m. About 30 minutes later, others were spotted in Bend.

 

Bend Battalion Chief Dave Howe says his crews responded to three separate incidents near Highway 97 at Cooley Road, Empire Avenue and Butler Market Road, and train traffic halted for a couple of hours. "Because of the placement of the fires, we had to actually put our hose lines across the railroad tracks, which always kind of makes things more difficult because then the trains have to stop. And, you never know when it’s going to stop or where they’re going to stop. It just means more communication and a greater eye toward safety on the tracks." He says the number of fires and conditions required a separate team be dispatched to each incident, stretching resources. 

 

Howe says they quickly figured out the fires were connected to a southbound train. "There was a Forest Service cause investigator and then one of our people and they’re pretty sure it was brakes that went bad on the train. That happens occasionally; it’s just part of having trains come through town." He says thick, dry grass and brush allowed fire to spread quickly. "It [the train] throws out sparks. If it’s moist – say, it just rained or it’s in the wintertime, it could do that and you’d never even know it. When it happens this time of year, we usually have fires out of it. There’s a lot of trains that go by and this only happens a couple times of year."

Less Fed. Affordable Housing Help Coming To Bend

BEND, OR -- Central Oregon’s affordable housing crisis is well documented. Bend is one of 14 entitlement cities in Oregon, qualifying for federal funds to try and alleviate the problem. This year, Bend will receive just over $445,000. That's $8,000 less than in 2016. 

 

Jim Long, the city’s Affordable Housing Manager, says every area is receiving less, but the formulas used to allocate the funds puts Bend at a big disadvantage. "They actually have a category for rental housing constructed prior to 1950 occupied by low-income tenants, of which we have virtually no units meeting that criteria. But, that criteria actually rates higher than the percentage of your people in poverty or your vacancy rate."
 
He says the formula favors more urban areas. He tells KBND News, "I’m not by any means throwing any shade on Corvallis at all, but, for example, they have 70% of our size in population and they also have $23,000 higher per year, per capita income; but they get over 1.5 times the federal funding we do. Eugene, they’re not even twice our size; they get five times the amount of funding we do. Salem’s not even twice our size; they get 4.5 times the amount of funding we do." Portland has about 7.5 times the population of Bend, but gets almost 29 times the federal Community Planning and Development funds. 
 
According to Long, no other entitlement city in Oregon gets less federal funding as a percentage of its population than Bend. "What it really means is that we have to scramble more. We’ve got to work harder with less resources from the feds. We have to come up with our own local resources; we have to come up with our own local programs. We just have to work harder to keep up. All that being said, the good news is we’ve arguable put up more affordable housing units in the last 10 years than any other city in Oregon, with the exception of Portland."

 

Amateur Radio Ops Prepare For Eclipse

BEND, OR -- Emergency management officials are concerned The hundreds of thousands of visitors expected in Central Oregon for the August 21 eclipse will put too much pressure on cell phone networks, cutting people off from key information. But, a group of volunteers is ready to step in and help.

 
Ray Spreier, with the High Desert Amateur Radio Group (HIDARG), tells KBND News, "There's a huge four-county coordination effort going on  - Deschutes, Crook, Jefferson, Wheeler - and the assumption is that traditional circuits - internet, phone, cellular - are going to be saturated. And so the emergency response and planning community is using radio, and amateur radio operators in particular, to establish a grid network to cover the area, to support government and first responders." 
 
Spreier says volunteer operators become conduits of vital information during natural disasters and other events that overload communication systems, like the eclipse. "Fortunately, as Hurricane Katrina and Super Storm Sandy proved, when your infrastructure is wiped out and the grid is down, amateur radio gets through and ham radio operators are among the first responders, all volunteers, that help the officials get the communications back up and restore communication to the outside area."
 
HIDARG hosted its annual "field day" event over the weekend, near Sisters, to practice set-up and operation independent of the power grid. "It's just a group of amateur radio operators, one of several clubs in the area, that exists both to support radio operators in the region, to promote amateur or ham radio as a hobby or as a community service, to conduct licensing and education classes for the public, and just to promote amateur radio and raise awareness in general."
 
To become a licensed ham radio operator, the FCC requires a person to pass a test and pay a licensing fee. Click HERE for more information. 
 
 
Eclipse Coverage on KBND is supported in part by Awnings Unlimited. Shade yourself from the sun with Awnings Unlimited at 5541-389-1619 and awningsunlimited.net.

Bend Councilors Criticized For Welcoming Resolution

BEND, OR -- Bend City Councilors signed a resolution, last week, declaring Bend a “Welcoming City.” But, Mayor Casey Roats says the misunderstanding is from people who thought the unanimous agreement was a move to become a sanctuary city. 

 

Mayor Roats tells KBND News, "By no means does Bend City Council make any statements about federal immigration policy, and certainly the city of Bend will continue to do, as it always has, adhere to state law when it comes to law enforcement policies." He adds, "I don’t blame anybody for drawing the conclusion that we must’ve signed on to be a sanctuary city. But, you would not have had a unanimous city council support Bend signing on to be a sanctuary city. This really was around this spirit of being welcoming – and they’re even talking of being welcoming of tourists, being welcoming of our visitors, being welcoming of people who have come here legally and are part of our workforce and how important they are."

 

The resolution states the city is an inclusive and welcoming community that fosters an environment where everyone is treated with compassion and respect, and that unique perspectives and experiences are crucial to a thriving city. "The reason I supported it was because we were just making a statement that people are welcome in Bend," says Roats. He feels it's an important statement, given the recent shooting at a Congressional baseball practice in Virginia. "This kind of speaks to the bigger issues around the country. Unfortunately, there are some of our members of society who are a little unhinged."

 

Bend Man Arrested For Birthday Party Shooting

BEND, OR -- A Bend man was shot in the leg at a children’s birthday party, Saturday evening. Bend Police say 37-year-old Beau Lewis unintentionally shot the victim, who was treated at St. Charles.

 

Lewis was reportedly intoxicated when he drove to the hospital to check on the man. He later drove home and hid the gun before officers arrived to investigate. 
 
He was contacted at his house and the firearm was taken as evidence. Lewis was arrested on a number of charges, including assault, driving under the influence and tampering with evidence. 

Weekend Crashes Claim Lives

BEND, OR -- A fatal crash involving four vehicles shut down Highway 20 near the entrance to Black Butte Ranch for more than six hours, Sunday. Few details have been released, although initial reports indicate two passenger cars, and SUV and a motorhome were involved.

 

It’s the latest in a string of deadly crashes in Central Oregon, in the past week.

 

An elderly Bend man died at the hospital, after a crash at Highway 20 and Cooley Road, Saturday afternoon. State Police say 92-year-old Donald Grosh failed to stop at a stop sign and was struck by a westbound pickup. The driver and passenger in the truck were not hurt. 

 

UPDATE: Oregon State Police say two people were killed in the five-vehicle crash near Black Butte Ranch, Sunday afternoon. Investigators believe 28-year-old Ethan Moreschi, of Bend, was eastbound on Highway 20 when he crossed the centerline and hit a car (pictured above) driven by an 80-year-old Eugene woman. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.


In an effort to avoid that crash, a westbound motorhome towing an SUV hit an eastbound car (right). The driver of the RV, a 49-year-old North Bend man, was taken by ambulance to St. Charles; his passenger was not hurt. The man driving the other car, 28-year-old Timothy Thompson, was critically injured and flown to the hospital. 

 

Investigators believe Thompson and Moreschi knew each other and may have been together prior to the crash. Impairment is being considered as a contributing factor for both men. 

 

Fire Crews Kept Busy With Weekend Wildfires

WARM SPRINGS, OR -- Highway 26 was closed for a couple of hours on the Warm Springs Reservation, late Sunday night, as crews battled a wildfire along the highway (pictured). Click HERE to view a video taken by a KBND listener.  

 

The Prineville Hotshots and other wildland crews also responded to a new fire spotted about three miles north of Maupin, Saturday evening. As of Sunday, the Oak Springs Fire was estimated at 375 acres.

 

And, crews have fully contained the Rhoades Canyon fire, which has burned more than 15,000 acres near Clarno, Oregon. 

Nude Man Arrested For Prineville Assault

PRINEVILLE, OR -- A Prineville man faces a long list of charges after a bizarre altercation with two sisters, Sunday night. According to police, 20-year-old Joseph Bailey was naked when he stood in the middle of SE Fairview Street, near NE First, forcing the 23-year-old woman to stop her car, just after 11 p.m. Her 15-year-old sister was able to escape and call 911 after the man climbed into the car and began assaulting the driver. Investigators believe he was trying to take the vehicle.

 

When police arrived, Bailey ran. But when officers caught up with him, the nude man charged them. A taser was deployed, but Bailey was unfazed and climbed into the drivers seat of a patrol car. He continued to fight with officers while being taken into custody. He's accused of Robbery III, Assault IV, Strangulation, Resisting Arrest and Unauthorized Entry to a Motor Vehicle, among other charges. 
 
The 23-year-old victim was taken by ambulance to the hospital, where she was treated and later released. The 15-year-old was not hurt. 

Assisted Living Resident Arrested For Arson

 

BEND, OR -- A 73-year-old man is accused of arson, following a Friday night fire at his southeast Bend assisted living facility. Neighbors first noticed flames climbing up the south side of the building, at Regency Village, just before midnight.

 
After residents were evacuated from a portion of the building, police discovered James Grant had items linking him to the fire. He’s charged with Arson, Criminal Mistreatment and Attempted Criminally Negligent Homicide. 
 
Fire crews quickly extinguished the blaze, which primarily damaged a vacant room. 
 
Anyone with information about the fire at Regency Village is asked to call non-emergency dispatch, at 541-693-6911. 
 
MONDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel says Grant was released pending further investigation into the incident at Regency Village. He says his deputies are working with Bend PD detectives and the fire department, "to determine what happened, when it happened and who was responsible for it happening."
 
Hummel says if he determines Grant, or someone else, is found to have committed a crime connected to the fire, he will ask the court to issue an arrest warrant. 

Redmond Fire Allegedly Sparked By Teen DUII Driver

REDMOND, OR -- A 16-year-old driver is blamed for a small grass fire that spread to about an acre west of Redmond, Friday evening. The teen crashed through a wire fence near NW 49th and Coyner, at about 6:30 p.m.

 

Responding fire crews say the crash broke a guy wire on a power pole; the car caught fire, igniting brush and juniper, threatening two structures.

 

Police say the driver was alone in the car but only had his learners permit. He was cited for driving under the influence. 

Wildland Firefighters To Light Training Burn in Sisters

SISTERS, OR -- More than two dozen wildland firefighter trainees from 11 agencies will take part in a live training burn near Sisters, Friday. It’s part of a joint firefighter training academy from the US Forest Service Sisters Ranger District.

 

The 29 trainees will burn just one acre, about three miles west of Sisters, but officials say it’s enough to provide entry-level trainees the opportunity to learn some of the basics. They'll practice things like pulling progressive hose lines, digging fire lines, extinguishing live fire and mop-up operations.

 

They're expected to ignite the burn at about 9 a.m. and the entire operation should wrap up by 3 p.m.

Visit Bend Like A Local Campaign Launches

BEND, OR -- With the start of the busy tourist season, Visit Bend has launched the "Visit Like a Local" campaign, to help tourists fit in to the local culture. The $3 million campaign includes the Ride Bend summer shuttle, which starts Friday. The free shuttle pilot program runs seven days a week, 2-10 p.m. through Labor Day.

 

Visit Bend CEO Kevney Dugan talked about the plans at a recent tourism forum at the Tower Theatre. "This Visit Like a Local campaign, we saw this as a great way to get that advertising out to people, thinking that route that that shuttle is going to take is going to be seen in all the core tourism areas."

 

The Ride Bend shuttle stops at The Old Mill District, downtown and other popular destinations, every 15 minutes. Dugan says, "Think of it as a mobile billboard, where now we can get that 'Visit Like a Local' message out. As they're waiting at a stop to get a ride back from The Old Mill they get this friendly reminder. I think one of the sides of the busses says, 'fill, swill, refill; give disposable the boot.'" The Visit Like a Local campaign also offers advice on dog park and mountain bike trails etiquette and tips on handling roundabouts. 

 

Click HERE to learn more about Ride Bend, operated by Cascades East Trans

Shevlin Park To Gain 300+ Acres

BEND, OR -- Shevlin Park is set to grow by more than 300 acres, thanks to a partnership between the Trust for Public Land, the Bend Park and Recreation District and The Tree Farm, LLC development. Julie Brown, with the parks district, says the new land will be managed as open space. "With a lot of trails within there. A lot of the trails within the Tree Farm are existing right now. So the addition into Shevlin Park is really just going to give us the opportunity to create some additional connections to the rest of the Shevlin Park trails that are there. But, for the most part, it’s going to be a community forest and an open space area."

 

The deed for the 329 additional acres prohibits future residential development on the parcel, and requires ongoing wildfire management to create a wildfire buffer for the city. It also establishes some seasonal trail closures for winter mule deer migration. 
 
Brown says the deal is part of the long-term plan developed in the early stages of The Tree Farm project. "This really allows us, as the Park and Recreation District, to take over the management of this area and take care of it in the same way that we do with the rest of Shevlin Park; which is going to be a great opportunity for the community to make use of the trails that are already there. We’re going to do some additional trail work within there, to really make it a smooth connection to the rest of Shevlin Park." The acquisition takes the park to nearly a thousand total acres on the western edge of Bend.

Bend Crews Stay Busy As Fire Danger Rises

BEND, OR -- A northwest Bend duplex was heavily damaged by fire, Thursday morning. Crews responded to the home on NW Awbrey just before 11 a.m. and found flames coming from the second story unit. They quickly knocked down the fire, sparing the first floor from major damage. A resident noticed the fire shortly after it started and immediately called 911. Investigators say the blaze started with ash from a pot pipe ignited combustible material in a trash can.

 

It’s one of several fires that have kept crews busy over the past couple of days. Bend Fire Battalion Chief Dave Howe tells KBND News, "In the last 24 hours, we have responded to five fires that have been caused by the improper disposal of cigarettes or burning material or smoking material. That indicates to us that the fuels out there are really, really dry." Investigators say a cigarette put in a can is to blame for a Wednesday evening fire that swept through a southeast Bend trailer park (pictured above). That blaze destroyed or damaged several buildings, vehicles and trailers on SE Miller. 
 
"We urge people to be careful with smoking materials, and understand that a dropped cigarette, ashes from a pipe, ashes from a bar-b-q, improperly disposed of, can and will start a fire," says Chief Howe. "And, if it does, you essentially are responsible for the consequences of that fire." He says the fire danger will continue to increase as the weather warms, "People need to be aware that the conditions are ripe for burning; the fuels are very dry, the cheat grass – which is what is going to be carrying the fire in the very near future – is almost cured. Once it’s cured, in the next day or two, it will be capable of spreading fire rapidly; we have a really, really big crop of cheat grass, this year."

Redmond Sees Exponential Growth

REDMOND, OR -- Redmond has seen exponential growth in new housing starts. Mayor George Endicott tells KBND News, "Last year, the entire year, we had 159 building permits. This year, so far, we have 156. So, you know, if that trend keeps up, it would almost double." He says commercial developments aren’t moving quite as quickly, "Right now, it is so expensive to build – you know, land, labor, materials – because of all the demand, we’re having trouble finding speculators, in particular, that are willing to build industrial buildings. But, even given that, our building permits are up 56% over last year."

 

Overall, he says, it points to a booming city, "Total plans, right now, we’ve got 243 actually in our Planning Department that are being approved. So, it is a growing area. And, as our staff said, every house that’s being built is being sold."

 

Endicott also hopes several proposed projects will revitalize downtown. including plans to renovate the New Redmond Hotel into a boutique hotel. And, on Wednesday, several potential developers took part in a tour of Redmond’s former City Hall building, at  SW 7th and Evergreen. Endicott would like to see it converted to some type of housing - maybe condos, "Some sort of a multi-family unit, there; hopefully upper-end. You know, get some people in town for disposable income." He says that could stimulate the creation of more night-time activities in downtown. "There’s more and more of an evening –restaurants and so forth – down there. But, if you get people actually living there, then chances are there’s an opportunity for even more entertainment and things like that." The building was vacated when the new City Hall opened just two blocks away, earlier this year. Mayor Endicott says it could be a couple of months before they secure a plan for the old facility.
 
To hear more of our conversation with Redmond Mayor George Endicott, click HERE or visit our Podcast Page

 

Rhoades Canyon Fire Burns Near Clarno

CLARNO, OR -- Wildland firefighters from the Prineville BLM and Wheeler County are battling a new blaze near Clarno. The Rhoades Canyon Fire was reported just before noon, Tuesday, about a mile east of the John Day River.

 

It grew quickly, fueled by dried grass and wind. As of Wednesday evening it was estimated at 10,000 acres and 30% contained. Officials say its rapid growth is a sign that vegetation in Central Oregon is quickly drying out, raising the fire danger. 

Illegal Burn Pile Blamed For Prineville Fire

 

PRINEVILLE, OR -- An illegal open burn pile in Prineville blew out of control, Wednesday afternoon, igniting a grass fire on the hill behind SE Willowdale Drive.

 

Crook County crews responded just before 5 p.m. and found the fire being pushed by the wind and threatening several homes. The blaze was held at about seven acres; no structures were lost and no injuries were reported.  

DCSO SAR Conducts Simultaneous Rescue Efforts

BEND, OR -- A 16-year-old Outward Bound student from Florida was injured on South Sister, yesterday afternoon (Wed), prompting a rescue effort by Deschutes County Search and Rescue. The teen was part of a group of eight students and two instructors; he suffered a non-life threatening injury during their descent. Airlink flew Search and Rescue medics to his location then transported the patient to St. Charles Bend.

 

At nearly the same time, SAR teams also attempted to help a hiker lost in the Lucky Lake area. They were first called out, after a woman reported that she and her friend had become separated. Eleven SAR volunteers were deployed, including an overhead team and a horse team.  
 
A couple hours later, a witness spotted the missing woman on Cascade Lakes Highway and SAR shifted their efforts to a road search. Two hours after that, they learned she had received a ride into Bend from a passerby, and was fine.

Two Killed In Central Oregon Highway Crashes

REDMOND, OR -- Two people were killed in separate Central Oregon crashes, Wednesday afternoon, just hours apart. 

 

At about 1:30, State Police responded to Highway 97, a mile south of Terrebonne. Investigators believe 26-year-old Amber Paplia, of Madras, was northbound when she crossed into oncoming traffic and hit a car driven by a Gaston man. He was seriously injured; his wife was killed and two others in the car suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

 

Paplia was also taken to the hospital with serious injuries.Fatigue is believed to be a contributing factor in that crash. 

 
Just before 5 p.m., crews responded to Highway 26, between Madras and Prineville, after a car crashed into a tree, sparking a four-acre grass fire. A passerby rescued a woman and three children from the vehicle, but the male driver was killed. The woman was flown to St. Charles Bend; the three kids were taken by ambulance to the Madras hospital with minor injuries.
 
That crash remains under investigation.
 
 

Fire Sweeps Through SE Bend Mobile Home Park

BEND, OR -- A fast moving fire in southeast Bend damaged or destroyed two houses, a large shed, a mobile home, two campers a pickup and three camp trailers, Wednesday evening. A third house sustained minor damage.

 

Bend fire crews responded to SE Miller Ave. just after 6:30 p.m. and found several buildings and large pine trees involved in the blaze. Officials say dry fuels and the congested arrangement of the structures contributed to its rapid spread.  Witnesses heard explosions, which officials say were tires and aerosol cans exploding in the intense heat. 
 
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The Red Cross is helping the impacted family.

Local Snow Removal Efforts Honored

 

BEND, OR -- On the first full day of summer, Deschutes County Commissioners recognized more than a dozen individuals and businesses for their snow removal efforts, and other ways they’ve gone “above and beyond” to improve sidewalk safety.

 

The Downtown Bend Business Association was honored, Wednesday. Executive Director Rod Porsche says it takes a village to keep pedestrians moving under the extreme conditions experienced, last winter. "There are many businesses, and some of those are being honored today as well, with their own awards, for doing outstanding snow removal. So, it’s not just us doing it; it’s not just the building owner, the business owner; it’s everyone jumping in for the safety of our downtown sidewalks."


Porsche tells KBND News, "We clear a 4' path throughout the downtown: sidewalks, common areas, crosswalks. We’re trying to make it safe for Bendites and visitors alike to get to those coffee shops, to get into work safely. And, we do it as long as it continues to snow. We start at 5 a.m. and if it’s snowing in the afternoon, we’re still out there." He adds, "The other thing we did is we bought two snow-blowers for the first time. One was donated from a downtown business and the other one our organization was able to purchase; and that was really a game-changer. And, yes, I was behind the snow-blower for 14+ hour days. It was pretty crazy."
 
County Commissioners handed out 16 “Safe Sidewalk” awards, to those who took extra care over the past year to clear snow and ice, overgrown landscaping and other pedestrian hazards. Other recipients include McKay Cottage, Bond Street Barber Shop and the Redmond Fred Meyer. The Downtown Bend Business Association's winter effort was also recently recognized by the city’s Accessibility Committee. 

 

Crook County DA Tapped For Judge Vacancy

PRINEVILLE, OR -- Crook County will soon have a new District Attorney. Governor Kate Brown has tapped D.A. Daina Vitolins to fill a vacancy on the Crook-Jefferson County Circuit Court, effective July first.

 

Vitolins tells KBND News, "I actually applied to become a Circuit Court Judge in April, which is when Governor Brown opened the position. And so, I went through the interview process; and I’m deeply honored that Governor Brown chose me to fill the Jefferson/Crook County vacancy." She replaces retiring judge Gary Lee Williams. 

 

She won’t become an acting judge until August 14. Vitolins says, "I would essentially resign from the District Attorney’s office and then Governor Brown would open the position and accept applications and appoint somebody to take my place. It’d be on Governor Brown’s timeline, but I would hope that it would happen quickly." She adds, "I think it’ll be a smooth transition. I have a very competent staff: A Chief Deputy who’s very good and two Deputy District Attorneys, and I think it’ll be a smooth transition. And I’ll, of course, support them between now and then the best I can."
 
Vitolins has been the Crook County D.A. since 2008. She worked as a Deputy D.A. in Prineville from 2006 to 2008.

Tower Theatre Event Focuses On Tourism Impacts

BEND, OR -- We all know Bend is a growing community. The city's population is expected to increase by 30,000 over the next decade and many people blame tourism. Regional Economist Damon Runberg is one of three local experts participating in the "Tourism 101" event, Wednesday afternoon.

 

Runberg tells KBND News, "I often hear people talk about how Bend is a tourism town with a tourism economy. My goal on the panel is to just pop a hole in that and say, 'That's not really what we are; that's not what our economy looks like.' If anything, I'd classify Bend as a lifestyle community that has benefited from the tourism economy and has seen just really robust growth and diversification of our economy - due to our economy, not in spite of it." He adds, "Places like San Diego have significantly more tourism jobs as a percent of their economy, than we do here in Bend. And so, it's kind of this misconception that we're this kind of mountain tourism town. Really, we look a lot more like some place like Austin, Texas, with our industry make-up, than someplace like Jackson Hole or Vale."

 

The discussion will focus on the pros and cons of regional tourism, and how visitors impact the local economy and community. Runberg says tourism is an easy fall guy. "The traffic, it's really hard to pinpoint - is it a tourist or not, is it a commuter? And, our population is also one of the fastest growing in the United States, right now, as a percentage of population, over the last couple of years. We're just a really fast-growing community and there's a lot of growing pains that comes with that. I'm kind of trying to defend the tourism industry a little bit in saying that all those growing pains that we see aren't necessarily tourists in town; a lot of them are new locals, as well."

 

The Tourism 101 event at the Tower Theatre begins at 1 p.m. with the panel speaking for about a half an hour. Then they'll open it up to questions from the audience. Tickets are $5.

Central Oregon Unemployment Falls Again

BEND, OR -- Deschutes County posted its 70th consecutive month of job gains, in May. The unemployment rate in Central Oregon’s largest county remained little changed from the month before, dropping from 3.6 to 3.5%. Deschutes County also posted big gains in the labor force, adding 5,000 employed residents in the past year.
 

Crook County’s jobless rate also remains at historic lows, falling .1% to 5.6%, last month. Compared to this time last year, the Employment Department says, there are about 110 additional jobs in nonfarm businesses in Crook County; about a 2% gain. 
 
Jefferson County saw the biggest monthly improvement in May, hitting a new record low of 4.9%; that's .3% lower than in April. This time last year, Jefferson County's jobless rate was 7%. The county added 120 jobs, last month, which is fewer than the 170 typically expected this time of year.

Wickiup Junction Project Remains Stalled

LA PINE, OR -- Work on the new Highway 97 over-crossing at Wickiup Junction remains stalled, after the Oregon Department of Transportation discovered the land was sinking under the weight of the new bridge and adjoining ramps. Crews stopped building the bridge and ramps in May.

 
ODOT’s Peter Murphy says crews recently drilled five test wells at the site (right), "To be able to see exactly what the dirt, or lower layer, shows us, and then send some electrodes down to do some further probing – kind of like sonar, where you send a pulse out and it comes back to you. And, what we see on the backside of that will tell us more about the rock or the dirt, or whatever it might be that’s down there; and based upon that information, we’ll decide what the next step will be." He adds, "The crews that have been at work out there are trying to remove some of the ramp material that has weighed down the whole ramp, itself. This all gives us further information about what’s going on down below, and that’s the key to where we’re going to go with this. The more we can get information about what’s underneath, it’s going to give us a better idea of how to fix it."
 
He tells KBND News the problem is the land under the new ramps leading to the over-crossing. "The ramps themselves, where we’ve been building up to the bridge, have been sinking – almost a foot or so, and the bridge itself had settled, as well. When you add weight at ground level it compacts what’s underneath, and that compresses and that is to be expected as you get into this kind of a project. It’s the ‘how much.’"
 
The bridge is designed to take traffic over the railroad tracks and improve safety along that stretch of Highway 97. Murphy says there’s no timeline to resume construction, although he’s hopeful they’ll receive test results in the next couple of weeks, so they can determine their next move. 
 
This the second delay for the $17 million project just north of La Pine. In August, a 173' beam was damaged when it fell while being placed on the structure. Murphy says the project is not yet behind schedule because work was actually ahead of the contracted timeframe when the soil problems were discovered. 

New Mosaic Medical Clinic Planned For Redmond

 

REDMOND, OR -- Thanks to several grants, totaling nearly half a million dollars, Mosaic Medical will open a new health clinic in Redmond, which will include medical, behavioral health, dental, nutrition and pharmacy services. It'll be on the first floor of the Cook Crossing affordable housing complex (pictured), currently under construction on Veterans Way, near Kalama Ave. Mosaic Medical provides medical care regardless of income or insurance status. 

 

The nonprofit received $250,000 from the MJ Murdock Charitable Trust, $138,500 from the Ford Family Foundation and a $75,000 grant from The Collins Foundation for construction of the clinic. New dental services are funded by a $200,000 grant from the Oregon Community Foundation, $2,500 from The Roundhouse Foundation and $1,000 from the Curran Family Fund.

 

The new facility is close to schools, social services and a future transit hub planned for just a couple blocks away. It's expected to open September 12. 

OSP Searches For Escaped Teens

LA GRANDE, OR -- Oregon State Police are searching for two 18-year-old men who escaped from the Camp Riverbend Youth Transitional Facility in La Grande, Tuesday evening. The pair were discovered missing at about 7:50 p.m.

 

Brittain McAuliffe (pictured, left), of Central Point, is white, 5'10", 220 pounds with tattoos on both forearms – one says “Native Pride.” His hair is short on the sides and the top is longer, with a ponytail. McAuliffe wears glasses and was wearing a white tank top, black shorts with a red stripe on the sides, and black and red mid-top shoes. 

 

Micah West, of Salem, is white, 5'11", 155 pounds, with multiple tattoos, including a derringer pistol on one arm. He has an eagle tattoo on his chest and a cross on his left forearm. West is bald and was wearing a dark blue hoodie and blue jeans. 

 

Anyone who sees the pair is encouraged to not approach them, use caution and call law enforcement or 911 immediately.  

Discussion About Changing Bend's Charter Continues

 

BEND, OR -- Changes may be coming to how Bend elects its Mayor and City Councilors. The Council is poised to create a Charter Review Committee at its Wednesday meeting.

 

The group would consider whether future Councilors should be elected based on the geographic area in which they live, instead of the current "at large" system. Councilor Bill Moseley tells KBND News, "It's all fine to build an affordable housing complex or an apartment building on the east side, and generally we don't get any complaints. But, as soon as you want to put one next to the community college, everybody's up in arms. So, the feeling I get from representatives, generally, is that they're not represented well and they think a ward system would do a better job." He adds, "It's accountants and lawyers and doctors, people who are more likely to be activists, be in favor of a particular sub-set of issues around environmentalism, etc; and it kind of tips our politics and doesn't really represent issues that face everyone. I think that if most of the people sitting on the City Council were renters, and their rent was going up 30-40% a year, that we would get an entirely different set of policies coming from City Council than the ones that we have right now."

 

The other big charter change under consideration is whether to allow voters to select the city's Mayor. Moseley says, "I've just almost heard no dissension on whether or not we should have an elected Mayor. Currently, the Mayor is elected by the Council, itself. One of the problems with that is that it's very difficult for us to have a clear community vision that we can put before voters and say, 'is this where you want to go?' Instead, you get these kind of seven disparate voices and it's a little confusing, I think, to the average person living here."

 

If approved, the Charter Review Committee would be appointed almost immediately and would include neighborhood associations and Bend 2030. The group would make recommendations to Council in the coming months, then voters would need to approve any actual changes to the charter. That could happen as soon as November. 

Flags At Half-Staff For Medal Of Honor Recipient

SALEM, OR -- Governor Kate Brown has ordered flags flown at half-staff Tuesday, in honor of a native Oregonian and Medal of Honor recipient who passed away, last week. Arthur Jackson received the Medal of Honor for his courageous actions in the battle of the Pacific Island of Peleliu, code-named "Operation Stalemate II.".

 

The Governor says Jackson represents the best of Oregon and she asks everyone to pause and remember his service and sacrifice. Jackson died June 14, at the age of 92, in Boise, Idaho. 

New Bend Bike Sharing Station Opens

 

BEND, OR -- Bend is a bike-friendly town, but not everyone who visits or attends school here brings their bike. The community bike sharing company Zagster is expanding its options in Bend; they cut the ribbon on a new downtown station, Monday.

 

Casey Bergh, Transportation Program Manager for OSU-Cascades, is excited about how the program will benefit students and visitors. "The annual membership is $30 for the year. The monthly membership is $15. And then a third option is, if someone is just in town for a few hours and they want to get a little exercise or get on a bike, they can rent for $3 per hour." Zagster members use a mobile app to access a code, which unlocks a bike. Bergh tells KBND News, "We're really trying to make it affordable for the community. All the OSU employees and students get free memberships through our sponsorship." He adds, "We just really want to promote that culture of active transportation, so we're kind of taking this step forward. For the university, I think, it's been beneficial, and really just providing a new option for folks to get around and reduce vehicle miles traveled."  

 

OSU-Cascades partnered with Zagster, Visit Bend and the local tech company G5, to open the new station at Bond and Franklin. Bergh says, "One of my responsibilities is to provide better options for students to get to campus, and to get around once they get to campus. So, bike-share for us is a good benefit in that, when people take the bus to campus or carpool, they they can grab a bike at lunch to ride down the street and grab a sandwich or run an errand, or whatever that might be." 

 
So far, there are 30 bikes available at three stations around Bend. Several Local businesses and organizations are involved in the local program and more bike-sharing stations are expected to open later this summer. 

 

Assault Witnesses Sought

 

PRINEVILLE, OR -- Prineville Police are looking for witnesses to Monday evening assault. Officers responded to SE Second St., just before 5:30 p.m. They arrested 19-year-old Noah Lopez-Koops (left) and 18-year-old Andrew Lopez-Koops (center) for allegedly assaulting a family member. 

 

During the altercation, 71-year-old Charles Banks tried to intervene by firing a gun at a fixed object. He was arrested for reckless endangering. 
 
Investigators believe two other men are either witnesses or potential victims. Anyone with information in the case is asked to call Prineville PD at 541-447-4168. 

Prineville Warns Of Uptick In Summer Crime

PRINEVILLE, OR -- Prineville is bracing for an influx of visitors this summer. Police Chief Dale Cummins expects those heading to the Rainbow Family Gathering in Grant County will travel through town over the next 10 days; that event takes place outside John Day, July 1-7. Plus, the city is within the path of totality for the August 21 total solar eclipse.

 

Prineville Police Chief Dale Cummins says, "We only have about 22,000 people in Crook County, currently. We could see three or four times that amount during that time. Anytime you have that kind of population occur, there’s just a certain element of people that come with it that commit crimes." He tells KBND News, "We still have a lot of residents that don’t necessarily lock their doors, or the kids will toss their bikes down in the front yard and run in for dinner and maybe leave them out overnight. And, generally speaking, they’re relatively safe; they’re generally going to be there again in the morning. But, with people that are just wandering through, you never know what you’re going to run into."
 
Chief Cummins says a few precautions will help everyone get through this season safely. "The small town leaving your bike on the front lawn, leaving your generator out somewhere overnight, is just probably not a good idea during these periods, when you have the ability to lock those things up and just reduce your risk." He also suggests locking doors, securing dumpsters and garbage cans to discourage people from going through them and, in general, be aware of suspicious activity.
 
Cummins also warns it could take longer for law enforcement to respond to non-emergency calls, with so many people in town. "We’re going to have a big influx of folks, but the majority of them are going to do the right thing. So, it’ll be a great summer and the businesses are really going to prosper." 
 
 
Eclipse Coverage on KBND is supported in part by Awnings Unlimited. Shade yourself from the sun with Awnings Unlimited at 5541-389-1619 and awningsunlimited.net.

Council Considers Selling Pieces Of Juniper Ridge

BEND, OR -- Bend City Councilors will discuss this week, whether to allow the sale of individual parcels inside Juniper Ridge. Mayor Casey Roats says the city was approached with an offer to buy a parcel inside the under-developed industrial park in northeast Bend. "I believe there's been an offer made. A company is wanting to purchase to relocate their facilities and consolidate a couple of their campuses into one, on one of the vacant parcels of Juniper Ridge. That's pretty exciting for us because there's not been much development up there. And, assuming the Council accepts the offer, we're going to see a significant employer relocate and consolidate their facilities into one."

 

Mayor Roats tells KBND News he can't reveal the name of the company until the procedural change to allow for individual parcel sales is made, and the deal is finalized, "It's a good local company, and we're excited that they were able to stay in Bend because there are other communities in the region that are well-positioned to take that on. And I, as Mayor of Bend, I don't want to lose Bend companies. And, so I'm doing what I can to keep Bend companies here, help them grow and thrive and attract more employers. And, especially traded sector employment, where people are principally deriving their income from somewhere out of the area. Because, the more of that we get, the less dependent we are upon the cycles of our local economy. Anything we can do to smooth out this boom and bust cycle would be a real achievement for the community." 

 

Wednesday's public hearing will take place during the regular City Council meeting. 

Tumalo Water Gets The All Clear

TUMALO, OR -- Tumalo residents are once again cleared to drink their tap water.

 

A potentially harmful strain of E.coli was found in the drinking water during a routine monthly test, last week. Laidlaw Water District Manager Dale Peer tells KBND News, "We have four dedicated sampling sites throughout our system at the far extremes of our system in each direction, and we test each one each month on a rotation basis. One tested positive the first time on the routine, and then when we came back for our retest, we found two stations positive." Crews flushed and chlorinated the system, and after follow-up testing came back negative for the bacteria on Saturday, officials lifted the boil water order for the 130 impacted customers.

 

Peer says they haven't yet tracked down the cause of the E.coli, "Our system is totally enclosed. We go from our well to our sealed reservoir and out the system. And, the first time it sees daylight is when it hits the tap, so it's a really difficult situation to say 'this is what caused it.'"  He adds, "We pump our water from a very deep well, which was negative for E.coli, so we know it wasn't coming from our source."
 
Once the boil order was lifted Saturday afternoon, residents were encouraged to flush their own pipes of excess chlorine. There have been no reports of any health issues. 

Three Central Oregonians Killed In Weekend Crashes

 
GATES, OR -- Three Central Oregonians were killed in two separate weekend crashes. According to State Police, a Redmond couple was westbound on Highway 22 in Marion County, Saturday evening, when the driver, 84-year-old William Bodden, crossed the centerline and hit another car head-on (pictured). He died on the way to the hospital ... His passenger, 77-year-old Diane Bodden, was pronounced dead at the scene. The other driver - a Hillsboro woman - suffered serious injuries. 
 
Later that night, 20-year-old Braden Fillmore, of Bend, drifted off Highway 78 in Malheur County. He overcorrected, crossed the highway and rolled his pickup. Fillmore was pronounced dead at the scene; no one else was involved in that crash. 

Prineville Man Arrested For Redmond COCC Burglary

REDMOND, OR -- A Prineville man is accused of breaking into the Redmond Campus of Central Oregon Community College, Friday. A COCC employee interrupted the early morning burglary. Responding officers stopped a vehicle at First and Veterans Way and arrested 36-year-old Tracy Downing after finding suspected burglary tools in his car. 

 

Investigators executed a search warrant at his Prineville home, Friday afternoon and are now looking into whether Downing may be connected to recent burglaries at the Bend and Prineville COCC campuses. He faces a list of charges including burglary, theft and meth possession.  
 
   
Photos of alleged stolen property, courtesy Redmond Police

Bend To Launch Summer Shuttle

BEND, OR -- Bend City Councilors have agreed to partner with Visit Bend and the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council (COIC) to offer a free summer shuttle service. COIC Executive Director Karen Friend says what’s being called “Ride Bend” is an effort to ease congestion in high-traffic areas, "It will run from 2-10 [p.m.]. The idea was that it would capture people trying to go to dinner; give them both a ride there and home. People kind of recreate in the morning, and that was the timing that would work for people."  She tells KBND News, "It will have 15 minute service; it will be the highest frequency of service in Central Oregon."

 

Bend City Manager Eric King says Councilors realized something needs to be done to mitigate parking and traffic problems. "Especially in the downtown/Old Mill District, if there’s a way to alleviate that through a circulator shuttle. So we’ve worked in partnership with COIC to make that happen." 
 
Friend says this summer is a pilot, "It’s going to be fare free, so no cost to ride. It gets them downtown, Old Mill, Galveston, 14th, OSU. So, breweries and restaurants; sort of doing a circulator." It’ll operate June 23 through Labor Day, through Cascades East Transit.

 

Renovations Planned For New Redmond Hotel

REDMOND, OR -- Plans are underway to renovate one of Redmond’s tallest buildings and turn it into a boutique hotel. The New Redmond Hotel was built nearly 90 years ago, after the original Hotel Redmond burned down at SW 6th and Evergreen.

 

Community Development Director Kate Porsche says a California developer is in the process of buying the three-story building from its current owner. She tells KBND News, "It’s long been identified, in our various plans, as this substantial catalyst project for our downtown. It’s this enormous historic hotel, 46 rooms, that was built back in 1928. And, the rooms upstairs have been sitting vacant since 2005. The downstairs has been active - we’ve got some cool restaurants and things going on; but upstairs, nothing happening." But Alpha Wave Investors LLC plans to change that. Porsche says, "Their plan for renovation is that it’s this authentic historic building, but then with a fresh facelift and some contemporary features." 

 

Redmond is committing a million dollars of urban renewal funds to the project. "There are other funding sources coming into play, including federal historic tax credits and a state historic tax freeze. So, that’s more a matter of them filling out the paperwork and then doing the work in a way that’s still historically sensitive, which is exactly their plan." She says the hotel investment group will "Rehab the building, which is, I think, a treasure to us in Redmond; it’s part of our cultural history. It’s one of only three nationally registered buildings in Redmond. For us, this was a win-win, because it’s that pairing of the historic preservation component and then the reactivation, which we see as a huge benefit, economically, for our businesses, downtown: filling the rooms, bringing people in downtown. Because, when they’re staying, they’re shopping at the shops, they’re eating in the restaurants; they’re spending time in our great community."
 
She says the developer hopes to open it as a boutique hotel by 2019, with rooms costing about $120 a night. Once open, it will be downtown Redmond's only hotel. 

Work To Begin On Cascade Lakes Highway

BEND, OR -- An old wood bridge on the Cascade Lakes Highway will be replaced with a new concrete span, this summer. Work on the Fall Creek Bridge, at milepost 26.57, is expected to begin Monday.

 
Just up the road, the Deschutes National Forest and county road crews will replace the undersized Goose Creek culvert with a new concrete arch culvert, in an effort to enhance fish passage. That project, at milepost 26.85, gets underway in July. 
 
Both projects are funded in part by the Federal Lands Access Program and should be done by late October.

Wildland Firefighters To Train On Sisters Burn

SISTERS, OR -- A group of wildland firefighter trainees will practice their new skills on a small prescribed burn outside Sisters, Thursday. Kassidy Kern, with the Deschutes National Forest, says the 45 recruits spent the last several days in the classroom and practiced with equipment on Wednesday. 

 

Kern says they're now ready to work on a real fire, "While they have learned, theoretically, about putting in a hose lay, now they’re hooking up hoses to an engine or to a pump that would go into a creek; and making sure that the pump works and that the hoses are all hooked up and they have the right fittings. You know, it’s just one of those things where the rubber is meeting the road." She tells KBND News they'll work on a 28-acre burn a mile southwest of the Edgington Road community, supervised by experienced firefighters. "They’ll be able to see the ends of the unit. It’s a matter of, ‘OK, we’re going to put lines around this, so that it doesn’t go where we don’t want it to go.’ We have our hose lays that are going to be ready, and we’re going to cool off the hotspots on the edges. They’re going to learn all of those things that they need to know, whether it’s a prescribed for, in the case of the season, obviously, a wildfire." If conditions allow, fuels specialists will burn an additional 108 acres near Sisters. 

 
The new firefighters are part of the Central Oregon Fire Management Service and will be ready to respond to incidents this season. Kern says, "They’re both Deschutes National Forest, Ochoco National Forest, but also Prineville BLM recruits. They’re going to be people who are going to be wildland firefighting this summer in Central Oregon, but also across the nation." She says that because these firefighters will be trained in the Forest Service Incident Command system, they could be sent anywhere. "The way that we manage fire is the same, whether you’re in Oregon or Tennessee or Alaska."

Bend Fish Ladder Could Revive Trout Populations

BEND, OR -- A new fish ladder will be dedicated on the Deschutes River, Wednesday. Experts say it’ll help native trout move freely between both sides of the North Canal Dam in Bend for the first time in more than 100 years.

 

Upper Deschutes Watershed Council Executive Director Ryan Houston says the $1.6-million dollar project is the result of about seven years of collaboration between three groups. "State Fish and Wildlife Department says, ‘we care about the fish and the health of that population;' the irrigators say, ‘we care about the river and the fish; we also care about our business operations;' and then we as a nonprofit, we say, ‘we care about the river; we also care about the community and the health of the community, which includes the farming community.’ And we ask, ‘How do we put it all together?’ So, these are projects that are fundamentally trying to be win/win."  He tells KBND News, "The irrigators put money in the bucket, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife put money in the bucket; then my organization went to the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, which is the state agency that issues grants for restoration projects, and we were able to secure a grant. So together, those three sources of funding made up the $1.6 million that was necessary."

 
Houston says most people think fish ladders only help salmon and steelhead. But, "In this particular case, salmon and steelhead don’t get this far up the Deschutes and they never have, naturally. So, this is a project that’s really about the resident trout – the ones that live in the river, year round – and, the conservation of those populations and their ability to interbreed with each other, so that we have a stronger fish population, here in the Deschutes." 
 

Until now, fish from the Upper Deschutes, like Redband Trout, were blocked by the dam from mingling with those in the Middle Deschutes, which Houston says put some species at risk. He believes allowing the fish to co-mingle will strengthen their populations. 

OR Congressional Delegation Responds To Shooting

WASHINGTON, DC -- Oregon's Congressional delegation is reacting to Wednesday morning's shooting in Virginia that wounded Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), an aide and two Capitol police officers.
 

Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) spoke at the opening of the Senate Finance Committee. He said, "We all said once again unspeakable violence is coming very, very close to this community." Adding that he's, "Very grateful for the Capitol Police, the first responders who did so much to keep this act of violence from becoming far worse." 

 

Congressman Greg Walden (R-OR) issued a statement saying he's horrified by the evil, cowardly attack and that Whip Steve Scalise (right) is a friend, a good man and a valued member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, of which Walden is the Chairman. 
 
The shooting occurred at a baseball field in suburban Alexandria, VA, where lawmakers were holding an early morning practice for a charity baseball game scheduled for Thursday. Officials say the shooter, identified as James Hodgkinson, died from injuries he sustained in the attack. 

 

Safety Improvements Slated For Deadly Intersection

REDMOND, OR -- Redmond City Councilors unanimously approved a $447,750 contract, Tuesday night, to add left turn lanes to Highway 126 at SW 35th Street, at the western city limits. City Engineer Mike Caccavano says the goal is to improve safety at an intersection that’s seen a number of serious – some fatal – crashes in recent years. "Over a three-year period, where we analyzed accident history, 10 out of the 13 significant collisions there were rear-end collisions; and most of them westbound."

 

Caccavano tells KBND News, "They did traffic studies. We looked to see what could be safety problems and capacity problems at this intersection. And then we look at our Master Plan, which has two projects that impact this intersection. One is to widen Highway 126 from 27th to 35th to add lanes, including the turn lanes. And, also to put a signal there, eventually." There are two new housing developments slated for the area, but he says the intersection doesn’t yet meet the threshold for a traffic light and the city is limited on what else it can do because of the power substation located on the northwest corner. 

 

A mother of two was killed in December, when she turned left on to the Highway from 35th, in front of another vehicle. Caccavano admits this project won’t prevent that type of crash, but says this is just an interim fix. "We got close to the point where we triggered the need for a traffic signal, but we’re not there yet. So that is going to be a longer term solution – some kind of further intersection control."

 

Caccavano says work should begin by the end of June. "Most of the widening is off of the north side. It’ll have significant impact on 35th street as it intersects; that’ll be the construction access. This is just on the north side; the south side should be open most of the time. So, there will be time when there’s detours. There will be time when there’s flagging on the highway." The new turn lanes should be done by the end of October. 

DCSO Searches For Car Chase Suspect

BEND, OR -- The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office continues to search for a man who ran from a car chase, Tuesday night. A deputy attempted to stop the car for traffic violations near the Deschutes River Woods Store, just before 10 p.m. But, the suspect drove off. He took several dirt roads, ignoring the deputy. Eventually, he drove through a property on Comanche Circle, a dead-end road, running over rocks and railroad ties, causing his air bags to deploy.

 

The suspect ran from the scene and, despite a search by the Sheriff's Office, Bend, Sunriver and State Police, along with a Redmond PD K9 unit, he was not found.  Two passengers identified the suspect as 20-year-old Shawn Ison. 
 
Investigators found miscellaneous drug paraphernalia in the car, but otherwise don't know why he took off. Anyone with information on Ison's whereabouts is asked to call non-emergency dispatch at 541-693-6911. 
 
WEDNESDAY MORNING UPDATE: Just after 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, the Sheriff's Office received a call that a man matching Shawn Ison's description was walking on Highway 97 in Terrebonne. A deputy contacted the man who confirmed his own identity. During the investigation, Ison ran toward Lower Bridge Estates. Law enforcement set up a perimeter and began searching for the suspect. A citizen called to report a man was hiding in a large open area used as a drain field for the neighborhood. After a brief foot chase, Ison was arrested without further incident. 

Walden Frustrated With Campground Closure

BEND, OR -- Congressman Greg Walden (R-OR) wants answers to why the Forest Service has shut down a popular Central Oregon campground. The Deschutes National Forest announced this week the Cultus Lake campground and day use area would not open for the summer, because of hundreds of dead and diseased trees that are in danger of falling. The Forest Service says the trees can't be removed until fall when the breeding season for the Northern Spotted Owl is over.

 

Congressman Walden sent a letter to the Forest Supervisor. He says while safety must be a top priority, he's concerned the Forest Service could have acted sooner and not disrupted the summer season. He also wants to know why action can't be taken now, because the Forest Supervisory has said owls are not likely to be living in the campground area. 

 

Walden has requested an in-person meeting with the Forest Supervisor to get answers about when the problem was discovered and what the timeline is to get an environmental analysis. 

Bend Teacher Aims To Erase School Lunch Debt

BEND, OR -- About half of the kids at Bend's Buckingham Elementary qualify for free or reduced breakfast and lunch, and the school cafeteria doesn't turn away students who can't pay. But, with the end of the year fast approaching, the school lunch program has racked up an $800 debt. 

 

Student teacher Michelle Kajikawa started a GoFundMe account to help erase that debt. She says if it isn't reduced, it'll be paid from elsewhere in the budget. "With our particular population at Buckingham, I think they feel that it's better to have fed, healthy kids. That supports learning, and if it sometimes creates a financial challenge at the end of the year, it's worth it to keep kids fed and keep that going throughout the year."

 

As of Wednesday morning, the page has raised $130, but Kajikawa is hopeful they'll meet the $800 goal before school ends next week. She tells KBND News, "I actually got this idea - I can't remember what school it was, but I have some friends that are teachers in the Portland area, and there's a number of Portland Public Schools that have done similar campaigns. Sometimes those campaigns get so lively, people talk about them so widely, one person will step in and pay off the entire balance for the school." 

Tumalo Home Under Construction Damaged By Fire

TUMALO, OR -- A home under construction in Tumalo suffered $100,000 in damage from a fire, Tuesday morning. The homeowner, who lives on-site, reported the blaze on Gerking Market Road, just after 6:30 am. 
 
Firefighters quickly extinguished the flames, but not before it damaged the floor in a second story room. Investigators believe the fire started with stain soaked sawdust in a floor sander. The sander had been used on the new wood floors but was not emptied at the end of the day. It’s not clear if it malfunctioned or if the sawdust spontaneously combusted. 
 
Cloverdale Fire and the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office assisted Bend Fire at the scene. The family's living quarters were not damaged and there were no injuries reported.

Bend Mayor Presents State of the City

BEND, OR -- Bend has felt the pains of recent exponential growth. City leaders will discuss how to manage housing and other issues, in Tuesday evening's "State of the City" address. Mayor Casey Roats will speak at Deschutes Brewery, beginning at 5 p.m. Assistant City Manager Jon Skidmore and Community Services Director Russ Grayson are also scheduled to discuss the planning and projects Bend's future.


Mayor Roats tells KBND News, "I really do believe we're on the path towards meeting a bunch of these needs. And, it's going to take a while for the market to react, and it's going to take a little bit longer for us to finish these plans in these new expansion areas and hopefully create the incentive for folks to want to develop that housing that we need so desperately in those areas." He adds, "I think one of the things we're going to try and do is match livability with these growth needs. And, a lot of these higher density units are going to come in places that don't abut existing neighborhoods. To the extent I can, that's what I'm working on, is trying to meet these needs and yet stay away from existing neighborhoods. That's why I'm focusing on the Central Area, in between Third Street and the Parkway, where there's not a lot of residences."

 

As a fourth generation Bendite, Roats says he's seen a lot of change, "A lot of that comes down to the investments we're going to be making as a community, and the pieces and assets of infrastructure, in particular, that make it that way. So, one of those is land use planning and making sure we have the land we need for employment opportunities and housing, because housing is such a critical shortage. We're prioritizing our resources around the city's core service areas, in particular, the street preservation and maintaining the city's streets."
 
The State of the City event is part of the Bend Chamber's What's Brewing series. 

Families Discuss Suicide Prevention

BEND, OR -- Local school districts and law enforcement agencies are holding community meetings to help parents and teens talk about youth suicide. The second in a series of forums was held Monday night at St. Charles Bend; they're part of the region-wide "Hope and Help" campaign launched last month. Sean Reinhart, with Bend-La Pine Schools says they want to help start the conversation. "It's really about raising the conversations between parents and their children regarding the issue, destigmatizing the conversation around suicide and helping to get out resources."

 

David Visiko, with Deschutes County Mental Health, says the forums help families get started. "I think that this is a community issue. So, we're really trying to engage people to start talking about mental illness to break that stigma; break the silence about talking about suicide. We encourage people, all people to get trained." He tells KBND News that talking about it does not increase the suicide risk, "There's such a silence and stigma around mental health that they're afraid to talk about it with anyone. So, if someone asks that question, they're actually pretty relieved to be able to finally talk about something that's a problem that they think is unsolvable and to be able to talk with a trusted adult who is trained, in order to get the help they deserve."

 

The next Hope and Help forum is scheduled for Wednesday, June 14 at Sisters Middle School. Two more are planned for next month: July 17 at La Pine High School and July 26 at Barnes Butte Elementary in Prineville. All are at 6 p.m. Click HERE for more information.

 

To listen to our full conversation with Sean Reinhart and David Visiko, click HERE

Prineville Responds To Electricity Concerns

PRINEVILLE, OR -- Prineville officials continue to answer questions about electricity, after the Bonneville Power Administration announced it may not be able to generate enough power to accommodate future data centers or solar farms. City Manager Steve Forrester recently told the local Kiwanis Club that despite the concerns, companies are still considering building in the area. "We know we have Apple; we know we have Facebook. We believe that there are other big-named people that are very interested in our community. We’re not allowed to talk about it, and I really don’t know specific names, but what I can tell you is there’s other people actively interested in our community to invest here, besides the ones that we have here now: Apple and Facebook."

 

The BPA announced last month it's working on upgrades that would provide an additional 585 megawatts of electricity. But, Forrester says that may only last 5-8 years, if more than a couple new companies move in. "So, this 585 megawatts could go away very, very quickly. And what that leaves us with is - the updates that I spoke about that are going to come on line in the next couple of years to satisfy what’s already in the queue are going to be used up. Then, the BPA will have to be looking at constructing a new line between the Gorge and Prineville." He says that's why it's important the city and county remain in close talks with the utility, to "keep them aware of the interest level, and make sure that we’re a high-probability user of big blocks of electricity, going forward." Forrester says they also need to push for "an expedited review of getting started on building on what would be a fourth line between the Gorge, where the big power is, to our community."

 

Click HERE to watch City Manager Steve Forrester's full presentation. 

Madras Prepares For Eclipse Trash

MADRAS, OR -- With 100,000 visitors expected in Madras for this summer’s eclipse, the small town is likely to swell to more than 10-times its normal size. And, all those people are going to generate a lot of trash. Madras Sanitary Service has been planning for more than a year. President Melanie Widmer says the big events, like Oregon SolarFest, have done a good job preparing well in advance. "So, they have boxes and carts and things ordered up already. The City of Madras is trying to plan as much as they can, so they have quite a few different things located all over town to try and be as prepared as possible." But, she hopes it will be enough, because her company is now running short on containers. 

 

In a typical summer, Widmer says they handle 800-900 tons of garbage. But, she has no idea what to expect, this year. "For a once in a lifetime kind of thing, everyone is trying to cover all their bases," Widmer tells KBND News. "So our biggest issue we’re anticipating will be the transportation part. In the few days before and after the eclipse, we’re going to shift a lot of our work to the middle of the night, hoping that they’ll be able to get around a little better, then." She adds, "We’ve been making sure that we’re in touch with the city and the Chamber and kind of knowing what their plans are so we can be prepared, so we have the access we need to get to. We’re making sure we’re staffed up." She says she warned employees months ago there would be no time off surrounding the eclipse.  

 

Widmer also says, "We’re looking at some kind of temporary service, some help with hauling all the garbage out of the area. Because there’s no landfill here, everything gets hauled to The Dalles, so we know we may need some extra help getting things trucked out of the area." She points out that could also happen at night, to try and avoid traffic that could stall efforts. "We have room and trailers enough to stockpile some, but we can’t go too long without hauling to The Dalles or we’ll just run out of space to store the garbage."

 

Eclipse Coverage on KBND is supported in part by Awnings Unlimited. Shade yourself from the sun with Awnings Unlimited at 5541-389-1619 and awningsunlimited.net.

Highway 126 Solar Farm Plans On Hold

PRINEVILLE, OR -- Plans for a new Crook County solar farm on prime industrial land near Highway 126 and Millican Road are changing, after the county sent a letter to the Department of State Lands asking them to reconsider. County Judge Seth Crawford participated in a conference call with state officials, last week. He says he's pleased with the new direction. "Where we’re headed now is that they’ve pulled back a little bit, and they’re going to look for some other places that they have land that might be a better fit for this solar. And, just look for some options to find a way to put this [vacant parcel] back into the equation for selling to a larger industrial property."

 

Read more about the Dept. of State Lands' original plans
 

Crawford says he's not opposed to solar power. But, he doesn’t want a solar farm utilizing land he believes could better be used to bring jobs or agriculture to the area. He tells KBND News, "The optimal location for a solar farm is non-productive EFU [Exclusive Farm Use] land. We don’t want to put it on, you know, a great place where you can grow things – green pastures. We want to put it where there’s rocks and sagebrush and different things that – you can’t really graze a cow on it."
 
He’d like to see the development moved to near another proposed solar farm, which is expected to be the largest in the state, with 1500 panels. "That’s going to be about 6 miles down the road, and the Department of State Lands actually owns property very near that. So, what we’re pitching is that’s probably a really good location to switch that lease to; so you could have that lease for the School Fund, so we make sure to get money for the kids. But, we could still keep that prime industrial land that could be sold later to somebody that’s going to bring a lot more jobs and to use the infrastructure that we’ve put in." Crawford believes the disputed property near the Prineville Airport would be better used for industrial development that he says could bring hundreds of jobs to the area. A solar farm typically employs only a couple workers. 
 
Click HERE to listen to our full conversation with Crook County Judge Seth Crawford, or visit our Podcast Page

Cultus Lake Campground Closed For The Summer

LA PINE, OR -- The Cultus Lake Campground and Day-Use area is closed for the summer, due to what officials are calling a “serious public safety hazard.” The Deschutes National Forest announced Sunday the boat launch is still being evaluated for potential opening, this year. 

 

An in-depth review of the trees in the area uncovered at least 160 dead hazard trees and 300 that are diseased and could fall on people. The Forest Service plans to remove the affected trees in the fall, in an effort to reopen the campground for the 2018 season. 
 
They note there are more than 80 other campgrounds within the Deschutes National Forest that will be open this summer. 

Stolen Vehicles Recovered, Suspects Arrested

BEND, OR -- A brief police chase led to the arrest of a suspected car thief, although another suspect remains at large. Saturday morning, Bend Police tried to stop a pickup on Highway 20 near Flint Rock Trailhead, believing the two men in the truck were involved in several thefts in the region. After speeding away from officers, the passenger was dropped off on the side of the highway. Police arrested 48-year-old Christopher Tucker (above) of Bend for two outstanding warrants.

 

The driver continued onto BLM land, where he later ditched the pickup. He was not found, despite an extensive search of the area with a police K9.
 
Investigators later recovered a number of stolen vehicles on BLM property in the Millican area. The two utility trailers, a Bobcat-style excavator, two toy-hauler-style travel trailers, two quads and a side-by-side ATV were stashed in the area; all were reported stolen over the past two weeks.
 
Bend Police continue to look for the driver, as well as others who may be involved. Anyone with information is asked to call non-emergency dispatch at 541-693-6911. 
 
MONDAY UPDATE: Thomas Castiglione (right) was arrested at a local hotel, Sunday. Bend Police say the 38-year-old transient was the driver in Saturday's chase. He taken into custody without incident. Castiglione is charged with Identity Theft, Attempt to Elude, Giving False Information to Police, Aggravated Theft and others. Detectives believe the recovered stolen property (below) is valued at over $200,000.  
 

Women's Defense Class Aims To Prevent Trafficking

 
BEND, OR -- A local anti-human trafficking group has paired up with a Martial Arts studio to offer a unique self-defense class for women, this weekend. Alex Dugan, with the Bend-based tech company Guardian Group, says the first part of the free seminar focuses on social media safety. "We go into the long-distance self-defense, the cyber self-defense; the things that you can do online, on your social media profile to protect yourself from predators marking you as a target." She says predators often groom potential victims through the internet. Dugan suggests not posting on social media about your emotional state, "Because that’s a way that you portray your vulnerabilities and predators like to capitalize on that. The other thing I would say is, don’t share your location; don’t check in to places. People can start tracking that."
 
Whether a woman is online or out in the community, Dugan tells KBND News self-esteem is a big factor in safety. "If an individual or young woman is walking around with her head held high and she’s looking confident, the likelihood of a predator trying to take advantage of her is much lower than it would be if she’s showing signs of sadness or lack of self-confidence."
 
Saturday's seminar takes place at Clark’s University of Martial Arts in northeast Bend, from 11 to 1. Women will also learn hands-on self-defense techniques. Dugan hopes to offer the trainings each month. 

Input Sought On The Future Of Redmond Parks

REDMOND, OR -- Redmond is working to update its Parks Master Plan to determine the direction of outdoor recreational space over the next 10 years. And, the city is looking for more public input.

 

Parks Division Manager Annie McVay says an open house last month provided some good feedback on what Redmond is missing. "We heard a lot about trails; people want more connectivity. They want more experiences like the Dry Canyon, which is a little difficult because the Dry Canyon is pretty unique. But, they really like that idea of recreational trails and connecting our parks together." She says others want more youth sports fields and pickleball courts.
 
She's hoping for more ideas at the next and final open house, Monday afternoon at 4:30, at City Hall. "We've done a survey, we've taken a lot of public input. So, now we're actually forming some solid recommendations that people can respond to. Then we'll have a draft master plan after that, that people can comment on. But, this is the last sort of like input gathering session." McVay tells KBND News getting ideas from the community is key to the entire process, "I think most of it will be guided all by public input. There are some certain maintenance items that aren't as much fun for residents. But, as far as growing the system and adding new things, it'll be almost entirely public input."
 
Click HERE to learn more.

 

Soil Problem Discovered At Future Jail Site

PRINEVILLE, OR -- Plans for the new Crook County Jail have hit a snag. Sheriff John Gautney says the design team is now working with contractors to re-engineer the foundation. "When they came and did the core samples on the soil, in the location where the jail is going to be built, what they found is that the soil there is a little bit too soft based on the seismic regulations for the area."

 

Those changes will likely cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, although Gautney says final estimates are not yet in. "We have to be within the budget," he tells KBND News, "So it’s just a matter of how we get there. We’re looking at cost savings that we can do in order to still have the jail functionable [sic] and still meet budget requirements." In November, voters approved a $10 million bond to help pay for the $17 million project. To offset the foundation changes, Gautney says they'll adjust other components like which building materials will be used. Also, he says they'd hoped to make the inmate housing area two stories so there was room to eventually expand into the second level. But, Gautney says, "At this point in time, it made more sense to reduce the housing level to a single level. That would save us money on construction costs, currently, and it would save us money in the long run on maintaining the building, because the heating and cooling of an area that wouldn’t even be in use for some years."
 
He says such a large project was bound to have some surprises. "It’s a changing target, you know? Our target is we have to hit the $17 million; we have to come in under that. But, how we get there and what change we have to make on the way, that’s constantly changing. It’s just trying to make everything work out and still have the facility functionable [sic] for what we need in order to be able to open up when we’re done building."

 

Crews finished asbestos and lead paint removal at the site, this week. Gautney expects contractors will demolish the existing buildings at the site by next month, with construction slated to begin on the new 76-bed facility by fall. He says, so far, they’re still on schedule to open late in 2018.   

Lost Bend Man Rescued From Near South Sister

BEND, OR -- A 24-year-old Bend man was rescued from South Sister, following an eight-hour operation by Deschutes County Search and Rescue. Adam Redfield activated the “SOS” feature on his emergency "SPOT" device, Wednesday afternoon. He'd reached the summit but reportedly got lost and became disoriented during his descent. International Emergency Response Coordination contacted Deschutes County 911 at about 4:30 p.m. to report the SPOT activation between South Sister and Broken Top, although there was no way to contact Redfield to find out the nature of his problem.

 

Redfield's friends confirmed he set out at 4:30 a.m., intending to summit South Sister and then return home. They described him as very experienced in the back country and avalanche trained. 

 

A DCSO SAR team located his car at the Devil's Lake Trailhead and skied into the Moraine Lake area to search for the man in intermittent rainy conditions. At about 9:10 p.m., they established voice contact with Redfield. They found him in a snow cave at 9:30. He told the team his cell phone battery had died and he wasn't sure the SOS signal had worked; he was preparing to spend the night, although he had not brought overnight supplies.

 

Redfield was cold but unhurt. The SAR team helped him back down to the Cascade Lakes Highway, arriving after midnight.

Police Search For Another Missing Bend Man

BEND, OR -- Bend Police say Emil Johnson, reported missing earlier this week after he failed to show up for work, was found safe yesterday afternoon. But, within an hour of that announcement, officers again asked for the public’s help to find a missing person. 

 

Investigator say 27-year-old Chase Hove hasn’t been seen since leaving his northeast Bend home, Monday. Police believe he may have traveled to southwest Deschutes County, specifically around Cascade Lakes Highway. 
 
Hove is 5'11", 155 pounds with red hair and hazel eyes. He was driving a white 2014 Chevrolet Cruze with Oregon plates 121-HED. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call Bend PD at 541-693-6911.
 
FRIDAY 8:30 AM UPDATE: Bend Police say they located the vehicle in southeast Bend, Thursday night. However, officers and detectives continue to search for Hove. 
 

Local Nonprofit Loses Volunteers To Graduation

REDMOND, OR -- Graduation season is exciting for seniors and families, but it’s a bittersweet time for at least one local nonprofit. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Oregon Director Amanda Gow says she’s losing nearly two dozen volunteers from one mentoring program. "Our school-based program started about three years ago. We piloted the program in the Redmond School District and in our first year we had 15 kids in the program; and now we, three years later, have a 110 and we’re in Redmond School District, Madras and Bend-La Pine." According to Gow, 22 of those 110 mentors are graduating, this year, from Redmond Proficiency Academy, Ridgeview HS, Bend Senior High and Madras HS.

 

She says the kids get together at nearby elementary schools, "They meet once a week in the classroom with their high school ‘bigs’ and work on a variety of things; they might have lunch together, arts and crafts, homework. So, really getting high school kids out of their classroom and giving back to the community and learning about their own leadership skills."
 
Gow says the program was originally designed to help reach young kids who otherwise wouldn’t be served by Big Brothers Big Sisters, but the high school kids end up learning, too. She tells KBND News they realize, "'I do have something to give back and I can be a benefit for somebody; and this little brother or sister really does look up to me and I’m someone to be respected and admired.' For our seniors, I’ve watched, for the last couple of years, the youth write their college essays about their experience with Big Brothers Big Sisters."
 
In the fall, Big Brothers Big Sisters will work to recruit and train replacements for those graduates. 

Fire Damages La Pine Shop

LA PINE, OR -- A large outbuilding was heavily damaged by a Wednesday evening fire, in La Pine. Fire district officials say crews responded to the home on Bristlecone Lane just after 6:15 p.m. They found smoke pouring from the 24'x30' workshop and began pulling a hose line to keep the fire from spreading to the nearby house.

 

The interior of the shop sustained substantial damage, but officials credit the property owner for leaving all doors and windows in the shop closed, which slowed the fire's spread and lessened its intensity. No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire remains under investigation. 

Bay Area Investigation Leads To Bend Drug Arrest

BEND, OR -- An investigation that started at the San Francisco Air Mail facility with Homeland Security and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, has led to the arrest of a 49-year-old Bend man. The feds discovered a substantial amount of MDMA – also known as Ecstasy – in a package destined for Bend. They contacted the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team, which executed a search warrant at an apartment on NE Lotus Drive, last week, along with detectives from the DCSO Street Crimes unit, Bend Police and Postal Inspectors.

 

They arrested Bryan Ross Thomas Boyden and seized evidence of his drug trade, including commercial quantities of LSD and MDMA, several firearms and "illicit financial records." Investigators believe he would purchase drugs from an overseas retailer via the Dark Web, then resell the product throughout Central Oregon. 
 
Boyden faces a list of charges, including manufacturing, possessing and distributing drugs within a thousand feet of a school and money laundering.

Information Sought On Missing Bend Man

BEND, OR -- Bend Police are asking for help in finding a missing 44-year-old man. Emil Johnson left work near 15th and Reed Market just after midnight Tuesday night. He rode his bike south on 15th, toward his home. But, he didn’t show up for his scheduled shift at the Expressway Market and Deli early Wednesday morning, and his friends and family haven’t heard from him.

 
Officers and detectives spent several hours searching for Johnson, but are now turning to the public for help.
 
He is 5'8", 160 pounds with grey hair and blue eyes. Johnson was last seen wearing blue jeans and a white V-neck t-shirt. 
 
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call Bend PD at 541-693-6911
 
THURSDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: Bend Police say Johnson was located and is safe. They received a large amount of help from the community and are "very thankful."

Couple Sentenced For South County Sex Abuse

 

EUGENE, OR -- A couple was sentenced this week to more than 40 years in prison for sexually abusing two children in southern Deschutes County and Lane County. Gregory and Doreen Cater entered guilty pleas in a Lane County court on Tuesday.

 

Prosecutors say they abused two kids multiple times a week over three years, beginning in 2011 when the victims were 9 and 12 years old. They often video recorded their crimes. The abuse was discovered after the couple moved from La Pine to Florence. The Florence Police Department and Deschutes County Sheriff's Office worked with the Lane and Deschutes County District Attorneys to investigate the case. Deschutes County D.A. John Hummel says they wanted to find a resolution that would "bring the Caters to justice while sparing the children the additional trauma of having to testify in court. The two counties’ cases were consolidated to ease the burden on the victims.

 

Gregory Cater was convicted of 78 total counts, including 21 counts of Using a Child in a Display of Sexually Explicit Conduct and 22 counts of Encouraging Child Sexual Abuse. He was sentenced to nearly 46 years in prison. Doreen Cater was convicted of 94 total counts. She also pleaded guilty to sexually abusing an additional 14-year-old. She was sentenced to more than 41 years in prison. Neither is eligible for early release. 

Tips To Avoid Becoming A Victim of Summer Scams

BEND, OR -- Scams can be just as popular this time of year as mosquito bites and sunburns. Whether you’re heading out on vacation, moving or working on home improvement projects, cyber security expert Adam Levin says there are easy ways to keep from becoming a target.

 

Levin tells KBND News vacation rental scams abound, especially for those who choose not to use services like AirBnB. "You go online, you look for what appears to be a deal, you call and talk with somebody or you email somebody; you show up on the appointed day and someone opens the door looking at you strangely. Or, you put your key in the door and someone looks at you and goes ‘what are you doing here?’" But, he says you can avoid being taken advantage of by researching the rental online. "If it says you’re speaking to a real estate agent, then confirm the legitimacy and existence of that agency; you can do that online. You can also check the ad and then match it against other things you may see on Google and if it comes up where it looks like different people are offering the same property for rent that could be an issue."
 
He says young people can easily fall prey to employment scams and identity theft, this time of year. Levin cautions against turning over a social security number too early. "You should never be providing that kind of information until you confirmed it’s a legitimate job with a legitimate organization, you’ve talked with someone from the organization; you confirm that they’re real. Then, if they say, ‘we need to do a background check, we need your Social Security Number for W9 purposes, or whatever,’ then it’s OK. But, you still have to be careful."
 
Summer is also a popular time for door-to-door salesmen. But, Levin warns against turning anything over to a solicitor. Whether it’s a construction worker claiming to be doing a project in the neighborhood or someone who says they represent a local charity, Levin says, "It’s important to have them prove  to you with credentials that they are, or to go online and independently confirm that the company, their business is door-to-door. And don’t give out personal information and don’t simply give someone a check!"
 
Click HERE to listen to our full conversation with Adam Levin, or visit our Podcast Page

 

Viral Post Warns Female Shoppers in Redmond

 

 

REDMOND, OR -- A social media post claiming women are being targeted by a suspicious man at the Redmond Fred Meyer has been shared hundreds of times. But, Redmond Police say it’s only partly true. In the post, a woman says her daughter was followed through the parking lot by a man who ran off after trying to open her car door. She claims the it happened again last weekend and that other women have reported similar incidents to police.

 
Redmond Police Lt. Curtis Chambers tells KBND News the account is loosely based in reality. "Back in February, at about 6:30 in the evening, 

a female caller reported that a male had followed them through the parking lot and attempted to enter their vehicle and then walked off. Redmond Police were called; responded to the area and looked for the subject and did not find the described person." Chambers says, "However, since then there have been no other calls." 
 
Lt. Chambers says social media posts are often based on truth but embellished to garner more shares or re-tweets to gain "viral" status. "While some of these incidents have a loose connection to reality and it may be difficult to decipher what is accurate or not, sometimes the underlying message is still a very good message in the form of safety. Being aware of what’s going on around them, knowing of their surroundings and just being part of where you are at that moment, so you can be safe."  He adds, "Yes, an incident as described in the post did occur back in February. But, that is the only incident that we’re aware of.  Redmond is still a very safe community and people don’t need to live in fear."
 
Redmond PD responded to 165 calls at Fred Meyer, between January 1 and June 6, 2017, which Chambers considers unsurprising given the popularity of the location. He says most of those are "officer-initiated," like traffic stops. Hit and run and traffic complaints are also frequent. 

Central Oregon Fire Season Begins

BEND, OR -- The Oregon Department of Forestry Central Oregon District officially declared Wednesday the start of the 2017 fire season. A strong winter snowpack delayed the on-set of the season, compared to recent years, however forestry officials say limited spring precipitation and warm weather has dried out vegetation.

 

Jean Nelson Dean, with the Deschutes National Forest, says this year is hard to predict, partly due to the recent rain/sun weather pattern. "Looking at the summer, we have obviously some good things going on, with all the water that we got. However, we are seeing some really tall grasses out there - particularly cheatgrass – taller than people have recalled in a long time." She adds, "We could easily get some fire starts out of that, with that tall grass getting under cars and starting a fire. So, that’s one thing we’re concerned about. We’re also, I think for this fire season, concerned about the huge influx of people that everyone keeps talking about." That influx of people is expected for the August eclipse, during the height of fire season.
 
"For the last two years, we weren’t looking at really good fire seasons, and then we didn’t have anything. So, a lot of it comes down to natural ignitions; what kind of lightning we get," says Nelson Dean. "But, this year with the amount of people that we’re going to be seeing – there’s just people packed in all over the place, already." She’s concerned visitors may not realize the importance of following fire guidelines and restrictions. 
 
Those recreating in the forest are asked to be deliberate about dousing campfires and fully extinguish cigarettes. Never leave a fire unattended; clear the area around your campfire of flammable material. Industrial slash and debris burning is now not allowed on ODF protected lands and industrial operations must meet fire prevention requirements. In 2016, human caused fires accounted for 75% of the fires in the Central Oregon District. 

Local Man Hurt In I-5 Work Zone Crash

WILSONVILLE, OR -- A Powell Butte man is one of two construction workers hurt in a hit and run crash near Wilsonville. The Knife River crew was working in a closed lane of I-5 when their construction vehicle was hit by a box truck, early Tuesday morning. According to Oregon State Police, 57-year-old Ronald Davis, of Powell Butte, and 20-year-old Antonio Bahena, of Troutdale, were taken to the hospital with serious injuries. 

 
State troopers located the box truck a short time later, and arrested Colin Cook, a 27-year-old Fairview man, for failing to perform the duties of a driver, assault and reckless driving. He was lodged at the Marion County Correctional Facility.
 
As emergency crews worked the crash site, a black Jeep was reportedly traveling recklessly toward the scene, passing stopped traffic on the shoulder. Troopers arrested that driver on several charges, including reckless driving. 
 
Following the incident, Brian Gray, President of Knife River's Oregon operations, released a statement in support of the injured workers. He also asked drivers to "pay extra attention  and slow down in work zones so something like this never happens again."
 
THURSDAY, JUNE 15 UPDATE: The Powell Butte man hurt in a hit and run crash on I5, last week, has died from his injuries. Authorities say 57-year-old Ronald Davis worked for Knife River and was inside a construction vehicle parked in a work zone, when it was struck by a box truck near Wilsonville. The suspect was later arrested for failing to perform the duties of a driver and other charges and remains in the Marion County Jail.  

First Responders Plan For Eclipse Traffic

BEND, OR -- An estimated one-million visitors are expected in Oregon for the August eclipse, given that the state is the first place to view the solar phenomenon. While Oregon's Department of Transportation works to mitigate problems on highways, local first responders are planning how they will get through all that traffic to emergencies.

 

Nathan Garibay is the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Services Manager. He tells KBND News, "It’s kind of a multi-layer plan that’s still in development. But, we’re looking at where we locate resources so that there’s less travel time through major ‘choke points.’ We’re communicating with Oregon State Police and other law enforcement agencies in the county, as well as the region, and looking how we can better position resources to be able to be closer to incidents when they occur." Garibay adds, "Our staff are familiar with some alternate routes that we might be able to utilize." But he admits, "Ultimately, it’s going to increase our response times. That’s just the reality of the situation. But, we are looking at how we can better position assets to be closer to potential trouble areas."
 
He says potential delays shouldn’t stop Central Oregonians from calling 911 in a life-threatening situation. "It may take a little longer for emergency services, whether that’s law enforcement, fire or EMS to arrive. But, we are working with all our partners to ensure that we can mitigate those response times as best as possible."
 
ODOT warns back-ups are inevitable and officials say cities may close local streets or ban right or left turns to keep traffic moving. Garibay urges locals to pre-plan and try to travel as little as possible in the week leading up to the eclipse.  He says they’re planning for over 200,000 visitors in Central Oregon - or more, if it’s cloudy on the west side of the state.  
 
 
Eclipse Coverage on KBND is supported in part by Awnings Unlimited. Shade yourself from the sun with Awnings Unlimited at 5541-389-1619 and awningsunlimited.net.

County Developing "Lot of Record" Workaround

BEND, OR -- Deschutes County officials are working to prevent some rural homeowners from paying thousands of dollars in extra fees when they try to sell or renovate their property. A land use court case between neighbors has forced the county to upgrade how it determines formal lot lines and proves a property's development rights.

 

County Commissioner Phil Henderson recently told KBND host Lars Larson, "One of the ironies of this, the reason we got into this, LUBA - the Land Use Board of Appeals - is saying we've been less restrictive than state law and that's why they've required us to change this. We actually have a history, in Deschutes County, of trying to accommodate land use and not make it difficult. And that's one of the reasons, I guess it could be argued, that we got into this." He explains, "For instance, if you bought a parcel from your neighbor and you went in and got a septic permit, that would make it a 'lot of record,' under the way we had done it. We're being told that's not sufficient under state law, so that's the kind fo thing we're reacting to."

 

The new state requirement forces property owners to prove they have the right to develop their land prior to getting a building permit, which can cost thousands in city fees and surveyor expenses.

 

The Board of County Commisioners has heard from a number of concerned citizens, and Henderson says there are likely more who are impacted, "It could be hundreds. We have a lot of rural properties that were kind of created prior to our land use system, here." He says officials are devloping a workaround they hope to release in the next couple of weeks. 

Hospital Industry Watches Medicaid, Medicare Talks

BEND, OR -- St. Charles Health System officials are carefully watching discussions in Salem and Washington, D.C. that could dramatically impact the healthcare industry. Last week, the parent company that owns all of Central Oregon’s hospitals announced it is looking for ways to reduce expenses.

 

Chief Financial Officer Jan Welander says the health system is barely making more than it’s spending, partly because of changes at the federal level. "Under the Affordable Care Act, hospitals have been receiving incentive reimbursement over the period of the last two to three years. And, those moneys and programs are starting to decline, or sunset."
 
Welander also tells KBND News talk of cutting Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements is creating even more uncertainty, "Really, legislative changes at the state and federal level are going to impact how much we’re paid for Medicaid and Medicare. We don’t know the magnitude of those impacts yet, but Medicaid and Medicare account for 75% of our business. So, any changes in the federal and state level can have significant impacts for us." She adds, "Everything that happens on the federal level and the state level are of the utmost importance. All of those things point to this is a new normal; that there is not an end in sight to the challenges that healthcare faces."
 
Last week, St. Charles Health System announced it is reevaluating plans for a new patient tower at the Bend hospital. The $66 million construction project will move forward, but Welander says designers are looking for ways to reduce the cost of operating the new facility.

 

Deschutes County To Debate Budget

BEND, OR -- Deschutes County Commissioners and Budget Committee members have proposed a $358 million budget for next year, which is a 4% increase over this year. It includes a million dollars for a Bend Crisis Stabilization and Sober Center, which the Sheriff has said will deal those in crisis better than the jail. 

 

The proposal also includes a number of capital projects, like $650,000 to improve Old Bend-Redmond Highway, and money to finish several road projects near La Pine, along with completion of a new 911 Dispatch project.

 

County officials are asking to add staff to the Community Development Department as demand for applications increases. And, both the Department of Solid Waste and the Deschutes County Fair and Expo Center continue to plan for future expansion and development. 

 

The budget proposal will be debated this week, with final deliberations scheduled for June 26. 

One Killed In Highway 97 Crash Near La Pine

LA PINE, OR -- One person was killed in a fiery crash north of La Pine that shut down Highway 97 for six hours, Monday afternoon. State Police investigators say a Silverton man was northbound at 1:30 p.m. when, for an unknown reason, his pickup crossed into oncoming traffic, near Wickiup Junction. 

 

He collided head-on with a semi-truck pulling a load of apple juice, causing the tractor-trailer to roll into the ditch. The pickup caught fire and the driver was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity has not yet been released
 
The driver of the semi, a 29-year-old Arizona man, was evaluated at St. Charles Bend for minor injuries. 
 
UPDATE: Oregon State Police say the driver killed was 69-year-old Frederick Holmes Winkler, of Silverton. 

Sisters Burn To Send Smoke Into The Area

SISTERS, OR -- Fuels specialists are burning 200 acres, about four miles southwest of Sisters, Monday. The prescribed burn is aimed at decreasing hazardous fuel accumulations adjacent to the city and surrounding communities. While smoke will impact Highway 242 and Highway 20, no road closures are expected. 

 

Central OR Liquor Retailers Sought By OLCC

BEND, OR  -- Oregon's Liquor Control Commission hopes to expand the number of distilled spirits retailers in Central and Eastern Oregon. Christy Scott, with the OLCC's Bend office, says, "One of the things that we've been hearing over the last several  years, is that customers are really looking for added convenience for distilled spirits. There's a lot of popularity around distilled spirits; you know, whiskey is a huge booming category. And, as the popularity increases, people are looking for better access to it."

 

She says it's really a question of supply and demand in rural areas, "This is a very large area, a 14-county area." And, supply has not kept up here or across Oregon. "If you look at the number of beer and wine retailers that we have compared to distilled spirits retailers, we have less than 300 distilled spirits retailers across the state; and we have thousands of beer and wine retailers across the state."

 

The OLCC is asking people to apply, and Scott tells KBND News applicants should be innovative, "You want to do a full-service liquor store, then send a proposal in for a full-service liquor store. If you're a grocery store and you want to add a distilled spirits section - or, let's say you have another retail business like shoes or records or whatever it may be and you want to add a distilled spirits section to that, send your proposal in for that, as well."

 

The agency will host a town hall June 14, 2-4 p.m. at the downtown Bend Library, to answer questions about the process. Applications will be accepted through July 31. They're expected to approve 10 new retailers in October. The state is on pace to add 43 locations over the next two years. 

Three Teens Arrested For Sisters Arson

 

SISTERS, OR -- Three kids were arrested over the weekend, in connection with last week’s fire at the baseball field between Sisters Middle School and Sisters Christian Academy. On May 30, firefighters extinguished a small blaze at the snack shack. A concerned citizen tipped off the Sheriff’s office that three 13-year-olds might be involved. 

 

The teens were interviewed and admitted to starting the fire with gasoline and a lighter. Investigators say it was apparent there was no intent to harm anyone and charges of criminal mischief and arson stem from the property damage. One suspect is also charged with minor in possession of alcohol. 

Terrebonne Teen Rescued After Fall At Smith Rock

TERREBONNE, OR -- A 14-year-old from Terrebonne was rescued after a 20' fall at Smith Rock State Park, Saturday evening. Just before 8 p.m., the victim’s friend called 911 to report he had fallen into a canyon while climbing on rocks in the northeast area of the park. His injuries were non-life threatening, but Search and Rescue responded to pull him out. 

 

Just after dark, a team of more than a dozen, using head lamps and flashlights, set up a rope rescue system. At about 10:45, he was hoisted out of the canyon and turned over to his waiting father. 
 
The Sheriff’s Office says the fall was likely the result of carelessness. The two boys had been scrambling on rocks in an area of vertical rock faces without any climbing equipment, training or experience.

Former La Pine Man Killed in Douglas County

MYRTLE CREEK, OR -- A Myrtle Creek man is accused of killing a 26-year-old, and kidnapping his girlfriend and 10 month old baby. The couple had recently moved to Douglas County from La Pine.

 

According to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Brandon Michael was shot several times on May 30. His girlfriend, 23-year-old Kayla Viol, told investigators she and her baby were kidnapped and taken to a home in Myrtle Creek, but was able to escape to a neighbor’s and call for help.  

 

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office arrested 34-year-old Troy Phelps was Friday on charges including Murder and Kidnapping. Michael's body was recovered from near the Lawson Bar area; an autopsy confirms he was killed by a small caliber handgun. 

Mascot Statues Installed At Redmond City Hall

REDMOND, OR -- Redmond's City Hall now features bronze statues celebrating the various stages of the building's history. "When we decided to make this city hall, one of the themes was to maintain some linkage to the building's past," says Redmond Mayor George Endicott. "We've done that in a few ways. If you walk around, you see all the pictures of former students, placards outside of doors that say what the office used to be. And, one of the other things that we decided to do was to capture the mascots that used to be here."

 

To do that, the city commissioned Redmond artist Kim Chavez to create sculptures of each mascot. "Redmond Union High had the Panthers; Redmond Junior High had the Wolf, and Evergreen Elementary had the Eagle," says Mayor Endicott.

 

Jackie Abslag, with the city, says, "They're 3/4 sized, life-like." Endicott says they are, in fact, quite realistic. "I literally went over and got in front of that Panther, and I squatted down and looked in his eyes, and I thought it was going to jump off that pedestal and eat me!"

 

Endicott says the statues' $27,500-dollar price tag was factored into the overall budget for the building's renovation. They were just installed this week, and City Councilors are expected to dedicate the sculptures later this month.

 

A panther, wolf and eagle can also be found in a stained glass mosaic above city hall's north staircase.  

Cougar Butte Fire Investigation Continues

BEND, OR -- Last week's Cougar Butte Fire, west of Bend, provided an early season test of the new Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch center. The paint was barely dry when the Cougar Butte fire broke out last Friday. Investigators are now looking into the blaze, which burned 170 acres before it was contained Monday.

 

Kassidy Kern, with the Deschutes National Forest, says they've determined a point of origin. "This is a human-caused fire; there was no lightning in the area. You have two causes for a fire: it's either natural, meaning a lightning cause, or you have a human cause. And in this case, you have a human-caused fire." But she tells KBND News it'll likely be a while before more is released. "Even though sometimes we can determine the point of origin very quickly, and determine what that is, now it's a matter of seeing if there was malicious intent and perhaps going after an individual or individuals and pursuing it that way."
 
Kern says the new dispatch center performed just as expected, "Really, the benefit of this, there are very large windows in the front, so our dispatchers can actually see out on the Deschutes National Forest. And, they actually spotted the smoke from here in Redmond. It was just a very easy tie for them to have a very real time look at what was happening. We were dispatching aircraft out of here; we were dispatching engines." Kern says the blaze spread quickly because the Manzanita trees in the area were still dormant from winter and hadn't yet soaked in moisture from the wet spring. 

Deschutes Riv. Bridge Advances Out Of Committee

SALEM, OR -- The full Oregon Senate will vote on whether to allow construction of a pedestrian bridge over the Deschutes River in Bend. A Senate Committee voted three-to-two to advance the bill with an amendment proposed earlier this week by the Bend Parks and Recreation District. 

 

Senator Michael Dembrow (D-Portland) chairs the committee and supported the move. "This is a complicated issue that will be with the citizens of Bend, I think, for a while. But, the -4 amendments seem to have the benefit of dealing with the Urban Growth Boundary part, decisively, and open the door for the other." The amendment would only allow a bridge to be built on a narrow piece of US Forest Service land, and would require an environmental impact study before construction could be approved. 

 

A number of area homeowners oppose any bridge over the river, and didn't want any exceptions that could allow it. Senator Alan Olson (R-Canby) voted against the bill. He says, "The process has taken a long, long time, and it's come to us to be the arbiters. I sincerely believe that since Bend went through the process with [State] Parks and Parks said 'no,' that bothers me tremendously."  But Sen. Floyd Prozanski (D-Eugene) says this isn't the end of the process. "We're not giving them a pass on anything. They actually have to go through the same process and procedure. But, it does, in fact, give everybody on either side of this the perspective of where this bridge would be and will be, if it is successfully sited."

OSU-Cascades Closer To Fundraising Goal

BEND, OR -- OSU Cascades is hundreds of thousands of dollars closer to its fundraising goal, for construction of a new academic building at the Bend campus. The university received a $500,000 gift from The Bend Foundation, this week, and another $75,000 from the Brooks Resources Corporation.

 

The contributions bring the total raised for the campus capital expansion to $6.9 million. The Oregon State Legislature requires a $10 million match for the $69.5 million requested of the state.

 

Campus officials say the future academic building will include classrooms and labs, and will focus on "STEAM" subjects: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math. 

Wildfire Dispatch Center Opens In Redmond

REDMOND, OR -- State and federal forestry officials cut the ribbon on the new Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch (COID) center, Thursday morning. Speakers at the ceremony noted how the new facility next to the Redmond Airport is dramatically larger and more efficient than the previous COID center in Prineville.

 
Mike Shaw is the Central Oregon District Forester for Oregon's Department of Forestry. He tells KBND News it also provides a way for the multiple agencies that respond to wildfires to work better together. He says the multi-agency project has been in the works for about 20 years, "I think this really kind of shows the value of those relationships and how we come together in emergency situations and the things we encounter in our individual agencies. As a group, we just do a really good job together and this just kind of exemplifies that effort."
 
The new facility puts dispatchers on-site with the crews they're sending out to fight wildfires. Shaw says, "This is state of the art, it gives us a little more space and the ability to grow and expand as necessary. But really, the key is the technology and the space and the ability to allow our dispatchers to do their job more efficiently and effectively."
 
Beyond Central Oregon's fire season, the new COID center is expected to help mobilize units responding elsewhere in the region and across the country. "When we support other regions in their fire season, we use these facilities to filter resources through and help mobilize them to help out in other areas. So this will now be able to be utilized as a hub in that arena, so that resources from the northwest can be sent other places and they can come through here and mobilize and be dispatched out of here," says Shaw. And, there are plans for the site, in the event of a catastrophic Cascadia Quake. "This now has the technology, if something occurs on the west side and there's challenges with certain infrastructure, we have some abilities here that we didn't have before. So, it really opens up a lot of doors, is really what it boils down to."
 
The new COID center has already been put to the test ... It was used during last week's Cougar Butte fire southwest of Bend. Shaw said aside from a few minor hiccups - which they expected - everything performed well.

 

Photos: 

Top: The heads of the Deschutes National Forest, Prineville BLM and Crooked River National Grassland join the Redmond Mayor, Oregon Dept. of Forestry Central Oregon Forester and the USFS Director of Fire Aviation to cut the ribbon outside COID's new facility in Redmond.

Upper Right: Dispatchers now utilize more efficient workstations and "exponentially larger" wall maps at the new facility, compared to what they had in Prineville.

Left: The new dispatch center is at the Redmond Air Center, putting dispatchers on site with the aerial fire crews they send out to fight wildfires. 

Prineville Man, Roommate Arrested For BHO Operation

PRINEVILLE, OR -- Prineville Police arrested a 21-year-old man and a juvenile on charges of illegally producing butane honey oil (BHO) at their home. Police received a tip that William Ray Lockman, Jr. and his underage roommate were producing and selling marijuana extracts at their Larry Ct residence.

 

After a search of the property, officers found items used in the manufacture of marijuana. The two are charged with Manufacture of Cannabinoid Extract, Delivery of Marijuana Extract and Unlawful Possession of Cannabinoid Extract. 

St. Charles Reevaluates ICU Tower Plans

BEND, OR -- St. Charles Health System is taking a hard look at plans to build a new patient tower at the Bend hospital due to shrinking profits. Chief Financial Officer Jan Welander says there are two big steps St. Charles is taking to try and rein in expenses. "We are taking a second look, or a fresh look, at some of our larger capital projects – the investment in the building that we’re doing. That does include the north, or the 'ICU Tower,' as it’s often called. Our design team is reviewing the scope of the building and we’re trying to determine if there are some modifications that are warranted, given our economic condition." 

 

She says funding the $66-million project has been secured and the budget isn't changing. The original plan was for two- to three-dozen Intensive Care beds, replacing the 18 currently available at the Bend hospital; and shelled-out space for future use, including more medical beds. Welander says the team is now looking at increasing efficiencies to lower operating costs, "Is there a different way to think about how, if we scale the shelled out space differently, how many beds can we make operational within the $66 million so that community has faster access to those? Our dialog, though, remains a complete commitment to the ICU beds, so that’s not a component of the project that we’re asking the team to look at."

 
The company is also evaluating every new and replacement job opening. Welander says both moves are a response to deteriorating financial performance. "The trend started last fall and is like what many other health systems in the state and the country are experiencing. Compared to last year, so far, year-to-date through April, we have a very tight operating margin at .3%; so we’re barely making more money than we’re spending."

 

She believes the industry is seeing shrinking profits partly because rising deductibles force people to think twice before seeking treatment and, a number of hospital reimbursements provided under the Affordable Care Act are starting to sunset. Welander tells KBND News, "Our focus is on the best care for the best value. We understand that we have to make healthcare more affordable to make it sustainable and this is simply the new normal. I think it’s good for us to recognize St. Charles and other healthcare providers are going to be having ongoing conversations in this vein, and focusing on quality and eliminating waste from healthcare."

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