Redmond High School’s main building is closed as maintenance crews tackle asbestos removal and major infrastructure repairs. Superintendent Dr. Charan Cline says the work expanded after crews drained the school’s aging heating and cooling system and found two boilers cracked open from years of continuous operation. Cline tells KBND News the district now plans to remove more asbestos than originally expected, adding significant cost to the project. Students will remain in temporary classrooms while construction continues. District leaders say the goal is to address as much of the hazardous material as possible while the building is already under repair.

Gas prices are still climbing, though not as sharply as earlier increases. Triple-A’s Marie Dodds says a pause in the fighting in Iran helped calm pump prices somewhat, but concerns remain over the Strait of Hormuz. Roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil and refined products move through that narrow waterway, and any disruption can drive crude prices higher on fears of tighter global supply. Nationally, regular gas rose eight cents this week to $4.10 a gallon. Oregon’s average increased seven cents to $4.64. In Bend, drivers are paying about $4.52 a gallon, up nine cents from last week.

The Oregon Department of Human Services is asking for help finding two missing children from Bend.

Ten-year-old Julian Hawes and nine-year-old Mahina Hawes were reported missing last Thursday the 23rd and may be in Bend or Redmond.

Julian is 4-foot-6 with short blond hair and green eyes.

Mahina is 4-foot-2 with shoulder-length sandy brown hair and green eyes. Anyone who sees them should call 911 or local law enforcement.

Bend firefighters battled two fires Sunday afternoon, starting with a fast-moving brush fire behind the Red Lion Hotel on Butler Market Road. Crews, with help from Bend Police and the U.S. Forest Service, stopped the flames at just over an acre before the hotel was damaged. Guests were briefly evacuated, and Butler Market Road and part of the southbound parkway were impacted. Investigators say the fire appears to have started from an abandoned fire in a houseless encampment.

While crews were mopping up, a house fire broke out on Starling Drive. Officials say food left on a stove caused about 100-thousand dollars in damage. The occupants had returned home earlier in the day and accidentally left food on the stove as they left again. Red Cross is helping the homeowners.

Deschutes County leaders say fire crews are stretched thin after Wednesday’s storm sparked dozens of new fires. Commissioner Phil Chang says the region is already at Preparedness Level 5, meaning aircraft, crews, trucks, bulldozers, and other firefighting resources are deployed. Chang tells KBND News residents can help by avoiding preventable fire starts, especially with dry vegetation, volatile weather, and at least two months left in the typical fire season. He says crews are responding strategically and safely, despite being under pressure from two lightning storms in seven days. Stage 2 public use restrictions begin Saturday, banning campfires on all public lands, including campgrounds.