COTV’s's "Talk of the Town" gave Tom Greene and Phil Henderson another chance to debate. The two Republican candidates are competing to take on current Commissioner Democrat Alan Unger in the fall.

Foreclosures and short sales continue to go on the market in Central Oregon, but realtors say its not decimating the market as feared. Builders are starting to build again because inventory is getting so low.

Teddy Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, will be speaking at McMenamins Old St. Francis on Wednesday, May 9^th, as a fundraiser for the Des Chutes Historical Museum.  Museum Director Kelly Cannon-Miller says the Oregon Historical Society and Wells Fargo are bringing the "Teddy Roosevelt's Oregon Road Show" to several Central Oregon venues next week. "He will extemporate.  There will be a question & answer. And then we will be doing a special raffle to support the Museum but to buy tickets to win something from Teddy himself.  The clever among your listeners will probably figure out what item Teddy will be giving away but I won't spoil it, you'll have to come see." Cannon-Miller says the nation's premiere "Teddy Roosevelt" impersonator,  Joe Wiegand, will be joined by Wells Fargo History Museum's Steve Greenwood, who will talk about the history of Wells Fargo. She says although Teddy never came to Central Oregon, his role in conservation had a huge impact on our area. Space in the McMenamin's theatre is limited; you can buy advance $5 tickets at the Des Chutes Historical Museum ($10 at the door). The event is at 11 a-m May 9th.

Currently there isn't a wolf problem in Crook County,. but there is in Wallowa County; and that means there could be a problem in the future. Crook County is holding an informational meeting tonight to inform farmers what can be done to protect their livestock from wolves.  Crook County Commissioner Seth Crawford: “Well, currently there have been some sighting, but not any definite wolves in the community. That's why its the best time to start up Wolf Depredation Committee. We can get our plans in place before it becomes a problem.”  The meeting is tonight at COCC in Prineville from 6 to 8 :30 p.m. The money for the program comes from the Department of Agriculture to help pay for non-lethal means to protect livestock from wolves.

The High Desert Museum has planned some very interesting and educational events for the summertime. Spokesperson Melissa Hochschild says beginning Tuesday, they will have longer hours - from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

She says the animal exhibits are a big draw for the Museum. "Coming at the end of May, we'll start all of our summer programs, and that's 2 animals shows daily with our mammals and birds. And we have “Raptors of the Desert Sky” where our birds fly free in a setting out in the woods while naturalists interpret their behaviors. And we've got people out at the cabin every day. Things are hoppin' and that starts Memorial Day weekend." Hochschild says the Museum gets about 150,000 visitors each year; the bulk of them on weekends. But it's such a large place, it never seems crowded. She says in addition to more programs and exhibits, summer rates will also be in effect beginning tomorrow.

The City of Sisters is courting a local brewery that wants to expand. Three Creeks Brewing Company plans to grow its business by deciding to bottle or can its products. The City is offering an incentive for Three Creeks to stay in town.  According to an article in the Bulletin, last night the City Council voted 3-2 to discount sewer rates at the new production facility. The brewery would get a 30% rate reduction, with a maximum cut of 10,000 each year. The agreement also stipulates that Three Creeks put money toward future upgrades to the city's waste treatment system.

More changes in La Pine. The first Director of the La Pine Park and Recreation District has resigned. Justin Cutler, 31, has accepted a job on the Oregon coast and will be stepping down around the first of June.  He will become the General Manager of the Sunset Empire Park and Rec District in Seaside, Oregon. The Chair of the Parks DistrictBboard says the Board hopes to hire a part-time interim director, then possibly a retired local resident with parks district experience.

A man called, "The Prophet of Doom" tells local community disaster volunteers what they might face someday.  "Of all the disasters that could happen in the Pacific Northwest, the one that scares emergency preparedness people the most is a massive offshore earthquake that ruptures the 700-mile long earthquake fault that sits about 75 miles off our coast.   An event that would be very similar to the event that happened in Japan."  James Roddey is a disaster consultant hired to speak at Thursday’s Disaster Preparedness for Community Responders held in Bend. Roddey says most people think a coastal earthquake wouldn't have much impact in our area. "Power will probably be off. Food and fuel shipments will be disrupted.  Highways across the Cascades will be damaged. I-84 will be closed. So, there’s certainly the possibility that even east of the cascades, communities will be isolated for a long time. " Roddey says its possible large numbers of disaster refugees could end up in Bend and Redmond. 

It’s a move that could save 17 Bend postal jobs. The Postal Reform Bill passed by the U.S. Senate yesterday likely means Bend will keep its mail-processing center. "The 21st Century Postal Service Act" includes provisions that require the postal service to maintain overnight delivery for certain pieces mailed within the same processing area.   The U.S. Postal Service in February announced its intentions to close all processing centers in Oregon except those in Portland and Medford; that means Bend would close. Post Office officials have said that closing the bend center could save the postal service as much as $2.1 million a year.

The owners of the resort development Pronghorn will receive a default notice from Deschutes County Commissioners this week. The Commissioners voted on Wednesday to take action to pressure the resort to start building their promised hotels. Deschutes County Commissioner Alan Unger says they have 30 days to try and resolve the issue. “I think the County's legal team had lots of discussions with the owners and legal representatives of Pronghorn. It's our hope they plan to move forward to build overnight units and keep Pronghorn in a successful building mode.” State law requires destination resorts to offer overnight lodging.

Pronghorn is supposed to have 192 units, but has only built 48 so far.

Home sales in Central Oregon are picking up, and local realtors say they're doing a brisk business. Sales during the first quarter in 2012 hit a five year high. In Bend, 424 homes have sold since January, compared to 400 in 2011 and 350 in 2010. Realtor Terry Skjersaa with Duke Warner Realty says he's keeping busy.

The Crook County Sheriff continues to search for missing Robert Alan Bucknell, 55, of Prineville. The last time someone heard from Bucknell was March 28^th, as far as the Crook County Sheriffs Office can ascertain. His car - a 1989 tan Jeep Cherokee was found on private property near the Prineville reservoir. Bucknell is 5’ 11”  with brown hair and blue eyes. The Crook County Sheriff's Office does not suspect foul play at this time, but police are hoping someone in the community has information about Bucknell. We have posted a copy of the missing person flyer with this story.

For 10 years, Dottie the dog has brought smiles and comfort to many, and she's been inducted into the Oregon Animal Hall of Fame for her efforts. Dottie's owner, Christina Lewis, owner and manager of the Eagle Inn Adult Foster Home and the Shepherd's House was thrilled to learn of the honor, especially now, because Dottie is facing health issues of her own: “She spends a lot of time with my clients. Dottie has done this pretty much since the day she was born. I got Dottie 10 years ago actually and it's kinda funny to hear the story that she's awesome because Dottie’s got a lot of health problems. She has an enlarged heart, she's going blind, and she has a thyroid that does not work." Lewis says she initially bought Dottie to be a companion to her ailing husband who died several years ago, and then just began bringing Dottie to work and she instinctively knew what to do to comfort her clients. Dottie was honored at a special dinner and ceremony at Oregon State University last week.

And you thought you got a good deal on a refinance; the City of Bend is restructuring some debt and saving $2.5 million. In fact,  on some bonds the City reduced its rate from 5% to 1.5%.  Finance Director Sonia Andrews says the City will continue to take advantage of low rates in the future. "And the savings is through the life of the debt. So for example the police station debt,we're able to reduce the annual payments to about $63,000 year." And that adds up to almost a million dollars over the life of the loan.  In that example the city's rate went from 4.96% to 2.60%.

Developer Phil Henderson has raised more money than his opponent Tom Greene. The two Republican County Commissioner candidates are facing off in the primary in their bid to face Democrat Alan Unger in the general election.  As of Monday, Henderson had reported raising $8000 through cash contributions and personal loans to his campaign. By contrast, Bend City Councilor Tom Greene was showing $4000. The largest contributions were from the Central Oregon Builders Association, Central Oregon Association of Realtors and fellow City Councilor Scott Ramsay.  Tom Greene told the Bulletin that its harder to raise money now than when he ran for city council; and that a lot of people aren't very interested in funding primary elections.

1110 KBND will bring you more information when its available.

Bend La Pine Schools has been operating with a fiercely reduced budget for several years now, and keeping within that budget, Superintendent Ron Wilkinson says he's reorganized the District to be in a great place.

The latest homeless numbers in Central Oregon are down slightly, and they show decreasing numbers of homeless children. The numbers are still too high, but Julie Lyche with the Family Access Network speculates on what the numbers mean: “I believe there's a leveling off of people. It doesn't mean the issues are any less intense for families, but some of our families chose to leave our area to find work in other places.” Area school districts have seen a decrease of more than 600 students in the last four years.

It’s estimated to cost as much as $170 million: a huge Bend sewer project. Friday in Bend, citizens can find out more about the huge idea at a special Chamber Town Hall breakfast. City Manager Eric King says they don't have the money to pay for the whole thing in the near future.  "What most likely is an outcome is a focused public improvement program, where we focus with our infrastructure improvements on a specific area of town,  the goal is to have shovel ready employment land. That’s what Bend is deficient in, and without that, land prices go high, we become less competitive. And we don’t attract the type of businesses that we want here to continue to diversify the economy." King says they are also trying to find ways to pay for necessary improvements without a huge increase to local sewer rates. The Bend Chamber Breakfast meeting on the sewer system for Bend is at 7:30 at the Bend Golf & Country Club.

Legislation is passed that will bring help to Oregon's homeless and at-risk veterans. Representatives Gene Whisnant of Sunriver and Jason Conger of Bend championed House Bill 4027, that provides immunity from civil liability to registered volunteers that provide services such as medical, dental and pharmacy to the homeless and at-risk citizens through charitable organizations. Today, the Central Oregon Veterans Outreach, Bend's Band of Brothers and the Partnership to End Poverty are honoring Conger and Whisnant at a breakfast. COVO spokesman Chuck Hemmingway says the legislation was a real breakthrough to help vets; and honoring the lawmakers is long overdue: "It's a long overdue recognition. Representative Whisnant took up the banner for us in the 2011 Legislation session, and because of some objections, that bill didn't get through. But he had the wherewithall, the stamina to reintroduce it again and Jason Conger, who's a part of that committee, and they shepherded it through the Senate side of the House. This wouldn't have happened if it weren't for two of them." The breakfast is at Jake's Diner beginning at 11 a-m.

Sunriver unveiled its new $18 million Aquatic Center over the weekend, with a ribbon cutting. The new facility won't actually open until the end of the month though. But Brooks Snavely with the Sunriver Owners Association expects it will be a huge boon to the area. “We have nine full time managers and we'll have up to 30 seasonal people working there. It's been a big impact on the local economy and it has been since it started construction 14 to 15 months ago.” The indoor facility will open its doors to the public on Monday, April 30th. The outdoor features will open on May 26th.

U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon wrapped up his "Made in Oregon" manufacturing tour in Bend. The Senator traveled to Portland, Eugene and Medford in addition to Bend, to hear from manufacturing leaders about how to keep and grow those jobs here. “I did a series of visits. I went to AE Solar, Deschutes Brewery and held a round table with five to 6 other groups. Really, each company has its own story. But the issues that came up are work force, education, healthcare and access to capital.” Senator Merkley plans to compile a list of the findings from the four roundtables. He promises to look for ways in which the federal government can help grow manufacturing jobs.

A big goal is reached, and thousands of people will be helped.

The United Way of Deschutes County announced that its not only reached the fundraising goal of $1.2 million;  it's been surpassed as donations continue to come in. Spokesperson Darlene Rodgers says the number of those needed help from the services they fund is astounding. "Last year, we served over 72,000, in the sense of the programs we help fund. We served over 72,000 individuals. And these are not individuals counted multiple times. These are one-time individual counts. And that is nearly 1 in 3 residents of Deschutes County. So obviously, there are many people out there needing assistance." Rodgers says the United Way focuses on four key priorities: meeting people's most basic needs, giving every child the opportunity and a good start on life, protecting those most vulnerable from violence and abuse and keeping youth on track. She says they may have reached the goal, but the need continues and they are open to accept donations all year long. 

The Central Oregon Community College Board has voted to increase tuition from $76 per credit to $82 as of this coming summer term, June 25^th. COCC President Jim Middleton says they need the additional money to make up for dwindling state support and lower property tax revenues. “We're really funded in 3 areas: State funding, property taxes and tuition. The State had to cut 3%- 7% for next year. Local property taxes, another 1%.” Middleton says compared to the other community colleges in Oregon, COCC is still very competitive, coming in at the third lowest price in the state. COCC is earlier they held tuition steady for several years and now they are playing catch-up. The COCC Board met and approved the tuition hike on Tuesday night. 

Apparently, Kona was shot with a .22-caliber gun. That's the same gun type that injured a dog just a few days ago; that dog also had to be put down. The owner, Marcus Darms said Kona was a very good dog and not aggressive and never left the yard. He says his kids are terrified. Redmond Police would like to hear from anyone with information about this crime; you can remain anonymous.

Ten new businesses are starting up in downtown Bend. The head of the Downtown Bend Business Association, Chuck Arnold, says he's seen the most active quarter on record since he started tracking occupancy more than five years ago. Darren Powderly with Compass Commercial Real Estate Services says this bad economy really showcases the efforts of the Downtown Bend Business Association: “And they are keeping our downtown vibrant during probably the most horrendous economic downturn of our entire lives. My hats off to them, I thinks it’s a very valuable association for the downtown businesses to have. And people come to Bend’s downtown because its so quaint and so unique.” The occupancy rate is 92% for the first quarter of 2012; and year over year sales for existing businesses have edged up slightly.

Local candidate Tim Knopp is reacting to the news about Rick Santorum dropping out of the Presidental Primary: “I don’t think that was totally unexpected. We kind of expected that the race would narrow before it got to Oregon. So it’s disappointing in many ways, that we’re not going to have lots of choices in – that Oregon won’t have a big impact in our primaries that relates to the Presidential race, at least for Republicans.”  You may remember that Knopp stated during a 1110 KBND debate that of the candidates at the time he would've backed Santorum for President. Knopp is challenging Incumbent Chris Telfer in the Republican Primary for the Senate District 27 seat.

Just like Mt. Bachelor, Hoo Doo saw tremendous snowfall during the month of March. The ski hill's Marketing Manager, Leif Williams, says additional snow is prompting an extended season for skiers and snowboarders.  They'll be open this coming weekend April 14th and 15th. “We hope to extend it to the following weekend April 22nd, depending on demand and conditions. If we get a couple weeks of heavy rain and there's snow runoff, we'll probably closedown.” Hoo Doo will make a decision the week of April 16th whether they'll be open the weekend of the 21st and 22nd.

The current U.S. Attorney for Oregon wants to be the State's Attorney General. Dwight Holton was in Bend Thursday meeting with media and supporters, with 40 days to go before the primary. Holton is facing fellow Democrat Ellen Rosenblum for the post. Current AG John Kroger is not running again due to health reasons.

The Bend City Council has decided to move forward with its plans for Surface Water Improvement Project.  But the Political Action Committee formed to fight the plan is still against it. Organizers say they are raising money and are waiting until all the candidates file for City Council by August, before choosing the candidates they'll support. Ray Taylor is a retired water utility executive from California that supports the PAC's effort to get councilors to change their mind about the plan. “In my opinion and the opinion of a lot of other people, we're spending a lot of money to treat water that has an adequate groundwater supply that could be updated or expanded that would cost half as much money or less.” Taylor favors a groundwater only approach for the City's water supply. He says it's cheaper, easy to operate, flexible and responsive to the community's needs.

Dozens of horses and cows connected to a big animal neglect case in Crook County will be sold off next week, on Monday. Sgt. James Savage says the sale is similar to how a foreclosure would be handled: on the Courthouse steps, and they are looking for one buyer of the 55 horses and 22 cows. He says thanks to donations of cash, hay, and vet services the horses and cows are doing much better today. But its been tough on everyone: “55 horses and 22 cows.  We're a small agency and its been very taxing on the County and Sheriff's Office, but thanks to the generosity of people in the community we've been able to maintain the care that they've needed and the feed.” Savage says back in 2009 when this happened before; they spent more than $100,000 to get the horses healthy again. And in that case, fewer animals were seized. 

If business at the local credit unions is any indication, the local economy is starting to wake up again. Kyle Frick with Mid Oregon Credit Union says they are seeing more deposits and more people borrowing money:  "From what we see at the credit union, we are seeing a lot more people making offers on houses; 2 and 3 offers on houses when people are out looking. Car sales are definitely up, so people are feeling more comfortable about borrowing.” Frick says car sales are a very healthy local indicator because that makes up about one-fifth of the local retail market.

The National Weather Service has extended its flood advisory for the Deschutes River until Thursday morning.  Forecasters say water levels are dropping a bit, but remain very high, and will remain high for the next couple days. They expect some flooding in the Tumalo area. Water will move into irrigation canals over the weekend, and that will help lower river levels.

Fire destroyed a barn in Crook County early this morning northeast of Prineville, but animals and people in the nearby home got out o.k. Firefighters got the call just after 1:30 Wednesday morning. The flames were visible from Highway 26. The people in the home less than 100 feet from the barn were safely evacuated. The animals were also safely removed.

It was standing room only at Bend's Senior Center; people came out to U.S. Congressman Greg Walden's Town Hall Tuesday afternoon. Concerns with the threat of Iran developing nuclear weapons was one topic that Walden gave serious thought to, saying he's hoping economic sanctions will work: “There are also threats out there that we have to guard against. And I think a nuclear armed Iran is one of those threats. I would much prefer and hope that the sanction authority that we've given to the President, multiple Presidents now, on Iran, and the international effort that Secretary Clinton and others are leading to try to bring other countries into this economic sanctions effort, to try to force Iran not to proceed with its nuclear development, will work." Walden says the United States is the most called upon country to help with disasters, instances of genocide and other humanitarian efforts.

The hotly debated topic of Rush Limbaugh's recent comments did not escape discussion at Tuesday's Town Hall meeting with U.S. Congressman Greg Walden. Walden was firm in his opinion about the controversial talk show host. Referring to his previous ownership of a radio station, Walden said: "I would not have tolerated a host of my talk show saying about an individual, what Mr. Limbaugh did. I just wouldn't. I've said that publicly, I'll say it here. I don't that that it's appropriate. I also don't think it's appropriate what some of the liberal talk show hosts have said (applause). I think it's coarse, I think it's wrong, I don't think it adds to the quality of the debate." The audience was very vocal about the subject, but all agreed that everyone is allowed to have an opinion, and most acknowledged that Limbaugh did apologize.

A very busy part of Bend is about to get more snarled due to a planned construction project. Bend Streets Supervisor Kevin Ramsey says "weather permitting" they'll start work on a big project Monday April 16th at Mt. Washington Drive and Northwest Crossing. "We just ask that one drivers slow down because the major detour actually goes by the high school. The businesses in the NW Crossing area will still be open. They'll be a residential and commercial detour, access all the NW Crossing businesses.” The $151,000 project replaces crumbling asphalt with a long lasting concrete surface. This is paid for with gas taxes. And after that road improvement is done; another big project will start nearby as part of the $30 million GO Bond (General Obligation Bond) voters passed last May.

In a story heard first on 1110 KBND, the head of Abilitree calls it his "field of dreams" a new much larger facility that is very visible. Executive Director of Abilitree, Jim Lee says they are hoping to move their 2 service sectors under one roof to the 12,000 square foot "Workensport" building on Reed Market and 9^th Street. "One of the themes of that is bringing people with disabilities into the light of our community, and we want to have this be a legacy for our community and in the future people will know exactly where to go. Right now we're kind of buried in an industrial and residential area; tough to know where to go to get services." Abilitree is a local resource for adults with developmental and physical disabilities. Some Abilitree clients work at the Oxford Hotel, Deschutes Brewery and Sara Bella Upcycled. Lee was a guest on 1110 KBND's 'Your Town.'

Those who try to help veterans deal with the trauma of war report that women soldiers face many of the same mental health issues as their male counterparts.   And some older veterans may be dealing with an additional issue: "You hear a lot about that there is PTSD [post traumatic stress disorder] among women as well. One thing we hear about mainly with the older female veterans is military sexual trauma or MST." Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs spokesperson Mike Allegre says some women report being abused during a time when they were a smaller minority in the military. He says they see MST in veterans who served in the 1950's on up to the 1990's. To help these women, veterans groups are now aware of the problem and offering female counselors to those female veterans suffering from military sexual trauma. 

27 AirLink employees get pink slips. St. Charles announced yesterday that they will sell Airlink to the largest air ambulance network in the country. Airlink spokesman Bob Gomes says he believes the new company, Med Trans-Corporation, is making a serious effort to hire the 27 AirLink employees. He says AirLink just didn't pencil out for St. Charles: "For St. Charles, the cost savings is that we won't be out the $1.5 million. The reason why they are able to do it is because of economy of scale: when you look at repairing and maintaining helicopters which is very expensive." The new company will also retain the AirLink name and honor current membership contracts. The deal is expected to close by mid-June.

Deschutes County Sheriff Larry Blanton says with 7000 cougars in Oregon, it’s not surprising to hear of many cougars encounters in Central Oregon. Recently, five cougars in the Sisters area were killing pets and acting too aggressive towards humans. So wildlife officials decided they needed to put down the five cougars. Blanton says its not an easy decision to do that, but public safety comes first: "So we whenever possible avoid doing that. But if there are cougars in a residential area where there's a threat to other animals or people we will address that situation and deal with it as we deem appropriate." Other cougar sightings over the past year were reported in Crooked River Ranch, Awbrey Butte and Deschutes River Woods. One cougar was trapped and killed in the Deschutes River Woods case last May.