BEND, OR -- Potentially shaking up the Republican primary in Oregon's race for governor, former US Navy Pilot and Blue Angels commander, Captain Greg Wooldridge, says he's the best man for the job.

BEND, OR -- Bend city officials are working to improve several neighborhood streets over the next several years. Project Manager Rory Rowan says they’ll start on the first two, this fall, "One is on the east side, on NE 6th Street, and that runs from Greenwood to Butler Market. And, the other one is on the west side on NW 15th Street. The section we’re focused on is from Simpson to Galveston." 

CULVER, OR -- Jefferson County often boasts it has the best drinking water, but now it has the award to back up the claim. Culver-based Deschutes Valley Water District recently took home the title of "Overall Best Drinking Water in Oregon."

REDMOND, OR -- A motorhome was destroyed in a Thursday afternoon fire at a Redmond transient camp near SE 10th and Highway 126. The blaze was reported at about 3:45 p.m. and spread to multiple juniper trees and brush before firefighters were finally able to get it under control.

No one was at the camp when crews arrived and there were no injuries reported.

BEND, OR -- A small apartment fire in northeast Bend is being blamed on an unattended candle. Bend Fire says a friend of the resident first discovered the fire just before 1 p.m., Thursday, and put it out with a blanket. 

BEND, OR -- Bend Police seized nearly 60 grams of methamphetamine during a traffic stop near SE Fourth and Railroad, Thursday night. An officer was pulling over a black BMW at about 9:20 p.m. when a bag was reportedly thrown from the car. The driver was detained and police later found a switchblade on him; a Samsung Galaxy phone traced back to a Washington County theft case was also discovered in the car.

LA PINE, OR -- Two men were hurt in a head-on collision south of La Pine, Thursday morning. Emergency crews responded to the intersection of Highway 97 and Highway 31 just before 7:30 a.m., after a pickup hit a Hyundai sedan. The car caught fire and the driver was pinned with what was descrived as "very serious injuries." 

A passerby was able to knock down the fire with a fire extinguisher. La Pine Fire crews pulled the driver out and finished putting out the fire.

The driver of the sedan was flown to St. Charles Bend. The pickup driver was taken to the hospital by Crescent Fire medics. Both highways were closed at the intersection for about an hour.  

BEND, OR -- In the past two weeks, Deschutes County deputies have removed over a hundred animals from properties where they were allegedly being neglected. Sgt. William Bailey says two criminal investigations are happening simultaneously. "We’re talking, you know, 53 dogs and 83 horses. It takes time to go through that. And then, once we have an overall understanding of the neglect in each animal, we have an idea of what charges to charge the suspect with." In both cases, the owners are charged with felony animal neglect.

PRINEVILLE, OR -- The Crook County School Board has named Dr. Sara Johnson Superintendent, to replace retiring Superintendent Duane Yecha. Board Vice Chair Patti Norris says Dr. Johnson's application rose above the other 25 candidates. "We really liked that she had some Superintendent experience already," Norris tells KBND News, "She understood the full breadth of what that job entails, as well as her commitment to kids, and to serving every kid, every day, and making sure that we're sharing the success we've had as a district with every one of our students."

Norris says Yecha's departure is the end of an era, but she's looking ahead to a positive future for the district, "We, as a board, and I think along with Sara, are committed to continuing the great work that we've done with Duane to make our district successful, and financially solid; and we're ready to take it up a notch and go from great to awesome." She adds, "I think her plan is to come in and, initially, get the lay of the land, meet the people, identify what's working really well, and where she would want to work. I don't expect that she'll come in on day one and suddenly start making major changes until she understands how it's all working."

CULVER, OR -- Fire managers plan to burn slash piles of juniper on a little more than 200 acres of the Crooked River National Grassland, Thursday. If weather and conditions allow, they’ll start in late morning igniting piles scattered across several units near Grandview, Three Rivers Subdivision and Lake Billy Chinook. Work will continue throughout the day and piles could smolder for several days.

Smoke will be visible from Highway 97 but isn’t expected to impact traffic.

Officials say burning the units will improve "critical winter range for big game, while reducing hazardous fuel loading to lower the risk of large-scale wildfire across the landscape."

BEND, OR -- Authorities are again warning of an uptick in calls from scammers claiming to be with local law enforcement. 

TERREBONNE, OR -- A climber was injured at Smith Rock, Wednesday, and had to be helped out of the State Park by Redmond Fire and Rescue. The woman was reportedly climbing near the Morning Glory Wall just after 11:30 a.m., when she fell about 20 feet until her ropes stopped her. However, they caused her to swing into a tree, which led to the injury. She was able to lower herself to the ground, where her companions applied a tourniquet and called 911. 

BEND, OR -- Oregon voters who aren’t a registered member of a party will be allowed to vote in the Independent Party Primary on May 15. Deschutes County Clerk Nancy Blankenship tells KBND News, "What that means for anyone who's non-affiliated, they can make a choice to receive the Independent Party Ballot and vote that, rather than the non-partisan ballot."

Those Unaffiliated voters who want to take part must request an Independent ballot from the county elections office before 5 p.m. on April 24. The Independent Party of Oregon became the state’s third “major party” in 2015, and first opened its primary in May 2016.

REDMOND, OR -- A Redmond restaurant is closed for repairs after a car crashed into the building, Wednesday morning. Redmond Police say an 80-year-old driver failed to stop for a red light, just after 10 a.m.; the BMW SUV was hit by a westbound Lincoln SUV that had the right of way. The collision caused the BMW to spin into the Chan's Chinese restaurant at the corner of SW Sixth and Glacier.

Neither driver was hurt and there were no customers in the building at the time, but the crash caused significant damage. The restaurant may reopen soon for take-out, but dine-in customers won't be allowed until repairs are made.  

BEND, OR -- Two women are charged with Felony animal neglect after 83 horses were seized over the weekend, from a Terrebonne ranch. The District Attorney's office is now handling the investigation into 67-year-old Linda Stream, and 41-year-old Christina Hart. Initially, Sheriff's deputies found 85 horses on the property; two were euthanized prior to the rest being removed, due to their poor condition. Sgt. William Bailey says unfortunately more were put down late Monday, "Our veterinary team recommended that eight of the horses be euthanized, due to the severe hoof neglect that was causing pain, arthritis, and laminitis."

The 75 that remain are now living at the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office Rescue Ranch, "It's a pretty sad thing to see some of these horses when they were coming to our ranch, walking in the condition that they were, and they were obviously in pain and their feet bothered them. And, knowing that it took years to get to that point, is pretty sad."

Sgt. Bailey tells KBND News they will need continued specialized care, and the community is already stepping up to help. "If people just want to make a monetary donation to help out with the horse care, they can go to our website and there's a button on the right hand of the screen to donate through PayPal." To donate hay and feed, contact the Sheriff's Office at 541-388-6655. 

BEND, OR -- Central Oregon jobless rates held relatively steady last month.

BEND, OR -- Bend Fire is finalizing plans for a new station on NE 15th, just south of the Bend Police Department. Battalion Chief Dave Howe says the new firehouse is needed to reduce response times. Currently, Bend's fire stations are about four miles apart, which Howe says is farther than it may seem when navigating the central part of the city, "If one station goes out on a fire, the other station crews come in and help them; and it’s a long way. For some of those places that we go, it’s a long way for help to come. So, with the new Central Station, it kind of fills a hole. It’ll only be a couple of miles from two stations." He tells KBND News, "We moved out of the central city because the traffic was really hard to get through to get out. So, putting this one station kind of right in the center of the city, right by Pilot Butte, it’s going to fill that that we’ve had for a long time."

SUNRIVER, OR -- Sunriver Police and Oregon State Police Fish and Game believe they've found the man responsible for killing 'Chuck,' the 11-year-old trumpeter swan shot on Thanksgiving. OSP LT. Mark Duncan tells KBND News 23-year-old Jordan Dupuis was cooperative, once he was caught, and confessed to shooting Chuck while duck hunting with friends. No other arrests are expected.

Sunriver Interim Police Chief Scott Hayes says the Bend man was identified through an anonymous tip to the Sunriver Nature Center, "I would say that, clearly, the killing of the swan has been a great impact to our community," Chief Hayes tells KBND News. "I know that Sunriver Nature Center has taken painstaking steps to care for and protect the trumpeter swans, and they're very relieved an arrest has been made in this case, as is the Sunriver Police Department."

Dupuis was cited with a Class A Misdemeanor for willfully killing of the bird, "He will appear in Circuit Court on April 18, at that time, the courts will make a decision. He'll enter a plea of guilty or not guilty, and that will be followed by sentencing."

Photo: Chuck and Gracie with their cygnets, taken on the Deschutes River the day before Chuck was killed. (courtesy Sunriver Nature Center)

TERREBONNE, OR -- Three climbers at Smith Rock were rescued Tuesday night after their rappelling rope became stuck, forcing them to wait for help on a rock ledge about 250 feet above the trail. The men, 24-year-old Alex Chmiel and 34-year-old Stewart Reiswig, both from Portland and 24-year-old Connor Enos from Montana, had sufficient food and clothing for the weather but were unable to descend from their position.

SISTERS, OR -- A Sisters couple hopes to build a new hotel on a property that's been in their family for decades. Steve Rodgers says tourism is a huge part of what sustains Sisters Country, and the area needs more lodging options to keep visitors spending money in town, "It's sold out a lot of the time; it's booked. No vacancy in the summers. What I really want is for people to be walking around town in the evenings, to help the stores that are in town to stay open. And if we don't have overnight guests, they'll move on to Bend and to Redmond, if we don't have the rooms for them."

The Grandstay Hotel and Suites would have 39 rooms, including two whirlpool suites and four two-room extended stay suites with kitchenettes. And, Rodgers tells KBND News the building will fit the western theme Sisters is known for. He's received preliminary approval from the city and is now waiting for permits. Rodgers hopes to break ground at the property near Highway 20 and Railway Ave. soon, "I'm hoping, April - Sometime in April; then to be done by the first of 2019, February, March. I definitely would like to be open by Spring break. If I could pull that off, I'd feel very fortunate."

REDMOND, OR -- A Redmond man is accused of driving drunk and speeding when his car crashed in northwest Redmond, early Tuesday morning. Police responded to the single-vehicle crash near 19th and Maple Avenue, at about 12:15 a.m. It occurred near a February DUII crash. 

Investigators say 31-year-old Aaron Faherty was westbound on Maple when his car left the road, hit a street sign, traveled over a large rock pile and went through a fence before coming to a stop in a residential yard. He was unhurt, but police arrested Faherty for DUII-Alcohol, Reckless Driving and Recklessly Endangering Another Person.

His passenger, 31-year-old Aaron Kuper, received minor injuries. Kuper was arrested on an outstanding DUII arrest warrant. 

BEND, OR -- Police are searching for the man seen on surveillance stealing an ATM from a Bend mini mart. Officers responded to the report of a burglary at K Market on NW Albany just after 5:30 a.m. Monday. Security cameras show the burglary occurred about two hours prior to the call.

Investigators say the man broke a front window to the business then backed a dark colored SUV up to the window. He is seen removing the ATM machine from inside the building and leaving the scene.

Anyone with suspect information or the vehicle involved is asked to call Bend PD at 541-693-6911. 

MADRAS, OR -- The Madras City Council wants residents to have access to high speed internet. And, now that two providers have merged, it's beginning to look more like a real possibility.

BEND, OR -- Deschutes County’s sale of the former Demolition Landfill to OSU-Cascades, is nearly complete. Deschutes County Commissioners authorized the signing of sale documents, Monday.

County Property Manager James Lewis expects those documents to officially be signed in about two weeks, "Once they’re recorded, we will no longer own that property, but we will still have some obligations under the purchase-sale agreement following closing."

BEND, OR -- The Democratic Party of Oregon launched a new website, last week, in the effort to unseat Congressman Greg Walden (R-OR). 2nd Congressional District Committee Co-Chair Laurie Baden says RepealWalden.com is focused on reaching a wider donor and voter pool, "Donations made there will be put into a fund that will then be given to the winner of our Democratic primary that will be May 15."  Seven candidates are running for the Democratic nomination.

REDMOND, OR -- A new building is under construction at Redmond High School. It's a tiny-home, of sorts, on wheels. It'll  be used, next school year, as a portable snack shack for sporting events.

TERREBONNE, OR -- The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office worked through the day, Sunday, to remove 83 horses from a Terrebonne property. They say the animals are suffering from severe hoof neglect. The large-scale seizure operation was undertaken with help from neighbors and others in the community who volunteered vehicles and horse trailers to transport the horses to the Sheriff’s office Rescue Ranch in Bend.

Click HERE to view a video of Sunday's rescue operation. 

MONDAY P.M. UPDATE: The Sheriff's Office released more details late Monday, of the weekend operation. Deschutes County deputies first responded Saturday to a report of a horse with an eye injury and hoof neglect, at a property on Smith Rock Way. When deputies contacted the property owner, they determined there was a large number of horses suffered from mild to severe neglect; the following day, they removed 83 horses. Two others had to be euthanized. 

BEND, OR -- One driver was killed and another seriously injured in a head-on collision, on Highway 97, early Sunday morning. According to Oregon State Police, the crash occurred at 3:30 a.m., two miles north of Bend.

TERREBONNE, OR -- A Redmond man was kicked out of Smith Rock State Park, Saturday, after several park visitors reported strange activity. Deschutes County 911 received a report of a man throwing rocks from a ledge onto the trail, just before 1:30 p.m. There was also a secondhand report that the man had threatened a hiker, and another report he was waving around a .45 caliber handgun.

Over a dozen law enforcement personnel from a number of local agencies responded, including five on duty with the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office SWAT team. As deputies arrived, they asked hikers to leave the area. They detained 54-year-old Daren Jaques as he walked down the Misery Ridge Trail at about 2:30 p.m. They determined he didn't have a gun and he was trespassed from state park property.

The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with firsthand knowledge of the incident is asked to call non-emergency dispatch at 541-693-6911. 

LA PINE, OR (03/19/18) -- Dozens of dogs were seized from a La Pine property, this weekend. The Humane Society of Central Oregon and Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office worked into the night, Friday, and all day Saturday. They removed 53 dogs of varying breeds, ages and conditions, following a request for a welfare check at the home on Ash Road. A 63-year-old woman is cooperating with the investigation. 

BEND, OR -- Bend city officials are narrowing in on where the first development will take place, within the updated Urban Growth Boundary.

City Manager Eric King says it’s a time-consuming process involving some complicated questions, "'Which of these areas have the least amount of infrastructure cost, and yield the best return on investment, in terms of revenue needed to pay for infrastructure, or property taxes to pay for police and fire services?’ And the areas that came out on top were what we call ‘the elbow,’ which is the southeast part of Bend, as well as the core of the city." He tells KBND News, "As part of that urban growth boundary expansion, we also earmarked areas of the city for redevelopment. So, the area along Third Street, as well as KorPine, which is right near Crux – it’s a vacant piece of property, there – are really ripe for redevelopment. So, we talked about those two areas being the best places to start." 

But, he admits, "It doesn’t mean that the other expansion areas won’t get some attention in the next couple of years, but that’s the best place to start because it will allow for development to occur immediately. Especially that southeast part of Bend, because the Southeast Interceptor – the big sewer interceptor – has just been complete, so why not leverage that investment."

BEND, OR -- Central Oregon’s economic growth has slowed in recent months, and it may be a sign that we’ve reached our limit. Regional Employment Economist Damon Runberg says

With sustained record-low unemployment, Runberg says it was only a matter of time before inflation kicked in, "You want to see wage gains, but not at too extreme of a level. So far, inflation nationally doesn’t look too extreme. But, we’re not necessarily representative of that. We’ve seen much faster growth in our employment numbers, we’ve seen much faster growth locally in housing prices and other things. So, I think, locally, our inflation actually has already kicked in; we’re seeing higher costs of goods and services in Central Oregon, and the most obvious one is housing alone."

To hear our full conversation with Economist Damon Runberg, visit our Podcast Page or click HERE. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- President Trump announced late Thursday that National Security Advisor HR McMaster would resign, replaced by John Bolton, former Ambassador to the U.N. Bolton is Trump's third NSC Advisor since taking office 14 months ago.

BEND, OR -- State Police are conducting “saturation patrols” on Highway 97, from the California to Washington border, Friday. OSP says the effort is aimed at increasing highway safety at the start of Spring Break, which typically ushers in the beginning of the vacation travel season.

EUGENE, OR -- A Redmond man is on trial in federal court, in Eugene, for allegedly stalking a co-worker for two years. Jonathan Mann is accused of harassing the woman, her father and her husband, in person and through hundreds of text messages. The Oregonian reports that a state protective order would have kept him at bay for only two years, which is why the case is now in a federal court. Mann was found unable to help in his own defense because of a "delusional disorder" and the state case was dismissed on those grounds. 

SISTERS, OR -- Negotiations between the Sisters Eagle Airport and Oregon Department of Transportation have reached an impasse, prompting both sides to file conflicting complaints over Connect Oregon funds the airport received in 2015. ODOT is demanding to be paid back $390,000 and the airport has refused, claiming the owners did nothing wrong.

The Sisters Airport received the grant for construction of a taxiway, pavement of aircraft parking and ramp areas, installation of runway lighting, and associated improvements. ODOT's Dave Thompson says the state conducted a standard audit of how the money was used, and found payments for ineligible project expenses, including work on a hanger and the construction of a drainage runoff area not on airport property, "ODOT entered into a full year of negotiations with the Sisters Airport, all in an effort to reach a settlement regarding the grant. Those negotiations have failed to reach a settlement."

According to the complaint obtained by KBND News, the airport argues all reimbursed expenses were reasonable and adequately documented, and the grant "does not prohibit reimbursements of expenses associated with Benjamin Benson's professional services." However, ODOT's counterclaim asserts the "plaintiff's use of grant funds was fraught with self-dealing, profiting from public funds, unreasonable expenses, accounting problems, and multiple violations of the governing grant agreement."

Matthew Bowler is with the Mandala Agency, a public relations firm representing the Sisters Eagle Airport and owners Benjamin and Julie Benson. Bowler says the airport began seeking a jury trail when negotiations reached an impasse, "It's a process of negotiation now within the legal system, and it is something that a judge will review and adjudicate on." He says the Bensons believe they've been treated unfairly, "The basis of the legal action is, 'treat us the same way you treat everyone else that you awarded a grant to in the last five years, and we can solve this problem'." But, Thompson says taking the airport to court is uncharted territory, "This is the first lawsuit; it was actually the first compliance review complaint that has originated out of Connect Oregon. It's the only one."

REDMOND, OR -- Like much of Central Oregon, residential construction is booming in Redmond, with projects popping up in all parts of the city. Builders were able to work through much of the mild winter, and Mayor George Endicott says things don’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon, "We have, on the books, approved or under construction, 1200 homes. I mean, that’s a lot for a community our size. I found out last week, I was – I'll just say ‘shocked,’ but – surprised, to find out that of that Urban Growth Boundary expansion we did back in ’07 – 2,200 acres – we’ve used half of it."

Endicott says that inventory will gradually become available within the next couple of years, and he says it may be time to expand again, "I talked to staff about, ‘is it time to actually visit the Urban Growth Boundary expansion and get into the Urban Reserve and bring some more land in for development. We haven’t approached the Department of Conservation and Land Development yet, but I told staff to start exploring that and see if it’s time." He tells KBND News, "There’s been a pent up demand that we’ve known about. I mean, for two or three years we’ve talked about these vacancy rates down in the 1% range or less; what’s that tell you? People want and need housing. Fortunately, some of it is more affordable than others."

To hear our full conversation with Redmond Mayor George Endicott, visit our Podcast Page or click HERE. 

PRINEVILLE, OR -- A Prineville building that was home to the Les Schwab headquarters for about half a century is being torn down, this week. The tire mogul started his business in 1952 and moved in to the Madras-Prineville Highway location in the late 50s. After that, Les Schwab Chief Marketing Officer Dale Thompson says, the company just kept growing. "The retread plant was moved out of that building and across the street, to where it is today – those blue buildings that you see along the highway. We kept remodeling and adding-on in the 80s; a third addition was added in the 90s, and we just kind of outgrew the space and made the move to Bend." 

That move to Bend's Juniper Ridge occurred about 10 years ago, "Those buildings have sat vacant since then," Thompson tells KBND News. "They’ve had no use, other than a training center where we have some bays. And, the buildings are in a condition and a shape where they’re not usable for us at this point." He adds, “It’s not developable as it is, and so we’re improving the site so it has some potential in the future.”

REDMOND, OR -- The Redmond Airport was evacuated, early Thursday morning, when employees reported smoke and a strong electrical smell in the building. KBND Financial expert Troy Reinhart was ready to board a plane with his family. He tells KBND News, "You could smell a very active electrical smell. My daughter smelled it first and I told her it was just jet fuel smell. Pretty soon all the alarms went off; and after the alarms went off for a couple minutes, they evacuated the airport and we’re standing outside looking in. So, everybody’s going to have to go through security again to get on their plane."

Fire crews responded at about 6 a.m. Reinhart says about 80 passengers were sent outside while emergency crews investigated, "There’s lots of people standing next to me that are going to Mexico, and they’re standing in their shorts and short sleeves, so they’re particularly cold."

LA PINE, OR -- The La Pine Parks and Recreation building at First and Coach Road was damaged by a car, Tuesday evening. According to the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office, a 63-year-old man experienced an apparent medical emergency while driving, and crashed his car into the building at about 6:20 p.m.

The driver was flown to St. Charles Bend with serious injuries. His two passengers, three- and six-year-old girls, suffered minor injuries. 

UPDATE: A six-year-old girl is being commended for getting help for her grandfather, after a Tuesday evening car crash. The Sheriff’s office says the girl found a phone in the car and placed a frantic call to 911, reporting he had crashed once and the car was moving again. Deputies caught up to the vehicle just as it ran in to the La Pine Parks and Rec building. The driver was seriously hurt and flown to the hospital. Investigators believe a medical emergency caused him to drive erratically. The two kids received minor injuries.

BEND, OR -- Mild weather is allowing the Oregon Department of Transportation to work on several major local highway projects much earlier than anticipated. Construction of the roundabout on Highway 126 and Tom McCall Road, in Crook County, began in January and ODOT’s Abbey Driscoll says it’s now ahead of schedule, due to the favorable conditions, "Right now, they’re working on constructing a new alignment of Airport Way that’ll help shift highway traffic when we need to construct the actual roundabout. People will see fewer delays out there, and we’ll just keep traffic on the highway moving, using that new alignment of Airport Way."

REDMOND, OR -- It was a close vote and a hard-fought battle, but Redmond’s Baker Park came out victorious, in the Portland Trailblazers-Moda Assist contest. After a one-month campaign, Redmond edged out two other cities in Oregon to win about $15,000 for a new all-abilities playground. 

SUNRIVER, OR -- Two planes made emergency landings in Oregon, Tuesday. A 50-year-old Bend man was flying his glider when he suddenly lost altitude and made an emergency landing on the side of Highway 97, south of Sunriver. The plane hit a sign on the side of the highway during landing and had to be hauled away, but Pilot Henry Irvine wasn’t hurt.

A single-engine plane flying near Clatskanie over the Columbia River encountered mechanical problems. The pilot attempted to land on a sand bar at Wallace Island but the wheels dug into the sand and the plane flipped (pictured above). That pilot also wasn’t hurt, and was rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter crew.

MADRAS, OR -- A Jefferson County man took his own life after showing up at his workplace with a gun, Tuesday afternoon. A Deputy was nearby when the first call came in, and arrived at the PGE headquarters west of Madras just before 2:30 p.m., just as employees were evacuating.

Law enforcement established a perimeter and the Central Oregon Emergency Response Team tried to make contact with the man. Those attempts were unsuccessful and a drone was used to look inside the building. A robot then breached the locked door to the man’s office. He was found deceased inside with a single gunshot wound to the chest.

No one else was hurt and JCSO is investigating, although they believe the man took his own life prior to law enforcement arrival. Undersheriff Marc Heckathorn says staff at the PGE office, with is the headquarters for the Pelton Round Butte Dam project, "did an outstanding job in evacuating their employees to a safe location and were able to account for all their employees almost immediately." He went on to say in the statement, "The event was a shock to PGE staff but their emergency planning and preparation for emergencies was evident during this event."

PRINEVILLE, OR -- Prineville Police are looking for a woman in connection with a burglary and theft investigation. They arrested 40-year-old Steven Woods on Sunday, following a two-week investigation into break-ins at the old Woodgrain Mill on N. Main Street. He was caught as he exited the fenced property and is accused of a number of burglary and theft charges, as well as Tampering with Evidence and a warrant out of Washington County.

On Monday, they searched the trailer Woods shares with Amanda Wiederholt on NW Terrace Lane, and found evidence including a large amount of stripped copper wire insulation and stolen tools, as well as drug paraphernalia. The stolen goods are valued at over $10,000.

Anyone with information on Wiederholt’s location is asked to call police at 541-447-4168. She currently has two felony warrants for her arrest. 

Suspect is seen on surveillance cameras at the Woodgrain Mill in Prineville. 

BEND, OR -- Two Bend residents were caught, with the help of a police K9, inside a home under construction on NW Canyon Springs Place, behind the Riverhouse. Bend Police say witnesses saw two people with flashlights in the house, at about 9:45 Monday night. 

When officers arrived and announced their presence, two suspects were seen running through the building. The K9 “Kim,” helped find and capture 34-year-old Nicole Wildner. Bend PD says 35-year-old Nick Lopez was found by the dog, hiding in a crawl space. Both are charged with burglary; Wildner is also accused of a probation violation. 

BEND, OR -- A Bend 17-year-old had to be restrained during an incident near the Third Street McDonalds, Sunday night. According to Bend Police, a 14-year-old girl went into the restaurant to report she'd been stabbed, at about 8 p.m. Officials say she suffered a non-life threatening injury to her leg, and was taken to the hospital. 

Responding officers noticed a teen in the drive-through with a knife in his hand, acting erratically. Police say they de-escalated the situation, initially, and he dropped the knife. As he was being restrained, he started to fight officers and refused to listen to commands. They used the WRAP restraining device and took him to St. Charles Bend. He was later identified as Quentin Navarrette. 

Investigators determined the actual stabbing occurred across the street from McDonalds. They believe Navarrette was under the influence of "Molly," also known as ecstasy. He's charged with Assault II, Unlawful Use of a Weapon and Resisting Arrest. 

MADRAS, OR -- Madras officials hope to clarify "time, place and manner" (TPM) regulations that govern where medical and recreational marijuana outlets can operate in the city. Current code says retail pot shops must be at least 1,000' from each other, although it only applies to medical dispensaries. 

Community Development Director Nick Snead says the intent was always to have the same distance restrictions for both medical and recreational shops, "I really believe it was the intent of our advisory committee. However, it's not in the regulation." He tells KBND News, "So, to be absolutely clear, we do not want to have to rely upon the intent in interpreting the ordinance, but rather amend it so the rules are very clear, and there's no interpretation needed." Snead adds, "The last thing we want to do is have a[n] unclear or ambiguous regulatory environment. From a staff perspective, we want those regulations to be very clear, so that it's easy for those that want to operate these types of businesses to understand the regulations that apply to their business."

Sisters Voters To Decide Legal Pot Issue

Madras officials will discuss proposed revisions to marijuana regulations at a public hearing, April 4. City Councilors will then take up the issue at their April 10 Council meeting. Both meetings begin at 7 p.m. at Madras City Hall. Snead says if Council approves changes, they'll take effect immediately, "We really believe that this industry is a dynamic industry and there's a lot of interest in it. We want to be very clear and adopt these regulations and have them immediately apply, so there's a clear and bright line distinction of the date that they were adopted and the date that they become effective."

BEND, OR -- the US Forest Service is opening local campsites early, this year, to take advantage of warmer-than-normal temperatures. During Spring Break, about a dozen campgrounds in the Bend-Fort Rock, Crescent, and Sisters Ranger districts will be open with limited availability.

REDMOND, OR --The Redmond Airport is preparing for a rush of passengers, next week. Airport Director Zach Bass says with so many schools across the west on Spring Break at the same time as our local districts, things will get busy, "Based on last year, we had our largest peak during Spring Break. So, we’re expecting the same and maybe a little larger, this year."

BEND, OR -- An outbuilding was destroyed in a morning fire, Tuesday, just east of Bend. Fire crews responded to the rural property on Butler Market Road just before 6 a.m. and found the 20'x30' shed well involved, with flames spreading to a nearby pickup. The building, its contents and the vehicle were all destroyed. 

The shed was used to house livestock and store tools. Firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze and contain the animals (pictured), which included pigs and chickens. Due to the rural location, Bend Fire used water tenders to get water to the site. 

Officials say the homeowner was alerted to the fire by the family dog. There were no injuries. The blaze caused about $25,000 in damage and its cause is "undetermined."

REDMOND, OR -- Redmond Police are investigating a Sunday shooting, near SW 19^th and Reindeer Ave. Several neighbors reported hearing several rounds being fired in quick succession within a couple of seconds, just before noon on Sunday. Responding officers recovered spent shell casings, presumably from a semi-automatic weapon, outside of a townhouse on Reindeer. They also found evidence of shots fired into a rear door and siding.

They say no one was home at the time of the shooting and investigators haven’t yet determined whether this was a targeted or random incident. Anyone with information is asked to call non-emergency police dispatch at 541-693-6911.

LA PINE, OR -- Deschutes County investigators are searching for the man they say tried to rob the La Pine Dairy Queen, at about 5 p.m. Monday. The suspect was described as a white male, about 5’10” and 160 pounds with short, dark hair, a trimmed beard and dark framed glasses. He was wearing a brown sweatshirt and blue jeans and left the restaurant in a silver Chevy Traverse LS with Oregon plates.

Deputies say he demanded the cashier open the register but was refused, and he left. He acted as if he had a weapon, but none was seen.

LA PINE, OR -- Authorities are releasing more details about the 53 dogs removed from a La Pine property, over the weekend. Sgt. William Bailey, with the Sheriff’s Office, says Deputies responded to an anonymous tip received by the Humane Society of Central Oregon (HSCO). "The deputies were permitted to walk around and perform a visual inspection of the dogs on the property, and they determined that minimum care standards were not being met. There was one female dog and two puppies that were also in distress and in need of urgent care." That adult dog was later euthanized at a vet clinic; the prognosis of the puppies is uncertain.

HSCO officials say the medical conditions of the dogs seized range from puppies requiring urgent care, to animals described as "generally healthy." Young dogs were dehydrated and malnourished, while adults had treatable conditions like dental disease and obesity. Sgt. Bailey says the criminal investigation is ongoing, "There was a female on the property who has been identified as the primary dog owner and caretaker. Each dog has received a full medical assessment and health assessment and it’s going to take us some time to review each dog to determine if a criminal charge will be filed."

BEND, OR (03/19/18) -- The Red Cross is helping a family displaced from their home on Weddell Street in Bend, after an explosion, Sunday night.

A neighbor tells KBND News he called authorities at about 5:30 p.m. after hearing a blast. He says the explosion appears to have lifted the roof, sending pink insulation out into the yard (pictured above), and blew out the styrofoam blocks from foundation vents. He says it also shook a nearby apartment. First responders have released few details.

Red Cross says the incident impacted one adult, three children and a pet. 

UPDATE (03/20/18): Bend Police say the explosion was likely caused by an illegal Butane Honey Oil (BHO) lab. 

PRINEVILLE, OR -- Three people were killed in Crook County, Sunday night, when their car crashed into a semi truck on George Millican Road. According to the Sheriff's Office, the passenger car was northbound when the driver lost control on the wet road, in a curve. The vehicle ended up in a "sideways skid" and hit an oncoming Les Schwab tractor-trailer.

When CCSO deputies and State Troopers arrived at about 8 p.m., they found the car trapped under the semi and confirmed two people inside were deceased. They later discovered a small child in the backseat was also killed. A heavy haul wrecker from a local tow company was used to lift the truck off the passenger car. 

The truck driver was not physically injured and is cooperating with the ongoing investigation. Sheriff John Gautney says his office has tentatively identified the victims but is withholding names pending next of kin notification. 

Millican Road was closed for several hours, south of SE Reservoir Rd. 

UPDATE: The Crook County Sheriff has identified the victims. The driver was 29-year-old Joshua Saddler, of Prineville; the child was his two-year-old son Gaberiel. The other passenger was 35-year-old Mary Beth Gonsalves, also of Prineville.  

BEND, OR -- Oregon's May Primary is about eight weeks away, and Deschutes County elections officials are working to make sure the local system is hacker proof.

While she isn't too worried Russian hackers will access the system, Blankenship is concerned about those who spread misinformation that might impact the voters. "How do you know who's out there doing what? How do you combat what they say? And how do you have the time to do the due diligence in your research to know who they are, what they've said, and how to get the word out to the people that they have connected with to try and write the story?"

REDMOND, OR -- A local family hopes to turn a recent tragedy into opportunities for other students. Travis Holmes says his son Hunter was a well-balanced 16-year-old: a Junior at Redmond High School, Captain of his golf and soccer teams, and a good student who never showed any signs of depression. But, he says Hunter changed in late 2017, "In the last year of soccer, at the tail end, he received two concussions. It was probably a month or two [later], that he took his own life."

At the funeral in December, Holmes learned just how special his son was, "We didn’t know he had some qualities that were acts of kindness to other people. There were students that came from other schools, that had no friends, and Hunter was one of those guys that reached out to them; he was one of the only ones who reached out to them. And there were several people who came up to us and told us that." He hopes to award one scholarship to an RHS Senior, each year, who displays those same qualities, "It has to do with recognizing those acts of kindness and compassion to other students, and raising awareness that those kinds of acts can impact somebody’s life. The second awareness is, trying to just raise awareness to teen suicide that might not have the most obvious signs." The first $1,000 scholarship will be awarded this year to a student nominated by their peers or school staff. 

BEND, OR -- Deschutes County 911 Director Steve Reinke announced Friday he will retire in the next month, amid ongoing problems with the transition to a digital radio system, which he oversaw. Although, County Administrator Tom Anderson insists Reinke’s retirement is unrelated, "This is something that Steve has been considering for a while; it’s a personal decision on Steve’s part. Steve has worked very hard to get the radio system on track for correction, in working both with the contractor as well as our contract engineer to design a plan for getting it where it needs to be. But, his retirement is completely separate from that." He adds, "This is a personal decision that Steve has made with certainly no encouragement, in any way, from County Administration."

In a statement issued by the county, Reinke said, "It was a difficult decision to make, but we want to be closer to our daughter, who lives in Washington, and I'm planning to pursue other personal and professional opportunities."

Stock Image: Deschutes County 911

ASHLAND, OR -- A Bend snowboarder was rescued, Saturday night, after he got lost on Mt. Ashland, in Southern Oregon. Ski Patrol and Jackson County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue teams were deployed at about 6 p.m., to look for 40-year-old Eric Hostetler. He left from the Mt. Ashland ski area parking lot, and his wife contacted Ski Patrol at the lodge when he didn't return as expected. 

Searchers followed his tracks in the snow more than two miles through Cottonwood Creek drainage, and found Hostetler at about 9 p.m. He is an experienced snowboarder dressed for the conditions and not hurt. 

SAR officials urge skiers and snowboarders to refrain from going outside the boundaries of a ski area, especially at the end of the day when darkness and cold can affect both survival and search efforts. 

BEND, OR -- A man from Sonora, Mexico was arrested outside of Bend, this week, on multiple drug-related charges. Oregon State Police say troopers pulled over a 2018 Nissan Versa with Mexican plates for speeding on Monday, on Highway 20, east of Bend. During the traffic stop, an OSP K9 alerted to the presence of drugs.

A subsequent search uncovered 36 pounds of methamphetamine. The suspect, 28-year-old Michel Alberto Fuentes Burgos, is charged with "Unlawful Possession, Delivery and Manufacture of meth. Authorities say the District Attorney may file additional charges, as investigators later learned the vehicle was reported stolen last month, from Sonora. 

LA PINE, OR -- Housing Works will break ground, next week, on two new Central Oregon affordable housing projects. 

La Pine Townhomes (site plan pictured, above) features 42 one, two and three-bedroom units, priced for households at or below 60% of the area's median income. It's situated near the intersection of Memorial Lane and Little Deschutes Lane, close to medical facilities, schools, services, shopping and employment opportunities. Housing Works Executive Director Tom Kemper says this project has been a long time coming, "We were supposed to close this mid-January. There were some regulatory hurdles that we had to get through that took a lot longer than we thought. We're down to finalizing a document with Oregon housing, and then we can close. We're trying to close mid-week, next week." A groundbreaking ceremony will take place Tuesday at 10 a.m.

Also on Tuesday, Housing Works will celebrate the start of a Sisters development. Village Meadows Apartments will offer 48 one, two and three-bedroom units. Kemper tells KBND News the state Legislature really stepped up to make sure the project could happen, "The deal wouldn't happen if the legislature hadn't passed the LIFT loan funding and the document recording, because that provided, really, critical gap funding to make the deal happen. It's a really difficult transaction. we're pretty thrilled to actually be able to break ground." That project is located north of McKinney Butte Road and west of Brooks Camp Road, near Ray's Shopping Center. Groundbreaking is Tuesday at 2 p.m. 

BEND, OR -- Bend Senior High’s assistant principal, Michael Hicks, has been tapped to become the next principal of Mountain View High School. Current MVHS Principal Katie Legace is being promoted to Bend-La Pine Schools Executive Director of High Schools.

"Michael brings with him a confident, approachable and collaborative leadership style that will be a great fit for Mountain View," Superintendent Shay Mikalson said in a statement. "He is a great listener, communicator and team builder who has had rich leadership experience inside and outside of Bend-La Pine Schools." 

Hicks calls his leadership style "student-centered," and says he’s excited to build on the programs and culture Mountain View already has, while working to make the school even stronger. Hicks takes over July first. 

SISTERS, OR -- Sisters voters will get another chance to weigh in on the debate over legalized marijuana. Earlier this month, City Council and staff met with residents to talk about whether pot businesses should be allowed, and – if so – the time, place and manner ("TPM") in which they could operate. This week, a majority of the Council agreed to send the issue to voters. "Essentially what we’re going to do is prepare some ballot language for the November election, because these votes can only happen on even years, so this is perfect timing. We’re going to see what the public wants," Mayor Chuck Ryan tells KBND News. 

REDMOND, OR -- Redmond's Baker Park needs renovating, and if it wins the Portland Trail Blazers Moda Assist Program's latest contest, it could be transformed with an all-abilities playground. Redmond is up against parks in Gresham and Dallas, Oregon and the winning park will be determined by popular vote.

BEND, OR -- Authorities cited a Bend-area dog owner after they say her animals attacked a woman, Thursday morning. According to the Sheriff’s Office, Joy Stanovich-Brown was walking her Dachshund-Chihuahua Mix on-leash on Groff Road, east of Bend, at about 10:30 a.m. Two Boxers escaped their fenced enclosure and went after her dog, "Rudy." She picked him up, which shifted the focus of the attack to her.

MADRAS, OR -- Four candidates have filed to run for the office of Jefferson County Clerk, and current Clerk, Kathy Marston, says each seems dedicated to learning about the job. She says the position has often had high interest, "The first year I ran for office, it was 1998, and I believe there were six of us that ran for the position at that time." She's pleased voters will have choices, again, this time around, "I have met them all. They are all interested in the job. It's very nice to see all the interest out there."

BEND, OR -- Deschutes County Commissioners decided Wednesday to approve development of a bed and breakfast near Smith Rock, but they will deny the adjacent campground proposed by the Mazamas Foundation. The proposal drew significant opposition from neighbors, in recent months, who said it would increase traffic and noise. Many believed that if the site was approved, it would encourage other, larger resorts. 

BEND, OR -- High school students across Central Oregon took park in a national walkout at 10 a.m Wednesday, to mark the one-month anniversary of the Florida school shooting.

At Bend Senior High, hundreds of kids gathered peacefully in the commons to speak against gun violence and call on lawmakers to take action. "There can be no peace in the United States until our leaders decide that protecting its children is more important than protecting its guns. There can be no justice until our nation realizes that our lives are more valuable than any of the NRA’s money," said one student. "Our leaders have tried to pacify us; tried to discount our voices because we are children. But, it is precisely because we are children, because it is our deaths gracing the news every week, that we can’t let ourselves be pacified. We are the artists, the scientists, the engineers, the doctors and the teachers – we will raise their grandchildren, and try to create a world we’d hoped they would create for us. We are here; we are the future. You have to protect us, because without us, there is no future," she went on to say, "Let children be children; let us live our lives and seek our education without fear of a bullet to the head."

Several students carried signs reading things like, "It's not right or left; it's life or death." Another speaker said, "Nobody should ever be afraid to enter a school. Nobody should accept increased police presence and increased fear as the new normal. Columbine was not normal; Sandy Hook was not normal; the 17 dead kids in Parkland, Florida are not our new normal." Many of the speakers ended their short speeches with "Enough is enough." After reading off the names of the 17 killed a month ago, the crowd observed a moment of silence before returning to class.

PRINEVILLE, OR -- The law enforcement warrant scam is making the rounds in Crook County. The Sheriff’s Office says they've received reports from residents contacted by a man with a noticeable accent, or an automated voice; callers claim there is a warrant for the person’s arrest and they request payment to avoid problems. Prineville Police have received similar reports in recent days. 

Some calls claim to be from the Crook County Sheriff’s Office, others from the FBI. Often the caller ID shows a local number. But, authorities warn this is a scam and warrant notifications are made in-person by a deputy in uniform.

REDMOND, OR -- President Trump’s new tariffs on imported steel and aluminum aren’t set to start until next week, but at least one local company is already feeling the impact. "Our suppliers flat-out raised our prices less than 30 days ago, and they just announced that we’re supposed to have another price increase in April and possibly one in May," says Roger Dryden, local co-owner of Ridgeline Metal. "The last one was about 5% and we expect maybe that same amount for the next one or two." And, he expects to pass those along to his clients. Dryden says it’s not unusual to experience a couple of increases throughout the year, based on demand. But, as many as three increases in three months, he says, is unusual.  

The Redmond-based company makes custom siding, roofing and other building supplies for customers across the Pacific Northwest. Dryden says 99% of their raw materials are American made, mostly from suppliers in Washington, California and Texas, so he was caught off guard by the price hikes. "It was feared; and I think what we’re seeing is the domestic mills saying, ‘Finally, we can get back to a little better profit margin because we’re not fighting that lower-cost, poorer quality product'." He tells KBND News, "Domestic mills are raising their prices because, basically, they can due to the tariffs added to the export market. But, we don’t necessarily see that as a bad thing; we see it more as leveling the playing field between export product and domestic product." He says for years, the U.S. market has been flooded with cheap products from overseas, mostly from China. The low-quality, low-cost metal is difficult to warranty.

BEND, OR -- State Senators Tim Knopp (R-Bend) and Cliff Bentz (R-Ontario) joined Representatives Mike McLane (R-Powell Butte) and Gene Whisnant (R-Sunriver) to discuss last month's legislative session at a Bend forum, Tuesday evening. 

BEND, OR -- Investigators continue to search for 24-year-old Sara Gomez, despite the apparent suicide of her ex-boyfriend, Bryan Penner, suspected in her disappearance.

Bend Police Chief Jim Porter says he’s still not able to talk about some details in the ongoing missing-persons case, "These investigations are complicated; they often take turns that are unexpected. In the very beginning, as a police investigator, you go to the worst possible case scenario – which would be homicide – and work your way backwards, and hope it’s only a kidnapping or that it’s only a disappearance. You never assume that you’re dealing with only one suspect; you never assume that. We’ve had homicide investigations here, which I recall since I’ve been working here, where we went in assuming there was one suspect and it turns out there were three suspects." He tells KBND News they might be able to release more information in the future, "We have a few things we want to absolutely lock down and make sure: that we’re only dealing with one individual, that’s there’s no one out there who actually has the information that we can get to."

BEND, OR -- Deschutes County job growth started to slow in 2017, but the latest numbers released by Oregon’s Employment Department show the region is still adding jobs at a fast pace. Deschutes County’s jobless rate remained at 4.1% in January.

Although Deschutes County lost 880 jobs, economists say that’s significantly fewer than typical for the month. Regional Economist Damon Runberg says that may have been influenced by the unseasonably warm winter, "that led to fewer seasonal layoffs than typically expected."

MADRAS, OR -- A Madras-area man has been arrested on suspicion of child sex abuse. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office says Detectives began the investigation last week and traveled to another state to interview a potential victim, prior to arresting 60-year-old Michael McCoy on Monday.

LA PINE, OR -- Deschutes County deputies are searching for a man they say ran from a traffic stop and crashed his car into a La Pine house, Sunday night. A deputy tried to pull over a 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee for failing to signal a turn, just before 11 p.m. He also noted the driver appeared to be trying to avoid being seen, when he passed the patrol car. 

After the deputy activated his overhead lights, the driver took off northbound on Day Road, then east onto Sunset Lane. The suspect vehicle then struck a house, causing minor damage. The driver then jumped out of the car and ran north.

Despite tracking him for a short distance, deputies were unable to locate the driver. Based on evidence left at the scene, officials believe the suspect is 42-year-old Jason Walter of La Pine. He's now wanted for Attempt to Elude, Hit and Run and Criminal Mischief. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call nonemergency dispatch at 541-693-6911 (case # 18-71560).

SALEM, OR -- State Senator Kim Thatcher (R-Keizer) says she’s working to keep Oregon on Daylight Savings Time year-round. In a statement issued Monday, she says, "I think most people would prefer to stay on Daylight Saving time throughout the remaining four months of the year that we are not. My office has been in contact with legislators in Washington and California and we are enthusiastic about people not having to change their clocks again."

In 2015, Sen. Thatcher introduced SB 99, to end what she calls the “unnecessary time change.” Since then, other western states, including Montana, Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah have introduced similar legislation.

She's working directly with Washington State Senator Jim Honeyford (R-Sunnyside), who says, "Daylight Savings Time has proven to be more trouble than it's worth." If the Legislature agrees to end the time change, Thatcher says they will then petition the federal government for a change. 

REDMOND, OR -- Republican candidates took part in a forum hosted by the Redmond Patriots, Monday evening, on their way to the May Primary. Patriots' Chair Bob Perry moderated the event, and says candidates who speak before the group do best to answer the questions as fully and honestly as possible. He tells KBND News, "We don't B.S., we don't pull punches, and we're certainly not constrained by political correctness." Two candidates for House District 53, as well as the four vying for the Republican nomination for Deschutes County Commissioner, took questions from the audience ranging from local government spending to marijuana, school safety, PERS reform and affordable housing. 

Jack Zika (right: seated) and Ben Schimmoller are running for the Republican nomination for the State House seat currently held by retiring Representative Gen Whisnant (R-Sunriver). Zika, a local realtor, talked about his two children, saying when it comes to schools, he's got "skin in the game." He wants to see PERS reform, "We do give our schools a lot of money, and it's just a problem getting the money to the schools. If you look at the states that are at the bottom for graduation rates, we all have something in common, we also contribute the most to our public employee retirement fund. Something needs to change." Schimmoller is a political activist and thinks party unity is the best way for conservatives to return Oregon to a common sense perspective, "It's good to have strong, contested primaries. it makes our party better, and it makes our issues stronger. And afterwards, it's important that we come together after the primary to really get behind our candidates 110%, because that's the way we're going to turn Oregon red." The Democrats vying for the District 53 seat are businesswoman Eileen Kiely and Dr. Bill Trumble.

REDMOND, OR -- Students at some local schools plan to participate in a nationwide walkout to protest gun violence, Wednesday morning. Redmond Proficiency Academy Director Jon Bullock says the courts have ruled that kids don’t leave their rights at the schoolhouse door, and he respects their right to peacefully protest any issue. "At RPA we believe in student voice, and we believe students need to have a way to express their viewpoints. We also believe that students need to understand what civil disobedience is, what it looks like, and that there are consequences associated with that." He adds, "If any student participates, they’ll receive an unexcused absence and any sort of disciplinary consequence that comes with that; same if our middle school students leave campus, we’ll contact their parents so they know they’ve left campus."

But, Dr. Bullock says, "What we’re choosing to focus on - it is not that aspect of it; but rather the educational aspect for students and families around the idea of civil disobedience. We believe every student should be in class every day, all the time. That’s the best place to make sure learning happens, and we want to encourage our students to do that. We also know, though, that acts of civil disobedience means that you are violating a policy because something has moved you to the point where you believe strongly enough about it that you’re willing to take the consequences for that." He tells KBND News, "For us, the way we handle any sort of protest is they’re not school sponsored events, they will not be supervised by staff; if students are going to engage in an act of civil disobedience, they do so on their own accord, and it does not happen on school campus."

To hear our full conversation with RPA Director Dr. Jon Bullock, visit our Podcast Page or click HERE. 

BEND, OR -- The criminal case against Bryan Michael Penner is now closed; he died of an apparent suicide Monday morning. Penner was the only suspect in the disappearance of 24-year-old Sara Gomez, of Bend. "The criminal investigation, we won't be continuing; that's obviously not possible with Penner's death," says Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel, "Soc we don't continue that angle, but we do continue trying to find Sara's body. We have to bring Sara home."

Gomez was reported missing February 20 after she hadn't been seen for several days. Penner was arrested February 22 on suspicion of violating a restraining order she had against him. Hummel says most violence against women is committed by a current or former husband or boyfriend, and he believes that's what happened to Gomez, "It's something inside certain men who are unable to accept a woman's right to decide whether she's going to be in a relationship with that man. The woman ends the relationship, the man cannot accept that, and his anger gets the point where he commits violence; and that was the case with Penner."

BEND, OR -- Deschutes County Jail staff used Narcan to help an inmate suffering from an apparent drug overdose, this week. It's the sixth time this year that the Sheriff's Office has used Narcan during a known or suspected overdose.  

In this most recent case, a 21-year-old man was in a holding cell following the booking process, Sunday, when Deputies noticed his condition was deteriorating. A Corrections Nurse assessed the inmate and found he had very low blood pressure and showed signs of opiate use. Staff administered two doses of Narcan; the man immediately responded after the second dose. He was admitted to the hospital and has since been released back to the jail. 

MADRAS, OR -- Jefferson County officials are looking into whether to combine fire and ambulance services. In most Central Oregon communities, the two are managed by one public agency. But, in Jefferson County, the fire district is run by the county, while medics work for a private, not-for-profit company. "These two departments are both kind of equipment-heavy, as well as personnel," says County Commissioner Mike Ahern. "So, if there are ways to make personnel efficiencies, which I think obviously it would appear there would be, and then a way that they could combine their efforts to improve their apparatuses and stuff."

The county has hired an independent research firm to investigate the pros and cons of both the current system and a potential combined Fire/EMS agency. "We’re just wondering – or asking the question – 'should there be two of these or should they combine or not?' And, really, we’re going into it with a pretty open mind. It’s more of an efficiency study," says Ahern.

The public can weigh in on the issue and talk with researchers during a meeting at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds, Thursday evening. Commissioner Ahern tells KBND News, "They’re going to take input from the public, and of course do some of their own investigations with Fire personnel and the budget; and they’ll make a report. Nobody’s really obligated to follow it." But, he says, "I’ll tell you this, there is no hidden agendas. All of the people are going in with an open mind and we’ll see if we can have a better outcome than what we’re doing now - Or not."

MADRAS, OR -- There has been bipartisan speculation the President’s decision to impose tariffs on some steel and aluminum products could lead to a trade war. U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) worries it will put Oregon jobs at risk. "One out of five jobs in Oregon depends on international trade," Wyden told KBND News during a recent stop in Madras, "The trade jobs often pay better than non-trade jobs." He believes building up local industries is a better approach. "Grow it in Oregon, make it in Oregon, add value in Oregon and ship it somewhere."

Wyden says the list of affected products hasn't yet been finalized, nor has the group of countries impacted, which he says raises more questions than answers. "The challenge, with what we know about the President’s trade policy is it’s not clear it deals with the central issue for Oregon workers and Oregon companies: oversupply in China." He believes there can be a place for tariffs in the country’s trade policy, "Well targeted, balanced tariffs should be one of the tools in the toolbox."

BEND, OR -- Congressman Greg Walden (R-OR) toured Humm Kombucha's new northeast Bend facility Friday, to draw attention to a proposal he's supporting, which would change federal beverage regulations.

PRINEVILLE, OR -- A Hillsboro man was killed in a Friday night crash, just north of Prineville. The Crook County Sheriff’s Office says 58-year-old Gary Weingart failed to negotiate a curve on McKay Creek Road, at about 9 p.m. 

BEND, OR -- The former boyfriend of a missing woman was hospitalized Sunday night after an apparent suicide attempt at the Deschutes County Jail. The Sheriff’s Office says Bryan Penner was found by another inmate, who alerted Corrections staff, at about 8:40 p.m. Deputies and nursing staff provided life-saving efforts, which continued until medics arrived to transport him to St. Charles Bend. His current condition was not available, as of early Monday morning. 

BEND, OR -- It’s not just humans catching the flu this season. Canine Influenza has been spreading across the  country since the first case was diagnosed in Chicago. Prior to January, outbreaks were primarily found in Asia. Now, there are several cases reported in Oregon, south of Deschutes County. 

BEND, OR -- Nearly every high school in Bend will have a new principal in the fall. Jay Mathisen, Deputy Superintendent for Bend-La Pine Schools, admits it’s unusual to have so many big changes occur at once. "We’ve had veteran leadership at numbers of our high schools over these last years, and actually we’ve had incredibly talented and sound leadership. And, for all different reasons, in the same period of months, here, folks are changing; moving on to other things or taking other positions."

Mathisen tells KBND News, "As we go down the line: Katie Legace, currently at Mt. View High School as principal, this is her eleventh year there, which is a very long, successful tenure for a high school principal. She’s taking a job where she’ll help provide leadership to all high schools, so a bit of a promotion, honestly." She'll become the district's Executive Director of High Schools. Summit High Principal Alice DeWittie is retiring, replaced by her assistant principal Michael McDonald. And, after seven years at Marshall, Julie Linhares will take over as principal at Rosland Elementary in the fall; the district's current Director of Secondary Programs Sal Cassaro will replace her. "We couldn’t have seen these coming," says Mathisen, "A year ago, I would not have bet that we would be having that much change at the high school level. But, we’ve been grateful and they’re all great leaders, and ready for their next things."

On top of changes at three of the four existing high schools in Bend, the district will open two small high school programs in the fall, each with their own new principal. That means only two of the district's high schools will start the next school year with the same leader it has now, "Matt Montgomery is continuing to serve at La Pine High; and this is his sixth year down there. And, Chris Reese is in his fourth year as principal at Bend High," says Mathisen.

The community is invited to meet the candidates vying to replace Legace as principal of Mt. View, Monday at 5 p.m. in the school's cafeteria. Attendees can talk to the four finalists, ask questions and offer feedback. They'll also meet with students and school leaders earlier that day. The final candidates are:

• Alvin Baptiste, current principal of Dufur School
• Matthew Barnes, current upper school head at the Community School and Sun Valley Ski Academy in Idaho
• Michael Hicks, current assistant principal at Bend Senior High
• Justin Huntley, current principal of Sutherlin High

BEND, OR -- Bend Police say a victim interrupted a car prowler, early Thursday morning, leading to the arrest of a 29-year-old Redmond man. The victim called 911 at about 2 a.m. to report a man was sitting in the driver’s seat of his car, near the Old Mill, trying to steal it.

MADRAS, OR -- The in-vehicle communication system "OnStar" helped track a car reported stolen, early Thursday morning. The company first helped locate the 2012 GMC Sierra at about 7 a.m. on Highway 97, near Brush Lane, in Madras. Madras Police Officers attempted to pull the car over, but the driver continued northbound. Despite the low speeds, officers decided not to continue the pursuit because of increased morning commuter traffic and the presence of school children.

Despite termination of the police chase, "OnStar" continued to track the suspect, and disabled the vehicle once it was away from traffic. Law enforcement from Madras, Jefferson County and State Police took the 21-year-old suspect into custody near "L" and Second Street, in Madras, a short time later.

Jesus Palacios-Rios is also suspected of committing domestic violence-related crimes, earlier Thursday morning. The victim did not seek medical attention, however Palacios-Rios is charged with Strangulation and Harassment, as well as Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle and Attempt to Elude. 

SISTERS, OR -- State Fire Marshal Jim Walker recently received a special partnership award from the Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District. Sisters Fire Chief Roger Johnson says the Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) really stepped up this summer when sisters needed help, "It was due to the tremendous amount of support and the efficiency and the quickness with which they supported our fire district and our community during the Milli Fire."

Submitted Photo: State Fire Marshal Jim Walker (right) accepts the Partnership Award from Sisters Fire District Board President Chuck Newport (Left) and Deputy Fire Chief Tim Craig (center). 

PRINEVILLE, OR -- History is being made at the Prineville Airport. A flying sportscar, dubbed the Samson Switchblade, is nearly complete and is expected to be unveiled later this spring. 

Sam Bousefield is the Switchblade's Inventor and CEO of Samson Sky. He acknowledges some may be worried about the safety of a car that transforms into an airplane at the touch of a button, "We've tested this to certified aircraft standard, even though we're experimental and we don't need to, we're three wheels, classed as a motorcycle, so we don't need to do front and rear crumple zones or side intrusion protection, or rollover protection or anything like that, but we still do it. There's no flying car rules right now, there's nothing. We just look to see, well, what should be there, and that's what we're doing." The Switchblade is made mostly of carbon fiber and is street legal, with a specially modified engine that takes supreme gasoline.

There are other flying cars in development, but Bousefield says the Switchblade is different than vehicles like the Pal-V Liberty, created by a Dutch company and unveiled at the recent Geneva auto show. "The difference is, that is a gyrocopter, which has a propellor blade at the top like a helicopter that's unpowered; it just acts as your wing and so it flies a little bit slower. We fly up to 200 mph, and we're high performance on the ground. We have the power and weight of a 2017 Corvette." 

BEND, OR -- Several of big road projects are expected to get underway in all parts of Bend, over the next few months. "Collectively, we’re going to be touching about 100 lane miles of the 800 or so lane miles of network that we have in Bend," says City Manager Eric King. "So, a little over 10% is being touched this year, which is on track for where it was last year." The City Council approved several contracts at Wednesday's meeting. 

King says the largest will take place throughout the summer, "It’s repaving 47 lane miles of our current system in all parts of town. It’s the largest street preservation contract that we’ve had to date – $4.7 million." It includes work on high-use streets like Third, between Wilson and Badger Road, Mount Washington Drive, between Shelin Park Road and Chandler, and some parts of downtown not treated last summer. They also approved 34 lane miles of slurry seal treatments for low-volume residential streets. "And then, we have two other contracts that are road construction projects. One is a rebuilding of 14th Street on the west side of Bend. And then, the other is an eastside project off of Empire. It’s really beginning to complete the Empire Corridor."

Funding for the preservation work will come from money found during last year's City Council budget exercises. Rebuilding 14th Street and Century Drive, between Donovan and Newport, will be covered by a 2011 General Obligation (G.O.) bond. "There was close to $4 million in project savings and that allowed us to deploy those dollars to complete 14th Street, so that’s being paid for by the G.O. bond," says King. And, the Empire Corridor project (pictured below) is funded with money from System Development Charges, "So, as development’s occurring, that funding source is accumulating funds and we’re able to deploy those on new projects. Our highest priorities right now are both the Empire Corridor, as well as Murphy on the south end, of getting pretty critical east-west connections made."

King says timing for all the work has not yet been confirmed, "The street preservation project, we’ll be working on a detailed schedule; that will happen really throughout the summer, but we want to see that wrapped up in August." He says most of that project will be night work, "The street repaving projects, those are a day or two inconvenience for folks; they’re not large closures like 14th Street where we’re rebuilding a street, doing utility work and those types of things. So, the paving is more of a maintenance-type of activity and it shouldn’t be that disruptive." Work on Empire is expected to begin in the fall. 

BEND, OR -- Out of what is being called an "abundance of caution," St. Charles Medical Center in Bend is beefing up security Thursday in response to a specific set of threats made nearly a month ago by an inebriated Emergency Room patient. 

BEND, OR -- Central Oregon Residents are asked to be more careful about what they put in recycling bins. On January first, China stopped taking most recycling from western nations, claiming recyclables were contaminated with trash and organic material. In Oregon, Marion County and the City of Medford are now strictly monitoring what residents put in recycle bins. 

Deschutes County has yet to make any changes; however, Bend Garbage & Recycling President Brad Bailey says making sure items are properly sorted keeps costs down and things flowing smoothly. Bailey says, "In order to have a good recycling commodity, it needs to be clean all the way through the process, and it will help ensure that that item actually gets recycled in the end and doesn't become a contaminant later."

He says if you're not sure what is recyclable, Bend Garbage staff, each garbage hauler and their website are all excellent resources for frequently asked questions or to request a new copy of the Recycling Guide. "It's really important that we follow the guide and not put anything in there that isn't listed there. Even though there might be a recycling symbol on the item, if it's not listed in the guide for the commingled stream, it shouldn't go in there."

BEND, OR -- A blocked sewer pipe at St. Charles Bend caused a leak and disrupted some hospital services for a short time, Tuesday. "We had a blockage in one of the pipes that takes sewage out from our main patient tower of the building, and recognized that when we started having leakage in one of our departments," says Chief Nursing Officer Debbie Robinson, "So, we identified where it was and we cleared it. At this point, we're back to normal operations."

The leakage occurred in the department where the autoclave is housed and surgical instruments are sanitized. Robinson tells KBND News, "We are making alternate plans to have our instruments cleaned at our Redmond campus and also local surgery centers are going to help us out. But, we are looking at our O.R. cases and figuring out what we can support and what we can reschedule over the next couple of days."

BEND, OR -- A 40-year-old Bend man is accused of stealing at least three utility trailers in a scam that targeted unsuspecting residents in southwest Bend. Police say Dustin Mooney told the victims his son crashed a drone in their backyard. The resident would grant permission to retrieve the drone and then go back inside, only to later find their utility trailer gone. 

SISTERS, OR -- Sisters-area residents are encouraged to share their thoughts on the current state of the region and the direction it’s headed over the next two decades. The Sisters Country Horizons initiative is a joint effort between the City Council, Deschutes County Commissioners and Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council. 

PRINEVILLE, OR -- RTI International, an independent non-profit that provides data and partnerships to businesses, released a study saying Facebook's four domestic data centers, like the one in Prineville, have contributed nearly $6 billion to the nation's GDP since 2010.

BEND, OR -- A large home under construction in southwest Bend was damaged when firefighters attempted to access and extinguish a small blaze, Tuesday morning.

Crews responded to Cannon Court, in the Tetherow area, at about 10:30 a.m. and found smoke coming from the interior vents. They were forced to remove a masonry wall around the foundation using power saws and hand tools. Firefighters eventually found a small burned section they believe was overheated by a propane torch used by a construction worker to warm the area.

The $1.5 million home, owned by Robert Nosler, suffered about $10,000 in damage.

PRINEVILLE, OR -- The Humane Society of the Ochocos is working to find homes for over a dozen rabbits seized last month during an animal abuse investigation. Prineville Police began looking into 37-year-old Kara Madison in early February, following a complaint involving a chicken, goat, cats, and numerous dogs and rabbits in her home on NW 7th Street. 

Investigators found the animals living in conditions ranging from feces covered bedding to extended periods without food or water. Some animals began eating their own feces to survive, others were missing hair and/or suffering from various types of infections and disease; some had died. Officers seized 18 live rabbits and seven that were dead. On February 23, Madison was indicted by a Grand Jury on multiple counts of Animal Neglect I. 

Prineville Police, working with the Crook County D.A.'s office and Humane Society of the Ochocos, received a Judgment of Forfeiture on all of the seized rabbits and all 18 are now allowed to be rehomed. 

Click HERE to view more photos of the available rabbits on the shelter's Facebook Page. 

BEND, OR -- The Deschutes County Sheriff's Office is investigating a fatal crash that occurred Monday night near Powell Butte Highway and McGrath Road, east of Bend. Emergency crews responded to the rollover crash at about 7:50 p.m. and medics transported three people to St. Charles Bend.

Authorities say a 36-year-old man died at the hospital as a result of injuries sustained in the crash, although few details have been released as of Tuesday morning. 

TUESDAY P.M. UPDATE: The Sheriff’s Office says speed is to blame for the Monday evening crash on Powell Butte Highway; and, they're investigating whether intoxicants were a contributing factor. According to investigators, 25-year-old Samantha Toews, of Powell Butte, failed to negotiate a curve near McGrath Road, rolling the car several times. 

BEND, OR -- Just before adjourning the short session over the weekend, state lawmakers approved $39 million in state-backed bonds to fund construction of a second academic building at Oregon State University’s Bend campus. Kelly Sparks, with OSU-Cascades, says now that the money is secured, things will move quickly. "We plan, this summer, to get started on the reclamation of the pumice mine; so, that process will take a little over a year. And, we plan to start detailed design of [the] academic building next summer, 2019, and open it for the fall of 2021." The university purchased the former pumice mine in 2016, for future development. 

Photo courtesy OSU: Artist rendering of the new Academic Building. Existing Tykeson Hall can be seen to the right of the future building. 

BEND, OR -- The Bend Chamber is taking nominations for the 2018 Women of the Year Awards, to be handed out next month. Robin Rogers, with the Chamber, founded the event four years ago, "Women and young girls, we really want to honor them. Women that have just gone above and beyond in business," she says, "Especially in this day and age – in this man’s world, we want to lift those women up; especially the young girls, coming forward."

MADRAS, OR -- Madras Police are investigating the death of a 21-year-old brought to the hospital Friday with a gunshot wound. Alfredo Martinez-Urieta arrived at St. Charles Madras by personal vehicle and was pronounced dead by the attending physician.

Investigators say they’ve recovered the firearm suspected to have been used and they believe there is no outstanding threat to the community.

UPDATE (3/07/18): According to Madras Police, the shooting waas determined to be an "unintentional discharge" of a handgun by Martinez-Urieta, which resulted in his own death.

BEND, OR -- Representative Knute Buehler (R-Bend) calls foster kids the most vulnerable kids in Oregon, but his proposal to spend $50 million to create a Rapid Improvement Team failed to gain traction during the 2018 Legislative session. Buehler says a lot of time was wasted during the short session on issues that, in his opinion, are far less important. "We've spent a lot of time this session talking about a complex new energy tax credit scheme that failed, we spent a lot of time in Revenue Committee talking about a cow manure tax credit, and creating a new gimmicky fund for a PERS bailout. To me, all those things could wait."

BEND, OR -- A local fire district is already looking ahead to fire season, and they're providing an incentive to help people plan ahead. The Fire Free program is an effort by wildland fire agencies, including Deschutes Rural Fire Protection District #2.

Bend Fire Battalion Chief Dave Howe tells KBND News, "Because people are more effective when they work together, Fire Free has made a grant program available to help groups of people fund this mitigation of wildfire fuels." He suggests several neighbors could work together to make the money go further. "What they're looking for are projects that provide the greatest good for the greatest number of people, in terms of reducing fuels and keeping a community safe. If you have less of a chance of having a wildfire, well then your neighbor has less of a chance of having one spread to their property." Howe says the larger the group or the area involved in the grant application, the more likely it is to be awarded. Click HERE to access the online application. 

BEND, OR --The manufacturer involved in the upgrade of Deschutes County's law enforcement radio system says things are stabilizing. Bend Police Chief Jim Porter tells KBND News officers are still experiencing volume issues, garbled messages and some dropped calls, although the system is no longer crashing. Chief Porter tells KBND News engineers with Motorola are in town this week to help troubleshoot problems with their units; although he notes radios made by both Motorola and Harris appear to experience the same volume issues. 

The digital transition has been plagued with problems since the switch from analog occurred last summer. But, Sheriff Shane Nelson is optimistic, "We are still having issues. But, I am confident that Harris is committed to fixing those issues and they have been receptive to our concerns." He tells KBND News, "I don’t have any reason to believe that they won’t follow through with their pledge to make sure we have an excellent working radio system."

LA PINE, OR -- Deschutes County Sheriff's Deputies recently saved a La Pine woman reportedly suffering from a drug overdose twice, within 24 hours.

The first call came in Thursday, just after 5 p.m. Deputies arrived within six minutes of the call, administered a single dose of Naloxone, also called "Narcan," and the woman regained consciousness. They were dispatched to the same location at 11:34 Friday morning and discovered the woman was again suffering from an overdose. They administered Narcan and she again responded immediately.

In 2017, Deschutes County Deputies used Narcan nine times to save the lives of people suffering from drug overdoses. They've administered it five times, so far this year.

BEND, OR -- Two people were killed in separate accidents at Mt. Bachelor, Friday.

At about noon, a 24-year-old snowboarder was found in a tree well in the West Bowls area, an “experts only” area near the Northwest Lift. Other skiers worked to uncover Alfonso Braun and Ski Patrol attempted CPR, but the Bend man had died. 

REDMOND, OR -- Deschutes County Deputies seized five dogs reported abandoned at a home northwest of Redmond, earlier this week. Law enforcement were first dispatched to the home on NW Progress Lane on Sunday, February 25, after a concerned citizen reported not seeing anyone on the property caring for the dogs in several days. Deputies looked through windows and could see several dogs inside. They tried to contact the last known resident throughout the day, but were unsuccessful.

The next day, DCSO executed a search warrant to check on the animals. They seized four pit bull-mix dogs and a Chihuahua-mix. A fifth pit bull was found deceased on the property. Investigators believe the dogs had not been fed, cared for or checked on for at least six days, prior to being seized.

Authorities later determined 41-year-old Anne Springer, of Redmond, is the owner of the dogs. She was contacted Wednesday and cited on five counts of Animal Neglect II and one count of Animal Neglect I. The seized dogs are now being cared for at Brightside Animal Center. 

REDMOND, OR -- A Redmond man faces multiple charges involving one vehicle reported stolen from Portland, and another involved in a police chase. 

At about 12:45 a.m. Friday, Deschutes County deputies conducted a traffic stop on a Ford Explorer in the parking lot of the Redmond Walmart; the vehicle was missing a license plate. During the stop, deputies discovered the Explorer was reported stolen from Portland in November. The investigation led them to 30-year-old Scott Wilson.

At around 2:30 a.m., deputies discovered Wilson driving a BMW sedan on NW Maple Ave. near 35th. He allegedly fled the scene and law enforcement attempted used spike strips to try to immobilize the vehicle. A brief low-speed pursuit ensued, through a northwest Redmond neighborhood, culminating in Wilson's vehicle becoming disabled behind the Catholic Church at 19th and Maple. Authorities say Wilson then ran and hid on church property until he was found by a Redmond Police K9 unit.

Wilson was taken into custody without incident. He's expected to be charged with Possession of  a Stolen Vehicle, Attempting to Elude (in a vehicle and on foot), Driving with a Suspended License, Reckless Driving and a Felony Parol Violation. 

BEND, OR -- An investigation is underway into an Oregon State Police Captain. Acting on an anonymous tip received Tuesday night, Deschutes County Sheriff Shane Nelson says his agency launched an investigation into Capt. William Fugate, "We are in the early stages of this investigation, and will not be releasing any specific information at this time about the nature of this investigation." Nelson adds, "This investigation involves a high-level commander in a professional law enforcement agency. We are in the beginning stages of this investigation and want to balance transparency with our duty to protect the integrity of the investigation. We take these investigations seriously and will always do the right thing. In all criminal investigations, we respect our citizen's rights as we investigate to gather the facts."

Fugate is the lead Public Information Officer (PIO) for the State Police. Sheriff Nelson tells KBND News the alleged incident didn't happen while Fugate was working, "The investigation is not related to his employment or on-duty conduct."

OSP Superintendent Travis Hampton issued the following statement, Thursday: "I placed Captain Fugate on administrative leave once I learned of the criminal investigation initiated by the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office. The Oregon State Police is grateful for the immediate and professional response by the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office, to allegations involving our employee. We are appreciative for the timely notification to our agency, so duty status determinations could be immediately made. OSP has the utmost confidence in Sheriff Nelson and his investigators to conduct a comprehensive and transparent investigation."

BEND, OR -- The search continues for a 24-year-old Bend woman reported missing February 20. Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel was at the Knott Landfill Thursday searching for clues to the whereabouts of Sara Gomez. "I was there with some of the officers who were digging through trash with backhoes. We're looking for pieces of evidence and we're looking for Sara everywhere; and we're asking the community to let us know if they see anything unusual or that they think might be related to her disappearance to contact law enforcement."

Hummel tells KBND News investigators are following every lead, including any evidence they gather during their investigation into Bryan Penner, her former boyfriend. "This Penner guy, he's the last person that we know of who has seen her alive, and so we're investigating him, and we're investigating every piece of evidence that we have found relating to her disappearance. We're actively working this, 24/7." Penner is being held on two counts of contempt of court for violating a restraining order Gomez had against him.

BEND, OR -- Sunriver’s former police chief was convicted of Harassment Thursday. According to the Deschutes County District Attorney, Marc Mills will serve no jail time and must pay a $100 fine, based on a plea deal.

BEND, OR -- A comprehensive study on the water needs of the Upper Deschutes is nearly complete, and the preliminary results will be released at a series of public meetings, next week. Central Oregon Irrigation District General Manager Craig Horrell says it’s an important study on a resource that impacts nearly everyone in the region. "So, get some general information on conditions of the river, general information on irrigation practices, and really take a look at how we can find opportunities to make the river better, make irrigation better at a high level. It was really focused on the balance within the basin." 

Monday, March 5, 1-3 p.m.

Sunriver Homeowners Aquatic Recreation Center (SHARC)

57250 Overlook Road, Sunriver

Monday, March 5, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Bend Parks and Recreation District Office

799 SW Columbia Street, Bend

Tuesday, March 6, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

The Inn at Cross Keys Station

66 NW Cedar Street, Madras

BEND, OR -- Oregon native Patti Adair is running for Deschutes County Commissioner Position 3 against incumbent, Tammy Baney.

BEND, OR -- Dick's Sporting Goods CEO Ed Stack announced Wednesday the retailer will make several changes in response to the February 14 school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Stack says Dick's locations stopped selling assault-style rifles after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012. Now, the company's smaller Field and Stream stores will now join that policy. The stores will also stop selling high-capacity magazines, and it will not allow any customers under the age of 21 to purchase a firearm. Click HERE to read his full letter from February 28, 2018. 

Dick's customers in Bend had mixed reactions to the policy change. Local birdhunter, Ed Carson, made a special trip to the Bend store to thank them for what he calls "a bold step." He tells KBND News, "Hopefully, it's the beginning of a wave that's going to sweep all the other companies across the country to step up and get in line." Judy Hatfield doesn't understand why assault-type rifles were ever for sale to the public in the first place, "I don't know what their purpose is, other than in war. But people that are just common hunters, I think that's really not very sporting if you're going to use one of those."

However, Bend's Jerry Winstead is skeptical the move will do any real good, calling Stack's decision an attempt to garner good publicity. He says if he ever wants an assault rifle, he's sure he could easily find one somewhere else."

BEND, OR -- A team of firefighters from Bend is training for the annual Scott Stairclimb in Seattle (pictured). The event on March 11 is a fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. "Firefighters from around the world will be climbing the Columbia Tower: 1,311 steps, 69 floors and as fast as you can go, wearing all your gear," says Bend Deputy Fire Marshal Dan Derlacki. He tells KBND News,"We’ve gone 11 years as a team; this year we’re sending six climbers up. We’re going to try and go as fast as we can, and raise as much money." At 788' of vertical elevation, Columbia Center stands as the second tallest building west of the Mississippi, and the tallest in Seattle. 

In 2017, the event brought in about $2.5 million for blood-cancer research and patient care. "Last year, we raised over $40,000 just here in Bend, and most of it was through a simple dollar in a boot as people saw us training in different locations." Derlacki says Longboard Louie’s restaurants in Bend will give a portion of Thursday's proceeds to the cause, from both locations. And, firefighters will accept donations in downtown Bend, as part of First Friday, at the corner of Wall and Minnesota. "We’ve got a stair-climber out, crews will be there climbing in all their gear, raising money. And, our inspiration, Brooke, who’s a freshman at Mt. View High School, will be there. She’s fought a very rare and difficult form of Leukemia; fought back to where she played on the varsity soccer team, this year and has always got a smile on her face, and is a true hero to all of us that are going up there."

BEND, OR -- A Seattle development company plans a large apartment complex in southwest Bend, but the proposal is worrying some neighbors.

LA PINE, OR -- For the second time in eight days, a Bend-La Pine student is arrested for allegedly making threats against a school. According to the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, a student at La Pine High contacted a School Resource Officer as he arrived on campus, Wednesday morning, to report a possible threat. The suspect student was identified and removed from class. 

LA PINE, OR -- The American Legion Post 45 in La Pine was broken into, early Wednesday morning, and the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's help in identifying a suspect.

Deputies responded at about 5:30 a.m. and found that someone had forced their way into the building and took alcohol and a safe with cash inside. Based on video surveillance, investigators believe the burglary occurred around 4:20 a.m. 

The suspect can be seen on the video wearing a black stocking hat with white snowflakes, a dark colored jacket and gray pants with a vertical black stripe; he was carrying an Easton-brand bag.