Clayton Franke

Bend — one of Oregon’s fastest-growing cities — became the second in the state to pass fees on natural gas appliances in new home construction, a controversial policy meant to curb greenhouse emissions in buildings to meet the City’s climate goals and help combat the effects of climate change.  The Bend City Council during a June 3 meeting voted 5-1 in favor of the natural gas fees, named the Climate Pollution Fee. A second vote […]

Federal legislation introduced in Congress could be the first step toward building a second road to access a High Desert canyon south of Prineville, where a growing number of residents have expressed concerns about emergency access, particularly in a wildfire.   U.S. Rep Cliff Bentz, who represents Oregon’s 2nd Congressional District across eastern and southern Oregon, introduced a bill May 21 to give Crook County an 80-foot right […]

Deschutes County may have found a service provider to support people in a developed homeless campground in East Redmond, but it’s unclear how much money will be left over for other operations like security, trash removal and porta potties.  In March, Deschutes County and the City of Redmond completed construction on a 36-site fenced campground with gravel roads, campsites, power and water. But it’s been sitting vacant after initial calls to run it went unanswered by Central Oregon’s largest homeless service nonprofits, which said the County was asking too much for […]

A policy to make Bend home builders pay more for installing natural gas appliances in new construction is almost to the finish line.   The Bend City Council is set to vote Wednesday on the proposed Climate Pollution Fee, designed to fight climate change by encouraging builders to power homes with electricity instead of natural gas, which contributes to global warming.   If adopted, Bend will become the second city in Oregon, behind Ashland, […]

Redmond Mayor Ed Fitch delivered a State of the City address Thursday morning focused on how the City is handling the sweeping challenges of population growth, which he largely blamed on a “deluge” of state mandates restricting local control before announcing his plans to run for reelection for a final time this year.   Fitch’s speech lasted about 40 minutes with City staff, local elected officials and members of the public […]

Applause and cheers thundered through the La Pine City Council meeting Wednesday evening as the body quashed a proposed industrial land sale to develop a data center that generated fierce public opposition in recent weeks.   The City Council’s unanimous vote on May 27 came after hearing a combined nearly five hours of public meeting comments this month, mostly lambasting the proposal. People formed online Facebook groups […]

The number of people injured in e-bike crashes in Bend is on the rise, prompting safety warnings from officials and emerging education efforts as the weather warms and cycling increases.  The announcement comes as local and state policymakers respond with a patchwork of new rules and regulations intended to address skyrocketing popularity in e-bikes and other powered mobility devices.   The Bend Police Department, Bend Fire & Rescue, Bend-La […]

The Bend City Council on May 20 approved a master plan to expand the facility that filters Bend’s main water source for drinking. The plan provides the roadmap for future upgrades including a new pretreatment system, hydropower generation facilities, future storage reservoirs and other infrastructure City officials say is critical to ensuring long-term resiliency in a major water source for residents.   Approval of the Outback Facility Plan comes as the City awaits a final decision from the U.S. Forest Service on the transfer of a 48-acre piece of land north of Skyliners Road. Some […]

The City of Redmond is moving ahead with plans to demolish an old police station downtown and build an outdoor ice-skating rink expected to open by Thanksgiving next year.   Project meetings kicked off earlier this month after the City Council, sitting as the Redmond Urban Renewal Agency Board, awarded a design contract to Kirby Nagelhout Construction Company. The City expects the rink to cost between […]

When Keith Rockow moved to Deschutes County in 2003, one of the first ways he got involved in local politics was by planting a yard sign in his front lawn for Gene Whisnant, a Republican who represented part of the county in the Oregon Legislature for 16 years.   “We were a good, strong Republican force then,” said Rockow, who is now […]