Jack is originally from Kansas City, Missouri and has been making his way west since graduating from the University of Missouri, working a year and a half in Northeast Colorado before moving to Bend in the Spring of 2021. When not reporting he’s either playing folk songs (poorly) or grand strategy video games, and checking out the different hiking trails in Central Oregon.
The Bend City Council continued its efforts to manage campsites in public right of ways at its regular meeting on July 20. Over a month prior the City Council directed staff to establish a work group to tackle the time, place and manner restrictions that could be placed on campsites on City property; the decision […]
On July 13 Oregon’s Public Defense Services Commission convened to take the first steps on plans to reform Oregon’s public defense system. As of July 8, there were 39 unrepresented people incarcerated in Oregon jails and 65 out-of-custody people who’ve been arraigned without representation. Anyone charged with a criminal offense who proves an inability to […]
St. Charles Health System eliminated two executive positions on Friday, just three days after its CEO and president, Joe Sluka, announced his resignation. The nonprofit hospital system says it’s eliminating the two positions to cut costs as it reports a loss of $17.5 million in the first quarter of 2022, according to the Oregon Health […]
On July 12, Redmond City Council approved two ballot measures that would create and fund a five-year levy to create a recreation center. The $48 million facility would have an eight-lane lap pool, a lazy river, water slide, a gym, bouldering wall and more. The facility would sit on 10 acres Redmond Area Park and […]
St. Charles Health System CEO Joe Sluka is stepping down after eight years in the role, transitioning to a strategic advisor position. He’s being replaced in the interim by Dr. Steve Gordon, a health care executive and former member of the St. Charles Board of Directors who’s served in leadership roles for PeaceHealth in Vancouver, […]
Oregon voters chose to become the first state in the nation to allow psilocybin, AKA magic mushrooms, for use in therapy when they approved Measure 109. The bill passed in Oregon with over 55% of the vote, including 52% of voters in Deschutes County. Psilocybin is deemed a Schedule 1 narcotic by the U.S. Drug […]
Bend’s navigation center officially opened its doors on July 12, less than four months after the City of Bend approved a proposal submitted by Shepherd’s House to convert its overnight shelter into a 24-hour service center. It’s called The Lighthouse, meant to evoke a guide to safety that’s not the final destination. The center had […]
Monkeypox, a viral disease that causes fever, headaches and rashes, has been discovered in Oregon. The Oregon Health Authority reported its first known case in mid-June, and on July 1 Lane County reported two presumed cases of monkeypox. Lane County Public Health spokesperson Jason Davis told KOIN he’s expecting a few more cases in the […]
Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden visited Bend’s Planned Parenthood clinic on July 2, Oregon’s easternmost abortion clinic and on the front lines of the now state-by-state approach to abortion laws. The Bend clinic is expecting an influx of out-of-state patients, including those from neighboring Idaho, after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and Casey v. […]
Fourth of July is firefighters’ busiest night of the year thanks to fires started by fireworks, injuries from fireworks and an increase in drunk driving. In Central Oregon it’s a heightened problem with a majority of Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson Counties facing varying levels of drought. Fearing sparks, the Bend City Council voted to permanently […]
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