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Jack Harvel

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.

jharvel@gannett.com
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Shutoff Shutdown Shut Down

If you missed a water bill these past two years, you wouldn’t get your water shut off. That changes at the end of the month.
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The Bend utilities department will resume water shutoffs for delinquent payments on July 1, after two years of allowing people who hadn’t paid their bills to keep drawing City water. City Manager Eric King issued an emergency declaration suspending water service shutoffs in March 2020 due to the pandemic. The order was due to expire […]

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St. Charles Employees Seek Union

300 St. Charles employees are attempting to join the nation’s second-largest teachers union
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About 300 St. Charles Health System employees filed for union representation on June 3, just a few weeks after the health care provider terminated 181 positions, citing large budget deficits. The employees are represented by the Central Oregon Providers Network and hope to join the American Federation of Teachers, the United States second largest teachers […]

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Proposed Managed Camp Has a Site

A proposed managed houseless camp is a step closer to becoming a reality
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The Bend City Council approved the first planning phase of a managed village for the unhoused at its regular meeting on June 1. If approved after Phase 1 the village will consist of 20 Pallet-brand structures on about 2 acres of land leased from the Desert Streams Church on 27th Street. Central Oregon Villages will […]

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Endicott Opts Out

The longtime Redmond Mayor announces he will not seek reelection
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Redmond Mayor George Endicott announced he wouldn’t seek reelection on May 31, after holding the position through seven election cycles and 14 years. In a press release, Endicott highlighted accomplishments like the Redmond airport terminal expansion, the creation of Centennial Park, supporting affordable housing projects, the 2022 public safety building bond measure and more. “Several […]

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The Kids are Not All Right

Teenagers are experiencing the highest rates of hopelessness ever recorded. Local programs have been helpful, but barriers to mental health care remain
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the results of a troubling survey on March 31, finding that 44% of high school students in the United States reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness over the past year in 2021. It’s the sharpest increase in youth hopelessness since the CDC began tracking the data, […]

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Unlucky Horseshoe

A Bend storage facility was claimed through eminent domain. Over five months later, some tenants say the owners never let them know they needed to move out.
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On May 21 Joshua Hockenson started packing up his storage unit at Lucky Horseshoe Storage Facility on the north side of Bend. Inside were some prized possessions from his travels; a tapestry from Thailand, a painting of the Thousand Hand Buddha from Bhutan and the hiking gear he’d brought on his journey. Hockenson flew over […]

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The Incomplete Council

Bend City Council has 30 days to replace two outgoing councilors
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The Bend City Council shrunk at its regular meeting on May 18, with both Mayor Sally Russell and Councilor Rita Schenkelberg resigning near the end of the meeting. Russell’s term expires at the end of December and Schenkelberg’s runs until the end of 2023. Russell cited exhaustion after the past four years of pandemic, social […]

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Election Results, So Far

Preliminary results from the May primaries are out, though official results will have to wait
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It’s Oregon’s first election where ballots can be sent as late as Election Day, delaying results. Official results won’t be released when this article goes to print, but here’s what we’ve seen so far in unofficial results. Deschutes County Commissioner: Incumbent Tony DeBone leads challenger Scott Stuart 75-25% in the Republican primary. Democrat Oliver Tatom, […]

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St. Charles Staff Sacked

After several difficult years dealing with COVID, Bend’s largest employer is laying off nearly 200 staff members
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Central Oregon’s largest employer, St. Charles Health System, announced this month it would be laying off 105 people and eliminating 76 positions that are currently vacant. The health system is Central Oregon’s largest employer, retaining over approximately 4,500 employees across the region. St. Charles said most positions it’s eliminating are non-clinical positions in areas including […]

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Medical Helicopter Crashes in Christmas Valley

The Bend-based Airlink helicopter crashed on its way to pick up a patient, seriously injuring at least two people on board
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An AirLink medical helicopter crashed while landing at the Christmas Valley Airport on its way to pick up a patient last week. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash, which occurred in windy conditions around 5:24 pm on May 18, according to NTSB public affairs officer Peter Knudson. Knudson […]

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