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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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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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Schenkelberg Resigns

Bend will lose two elected officials at its City Council Meeting on May 18
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Bend City Councilor Rita Schenkelberg (they/them) announced they’re resigning from the Bend City Council at its next regular meeting on May 18 just a week after Bend Mayor Sally Russell announced she’ll resign on the same date. Voters elected Schenkelberg to office in 2020 to a term that expires in December 2024. Schenkelberg told The […]

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Rental Housing Black Hole

The median home price in Bend rose to over $750,000 in May, a 30% jump from the same time last year.
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Prices are soaring, supply is limited and it’s somehow Californians’ fault. Getting a place to stay, whether you’re looking to rent or own, is a challenge here. That’s why we made this handy decision tree to guide you on your path to housing.

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Cover Your Grasses

New data on fire risk and a study on fuel reductions in high desert ecosystems comes as Central Oregon approaches fire season
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About 92% of properties in Bend are at risk of being affected by wildfire over the next 30 years, according to data released by the nonprofit First Street Foundation on May 16. The data is the first nationwide property-specific model for the United States, finding that over 30 million properties have at least 1% or […]

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South Canyon Survey

A group of neighborhood associations is seeking information in its effort to block the sale of a large parcel of undeveloped land the near the Deschutes
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Save Bend Green Space, a group of four Bend neighborhood associations, released a survey on May 11 that asks how people use the area and gauges interest in converting a portion of Deschutes South Canyon into a park. Pahlisch Homes is seeking to purchase the property from Central Oregon Irrigation District to eventually develop. The […]

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Not Banned in Bend

Reproductive health clinics are expecting to see an increase in demand after leaked Supreme Court Documents suggest Roe v. Wade will be overturned
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On May 2 Politico released a draft opinion that revealed the Supreme Court is on track to overturn Roe v. Wade, a 1973 Supreme Court decision that protected woman’s access to abortion without government restriction. If none of the justices who voted to overturn Roe change their decision, 26 states are poised to either ban […]

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Code Changes Changing

The Bend City Council is sending proposed shelter code changes back to staff after a raucous public hearing
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The Bend City Council delayed a vote on controversial shelter code amendments at its regular meeting on May 4. If adopted the amendments would have loosened restrictions on where shelters can be placed, in accordance with 2021’s House Bill 2006 that eased zoning requirements for homeless shelters. The City has struggled to find places to […]

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Russell Resigns

Bend’s first elected mayor since the 1920s will bow out of the position seven months early
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Bend Mayor Sally Russell announced she’s resigning from the position after the Bend City Council’s next regular meeting May 18. Russell already said she wouldn’t seek reelection at an April 14 press conference, but is opting to leave before her term expires at the end of December, citing exhaustion after several tumultuous years in government. […]

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Surfer Drowns at Bend’s Whitewater Park

Fellow surfers worked for six minutes to dislodge Ben Murphy from the artificial gates controlling water flow to a surf wave
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Ben Murphy, a 17-year-old from Bend, passed away on May 1 after being trapped underwater for over six minutes at the Bend Whitewater Park the day before. Murphy was surfing the standing wave at the Whitewater Park when he fell and got stuck in a gate that operates the waves shortly after noon. Other surfers […]

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Matter of Record

The City of Bend dropped a lawsuit that would’ve recouped costs for a large public records request
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On April 21 a judge agreed to settle a lawsuit between the City of Bend and the Central Oregon Peacekeepers, an activist group formed to protect social justice protests. The decision brings an end to a year-long legal fight and orders Bend to pay $18,000 to cover the Peacekeepers’ attorney fees. The process started in […]

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