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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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Locked and Unloaded

Gun safety bill passes Oregon Senate, now on Gov. Kate Brown’s desk
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Senate Bill 554 passed the Oregon State Senate after the Oregon House of Representatives modified the text to add storage and safety requirements. The bill would change Oregon laws to allow school districts, public higher education institutions and a few other public buildings the ability to prohibit the carrying of firearms on their property, even […]

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Room Tax Reconsidered

Council votes to move some tax funds supporting tourism advertising and strategy to tourism facilities instead
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The transient room tax in Bend will soon be able to be spent on tourism-related facilities, expanding on its original function for tourism promotion. Most of the tax, 68.8% of it, goes to the City’s general fund where it contributes to roads, police and fire departments. The other 31.2% is currently restricted to a tourism […]

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End of Risk Levels Ahead

Oregon to remove capacity limits and county risk levels—if vaccinations reach 70%
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Gov. Kate Brown announced Tuesday that Oregon will stop using county risk levels and restrictions on capacity once the state reaches a vaccination rate of 70% or higher for Oregonians aged 16 and above. The governor said she believes the state will hit that target by late June if current trends continue.  “Hospitalization rates have […]

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High Risk Returns

Just a few days after being moved to Extreme Risk, Deschutes, Crook and 13 other counties will move back to high risk.
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The Bend-La Pine Schools district will move to a modified schedule as cases among young people rise, even as Deschutes County is lowered from Extreme Risk to High Risk in the governor’s risk-protection framework. In the High-Risk category, people will be able to eat at restaurants, exercise at gyms and go to indoor entertainment establishments […]

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Q&A with Becky Johnson

Dr. Becky Johnson was instrumental in building the OSU-Cascades satellite campus. Now she’s the Interim President of the whole University System.
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Former Oregon State University President F. King Alexander resigned on March 23 after the law firm Husch Blackwell found that sexual misconduct reports were routinely mishandled at Louisiana State University under Alexander’s presidency from 2013 to 2019. Less than a month after Alexander’s resignation, OSU-Cascades Vice President Becky Johnson was confirmed by OSU’s Board of Trustees […]

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Fore! Sale

River’s Edge Golf Course is being sold to develop new housing. What does that tell us about Bend’s land supply?
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Golfing is expensive, but not nearly as expensive as a house in Bend. Good news is, there’s about to be more of them. Wayne Purcell, whose family has been instrumental in the economic development of Bend as a tourist destination for decades, announced his intention to retire and sell River’s Edge Golf Course in the […]

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Permanent Parklets

The structures built in downtown Bend parking spaces will remain up throughout 2021
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Whole industries fought for survival after state mandates across the country sought to reduce exposure to COVID-19 last spring. Restaurants in particular scrambled to find ways to stay in business through carryout and delivery, but were largely unable to recoup their losses. “Not every business model would have made sense to just go over to […]

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Enterprise Zones Redrawn

Will Bend keep one of its key tools in attracting new businesses?
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Deschutes County Commissioners approved redrawn boundaries to the Bend Enterprise Zone at their meeting on Wed., April 14, moving one step closer towards final approval from the state. Enterprise Zones are touted as one of the key benefits for businesses in Oregon, and Bend’s hosts 54 companies that have created over 1,400 jobs and invested $256 […]

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Riskier Business

Half of Oregon counties moved to a higher risk category; Deschutes, Crook among counties shuttering indoor dining
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Deschutes County and Crook County along with 13 others, were designated as Extreme Risk by Oregon Gov. Kate Brown on Tuesday, after the number of hospitalizations in the state rose above 300.  The change in status will go into effect on Friday, and county data will be evaluated on a weekly basis for at least […]

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A Rehabilitative Dude Ranch

J Bar J, offering a path away from crime for youth in Central Oregon for over 50 years, is now nationally accredited
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In 1968, Deschutes County was seeking a different solution for troubled youth who had committed a crime, besides jail. Rather than strictly punitive measures the county opted to fund J Bar J Ranch, which sought to not only house the teenagers but to teach them skills to succeed as an adult. The ranch takes its […]

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