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New Community of Affordable Housing Slated for Prineville  

RootedHomes, an affordable housing community developer, plans to create new housing opportunities for working class families in Prineville
Avatar photoBy Jesse Coronado

RootedHomes, a local nonprofit that develops homes for the local workforce, prepares to expand a new 24-home community of affordable housing in the Iron Horse neighborhood in Prineville. The project is estimated to cost $19.5 million.   “Home buyers tell us they feel more stable… They are actually able to put roots down in their community,” Executive Director Eliza Wilson says of […]

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Oregon Department of Forestry Scores Futuristic Wildfire Detection Airplane

The Twin Otter plane, equipped with AI mapping abilities, will speed up detection time
Avatar photo by Peter Madsen

The Oregon Department of Forestry will be stationing a new, multi-mission airplane, equipped with technology out of a sci-fi movie, in Prineville — just in time for fire season. The Twin Otter, which some appreciators refer to as a “Twotter,” will relieve ODF’s Partenavia P.68 Observer airplane, which will be retired after more than three […]

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Oiling the Cogs of the Housing Industry

Two bills, which U.S. Rep. Janelle Bynum authored — and co-authored — strive to speed up housing construction and ramp up affordability. In some ways, Bend is ahead of the curve.
Avatar photo by Peter Madsen

Amid an ongoing housing crisis, homebuilders, first-time homebuyers and the building appraisal industry are on their way to earning big wins not just in Oregon, but throughout the country. Two bills, either authored or co-authored by U.S. Rep. Janelle Bynum (OR-05), are aimed at building more houses, decreasing housing costs and speeding up the licensing […]

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Political Hopefuls, Sisters Mayor Face Off in Deschutes County Commission Position 5 Race

The race features clashing views on homelessness, a proposal for local ownership of Mt. Bachelor and wildfire issues
Avatar photo by Clayton Franke

Four candidates are running for Deschutes County Commission Position 5, a brand-new seat added by a 2024 ballot measure expanding the county commission from three to five members.   The late addition of Sisters Mayor Jennifer Letz added another layer of complexity to the May 19 primary, likely shrinking the chances that any candidate will receive the 50% of the vote needed to […]

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Battle Erupts Between SEIU and Long-Term Care Providers

The two powerful groups disagree whether the names of job applicants should be a matter of public record
by Nigel Jaquiss, Oregon Journalism Project

Two of the most powerful groups in Salem are at loggerheads over a public records request. At issue: a request that Service Employees International Union filed last November with the Oregon Department of Human Services. SEIU, Oregon’s largest public employee union, with 72,000 members, asked the agency for a list of names of people who […]

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Bend Awards $100,000 to Support Immigrant Families Amid Federal Crackdown 

The City Council condemned the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement tactics with a resolution Wednesday
Avatar photo by Clayton Franke

The Bend City Council denounced the Trump administration’s mass deportation effort and awarded a nonprofit $100,000 to help families affected by the immigration crackdown.  The move came in response to calls for support by the Latino Community Association, a Central Oregon nonprofit providing support services for immigrants. Half of the funding awarded Wednesday will help the nonprofit work with the City to produce Bend’s Welcoming Week, the annual slate of events promoting diversity and culture, and connecting people to […]

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Think Wild, Cascadia Wild Partner to Monitor and Conserve “Rare Carnivores”  

Among the list of “rare carnivores” monitored are martens, gray wolves, the Sierra Nevada red fox and wolverines
Avatar photoBy Jesse Coronado

Non-profits Think Wild and Cascadia Wild announced a partnership to gather data and work toward the conservation of rare carnivores in Central Oregon.   The data gathered from the program will allow for improving and understanding species distribution, habitat use, how wildlife habitats border and connect to one another and wildlife community dynamics. The program will help promote the conservation of rare carnivores that play a critical […]

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Flu Vaccination Rate Continues to Drop Across Oregon

Some public health officials say ICE activity and federal vaccine actions have caused confusion and fear, leading to fewer shots
by Khushboo Rathore Oregon Journalism Project

Oregon’s flu season is closing in on its brutal end, which left many family members dodging each other at holiday gatherings to stay safe. Nationally, less of the population is getting flu vaccinations, and Oregon followed that trend. This season, only 30.7% of Oregonians got the flu vaccine, 10,000 fewer than last year—a rate about […]

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Deschutes County Asks Redmond to Pause Homeless Camp Sweep 

As homelessness on undeveloped land stifles industrial growth, County officials fear evicting dozens of campers will only result in more problems
Avatar photo by Clayton Franke

Deschutes County asked the City of Redmond to pause the eviction of dozens of homeless campers from undeveloped land in a City-owned industrial park, saying the move would add chaos to an effort to remedy homelessness in the area and make way for development.   The Deschutes County Board of County Commissioners approved a letter detailing the request at a meeting March 18. That came one week after the Redmond City Council agreed to start notifying people living in tents and trailers on […]

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High Desert Museum Breaks Ground on $40 Million Expansion  

New classrooms, community gathering spaces, a 3,225 square-foot art gallery and a reinstallation of indigenous plateau cultural material are expected
Avatar photoBy Jesse Coronado

The High Desert Museum broke ground Thursday on an expansion project that will bring more classrooms, community gathering spaces and a new art gallery to the museum. Estimated to cost around $40 million, the project is slated for a December 2027 completion date.   “We’ve been working on this for several years, from the initial concept design to the fundraising,” HDM Executive Director Dana Whitelaw told the Source. “I think it’s astonishing that […]

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