Local News

In a two-to-one vote Wednesday, Feb. 4, the Deschutes County Board of County Commissioners advanced a proposed districting map to the November ballot. Commissioner Phil Chang, who does not support the map, said, “I do believe districts done right can be a way to provide better representation and guaranteed representation by someone who lives near you, in your neighborhood to all people in Deschutes County. That’s districts done […]

Sick of taking the long way on Greenwood, Franklin or Revere? Hang tight for ‘Olney’ one more week (sorry). An east-west segment of Olney Avenue, a key arterial in Bend, will be reopening to traffic on Wed, Feb. 11. Several blocks of the street initially closed in early 2025, including its intersection with NW Wall Street, as part of the Olney Avenue Improvements […]

Lev Stryker, the co-owner of Cog Wild, recently stood under the tall stand of ponderosas in front of his bicycle guide company’s office at the LOGE Entrada motel campus, pointing out the perch of a great horned owl.  “There’s three of them in there,” Stryker said. “At night they hoot to each other.”  Stryker will […]

When the Oregon Legislature convenes for the 2026 session on Feb. 2, the Senate’s No. 2 leader on housing and development will introduce legislation to make small but significant changes to Oregon’s prevailing wage laws. Sen. Dick Anderson (R-Lincoln City) says he has seen builders in his coastal district and across the state struggle with […]

Four-year high school graduation rates in Oregon have inched up, but still remain below the most recent national average. Data released on Jan. 29 by the Oregon Department of Education shows the state reached an 83% graduation rate across the state’s 197 school districts. That mark is Oregon’s highest in a decade. Nationally, a recent […]

Alex Pretti loved bikepacking. He was also known in his South Minneapolis neighborhood as a friendly guy who enjoyed walking his dog, someone who greeted the folks who passed by. On Jan. 24, while filming U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity and helping a shoved woman to her feet, Pretti was pepper-sprayed by ICE agents […]

Ian Cranston appeared virtually with his attorney on Jan. 28 at a hearing at Deschutes County Circuit Court, where Circuit Judge Beth Bagley set future dates for Cranston’s re-trial in the 2021 shooting death of Barry Washington Jr. A new 10-day in-person trial will begin on Oct. 20. A general trial readiness hearing will happen […]

On Jan. 26, the City of Bend unveiled its new website to the public. With big, bubbly visuals, a prominent search bar atop the homepage, and revamped menu organization across the board, the new bendoregon.gov is quite a departure from the previous iteration. The redesign project began in the summer of 2024 when the City issued […]

In a joint meeting on Jan. 20, leaders from Deschutes County and the City of Bend agreed to extend the date of permanently closing the Temporary Safe Stay Area to June 30, 2027. That’s 170 acres in the Juniper Ridge area east of Highway 97, north of Bend, comprised of 50 acres of county land and 120 acres of city land.   In 2024, county and city officials agreed to jointly manage the TSSA […]