Local News

In January 2025, the Homeless Leadership Coalition counted 1,611 people experiencing homelessness in Deschutes County. Of that number, at least 374 were homeless in Redmond, said the HLC, which is Central Oregon’s designated Continuum of Care – a federal program designed to oversee resources to address homelessness regionally. Getting even one person off the street, […]

Oregon’s already low kindergarten vaccination rates may worsen after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this month stopped recommending the hepatitis B vaccine at birth. Public health experts decried the controversial decision, which overturned 30 years of guidance that cut rates of liver disease and cirrhosis. Oregon is part of a new public […]

Measure 110 is still far from achieving its promise to help Oregonians struggling with addiction due to frequent policy changes and a lack of stability, coordination, and data at the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), according to an audit released today by the Secretary of State Audits Division.   “Oregon has struggled to respond to substance use […]

The Deschutes County Fair and Expo Center has been coined the “premier facility of its kind” in the Northwest, boosting the region’s tourism economy and drawing impressive crowds with its year-round events.  With a focus on providing a variety of opportunities for residents and visitors, the campus holds more than 400 events annually on its […]

Shepherd’s House Ministries has been operating in Deschutes County for 18 years. The nonprofit was founded and is still based in Bend, but has operated a shelter in Redmond since November 2023.  As reported by the Source, the Shepherd’s House Redmond Center became a 24/7 shelter in February 2024, “providing meals, showers, mobile outreach, day services, job readiness programs and wrap-around services.” It also doubles […]

After the dramatic departure last September of Andrés Portela III, the City of Bend’s equity and inclusion director, City officials vowed to hire a third-party consultant to investigate the allegations Portela listed in his Sept. 12 resignation letter. The allegations include a racially hostile environment inside City Hall, mismanagement of racial incidents by City Manager Eric King and a DEI department stripped of staff and organization.  The results of that report, prepared by Amy Ahrendt, owner of Attorney-Conducted Workplace Investigations, suggest that the allegations of […]

On Dec. 5, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a significant shift in vaccine policy. The federal health agency will no longer recommend that newborn babies receive Hepatitis B vaccinations. For over three decades, the CDC universally recommended this shot.   This change in policy came on advice from its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which “develops recommendations on the use of vaccines in […]

Confusion, concern and uncertainty continue to swirl around federal funds earmarked for housing the homeless across the nation, including here in Central Oregon. An hour before a court hearing for a lawsuit filed by multiple states, including Oregon, challenging new rules governing federal grant money for the homeless, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban […]

It’s a new dawn in the Deschutes National Forest. After months of analysis and public comment, the Forest Service finalized its approval of Class 1 e-bikes along approximately 160 miles of system trails and paved paths throughout Phil’s Trail Complex, Peterson Ridge Trail, Wanoga and Sunriver locations. These soft-surface or paved trails, of which there […]