Local News

The City of Bend’s Planning Division staff presented its inaugural review of the effectiveness of the updated Tree Preservation Code during a City Council work session on Oct. 22.  Since August 2024, the City processed 766 development applications, of which 711 were exempt from the Tree Preservation Code because they pertained to lots an acre […]

The Bend City Council is struggling to define a policy to encourage all electric appliances and heating/cooling systems in new construction.   The City is working toward a goal of cutting fossil fuel use by 70% by 2050. According to the City’s website, half of local emissions come from energy use in buildings. Residential buildings are […]

A longtime Bend doctor is closing his practice and suing St. Charles Health System, accusing it of forcing him out of business. Dr. John Murphy’s lawsuit, which was filed in Deschutes County Circuit Court, alleges that the central Oregon hospital and clinic system tried to “sabotage” his practice by hiring away one of his colleagues. The lawsuit also […]

As the government shutdown stretches into its fourth week, most of the nearly 23,000 federal employees in Oregon are still going without pay—including many required to keep working during the shutdown, such as airport screeners and air traffic controllers.    Analysis by OJP indicates that back pay for Oregon’s federal workers, mandated by the Government Employee […]

A new report from Portland State University found that budget cuts under President Donald Trump’s new spending bill threaten nearly half of federal funding allocated to federally recognized Native American and Alaska Native nations last year. Roughly $530 million of the $1.19 billion allocated to Northwest tribal nations in fiscal year 2024 — used to […]