Local News

On Monday, Sept. 29, Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield filed for a restraining order to block President Donald Trump from federalizing 200 Oregon National Guard troops, calling the deployment unjustified and warning it could provoke unrest. Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler joined the chorus of opposition, arguing that Oregon cities need federal support for basic needs […]

Redmond is set to significantly expand mental health services with two new treatment facilities under construction and ongoing community wellness programs for seniors, marking a major investment in Central Oregon’s behavioral health infrastructure.  Youth facility timeline shifts  Deschutes County is also moving forward with a 15-bed youth mental health facility, though construction has been pushed […]

On Monday, Sept. 29, the Deschutes County Board of County Commissioners discussed using Missoula County, Montana’s model approach for drawing up a new commissioner district map and possibly changing how commissioners get elected. The Deschutes County District Mapping Advisory Committee is also meeting weekly to work on map proposal ideas. The map proposals, developed by […]

When Courtney Eggleston gave birth to her son, she knew she would have to rely on friends and family to help care for him when she went back to work. That’s because Hines, the Eastern Oregon town in Harney County where Eggleston lives, has few licensed child care providers. In fact, there is no licensed […]

One year into the City of Bend’s “quick build” of Greenwood Avenue, data shows safer streets and a surge in biking and walking. City survey results, meanwhile, tell a different story. Nearly 80% of respondents to a recent survey said they “hate” the new layout, while only 10% rated it “good” or “great.”  At a […]

Mona Mensing, an English teacher at Redmond High School, was named one of Oregon’s 16 regional Teachers of the Year for 2025-26 during a surprise all-school assembly Sept. 16.  “I feel seen and heard, just like my students, and it’s truly amazing,” Mensing said after receiving the honor. “This is a shout-out to all English […]

A century ago, downtown Bend celebrated as the city’s new high school — a grand earth-toned brick building nestled among towering ponderosa pines — welcomed its first students. Today, that same structure — now the Bend-La Pine Education Center — sits in the heart of downtown Bend as the district’s administrative hub and a living […]

In a display of bipartisan unity, lawmakers from Central Oregon gathered in Bend on Sept. 18 for a City Caucus meeting hosted by the City Club of Central Oregon. The event brought together Sen. Anthony Broadman, Sen. Mike McLane, Rep. Emerson Levy and Rep. Jason Kropf to review the outcomes of the 2025 legislative session and […]

The City of Bend has given the green light for a vendor to install red light cameras at three intersections. At their meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 17, the Bend City Council approved a three-year contract with American Traffic Solutions for $2.3 million with the ability to extend the contract two additional years for $780,000. During […]