Local News

What happens above ground stays above ground, but below the surface, water doesn’t recognize fence lines. The aquifer beneath Deschutes County operates as a single, interconnected system where water use in one location directly affects availability throughout the region. Nearly 35,000 residents—approximately 16% of the county’s population—depend on private wells that tap into the same […]

BLM to Address Human-Caused Fires in La Pine Basin The Bureau of Land Management has announced the mobilization of a National Fire Prevention and Education Team to address human-caused fires in the La Pine Basin. It’s composed of fire prevention specialists from the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service. The team will develop […]

Andrew Couture sat on a lawn chair, puffing a cigarette, as rain clouds swirled over “the dirt,” a growing encampment east of Redmond. Couture’s dog, Octavia, a 5-year-old pitbull, bull mastiff, lay in the powdered dust at Couture’s feet. The 57-year-old tilted his chin, gesturing toward a generator humming behind his fifth-wheel camper. “I can’t […]

A lightning storm passed through Central Oregon Monday July 8 and ignited at least 15 new fires, most of them clustered east of Prineville. The largest one is the Willow Fire at 800 acres as of Wednesday, July 9. It’s burning in southeast Crook County about 20 miles north of Glass Butte on BLM land. The […]

Integrity. Transparency. Accountability.  Five candidates recommended by the union representing the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office employees spoke about their qualifications for the interim sheriff position at the Elks Lodge in Bend on July 7.   The mood was anything but contentious as the five candidates, selected by the Deschutes County Sheriff Employee’s Association, touched on themes […]

This month, the Redmond Library hosts a live marimba performance featuring the Baduku and Bahuru marimba bands from Richland, Washington. The concert is Thursday evening, July 24 on the library’s civic patio. It showcases the distinctive sounds of African marimba music performed by two accomplished youth ensembles.    Redmond Library’s Elsa Hager coordinated the event. “It […]

On Monday, 483 current Oregon Department of Transportation employees received notices that end their employment effective July 31. The employees include maintenance crews, support staff and critical operational roles across the state. Additionally, the agency is eliminating 449 vacant positions, further reducing its capacity to provide services. In total, 932 positions will be cut as […]

To better understand the high stakes of the final days of the 2025 legislative session, it’s useful to consider one fact that was largely absent from the debate over House Bill 2025, the multibillion-dollar transportation funding measure that failed in numerous incarnations: The biggest immediate loser will be the members of Service Employees International Union […]

Five athletes from the Bend Endurance Academy’s Performance Climbing Team competed at the 2025 USA Climbing Youth National Championships, held June 26 through July 2 at Portland Rock Gym in Beaverton, Oregon. The event brought together the nation’s top youth climbers for a full week of competition across three climbing disciplines: Lead, Bouldering, and Speed. […]