Local News

It’s a perennial question among Central Oregonians each Fourth of July: Less if errant fireworks will spark Central Oregon’s next blaze than — how big will it be?  This year’s Fourth saw numerous fires, most predictably on Pilot Butte, on top of which commissioned pyrotechnics set off the City of Bend’s firework display while firefighters stood at the ready to douse sections that inevitably catch fire.  Consider as a sideshow attraction: The patch of Deschutes County Fairgrounds that also caught fire during the Redmond fireworks show.  Yet […]

In an effort to bring more small-scale housing projects to existing neighborhoods, the Bend City Council may ease back on what public infrastructure — like sidewalks —  developers are required to build.   A June 24 City Council discussion foreshadowed a slate of future changes aimed at spurring housing. Those could make it easier for planners to give leeway on infrastructure in the City’s development code, and expand a program where developers pay a fee instead of building new sidewalks. The Council also gave staff the […]

Oregonians proposed nearly 90 changes to state law or the Oregon Constitution for the November 2026 ballot, and a dozen of those petitions with priorities ranging from ending mail voting to enshrining civil rights for women and LGBTQ+ people in the state constitution cleared an initial hurdle.  But with a looming July 2 deadline to […]

A group of local businesspeople and hockey enthusiasts have their sights set on building Central Oregon’s first indoor ice rink — and they’re seeking $40 million to do it.   The massive nonprofit fundraising effort was announced July 1 for the Forge Community Iceplex, a year-round facility with two professional-sized ice sheets, a lounge, gym and training facility, pro shop, event spaces and room for about 1,000 spectators located in northeast Bend.  Tyler Brower, a spokesperson for […]

Survey crews from Portland State University discovered a dead, highly invasive mussel earlier this month along the shoreline at Prineville Reservoir.  The singular adult quagga mussel was located 1 meter above the waterline on June 6 when crews from the university’s Center for Lakes and Reservoirs collected it and contacted the Oregon Department of Fish […]

A revamp of Bend’s river wave, tubing and fish passage channel and nearby water access is moving ahead in the early stages of planning, but it may still be years before construction begins.   The project will mark the most significant changes to the Bend Whitewater Park since it was built in 2015 and upgraded the following two winters. The Bend Park and Recreation District is aiming to address lingering issues with safety, bank erosion, channel scour and […]

The matte grey siding of Meta’s largest running data center campus in the U.S. is visible from the window of the Wild Rooster Bar and Grill, which opened six months ago in Prineville. Outside on the patio, a group of data center employees chew on sandwiches and toss cornhole bags. Inside, the bartender says her husband just got hired, too. But it’s no use asking about it. The workers are sworn […]

Deschutes County Interim Sheriff Rupert says he’s projected to save taxpayers $1 million in the coming fiscal year. Yet some of these cost-cutting measures run the risk of financial pitfalls down the road. Deschutes County Commissioners approved the $72.16 million budget for the Sheriff’s Office on June 17, which is about 16% of the County’s […]

The Bend Police Department has made good on its intention to shore up its internal policy on automated license plate reader technology with Senate Bill 1516. As more law enforcement agencies adopt surveillance technologies, both government leaders and the public are calling for more scrutiny and oversight. Part of that scrutiny involves who gets access […]