Central Oregon
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Turnkey Funding Awarded In Bend

After the purchase of the Old Mill & Suites was rescinded, Bend finds a new shelter for the unhoused
Avatar photo by Jack Harvel

Bend Value Inn will be converted into a transitional shelter for the homeless thanks to a $2.9 million grant through Project Turnkey, a state program that funds the purchase and renovation of motels into shelters for people who are experiencing houselessness or at risk of becoming unhoused. The City of Bend originally sought to acquire […]

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Guest Homes Get Greenlit

Senate Bill 391 allows rural residential areas a right afforded to cities for years
Avatar photo by Jack Harvel

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown signed Senate Bill 391 to law June 23, granting rural residential areas the right to build accessory dwelling units. “In 2017 the legislature passed a bill to do ADUs for farm workers, and then it also allowed cities to do the ADUs, but it left out the rural areas for property […]

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Now Hiring, All Positions, All Shifts

Why are businesses having such a tough time filling open positions?
Avatar photo by Jack Harvel

When the pandemic started and non-essential businesses closed, the essential workers were hailed as heroes across the country. The people whose work was necessary during the pandemic—health care workers, food supply chain workers and first responders, to name a few—kept working tirelessly. Now, as vaccinations become widely available and COVID restrictions ease while jobs return […]

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(Illegal) Fireworks

All fireworks were banned in Bend due to the extreme heat, but they can still be bought and they can still be shot
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The City of Bend declared an emergency due to the extreme heat that mobilized services to unhoused communities and banned all non-professional firework use until July 9. Fireworks remained for sale in stands across the city, but under the emergency order the use of them is a class A civil infraction that can be fined […]

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Legislating Child Care

The high desert is also a childcare desert. Rep. Jack Zika tells the Source Weekly how he’s working to address the issue through legislation
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Central Oregon has a short supply and high cost of child care. Oregon state Rep. Jack Zika (R-OR54) is trying to ease the burden on parents with House Bill 3073, which consolidates early learning services into a single entity and declares the shortage an emergency. Source Weekly: Could you explain the challenges families face when […]

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Fire in Warm Springs

A fire on the Warm Springs reservation reached over 6,000 acres; crews called in for backup during a hot weekend
Avatar photo by Jack Harvel

A fire on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation spread to an estimated 6,200 acres at the start of the week. The S-503 fire was first spotted on Friday, June 18; by Saturday morning it had spread to an estimated 250 acres and grew rapidly over the hot and windy day. By the end of Saturday Warm […]

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Just Kids

A new Deschutes District Attorney program will attempt to reduce recidivism for younger offenders
Avatar photo by Jack Harvel

Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel is rolling out a pilot program to address a trend that’s been observed since criminology emerged as a field during the 1800s—that young people are much more likely to commit crimes than older people.   Criminal acts become more common starting around age 10 and less common after 25, according to Penn […]

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Too Hot To Handle

Oregon’s fire season is starting earlier than it has in recorded history. How are agencies preparing?
Avatar photo by Jack Harvel

With the entire state in some form of drought, Oregon’s fire season is starting earlier than it has in recorded history. The season could be as devastating as last year’s wildfires that swept over 1 million acres and destroyed thousands of homes, officials say. The potential for disaster has spurred public officials across the state […]

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Ghost Towns of Central Oregon

The area’s population is exploding. But a host of abandoned communities are sprinkled across the high desert.
Avatar photo by Jack Harvel

Central Oregon’s population has grown massively in the last three decades, transforming Bend from a small lumber town into one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States. Its humble beginnings and quick growth contrasts the numerous settlements that formed concurrently near the turn of the century, but became abandoned over the years—some still standing […]

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A Rehabilitative Dude Ranch

J Bar J, offering a path away from crime for youth in Central Oregon for over 50 years, is now nationally accredited
Avatar photo by Jack Harvel

In 1968, Deschutes County was seeking a different solution for troubled youth who had committed a crime, besides jail. Rather than strictly punitive measures the county opted to fund J Bar J Ranch, which sought to not only house the teenagers but to teach them skills to succeed as an adult. The ranch takes its […]

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