Property taxes in Deschutes County are measurably low this year. If you have not made any changes to your property: Bend property taxes are only 2.6% higher than last year; Redmond property taxes have increased by less than 1%; and in the City of Sisters, property taxes are increasing by approximately 2.2%.   Property taxes in Bend are 2.6% higher than last year, due November 15. Ballot measure 50, passed by citizens in May of 1997, intended ... [full story]

Two women and a man were arrested on multiple charges when they allegedly assaulted a local man during the course of a robbery in northeast Bend Sunday evening, said police.  Detective Sergeant Paul Kansky describes the victim as an “associate” of the alleged suspects. About 7:30 p.m. Sunday October evening, Bend Police Officers responded to the north end of Desert Sage Street when a nearby resident reported an injured robbery victim had asked for help. ... [full story]

Tickets for the Fifth Annual Empty Bowls Fundraiser are now available for purchase in various locations in Bend and Redmond. Individuals are encouraged to buy tickets prior to the event since in past years they sold out in advance. Empty Bowls is a nationally-recognized event that brings awareness of those who are less fortunate in our community. NeighborImpact hosts the event each autumn as the kick-off to National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. Live music ... [full story]

Entry forms with payment are due by Friday, Nov. 10 for the 11th annual Gingerbread Junction, which benefits the Mountain Star Family Relief Nursery.  The event is co-sponsored by Sunriver Resort and the Central Oregon Builders Association. Mountain Star Family is the only program in Deschutes County that provides comprehensive services to prevent child abuse and neglect in at-risk families with children, ages 6 weeks to 4 years. They offer services free of charge to ... [full story]

The number of bats testing positive for rabies in Oregon has more than doubled over all of last year, prompting public health officials to remind people to protect themselves and their pets. As of Wednesday, October 11, 21 bats and two foxes had tested positive for rabies, compared with nine bats in 2005 and seven bats in 2004. The state public health laboratory tests bats for rabies when a human exposure to a bat or ... [full story]

A traffic stop in southwest Redmond Monday led to a brief foot chase, seizure of cash and methamphetamine worth $23,000, and ultimately to the arrest of a Redmond man for multiple charges, said authorities. Surveillance was established at Southwest 21ts Place and Umatilla Avenue in Redmond about 6:15 p.m. October 9 when detectives from the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement (CODE) Team developed “reliable information” that a substantial amount of methamphetamine was being transported in the ... [full story]

State Treasurer Randall Edwards will join Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Doug Nelson for the kick-off of Reading is an Investment, a new literacy and financial education program for elementary school children, at High Lakes Elementary on Monday, Oct. 23 at 10 a.m. Edwards and Nelson will read to 4th and 5th graders from one of the books donated to the school library through the program.Edwards says he is visiting schools across the state throughout October ... [full story]

Jay Hein, an experienced conservative think tanker, will also be deputy assistant to the president The appointment of Jay Hein, a relatively unknown right-wing think tanker, to head the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives may be a sign that the George W. Bush administration has just about thrown in the towel on promoting what was supposed to be -- when announced in January 2001 -- the centerpiece of the president's domestic policy ... [full story]

Smoke may cause potential health impacts in Bend and nearby communities; Air quality may approach the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” level; Smoke from prescribed burning in Pringle Falls area contributes to problem Smoke concentrations in Bend, La Pine, Sunriver and neighboring communities may approach the ”unhealthy for sensitive groups” level on the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s Wildfire Air Quality Rating Scale (WAQR).  DEQ reminds area residents – especially those individuals who may be sensitive to ... [full story]

Movie Review of "MAN OF THE YEAR" It's funny. It's smart. Cloaked in hip humor, "Man of the Year" is about questionable voting machines, monetary gain above all else, and a country so fed up with politics as usual that a comedian falls through the wisecracks, ultimately becoming the President Elect. But "Man of the Year" has a tone problem. It's as if Jon Stewart, in the middle of a brilliant bit on "The Daily ... [full story]