Funding Recognizes Contributions of the Arts in Communities The Oregon Arts Commission has announced 15 awards in its Arts Recognition Grant program, acknowledging the strengths of Oregon arts organizations that have high quality artistic programming and solid organizational strength. The Arts Commission established the Arts Recognition Grant program in 2004 to provide visible Commission support to help arts groups raise their profile in a community to better leverage funds and resources.  The program brings recognition ... [full story]

A Canby bookkeeper accused of writing more than 40 checks totaling $500,000 from her employer’s bank account and depositing them into her own, then using the proceeds for personal expenditures such as a breast augmentation surgery, pleaded guilty in Clackamas County Circuit Court yesterday.   Karri Rachel Collins - photo provided by Canby Police Dept. Karri Rachel Collins, 36, of Canby, pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree theft, and is scheduled for sentencing in March, the ... [full story]

Governor’s office to announce funding for five new manufacturing consortia The Oregon Manufacturing Workforce Strategy, a major initiative to fill the skilled worker shortage and build competitive Oregon companies will be formally unveiled at a public event this week. Oregon’s manufacturing economy comprises 6,000 small- to medium-sized companies that are struggling to survive in the face of global competition. In the next decade, those manufacturers will need 53,000 skilled workers to replace retiring workers and ... [full story]

On Tuesday, February 20, a public meeting will be held to hear South County citizen comments regarding the sale of Deschutes County property to Silvan Power as the location of a future 24-megawatt biomass power plant. The Silvan Power land sale meeting will take place in the Justice Court courtroom (east side of the complex) in the South County Services Building in La Pine, 51340 S. Highway 97. Conducted by the Board of County Commissioners, ... [full story]

Filibuster fails; Senator turns to emergency funding for Iraq as next option for safety net extension After having Senate leaders reject his offer of a one-year, $400 million county payments safety net extension Tuesday morning and exhausting all options, including filibustering a must-pass spending bill, Oregon Senator Gordon Smith announced his opposition to legislation that will fund the federal government for the balance of the year because it fails to help rural Oregon.    Senator Smith’s filibuster ... [full story]

In a strong message to President George W. Bush, 10 senators -– five from each party -– on Tuesday sent a straightforward letter to the President inviting him to work with them to fix the nation’s health care system. The Senators, from different parts of the country and different parts of the political spectrum, have one thing in common: each of them believes that that the status quo on health care is unacceptable. Further delay ... [full story]

(Bend, Oregon)—The Nordeen Snow Shelter, located between Meissner and Swampy Sno-Parks, burned to the ground sometime between late Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning of last week. It has not yet been determined if the fire was a result of an accident or an act of vandalism, and the incident is under investigation. Anyone with information about the fire is asked to contact Forest Service Law Enforcement Officer Rico Burgess at (541) 383-4796. Skiers are advised to ... [full story]

“Our Community First” updates residents on local opposition to a proposed Bend Wal-Mart SuperCenter, Tuesday, Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. Wal-Mart workers from three countries will speak out on what they believe is “the high cost of low prices” -- and Ann Wheeler, a local community activist, will provide an update on local opposition to a proposed Wal-Mart SuperCenter in Bend.   The event is slated for Tuesday, February 20 at 7 p.m., and will be held ... [full story]

A 36-year old woman was arrested Tuesday, five days after detectives seized a small amount of drugs, $1,700 cash, surveillance equipment, packaging materials, and sales records from her northwest Prineville home. Members of the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement (CODE) team and Prineville Police officers, assisted by the Crook County Sheriff’s Office, raided the home of Lisa Gagermeier at 870 NW 12th Street in Prineville about 8:15 a.m. February 8 to search for evidence of illegal ... [full story]

A second suspect sought in connection with an assault and the theft of several marijuana plants from a Deschutes River Woods residence southwest of Bend in late January surrendered to authorities Tuesday afternoon, deputies reported. 25-year old Bend resident Zeke Allen Rockwell was taken into custody without incident at the Deschutes County Sheriffs Office about 3 p.m., said Lt. Shane Nelson and Deputy Justin Alps.   Zeke Allen Rockwell, DCJ photo A joint investigation by the sheriff’s office and Bend ... [full story]