Q: In a previous column, you advised that offering a deed in lieu of foreclosure is a last resort.Here's my situation: I'm current with mortgage payments, but I'm at the end financially and basically at my wit's end. I've tried to sell my property for over two years. I've consulted an auctioneer but he doesn't think I'll be able to sell the property. I can't rent the unit because it's in an owner-occupied building and ... [full story]

The Burlington Northern-Santa Fe railroad crossing on Deschutes Market Road will be closed from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 16 to facilitate necessary rail repairs. Motorists are advised to use alternate routes of travel during that time. [full story]

February 23rd is the 200th anniversary of the British Parliament’s vote to abolish the transatlantic slave trade. It is also the release date of a film (Amazing Grace) about the man who led the British Abolition movement, William Wilberforce. While the film does not have much to do with abolition in the United States, Wilberforce certainly did.  Abolitionism had widely diffused origins and its advocates lived on both sides of the Atlantic. The movement’s leaders ... [full story]

The City of Bend has submitted the following federal appropriations requests to U.S. Senators Wyden and Smith’s offices, as well as to U.S. Representative Walden’s office. The deadline to submit the 2008 requests was February 16th. The City identified these requests as vital issues for the entire community.•  County-wide Multi-Agency Law Enforcement Records Management System Request: $1.4 millionTotal project cost: $1.4 million•  Deschutes River RehabilitationRequest: $490,000 Phase One -Total project cost: $688,400•  Sewer Expansion to Unserved Areas in the City ... [full story]

Two hours after the theft of a unique skateboard, baseball cap, and skating shoes from the Shred Shed, a Prineville skateboard shop, Jody Steven Zech arrived at the Prineville Police Department to turn himself in for an unrelated outstanding warrant. Zech was carrying a one-of-a-kind skateboard bearing the Shred Shed logo, and was wearing distinctive skating shoes and a baseball cap.  He also had a cut on one hand.   Jody Steven Zech - CCJ Photo Unfortunately ... [full story]

Bend Police are asking for the public’s help in locating a man wanted for 31 counts of identity theft who was last seen Wednesday morning at St. Charles Medical Center in Bend, wearing blue hospital scrubs.   Kenneth Robert Wieselman – photo provided by BPD Sgt. Dan Ritchie said not to approach or contact Kenneth Robert Wieselman.  “As with any wanted subject, his behavior is unpredictable,” he warned. Wieselman, 33, of Bend, is described as 5-foot 10-inches ... [full story]