The fourth annual LibertyBank Balloons Over Bend launches this weekend, but not without some questions over how taxpayer funds were allocated for the popular event. The high-flying event takes place June 10 and 11 at Summit High School at 6:30 a.m. If that sounds too early, there is an evening alternative.  Night Glow, presented by Kirby Nagelhout Construction, will be held at Pilot Butte State Park starting at 6 p.m. on June 10 with live ... [full story]

Jacques Martin Barzun may have said it best, "Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball." Both are embodied in the 2006 Bend Elks. The collegiate team’s season opener is Friday, June 9 and it is baseball at it’s purest. Everyone on this team is playing for the sheer love of the game, not to collect a paycheck, according to the man behind the team, Jim Richards. Seven years ago it ... [full story]

They sweep on the scene in heavily armored vehicles; an unassailable swarm of officers emerge clad in camouflage, helmets, facemasks, armor shields and weapons.  They all move as one with stealth precision.   What sounds like a scene straight from a primetime police drama is reality and happening right here on the streets of Bend.   Everyday police officers, fire emergency medical service personnel and an emergency room physician, all specially trained, are on standby and ready ... [full story]

Dear Jim: I like the idea of generating my own electricity with solar cells. I will save on electric bills and have electricity when the utility's power goes off. Are solar cells systems available for home use? - Ron H. Dear Ron: The proper term for solar cell systems which produce electricity is PV (photovoltaics). PV systems are available for providing electricity for homes and some homes use it exclusively. The silicon-based solar cells directly ... [full story]

Beware the sun! It started out as a tiny bump on her forehead. Maybe a pimple, she thought, although at 65, she was a tad old for it. But the bump stayed and stayed and stayed. And it changed in shape over time, becoming asymmetrical. Finally, about a year later, our friend figured she should go to her dermatologist, Dr. Richard Castiello, to have it checked out. When the doctor's nurse took her into the exam room, ... [full story]

Eight months ago, Heather Thelen's idea of a heavy workout was lifting 320 pounds - every ounce of it her own - onto an elliptical trainer. Thirty seconds later, breathless and exhausted, she could barely remain upright. Nothing, though, could be as draining as falling off one structured diet program after another, from Jenny Craig to Optifast. "I would lose, then hit a plateau, get discouraged, quit and gain everything back and more," she said. Thelen, 33, was ... [full story]

Read Amy Tykeson’s bio and it is easy to see why CableWORLD once named her one of the 50 most influential women in cable.  Labeled a true "cable gal," Tykeson is the chairman and CEO of Bend Broadband.  She was part of the industry long before she was hired by HBO in 1980, where she moved through the ranks and ultimately served as VP of Area Marketing in New York. Her father, Donald Tykeson, helped ... [full story]

Copley News Service Clothes racks in many areas are taking on a more natural bent. Spurred by the widening acceptance of all things organic, many boutique retailers and some mainstream chains are adding new lines of apparel stitched together using cotton that has been grown without genetic modification and without chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides. "Just about everybody is going organic, especially upscale consumers," said Kurt Barnard, president of Barnard's Retail Consulting Group in Nutley, N.J. Organic cotton ... [full story]

Laughing Stalk Syndicate, Copyright 2006In a previous job, I used to work with people who are blind or visually impaired. I traveled quite extensively to different conferences and trade shows. During those conferences, I had the opportunity to meet all sorts of people and see all sorts of products related to technology, mobility, and independent living. After a while, everything started running together, and I can't remember where I've been without a datebook and an ... [full story]

A mutant matinee!  Starring "X"-treme, altered egos of derring-do … but with much more BANG! for that proverbial buck than "X"-pected.   Not just on screen, but the filmmaking team of superheros have driven this film to "X"-hilarating heights.  Only superheros could move the action along at a breathtaking pace, keeping the audience riveted in suspense, unsure of any predictable outcome.  Only superheros could throw around such weighty themes as absolute power, homophobia and forced genetic ... [full story]