The Public Works Department has completed its draft revision of the City’s Integrated Stormwater Management Plan and it is now ready for public comment. The City is inviting citizens to an Open House on Thursday, November 16 to learn more about the plan and to provide comments. The purpose of the Integrated Stormwater Management Plan is to meet federal clean water requirements for both the Deschutes River and groundwater through Bend and to protect the ... [full story]

The Deschutes County Road Department has announced the gate on the Paulina/East Lake Road (Road 21) will be closed effective the morning of Wednesday, November 1, 2006. The road closure begins at the Ten Mile Sno-Park.  Road closed signs will be posted and any vehicle within the closure may be cited. For more information please call 388-6581. [full story]

Outdoor debris burning within the City of Bend will open Wednesday morning, November 1st.    Gary Marshall, City of Bend Fire Marshal said that regulations prescribed by the City of Bend will allow outdoor burning of approved debris for 20 days within the month of November if weather conditions are favorable as determined by the fire department and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.    Marshall also noted that residents should be aware that fires can, and ... [full story]

Deschutes National Forest visitors might be affected by road closures Monday and Tuesday when contractors replace two culverts where the Black Crater Fire burned 9,400 acres west of Sisters in July. Forest Service engineers will close Forest Road 1024 and access to the Millican Crater Trailhead on Monday and reopen it on Tuesday.  No detour is available for this closure. On Tuesday, the engineers will close Forest Road 1018 about 3.6 miles south of where it leaves ... [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]

Deschutes National Forest and Walker Range Fire Patrol Association fire specialists plan to complete a 300-acre controlled burn on Tuesday, October 3, to reduce woody debris where the 21,181-acre Davis Fire burned in 2003. According to a news release issued by Roland Giller, public affairs specialist for Central Oregon Office of Communications for Deschutes National Forest, their intent is to complete the burn before snow falls in the area, located about a mile southeast of Davis ... [full story]

On Thursday, October 12 at 5:30 p.m., the Deschutes County Planning Commission will conduct a public hearing on proposed amendments to the Terrebonne Rural Community Comprehensive Plan policies.  The amendments would allow commercial development on the west side of Highway 97, on a site-specific basis (Deschutes County Code 23.40.030). The hearing will be held at the Deschutes Services Center located at 1300 NW Wall Street in Bend, Oregon; in the Barnes and Sawyer meeting rooms ... [full story]

On Thursday, September 28 and Friday, September 29, the railroad crossing at Smith Rock Way in Terrebonne will be closed to traffic to allow BNSF to repair the crossing. For more information, contact the Deschutes County Road Department at 388-6581. [full story]

On Thursday, October 5, 2006, the public is invited to attend an informational luncheon meeting on the Deschutes County Home Rule Charter proposal that will be on the ballot this November.  A home rule charter is like a constitution for the County which would allow changes in the structure of County government, i.e. changing the number of commissioners from three to five, having the commission elections be nonpartisan like the Sheriff and the Clerk, electing the commissioners by geographic districts ... [full story]

The City of Bend, Oregon has announced that two newly-installed traffic signals will be activated on Tuesday, August 29 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Flaggers and signage will be in place to control traffic through the work zones, at 27th Street and Medical Center Drive, and also at Medical Center Drive and Mary Rose Place. ... [full story]

The City of Bend’s Police Department is accepting applications for its fall Citizens’ Academy program. The instructional program begins on September 26th.  The academy instruction is held each Tuesday night for an eight-week period. Instruction begins at 6:00 p.m. and concludes at 9:00 p.m.Police officers will focus on different police related areas during each session. Topics include: computer crimes, narcotics, traffic enforcement, SWAT, detective work and more.  Interested citizens should call Steve Esselstyn at 322-2976 ... [full story]

Safeway stores in Oregon are conducting a five-week campaign to raise funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.Oregon stores join some 1,500 others across the country in the coordinated  campaign, which began Aug. 1 and runs through Labor Day weekend. Safeway stores are encouraging customers to donate $1 or more at any store checkstand by offering an MDA scannable checkout receipt.Safeway Inc. has over 1,700 stores across the US and Canada and last year raised more ... [full story]

(Sisters, Oregon) – Applications are being accepted for the 2007 PRCA Sisters Rodeo Queen, according to John Leavitt, queen selection committee chair. Applications will be accepted until September 23 with tryouts are scheduled for Sunday, September 24 at 1 p.m. at the Sisters Rodeo Arena. "We are selecting our 2007 queen in advance of our rodeo next June to allow our queen to appear at more events before the rodeo," Leavitt explained. Applicants must be, ... [full story]