BEND, Oregon — A citizen advisory group of about 30 community members will meet in Bend Wednesday, April 4, and on Monday, April 30 to discuss motorized vehicle access on the Deschutes National Forest.  The public is invited to attend. The group began meeting last December to assist federal managers with the implementation of a 2005 “Travel Management Rule” for the Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests, and the Crooked River National Grassland. Their most recent meetings occurred ... [full story]

Central Oregon Partnerships for Youth (COPY), a program of the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office, is offering a class to prepare volunteers to become mentors for children with an incarcerated parent. It is estimated that, on any given day, 350 kids in Deschutes County are dealing with the disruptive effects of parental incarceration. COPY aims to break this cycle by connecting these children with a safe and appropriate mentors. After initial training and background checks, volunteers ... [full story]

The public is invited to learn more about the Juniper Ridge Master Plan. The Juniper Ridge Team is holding its second Open House on Wednesday, April 4th at 7:00 p.m. at the Tower Theatre in downtown Bend.   Drawings, maps, and other planning materials will be on display to help the public start to visualize what the 1,500-acre area could be. In addition, the team will welcome public comment to help them understand the community’s ... [full story]

The City of Bend is holding an open house on the Murphy Road Corridor Study on Thursday, April 5. The Open House will take place from 4-6 p.m. Presentations will take place at 4 and 5 p.m. in the Pines Room of Bend Golf & Country Club.The Murphy Road corridor study is analyzing needed improvements to Murphy Road between Third Street on the west and 15th Street on the east. The public is invited to ... [full story]

The city of Bend has announced paving projects at two intersections will necessitate road closures on Thursday, March 29.  Signs and cones will be set up along with detours to maintain and control traffic throughout the work zone. The affected areas include the intersection of NW 12th Street and Baltimore from 7-11 a.m., and at Burnside and SE Third St. from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.  [full story]

Yard debris, household waste, appliances will be picked up within City limits April 9-13 High Country Disposal will be providing free collection of yard debris, miscellaneous household waste and appliances the week of April 9-13.  All material should be set out by 6:00 a.m. in the same general location as garbage roll carts on the same day as regular garbage service.  Collection is for residences located within the City of Redmond only. Free collection is limited to ... [full story]

To streamline the review of complex planning applications and to provide greater certainty and consistency in land use decisions, the City of Bend’s Current Planning Division is instituting a new service called the pre-submittal meeting. The pre-submittal meeting is a work session between city staff and a person or firm who is submitting a planning application to establish - that all information needed to measure the proposal’s compliance with the city’s policies and standards for ... [full story]

Madras, Oregon — A collaborative group of private citizens, the National Wild Turkey Federation, the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation, and other groups are working with the Forest Service to improve wildlife habitat on the west side of the Crooked River National Grassland.  Referred to as the “Westside Stewardship Project”, the group has scheduled its third meeting at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, March 28.  The meeting will be held at the Jefferson County Fire ... [full story]

The City’s Transit Division is holding a workshop style meeting to discuss the Bend Area Transit (BAT) route and schedule refinement process. The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 20 at the Deschutes County Services building in the DeArmond Room from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. The purpose of this public meeting is to obtain public input on the BAT route schedules and to work in small groups to identify possible refinements. A similar meeting ... [full story]

Nationally, residents are being told to ‘change your clock, change your battery' but that may not be true for most Oregon residents. Since 1999, Oregon Revised Statute 479.297 requires solely battery operated ionization-only alarms, sold in Oregon, to have a hush feature and a ten-year battery.  "Many homes in Oregon now have these alarms," states Oregon State Fire Marshal Nancy Orr. "Residents should check their smoke alarms to make sure they are working, then determine if ... [full story]

Up-to-date information will be presented on employer leave obligations and applicable leave lawsMiller Nash LLP, a Northwest law firm with offices in Central Oregon and Portland, plus Vancouver and Seattle, Washington, will be hosting a free seminar, “Leaves of Absence,” to offer central Oregon employers a practical overview of the employee leave laws that apply in Oregon and Washington, including FMLA, OFLA, WFLA, workers’ compensation and disability laws.  The firm’s top labor attorneys will provide concise ... [full story]

The Sisters School District Superintendent Search Committee will meet in public session at 7 p.m. at the Sisters School District Office on Monday, March 5.  The meeting will cover training and orientation of the committee members on the process and procedures for screening superintendent application materials. The public session will be followed by a meeting of the Sisters School District Superintendent Search Committee in Executive Session at approximately 7:30 p.m. for the purpose of discussing ... [full story]

Bend’s Committee on Accessible Transportation (CAT) will be holding a meeting on Tuesday, March 6, from 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Brooks Room at the Deschutes County Library. CAT meetings are currently scheduled through the month of April on the first and third Tuesdays at the same hour. Positions are still available on the committee for individuals with disabilities, and seniors who are currently using Bend Area Transit or Dial-A-Ride. The committee’s purpose ... [full story]