In an Executive Work Session held Tuesday, the Bend City Council appointed Councilors Mark Capell and Jim Clinton to serve on a team set up to negotiate the terms of the final, contractually-binding Disposition and Development Agreement (DDA) for Juniper Ridge. The negotiations will take place concurrently with the master planning for Juniper Ridge.The DDA will set the ground rules between the City and master developer Juniper Ridge Partners LLC. Along with the two councilors, ... [full story]

The City of Bend will hold an Open House on Wednesday, January 31, on the Murphy Road Corridor Study. The Open House will take place from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.   Presentations will take place at 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. in the council chambers of City Hall. 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 ... [full story]

The City of Bend will hold its second public meeting to discuss the Empire Avenue Extension Project at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 30 in the Trinity Lutheran Church Gymnasium at 2550 NE Butler Market Road, Bend, Oregon. The purpose of the meeting is to provide an update on the project schedule and design. City staff will take written comments regarding issues and questions about the project.If an individual is unable to attend this meeting and/or ... [full story]

CRESCENT, OREGON —Deschutes National Forest managers are seeking public comment on a plan to reduce insect, disease and wildland fire threats within a 160,000-acre project area northwest of Crescent that is characterized by mature stands of ponderosa pine and Douglas fir trees. The Five Buttes Project objectives would be met through commercial timber harvests, controlled burns and small tree thinning around the largest trees in the area. The area lies on the Crescent Ranger District and includes ... [full story]

All persons traveling by air into the U.S. from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda -– including U.S. citizens -– beginning January 23 are now required to have a passport to enter the United States, Deschutes County officials remind. The only exception to this change is for people traveling with a U.S. Permanent Resident Card, asylee or refugee document, Merchant Mariners Document, or NEXUS Air card. The travel changes are a result of the Western ... [full story]

What does The New York Times call it when liberals concoct schemes to soak taxpayers for more government health programs, more sex and abortion clinics, and more predatory, Kinsey-based sex “education” courses? Answer: “Governing from the center.” In a Jan. 16 front-page article, “Democrats Seek the Middle on Social Issues,” Times reporter Robin Toner cites the Prevention First Act, a colossal increase in Title X “family planning” spending, as an example of the Democrats’ “new ... [full story]

There aren't many places that escape the march of time over 75 years. But my friends and I found one that offers a retreat in both time and space that nurtures one's sense of priorities, feeds fond friendships, and steps lightly in a place of age-old natural beauty. It's called Cimarroncita, a 2,600-acre rustic property in northern New Mexico's Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Way back in 1931, Minnette Thompson, who hailed from Houston, opened a ... [full story]

On February 2, 2007, American Heart Month kicks off with National Go Red for Women Day (www.goredforwomen.org).  Americans are encouraged to wear red, and by doing so, to help raise awareness about the #1 killer of women.    Heart disease is responsible for more deaths among women—about 480,000 women every year—than the next four most common causes of death combined.  One in three women will develop heart disease in a lifetime, but many women still do ... [full story]

Chances are good that Julie Andrews has been there, done that. She started out in British vaudeville at the age of 7, traversing England and adjacent territories with her singing mother and stepfather. In the process, Andrews became the youngest entertainer to perform in a Royal Command Performance before Queen Elizabeth, King George VI, Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. It was a thrilling event, offering the emergence of her perfect-pitch, four-octave voice. JULIE ANDREWS - ... [full story]

Area Boy Scouts plan to willingly go someplace most would rather avoid ... into a frozen wilderness ... at their annual "Freez-O-Ree." It's a chance for them to practice skills that everyone can benefit from. Starting Friday, January 26, the region's Scouts will hike, snowshoe, build snow caves and igloos, and practice winter survival skills. The region-wide event runs through the weekend at Lower Three Creeks Snow Park south of Sisters. Scheduled events start at 12:30 ... [full story]