Event to be held Saturday, Nov. 18; Appointments still available Don’t miss the opportunity for your four-legged friend to meet Santa Paws and have the moment captured in a photograph.  This is the purr-fect opportunity to capture the holiday spirit for greeting cards or a treasured gift.  All proceeds from the 14th annual Santa Paws will benefit the Humane Society of Central Oregon and the animals in their care.   The whole family is welcome to pose ... [full story]

The Central Oregon Reserve Law Enforcement Officer Academy held commencement exercises for the class of 2006 in Redmond High School auditorium last Saturday, with 15 graduating. The graduates represent five Central Oregon Law Enforcement agencies including the Sheriff’s Offices of Deschutes and Jefferson Counties, and the Police Departments of Bend, Prineville, and Redmond. In successfully completing the 395 hours of intensive Academy training, each graduate met established performance standards of Oregon’s Department of Public Safety Standards and ... [full story]

Slightly more than 95 percent of Central Oregon Community College nursing program students have passed the National Council Licensure Examination. The pass rate for Central Oregon Community College (COCC) ranks seventh among 20 nursing programs in Oregon, including both associate and bachelor degree programs. The pass rate for Oregon schools as a whole is 92.5 percent, the highest in the nation. “I am extremely proud of our nursing graduates; their hard work and dedication is ... [full story]

Employers sometimes argue that government destroys jobs when it raises the minimum wage. They might take a measure of agreement from a highly unexpected source. A Wall Street Journal column, written by John Fund, took a look at the inner workings of ACORN, a union-financed activist group that campaigns for higher minimum wages and other liberal causes. (ACORN is part of the political coalition that tries to draw moral sustenance from vilifying Wal-Mart.) Fund portrays ... [full story]

Due to the high demand for tickets, Fulbright Specialist and Moroccan professor Dr. Jamal Koubali will offer a second community presentation of “Is Cross-Cultural Understanding Possible?” at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 17, in Hitchcock Auditorium on the Central Oregon Community College (COCC) campus. Admission is $3; tickets will be available only at the door.    “I would like to explore with community members how mass media, especially newspapers, impact and form beliefs and opinions about ... [full story]

Winning Over Anger and Violence has elected Alicia Mehlis, to the Board of Directors. She has been a teacher and principal in Southern California schools. She has served as a fundraiser and committee member for many community and professional organizations. As a member-at-large, Ms. Mehlis will help with promotions and fundraising.WINNING Over Anger and Violence has provided counseling services for 19 years in Central Oregon. It is currently seeking community members to help with fundraising, ... [full story]

State Police troopers in central Oregon had two separate unusual incidents that resulted in two drivers being arrested at the same time for driving under the influence of intoxicants (DUII) in both cases. These incidents should be reminders during the holiday season that Oregon State Police (OSP) and local police agencies are stepping up DUII enforcement during Operation C.A.R.E. (Combined Accident Reduction Effort). In one case, shortly before 2 a.m. Sunday, November 19, OSP Trooper ... [full story]

Enroll in Six Part Series and Find Your Own Voice – No Experience Necessary Ellen Waterston, award-winning author and poet and founder of the Writing Ranch and The Nature of Words, will conduct a six-part series of workshops on writing creative nonfiction and memoir starting January 9, 2007. Titled “Getting Out of Your Own Way,” the workshops will be held at the Broken Top Clubhouse Board Room, Bend, Oregon from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. each ... [full story]

Just in time for the holiday season, Central Oregon Boy Scouts will collect the fixings for meals for hundreds of needy families during their annual "Scouting for Food" event. Their goal is to surpass the 11,000 pounds of food collected at last year's event. On Saturday, November 11 throughout the region, hundreds of Scouts will distribute empty grocery bags donated by Albertson's. Residents are asked to fill the bag with non-perishable food items and leave ... [full story]

The last place you expect to find classic regional Italian cuisine is at an airport. Particularly in a restaurant celebrating the 15th century artist Leonardo da Vinci, who gave the world the "Mona Lisa" and "The Last Supper." But entrepreneurial chef Stefano Colaiacomo has taken a carefully considered culinary flier and has opened Stefano's da Vinci Ristorante ( www.stefanosdavinci.com) at Daugherty's Sky Harbor, an executive jet complex one minute away from Long Beach (Calif.) Airport, ... [full story]