Picture an office teeming with workers who couldn't be more on the ball. Chests open, shoulders straight, trunk muscles offering plenty of anti-slouch support. Each is perched atop a round, inflatable plastic object, variously known as an exercise ball, stability ball or Swiss ball. Each is practicing the art of active sitting, turning a chairless workplace into a fitness-conscious ballroom. Chalk it up to the ingenuity of a sedentary society: a strategy to combat the hunched shoulders, ... [full story]

They look like pretty plants nestled in decorative containers, filled with layers of dirt and decorative rocks. Or pretty plants nestled in semi-enclosed containers filled with dirt and decorative rocks, much like terrariums. Lisa Hoerr-Grandstaff insists they are the next new thing in gardening - tabletop gardening. People have always had houseplants, she explains. But tabletop gardens are different. They're like stylish miniature container gardens. "That, in itself, makes them different from some ficus sitting in the corner," ... [full story]

Oregonians drive more than 31 billion miles a year. That is 27 percent of Oregon’s energy use.  As gas prices rise and consumers become more frustrated, the upcoming annual Commute Options Week is a reminder that there are alternative options. At the center of the weeklong celebration emphasizing transportation choices for a more livable community, is the 2nd annual Commute Options Fair on Sunday, June 4 at the Les Schwab Amphitheater. The fair runs in ... [full story]

Q: My wife and I purchased our new home in December, 2004. The builder financed 100 percent of the purchase price of $146,500 at 5 percent, which was great. We added around $10,000 in upgrades that we paid for out-of-pocket, which actually brought the purchase price to $156,500. At the last minute, the builder asked us to do a lease option for a year to help him on his taxes, and we agreed as long ... [full story]

Imagine birds swooping over head, working in an old saw mill or eating lunch with a fox.  Those are just a few of the many wild things volunteers do at the High Desert Museum. The museum, a nationally acclaimed treasure, has been expanding its programs and is looking for talented, dedicated volunteers to help deliver a high-quality experience and have fun too. “Our volunteers do a lot of interesting things around here,” according to Cathy ... [full story]

It has been a long time coming, but the City of Bend’s parking garage, in the heart of downtown, will officially open June 1st. Centennial Parking Plaza, named through a citizen contest, will provide 550 additional parking spaces.  According to a city announcement, the garage will “help make the downtown experience positive for everyone - residents, downtown employees and visitors.” The five-level structure is located along Lava Road between Oregon and Minnesota Avenues.  The garage’s main entrance ... [full story]

Roger Pollock looks like a pillar of the community.  He is on the board of Oregon Partnership, a statewide non-profit promoting healthy kids and communities through drug and alcohol awareness and prevention programs.  Pollock has been the subject of many profiles over the years in The Oregonian and the Portland Business Journal and he is the man behind Buena Vista Custom Homes who recently announced entering the Central Oregon housing market for the first time ... [full story]

The case for a daycare worker charged with the murder of a 14-month-old child being cared for in her home is being arraigned June 1st according to the Deschutes County District Attorney's Office. Katherine Ann Seifert, 25, is being held without bail after being arrested on May 24 on charges of felony murder, manslaughter in the first degree, assault and criminal mistreatment of her niece, Christina Seifert.  The toddler was one of five children in ... [full story]

Increasing numbers of older Americans are creating their own blogs on the Internet these days. A blog is an online journal. You can write your thoughts, your feelings, your opinions on politics - really, anything you choose. One Internet-trend observer notes that out of 54 million bloggers, at least 160,000 are older people, and more sign on each year. OK, so blogging has not quite become the mania of the Social Security set - nearly 60 percent of ... [full story]

Kids are fatter today than they once were. Lifestyle changes are doubtless to blame. One such change involves the ready availability of sugar-rich soda in many schools, where formerly the choices were just water and milk. Happily, that trend may be reversed. In a deal brokered by former President Clinton and the American Heart Association, the big makers of soft drinks have agreed to a strategic retreat from the nation's schools. The pact banishes almost all ... [full story]