(NewsUSA) - You've decided to move, but the housing market is more competitive than ever. To get an edge on your competition, it's important to make your home as appealing as possible so that you can sell it quickly and at its maximum value. The experts at Nailite, a manufacturer and distributor of premium residential and commercial siding, provide the following tips to increase the resale value of your home: * Give it curb appeal. A home's ... [full story]

Cascade Bancorp (headquartered in Bend, Oregon) and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Bank of the Cascades, today announced that Patricia L. Moss, President and CEO of Cascade Bancorp and CEO of Bank of the Cascades, is a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year(R) 2006 Award in the Pacific Northwest. According to Ernst & Young, the awards program was designed to recognize outstanding entrepreneurs on a regional, national and global level who are building ... [full story]

Basketball:May 25th, ThursdayThe Central Oregon Hotshots defeated the Portland Chinooks 132-123 in overtime during their last game of the season.  Baseball:May 24th, WednesdayIn the State Baseball Playoffs, Class 4A Redmond beat Sheldon 5•4 and Class 3A Madras won over McLoughlin 9-2. The Bend Lava Bears lost to the West Linn Lions 7-6. Softball:In the State Softball Playoffs of Wednesday, May 24th, Class 3A South Umpqua beat Madras 6-5 and Class 2A-1A Vernonia whipped Culver 5-0. Golf:Ron Hegge got a ... [full story]

BEND CITY POLICE BLOTTER A woman was arrested after her two-year-old child was found wandering near her residence unsupervised.  Suspect was found sleeping on her couch and was in possession of methamphetamine. 5/19/06 Four teenage boys were found to be in possession and use of firecrackers in a residential area near Madison & Hollowtree.  5/19/06 A Bend man was arrested for driving while under the influence of intoxicants.  He was leaving K.O.’s south when stopped, and during his ... [full story]

Brushing aside the concerns of mobile home park owners, the Bend City Council on Wednesday held a first reading and vote on an ordinance that would require any owner who closes a mobile home park to pay “reasonable” costs of moving mobile homes in the park up to 100 miles or purchase at real market value any mobile home that cannot be relocated. The proposed ordinance took many mobile home park owners by surprise – ... [full story]

June 6        La Pine High School                   7 p.m. at the high schoolJune 7        Marshall High School                  ... [full story]

On Friday, May 26, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to celebrate improvements made to the summit road and parking area atop Newberry National Volcanic Monument's Lava Butte. Forest Service officials, project engineers and contractors attended the event along with the public. Improvements included widening the road using red cinder native to Central Oregon.  Red cinder roads are a historic feature of the region and are visiible on Bend's Pilot Butte and along the Cascade Lakes National Scenic ... [full story]

Oregon State Fire Marshal Nancy Orr announced Bend Fire Department's Deputy Chief Gary Marshall as the 2006 Golden Sparky Award winner during the May 19th Oregon Fire Service Meritorious Awards at the Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center in Portland. The Golden Sparky, first awarded in 1977, is the highest award given to the fire service personnel by the State Fire Marshal.  It honors outstanding achievement in fire prevention and fire safety. Marshall's innovative program FireFree! Get in ... [full story]

Motorists hoping to stretch their fuel dollars by boosting their vehicles' fuel efficiency should be wary of the promises of gas-saving additives, fuel-line devices and other supposed enhancers, AAA warns. With Idaho's current average price for regular grade gasoline just pennies short of the record price of $2.95 set last September, some motorists may be persuaded to experiment with one or more of the many fuel additives or devices that promise to dramatically improve a vehicle's ... [full story]

FBI Agents and members of the FBI's Innocent Images Task Force arrested Christopher Frederick Smith, age 49, on charges that he used the Internet to entice a minor for sex. The arrest, early Wednesday morning, was without incident at SMITH's home in Eagle Crest, Oregon. The FBI also served a search warrant at the home. SMITH is a teacher at Redmond High School in Redmond, Oregon. The Redmond Police Department and the Deschutes County Sheriff's ... [full story]