Today's workers are obviously attached to their laptops, cell phones, Blackberries and pagers. Thirty-seven percent of employees, according to Yahoo! HotJobs' annual virtual workplace survey that questioned more than 1,465 participants, are more relaxed than stressed when carrying a wireless device to stay in contact with work. And 42 percent of workers feel indifferent toward their gadgets. Tom Musbach, managing editor of Yahoo! HotJobs, finds it interesting that most employees think it is normal to ... [full story]

Q: I am planning to give the vase seen in this photo to my granddaughter. It was a wedding gift to my parents in 1920, stands approximately 7 inches tall, and is in excellent condition. Marked on the bottom are five castles and the words "Zsolnay - Pecs."   UNUSUAL VASE - This vase was made by Zsolnay Pottery of Pecs, Hungary, and is worth between $800 to $1,200. CNS Photo.    ROSEVILLE POTTERY MARK - The numbers ... [full story]

LANE COUNTY, Ore. – Police are asking the public’s help to solve two incidents of elk poaching that took place in late April and early May in Lane County, Oregon.   Three elk have been shot and left to waste in Lane County, Oregon in recent weeks - OSP photo  Oregon State Police (OSP) Fish & Wildlife Division said a dead cow elk was found on Seneca Jones Timber Company property south of Oakridge, Oregon in the ... [full story]

BEND, Ore. – The Department of Defense has announced that a 24-year old Bend woman who was serving as an Army Medic in Iraq was killed May 11.   (inset) Cpl. Jessica A. Ellis, 24, of Bend, Oregon, was killed in Iraq by an IED on May 11, 2008  Cpl. Jessica A. Ellis died in Baghdad of wounds suffered when her vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device (IED). According to the DOD news release, Cpl. Ellis was assigned to the ... [full story]

Fixed mortgage rates were largely unchanged this week. The average conforming 30-year fixed mortgage rate backtracked to 6.13 percent, according to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey of large lenders. The average 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.40 discount and origination points. The average 15-year fixed rate mortgage popular for refinancing was unchanged at 5.71 percent, while the average jumbo 30-year fixed rate remains 7.35 percent. Adjustable mortgage rates retreated, with the average 5/1 ARM ... [full story]

BEND, Ore. -- Wireless start-up company RocketBux was voted one of the top presenting companies at the 2008 Dow Jones Wireless Innovations Conference in Redwood City, California, the company announced this week. RocketBux provides mobile phone text message advertising triggered from a credit card swipe. The Dow Jones Wireless Innovations Conference was held April 21-22 to spotlight the 80 best emerging mobile technology companies. RocketBux was named one of the top companies by attendees and ... [full story]

BEND, Ore. - Con-way Freight, a less-than-truckload carrier and subsidiary of Con-way Inc., this week announced that it has been recognized for its exemplary safety record and practices by Oregon Trucking Associations (OTA) in a ceremony held in Bend, Oregon. Con-way was awarded a fleet safety plaque for Outstanding Achievement in Highway Safety and received second place honors in the Common Carrier Less-Than-Truckload over 4 Million Miles category. The company received the same award in ... [full story]

BEND, Ore. - Clear Choice Health Plans on Thursday announced it has moved its headquarters to a new facility located at 2965 NE Conners Avenue in Bend, Oregon. The 70,000 square-foot building utilizes environmentally sensitive construction materials and is expected to be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified by the U.S. Green Building Council. The Clear Choice-owned building was designed and constructed by BBT Architects, Inc. and Kirby Nagelhout Construction Company of Bend. ... [full story]

BEND, Ore. – Deschutes County District Attorney Mike Dugan has announced the findings of his investigation into the fatal shooting of Refugio Cruz-Fuentes by a Bend Police detective earlier this month: lawful and justified.   Detective Tom Brown, a 14-year veteran of the Bend Police Department who was assigned to the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement team at the time of the shooting, has been absolved of all wrong-doing in connection with deadly physical force that resulted ... [full story]

BEND, Ore. – Police investigating a reported suspicious person early Thursday morning arrested two young men suspected of breaking into cars in Redmond, Oregon, and other charges for property crimes in nearby Bend are possible. A search warrant served at the Bend home of one of the suspects’ father led to a third arrest.   (left to right) Casey Ceranzanu, Johnny Ray Phillips Jr., Johnny Ray Phillips Sr. - DCJ photos  Redmond Police officers responding to the ... [full story]