Residents of Bend may take advantage of a free collection event for household hazardous waste on Saturday, June 17.  The event will be held from 9 am to 3 pm at the County Public Works Complex at 1150 SE 27th Street (next to the Central Oregon Humane Society). You may dispose of aerosols, batteries, cleaners, fuels, motor oil, paint, poisons, pesticides, thermometers, fluorescent lights, solvents, and more. Keep products in original containers if possible.  Keep wastes away ... [full story]

A joint Deschutes County Planning Commission & Redmond Urban Area Planning Commission Hearing will be held June 8th at 6 pm.  Location: Deschutes County Fairgrounds and Expo Center, 3800 Airport Way, South Sister Main Hall Conference Center. The hearing will cover comprehensive plan amendments for the proposed Redmond Urban Growth Boundary Expansion. Anyone needing accommodation to participate in the meeting must notify Sharon Harris, ADA Coordination, at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting at 923-7738. [full story]

After conducting a request for proposal search (RFP) to find an alcohol and drug treatment provider for the recently funded Deschutes County Drug Court program, BestCare Treatment Services has been chosen to fulfill those services. Deschutes County’s Mental Health Department will recommend BestCare for approval on June 5 to the Board of County Commissioners. Through the RFP process, Mental Health received two proposals, had a review team rate the proposals and prepare a recommendation. Pfeiffer and ... [full story]

A California man luckily avoided serious injury Friday evening when his commercial truck drove off Highway 97 and struck several large trees. Following the investigation, an Oregon State Police trooper cited the driver for Careless Driving. On June 2, 2006 at approximately 8:10 p.m., Sarjeet Rather, age 35, from Tracy, California, was southbound on U.S. Highway 97 near milepost 144 when he drove across both lanes of oncoming traffic and plowed into several large trees ... [full story]

Previously Convicted Felon Illegally Possessed 17 Firearms and Evaded More Than $200,000 in Federal Income Taxes Morris David Frumkin a.k.a. Michael David Anastasia, a resident of Bend, plead guilty to single counts of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and income tax evasion. U.S. District Court Judge Michael R. Hogan ordered Frumpkin into custody at the conclusion of the hearing held Tuesday, May 30th. Under his Plea Agreement with the government, Frumkin ... [full story]

Copley News Service When warming up on the driving range, many players are too eager to pull out their driver and start beating balls.  In most cases they are not fully warmed up enough to be hitting the driver yet.  The result is often disappointment and frustration with their shots, which then leads to panic when they reach that first tee box. The next time you are warming up on the driving range, try hitting at least ... [full story]

Once upon a time I drank so much tequila that I lost track of ... what's that called ... consciousness. Next morning, I couldn't remember a thing. Fortunately, the tattoo would jar my memory. The "tribal band" circled my left bicep like a serial bee sting, the om symbol thirteen times. Om is supposed to reveal the fleeting nature of reality. I had decided to honor it with a PERMANENT MARK. Every tattoo should say the same thing ... [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]

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]