Buyers were the only ones cheering recently when the National Association of Realtors announced that existing homes sales fell 4.1 percent in July. That decline was deeper than expected, and drove home sales to the lowest annualized rate since January 2004. The inventory of unsold homes on the market rose to 3.86 million units, the highest level since the spring of 1993. In other words, if no additional homes were listed on the market, it ... [full story]

As the weather cools, many homeowners already have a system in place to help prepare their home's exterior for the looming winter season. Making sure outdoor furniture is stored away and bushes and young trees are wrapped in burlap are just a few common tasks many homeowners automatically check off.  However, many are unaware that their exterior wood surfaces, like decks or fences, also require special protection from winter's elements.    The optimum time to apply ... [full story]

During the week, there were 12 reports of vehicle break-ins, with an estimated value of stolen items at $9,308.  Of the 12 reports, eight vehicles were unlocked.  There were a total of three bicycle thefts, two unlocked, with an estimated value of $1,150.  DUII arrests totaled three, and there were eight warrant arrests made.  Four vehicles were impounded when the drivers were found to have suspended licenses, or none at all. §         8/21. A Bend man ... [full story]

When the 5 p.m. filing deadline for the City Council election passed on Tuesday, August 29, there were no surprises.  As expected, Derek Stevens, the only candidate who had not yet turned in the required paperwork submitted the 150 registered voter signatures needed to add his name to the ballot.  He became one of six candidates for the upcoming Bend City Council election to be held the first Tuesday in November, said Jennifer Engels of ... [full story]

School voucher proponent James Leininger has spent millions trying to buy political power in Texas While the philanthropic community has been abuzz about the world’s second wealthiest man, billionaire investor Warren Buffett’s giving a large part of his $44 billion fortune to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), Texas’ James Leininger, a much lesser-known billionaire has allocated a large chunk of his fortune to seeing to it that the religious right maintains its dominance ... [full story]

Anyone looking for a challenge, or two in this case, is invited to the 9th Annual Liberty Bank Sunrise to Summit and Bend to Bachelor Duathlon on Saturday, September 2. This annual race starts at the Sunrise Lodge and climbs 2,700 feet to finish at the summit of Mt. Bachelor. All of the participants will follow an open route to the top of the Sunrise Chair where they can then choose to run or hike ... [full story]

More areas accessible for holiday recreation Just in time for the Labor Day holiday, the closure area around the Black Crater and Lake George fires have been reduced, fire officials announced, making more areas accessible for recreational activities. The closure area around the Black Crater Fire is now bounded on the north by Highway 242 (the McKenzie Pass Highway), on the east by Forest Road 15 to its junction with the 1015 Road (Road 15 ... [full story]

8th Street Signal Provides More Efficient Signal Timing and 27th Street Improvements Provide Safe AccessSometimes, the benefits to the community from the City of Bend’s Engineering Division may seem invisible to the average citizen. However, two recently completed projects are providing visible benefits to Bend residents:NEW SIGNAL PHASING ON NE 8TH & OLNEY LEFT TURN LANESOn August 16th, the City of Bend added left turn lanes on Olney Avenue at 8th Street. Previously left turns ... [full story]

Firefighters continue to suppress several new fires that started as a result of a lightning storm moving through central Oregon early this week. The storm tracked from south to north on the east side of the Cascade Mountains, putting down approximately 200 strikes and little moisture, according to the Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center. The Walther Fire south of Prineville near Prineville Reservoir was reported at 6 p.m. Monday night. Crews worked all night to ... [full story]

Bend-La Pine Schools students have exceeded the statewide, and national, averages for SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) scores for the sixth year in a row. Students in the district scored an average of 546 on the math section, 529 on the critical reading section, and 510 on the new writing section. Since 2000, students in the Bend-La Pine School system have continually scored higher on the SAT tests than their peers nation- and state-wide. This year, ... [full story]