(Sisters, Oregon) – Applications are being accepted for the 2007 PRCA Sisters Rodeo Queen, according to John Leavitt, queen selection committee chair. Applications will be accepted until September 23 with tryouts are scheduled for Sunday, September 24 at 1 p.m. at the Sisters Rodeo Arena. "We are selecting our 2007 queen in advance of our rodeo next June to allow our queen to appear at more events before the rodeo," Leavitt explained. Applicants must be, ... [full story]

The Deschutes County Health Department has been awarded $2,500 from the Oregon Dental Foundation to help begin the Deschutes County Oral Health Program. The Oral Health Education and Prevention Program would benefit pregnant women and children up to age 36 months.  Typically, low-income, underinsured and uninsured pregnant women and children do not getcomprehensive oral health education and prevention.  The Oregon Dental Foundation grant will fund the dental program for an entire year of service and ... [full story]

The PacifiCare Foundation, a nonprofit organization established by PacifiCare, a UnitedHealthcare company, has contributed $10,000 to Bend-based MountainStar Family Relief Nursery. MountainStar Family Relief Nursery provides strength-based child abuse and neglect-prevention programs serving families with children ages 0-4 who have a past history with or who are at high risk of child abuse.  The $10,000 PacifiCare Foundation grant will be used to support the Relief Nursery program that will provide parent support and referrals, parent ... [full story]

A brush fire on a seven-acre vacant parcel south of Bend closed a Highway 97 off-ramp at Baker Road, threatened homes in Deschutes River Woods (DRW), and prompted warnings of a possible evacuation on Sunday afternoon.         Scenes from the Highway 97 and Baker Road Fire. Photos by Richard Burton. On August 20 shortly after noon, deputies with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene to find the fire burning on the west side of ... [full story]

A Bend man was killed in a crash Monday night when he lost control of his motorcycle on a curve and struck a concrete post on Northeast 8th Street.  According to witnesses and police, excessive speed appears to be the primary cause of the accident. Bend Police officers responded to the scene near Northeast Dyer on Northeast 8th Street about 8:20 p.m. on August 21 and found the only person involved had received life-threatening injuries ... [full story]

Fire inspectors believe that $150,000 in damage to a northeast Bend home on Sunday evening was most likely caused when a barbecue grill on a wood deck was knocked over by the tenant’s three dogs. According to Fire Inspector Dan Derlacki with the Bend Fire Department, 14 fire personnel responded to a reported structure fire at 1515 NE Burgess about 8:30 p.m. August 20 and found flames coming from the rear of the single-story home. ... [full story]

Two 19-year-old men were cited for reckless burning and illegal dumping of solid waste on public land in connection with a vehicle which was set afire on Spur Road north of the Tollgate subdivision in Sisters, Oregon. Shortly after 7 p.m. on Sunday August 20, Deschutes County 911 Dispatch received a report of fire and heavy smoke at the location, said Sgt. Dan Bilyeu. Firefighters from the Sisters, Camp Sherman Fire Department, United States Forest ... [full story]

A Bend man was arrested early Sunday morning around 12:30 a.m. after Bend Police and Deschutes County Sheriff’s deputies were called to a northeast Bend location with reports of shots fired. According to Lt. Ken Mannix of the Bend Police Department, 21-year-old Lance Ryan Siders was involved in a verbal dispute with several neighbors at 3220 NE Woodbury when he allegedly discharged a 9 mm handgun. No one was hit by the gunfire, although Cynthia ... [full story]

Almost 1,000 firefighters assigned to the newly-named “Cascade Crest Complex Wildland Fire” had their hands full Saturday as the new Puzzle Fire six miles east of Marion Forks and 12 miles north of the Lake George Fire sprang to life and quickly consumed almost 2,000 acres. Three central Oregon fires, Lake George, Black Crater, and the Puzzle Fire are now known as the Cascade Crest Complex Wildland Fire.  They are being managed by Pacific Northwest ... [full story]

A Bend man died at the scene of a single-car accident in southeast Bend on Saturday evening after his pickup left the road and rolled several times over an embankment, police said. According to Sgt. Dan Ritchie of the Bend Police Department, officers were called to the accident scene on SE 15th Street north of Knott Road shortly after 9 p.m. Saturday, August 19. Officers discovered 23-year-old Adam Jordan had been ejected from his 1989 ... [full story]