You couldn’t wait to retire. Now you’ve done it, and your life feels unhinged. Your calendar and email in-box are empty. Your spouse wants you to do anything that involves leaving the house. And you feel guilty for not being productive. Welcome to retirement. Even those who work part-time after leaving a primary career, as most people now do, face major logistical and psychological challenges. Retirees who don’t anticipate these landmines may learn about them ... [full story]

Free anonymous mental health screenings available October 5 An undetected mood or anxiety disorder may be affecting your sleep -- take a free, anonymous mental health screening on October 5, 2006.We all know the old saying, "Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise."  But for the nearly 57 million affected by a mental health disorder, getting a good night's rest is no easy task. According to the American ... [full story]

Oregon Author Recreates Early America with Action-Adventure Novel DURKEE, Oregon - Travel to the Old West where gun-slinging deputies and crazed bandits battle for control of early America in Charlie MacNeil's novel, Complications: The Deputies Book 1 (now available through AuthorHouse). Harvey Palmer wants to keep his life simple. Though he avoids responsibility and commitment, they find him when he stumbles onto a stagecoach robbery and foils it. His life gets more complicated when he ... [full story]

Local Humorist Shares Antics of Oregon DJs Loyal listener Lynette K.G. Sheffield shares the antics of the disc jockeys at KTWS, 98.3, in her book, They Still Drop Turkeys at KTWS in Bend, Oregon: My Life as a Twinster (now available through AuthorHouse). The DJs for the radio station known as "The Twins" affectionately call their loyal listeners, "Twinsters." As a "Twinster" for years, Sheffield befriended the DJs and witnessed many of the stunts and ... [full story]

The long awaited public transit system has finally arrived.  In celebration riders are invited to travel for free September 27-October 3. The Bend Area Transit (BAT) service launches on Wednesday and will cost riders $1 per trip or they can purchase an unlimited day pass for $2.  Seniors and the disabled will pay $.50 or $1 for an unlimited pass for the day.  BAT is the city’s first fixed route public transportation service and Heather ... [full story]

Wrinkles and age spots aren't the only changes that happen to our bodies as we age. Changes also happen within our bodies - affecting the way we swallow medications. “Normally, swallowing is a rapid and efficient action that requires less than two seconds to complete and one that all of us take for granted,” says Roger Heilos, president of Oralflo Technologies. “We just expect our food to naturally find its way to our stomach without ... [full story]

This fall Moroccan professor Dr. Jamal Koubali will be teaching a two-credit class and a four-week noncredit Community Learning class, both dubbed “Accessing the Muslim World,” at Central Oregon Community College (COCC).               Dr. Jamal Koubali “I would like to explore with American students and community members how mass media, especially newspapers, impact and form beliefs and opinions about the Muslim world and culture,” Koubali wrote in his application. The credit class is offered on Monday ... [full story]

Robert Greygrass, Lakota activist and actor, will present a workshop about recognizing racism from 2 to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, October 4, in Hitchcock Auditorium on the Central Oregon Community College campus. A reception will follow. The workshop is free, and the public is invited. The theater-based workshop will include activities that encourage participants to explore the human experience and rearrange their own past to understand how to approach something differently, according to Greygrass. Growing ... [full story]

A Haystack Reservoir campground on the Crooked River National Grassland was recently closed while repairs to a drinking water system are completed. Haystack Campground is located on the reservoir’s east shore and is routinely closed for the winter.  It will reopen next April for the summer season with the new water system.  The 24-site fee campground has fire pits, tables and paved areas for tent or trailer camping. The reservoir’s West and South Shore Campgrounds will remain ... [full story]

How many times have players stood on the tee box of a par-three with water in front of the green and panicked?  Too many to count.  Instead of fearing the trouble in front of the green, choose a club that will take the trouble out of play no matter what.  If faced with a par-three with water in front of the green, try taking a club that will give you 20 yards more than you ... [full story]