BEND, OR -- Teens can learn about careers in law enforcement this summer. Central Oregon Women in Law Enforcement hosts the first ever Junior Women's Law Enforcement Academy on July 10. It's open to young women ages 13-18. Register by calling Redmond Police Lt. April Huey at 541-504-3474, or email. Topics covered include defensive tactics, dispatching and the judicial process.

The following weekend, the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office offers its Youth Academy for kids between 14 and 17 years old. "It’s a great time for young people to come in and get some hands-on experience and some classroom training," says Sheriff Shane Nelson. "We just want to make sure we have that connection with young people, and get them excited about the profession now." 

DCSO’s youth academy is July 16 and 17, from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. "It’s not super intense. They’ll learn how to do some crime scene investigations, they’ll get some introductions to our Corrections Division and our jail, and some of the calls that patrol deputy sheriffs go on," says Nelson. There's also a K9 demonstration and a discussion with SWAT. 

"We’re very aware that we usually see people at the worst moment of their lives. So, we just want to provide more opportunity where there’s a positive connection," Nelson tells KBND News, "You get 15-20 young teens and young adults that come into your youth academy once a year, that’s 15-20 more folks that might be applying with your office in the future."

Applications for the Youth Academy are due by May 31. Click HERE for more information.

PRINEVILLE, OR -- Several sheds and other outbuildings were destroyed in a Wednesday afternoon fire, in Prineville. Crook County firefighters were dispatched just after 2:15 p.m., and arrived on NE 5 1/2 Street to find fire spreading rapidly. They got it under control before flames reached to a nearby triplex.

VALE, OR -- A Redmond man was involved in a fatal crash in Eastern Oregon Tuesday afternoon. According to State Police, 22-year-old Hunter Brucker was eastbound on Highway 20 near Vale, and moved into the westbound lane to pass a commercial truck, just before 4:30 p.m. Brucker drove into the path of a westbound pickup, driven by a 17-year-old.

In an attempt to avoid the crash, both vehicles swerved onto the shoulder. However, the SUV and pickup collided head-on. The teen driver died at the scene. His 13-year-old passenger was flown to a local hospital. Brucker suffered only minor injuries.

The investigation is ongoing.

EUGENE, OR -- A 48-year-old Central Oregon man was sentenced to four years in federal prison Wednesday, for his role in a conspiracy to produce animal crush videos. David Noble, of Prineville, was arrested last year after federal prosecutors say he was caught sending payments to overseas co-conspirators to fund the production of videos showing the mutilation and torture of monkeys. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in Eugene last May and pleaded guilty in January.

Noble was charged in federal court because his actions crossed outside of Oregon. At the time he was arrested, Noble hadn't violated any state laws. The case prompted the legislature to pass a law in the 2024 session making it illegal in Oregon to create photos or videos of animal abuse.

POWELL BUTTE, OR -- The Oregon National Guard’s base in Powell Butte hosts night flight- training missions starting tonight, Wednesday, April 24th.

“You may hear or see Black Hawk helicopters, about 3 to 4, that will be coming through from Washington into the Redmond area. Just the normal rotary aircraft that you, that you would hear,” Biak Training Area Manager Michael Paul says it’s a standard drill, “It’s an active-duty army aviation unit out of joint base, Lewis-McChord out of Tacoma Washington, its active-duty post. They've just asked to do some training in our training area down here to keep their pilots and their back seaters as well mission ready for any real-world missions that they might have.”

He tells KBND News night-training missions are important, “They do have to fly in blackout conditions because obviously real-world missions, combat environment sort of requires that. So that does get them ready for those type of events. That's why they're flying at night. It gets not only the pilots situated to that but also their soldiers in the back seat as well.”

Operations were scheduled all week but due to forecasted weather conditions, they expect to only go out again Monday night, April 29th.

People may hear or see the helicopters from sundown until Midnight in the Powell Butte Area and at the Redmond airport, where they re-fuel.

LA PINE, OR -- A La Pine man faces 20 counts of Encouraging Child Sex Abuse after the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office says he was caught distributing child porn on the internet.

The Southern Oregon Child Exploitation Team in Medford first discovered the material and the suspect’s location in January. Over the past few months, local detectives investigated 32-year-old Cody O’Neal after they determined the material came from his IP address.

O'Neil was arrested Wednesday during a search of his home. Detectives seized several digital devices and have applied for additional warrants to analize their contents. 

BEND, OR -- A local veteran will be inducted into the Oregon Military Hall of Fame Sunday. Retired Lieutenant Colonel Dick Tobiason joins six others to be honored at a ceremony in Clackamas. Tobiason is chairman of the Bend Heroes Foundation, and says he’s happy to be recognized for his efforts to support veterans, “The nine Veterans highways across Oregon and then the Medal of Honor highway across the United States. So, it's coincidental that those projects are finishing this year when I'm being inducted.”

He tells KBND News he’ll use his induction speech to talk about other projects, “If this old octogenarian can get a medal of honor highway across the United States. Surely the Gold Star mothers and Gold Star wives can extend the Oregon Gold Star family's memorial highway across the United States.”

“You go out and do something that’s never been done, and you find out how to do it, and you succeed. And you build on that for the next thing,” he says that next thing is an exhibit at a military museum in Washington state.

Tobiason will continue working to recognize and honor war veterans, “So those are things you do for people who are humble; who would never seek any honors for themselves. But that’s our job.”

The late Bob Maxwell was inducted in 2008, the last Oregon Military Hall of Fame ceremony was in 2009. 

Photo: KBND File November 2023-Dick Tobiason

REDMOND, OR -- Support for a plan to consolidate high schools in Redmond is wavering. Superintendent Dr. Charan Cline says a professional survey company found 69% in favor of the idea, "And it surveyed lots of folks. It’s sort of a representative sample. We have a large contingent of our community that doesn’t feel like that survey represented their point of view." He says many of those opposed to consolidation shared their thoughts at listening sessions. The first was last week at Redmond High. "I would say that people were decidedly not interested in a consolidation," Cline told KBND News Tuesday, prior to the second meeting held at Ridgeview High, "Groups of our high school teachers are not in favor of this idea, nor are very large groups of our parents."

Dr. Cline says the reasons for opposition are varied, "We’ve heard concerns about how it might impact traffic. We’ve heard concerns - people are not convinced that we’re not going to grow, in terms of demographics, despite our studies. And they’re worried that we’d need a second high school again in a few years." He adds, "They’re worried about how the two schools would come together, in terms of culture. And, playing time with athletics is a big deal to folks."

The consolidation proposal is one of a long list of projects under consideration for funding by a school bond expected to appear in the November election. "We’ll take that information back to our community bond committee that’s been really listening to the ideas and wrestling through the various problems," says Cline, "And hopefully we’ll get a bond proposal put together for June, to get it on the ballot." The school board is expected to vote on that bond list in July.

He still believes combining schools alleviates issues that may arise with major renovations planned at Redmond High, and would allow the district to get rid of two other buildings if administrative offices and other programs shift to RHS, "If we can do the consolidation, that would be one way to solve some of our problems, going forward, in terms of finances and facilities. But, you know, we can go with two smaller schools, as well, and find other ways to solve the problems." 

BEND, OR -- While the city of Bend tries to convince homeowners to trade in their lawns for low-water landscaping, Bend Parks and Rec is defending its turf. Julie Brown says the district waters a relatively small amount of grass, "We actually have about 3,000 acres of park land that we take care of; less than 200 acres of that - so, it’s about 6.5% - is actually irrigated turf area." She tells KBND News, "Even if you look at it on a per park basis - One of the parks we just recently built and opened was Alpenglow Community Park, over on 15th in southeast Bend. That park looks like that’s a really big turf area. It’s less than 7% of that park."

Where the district does water, Brown says crews take steps to mitigate the amount, "We have about 65 smart meters hooked up and are looking at automated irrigation systems, looking at the moisture content. So, we are watering less frequently, but doing it in a much more efficient way, even for those smaller pieces of grass that we have across the district."

She believes some grass is important, so kids and athletes have a place to play and practice. But says the district tries not to use it where it isn't necessary. And, they have other tools to help reduce water use for other landscaping, including strategic planting, "Really focusing on those natural areas, native plantings, grouping plants together that have similar needs for water. We’re generally going away from having those strips of grass in parking areas or right along the roadway."

City of Bend water customers can get a rebate for converting lawn to a low-water landscape; $3 for each square foot of turf removed, up to $3,000. Click HERE for more information. 

SUNRIVER, OR -- Emergency managers from across the state gather in Sunriver this week for their annual conference. And this year brings a new focus on a high-tech disaster. 

Oregon Department of Emergency Management Training Officer Eli Davis says federal agencies, like the FBI and FEMA, join the Oregon Health Authority and other state agencies. But most of the attendees work on the local level, "Local, city, county and tribe professional emergency managers, as well as volunteer emergency managers, those that have been kind of ‘other duties as assigned;’ lots of hospitals represented." He tells KBND News, "500 people that play in the emergency management game, whether full time or ‘other duties as assigned.’ And this is an opportunity for us to get together, talk about lessons learned, things that we’ve faced either individually or as parts of Oregon."

Among the more than 40 presentations and discussions, cybersecurity is a central theme, "It’s not new. But it’s definitely had a higher level focus from locals on up to the federal side." Davis says last year’s ransomware attack on Curry County was eye-opening for a lot of emergency managers, making it a big topic for this year's Oregon Prepared conference, "We have best practices - or lessons learned from Curry County. We have somebody from the federal agency of Homeland Security that talks about analytics from cybersecurity. We have our [Oregon] Department of Administrative Services."

Davis says topics are selected by attendees, "There are some themes on funding and the other one is cybersecurity. But, woven in there are quite a few others that are touched on in themes that are not as predominant as those two." In the past, there’s been a bigger push to discuss natural disasters, "Yes, that’s still a focus that both our state agencies as well as everybody else is looking at," Davis tells KBND News, "But we want to make sure that there are other emerging trends and that we put a focal point on that as well."

The conference kicks off Tuesday morning in Sunriver, and runs through Thursday. 

MADRAS, OR -- Oregon’s Department of Transportation hosts a meeting Wednesday, to discuss the public's concerns about safety in the Highway 97 corridor between Madras and Terrebonne. ODOT Principal Planner Ken Shonkwiler says it's part of a long-term study, "We’re actually not focused on ‘how to fix it.’ We want to look at and get the public’s agreement on where the issues are at."

He tells KBND News closing intersections, like what happened at Bear Drive three years ago, isn’t practical for every trouble-spot, "There’s not a silver bullet for the crash fixes that happen on this corridor. Bear Drive intersection was unique, because the sight distance was horrible, it was a skewed intersection; and that’s just not the same issue that we have at some of our other intersections and segments, nor is it represented in the crash types. So, it is more of a holistic look at safety." And he says many options are on the table, "We might look at adding turn lanes, we might look at consolidating accesses, maybe realigning intersections."

Shonkwiler says, "Part of what we’ve done recently is pulled together our most recent five years of crash data; we have a participant advisory committee that we got feedback from last week on these areas with safety issues. This next step, we want to take these issues and locations to the public and see if they agree with us." He says they want to know, "‘Do these locations make sense to you? Are there locations that we have maybe not considered, to include in our report? And, are we on the right track?’ Those are really the questions that we are asking the public right now."

Wednesday's open house is 5-7 p.m. at the Madras Performing Arts Center. There’s also an online survey available through May third. More meetings are planned before a final report is completed early next year.

REDMOND, OR -- Deschutes County Commissioners are still navigating a land swap with the state, more than 20 years after the initial deal was made. A 137-acre county-owned parcel east of Redmond is supposed to transfer to the state, in exchange for 140 acres of state-owned land near the fairgrounds. "In order for this land exchange to move forward, the county-owned land would need to be free of people living there, and also free of debris," Deputy County Administrator Erik Kropp told Commissioners Wednesday. He says campers must first be relocated. "There’s still a lot that needs to be done before the county is ready to move forward with a specific date for relocation." Moving campers was put on hold last year, while the county works to develop a sanctioned camp. 

The city of Redmond and County Commissioners have discussed using 45 acres near Oasis Village and the airport. But Kropp says a lot still needs to happen before development can begin, "A big piece of that solution is the Coordinated Houseless Response Office RFP effort, and working through that process to see if there are service providers that will provide services at that 45 acres. It could look like what we currently do at Juniper Ridge, with just the basic hygiene supports, all the way up through a full-fledged managed camp."

Commissioner Tony DeBone asked about potential issues with the 45-acre site, "And it’s kind of up and down, rocky land, with junipers." Kropp responded, "Yes, that will be one of the challenges, is the terrain." Debone also noted, "And people are on that property already."

Commissioner Phil Chang worries about the lack of firm plans for that site, "We have so little idea what’s going to happen on the 45 acres that it’s premature to talk about to say that we’re ready to go on the 137 acres. Because we are so not ready to go."

County Property Manager Kristie Bollinger says there’s a $400,000 budget to get the 137 acres ready to transfer to the state, "Mark property lines, give notice to the individuals, do the clean-up of abandoned and burned out encampments once people relocate to either the 45 acres or a place that they choose to go to, then going in and cleaning up those encampments." She says some of that money would also help provide hygiene services, similar to what's already provided to the houseless community living on the north end of Juniper Ridge. 

All three Commissioners support using the 45-acre parcel as a managed site for people moving off the 137 acres involved in the land swap. But the exact timeline and what’s involved in the sanctioned camp remain unclear.

REDMOND, OR -- Two men are accused of committing a string of burglaries at two Redmond businesses. Last week, police arrested 28-year-old Michael Moran (right), of Redmond, and 25-year-old Christien Richardson (left), of Sisters, in the Dairy Queen parking lot. 

Investigators believe the pair is responsible for at least four break-ins at La Frontera, where burglars took off with "a large multitude of items," according to Redmond Police. The Redmond Tap House was also a theft victim. 

RPD released photos of Moran and Richardson in an effort to find people who may have bought things from the suspects. Stolen items were listed for sale on websites like Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist. Some have been recovered. But, bracelets, watches and other stolen jewelry remain missing. Anyone who may have purchased items from Richardson or Moran is asked to contact Det. Sgt. Tyler Kirk at 541-504-3400.

BEND, OR -- A fight between two unhoused campers near China Hat Road sent one man to the hospital Sunday afternoon. Deschutes County deputies responded to the area south of Bend at about 4 p.m., when a 911 caller reported someone had been shot. Dispatchers say the person refused to provide any other information, although they were able to determine the general location of the call. 

When deputies arrived, they learned a 32-year-old man had been taken to the hospital by ambulance, with a non-life threatening injuries. Investigators determined two men who live in the area were arguing when one brandished a gun. The other man, a 36-year-old, then armed himself. He shot the 32-year-old, striking his hand and stomach. 

The investigation is ongoing, and the identities of the two men involved have not been released. 

BEND, OR -- Bend City Council will soon start gathering feedback on what the public wants the future Hawthorne Pedestrian Bridge to look like. "We received a federal grant and some state grants; so it’s really fully funded by grants," says City Manager Eric King.

The new bridge will span the Bend Parkway and railroad, from about Hill to Second Street, "It would be a bicycle and pedestrian bridge connecting our core area to downtown," says King, "We’ve begun to look at feasibility, high-level design types. We have three different bridge types." Those options are a cable-stayed design, extradosed, or steel truss - similar to Portland’s Hawthorne Bridge, "So we have those three types that we’re going to take out for comment and then Council will make a decision, a recommendation on which one, based on that public feedback, in June." 

An open house is scheduled for late May and feedback will be accepted online before the City Council makes a final decision in June. King tells KBND News, "Then we give that project to ODOT. Because it received federal funds, ODOT is required to deliver that project. So, they would actually do the detailed design and construction of it." He adds, "The timeline is June to make a decision on the type of bridge. The timeline to actually have it open and functioning is 2027."

Click HERE for more on the options under consideration.

MADRAS, OR -- While many schools are cutting art programs, Jefferson County Middle School is rebuilding. It's a process that started last fall, with the hiring of art teacher Eliza Raines. "I’m the first certified art position that they’ve had, for a minute," she tells KBND News. Raines believes that certification makes a big difference for the kids, "Because I’m not only a teacher, but I’m also an artist. So, I understand the struggles that they’re going through with their creativity, with building their skillset. I also understand the mediums and how each different art medium works."

Raines says she began with the basics, by meeting kids where they're at, "It’s interesting to see how as the year has gone on, they’ve really been building on their knowledge. They will pull in aspects from old projects that we’ve been doing into new projects now." She adds, "A huge part of what I try to do in the art rooms is to show students that art is for everyone, and that art can be almost anything. We get so stuck thinking that it’s just painting or drawing or, you know, those really common mediums."

The effort culminates Wednesday, when JCMS hosts its first art show in 20 years, "Which is kind of like a Super Bowl for artists, where we pull together everything that we’ve been working on." Raines says more than 150 students are signed up to participate, "We’ve got drawings, we’ve got paintings, we’ve got sculptures that students have built. And we’re even seeing some showcases from other areas in the school. I know that our CTE and our STEM program have entered in a couple of admissions." The culinary class is also involved, with some delicious creations. 

Anticipation is building for the free public show. Raines says, "I’ve been talking with them about the community coming in to see their work and to really see who they are as artists and their creativity. And that has been both nerve racking for them and also exciting."

The JCMS student art show is Wednesday, April 24, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Awards will be presented at 6. The school is located at 1180 SE Kemper Way in Madras.

BEND, OR -- A 42-year-old from Idaho was arrested on the roof of a Bend garage Sunday afternoon, after a car chase that started near Millican. Deschutes County deputies first responded to a report of a reckless driver speeding westbound on Highway 20, at about 12:30 p.m. With help from OSP, they tried to pull the SUV over, but the driver refused to stop.

The pursuit was discontinued when he entered Bend. Just after 1 p.m., the suspect vehicle ran over spike strips on Brookswood Blvd, but the driver still refused to stop. Eventually, the vehicle crossed into oncoming traffic and ran into another vehicle, sending two people to the hospital.

The suspect, later identified as Nicholas Wood, ran from the crash and climbed on top of a detached garage on SW Sunny Way, leading to a two-hour standoff. Bend Police and DCSO deputies used multiple "less-lethal" options to try to pursuade Wood to come down, including firing pepper balls onto the roof. He was taken into custody just after 3:30 p.m.

A Bend Fire ladder truck was used to bring Wood off the roof. He was taken to the hospital for evaluation before getting booked into the jail on charges of Assault, Hit and Run, Reckless Endangering and Elude. 
Brookswood was closed between Murphy and Reed Mkt Road for several hours. 

CRESCENT LAKE, OR -- A couple from La Pine suspected fentanyl trafficking was recently arrested in Klamath County. Detectives from the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team pulled over 35-year-old Mario Fivecoats at the Crescent Lake Junction, late Thursday night. Authorities say 31-year-old Rebecca Ann Toepher and her six-year-old son were also in the car.

A K-9 deputy alerted to the presence of drugs in the car and a search turned up a commercial quantity of fentanyl pills and meth. Investigators believe the pair is responsible for importing drugs from the Portland area to sell in south Deschutes County.

They were taken into custody on multiple charges and Oregon DHS placed the child with a relative.

BEND, OR -- One candidate for Deschutes County Commissioner announced earlier this week he was dropping out of the race, but Brian Huntamer tells KBND News he’s decided to remain, “At this point, I need to put my best foot forward. I need to be honest. I need to stick to my principles and ideals. And if I wind up winning it, that's fine. I'll be happy to take the position and do my best.”

Huntamer says County Clerk Steve Dennison told him the deadline to withdraw had passed, “Everything went out in the voter's pamphlet. I was put on the ballot. Absentee votes were sent out. Steve also mentioned that a lot of those votes are coming back already. That was the number one consideration. And I want everyone's vote to count and if even only one person voted for me, I wanted that vote to be counted.”

While he did not participate in this week’s City Club of Central Oregon forum, he says he will continue to campaign and will serve if elected, “I think my best position to be is to keep running. And I actually made that decision when the forum was completed.”

If one candidate does not receive over 50% of the vote, there will be a runoff election in November with the top two candidates. Standard ballots will be mailed to voters on May first for the May 21^st primary.

BEND, OR -- Bend City Councilors could get a pay raise, but they’ll have to get re-elected to see the increase. "Every five years, an independent committee is charged with meeting and reviewing their compensation," says City Manager Eric King says, "For the Councilors, they’re making about $9,000 a year. It would move up to $30,000 a year. For the Mayor, it would move up from about $19-20,000 to $50,000 a year." He tells KBND News, "That recommendation was based on a lot of data from other similar-sized cities here in Oregon. So, that adjustment puts us more in the middle of the pack, compared to other similar-sized cities in Oregon, as well as in Washington. They looked in that state, as well."

Sitting Councilors get the final say. "It’ll go formally for a vote at the next Council meeting. But it doesn’t take effect. Council cannot vote in their own pay raises, so there has to be an intervening election," says King. "If Council approves this, it can’t be until the next election cycle that somebody would be eligible to receive it."

He says some positions would see the increase in January, following the November election, "It would be those seats - there’s four seats that are up in 2024 and so, whoever gets elected into those seats would be eligible for the new compensation." Seats not up for a vote this year, including the Mayor, would continue to earn the lower amount until after the 2026 election.