In this Issue of C.O. Local BUZZ…

🤔Local Trivia

🌄 Bend, OR Weather

📰 Local News - What’s a Happening?

🎥🎬Four films shown at last fall’s Bend Film Festival are now nominated for Oscars

❄️ Oregon Snowpack Declines Following Storm

🍓🍅🍴Sign-Ups Now Open for the 2024 High Desert Food & Farm Directory & HDFFA Partnership

🏛️Local Government News

🚨🚒 Firefighters Respond to fire at Brightwood Plant

🚨🚑👶Medics Deliver Baby in Ambulance

😁 MEME of the Day

📅 Lots of Events

What large, prehistoric creature’s footprints can be found fossilized at the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument?

A) Wooley Mammoth

B) Harlan's ground sloth

C) Sabertooth Tiger

D) Sasquatch

👇Find the Answer at the end of the Newletter👇

BEND

Four films shown at last fall’s Bend Film Festival are now nominated for Oscars

 BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Four films that were shown at the 20th annual Bend Film Festival last fall have been nominated for Oscars.

Knight of Fortune was nominated for an Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film. Jillian Fortner is speaking Wednesday with one of the film's producers, Christian Norlyk, about the nomination. Her report is coming up on NewsChannel 21 at Five.

The other nominees include:

Anatomy of a Fall has been nominated for five Oscars including Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing.

May December is nominated for Best Original Screenplay.

The Eternal Memory is nominated for Best Documentary Feature.

The 96th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 10, at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.

The 21st annual Bend Film Festival is set for October 10-13.

The post Four films shown at last fall’s Bend Film Festival are now nominated for Oscars appeared first on KTVZ .

Oregon Snowpack Declines Following Storm

Posted by Heather Roberts KBND

BEND, OR -- Much of Oregon saw significant snowfall earlier this month. But the state’s snowpack is now on the decline. 

The Natural Resources Conservation Service measures snowpack as a percent of average - what’s considered "normal" for this point in the season. "Last Monday, statewide snowpack was about 100%. And today, it’s sitting at about 89%," says NRCS-Oregon Hydrologist Matt Warbritton. 

He says this month’s severe weather is unusual for El Niño, which typically brings warmer, drier weather. "Those storms that did bring significant snow accumulation, that was sort of an anomaly for an El Niño year.

“We got a bit lucky some larger climatic patterns aligned and El Niño weakened just slightly."

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Sign-Ups Now Open for the 2024 High Desert Food & Farm Directory & HDFFA Partnership

Central Oregon - High Desert Food & Farm Alliance (HDFFA) is excited to announce that sign up is now open for the 2024 Food & Farm Directory and HDFFA Partnership! HDFFA invites farmers, ranchers and food businesses in the tri-county area of Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson counties as well as the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs to join their network of over 140 local food producers and businesses committed to supporting the local food & farm community.Founded on the belief that everyone deserves good food, HDFFA supports a healthy and thriving food & farm network in Central Oregon through education, collaboration and inclusion.

Each year, HDFFA offers a Partnership opportunity to further support local farmers and ranchers, the growth of local food businesses, food security and foster a sense of belonging.

Partners of HDFFA are an integral part of a food & farm network that supports communities throughout Central Oregon. As such, they have access to exclusive Partner benefits including marketing, admission to events and networking opportunities, an invitation to sell their local products in HDFFA’s beloved Local Food Boxes and more!

Partners who sign up by March 8, 2024 will also receive a detailed, highlighted listing in the 13th annual Food & Farm Directory (Central Oregon’s #1 guide to local food!). The Directory, which is free to the public, will be distributed via both The Source and The Nugget beginning in May and at summer 2024 Farmers Markets and local businesses, reaching 35,000+ readers.

NEW for 2024; in alignment with our commitment to inclusion, the 2024 Directory will include basic community listings for local farm, ranch and food business that agree to HDFFA’s pledge criteria, regardless of partnership status.

Farms, ranches and local businesses who wish to learn more about partnerships or community lists can visit hdffa.org/join-our-network. HDFFA will also be hosting a virtual Partnership & Directory information session Friday, February 9 at 10am. You can register for the information session here.

For questions regarding farm & ranch Partnership, please contact [email protected].
For questions regarding food business Partnership, please contact [email protected].

About High Desert Food & Farm Alliance (HDFFA):
High Desert Food & Farm Alliance (HDFFA) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit serving Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson Counties as well as the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. HDFFA’s mission is to support a healthy and thriving food & farm network through education, collaboration and inclusivity. hdffa.org 

Accessible and Effective City Government

Bend Works

And with all of that snow we received numerous service requests through our Bend Works! Thank you for helping to keep bend moving by letting our Streets Crews know about problem areas and slick spots around town.

Bend Works can be utilized for so much more though, like letting our crews know where potholes are located now that the snow has melted off.

You can learn more about Bend Works and download the mobile app at bendoregon.gov/bend-works

Affordable Housing + Sustainable Development

Multiple Unit Property Tax Exemption

At the Jan. 3 City Council Meeting, Council approved a Multiple Unit Property Tax Exemption or MUPTE for the Jackstraw project, which is multiple stories, high density homes in a centrally located area. One of the public benefits to this project is that it adds to the housing supply in a way that helps preserve Bend’s natural spaces.

The Jackstraw project is located within an urban renewal district, which means taxes for that area are handled differently and circulated back into that designated zone for a period of thirty years to encourage economic growth.

Council and City staff will also be reviewing this process over the coming months, looking at how the programs are meeting community needs and Council Goals. During the time it takes to do the assessment, the MUPTE program will be paused and not available to new applicants.

For more information visit bendoregon.gov/economicdevelopment.

Public Safety Goal Updates

City of Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz presented to Council at the Jan. 3 meeting to give an update on public safety goals and speak to council about utilizing technology to help make our community a safer place. At the meeting, Council discussed the installation of automated traffic enforcement (speed and red light cameras) in locations around the city of Bend.

Read more about the proposal here: Council Goal Quarterly Update

Road Construction updates:

Wilson Ave Bend / Purcell & Neff Bend / Awbrey Butte Waterline Improvement Project

Firefighters Respond to fire at Brightwood Plant

CULVER, OR -- Jefferson County firefighters responded to a fire at the Culver Brightwood plant, Tuesday afternoon. Initial reports indicated the blower on a woodchip bin were on fire. 

Using a 105' aerial ladder, crews stretched hose lines to the top of the blower tube leading into the smoking bin. The fire was contained and caused minimal damage. 

The cause was later determined to be accumulated dust that caught fire due to friction created by the device. Although this is a large commercial wood-processing facility, fire officials remind everyone fires can occur in any mechanical device that produces dust. They urge people to follow manufacturers' recommendations when cleaning such equipment. 

This story first appeared at KBND

Medics Deliver Baby in Ambulance

Sisters, OR - Sisters paramedics had an unexpected delivery to handle when they received a call about a woman in active labor. Shift Commander Cody Meredith and his partner rushed to the scene, but the woman's contractions were already just minutes apart. Initially, they thought they would make it to the hospital in Bend, with the father riding in the front of the ambulance while Meredith assisted the mother in the back.

However, as they were en route, Meredith realized that the baby was coming sooner than expected. They decided to pull over the ambulance and safely deliver the baby right there. After the baby was born, they called the father to come to the back of the ambulance and help cut the cord. They then continued their journey to the hospital with the newborn.

Meredith, with 14 years of experience as a medic, expressed that delivering a baby in an ambulance is a rare event, as most patients usually reach the hospital before giving birth. Nonetheless, paramedics are trained for such situations, and ambulances are equipped with the necessary tools. He emphasized that in the heat of the moment, their focus is solely on helping the patient. The realization of the significance of the experience sinks in afterward, and it's filled with various emotions.

Fortunately, both the mother and baby are reported to be healthy and in recovery, according to the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District. Meredith described the experience as amazing and admitted to feeling overwhelmed once the call concluded, especially when transferring the mother and newborn to the Family Birthing unit at the hospital.

What’s Up Central Oregon

Special Fundraiser Event coming up for one of our favorite Non-Profits

We may not know who will win the 2024 Superbowl, but we do know some tasty local soups will be up for sampling at the High Desert Food and Farm Alliance's first annual SOUPer Bowl!

All are welcome to this fun, family-friendly event! Restaurants who will be providing samples include:

Anthony's at the Old Mill District
Bodega Market Bend
Brasada Ranch
Cascade Lakes Brewing Company
Cheri's HazelCream
Deschutes Brewery
FIX & REPEAT
Mountain Burger Bend
Schoolhouse Produce
SporkBend
WestSide Taco Co.
10 Barrel Brewing Company

Date: February 3
Venue: Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
61980 Skyline Ranch Rd Bend, OR
Price: $15.00
Time: Two Admission Times 12 PM | 1:30 PM

All proceeds will go to support HDFFA's Food Access, Agricultural Support, and Consumer Education/Resources programs.

Thursday February 1st

Long Gone Wilder 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM The Stihl Whiskey Bar 550 NW Franklin Ave Bend Event Details  

Inro to the Joy of Capoeira 7:15 PM - 8:30 PM High Desert Martial Arts 20713 NE Empire Ave Bend Tickets Event Details

Friday February 2nd

First Friday Artwalk  Downtown Bend 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Imbolc Astrological Medicine Crafting w/Jasmine Kocie 5:30 PM The People’s Apothecary 1841 NE Division St Ste 150 Bend Tickets $55 + $2 Transaction Fee per class Event Details

Open Heart Open Mic: A Night of Sacred Passion 6:00 PM Hawthorn Healing Arts Center 39 NW Louisiana Ave Bend Event Details

Thoroughly Modern Productions: The Little Mermaid 7:30 PM Tower Theatre Bend Tickets  $35.50 - $55.50 (plus $4 Historic Preservation fee) Event Details

Saturday February 3rd 

HDFFA’s First Annual SOUPer Bowl 12pm - 3 pm Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Central Oregon 19227 NW Skyliners Rd Bend Tickets $15 Event Details

Book Reading & Signing w/Local author Theodore Perez 1:00 PM The Bohemian Peddler’s Black Bird Magical Tea & Tales 185 SE E St Madras Event Details

Flannel Fest - Winter Warmer Ale Festival 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM Midtown Yacht Club 373 NE Quimby Ave Bend Event Details

Service Workshop 1:00 PM Wildhorse Harley-Davidson 63028 Sherman Rd Bend Event Details

Sunday February 4th 

Bluegrass Jam Circle 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Bevel Craft Brewing 911 SE Armour Rd Bend Event Details

Open Mic Night 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM Silver Moon Brewing 24 NW Greenwood Ave Bend Event Details

Deschutes Public Library Events

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What large, prehistoric creature’s footprints can be found fossilized at the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument?

A) Wooley Mammoth

B) Harlan's ground sloth

C) Sabertooth Tiger

D) Sasquatch

Answer: C) Saber-tooth Tiger

Fossils found in the John Day Strata include a wide variety of plants and more than 100 species of mammals, including dogs, cats, oreodonts, saber-toothed tigers, horses, camels, and rodents. The Blue Basin and the Sheep Rock unit contain many of these same fossils, as well as turtles, opossums, and large pigs.

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