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In this Issue of C.O. Local BUZZ…

🌄 Bend, OR Weather

📅 Lots and LOTS of Events

🏘️🏡The 37th Annual COBA Tour of Homes begins Friday July 12th 2024

🐎 Oregon High Desert Classic

🎉New Event Calendar! Central Oregon Local Live!

📰 Local News - What’s a Happening?

⚠️3 public hearings scheduled on new Oregon wildfire hazard map. Here's how to participate

🚿City of Bend water curtailment plan could lead to usage limit enforcement in a shortage

🚧Bend High Auditorium Closed For Structural Inspection

👮‍♀️Central Oregon Hosts Inaugural Jr. Women’s Law Enforcement Academy

🔥Central Oregon Fire Info

Larch Creek Fire Completely Lined As Red Flag Warning Begins

Social Media Posts

🚧 Road Closures

🔥⛑️Fire & Rescue News

 🚨 Crime News

👮‍♂️Bend Man Arrested for Stalking and Harassment

🚔Redmond Area Pursuit Ends in Arrest and Recovery of Stolen Vehicle

 📰 Community News

🧗‍♀️ Bend climbers fare well at USA Climbing Youth Nationals in Salt Lake City

🧵🖼️ The town of Sisters was covered in colorful quilts on Saturday for the 49th Annual Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show

 🫴💖 Local Cause Spotlight

🐶😺Changing Lives, One Paw at a Time: Humane Society of the Ochocos

😁 MEME of the Day

🌆 On going Events

📲Sponsors & Partners

BEND

Events Sponsored By Enjoy Bend Life Real Estate

What’s Up Central Oregon

The 37^th Annual COBA Tour of Homes begins Friday July 12^th 2024.

Free Admission

July 19-21, 2024

Fridays: 12PM – 6PM, Saturdays & Sundays: 10AM – 5PM

Oregon High Desert Classic

July 17-21, July 24-28

Hayden Homes presents the Oregon High Desert Classics July 17 – 21 & 24 – 28, 2024.  The prestigious OHDC is the only event of its kind in Central Oregon. Approved by the US Hunter Jumper Association, this show attracts world class riders from all over the US and Canada. One of a small handful to receive Heritage Horse Show designation, it is also the only show of its caliber which is primarily a fundraiser for a non-profit. The Classics are held the last two weeks of July every year.

Each year, 600 horses and 3000 participants gather at J Bar J Boys Ranch to compete for $150,000 in prizes on six of the last remaining grass footing rings in the country. Thousands of family, staff, vendors, and spectators join them, celebrating the athleticism of horses and riders, and enjoying a variety of food and shopping at the vendor booths in the show village green.

The Oregon High Desert Classics serve as the primary annual fundraiser for J Bar J Youth Services, a nonprofit organization that facilitates positive change for youth. J Bar J hosts the show on its property housing The Boys Ranch, a residential program and school for adjudicated boys.  

3 public hearings scheduled on new Oregon wildfire hazard map. Here's how to participate.

Three public hearings are scheduled for July 31 and Aug. 1 to get feedback on the rules pertaining to the new Oregon wildfire hazard map, which is expected to be released later this month.

The statewide wildfire risk map, which sparked public backlash, will return in several weeks with a new name but few changes, the Oregon Capital Chronicle reported this week. Citing Oregon State University forestry professor and wildfire expert Chris Dunn, the Chronicle reported the map will not differ much from the 2022 map that was removed months after it was released after the public cried foul over some areas that were considered high risk. Property owners were also concerned, among other things, that it led to some insurers raising premiums or refusing to write wildfire policies altogether.

Here is the full announcement about the public hearings from the Oregon Department of Forestry.

SALEM, Ore. — Public hearings are scheduled July 31 and Aug. 1 to gather feedback on a rules package establishing the contested case appeals process, designating properties in wildfire hazard zones, and identifying the wildland-urban interface, as required by Senate Bill 762 (2021) and Senate Bill 80 (2023).

The Board of Forestry approved the public hearing process for the proposed rule package, Oregon Administrative Rules 629-001-0001 to 0057 and 629-044-1000 to 1041, during their June 5 meeting. See the notice of proposed rulemaking for draft rule language. The department consulted a Rulemaking Advisory Committee representing a wide variety of stakeholder interests while drafting the proposed rules.

The rules will be used by Oregon State University to address irrigated agriculture as a mitigating factor to assessing wildfire hazard in the statewide wildfire hazard map, which includes assigning one of three hazard zones to individual properties. The rules also establish the process to appeal assignment of a hazard zone or classification.

Comment can be made at any of the virtual public meetings below:

July 31, 10 a.m., Zoom meeting

July 31, 2 p.m., Zoom meeting

Aug. 1, 6 p.m., Zoom meeting

Comments can also be sent to [email protected] until 5 p.m. on Aug. 15. Please clarify which rule your comments pertain to in your email.

City of Bend water curtailment plan could lead to usage limit enforcement in a shortage

The City of Bend is updating how it could restrict residents' water usage if there is ever a shortage. The update follows the latest heat wave and ongoing fires around the region.

“A situation like an urban interface type fire where we have a fire threatening residents in the city, we could have a large water main break that prohibits us from being able to provide water to certain parts of town," Water Operations Manager Rod Mingus said. "It could be various things.”

The steps outline exactly what and how the city would restrict water usage at various severity levels. The plan includes three stages.

“The first level would be a volunteer program where we ask you to conserve water to help us meet system demands," Mingus said. "The second one is a little more serious and the third one would be kind of an enforceable level.”

The city says in it's history it’s never seen the type of event that would require a serious or severe water shortage declaration. In that scenario, Mingus said messaging and enforcement would be swift and clear.

“You would see a barrage of messaging over social media, over news outlets asking for voluntary conservation," he said "When we get to the stage three, which is serious, we are asking them to shut off and its enforceable per city code.”

The worst violations can be up to $400 per day.

The city is not in any sort of water crisis right now. Mingus told Central Oregon Daily that despite the recent heat wave, the water system is in a very strong place for this point in the year.

Bend High Auditorium Closed For Structural Inspection

KBND

BEND, OR -- Bend Senior High’s Auditorium is now off limits. A subcontractor discovered damage to the building earlier this week, while responding to a leak in the sprinkler system.

Engineers are now evaluating the structural integrity of the building.

Bend-La Pine Schools released a photo of the building Thursday, showing a slight outward bow of one wall (on the right side in the image) and a stretching of the roof's waterproof membrane, indicating movement.

A previous sprinkler system leak was found in May and repaired. It’s unclear if that incident is related. Caution tape and fencing now surround the area. “Right now our priority is to isolate the auditorium area until we can have structural engineers determine the extent of this issue and advise us on a safe course of action,” Doug Pigman, Executive Director of Facilities, said in a statement.

The auditorium was built in 1955. It's slated to be renovated during the school’s ongoing modernization project, but that’s not expected until "phase three," in 2026. Demolition crews working on phase one are not in the vicinity of the auditorium and district officials say this new damage does not appear to be related to the school’s overhaul.

Central Oregon Hosts Inaugural Jr. Women’s Law Enforcement Academy

Redmond, OR - On July 10, 2024, the Central Oregon Women in Law Enforcement (COWIL) launched their first-ever Jr. Women’s Law Enforcement Academy, targeting teenage girls aged 13-18. This groundbreaking one-day camp brought together women from various law enforcement roles across Central Oregon and the state to mentor and inspire the next generation.

The academy offered a wide range of hands-on activities, including a physical agility test, a mock trial, traffic stops, dispatching, handcuffing, crime scene processing, Fish and Wildlife operations, drone handling, CERT/SWAT exercises, K9 demonstrations, and Parole and Probation insights.

Lt. April Huey of the Redmond Police Department emphasized the significance of such initiatives, stating, "As a law enforcement professional, it is important to share the career opportunities within the field for young women as well as take the time to mentor future law enforcement generations. These camps are an interactive way to start that process."

The event was made possible with support from several agencies, including the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, Redmond Police Department, Bend Police Department, Sunriver Police Department, Prineville Police Department, Oregon State Police, Crook County and Deschutes County Parole and Probation, Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office, Deschutes County 9-1-1, Central Oregon Chaplaincy, COLES, CERT, and Redmond Fire & Rescue. Special thanks were extended to Highland Baptist Church for providing the venue for this educational community event.

Larch Creek Fire Completely Lined As Red Flag Warning Begins

Link to: Air Quality Index map

Link to: Northwest Large Fire Interactive Web Map

Bend Man Arrested for Stalking and Harassment

Bend, OR - On July 9, 2024, Bend Police arrested 37-year-old Nathan Shaun Sprague, a Bend resident, on multiple charges including stalking and harassment. Sprague is suspected of harassing and stalking several women across Central Oregon and beyond.

The case began in January when Sprague reported the fraudulent use of his credit card to purchase a trash can shipped to a home in Vancouver, Washington. Concurrently, a woman from Vancouver reported that Sprague had offered to buy her the trash can and then threatened to report the purchase as fraud. He subsequently sent her threatening messages and threatened to harm her.

In March, Sprague escalated his behavior by calling the county’s Stabilization Center and threatening to commit a shooting at a local grocery store.

The harassment continued into July. A woman reported that Sprague had called her dozens of times and sent hundreds of unwanted text messages and social media messages over four days. Shortly thereafter, another woman reported meeting Sprague online and, after discovering his previous stalking charges, blocked him on the communication app they were using. Sprague then used a payment app to send her repeated threatening messages.

Bend Police apprehended Sprague at approximately 4:55 p.m. on Tuesday, July 9, in the parking lot of Safeway West on SW Century Drive. He was taken to the Deschutes County Jail and charged with five counts of telephonic harassment, two counts of second-degree stalking, two counts of coercion, two counts of initiating a false report, menacing, first-degree disorderly conduct, and an out-of-county warrant.

Authorities believe there may be additional victims of Sprague’s harassment. Anyone with information is urged to contact nonemergency dispatch at 541-693-6911.

Redmond Area Pursuit Ends in Arrest and Recovery of Stolen Vehicle

Redmond, OR - On July 12, 2024, a high-speed pursuit northeast of McGrath Rd and Stenkamp Rd intersection ended in the arrest of Joshua Lee Hart, a 35-year-old Redmond resident, and the recovery of a stolen vehicle.

At approximately 2:42 PM, a Deschutes County Sheriff’s Deputy attempted to pull over a black 2001 Ford F350 for a traffic violation on Hwy 97 southbound near Veterans Way. The driver, later identified as Hart, failed to yield, prompting a brief pursuit. The deputy quickly discontinued the chase after deploying Star Chase, a pursuit management system that allows law enforcement to affix a GPS tracking device to the fleeing vehicle.

The vehicle was tracked as it drove southeast off-road, eventually being abandoned on BLM land east of Chaparrel Dr. and McGrath Rd. Deputies, aided by a Bend Police K-9 unit, successfully tracked and apprehended Hart without incident.

Hart faces multiple charges, including one count of fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, unauthorized use of a vehicle, criminal driving while suspended or revoked (misdemeanor), and an in-state warrant.

During the pursuit, a Deschutes Alert notification was sent to residents in the nearby neighborhoods of Terry Dr., Chaparrel Dr., and Cimarron Dr., advising them of the police activity.

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office expressed gratitude to the Bend Police Department, Oregon State Police, Redmond Police Department, Crook County Sheriff’s Office, and the US Forest Service for their assistance in the incident.

Bend climbers fare well at USA Climbing Youth Nationals in Salt Lake City

Five rock climbers from the Bend Endurance Academy are competing at the USA Climbing Youth National Championships in Salt Lake City, with one climber finishing in the top 10. Sixteen-year-old Nathaniel Perullo from Cascades Academy in Tumalo advanced through the qualifying and semifinal rounds of the lead/top rope event, ultimately securing eighth place in the finals. Perullo expressed pride in his top-10 finish, especially after overcoming two finger injuries that hampered his performance last year. The youth nationals, which began on July 7, continue with bouldering and speed-climbing events. To qualify for the nationals, climbers had to excel in state and divisional competitions. Perullo's strong performance in the 58-man qualifying round, including the highest first climb and the seventh-highest second climb, propelled him to the semifinals and earned him a spot on the USA Development Team. This achievement allows him to train with elite athletes and coaches at the USA Climbing National Training Center. Cate Beebe, the climbing director for Bend Endurance Academy, praised Perullo's mental focus and lack of self-imposed pressure. Other academy athletes also competed: Vance Stanfield reached the semifinals and finished 17th, while Drew Childers placed 37th in the junior division. Both Childers and Stanfield, along with other BEA climbers, are still competing in the ongoing bouldering and speed-climbing events in Salt Lake City.

The town of Sisters was covered in colorful quilts on Saturday for the 49th Annual Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show

Over 1,000 quilts were on display throughout the town bringing in visitors from all over for the popular event.

"This is different than a typical quilt show, in that we love every level of quilter, you might have someone who has made only three or four quilts hanging right next to someone who has been doing it for 40 years," said Dawn Boyd, the executive director for the quilt show.

The Sisters Outdoor Quilt show is free to attend and held the second Saturday each year in July.

The Heartwarming Work of The Humane Society of the Ochocos

Are you an animal lover looking to make a positive impact on the lives of our furry friends in need? If so, you're in luck! Let me introduce you to a wonderful non-profit organization that is doing incredible work for animals in our community - The Humane Society of the Ochocos (HSO).

Visit their website at https://www.thehso.org/ to learn more about their programs, upcoming events, and how you can get involved. Together, we can make the world a better place for animals in need.

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