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In this Issue of C.O. Local BUZZ…

🌄Bend, OR Weather

📅 Lots and LOTS of Events

🎤Subaru of Bend Summer Kickin' Concert Series: Trace Adkins

🎈Balloons Over Bend!

🎉New Event Calendar! Central Oregon Local Live!

📰Local News - What’s a Happening?

📰 9-year-old succumbs to injuries 10 days after Bend car accident

📰Bend Parks & Rec Works To Address Illegal Campers

📰Fire Fighters From Down Under Coming To Help Battle Oregon Fires

📰Oregon Supreme Court to review censure of Deschutes County judge

🔥Central Oregon Fire Info

🚧 Road Closures & Construction

🔥⛑️Fire & Rescue News

🔥Bend Firefighters Quickly Contain Brush Fire Along Deschutes River Trail

🚨 Crime News

 📰 Community News

🍽️Mother-and-son food truck 'Jonny's Joint' opens in East Redmond

Got some news or know of news for our Community News Segment - share it with C.O. Local Buzz!

 🫴💖 Local Cause Spotlight

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

💖Pampered Chef Fundraiser this week!

😁 MEME of the Day

🌆 On going Events

📲Sponsors & Partners

BEND

Events Sponsored By Enjoy Bend Life Real Estate

What’s Up Central Oregon

Subaru of Bend Summer Kickin' Concert Series: Trace Adkins

July 27th

General Duffy's Waterhole announces Grammy Award Winning Country All-Star TRACE ADKINS performing live July 27th, 2024 at the Subaru of Bend 2024 Summer Kickin' Concert Series presented by Central Oregon Daily News in Downtown Redmond, Oregon. Tickets on sale now!

Come early and snag a delicious - locally crafted - refreshment by Sunriver Brewing, GoodLife Brewing, Avid Cider, or Three Creeks Brewing - We are proudly pouring and promoting - Top-Notch - local Beer, Wine, Seltzer, and Cider for your satisfaction while supporting our local breweries, cideries, and Oregon vineyards! We will have numerous beverage stations available to our Guests serving up delicious cocktails and kid-friendly Pepsi products, as well!

Arriving early to the show is highly encouraged and the optimal experience for Guests eager to explore our Venue, get settled into the show, and indulge in our awesome - locally owned + Chef operated - Mobile Kitchen cuisines featuring flavors by Westside Taco, Wrap Star International Cuisine, Red Beard Barbecue, Baitong on Wheels Thai, and Sally's Wok Asian Fusion!
Access opens at 4pm

Balloons Over Bend!

This will be a weekend to remember with the Bend Night Glow featuring an evening of music, food, marketplace and glow-in-the-dark balloons. Take the kids to the Balloon Blast race for a chance to stack up some points in our Kid’s Rock the Races series! Don’t forget to get up early to watch free balloon launches each morning at dawn.

Balloons will launch each day throughout the weekend. The balloon launches are free to anyone to observe. Just make sure you wake up early enough to greet the giant balloons as they float up into the sky.

The balloons will start setting up at sunrise (about 6am), with an estimated launch time of 6:45-7am (depending on weather). We suggest showing up around 6:15am to grab a spot, and to ensure you don’t miss the launch.

Get ready for a fantastic day at American Legion Park on Saturday, July 27th, for the Redmond Brewfest & Night Glow! Free to the public! We’ve got a lineup that promises fun for everyone:

🍻 Local Beer & Cider on Tap: Sample the best beers and ciders from local breweries. It’s a brew lover’s paradise!

🎶 Live Music: Jam out to live music from The Substitutes. Dance, sing along, and enjoy the tunes with friends and family.

🍔 Food Trucks: Satisfy your cravings with delicious bites from a variety of food trucks. From savory to sweet, there’s something for everyone.

🛍️ Vendors: Explore unique products and crafts from local vendors. It’s the perfect place to find a special something.

🎈 Balloon Backdrops: Enjoy the balloon backdrop in the park.

✨ Hot Air Balloon Night Glow: As the sun sets, prepare to be dazzled by the Night Glow. Watch as the balloons light up the canyon.

9-year-old succumbs to injuries 10 days after Bend car accident

PORTLAND, OR

On July 13, just before 11 a.m., Oregon State Police responded to a crash involving two vehicles at the intersection of Tumalo Road and Highway 97 in Bend.

Police say the driver of a Toyota Prius attempted to turn from Highway 97 onto Tumalo Road at an unsafe speed. The Prius lost control and collided with a Ford F350.

Two juveniles were in the Prius, and both were injured police said. One of the juveniles suffered life-threatening injuries and was flown to Portland for treatment.

On July 23, 9-year-old Anthony Rivera died at a hospital, the family told KATU’s sister station KUNP.

Marco Rivera, the driver of the Prius and Anthony’s father, spoke with KUNP and said he is heartbroken. “I feel very bad, I told God why not me?”

The Rivera family was in Bend for a soccer tournament.

Oregon State Police say a criminal investigation into the cause of the crash is underway.

Bend Parks & Rec Works To Address Illegal Campers

Posted by Heather Roberts KBND

BEND, OR -- The Bend Park and Recreation District is getting more reports of people camping in its natural areas, like Shevlin Park. "This time of year - I think it's more of a seasonal type of situation - that is several times a week, if not a daily occurrence that we're getting those reports," says the district's Julie Brown. "We do not allow any camping on Bend Park and Recreation District property."

Brown says all parks have hours of operation, "Typically, that's from dawn to dusk. Some of them, it's from a specific time, maybe it's 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. And, therefore, when our park properties are closed, they're closed to everyone."

Like many agencies, Bend Parks and Rec has studied the recent Supreme Court ruling allowing camping bans on public property. Brown says, "For us, it's not really changing our approach to how we are trying to respond to use of our property or the support or connections that we try to make for houseless individuals with resources that are available to them." She tells KBND News, "Our staff members do our very best to respectfully contact individuals and/or inform them of the rules." She adds, "They may see them on a very regular basis and have somewhat of a basis of a relationship that we may be able to help make some of those contacts that some of those others - maybe law enforcement might not be able to have quite the same success."

Brown says parks visitors should not attempt to deal with campers on their own. Reports can be made by calling the district office at 541-389-7275. 

Fire Fighters From Down Under Coming To Help Battle Oregon Fires

BAKER CITY, OR -- With more than three dozen large wildfires burning in the Pacific Northwest, the region and the country are at Preparedness Level Five. "That’s the highest level of preparedness," says Lauren Maloney, with the Northwest Coordination Center, "The Pacific Northwest is the Number One priority in the nation and we’re getting as many resources as we can."

NWCC tracks fires and provides logistical support for incidents in Oregon and Washington. "We currently have 38 large wildfires on the landscape in Oregon and Washington. That’s 29 in Oregon and nine in Washington." Maloney says a "large fire" is an incident over 100 acres in timber or 300 acres of rangeland. "In addition to that, we have literally hundreds of other wildfires on the landscape in both states that are just small little acres, that are initially attacked by local resources and many of them are getting put out. And then there are a number of others that are small and growing," says Maloney.

As of Wednesday morning, Oregon’s largest is the Durkee Fire, estimated at almost 245,000 acres. Crews from 22 states are assigned to that incident southeast of Baker City. It's one of four "mega fires" in the state, defined as those over 100,000 acres. The Falls Fire, outside of Burns, is more than 140,000 acres; the Lone Rock Fire, near Spray, is nearly 135,000 acres; and the Cow Valley Fire, also near Baker City, is now over 133,000 acres. But Maloney says there is certainly potential for others to grow into a mega fire, "The east winds are fanning fires and making them large. Some of those larger rangeland fires are growing quite rapidly when there’s thunderstorm down-drafts that are creating significant wind events."

It means resources are stretched, despite receiving firefighters from all over the U.S. "We’re tapping additional resources, like the National Guard is helping to support us," says Maloney, "And we have firefighters that are going to be coming in the next couple of weeks from Australia and New Zealand, that’ll help us out." She adds, "They’re going to start traveling here this week. We’ll put them through some local training and then hopefully they’ll be able to help us increase our capacity, to really address some of these wide landscape-level-acreage fires."

Fire managers are preparing for the long haul, "These fires are likely going to be on the landscape for a long time, really until we get a season-ending event, like a heavy rain or snow." She says that makes it even more important to prevent new fires from starting.  

Link to: Air Quality Index map

Link to: Northwest Large Fire Interactive Web Map

Bend Firefighters Quickly Contain Brush Fire Along Deschutes River Trail

BEND, OR — Bend Fire & Rescue rapidly extinguished a small brush fire along the Deschutes River Trail downstream from Bend's First Street Rapids on Wednesday afternoon. The fire, reported around 4 p.m., was deemed human-caused, though the specific cause remains undetermined. A park user informed NewsChannel 21 that the fire occurred in an area where homeless campers had recently been given 24 hours notice to vacate.

Deputy Fire Marshal Dan Derlacki reported that witnesses saw smoke and flames near the base of a cliff behind homes on Northwest Rivermist Drive. Bend Police officers were the first to arrive, helping firefighters locate the best access point to the fire. Crews successfully contained the fire to a 30 by 50 feet area on flat terrain near the river, preventing it from spreading uphill.

Support arrived from the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), and crews remained on the scene for an hour to ensure the fire was completely extinguished. An old fallen tree was cut up to eliminate any smoldering embers.

“There were no signs of camping or encampments in the area,” Derlacki stated. “The trail through the fire area is heavily used by hikers and swimmers. A carelessly disposed-of cigarette or other hot ashes can’t be ruled out as a cause.”

A park user, who wished to remain anonymous, said a small group of homeless individuals had been camping in the area for several weeks, engaging in smoking and drinking. They were given 24 hours notice to leave by a park steward on Tuesday, and one of them might have started Wednesday's fire. The user added that a security firm indicated they could not address the individuals who frequent the park during the day, smoking and drinking under the bridge. The same user noted that these individuals were back in the area on Wednesday evening.

Addressing the report, Derlacki mentioned speaking with a park steward who confirmed that at least one person was trespassed from the area within the last 24 hours but could not confirm the exact cause of the fire. The investigation into the incident continues.

Bend Park and Recreation District Community Engagement Director Julie Brown stated she had no additional information regarding the camping notice or exclusion issued by a park steward, noting, "I can't confirm if they are related to the fire."

Derlacki emphasized that this incident serves as a crucial reminder for homeowners to maintain good defensible space around their properties, even within urban areas. He noted the presence of dry yard debris, thick brush, and wood piles near decks around homes close to the fire site. "If an ember had come up the hill from this fire, it could have easily ignited the dry vegetation and spread the fire to homes," he said.

For more information on creating defensible space to protect properties from fire hazards, residents are encouraged to visit Bend Fire & Rescue’s “Own Your Zone” webpage.

Contact:

Bend Fire & Rescue

Phone: (541) 322-6300

Website: www.bendoregon.gov/fire

Redmond, OR - Jonny’s Joint, a new food truck in East Redmond, opened on First Street on July 19. Co-owned by LoriAnn and Jonny Kuhn, they offer fresh beef burgers topped with homemade Siracha aioli sauce. Their menu includes burgers, breakfast burritos, veggie rice bowls, espresso, pastries, and more. The truck operates six days a week, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., except Sundays, with a Saturday opening at 8 a.m. Supported by local pickleball players, the food truck features shaded tables and a built-in bathroom, praised for its cleanliness. Catering to special diets, they offer gluten-free and nut-free menu items. LoriAnn and Jonny plan to expand and become mobile for events. Jonny’s Joint donates 10% of profits to NeighborImpact’s Food Bank. Located at 2605 First St., Redmond.

Full Story HERE

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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