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In this Issue of C.O. Local BUZZ…

🤔Local Trivia

🌄Bend, OR Weather

📅 Lots and LOTS of Events

🎃DD Ranch 2024 Pumpkin Patch

🍺🛍️Fresh Hops and Pop Up Shops @ River’s Place

🎉New Event Calendar! Central Oregon Local Live!

📰Local News - What’s a Happening?

📰La Pine Parks and Rec Temporarily Closes Due to Harassment Concerns

💹Oregon maximum rent increase set at 10% for 2025

🛣️🚧6 miles of China Hat Road closing Monday for repaving project

🛣️Redmond urges ODOT to make safety improvements on Highway 126

🌊Central Oregon women's raft racing team prepares for Pan-American Cup in Chile 🎦

📰Regional News

🚫🛬Alaska Airlines grounds flights at Seattle briefly due to tech outage

Central Oregon Fire Info

Updates of Oregon Fires

🚧 Road Closures & Construction

🔥⛑️Fire & Rescue News

⛑️Elderly Man Rescued After 50' Fall At Steelhead Falls

🚨 Crime News

📰 Community News

🏆💲Bend Educator Wins $2,000 Voya Grant for Innovative Solar Cooking Project

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

📲Sponsors & Partners

😁 MEME of the Day

🌆 On going Events

Why is the Pacific Northwest a major hub for fresh hop beer production?

A) The region has ideal conditions for growing high-quality hops.
B) The climate is perfect for growing barley, not hops.
C) Fresh hop beer requires the use of fresh hops from this region.
D) The Pacific Northwest has the largest breweries in the U.S.

👉Find the Answer in Tomorrow’s Newsletter👉

BEND

TERREBONNE

Events Sponsored By

Enjoy Bend Life Real Estate

What’s Up Central Oregon 

DD Ranch 2024 Pumpkin Patch

Come see us this Fall at our annual Pumpkin Patch!
School Field Trips, Hay rides , Pony rides, Train rides, Paintball shooting gallery, Cowboy arcade, Petting zoo, Kids Korral, live music, food trucks and more!
Open Tuesday - Sunday, closed Mondays.

Starts September 29th

10:00 am to 5:00 pm

3836 NE Smith Rock Way, Terrebonne, OR

Fresh Hops and Pop Up Shops

Saturday September 28th

Got an upcoming event you want us to FEATURE?

Click here to let us know about your upcoming Event!

La Pine Parks and Rec Temporarily Closes Due to Harassment Concerns

La Pine Parks and Recreation has temporarily closed its office and some services due to ongoing staff harassment, according to a recent social media post from the organization. The post addressed the La Pine community, expressing concern for employees who have experienced harassment both in the workplace and in their personal lives.

The Parks and Rec team is working with legal professionals to address the situation but noted that they are unable to share further details at this time. In their statement, they acknowledged that false rumors are circulating and urged the public to be cautious about what information they believe.

The organization thanked the community for its patience and understanding as they navigate these challenges, and it is unclear when operations will fully resume.

Oregon maximum rent increase set at 10% for 2025

The maximum allowable rent increase in Oregon for 2025 will be 10%, the Oregon Department of Administrative Services (DAS) announced Monday. That number could have been slightly higher if not for a law that was passed in the legislature last year.

The maximum allowable increase in rent is 7% plus the Consumer Price Index (CPI) -- a measure of inflation -- for all urban consumers in the west region as calculated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But if that total is over 10%, then the increase is capped at 10%.

According to DAS, the CPI increase was 3.2%. Combine that with the 7% number and the total would have been 10.2% if not for the 2023 law.

That law -- Senate Bill 611 -- came after inflation spiked in 2022. The maximum Oregon rent increase allowed in 2023 was 14.6% before the bill was passed.

In 2024, the maximum rent increase would have been 12.6% (7% plus 5.6% CPI). But because of the new law, rent increases were capped at 10%.

The announcement does not mean landlords are required to increase rent by 10%. It simply means they cannot increase rent by more than that.

The cap applies to residential rental units that are 15 years and older.

The law also says the landlord may not increase the rent during the first year of tenancy. The landlord must also give 90 days notice before increasing rent after the first year of tenancy and can only increase the rent once in a 12-month period.

DAS says it is required to announce the maximum rent increase for the upcoming year by no later than Sept. 30. 

Here is a look at the maximum rent increases in Oregon over the past ten years, according to DAS:

• 2016: 8.3%

• 2017: 8.6%

• 2018: 9.6%

• 2019: 10.3%

• 2020: 9.9%

• 2021: 9.2%

• 2022: 9.9%

• 2023 (before SB 611 took effect): 14.6%

• 2023 (after SB 611 took effect): 10%

• 2024: 10% (would have been 12.6% without SB 611)

• 2025: 10% (would have been 10.2% without SB 611)

6 miles of China Hat Road closing Monday for repaving project

The repaving of six miles of Forest Service Road 18, also known as China Hat Road, south of Bend is set to begin Monday and continue into November. 

The project will remove the existing asphalt and repave it. Where necessary, the aggregate base will be replaced, and a cement-treated base will be applied on top of the aggregate, the Forest Service said. Road shoulders, ditches, and culverts will also be re-built.

The U.S. Forest Service said both sides of the road will not be accessible to vehicles between the Forest boundary and the Coyote Butte area.

Both lanes of traffic will be closed between the Forest boundary and Bessie Butte Road (Forest Service Road 1810).

One lane of traffic will be open on China Hat Road between the junctions of FSR 1810 (Bessie Butte Road) and the Coyote Butte area.

Drivers can use Horse Butte Road (FSR 1815) to detour around the project to access FSR 1810 (Bessie Butte Road) and FSR 18 East.

There are a number of homeless camps in the closed area. In a statement, the Forest Service said those residents would be notified in advance so they could take steps to avoid being cut off. The Forest Service said the removal of those camps is not needed for the work to proceed.

Redmond urges ODOT to make safety improvements on Highway 126

Colby Enebrad, Reporter Central Oregon Daily

The City of Redmond has identified two areas of concern on Highway 126 and is asking the Oregon Department of Transportation to step up. The intersections at Helmholtz Way and at Southwest 35th have become areas of heavy congestion and other traffic issues.

"We do need to have a roundabout at Helmholtz and 126 to slow traffic down to make it more safe for people coming across. We also absolutely need a traffic light at 35th and Highland," Redmond Mayor Ed Fitch said.

The intersection at 35th especially pressing. The new Redmond Parks and Recreation Center, set to open nearby, is expected to bring in thousands of daily users.

"It's difficult and risky turning left here and trying to cross. Both here and on Helmholtz," Redmond resident Tim Sibert said.

Over the last eight years, the City of Redmond says the intersection has been the site of 260 car accidents, 47 of which resulted in injury. Two were fatal.

"We've dedicated about $500,000 to $600,000 that can be used for that light. We need ODOT to pay for the difference," Fitch said.

The city estimates the traffic signal will cost the state $1.5 million to $2 million, not including the roundabout Redmond also wants installed on Helmholtz.

This is potentially a tall ask in light of the agency's budgeting dilemma. 

"They do have a budgetary issue, but from our perspective, they're pouring well over billions of dollars into the Portland Metro Area," Fitch said. "What we're asking for is geographic equity. They need to invest in Central Oregon. We're the fastest growing area in the state. There needs to be more balance in what they're doing financially."

The new recreation center is set to open in 2026, so the clock for a new traffic signal is ticking. The City of Redmond says it is waiting and willing to help with the funding.

VIDEO

Alaska Airlines grounds flights at Seattle briefly due to tech outage

Alaska Airlines says it halted its flights in Seattle briefly on Sunday night due to a technology problem that was resolved by about 10 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time

SEATTLE (AP) — Alaska Airlines said it grounded its flights in Seattle briefly on Sunday night due to “significant disruptions” from an unspecified technology problem that was resolved by about 10 p.m. local time.

In comments from its account on X to customers complaining of delays and problems with the airline's app and website, the carrier apologized for the delays. It later reported that the problem had been resolved. The exact reason for the disruptions was unclear.

“If you are traveling today, please check your flight status before leaving for the airport. If your schedule allows, please change or cancel your flight,” the airline said in a statement on its home page. “We apologize for the inconvenience and are working quickly to resolve the issue.”

It has been a rough few weeks for people traveling through Seattle, a busy hub for Alaska Airlines and other major carriers.

Last week, the operator of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, the main hub for Alaska Airlines, said hackers were demanding $6 million in bitcoin for documents they stole during a cyberattack in August and then posted on the dark web. The Port of Seattle, which owns and runs the airport, said it had decided not to pay.

The airport has been recovering from the attack, which began Aug. 24, a busy time days before the Labor Day holiday weekend.

Updates of Oregon Fires

Link to: Air Quality Index map

Another AQI Map

Link to: Northwest Large Fire Interactive Web Map

Elderly Man Rescued After 50' Fall At Steelhead Falls

JEFFERSON CO., OR -- An elderly man suffered life-threatening injuries during a hike at Steelhead Falls Sunday. Crooked River Ranch Fire and Rescue responded after the man fell, as well as the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and State Police. They say he was on a very familiar trail with his daughter when he suddenly tumbled about 50 feet to the river’s edge.

Rescuers loaded him on a stretcher and hiked about a half mile to a waiting ambulance. He was taken to the CRRFR station, then flown to St. Charles Bend.

CRRFR reminds recreators to never hike alone, be prepared for the terrain and always ensure someone knows where you are and when to expect you back. 

Bend Educator Wins $2,000 Voya Grant for Innovative Solar Cooking Project

Voya Financial awarded Casey Hayes, an assistant guide at Desert Sky Montessori in Bend, a $2,000 grant as part of its 2024 Unsung Heroes competition. Hayes is the only recipient from Oregon. His project, "Off-the-Grid Cooking," teaches students about energy consumption and sustainability through hands-on solar cooking experiments. Hayes’ initiative was one of 50 winners selected nationwide, and he now competes for additional prizes of up to $25,000. The Voya Unsung Heroes program has supported innovative educators for nearly 30 years, distributing over $6 million in grants.

Deschutes Public Library Events

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