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In this Issue of C.O. Local BUZZ…

🤔Local Trivia

🌄Bend, OR Weather

📅 Lots and LOTS of Events

 💖🫴3rd Annual A Night to Remember - Bowties & Boots - Fundraiser

🌕The High Desert Moonfest

🐶Pints for Pitties!

📅Save The Date Section

❄️Snowflake Boutique -November 1st

🍲Think Wild Hosting a Wild Chili Cook-Off -November 16th

 💓🧘‍♀️Meditation & Educational Event -November 16th

🎉New Event Calendar! Central Oregon Local Live!

📰Local News - What’s a Happening?

🔥📰Debris burning set to open Monday October 28th for Bend Fire & Rescue

📰New La Pine Park and Recreation board ready for fresh start

📰Oregon DEQ Fines St. Charles $13K for Redmond Fuel Tank Violations

📰Questions linger following sale of Bend Bulletin, Redmond Spokesman

📰Regional News

🐔Highly pathogenic avian influenza continues to spread in Oregon

🚧 Road Closures & Construction

🔥⛑️Fire & Rescue News

🚨Crime News

📰Pilot Butte Middle School student arrested for bringing loaded handgun to school

🏘️Real Estate News

🏘️Central Oregon Market Report | October 23, 2024 By Reed Melton

🕯️Fragrance Expert Reveals How To Transform Your Home Using Scent—and the Intriguing Message It Sends to Guests

📰 Community News

 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 Fun N Games in Central Oregon has LAUNCHED 🚀

What is the ghostly legend associated with Pilot Butte in Bend?

A) Ghost miners are heard at night
B) A phantom dog roams the trails
C) A pioneer woman in a bonnet appears on full moons
D) A spectral stagecoach can be seen at sunset

Answer: C) A pioneer woman in a bonnet appears on full moons
Expanded Answer: According to local folklore, some hikers have reported seeing a mysterious figure of a pioneer woman wearing a bonnet near the top of Pilot Butte during full moons.

BEND

Events Sponsored By

Enjoy Bend Life Real Estate

What’s Up Central Oregon 

The High Desert Moonfest

The High Desert Moonfest is a Harvest to Heritage celebration. Falling at the end of October, this event celebrates an end to the modern farming season that has historically driven the Crook County economy since its founding. It will also focus on the indigenous roots of our area, ranching, farming, timber and more. There will be excursions, as well as a festival held in town to celebrate the rich history of Crook County.

 October 26th

12pm to 8 pm

Pioneer Park Prineville

Companion Animal Medical Project

Pints for Pitties!

Join us for an evening of fun, music, and community at Pints for Pitties! This pet-friendly event features local vendors, live music, and fundraising efforts to support Companion Animal Medical Project (CAMP). Whether you're a pit bull lover or just love dogs, come raise a glass for a good cause!

October 26th

3 pm - 7pm

At Cascade Lakes Brewing Co 21175 SE Reed Market Rd, Bend, OR

Coming up - Save the Date

November 16th

Think Wild, Bend’s nonprofit wildlife center, is excited to announce the Get Wild Chili Cook-Off, a delicious, family-friendly fundraising event.

Mark your calendars for Saturday, November 16, 2024, and join us at Aspen Hall in Shevlin Park from 4-8pm for an evening of delicious chili, live music, raffles and more!

Event highlights will include the Chili Cook-Off Contest, in which attendees will sample and vote for their favorite chili, soups, and side dishes across five exciting categories:

1. Best All Around

2. Wildest Chili

3. Best Vegan/Vegetarian Chili

4. Soup-er Soups (best soup or stew)

5. Best Chili Side Dish (cornbread, tasty toppings, etc)

In addition to delicious chili, guests can enjoy wine, seltzer, cider, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages available for purchase. The event will feature live music, raffle prizes, and exclusive footage from Think Wild’s beaver monitoring trail cameras at Shevlin Park.

This event is made possible by the generous support of Bend Park and Recreation Department for sponsoring the venue, and by Van Henion Brewing, Sunriver Brewing Co., and Bend Cider Co. for providing beverages.

For more information, to purchase tickets, or to sign up as a contestant, please visit thinkwildco.org/chili-cookoff.

About Think Wild:
Think Wild is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization located in Bend, Oregon. Our mission is to inspire the High Desert community to care for and protect native wildlife through education, conservation, rescue, and rehabilitation. We provide veterinary treatment and care at the wildlife hospital, staffed by expert wildlife rehabilitation staff, animal husbandry volunteers, and our staff veterinarian. Wildlife conflicts or injuries can be reported to our Wildlife Hotline at 541-241-8680, which is monitored seven days a week from 8am-4pm.

thinkwildco.org • Instagram • Facebook

November 1st

November 16th

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Debris burning set to open Monday October 28th for Bend Fire & Rescue

Outdoor debris burning will open at sunrise on Monday, October 28 for areas outside the City of Bend within the boundaries of Deschutes County Rural Fire Protection District #2. Debris burning is not allowed throughout the year within the city limits of Bend as per city ordinance. 

Burning can be shut down on a daily based on current and projected weather conditions that day. Please call our burn information line at 541-322-6335 everyday before burning for the most current conditions and whether burning is open or closed that day. 

A reminder, debris burning regulations may vary between governmental jurisdictions within the Central Oregon area. Please contact your local fire agency for specific requirements and restrictions. 

Campfires, recreational fires, warming fires and cooking fires may be permitted in areas where debris burning is prohibited. These types of fires are allowed in the city limits of Bend, typically year round, as long as the burn regulations and restrictions are followed. Contact your local fire agency for the burning regulations in your area. Burning regulations for the City of Bend and Deschutes County Rural Fire Protection District #2 may be picked up at the nearest fire station or by printing them from the City of Bend web site at www.bendoregon.gov/burninginfo

New La Pine Park and Recreation board ready for fresh start

Steele Haugen, Reporter

It's a new start for a new La Pine Park and Recreation District board.

Deschutes County Commissioners named five people Wednesday to fill the board after the previous board resigned, claiming threats, harassment, and financial difficulties.

"I'm a person of action, so I would rather, you know, step in and try to see the change I'd like to see or, you know, as I said, my interview is, you know, try to help the situation or grow it to a better place and not just stand on the sidelines," said new board member Brandon Tirrill.

Tirrill is the head football coach at La Pine High School. 

"That's just important to have a clean slate, new vision, new members to just get going on that track once again and start to grow back to what the Park and Rec have been appreciated as," Tirrill said.

The previous board resigned on Oct. 9 and announced staff would be terminated on Oct. 20. One of those laid-off staff is Teri Myers.

"I'd be really excited to work for them again if they decide to use me," Myers said. But they're going to have to decide what they want to do and I know that they're going to look at everything carefully because that's what all of this has been about for the last few weeks."

Myers said she is excited for the new board but knows they have a lot of work ahead.

"It a good time of year for it to start because the money starts to happen with the taxes on Nov. 1, and it'll be the first time that we're going to be able to get in there, pay all those bills that we've been waiting on and, start out fresh and then they'll know what they have left to spend," Myers said.

Job one will be addressing sports activities and crucial after-school programs like The Hub and hiring staff. Tirrill said the early meetings with the new board are about figuring out the next step.

"That'll be part of what we'll be at on our task going forward once we can get in place, get me immediately as a group, and start ironing out all those agenda items from point one on down," Tirrill said.

Tirrill said he was handed the keys to the La Pine Community Center on Thursday. The board will schedule meetings, dates and times soon.

The commissioners released the following about the appointees on Wednesday:

• Janilee Carpenter has been a member of the La Pine community for 11 years. She works as an Administrative Support Specialist for Deschutes County Health Services.

• Joel Brader previously served on the Park & Recreation Board. He owns two businesses in La Pine, the Harvest Depot and Rosland Coffee House.

• Brandon Tirrill has been a member of the La Pine community for 21 years. He works as the Head Football Coach and Student Success Educational Assistant at La Pine High School.

• Carlos Soto has been a member of the La Pine community since 2021. He is a general contractor, remodeling residential and commercial properties, and is the owner of C&KS LLC.

• Shara Bauman has served as a volunteer with the Park & Recreation District sports teams. She works as a Senior Escrow Officer at First American Title in Sunriver.

The board members will serve until June 30, 2025. They can run in May to keep those seats.

Oregon DEQ Fines St. Charles $13K for Redmond Fuel Tank Violations

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued five penalties totaling $105,394 in September for various environmental violations, including more than $13,000 levied against St. Charles Health System for underground fuel storage tank violations at its Redmond hospital.

A detailed list of violations and resulting penalties is at https://ordeq.org/enforcement.

The early-September violation notice said St. Charles Redmond failed to have adequate release detection equipment on piping for an underground storage tank that holds fuel for emergency generators and boilers, and failed to conduct required initial and annual tests.

DEQ Eastern Region spokesman Antony Vorobyov said the hospital system did not appeal the penalty.

St. Charles provided this statement Thursday to NewsChannel 21: " We believed we were in compliance with leak testing requirements that went into effect in 2020 and have had no leaks or environmental impact to date. When we were notified in 2024 that we were not in compliance with the new DEQ testing standards, we began actively working with the DEQ on a solution to ensure we meet compliance going forward."

Statewide, fines ranged from $4,500 to $51,651. Alleged violations included a wood treater improperly managing hazardous waste, a metal recycler establishing a solid waste disposal site without a permit, and a hospital not maintaining or testing an underground storage tank for fuel.

DEQ issued civil penalties to the following organizations:

• Biggs Service District, Wasco, $4,500, wastewater

• City of Monroe, Monroe, $6,300, water quality

• Permapost Products Company Inc., Hillsboro, $51,651, hazardous waste

• Radius Recycling Inc. formerly Schnitzer Steel Co., Portland, $29,580, solid waste

• St. Charles Health System Inc., dba St. Charles Medical Center - Redmond, Redmond, $13,363, underground storage tanks

Recipients of DEQ civil penalties must either pay the fines to the state treasury or file an appeal within 20 days of receiving notice of the penalty. They may be able to offset a portion of a penalty by funding a supplemental environmental project that improves Oregon’s environment. Learn more about these projects at https://ordeq.org/sep.

Penalties may also include orders requiring specific tasks to prevent ongoing violations or additional environmental harm.

DEQ works with thousands of organizations and individuals to help them comply with laws that protect Oregon’s air, land and water. DEQ uses education, technical assistance, warnings and penalties to change behavior and deter future violations.

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality protects human health and the environment by controlling air and water pollution, reducing the impacts of manufactured products and cleaning up contaminated properties. DEQ engages the public in decision-making and helps communities solve problems in ways that are economically and environmentally sustainable.

Questions linger following sale of Bend Bulletin, Redmond Spokesman

Colby Enebrad, Reporter

The Bend Bulletin and The Redmond Spokesman are now owned by Mississippi based media company Carpenter Media Group. That's leaving a lot of questions about the future for the two publications.

"The mood has really just been a lot of worry. A lot of uncertainty," Central Oregon News Guild President Morgan Owen said.

Carpenter bought EO Media Group, acquiring dozens of newspapers and magazines in Oregon and Washington.

"The good news is, is that this morning Carpenter told everybody that they would be employed through this transition, except for a few mailroom employees because of different distribution routes and things like that, so nobody's getting laid off as of right now," Owen said.

While that statement on layoffs may be encouraging, staff still have concerns over contract negotiations.

"I'm aware that they definitely may come in with union busting tactics. As for specific concerns, I'm not sure yet. We're taking it day by day," Bulletin education reporter Noemi Arellano-Summer said.

There also questions over the kind of content Bulletin journalists will be able to publish.

"One of our reporters, by the direction of her editors, wrote a story about the sale and posted it online. That was taken down. That was a mandate from above. Our editors did not have the ability to fight that or anything. That was just the command," Owen said.

Despite lingering questions, staff say there are some benefits that come with the buyout. 

"Carpenter is potentially in a better financial situation to keep the Bulletin going and to sustain the local journalism we do have. A big point for me being on the bargaining committee is I'm relieved to move away from Central Oregon Media Group and EO media group slow walking tactics at the bargaining table," Owen said.

Central Oregon Daily News did try to contact Carpenter Media Group for comment, but we did not hear back.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza continues to spread in Oregon

ODA says virus doesn’t affect food products

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory recently confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a Clackamas County commercial poultry operation with about 150,000 birds.

The affected birds were euthanized to prevent the spread of the disease and did not enter the food system. Avian influenza does not affect properly cooked poultry meat or egg products, which remain safe. HPAI is also considered low risk to human health, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

The confirmation at the commercial poultry operations initiated a state-federal response between the Oregon Department of Agriculture and USDA. ODA works closely with USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) on a joint incident response and action plan.

State Veterinarian Dr. Ryan Scholz issued a regional quarantine around the operation to prevent the movement of poultry and poultry products from within the affected area, giving state and federal staff time to conduct surveillance to ensure no additional cases of HPAI exist.

The USDA tracks the number of cases nationwide, and the most recent report says since the start of the outbreak February 8, 2022, 104 million birds have been affected by HPAI in 48 states.

ODA is also working with the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and Clackamas County Public Health to ensure the farm personnel have proper personal protective equipment (PPE) and to provide public health resources.

For details on the quarantine area, ODA provides an online map. In addition to the map, the online tool allows people to enter their address to determine whether their property is included in the quarantine area. ODA will lift the quarantine as regional surveillance is complete. Temporary rules establishing quarantine and movement restrictions for HIPAI. 

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus strains are extremely infectious, often fatal to chickens, and can spread rapidly from flock to flock. ODA continues to advise commercial poultry farmers and backyard flock owners to be vigilant with biosecurity measures and surveillance.

Biosecurity measures can include:

• Wash your hands before and after handling your flock

• Cleaning vehicles tools or equipment

• Limiting unnecessary visitors

• Sanitizing shoes in clean foot baths

• Changing clothes upon contact with birds and more

For more tips on protecting your backyard flock, please visit the ODA online at Avian Influenza or en Español at Avian Influenza – Spanish.

Death or illness among domestic birds should be immediately reported to ODA. Please report by calling 503-986-4711 (Alt Phone: 1-800-347-7028).

Please contact the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) for wild birds. Do not collect or handle the birds but report the incident directly to ODFW at 866-968-2600 or [email protected].

UPDATE: Pilot Butte Middle School student arrested for bringing loaded handgun to school

Oct. 24, 2024 UPDATE: 

On Monday, Bend Police arrested a Pilot Butte Middle School student after the student disclosed to a teacher that they had brought a loaded gun to school. Bend Police officers transported the student to Deschutes County Juvenile Community Justice on suspicion of attempted murder, first-degree attempted assault, disorderly conduct, unlawful use of a weapon, and first-degree theft. 

During the course of our investigation, detectives and officers learned the child had brought the gun to school with a plan to use it and had an identified list of targets. Everyone identified on that list has been contacted by police at this time. 

The child remains in custody. Officers have found no evidence that any additional students were involved in Monday’s incident.

As officers investigated Monday’s incident, students and families reported rumors of additional threats to PBMS. Those threats were investigated, and during that investigation, officers arrested another PBMS student on suspicion of second-degree disorderly conduct for making widespread threats, though they were deemed not credible. 

The Bend Police investigation into Monday’s incident is ongoing. 

FROM THE BEND-LA PINE SCHOOLS: 

“We stand with our students, staff and families in expressing significant concern over the details emerging from the police investigation of the Oct. 21 incident at Pilot Butte Middle School. At the same time, we are so relieved and grateful for the actions of our staff and School Resource Officer in preventing what could have been a tragic outcome. We appreciate our partnership and collaborative decision-making with the Bend Police Department. This remains an ongoing police investigation. We also want to recognize and continue to support our students and families, who understandably remain concerned and have many questions. The District will continue to provide counseling resources at Pilot Butte.”

Dr. Steven Cook, Superintendent

Central Oregon Market Report | October 23, 2024

by Reed Melton

The drop in mortgage interest rates was a minor blip in the trajectory. This morning, rates for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage were 6.85%. Being under 7% is helpful, and rates should soften over the next several months. However, recent trends prove there is no direct correlation between Fed activity and mortgage rates. With the lending and real estate industries proselytizing on the pending rate "drop," it would be easy to hyper-focus on this metric. Rates certainly impact affordability, but rates and prices tend to move in opposite directions, much like the price/yield relationship with bonds. Many sellers are coming off their list price to secure contracts this fall, and buyers benefit. With significantly more homes for sale than in the last few years, conditions favor buyers. 

Inventory in Deschutes County dropped to 1145 single-family homes this morning, down twenty-eight from last week. This week last year, there were 838 homes listed, making the selection this year significantly better for buyers and forcing sellers to adjust. Sixty-seven pending sales and forty-nine closed transactions show steady activity, if not a bit subdued from the pace of summer sales. This week's average pending sale price is $804,538, with the average closed sale price at $913,145. 

Crook County's inventory climbed three to 184 single-family homes for sale, showing remarkable stability in the home supply. This week last year, there were 148 homes listed in the county. Seven homes are pending at an average list price of $490,535, with eight closed transactions at an average sale price of $557,112.

The housing supply in Jefferson County also shows remarkable stability. There are 117 homes listed, down only one from last week. This week in 2023, there were 83 listings. Five pending sales at an average list price of $459,000 and five closed transactions at an average sale price of $412,480 are consistent with the past several weeks in the county. 

Putting price and interest rates aside, the increased inventory of homes for sale in Central Oregon is a big help for buyers. How much inventory declines this winter will be a sign for the 2025 housing market. If sellers feel more marketing time is required and leave homes listed for the winter, increased spring inventory will shape the market. We already see that accurate pricing is critical to selling homes, and I anticipate that will continue. Although approximately 5,000 new residents per year call Deschutes County home. Supply and demand are wildcards that can be difficult to quantify. 

Active Listings

Fragrance Expert Reveals How To Transform Your Home Using Scent—and the Intriguing Message It Sends to Guests

 By Charlie Lankston

When it comes to home design, many consider traditional elements like paint color, furniture, decorative knickknacks, and, of course, layout. But one fragrance expert now reveals why we should all focus on another key aspect of our properties: scent.

According to Andrew Goetz, co-founder of iconic beauty brand Malin+Goetz, scent can have a huge impact on all manner of home interiors, from how relaxed you feel inside it to the way others view your house when they visit.

“We often smell things before we see things,” he tells Realtor.com® while celebrating the release of the brand’s new Tomato Home Spray ($52). “So, the scent of your home is often a guest’s first impression. How you choose to fragrance your home—or not—is likely to be noticed and is often impactful. Like a room’s furniture and paintings on the wall, scents help to create and define your aesthetic personality.

“Getting hit with old cooking odors or overpowering chemical smells is not pleasant and not a good first impression. You don’t want to be olfactory assaulted when you enter someone’s home. Choreographing the home’s olfactory experience should not be ignored—for the sake of both you and your guests.”

Goetz points out that there are many ways to make a house into a home. And while he doesn’t think fragrance is a requirement, he insists it can make a home environment more pleasurable.

“Olfactory experiences really help to create a mood,” he says. “They can help calm and soothe your environment—at least pleasant ones can. Conversely, a bad odor can really put a damper on your home experience.”

When it comes to discovering the ideal fragrance for your home, Goetz suggests trial and error—and to be “curious” and “adventurous.”

“It’s great to try different things to see what works for you,” he adds. “Wearing a scent is like wearing clothes—it’s part of how we define ourselves. Your scent can reflect the season, the occasion, and your mood. Trust your instincts.”

He certainly took a (tomato) leaf out of his own book when it came to creating the brand’s new Tomato Home Spray. Goetz says he and his partner, Matthew Malin, took inspiration from their love of gardening and the verdant surroundings of their beautiful home in Columbia County, NY, when creating the product, which he describes as “clean and refreshing.”

Goetz concedes that tomato might not be the first scent people would think of when choosing a home fragrance, but that it actually offers an incredibly unique set of attributes that make it perfect for almost any property.

“Matthew and I are what one would call very enthusiastic gardeners,” he explains. “We grow a wide variety of annuals, perennials, flowers, and vegetables at our farm upstate in Columbia County. I love to cook, and we both enjoy eating the bounty of our garden. One of our favorite things to grow are tomatoes. They are the piece de resistance of the summer vegetable season.”

He adds that tomatoes are a “culinary and horticultural obsession” that he and Malin share, noting that they were an “extremely obvious choice” for them when creating the fragrance.

“We love the clean, refreshing scent released from the tomato plant’s leaves combined with the rich scent of fruit,” Goetz explains. “The balance between the two is just amazing. Our brand was built on the concept of balance—and Tomato embraces that concept with a scent that is irresistible in so many ways.”

The spray is not only meant to create ambience in the home but also to eliminate unwanted smells, using a special technology that “neutralizes odors by binding with malodorous molecules to create a new fresh scent,” the brand explained in a statement, which states that the fragrance was “imagined for use in the kitchen where the aroma of fragrant dishes overstay their welcome, and for any other space you want to refresh instantly. The alcohol-free formula protects surface areas and textiles around the home and enables prolonged longevity of the fragrance.”

Indeed, Goetz notes that the different methods used to scent a home also affect how the fragrance acts. For example, a spray is “usually the best medium for instantaneous effect,” he says, while a candle helps to not only perfume a room but also to create “ambiance.”

“Not only is a candle an ‘objet,’ but they also can scent the room mildly when unlighted—and assertively when lighted,” he continues. “So, they are a constant source of fragrance. As for reed diffusers, I am not a fan. I find them visually unappealing, and they can be very messy if they happen to spill over. Definitely not for me, but others really like them; and they do indeed scent a room.”

Charlie Lankston is the executive editor at Realtor.com. She previously worked at DailyMail.com as the associate editor, covering a wide range of topics, including news, celebrities, travel, lifestyle, and the British royals. In 2019, she was part of the DailyMailTV team that won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Entertainment News Program. Charlie earned a BA in English Literature and Theatre Studies from the University of Warwick and an MA in Newspaper Journalism from City University in London. Originally from London, she has been based in New York City for 10 years.

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