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In this Issue of C.O. Local BUZZ…

🌄Bend, OR Weather

📅 Lots and LOTS of Events

🚙109th International Convention & RV Expo

🎭🏞️Theatre in the Park - Mama Mia

🎉New Event Calendar! Central Oregon Local Live!

📰Local News - What’s a Happening?

🏥OHA Denies Request To Fast-Track Merger of St. Charles, The Center

👩‍🎨🎶Hayden Homes Amphitheater collaborates with Bend artist Kristine Cooper on commemorative 2024 concert poster

🏥🧒👶Shriners Children’s Opens New Clinic in Redmond to Serve Central Oregon Families

🎂Happy Birthday to the first Chief of the Forest Service -Gifford Pinchot!

Central Oregon Fire Info

Updates of Oregon Fires

🚧 Road Closures & Construction

🔥⛑️Fire & Rescue News

🔥Fire Contained at JTS Animal Bedding in Redmond Thanks to Quick Response

🔥Brush Fire Empire Ave & North Bound Parkway On-ramp

🚨 Crime News

🚨Sisters Man Arrested Following Late-Night Shooting Incident

🚨Man Arrested with Large Quantity of Methamphetamine in Central Oregon

 📰 Community News

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

🫴💖 Local Cause Spotlight

🏫🧑‍🌾Cultivating Growth and Connection: The School of Ranch

🛠️🐄🍳School of Ranch Tips & Tricks @Sisters Farmers Market

😁 MEME of the Day

🌆 On going Events

📲Sponsors & Partners

BEND

SISTERS

Events Sponsored By Enjoy Bend Life Real Estate

What’s Up Central Oregon 

109th International Convention & RV Expo

Join thousands of RVers for FMCA's 109th International Convention & RV Expo Presented By Beaver Coach Sales. You'll discover activities throughout the four-day event that will have you grinning from ear to ear.

Interested in RVing or camping? Come join us at FMCA’s International Convention & RV Expo Presented By Beaver Coach Sales August 14-17, 2024, at the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center! Check out indoor and outdoor exhibits as well as RV displays.

This event is perfect for RV enthusiasts or families thinking about joining the RV lifestyle.

Public gate tickets to see the RV displays and exhibits are $10/person or $25 for a family of 3 or more. Children under 12 and Active Military are free. Daily Passport tickets that include access to RV displays, exhibits, seminars, and entertainment are $50/person. Children 12 and under are free.

Exhibit Hours:

Wednesday, August 14, 1:00 to 5:00 PM

Thursday & Friday, August 15 & 16, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Saturday, August 17, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM

For more information or how to register to camp on the grounds in your RV, check out our website https://www.fmca.com/fmca-redmond-2024-learn-more call our Events Team at (800) 543-3622.

Two nights of magical musical theater under the stars in downtown Bend's charming Drake Park. Come down early and join us for a VIP experience with appetizers and drinks included in your ticket. Grab a blanket, get your tickets and don't miss this one of a kind theater experience!

August 16th 6 pm to 9 pm

August 17th 6 pm to 9 pm

OHA Denies Request To Fast-Track Merger of St. Charles, The Center

Posted by Heather Roberts KBND

BEND, OR -- The merger of St. Charles and The Center will not move as quickly as both health systems as hoped. As Willamette Week was first to report, the Oregon Health Authority has denied the request to fast-track the transaction.

KBND News has previously reported The Center supports the transaction, due to what it considers a serious financial hardship and an inability to adequately recruit and retain qualified staff. Employees of The Center are expected to shift to the St. Charles Health System payroll. 

Following the OHA's decision, St. Charles President and CEO Dr. Steve Gordon provided the following statement to KBND:

"This news is disappointing and concerning given the gravity of the situation, as we attempted to convey in our application. We will continue to work constructively with OHA to follow their established processes for review. At the same time, I believe this action raises serious questions regarding the HCMO Program itself and whether some sort of legislative reevaluation is merited."

Hayden Homes Amphitheater collaborates with Bend artist Kristine Cooper on commemorative 2024 concert poster

Bend, OR - No words can describe watching the sunset while your favorite band is playing along the Deschutes River at the Hayden Homes Amphitheater in Bend.

Perhaps capturing that feeling is best left to someone who can draw it.

Enter Bend’s Kristine Cooper, who has created a commemorative limited-edition poster to celebrate the Hayden Homes Amphitheater’s 2024 concert season. The posters are available at the amphitheater during concerts and at the Ticket Mill in the Old Mill District.

“It’s one of those amazing moments,” Cooper said of attending concerts at the amphitheater. “So I wanted to kind of capture how the sky transforms the feeling there.”

Cooper, 30, is a Bend-based landscape and abstract painter who was chosen by the Hayden Homes Amphitheater to create the venue’s inaugural art-based summer concert poster.

Cooper, who moved to Bend in 2017, has had her art featured in the Old Mill District during First Friday Art Walks and recently was Sisters Coffee’s artist of the month.

“Her pieces at Sisters Coffee jumped off the wall,” said Old Mill District marketing director Beau Eastes. “We knew pretty quickly we wanted to collaborate with her. Our plan is to create a unique piece of art to celebrate every concert season going forward, similar to what we do with our Winter Art Series.”

The Old Mill District started its Winter Art Series in 2017 as a way to highlight local artists through its holiday and winter marketing campaigns. Each year a different artist is commissioned to create a custom piece of art that’s then used in various marketing elements for the district.

Cooper is the first artist for a similar campaign that will highlight the Hayden Homes concert season each summer.

“I am super grateful for being selected and for being part of such a fun and special project,” Cooper said. “Especially the first one, that is super exciting. I feel like it came out really fun and vibrant, and in a way that really spoke to Central Oregon’s landscape.”

Cooper’s work is a brightly colored, intricate homage to Central Oregon summers that depicts the sunset, Mount Bachelor, the Deschutes National Forest and the Deschutes River.

While Cooper said she typically hand paints her artwork, for the concert series she used her iPad and sketched the concepts outside on location.

“I went to the Deschutes River and began sketching an idea,” Cooper said. “I finalized it once I got back to the studio. I normally do everything with textures and paint, but I feel like for this one it was kind of fun to take it outside and start it in the location.”

Cooper said she has always focused on using bright colors in her artwork, just like the ones used in her poster.

“That’s just something I am really drawn to, and just how they make you feel,” she said. “It instantly gives you dopamine, and instantly makes you feel good.”

Cooper said she also enjoys connecting with people in Central Oregon and how all of her pieces speak differently to different folks.

“What one person sees might be different than others,” she said. “I just really love how people have their own interpretations.”

Eastes said the amphitheater is “incredibly excited” to work with Cooper to launch the new art series.

“Her piece is so vibrant, and just the ideal way to start this series and highlight our concerts in Bend,” Eastes said.

Cooper was raised in Spokane and attended Seattle Pacific University, where she earned her art degree. She relocated from Seattle to Bend in 2017, after a friend encouraged her to consider a move to Central Oregon.

“I just drove down by myself and checked it out on a First Friday Art Walk,” Cooper recalled. “There’s so much of an art community, and people are really supportive and the town is just settled in nature. I felt like it was perfect for me to move somewhere that fit my lifestyle and would provide a natural fit for art.”

Cooper added that she does not believe she would be an artist if she had not moved to Bend.

“I was struggling in Seattle to make it,” she admitted. “When I moved here, I felt like I found my groove, and I had shops that were willing to start featuring my work. I was able to start expanding and growing and gain confidence enough to put myself out there.”

And now she is the first artist to officially capture the bright summer vibes of attending a concert at the Hayden Homes Amphitheater.

About the Hayden Homes Amphitheater
The Hayden Homes Amphitheater is an independent, outdoor riverfront amphitheater built in Bend, Oregon’s historic Old Mill District in 2001. Since its first season in 2002, the Amphitheater has hosted more than 1 million guests at the venue for ticketed and free concerts, brew festivals and races. The venue currently accommodates 8,000 patrons for concerts and other events. Learn more at www.bendconcerts.com. 

About Kristine Cooper
Since graduating from Seattle Pacific University, Kristine has exhibited her work across the Pacific Northwest, including Seattle and Bend. Her work has been featured in multiple publications, notably Bend Magazine and The Seattle Times. Kristine's works have been purchased for many private art collections across the West Coast. She continues to create work daily in her studio based in Bend, Oregon. Learn more about Kristines’ work at www.cooperartandabode.com.

Shriners Children’s Opens New Clinic in Redmond to Serve Central Oregon Families

Redmond, OR - Shriners Children’s has officially opened a new clinic in Redmond, enhancing access to specialized pediatric orthopedic care for families in Central Oregon. The ribbon-cutting ceremony, which took place in front of the new facility, marked the beginning of this important community resource.

The event featured a brief program with speakers from Shriners Children’s, representatives from The Center Orthopedic & Neurosurgical Care, as well as a patient and a former patient who shared their experiences. Following the program, media interviews were conducted with staff, patients, and the former patient, offering insights into the impact of Shriners Children’s care.

Shriners Children’s Portland provides specialized pediatric orthopedic services, ensuring that every child receives the care they need, regardless of their family’s ability to pay. The Redmond clinic, staffed by pediatric orthopedic surgeons from Shriners Children’s Portland, will be open twice a month, bringing this essential care closer to home for children in the region.

The community celebrated the clinic's opening on Friday, August 9, at 5 p.m., at The Center Orthopedic & Neurosurgical Care, located at 333 NW Larch Ave., Ste. 110, in Redmond.

About Shriners Children’s:

Shriners Children’s is dedicated to changing lives through innovative pediatric specialty care, cutting-edge research, and top-tier medical education, all provided regardless of the patient’s ability to pay. Over the last century, Shriners Children’s has treated more than 1.5 million children from over 170 countries, continuing its mission of hope and healing.

For more information, visit shrinerschildrens.org.

Updates of Oregon Fires

Link to: Air Quality Index map

Another AQI Map

Link to: Northwest Large Fire Interactive Web Map

Fire Contained at JTS Animal Bedding in Redmond Thanks to Quick Response

Redmond, OR — On the night of August 9, 2024, Redmond Fire & Rescue responded swiftly to a structure fire at JTS Animal Bedding, located at 2162 SE 1st St. The fire was reported at approximately 10:30 p.m. by a passerby who noticed flames on the outside of one of the buildings on the property.

When fire crews arrived on the scene, they observed smoke coming from a structure at the rear of the property. Upon further investigation, they discovered that the fire was burning within an enclosed conveyor belt area and the facility's baghouse. The building's fire sprinkler system had activated, effectively containing the fire and preventing it from spreading.

Firefighters worked quickly to confine the blaze to the one building, successfully preventing it from reaching the main warehouse of JTS Animal Bedding. Their prompt response and the sprinkler system's effectiveness ensured that the fire did not cause significant damage.

No injuries were reported as a result of the fire.

The cause of the fire was identified as an overheated bearing on a roller within the conveyor belt system. The overheated bearing caused wood dust to smolder, eventually igniting and spreading the fire through the conveyor belt area and into the baghouse.

This incident underscores the importance of fire prevention systems, which played a vital role in keeping the fire under control until fire crews arrived. Redmond Fire & Rescue also commended the passerby for their quick action in reporting the fire, which likely prevented a more severe outcome.

Brush Fire Empire Ave & North Bound Parkway On-ramp

At 3:02 pm on August 11, 2024, 911 began receiving calls about a small brush fire adjacent to Empire Avenue and the northbound Parkway on-ramp.  First arriving units found approximately ¼ acre burning in the brush just east of the on-ramp.  Train traffic was briefly stopped as fire crews worked adjacent to the tracks.  Forward progress of the fire was quickly stopped and the fire contained at ¼ acre with the assistance of Forest Service and Oregon Department of Forestry crews.  Oregon Department of Transportation and Bend Police Department provided traffic control in the area, with westbound Empire Avenue and the northbound Parkway on-ramp closed for a time.  The fire did not jump the railroad tracks, and no structures were threatened.  

The cause of the fire is under investigation at this time.

Bend Fire & Rescue would like to remind the community that despite slightly cooler temperatures, we are still in extreme fire danger.  Any fire starts are very likely to spread quickly and burn intensely.  Caution must be exercised around dry vegetation, particularly with any potential source of ignition such as cigarettes, hot vehicle exhaust and pipes, bladed equipment use, or cutting/grinding of metal.  

Sisters Man Arrested Following Late-Night Shooting Incident

Sisters, OR — A 23-year-old man was arrested in the early hours of August 9, 2024, following reports of gunshots in the Sisters area, leading to a swift response from the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office.

The incident began around 12:20 a.m. when multiple 911 calls were made by concerned citizens who reported hearing numerous gunshots near W. Felicity Lane in Sisters. Deputies were dispatched to the area and began searching for the source of the gunfire.

During the search, deputies encountered a man near the Pacific Pride fueling station on Highway 242 and W. Hood Ave. The individual, later identified as Christopher Aaron Reese, had apparently crashed his bicycle and sustained minor injuries. Near the scene, deputies discovered a black semi-automatic pistol lying on the sidewalk next to a black hooded sweatshirt.

Reese admitted that the firearm belonged to him and confessed to discharging the weapon multiple times into the ground while riding his bicycle home from a local bar. Witnesses corroborated this account, stating they had seen a man matching Reese’s description riding a bicycle and firing a handgun into the ground.

Reese was determined to be intoxicated at the time of the incident. No individuals or buildings were targeted in the shooting, according to witness statements and evidence gathered at the scene.

Reese was arrested and booked into the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Adult Jail on multiple charges, including Unlawful Use of a Weapon (ORS 166.220), Unlawful Possession of a Firearm (ORS 166.250), Reckless Endangering (ORS 163.195), and Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants (ORS 813.010).

The incident serves as a reminder of the dangers posed by the combination of firearms and intoxication, and authorities are thankful that the situation did not result in more severe consequences.

Man Arrested with Large Quantity of Methamphetamine in Central Oregon

A Salem resident, Aaron Edward Jossart, 46, was arrested on August 10th by the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement (CODE) Team and the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office. The arrest follows an extensive investigation into drug trafficking activities in the region.

At approximately 7:00 PM, Deschutes County deputies initiated a traffic stop on Cloverdale Road near Farthing Lane. Jossart, the driver of a black 2001 Suzuki motorcycle, was found to be driving while suspended, a misdemeanor offense in Oregon. Further investigation revealed that Jossart, currently on parole for previous methamphetamine delivery charges, was in possession of a significant quantity of methamphetamine.

In addition to the drugs, deputies found a scale and packaging materials, indicating that Jossart was actively involved in transporting and distributing methamphetamine to Central Oregon communities. The discovery underscores ongoing concerns about the flow of illegal drugs into the region.

Jossart was arrested on multiple charges, including possession and unlawful delivery of methamphetamine, as well as driving while suspended and a parole violation. He has been lodged in the Deschutes County Adult Jail.

The Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team, with assistance from the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, continues to investigate drug-related activities in the area, aiming to curb the distribution of illegal substances in the community.

Cultivating Growth and Connection: The School of Ranch

In a world where technology often distances us from our roots, the School of Ranch stands as a pillar of connection—connecting individuals with nature, animals, and each other. This remarkable non-profit organization offers transformative experiences, fostering personal growth and community engagement through hands-on learning in ranching and agriculture.

If you're interested in learning more about how you can contribute or participate in the programs offered by the School of Ranch, visit their website today!

School of Ranch Tips & Tricks @Sisters Farmers Market

*Sunday - August 10th

10 am - 2 pm

*Every Sunday

Get a taste of many of our best workshops, and come away with practical tips and tricks. We're running a rotating schedule of four 30 minute sessions starting at 10am at the Sisters Farmers Market - Carpentry, Electric, Engine Repair and...yes...rockhounding! Sponsored by the Sisters Farmers Market. Contribute what you want to attend!

Deschutes Public Library Events

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