The City of Bend will have meetings regarding camping regulations on city-owned property. Learn more here.

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — The City of Bend will bring together a variety of stakeholders at two roundtable meetings next week to receive feedback regarding the camping code currently in development.

The city is developing municipal code provisions to regulate camping on City rights-of-way and City-owned property, like public streets, sidewalks and landscape strips in Bend.

A roundtable is a new type of public meeting that is intended to create a space for community discussion between community members and the Bend City Council in a less formal setting.

There is no public comment at these roundtable discussions, as the conversation is meant to…

A new, baby North American river otter will make its debut Wednesday at the High Desert Museum. Find out more here.

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — High Desert Museum visitors will have their first official opportunity to see the new, baby North American river otter on Wednesday, when he joins two other otters full-time in the Autzen Otter Exhibit.

The museum will celebrate the addition of the male pup, now approximately 5 1/2 months old, at 2:30 pm. Visitors will be able to view the pup, who is yet to be named, as well as the other two male otters in the museum’s care, Brook and Pitch. Naturalists will be at an Otter Fodder Interpretation Station to share interesting scientific facts about…

OSU Cascades received more than $5.7 million for research and other grant funding this past fiscal year. Find out more here!

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Research and other grant funding at Oregon State University – Cascades reached more than $5.7 million during the past fiscal year ended June 30, a record for the Bend campus.

“OSU-Cascades researchers and experts increasingly fulfill our commitment to Central Oregon, the state and nation, advancing regional economic development priorities and contributing to a growing and innovative branch campus of OSU,” said Andrew Ketsdever, interim vice president of OSU-Cascades.

Research at OSU-Cascades contributes to Oregon State’s leadership as the state’s top comprehensive public research university. This past fiscal year research funding…

“Area of known wolf activity” has been established in the Northern Cascades. Learn more here.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has designated a new area in the northern Oregon Cascades as an “area of known wolf activity” where a family of wolves has established itself.

The agency made the announcement Monday in a news release.

Biologists with the Confederated Tribe of the Warm Springs found two wolves in the new area in December 2021 on the tribe’s reservation in Jefferson and Waco counties.

No one saw any wolf pups until August of this year, when a trail camera captured them.

ODFW said that proved the wolves had established themselves in the area and…

Central Oregon is seeing a “more balanced real estate market.” Learn more here.

Central Oregon sellers may find that they’re not getting multiple offers within days of listing their homes for sale, but that doesn’t mean the market is turning in favor of buyers.

It does indicate, however, that a transition is building from a seller’s market to a more balanced real estate market for Central Oregon, said Donnie Montagner, owner of Beacon Appraisal Group in Redmond. Real estate professionals say that more homes are up for sale and taking longer to sell. When those two home-sales components change, it creates a more balanced market for buyers and sellers, Montagner said.

Prior to the pandemic, in 2020, a single-family home…

The “Be More Like Millie Walk,” honoring Millie McGillivary, is on September 26th at Larkspur Community Center. Find out more here.

Be more like Millie.

Bend Park and Recreation District is planning a celebration for MillieMcGillivary — known to most simply as Millie — at Larkspur Community Center on September 26. The “Be More Like Millie Walk” starts at 11:00 a.m.

That would’ve been her 100th birthday.

Central Oregon Daily News brought you Millie’s story earlier this year after hearing about her walks around the track at the center, smiling and giving words of encouragement to others.

She passed away in June at the age of 99.

Those in attendance at the…

Eastside Safeway in Bend will reopen this Wednesday with a new look. Find out more here.

The Safeway on Bend’s eastside has been closed for more than two weeks following the shooting that left an employee and customer dead. It’s set to reopen this week — and it will look a lot different inside.

A sign posted on the side of the building in The Forum reads “Re-opening soon. Stronger Together.”

Workers at the site tell Central Oregon Daily News the store is set to open on Wednesday. They also say they’ve been busy remodeling the interior, so shoppers and workers can expect a different look.

Employee Donald Surrett, 66, and customer Glenn Bennett, 84, were killed in…

Two Bend roundabouts will have new art soon! Learn more here.

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Art in Public Places said Wednesday it has awarded two public art commissions for the sculpture designs that were recently on view for the Empire Avenue /Butler Market Road/27th Street roundabout and the Powers Road/Brookswood Boulevard roundabout.    

Michael Stutz will create his proposed sculpture Golden Squirrel’s Wondrous World for the Empire Avenue/Butler Market Road/27th Street roundabout.

The woven steel wheel connects the timber mills from Bend’s past, the rolling wheels of cars, and a hamster wheel — humorously representing the routine of daily life. Inside the wheel are silicon bronze strips in blue and green hues where the sunlight will sparkle through the openings.…

Burton is taking gear repair tips from local Bend company Rugged Threads. Find out more here.

Shredding it on the slopes is a beloved pastime in Central Oregon. If you’re a skier or snowboarder, you likely have a favorite coat along for the ride. It also means you probably wear down that coat and have to replace it.

One big corporation decided to do something about that and has turned to a small Bend company to help customers preserve that gear while also helping the environment.

An eight team members from Burton, a mega snowboard and apparel company, visited Bend earlier this month to learn from alterations company Rugged Thread.

“We were looking at all…

Deschutes County’s population has a grown nearly 29% since 2010. Read more here.

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — Central Oregon’s counties have been three of the four fastest-growing in the state since 2010, with Deschutes County’s nearly 29% growth rate more than twice that of the Portland area, a state economist said Monday.

Here’s the report from Oregon Employment Department economist Jessica Nelson:

In 2021, Oregon’s population increased by 22,769 to 4,266,620. This marked growth of 0.5% over the year and growth of 11.4% since the 2010 Census, close to the rate of growth over the prior decade from 2000 to 2010 as well. Portland State University’s Population Research Center recently released more detailed information on why this population growth has…