Aaron West
The Bulletin
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Past articles by Aaron:
Predicting eclipse crowds: More astrology than astronomy
Why a solar eclipse happens isn’t exactly a mysterious concept. Astronomers have been studying the celestial events for centuries, and the science behind them is well documented.The science behind solar eclipse-chasing crowd sizes, on the other hand, can be as cloudy as a late August day on the Oregon Coast. How many people are going to descend on Central Oregon to watch the moon block out the… → Read More
Redmond looks to downtown for new housing
Redmond officials would like to boost the supply of housing downtown, and many of them are particularly familiar with one site under consideration: city hall.At the May 23 council meeting, Redmond urban renewal program manager Chuck Arnold presented plans to turn the site of Redmond’s old city hall into an apartment complex.“It’s all general right now,” Arnold said. “We anticipate that we want… → Read More
Brant Kucera to be new Sisters city manager
Brant Kucera is set to become the new city manager of Sisters.Sisters city councilors approved Kucera’s hiring with a 5-0 vote Wednesday. Kucera, who is currently the city manager of Cannon Beach, will start in July once the city hammers out an employment agreement.Kucera has also worked as the borough manager of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania and the city manager of Gladstone, Michigan, according… → Read More
Danzuka, Hurd, and Norton top Jefferson County school board races
Voters on Tuesday appear to have chosen Laurie Danzuka, Jamie Hurd, and Tom Norton for positions on the Jefferson County school board, based on early returns.The school board election, which was the county’s most crowded, featured seven people vying for three open positions.Danzuka, who is a member of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, has served on the school board since 2012. She said… → Read More
Hartfield wins in race for Redmond school board
Incumbent Shawn Hartfield appears to have won the only contested race for the Redmond School District board, beating out her challenger, BJ Soper, for the 4-year position by a large margin, according to initial returns.Hartfield, who was appointed to the school board in 2015, said she looks forward to continuing the work she’s been a part of on the board. That includes student engagement, making… → Read More
Sisters considers four city manager finalists
After nearly a year without a permanent city manager, the city of Sisters has narrowed its search to four finalists for the position.The candidates include Brant Kucera, the current city manager of Cannon Beach; Martha Meeker, the former city manager of McMinnville; David Miller, the public works and community development director in Folsom, California; and Bruce St. Denis, a manager at a… → Read More
Two cars set on fire near Bend park
Two cars on Riverside Boulevard were set on fire early on Wednesday morning, and Bend police are looking for information on possible suspects.Multiple calls to police at around 3:20 a.m. Wednesday reported that a truck and a sedan, as well as a trash can, were on fire on Riverside Blvd. near Miller’s Landing Park, according to Bend police Patrol Sergeant Adam Juhnke. There weren’t any injuries,… → Read More
Redmond looks to expand downtown park
Redmond has big plans for expanding Centennial Park, the city’s premier downtown green space. The expansion project, which the city hopes to break ground on in spring 2018, will see the 1-acre Centennial Park nearly double in size, as well as add on a few new amenities to the area between SW Seventh and Eighth streets in downtown Redmond.The project is still in the planning and design phase, but… → Read More
Crowded race for Jefferson County school board
Seven candidates are running for three positions on the Jefferson County school board this May, which makes it the county’s most crowded race of the election.All of the open positions — Position 1, Position 2, and Position 3 — are contested races. Position 1 gives voters a choice between incumbent Laurie Danzuka, who cites her experience and accomplishments on the board as the reason voters… → Read More
30,000-person festival approved in Crook County
Crook County is on its way to becoming a summertime destination for multi-day music and arts festivals this year.County commissioners this week doubled the attendance cap for a huge solar eclipse-themed gathering in August, allowing the event to have up to 30,000 attendees. The commission also approved new event permits for two 500-person festivals in June and August. Throw in another attendance… → Read More
Prineville’s power crunch could be fixed in 2019
The electricity issues that caught Prineville officials off guard and prevented a big manufacturing outfit — and hundreds of jobs — from coming to town last year could be solved by mid-2019, according to a new Bonneville Power Administration report.The report looked at why the federal agency wasn’t delivering the amount of electricity to Central Oregon that agency officials had previously said… → Read More
Prineville police to add text 911 feature
People with an emergency in Prineville will soon be able to text 911.The Prineville Police Department will be getting a communications upgrade this summer, in time for local solar eclipse festivities. The upgrades, which cost a total of $729,811 and were approved by city councilors last week, include a software upgrade for the police department’s 911 system, as well as new radio equipment for… → Read More
Pentecostal pastor sued over control of Prineville church
The sermon that David Fisher had prepared on a recent Sunday for the congregation he pastors in Prineville was about a topic he said God told him that it needed to hear: forgiveness.After all, when an international religious organization is suing you, saying you ignored its rules and policies, changed the locks on its building, and illegally took control of one of its churches, there’s bound to… → Read More
Prineville railroad’s caboose a moving dilemma
Moving thousands of pounds of cargo isn’t typically an issue for the trains that use the City of Prineville Railway, but what about when the cargo is the train itself?That’s the question the city-owned railroad is trying to answer. Railway Director Matt Wiederholt said railway staff members are considering their options for moving a 30-ton caboose to the Bowman Museum in downtown Prineville. The… → Read More
Uncertain future for free summer concert series in Redmond
The future of a long-running free summer concert series in Redmond is in question.Music in the Canyon, an independent concert series that takes place every other Wednesday between July and September at Redmond’s American Legion Park, might not see a 2017 season. Redmond resident Jim Bullard, who started the event eight years ago, has been paying a majority of the costs to put it on every year… → Read More
Huge Crook County eclipse fest sparks environment concerns
A solar eclipse festival that’s expected to attract at least 30,000 people to a privately-owned ranch in the middle of the Ochoco National Forest is generating concern from people who are worried a crowd that big might hurt the natural environment nearby.The Symbiosis: Oregon Eclipse gathering is scheduled to take place from Aug. 17-23 at Big Summit Prairie, a 55,000-acre ranch and grassland… → Read More
Redmond medical district hits a wall
Plans for a medical district in Redmond are in limbo after funding snags delayed construction last year, and now the city is looking for a path forward.The Professional Business Medical District, as it’s called by the city, is located on the north end of Redmond. Hemlock and Maple avenues form the district’s southern and northern boundaries, and U.S. Highway 97 and Sixth Street border it to the… → Read More
30,000 people expected for solar eclipse party
For one week in August, the population of Crook County will more than double when tens of thousands of people converge to see a total solar eclipse. A solar eclipse festival scheduled for Aug. 17-23 — the biggest organized event in Crook County history — is expected to bring about 30,000 people from all over the world to Big Summit Prairie to marvel at the celestial event that will last, start… → Read More
Redmond trail seeks to link city, no car required
A 5-mile bike and pedestrian trail Redmond officials say will give residents a new transportation route between the northern and southern parts of the city is nearly 3 miles closer to completion this week.Redmond councilors at Tuesday’s meeting accepted a $467,000 Oregon Department of Transportation grant that will help pay for the construction of the second phrase of the city’s Homestead Trail.… → Read More