Value dining at Mountains Edge

Food scene news

May 17, 2013 4:00 am

Nearly a year after its anticipated opening, El Rey Azteca (“The Aztec King") began greeting diners in early April. Owned by Carlos and Martha Reyes and their son, Jesus, who also have the tiny Tortilleria Reyes on Souteast Division Street,....MORE

Call prompts hospital lockdown

May 17, 2013 4:00 am

A man unhappy with his treatment Wednesday in the St. Charles Bend emergency room phoned in a perceived threat, and indicated he planned to seek care in Prineville, prompting a lockdown Thursday of the Prineville Memorial Hospital. Prineville Police....MORE

Ex-loan officer pleads guilty to bank fraud

May 17, 2013 4:00 am

A former Bend loan officer who faked loan applications for Desert Sun Development pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud and conspiracy to make false statements to a financial institution. Jeffrey Sprague, 50, was a loan....MORE

Summer’s the time for fitness camps

May 17, 2013 4:00 am

As most parents of schoolchildren are well aware, summer is near, which means figuring out how kids will occupy their days. Central Oregon offers an abundance of camps for children — from all-day camps that serve as child care, to specialized....MORE

Russia sends missiles to Syria

May 17, 2013 4:00 am

Russia has shipped an advanced anti-ship cruise missile to Syria, a move that illustrates the depth of its support for the Syrian government led by President Bashar Assad, U. S. officials said Thursday. Russia has previously provided Yakhont missiles, ....MORE

Powerful tornadoes rip through Texas

May 17, 2013 4:00 am

Emergency workers search the debris in Granbury, Texas, on Thursday after 10 tornadoes touched down overnight here and in several other small communities in North Texas, leaving at least six people dead, dozens injured and hundreds homeless. The....MORE

Obama: Military rape is ‘shameful’

May 17, 2013 4:00 am

WASHINGTON — With arrests in the military continuing to shadow its program to combat sexual harassment, President Barack Obama summoned the Pentagon’s senior leaders to the White House on Thursday, telling them that the levels of sexual....MORE

Obama responds to criticism with ‘fix it’ strategy

May 17, 2013 4:00 am

WASHINGTON — At a news conference in a rainy Rose Garden on Thursday, President Barack Obama and the Turkish prime minister had weighty global matters to discuss, including Syria. But Obama also had something else to say.“With the prime....MORE

Immigration deal reached in House

May 17, 2013 4:00 am

A bipartisan group of House members announced a deal Thursday on sweeping immigration legislation, a breakthrough that could boost chances for one of President Barack Obama’s top second-term priorities. It came after months of secretive talks....MORE

Data trove now guides drug company pitches

May 17, 2013 4:00 am

In the old days, sales representatives from drug companies would chat up local pharmacists to learn what drugs doctors were prescribing. Now such shoulder-rubbing is becoming a quaint memory — thanks to vast databases of patient and doctor....MORE

Bombing blamed on wars

• Younger suspect left ‘deathbed’ note in boat, officials say

May 17, 2013 4:00 am

As police and federal agents pursued him in a Boston suburb four days after the marathon bombings, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev left a “deathbed" note scrawled inside the hull of the boat where he was hiding that said the attack was retribution for wars....MORE

Editor's choice

The strange case of an alleged spy

May 17, 2013 4:00 am

ST. LOUIS-The freshman-year roommates at Colgate University would talk about what they hoped to do after college. They were just 18 or 19, their paths barely formed. But they had some ideas. One wanted to be a lawyer. Another, a music producer. And....MORE

In D.C.

Merkley urged IRS to verify 501(c)(4) groups

May 17, 2013 4:00 am

WASHINGTON — More than a year before the Internal Revenue Service apologized for unfairly targeting conservative groups for extra scrutiny, seven Democratic senators, including Oregon’s Jeff Merkley, urged the IRS to be on the lookout....MORE

Brighter state forecast relieves some pressure

• Republicans are still holding fast against hospital tax in hopes of bigger PERS reform

May 17, 2013 4:00 am

SALEM — The political rhetoric kicked up a notch Thursday after a deadline from the governor passed with no sign of compromise. Gov. John Kitzhaber gave lawmakers a 5 p. m. Thursday deadline to break through a partisan impasse on taxes and cuts....MORE

World Briefing

May 17, 2013 4:00 am

Jodi Arias trial — Jurors deciding the fate of Jodi Arias, who murdered her one-time lover in 2008, were brought to tears Thursday by statements from the victim's family. “The nature of my brother's murder has had a major impact on me,"....MORE

Northwest News

Relocated deer adapting in Washington

May 17, 2013 4:00 am

VANCOUVER, Wash. — More than a month after an elaborate multi-agency operation moved some three dozen endangered Columbian white-tailed deer to protected habitat in Clark County, the animals are adapting to their new surroundings. Now wildlife....MORE

Man who posed as a doctor faces new charges

May 17, 2013 4:00 am

CORVALLIS — A man serving time for posing as a surgeon in Portland and bilking a woman who hoped to undergo a stomach operation faces accusations of writing bad checks to get $32,000 worth of Christmas decorations at his condominium in Albany.....MORE

Investigation into missing woman may end after fruitless search

May 17, 2013 4:00 am

SCOTTS MILLS — After a two-day search in rural Oregon failed to yield any trace of missing Utah mother Susan Powell, authorities said Thursday they may close the investigation.“The leads have become fewer and farther between," said Wayne ....MORE

Oregon News

Health group apologizes for not disclosing HIV testing

May 17, 2013 4:00 am

PORTLAND — Kaiser Permanente Northwest is apologizing to nearly 6,500 members in Oregon and Washington whose blood was tested for HIV without their knowledge or consent. The health organization implemented a screening policy a month ago in line ....MORE

Golf

Local bows out in Master-40 semis at Brasada

May 17, 2013 4:00 am

POWELL BUTTE — All Tom Carlsen could do was shake his head and laugh. Carlsen, of Bend, had just been eliminated from the semifinals of the Pacific Northwest Men’s Master-40 Amateur Championship, losing 1 down to Beaverton’s Bill....MORE

Prep tennis: State championships roundup

Summit boys in the mix for Class 5A title

May 17, 2013 4:00 am

PORTLAND — A third consecutive tennis state title for the Summit boys is not going to be easy. The Storm, who advanced seven players to this weekend’s Class 5A state tournament in Portland, have just two entrants — singles player....MORE

Prep equestrian

One last ride

• The four-day Oregon High School Equestrian Teams state championship meet began in Redmond on Thursday

May 17, 2013 4:00 am

REDMOND — The school year is winding down, and for some 550 young riders and ropers from around the state, that means it is time for the Oregon High School Equestrian Teams state championship meet. These student-athletes have clocked in....MORE

Around the State

May 17, 2013 4:00 am

Gunfight over car — Medford police say an argument over a car resulted in gunfire, stray bullets hitting the front window of a nearby home, and officers swarming a neighborhood in search of two men. The Medford Mail Tribune reports that two....MORE

Trails reopen near area of Pole Creek Fire

May 17, 2013 4:00 am

The Deschutes National Forest on Thursday reopened trails through the section of Three Sisters Wilderness Area burned last year by the Pole Creek Fire. They include portions of the Park Meadow, Green Lakes and Camp Lake trails, and the U. S. Forest....MORE

Redmond debates utility billing policy

May 17, 2013 4:00 am

With nearly $500,000 in default accounts on the books, the city of Redmond is considering changing its utility billing policies for what would be the second time in five years.“The current policy really affects our staff workload," said....MORE

Deschutes county

More than 30 cattle and horses seized

May 17, 2013 4:00 am

Close to 30 horses and cattle were seized from a Redmond-area property Thursday afternoon in an investigation into animal neglect by the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office. Capt. Shane Nelson said several of the animals were emaciated when deputies....MORE

Internet freedom bill is a gesture worth making

May 17, 2013 4:00 am

While an official U. S. policy favoring global Internet freedom may not improve things in China or even here at home, adopting one is a gesture worth making. And so the U. S. House of Representatives did this week, approving H. R. 1580 unanimously and....MORE

Computers testing writing goes too far

May 17, 2013 4:00 am

Can a machine grade a writing test? Surprisingly, it’s a subject of some dispute, with dueling studies, impassioned statements and an online petition. A critical driver is money. As tests are being developed for the new Common Core K-12....MORE

Classical coast

• Astoria comes alive with opera and symphonic music in June

May 17, 2013 4:00 am

Mark 2013 as a banner year in classical music. Not only is it the bicentennial of the birth of Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner — two of the most influential composers of opera music — it’s also the centennial anniversary of....MORE

Birthdays History

Today

May 17, 2013 4:00 am

— From wire reportsIt’s Friday, May 17, the 137th day of 2013. There are 228 days left in the year. Highlight: In 1973, a special committee convened by the U. S. Senate began its televised hearings into the Watergate scandal. In 1510, Early ....MORE

Cutting edge

Cardiac challenges? Docs press ‘print’

May 17, 2013 4:00 am

It may sound like something out of science fiction, but doctors at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington are making hearts. Not actual hearts, but three-dimensional synthetic models churned out by what looks like an ordinary printer.....MORE

Text of senators' letters to the IRS

May 17, 2013 4:00 am

Text of two letters sent to IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman in 2012 and signed by U. S. Sens. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Michael Bennet, D-Colo., Al Franken, D-Minn., Charles Schumer, D-N. Y., Jeanne Shaheen, D-N. H., Tom Udall, D-N. M., and Sheldon....MORE

Naked Winery coming to Old Mill

May 17, 2013 4:00 am

Naked Winery, a Hood River-based vintner with the marketing slogan “We aim to Tease," plans to open a tasting room in the Old Mill District. The winery plans a temporary opening for Memorial Day weekend at the tasting room, 330 S. W. Powerhouse....MORE

Filling up an empty nest

• Some brave older adults are turning the idea of retirement on its head by choosing to adopt children — this when many of their peers are traveling, socializing, taking up intellectual or entrepreneurial pursuits, or just plain relaxing.

May 17, 2013 4:00 am

Retiring from work? Then it might be time to think about raising a family. Some brave older adults are turning the idea of retirement on its head by choosing to adopt children — this when many of their peers are traveling, socializing, taking ....MORE

Out of town

May 17, 2013 4:00 am

The following is a list of other events “Out of Town."ConcertsMay 17 — The Quick & Easy Boys, Wonder Ballroom, Portland; TF*May 18 — The Decibel Magazine Tour, Wonder Ballroom, Portland; TF*May 18 — Cold War Kids,....MORE

A new (old) stage

* After years away from standup, Paul Reiser is telling jokes in front of a live audience again

May 17, 2013 4:00 am

Actor, musician and author Paul Reiser is back where he started: traveling around the country and telling jokes on stage. On Saturday, the 56-year-old will bring his stand-up act to the Tower Theatre in Bend (see “If you go"). Although there....MORE

Health reforms penalize some Indians

May 17, 2013 4:00 am

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — When Liz DeRouen needs any kind of health care services, from diabetes counseling to a dental cleaning, she checks into a government-funded clinic in Northern California's wine country that covers all her medical needs. Her ....MORE

The Staxx Brothers

• Funk, rock and soul will be in the spotlight when the Seattle band visits Bend's Silver Moon

May 17, 2013 4:00 am

If The Staxx Brothers frontman Davin Stedman is anywhere near as fast-talking and energetic and smart on stage as he comes across off of it, you should be in for a good time Saturday, when the Seattle group plays its “hard-ass soul" — a....MORE

Pole Pedal Paddle

Still standing

Bend's Sarah Max and Zoe Roy are the favorites to win the elite women's title in a field that has been beset by injuries

May 16, 2013 4:00 am

Three-time defending champion Stephanie Howe is out with an injury. And Sarah Max, one of the favorites, will be racing on a bum ankle. The elite women's division of the U. S. Bank Pole Pedal Paddle this Saturday is decimated by injuries, leaving just ....MORE

Marshall High may lose meal program

May 16, 2013 4:00 am

Starting in the next school year, Marshall High School may no longer offer breakfast and lunch to all of its students the way it has, due to a school improvement grant running out. However, Bend-La Pine Schools is looking into a way to save the....MORE