Growth, Public Safety & Local Changes Across Central Oregon From the Editor Happy Friday, Central Oregon! Today’s Buzz has a little bit of everything — Sisters is looking at expanding its urban growth boundary, Deschutes County approved another industrial rezoning north of Bend, and Madras has narrowed its search for a new police chief to three finalists. We’re also following an FBI warning after recent laser strikes near Bend and Madras, a proposed rollback of the federal Roadless Rule, and another shake-up in Deschutes County’s individual health insurance market. Plus, there’s some good news for a Bend family getting the keys to a new home and several Central Oregon businesses earning national recognition. 🚨Crime News 🚔 Bend Man Arrested After Undercover Text Investigation A 47-year-old Bend man was arrested Thursday after police say he sent sexually explicit messages and images to an officer he believed was a 16-year-old girl. Bend Police said the investigation began after a teenager reported that a man approached her at a neighborhood pool July 31, asked for her phone number under the guise of hiring her to babysit, and later sent messages that made her uncomfortable.
An officer took over the text conversation and arranged a meeting in a parking lot along South Highway 97. Police arrested Collin Evan Fogel when he arrived. He was booked into the Deschutes County Jail on suspicion of luring a minor for sexual conduct and online sexual corruption of a minor. Read more → ⛰️Bend 📷 Bend Confirms No City-Run Flock Cameras Bend Police says the city currently has no city-operated Flock license plate reader cameras within city limits. Four city-owned cameras used during a 2025 pilot program were shut down in January following privacy concerns. Private businesses can still operate their own systems, including two cameras confirmed in the Lowe's parking lot.
Online maps such as DeFlock may still show other locations around Bend, but some listings appear to be outdated or inaccurate. The renewed attention comes as the Bend Privacy Alliance hosted a community discussion this week about automated license plate readers, artificial intelligence and other surveillance technology. Read more →
✈️ FBI Warns After Laser Strikes Near Bend and Madras Federal authorities are warning that pointing a laser at an aircraft is both dangerous and a federal crime after recent laser strikes were reported near Bend and Madras. The FBI says a laser beam can scatter across an aircraft windshield, flooding the cockpit with glare and causing distraction or temporary flash blindness at critical moments in flight.
The problem has grown sharply nationwide over the past two decades. Federal officials say penalties for intentionally aiming a laser at an aircraft can include substantial fines and, in serious cases, prison time. Read more → 🌲Sisters 🏘️ Sisters Moves Forward With Urban Growth Boundary Expansion Sisters is moving ahead with a proposal to expand its urban growth boundary northwest of town, between Highway 126 and Sisters Airport. The change would bring neighborhoods along Perit Huntington Road and Barclay Drive inside the city's growth boundary as officials look at future housing, transportation, parking and development needs.
The Deschutes County Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the proposal Wednesday, August 27, at 5:30 p.m. at the Deschutes Services Center in Bend, with Zoom and phone participation available. A second joint hearing before the Sisters City Council and Deschutes County Board of Commissioners is expected after the planning commission process is complete. Read more → 🪶Madras 👮 Madras Narrows Police Chief Search to Three Finalists Madras has selected three finalists in its search for a new police chief: Jeffrey Hattersley, Adrian Passadore and Perry Phipps. The city is inviting residents to meet the candidates Monday, August 24, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at Madras City Hall.
Community members will have a chance to provide feedback before the finalists move on to formal interviews Tuesday. The city has said the next chief will play an important role in both public safety and community trust. Read more → 🐎Prineville 🔥 Rep. Bentz Sets Prineville Wildfire Town Hall U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz will hold a town hall in Prineville on Thursday, August 27, focused on recent firefighting efforts, wildfire recovery assistance in Crook County and pending federal legislation aimed at reducing future wildfire danger and damage.
The meeting runs from 2 to 4 p.m. at Barnes Butte Elementary School, 1875 NE Ironhorse Drive. Representatives from several federal agencies are expected to attend, and members of the Crook County Board of Commissioners may also be in the audience. Read more →
🎒 Wild Rooster Plans Back-to-School Bash Wild Rooster in Prineville is sending summer out with a Back-to-School Bash this Sunday, August 23, from 4 to 7 p.m. The local restaurant is opening the evening up as a community get-together before students head back to class.
It’s an easy end-of-summer stop for Prineville families looking to squeeze in one more local outing before school schedules take over. Read more → 🌞La Pine/Sunriver 🧹 Inmate Work Crew Clears Abandoned Camps Near La Pine A Deschutes County adult jail work crew recently helped clean up several abandoned campsites on Bureau of Land Management property south of Huntington Road near La Pine. Working with the Community Action Team, the crew removed garbage, scrap metal, appliances, tires and other debris left behind.
The Deschutes County Sheriff's Office says deputies are also working to connect people experiencing homelessness with housing resources as part of a broader effort to reduce the number of camps in the area. Read more → 🏘️Real Estate 🏡 Central Oregon Housing Market Holds Steady Central Oregon’s housing market is moving at a slow but steady pace, helped by mortgage rates that have stayed relatively consistent in recent months. Realtor Reed Melton reports the national average for a 30-year fixed conventional mortgage at 6.72%, while 2026 home sales remain on pace to finish ahead of 2025. Average sale prices have also remained fairly stable.
Deschutes County had 1,430 single-family homes listed this week, with 80 pending sales and 60 closed transactions. Price reductions remain common before homes go under contract, but Melton says that reflects sellers adjusting to established market pricing rather than a broad drop in home values. Crook County inventory rose slightly to 264 homes, while Jefferson County dropped to 149. Read more →
🔑 Bend Family Gets Keys Through First Story Program A Bend family received the keys to a new home Wednesday through First Story, the nonprofit homeownership program supported by Hayden Homes and community partners. Kimberly Hammons and her family were welcomed during a dedication ceremony for the south Bend home.
First Story helps qualifying first-time buyers earning no more than 80% of area median income purchase homes with zero-down, zero-interest, 30-year mortgages. The Hammons family is the 133rd household to become homeowners through the program and the 16th in Bend. Read more → 💼Business News 🏗️ County Approves Industrial Rezoning Along Highway 97 The Deschutes County Board of Commissioners has approved rezoning a 20-acre property along U.S. 97 north of Bend from agricultural use to rural industrial. The parcel sits on the east side of the highway north of Deschutes Market Road — the property many drivers may recognize by the boat that has been parked there with a for-sale sign for years.
Under the approval, future buildings must be set back at least 100 feet from Highway 97 and cannot exceed 30 feet in height. The county had approved the zoning change last year, but the decision was sent back for additional review by a state appeals court. Read more →
🏆 Central Oregon Businesses Score USA Today 10Best Honors Central Oregon showed up strong in USA Today’s 2026 10Best Readers’ Choice awards. Bend’s Viaggio Wine Merchant placed fifth nationally for Best Wine Shop, while Fly & Field Outfitters took fourth for Best Fly Fishing Guide and Sisters-based The Fly Fisher’s Place finished seventh in the same category.
Other local nods included Bend’s Terranaut Beer at No. 6 for Best New Brewery and Reggae Rise Up Oregon in Redmond at No. 6 for Best New Festival. The awards begin with 20 nominees selected by USA Today experts, with readers voting on the final top 10. Read more →
🏭 Terrebonne Supplier Plans Sale and Leasing of Industrial Land A Terrebonne sand and gravel supplier is preparing to sell and lease portions of property recently approved for rural industrial use. The owner received final approval to rezone about 35 acres of an approximately 100-acre property, creating room for future industrial businesses at the site.
The rezoning marks a shift for land long associated with aggregate operations and opens the door to a different mix of commercial and industrial uses in the Terrebonne area. Read more → 🌞Central Oregon 🔥 NASA Studies Central Oregon’s Fire-Generated Clouds NASA researchers came to Central Oregon during Oregon’s record-setting 2026 wildfire season to study the towering clouds that can form above intense fires. The work is part of NASA’s INSPYRE mission, which is collecting data on pyro-cumulus clouds — storm systems created when extreme heat, smoke and moisture rise into the atmosphere.
Researchers used a Gulfstream jet and a converted U-2 aircraft to study the clouds at different altitudes. These systems can generate lightning and strong outflow winds, creating additional hazards for firefighters. NASA hopes a better understanding of when and how the clouds form can improve firefighting decisions and evacuation planning. Read more → 🏛 Deschutes County 🏥 Moda Exit Shrinks 2027 Health Insurance Choices Deschutes County residents shopping for their own health insurance will have fewer choices in 2027 after Moda Health decided to leave the county’s individual insurance marketplace. The move follows previously announced individual-market exits by PacificSource and Providence.
The changes affect people who buy individual coverage rather than employer-sponsored plans, and they come as insurers cite rising medical costs and uncertainty in the market. Open enrollment later this year will show exactly which plans remain available locally for 2027. Read more → 🗺Regional News 🌲 Federal Proposal Would Roll Back Roadless Rule The Trump administration is moving to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which limits most logging, road construction and other development across nearly 59 million acres of national forest land. In Oregon, roughly 2 million acres are considered inventoried roadless areas.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says removing the rule would give local forest managers more flexibility to improve forest health and reduce wildfire risk. Conservation groups argue that opening more remote areas to roads and development could increase fire risk and harm wildlife habitat, water supplies and recreation areas. The Forest Service is accepting public comments on the proposal through September 21. Read more → That’s your Friday Buzz! Have a great weekend, stay safe out there, and I’ll be back with more Central Oregon news on Monday. | 
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