In this issue of C.O. Local BUZZ…

🤔Local Trivia Wednesdays

🌄Bend, OR Weather

📅 What’s Up Central Oregon?

🎶 Redmond Community Choir Rings in the Holidays with “Sounds of the Season”

📰Local News - What’s a Happening?

 🚧 Olney Avenue Closure Extended Into 2026

🛠️ Nail Spill Flattens Tires, Frustrates Bend Drivers

🚒⛑Fire & Rescue News

🚨Crime News

 🚨 Three Arrested in NW Bend Home Burglary; Cleaner Among Suspects

🥰Community News

🎁 Les Schwab Delivers Holiday Joy with Massive Toy Drive

📰Regional News

🔋 BLM Approves Lithium Exploration Expansion in SE Oregon

📆City of Bend Calendar of Events

🚧 Road Closures & Construction

🏘️💼Real Estate & Business News

🏘️📊Central Oregon Market Report by Reed Melton

🏆 OnPoint Named Oregon’s Most Admired Financial Services Company—Again!

🏗️ Juniper Ridge Project Breaks Ground with First Buyer: Mike’s Fence Center

🇺🇸🐑 Shaniko Wool Keeps Team USA Warm

💖Sponsors

😆Today’s Meme

✅ Answer: C) The name comes from a cattleman whose last name was Christman.

Expanded Answer:
Despite sounding like a festive invention, the name “Christmas Valley” actually evolved from the name of 19th-century cattle rancher Peter Chrisman. Over time, "Chrisman Lake" and "Chrisman Valley" morphed into "Christmas Lake" and "Christmas Valley." In the 1960s, developer M. Penn Phillips turned the area into a real estate venture with a holiday-themed twist — mapping out roads with names like Mistletoe Road, Snowman Lane, and Candy Lane. Though the town never boomed as expected, Christmas Valley remains a quirky and quiet high-desert community with a one-of-a-kind backstory.

GOOD MORNING

 BEND

What’s Up Central Oregon? 

FEATURED EVENT

 🎶 Redmond Community Choir Rings in the Holidays with “Sounds of the Season”

Get ready for festive feels and joyful harmonies! The Redmond Community Choir invites you to their annual “Sounds of the Season” holiday concert on Sunday, December 14 at 4:00 p.m. in the Redmond High School auditorium. With more than 70 talented local singers bringing classic and contemporary holiday tunes to life, this heartwarming event promises to be a seasonal favorite.

As a special treat, The 27th Street Brass Quintet—Central Oregon’s premier brass ensemble—will be joining the performance, adding bold, brilliant brass to the winter magic. It’s the perfect way to kick off your holiday spirit with family and friends.

Admission is free (yes, free!), and donations are always appreciated to help support the music. The Redmond Community Choir is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and a proud partner of COCC Community Education. Come early, bring your holiday cheer, and let the music move you!

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Local News…

 🚧 Olney Avenue Closure Extended Into 2026

BEND, Ore. — A major east-west corridor in Bend will remain closed longer than expected as construction continues near the BNSF railroad crossing on NE Olney Avenue. The stretch between NW Wall Street and NE First Street is now scheduled to stay closed through January 2026, city officials announced.

Railway crews are working through December to complete critical track and signal upgrades. Once finished, the city’s contractor will rebuild the roadway with new subgrade, concrete, and asphalt—targeting a late January reopening, weather permitting. Temporary pavement will be used to allow limited access through April, but a final two-week closure is planned in spring 2026 for paving, striping, and landscaping.

Some relief is on the way: Olney between NE First and Second Street is expected to reopen the week of December 15.

🛠️ Nail Spill Flattens Tires, Frustrates Bend Drivers

BEND, Ore. — A morning commute turned costly for several Bend drivers after roofing nails scattered across the intersection of NE 8th Street, NE Olney Avenue, and NE Penn Avenue caused tire damage. Drivers reported the incident occurred around 8 a.m., with some saying they had to replace all four tires. Photos posted on social media showed punctured tires and piles of nails in the roadway.

Bend Police and Public Works responded quickly, cleaning up the area by 8:40 a.m., but the source of the spill remains unknown. “My tires actually held air, so I didn’t realize until my mechanic pointed out all the nails,” said driver Joel Rychard. While many expressed hope of holding a roofing contractor accountable, police said any damages would need to be handled as a civil matter.

 Fire & Rescue…

Crime News…

 🚨 Three Arrested in NW Bend Home Burglary; Cleaner Among Suspects

Bend Police have arrested three individuals in connection with a residential burglary that occurred in late November in the 1000 block of NW Baltimore Avenue. The homeowners, who had been out of town, discovered several items missing upon their return. Surveillance footage revealed a third-party cleaner, hired by the rental management company, arriving at the home on Nov. 16—followed two hours later by two others. The trio was seen leaving with stolen items in garbage bags, totaling about $1,200 in value.

On Dec. 9, officers executed search warrants at two Bend residences—on SE Tempest Drive and NE Bellevue Drive—with the help of patrol, detectives, CERT, drone operators, and negotiators. Items tied to the burglary were recovered. Arrested were Heather Cordier (the cleaner), Stephanie Lafountaine, and Stephen Rechner III, all of Bend, who now face multiple charges including burglary, theft, and conspiracy. A fourth person, Sergei Newlin, was also taken into custody on an unrelated parole violation warrant.

Community News…

🎁 Les Schwab Delivers Holiday Joy with Massive Toy Drive

BEND, Ore. — After six weeks of collecting toys across all its Central Oregon locations, Les Schwab Tire Centers wrapped up its annual toy drive Thursday with a festive truck caravan delivering 3,500 toys to company headquarters on Cooley Road. The mountain of donated toys, gathered with help from generous community members, is now being sorted and distributed to 24 local nonprofits serving families in need.

Staff and volunteers—some riding Barbie bikes for fun—organized the haul into age groups for efficient distribution. The effort included a $25,000 shopping spree at Fred Meyer, a holiday parade float, and plenty of heart. “Every kid deserves a toy and to feel valued,” said store manager Robert Engelem. “It’s very special to me.” Central Oregon Daily News partnered with Les Schwab for the campaign, bringing holiday cheer to thousands of local children.

Regional News…

🔋 BLM Approves Lithium Exploration Expansion in SE Oregon

The Bureau of Land Management has approved a significant lithium exploration project in southern Malheur County, about 20 miles west of McDermitt, Nevada. HiTech Minerals, Inc. is set to explore for lithium over the next five years across 7,200 acres of public land. The project includes up to 168 drill sites, 22 miles of new access roads, and various temporary equipment staging areas—totaling about 73 acres of disturbance.

Lithium, listed as a critical mineral since 2017, plays a key role in U.S. energy strategy. Drilling will take place each year between July and November, with required site reclamation following each season. According to BLM Acting Malheur Field Manager Tara McLain, the project represents “a significant step toward achieving the nation’s energy goals.” More details, including the signed decision record, can be found on the BLM National NEPA Register.

City of Bend Events Here

Road Construction

Friday’s

Real Estate & Business News

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Central Oregon Market Report | December 10, 2025

by Reed Melton from “EnjoyBendLife Real Estate Group”

 With only three weeks left in the year, and only fourteen business days on the calendar, the early indicators of what to expect for the housing market in 2026 are already emerging. A significant factor impacting housing in 2026 will be interest rates, and the Federal Reserve will announce today whether another 25-basis-point decrease is coming. The markets are anticipating a rate cut, even though Jerome Powell all but ruled it out in his narrative following the last meeting. While a cut today is anything but sure, mortgage interest rates have actually increased after each of the past cuts, and by the time it all washes out, I do not anticipate much movement. Rates have increased significantly lately, with the national average for a 30-year fixed-rate conventional mortgage at 6.36%. Following this year's movement in mortgage rates, today's increase is likely indicative of the expected Fed cut. Go figure.

While rates in 2025 moved down considerably from the highs of 2024, there is little expectation that rates will continue to decline in 2026. Once everything settles out, I expect to see 30-year mortgages in the high 5% to low 6% range in 2026. A 6% interest rate may be higher than many hoped, but it is nearly 100 basis points below the average rate until the end of 2025. The improvement in interest rates will keep inventory capped, and likely lower than the highs reached this year.

Active listings in Deschutes County decreased by 28 to 968 this week. Pending sales improved by 12 to 49 after the first full week of business following the Thanksgiving break, averaging $784,235. There were 14 additional closed transactions this week, bringing the total to 59, with the sold-to-original-list price ratio at 92.76% and the average sale price at $851,615.

Year-to-date sales in Deschutes County in 2024 were 3,191, averaging $849,424. The total sales for the year were 3,345. Year-to-date sales in 2025 are 3,321, averaging $873,296. This year represents a 4.07% increase in volume and a 2.81% increase in price, which exactly matches the claimed rate of inflation.

Crook County inventory decreased by two this week to 172, one more than this week last year. There were five pending sales averaging $513,600, and five closed transactions averaging $513,600. The closed transactions sold-to-original-list-price ratio was 96.67%, with an average sale price of $531,800.

Year-to-date sales in Crook County in 2024 were 369, averaging $599,311. The total sales for the year were 382. Year-to-date sales in 2025 are 364, averaging $602,463. This year represents a 2.81% decrease in volume and a .52% increase in price.

The outlier this week is Jefferson County, which saw active listings increase by 5 to 127—two pending sales match last week's, at $599k and $600k. There were six closed transactions, with an average sold-to-original-list price ratio of 97.68% and an average closing price of $366,449.

Year-to-date sales in Jefferson County in 2024 were 281, averaging $429,617. The total sales for the year were 292. Year-to-date sales in 2025 are 311, averaging $426,532. This year represents a 10.67% increase in volume and a 7.2% decrease in price.

This year, more inventory, competition, and lower mortgage interest rates late in 2025 brought buyers out of the woodwork. This trend should continue into 2026, with the wildcard being how many buyers step up and whether inventory drops enough to put upward pressure on prices. At this point, I anticipate 2026 will be slightly better than 2025 in terms of sales volume, with extremely modest price increases. Some potential sellers have been hoping for another price spike, but the chances of that happening in 2026 seem like a long shot.

TL;DR: The Central Oregon housing market is healthy and stable, with only minor increases expected for 2026. 

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Active Listings

🏆 OnPoint Named Oregon’s Most Admired Financial Services Company—Again!

For the third year in a row, OnPoint Community Credit Union has been named Oregon’s “Most Admired Company” in the Financial Services category by the Portland Business Journal. It’s the 18th straight year OnPoint has earned top recognition among banks, credit unions, and wealth management firms—and this year, they also landed 7th place across all industries, honoring their leadership, innovation, and community commitment.

In 2025, OnPoint expanded its reach with new branches, extended service areas in southwest Washington, and continued major investments in education and community support. The credit union provided over $4 million to 350+ nonprofits, supported 40,000 students with school supplies, and offered nearly $200K in awards and scholarships to local educators and youth. OnPoint’s continued growth and deep community investment reinforce why it remains one of the most admired companies in the region.

🏗️ Juniper Ridge Project Breaks Ground with First Buyer: Mike’s Fence Center

BEND, Ore. — A major industrial expansion is underway in Bend’s north end as Taylor Brooks announces the first buyer in its Juniper Ridge development: Mike’s Fence Center and Mike’s Mobile Mix Concrete. The sale marks a key milestone for the 74.5-acre industrial site recently acquired by Taylor Brooks’ subsidiary, TB Bend Land Company LLC, for $4.5 million.

The land has been subdivided into over 30 industrial lots for phased development, with Mike’s Fence set to purchase nearly 8 acres in Phase 1 to support its continued growth across Central Oregon. Planning for infrastructure improvements begins in 2026, with finished lots expected in 2027. Leaders from both companies praised the partnership as a step forward for Bend’s economic development and local business expansion.

🇺🇸🐑 Shaniko Wool Keeps Team USA Warm

For the fourth time in a decade, Shaniko Wool Co., based northeast of Madras, will help outfit U.S. Winter Olympic athletes—providing wool for Team USA’s 2026 Milano Cortina uniforms designed by Ralph Lauren. The wool, grown in Central Oregon and certified under the Responsible Wool Standard, is used in sweaters, coats, hats, and pants proudly made in the USA.

“It’s a proud day for American wool,” said Jeanne Carver, founder of Shaniko Wool and steward of the historic Imperial Stock Ranch. “It fills us with pride, elevates our work, and shines a light on the forgotten traditions of raising sheep and harvesting fiber.” Shaniko Wool has also contributed to Team USA’s uniforms in 2014, 2018, 2022, and even for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris—cementing Central Oregon’s legacy on the global stage.

Read more at: https://centraloregonian.com/2025/12/11/shaniko-sheep-ranch-again-provides-wool-for-u-s-olympic-team/

 😎Just sayin

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