Local / Crook County

A former police chief with decades of law enforcement experience is offering another free handgun survival and self-defense class in Prineville this December, citing increased public interest following the deadly school shooting in Bend earlier this month.

More than 40% of registered voters in Crook County have already returned their ballots ahead of the November 3 general election, placing the county well above Oregon's statewide ballot return rate with less than a week remaining before Election Day.

In the week since the mass shooting that claimed four lives at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, questions have proliferated about what led the 16-year-old shooter, Griffin J. John II, to his former elementary school with a loaded shotgun.

Newly obtained text messages between former Alfalfa Fire District Chief Chad LaVallee and two Central Oregon Community College (COCC) officials reveal that LaVallee claimed the district was already interviewing prospective replacements for his position weeks before its governing board formally authorized advertising the job.

Oregonians receiving Social Security benefits will see an increase of 3.6% in their checks starting January, the federal government announced Wednesday. That’s good news for the state’s economy, which has the nation’s 11th-oldest population.

Police released new details Friday of Thursday's tragic shooting at Bend's Silver Rail Elementary School, including the names of a teacher and one of three boys killed by the 16-year-old shooter who attended the school.

Crook County Parks and Recreation District (CCPRD) is celebrating a significant achievement after earning national accreditation through the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA).

Crook County voters in the Juniper Canyon area now have a new location to return their ballots ahead of the November general election, following the installation of an official ballot drop box at the Juniper Canyon Fire Station.

The Alfalfa Fire District's sale of a taxpayer-owned ambulance to Central Oregon Community College (COCC) for $15,000 is facing new scrutiny after records obtained by the Prineville Review revealed the college had apparently already paid the district before the vehicle was offered through a public auction that ultimately drew no other bidders.

Crook County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue volunteers are back outside Ray’s Food Place in Prineville Thursday and Friday for their annual sandwich fundraiser, raising money to support the equipment and training needed for missions throughout Crook County and the region.