Good morning, Bend.

Mt. Bachelor is upgrading its Northwest chairlift terminals and lift line ahead of the 2026/27 season.

Crews are burying cables and installing new equipment + workers have completed power upgrades at the bottom terminal.

Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office will host a free 3½-hour volunteer training session for mentors of children with incarcerated parents on Saturday, Sept.

26; those interested must register in advance.

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office partners with Republic Services to offer the year's final Community Shred Event on Saturday, Sept.

19 at Terrebonne Community School (10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.). Residents can securely dispose of documents, medications, and worn American flags while also donating nonperishable food.

Mt. Bachelor will host Job-A-Palooza, Central Oregon’s largest winter hiring event, Saturday, Sept.

19 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Deschutes Brewery Tasting Room in Bend (seasonal and year-round roles will be available across several resort departments).

Samson Sky, a Prineville company building the Switchblade flying car, secured an $80 million investment from a Dubai-based investment group (partnering with Matin Group) to fund its planned 180,000 sqft production facility, and the company still needs $20 million for full production.

Shemekia Copeland, the blues icon known for eight Grammy nominations and multiple Album of the Year awards, will perform Sunday at 7:30 p.m. at the Tower Theatre in Bend (tickets cost $22 to $42 plus Historic Preservation Fee).

The 2026 Sisters Folk Festival runs from 6 p.m. Friday, Sept.

25 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27 on seven downtown stages with 33 artists performing a range of folk, blues, bluegrass, Americana, country, rock and world music. Tickets include a three-day pass and single-day options at various price points.

The Forest Service proposes to remove fire-damaged trees & replant burned areas from the Akawa Butte Fire on about 10,000 acres north of Sisters and along 36.8 miles of forest roads.

Public comments are accepted until Sept.21 as part of the post-fire recovery review.

Local groups including the Bend Night Sky Alliance, East Cascades Bird Alliance, and Think Wild have launched the Lights Out Central Oregon campaign to urge residents and businesses to turn off unnecessary lights between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. through November to protect migrating birds; the Bend City Council will recognize the effort with a proclamation on Oct. 7.

The Bend Police Department offers free drug pouches and home sharps containers for safe disposal of leftover medications, with daily pick-up and a drop box option at St. Charles pharmacy (available seven days a week) helping protect the environment.

KIDS Center launched a 33-foot mobile clinic today at 4:30 p.m. (near Kingston School) to bring child abuse evaluation services to kids in rural Central Oregon and will begin with Carly’s Law examinations to check suspected injuries.

Bend High boys soccer stands 4 to 0 and is now viewed as a state-title contender; the Lava Bears will play Crook County in Prineville today at 5 p.m., having powered past playoff teams and leaped to (No. 3) in the OSAAtoday preseason coaches poll.