Deschutes County

10/20/2026

In preparation for the Nov. 3 General Election, the Deschutes County Clerk’s Office conducted a Public Certification Test, also known as a Logic & Accuracy Test, this morning to ensure our vote counting system is functioning and tabulating accurately. This test is performed before and after every election by scanning a specific set of test ballots.

Every Oregon voter can now sign up to get updates about their ballot at oregonvotes.gov/track.

For more information on the Nov. 3 General Election, visit deschutescounty.gov/elections

10/19/2026

Today, the Deschutes County Clerk’s Office became aware of two issues related to the Nov. 3 election and wants to share that information with voters:

1. The letter “H” was accidentally left out of Deschutes County Commission Position 5 candidate Rob Imhoff’s last name in the printed voter pamphlet. The online version of the pamphlet has been corrected.

2. In addition, roughly 200 voters in recently annexed areas in the City of Bend were sent incorrect precinct ballots. All affected voters will receive a corrected ballot by mail this week.

If an affected voter has already returned the original ballot, they should complete and return the corrected ballot they receive. The County Clerk’s Office will ensure that only the valid ballot is counted.

Voters with questions should contact the Deschutes County Clerk’s Office at 541-388-6547.

The Deschutes County Clerk's Office regrets the errors and remains committed to ensuring that every voter receives accurate election information.

10/19/2026

A quick heads-up if you need to visit or contact Deschutes County Justice Court this week.

Justice Court will be closed to the public on Thursday, Oct. 22. Staff will be unavailable in person and by phone throughout the day.

The court will reopen and regular services will resume Friday, Oct 23.

Learn more about Justice Court services at deschutescounty.gov/justicecourt.

10/19/2026

Deschutes County Health Services, St. Charles Health System, and Bend-La Pine Schools will continue offering free community support events on Tuesday, Oct. 20, and Wednesday, Oct. 21. These drop-in sessions will provide crisis stabilization, emotional support, and a safe space for community healing.

There is no community support event planned for Monday, Oct. 19. Our teams will focus on supporting the students, families and staff of Silver Rail Elementary School that day.

At each event, trained crisis response professionals and peers will use Critical Incident Stress Management, or CISM, practices to lead small-group discussions, share guidance on talking with children about traumatic events and connect people with local resources.

The CISM events are open to families, staff, and community member who would like support processing their feelings following the tragedy at Silver Rail Elementary.

Event details:

Tuesday, Oct. 20, and Wednesday, Oct. 21

Time: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Location: Deschutes Public Library - Central Library, 61956 SE Santorini St., Bend
Cost: Free and open to all students, families, staff, and community members. Interpreter services will be available.

Immediate 24/7 Crisis Resources:

The Deschutes County Stabilization Center is open 24 hours a day for immediate, walk-in mental health support at 63311 NE Jamison St. in Bend. Individuals can also call the local crisis line at 541-322-7500 ext. 9 or call/text the national hotline at 988.

========

Los Servicios de Salud del Condado de Deschutes, el Sistema de Salud St. Charles y las Escuelas Bend-La Pine continuarán ofreciendo eventos gratuitos de apoyo comunitario el martes 20 de octubre y el miércoles 21 de octubre. Estas sesiones sin cita previa ofrecerán estabilización durante la crisis, apoyo emocional y un espacio seguro para la sanación de la comunidad.

No hay ningún evento de apoyo comunitario programado para el lunes 19 de octubre. Nuestros equipos se centrarán en apoyar a los estudiantes, las familias y el personal de la Escuela Primaria Silver Rail ese día.

En cada evento, profesionales capacitados en respuesta a crisis y pares utilizarán prácticas de gestión del estrés por incidentes críticos, o CISM (por sus siglas en inglés), para facilitar conversaciones en grupos pequeños, compartir orientación sobre cómo hablar con los niños acerca de eventos traumáticos y conectar a las personas con recursos locales.

Los eventos de CISM están abiertos a las familias, al personal y a los miembros de la comunidad que deseen recibir apoyo para procesar sus sentimientos tras la tragedia ocurrida en la escuela primaria Silver Rail.

Detalles del evento:

Martes, 20 de octubre, y miércoles, 21 de octubre
Hora: de 10:00 a. m. a 3:00 p. m.
Lugar: Biblioteca Pública de Deschutes - Biblioteca Central, 61956 SE Santorini St., Bend
Costo: este evento es gratuito y está abierto a todos los estudiantes, las familias, el personal y los miembros de la comunidad. Servicios de intérpretes estarán disponibles.

Recursos de crisis inmediatos, disponibles las 24 horas, los 7 días de la semana:

El Centro de Estabilización del condado de Deschutes está abierto las 24 horas del día para brindar apoyo inmediato de salud mental, sin cita, en 63311 NE Jamison St. en Bend. También puede llamar a la línea local de crisis al 541-322-7500 ext. 9, o llamar o enviar un mensaje de texto a la línea nacional de ayuda al 988.

St. Charles Health System
Bend-La Pine Schools

10/19/2026

The Deschutes County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing on Thursday, Oct. 22, to consider a proposed expansion of the Sisters Urban Growth Boundary, or UGB.

After numerous informational meetings and feedback from a citizen advisory committee, Sisters city officials proposed expanding the UGB to meet the community’s growing needs for housing, jobs, parks and open space. The proposal would add nearly 319 acres of land on the northeast side of the existing UGB. A map of the proposed area is available at this link.

An agreement between the City of Sisters and Deschutes County requires both governments to approve the UGB changes. The Board of Commissioners will review the proposal and hear public comments before making a decision. Community members are encouraged to share their feedback.

If approved, the County would update its Comprehensive Plan to include properties in the Sisters UGB expansion. The changes would prepare the land for future annexation into the city limits.

The public hearing will be held at 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, at Sisters City Hall, 520 E. Cascade Ave.

The public may attend and comment in person or participate online. Login information and the meeting agenda are available at deschutescounty.gov/meetings.

For more information on the Sisters UGB expansion, visit deschutescounty.gov/sistersugb

10/16/2026

10/16/2026

Ballot drop sites are open as of today! You can return your ballot at any official drop box or by mail, no stamp required. Find the drop site nearest you using our locator tool: deschutescounty.gov/dropbox

We also have a NEW drop box location at Central Oregon Community College (Parking Lot D4,) 2600 NW College Way

Drop box locations include:

🗳️ Deschutes Services Center/Clerk’s Office, 1300 NW Wall St, Bend
🗳️ Deschutes County Road Department, 61150 SE 27th St., Bend
🗳️ Bend Public Works Campus, 21051 NE Talus Pl., Bend
🗳️ NEW: Central Oregon Community College (Parking Lot D4,) 2600 NW College Way, Bend
🗳️ Old Mill, 459 SW Bluff Dr., Bend
🗳️ Bradbury Park & Ride, 1000 SW Bradbury Way, Bend
🗳️ Pine Nursery Park, 3750 NE Purcell Blvd., Bend
🗳️ Redmond Public Library, 827 SW Deschutes Ave., Redmond
🗳️ Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center, 3800 SW Airport Way, Redmond
🗳️ La Pine Library, 16425 1st St., La Pine
🗳️Sisters City Hall, 520 E Cascade Ave., Sisters
🗳️ Sunriver Library, 56855 Venture Ln., Sunriver

Ballots returned to a drop site must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day. Ballots returned by mail must be postmarked on or before Election Day.

10/16/2026

Our weekly road report is live. Check out the link to learn more about the following projects. https://bit.ly/42Nd15H

Projects administered by Deschutes County:

🚧 Paving of La Pine area roadways (La Pine area)
🚧 Asphalt paving and repair (Sisters area)

Projects administered by other agencies:

⚠️ Butler Market Road utility work
⚠️ Hamby Road and Ward Road utility work
⚠️ La Pine Area utility work
⚠️ U.S. 97: Terrebonne (ODOT)
⚠️ China Hat Road & FS Road 1815 closure (U.S. Forest Service)

Want Road Department updates in your inbox? Sign up here: https://bit.ly/48KdE3G

📷: Crews paving Pengra Road near La Pine