Peyton Thomas

1 week ago | centraloregondaily.com | Peyton Thomas

Supporters of the Madras Aquatic Center were hoping for answers Wednesday night. Instead, they’ll have to wait another week. The Madras Aquatic Center and Recreation District Board delayed a vote on its revised budget, which would determine the future of the center following the failure of two key ballot measures earlier this month. One would have dissolved the current district, while the other aimed to create a new one with a permanent operating levy.

1 week ago | centraloregondaily.com | Peyton Thomas

BEND, Ore. -- A Caldera High School staff member is speaking out after the Bend-La Pine School District edited her protest message out of a photo meant to honor her work. Campus monitor Jennifer Sawyer was recently named an Excellence in Education honoree. When she showed up for the group photo recognizing staff across the district, she wore a shirt that read: “I don’t get paid enough for this.”But when the district posted the photo online, the message was gone—edited out in a black box.

1 week ago | centraloregondaily.com | Peyton Thomas

Six singers from Bend are heading to France this week to take part in a powerful tribute to the lives lost on D-Day. They’ll be performing on Utah Beach and other historic locations as part of the 80th anniversary commemorations for the end of World War II. The group is part of the All-American Choir, a collection of vocalists from across the country, and the only choir from Oregon participating in this year’s events.

2 weeks ago | centraloregondaily.com | Peyton Thomas

BEND. Ore. -- Summit senior Slater de Brun is used to pressure, but the next few weeks could bring a life-changing decision: Sign a potentially multi-million-dollar MLB contract or head to one of the top college baseball programs in the country. Major League scouts from across the nation now rank de Brun among the top 25 prospects in the world, according to MLB.com.

3 weeks ago | centraloregondaily.com | Peyton Thomas

BEND, Ore. -- A Bend man has reconnected with the ski patroller who saved his life 20 years ago, and the two say they’ve formed a special bond after finally seeing each other again. Rourke Ketchum was just 15 years old when a ski trip at Mt. Bachelor took a terrifying turn. He crashed on the mountain, blacked out, and somehow managed to make it down to the lodge while seriously injured. That’s where ski patroller Kathy Alexander found him. “I ended up kneeing myself in the stomach.