Olympic Bound: Kent Callister

Kent Callister, a local snowboarder who grew up riding Mt Bachelor will be representing his home country of Australia for the second time in this year’s winter Olympics. Before he heads to South Korea, Kent got a send off from the community that raised him.

Dakine Grindz in Bend partnered with the Mt Bachelor Sport Education Foundation to host an Olympic send off for Callister on Saturday.

Callister started snowboarding with the Mt Bachelor Sports Education Foundation and moved up with that program, began competing and is now heading to the second winter Olympics.

Callister said he is grateful for the support he gets from the Bend community and loves coming back to Mt Bachelor. The 22 – year -old will be in bend for most of January but will then head off to compete in the winter Olympics, which start in February. Callister is hoping to better his 9th place finish in the Sochi Olympics in 2014.

Body Repair Shops Remain Backlogged

From dings and dents to totally destroyed, cars in Central Oregon are taking a serious beating this winter because of the brutal conditions. Now, body shops across the High Desert are feeling the pinch. Here’s a look at how one shop if dealing with the bittersweet reality of being too busy, and how one car owner is dealing with being told it will be months before the damage done to his car is finally fixed.

Businesses Suffer Following Winter Conditions

Just when Downtown Bend business owners thought there was a ray of sunshine in what has been a bleak winter, the snow is back and making it difficult for shoppers to navigate their way into and out of the area.

Central Oregon Daily’s Eric Lindstrom joins us from downtown with a look at how the winter storms have impacted the businesses’ bottom line.

Winter Weather Gives Renters a Sliver of Hope

If you’ve ever tried to rent a place in Bend, you know the drill: fill out an application, and go up against a dozen, or several dozen renters who want the same place. But a perfect storm of winter weather and new construction has opened a tiny window of opportunity for anyone looking to get into a house or apartment.

Central Oregon Daily’s Mackenzie Wilson takes a closer look.

Schools Begin Process to Get Students Back in School

School districts are working around the clock to secure their campuses after the collapse of Highland Magnet at Kenwood School’s gym roof in an effort to get students back to class after Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday.

Central Oregon Daily’s Mackenzie Wilson takes a look at school’s removing snow from their roofs to make their students safer.

Businesses Buckle Under Snow Strain

Even Bendites got the big wakeup call when Highland Magnet at Kenwood Elementary School‘s gym roof collapsed; businesses were quickly busy shoveling snow off their roofs. But for one 300,000 square foot building on the west side of Bend, help didn’t come soon enough and part of the building buckled under the weight of the snow.

Central Oregon Daily’s Mackenzie Wilson has the video of the collapse and what city officials say you should be doing to keep it from happening again.