BEND, OR -- It’s kindergarten registration season. Families in the Bend-La Pine School District with kids who will be five years old on or before September first are invited to events this Saturday at a variety of local parks. Registration and orientation events are in Bend, Sunriver and La Pine. Staff can also provide details on school boundaries and required enrollment documents.

Families can find the yellow school bus at the following locations on April 20:

9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

• Hollygrape Park - 19489 Hollygrape Street, Bend
• Sun Meadow Park - 61141 Dayspring Drive, Bend
• Pilot Butte Neighborhood Park - 1310 NE Highway 20
• Sunriver/Three Rivers area - Oregon Water Wonderland 1 Mailboxes (South Century and Snow Goose)

10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

• Education Center - 520 NW Wall St., Bend
• Ponderosa Park - 225 SE 15th St., Bend
• Canal Row Park - 1630 NE Butler Market Rd., Bend
• Frontier Heritage Park - 16405 First St., La Pine/Rosland area

Bend-La Pine Schools also hosts "Kinder Fiesta," a Spanish language kindergarten kick-off event, on Saturday, May 18 from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. at the Education Center, 520 NW Wall St., Bend.

Click HERE to learn how to register online. When you’re ready to register, use THIS LINK link to get started. Find your neighborhood school through the district's Attendance Area page. Those who are not sure about their child’s school of attendance or who have additional questions about kindergarten registration can call 541-355-6820 to reach district staff who can answer questions in English and Spanish.

BEND, OR -- A Bend couple is accused of illegally growing marijuana and selling it to east coast buyers. The investigation into 50-year-old Michael Bradford and 49-year-old Automne Glasow began when the U.S. Postal Inspection Service intercepted a package of pot destined for Virginia.

Glasow was arrested during a Thursday morning traffic stop. At the same time, the Deschutes County SWAT team executed a federal search warrant at the couple's house on Manzanita Lane and arrested Bradford. The operation was a collaboration between the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office Illegal Marijuana Market Enforcement Team and the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team. 

Detectives also seized about 69 pounds of processed pot, 160 marijuana plants, packaging materials and cash.

The pair is charged with possessing 32 times the legal limit of marijuana and attempted delivery.

BEND, OR -- A Bend woman is charged with felony animal neglect and 15 misdemeanor counts of second degree animal neglect. Jean Poirier was indicted by a Deschutes County grand jury earlier this week.

The case began in March, when deputies responded to a tip about the condition of animals on the 66-year-old's rural property. After several days of investigation, 15 horses were seized. Veterinarians determined they were in dire need of medical care and proper feed. Poirier's 17 dogs were  in better condition and allowed to remain.

The horses are now at the Sheriff’s Office rescue ranch. They range in age from 13 to 29 years old and consist of one stallion, four geldings and 10 mares.

Poirier was arraigned Tuesday and is due back in court in mid-May. 

VANCOUVER, WA -- The Clark County Medical Examiner released the identity Wednesday of a man shot and killed during an April 13th confrontation with deputies. Benjamin Woods, a 41-year-old Prineville man, died of multiple gunshot wounds. 

Authorities say Woods and a female accomplice stole a van in Hazel Dell, Washington on the morning of April 13th. Witnesses reported the male suspect had a handgun. The pair was spotted about 15 minutes later in Salmon Creek where they were reportedly involved in an attempted carjacking. 

When deputies responded, they contacted Woods inside an American Legion. Woods was shot and killed at about 11:30 a.m. during that interaction, although few details of the shooting have been released. The female suspect, later identified as 42-year-old Lyndsey Jones, was arrested several hours later on burglary charges. Her city of residence is unknown. 

The Southwest Washington Independent Investigative Response Team (SWIIRT), led by Vancouver Police, is conducting the investigation into the officer-involved use of force. 

BEND, OR -- A concept to engage the public in government policy decisions rarely seen in the U.S. could be coming to our area. City Club of Central Oregon Executive Director Kim Gammond says Citizen Assemblies are more common in Europe, "It’s a way for people to actually impact policy decisions beyond the one or two times a year we get to vote. And, it’s done in a way that’s much more democratic than a lot of our citizen involvement processes in government." She tells KBND News, "Ireland’s done several national referendums through this process. This is how they legalized abortion and gay marriage in Ireland was through this process. So, you know, not simple issues! And then, in the Basque country, in Spain and France, they’ve run them to help with some more local issues, there."

Gammond says the goal is to gather a large group of people from a community, representing the area's diverse ideas and demographics. She notes the more common citizen committees doesn't actively recruit members, "They’re often people that are coming forward and saying ‘I want to be on this.’ Where this is run more like jury duty; and we’re saying, ‘okay, 10,000 people in Deschutes County, are you interested in being on this?’ and inviting them in."

Nonprofits running Citizen Assemblies compensate participants for their time, and work with local governments to make sure recommendations are pursued. The Central Oregon Civic Action Project is actively fundraising for a local assembly, "The group that’s coming together here has spent a lot of time building the base, both for financial support, support within governments, and then bringing the right partners to the table to try to facilitate this." Gammond says the Civic Action Project is still developing its first policy issue.

City Club hosts a public forum Thursday morning to discuss the concept, "We’ll have a panel with Healthy Democracy, Central Oregon Civic Action Project and then a member of the Bend City Council, to talk about how this would look at the local level, in the United States and in Central Oregon." That forum is from 8:30 to 10 a.m. at the Unitarian Universalist church. Register HERE.