picture Central Oregon Daily News

Classes have resumed at Silver Rail Elementary School for the first time since the October fifteenth mass shooting that killed three children and one teacher. Some doors have been replaced, and a new wall now separates the impacted classrooms from the rest of the building. A school resource officer will also be stationed inside for the remainder of the school year. A student and a teaching assistant were hurt before the shooter was shot and killed by the father of two students. The Bend-La Pine school board has since received safety updates from district staff and law enforcement.

Students return to Silver Rail Elementary Thursday, nearly a month after a classroom shooting killed three students and a teacher. That classroom has been walled off as the school reopens. A second teacher, who nearly lost her hand in the attack, is now home from the hospital.

Deschutes County District Attorney Steve Gunnels says emotions remain raw, and recovery will take time. He says investigators are still determining whether the shooter, who died at the scene, acted alone, or whether anyone else may be criminally responsible.

Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz says police are working with the district on prevention, security, response, and after-care.  A school resource officer is assigned to Silver Rail for the rest of the school year.

A case of poaching is under investigation in Prineville. According to State Police Fish and Wildlife, a buck deer was killed and harvested on private property along O’Neil Highway, near Century Drive. Troopers believe it was killed with archery equipment between October 26th and 28th. Rifle deer season ended on the 14th and there was no legal deer hunting season in effect at the time and place where the deer was found. Anyone with information is asked to contact the OSP Turn in Poachers TIP Line.

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office is asking the community to help close the gap for this year’s Shop with a Cop program. The holiday fundraiser has brought in just over 31-thousand dollars since July 1st, with a goal of 50-thousand.

The annual program pairs local children with deputies and law enforcement officers for a shopping trip focused on winter clothing, school supplies, household essentials, and holiday gifts.

Sheriff Ty Rupert says every donation helps children feel valued and supported. Donations can be made online through the Sheriff’s Office website, or mailed or dropped off at the agency’s Bend office.

Deschutes County Sheriff’s Detectives seized 228 roosters from a property in Redmond, where investigators say the animals were being used in a large-scale cockfighting operation. The investigation began after neighbors reported excessive noise, large gatherings and late-night traffic at the property off O’Neil Highway. During the execution of a search warrant this week, detectives say they found roosters confined in cages or tethered throughout the property. The case remains under investigation and has been referred to the Grand Jury.