Free Events During Poetry Month At COCC

cocc-13

Central Oregon Community College (COCC) is celebrating National Poetry Month with a poetry slam on April 12 and a student and alumni poets’ roundtable on April 25. Events are free and open to the public, with light refreshments provided. Visit barber.cocc.edu/poetry for complete details and to register for the slam.

COCC’s “Voices of Power, Voices of Imagination” poetry slam will be held 5-7 p.m., on Friday, April 12, in Wille Hall on the Bend campus. The slam will be moderated by Aaron Rasheed, COCC graduate and freelance writer, and Vim Mello, a local activist, poet and spoken word host. Participating poets need to register in advance for this judged event.

Bola Gbadebo, a poet, KTVZ journalist and morning co-anchor, will moderate a Q&A with a panel during “Imagine and Empower,” an evening with COCC student and alumni poets, 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, April 25, in the Barber Library’s west wing. For convenience, the event will also be streamed at COCC’s Redmond, Madras and Prineville campuses.

For more information on poetry month at COCC, contact Kirsten Hostetler, instruction and outreach librarian, at 541-383-7563 or khostetler@cocc.edu.

In advance of college events, persons needing accommodation or transportation because of a physical or mobility disability should contact Caitlyn Gardner at 541-383-7237. For accommodation because of other disability, such as hearing impairment, contact disability services at 541-383-7583.

structure-crew

Flat Fire Update: 39% Contained

The Flat Fire, approximately two miles northeast of Sisters, Oregon, is estimated at 23,346 acres and is now 39% contained. Decreased acreage is a result of more accurate mapping of the fire footprint. After several days of

deschutes_county_logo

Deschutes County Celebrates Legislative Wins

The Deschutes County Board of Commissioners (BOCC) is celebrating several legislative victories for Central Oregon following an end-of-session report on the 2025 Oregon Legislature presented during its meeting on Monday, Aug. 4. Throughout the 158-day legislative session,