Bowman Museum to host lecture on the Civilian Conservation Corps in Oregon

Wednesday, Nov 4, 2026

Deschutes Historical Museum's escape room is back

BEND, Ore.- The Deschutes Historical Museum has announced its return of Escape the Museum: The Curse of the Curate’s Collection, an escape room experience based on real local history. Up to six players team up working together to solve puzzles, follow the clues, and uncover the whereabouts of the Curate’s collection. Assisting historian A.R.

Monday, Sep 14, 2026

The Curious Bendite: Just when was Bend's last bank robbery, anyway?

(Author’s note: I recently “semi-retired” from KTVZ in Bend, Oregon — but my ever-curious mind and storyteller’s heart will never stop looking for interesting stories to tell. This is the first in an occasional series of ‘The Curious Bendite’ articles that I hope you’ll find interesting and worth your time. BEND, Ore. — The last time someone robbed a bank in Bend, President Trump was in the midst of his first term in office, and the COVID pandemic was still a year away.On Friday, Jan. 11, 2019, a man later identified as Cory Dwight Homestead, then 40, of McMinnville, walked into the Umpqua Bank on South Highway 97 and demanded money. Police said he got away with an undisclosed amount of cash before officers arrived on the scene. No weapon was displayed and no one was injured.Less than four hours later, the Modoc County, California sheriff got a call from a Lake County, Oregon sheriff's deputy, seeking help in a vehicle pursuit that crossed from Lakeview into Northern California. The chase hit speeds of over 100 mph, and spike strips punctured the tires.A Dramatic ChaseThe robbery suspect kept going, driving the red Mercedes on wheel rims for several miles until veering off the road and overturning in a field about 230 miles south of Bend. Homestead, believed to be on methamphetamine, refused to get out of the car, delaying his arrest.That was Bend's most recent bank robbery, according to Bend Police Communications Manager Sheila Miller.The Big-Belly Bandit and Other HoldupsBend's most dramatic bank holdup in recent times came a week before Christmas of 2015, when a 72-year-old La Pine man walked into the Wells Fargo bank on Northeast Third Street, displayed several 'explosives' — later found to be fake — and demanded a large sum of money. A tense hostage drama ended 40 minutes later with Thomas Alden Henderson's surrender and arrest.There have been several other bank holdups in Bend — some unsolved, the most well-known the so-called 'Big-Belly Bandit,' a serial bank robber believed to have held up the downtown branch of Home Federal Bank three times and the south Bend Bank of the Cascades Branch twice — all over a two-year period between December 2011 and December 2013. Despite extensive police investigative efforts, no arrest was ever made.Why Bank Robberies Have DeclinedLegendary bank robber Willie Sutton was once quoted famously as saying he robbed banks 'because that's where the money is.' The seven-plus-year period with no Bend bank holdups reflects a dramatic drop nationwide: FBI data shows bank robberies have fallen by more than 80% since 1991, from about 9,400 holdups to fewer than 1,400 in 2023.Societal and technology trends are a big reason — there are fewer bank branches, less cash on hand, and better security technology. Other factors include harsher penalties and criminals' shift to easier and more successful cybercrimes.This is the first in an occasional series of 'The Curious Bendite' articles.

Friday, Jun 5, 2026