Cover Story
Reasons To Love Central Oregon
Those who live in Central Oregon know there’s lots to love. In this season, in which love is on the minds of many, we’ve created an ode to the four elements—the efforts and activities around air, fire, earth and water that are the backbone of what draws so many to the region every year. Far…
Gung Ho For Shows: 4 Peaks 2020
It’s that time of year already?! This morning 4 Peaks Music Festival announced a large portion of their lineup for 2020, and it’s looking like it’s going to be an incredible time with bands and artists for everybody. Let’s take a look at some of the acts that will be making their way to Central…
Transportation Bond Heads to the May Ballot
The Bend City Council unanimously passed a resolution Wednesday to put a $190 million general obligation transportation bond on the May 19 primary election ballot. The bond, if approved by voters, would pay for improvements to east-west connections, projects to ease traffic congestion and a network of cross-town bike and pedestrian routes. The bond will…
New School Boundaries Released Today
Today the Bend-La Pine Schools’ Attendance Area Review Committee revealed its recommendations for where kids in different areas of Bend will attend middle and high school, once Bend’s new high school is operational. The committee was tasked with taking input from the community, who had three boundary options to choose from, and then make a…
Source Weekly Update Podcast 2/6/20
In this week’s podcast: A tiny home village for homeless vets, info on the Luminaria this weekend at Meissner Nordic, and we pose the question: Is Larry and His Flask still a band?
The Impeachment Trial is Over
On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate voted to acquit President Donald Trump on both articles of impeachment. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) was the lone Republican to cast a “guilty” vote in the Senate proceedings, voting “guilty” on the first article, involving Abuse of Power. Romney voted “not guilty” on the article pertaining to Obstruction of Justice.…
Free Will Astrology—Week of February 6
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): According to my analysis, the year 2020 will be a time when you can have dramatic success as you re-evaluate and re-vision and revamp your understandings of your life purpose. Why were you born? What’s the nature of your unique genius? What are the best gifts you have to offer the…
Letters to the Editor
Editor’s note: I spent the better part of last week taking part in the judging process for the Bend Chamber’s Women of the Year awards. I can’t say who won just yet (stay tuned for the March 5 issue, when we share some of the stories of the winners), but I can say that if…
Valentine’s Day Events
Anti-Valentine’s Party Fri., Feb. 14, 9 pm-1am. AVID Cider AVID Cider and the Bend Burlesque Co. will party the night away in celebration of those who don’t need romance to have a good time! 21+. Free. A PC Valentine’s Day Fri., Feb. 14, 6pm. 10 Barrel Eastside There’s truly no better way to celebrate than…
Rock Chuck Day
A few years back—on Feb. 22, 2014, to be exact—my wife, Sue, and I were driving a Jefferson County road headed for Eagle Watch. And as it is when we’re driving anywhere this time of year, we were also watching for Golden Eagles to see who’s hanging around, hopefully getting ready to start nesting. As we…
The Sociopath Of Least Resistance & Halving It All
The Sociopath Of Least Resistance I discovered that the guy I’m dating has a girlfriend he’s cheating on. In fact, she confronted us, which was awful. I’ve had a history of guys cheating on me, and I want to end the pattern. Unfortunately, I’m not attracted to a lot of guys I go out with,…
Tiny Homes for Vets
Central Oregon Veterans Outreach estimates that there are between 80 and 100 veterans living in the region without homes. But the exact number is hard to find. The 2019 Point In Time Count published by the Homeless Leadership Coalition reported 62 veterans. Hundreds of homeless camps dot the landscape on the outskirts of Bend and…
Young Audiences Brings Artists to Central Oregon Classrooms
An exciting new opportunity is available to Central Oregon schools and artists: Young Audiences of Oregon/SW Washington now serves the Central Oregon community, bringing artists directly into the classroom. The program is expanding its roster and looking for artists interested in teaching, as well as seeking schools where educators want the added benefit of bringing…
A Koala-ty Cause
Adler Bartlett, a 13-year-old student at High Desert Middle School, was devastated to hear the extent of the damage caused by the recent Australian wildfires. A longtime animal lover who moved to Bend from Anchorage, Alaska, a little over a year ago, Bartlett realized she couldn’t just stand idly by as helpless Australian wildlife suffered.…
Eight Treats Central Oregon Loves
It’s Valentine’s Day and you’re one of those lackluster lovers who hasn’t bothered to pick up a generic heart-shaped box of chocolates or the massage gift certificate that signals you’ve done the bare minimum needed to get through this holiday. Failing to muster one of those things—or something even more time-consumingly heartfelt—could mean A., you…
Glass Slipper: A Sea Change in Solving the Housing Crisis
Central Oregonians have been painfully aware of the extent of the housing crisis for years. As the community began to emerge from the Great Recession, locals began to understand that the flip side of “bust” is “boom”—and that “boom,” for a lot of people, translated into a housing affordability problem and a growing population of…
Beer Fest on the Lake
The Suttle Lodge and Boathouse hosted its first Winter Beer Fest last weekend, donating a portion of its sales to Oregon Adaptive Sports. Brewers from Central Oregon, Portland, McMinnville, Hood River and throughout the Pacific Northwest came together to pour a few signature and specialty brews. Five rustic cabins set along a wooded acre of…
Building Trust
Sustainability is a huge part of the outdoor industry. For many companies, part of the mission is to offer greener products, or to make operating procedures more sustainable. But as Gina McClard and Jim Miller saw it, outdoors-based organizations should be dedicating a similar level of effort to creating safe workplaces and fostering gender equality.…
Ball ‘Til You Fall
The Harlem Globetrotters are stopping in Redmond on Feb. 9 as part of the team’s Pushing The Limits World Tour. To see a Globetrotters game is to actually witness magic—pulling off such stunning tricks that you won’t see in your everyday pickup game. I spoke with Briana, AKA Hoops Green, the 15th female Globetrotter over…
Wildfire Warriors
In Central Oregon, the threat of wildfires looms on the horizon for most of the summer. Whether it’s the impending doom of apocalyptic smoke clouds or nightmares of complete annihilation (like Paradise, California), locals definitely worry about wildfires. But Central Oregon has also developed a national reputation as a place where diverse groups and agencies…
Luminaria at Meissner Nordic
Nordic skiing on the night of the Luminaria just got even more magical. The event—in which people light hundreds of candles inside paper bags and line the trail to the Meissner Shelter—is an annual tradition and one of the Meissner Nordic Ski Club’s biggest fundraisers. But this year, participants will be treated to a dragon…
Water is Life
Our Creek in WinterTodd Creek, Oregon By Katrina Hays The beargrass is gone The aspen has shed summer The creek dreams in narrow motion under a riven blanket of ice The air you raised your face into is not here That water long since passed What was is no more Suppose nothing changed Suppose we…
2020 Oscar Predictions
I used to be good at predicting the Oscar winners, but every year I get worse as my tastes change and I find myself rooting for the movies that shake up the status quo. I never would have guessed the saccharine “Green Book” or the sexy fish movie “The Shape of Water” would have won, but…
We <3 Trails
Raise your hand if you’ve used one of Central Oregon’s trails. Now keep reading if you plan to use them again. The High Desert is home to a variety of trails for all types of things—biking, walking, running, snowshoeing and more. As the community continues to grow, it’s important that these trails continue to evolve…
County Continues to Poke the LUBA Bear
The Deschutes County Board of Commissioners was roundly rebuked by the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals for its wandering “Youth Activity Center” definition as it relates to the location of marijuana farms. Given that, it seems the smart thing for a county to do would be a strategic retreat, saving itself and its legal…
The Healing Power of Breath
New Age therapies include some unconventional practices… and are met with a fair amount of skepticism. Therapies such as crystal healing or aura cleansing can be difficult concepts to accept blindly. When first introduced to breathwork, Bend local Jon Paul Crimi was a skeptic, too. “I’m from Boston,” he explained. “In Boston, you can’t blame…
Is the Flask Empty?
For those counting, the last time local stars Larry and His Flask played together was a year ago this month. Typical for this high energy, self-styled “Post-Americana” rock band, the “This Remedy West Coast Tour” included 14 shows in five western states over the span of about two weeks. With a year passing since then,…
Weird Central Oregon
Yet another reason to love where we live: The weird stuff among us. -Portland is home to more strip clubs per capita than any other city—even Las Vegas. An article published in Willamette Week in 2015 reported that fact. Tampa, Florida, rang in second. • Over the years, Oregonians have witnessed many seemingly unnecessary laws…
Operatic-Folk
Corinne Sharlet hasn’t forgotten about her Bend roots. The singer/songwriter is on the verge of releasing her debut solo EP, “Deceiver,” and knows her hometown still has quite the influence on what she creates. Now living in Portland, Sharlet is enjoying the transition from being in bands and creatively becoming her own artist. “It’s a…
Millennials’ Home Trends for 2020
The millennial generation has long been a topic of discussion among those in the real estate industry. One reason: In the last five to eight years it’s become apparent that this generation hasn’t followed the traditional homebuying trends of preceding generations. Millennials are renting longer and purchasing homes later in life; previous generations historically purchased…
