Cover Story
Now Hiring, All Positions, All Shifts
When the pandemic started and non-essential businesses closed, the essential workers were hailed as heroes across the country. The people whose work was necessary during the pandemic—health care workers, food supply chain workers and first responders, to name a few—kept working tirelessly. Now, as vaccinations become widely available and COVID restrictions ease while jobs return…
Grandview Fire Nears Sisters
The Grandview Fire was first reported on Sunday afternoon and by Tuesday was raging over 4,500 acres of private land protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry and the Crooked River National Grassland which is managed by the U.S. Forest Service. It was visible from Sisters and Redmond on Sunday evening, but it didn’t enter…
Fireworks Banned Through August
The City of Bend is extending the state of emergency that banned non-professional firework use and provided services to unhoused communities until August 31. The emergency order went into effect on June 28 and was originally set to expire on July 9, but was extended due to continued fire risk. “We appreciate the community’s assistance…
Letters to the Editor 7/8/21
Editor’s Note Whether you’re an employer or an employee (or you own your own business), chances are you’ve discussed the current worker shortage with someone at least once over the past several months. This week’s feature story aims to get a sense of why it’s happening, and the impacts on not just business owners, but…
Guest Homes Get Greenlit
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown signed Senate Bill 391 to law June 23, granting rural residential areas the right to build accessory dwelling units. “In 2017 the legislature passed a bill to do ADUs for farm workers, and then it also allowed cities to do the ADUs, but it left out the rural areas for property…
Noticias en Español
Cuando comenzó la pandemia y las empresas no indispensables cerraron, los trabajadores esenciales fueron aplaudidos como héroes a lo largo del país. Hoy en día, algunos afirman que nadie quiere trabajar y que el seguro de desempleo retiene a la gente en sus sillones. Los comercios se sienten frustrados ya que los puestos que antes…
Three Downtown Lunches
Bahn Mi at Dinky Dau Beth Brady originally opened her Asian-inspired food cart in downtown Bend in July 2020, but had to shut down soon after, when she was hit by a car while crossing the street. She opened Dinky Dau again in May, tucked behind Sports Vision Bend near the corner of Oregon Avenue…
Bend Brewing Co.’s Waypoint Quenches The Grove
From the second established brewery in Bend to establishing the newest craft cocktail and beer watering hole, Bend Brewing Co. is now slaking thirsts at The Grove, the new market hall in Northwest Crossing. What distinguishes the new Waypoint from Old Bend’s BBC is, as brewmaster Zach Beckwith explains, “the distinct branding and the co-equal…
Boaters’ Lament
As soon as we left the bank, sharky rocks were biting at our oars on every side. A scrape here, a drag there. With each contact to a textured slice of iceberg granite, the 30-year worn hyperline on my royal blue Momentum raft, “Wonder Woman,” stuck. Rock dodging at its finest. Ground truthing 1,000 cubic…
Get to Know the Common Nighthawk
Ahh, summertime in Central Oregon—days that seem to stretch on forever, dusk walks around town as the sun dips below the Three Sisters, and then there’s the diving flight of common nighthawks. These unusual birds are fascinating on so many fronts, from their nesting behavior to their diving displays to their annual migration. Let’s take…
Fighting for Their Rights
“I write the songs that make the whole world sing I write the songs of love and special things I write the songs that make the young girls cry I write the songs, I write the songs.” — Barry Manilow “I write the b-sides That make a small portion of the world cry I like…
Kicking Off Summer Festival
Sure, we may have just celebrated the Fourth of July, but summer in Central Oregon doesn’t truly start until Bend Summer Festival. This year in its return Summer Festival will be two days packed with live music this weekend. The first performer of the festival this year will be Bend’s own One Mad Man—a groovy…
Market Temperatures
Central Oregon recently endured the hottest temps of the year as the Pacific Northwest experienced record-high temperatures. There are now some signs of relief as temps dip into the upper 90s. Yes, that’s correct, temps have dropped, but they’re still scorching hot. This is very similar to the real estate market. The overheated housing market…
What’s Hot at the Yacht
From east to west to center, Bend is full up with food cart lots these days—each with its own vibe and offerings for delicious food-truck love. Midtown Bend got its first full-blown lot one year ago, when Midtown Yacht Club opened along 4th Street with a handful of carts and an indoor beer garden. On…
Awakening Your Inner Hero
Hmmm. Think about it for a second. Where do bananas come from? Almost none of them come from our own country. Ninety-four percent come from Central America, which is approximately 4,000 miles south of Bend. Every grocery store in Bend will tell you that bananas are one of the best-selling items in the entire store.…
May the Source Be With You
I’m sitting in a profoundly air-conditioned hotel room overlooking Pilot Butte, a few hours before the fireworks begin on the Fourth of July. Living next door to the starting location of the Freedom Ride means that every Independence Day my home becomes a breeding ground for drunken half-naked revelers looking for somewhere to pee, puke…
When Hair Gel Met Sally & Brothel, Where Art Thou
When Hair Gel Met Sally I’m a 28-year-old woman. My boyfriend of three months is a great person, and I started to think he might be The One. However, he got a new haircut—one that had him using excessive gel. Looking at him, I felt a wave of revulsion and needed to get away…permanently. I…
Free Will Astrology—Week of July 8
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Cancerian author Vladimir Mayakovsky wrote a poem about how one morning he went half-mad and conversed with the sun. At first he called the supreme radiance a “lazy clown,” complaining that it just floated through the sky for hours while he, Mayakovsky, toiled diligently at his day job painting posters. Then…
Speeding Around the Mountain
Mt. Bachelor is more than just a ski resort with opportunities for all kinds of summer recreation. Brews, sunset dinners and chats with forest rangers offer laidback mountain time with plenty of views. If you’re looking for a little more adventure, there are the always popular zip lining routes and hiking trails, as well as…
Redmond’s Growing Pains Shouldn’t Include Honoring Traitors and Slavery
Over the past week, the drought and the danger of fire saw most locals complying with the repeated pleas to avoid personal fireworks on the 4th of July. That part of the 4th went relatively smoothly, with no major fires reported in the area. Another facet of the 4th, however, offered a big area of…
