Boiling in Warm Springs
The Warms Springs Water Treatment Plant is back online after an underground electrical fire disabled it on March 19. The reservation’s utilities department issued an emergency water conservation notice and deployed portable showers, toilets and bottled water while repairs were arranged. Originally the utilities department expected that repairs could take up to two months, but…
Early Spring Wildflowers to Welcome the Season
Spring in the high desert is a mercurial thing: sun and warm temperatures one day, followed by snow and sleet the next. The only sure sign that spring is really here is the arrival of wildflowers! Central Oregon, with its deserts and high mountain meadows, is chock full of wildflowers and a nice long season…
Pats on the Back for Everyone
There’s a reason why the ratings for the Oscars have kept going down over the last few years. A lot of that has to do with the fact that critics and audiences rarely agree on what constitutes a great film anymore. Just pick any movie on Rotten Tomatoes and compare the critics’ score with the…
Is That Weed Even Legal?
Maybe your neighbor has a few smelly plants and you want to know if there’s something you can do about it. Maybe your neighbor is a farmer who has a field of what looks like marijuana—but you’re not sure how to tell whether it’s hemp—which is federally legal—or the stuff people smoke to get high.…
“It’s Not The Year, It’s You”
In the year-by-year pantheon of culture, we have collectively heard repeatedly over the last few years how each was respectively poor for different reasons for different people; how things needed to be made great again, or how things may have never been so great to begin with. On Jason Graham’s latest album under the MOsley…
High Demand and Low Inventory
There are lots of factors at play on the demand side. When the world was introduced to COVID-19 it seemed somewhat intuitive that inventory would be constrained. With people concerned about a pandemic, most would likely choose to stay put and to not bring strangers through their homes. As summer approached more people wanted out…
Muzzle-Bound
My wife and I got married eight months ago. Whatever I suggest for the apartment — a paint color, a bathroom fixture — my wife immediately dismisses. For example, the living room couch she wanted was too huge for the space: a really awkward, uncomfortable fit. She kept ignoring objective facts about spatial relations —…
Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): In 1904, it wasn’t illegal to use performance-enhancing drugs during Olympic competitions. Runner Thomas Hicks took advantage of this in the marathon race. The poison strychnine, which in small doses serves as a stimulant, was one of his boosters. Another was brandy. By the time he approached the finish line, he…
Rebound Rations
Instant ramen noodles have replaced cigarettes as the reserve currency of the incarcerated. They are available at most prison commissaries for about 60 cents each, providing you have money in your account. Inmates convert their dollars to ramen the way speculators pile into the latest cryptocurrency, and trade the packages of crispy noodles for clothes,…
Shaking the House
Who knew… the last week of March is National Cleaning Week? Get out your brooms, stock up on elbow grease. Spring cleaning time is here! Whose idea was this? Apparently, everyone’s. Regardless of religion, culture or climate, the sweet air of spring has always prompted us to clean up our houses and our acts, to…
New Sushi Cart at The Lot
Bendites can find a new sushi cart located on the west side. The Lot is now home to Maki Maki Sushi, owned by sushi chef Adam Pan and his wife Shi, who’s also a sushi chef. The couple moved to Bend after operating their own sushi restaurant in New York, and later operating supermarket sushi…
Navigating the Houseless Crisis
At the crack of dawn on March 14 the Bend Police Department arrived at the Second Street camp to clear campers off public right of ways. Bend City Manager Eric King declared the campsite unsafe after a report from BPD deemed it unsafe on Feb. 16, under criteria approved by the Bend City Council in…
Masking After Mandates
Oregon ended its mask mandate for indoor spaces on March 12, ending a nearly two-year period of mandatory masking. Since the state first instituted mask mandates in June 2020, there’s only been one period without the mandate, which was quickly reinstated as the Delta variant surged. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown shelved the first mask mandate…
Rock N Roll All Night,Trail Build Every Day
With thoughts of spring comes an eagerness to bust the bike out and hit the trails. After a lackluster winter trails have been primed for a while, but trail traffic is going to increase. One organization that maintains Central Oregon’s trails year-round is Central Oregon Trail Alliance. COTA has worked to build a robust mountain…
Warm Springs Without Water
An underground electrical fire on March 19 at the Warm Springs Indian Reservation disabled the reservation’s water treatment plant, prompting the tribes’ utilities department to issue an emergency water conservation notice to users in the agency area, including Upper Dry Creek, Sunnyside, Wolfe Point and the Kah-Nee-Ta Hamlets. Water conservation strategies include turning off running…
Letters to the Editor 03/24/2022
Reduce climate anxiety with action in local elections I appreciate the Source’s article last month highlighting Dr. Sarah Jaquette Ray’s work and presentation on Climate Anxiety. As someone who has known about human-caused climate change since I was 18, and been involved in taking action ever since, I do have my fair share of climate…
Golf Course Correction
The River’s Edge Community Master Association announced that the sale of River’s Edge Golf Course finalized for a sum of $500,000. In April 2021 River’s Edge’s former owner Wayne Purcell announced his intention to sell the golf course to Pahlisch Homes, which planned to develop it into 370+ homes. Nearby residents weren’t happy. They started…
Warm Springs sin agua
Un incendio eléctrico subterráneo del 19 de marzo en la Reserva India de Warm Springs desactivo la planta de tratamiento de agua de la reserva, dando lugar a que el departamento servicios públicos de las tribus emitiera un aviso urgente para los usuarios sobre la conservación del agua a los usuarios de la zona, incluyendo…
Navegando la crisis de las personas sin hogar
El 16 de marzo, el consejo de la ciudad de Bend aprobó la instauración inicial de un nuevo centro de navegación (navigation center) de la ciudad, un albergue de emergencia de acceso fácil que conecta a las personas y familias con servicios de salud, beneficios públicos y vivienda permanente. La legislatura de Oregon otorgó a…
Voters Want a Central Library. If There’s a Will, There Should Be a Way.
Locals hear it all the time: We’re living in one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States. What that often means is, in more than one facet of life, the speed of growth outpaces what one person, company, entity or government can get a handle on. It also means we watch the difference between…
