Ron Wyden grills Jeff Sessions
“Were you aware of any concerns at the FBI or elsewhere about your contacts with the Russians, or any other matters relevant to whether you should step aside from the Russian investigation?” Attorney General Jeff Sessions testified today as the Russia & 2016 Election Investigations continue in the U.S. Senate. The above quote is from…
Bonus Interview with Fortune’s Folly — Alt-Rock for Your Friday Night at Volcanic
Last week, I caught up with Eugene-based alternative rockers Fortune’s Folly. The band caught my eye, as I have an affliction for indie rock and female lead singers. Fortune’s Folly reminds me of pre-”Return of Saturn”, ‘90s era No Doubt, also known as the biggest influence on my love of music (yep, “Tragic Kingdom” was…
Pick’s Picks: The Cave Singers Play Living Room Show in Bend This Sunday!
You guys! The Cave Singers are playing a small acoustic show in Bend on Sunday! News of the show came across my desk this morning and I couldn’t be more excited to share the news with you all. One of my best friends introduced me to The Cave Singers before we saw them at Mississippi…
ALERT: Missing Person: Chase Hove, 27, Bend PD Appeals for Public Help
UPDATE: Bend Police have said they found Hove’s car in the southwest area of Bend, prompting officers and detectives to actively search that area for him. The vehicle is no longer of interest. The Bend Police Department are appealing to the public for help in finding Chase Hove, 27, a Bend resident. Chase left his…
Paris Agreement: Government should follow industry & not the other way around
You’ve probably heard some of these stats before: The United States is the number-two polluter on the planet according to the Union of Concerned Scientists. The top three biggest sources of pollution, according to the Yale Journal of Industrial Ecology: Transportation (especially cars and planes), food production (especially meat and dairy), and energy for heating,…
Senior Strength
It’s no secret that Central Oregon is home to accomplished athletes of many persuasions—and that trend doesn’t stop with an increase in the number of birthdays celebrated. For the past four years, older athletes have descended on Bend for the Oregon Senior Games, a series of events that allow competitors 50 and over the chance…
Picks of the Week: June 8-14
Wednesday 7 – Sunday 11 Sisters Rodeo RODEO — “The Biggest Little Show in the World” returns to Sisters. This time-honored tradition brings together rodeo fans big and small with bucking broncos, barrel racing and an entire weekend of festivities. The Kiwanis Buckaroo Breakfast supports Sisters youth programs with a complete breakfast. Hardtails hosts post-rodeo…
Johnny’s Depths
I don’t like Johnny Depp anymore. We’ll always have “Edward Scissorhands” and “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” but his schtick hasn’t just gotten old, it’s become a bit unbearable. Not even taking into account his tabloid-fodder personal life, he’s become a caricature of what he once was. The thing that used to make Depp…
Transit App, Transgender Equality Bill, Housing Legislation Moves Forward
New Transit App for CET Riders of Cascades East Transit can now check arrival times and other information through the transportation network’s new mobile app. The “Transit App” went live June 1, offering real-time information on the location of buses. The app includes a trip planner and reminders about when to depart for the bus…
Getting a Zero Down Payment Mortgage
In these days of escalating rents in which rent payments can be more than a mortgage payment, many people are unable to save any money for a down payment. As a result, many think that home ownership is not possible without a down payment. The reality is that there are several opportunities to become a…
Blockbuster Season
Last week we took a look at the indie releases coming out over the summer months for those who want to avoid the explosive hyperbole of the omnipresent blockbusters. Since I love a small French drama just as much as watching The Rock punch his way into my heart, this week we take a look…
Science Advice Goddess: Silicon Valley
Silicone Valley I’m a guy who hates fake boobs. I’ve dumped women I really liked upon discovering they have them. Total dealbreaker for me. However, I obviously can’t just ask whether a woman has them. What should I do? I don’t want to waste my time or hers. —Real Deal Right. Not exactly a first-date…
The Good and the Bad in Pot Bills in Salem
However, the least sexy/funny topics—such as bills pertaining to how we produce, sell and consume cannabis in Oregon—are of far greater importance than my take on the new OG Purple Ghost Rider Cookie Kush. (“It tasted of pot, and I felt high.”) So let’s talk about two bills: SB1057, which just became law, and HB2198,…
Humor Us
What’s so funny about Bend? Plenty, as it turns out, with the comedy calendar here getting increasingly crowded. Some weeks, you can find as many as six separate, locally-produced stand-up shows. That doesn’t even count special events such as Louie Anderson and Jake Woodmansee’s recent Tower Theater appearance, or the variety of comedy “improv” shows.…
Live & Honest
“I’ve always been traveling in my life and I actually started traveling before I started playing music,” Ian Thomas, leader of Band of Drifters says. “The two have always been really integrated in my lifestyle.” As cliché as it may sound, Thomas takes the road less traveled when it comes to touring. He generally avoids…
Who’s Ready for Farm Fresh Veggies?
Get your front row seat to seasonality – it’s farmers market season! This week the Bend Farmers Market downtown and the NW Crossing Farmers Market will both open for the season. The markets offer the region’s local produce, meat, poultry and fish, plus flowers, baked goods and handmade products. The Farmers Perspective Local farmers have…
No Pressure
Alder Street Band has come a long way since the group’s inception at the Campbell Club, a student co-op near the University of Oregon in Eugene. Beginning as a like-minded gathering of musicians, the band has evolved, while still holding onto the founding philosophy of having fun playing music with friends. “We all have jobs.…
Van Lifers
Some see it as the ticket to freedom—whether that be freedom from high rents, freedom to roam, or otherwise. Here s what it s really like to live full-time in a van inBend. In the past, the phrase “van life” brought to mind images of hippies with big sunglasses and flowy clothing, driving VW vans…
Source Spotlight: From Mountain Tops to Riverbanks
“He said to me, ‘Gail, I want to talk to you about wetlands, and troublemakers…’ I couldn’t believe he was trying to silence me…he was the one that turned me into an environmental activist.” — Gail Snyder Gail Snyder was born an environmentalist. “It’s the core of my being,” says the cofounder of the Coalition…
ONDA’s 30th Anniversary, High Desert Classic & Bicycle Films
Friday, June 30 Stand for the Land: A Community Celebration of Conservation “FUN”-DRAISER — Just who are our stewards of public lands? Oregon Natural Desert Association (ONDA), that’s who! Nearly 30 years ago, one lone Bend resident decided to ask friends to chip in $5 to help protect the high desert and with that, ONDA…
Street Beat: What Do You Think About Leaving the Paris Climate Agreement?
This week, we asked people: What’s your take on the president’s decision to pull the United States out of the Paris Agreement—the worldwide agreement to work toward reducing carbon emissions, in an effort to combat climate change? William Anderson, Summit High School sophomore I feel like pulling out of the Paris Agreement is a very…
Letters to the Editor: May 29 – June 5
Hazardous Urban Trees Consider this about trees: Trees are wonderful, they are indeed beautiful. They offer cooling shade and are home to many creatures. Among other things they produce much needed oxygen. However, trees that grow too large in town often damage sewer and water pipes with their root systems. They can also cause foundations…
Little Bites: Liquor Stores Galore & Experience Farm Life
Cheers! More Liquor Stores Are Coming The Oregon Liquor Control Commission is accepting applications for retail liquor locations for Central and Northeast Oregon from June 1 through July 31. The statewide initiative includes more than the traditional stand-alone stores; it adds selling distilled spirits within an existing retail space, boutique outlets, grocery and convenience stores.…
Gambling on Casino Beer
Any Bendite who’s ever gone on a cruise or stayed at a fancy Nevada casino resort knows that good craft beer just isn’t part of the package there, most of the time. This much is clear upon stepping through the doors of the Grand Sierra Resort, a complex about three miles east of downtown Reno—a…
What’s goin’ on, Ma Nature…?
There’s something fishy going on with Mother Nature. I’m not an expert on bird behavior or comings and goings of wild animals, but the appearance of a Common Nighthawk over in The Swamp (Portland) last week threw me a curveball. Then there’s the complete absence of house sparrows (or English sparrows) at my domicile, the…
Tower Tussle
Community members at Amity Creek Magnet School are opposing a proposed Verizon cell phone tower slated for construction at a downtown Bend church. Leaders at Trinity Episcopal Church will decide this month whether to let the wireless provider mount a faux bell tower in order to boost its 4G service to 5G. Critics, namely parents…
