Cover Story
Central Oregon’s Top Stories of 2017
It was the year of wacky weather and hazy air, eclipse prep and falling roofs, surprises and sadness: Here’s a look back at 2017.
Another One Bites the Dust
In a surprise social media post, Summit Saloon and Stage, the sports bar turned nightclub in downtown Bend, abruptly shut its doors on Tuesday. Citing “unsuccessful lease negotiations and economic factors,” co-owners Matthew Gordon and John Simac who ran the bar for more than 10 years wrote an emotional Facebook farewell stating, “It is with…
Another Year, Another Broken Resolution
Portland makes the top ten for keeping New Year’s resolutions but Americans will mostly still fail.
Picks of the Week: Dec 27-Jan 3
THURSDAY – FRIDAY 12/28 – 12/29 STORM LARGE HOLIDAY ORDEAL HOLIDAY TUNES—After spending the ’90s crooning to clubbers in SF, singer-songwriter Storm Large moved to Portland to become a chef—and that’s when she landed her big break with her new band, The Balls. Life is funny sometimes, right? You may recognize her as a guest…
Year in Review: As 2017 ends, public process still matters
OPINION As 2017 comes to a close, we want to take time to reflect on the momentous year that has passed. The biggest issue for the community happened on the national stage, where we’ve experienced the ups and, mostly downs, of inaugurating a new president who is more tuned to midnight tweets than policy that…
THE LEDGER: Because 2017 was…well, it was a doozy.
Wait, what just happened?
10 of Trump’s Insane Tweets
I got drunk last weekend and read all 2,735 tweets Donald Trump has written since the election, in the hopes that the feed, collected and searchable on trumptwitterarchive.com, might be a good way to get a sense of the horrors we’ve endured. It was like reliving all of the unbelievable moments of this last year in…
Horoscope: New Year, New You?
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Hungarian psychiatrist Thomas Szasz dismissed the idea that a person should be on a quest to “find himself” or “find herself.” “The self is not something that one finds,” he said. Rather, “it is something one creates.” I think that’s great advice for you in 2018, Capricorn. There’ll be little value…
Stuff We Learned From Jim in 2017
When it comes to longtime contributors to this newspaper, you can’t get more OG than Jim Anderson. He’s been writing this column for almost as many years as this publication has been in existence: that’s 20 years if you’ve been counting, dear reader. Along the way, Anderson has regaled us with many a tale of…
This Year’s Best, Worst and Weirdest Letters to the Editor
…On Blaming it on the Californians. Came here 35 years ago from Orange County. I loved it because there was nothing here. Just natural beauty, like California USED to be when I was a little girl. As recently as last summer, a comment was made that I wasn’t a local, I was from California. I…
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
A brown and white patched horse blinks modestly at the three women approaching. The nameless mare recoils when volunteer Linda Conrad approaches. Mare Doe’s reluctance is palpable and it takes significantly longer to harness her than the other 34 residents at Mustangs to the Rescue. Once rope-haltered, Mare Doe is expressive and full of equine character:…
Advice Goddess: Alice In Wanderland
I follow you on Twitter, and I was disgusted to see your tweet about marriage, “No, humans aren’t naturally monogamous — which is why people say relationships ‘take work,’ while you never hear anybody talking about what a coal mine an affair can be.” If a person finds fidelity so challenging, they should stay single.…
Art-ful Wishes for a New Year
After a busy season of sweet handmade gift making that many of us artists participate in during this time of year, I am often left with the deep desire to make Art (with a capital A) that is not something you can buy. Something you can’t hold in your hand or replicate. One of the…
Bend Food Scene: Openings and Closings in 2017
Noticed all the new eats in town? Want reviews before you tuck in? Luckily, we covered a whole bunch of ’em this year. Scroll to the bottom to check out our reviews. In 2017 we’ve seen way more restaurants open than close. Unfortunately, we did have to say goodbye to a few: Ajii Asian Kitchen,…
Top 10 Films of the Year
This is the hardest it has ever been for me to come up with a Top 10 Films list. The year 2017 will be remembered as the finest year for cinema of the new century (alongside 2007, which brought us “There Will Be Blood,” “No Country for Old Men” and “Zodiac,” among others). This year…
The Best of Pop Culture
This week in a very special May the Source Be With You, we’re sharing some of our favorite things over the past year. It’s December. We make lists in December. It’s just how it goes. In Pod We Trust: There are so many podcasts now that’s it’s genuinely impossible to listen to them all. I…
Give Thanks for the Danks
As 2017 draws to a close, we look back with fondness upon a year filled with joy, laughter and good times, with sharing, love and—ha ha! No, not really. 2017 was a deranged fever nightmare of unheralded poisonous despair, with heartbreaking loss and division. Many people, places and things are under attack from the horror-show…
Top 10 Albums of 2017
Many years produce an album or two that scream “year’s best album” from the first listen. This was not that kind of year. In fact, there wasn’t a lot to separate any of the albums I ranked in the top five. There was, however, a good deal of depth to the albums of 2017, and…
Musicians in the Rear View
No matter how the year panned out for you from a personal angle, one thing becomes clear when reminiscing about 2017 — it was a damn good year for live music in Bend. After a couple year’s hiatus, I returned to writing about music for The Source, giving me an awesome vantage point when observing and…
Source Spotlight: Kim Kinney
When your garage workshop is home to seven different industrial sewing machines, you better crank up those tunes. During our phone call to set up this interview, outdoor gear-repair extraordinaire, Kim Kinney, sounded like she was talking from the floor of a factory going full tilt. So a couple days later, when we settled in…
Best of Books
1. ‘Astrophysics for People In A Hurry’ by Neil DeGrasse Tyson A most improbable bestseller that proves science is alive and well in Central Oregon. Tyson takes us from the Big Bang to the outer edge of our universe and beyond in a primer accessible to anyone, filled with ‘wow’ moments and ideas. Buy here.…
A look back at 2017 and what the new tax plan will bring in 2018
As 2017 comes to an end, the U.S. real estate market has continued to be strong overall—all while housing affordability remains a big issue both nationally and locally. As a millennial and realtor, I regularly encounter people in my age group who are unable to buy a home because they cannot save money and have…
Trash Food
Sorry to break the news to you, readers: with the holiday parties, happy hours and family gatherings, most of us have been gradually packing on extra pounds since October. It’s hard to resist the festive sweet treats: those pillowy, Italian cream-filled macarons, the crunchy, buttery toffee, the soft yellow sponge and chocolate buttercream of the…
The Beer in Review
Remember when living in a city with lots of craft beer was considered unique? Bend may have been at the forefront of the idea, creating one of the world’s first Ale Trail atlases, but now it has tons of company. As of the end of 2017 there are more than 6,000 breweries operating in the…
Central Oregon Now and Then
Today, small batch distilling is creating a niche for award-winning spirits—but distilling in the high desert has been happening for more than 100 years. When asked about his impetuous knack for creating fine libations, one local distiller says it’s about making great spirits. The key is “local grains, water and passion.” Way back when, another…
