Cover Story
Top Docs of Central Oregon
This year marks our second annual “Top Docs” feature, in which we highlight some of the amazing work our local health care providers are doing both inside and outside the exam room. The people featured here are well-respected in their fields, but they are also known to go “above and beyond” the call of duty…
Between Two Buns: The Bend Foodie’s Guide to Sandwich Week
Coming soon is a week worth getting your hands dirty — and yes, extra napkins are a prerequisite. This humble, simple and often taken-for-granted dish, the sandwich, is always a heavyweight in my stable of go-tos. For something that involves putting delicious things between other delicious things, the sandwich’s resume is quite “stacked.” It has…
Lawsuit Claims Pedestrian Death in Tumalo is Deschutes County’s Fault
A sunset reunion of two high school sweethearts was cut short last December in Tumalo in a pedestrian-driver crash, according to a wrongful death lawsuit. Filed in Deschutes County Circuit Court on Oct. 2, the lawsuit asserts that Deschutes County is to blame for letting the markings of a busy crosswalk across Cook Avenue in…
Top Docs: John Peoples, MD
Dr. John Peoples is a general pediatrician at Central Oregon Pediatrics Associates whose dedication to the well-being of the community goes far beyond his work in the office. Now going into his 17th year at COPA, Peoples has mastered working with children in the medical setting, especially those with complex medical and developmental needs. While…
Top Docs: Maya Heck, MD
Dr. Maya Heck is a hospital-based psychiatrist at St. Charles Medical Center in Bend. She works primarily with adults experiencing acute mental health challenges who are hospitalized, but also evaluates youth who come to the emergency department in crisis. “My training is in adult, child and adolescent psychiatry, which has shaped how I think about…
Top Docs: Nancy Heavilin, MD
Dr. Nancy Heavilin believes health care is a right, not a privilege, and refuses to think of her patients as customers. She’s a pediatrician who doesn’t shy away from the reality of the “hellscape of American health care,” yet still views her work caring for the children of Central Oregon as an honor and a…
Top Docs: Steven Knapp, MD
Bendites who’ve been around a while may very well remember Dr. Steven Knapp and his wife Susan, a nurse practitioner, from their small family medical business. For decades, the couple offered locals a small-town doctor’s office experience, welcoming new babies and taking care of kids and families from their practice, Wall Street Family Practice, on…
Top Docs: Sarah Benrath, PNP-BC, MPH, MSN
Sarah Benrath, PNP-BC, MPH, MSN has a long list of letters behind her name, signifying that she’s a pediatric nurse practitioner with master’s degrees in public health and nursing — bona fides she brings to her work with youth at Mosaic Community Health in Central Oregon. In addition to its main clinic in Bend, Mosaic…
Some Central Oregon Candidates Take “Pledge” to Help Build More Housing. Others are Skeptical.
A series of local election forums in Deschutes County this year have all ended the same way: with a pledge. During the housing-focused forums hosted by a development advocacy group, candidates for city or county offices respond to questions on how they plan to reduce obstacles to construction and lower the cost of housing. Then, a…
Developers Push to Rezone Rural Land in Deschutes County Ahead of County Commission Change
Property owners are seeking to remove agricultural zoning protections from hundreds of acres of land in rural Deschutes County to allow for low-density or luxury housing in the next few months, before a new slate of county commissioners takes office. Incoming candidates who will make up the future majority on the Deschutes County Board of…
Free Will Astrology, Week of Oct. 15, 2026
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): One morning soon, I predict you will open your inner eyes as well as your outer eyes and discover that you feel freer than you have in ages. Old specters that once pestered you will seem strangely powerless. Worn-out customs will have loosened their hold, and an ancient obligation will finally…
New ERA Festival Supports Regenerative Action, Community and Creativity
A brand-new Central Oregon non-profit will celebrate creativity, community and regenerative action with its first fundraiser on Saturday, Oct. 17 at the Century Center in Bend. The New ERA Festival will feature live music from several local acts across four stages, silent and live auctions, and a market filled with goods from growers, makers and…
Fun™
Recently, I reviewed Zach Gregger’s “Resident Evil” and wrote about how, on paper, a new reboot of a 20-year-old movie franchise based on a 30-year-old video game series shouldn’t be remotely watchable. Yet, the film is fantastic, leading me to preach that all films deserve a fair shake, even the ones that sound like horrible…
Nighttime Benders: An Interview with Anthony Poponi
Can happiness really be learned? Nighttime Benders caught up with comedian, comedy producer and self-proclaimed positive psychology nerd Anthony Poponi to find out. We talk about building a happier life, the lessons behind his new memoir, and the show he’s bringing to Oregon Spirit Distillers. By day, Poponi is a keynote speaker helping organizations create…
The Medicine Cabinet Within: Getting Back Into Rhythm After Travel Abroad
You’ve just had an amazing trip traveling abroad, are relishing in the places you’ve seen and experienced, and after a long series of flights home, you find yourself unraveling from the body’s dysregulation following a sudden shift in time zones. It’s not just the fatigue of travel or stress of getting back to work, responsibilities…
Letters to the Editor, Week of Oct. 15, 2026
Dogs in the Wilderness If the Forest Service’s goal is to protect our wilderness areas, it should consider limiting not only the number of people on the seventeen most popular trails, but also the number of dogs. On a recent hike on one of those protected trails, I noticed dog droppings along the way and…
Go Here: Prep for the Coming Ski Season
After a warm entry into the autumn season, the weather in Central Oregon is set to turn colder this weekend. As we look ahead to snow-capped peaks in the Oregon Cascades, here are some ways to prep for the coming ski season. -Backcountry lovers have the chance to geek out on all things winter weather…
Bend Into Balance: Ben Dullum
The Oregon section of the Pacific Crest Trail extends along 460 miles parallel to the coast, consisting of an elevation gain and loss of over 65,000 feet, more than twice the height of Mount Everest. Since 2015, the decade-long record for running the length of it sat at 8.5 days, averaging close to 55 miles…
The Homes We Regret Buying
Buying a home is supposed to be one of the most exciting purchases of your life. You tour it, fall in love with the kitchen, imagine your future there and start mentally arranging furniture before making an offer. But sometimes what looks great on a sunny Saturday in July becomes what you complain about every…
The War and Treaty: Country, Soul, Gospel and Rock
The War and Treaty’s music is delightfully difficult to categorize, but what’s easy to hear in it is emotional truth and the baring of souls. A variety of sounds anchored by episodes of disappointment, joy and everything in between makes the husband-and-wife team’s fifth album, “The Story of Michael and Tanya,” an artistic triumph. Released…
