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Aaron Switzer

Aaron Switzer is the founder and publisher of the Source. He remains fascinated with the art of communication even after being marinated in it for the past 30 years. He has many favorites but they pale in comparison to mountain biking on the middle fork of the Willamette with any family member who will go. Believes ultimate frisbee is the worst sport and best game ever invented. Thinks everyone should ride a motorcycle.

aaron@bendsource.com
Posted inNews

Listen: Protecting Bend From Megafires with County Forester Ed Keith 🎧

In the aftermath of last week’s mass destruction, we take a deep dive into the history of wildfire and forest management in Central Oregon, with local forestry expert Ed Keith.
Avatar photo Laurel Brauns and Aaron Switzer

For this week’s “Bend Don’t Break” podcast we talk with Ed Keith, who has worked as the county forester for Deschutes County since 2012. Keith traces the history of forest management in Central Oregon, including the impact of grazing and timber harvest, and describes how decades of fire suppression in Oregon’s forests disrupted the natural […]

Posted inNews

Reflections on Naturalist Jim Anderson

Avatar photo Aaron Switzer

As we publish Jim Anderson’s farewell column this week, Publisher Aaron Switzer offers this look back at the long relationship between our beloved Natural World contributor and the paper. I find it hard to believe that there will be a Source Weekly without a Jim Anderson column. Jim began writing for the paper after our first […]

Posted inNews

Former Bend Mayor: Jeff Eager on Local Government 🎧 [with podcast]

Jeff Eager, author of the “Bend Business Roundup,” shares his views on lockdowns, protests, public health and polarization
Avatar photo Laurel Brauns and Aaron Switzer

For this week’s “Bend Don’t Break” podcast, we talk with Jeff Eager who is a business attorney and former mayor of Bend. He shares his perspective on the coronavirus lockdowns, the protests against police brutality and the need for competent leadership in the wake of a worldwide pandemic. He attributes increasing polarization to the media’s focus […]

Posted inNews

Mental Health Crisis Intervention 🎧 [with podcast]

Holly Harris is the crisis services manager for Deschutes County. She talks about the new stabilization center, decriminalizing mental illness and police officers in schools
Avatar photo Laurel Brauns and Aaron Switzer

For this week’s “Bend Don’t Break” podcast our guest is Holly Harris, the crisis services manager for Deschutes County. She’s worked in the behavioral health field for 17 years with a primary focus on the intersection of criminal justice and mental health. Right now, she’s working to get the Deschutes County Stabilization Center up and […]

Posted inNews

Podcast: Crisis Leadership with Keith Witcosky, Redmond City Manager

New episode of the Bend Don’t Break podcast, hosted by publisher Aaron Switzer
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Bend Don’t Break is a new podcast series from the Source Weekly, hosted by our publisher Aaron Switzer, who started Bend’s first and only alternative weekly two decades ago. Aaron dives into range of topics relevant to the COVID-19 pandemic like the economy, the local anti-lockdown movement, leadership in the time of COVID  and much […]

Posted inNews

Bend Don’t Break: New Podcast, Hosted by Publisher Aaron Switzer

A chat with regional economist Damon Runberg about the future of Central Oregon’s economy
Avatar photo Aaron Switzer

Bend Don’t Break is the newest podcast series from the Source Weekly, hosted by our publisher Aaron Switzer, who started Bend’s first and only alternative weekly two decades ago. Aaron dives into range of topics relevant to the COVID-19 pandemic like the economy, the local anti-lockdown movement, mental health effects of social isolation and much […]

Posted inNews

You’d Be Surprised!

Hikes behind my house turn up fires-to-be all the time
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I live in what is called the Wildland-Urban Fire Interface. Fire is always licking at my thoughts. Living on land next to a forest has its upside, but the threat of fire is not one of them. When the days get hot—and this happens earlier and earlier each year-the high desert turns into a tinderbox. […]

Posted inOpinion

An Open Letter to Bulletin Publisher Gordon Black

A letter to The Bulletin’s publisher on the occasion of the paper’s bankruptcy announcement.
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Dear Gordon,
I was disappointed I had to hear the financial news about your Chapter 11 filing from your newspaper. You don't call anymore. I know I haven't been any better about reaching out, but I can't believe we have grown so distant that it has come to this.
To be honest, it wasn't the most delicate way to approach the subject with readers. What were you thinking, giving Costa a front-page column to drone on about your predicament . . . right next to your news piece about the very same thing? I told you before, you gotta rein that guy in. BofA was a “trusted partner?” Who is Costa kidding? He's not doing himself any favors when he spends one week telling everyone they need to be more accountable in his column, then in a moment of crisis starts conjuring up creditor boogeymen, and strange bank accounting to blame for your financial woes. If you have to do it again, Gordon, trust your readers and let your news article stand on its own.

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