Since 2012, Oregon has been the top national supplier of Christmas trees, with over 6.4 million trees produced in that year alone, as reported by the Pacific Northwest Christmas Tree Association. Currently, the state boasts 383 licensed growers producing about 4.7 million trees per year, raking in $120.6 million annually. Nowadays, though, Christmas tree farmers […]
Cayla Clark
Cayla graduated from UCLA with a degree in playwriting, soon after realizing that playwriting is not a viable career option. Fortunately, this led her to journalism, and she is thrilled to be part of such a unique and fun-loving team. Upcoming local events? Send them her way!
Posted inCulture
Growing Pains, Theatre Edition
Artists struggle to find affordable performance space in Bend
The first thing I did when I moved to Bend was storm into 2nd Street Theater and beg to be included in any way possible. Sandy J. Klein, the managing director of Stage Right Productions (the nonprofit that used to operate out of 2nd Street), graciously offered me a stage-managing role. Since then, I have […]
Posted inNews
Mothers (and Others) Demand Gun-Related Change
Sarah Douglass, the Events Lead for the Central Oregon Chapter of Moms Demand Actions, shares her views on gun violence in America.
Posted inNews
Pet-Saving License Plate Introduced in Oregon
“Oregon Loves Pets” license plate created to fund “Spay it Forward” program
Newly developed, pet-saving license plate needs to sell 3,000 vouchers before going live.
Posted inFood & Drink
Farm-to-Table Thanksgiving
Local farmers weigh in on the importance of eating consciously, locally
Every Thanksgiving, Americans consume roughly 46 million turkeys—the vast majority being factory farm-raised, spending the entirety of their short lives crammed into sheds with thousands of other turkeys. They’re force-fed a strict diet of antibiotics including tetracycline, streptomycin and ampicillin, making them more likely to carry antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Their beaks and toes are snipped so […]
Posted inNews
Shopping Local: Downtown Bend and Beyond
Unique, local gift ideas for the quirky weirdos in your life
The holiday season is upon us—time to start stress-eating sugar cookies and compulsively filling/emptying our Amazon.com shopping carts! Forego stress and the fear of generic gift-giving by supporting local businesses. Bend is brimming with local artisans, entrepreneurs and unforgettable experiences. Here are just a few uncommon gift ideas for that special someone, whether they be […]
Posted inNews
Students, Stress and Suicide
A recent City Club forum took a closer look at Oregon’s new ‘Mental Health Days’ law and how it could help students
In February, a group of Central Oregon students proposed a new bill to the Oregon Legislature—one that would allow high school students the opportunity to take five mental health days over a three-month period without academic consequences. The bill was inspired by the nationwide effort among youth to change the stigma surrounding mental health, by […]
Posted inNews
Bobcat Bludgeoning Raises Concerns
Local vets call for guideline reform after bobcat kitten “euthanized” after wandering into school
A bobcat kitten was recently bludgeoned to death after wandering into a Eugene school, leading to statewide backlash and a widespread concern for Oregon wildlife.
Posted inNews
Axe and You Shall Receive
Bend’s first hatchet-throwing bar set to open in December
A group of people getting drunk and throwing sharp, potentially lethal objects?! Sounds like a pretty horrible combination. But not to John Heylin, the mastermind behind Unofficial Logging Co., the hatchet-throwing bar set to open in downtown Bend sometime in December. Stupid, maybe… but not horrible. “I love stupid ideas,” said Heylin during an interview with […]
Posted inCulture
Local Novelist gives Historical Women a Voice
Jane Kirkpatrick, award-winning author, focuses on celebrating women of the West
“Women’s history must be invented… both uncovered and made up.“ – Virginia Woolf Envisioning the wild, wild West leads to very specific imagery: dusty trails, tumbleweeds and rugged, leather-clad cowboys patrolling the countryside on horseback. Men certainly take the spotlight when it comes to historical depictions of the Old West. Author and longtime Bendite Jane […]
