Eric Flowers

editor@tsweekly.com
Posted inOpinion

Our Straight Poop Is Always Fresh, Wholesome and Tasty

Eric Flowers

Monday, April 25
Can't keep a real dick-tator down: Muammar Qaddafi reported “in high spirits” despite NATO air strike that kills three people in his compound … Put on the pads: NFL fans breathe (temporary) sigh of relief as judge rules in favor of players, ends owners' lockout, but season remains in jeopardy … Big-game hunting: Levi Johnston, father of Bristol Palin's baby, plans tell-all book titled Deer in the Headlights: My Life in Sarah Palin's Crosshairs … Don't squeeze those chickens: Oregonians for Humane Farms files to put measure guaranteeing more space for egg-laying hens on next fall's ballot … “Scandal” du jour: The indefatigable Donald Trump says he's now investigating how President Obama got into Columbia and Harvard despite being a “terrible student” … Excitement mounts! Millions of royalty-lovers gear up for Friday's wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

Posted inOpinion

Show some real courage, Mr. President

Eric Flowers

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Posted inOpinion

Street Bond Merits Scrutiny

Eric Flowers

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I just received my ballot to vote on whether or not Bend should authorize another $30 million to be spent on road improvements. I think there are serious questions we should all be asking before this money is approved or not, but it seems that no one asks them. I've lived here for almost 20 years. But like almost everyone else, I come from elsewhere in the country, which, in this case, gives me enough perspective to ask some questions. While there is no disagreement that something needs to be done about the state of repair on these roads, and I'm sure that safety could be improved, there is a very serious need to examine what “we” get for our money. And yes, I say “we” because even though I wasn't born here, I still pay taxes here.
I have watched several road projects, such as the debacle on Brosterhaus and Murphy roads. I'm sure there are technical difficulties with this type of construction in this type of environment. But here are some basic issues: Roads around these parts certainly seem to fall apart quicker than elsewhere in the country, including areas such as Vermont that get much worse weather. Construction of roads in this area takes much, much longer than in other areas of the country, such as New York where I have seen entire highways built in less time than it has taken to “improve” Murphy road. The planning of improvements in other areas such as New Jersey is done to standards that work, as opposed to the limited access bypass that has been built with stop sign entrances, lack of, or blind, merge lanes and painted pedestrian crosswalks that literally kill people.

Posted inNews

One Man's Trash: Bag ban faces a long road forward in Salem, plus other local legislative news.

Gus Gates has been working in Salem to get legislators to sign off on a proposal that would ban single-use plastic bags from grocery store checkout lanes.
Eric Flowers

Like most ocean lovers, Gus Gates spends a lot of time strolling along the beaches of Oregon's iconic coastline. And like others who spend time around the water, Gates has found himself using less of his time to contemplate the wonders of the sea and more to clean up litter. More often than not, that litter washes ashore in the form of a wrinkled and clammy single-use bag, those ubiquitous satchels that not so long ago replaced paper bags in the checkout lanes and are seemingly handed out by the truckload at most grocery stores.

Posted inFood & Drink

Little Bites: Back from the Dead – A time for restaurant resurrections

Chan’s Chinese Restaurant reopens, Bend Yogurt Factory to open downtown and Astro Lounge to move around the corner.
Eric Flowers

The Source staff christened Chan's grand reopening on Third Street this week with a quadruple helping of Chan's heaping lunch specials, including the $2.25 pepper chicken lunch plate teaser that the restaurant put out to promote its culinary resurrection. A favorite among Bend locals, Chan's had been closed for the better part of a year after a fire nearly destroyed the restaurant. However, the bustling lunch hour indicated that despite its extended absence, Chan's hasn't missed a beat. Customers literally lined up on Tuesday during the lunch hour for a chance to see the revamped restaurant, which spent handsomely on a full makeover. The result is a dining room that feels familiar to longtime customers, but is essentially an entirely new eatery.

Posted inSpecial Issues & Guides

Blowin' in the Wind: New small-wind power business could open up another green industry in Deschutes County

Abney Solar Electrix is still installing solar power for rural residents. But instead of powering a small battery, Abney's systems power whole homes and businesses.
Eric Flowers

Dean Abney started his sustainable energy career more than three decades ago installing small inverter systems in rural eastern Oregon. The modest units powered television repeaters that he and his father were licensed to install, bringing network television to ranchers whose children were clamoring to watch the Brady Bunch and other shows. Back then there was no DirectTV, and certainly no cable television or Internet. Abney's repeaters were a lifeline to the outside world in remote places like Harney and Wasco counties.

Posted inOutside

Home on the Range: Cast and blast at Lake in the Dunes

You don't come to Summer Lake, Oregon, in March for the weather.
Eric Flowers

You don't come to Summer Lake, Oregon, in March for the weather. This is the country where, according to local legend, Northwest explorer John C. Fremont was nearly stranded in the mountains overlooking the windswept basin and its namesake water body. Nonetheless, my companions couldn't resist pointing out during a recent trip to the Lake in the Dunes, just outside Summer Lake, that they had enjoyed T-shirt weather the previous year on the same weekend. Thankfully, we weren't there for the weather, which proved a mix of gusting winds, freezing temperatures and blowing snow, usually all at once, during the course of our weekend stay at the sportsmen's ranch that lies about two hours southeast of Bend.

Posted inFood & Drink

Little Bites: Out with the Old, In with the New (Menus)

An industry roundup of changing menus in Central Oregon.
Eric Flowers

It may be a few weeks before patio dining season truly begins in earnest, but Bend restaurants are already busy this spring with menu changes and expanded hours. Downtown, the popular Mexican bistro El Jimador has reopened with a totally revamped menu after a prolonged, if temporary closure. The new menu was developed by co-owner Baltazar Chavez who partenered up with owner Roberto Anaya to reinvigorate the restaurant, which like many others has struggled to stay viable in Bend's fragile economy. However, Chavez, who still owns his namesake restaurant on Bend's westside, said he is confident that customers will embrace the new menu, which leans heavily toward more seafood and authentic preparations.

Posted inNews

Former Ernesto's Spot to Reopen As Pub and Brew Shop

Owners of the Brew Shop have signed a lease to move into the former Ernesto’s spot on Third Street.
Eric Flowers

The owners of The Brew Shop, aka the homebrew shop on Division, have signed a lease for the iconic Ernesto’s building on Third Street. Owner Tom Gilles said he and his partners signed a lease earlier this week that will allow them to open an expanded brew shop and basement pub in the Ernesto’s building by early summer, depending on how their city permitting process goes.
Gilles said the space needs some minor remodeling to suit their needs, but is largely ready to go. The building will allow the Brew Shop to add to its existing inventory, upping the shop’s supply of grains and other accessories that Bend’s growing homebrew community desires. The Brew Shop will also be bringing over its walk-in cooler and expansive collection of bottled microbrews that Bend beer lovers know is unrivaled among Central Oregon suds purveyors. Gilles said the additional space would only add to the dizzying array of ales and lagers at the Brew Shop.
Most interestingly, the new digs will allow Gilles and his partners, all of whom have retired from the Bend post office, to expand into the restaurant and pub business by reincarnating the former Ernesto’s lounge as a downstairs pub. Gilles said the partnership would likely expand the existing bar, a holdover from Ernesto’s, from six handles to something on the order of 15 beers.

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