Mule deer can be found in Bend’s backyard gardens and along the highways connecting the city to other Central Oregon towns. In fact, seeing one is so unremarkable that the risks facing them are easy to miss. But wildlife biologists say the species is suffering, and humans are to blame. That simple conclusion should come […]
Erin Rook
Erin was a writer and editor at the Source from 2013 to 2016.
Side Notes 8/5-8/12
A new brew playing off a soon-to-be iconic Central Oregon attraction is heading to the market. Crux Fermentation Project and Sierra Nevada Brewing Company are collaborating on the Paddle Trail Ale, a 35 IBU / 4.5% ABV session IPA. The beer will be distributed across the state by Columbia Distributing and will be available starting […]
Smoke Signals 8/5-8/12
Just Say No. DARE to Keep Kids Off Drugs. If these black-and-white, fear-based programs had been successful, we would have seen more of a shift in illicit drug use by teens. Rather, in the past 20 years, the percentage of 12th graders who say they’ve used an illicit drug in the last month has continued […]
Bend-La Pine Schools to hold public meeting about future of Troy Field
In order to move forward with its sale of Troy Field to a developer, Bend-La Pine Schools will first have to apply for a zoning change. The 0.8-acre property currently has a Public Facilities designation. The district is hoping to have that changed to Commercial Limited. The next step in that process is a public […]
Bend’s DJ Raider Mystic drops video for Raider Nation mixtape
The 2015 NFL season doesn’t kick off for more than a month, but the Raider Nation is ready. Bend’s own DJ Raider Mystic, who founded the Bend Oregon Raider Nation (BORN) in 2013, recently released a Raider Nation mixtape for the upcoming football season. Fans of the Oakland Raiders are somewhat notorious. GQ once called […]
Legal weed coming to a dispensary near you October 1
It’s official. Legal weed limbo will end on October 1, when the medical marijuana dispensaries will be permitted to sell some cannabis products. Gov. Kate Brown quietly signed the bill into law on Monday, according to the Oregon Legislative record. Her office has not yet released a statement about the signing. Currently, it is legal […]
Canine Colleagues
This June marked the 17th annual Take Your Dog to Work Day. (By comparison, Take Your Daughter To Work Day started 23 years ago.) In Bend, however, that “holiday” is celebrated every day at some workplaces. While the impulse may be a simple side effect of Central Oregon’s fondness for canine companions, bringing pups to […]
Pounding the Pavement
Driving across Bend is a little like playing Minesweeper, only the potholes don’t explode. So it’s not surprising that, in a recent survey by DHM Research, 61 percent of respondents described road conditions in Bend as “poor” or “very poor.” And data backs up that gut feeling. Because road damage has outpaced funding for repairs, […]
Side Notes 7/29-8/5
Gov. Kate Brown on Tuesday ordered state agencies to improve their efforts to conserve water. The executive order establishes a goal of reducing water consumption by 15 percent or more at all state-owned facilities by December 31, 2020. Agencies will be required to give a progress report on November 1, 2015, and annually for the […]
Smoke Signals 7/29-8/5
Bend City Councilors will be making local rules that impact the time, place, and manner in which recreational marijuana is grown, processed, and sold. So we asked them about their past, present, and future marijuana use. Here’s what they had to say (or not). Councilors Sally Russell, Nathan Boddie, and Barb Campbell did not respond […]

