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Jack Harvel

Jack is originally from Kansas City, Missouri and has been making his way west since graduating from the University of Missouri, working a year and a half in Northeast Colorado before moving to Bend in the Spring of 2021. When not reporting he’s either playing folk songs (poorly) or grand strategy video games, and checking out the different hiking trails in Central Oregon.

jharvel@gannett.com
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Overdoses Spike

Health Departments give recommendations after 16 local overdoses in under a month
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The Crook County Health Department reported there have been 15 non-fatal overdoses—and one fatal— since Sept. 15 in the tri-county area of Central Oregon including Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson counties. The Central Oregon Overdose Crisis Response Taskforce said the overdoses involved heroin, methamphetamines, counterfeit pills and other substances likely to contain fentanyl, a synthetic opioid […]

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Zoning In

Proposed zoning change could affect where the City can place shelters and managed camps
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Sounding Board to House Our Neighbors, a city-manager-appointed committee, recommended that Bend allow shelters in managed camps in all zoning designations except for heavy industrial. In a press release on Monday, the committee laid out four shelter types, all currently zone restricted. They include group shelters where there’s shared sleeping areas, multi-room shelters with individual […]

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Low-Snow Skiing

What’s the correlation between good snow and winter tourism?
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It’s been five years since Mt. Bachelor reported above-average annual snowfall, according to the website On The Snow. Most climate change models predict that winters will be shorter and more unpredictable in the future, which has the potential to lead to a shorter, more unpredictable tourism season in Central Oregon. Winter tourism is more dependent […]

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Progress at Juniper Ridge

The City’s approval of a public works campus at Juniper Ridge signals more opportunities for the property
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The 1,500-acre area of Juniper Ridge was sold to the City of Bend for $1 by Deschutes County in 1990, and has since been considered for a number of different purposes. The land was given under the pretense that it would be “employment land,” zoned commercial, industrial or mixed use. An ambitious master plan that […]

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Power Pond

Pacific Power is maintaining the 100-year-old Newport Dam after its lowest power output in decades
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A 90-foot crane pulled a 20,000-pound generating unit at the Newport Avenue Dam on Mirror Pond last week. Data from the Energy Infrastructure Council show power output at the dam reached its lowest point in decades in 2020, producing just 315 megawatt hours compared to an average of 2,390 MWh over the past 20 years. “The […]

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Winter Sports On A Warmer Earth

Protect Our Winters seeks systemic solutions to protect the environment, and their favorite winter sport
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Editors note: The Source team imagines what outdoor communities can do—and are doing—to make them more responsive to climate change Before Bend became known as an outdoor Disneyland for all types of activities, it was primarily known for lumber and skiing. The timber industry shrunk from conservationist regulations, and now skiing seasons could shrink with […]

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Accused Shooter Charged With Murder

Deschutes District Attorney John Hummel announced the arrest and charges of Ian Cranston, who is accused of shooting 22-year-old Barry Washington
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Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel announced that Ian Cranston was charged with the crimes of murder in the second degree, manslaughter in the first degree, manslaughter in the second degree, assault in the first degree and two counts of unlawful use of a weapon in the shooting of 22-year-old Barry Washington on Sunday, September […]

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Evictions Ahead

A predicted surge of evictions hasn’t come yet, but protections are expiring
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On June 1, Oregon’s eviction moratorium expired, ending a 14-month-long period during which Oregonians couldn’t be evicted for failing to pay rent. Fearing a surge of evictions, the Oregon legislature passed safeguards to keep tenants in their home. So far, it appears to have worked and a surge hasn’t happened. “It has not materialized; it’s […]

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Remembering Barry Washington

The shooting of a 22-year-old Black man sheds light on people’s experiences of racism in Central Oregon
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Hundreds of people attended vigils to honor Barry Washington, Jr. Sept. 22 and 23 in Bend, just days after police say he was shot and killed by Ian Cranston outside of The Capitol, a Bend nightclub, Sept. 19. Washington’s family and friends also organized a vigil at Benicia Park in Benicia, California, close to where […]

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Charges Pending, Payment Received

Locals express outrage over the charges and release of Ian Cranston, who officials say shot and killed Barry Washington Sunday
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In the early hours of Sunday 27-year-old Ian Cranston shot and killed 22-year-old Barry Washington Jr. outside of a downtown Bend nightclub, officials say. Initial reporting suggested Cranston shot Washington after he complimented Cranston’s girlfriend and asked her out, once at the bar and later outside. Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel said there is […]

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