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Jennifer Baires

Jennifer was a features and investigative reporter for the Source Weekly through March 2025, supported by the Lay It Out Foundation. She is passionate about stories that further transparency and accountability in our region. A nerd at heart, Jennifer enjoys diving into wonky topics and messy data. Away from her computer and reporting notebook, she can be found chasing her two young children around parks and soccer fields.

features@layitoutfoundation.org
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At Fire Basecamp

How highly trained volunteer units run command centers in the wilderness to combat the country’s largest wildfires
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In a Land Birthed By Fire The final installment of our three-part series exploring how Central Oregon can safely live with fire. A lightning storm on July 22 lit up the sky over Ochoco National Forest about 5 miles north of Paulina, Oregon. The resulting strikes set off a fire that would eventually grow to nearly […]

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New Study Finds Rolling Stops Safe For Bicyclists

Researchers offer support for legislation that allows bicycle riders to treat stop signs as yields
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Afirst-of-its-kind study out of Oregon State University finds that bicyclists who treat stop signs as yield signs do not increase the danger for themselves or cars. That’s good news for many in Oregon and Washington, states that have among the highest percentages of bicycle commuters in the country. So-called “rolling stops” have been allowed in […]

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The Increasing Complexity Of ‘Thru-Hiking’ The Pacific Crest Trail

As the severity of wildfires grow, is the dream of a continuous hike of the PCT lost?
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Each year in early spring, thousands of hikers gather in Campo, California near the Mexican border to start a 2,650-mile journey on the storied Pacific Crest Trail. Their goal: to hike, unassisted, through the California, Oregon and Washington wilderness. It takes most northbound hikers an average of five months to complete the trek. Because most […]

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Graduating Doctors

How OSU-Cascades became the first public university in Oregon with a Doctor of Physical Therapy program
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It was a recent day in June. On an island of manicured grass surrounded by undeveloped land, Oregon State University-Cascades held its graduation ceremony. “Think about it. Think about all the work you’ve put into arriving at this moment,” said Kimberly Howard Wade, executive director of Caldera Arts, to the field full of students in […]

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Mid-August Fires Send Smoke Through Central Oregon

Crazy Creek burns 84,00+ acres in Crook County, Madras’ Elk Lane fire at 5,000+
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Oregon has the highest total number of large fires in the nation, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. There are 78 large active fires burning nationally with 23 of those in Oregon as of Monday. So far, acreage burned in the state tips the scales at 1,057,627. However, in Central Oregon, firefighters have managed […]

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Mile Marker 132 Fire In Northeast Bend Caused By Cooking Fire

Bend Fire confirms blaze started on vacant lot occupied by campers
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Bend Fire Department released findings Wednesday morning, tracing the cause of the Mile Marker 132 fire in northeast Bend back to a “cooking fire” at a camp on a vacant, privately owned 13-acre lot at 64010 N. Highway 97. According to Bend Fire’s press release, the person who was camping at the property remains unknown. […]

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Fire Activity Picks Up In Central Oregon

Evacuation orders are in place for several CO communities
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Destructive thunderstorms rolled through Central Oregon over the weekend causing over a dozen new fire starts and rolling back containment efforts on some larger blazes in the region. And, high temperatures and dry weather over the next few days could lead to an increase in fire activity and a heightened chance of new outbreaks, according […]

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Kah-Nee-Ta Rises

A tour of a beloved Central Oregon resort in the hour before it reopens
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It’s a few minutes before 10am on July 18 and already the sun is baking the hills around Kah-Nee-Ta Hot Springs Resort on the Warm Springs Reservation. Six years ago, on Memorial Day, the storied resort shuttered following years of economic struggles. Over 100 people lost their jobs that day, most of them tribal members. […]

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A Global Movement Gains Ground in Bend-La Pine Schools

Cell phone and tablet usage policies are under pressure from local and statewide forces
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It was the last day of school for most students at Bend La-Pine Schools. While many throughout the district celebrated the summer ahead on June 18, a group of concerned parents and healthcare practitioners gathered at the evening’s school board meeting to challenge administrators to urgently reconsider technology use in schools. “I brought in show […]

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Building in the Wildlands

Deschutes County continues to experience rapid growth. But can the region support more people and keep them safe from fire?
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In a Land Birthed by Fire Part two of a three-part series exploring how Central Oregon can safely live with fire. We can’t control where an earthquake hits, when a volcano erupts or the path of a hurricane or twister, but we can take measures to prevent a fire from breaking out and barreling down […]

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