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Julianna LaFollette

Julianna earned her Masters in Journalism at NYU in 2024. She loves writing local stories about interesting people and events. When she’s not reporting, you can find her cooking, participating in outdoor activities or attempting to keep up with her 90 pound dog, Finn.

1reporter@bendsource.com
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A Push to Establish Statewide Ranked-Choice Voting

A new measure will ask voters whether they want to use ranked-choice voting in future elections, voting for multiple candidates in order of preference
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Oregon voters will soon have the choice to adopt a new method of voting in elections. Ranked-choice voting, a system that allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference, will appear on the ballot this November. If approved by voters, the measure would establish RCV for elections to federal and state offices and authorize […]

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Redmond Shelter Expands to 24/7 Shelter

The expansion of services at Shepherd’s House Redmond Center offers additional refuge for individuals amid winter weather
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Shepherd’s House Ministries, a local nonprofit providing shelter services, recovery programs and support for individuals experiencing homelessness, announced on Feb. 12 that it expanded its Redmond Center to now offer daytime services.   Before opening the space as a permanent, year-round shelter in Redmond, it was limited to an annual overnight winter shelter four months out […]

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What Teachers Want You to Know

Local educators share their thoughts on the state of a critical profession in Bend and Central Oregon
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Recent rounds of union bargaining in Oregon have shined a spotlight onto issues educators deal with in their day-to-day lives. For over three weeks in November 2023, Portland Public Schools teachers embarked on an unprecedented strike in an effort to come to an agreement with the PPS district. On Nov. 26, the district and the […]

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Next Steps for Bend’s Tree Code

Bend City Council reviewed a proposed update to the city’s tree code and provided guidance on public outreach
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The Bend City Council held a work session on the Bend tree code for the first time since the 14-member Tree Regulations Update Advisory Committee recommended updates to the code on Dec. 5, 2023. Committee members and City staff presented the recommendations to councilors on Feb. 7, making plans for community outreach before a hearing. […]

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Deschutes County Grapples with RV Regulations

After deliberation, the County considers allowing RVs as rental dwellings
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Deschutes County is considering the adoption of amendments that would allow RVs to be used as rental dwellings in rural residential exception areas, authorizing property owners to let someone in an RV live on the land and pay rent. After a recent County Planning Commission meeting, where the commission voted to not recommend the amendment, […]

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Bend Approves Sale for 26 Units of Affordable Housing

The City sold land in north east Bend to partnering organizations to develop 26 units of single-family affordable housing
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The Bend City Council approved the sale of two surplus parcels of city-owned land at the Feb. 7 council meeting. The land, which will be sold for approximately $20,000 each, will become 26 units on NE Franklin Avenue and NE Bear Creek Avenue.   The sale is an affordable homeownership partnership between the Bend-Redmond Habitat for […]

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City Considers Pausing Incentive Programs for Developers

The City of Bend is set to pause and assess its development incentive programs to look at how it can better serve developers and the community
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A controversial tax exemption for a mixed-use housing development has put the City of Bend’s development incentive programs under a microscope, motivating City Council to reassess some of the parameters. As of Jan. 17, the City was set to pause its Multiple Unit Property Tax Exemption program, along with its other development incentive programs, and direct […]

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Bend Considers Traffic Cameras to Improve Public Safety

City Councilors advised Bend Police to move forward with an implementation plan for automated traffic enforcement
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The Bend Police Department is planning to implement an automated traffic enforcement program, a system that uses cameras for traffic enforcement to improve safety in the city. Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz presented the idea to city councilors at a Jan. 17 meeting and received direction to move forward with an implementation plan. According to […]

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Rep. Jason Kropf on the Current Legislative Session, Priorities and Measure 110

Oregon’s short legislative session began Feb. 5. Before then, the Source Weekly spoke with Bend’s house rep.
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The Oregon State Legislature’s “short session,” lasting 35 days, started on Feb. 5. Rep. Emerson Levy, who represents House District 53 in Bend and Redmond, will bring two bills to the legislature, focusing on insurance assistance and e-bike laws. In a podcast conversation, the Source Weekly talked to Rep. Jason Kropf of House District 54 […]

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Local Program Aims to Expand Child Care

A local child care expansion program created 777 new child care spots in Central Oregon. While the additional funding and education helped many providers, barriers remain
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Charlene Brown, originally from Hawaii, began looking for a day care center in Prineville for her two-year-old daughter last year. During her search, she had trouble finding a quality child care center that she felt comfortable taking her daughter to. She had always thought of opening up her own child care facility. “It’s something that […]

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