Kayvon Bumpus

On the morning of Dec. 3, the Deschutes County Board of County Commissioners had quite a few things on its meeting agenda, as per usual.  But this particular day, the meeting room filled up with citizens holding signs for only one reason — the 11am agenda item: “Recommendations from the District Mapping Advisory Committee to the […]

On Nov. 7, Gov. Tina Kotek signed Oregon House Bill 3991 into law. But before it can take effect, a petition may send it to next year’s ballot instead, giving Oregon voters the power of a thumbs up or thumbs down.   The new legislation will raise the state gas tax by 6 cents, raise the registration […]

Starting in 2026, at least five intersections in Redmond will be monitored by traffic enforcement cameras. These locations are: “Our number one complaint that we receive with the police department is always traffic complaints, traffic enforcement,” said Redmond Chief of Police Devin Lewis during a Nov. 18 Redmond City Council meeting. “It’s also our number […]

There’ve been claims of a Mr. Mander moving into Deschutes County – folks call him Gerry. He’s from Massachusetts originally, but with deep ties to the South, and recently got run out of Texas by a federal court.  Former Oregon Deputy Attorney General Pete Shepherd used reptilian imagery to describe the process of gerrymandering, where […]

The Redmond City Council passed Ordinance No. 2025-21, which prohibits, except on July 4, “the use of any and all fireworks” within city limits. Mayor Ed Fitch approved it the same day on Tuesday, Nov. 18. Per Oregon state law, the term “fireworks” refers to “consumer fireworks, display fireworks, exempt fireworks, pyrotechnic articles, special effects; […]

I’m a true-blue Pacific Northwesterner, but I don’t hail from around here. My childhood memories lie on the opposite side of the Cascade Mountains and on the opposite side of the Columbia River from Bend, in a city famous for fresh fish, depression, dope and historically disappointing major league baseball.   Upon moving to Oregon’s sixth […]

Redmond shoppers will soon be able to feel warm and fuzzy about saving money on “new and gently used furniture, appliances, home décor, building materials, and more.”   That’s because making a purchase at the new Redmond ReStore will “directly support Bend-Redmond Habitat for Humanity’s mission to build homes, communities, and hope across Central Oregon,” a […]