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Keely Damara

Reporter | The Source Weekly

keely@bendsource.com
Posted inScout

Pole Pedal Paddle

A scenic race showcasing Bend’s inclusive outdoor culture, from Mt. Bachelor to the Deschutes River
Avatar photo Keely Damara

Central Oregon is an outdoor enthusiast’s dream. Runners and athletes need only throw a stone and hit various athletic events, from races for runners and skiers, in the same weekend. But there’s a race that embodies the best that Bend has to offer, all wrapped neatly into one event. From skiing and running to kayaking […]

Posted inNews

Reconnecting with Mom

Soul-rejuvenating retreats, nurture circles and yoga sessions for mom
Avatar photo Keely Damara

Growing up, Mother’s Day at my house usually involved my siblings and I making breakfast and handmade cards for mom, giving her lots of hugs — and usually going out for a family activity (that may or may not have ended with my siblings and I squabbling, and then retroactively feeling bad for fighting on Mother’s […]

Posted inNews

Cycling Without Age

Local women bring joy of cycling to people with barriers to riding on their own
Avatar photo Keely Damara

On a sunny Monday morning, Courtney Van Fossan pedals her trishaw, or bike taxi, through the Old Mill District at relaxed pace, taxiing 90-year-old Leanne McConville and Jennifer Rogers, McConville’s care manager for the day, both seated comfortably in the canopied passenger seat. The bike, imported from Denmark from a specialty e-bike maker called Triobike, […]

Posted inNews

COCC Receives Grant for Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

EV Chargers Planned for Redmond & Madras COCC campuses
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Electric vehicle owners in Redmond and Madras can look forward to eight new public charging ports at Central Oregon Community College campuses, through the help of a Pacific Power grant program. Ten projects across the Pacific Northwest recently secured grants from Pacific Power, through a program that launched in late 2018 to help local organizations […]

Posted inOutside

Sustainable Fire Protection

Project Wildfire aims to cultivate fire adapted communities
Avatar photo Keely Damara

Issues pertaining to water resources, solid waste management, transportation and energy production are all quick to come to mind when thinking of sustainability issues facing communities around the globe. In Deschutes County and elsewhere in Central Oregon, planning for the long-term health of surrounding forests is also an integral part of building a sustainable future. […]

Posted inNews

Curbside Composting Expansion?

Offering curbside composting to all of Deschutes County is one way officials hope to cut down on the percentage of waste headed to the landfill
Avatar photo Keely Damara

In 2017, 181,000 tons of waste went into Knott Landfill—a 39 percent increase since 2014. While population growth and an increase in construction in Deschutes County are two factors contributing to this increase, the County expects the waste generation to increase at a rate in proportion with population growth in the future. Deschutes County’s current […]

Posted inSpecial Issues & Guides

Helping Paws

From therapy dogs to service animals, special pups help people in more ways than one
Avatar photo Keely Damara

Hobie, a 150-pound brindle English Mastiff, lumbers slowly down the hallway of Aspen Ridge Memory Care as Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” drifts from an entertainment room filled with a dozen or so elderly residents suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, dementia or other memory loss. Hobie’s handler, Jennifer Horsman, leads him by leash, keeping him close. […]

Posted inCulture

TEDxBend 2019: Speakers We’re Stoked to See

The popular speaker series returns this Saturday
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Yes, it’s back — the speaker event of the year, TEDxBend, is set to host a number of idea innovators from various fields, along with a few musicians, at Bend Senior High School for a full day of inspirational talks and performances. No doubt, all of the presenters and performances will be inspirational, but here […]

Posted inNews

Youth Climate Strike

Bend Senior High students to participate in global climate change walkout Friday
Avatar photo Keely Damara

On March 15, Bend Senior High School students will join what is expected to be hundreds of thousands of students nationwide in the Youth Climate Strike. The—now global—movement of youth protesting the inaction of world leaders in the face of climate change all started last year with one 16-year-old Swedish girl staging a sit-in on […]

Posted inNews

PSA: Facebook is Down

Facebook turns to Twitter to report widespread outage
Avatar photo Keely Damara

If you’re reading this article, you didn’t get here through Facebook. Facebook is reportedly experiencing some technical difficulties with their apps, including Instagram, and desktop version of the popular social media platform. Search the hashtag #facebookdown on Twitter and you’ll find some funny, some frantic and some just plain angry tweets regarding the outage. Facebook […]

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