Laurel Brauns
Posted inCulture

Environmental Watchdog: Ben Gordon of Central Oregon LandWatch

Following the retirement of Paul Dewey, Gordon leads the organization’s efforts to enforce Oregon’s land use law and protect local rivers, farmlands and forests
Laurel Brauns

Ben Gordon, the new executive director of Central Oregon LandWatch, was our guest on this week’s “Bend Don’t Break” podcast hosted by Source Weekly Publisher Aaron Switzer. Gordon described how COLW has been working behind the scenes for decades to mitigate the effects of urban development and wasteful water use in the Deschutes River Basin. […]

Posted inNews

No Farms Without Water

Farmers in Jefferson County face a second summer of severe drought and less access to water from the Deschutes
Laurel Brauns

Driving north on Highway 97 toward Madras, fields of carrot seed and alfalfa stretch out toward the horizon. The farmers that work this land rely on a century-old irrigation system that’s starting to dry up. This summer, like last, the majority of the region’s 400 farmers will be forced to leave some land fallow because […]

Posted inNews

Environmental Watchdog: Central Oregon LandWatch Executive Director Ben Gordon 🎧 [with podcast]

Gordon will lead the organization’s efforts to enforce Oregon’s land use laws and protect local rivers, farm lands and forests
Laurel Brauns

For this week’s “Bend Don’t Break” podcast, we talk with Ben Gordon, the head of Central Oregon LandWatch, a local environmental nonprofit. COLW has been working behind the scenes for decades to mitigate the effects of urban development and wasteful water use. Gordon started as the new executive director of Central Oregon LandWatch on June […]

Posted inNews

Oregon Voters to Consider Psilocybin Therapy, Drug Decriminalization this Fall

State-regulated psilocybin therapy along with drug decriminalization will appear on the November 2020 Oregon ballot
Laurel Brauns

Two groundbreaking drug-related ballot measures may put Oregon on the map for drug decriminalization and psychedelic therapy this fall. The group behind the Oregon Psilocybin Therapy Ballot Measure (IP 34) announced July 8 that it had collected enough signatures to qualify for the November 2020 ballot. The campaign turned in 164,782 signatures, successfully overcoming the […]

Posted inNews

The Slow Boat to Recovery

On the last weekend of June, the occupancy rate at local hotels and short-term rentals was at 92%. Will tourism keep Bend’s economy and city budget afloat?
Laurel Brauns

During the Great Recession, some believed tourism in Bend rescued the local economy. Travelers poured money into Central Oregon’s restaurants and coffeeshops, millhouses were transformed into profitable vacation rentals and national sports events attracted first-time visitors. Some visitors decided to relocate to the area, which reinvigorated the real estate market and construction industry. “As far […]

Posted inNews

Bend-La Pine Schools Plans to Go Hybrid This Fall

The district releases tentative plans for a mix of in-person and online learning
Laurel Brauns

Bend-La Pine Schools elementary students will go back to school full time next fall, while middle and high school students will split their time between the classroom and online learning from home, according to a July 1 letter sent to parents from Lora Nordquist, Bend-La Pine Schools interim superintendent. Nordquist has named the new system […]

Posted inNews

Former Bend Mayor: Jeff Eager on Local Government 🎧 [with podcast]

Jeff Eager, author of the “Bend Business Roundup,” shares his views on lockdowns, protests, public health and polarization
Avatar photo Laurel Brauns and Aaron Switzer

For this week’s “Bend Don’t Break” podcast, we talk with Jeff Eager who is a business attorney and former mayor of Bend. He shares his perspective on the coronavirus lockdowns, the protests against police brutality and the need for competent leadership in the wake of a worldwide pandemic. He attributes increasing polarization to the media’s focus […]

Posted inNews

City Picks New Bend Police Chief

Mike Krantz from the Portland Police Bureau brings experience in racial equity, City says
Laurel Brauns

Bend City Manager Eric King has chosen Mike Krantz as the new chief of the Bend Police Department. Krantz was the assistant chief at the Portland Police Bureau, the largest department in the state, where he’s served for 27 years. He starts the new job August 10. Chief Jim Porter retired Thursday after 29 years of […]

Posted inNews

We’re Watching You ▶ [with video]

The Redmond Police Department is the first in Central Oregon to require body cameras for its officers
Laurel Brauns

Officers in the Redmond Police Department have been recording themselves for 20 years. Before the City of Redmond bought body cameras for the police in 2017, the officers recorded videos and audio on CDs and VHS. Today, the officers’ body cameras are made by WatchGuard and sync with their dashboard cameras through WiFi. While the […]

Posted inNews

The Long Slog Back to Baseline 🎧 [with podcast]

In Redmond, an economic recovery that’s looking slightly stronger than Bend
Laurel Brauns

Adapt. Evolve. Support. These words were a common theme among Redmond’s small business owners who have turned towards one another and the City of Redmond for support during the darkest economic times in a nearly a century. Jon Cruz, along with his wife Katie, owns HIIT Logic, a boutique gym that hosts small workout classes […]

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