Laurel Brauns
Posted inNews

Are We There Yet?

Deschutes County commissioners work with the state on a path for reopening the economy
Laurel Brauns

Some areas in Oregon, including Deschutes County, may begin to reopen earlier than others. Rural counties—particularly those with declining COVID-19-positive case numbers and a strong contingency plan—could start to open some retail businesses and restaurants in the coming weeks. Gov. Kate Brown’s office is still finalizing the detailed requirements for phase one, but her office […]

Posted inNews

Hardest Hit

As an economy reliant on tourism, Deschutes County has the third-highest unemployment rate in the state
Laurel Brauns

Two experts on the Central Oregon economy presented Friday on the topic of economic shock and projections for the future of the Oregon economy. The webinar was the fifth in the Bend Chamber of Commerce’s “COVID-19 IMPACT Series” and featured Damon Runberg, a regional economist with the Oregon Employment Department and Josh Lehner, an economist […]

Posted inNews

Strange Times, Strange Crimes

Arsonist targets El Sancho, car rental office
Laurel Brauns

From a sick person allegedly spitting on a local cop to give him COVID-19, to a drunken California CEO allegedly attacking a female Uber driver in Bend, in these unprecedented times, bizarre crimes are unfolding in our own back yard. Early Thursday morning, the Bend Police Department found evidence that an arsonist set fire to El Sancho […]

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B.J. Soper: Hero or Outlaw? 🎧 (with podcast)

The Source sits down with B.J. Soper, the man behind the Redmond demonstrations against the Governor’s shutdown orders. *Includes podcast version*
Laurel Brauns

More than 200 people gathered outside Redmond City Hall April 17, demonstrating against Oregon Gov. Kate Brown’s “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order. They’ll be back again this Friday. This week, we talked with the organizer of that Redmond demonstration. (We also recorded our interview with Soper as a podcast, which you can access below.) Redmond […]

Posted inNews

Oregon Health Care Centers Can Head Back to Work

Gov. Kate Brown lifts restrictions on non-emergency procedures and health care—after some urging from Bend’s state rep.
Laurel Brauns

This morning, Gov. Kate Brown lifted some restrictions on hospitals, surgical centers, medical offices and dental offices—making it possible for most people in those places to head back to work soon. Brown’s Executive Order on March 18 prohibited non-emergency medical procedures in order to conserve personal protective equipment for health care workers treating COVID-19 patients. […]

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Door-to-Door COVID-19 Testing Study Starts at OSU

Researchers from the university may expand the study to other communities in Oregon in the coming months
Laurel Brauns

Researchers from Oregon State University in Corvallis are starting a voluntary COVID-19 testing program in their community to identify how the disease has spread—especially among people who are asymptomatic. The program may expand to other communities throughout Oregon—including Deschutes County—in the coming months, according to Christine Coffin, director of communications and outreach for the university. […]

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Neighborhood Greenways Go Car-Free

City blocks off a few neighborhood streets to provide safe sites for walking and biking close to home
Laurel Brauns

The City of Bend is closing off NW 15th Street and NE Sixth Street to through traffic as of Tuesday, with a goal of providing neighborhood streets close to home where locals get some fresh air and still maintain social distancing. In the coming days and weeks, the City plans to expand the program to […]

Posted inNews

Covid-19 Comes to Oregon Prisons and Jails

Deschutes County Adult Jail reduced its population in hopes of staving off an outbreak
Laurel Brauns

Inmates at the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Adult Jail share everything: small dormitories, cramped dining spaces, showers and bathrooms. They use the same phone to connect with loved ones and touch the same door knobs as they move through the facility. This makes inmates and prison staff especially vulnerable to the spread of COVID-19. It’s […]

Posted inNews

St. Charles Nurse Shares an Insider’s Perspective on Caring for COVID-19 Patients

He’s on the team intubating patients in Bend. This is what he wants you to know.
Laurel Brauns

David Hilderbrand is a registered nurse who usually works in the operating room at St. Charles Bend. He serves on the board of the Oregon Nurses Association as a negotiating chair for nurses who work for St. Charles Bend. When the hospital shut down elective surgeries in the beginning of March, Hilderbrand moved to the […]

Posted inNews

City Council Decides Against Enforcing Vacation Rental Ban

The City Manager proposed a resolution to fine short-term rentals for operating in a pandemic, but Bend City Council didn’t even vote on it
Laurel Brauns

Right now, the City of Bend is an island surrounded by Deschutes County, in the eyes of vacation-rental rules anyway. Deschutes County Commissioners passed an order April 6 to fine renters and owners $1,000 per day if they book a short-term rental reservation for recreational purposes. The County still permits essential STR stays for health, […]

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