Laurel Brauns
Posted inNews

Public Transit of the Future?

OSU-Cascades’ Mobility Lab is moving Bend’s public transit into the 21st Century
Laurel Brauns

Door-to-door, on-demand, shared van rides may be the public transit choice of the next generation. The OSU-Cascades Mobility Lab started Ride Bend in July. It announced Jan. 21 that it will continue to run the on-call ridesharing service through March 30, thanks to a $10,000 contribution from OSU-Cascades’ Associated Students of Cascades Campus. OSU-Cascades hired the small transit […]

Posted inNews

Transportation Bond Heads to the May Ballot

Bendites will vote on the $190 million bond in May
Laurel Brauns

The Bend City Council unanimously passed a resolution Wednesday to put a $190 million general obligation transportation bond on the May 19 primary election ballot. The bond, if approved by voters, would pay for improvements to east-west connections, projects to ease traffic congestion and a network of cross-town bike and pedestrian routes. The bond will […]

Posted inNews

New School Boundaries Released Today

Bend-La Pine Schools announces attendance areas for the fall of 2021 school year
Laurel Brauns

Today the Bend-La Pine Schools’ Attendance Area Review Committee revealed its recommendations for where kids in different areas of Bend will attend middle and high school, once Bend’s new high school is operational. The committee was tasked with taking input from the community, who had three boundary options to choose from, and then make a […]

Posted inNews

Wildfire Warriors

City leaders and Bend Fire & Rescue work to protect the forests we love
Laurel Brauns

In Central Oregon, the threat of wildfires looms on the horizon for most of the summer. Whether it’s the impending doom of apocalyptic smoke clouds or nightmares of complete annihilation (like Paradise, California), locals definitely worry about wildfires. But Central Oregon has also developed a national reputation as a place where diverse groups and agencies […]

Posted inNews

Tiny Homes for Vets

A project offering transitional shelters for veterans gets off the ground
Laurel Brauns

Central Oregon Veterans Outreach estimates that there are between 80 and 100 veterans living in the region without homes. But the exact number is hard to find. The 2019 Point In Time Count published by the Homeless Leadership Coalition reported 62 veterans. Hundreds of homeless camps dot the landscape on the outskirts of Bend and […]

Posted inBend Nest

Education Funding Boost for Local Kids

Student Success Act will bring at least $14 million to Bend-La Pine schools
Laurel Brauns

Students throughout Central Oregon will benefit from the passage of the Student Success Act, which will bring millions to the region to support student mental health, early childhood education and high school graduation programs. “I’ve worked in education in Oregon for 34 years and we’ve never had this kind of influx of money,” said Lora […]

Posted inSpecial Issues & Guides

Trend: Mocktails

Lookout, traditional cocktails: Mocktails are the drink equivalent to “OK Boomer”
Laurel Brauns

A 2018 report by Berenberg Research revealed that survey participants in their early 20s—as well as teens—drank about 20% less than millennials. The millennial generation, in turn, drank less than Boomers and Gen Xers did during their young days. Thus, the current rise of mocktails—drinks that look good in fancy glasses, but don’t contain booze. (It’s […]

Posted inOutside

USA Climbing Bouldering Nationals

Elite climbers descend on Central Oregon to compete for a chance at the Olympics
Laurel Brauns

For the second year in a row, the top climbers in the U.S. will come to Redmond to compete for a place on the USA Climbing National Team. The championship takes place at the Deschutes County Fair and Expo Center Friday and Saturday. The Bouldering Youth National Championship comes the following weekend. During the competition, […]

Posted inNews

Gunning for Safety

If legislative compromise fails, gun control will go to ballot
Laurel Brauns

It could be a big year for gun-control advocates. As state legislators work on bills in Salem, gun control activists are gathering signatures and public comment on a number of initiatives that may end up on the November ballot. State of Safety Action—an Oregon-based gun safety group—filed a petition in July to put a gun […]

Posted inNews

Police Use “Chemical Irritants” on Suspected Snow-Blower Thief

Two nearby elementary schools go on lockout in response
Laurel Brauns

Two local elementary schools were put on lockout yesterday during the arrest of a man who allegedly stole six snow blowers from Home Depot. Jeffrey Randall Short of 1031 1/2 Columbia St. was arrested and charged yesterday with second-degree burglary, four counts of first-degree theft and possession of cocaine, according to a press release from […]

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