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Nicole Vulcan

Nicole Vulcan became Editor of the Source in 2016 and was promoted to Editor in Chief in 2024, managing the Editorial Board and the news team's many investigative projects. She's also at work on her debut book of journalistic non-fiction, titled "Self Medication," which traces Oregon's drug decriminalization efforts in the 21st Century, and tells a parallel tale of her own family’s losses from fentanyl addiction in the age of Measure 110. With all of that on her plate, send snacks. Catch up with the adventures at her book's Substack, called Self Medication.

nicole@bendsource.com
Posted inUncategorized

Letters to the Editor, Week of Nov. 5, 2026

Reflections on student protests and police, gun violence and a call for attention about land-use applications in this week’s Letters
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Disappointed in our Bend Police Response On October 26, I attended the student-led protest in Bend, and I could not be more proud of the young people who showed up, raised their voices, and stood together against gun violence. One of the sweetest moments was watching elementary students wave from school bus windows as the […]

Posted inMusic

20 Years on the ‘Front Lines of Joy’

Gabe Johnson, musician and promoter who founded Parallel 44 Presents, gets set to mark 1,500 shows and two decades of sharing the love of music
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In 2005, when musician, promoter and then-agent Gabe Johnson moved to Bend, our city, now nearing 110,000 people, was a town of around 67,000. As the population began to explode and the building cranes began to hover in the sky, Johnson also found a music scene in need of a lift. Johnson is a lifelong […]

Posted inCulture Features

A Place to Honor the Dead

Día de los Muertos events have been happening in Central Oregon for years. Amid ICE presence and the fallout of a school shooting, this year’s event offers a safe space for celebration and community healing.
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When the news broke Oct. 15 about the deadly shootings at Silver Rail Elementary School, community organizer Greg Delgado was in the middle of a crafting session, preparing items for an upcoming Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos, event at The Open Arts Center. As the reports came in, so, too, did […]

Posted inFood & Drink

M’s Bakery Opening Second Location

New spot in Cascade Village will serve as a community gathering place, its owners hope
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A beloved Central Oregon bakery is expanding beyond its original Old Mill location. M’s Bakery is opening a second location in the Cascade Village Shopping Center, set to open in January, owner Macy Davis told the Source. The bakery location will be adjacent to World Market, in the former Starbucks location, and will be grab-and-go […]

Posted inLocal News

District Asks Families to Complete Survey on Return to School for Silver Rail Community

BLPS solicits ideas for a “safe, thoughtful transition back to school”
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Bend-La Pine Schools is asking families and staff to share their thoughts about what a return to learning for Silver Rail Elementary School students could look like. On Thursday, Bend-La Pine Schools issued an update about its return-to-school process for the school community that was rocked by a deadly shooting that killed three students and […]

Posted inNews

Marked Increase in Interest for Concealed Handgun Licenses, Sheriff’s Office Says

Since the Silver Rail tragedy, applications have doubled the number for the entire last quarter.
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The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office is seeing a marked increase in the number of people interested in getting a concealed handgun license, the office said Thursday. Since the Oct. 15 shootings at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, in which a father of two students entered the school and shot the assailant with a legally […]

Posted inLocal News

Teaching Assistant: “I Was Shot Before I Had Any Chance to Act.” 

Silver Rail shooting victim Becky Drury opens up about what happened in her classroom Oct. 15
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Becky Drury, the Silver Rail Elementary School educational assistant who suffered injuries in the October 15 shooting, is opening up about her memories of that fateful afternoon. Drury was one of two people rushed to the hospital immediately following the shooting, suffering gunshots to her left hand and right arm. In a statement Tuesday, Drury’s […]

Posted inCommentary

On Tragedy and the Interconnectedness of Community

In the wake of the shootings at Silver Rail Elementary, a note from our editor in chief about this week’s print edition
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Since the horrific shootings at Silver Rail Elementary on October 15, I have written various versions of this Editor’s Note in my head. One lamented the mental exercises in futility we as Americans engage in, every time one of our babies dies in a school shooting. Another was an attempt to examine the yawning social […]

Posted inLocal News

A Show of Support from Central Oregon Media

Local news outlets are sharing this “Kindness Matters” poster — a nod to Silver Rail’s school slogan
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Media outlets in Central Oregon, including Central Oregon Daily, KTVZ, Bend Radio Group, KPOV, Horizon Communications, Oregon Public Broadcasting and the Source are banding together this week to share a message of support for the people affected by the tragedy at Silver Rail Elementary School Oct. 15. We created this poster and social media images […]

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