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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 inNews

Oregon’s unemployment rate drops to 4 percent

Oregon’s jobless rate the lowest it’s been since comparable records were kept
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New figures from the Oregon Employment Department signal a different story than the one you may be hearing nationally: That people are out of work and that the economy is suffering. Here in Oregon, it appears to be the opposite. According to data released today, Oregon’s unemployment rate dropped to 4.0 percent for the month […]

Posted inFood & Drink

Don’t Call It a Bar

Bendistillery opens its downtown tasting room
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You’re leaving work downtown and the mood to whip up a locally-made martini strikes you on the way home. While you could head over to one of the liquor stores that hover in the nether regions of Bend (read: away from downtown), nowadays, you don’t necessarily have to. Another option now available to you: pop […]

Posted inFood & Drink

Little Bites

Empty Bowls: Good food, good cause.
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Looking for a way to get out and about, and to benefit a good cause at the same time? This might be your jam. Tickets are now on sale for the 4th annual Empty Bowls fundraiser, taking place at Ridgeview High School in Redmond March 26. Here’s how it works: students from the ceramics classes […]

Posted inCulture

Source Spotlight: Collin Robinson

President of the Oregon PTA
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“So when we talk about school choice, vouchers, public funds going to religious organizations, or private schools, that’s scary. Because they’re not held to the same standards. That’s the problem.” — Collin Robinson About a decade ago, Collin Robinson was a volunteer youth soccer coach for a team of kids from Bend’s Ensworth Elementary School. […]

Posted inCulture

Road Trip: Oregon Shakespeare

The longtime bastion of The Bard’s works is just a short 3.5-hour drive from Bend
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I have to admit it: It took me a full 16 years of being an Oregonian to finally experience the many delights that a trip to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival can bring. Discussions about what constitutes a “local” aside, whether you’ve been in Oregon only six months or 60 years, I’m here to make sure […]

Posted inFood & Drink

Makin’ Soup in the Maker’s District

123 Ramen offers a cozy lunch or dinner spot on the east side
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A small history lesson for you, Benditos: It was 1958 when Japanese company Nissin rolled out the first iteration of the instant noodle—that phenomenon now well-loved by college students with only a microwave to feed them, and middle schoolers whose parents haven’t quite taught them to cook anything else. Fast forward, and behold! Instant noodles, […]

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