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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 inSpecial Issues & Guides

#VapeLife

PAX Labs just released a new version of its Era Life device, with some notable improvements
Avatar photo by Nicole Vulcan

Whether it’s to offer some stealth in your partaking or to avoid the more-harmful effects of actual smoking, cannabis vaporizers are among the many rad benefits to seeing marijuana go legal in recent years. Relatives coming to town? You can puff these babies in your bedroom and no one will be the wiser. Attending that […]

Posted inFood & Drink

Birria for Central Oregon at El Taquero

Order a taco or two and be delighted by the dark-yellow, hand-made corn tortillas
Avatar photo by Nicole Vulcan

El Taquero, which opened in July 2020, offers a number of items that lovers of Mexican food might recognize, including tacos with carne asada, chicken, al pastor or birria—the tender, stew-style meat originally developed in the Mexican state of Jalisco. Order a taco or two and be delighted by the dark-yellow, hand-made corn tortillas that […]

Posted inFood & Drink

Breakfast burritos worth leaving for work early for

Keeping things simple and consistent is the name of the game for this new truck
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Burrito Sunrise happens to be on my morning bike-commute to work—and I say it with utmost love that I sorta wish it wasn’t. I mean, how is a person supposed to stay alert after consuming one of these babies before the workday even starts? It’s not hard to identify Burrito Sunrise’s truck, now parked along […]

Posted inOutside

New Community Center Now Open in Bend

Larkspur Center open with pool, fitness, Senior Center
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Bendites have a new place to work out indoors, with the opening of the long-awaited Larkspur Community Center: Home of the Bend Senior Center. Bend Park and Recreation District held a ribbon-cutting ceremony April 2, and the Center officially opened April 5. Larkspur, located in east Bend off 15th Street and Reed Market Road, once […]

Posted inNews

Redmond Drafts City Code for Pot Businesses

Hub City leaders plan for a future when marijuana is federally legal
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Let’s be double-extra clear here: Running a marijuana dispensary is still illegal in the City of Redmond—but in the event that the federal government changes its policy around that, the Hub City may be ready. On April 6, the Redmond City Council was scheduled to meet in a special meeting to go over the newly […]

Posted inFood & Drink

Easter Brunches, and Other Stuff

Get your goodies to go, and then check out these egg hunts, too
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Ah, Easter Brunch—one of those traditions that has not quite been welcomed back in this middle-time between pandemic and “normal.” For those locals looking for some way to mark the Easter holiday, here are a few items of note, food-wise and otherwise. –Brasada Ranch is offering a themed brunch from its Range Restaurant & Bar, […]

Posted inCulture

Where the Wild Things Are… Indoors

Artist Katie Daisy transforms a farmhouse into a whimsical woodland scene
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While some modern interior design trends lean toward the minimalist, one local artist is forging ahead with the complete opposite style in her new home. Katie Daisy, this week’s cover artist, is widely known for her beautiful, imaginative scenes of birds, flowers and nature in general. Daisy’s illustrations can be found around Central Oregon (and […]

Posted inNews

Wilderness Permit System Opens April 6

The permit system hopes to limit the number of people visiting the Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Washington and Three Sisters wilderness areas
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The Deschutes and Willamette National Forests will begin allowing people to reserve day-use and overnight permits in the Central Cascades Wilderness starting April 6. The permit system is a new addition for the Central Cascades Wilderness, aimed at limiting the number of people visiting well-used locations in the Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Washington and Three Sisters […]

Posted inNews

The Cost of Staying Open? $27,470—and Then Some

OHSA levies $27K+ fine against Kevista Coffee for alleged "willful violation" of workplace health requirements
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Oregon Occupational Safety and Health, the agency tasked with enforcing the state’s workplace safety and health rules, has issued a $27,470 fine against a Bend coffee shop, alleging that it violated standards put in place to protect employees from COVID-19. OSHA announced March 30 that Kevista Coffee, located along Century Drive on Bend’s west side, […]

Posted inOutside

If You’re New Here: Gardening in the High Desert

For those coming from warmer climates, growing food or flowers can be daunting—but doable
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If you’re one of the transplants who’ve recently moved here from Seattle or Portland or the Bay Area (as we know a lot of you are), you might fancy yourself a fine gardener, imbued with the natural ability to coax flowers and food from the ground just by tossing out a few seeds or starts. […]

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