Source Weekly, Author at The Source - Bend, Oregon

Everybody's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolves

New bill allows the killing of wolves which have killed livestock for public peace and safety.

Source WeeklyFebruary 22, 2012February 25, 2025

Cliff Bentz apparently thinks we can educate wolves not to prey on livestock by killing them.
“If we want wolves to serve their ecological purpose, they will eat elk, not cows and sheep,” Bentz, a Republican state representative from Ontario, said on Friday. The occasion was the passage of HB 4158, a bill sponsored by Bentz and eight other representatives – including our old friend Gene Whisnant from Sunriver.

Food & Drink

REUBEN ROUND-UP 2012: THE KING

Kelly D’s famous Reuben wins the 2012 Reuben Round-Up.

Source WeeklyFebruary 22, 2012June 12, 2024

You never know where you're going to find a great reuben. Case in point, Kelly D's Sports Bar, a sparingly illuminated lounge tucked between Wilson Avenue and Reed Market on Bend's commercial strip. While this isn't the kind of place where you're likely to plan a family outing (I was seated next to a trio of ladies who were drinking over the noon hour as if it were happy hour), the staff at Kelly D's is more than hospitable. More importantly, they really know how to make a reuben. When I asked how they prepare their corned beef, which arrived fall-apart tender, the bartender directed my eyes to a pair of slow cookers that were perched on a sill between the bar area and the lottery lounge.

Outside

To Close or not to Close: Trout Creek update, on waffles and world rankings and more

Bend was announced to be one of the best 25 ski towns in the world yet again by National Geographic.

Source WeeklyFebruary 22, 2012January 4, 2023

The Bureau of Land Management announced this week that it is tempering a decision to close a popular rock climbing area on the Lower Deschutes near Madras. The Prineville-based staff said it is rescinding a blanket closure at Trout Creek in favor of a voluntary closure to protect nesting golden eagles. BLM staff said the move would allow them to “better communicate objectives” and complete an ongoing environmental analysis with “maximum public involvement.” The BLM staff has said that the inability of nesting golden eagles to successfully reproduce at Trout Creek is a concern for the agency. The staff is asking that climbers and other visitors respect the voluntary closure by staying away from the upland area and popular canyon walls. (EF)

Opinion

Marriage Ruling: Undermines State’s Rights

Discussion about the rights of the states and constitutional rights.

Source WeeklyFebruary 22, 2012December 12, 2023

You asked some people about the overturned law that the people of California passed on gay marriage. Most of the people stated that government should not be allowed into our bedrooms.

Opinion

Trapping is Sadistic

Traps are being located on public land and harming innocent animals.

Source WeeklyFebruary 16, 2012March 14, 2023

Bend's TV news has recently reported on dogs getting caught in leg-hold traps on public land. Because of that, it was termed a controversial “sport.” Apparently as long as no pets get caught in these barbaric devices, it is considered “sporting.” But what is sporting about the torture and killing of innocent and beautiful wild animals by evil machines left hidden and unattended?
Hunting and fishing are sports; trapping is commercial cruelty condoned by a society that should know better by now. Oh yeah, I forgot: the Bible says that God put all non-human animals on our planet specifically for us to use and abuse as much as we like because we are the only creatures with “souls.” We mutant-mind monkeys have the “God-given right” to cause other creatures extreme suffering because “the Bible told me to.” Why should anyone doubt human-induced climate change, widespread species extinction, or other ecological devastation when such deplorable behavior is justified by mainstream religious and legal dogmas?

Opinion

Waldo Take Was Short on Facts

A proposal to remove motorized vehicles from Waldo Lake.

Source WeeklyFebruary 15, 2012January 4, 2023

It is interesting the bias and misinformation that attempts to sway public opinion. For one, the advocates of a sensible approach to allowing motor use on Waldo Lake are not looking to “zoom around in power boats.” As a sailor who has made weeklong summer visits to Waldo Lake for the past 25 years (until 2010) the “motorized recreation advocates” are not looking to turn Waldo Lake into a powerboat Mecca. The request is to allow the use of clean, quiet, four-stroke, 10-horsepower, or less, motors, which provides a fair compromise for both sides of this issue. I would offer the following counterpoints to your editorial bias:

Opinion

Knight Knows Something About Child Exploitation

The topic of Joe Paterno’s child molestation scandal.

Source WeeklyFebruary 15, 2012March 5, 2023

Nike CEO Phil Knight argues that Joe Paterno, the late Penn State football coach, is not responsible for any of that school’s child molestation scandal. The real villains, Knight claims, are the university trustees who fired Paterno in the wake of the scandal. Paterno, says Knight, did all he needed to do when he told university officials that he had heard something about his former assistant coach who is now charged with having sex with children.

Opinion

Sno Park Follies

A popular sno-park is named after convicted sex offender, Frank Ellis.

Source WeeklyFebruary 15, 2012July 28, 2024

Those folks who've had the pleasure of dealing with the Forest Service know that the federal agency is a stickler for public process. In fact, critics would argue that the agency too often suffers from analysis paralysis.

Opinion

Gene Whisnant Rolls With the Banks

The fact of facing foreclosure while the banks stand on the side and watch.

Source WeeklyFebruary 15, 2012January 30, 2025

In the foreclosure game, they call it the “spin cycle.” The name is apt: Just like the spin cycle of a washing machine wrings water out of laundry, the foreclosure spin cycle wrings the last drops of cash out of the hapless borrower who gets caught in it.
A homeowner gets trapped in the spin cycle when he's facing foreclosure and tries to renegotiate his mortgage to avoid it. Even while he's dealing in good faith and making payments regularly, the bank continues to move ahead with foreclosure – and worst of all, the homeowner doesn't even know it. By the time the bank gets through spinning him he's lost thousands of dollars – and the house.

Music

Listen Up!: The unofficial WinterFest listening guide

All the bands that will appear at this year’s WinterFest.

Source WeeklyFebruary 15, 2012January 4, 2023

Larry and His Flask: Given'er Every time
In recent years, LAHF has transformed from a fun, but rough-around-the-edges local band, to a sharp and polished group, complete with multi-part harmonies and fast banjo picking. What was once a loose pack of half-drunken screaming lunatics, is now a tight collection of half-drunken lunatics.
Credit some of that polish to LAHF's time on the 2011 Vans Warped Tour. The percussion-powered string band also honed its sound and style touring with Celtic punk lords, Dropkick Murphys, icons in the larger post-punk world.
After WinterFest, the close-knit crew is spending the spring touring the Midwest. Catch the local boys now, for cheap. You won't be disappointed by a group that always answers the call of the crowd.

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