Is Measure 9-83 the best that planners for the City of Bend could come up with to try to hold onto the inflow of taxpayer cash set to expire next year? Did one of the planners take a course in college entitled “Traffic Circles 301” that he, or she, really, really liked? I would vote for this measure if it were focused solely on Reed Market Road, or Reed Market plus 14th Street plus 27th Street. But do we really want to buy three more traffic circles at $3 million each?
Source Weekly
Posted inOpinion
Don't Subsidize Poor Planning
Infrastructure First does not recommend voting yes on 9-83 (Bonds for Transportation, etc.). These bonds do not pay for badly needed maintenance of existing roads.
Infrastructure First does not recommend voting yes on 9-83 (Bonds for Transportation, etc.). These bonds do not pay for badly needed maintenance of existing roads. They are directed primarily at improving the eastside for UGB expansion and growth.
The ballot description is very different from the plans exhibited by the engineering department this winter. The worst plan is Reed Market Road. All east-west traffic will be pushed onto an already overloaded arterial. A better option would have been an improved Murphy Road (with R.R. Bridge) from the Parkway to 27th [street] to draw away more traffic from Reed Market Road.
Posted inOpinion
Gottlieb Will Listen
Foster Fell writes in, in support of Bend Parks and Rec candidate Justin Gottlieb.
It has been my pleasure to come to know Justin Gottlieb, the candidate for Director, Position 2, Bend Parks and Recreation District. I am an enthusiastic volunteer in his campaign.
Justin, I think, represents the very best of an emerging generation of young people, which – despite enduring more than its share of desperation and alienation due to the wretched economy – is now poised to step forth and lead.
Justin’s experience and background in public service and his understanding of the social contract will lead us out of the predicaments that plague us in times of scarcity.
Posted inCulture
Where's Your Helmet, Thor?!?
Humpy writes to his local 7-11 to express disappointment in their selection of Thor Slurpee cups.
Dear Owner and Operators of my local 7-11:
I'm writing to express my EXTREME disappointment in your current selection of “Thor Slurpee Cups.” As you may know, I'm wildly excited for this weekend's premiere of the feature film Thor – so much so, in fact, I intended on purchasing every Thor Slurpee cup you have in stock. Therefore, you can imagine my horror when I discovered that every one of your Slurpee containers depicted Thor… without his helmet.
WHAT… THE… CRAP? Do you realize what a colossal blunder you've made? Thor without his helmet is like Batman without pointy ears! Wolverine without pop-up knuckle knives! Wonder Woman without her camel toe!
Posted inCulture
Charles Finn On: Preparing for Guests
Writer Charles Finn writes about preparing for guests in this week’s column,
Good friends we don’t see often are arriving this evening for the weekend. There has been the usual flurry of activity: cooking and cleaning and the making of beds. A better quality of wine has been purchased than our budget normally allows, and a small grocery store of crackers and cheeses wait in the wings, ready to go under the knife in name of hors’ d'oeuvres. Meanwhile, sheets have been changed in the spare room and the pillows fluffed. Towels put out. Our friends are driving in from out of state and I expect they will be tired and hungry. In readiness, soup simmers on the stove and there is homemade bread rising in the oven. What last minute preparations we can make, we make. Everything else will have to do.
Posted inFood & Drink
Little Bites: 2011 Dining Guide Redux
The 2011 Dining Guide wouldn’t be complete without these listings.
In our rush to finish the Dining Guide, we mistakenly omitted some of our favorite restaurants. And we wouldn't feel right unless we provided our readers with this important addendum to the Dining Guide. We encourage you to cut the following listings out of the paper and paste, staple, or tape them into the 2011 Dining Guide because it isn't complete without them. – the editor.
10 Below
Northwest Eclectic
10 NW Minnesota Ave. 541-382-8436. www.oxfordhotelbend.com $$-$$$. New American. If you're looking to get off the beaten path, look no father than this subterranean enclave of modern fine dining. The restaurant recently hired chef Brad Wood, formerly of the Bend Athletic Club, to lead its kitchen. Wood's experience and familiarity with the Bend dining scene should pay dividends for 10 Below, which is blessed with a great downtown location and ultra urban chic design aesthetic that's a welcome contrast to the myriad of steak houses and brewpubs that often define the local restaurant scene. While changes are no doubt afoot for the restaurant's menu under Wood's guidance, the menu currently leans on a combination of Northwest staples served with a local touch, such as the grass-fed Borlen beef filet with red wine demi glace and blue cheese crema. But don't skip over the appetizers, which include bacon-topped scallops with mushroom pancakes or the spicy seared ahi tuna with pickled ginger and cucumbers and wasabi. The Dish: Breakfast and lunch daily. Happy Hour 2-6 pm, 9pm-close. Dinner 5pm-close.
Posted inMusic
Out of Town 5/4 – 5/12: Pato Banton, KT Tunstall, Citizen Cope, The Kills
Headed to Portland this weekend? Here are a few bands to check out.
portland
wednesday 4
Pato Banton
Odds are if you're a reggae fan living in Bend, you've likely had the opportunity to see famed reggae musician Pato Banton at some point during your residency here. The Los Angeles-based (by way of Jamaica) singer has made several stops in Bend within the last couple years and even though you'll have to travel to Portland this time around, it'll be worth it to catch his roots- and ska-influenced reggae in person. 9pm, Mt. Tabor Theater.
Posted inCulture
Our Picks for 5/4 – 5/12: Cinco de Mayo Party, Moon Mountain Ramblers, Last Band Standing, Bend Bicycle Film Festival, Chicken Coop Tour and more
What are you doing this week in Central Oregon? Here are our picks.
Cinco de Mayo Party: Ozomatli, Rubblebucket, Todd Haaby & Sola Via
thursday 5
There is plenty going on for Cinco de Mayo: Brandi Carlile is playing the Tower Theatre for a show that's already sold out. Cash'd Out will be doing its best Man in Black impression at the Domino Room and there are plenty of other parties. But where many of you will find yourself is out on Wall Street where Ozomatli jams its cross-cultural rock, hip-hop and more with a big assist from the horn heavy and spacy sounds of Rubblebucket. Also on hand, Todd Haaby and Sola Via, and plenty of Mexican arts and crafts, Mexican food and Mexican beers. Free. 4:30pm-10pm. Downtown Bend on Wall Street.
Posted inOpinion
For Bend Parks Board Position 2: Scott Wallace
We see no reason that Wallace should be unseated from his position on the park board, which is why we lend him our endorsement.
There are two words that really stand out in the race for the parks board between incumbent Scott Wallace and newcomer Justin Gottlieb: goose poop. The fecal matter paving the paths and covering the lawns of our public parks is near the top (or perhaps at the top) of Gottlieb's agenda. He wants to hire a special “Goose Poop/Goose Population Manager” and cites the fact that Wallace sat on the parks board while more than 100 geese were euthanized last summer as a reason for the public to make a change on the board.
Wallace didn't spend much time discussing goose droppings during our meeting with him earlier this month, opting rather to hit on some of his key interests. One of his focuses is indoor recreation opportunities in the district, an area in which he feels the community is underserved. A youth baseball coach and an avid ice hockey player who organizes the local Steelheaders club team, Wallace recognizes that the current budgetary situation in the district doesn't provide many expansion opportunities. However, he would like to see the community get more mileage out of its existing facilities.
Posted inOpinion
For Bend Parks Board Position 1: Dan Fishkin
We're throwing our support behind Dan Fishkin for Position One on the Bend parks board.
We love our parks here in Bend – like really love our parks. In fact, the only thing that we love more than our parks is probably our pets, or our Subarus. So it's probably no great surprise that our parks district isn't without its politics. However for the last few years, the politics of parks has been thankfully devoid of partisanship. We'd like to keep it that way with board members focused on maintaining the Bend Metro Park and Recreation District's (BMPRD) award-winning programs and responsible management of the park district's coffers. To date, that approach has allowed the district to largely meet the growing needs of the Bend community through land acquisition and park development while focusing on improving indoor and outdoor recreation opportunities for residents.