Posted inOpinion

Should Bendites Have to Pay to Pollute?

A controversial City Council decision means yes

This month, the Bend City Council opted to move forward with its plan to charge a fee to developers putting natural gas systems into new homes โ€” a move aimed at meeting the cityโ€™s carbon emissions goals and reducing reliance on fossil fuels. There was no good timing for this. As a whole, Oregoniansโ€™ economic […]

Posted inOpinion

Local Law Enforcement is Right to Be More Cautious of New Video Surveillance Technology

You may “not be doing anything wrong” now, but it only takes the flick of a pen to change what “wrong” means

In recent months, local law enforcement agencies, including the Bend Police Department, Redmond Police and the Deschutes County Sheriffโ€™s Office, have considered adding new video surveillance technology โ€” or replacing cast-off technology โ€” that helps them monitor the community and ostensibly better solve crimes. Given the breadth of information coming at us about privacy and […]

Posted inOpinion

Four Takeaways from the May Primary Election

How non-partisan participation affected local races

The May primary election has come and gone, and in Deschutes County, much of the oxygen went toward the races for the Deschutes County Board of County Commissioners. That body will see two additional members next year. In the wake of the election, these are some observations weโ€™ve made about our regionโ€™s changing political landscape. […]

Posted inOpinion

A Data Center Hopes to Move into La Pine and Use 15X the Power the Town Currently Uses

In about a yearโ€™s time, sentiment around data centers has soured both locally and nationally. La Pine residents seem to be connecting the dots.

Itโ€™s too soon to tell the fate of the proposed data center in an industrial park in La Pine, but if local action and national sentiment are any indication, approval of the project looks iffy. According to Source reporting, a company called Boxminer, which โ€œminesโ€ bitcoin, is seeking to build a data center on a […]

Posted inOpinion

The Bend Central District Needs Momentum and A Unified Vision

A new City fee at this time wonโ€™t help

If youโ€™ve been paying attention to Bend politics and local business matters, then you probably heard about the promise of the Bend Central District. Some envision it as a second downtown โ€” a place to allow the city to grow and a hip business district to proliferate โ€” with a new city hall to boot. […]

Posted inOpinion

A Library โ€” Any Library โ€” in Bend Couldnโ€™t Come Too Soon

As a third space and a resource center, libraries are a lifeline. Ours shouldnโ€™t have been closed this long.

In just a few short days, the Deschutes Public Libraryโ€™s new Central Library will open on the east side of Bend. For those who have gone by during the many months itโ€™s stood there under construction, the 100,000-square-foot space is certainly hard to miss. We are excited about it, but right now weโ€™re also still […]

Posted inElections

May 2026 Election: Endorsements and Ideas

Ballots begin arriving in people’s mailboxes this week for the May 19 primary election. Here’s a recap of the Source’s candidate endorsements, plus our thoughts on the election overall

Deschutes County Commission, Pos. 1 Jamie Collins The Commission is getting bigger and the County exploding in size. And because of those changes, we agree with challenger Jamie Collins when he says whatโ€™s needed is a more strategic, thoughtful approach to the challenges ahead. We think Collins, a U.S. Coast Guard veteran, disaster responder and […]

Posted inOpinion

Empty Managed Camp = Debacle

A lack of qualified service providers means that Redmond and Deschutes Countyโ€™s plans for more homeless services are delayed, again.

If thereโ€™s a case to be made for expanding the capacity of the Deschutes County Board of County Commissioners, look no further than the situation currently unfolding at the managed camp recently built by the County and the City of Redmond near the fairgrounds. After some waffling, the City and the County finally agreed to […]

Posted inElections

Vote Rick Russell for Deschutes County Commission, Pos. 4

Russell has a proven track record of action and leadership in Central Oregon

The race for Position 4 on the Deschutes County Board of County Commissioners has seen a lot of candidates come and go, but two competent people remain. If either gets over 50% of the votes in the May election, theyโ€™ll win the seat and no additional voting will be necessary for the November election. Rick […]

Posted inElections

Vote Amanda Page for Deschutes County Commission Pos. 3

Amid a crowded field, our support leans toward the candidate with the current experience as an elected

With a handful of people in the race for Position 3 on the Deschutes County Board of County Commissioners, chances are weโ€™ll see a rematch between some of these candidates during the November go-round. That might be a good thing, because we admit that this race involves some tough choices. Amy Sabbadini is a beloved […]

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