We knew it was coming, but as fire season begins its annual destruction, people are once again left wondering what we can do and if we could have done more. The benefit of hindsight already gives us much to ponder when it comes to what each of us โ and our local governments โ can […]
The Source Editorial Board
Much Ado About Psilocybin
A recent review of Oregonโs psilocybin therapy program brings up some of the most obvious points about the initiative, approved by voters just a handful of years ago: High-earning individuals are often the ones accessing the program. Many of them come from out of state to do so. People are accessing the program not just […]
Parking Reform: The Toughest Gig in America
If we werenโt previously convinced that parking is one of the thorniest issues in America, we are now. As a June 17 story in the Source detailed, parking has been a divisive issue in Bend for decades โ probably going back to when Bend became one of the first cities, in the 1940s or โ50s, […]
As Costs Climb, City Leaders Made the Right Choice to Back Off Transportation Fee
Take a look at what you were paying for electricity, water or other bills just a handful of years ago and youโre sure to get a shock. Costs for all of these services have skyrocketed since the pandemic years, and for low- and middle-income people, thatโs meant making choices between everyday indulgences and paying the […]
If Journalism is the Last Jobโฆ
A recent article in The Hollywood Reporter offers a chronicle of how journalists may soon be adjudicated in the court of AI justice. As disturbing as that piece may be, it did contain an intriguing muse about the future of journalism, and the future of work. In it, entrepreneur Aron DโSouza โ the founder of […]
In a Sheriffโs Office as Troubled as This One, Skepticism Comesย withย Every Turnย
Maybe the allegations levied by Sheriff Ty Rupert against his Deschutes County sheriff opponent, Lt. James โMacโ McLaughlin, are no big deal. Or maybe theyโre grounded in facts and evidence. Based on recent revelations uncovered by this paper, it seems that the latter could very well be true. But when it comes to the sheriffโs office today, with as many skeletons as this one, forgive us if the whole thing comes with a lot of skepticism โ and […]
Should Bendites Have to Pay to Pollute?
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 cityโs carbon emissions goals and reducing reliance on fossil fuels. There was no good timing for this. As a whole, Oregoniansโ economic […]
Local Law Enforcement is Right to Be More Cautious of New Video Surveillance Technology
In recent months, local law enforcement agencies, including the Bend Police Department, Redmond Police and the Deschutes County Sheriffโs 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 […]
Four Takeaways from the May Primary Election
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 weโve made about our regionโs changing political landscape. […]
A Data Center Hopes to Move into La Pine and Use 15X the Power the Town Currently Uses
Itโs 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 โminesโ bitcoin, is seeking to build a data center on a […]

