The Source Editorial Board
Posted inOpinion

Beware the Election Misinformation Complex

Hawkers trying to profit off supposed chaos have created their very own cottage industry
by The Source Editorial Board

When the pandemic worsened our housing crisis, national and local governments, and nonprofits, began to address the tent cities that were popping up. At that time, a term began to be thrown about: “the homeless industrial complex.” Using words borrowed from a critique of American military spending, it was meant to indicate that people were […]

Posted inOpinion

Federal and State Homeless Funds are Drying Up. Use Some General Funds.

With shelter funding soon to end, are we headed right back to where we started?
by The Source Editorial Board

Government officials and service providers were thrilled to announce this year that the number of unhoused individuals in the community went way down compared to the previous year’s count. According to the annual Point in Time Count, the numbers were reduced by a staggering 19.1% — a figure that felt almost too good to be […]

Posted inOpinion

With Fires, Every Year We Learn All Over Again

Fire season is inevitable. Some of the ways recent fires have started don’t have to be.
by The Source Editorial Board

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 — and our local governments — can […]

Posted inOpinion

Much Ado About Psilocybin

Oregon’s experiment into mushroom as therapy seems to be going well — except for all the issues that we already knew about
by The Source Editorial Board

A recent review of Oregon’s 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 […]

Posted inOpinion

Parking Reform: The Toughest Gig in America

A murky survey, mounting pushback and a resignation of the Downtown Bend Business Association’s executive director demonstrate the thorny nature of addressing paid parking in Bend
by The Source Editorial Board

If we weren’t 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 — probably going back to when Bend became one of the first cities, in the 1940s or ‘50s, […]

Posted inOpinion

As Costs Climb, City Leaders Made the Right Choice to Back Off Transportation Fee

Yet, a growing city needs both new infrastructure and maintenance of what already exists
by The Source Editorial Board

Take a look at what you were paying for electricity, water or other bills just a handful of years ago and you’re sure to get a shock. Costs for all of these services have skyrocketed since the pandemic years, and for low- and middle-income people, that’s meant making choices between everyday indulgences and paying the […]

Posted inOpinion

If Journalism is the Last Job…

Today, journalism is increasingly the bridge between the inevitable rise of the digital world and the humans who live in and around it
by The Source Editorial Board

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 D’Souza — the founder of […]

Posted inOpinion

In a Sheriff’s Office as Troubled as This One, Skepticism Comes with Every Turn 

With the latest revelation, a renewed need for more oversight of the office
by The Source Editorial Board

Maybe the allegations levied by Sheriff Ty Rupert against his Deschutes County sheriff opponent, Lt. James “Mac” McLaughlin, are no big deal. Or maybe they’re 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 sheriff’s office today, with as many skeletons as this one, forgive us if the whole thing comes with a lot of skepticism — and […]

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
by The Source Editorial Board

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

Verify your email

We'll send a verification code to .

Sign up for newsletters

Get the best of The Source - Bend, Oregon directly in your email inbox.

Sending to:

Gift this article