The Source Editorial Board, Author at The Source - Bend, Oregon

Preserve the Will of the Majority. Vote Claridge, Hossick for Deschutes Library Board. ▶ [With Video]

Surprisingly, this library board election really matters. Read our take on two key races that will decide whether voters’ support for a Central Library is upheld.

by The Source Editorial Board April 12, 2023May 13, 2025

Video interviews with the candidates appear below. Library board elections have not been a high priority for us in the past — but this time around, there’s a good reason for all of us to be paying closer attention. Our Editorial board remains disappointed in the process surrounding the demise of the Robal Road location […]

Opinion

Vote Yes on Measures 9-158 and 9-159: Five-Year Local Option Levies for fire-emergency medical services

An investment worth paying for

by The Source Editorial Board April 5, 2023October 20, 2024

In 2014, voters in Bend and Deschutes County approved levies for the fire services in Bend and the rural county, which helped to reduce the time it took firefighters and emergency services to get to places where their help was needed. Taxpayers in Bend and rural Deschutes County have seen a levy of 20 cents […]

Opinion

Activism in Action

The enthusiasm of youth meets the skepticism of state government… and makes progress

by The Source Editorial Board March 29, 2023December 17, 2023

Last week’s Source food column, “Little Bites,” outlined how a bill is moving through the state legislature that would allow restaurants and food service establishments to serve customers food in their own containers. SB 545 is part of an overall “zero waste” effort, this one aimed at reducing how much plastic Oregonians consume. Stopping the […]

Opinion

Airport Parking Alternatives Are Coming. You’ll Just Have to Wait a While.

Redmond airport officials hope to raise the daily fee from $15 to $24 per day, the same rate as Portland

by The Source Editorial Board March 22, 2023June 30, 2024

Officials at the Redmond airport raised prices on daily parking five years ago. Now, they want to do it again, raising the daily fee from $15 to $24 per day. It’s the same price someone would pay to park daily at Portland International Airport, they pointed out – even though we all know that the […]

Opinion

If China Hat is the Forest, One Small Managed Camp is a Tree

Friction brews between various cities and Deschutes County

by The Source Editorial Board March 15, 2023July 5, 2024

This past week the public has had a window into the difficulties and details that go into approving a managed camp for unhoused individuals in Central Oregon. After initially indicating support for using county funds to launch a camp for “medically fragile” individuals in south Bend, Deschutes County Commissioners Patti Adair and Tony DeBone voted […]

Opinion

On the Homelessness Issue, One Step Forward, One Step Back

The situation is dire

by The Source Editorial Board March 8, 2023June 11, 2024

Editor’s Note: Deschutes County Commissioners backed out of the agreement to hire a contractor on City-owned land on Murphy Road shortly after this article was published. Click here for an update on this story. Ask people in Central Oregon about homelessness and most of them are bound to say that something needs to be done. […]

Opinion

In 2023, the Culture War is a Gender War

Have women achieved the equality and parity in this 21st Century that was so sought after throughout the 20th?

by The Source Editorial Board March 1, 2023May 13, 2025

Every year, as we put out an annual Women’s Issue, we turn our attention toward perennial questions like, what is feminism today? Does it have a place anymore? Have women achieved the equality and parity in this 21st Century that was so sought after throughout the 20th? To be sure, some of the past issues […]

Opinion

Railway Safety is an Effort for All Cities

Fossil fuels and other dangerous materials travel by train

by The Source Editorial Board February 22, 2023December 18, 2024

We have to admit: When the Bend City Council adopted a resolution in 2021 that declared opposition to seeing rail cars carrying fossil fuels run through the city, we were dubious. What could a small city like Bend do to actually make things safer, in the face of petroleum companies and the other private enterprises […]

Opinion

Governor’s Budget: Prioritize Fewer Band-Aids, More Brick-and-Mortar

Gov. Kotek has followed through on her promises to prioritize some of the biggest pain points facing the state – even at the expense of some other local projects

by The Source Editorial Board February 8, 2023September 20, 2023

When gubernatorial candidate Tina Kotek was on the campaign trail, she made it clear that housing and homelessness would be among her top priorities should she win the race in November. Now that she’s in the governor’s office, we’re seeing that promise play out. Kotek declared a Homelessness State of Emergency just after taking office. […]

Opinion

Oregonians Lack Basic Information About Water Issues. A Recent Secretary of State Report is a Start in Changing That.

Cities like ours should be empowered and funded to better monitor and manage their waters

by The Source Editorial Board February 1, 2023September 29, 2023

Plenty of people think of Oregon as a rainy, green oasis – but those of us who live in the 2/3 of the state that doesn’t look like that know differently. Here in Central Oregon, water is scarce enough to mean some farmers don’t get the water they need at crop-growing time. Others begin hobby […]

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