The Source Staff

As the Northwest continues to face a critical shortage of affordable homeownership opportunities, First Story is inviting eligible families in Deschutes County to apply for a newly built home in Bend and a newly refurbished Fresh Start home in Sisters. The first eligible households to apply will be selected for this life-changing opportunity in 2026. First Story, an Oregon-based […]

The Oregon Youth ChalleNGe Program (OYCP) held its graduation ceremony for Class 70 on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, for 160 Cadets who completed its 22-week program. The graduation ceremony took place at the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center. OYCP is an alternative high school operated by the Oregon National Guard, located in Bend, Oregon. “Today, […]

Michael “The Train Man” Lavrich started sharing his model trains with delighted children—and adults—roughly 25 years ago at the Downtown Bend Library. In the decades since, his annual display of model trains has become a highly anticipated holiday tradition for countless families in Central Oregon. This year, Lavrich is back to share the trains with young […]

The Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs (ODVA) is pleased to announce it has awarded grants totaling $800,000 to expand campus veteran resource centers and enhance services for student veterans at Oregon’s public universities and community colleges. These centers play a key role in helping veterans make the transition from military service to college life and […]

The Redmond Urban Renewal Agency is pleased to announce nine new businesses in the retail/restaurant/service sectors have opened downtown since the beginning of 2025. The current occupancy is 91%, making it the third year in a row where the downtown occupancy has remained above 90%. “The variety of businesses locating downtown continues to diversify making it […]

All Deschutes Public Library locations will be closed Friday, December 12, through Sunday, December 14, due to network security issues. There will be no access to the library website during this time, however customers can still access and reserve materials through the library’s catalog (https://dpl.bibliocommons.com) and through the Libby app, where you can access eBooks, […]

The Bend Park and Recreation District is hosting a Drive-Thru Holiday Food Drive on Saturday, Dec. 13, to help fill the shelves at the NeighborImpact Food Bank. Community members are invited to bring food donations to Larkspur Community Center from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. this Saturday. The drop-off location is at the Larkspur Community […]

The Hero Makers will offer an in-person Essential Foundations Collaborative Problem Solving® Training on January 15-16, 2026 at the Redmond Library. The two-day event is designed for parents, caregivers, educators, and professionals who support children and young people with challenging behavior. An early bird rate of $350 is available through December 15, 2025 (regular price: $375). Led by Certified Collaborative Problem Solving® Trainers Shannon […]

We are opening our toffee kitchen for a Holiday Pop-Up and decided to invite the next generation of Bend business owners! Find unique hand-crafted gifts created by talented young entrepreneurs from Central Oregon. Our vendors are hard at work creating:   Shop for last minute gifts while helping these young makers learn how to successfully […]