Letters to the Editor

No to Bend-La Pine Schools Levy Bend-La Pine recently approved a tax exemption for the multimillion-dollar Jackstraw development, and are now asking for public funds? Teachers, in comparison to year-round full-time workers, are quite well compensated. The lowest teacher pay, for someone with only a Bachelor’s and no certifications, probably no one hired, is $45,328/annually. […]

Jamie Campaigns Fairly In the Democratic contest for Oregon’s 5th Congressional District a negative attack campaign has been launched against Jamie McLeod-Skinner. During her working life of public service, Jamie developed a collaborative approach and collegial culture that has served her well. Her listening and problem-solving skills helped her win Democratic primaries in the past […]

Pedestrians The weather is getting nicer and more of us are outdoors, enjoying Bend’s plethora of trails, bike lanes and sidewalks. To drivers: please, please be aware of pedestrians. As someone who has been out regularly enjoying the Deschutes River Trail going through town, I have been increasingly frustrated waiting for cars to stop for […]

RE: Planned Trail Upgrades in West Bend. News, 4/4 Bend does not need any more trails. Wild animals are already struggling to survive in the Deschutes National Forest because they are currently being corralled by trails and roads. They are limited to tiny areas of undisturbed forest or forced to go into town. With these […]

Gas Pumps and Pot 1. I would like to start a movement that gas pumps are not parking spots. Please be kind and thoughtful of others and once you have filled your tank, move to a parking spot to get food, restroom etc., so the next person can fill and go. Just because no one […]

RE: Big Screen Kenergy. Screen, 3/14 Regarding Jared Rasic’s “Big Screen Kenergy” (3/14), he mentioned director Jonathan Glazer’s Oscar acceptance speech as the “best speech.” Rasic called it a “gut punch.” It certainly was. It was a gut punch to the memory of six million Jews who perished during the Holocaust and to the Jews, […]

Comments from a recent Ukraine rally It has been two years since viewing my mother’s village being bombed on a hotel jumbo screen on my Hawaiian vacation. In the middle of paradise, hell broke loose in front of me. Russia was invading Ukraine everywhere. I was watching Lviv, right on the border with Poland as […]

Jamie McLeod Skinner for CD-5 I have known Jamie McLeod Skinner since 2020 when I was the full-time (volunteer) Bend office manager for her Congressional District 2 campaign. That was a great vantage point for seeing how she interacted with staff and other volunteers, chatting with her, and learning about her experience and values. I […]

Correction: Last week’s story, “Over Bend’s Dead Bodies” was incorrectly labeled as News. It should have been labeled as Commentary. We regret the error. Guest Opinion: Ongoing Concentration of Poverty in Bend We are a group of concerned neighbors trying to shine a light on the issue of Economic Segregation in Bend. City of Bend […]

Guest Opinion: End the Suffering in Gaza The Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler and City Council’s letter regarding the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza was a courageous move. The letter urged Oregon’s lawmakers and President Biden, to intervene to ease the dire situation in Gaza. We, Central Oregon for a Free Palestine, are dedicated to a ceasefire […]