Letters to the Editor

RE: WE NEED TO ADDRESS WHITE SPREMACY. OPINION, 6/15 When acts of psychological and even physical violence are directed at People of Color or members of the Jewish or LGBTQIA2S communities, the response is often the performative “thoughts and prayers” accompanied by “That is not who we are.” Sorry but that is who we are, […]

Save the Deschutes South Canyon Natural Area I was born in Bend in 1991 and have lived here the majority of my 32 years. I live south of town in the home my parents built the year I was born. We love the open land by the river and all the wildlife that flourishes because […]

Guest Opinion: Restoring Wolves Wolves, a native species to Oregon and once common throughout the state, were eradicated by the 1940s in a deliberate attempt to wipe the species out of existence. Reintroduction efforts in Yellowstone and central Idaho have helped lay the groundwork for recovery across the West, but there’s still a long way […]

WHY DID COCC INVITE CHAVEZ-DEREMER TO SPEAK AT COMMENCEMENT? You have to wonder why someone thought Representative Lori Chavez-DeRemer deserves the honor of being Central Oregon Community College’s commencement speaker. This is just some of her record: Chavez-DeRemer voted for an anti-transgender bill that would require that “sex … be recognized based solely on a […]

Guest Opinion: BLM Rule Making Input Public lands are one of the great institutions of American democracy — they are open to all of us. But now some extremists are complaining about a new Bureau of Land Management rule that allows conservation to exist as an equal use on public lands, alongside grazing, drilling and […]

SENATOR LINTHICUM’S SUPPORT FOR WALKOUTS HINDERS IN SOUTH DESCHUTES COUNTY As a resident of south Deschutes County, I am disappointed in Senator Dennis Linthicum for endorsing the recent Senate Republican walkouts. The communities in rural Deschutes and Klamath counties face serious challenges, such as drought and wildfire. By walking out on the job, Senate Republicans […]

Guest Opinion: Landscape Amnesia This past week I hiked along the Upper Deschutes River. It was a pea-green color, or maybe you might say dirty blonde. Whatever adjective you like, the Upper Deschutes is a severely degraded river due to the irrigation industry. Most people living in Bend probably think the Deschutes is a beautiful […]

School board elections Isn’t it great that we can vote for a school board member who has significant, recent, and successful teaching experience in the Bend-La Pine Schools? Elizabeth Justema is a smart, effective communicator who is committed to our students and our community, and she directly understands the challenges our schools face. Dedicated and […]

Endorsement of Cynthia Claridge for Deschutes Public Library Board It would be hard for me to imagine an elected position that I wouldn’t endorse Cynthia Claridge for. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Cynthia since 1995, when I moved to Redmond to join Cascade Medical Clinic as a family physician. I know Cynthia through social […]

Vote Erin Merz for Central Oregon Community College Board With a strong background in Oregon public higher education, I know how community college jumpstarts opportunity, interrupts generational poverty, fuels a strong workforce and fills society with critical thinkers and changemakers. Now in PK-12, I’m in touch with today’s students and education’s evolving landscape. That’s why […]