Letters to the Editor

Ignoring The Homeless Will Have Consequences in the Future I attended a county commissioners discussion on homelessness, and one would think that after all this time they would get it. It’s clear that many are oblivious and believe that homelessness is a choice. They feel the homeless don’t deserve help or empathy. It frustrates me […]

Guest Opinion: Stop the Hate Were you aware that July is disability awareness month? Do you have any awareness of what disabled people go through to survive and navigate this world? A disabled person’s risk of becoming homeless is much higher than the able-bodied. Our system allows medical bills to ruin people. My son has […]

Guest Opinion: We Can All Support the River To our community: We have entered that time of year when our rivers are as busy as our sidewalks, when we are reminded of the freedom we enjoy when we splash in cool waters and the privilege we have to play all day in our lakes, rivers […]

Packed Like Sardines The recent announcement of plans for a gargantuan development that includes 1,600 housing units and a 180-room hotel, in addition to the staggering number of other huge developments underway in every part of our town left me heavyhearted. The highways and byways in Bend have become a nightmare; it took me 40 […]

RE: It’s Time to Talk About E-Bikes Feature, 6/29 Thank you to David Sword for giving a nearly complete overview of what electric Bikes (e-bikes) are all about. Only piece missing is to remind us all that the word “electric” is a power source and used for the motor on the bike. Electric bikes have […]

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 […]