Letters to the Editor

Fix Our Forest Act is Misguided Having lived most of my adult life between Central Oregon and California, I’m no stranger to the devastating impact of wildfires on our homes, health, and communities. These fires have intensified as policy makers fail to implement crucial climate change mitigation measures. The proposed Fix Our Forest Act (FOFA) […]

Challenging to drive downtown My wife and I live on the SE side of Bend. Over the past five years we have just seen the changes to the downtown area make it progressively more unpleasant to drive to the area for dining. The latest, and perhaps the proverbial “straw that broke the camel’s back”, has […]

Local law enforcement’s stance on cooperation with the Trump administration. I think it would be interesting to hear from the leaders of our local, county and state law enforcement agencies regarding their opinions of the overreach by the current president and his administration. Especially with regard to honoring sanctuary status, or cooperating with the federal […]

Local law enforcement’s stance on cooperation with the Trump administration I think it would be interesting to hear from the leaders of our local, county and state law enforcement agencies regarding their opinions of the overreach by the current president and his administration. Especially with regard to honoring sanctuary status, or cooperating with the federal […]

Battle of the Burgers Having spent the past seven decades compulsively grading and ranking every item I have experienced in every category of everything — 45’s, movies, albums, album covers, breads, beers, salads, breakfasts, and muffins, to name just a few — I must add my voice to those who have chosen Bend’s best burger. […]

We Need This Music. Now, more than ever, we need it. Want to connect with your fellow citizens? Music. Want to escape the dreadful news happening in our country and the world? Music. The element of “fun” is something we all need in our daily lives. Music is just that… FUN! And here in Bend […]

Guest Opinion: Fool’s Gold As a communications counselor for 40 years, working with large, complex organizations like IBM or Aetna, I have a lot of experience with “downsizing” efforts. The Trump administration claims that the actions they’re taking to cut jobs and eliminate functions will improve the efficiency of the Federal Government and save money. […]

Guest Opinion: A Path Forward My origin family has been Democrat since my grandmother worked with the FDR administration as one of the country’s first cohorts of social workers. We’re educated, progressive and global. I should be freaking out like the rest of the people in my choir. Trump’s integrity, temperament and many of his […]

Save the Bees Oregonians have a unique opportunity to help Oregon’s pollinators, wildlife and ecosystems. HB 2679 is currently proceeding through the legislature. This bill would reclassify neonicotinoids (neonics) as a restricted-use pesticide and would limit their application to licensed professionals only. This measure would significantly reduce the prevalence of neonics in the environment where […]

Guest Opinion: Bentz Defends GOP Budget that Hurts His District At a recent town hall, U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz (R-District 2) was asked to explain and defend the federal budget proposal put forward by House Republicans. That proposal calls for drastic cuts in a number of critical services, and even more tax breaks for corporations […]