Guest Opinion: The Idea of Public Lands Needs No Defense, It Only Needs Defenders Millions of acres of high desert public lands in Central and Eastern Oregon include some of the region’s most beloved areas like Steens Mountain, the Owyhee Canyonlands, the John Day River and Hart Mountain. Those who enjoy exploring these sinuous canyons, […]
Letters to the Editor
Posted inOpinion
Letters to the Editor 3/13/2025
Guest Opinion: One Common Sense Bill to Protect Bend’s Recreation IndustryIn Central Oregon, outdoor recreation is more than a weekend pastime — it’s a critical driver of our local economy. From guided mountain bike rides in the Deschutes National Forest to fly fishing on the Crooked River, outdoor businesses fuel jobs, support small enterprises and […]
Posted inOpinion
Letters to the Editor 3/6/2025
Guest Opinion: Fixing Oregon’s Mental Health Crisis Requires Consistency, Not Recruitment With the highest prevalence of mental illness in the U.S., Oregon is caught in the middle of a behavioral health crisis. The need for mental health and substance use disorder services is growing at an alarming rate, but the workforce to meet that need […]
Posted inOpinion
Letters to the Editor 02/27/2025
Guest Opinion: Public Lands Are Under Attack Like Never Before Between funding freezes, budget cuts, firing thousands of federal public lands employees and legislation and regulations to weaken bedrock environmental laws like the Endangered Species Act, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Antiquities Act, the Trump administration and Congress have wasted no time in their […]
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Letters to the Editor 2/20/2025
Correction: “After the Inferno,” 2/13 The Oregon Journalism Project story “After the Inferno,” published in the Source Weekly on 2/13, originally misstated the frequency with which the Public Utility Commission notified PacifiCorp of vegetation management shortcomings. OJP regrets the error. The story has also been updated to include context about a lawsuit filed last year […]
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Letters to the Editor 2/13/2025
Our Values Unite Us The actions coming out of Washington, and more recently out of our County Commission, are causing anxiety and fear among many of our neighbors, especially the members of our Latino community and other underrepresented groups. We’ll all need to work together here in Bend to find ways to deal with those […]
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Letters to the Editor 02/06/2025
Romance in Sobriety Can Happen Successfully Romantic relationships are complex, transformative and often deeply rewarding. They bring joy, connection and growth but also come with challenges. For individuals in recovery from substance use, romance carries additional layers of complexity. Balancing sobriety with the emotional demands of intimacy requires careful attention, intentionality and self-awareness. Understanding how […]
Posted inOpinion
Letters to the Editor 01/30/2025
RE: “Nowhere to Stay,” 1/22 In “Nowhere to Stay,” Jennifer Baires provides readers a glimpse of children and their families struggling to navigate Oregon’s broken mental health system. As a consulting registered nurse who works with kids in schools, I am familiar with this struggle. But given my caseload, my time with any one student […]
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Letters to the Editor 1/23/2025
RE: “Historic Skyliners Lodge to Close in June,” 1/1 This is a great opportunity for a building/roofing company with deep pockets in our community to do the right thing. Perhaps they could donate the labor for this roof repair as a tax write-off for the nonprofit and the funds already secured by the Forest Service […]
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Letters to the Editor 01/16/2025
An Optimistic Middle Ground for Psilocybin Facilitation in Central Oregon I became fascinated with the connection of science and spirituality as a young girl venturing into the deciduous forests and lush countryside that surrounded the home I grew up in. Interconnection — plants, critters, the seasons and cycles, my family and my own entanglement in […]