News

In a joint press release, Oregon Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden stated that they have secured “more than $92 million” for Oregon as part of funding legislation recently passed by congressional appropriations committees.   Over $7.1 million will go to projects in Deschutes and Jefferson counties, with the former receiving a majority of that sum.  […]

When Gov. Tina Kotek convened the first meeting of her newly named Prosperity Council on Jan. 22, she told the 16-member panel what she hoped to achieve. “The goals I’ve put forward—about growing our GDP, creating new jobs and supporting the workforce we need for the future—those are very simple goals,” Kotek said. “And they […]

Oregon lawmakers are currently wrestling in Salem with federal cuts for health care and food assistance programs. At the same time, some legislators are also trying to expand retirement benefits for some public employees. Senate Bill 1569 would significantly boost benefits for juvenile court counselors, police fingerprint technicians, deputy attorneys general doing criminal work, and […]

Central Oregon is no exception to the issue of folks without permanent housing at any given time throughout the year. On a single night in January each year, the Point-in-Time Count takes place nationwide to count sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness. In Central Oregon, this takes place in La Pine, Sisters, Bend, Redmond, Madras, […]

I am the current face of homelessness in Bend and Central Oregon. I am 67 years old, highly educated and without a place to live. Thankfully, I found Shepherd’s House Ministries Lighthouse – a shelter for the homeless in Bend. Initially, it began as the 2nd Street Shelter as a low-barrier emergency shelter in June […]

Parents of Bend-La Pine Schools students, supported by local advocacy group Well Wired, have joined forces to express their collective concerns about the district’s implementation of educational technology, or “ed-tech.”  A statement, presented at the Tuesday, Feb. 10 school board meeting, asks the school board to “reduce screen time in schools and reevaluate the District’s […]

When first reached by the Source for a phone interview, newly hired Deschutes County Fair and Expo Director Jeff Curtis was in the process of having his car shipped from Alaska down to the lower 48. Once he and his vehicle arrive, plenty more logistics will be waiting for Curtis in Central Oregon. Curtis has […]

This month, Cascades East Transit resumed fare collection, which had been suspended on non-recreational routes since the spring of 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Operating fare-free had been possible because of federal relief funding, CET stated, but that money has long been in the rearview mirror. CET is operated by the Central Oregon […]

As Oregon public school leaders face reductions in state funding, they turn to their biggest expense to find cuts—about 85% of their budgets go to personnel. This time around, they have more staff to cut: Over the past five years, the number of full-time employees at the state’s 197 school districts has grown by nearly […]