Local News

Bendites, we’ve got our outdoor sports dialed. The means by which we sweat and socialize is so often wrapped up in our identity, we might as well introduce ourselves not by what we do for money but what we do to stay happy, healthy and outside. But what happens when those roles feel limiting? I […]

Despite a holiday season uptick, the Bend Police Department arrested fewer drivers in 2025 on suspicion of driving intoxicated than previous years.  Anticipating an increase in driving under the influence, Bend PD announced that it had “stepped up its presence in the downtown area on New Year’s Eve in an attempt to cut down on intoxicated drivers and other problems that historically […]

Half a century ago, Peter Jensen launched Project Censored, in part as a response to how the Watergate break-in was covered. Richard Nixon didn’t censor the initial reporting, but he didn’t have to. The press simply didn’t cover it with any serious scrutiny until well after Nixon was elected. The story didn’t reach the American […]

Laughter, peace and playfulness filled the room on NE Division Street in Bend that serves three very different purposes. Most of the time, it’s a chapel for daily devotions. Lately, it’s been a pre-Christmas workshop — a lively craft space buzzing with sewing machines, colorful fabric, gingerbread, icing, candies and jovial conversation. By night, it […]

Bend It’s been a busy year for the Bend City Council. An expanded meeting schedule and a focus on strategy have brought forth ambitious and community-driven goals, setting out how we’ll continue to make progress for our local community. And in 2025, we’ve been doing it all in the midst of chaos and confusion at the […]

We’re a quarter-way into the 21st Century and 2025 may have been the gnarliest year yet. Here in Central Oregon, our reporting reflected that whiplash, with reports on local houselessness, Immigration and Customs Enforcement sweeps and potential deregulation of the “American Dream.” Yet, along the way, we had some fun — gallows humor? — with investigations and first-person narratives about those dang fun Veo e-bikes and sketchy “magic […]

At politically oriented holiday parties all over the state, the hot topic is what Democrats will do in the face of a remarkably successful Republican effort to refer a gas tax increase to the November 2026 ballot that lawmakers passed in September. The option that’s getting the most serious consideration, according to numerous Democrats speaking […]

The sport of pickleball has come a long way. Even some hardcore players may not be aware of its Pacific Northwestern past.  The sport was created in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, a ferry ride away from Seattle, and came to exist as something of an athletic hybrid: a mix of tennis and badminton, played with a wiffleball and short paddles.   Humble backyard beginnings turned […]

An upcoming adjustment to how much behavioral health providers get paid through Oregon’s Medicaid infrastructure could put some, specifically occupational therapists, straight out of business.   Occupational therapy, like physical therapy, is intended to help disabled or injured people work past their medical issues and return to normal life. Through OT services, everyday actions that feel out of reach can gradually […]