Local News
Posted inNews

LISTEN: Bend Don’t Break: Managing Redmond with Keith Witcosky 🎧

Future plans for Redmond, what it means to “keep Redmond, Redmond” and more
by The Source Staff

Born in Oakland, California, Keith Witcosky and his parents moved to Oregon in 1977. After earning his degree from the University of Denver, Witcosky  began his career in politics/government in 1993 working for then Mayor Vera Katz in Portland. Since July 2013, he has been serving as the City Manager for Redmond. As City Manager, […]

Posted inNews

Deschutes County Proposes Housing Solution for a Portion of the Homeless Population

The Deschutes County Community Justice Department is seeking providers to house male justice-involved individuals
Avatar photo by Julianna LaFollette

Deschutes County is moving forward with a proposal for a new shelter aimed at housing male convicts and sex offenders. The project, which has been awarded over $1 million for its implementation, would provide the population with short-term and long-term housing opportunities, making the process of supervision and support easier for adult parole and probation […]

Posted inNews

Avion Water Company Took the Source Weekly to Court in 2022. Litigation is Still Ongoing.

The Source Weekly is facing a choice to appeal a recent court decision regarding its litigation with Avion Water Company over a 2022 public record request
Avatar photo by Julianna LaFollette

In 2022, journalist Hanna Merzbach began a story for the Source Weekly, attempting to uncover Central Oregon’s top residential water users in 2021. Merzbach requested records from Avion Water Company, one of the largest water utilities in Central Oregon, hoping to receive data about its water usage. Instead of providing the records, the company filed […]

Posted inNews

The Future of Bend’s Parks

BPRD talks future planning, the Drake Park project and more
by Noah Nelson

Over the last few years, Bend parks have seen some change. From revitalization projects focused on environmental protections to projects designed to increase accessibility, plenty of parks around town have gotten a recent upgrade, with more on the slate for future revitalization. As of writing this article, the Bend Park and Recreation District currently lists […]

Posted inNews

Petes Lake Fire Causes Smoke and Evacuations

A 300-acre fire, started on Friday, had 0% containment as of Tuesday
Avatar photo by Julianna LaFollette

Incident management teams on Tuesday were working to contain the nearly 300-acre Petes Lake Fire in the Deschutes National Forest. The fire, which as of Tuesday morning was 0% contained, is burning on the border of Willamette National Forest, in the McKenzie River Ranger District, and Deschutes National Forest in the Mink Lake Basin area, […]

Posted inNews

State of the Brewnion

The people who make our beer discuss the state of our beer
Avatar photo by Brian Yaeger

I was already halfway done with the first draft of this story when the news broke that AB-InBev, the brewing conglomerate that makes Budweiser, sold off 10 Barrel Brewing, less than a decade after buying the Bend-based brewery. The deal included a slate of craft brewery acquisitions including Portland’s Widmer Bros. Brewing (after just three years […]

Posted inNews

People’s Right to Property

The local branch of Ammon Bundy-linked right-wing group purchased a “home” for the organization in Terrebonne
Avatar photo by Jack Harvel

English philosopher John Locke argued the three inalienable rights are life, liberty and property. People’s Rights Oregon 5, the local branch of the national right-wing activist group formed by Ammon Bundy, asserted the third of those rights this past week when it closed on a 2.75-acre property in Terrebonne. The property includes two rental homes, […]

Posted inNews

Medicare Disadvantage

St. Charles may not accept Medicare Advantage this fall, noting roadblocks to coverage and national scandals in the program
Avatar photo by Jack Harvel

On Aug. 14 St. Charles announced it may stop accepting Medicare Advantage Plans as early as this fall after the hospital system conducts a review. In Deschutes, Jefferson and Crook counties, about 26,000 people are on Medicare Advantage plans, which is over 40% of total Medicare enrollees. St. Charles said it’s considering the change due […]

Posted inNews

Fire in Juniper Creek

Over 100 acres northeast of Sisters are on fire after igniting this weekend
Avatar photo by Jack Harvel

The Juniper Creek Fire ignited on Sunday about 16 miles northeast of Sisters and quickly grew to over 100 acres. On Monday evening, the Oregon Department of Forestry said the fire was 75% contained and that firefighters are doing mop-up operations — which consist of cooling the fire’s perimeter by extinguishing hotspots and removing unburnt […]

Posted inNews

LISTEN: Bend Social Co., Patric Douglas 🎧

Get to know the founder of a new company aimed at bringing Bendites together
by The Source Staff

In this episode of Bend Don’t Break, hear seasoned tourism veteran Patric Douglas talk about his life’s adventures, how he landed in Central Oregon and why he founded The Bend Social Co., of which he is the CEO (Chief Excitement Officer). Douglas has 30+ years of experience traveling the globe and introducing others to amazing […]

Verify your email

We'll send a verification code to .

Sign up for newsletters

Get the best of The Source - Bend, Oregon directly in your email inbox.

Sending to:

Gift this article