Local News

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 […]

Thomas Van Hoose had been here before. Nearing the end of his third stint in an Oregon correctional facility on drug charges, he was thinking about what life on the outside would be like yet again. His first two times exiting prison went about the same way: He got a minimum-wage job, but soon found […]

In January 2025, the Homeless Leadership Coalition counted 1,611 people experiencing homelessness in Deschutes County. Of that number, at least 374 were homeless in Redmond, said the HLC, which is Central Oregon’s designated Continuum of Care – a federal program designed to oversee resources to address homelessness regionally. Getting even one person off the street, […]

Oregon’s already low kindergarten vaccination rates may worsen after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this month stopped recommending the hepatitis B vaccine at birth. Public health experts decried the controversial decision, which overturned 30 years of guidance that cut rates of liver disease and cirrhosis. Oregon is part of a new public […]

Measure 110 is still far from achieving its promise to help Oregonians struggling with addiction due to frequent policy changes and a lack of stability, coordination, and data at the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), according to an audit released today by the Secretary of State Audits Division.   “Oregon has struggled to respond to substance use […]

The Deschutes County Fair and Expo Center has been coined the “premier facility of its kind” in the Northwest, boosting the region’s tourism economy and drawing impressive crowds with its year-round events.  With a focus on providing a variety of opportunities for residents and visitors, the campus holds more than 400 events annually on its […]

Shepherd’s House Ministries has been operating in Deschutes County for 18 years. The nonprofit was founded and is still based in Bend, but has operated a shelter in Redmond since November 2023.  As reported by the Source, the Shepherd’s House Redmond Center became a 24/7 shelter in February 2024, “providing meals, showers, mobile outreach, day services, job readiness programs and wrap-around services.” It also doubles […]

After the dramatic departure last September of Andrés Portela III, the City of Bend’s equity and inclusion director, City officials vowed to hire a third-party consultant to investigate the allegations Portela listed in his Sept. 12 resignation letter. The allegations include a racially hostile environment inside City Hall, mismanagement of racial incidents by City Manager Eric King and a DEI department stripped of staff and organization.  The results of that report, prepared by Amy Ahrendt, owner of Attorney-Conducted Workplace Investigations, suggest that the allegations of […]