Local News

Two global communities have an intersecting history of discrimination, criminalization and prejudice; their plights not equivalent, but still exist in solidarity with one another. To be Black and to be queer aren’t two mutually exclusive things; the first known drag queen, William Doresey Swan, was born into slavery in Maryland.  The issue, among many, is […]

Central Oregonians who identify as LGBTQIA+ and Two-Spirit have a unique opportunity to have their voices heard and let their artistry resonate as part of a statewide art project and online survey that’s nearing completion on May 31. Pride in Numbers takes a two-pronged approach to gather data and recognize participants with its community art […]

The Bend City Council on May 20 approved a master plan to expand the facility that filters Bend’s main water source for drinking. The plan provides the roadmap for future upgrades including a new pretreatment system, hydropower generation facilities, future storage reservoirs and other infrastructure City officials say is critical to ensuring long-term resiliency in a major water source for residents.   Approval of the Outback Facility Plan comes as the City awaits a final decision from the U.S. Forest Service on the transfer of a 48-acre piece of land north of Skyliners Road. Some […]

The City of Redmond is moving ahead with plans to demolish an old police station downtown and build an outdoor ice-skating rink expected to open by Thanksgiving next year.   Project meetings kicked off earlier this month after the City Council, sitting as the Redmond Urban Renewal Agency Board, awarded a design contract to Kirby Nagelhout Construction Company. The City expects the rink to cost between […]

Because of pronounced “public interest,” Bend City Manager Eric King will bring the decision to install stationary automated license plate readers to a City Council vote, allowing the public to offer input beforehand.  During the May 20 City Council business meeting, Mayor Melanie Kebler, in response to a public comment made by a privacy advocate who mentioned the Source’s reporting on the matter, said the public would be able to give […]

Trigger warning: This story deals with topics that concern mental health and suicide. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a national effort to educate people about depression, PTSD and other mental health conditions — including suicide. That effort is crucial for Oregon, where workers in agriculture, forestry and fishing have a suicide rate that is […]

When Keith Rockow moved to Deschutes County in 2003, one of the first ways he got involved in local politics was by planting a yard sign in his front lawn for Gene Whisnant, a Republican who represented part of the county in the Oregon Legislature for 16 years.   “We were a good, strong Republican force then,” said Rockow, who is now […]

Christine Drazan finished her quest to become the Republican nominee for governor amid towering stacks of wine barrels in rural Clackamas County on election night. Turns out she barely had to break a sweat after launching her campaign last October at a barge manufacturing operation in Northwest Portland. In front of a crowd full of […]