Local News
Posted inLocal News

New Study Finds PGE’s Efforts to Restore Deschutes River Aren’t Working

A peer-reviewed paper says measures to mitigate harms from dams have “resulted in a net reduction in water quality and aquatic habitat.”
by Nigel Jaquiss, Oregon Journalism Project

A new scientific review says the strategy that Portland General Electric and the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs developed to return fish to the upper Deschutes River isn’t working.  As OJP previously reported, there is significant disagreement between the utility and the tribe, which co-own the dams, over a device called a “selective water […]

Posted inCulture Features

Veo: a (Near) Crash Course in Responsible E-Bike Ridesharing

A new rideshare program dropped 227 class-2 e-bikes across Bend. In Veo’s debut month, 3,700 local riders have ridden 35,000 cumulative miles. We were among them.
Avatar photo by Peter Madsen

For a period in July, my relationship with two wheels turned upside down.  There, parked in the grass outside the Source office, I spied a new Cosmo-e, one of 227 e-bikes distributed by Veo throughout Bend’s streets since July 10. I was aware that Veo, a micromobility rideshare company, had contracted with the City of […]

Posted inLocal News

Emergency Vote Aims to Prevent Massive Cuts and Layoffs 

Special session required after recent failure by legislature to address transportation funding
Avatar photo by Sarah Isak-Goode

Oregon lawmakers will hold a special session on Aug. 29 to consider funding for the Oregon Department of Transportation. The governor’s proposal includes raising payroll and gas taxes as well as vehicle registration fees. It also seeks to stronger accountability. Recent investigations into ODOT have revealed a lack of financial transparency.    Thousands of Oregonians […]

Posted inLocal News

Flat Fire Forces Evacuations 

Nearly 4,000 homes face danger in Central Oregon; four destroyed
Avatar photo by Sarah Isak-Goode

As of Monday, Aug. 25, the fast-moving Flat Fire in Central Oregon was 5% contained.  Eric Perkins, operations section chief for the Oregon Department of Forestry, reported on Monday morning that the fire stopped advancing forward. “Lots of structures in along this southern end of the fire as it moves into town … that fire […]

Posted inNews

Health Care Costs to Surge for Central Oregon Families 

Federal delays and budget cuts could strip coverage from millions nationwide
Avatar photo by Sarah Isak-Goode

More than 12,000 families in Deschutes County face an annual average $1,300 increase in health care costs as federal rule changes and looming budget cuts threaten to strip coverage from over a million Oregonians.    Oregon’s Medicaid program is “the backbone of our health care system,” explained Tami Cline, President of the Oregon Nurses Association in […]

Posted inNews

Flat Fire Triggers Evacuation Notices

An air quality advisory for smoke is expected to last until at least Monday evening, Aug. 25
Avatar photo by Nic Moye

On Friday, Aug. 22, the Oregon State Fire Marshal mobilized three structural task forces and its Red Incident Management Team to the Flat Fire burning in Jefferson County. The fire, which started Thursday, is burning west of Culver, prompting level 1, 2 and 3 evacuation notices. Gusty winds, low humidity and warm temperatures caused the […]

Posted inBest Of Central Oregon

Meet the Winners! Best of Central Oregon 2025

Read about the winners in the biggest isue of the year!
by The Source Staff

“The King of all Wild Things” Mischievous Max on his wild adventure has landed on the island of winners for this year’s Best of Central Oregon. The Wild Things led him to the kings and queens of food, drinks, services, people, places, shopping and nonprofit events in Bend, Redmond, Sisters and Sunriver. “He sailed back […]

Posted inLocal News

State Invests $10M in Disaster-Ready CORE3 Facility 

Multi-agency training center planned for Redmond
Avatar photo by Sarah Isak-Goode

The state has approved nearly $10 million in funding for a major emergency response and training facility near the Redmond airport. “The CORE3 facilities are designated for first responder training and for providing a multi-agency emergency operations center in support of large-scale emergencies,” said Deschutes County Commissioner Chair Tony DeBone in a news release. “We […]

Posted inNews

Tragedy at Lake Billy Chinook

A Prineville man succumbed to a cardiac event while swimming to save friend in drifting boat on Aug. 18
Avatar photo by Peter Madsen

A fishing trip on Lake Billy Chinook turned tragic Aug. 18, when a man experienced a cardiac event as he swam to retrieve his friend from their fishing boat as it drifted away into the lake. Vaughn Alan Waugaman and a friend had spent the evening fishing on a small aluminum boat in Lake Billy […]

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