News

As a steady current of wind kicked up dust through the vacant lot opposite from Pioneer Park that has been the location of the Occupy Bend village for the past two weeks, protesters hurried to cover tables strewn with the remnants of the previous night's meal and pamphlets explaining citizens' rights.
But as the wind began to blow harder, in what seemed like a turn of positive karma or deus ex machina, local contractor James Rice of Mr. Rooter Plumbing drove in to spray several hundred gallons of water meant to quell the dust storm. And while the ground was dry by sunrise, the dust gently refracting in the morning light, Rice's donation of water is an appropriate representation of the communal spirit that seems to be the aim of the temporary village.
The protesters are encamped legally on the plot, which is owned by the city and was once the location of The Bend Bulletin. At a city council meeting last week, members of the Bend Police Department and city officials agreed to allow Occupy Bend Village to continue their stay in the lot until October 29. When asked what the Bend Police Department's course of action would be if the occupants do not leave by October 29, Police Liaison Steve Esselstyn said that they would be cited for trespassing.

Dang, where did all these people come from?
It's a familiar scene: As the snow dumps from above, you and your pals excitedly make plans to rise with the sun in an effort to catch the first chair at Mt. Bachelor. But after indulging in too many local brews and resulting taps of the snooze-button, it's almost 10 a.m. by the time you pull your station wagon into the already busy parking lot.
While it's easy to grumble about waiting in lift lines at your local hill, those lines mean business is good – and not just for the ski industry, but also for the economy and, ultimately, you. A bustling mountain resort can serve as a useful snapshot of the current state of the national economy, which seems to be on an upswing (albeit a slow one) given the number of skier visits during the winter of 2010-11. In July, the National Ski Areas Association announced that U.S. ski areas set a new all-time season record of about 60 million skier/snowboarder visits. Here in Oregon, resorts and vendors alike realized the uptick in skier participation. Ski resorts say that such financial success often translates to better services from the resorts and more refined products from the ski industry. Everyone wins, including you, the skier.