Opinion
Posted inOpinion

E-Bikes are Coming to Bend Area Trails. It Seemed Only a Matter of Time.

With a new user group comes a new opportunity to support local trail maintenance and education
by The Source Editorial Board

When e-bikes began to enter the mountain bike scene, trail users were concerned. Getting out into the forest in this way was inherently an activity that required committment — and anyway, wouldn’t those fast new bikes ruin the trails, and add more congestion in our already crowded network? Those were just some of the assumptions […]

Posted inLetters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor, Week Dec. 18

Topics include county commissioners, political endorsements and electrifying homes
by The Source Staff

Deschutes County Commission’s Not So Funny Comedy of Errors Oh, the irony! Last Wednesday [Dec. 3], I watched with incredulity as Patti Adair and Tony Debone called for public comment in a room full of interested citizens they themselves had silenced. Per The Source, “Adair requested that a public hearing be held [emphasis added] before any decision-making by […]

Posted inOpinion

Creative Options for Reducing Parking, Traffic Welcome

Pray for snow, because the ways to get to the mountain are growing
by The Source Editorial Board

If you recall last year’s snow-riding season, you might remember it as a time of icy roads and traffic headaches. During the pandemic, more people began to recreate in the area west of Bend. The pace continued long after the quarantine period ended. That’s good for people’s well-being, but it’s been not so great for […]

Posted inLetters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor, Week of Dec. 11

Topics include green energy policy, the non-partisan approach and a reaction to pushback on a tax hike
by The Source Staff

Bend’s green energy policy Recently, the Source printed a letter arguing that Bend City Council’s measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are not worthwhile because “the world has seen the realities and moved on” from combating climate change. To support its thesis, the letter observed that China is building new coal plants. However, China has […]

Posted inOpinion

A Gas Tax Repeal Could Be Looming, But Oregonians Will Feel the Effects Right Away

Next year, voters may get a chance to weigh in on funding for ODOT. But the current repeal petition will put the brakes on road maintenance far sooner.
by The Source Editorial Board

From the flurry of activity that has been happening around the proposed gas tax referendum, it’s clear that many Oregonians have strong feelings about the issue of raising fees on car registrations and raising the state gas tax by 6 cents. Partisan historians are calling the effort “unprecedented.” Some are going out of their way […]

Posted inLetters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor, Week of Dec. 4

Topics include parking frustrations, district mapping and green energy policies
by The Source Staff

Parking Problem Parking on Deschutes Market Road adjacent to the Pine Nursery dog park has been in the news recently. There used to be access to the dog park from Deschutes Market Road before the roundabout was put in. Some residents from the apartment complex Solis also used to park there. Safety may be a […]

Posted inOpinion

Are County Districts a Solution in Search of a Problem?

Before the county commission expands to five, the public may have a chance to weigh in on a five-district map. But are districts really needed?
by The Source Editorial Board

If there’s anything that gets people fired up in politics, it’s the topic of where to draw the lines that separate one voting bloc from another. In Texas right now, it’s a fight that may wind its way to the Supreme Court. In Deschutes County, it’s shaping up to be a bitter battle. For the […]

Posted inLetters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor, Week of Nov. 27

Topics include helping children with complex needs, the culture within Bend City Hall and the neighborhood impact of a Reed Market railroad bridge.
by The Source Staff

Opinion: When Kids Are Left Behind, Our Community Loses, Too Every child deserves to feel like they belong — but for many kids with disabilities or those impacted by trauma, school can become a place of stress instead of possibility. Too often, these children are misunderstood, excluded or left behind because the system wasn’t built […]

Posted inOpinion

As the Battles Over Public Funds Commence, We Need an Equitable Process

Local governments are already stepping up to fill gaps created by SNAP, health care cuts. The public should weigh in about where the dollars go.
by The Source Editorial Board

With the end of the federal government shutdown, the roughly 757,000 people in Oregon who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits could breathe a sigh of relief. Food would be on the table as winter sets in. There might even be enough to give thanks at Thanksgiving. But that relief is temporary. The federal government […]

Posted inLetters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor, Week of Nov. 20

Topics include natural gas impact on health, green energy, bridge design and the kindness of strangers
by The Source Staff

Natural Gas causes health hazards Natural gas releases carbon emissions, causes health hazards within homes and wreaks intense environmental destruction through fracking. Geoff Reynolds’ letter to the Source claimed that in 2023, households using electricity contributed 63% of residential carbon emissions while only 29% came from gas. The link he cited, at the U.S. Energy […]

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