Opinion
Posted inNews

Kotek Takes Commanding Lead Over Drazan in Early Election Returns

The governor appears poised to overcome a low popularity rating in a rematch of 2022 nominees
by Nigel Jaquiss, Oregon Journalism Project and Grace Benninghoff Oregon Journalism Project

The mood Tuesday night at the Hilton Portland Downtown, where Democrats gathered for their election night party, was giddy as two massive televisions in the basement ballroom flashed result after result confirming a national blue wave.  “People are jubilant,” said Chris Pair, a Democratic political strategist. Oregon Democrats gathered at the Portland hotel, hoping that […]

Posted inNews

Redmond Mayoral Race Set to Go to Incumbent While City Council Seats Up for Grabs 

Mayor Ed Fitch appears to land his fourth term in office, while winner of at least one City Council seat is still up in the air
Avatar photo by Dallas Finn Calvert

*This story was updated Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 3:35pm. It was a busy night on Tuesday, Nov. 3, aka general-election day, for Redmond city politics as three candidates battled it out in the Redmond mayoral race, while five residents competed for three open spots on the City Council.  Incumbent Mayor Ed Fitch appeared to secure […]

Posted inNews

Incumbents Set to Hold onto Oregon House District 53 and 54 Seats

Democrats score key wins as Emerson Levy holds onto District 53, and Jason Kropf wins an uncontested race for District 54
Avatar photo by Dallas Finn Calvert

*This story was updated Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 3:30pm. The blue tsunami has hit the high desert as Democrats won both area state representative races. Emerson Levy (D/I) appeared poised to win her third House District 53 term with 57.63% of the vote as of 3:15pm on Wednesday, Nov. 4, while Jason Kropf (D) ran […]

Posted inNews

Central Oregon Votes: Tuesday Night Election Results

Outcomes from city, county, state races for Bend, Redmond and Central Oregon
by The Source Staff

The 2026 midterm elections are behind us, and while Democrats’ decisive control of both chambers of Congress is the story on the national stage, the stories in Central Oregon include the apparent defeat of a controversial district map, the return of both mayors in Bend and Redmond, and the shift on the Deschutes County Board […]

Posted inOpinion

School Attendance, Community Supports and Oregon’s Educational Outcomes are All Intertwined

Oregon needs more accountability for families after their children disappear from school
by The Source Editorial Board

Last week, Reporter Clayton Franke’s story on the Silver Rail shooter started with the basic premise of, ‘why wasn’t this kid in school?’ We wanted to know when the student attended Bend-La Pine Schools, when he did not and what happened in between, in some attempt to understand more about the 16-year-old and why he […]

Posted inOpinion

Mental Health Services Deserve Greater Funding (and Oversight)

It’s one of the few things we believe we can agree on
by The Source Editorial Board

If we have not gone through this directly, we’ve seen it on the news enough times to know how it goes. Innocent victims die in a place of learning. The public is outraged and heartbroken. Parents call for more safety measures; students walk out of class to do something — anything — to display their […]

Posted inElections

In the Swirl of the Week, Your Ballot Arrived

While the Central Oregon community reels, Election Day is still ahead. These are our Editorial Board’s endorsements in local races.
by The Source Editorial Board

See the videos of our interviews with the candidates on our Elections page at bendsource.com. City Elections Redmond City Council Our picks: Tobias Colvin, Kathryn Osborne, Barbara Tate Five people are in the running for three seats on the Redmond City Council, including Tobias Colvin, the manager of the SCP Redmond Hotel and a former […]

Posted inElections

Vote Ty Rupert for Deschutes County Sheriff

Our choice is Rupert, but whoever you decide to vote for in this race, do it in the spirit of having skin in the game
by The Source Editorial Board

We don’t fault anyone who harbors doubt, or even downright disdain about the state of things at the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office. A culture of retaliation and dishonesty has pervaded the office for years. While they may or may not have taken part in all of it, the two people running to be the next […]

Posted inCommentary

On Tragedy and the Interconnectedness of Community

In the wake of the shootings at Silver Rail Elementary, a note from our editor in chief about this week’s print edition
Avatar photo by Nicole Vulcan

Since the horrific shootings at Silver Rail Elementary on October 15, I have written various versions of this Editor’s Note in my head. One lamented the mental exercises in futility we as Americans engage in, every time one of our babies dies in a school shooting. Another was an attempt to examine the yawning social […]

Posted inGuest Commentary

School Lunches Made Easier

A pediatric dietitian’s tips for packing a lunch your child will actually eat
by Andria Clark

As a pediatric dietitian, one of the most common questions parents ask this time of year is how to pack a balanced school lunch their child will actually eat. Planning school lunches can be time-consuming and discouraging, especially when they come home mostly untouched. A few simple strategies can take some of the stress out […]

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