Editorial
Posted inOpinion

Non-Affiliated Voters Outnumber Democrats in Oregon. Let Them Participate in Primaries.

Between our state’s automatic voter registration and an electorate that’s tired of political extremes, this trend of seeing non-affiliated voters exceed party supporters is only going to grow.
by The Source Staff

Paying attention to the extreme partisanship in Washington, D.C., might lead one to pull their hair out. This past week – amid the effort, involving some 15 rounds of voting – to name a Speaker of the House, also happened to be the anniversary of the Capitol breach of Jan. 6, 2020. One might imagine […]

Posted inOpinion

Another Year, Another Question About Mirror Pond

In a time when dams are being removed on the Klamath River for habitat restoration, we don’t think it’s too cynical to say that an even bigger vision for Newport Dam should be possible.
by The Source Staff

The passing of another year is always a time for reflection; a look back at what could have gone better, a look ahead at what we hope we can improve in the coming year. And with this annual reflection comes a reminder of one of the most intractable issues in Bend: O yes, it’s that […]

Posted inOpinion

At the Holidays, Make Redistribution of Wealth a Personal Task, Not Just a Governmental One

Workers and volunteers helping our houseless neighbors are tired. Those who benefit from the increase in housing values need to step up.
by The Source Staff

This time of year is typically a time for people to count their blessings and focus on a measure of gratitude. For homeowners, one needs only to look at the property tax statement that arrived in the mail not long ago to see a dose of that gratitude played out. While it’s true that some […]

Posted inOpinion

Home Energy Scores Offer Economic and Environmental Benefits

By having someone tell us where our homes are most inefficient and what we can do to improve it, people will have tools to do those fixes and save money.
by The Source Staff

Whether you’re a person who’s motivated by economic concerns or environmental ones, there’s something to appreciate about the new Home Energy Score program coming to Bend. Those who have bought or sold a home—or have thought about it—have probably heard various statistics about how much more they can garner from a home if that home […]

Posted inOpinion

American Cities Were Built to Accommodate the Automobile. Help Them Accommodate People Instead.

What we are seeing right now, in our city and in so many cities in our state and nation, is a shift to a different way of thinking that could result in a different way of life.
by The Source Staff

If there’s anything that gets people in Bend fired up, it’s talking about parking. Whether it’s the relatively recent addition of paid, permitted parking around Drake Park or the recent conversation happening among the Bend City Council about eliminating parking minimums in the city, people are passionate about the topic. In order to comply with […]

Posted inOpinion

Concealed Carry Laws in Oregon Need to Change

Had Oregon had common sense laws that barred people with concealed-carry permits from carrying guns while drinking, Barry Washington might still be alive.
by The Source Staff

In the wake of the verdict and now sentencing of Ian Cranston for the killing of Barry Washington outside a bar in Bend in September 2021, Cranston has become a martyr of sorts among the people who believe that he was simply “a white man defending himself” against a purportedly stronger (and outnumbered) Black man […]

Posted inOpinion

Sheriffs Need to Follow the Laws. All of Them.

It’s exhausting to see what sheriffs around the state—including those in Jefferson, Crook and Deschutes counties are saying in regard to Measure 114
by The Source Staff

After an election, as voters, we hope to take a collective breath, look around at the changes on the horizon due to our collective decisions and as winners and losers move forward with those changes, knowing they came from our collective will. That’s democracy, plain and simple. Many had a collective sigh of relief after […]

Posted inOpinion

Newspaper Endorsements Matter. What Matters More: Your Vote

With automatic, motor-voter registration, voters’ pamphlets and pre-stamped ballots that arrive right at your door, Oregon makes it easy for you to hold up your end of the democratic bargain. Don’t take this for granted.
by The Source Editorial Board

A lot is on the line in the election coming up Nov. 8—an election traditionally called the “midterms” because it’s the one that happens smack-dab in the middle of the current president’s term. But if you’ve been paying any kind of attention, then you know that it doesn’t take a presidential election to make an […]

Posted inOpinion

Crisis Shows Us Who Our Leaders Are

Now—not more than ever but on par with any time in the past—who we select as leaders at all levels—municipal, county, state and federal—does matter.
by The Source Staff

Between climate-change calamities, coronavirus and ongoing gun violence like the case we saw in Bend last week, we are in a world where we confront crisis on the regular. Perhaps, in the before-times, before we faced down a global pandemic, it was more palatable to see our elected leaders misstep or remain absent when a […]

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