Editorial
Posted inOpinion

Bend’s Poor Rating in LGBTQ Equality Can Be a Roadmap to Inclusivity and Continued Economic Prosperity

The national average score was 64 out of 100; Bend scored a 58
by The Source Staff

This week, the Human Rights Campaign, the country’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer civil rights organization, released its Municipal Equality Index, which rates U.S. cities based on cities’ LGBTQ policies. The 506 cities named were rated on things including whether the city has a human rights commission, whether a city’s employees have access to […]

Posted inOpinion

Rent Moratorium Proposal Asks Both Sides to Give a Little. They Should.

According to data provided by Portland State University, roughly 34.8% of Oregonians owed unpaid rent as of September
by The Source Staff

A proposal circulating in the Oregon legislature is intended to support renters who continue to struggle with paying rent during the ongoing COVID-19 shutdowns, while also offering some financial relief to landlords—some of whom have not seen payments from tenants for the better part of a year. According to data provided by Portland State University, roughly […]

Posted inOpinion

In a Week Focused on Gratitude, Supporting the Local Economy Should Play a Big Part

Even if we ourselves have remained whole, someone we know has not—and in that, we see the connectivity of community.
by The Source Staff

For a good many people, the year 2020 has opened up an opportunity to think about the notion of gratitude. While Thanksgiving offers Americans the traditional trigger to reflect on the topic, the entire year has been a lesson in examining what we have and what we don’t. Those who have seen their livelihoods maintained, […]

Posted inOpinion

Nine Months into the Pandemic, It’s Time to Restore Representative Governance

If we are to unify around the challenges of living in a pandemic, getting buy-in statewide to the decision-making process will go a long way toward making our communities feel inclusive
by The Source Staff

This past week, with coronavirus cases rising, Oregonians are facing yet another shutdown of bars, restaurants, fitness centers and more. Now nine months in, going back to more restrictions is a tough adjustment for many—among them, hundreds of thousands of hospitality workers who may find themselves once again on the unemployment line. This pandemic is […]

Posted inOpinion

A Funding Mandate: Voter-approved directives will need collaboration to succeed

We hope the newly minted, progressive council can work together with other community partners to truly get things done
by The Source Staff

As Oregonians reflect back this week on the outcome of last week’s elections, there’s a lot to be said about the presidential race. National pundits are filling the airwaves with their conjecture. If you’ve been one of the many to have added the term “doomscrolling” to your vocabulary in recent years, then you may, too, […]

Posted inOpinion

A 70% Increase in Drug Deaths in Oregon May be Only the Beginning

Driving the spike in drug overdose deaths in the state include the use of illicit fentanyl and methamphetamine
by The Source Staff

This past week, as Americans have cast ballots and had their eyes glued to an election season that feels longer than most, a piece of news came out, related to an issue that has been barely a blip on the radar in national politics of late: This spring, Oregon saw a 70% increase in drug-related […]

Posted inOpinion

Revising Oregon’s School Reopening Metrics Couldn’t Come Soon Enough

It’s time to make a change
by The Source Staff

If there’s any topic more controversial and ripe for public debate than the current presidential election, it most certainly is the topic of reopening schools. Throughout 2020, we’ve followed the guidance and edicts issued from Oregon’s leadership around the many facets of the pandemic—but as we continue to see students and their families in Central […]

Posted inOpinion

Chill Out, Oregon Voters. We Got This.

VOTE 2020—Don’t believe the national hype. It’s easy to vote in Oregon… and easy to fix common issues that might arise.
The Source Staff

By now, a great deal of fretting has been done over the state of voting amid a coronavirus pandemic. Many conspiracy theories have been thrown out about the potential for fraud in voting during a time when everyone is supposed to be social distancing. Even in Oregon—a bastion of mail-in voting and the first state to take […]

Posted inOpinion

As Dishonest Attack Ads Infest Local Politics, New Netflix Doc Suggests Another Way Forward

As “The Social Dilemma” points out, changing where we aim our attention can begin the healing.
by The Source Staff

In a presidential election year, every day can feel like a week; every week like a year. It feels like far more than a week ago that Americans watched as the two presidential candidates appeared together for their first debate. The subsequent string of local and national officials announcing publicly that they denounce white supremacy—in […]

Posted inOpinion

Warm Springs Treaty: Righting Historical Wrongs Matters

We may be only able to move forward, but in this time of upheaval and unrest, there is inherent value, too, in looking back and doing the right thing.
by The Source Staff

This year is most certainly one that history will record as a time of unrest and uncertainty and strife for many—but borne from this time, and the legacy left by the wildfires, the coronavirus and the Black Lives Matter protests is perhaps a small sliver of light, borne, as we see it, out of the […]

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