Editorial
Posted inOpinion

Public School Leaders Are Doing Their Best. Demands for a Full Reopening Aren’t Helping.

Schools will not look the same in the 2020-21 school year
The Source Staff

Let’s get one fact out there right away: Whatever happens with the global pandemic between now and September, schools will not look the same in the 2020-21 school year. As much as anyone might wish it not to be so, there’s simply no use in continuing to lament about how things won’t be the same. […]

Posted inOpinion

Wearing a Mask Shouldn’t Be This Controversial

…and there are maskholes on both sides
The Source Staff

What a world we are living in. Following Gov. Kate Brown’s announcement last week that face coverings would be required in all indoor public places in the state, it appears most people are complying. Suddenly, grocery aisles are not populated by half the people wearing masks and the other not; suddenly, the vast majority of […]

Posted inOpinion

Look How Well They Play Together!

Republicans and Democrats in Oregon are working together again
The Source Staff

It seems like a decade ago that we were bearing witness to the repeated Republican walkouts within the Oregon Legislative Assembly. In reality, that most recent round of hapless Republican posturing happened only back in March. Way back then, after yet another walkout over legislation intended to slow the effects of climate change, we and […]

Posted inOpinion

“Defunding” the Police for the New Crisis Stabilization Center

Less money into police budgets, and more into support services such as mental health and crisis support teams.
The Source Staff

Much has been said this month about the notion of “defunding the police.” While the term “defund” suggests zeroing out police budgets, what it more frequently means is choosing to place less money into police budgets, and more into support services such as mental health and crisis support teams. Varying reports show figures regarding how […]

Posted inOpinion

Bend’s Use of Force on Black Men is Four Times Higher than the Overall Black Population.

As we hire a new police chief, this leads to important questions.
The Source Staff

The recent protests against police brutality in the U.S. have brought tens of thousands to the streets across the country–but they’ve also brought out a lot of enlightening information about how cops do their jobs, what they can do better and how they respond to groups of armed counter-protesters versus unarmed protesters. A lot of […]

Posted inOpinion

Some Want You to Believe Protesters are “Outsiders.” Don’t Believe Them.

At least six Black Lives Matter protests have happened in Central Oregon in recent weeks—and it wasn’t “outsiders” or “antifa” organizing them.
The Source Editorial Board

O ver the past several weeks, peaceful protesters have gathered not once, nor twice, but at least six times in various cities around Central Oregon, showing up to protest the death of George Floyd and other black individuals at the hands of police or private citizens. Demonstrations like this are happening not just in big […]

Posted inOpinion

Kudos to the Peaceful Protesters. Now, Let’s Get to Work.

Kudos to the protests—but that’s only the beginning if we want meaningful change
The Source Staff

Kudos to the peaceful protesters in Prineville, Redmond and Bend for showing up in numbers this weekend for the Black Lives Matter protests. Kudos to those who kept the momentum going and organized another demonstration Tuesday. Kudos to local police departments of Bend and Redmond for being proactive in speaking out against the death of […]

Posted inOpinion

The Pandemic Helps Us Win the War on Cars! Maybe…

In the discussion of whether to close downtown streets to cars, one voice is missing: The wider public
The Source Staff

At the Bend City Council meeting May 20, city staff and councilors discussed allowing restaurants and retail locations to expand into private parking lots in downtown Bend. Some businesses want to spread out on the sidewalk beyond their immediate storefronts—provided their neighbors are OK with it. Meanwhile, there’s still discussion of whether or not to […]

Posted inOpinion

Reopening: We Might Have Just One Chance to Get This Right

What we are witnessing, in its current form, may never happen again.
The Source Staff

Bend has always been a boom-and-bust town, but this time, we have less historical precedent to be able to understand what happens next. What we are witnessing, in its current form, may never happen again. During this recent lockdown, society has been in a collective pause; a holding pattern that has meant we’ve been able […]

Posted inOpinion

Adapting to the New Normal

A message from our editor and publisher on how digital coverage will ensure a safe and connected community
The Source Staff

Dear Friends of the Source Weekly, These past couple of weeks have proved to be incredibly difficult for everyone as we all try to make sense of the new restrictions on our former way of life. The disruption to the service industry, tourism, entertainment, events, retail and other businesses happened so quickly that we’ve all […]

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