Editorial

For a lot of people right now, hope is in short supply. Whether it’s inflation and the price of eggs, the cuts to federal budgets — and in turn, the looming ones to state budgets, the threats to Medicaid or Social Security or the Veteran’s Administration or the perceived abandonment of the rule of law, […]

As of last week, it’s now legal for people in rural areas of Deschutes County to rent a portion of their property to someone living in an RV. The Deschutes County Board of County Commissioners approved this change in line with a state bill from the 2023 legislative session that authorized the use of RVs […]

As the public learns new damning revelations about the newly elected Sheriff, Kent van der Kamp, lots of questions remain. But one thing is certain: The residents of this county deserve far more from their top law enforcement official than they’ve been getting thus far. The string of lawsuits stemming from the actions of former […]

Another week, another realization about how the federal government affects local people’s lives. Last week, local nonprofit NeighborImpact sent out a warning about its ability to help keep people fed. Recent cuts to food programs would mean a 17% reduction in the amount of food it can provide to the tens of thousands of people […]

This weekend’s “Hands Off!” demonstrations, which reportedly took place in over 1,400 locations, were an encouraging sight. Not only did they highlight the varied responses to the current president and his administration, but they reminded us once again of the importance of the First Amendment to the Constitution — which says that the government may […]

When a City of Bend committee crafted the City’s tree preservation code, it was nothing if it wasn’t a community-driven process. Developers were among those represented on the committee that eventually came up with various means for large developments to handle the big trees on a given plot of land — preserving some of them […]

This week, leaders in local government and destination management organizations alike submitted testimony about a bill moving through the Oregon Legislative Assembly, which seeks to make some changes in how future monies garnered by tourism are used. HB 3556 “extends the permissible uses of net revenue from a new or increased transient local lodging tax […]

A lot has been said this week about the stopgap spending bill that Congress passed last Friday, when it was yet again on the precipice of shutting down the government. Democratic members of the U.S. House voted in lockstep against it, while in the Senate, a few key members of the Democratic caucus voted yes — […]

About a decade ago, an effort got underway to essentially privilege a few wealthy landowners at the expense of the general public. Limited access to recreation on the west side of Bend has been one of the results. Bend Park and Recreation District, in 2012, proposed in its bond package to build a pedestrian bridge […]

If you were worried about unauthorized camping and fires starting on public lands before, buckle up. With cuts to U.S. Forest Service personnel happening, it’s going to be very tough to see a lot of enforcement or an increase in fire-management activity on our public lands this summer. In the last several weeks, at least […]