Vote Eileen Kiely in the Democratic primary for House District 53 The Democratic primary for House District 53 sees voters facing a good kind of problem: Two qualified candidates, both of whom would serve the district well. Eileen Kiely is a Navy veteran who spent her career as a financial controller for DaimlerChrysler. Bill Trumble, […]
Editorial
Posted inOpinion
Registered Republicans Should Support Incumbents for Deschutes County Commission
Watch The Source endorsement interviews
Not every primary race sees a challenger entering the race against an incumbent—but in the case of the two open Deschutes County Commissioner seats in the 2018 primary election, each incumbent is facing an opponent. Still, with both those county commission Republican primaries, the challengers bear the burden of proving they can do better than […]
Posted inOpinion
May Election Endorsements
Vote yes on 9-118, 9-119, 9-115 and 9-116
Vote Yes on Measure 9-118 – City of Bend Directly Elected Mayor You don’t have to be a population scientist to know that Bend has grown exponentially since 1995, the last time the city amended its charter. Back then, the city had roughly 30,000 people—far fewer than the 91,000+ reported by the U.S. Census Bureau […]
Posted inOpinion
When it comes to pot in Deschutes County, the black market is the problem, not legal business
The county could allocate more funds toward compliance, using funds garnered from marijuana sales to do so.
County cannabis policy should focus on supporting the businesses trying to do the right thing—and that shouldn’t include a zero-tolerance policy for minor infractions Right now, the Deschutes County Commission is weighing whether to change its rules on growing cannabis in the county. In order to operate a recreational marijuana grow in Deschutes County, licensed […]
Posted inOpinion
In the runup to the next election, don’t let “moderates” off the hook
In Washington, D.C., there’s a distinct line between those who claim to support the president, and those “moderate” Republicans who, while perhaps don’t overtly blast the president, do distance themselves from the chicanery of the administration. It’s easy for many to fall on one side or the other of that situation; the president makes himself […]
Posted inOpinion
Paper ballots and dumb phones are not dead—and shouldn’t be
This week, a Millennial in our office said he’d been thinking about going back to a “dumb phone.” We laughed. An offhand, humorous comment, yes, but one that speaks to a change afoot. Millennials, those early adopters of technology, those digital natives who have grown up not knowing a world without the Internet, are now […]
Posted inOpinion
More of those greenways, Bend.
But about those sidewalks… This week, the City of Bend planned an Open House for the upcoming 6th Street Neighborhood Greenway—located on one of the very same streets that hosted September’s Open Streets event, which some dubbed a “war on cars.” When you start seeing the construction happen on this portion of 6th Street this […]
Posted inOpinion
A protest is a conversation starter, and it’s started one in Bend
A local social media thread concerning gun safety in Bend-La Pine Schools erupted this week, with some parents, teachers and other adults questioning the effectiveness of the 17-minute long protest scheduled for March 14 at schools nationwide. To recap, school walkouts were scheduled for the 14th as well as April 20, both at 10am. The […]
Posted inOpinion
Protesting an Apartment Complex is Energy Best Used Elsewhere
Even in Central Oregon, people become victims of human trafficking and intimate partner violence on a regular basis. Students at local schools pose credible shooting threats against their schools. Kids live in poverty. People remain homeless. But beyond the really heavy stuff, what’s sure to draw the ire and raise protest among locals? The prospect […]
Posted inOpinion
Kudos to the Superintendent for a Call to Action on School Shootings
Missing from that call to action? A call to ban semi-automatic weapons
In February, yet another massive deadly shooting on a high school campus in Florida. This past week, the threat of a shooting at Bend Senior High School, on the heels of several other alleged threats at other local schools. With local students and parents asking themselves what very well might have been this past week, […]