Last week, Sen. Ron Wyden hosted a 30 minute “Happy Half-Hour” Google Hangout. The presentation was a bit like watching a grandpa Skype for the first time with his grandchildren. He leaned into the computer’s camera and spoke loudly and ticked off some groaner jokes. Speaking about craft beer’s sizable impact on Oregon’s economy, Sen. […]
Editorial
Posted inOpinion
Full of Gas
Last week, like most weeks during the summer in Bend, thousands of tourists poured into town. There were the Phish shows; two nights that pulled thousands of fans from across the Northwest to Les Schwab Amphitheater. And, there was the Cascade Cycling Classic, a five-stage road bike race that attracted a different crowd; hundreds of […]
Posted inOpinion
The Fight for Troy Field Shouldn’t Be Over
The Death and Life of Great American Cities should be required reading for every city councilor and city planner in the Community Development Department. Written in 1961 by Jane Jacobs, it is a touchstone for planners who believe in preserving public space. An architecture writer, Jacob had no formal training—and did not hold a college […]
Posted inOpinion
A Lackluster Legislature
It was a legislative session that began with a bang—the quick and disgraceful departure of Gov. John Kitzhaber—and ended with a whisper. Last week, the Oregon legislature wrapped up a session that was intended to make bold moves to improve primary and secondary education in Oregon, and to manage the legalization of recreational marijuana. Yet, […]
Posted inOpinion
A Step Back To Find a Way Forward
When we interviewed candidates for Bend Park & Recreation District (BPRD) Board in May, then-sitting Chair Dan Fishkin told us that he would support waiving “system development charges” (SDCs), a fee that housing developers pay toward Park District (and City) projects, if the rest of the Board approved the idea. At the time, the idea […]
Posted inOpinion
Let’s Set A Different Tone
Two weeks ago, a 21-year old white man shot to death nine African-American parishioners at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. In the aftermath, one of the enduring debates has been whether the star-and-bar Confederate flag holds inappropriate racist overtones and should be removed from the grounds of the South Carolina statehouse. […]
Posted inOpinion
What Are You, Stoned?
In anticipation of the July 1 legalization of recreational marijuana, public and private entities have spent the past year preparing for what could be a financial windfall. Unfortunately, the City of Bend has not been one of those, even though a number of business owners in town already are positioning themselves to tap into the […]
Posted inOpinion
The Price of Green Grass
Last Friday, Gov. Kate Brown added four more counties to the list of regions in Oregon that have reached emergency levels for drought—bringing the grand total to 19 of the state’s 36 counties that are in such dire thirst; more than half. Deschutes County has been on that list for a month, a designation that […]
Posted inOpinion
Exclude The Exclusion Zone
At City Council last Wednesday, an ordinance to expand the so-called “civil exclusion zone” was essentially re-introduced. Currently, the City allows police to “exclude” for 90 days persons accused of certain criminal and civil violations from specific areas downtown; the alleged violations can be as innocuous as littering, graffiti, or underage drinking. Based on recommendations […]
Posted inOpinion
Brain Magnet or Brain Drain?
About a month ago, Oregon State University president Edward Ray stopped by the Source offices. He was between visiting the proposed 10-acre site for the new Cascades campus and delivering his State of the University speech. Ray was animated about the reasons for and virtues of a four-year campus in Bend, which is currently in […]