The New Year brings a number of upheavals to the media landscape in Central Oregon as a number of prominent figure in Central Oregon’s print media move out of their positions. At the city’s daily newspaper, longtime publisher Gordon Black officially retired after two decades in the position. Black was at the helm of the […]
Editorial
Posted inOpinion
Road rage?
For the past decade, the concept—and its faint shadow of reality—of public transportation in Bend and, more generally, Deschutes County, has been notoriously pitiful, with anemic service. But, Cascades East Transit (CET) is stirring to bulk up the level of public service—and not a moment too soon. With current funding, CET is able to support […]
Posted inOpinion
People We Will Miss Most
Robin Williams (1951 – Aug. 11, 2014): Emerging from San Francisco’s standup circuit, Williams became an icon of the ’70s and ’80s, and widened his appeal to subsequent generations—to Generation X’s buck-authority as the rogue prep school teacher in Dead Poets Society and fast-mouthed deejay in Good Morning, Vietnam, to the sardonic sense of humor […]
Posted inOpinion
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
We have a closet full of Boots and Slippers this week. SLIPPER: Heisman: The University of Oregon QB Marcus Mariota could have gone pro last year. He didn’t. Instead, he returned to the University of Oregon—and, in the process, has led the Ducks toward a national title. On Saturday, he won the Heisman trophy—and did […]
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A Time to Move On
Last week, after three hours of debate, City Council gave a resounding 5-2 vote to confirm Casey Roats as a new member of the incoming governing body. During the final months of the campaign, his qualifications had been questioned because it was unclear whether he was a resident under the meaning of the City Charter. […]
Posted inOpinion
Free Has Responsibilities
Free speech is one of the great tenets of American culture, politics and identity. But the First Amendment is also perhaps the most misunderstood “freedom.” It is not an unlimited hall pass to say whatever you want, wherever you want, to whomever you want. Take for example a recent incident in Southern Oregon, where a […]
Posted inOpinion
Fueling the Fire Department
Back in May, voters approved a property tax levy to raise much-needed funds for the Bend Fire Department. With resources stretched thin, response times for emergency medical services (which the fire department provides) throughout Bend have become dangerously long. The five year levy—which voters overwhelming approved—is intended to raise money to improve response times for […]
Posted inOpinion
GIVE! Thanks!
Among holiday traditions growing up, each December my mom would gather all the solicitations she had received from the previous 11 months from various nonprofits, from the mega-national organizations like the Red Cross to the local nonprofits that were staffed by volunteers and run out of some board member’s kitchen. She would pile all the […]
Posted inOpinion
Flowing Forward
A year ago, a major leak sprung in the concrete base of the 103-year-old Newport Avenue dam, allowing river water to surge through the hole and essentially drain Mirror Pond. It was hoped that the leak—the third in six years—would finally force a conclusion to the debate over what to do about Mirror Pond. Yet, […]
Posted inOpinion
Our Interconnected Health
Although there is no known vaccination or cure, corresponding directly with rising national concerns about the Ebola virus, there has been a noticeable uptick in flu vaccinations this October throughout American cities. It is a simple and understandable correlation: Americans are thinking more about their vulnerabilities to infectious diseases, and the role that our interconnected […]