Guest Commentary
Posted inGuest Commentary

School Lunches Made Easier

A pediatric dietitian’s tips for packing a lunch your child will actually eat
by Andria Clark

As a pediatric dietitian, one of the most common questions parents ask this time of year is how to pack a balanced school lunch their child will actually eat. Planning school lunches can be time-consuming and discouraging, especially when they come home mostly untouched. A few simple strategies can take some of the stress out […]

Posted inOpinion

Guest Opinion: Central Oregonians Deserve Abortion Justice

A case that went before the U.S. Supreme Court this month could unravel the constitutional right to abortion
by Liliana Cabrera and Mariana Paredones

We’re at a crisis point. A case that went before the U.S. Supreme Court this month could unravel the constitutional right to abortion. There is no “middle ground,” either: If the court allows Mississippi’s 15-week ban to stand, it will erase nearly 50 years of precedent and overturn Roe vs. Wade—leaving nearly half the people […]

Posted inOpinion

Guest Opinion: An Open Letter to the Black Community from the Asian Community

There are deep wounds that we need to openly acknowledge, address, and begin healing between Asian and Black peoples.
The Source Staff

Since the founding of the Oregon Territory to the present, our state has systematically excluded and discriminated against Black people. Recent events have only highlighted the racism and structural inequities in our state and nation. We stand in solidarity with our Black community. We know we have had a complicated relationship over the years, from […]

Posted inOpinion

Guest Opinion: Proud to Fight for Bodily Autonomy

We know that the fights for LGBTQ+ rights, reproductive rights and racial justice are linked.
Liliana Cabrera

At Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette, we know that the fights for LGBTQ+ rights, reproductive rights and racial justice are linked. We believe that all people deserve basic human rights — including access to health care—and to live free from violence and discrimination. The LGBTQ+ community, with its storied history of resistance, knows all too well […]

Posted inOpinion

Guest Opinion: Let’s Talk Optics ▶ (with video)

BLACK PEOPLE! BLACK! BLACCCKKKKKK! Oh did I scare you?
Marcus LeGrand

BLACK PERSON! BLACK PEOPLE! BLACK! BLACCCKKKKKK! Oh did I scare you? What, are you afraid now? BLACK! Does this topic make you uneasy, fearful, ashamed? Now that I have your attention—Let’s Talk Optics. The headline reads: POLICE KILL ANOTHER UNARMED BLACK PERSON Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and others would be with us today if one […]

Posted inOpinion

Memories of the Volcano

A local woman’s experience during the Mount St. Helens eruption, which sees its 40th anniversary May 18
Denise Holley

While Yakima residents sat in church on May 18, 1980, the world outside went black. Lightning slashed the sky and the air shuddered and filled with fine volcanic particles. Mount St. Helens, 85 miles to the west, had erupted with a violent explosion at 8:32 a.m. I was riding my bicycle in the countryside southwest […]

Posted inOpinion

Guest Opinion: Clergy Response to Commissioners’ Plea to Governor

Central Oregon clergy set the record straight: Churches have not closed during the pandemic
The Source Staff

We appreciate the Deschutes County Commissioners’ acknowledgment of the essential function of churches and passionate plea to the Governor to open church doors.  However, we want to affirm that we have never closed our churches. We have simply adapted how we are expressing our spiritual missions. We are thriving, connecting with our communities through live […]

Posted inOpinion

Pros & Cons: Swalley Irrigation District Canal Piping

Is it time to give the viable farms priority access to the public’s water?
Yancy Lind

Swalley Irrigation District and the Deschutes River Conservancy recently announced the completion of piping a 3-mile stretch of canal which will restore about 1.8 cubic feet per second (CFS) of flow to the Middle Deschutes during peak irrigation season. 1.8 CFS is about 13.5 gallons.  Picture 5-gallon buckets, two full and one 2/3rds-full. Put them […]

Posted inOpinion

Guest Commentary: This Too

A window on life in a pandemic world
Jana Zvibleman

“How are you through all this?” “Fine,” I’d say. From the first media mention of Coronavirus, the early reports about China and other far-away places, I had figured this was another big-deal news item that was no deal for me, for us. As comedians such as Trevor Noah kept updating me. I appreciated how they […]

Posted inOpinion

Guest Commentary: Mental Health & COVID-19

Channeling optimism and gratitude in the face of a pandemic
Jenna Hamza

“I’m losing my f*ing mind,” said a stranger to me as we shared a few words along a walking trail recently. We were discussing what a relief it was to be outdoors after so many hours spent isolated at home. I passed many other walkers and runners that day, and I am not exaggerating when […]

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