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 — […]
Opinion
Posted inOpinion
Letters to the Editor 03/20/2025
Guest Opinion: The Idea of Public Lands Needs No Defense, It Only Needs Defenders Millions of acres of high desert public lands in Central and Eastern Oregon include some of the region’s most beloved areas like Steens Mountain, the Owyhee Canyonlands, the John Day River and Hart Mountain. Those who enjoy exploring these sinuous canyons, […]
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Letters to the Editor 3/13/2025
Guest Opinion: One Common Sense Bill to Protect Bend’s Recreation IndustryIn Central Oregon, outdoor recreation is more than a weekend pastime — it’s a critical driver of our local economy. From guided mountain bike rides in the Deschutes National Forest to fly fishing on the Crooked River, outdoor businesses fuel jobs, support small enterprises and […]
Posted inOpinion
Bridge Crossings Could Ease Traffic Woes, But Wildfire Concerns Should Factor In, Too
Large percentage of the public supports BPRD’s efforts on bridge bond
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 […]
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While the Feds Take a ‘Burn It Down’ Approach, Local Public Lands Could Quite Literally Burn
Finding a way to work together to manage inevitable fires.
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 […]
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Letters to the Editor 3/6/2025
Guest Opinion: Fixing Oregon’s Mental Health Crisis Requires Consistency, Not Recruitment With the highest prevalence of mental illness in the U.S., Oregon is caught in the middle of a behavioral health crisis. The need for mental health and substance use disorder services is growing at an alarming rate, but the workforce to meet that need […]
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Turning Our Backs on American Infants and Mothers
American women continue to have the highest rate of death before, during and after childbirth
American women continue to have the highest rate of death before, during and after childbirth, compared to any other high-income country in the world. The worst part: about 80% of those deaths are likely to be preventable, according to a 2024 brief from The Commonwealth Fund. This has been a crisis since before the current […]
Posted inOpinion
Letters to the Editor 02/27/2025
Guest Opinion: Public Lands Are Under Attack Like Never Before Between funding freezes, budget cuts, firing thousands of federal public lands employees and legislation and regulations to weaken bedrock environmental laws like the Endangered Species Act, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Antiquities Act, the Trump administration and Congress have wasted no time in their […]
Posted inOpinion
Letters to the Editor 2/20/2025
Correction: “After the Inferno,” 2/13 The Oregon Journalism Project story “After the Inferno,” published in the Source Weekly on 2/13, originally misstated the frequency with which the Public Utility Commission notified PacifiCorp of vegetation management shortcomings. OJP regrets the error. The story has also been updated to include context about a lawsuit filed last year […]
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What Harm Can a Little More Surveillance Do?
Allowing private technology companies access to our private information: Sound familiar?
We’re feeling a bit skeptical, this week, about allowing private technology companies access to our private information. No, we’re not talking about Elon Musk and DOGE accessing our personal information, but another, more local concern. Earlier this month, the Bend Police Department sent out a press release inviting the public to take part in “Connect […]
