Opinion
Posted inOpinion

A County Map in Search of a Problem

Voters approved two different citizen initiatives aimed at a more democratic, less-partisan Deschutes County commission. That’s not what they’re getting.
by The Source Editorial Board

Deschutes County government is embarrassing itself. Earlier this month, the Deschutes County Board of County Commissioners voted 2-1 to put a map, dividing the county into five districts, before voters. In a subsequent 2-1 vote the Board voted to put that map before voters in November. The Commission could have gotten this painful map process […]

Posted inOpinion

Bentz and the Main Street Caucus Aren’t Asking for the Moon — Just for the President to Keep His Promises

We’re glad we can agree on the bottom
by The Source Editorial Board

Oregon Rep. Cliff Bentz (R-OR2) told the Baker City Herald late last month that he’s been lobbying the administration to take a “different approach” on the massive deportation campaign currently underway. Oddly enough, that lobbying effort sounds a whole lot like what we were promised during the last presidential election. If you’re among those who […]

Posted inOpinion

Why Get in a Lather Over a Lil’ Ol’ County Map?

Gerrymandering and pulling the levers of power in Deschutes County
by The Source Editorial Board

Right now, county residents are up in arms about a district mapping proposal that would divide Deschutes County into five districts. If you have been following the labyrinthine path that got us to this political point, then you know none of this had to be this way. Voters said yes to a referendum in the […]

Posted inOpinion

Of Walkouts and Roadmaps: New ‘Prosperity Officer’ Hails from Central Oregon

Tim Knopp, the former Bend senator disqualified from running for re-election after leading the longest walkout in state history, is now being tapped to bring Oregon back from the economic brink. It’s hard not to see the irony.
by The Source Editorial Board

If you’ve been paying attention to state politics in recent months, then you know that the state’s economy has been a big topic.  Perhaps most eye-popping for some state leaders was Oregon’s ranking in a 2025 CNBC poll, which placed the state 39th among its Top States for Business. Oregon ranked 28th in the poll in 2024, and 21st in […]

Posted inOpinion

The Public Wasn’t Willing to Flock Around

Bendites came out against Flock cameras and potentially problematic surveillance
by The Source Editorial Board

First it was the invitation to the public to add their personal surveillance cameras to the network of cameras that can be automatically (or manually) accessed by law enforcement. Then it was red light cameras. And this summer, police in Bend added yet another tool ostensibly meant to monitor criminal behavior: Flock cameras installed along the highway. At […]

Posted inOpinion

When It Comes to Power, Taxes and Jobs, Data Centers are Not Winners for Oregonians

State regulators just announced a one-dollar reduction in power bills for Pacific Power customers. That is not enough to win over the public about the problems data centers present.
by The Source Editorial Board

On the last day of 2025, the Oregon Public Utilities Commission sent out a press release announcing a welcome event: Customers of Pacific Power would see their power bills reduced in the new year. With recent rate increases making our power bills 50% more now than they were in 2020, hearing about a rate decrease […]

Posted inOpinion

What We Learned from Oregon’s New Audit of Measure 110

After three successive audits, health officials still don’t know whether the drug treatment program is working. Officials at OHA say they’re working on it.
by The Source Editorial Board

In 2020, Oregon voters put a lot of stock in Measure 110 — the groundbreaking citizen initiative that made the state the first in the nation to decriminalize user amounts of drugs. The decriminalization portion of Measure 110 was rolled back by the legislature in 2024 — but the part of Measure 110 that took […]

Posted inOpinion

E-Bikes are Coming to Bend Area Trails. It Seemed Only a Matter of Time.

With a new user group comes a new opportunity to support local trail maintenance and education
by The Source Editorial Board

When e-bikes began to enter the mountain bike scene, trail users were concerned. Getting out into the forest in this way was inherently an activity that required committment — and anyway, wouldn’t those fast new bikes ruin the trails, and add more congestion in our already crowded network? Those were just some of the assumptions […]

Posted inOpinion

Creative Options for Reducing Parking, Traffic Welcome

Pray for snow, because the ways to get to the mountain are growing
by The Source Editorial Board

If you recall last year’s snow-riding season, you might remember it as a time of icy roads and traffic headaches. During the pandemic, more people began to recreate in the area west of Bend. The pace continued long after the quarantine period ended. That’s good for people’s well-being, but it’s been not so great for […]

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