Packed Like Sardines The recent announcement of plans for a gargantuan development that includes 1,600 housing units and a 180-room hotel, in addition to the staggering number of other huge developments underway in every part of our town left me heavyhearted. The highways and byways in Bend have become a nightmare; it took me 40 […]
Opinion
Posted inOpinion
The A La Carte Politics of Central Oregon
Plenty of people outside of Oregon assume our fair state is as blue as the Pacific Ocean – but those who live here know better
Plenty of people outside of Oregon assume our fair state is as blue as the Pacific Ocean – but those who live here know better. The gradient of blue starts to mellow as you go east, until you reach the Idaho border, where the hues tend to go bright red. Here in Central Oregon, sorta […]
Posted inOpinion
Letters to the Editor 07/06/2023
RE: It’s Time to Talk About E-Bikes Feature, 6/29 Thank you to David Sword for giving a nearly complete overview of what electric Bikes (e-bikes) are all about. Only piece missing is to remind us all that the word “electric” is a power source and used for the motor on the bike. Electric bikes have […]
Posted inOpinion
A Tale of Two Camps
We are now seeing what happens when the City and the County “go their own way” without the coordination of the other.
Several years ago, Rep. Jason Kropf (D-Bend) and other community leaders had the good idea to unify the various governments and supporting nonprofits, creating a pilot Coordinated Houseless Response Office. The aim was to prevent duplication of resources and to see the various resources at the city and county level working in cohesion to address […]
Posted inOpinion
Letters to the Editor 06/29/2023
RE: WE NEED TO ADDRESS WHITE SPREMACY. OPINION, 6/15 When acts of psychological and even physical violence are directed at People of Color or members of the Jewish or LGBTQIA2S communities, the response is often the performative “thoughts and prayers” accompanied by “That is not who we are.” Sorry but that is who we are, […]
Posted inOpinion
With a Rushed Ending, This Legislative Session Was Not a Win for Oregonians
Slamming bills through the Senate is not our idea of success
Many people in Oregon breathed a sigh of relief when, after an excruciating, record-breaking six weeks, Republicans in the state Senate returned to the floor, establishing a needed quorum and allowing votes on the floor to continue once again. After saying for weeks that Republicans would only return on the final day of the legislative […]
Posted inOpinion
Letters to the Editor 06/22/2023
Save the Deschutes South Canyon Natural Area I was born in Bend in 1991 and have lived here the majority of my 32 years. I live south of town in the home my parents built the year I was born. We love the open land by the river and all the wildlife that flourishes because […]
Posted inOpinion
Facing Legislative Walkouts, Unions Offered Hope for Critical Workers
Union membership can and does impact people’s lives
A crisis was averted this month when the local members of the Oregon Nurses Association reached an agreement with St. Charles Health System, giving nurses a big raise over the life of their contracts and ensuring they’re compensated when they miss meal and rest breaks. St. Charles remained Bend’s largest employer in Economic Development for Central […]
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Letters to the Editor 06/15/2023
Guest Opinion: Restoring Wolves Wolves, a native species to Oregon and once common throughout the state, were eradicated by the 1940s in a deliberate attempt to wipe the species out of existence. Reintroduction efforts in Yellowstone and central Idaho have helped lay the groundwork for recovery across the West, but there’s still a long way […]
Posted inOpinion
We Need to Address White Supremacy
Continuing to allow white supremacy a place in Central Oregon is a threat to the economic, cultural and spiritual growth of the entire region
Two racially charged incidents inside the same week show us that while Central Oregon is changing demographically and culturally in the direction of more diversity and inclusion, not everyone is happy about it and not everyone is on board. Oregon’s long history of Black exclusion laws and its quest for a “white utopia” might seem […]
