Save the Bees Oregonians have a unique opportunity to help Oregon’s pollinators, wildlife and ecosystems. HB 2679 is currently proceeding through the legislature. This bill would reclassify neonicotinoids (neonics) as a restricted-use pesticide and would limit their application to licensed professionals only. This measure would significantly reduce the prevalence of neonics in the environment where […]
Opinion
Posted inOpinion
Flexibility in Room Tax Income Could Come in Multiple Forms
When it comes to tourism and room taxes, much has and will be said about how those funds should be used.
This week, leaders in local government and destination management organizations alike submitted testimony about a bill moving through the Oregon Legislative Assembly, which seeks to make some changes in how future monies garnered by tourism are used. HB 3556 “extends the permissible uses of net revenue from a new or increased transient local lodging tax […]
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Letters to the Editor
Guest Opinion: Bentz Defends GOP Budget that Hurts His District At a recent town hall, U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz (R-District 2) was asked to explain and defend the federal budget proposal put forward by House Republicans. That proposal calls for drastic cuts in a number of critical services, and even more tax breaks for corporations […]
Posted inOpinion
Strategic Cuts to the Budget are One Thing. This is Not That.
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 — […]
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, […]
Posted inOpinion
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 […]
Posted inOpinion
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 […]
Posted inOpinion
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 […]
Posted inOpinion
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 […]