News

A controversial vote over the city’s room tax rate WILL NOT be put to voters in May, the Bend City Council decided Wednesday night. The council had been considering asking voters to decide whether the city’s room taxes should be increased from 9 to 11 percent. Visitors pay an additional 1 percent state lodging tax […]

A majority of the Bend City Council has voted to proceed with the pipe portion of the city’s controversial $68 million surface water improvement project. The decision means there will be no public hearing on the installation of the approximately 30-inch diameter pipe. Three councilors voted to halt the project in favor of a major […]

A long-standing feud between two factions of the tourism community is boiling over again this week. This time, the conflict is about whether to raise hotel room taxes. The Bend City Council discussed whether to take the proposal to raise room taxes to the voters at its meeting on Wednesday night, but deferred a decision […]

Big story: Several media outlets are reporting today that the Boy Scouts of America’s board of directors is currently considering lifting the group’s ban on gay scouts and troop leaders. If the national ban is lifted, local organizations would likely still have the ability to limit access to troops, according to several news reports. Here’s […]

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Just Not Doing It (In Bend) Nike is not coming to Bend. Oregon State Senator Tim Knopp, of Bend, sent an email to local journalists, politicians and economic leaders this afternoon delivering the news. “As we anticipated I heard back from NIKE and their expansion is going to focus on metro area sites for the […]

It was a good ol’ time in the town on Wednesday night at the swearing in of three new Bend city councilors and the election of Jim Clinton as mayor. The mood was a little raucous in the audience and up on the dais where the councilors spoke their minds out loud and, in one […]

Jim Clinton was unanimously elected by the Bend City Council to be the next mayor of Bend tonight. Jodie Barram was elected 4-3 to serve as Mayor Pro Tem, which is like a deputy mayor. Mark Capell had also been nominated for the post. Clinton, Sally Russell, Doug Knight and Barram voted for Barram. Victor […]

The new Bend City Council will be sworn in tonight and a new mayor will be selected from the seven member board. Then there will be cake! To read more about this new council and what the recent election means check out our analysis piece Shake It Up here. We, again, encourage the new council […]