Judge Rules Ochoco OHV Trail Plan Illegal
A controversial Forest Service plan to establish a 137-mile trail for off-road vehicles in the Ochoco National Forest has been shot down by a federal judge in Pendleton, Ore. Patricia Sullivan issued her decision after a decade-long effort led by the Forest Service to include OHVs into the forest’s travel management plan. While the plan was…
12 People are Running in Bend’s City Council/Mayor Race
Three of Bend’s seven city council seats are up for grabs—and this time around, one of those positions is also the position filled by the newly-elected mayor. In May, voters voted in favor of choosing a directly-elected mayor, as opposed to allowing the city council to choose a mayor from among sitting councilors. On your…
Learn All About Mushrooms at FungiFest
Whether you’re a fungi enthusiast or a budding mushroom hunter, FungiFest has activities for everyone. The afternoon event in Sunriver includes guided mushroom walks, an Oregon mushroom display, education stations and children’s activities and crafts. If you have photographs of local mushrooms but don’t know what they are, bring them to the FungiFest identification station.…
Autumn Equinox Farm to Table Dinner
Celebrate the change of season at Boundless Farm’s farm to table Autumn equinox dinner. Chef Anna Witham of 123 Ramen and The Root Cellar will turn the bountiful harvest into a delicious, five-course, family-style dinner. Dinner will be served outside in the brisk autumn air with views of six peaks. If you want an adult…
Dennis McGregor’s Sisters Folk Fest posters run the gamut from political and silly, to art inspired by traditional themes
It’s been 18 years since Dennis McGregor painted his first Sisters Folk Festival poster. Over the years, the annual image has become a moment captured in time, honoring a town and its dedication to the arts. This year is no different. “In the beginning people said, why don’t you just do an image of an…
Bend Mom Charged with Murder
A Bend mother who police believe shot and killed her 7-year-old special needs son is facing charges of aggravated murder in the death. Officers arrested Tashina Jordan at St. Charles Hospital today, according to the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office, on charges of aggravated murder. Jordan is listed among the inmates at the Deschutes County…
A new Candidate for House District 54
Amanda La Bell just threw her hat into the ring for State Representative in House District 54—running on the Oregon Working Families Party ballot line. La Bell filed her candidacy on Friday, Aug. 24. Despite her late entry, La Bell joins the race with some big Democratic names behind her. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Gov.…
Man Loses Life at Dillon Falls
Cops say on Thursday, Aug. 23, an 84-year-old man lost his life after being swept over Dillon Falls on the Deschutes River. Ronald Stevens of Jackson, Wyoming and his daughter, 57-year-old blind Paralympian Nancy Stevens of Bend were canoeing on the river above Dillon Falls, when the canoe apparently tipped over, and they were unable…
Smoke Levels Explained
On Thursday, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued an air quality advisory for a host of counties in Oregon—including Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson counties here in Central Oregon. That advisory is in effect until noon Friday. Deschutes County’s air quality has hovered in the “Red” or “Orange” category this week due to a rash…
‘Curious’ is brilliant coming-of-age theater
“The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” is a personal, scientific and visual masterpiece of dramatic theater. The play, opening Friday at the Cascades Theatre, intrigues with choreography and visual effects, while also enlightening with its words. “Curious” is the coming-of-age story of 12-year-old amateur detective Christopher Boone. While his condition is not…
Hazy Skies
Hazy beers may be the new craze, but hazy skies are still as unwelcome as an ex at your wedding. Although this summer is so far nowhere nearly as smoky as last year, the region is still experiencing hazy days where the sun is blocked out and the air smells and feels heavy. For people…
Drink Up
“It takes a huge level of commitment with every step you take with music,” Victory Swig bassist Barrett Dash says. “We try to balance our daily schedules, work schedules, recreation schedules—everything people do in Bend— as well as book the gigs and get the most fun shows. It’s a lot of work to make it…
Bend Needs Unifying Mayor
In May, voters in Bend cast their ballots in favor of allowing the electorate—as opposed to fellow city councilors—to name the city’s mayor. We wrote in favor of this change on multiple occasions. It’s one “mission accomplished”—but it appears more clarification is needed as the city navigates what that change means for residents, city staff,…
Home Improvements Outpacing New Home Construction
Being very concerned about the lack of affordable housing in our area, I’m constantly researching possible solutions and current and future housing trends. This past month, several media articles have stated that home improvement and remodeling projects are outpacing new home construction. Another hot topic: the increase in the median age of owner-occupied homes. These trends…
A Fisheries Pioneer
“I was told women belong in the kitchen, barefoot and pregnant,” recalls former state Fish Biologist Amy Stuart of Prineville. In 1983, she was hired by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife as its first district-wide female fish biologist, based in Prineville. With natural resources degrees from Cornell and Colorado State Universitiy, she interviewed for…
To Mush Information and The Benefits of Exorcise
Too Mush Information My friend was dying to tell her new boyfriend she loves him but waited till he said it first. She, in fact, makes that a rule. Now I have a new boyfriend. Should I just shamelessly own my feelings—that is, tell him I love him? Or should I follow my friend’s lead?…
Cover Artist: Darrell Driver
This weekend, Bend’s Old Mill District will see artists from around the country descend upon the banks of the river for the annual Art in the High Desert. This week’s cover artist, Darrell Driver, will be in attendance for the third year, making the trip from his home in Salt Lake City. Driver is a…
Ending Hunger with One Bag
A young girl with long red hair and freckles holds a shopping bag and stands in front of a row of kid-height food bins filled with fresh fruit, peanut butter, popcorn, fruit juice and other snacks at The Giving Plate’s Kid’s Korner. She stops and picks up a package of cheese and crackers. “These are my…
Drying Up?
Six weeks ago, a local woman experienced water pressure loss at her home off Rogers Road, near the old Bend-Redmond Highway. “All of a sudden there was no water. I looked at the 1,800-gallon holding tank connected to my well, and it was empty,” she said. The woman believes her 50-year-old well dried up as…
Misery Ridge
Misery Ridge A classic hike for visitors, or to save for when the crowds subside Touted as the home of sport climbing in the United States, Smith Rock State Park is a gem of Central Oregon proportions. The aptly named Crooked River carved a natural moat between the vertically fissured canyons and the vast and…
Re-Birth of a Nation
There are few filmmakers with such a mastery of tone, structure and storytelling as Spike Lee. His visual style and technical adventurousness are his hallmarks—but he never lets that style overwhelm the story he’s telling, even when he goes full bananas in films such as “Da Sweet Blood of Jesus” and “Chi-Raq.” Since Lee came…
Free Will Astrology—Week of August 22
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I think you’ve done enough rehearsals. At this point, the apparent quest for a little extra readiness is beginning to lapse into procrastination. So I’ll suggest that you set a date for opening night. I’ll nudge you to have a cordial talk with yourself about the value of emphasizing soulfulness over…
Miles to Go
I think most can agree that Mark Wahlberg is a dick. Ignoring his apparently bottomless need to recreate American tragedies, he’s obviously the guy who kicked sand in your face at the beach. This is a man who told Men’s Journal in 2012 that he probably could have stopped one of the 9/11 planes from hitting…
Letters to the Editor
Big Sky Dog’s Denied the Pond Pleasures??!! Recently signs and fencing went up keeping dogs out of the canals and pond featured at the Big Sky off leash dog park. I called Bend Parks and Rec to get the lowdown, and apparently COID requested the measure. I asked if there had been an incident of…
Reefer Regs Roll Hard
While Oregon’s recreational cannabis industry strives—and often succeeds—in being Daniel Day-Lewis (aka, a “good actor”), there are times when we take actions more like Adam Sandler (aka, “bad actor”). Growers, producers, dispensaries and others face judgement and penalties on two fronts: the electronic public square of social media, and the more fearsome regulatory agency smackdown,…
Riff Wins Best Nitro at Cold Brew Fest
Riff Cold Brew’s Off The Cuff took home the Best Nitro award at the world’s largest cold-brewed festival in Vancouver, Wash. “Off The Cuff was incredibly smooth and delicious while highlighting the rich favors I expect to get from a great coffee,” said Judge Zach Perkins. “The texture was perfect— my go-to for cold brews…
Honesty and Craft
In a day and age when artists spawned by YouTube and reality show competitions are here today and gone tomorrow, Brandi Carlile represents a throwback to an era when truly gifted musicians achieved a level of respected longevity. With the recent release of “By the Way, I Forgive You,” Carlile’s sixth studio outing, she’s firmly…
All About Brut IPA
During a sweaty August afternoon around here, a lot of people’s thoughts quickly turn to knocking off to the local brewery and grabbing an IPA. Which one, though? The now-standard Northwest style? Something a little more sessionable? Or one of those ever-present New England-style IPAs, a genre which has exploded so massively that there are…
Skeptical Activism: Removing the Spin
With so much information available today, it can be hard to find the truth. If you want to believe something badly enough, you’ll find someone out there supporting your belief—true or not. Brian Dunning, the science writer behind the award-winning podcast “Skeptoid: Critical Analysis of Pop Phenomena,” puts it like this: “Production companies call me…
Natural World
This month, Arnold Ice Cave—located about 12 miles down China Hat Road from Bend—was the site of a whole bunch of good people helping to remove the old, defunct stairway in the cave. The stairway was installed by the U.S. Forest Service in 1963 to provide safe access to the floor of the cave. Mother…
Mayor Debate
In May, residents of Bend voted in favor of electing a directly elected mayor—a shift from the previous process of allowing Bend city councilors to name a mayor from sitting city councilors. The deadline to turn in the necessary signatures in order to appear on the November ballot in the mayor’s race is Aug. 28—but…
Boddie’s behavior shows a lack of commitment to the district
As we prepare for the November election and we begin to schedule our endorsement interviews, it’s become glaringly obvious that Nathan Boddie lacks a true care for District 54—the district for which he currently holds the Democratic nomination. We reached out to Boddie yet again this week to ask about his campaign and received no…
