Natural World
The American Robin is one of the most common native birds found throughout Central Oregon and it's usually the first on the list for anyone who develops an interest in birds, whether age six or 96. Robins are everywhere, but there’s more to a robin than meets the eye. The robins seen here in winter…
Go Here 2/10-2/17
Bald Eagles and More The Children’s Forest of Central Oregon is offering an array of activities for children and their families this winter. One program is an annual Eagle Watch Celebration at Round Butte Overlook Park in Culver, Feb. 27-28. The Children’s Forest of Central Oregon provides a network of outdoor places and programs dedicated…
Central Oregon Homeless Count
On a mild February afternoon, Jim Vistad watches television in a cafeteria. He sits underneath a white board with lists of chores, rules and checkout times. For the past 35 years, Vistad has called Bend home and was once a cook at the Pilot Butte Drive-In. He has watched the city grow and has witnessed…
Letters 2/10-2/17
In Response to “Barely Getting By” (1/28) One area in the news article not investigated is: Why is COCC only paying [$10.25 per hour] for the dish washer position? Certainly they could pay a living wage. ~John Morter In Response to “Barely Getting By” (1/28) Excellent article. Keep the discussion going. How come big employers…
Oceanfront Cinema
The Pacific Reef Hotel in Gold Beach, Oregon, billboards its new oceanfront outdoor theater as state-of-the-art. Viewers might label it using many other superlatives. It is another first for Oregon: the hotel industry’s first oceanfront outdoor theater. The Pacific Reef Adventure Theater is a smart-technology glass screen measuring 33 feet wide and 12 feet high.…
The Green Gold Rush
Legal cannabis could be America’s fastest growing industry. Americans bought $4.6 billion worth of legal cannabis in 2014, $5.4 billion in 2015, and this year, Americans are expected to spend $6.7 billion on legal cannabis. See where this is going? Sales are expected to hit $21.8 billion just four years from now, in 2020. Nonmedical…
Sidenotes 2/10-2/17
A federal grand jury indicted 16 people involved in the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on the charge of Conspiracy to Impede Officers of the United States on Feb. 3. The indictment states that the occupiers used intimidation tactics and traveled to Harney County in October 2015 to warn the sheriff of “extreme civil unrest if…
Juice Whisperers
In an age when it’s becoming more important to “treat yourself” with massages, retail therapy, or an occasional long spa day, it’s time that treating your body and mind well comes into play, too. Often that gets overlooked, or rather buried beneath sugary desserts or greasy snacks. One company here in Central Oregon is trying…
Bend Energy Challenge
Bend is poised to become a finalist in the Georgetown University Energy Prize, placing 11th out of 50 American cities vying for a $5 million prize aimed at spurring education and innovation in reducing energy consumption. The city has until the end of this year to make the top 10, enabling it to enter the…
The Great Statewide & Brewery House Party
There might be states with more breweries. There might even be some with (gasp) better beer every now and then. But there’s only one Zwickelmania. On Feb. 13, more than 120 breweries across the state will open their doors wide and give attendees a chance to take tours, chat with brewers, and belt back a…
What is Romantic Love?
Lilli Ann Linford-Foreman 55, Professor of Theatre and Communication at COCC “This reminds me of a former Supreme Court Justice’s definition of pornography. I can’t define it. I know it when I feel it.” Bri Rain 24, student “Romantic love is butterflies in your stomach. My parents once told me it’s like cocaine. It feels…
Art Watch 2/10-2/17
The Oregon WinterFest Fire Pit competition is heating up! Sculptors and metal workers from throughout Oregon have created more than 20 original structures to showcase the beauty and power of fire to light up the banks of the Deschutes River. “I went really big. I’m having so much fun,” says artist James Todd Rouse, who…
Romantic Love, Is it Real?
“It’s like teenage girls getting dressed up for a date, but it’s really just frosting on the cake. After many years everything can still be romantic if you care more about the other person than yourself. Pizza can be romantic, too.” My grandmother, Betty Kaiser, on romantic love. I am a hopeless romantic, known to…
Love’s Lost and Found
Bill Hoppe strides through a large art studio wearing blue jeans and a black sweater, white hair rakishly curled across his brow. His office is tucked into a corner of the Pence Building at Central Oregon Community College, and it’s full to capacity with giant canvases of original work, as well as gifts from students.…
Friendship
“Will you play with me?” Little Eliza Harold, age 4, asks me this question every time I see her. Being chosen as a friend is one the best things in life and it comes so easily to children. When I was a “free-range” kid, all kids were outside all day in all seasons. At least,…
Editorial 2/3-2/10
In 2016 Oregon ranked worst in the nation on a report released by the non-profit Mental Health America. This problem has deep roots, and not just in Oregon. In its 2015 report, the National Alliance on Mental Illness found that private insurers undercut federal mental health parity laws by denying coverage, limiting treatment, and imposing…
The Unconditional Love of Family
When we were kids, I hated my brother. I’m told that’s a normal sentiment between siblings. But I really, really hated him. My brother is only one year and 18 days younger than me, so we were destined to clash. He had a mean temper, I was overly sensitive, and we learned very quickly what…
Take Me Home 2/10-2/17
Good Things in Small Packages Downsizing is a popular trend manifesting right now in millennials’ and baby boomers’ penchant for smaller and alternative homes. Retirees downsizing may look to purchase a smaller home with the equity in their existing homes. Budget-conscious millennials look to smaller homes for affordability. With the two largest segments of the…
The Love Issue
Be Mine: perhaps these are the loveliest of all words, for who doesn’t want to be loved? In an ode to Valentine’s Day, The Source Weekly presents the Love Issue. “What is Love?” Men and women of Central Oregon passionately respond to this question and the answers are profound. Explore the faces of love in…
Hell, Unleashed
Coleman Hell is sitting in an interesting position. He released a free mixtape followed by an extended play (EP) titled “VENA” in 2014 and then a self-titled EP in 2015. The debut single, “2 Heads” was on the Billboard Alternative chart for over 20 weeks and is easily one of the best dance tracks to…
Album Review: “Tension” by Corner Gospel Explosion
Corner Gospel Explosion shall not be pigeonholed. The debut album, “Tension,” bounces between styles that most bands need years to gain the confidence to pull off. From the dance rock album opener, “Sky is Falling (Na Na Na),” to the epic, seven-and-a-half minute closer, “Through the Fence and Out,” Corner Gospel Explosion is ready to…
Hail, Coen!
Reviewing a new Coen Brothers film is an exercise in futility, especially only after one viewing. Their work is never as simple as it first seems on the surface and, regardless the genre they’re dabbling in, there are always multiple layers to unpack. “Hail, Caesar!” is the latest in their almost unbroken string of classics…
Picks 2/10-2/17
thursday 11 Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn BANJO EXPLOSION—Everyone knows that Bela Fleck is a virtuosic banjo player, but combined with Abigail Washburn’s elegant vocals and incredible banjo skills, the sound is nothing less than phenomenal. This isn’t just bluegrass banjo, this is a style of playing that doesn’t fit into categories. 7 p.m. The…
