Cover Story
It’s the Big Question: Will Repubs Walk Again?
Homelessness and housing. Vaporizer bans. Gun storage. Cap and invest. If you thought the even-year, short sessions in the Oregon Legislative Assembly were all about budget fixes and making small tweaks, think again. Ahead of the short legislative session that starts Feb. 3, Oregon lawmakers are taking on what appears to be a full plate…
Public Transit of the Future?
Door-to-door, on-demand, shared van rides may be the public transit choice of the next generation. The OSU-Cascades Mobility Lab started Ride Bend in July. It announced Jan. 21 that it will continue to run the on-call ridesharing service through March 30, thanks to a $10,000 contribution from OSU-Cascades’ Associated Students of Cascades Campus. OSU-Cascades hired the small transit…
Collectively Built Spirits
I remember The Walter Collective vodka. That’s notable, because I can’t say I’ve sampled another vodka that left an impression. In a category that prides itself on being flavorless, The Walter Collective’s vodka isn’t afraid to taste like something. “I wanted something that had some character,” explained The Walter Collective Founder Matt Melaik. Instead of coming…
A Superintendent’s Role: Communicator
Right now, the search is underway for the next superintendent for Bend-La Pine Schools. With roughly 18,700 students in three towns in a region that continues to see astronomical population growth, there’s no doubt that the next head of our local public schools system should be a dynamic leader, ready to tackle growth, building schools,…
The Locals’ Stage
Since Lonely Fish Productions was first conceptualized and created in 2014, the small-scale theater company has produced well over 20 shows. Co-founders Scott Schultz and Matthew Vigil, both Bend locals, were committed to producing shows that theatergoers were familiar with—shows such as “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and “Heathers: The Musical.” “Shows like these sell…
Inclusion in the Outdoors
It’s no secret that Central Oregonians love the great outdoors. While the options are extensive, not everyone feels the sense of inclusion that OUT Central Oregon president Jamie Nesbitt believes should be inherent when it comes to outdoor sports. For this reason, the nonprofit has organized Winter PrideFest for the past several years, welcoming community…
USA Climbing Bouldering Nationals
For the second year in a row, the top climbers in the U.S. will come to Redmond to compete for a place on the USA Climbing National Team. The championship takes place at the Deschutes County Fair and Expo Center Friday and Saturday. The Bouldering Youth National Championship comes the following weekend. During the competition,…
Free Will Astrology—Week of January 30
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Please don’t imitate or repeat yourself in the coming weeks. Refrain from relying on formulas that have worked for you before. Resolve to either ignore or rebel against your past as you dream up fresh gambits and adventures. Treat your whole life like an improvisatory game that has just one purpose:…
Turning Off
Sometimes…sometimes there’s an ending so terrible…so completely immune to rational thought and logic that the audience sits in stunned silence staring at the screen, wondering whether to laugh or cry at the bizarre intimacy of sharing a moment of deflated expectations with a dark room full of strangers. In high school I read Henry James’…
Letters to the Editor
Editor’s note: The 2020 presidential election is still 10-ish months away… but it already feels like political season is in full swing. From the opening of the Oregon legislative session next week, to the ups and downs of the impeachment trial, to us beginning to assemble our candidate endorsement board… we’re up to our ears…
Cannabis Cup, Oregon Edition
As someone who writes for three newspapers, I’ve come to understand that publications usually have two sides: editorial, which produces what you read, and sales, which sells the ads and produces events that pay for what editorial creates. This can lead to conflicted feelings for the reader, as they enjoy the content created by the…
From the Islands
Capturing the fresh flavors of the Aloha State, Aina Kauai Style Grill brings food to Bend that you’re not going to find anywhere else. The truck was opened by Ian Vidinha, a Hawaiian native from the fourth-largest island and current Bend local. On the menu you’ll find poke bowls, chili pepper chicken, katsu (a delicious…
Tranquilo Gets Canned
Tranquilo, the Mexican-style lager created in Central Oregon, is now easier to stash in your go bag for a day of adventure. The folks behind Tranquilo Mexican Style Lager had a release party last week to debut the new line of cans. Find the beer at various locations, including Central Oregon’s Hola! restaurant locations, and…
Source Material
Look at us. Already one month down in 2020. The new decade is continuing to move whether we’re ready or not, and that means artists releasing music are entering into a new era. Will anything from the first month of the new roaring ’20s last until the end of the decade? Only time can truly…
An Album for AM Clouds
Those who spend any time hitting the live music scene in Central Oregon will likely have seen the name AM Clouds—maybe at Bend Roots Revival, or even just last week at the Volcanic Theatre Pub. The band plays a mix of alt-rock to pop and its upcoming album, “Rainmaker,” sounds like it could have been…
The Big Picture
It’s an exhilarating experience to embark on the house hunting journey—from browsing online, driving by a few favorites and then seeing a home in person and realizing the true potential of living there. Hopefully by that point in the process, the buyers have taken all of the proper steps. Finances are in place, down payment…
Ronin, the Brick and Mortar
What was once a delightful sushi food cart that has won Best Food Cart multiple times in the Source’s Best of Central Oregon poll is now open as a brick and mortar. The Ronin food cart, formerly at The Bite in Tumalo, has morphed into Bend Izakaya Ronin, located in the Century Center on Bend’s…
From Hear To Eternity & Bald Eager
From Hear To Eternity My roommate has this need to tell me all about his day when he gets home. Making matters worse, his main form of communication is complaining. I need quiet time when I come home, not a second job as an unlicensed therapist. I’ve hinted at this, but he isn’t catching on.…
Get Your Head into the Clouds
Mark your calendars, now! On Feb. 11, from 7 to 8:30 pm, the Oregon Natural Desert Association is starting off its 2020 High Desert Speakers Series with a program on clouds. Yes, clouds: those magnificent bodies of moisture and dust that often float by us at altitude carrying tiny droplets of water or ice and…
An Interview with Jason Graham
In 2018, Bend became the second city in Oregon—after Portland—to name a creative laureate. Jason Graham, aka, MOsely WOtta, has served in the role since then. I checked in with him to talk about what the position meant for him. Source Weekly: Did you enjoy your time in this position? Jason Graham: YES. And then,…
It’s Caucus Season in Iowa
It was early 2016. I was living in Ames, Iowa, during my last semester as a journalism major at Iowa State University, and the wildest presidential race (I hope) of my lifetime was unfolding before my eyes. People on campus as well as the rest of the state were bitterly divided. Everyone appeared to be…
Nosh This Unconventional Charcuterie
Before it gets a little weird, let’s get something straight about charcuterie. It’s a branch of cooking devoted to cooked meats including ham, sausage, terrines, bacon, galantines (not the holiday celebrating the love you have for your girlfriends, but a dish of white meat or fish bones, cooked, pressed in aspic and served cold), confit…
Gunning for Safety
It could be a big year for gun-control advocates. As state legislators work on bills in Salem, gun control activists are gathering signatures and public comment on a number of initiatives that may end up on the November ballot. State of Safety Action—an Oregon-based gun safety group—filed a petition in July to put a gun…
