Property Rights and Property Wrongs
As Oregon's "Big Look" task force resumes its job of re-evaluating the state's land use regulations, it might want to take a close look at a couple of new studies that seem to shoot holes in the accepted (well, accepted among conservatives) view that the state's land use regulations have depressed property values and made…
Bigotry’s Last Gasp?
Gay and lesbian couples in Oregon suffered a setback at year's end when a federal judge in Portland, in response to an appeal by an anti-gay religious coalition, delayed implementation of the state's new domestic partnership act for at least a month. Hundreds of gays and lesbians protested, but blogger Kristin Flickinger on BlueOregon saw…
Mugged by Wal-Mart
Erickson's Thriftway Market is closing after 50 years of operation in downtown Redmond, and management is blaming it on the new Wal-Mart "Superstore" that opened on the edge of town in September. The news prompted some musings from Duncan McGeary, Pegasus Books proprietor, blogger and philosopher.
Light Meter
Welcome to Light Meter, the Source Weekly’s interactive photo feature. Here’s how to participate: 1.
Oh yeah…vids & pics: Bill Keale, CPC and Problem Stick
Sorry for inconveniencing and/or enraging those of you who expected a prompt posting of the photos and videos mentioned in this week’s Sound Check. You see, we have a very good excuse: We forgot to do it. Four-day holiday weekends’ll do that sometimes, gawd bless’m. Anyway, read on for the footages of Bill Keale, Concave…
Mining Snow for Gold
We are informed the city has busted the bank, shot its wad, ejaculated prematurely … spent all the budget money because, you know, the housing boom will go on forever, right? Critical services such as planning, snow removal (huh?) and law enforcement are facing severe cutbacks, so much so the city police recently announced delaying…
Honolulu, We Have a Problem: From soothing to raw in four hours
Jim Stout in CPC rawkstar mode.The streets and sidewalks sparkled with the crystalline potential of new fallen snow last Thursday night. Downtown, tourists and taxicabs flitted about like carefree winter butterflies - many searching for the fantastical fun-juice that is the nectar of Central Oregon's homegrown live music scene. The fortunate and/or savvy found their…
Save Our Snow: Of slow starts, La Nina and global warming
The future of backcountry skiing.By Nov. 30, I had not yet made one alpine turn. I scratched and scraped around on nordic skis in November, but I was holding out before subjecting my freshly stone ground skis to the light dusting of snow covering the Central Oregon lava rock. Finally, I could no longer hold…
Bringing Funny Back: Randy Liedtke is a man on a comedic mission
Nothing enhances comedy like a little multitasking.Randy Liedtke wants us - "us" being Central Oregon - to laugh. And seeing as how the one place known to host comedy shows in town has been the butt of jokes, rather than the purveyor of jokes, it seems like we're in need of whatever Liedtke's got. Liedtke,…
Return of the Guitar God: Back Door Slam can’t drink, but they can shred
The blues never looked so young.It's morning here in Bend, but "tea time" on the Isle of Man, a small self-governing kingdom in the Irish Sea that Davy Knowles calls home, and he's talking about his age, and why it seems to be the only thing anyone wants to discuss about the emerging blues guitar…
By The Numbers: A mathematical retrospective
Typically, at this time of year, writers seek the shelter and comfort of Top 10 lists or the best of the year or some such low hanging literary fruit. Well, Left Field will not, dear readers, stoop so low to insult your good intelligence with such prosaic drivel! We're stronger than the temptation. We're mightier…
Now Hear This!
While coming out of a recent film I commented to my viewing partner how much I had enjoyed the film's score. She had a classic comment, "I never notice background music." Although we may not register a movie score as something we want on CD, it can make or break the atmosphere of a film…
Claws Out: Nothing Hurts You Like Family
Among the best films of 2005 was The Squid and the Whale, a dark drama that happens to be wickedly funny. If it leans a little heavily on Wes Anderson (Rushmore), it at least gives fans of Anderson a director to lionize in Noah Baumbach. Produced by Anderson, with whom Baumbach wrote The Life Aquatic,…
Huey, Dewey and Luey: Latest Apatow Inc. isn’t their best
The Judd Apatow comedy machine has been a most reliable laugh factory as of late. This year saw the one-two punch of Knocked Up (which he directed) and Superbad (which he produced). With the arrival of Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story starring the great John C. Reilly, I was figuring Apatow (producing here) would…
Making Its Mark: Brand 33 at Aspen Lakes
The Cyrus family is trying to do something a little bit different with its resort restaurant. This Central Oregon ranching family has taken some of its land and created a first-class golf community and, more recently, a fine dining establishment. Located outside Sisters, Aspen Lakes is a golf-centric, high-end housing development that has recently completed…
Making Its Mark: Brand 33 at Aspen Lakes
The Cyrus family is trying to do something a little bit different with its resort restaurant. This Central Oregon ranching family has taken some of its land and created a first-class golf community and, more recently, a fine dining establishment. Located outside Sisters, Aspen Lakes is a golf-centric, high-end housing development that has recently completed…
Home Sweet Home: After the dust has settled mobile home owners wonder if they are better off
Hoby Herron's neighborhood consists of tightly clustered homes and single car garages nestled up to narrow asphalt streets that evoke some of the intimacy of Bend's older Mill-era neighborhoods. Cascade Village, as the neighborhood is identified by the sign outside the entrance, is one the surviving manufactured home parks in Bend following a wave of…
Bend City Council
Back in mid-November the Bend City Council decided to spend $200,000 on an "interim fix" for the Mirror Pond problem that would have involved some dredging. We said that was a bad idea. Now it looks like the council has come up with a better one. It's talking about contracting with the Upper Deschutes Watershed…
Farewell to a Master
The jazz world lost another from its diminishing ranks of giants last week: Canadian piano genius Oscar Peterson died two days before Christmas at age 82. Growing up in a Montreal ghetto in the 1920s and '30s, Peterson started out playing the trumpet but switched to piano after a bout of tuberculosis. He was trained…
Adios and Goodbye
Paul Motta in his column in the 12/27/07 issue of the Source Weekly apparently believes that many who identify as Democrats are not Democrats if they do not agree with him to the last dotted I and crossed T. Perhaps without his type of leadership the local Democratic Party, candidates will be more successful in…
Take Your Act To Arizona
Re "Destruction on the Deschutes": What the heck is wrong with you people? Okay, I have a fabulous tip for all of you would-be landowners. If you don't like messy greenery, big trees, water, or little wildland creatures, you should immediately buy land in ARIZONA.
