Oregon’s unemployment rate drops to 4 percent
New figures from the Oregon Employment Department signal a different story than the one you may be hearing nationally: That people are out of work and that the economy is suffering. Here in Oregon, it appears to be the opposite. According to data released today, Oregon’s unemployment rate dropped to 4.0 percent for the month…
Scenes from Sen. Merkley’s Redmond town hall
Hundreds attend the Oregon senator’s public meeting
Sign of Spring: Bend’s Whitewater Park opening again
It’s a sure sign of warm weather in Bend: The sight of floaters, kayakers and other boaters passing through Bend Park and Recreation’s Whitewater Park. According to the Park district, the Whitewater Park is back open as of March 18, after a winter of work intended to improve performance in the channels. “The winter modifications…
Little Bites
Looking for a way to get out and about, and to benefit a good cause at the same time? This might be your jam. Tickets are now on sale for the 4th annual Empty Bowls fundraiser, taking place at Ridgeview High School in Redmond March 26. Here’s how it works: students from the ceramics classes…
10 Barrel, Brewpub Chain
It could be difficult to imagine for the Bendites (and their dogs) who pack around the bonfire pit every weekend on Galveston Avenue, but 10 Barrel Brewing Company has become a brewery with a national presence, one that even rivals Deschutes in spots. This is thanks to two things: An A-B InBev-affiliated distribution market that…
Made in Central Oregon 2017
It’s here again: That time of year when we celebrate some of the many makers, dreamers and doers who make our region special. Turn to these pages for some inspiration and information about some of C.O.’s greats.
Natural World: Owls, owls and more owls
Recently I’ve had some interesting phone calls to my home and travelin’ phones, giving me cause to suspect the alien barred owl population (from the eastern United States and Canada) may be on the rise, and people are confusing them with our native great gray owls. Great grays are owls of the open spaces in…
The Dirt on Dirty Diesel School Buses
“Kids are like hummingbirds. They breathe a lot,” said Dr. Paul Lewis at a recent Oregon Senate committee hearing on Environment and Natural Resources. “Their lungs are small and a lot more of this stuff gets in there…when exposed early in life, there are a lot more decades for those changes to your cells to…
Saving a Town with Cannabis
The Associated Press and the Idaho Statesman, which I believe are a part of the deeply feared and dreaded “opposition party” Emperor Pussy Grabber has spoken of, both ran pieces this week that give us some insight to just how much people enjoy cannabis. The story looks at Huntington, an Oregon town so small I…
State Marine Board Considers a Lifejacket Requirement
Lifejacket sales will get a big boost this summer if the Oregon Marine Board gets its way. House Bill 2320—introduced this legislative session at the request of Gov. Kate Brown on behalf of the Marine Board—would require persons using a nonmotorized craft—including inner tubes, air mattresses and pool toys, in a river or stream, to…
May the Cat Eat You,and May the Devil Eat the Cat
It’s that time of year again. The green beer will be a flowin’ while your great uncle grows sudden Celtic roots in an effort to justify his “Kiss Me, I’m Irish” shirt. It’s St. Patrick’s Day this Friday, and although saintly Patrick wasn’t actually Irish, we’d still like to raise one of the 13 million…
Gas, Cars and Roads
Roads are one of those core government services that are a great reflection of a community. It doesn’t matter what your political affiliation, when your right tire goes deep into a pothole, slamming your teeth together, you’re going to curse “government.” The leaders of our cities and states know this, and that’s why no matter…
Sister Act
The first time I heard The Quebe Sisters, I was standing in the woods on Pendarvis Farm in Happy Valley, Oregon at the Pickathon music festival. It was a private session of stripped-down songs, played in a quiet setting away from the larger stage and big crowds—and very intimate, except for the film crew and…
20/40/60: Indoor Climbing
It doesn’t look all that imposing from the outside, but step inside the doors of Bend Rock Gym and the specter of its 50-foot walls plays large. At a size of 20,000-square-feet, and with one of the highest number of auto belay routes on the West coast, BRG has it goin’ on. But with nearby…
The Dreamers
New businesses pop up year-round in Central Oregon. A special few conceptualize and produce their products locally. Even fewer sell their merchandise with the intention of effecting positive change. The following innovators stand out from the crowd with a vision that goes beyond selling goods. These entrepreneurs are using their inspiration to creating local jobs…
The Creators
Art can be something you hang on your wall—but for those who can’t afford that large painting or print to display, there are thankfully other alternatives. It’s nice when that artful thing you’re seeking is affordable, and even better, when it’s also locally made. Here in Central Oregon, practical, useful art, made by local people,…
Source Spotlight: Collin Robinson
“So when we talk about school choice, vouchers, public funds going to religious organizations, or private schools, that’s scary. Because they’re not held to the same standards. That’s the problem.” — Collin Robinson About a decade ago, Collin Robinson was a volunteer youth soccer coach for a team of kids from Bend’s Ensworth Elementary School.…
Picks 3/15-3/23
Nell Robinson & Jim Nunally Band Thursday 16 FOLK AMERICANA — This dynamic talent returns to Bend with a genre-busting, toe-tapping time. Combining jazz and bluegrass with some folky blues thrown in, this is true roots music at its best. Described as a “modern day Patsy Cline,” Robinson is joined by Grammy award-winning guitarist Jim…
Local Housing Inventory Declines
The Beacon Report, which is based on real estate statistics from our local Multiple Listing Service, recently came out with February 2017 figures. This allows some interesting comparisons to last year’s Bend single-family residence sales of 1 acre or less. According to the report, closed sales in Bend for the month of February 2017 increased…
The Change Makers
Local entrepreneurs are doing big things in the tech world, and some of them are even winning cash awards for their efforts. The 2016 Bend Venture Conference handed out over $3,755,000 in funding—a new record for Oregon angel conferences—and some of Central Oregon’s innovators were among the winners. The founders of Cascade Wellness Technology, Investipro…
Letters 3/8-3/15
Greg Walden’s Affordable Care Act I don’t normally write Letters to the Editors about specific legislation, but it’s important for people of Congressman Greg Walden’s district to know that the proposed revision of the ACA (Obamacare) will significantly reduce coverage, particularly for poorer people in eastern Oregon. Worse yet, from my perspective, it will give…
American Prophet
“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” —James Baldwin The sometimes-brilliant ABC comedy “Black-ish” focuses on an upper-class mixed race family as they try to hold on to some of their culture while existing in a mostly-white community. A few weeks ago the show did…
Escape Artist
Katie Hester fixes mistakes—the ones that could derail your whole life. It’s one thing to make bad choices. But it’s a whole other matter to wind up in a tattoo parlor etching them permanently onto your skin. Hester, a Bend native who doubles as a licensed massage therapist at Earth Body Massage, works as a…
Death Wish of a Salesman
In what is probably the only-on-the-nose metaphor of the entire film, “The Salesman” opens in an apartment building nearing collapse. Due to construction next door the foundations of the building are falling away, evidenced by the deep cracks forming along our protagonists’ bedroom walls. Married couple Emad and Rana rush around their crumbling apartment grabbing…
Don’t Call It a Bar
You’re leaving work downtown and the mood to whip up a locally-made martini strikes you on the way home. While you could head over to one of the liquor stores that hover in the nether regions of Bend (read: away from downtown), nowadays, you don’t necessarily have to. Another option now available to you: pop…
Zine Zenith
Want some zines with your almond croissant? Hang on, let’s take a step back. Somewhere between the dawn of the printing press and Snapchat came an offbeat new art form made from hard work, determination, paper, staples, creativity and a photocopier. The zine. As in magazine, but not quite. Literary and decidedly lo-tech, zines are…
GUNG HO FOR SHOWS
Book these shows now so you don’t miss out. The New Pornographers April 14 Indie rock makes its way to Midtown with Canadian rock legends The New Pornographers hitting the stage this April. Most popular in the mid 2000s, TNP have a cult-like college following, and are touring in support of their brand-spanking new album…
