Oregon Lottery’s Addict Problem
The Oregon Lottery cleaned up its act, eliminating its NFL Sports Action pick ‘em ballot four years ago to appease the NCAA when the state was trying to land an NCAA men’s hoops regional tournament bracket, which it ultimately did. However, the Oregon Lottery, despite its problem gambling PSAs, continues to rake in a…
Pumped to be Here: Eek-a-Mouse in Bend
Two things to know about Eek-a-Mouse. He’s the reggae legend playing in Bend on Wednesday night at the Domino Room and he is super buff.
Walden Demonstrations Prove to be a Dud
The anticipated big showdown Friday over Congressman Greg Walden’s vote on health care reform turned out to be a bit of a fizzle: Instead of encountering each other at Walden’s office, the Walden supporters stood on one corner of Greenwood and Wall and the opponents stood on the opposite corner, holding signs, shouting slogans and…
Bits and Pieces: news from the great outdoors
A couple of blogs ago I wrote about the problems of renegade/bootleg trail building on public lands. It’s a growing problem and one that both the U.
Friday Night Music: The Lonely H
This spring, I wrote about a little-known Seattle-area band that was expressly, explicitly, not a classic rock band. The band is called The Lonely H, they rock quite classically (but again, are not classic rock band) and wear all the great denim and leather ensembles that you probably thought were left behind in 1974.
Vandal Art: Learning the non-criminal version of graffiti
The first time I encountered the anonymous graffiti artist named Banksy was last summer in my then neighborhood of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He had graffitied a two-story-high piece on the side of a brick building, depicting a man using a remote control to force a giraffe to paint the word “VANDAL.” This piece, like so many…
Let the Good Real Estate Times Roll! (Yawn.)
Happy days are here again in the local real estate market, if you go by the headline in yesterday’s Bulletin. “Housing inventory plummets in Bend,” the headline said.
I Hope the Monster Trucks in Redmond Run Over a Bunch of Old Cars
Monster trucks are coming to Redmond. And I'm not talking about the lift-kitted “Monster Trucks” that typically growl through the mean streets of Redmond – I mean real, honest-to-horsepower monster trucks.
Libs vs. Teabaggers Smackdown in Bend Tomorrow?
There could be a showdown between liberals and the tea party faction tomorrow at Rep. Greg Walden's Bend office – or maybe not.
Open Mouthed: there’s gold in them thar teeth
Unlike many people, I don’t dread going to the dentist. To me, a visit to the dentist is just another one of life’s minor hardships like getting stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
Country Girl in the City: Notes from the Esplanade
After a full day of PowerPoint presentations in a dark, windowless conference room in the swanky Nines Hotel in downtown Portland, I desperately needed to move my muscles and see the sky. I dodged out of the wine-and-cheese reception after exchanging a few business cards, and performed a hasty wardrobe change from dress and stockings…
Return To Sender: Donnie Darko director enters The Twilight Zone with The Box
Ah Richard Kelly, he would have gotten away with it if it wasn't for those pesky portals to another dimension. The writer-director was handed a big box of his own when his debut, Donnie Darko, drew in enthusiastic crowds. It's a box filled with plenty of responsibility and a whole lot of money. And at…
When Aliens Attack: Close Encounters of the Fake Kind: The Fourth Kind asks that you be the judge
OK, let me say this right off the bat: The Fourth Kind is the biggest hoax of the year. Immediately raising the bar for believability sky high, Milla Jovovich saunters towards us in the film's opening to convey that she will be playing the “real” Dr. Abigail Tyler and that some of the “real” archival…
Brotherly Love: By and for the people at Brother Jon's
Sometimes when a new place opens, before you even try it you feel impelled to throw the full weight of your support behind it – in your head, you jump up and down and cheer in slow motion during the triumphant ribbon cutting. I was that way with Brother Jon's Public House, the latest addition…
Brotherly Love: By and for the people at Brother Jon's
Sometimes when a new place opens, before you even try it you feel impelled to throw the full weight of your support behind it – in your head, you jump up and down and cheer in slow motion during the triumphant ribbon cutting. I was that way with Brother Jon's Public House, the latest addition…
The Alter Ego
Halloween is the only day when one can comfortably enter a ritzy nightclub with chi's chi's hanging out of a prom dress made entirely out of Glad forceflex trash bags, old Christmas lights, and zip ties. Halloween goers spend weeks creating and polishing the perfect costume. Creativity shines the weeks before Halloween. The craft stores…
Cuban Delight: Tiempo Libre play Bach, Cuban classics and dance with the stars
I don't typically watch Dancing with the Stars, the television program that allowed Tom DeLay to sort of dance, sort of flop his disgraced ex-minority-whip self across its well-lit and inordinately shiny stage. But you know what? The musicianship featured by the rotating house bands on the program is pure dynamite. That's right: pure dynamite,…
Our Picks for 11/11 – 11/19: The Bayliens, Re:Session, Eek-A-Mouse
The Bayliens & Cloaked Characters thursday 12 Locals Cloaked Characters share a bill with indie Bay Area hip-hop heroes The Bayliens for this intimate show. It's like rap music in your living room! 9:30pm. Bendistillery Martini Bar, 850 NW Brooks St. Re:Session friday 13 Teton Gravity Research, is not, as the name suggests, a physics…
Take This Plan and Shred It: Detailed growth plan rankles conservative county commission
Unless they happen to outline military invasions, planning documents don't usually generate a whole lot of public interest, let alone controversy. Then there's the Deschutes Comprehensive Plan draft, which over the last week has sparked a flurry of angry e-mails from citizens and fueled heated exchanges at recent public meetings. The imbroglio over the roughly…
Greg Walden Keeps His Streak Going
If nothing else, we have to give Rep. Greg Walden points for consistency – he's consistently against legislation that would help ordinary Americans. Walden kept his record intact last week by being one of the 215 members of the House – including 39 Democrats and all but one of the 177 Republicans – to vote…
Wanted Dead or Alive: Random shootings, a K Street update and a morbid Cleveland curiosity
The author has been sent on the road to discover a lost country formerly known as America. He is reporting from K Street, mourning the loss of lobbyists under Obama, on assignment for Or-Bust.com and The Source Weekly.
Congratulations to Nancy Pelosi, the embattled Speaker of the House, and many thanks to President Obama for…
You Don't Run the Place, Pal
We were out sipping a beer this weekend at one of our local haunts, chatting with friends, keeping a tangential interest on a football game or two and generally enjoying ourselves as music played in the background when some dude, who apparently thought he ran the place, told the bartender, quite loudly, “It wouldn't kill…
Letter of the Week: No More Enriching the Rich
This week's letter comes from former chamber president Mike Schmidt who questions the authenticity of claims that new business and top earner taxes will derail economic recovery. Thanks for the letter, Mike. We couldn't have said it better ourselves. Oh wait, we did. Regardless, you're entitled to a bag of Strictly Organic Coffee on us.…
The Official 9/11 Lie
Young parents are wowed by their children's abilities on the computer. Older parents are agog at their teenagers' facility with the cell phones, iPods, remote control devices and other gadgetry. Americans are enthralled with new technology. Is ability to use technological gadgets an indicator of a person's overall intelligence? Ironically, at the same time that…
City Wasted Its Surplus
It comes as no surprise to me that Bend's real estate taxes have gone up, even in these extremely difficult times. Deschutes County has the highest foreclosure rate in Oregon. Many homes that can't be sold are sitting vacant with untended yards, causing an even bigger decline in neighborhood property values. A very large number…
Going Rogue-Trail Makers Won’t Quit
Recently The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) informed the Central Oregon Trail Alliance (COTA) that an unauthorized trail has been build on Horse Ridge. Subsequently COTA put up signs at both the start and finish of the trail declaring it shut.
Free WWII Film at Bend’s Tower Theatre for Veterans Day – “Everyman’s War”
In honor of Veterans Day, as well as veterans themselves, the Oregon Film Alliance is presenting a free screening of Everyman's War, an Oregon-made World War II film Wednesday night at the Tower Theatre. The film was directed by Thad Smith and also stars a Bend native in Cole Carson.
