Police searching for active shooters in San Bernardino
Around 11 am this morning, a 911 call reported a shooting in a San Bernardino social services building. Police believe there are one to three shooters involved and so far, no one is in custody. ATF and FBI teams are working with police at the scene of the shooting. The San Bernardino Sheriff’s Office is…
Take Me Home 11/25-12/2
With a tight rental market and steadily increasing home prices, many would-be homeowners are exploring other, less conventional options. The tiny house movement, while easily labeled a trend, is an example of the truism, “Everything old is new again.” In past generations, homes were smaller. And in much earlier times (and still in more nomadic…
Shop Small Saturday
It isn’t a challenge to find local shops in Bend. More than 350 small businesses are registered within the City and approximately 150 of those fill ground-level spaces dotting several downtown blocks with window displays filled with books, shiny jewelry, toys, antiques, and an endless list of products, according to the Downtown Bend Business Association…
Little Boxes
By government standards, retailers only need to have fewer than 500 employees to be classified as “small.” But in a town like Bend, small businesses may have as few as one employee. Of the shops profiled below, the largest tops out at 7 employees. While shopping small and local always has a greater impact on…
Letters 11/25-12/2
RIGHT ON AND DEAD WRONG Last week’s Opinion Letters were most interesting. Highly accurate and thoughtful assessments in “Reply to Housing Pressure” and “Bend’s Misguided Tourism Focus.” I’d agree that Bend’s reactive City Council (or at least a couple of members) is finally beginning to understand the nature of classic planning tools, not the least…
From Bend to Paris
In conjunction with the 21st United Nations Conference on Climate Change, Bend organizations are teaming up for the People’s Climate March on Nov. 29. The Bend march was scheduled to occur simultaneously with the Paris climate march, but all events that were set to take place on public streets have been cancelled due to increased…
Side Notes 11/25-12/2
A special Bend City Council meeting will be held on Monday, Nov. 30. The public will have a chance to address the Council about the proposed fuel tax ballot measure. The City Council will also have a work session on text amendments to the Bend Municipal Code and the Bend Development Code for Marijuana Businesses…
Letters to the Future
Illustrations by Don Button, www.DesignButton.com World leaders from more than 190 countries will convene in Paris during the first two weeks of December for the long-awaited United Nations Climate Change Conference. Will the governments of the world finally pass a binding global treaty aimed at reducing the most dangerous impacts of global warming … or…
A Ride Through Time
Oregon’s richest prehistoric landscape could soon have a new addition. Currently in its “recommended” phase, the Painted Hills Scenic Bikeway would become the state’s 15th official scenic bike route if approved by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. Similar to the concept of designating scenic roadways, signs would be installed along the 120-mile proposed…
Go Here 11/25-12/2
Locals who help preserve the Badlands Wilderness, 15 miles east of Bend near Highway 20, call it “The Old One.” The juniper trees found in this 30,000-acre wilderness are some of the oldest in the world. Some may have taken root during biblical times. Some 80,000 years ago, lava from Newberry Crater to the south…
Life Skills
In this grand old, helter-skelter world of ours there are times when young people with special needs sometimes fall through the cracks. Thankfully, there are educators who are aware of this and set about to make sure it doesn’t happen on their watch.Tyler Winterholler, a Life Skills teacher at Mountain View HS in Bend is…
The Boot 11/25-12/2
Every time a terrorist group that aligns itself with Islam attacks, we see a backlash against the peaceful Muslim majority. And while the most recent acts of terrorism occurred in “far away lands,” their aftershocks can be felt even in Central Oregon. Following the attacks in Paris, governors of multiple states came out with statements…
Our Picks 11/25-12/2
thursday 26 & friday 27 Thanksgiving Day Runs TROT—Take your pick of the Thanksgiving Day runs happening around Bend before gorging later in the day. Remember to bring a donation of canned goods as these runs/walks benefit various nonprofits in the community. I Like Pie Run, 9 am. Riverfront Plaza, 875 NW Brooks St. $5…
Smoke Signals 11/25-12/2
Lately, Smoke Signals has been somewhat infatuated with the coming cannabis consumer experience revolution. For those who are not regular readers, the “revolution” we are referring to is the birth of a brand new product in the world’s biggest economy during the golden age of consumerism. And it isn’t just one product or even one…
Killer Instincts
Upon first viewing, The Assassin can almost be impenetrable. There is court intrigue, hidden motivations, honor taking precedence over logic, and, of course, graceful and gravity-defying wirework. Basically, all the things that make a wuxia martial arts movie great. But Director Hsiao-Hsien Hou and cinematographer Ping Bin Lee are not interested in telling a plot-driven,…
Changing of the Guard
One of Bend’s most unique restaurants, featuring more than 400 bottled brews in a massive 12-door cooler, is unleashing a new weapon. No, it’s not another bottled brew—it’s a new chef and a fine-tuned menu. The Broken Top Bottle Shop has welcomed Chef Ingrid Rohrer, who has a rich background in preparing foods with an…
You Had Me At Cello
There is nothing in the world that sounds quite like the Portland Cello Project. Whether they are playing original compositions like founding member Gideon Freudmann’s sweeping yet intimate “Denmark” or Douglas Jenkins’ epic and inviting arrangement of Kanye’s “All of the Lights,” PCP is easily one of the most exciting musical acts touring right now.…
Straight to the Moon
Even with all the blockbuster buyouts and takeovers making headlines in the beer business as of late (the latest: Ballast Point in San Diego, purchased by Corona distributor Constellation Brands for a cool $1 billion), there’s still one overriding theme across the industry: It’s growing, and growing fast. That was the message brought across last…
Source Suggests 11/25-12/2
2nd Hand Soldiers 2nd Hand Soldiers have been a staple of the Bend concert scene for almost a decade, bringing the laidback reggae with the funk-tinged ska to venues across Central Oregon and beyond. With towering and precise guitar solos, sweet reggae vocals, and funky brilliant bass lines, 2HS live shows are always a super…
Little Bites: Butternut Squash and Wild Mushroom Stuffing
Butternut Squash and Wild Mushroom Stuffing prep time: 20 MINUTES cook time: 50 MINUTES total time: 1 HOUR 10 MINUTES yields: 6-8 Ingredients 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 small onion, finely diced 4 cups cubed butternut squash 1 tablespoon brown sugar 3-4 cups mixed mushrooms, sliced if large 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated 2…
Art Watch 11/25-12/2
Caldera Arts was one of 12 nonprofit organizations to receive the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards. It’s the first time an Oregon nonprofit has received the award, and Executive Director Tricia Snell and Caldera Arts student Alena Nore traveled to the White House on Nov. 17 to accept the award from First Lady…
A Boy and His Dog
You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown exists for one simple reason. While there are musicals with catchier songs or flashier numbers, Charlie Brown exists to make you feel happy, through the struggles of one little everyman. Obviously, the musical is based on Charles M. Schulz’s comic strip, Peanuts, which ran new strips weekly for fifty…
