The First Sign of the Apocalypse
Oh wait, Brett Favre in a Vikings uniform. Make it the second sign of end times.
Swollen Members Pack Bend’s Domino Room
I’m admittedly not a huge fan of gangster rap. It doesn’t often find its way onto my iTunes rotation, and there aren’t many situations where I find I need hardcore hip-hop as my background music.
Bend’s Nature of Words In Reverse
Celebrating its fifth year, The Nature of Words’ two nights of Tower Theater readings were a good indication that the event has come of age. Gone are the days of writers talking about sagebrush, distant mountain ranges, cattle and corrals that came with the High Desert Museum's sponsorship of the event.
Bend UGB Decision Forthcoming
The city of Bend sent notice this week that the state is ready to give Bend a final word on its 25-year growth plan, which the city submitted to the state earlier this year after several long years of work by city staff, the planning commission and the council. However, it looks as…
Ex-Blazer Enters Governor Race – Almost
Chris Dudley, who some around here may remember for playing two six seasons at center for the Portland Trailblazers, is putting out feelers about a run for governor on the Republican ticket next year. The 6’11” Dudley had a not particularly distinguished NBA career, knocking around among six different teams and amassing a career average…
Weekend in Music: Swollen Members and Dropkick Murphys
It’s fixing to be a big weekend in music down at the Midtown Music Hall, where Swollen Members, along with a host of other hip-hoppers are playing the Domino Room tonight and Dropkick Murphys bring their Celtic punk rock circus to the Midtown Ballroom come Sunday. We ran a feature about Swollen Members this week…
Mount Bachelor Academy: Some Unpleasant Questions
Things are not looking good for Mount Bachelor Academy, one of those special boarding schools for rich kids with problems. The state Department of Human Services has suspended the Prineville school’s license and told parents to take their kids away.
Sherman Alexie in Bend Tonight! And Tomorrow!
I wrote a piece in last week’s issue (the one with the skier on the cover, not the garden of pot leaves) about National Book Award Winner Sherman Alexie and how I would love nothing more than for the Native American author to give up fiction and poetry and write solely about basketball. Well, that’s…
Brandi Carlile Returns to Bend’s Tower Theatre
There are some acts that descend on Bend and suddenly become instant favorites, continuing to come back time and time again. We might be able to add Brandi Carlile to that list.
Drive, Drive, Drive for Prosperity!
The pronouncements of Dr. Randall Podenza, an economist associated with the right-wing Cascade Policy Institute, usually leave me scratching my head.
A Serious Snow Jones: Predicting about and riding into winter
Entering the dead zone After the teasing snowstorms of October and then a pleasant change of recent weather, a lot of ski and ride-aholics are getting antsy. Dreaming of making fresh tracks, the “I skied/rode the cone last month, dude,” crowd is crying out for some big storms. When and if the snow will come…
It's the Sun's fault!: How the fire in the sky sends life south in the winter
This is the time of year when birds of a feather flock together. As proof of that statement, not too long ago I spotted a large flock of birds flying out of the Whychus Creek area east of Sisters early in the morning and returning just before sundown. My first thought was Red-winged Blackbirds, as…
True Lies: The Men Who Stare at Goats succeeds at silliness, but fails at journalism
“More of this story is true than you would believe,” reads the caption at the beginning of The Men Who Stare at Goats, but let's be real: No one involved in this movie goes out of their way to give it the sting of veracity. If a movie can be said to have an attitude,…
The Pitfalls Of Parenthood: Talented Clive Owen puts the The Boys are Back on his back
When I see that a movie even looks remotely sugar coated, I hightail it – I can't stand phony sentimental feel-good or feel-sad movies that seem hell bent on eliciting sappy emotions from its audiences. But then again I've been duped by the Kramer vs. Kramers, Terms of Endearments and the I am Sams of…
Guns A Blazin': Borderlands delivers an endless array of firepower in a post apocalyptic shooting gallery
They say the clothes make the man. But on planet Pandora I think it's the guns that make the man. And the woman too. After all, it doesn't matter what gender you are or what you wear when midget psychos begin spewing out of a corrugated-tin shack like demented clowns tumbling from a nightmare car.…
We Got Spirit: Diego's adds evidence of a downtown Redmond revival
There are two things that bring my husband and I into Bend regularly: walking and eating. Lately we've been searching out alternatives closer to home. As far as walking goes, our favorite trail within a 10-mile radius is along the Deschutes River at Eagle Crest or, if we decide to put up with the extra…
We Got Spirit: Diego's adds evidence of a downtown Redmond revival
There are two things that bring my husband and I into Bend regularly: walking and eating. Lately we've been searching out alternatives closer to home. As far as walking goes, our favorite trail within a 10-mile radius is along the Deschutes River at Eagle Crest or, if we decide to put up with the extra…
Keeping It Casual
As reported recently the much-loved Downtowner restaurant picked up stakes and moved down the street, shacking up with its sibling establishment the Summit Stage and Saloon. Now comes word that the Downtowner's former home in the breezeway has a new tenant. Lola's (In The Breezeway) opened late last month after taking over the lease and…
Keeping It Casual
As reported recently the much-loved Downtowner restaurant picked up stakes and moved down the street, shacking up with its sibling establishment the Summit Stage and Saloon. Now comes word that the Downtowner's former home in the breezeway has a new tenant. Lola's (In The Breezeway) opened late last month after taking over the lease and…
… And They're Canadian: Swollen Members battle addiction, stereotypes and end up with a damn good record
Canada's hip-hop contributions may not have been as respected, as say, the country's contribution to curling and ice hockey or its French-fry-and-gravy culinary innovations. Artists like Snow (of “Informer” infamy) have given our northern neighbors a reputation that was hard to shake. These days, however, a solid Canadian underground hip-hop scene has materialized and legitimate…
Going Bi-Coastal with Dropkick Murphys
Not to say that there aren't other Celtic punk rock bands touring the country, but there's really only two that matter: Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly. The latter sold out the Midtown Ballroom about two years ago and the former will try to do the same this weekend. It's not a Biggie/TuPac sort of thing,…
Recordings you may have missed but need to hear
Galaxie 500 Today Released 1988
Galaxie 500's debut, Today, is the sum of an odd confluence of events that conspired to make a genius record. The Boston trio of school friends formed in 1986 with Naomi Yang (who was just learning the bass) and a sound that was atypical relative to the scene at the…
wRite: Grape Popsicle
This is Eskimo Nell's story. I barely know her. We met at a gem and mineral show in the Little America hotel in Flagstaff, Arizona at least fifteen years ago. I have not seen her since then. I bought a raw opal from her. She gave me two more for free – a brown opal…
The Imprint of Adam Haynes: From beer labels to landscapes, the local artist has an eye on the fringe
Have you sipped a Deschutes Brewery Hop Trip recently? If you have, you probably took a gaze at the bottle or tap label, and maybe without knowing it, experienced the work of Adam Haynes. Working as both a commercial and fine artist, the Bend-based illustrator's art can be seen on several lines of Deschutes brews…
Our Picks for 11/4 – 11/12: The Nature of Words, Swollen Members, First Friday, Jim Witty Book Release Party and more
The Nature of Words wednesday-sunday 4-8 It's time again for Central Oregon's biggest literary celebration and this year the festival has brought in some high-powered wordsmiths for readings, book signings, workshops and more. The lineup includes Sherman Alexie, Matthew Dickman, Charles Goodrich, Seth Katner, Karen Karbo, Jane Kirkpatrick, Valzhyna Mort and Kim Stafford. For a…
Green Light: Pot remains illegal, but Oregon's medical marijuana laws have led to a booming industry that continues to confound cops
Sandee Burbank is 65 years old, a breast cancer survivor, a grandmother and a longtime community volunteer in her hometown of Mosier, Oregon. She also uses marijuana. Burbank is one of Oregon's 23,000-plus marijuana cardholders and also the executive director of Mothers Against Misuse and Abuse, a group that has long held two-day clinics here…
Kulongoski's Sneaky Green Fastball
Deceptiveness is an admirable quality in a baseball pitcher, but not in a political leader. When Gov. Ted Kulongoski sold his green energy tax credit plan to the legislature, he threw a sinking fastball that any major-leaguer would be proud of. The tax credit, officially known as the Business Energy Tax Credit, is the core…
The Anniversary Column: O-merica turns one, Congress gets hacked and Karzai gets backed
The author has been sent on the road to discover a lost country formerly known as America. He is reporting from Big Pink, letting his creative juices fester, on assignment for Or-Bust.com and The Source Weekly. A Year Later Oprah was weeping, Michelle as elegant as Jackie-Ohhh, and Barack's hair not so gray. Now the…
One-Stop Treating
Halloween served up a hefty plate of WTFs – ass-bearing costumes, football beatdowns – but there was one that out WTFed the others and that was when we heard that H1N1 fears had canceled certain Halloween festivities. OK, we understand health concerns and the whole gotta-do-what-ya-gotta-do approach to public safety, but then we heard the…
The Destination Resort Threat
According to your August 5 article, “Now or Never: County's resort map remake opens door for developer amid questions of viability,” elected officials are attempting to refine Central Oregon's Destination Resort Map. They could potentially add thousands of acres of previously resort-free land to the areas allowed to be built on. And a study by…
Not Reading
This letter is to let you know that after many years of reading your paper, I will be doing so no longer. Your sensationalized article (WTF?, 10/21) about the recent death at a wilderness camp was disrespectful of the boy's family, and a painful disclosure of your ignorance and assumptions regarding what wilderness therapy programs…
The Monkey Wrench Gang
So Thankful, I have to express my heartfelt thanks to Rick, Brent and Tim at Monkey Wrench who fixed my worn out truck engine. I am also grateful to my Mechanic Angels, family, friends, co-workers and all the wonderful people who donated money to make it happen.
Any Color You Like
I was reading the Snowriders Guide issue last night and came across a mistake in the Properly Equipped article on page 21. The Spyder pants pictured are the Inspection pants, but the yellow pants are the official pant of the Jamaica Ski Team, not US Team. You probably don't believe me about the Jamaica Ski…
A Damn Good Solution
The dam at the Colorado Bridge is long overdue for a redesign. As floating the section of river above and below the dam has gained in popularity due to easier access and the growth in population, we have seen one death and several near misses. The proposed redesign offers several benefits: safe floating passage, improved…
Dam It-Full Speed Ahead On Colorado Street
Despite regular pronouncements that Bend is, or will be, in the running to attract big name employers who will pay a living wage or better, it's nothing more than a public relations smokescreen. Not even Juniper Ridge, that fabled business wonderland of the future, will alter the fact that Bend and Central Oregon are not…
