Halloween for Kids AND Adults
It’s our favorite time of year. Halloween is almost here, so get your butt in gear and plan out all your spooky activities leading up to All Hallow’s Eve! There’s no shortage of events — family-friendly and adult-friendly — in Central Oregon. Read on for a taste of what lies ahead — and check out…
Newport Avenue Dam Has Sprung a Leak
Pacific Power announced Monday it’s planning to repair a small leak in the Newport Avenue Dam some time in early November. On Oct. 10, a plant operator discovered more water than normal passing through an outlet that was once used to regulate river flow, according to a press release from Pacific Power. The power company,…
Measure 106: Vote No
Right now, Oregon is one of three states requiring almost all insurance plans to cover the cost of an abortion, including people covered by the Oregon Health Plan. We agree with opponents of this measure, who claim that Measure 106 would represent a way to chip away at abortion rights in our state. The Measure…
Important Dates and Ballot County Ballot Drop Sites
IMPORTANT DATES 10/17 – Ballots mailed to voters 10/30 – Last day to mail ballots (recommended by Deschutes County Clerk) 11/06 – Election day (ballots must be received by 8pm) 2018 General Election Deschutes County Ballot Drop Sites Missed the suggested mail-in deadline of Oct. 30? Don’t want to mail in your ballot? Here’s where…
Measure 103: Vote No
Oregon has no statewide sales tax, and Oregonians, by and large, have tended to be fairly steadfast in not wanting to enact one. While Measure 103 might seem like a move in favor of preventing that for good through a constitutional amendment, it could have unintended consequences. Measure 103 would prevent the enactment or increase…
Measure 104: Vote No
When state legislators want to raise revenue in the form of new taxes, they’re required to obtain a three-fifths supermajority vote. That’s reasonable; not reasonable is extending that requirement for ALL new revenue-raising efforts, including raising state fees. Oregon has more than 2,400 fees, and to require a supermajority to raise any of them would…
Measure 105: Vote No
Oregon doesn’t have the most admirable history when it comes to systemic racism, but now, and never, is it time to engage in even more of it. Put forth by a group of three Republican Oregon lawmakers, Measure 105 seeks to repeal the 1987 Oregon law that forbids state agencies, including law enforcement, from using…
Bend Scores Low in LGBTQ Equality
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation—the educational arm of the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer civil rights organization—has released its seventh-annual Municipal Quality Index, assessing LGBTQ equality in 506 cities across the U.S., including eight cities in Oregon. Bend didn’t fare so well. Bend scored 58 out of 100 overall in the findings, released Oct.…
Measure 104: Some Things to Know
When legislators want to raise revenue in the form of new taxes, they have to have a supermajority vote in the legislature. Now, the backers behind Measure 104 want to extend that requirement to anything that would in any way raise revenue—including the raising of fees. Oregon issues more than 2,400 fees—including fees for things…
A Primer on Measure 102
It’s no secret that many Oregonians are struggling with being able to afford housing. While housing costs have skyrocketed in recent years, wages have not kept pace, forcing people to spend a larger share of their income on housing. According to the Pew Research Center, the real average wage in 2018, accounting for inflation, has…
Ballot Measure 103: What’s What
Ballot Measure 103 would prevent the enactment or increase of any state or local tax, fee, or assessment on the sale of groceries. Measure 103 would define groceries as, “raw or processed food or beverages intended for human consumption,” excluding alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana. Based on the definition, the measure would preempt local governments from…
Ballots Get Mailed This Week. Don’t Wait to Mail Them Back.
The buzz of election season is evident in the office of Deschutes County Clerk Nancy Blankenship, who says the season is both thrilling and high-pressure. “It’s exciting. It’s fun because you have a whole lot more interaction with people,” she said. “There’s a whole lot more going on. Depending on what happens—not knowing what shoe…
OPB Appearance With Two Mayor Candidates Sparks Outrage
Bend Mayoral candidate Brian Douglass wrote an angry email to the executive director of news for Oregon Public Broadcasting, after the media outlet decided to have only two mayoral candidates on a radio program scheduled for Monday. Sally Russell and Bill Moseley were the only two out of the six candidates in the race that…
Hummel Appears in Ad Against Measure 105
As the 2018 election season heats up, Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel is appearing in a TV ad, speaking out against Measure 105—which would repeal what’s known as Oregon’s “Sanctuary Law.” The existing Oregon law, passed over 30 years ago, makes it illegal to direct local law enforcement resources toward enforcing federal immigration law.…
Feeling Alive
The last time we checked in with Brandon Prinzing, he’d brought his scratchy vocals and folk-meets-punk sound to the helm of the now-defunct local band, Riot on a Sunday. Nearly a year later, he’s on the cusp of releasing his first album under the moniker Brandon Prinzing and the Old Revival. The album is helped…
Pass the Moonshine
For The Hook’s lead singer Carlos Barata, bringing his band to the Pacific Northwest is a second homecoming. The band hails from Pennsylvania, but for a couple years, Barata and his fiancee called Salem, Ore., home, a place they loved because it acted as the perfect middle-point to explore the Pacific Northwest, and the change…
Snowvana
Gaze west and you might start to get misty eyed at the sight of snow, just starting to accumulate on the slopes. If you’re getting anxiously stoked to kick off the 2018-19 snow season, then this event gives you plenty of reason to make a weekend jaunt to Portland. Snowvana is a two-day fest that…
Free Will Astrology—Week of October 11
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): My astrological analysis suggests that life is conspiring to render you extra excited and unusually animated and highly motivated. I bet that if you cooperate with the natural rhythms, you will feel stirred, playful, and delighted. So how can you best use this gift? How might you take maximum advantage of…
Single Speed World Championships
Bend has hosted many local, regional and national championship events ranging from running, cycling, skiing, climbing and fly-fishing. But for one week in October, single-speed mountain bikers from around the globe will descend upon Bend for a bicycling event of galactic proportions: the 2018 Mountain Bike Single Speed World Championships. A little history SSWC began…
Coyotes: Clever Rebounders
Way back in the ’50s and ’60s, I was a thorn in the side of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Predator and Rodent Control program—a misnomer if there ever was one. Their main target was the coyote. The trappers thought they could eliminate the coyote on the “open range”—as they termed the millions of…
Trail Tales Debut
Longtime Bendites Sue Fox and Kristian Jamieson met many moons ago, while adventure sporting in Oregon. Recently, they’ve rolled their adventure onto the stage, appearing once a month at Deschutes Brewery’s Community Night where they co-present “Trail Tales: conversations with inspiring community members.” Jamieson (known widely as Jaymo) is co-owner of EVO Gimbals, co-owner of…
Hardy-Har-Har
I’ll sometimes bend over backward to justify why a bad movie is entertaining and worth a viewing. Bad acting, clunky writing or flat direction can all be forgiven if the film is unintentionally hilarious or shows signs of something good buried beneath all of the awful. “Venom” manages to be boring, exciting, terrible, brilliant hot…
News Updates
For a brief, shining moment in Deschutes County (and beyond), progressives, pro-cannabis activists and marijuana business owners felt the rudder of progress was slowly steering in the direction of sanity. Unfortunately, with all the force of an angry Brett Kavanaugh snort, those dreams have taken a hit over the past few months. Here’s a brief…
Letters to the Editor
Mirror Pond I am extremely disheartened at the current lack of public involvement regarding the future of Mirror Pond. According to the city’s memo on Mirror Pond Key Facts, community input was given almost 10 years ago and the results were as follows: “Community input indicated an even division between those who preferred the river…
Miwa Matreyek
A few years ago, on a very cold New England Sunday, my grandmother and I ventured out to a local theater to see a performance by an artist. That was all I really knew. What unfolded on the stage was part animation, part performance, and all magic by the artist Miwa Matreyek. Matreyek creates animated pieces…
Bulk Buying Pop Up Farmers Market
For the third year, the Fill Your Pantry event offers Central Oregonians an opportunity to save money and stock the pantry, freezer and root cellar full of potatoes, onions, leeks, beets, winter squash, garlic, honey, flours, apples, pears, dried beans, nuts, krauts, cheeses and more. It’s a bulk buying event, so be prepared to take…
Chow with a Hit of CBD
As predicted by the Specialty Food Association’s Trendspotter Panel, cannabis cuisine has been a hot trend in 2018. Even the big guys such as Molson Coors are teaming up with cannabis producers to create entire ventures dedicated to cannabis beverages. You may have already spotted this trend around Central Oregon, since places including The Bite…
Drinking Socially
Since its launch in 2010, Untappd has been the smartphone-owning beer nerd’s best friend—apart from happy hour and a reliable ride back home. Boasting over seven million downloads and nearly four million active accounts, Untappd is a free social network focused entirely on craft beer. The basic idea couldn’t be simpler: Download the app, drink…
Hi, Anxiety! and the Girl With the Draggin’ Tattoo
Hi, Anxiety! I’m a 29-year-old woman. My boyfriend of a year is a wonderful guy. I’ve always been a jealous person—very insecure about whether a guy really cares and is being faithful. I ruined my last relationship (with a nice, decent guy) by snooping in his email—finding nothing. I’ve started seeing a therapist, who tells…
Fewer Birth Options?
St. Charles Health System—the largest medical provider in Central Oregon—is considering changing the way the Family Birthing Center in Redmond operates, or may even close it outright. Iman Simmons, St. Charles’ chief operating officer, said the purpose is to improve the quality and safety of care and to do those things at a lower cost…
Name It; He’s Probably Done It
Jared McVay says a few weeks ago, his publisher told him that among Amazon’s book sales worldwide, Stephen King is rated at number 19. McVay asked what that had to do with him. His publisher responded, “You’re number 20.” But through 12 books and counting, it’s doubtful that any of the fictional characters McVay dreamed…
Vote Gena Goodman-Campbell for Bend City Council pos. 5
Three candidates are running for Bend City Council position 5. Victor Johnson is a local music teacher running as an advocate for the arts and music community in Bend. Andrew Davis is the director of student and campus life at Central Oregon Community College. Gena Goodman-Campbell is the public lands coordinator at the Oregon Natural…
A Star is Reborn
It’s that feeling. For some people it comes from a song lyric or a passage from a book that feels so authentically human that it reminds us we’re all a part of a greater whole. It’s a feeling that makes incredibly personal art feel universal. As the closing credits for “A Star is Born” started…
A Simpler Time
These days, arriving on a mountain bike trail with a whip that has coaster brakes is likely to elicit some funny looks, if not outright disdain, from fellow riders—but that was definitely not always the case. Featured on the cover of this fine issue is someone who’s been part of the evolution of the sport…
Stats Show Cooling Off in Price Growth
Just as the weather cools in the fall, so does the typical real estate sales volume. According to September 2018 Central Oregon MLS statistics for Bend single family residences (excluding condos and manufactured homes) on 1 acre or less, the market is cooling down—as is traditionally the case. For September, there were 196 home sales…
