The Times They are a Changin’
Starting next school year, the start times for elementary and secondary schools in Bend-La Pine Schools will flip, meaning grade school kids will be in their seats at around 8am, while middle and high school students will start at about 8:45am. “Because our students’ physical health, emotional well-being and academic success are our priorities, the…
Cooking Class: Gluten -Free Vegan Desserts
The holidays are around the corner, so what better time to learn how to make delicious, shareable desserts. Many people today have dietary restrictions, so learning how to make a mouthwatering gluten-free, vegan dessert is sure to please the entire crowd. This class at Pure Joy Kitchen teaches you how to make no-bake pies and…
Bohemian Roastery Moves to On Tap
bohemianroastery.com Bohemian Roastery has moved its coffee cart from Tumalo to On Tap in Bend. Bohemian Roastery is one of the few roasters in the U.S. roasting using only seasoned hardwood. This is the traditional method of roasting, replaced by industrial methods. Bohemian Roastery’s owners claim its on-site wood-fire coffee roaster produces some of the…
Vote Cheri Helt for House 54
Our endorsement interview session for the Oregon House District 54 race included just one candidate, Cheri Helt. For that and myriad of other reasons, we are endorsing Helt in this race. Democratic candidate Nathan Boddie—who’s been absent from every debate and public forum in this race since July—declined to attend our interview. Amanda La Bell…
Diaper Nonprofit Creates a Stink
The Rebecca Foundation, the nonprofit organization providing cloth diapers to families in need, shuttered its doors last week and is under investigation with the Oregon Department of Justice. The organization was founded by Amanda La Bell, a candidate for House District 54 who ended her campaign last month after it was revealed that she had…
Is Bend Ready to be a Smart City?
This month, Portland State University announced a $3 million investment into smart cities on the campus and around the city. And while “smart city” is a buzz term at the moment, how close is Bend to becoming “smart?” According to Jason Nelson, executive director for partner engagement with the Smart Cities Council, smart technology consists…
Fall Festival Picks
Hey, hey — it’s Friday! Bend Fall Festival is kicking off this evening, offering a ton of family fun throughout the weekend. Here are a few highlights to look forward to. Live Music Location: Main Stage // Bond Street & Oregon Avenue Friday Pick – Dirty Dozen Brass Band // 8:30pm Celebrating over 40 years…
Bend Ranks 4th on Fastest-Growing Cities List
Finance website WalletHub released a report last week, naming Bend as the fourth fastest-growing city in the United States—but with growth also comes growing pains. Out of the 515 cities studied, Bend had high numbers in many areas, including job growth (1st), median household income growth (21st), increase in number of businesses (17th), increase in…
Believe Survivors Rally in Bend
On Wednesday evening, more than 100 people gathered in front of City Hall in Bend while the City Council held its regular meeting. Those in attendance held signs emblazoned with phrases such as: “Time’s Up,” “Me Too,” “Stop Kavanaugh” and “Bend deserves better,” set over a photo of Bend City Councilor Nathan Boddie. The #BelieveSurvivors…
Beer Vegas
Craft beer is now so mainstream that even in downtown Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world, there is a barrel house. “This city consumes more alcohol per capita than anywhere else in the world,” says Corey White, general manager of Banger Brewing off of Vegas’s Fremont Street Experience. “But in the past few…
Natural World
So there we were, a full busload of 6th graders touring with the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, pounding on fossil-laden rocks in a quarry just outside the sleepy logging town of Vernonia, west of Portland. The year was 1965 and school was out. I was the staff naturalist (and bus driver), and with…
Camping at Juniper Ridge
Traveling along the bumpy, dusty roads that weave through the property owned by the City of Bend and the Central Oregon Irrigation District, you might see remnants of tents, tarps, a few cars and piles of household items. You’ll also see creative engineering—a house made out of tarps and old crates and a greenhouse full…
Vote Eileen Kiely for House District 53
Vote Eileen Kiely for House 53 In the race for the seat long held by Republican Gene Whisnant, voters have two strong candidates—both of whom we endorsed in their respective primaries. When we asked Democrat Eileen Kiely and Republican Jack Zika to share their thoughts on the most pressing issue facing state legislators, both responded…
A visiting couple alleges gender discrimination in a rideshare car
My husband Peter and I are visitors to Bend for the month of September. We live in the UK. On Sept. 11 we had our first baby at St. Charles via our wonderful surrogate, a Bend resident. Peter and I are same sex parents. Together 21 years, it took us 14 years to put together funds to…
Book Talk
A Labyrinth to get lost in “Stories have no beginning and no end, only doors through which one may enter them. A story is an endless labyrinth of words, images, and spirits, conjured up to show us the invisible truth about ourselves. A story is, after all, a conversation between the narrator and the reader,…
Mushroom Hunt
Fall is a great time to stalk wild mushrooms. If you haven’t tried chanterelles, boletes, chicken of the woods, matsutake or cauliflower mushrooms, then you’re in for a treat. Great-tasting wild mushrooms are found within an hour drive of Bend in areas including Santiam Pass, Crane Prairie, Suttle Lake and the Cascade Lakes. But before…
24-Hour Food
I scooped the golden pancake with a tiny camp spatula and placed it on a plastic plate. After being up for most of the night supporting my husband, Jim, who was doing a 24-hour mountain bike race, I was starving. The night dipped into the 30s, and I had huddled around our outdoor heater to keep…
A Schedule to Die For
It doesn’t matter how well you plan your schedule at a film festival, because there’s always something interesting you’re going to miss. Any good fest will have a program so pregnant with choices that even if you plan everything down to the second, there’s just no way to see it all, even if you skip…
It’s ’10’ Time at Cascades
The results are in: Out of more than 100 submissions from playwrights across the U.S., seven best works have been chosen for the Cascades Theatrical Company’s second annual “Cascades 10!” festival of short plays. I had the chance to watch rehearsals for two of the shows, and I have to say they were rich. The…
Tokin’ and Teslas
Hot take: I love Teslas. Even as a non-driver, I truly enjoy their power, luxury and futuristic stylings. I could never afford one, but they’re fun. But, I have mixed feelings about Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO with the dual-Bond-Villain moniker and ’70s porn performer name. A brilliant mind, a seemingly crappy personality and a very…
The Real Fight Against Fake News
Fake news is not a new thing. With the return of its annual list of censored stories in Censored 2019: Fighting the Fake News Invasion, Project Censored’s vivid cover art recalls H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds. The situation today may feel as desolate as the cover art suggests. “But Censored 2019 is a book…
Need for Speed
“I’d say that bluegrass is the punk of country music,” says Nate Hilts, guitarist and vocalist for Canadian folk-bluegrass band The Dead South. “They came at it with a whole new speed. If you look at the Czech Republic, they look at bluegrass and country music as a form of revolt. I love the style…
Maston Trailhead
Created originally for cycling options in the winter months, the routes at Maston are an example of how varied user groups can work together to form diverse and harmonious trail systems. Hikers, bikers and equestrians enjoy the various loops, connectors and Deschutes River views that make the Maston Trailhead so popular. Located 5 miles from…
Brutally Honest
Michael Glabicki and his band Rusted Root’s biggest hit, “Send Me on My Way,” first appeared on the 1994 album, “When I Woke.” Now, more than 20 years later, Glabicki and Rusted Root’s longtime guitar player and background vocalist Dirk Miller are on the road playing re-envisioned versions of the band’s biggest hits. A true…
Free Will Astrology—Week of October 4
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Libran astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson offers this observation: “When you look for things in life like love, meaning, motivation, it implies they are sitting behind a tree or under a rock. [But] the most successful people in life recognize that in life they create their own love, they manufacture their own…
It’s Still Better Better to Buy than Rent
Daily, headlines abound about housing affordability in terms of escalating rents, housing prices outpacing wage growth, affordable housing shortages, rising interest rates and so on. Owning a home may seem like a pipe dream to many, but there are still many good reasons to try to buy a home. Although the cost of housing continues…
Fly in My Soup Kitchen
Fly in My Soup Kitchen I’m a 30-something woman questioning the long-term viability of my relationship. I work for a nonprofit in a community with a high level of volunteerism. My boyfriend is a therapist, so I think he wants to help others. He’s kind and thoughtful toward me and his friends. However, he does…
Letters to the Editor
Haters To the ignoramus in the genitalia-compensating truck at the NE3rd/Greenwood light: Your yelling “Go back to Portland” at a bicyclist making a legal left turn among cars illustrates your poor social skills on so many levels! Having to loudly transfer thought to mouth? Having to interrupt someone who is trying to stay alive among…
Water Tables by Pat Clark
Two exhibitions open this week, showcasing the work of Pat Clark and her reaction and response to water. It’s a subject that’s seemingly simple, yet a subject Clark’s been sitting with for a long time. Clark will showcase drawings and sketches, as well as final large mixed-media pieces that speak to her connection to water…
Vote Amy Lowes for Deschutes County Commission position 1
It’s a dynamic time in Deschutes County. The region continues to experience rapid growth—and with that growth comes more pressure to deliver quality public safety and mental and public health services, in addition to managing diverse views about controversial topics such as land use and marijuana regulation. Dynamic times require dynamic leaders, and we believe…
New Look for Holm Made Toffee
Next time you shop for Holm Made Toffee their new colorful boxes may stand out more on store shelves. “The new packaging is a huge step for us and a long time coming,” said co-owner Randi Holm. “As we grow I believe it is a better representation of our product and our company. It keeps…
