Randy Travis and Wife Mary to Share Inspirational Stroke Story in Central Oregon to Benefit Stroke Awareness Oregon
Stroke Awareness Oregon is honored to present an uplifting evening with Country Music and Grammy Awards winner Randy Travis and his wife, Mary on Monday, May 13, 2024 at Westside Church in Bend. After Randy’s life-changing stroke in 2013, the couple will share their powerful story of loss, hope, faith, and resilience to raise funds…
Sunriver Job Fair on April 12
The Sunriver Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting a job fair from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, April 12 at SHARC, 57250 Overlook Road in Sunriver. Whether looking for a summer job or a new career, job seekers will be able to meet with more than a dozen employers. Local employers from a variety…
St. Charles reports workforce turnaround fueled by decreased reliance on temporary traveling nurses
Dozens of traveling nurses opt to make St. Charles their permanent workplace, citing strong culture and competitive pay In the past year, St. Charles Health System has seen a major turnaround in the strength of its workforce, according to a variety of metrics: Vacancy rates have decreased from near 20% to approximately 6-7% for acute…
Skin Cancer Awareness Month: Prevention, Protection & Social Media Myths
Oregon offers beautiful landscapes to hike, swim, kayak and bike, but those activities come with risks, including exposure to harmful UV rays. Oregonians love the outdoors and about 1,300 people in the state are diagnosed with melanoma every year – earning Oregon a spot among the top third of states in the country for this…
IN OUR BACKYARD, in partnership with Bend Women’s Expo, Hosts Pink Duck 5k to stop human trafficking
Join the Pink Duck 5k to raise awareness. Together, we will race to speak up and stop human trafficking in a positive way in Central Oregon! A friendly 5k for all ages; you can run or walk along a marked trail to support an anti-trafficking nonprofit IN OUR BACKYARD. Participants can register at www.InOurBackyard.org DUCK…
A Wave of Change
Join Portland Icons such as the Timbers, Trail Blazers, The Oregon Convention Center, and Levy, in Shaping Food System Futures for all It all begins and ends with food. Regional Food Systems represent a unique opportunity to strengthen overall community health, impact regional economies, and support environmental sustainability by creating equitable, resilient, and more sustainable…
Reach Out and Read Northwest Awarded $25,000 to Implement Innovative Program for Newborns
This is part of a $350,000 investment from the $8M donated by philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, which will be allocated to 14 Reach Out and Read Affiliates across the country. Reach Out and Read, a national nonprofit leading the charge in promoting early childhood literacy and healthy early relationships, announces the investment of $350,000 into communities…
Literary Legacies
Ellen Waterston, an author and also a columnist for the Source Weekly, has been an amazing resource to those of us who have literary aspirations in Central Oregon. Her undying love of Oregon and the written word have been an inspiration to me for decades, and her work with The Nature of Words introduced me…
A Delta Blues Boy’s Birthday Wish
Blackflowers Blacksun is a local rock group with a sound that resonates with locals who love the energy of Americana rooted music. “I grew up in between Ann Arbor and Detroit, Michigan,” lead vocalist/guitarist Greg Bryce shared. “I was born in ’63 and as a kid, and I remember I’d go to sleep with my…
Horoscope Week of April 4, 2024
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries author Eric G. Wilson claims, “Darker emotional states—doubt, confusion, alienation, despair—inspire a deeper and more durable experience of the sacred than contentment does.” I disagree. I know for a fact that an exquisite embrace of life’s holiness is equally possible through luminous joy and boisterous triumph and exultant breakthroughs. Propagandists…
Finding Freedom Off Grid
In today’s world, where many are seeking a simpler, more self-sufficient way of life, off-grid living has emerged as a compelling option. This lifestyle isn’t just about reducing your carbon footprint, but about taking control of your own energy needs and living in harmony with nature. Off-grid living encourages self-reliance, as individuals learn to live…
Letters to the Editor 04/04/2024
Gas Pumps and Pot 1. I would like to start a movement that gas pumps are not parking spots. Please be kind and thoughtful of others and once you have filled your tank, move to a parking spot to get food, restroom etc., so the next person can fill and go. Just because no one…
Excuses to Eat Outdoors
It’s 70 degrees as I type this, and I don’t know about you, but as a youth, sitting in an office tapping on a machine while the flowers burst into bloom without me is not the future I envisioned for myself. Alas, there’s the weekend, and hopefully after work, too, to enjoy the glory of…
Planned Trail Upgrades in West Bend
The U.S. Forest Service proposed a project to improve heavily used trails west of Bend and Sunriver. The proposal includes a variety of suggested improvements aimed at connecting and improving trails in the area. The Forest Service is accepting public comments on the project through April 13. The package proposes changes to several areas of…
In Bend, 10% of Units Finished Last Year Were Considered Affordable Housing
The City of Bend determined that 10% of all housing units that had been completed for the 2023 calendar year were deed-restricted affordable. The City considers housing affordable if a household is paying no more than 30% of its gross income on rent or a mortgage. With this definition, affordability varies by each family’s income.…
Protecting Reproductive Health in Oregon
As the Supreme Court heard arguments to limit reproductive health care this month, on March 26, Oregon Democrats reconfirmed the state’s commitment to protecting and strengthening abortion access across the state. Twenty-three organizations were awarded a total of $8.5 million to address access to reproductive health care and barriers faced by marginalized communities. Oregon Democrats…
NAR Settlement
A couple of weeks ago (right before our weekly deadline) news broke that the National Association of Realtors settled to end litigation brought against it by home sellers regarding broker commissions. I will be discussing the facts of the settlement thus far, acknowledging that the courts have not approved the settlement and no changes will be…
Parole and Probation House Debacle, Part Three
It was a debacle when Deschutes County approved the purchase of an adult parole and probation home within 1,000 feet of a park, with barely any public notice. It was a debacle when, after hearing more complaints from neighbors, the Board of Commissioners abruptly voted to move the parole and probation home without any consideration…
Source Warmup
Deschutes County Adult Parole and Probation Housing Terminated After deciding to find an alternative location for a property housing Adult Parole and Probation clients, Deschutes County Commissioners voted 2-1 to discontinue the program altogether. On March 27, following executive session, Commissioner Tony DeBone moved to terminate the agreement with Free on the Outside, the organization…
Godzilla x Kong x Audience Expectations
I guess I should get this out of the way up front: Do not go into “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” expecting something like “Godzilla Minus One.” That was a character-driven monster movie that explored generational trauma, PTSD and a nation’s collective fear of a crusty radioactive kaiju that indiscriminately destroys Japan as easy as…
Awakening Your Inner Hero
Opportunities to choose to do life righter, brighter and better are available to us every day, all day long. Even when we don’t feel like it. Pretty cool, eh? I am assuming you know the last two words of this wise old lesson, “Fake it till you make it.” I learned it a long time…
Local Smoke Gear
Welcome to April, which brings two reasons to celebrate: 4/20, and (hopefully) a tax refund. While there are many good uses for a refund, I propose you use some of it to upgrade your smoking game, while supporting a very local business. That business is Bend-based Smoke Honest, and I had the chance to try…
Get Off the Grid
The state of Oregon hopes to reach a goal of generating 100% renewable energy by 2040. One way it intends to get there is through the increasingly popular energy alternative, solar energy. As the state, and the U.S. attempt to decrease the use of fossil fuels, the benefits and support that come with installing a…
Winter Fun with the Cold War Kids
These days, Nathan Willett values the autonomy he and his band, Cold War Kids, have gained over a career that now stretches 20 years and spans 10 albums. The band plays Saturday night at Deschutes Brewery as part of Subaru Winterfest. That sense of freedom has shown up in tangible ways, first on the band’s…
Southwest Fusion for a Northwest Palate
Manzanita Grill is easily one of the best food carts in town. Actually, let me rephrase that: Manzanita Grill is one of the best restaurants in town…full stop. It won Food Cart of the Year in the Source Weekly’s 2022 Restaurant Guide, but it can compete with any brick-and-mortar spot. Limiting it to the genre…
Mejoras de senderos proyectadas en la zona Oeste de Bend
El Servicio Forestal de los Estados Unidos propuso un proyecto para mejorar senderos muy transitados del lado oeste de Bend y Sunriver. La propuesta incluye varias mejoras destinadas a conectar y mejorar los senderos de la zona. El Servicio Forestal tomara comentarios públicos en relación a este proyecto hasta el 13 de abril. El paquete…
Author Events Embrace a Storytelling Tradition
Storytelling is as ancient as humanity itself. African rock art and cave drawings in France date as far back as 30,000 years ago and are considered the first evidence of visual storytelling. Egyptian hieroglyphs date back to 5,000 years ago. Homer’s works are recognized as the first epic works of written storytelling, composed in the…
A Beltane Festival
Step into a world where magic, creativity and community intertwine at Bend’s second annual Beltane Festival, a spirited celebration that marks the enchanting midpoint between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice. At this May Day-themed celebration, all are invited to revel in a day dedicated to awakening the artist inside. “I helped set up…
