Governor Kotek Announces Funding Solution to Address Transportation System Crisis
Thursday, August 7th, Governor Tina Kotek unveiled the details of a funding solution to preserve critical transportation and maintenance services for Oregonians, protect the jobs of hundreds of essential workers across the state, and preserve transit services. The proposal would deliver adequate funding for the State Highway Trust Fund in the 2025-27 biennium, while maintaining Oregon’s emergency…
Reggae Rise Up Oregon
For years, the Reggae Rise Up music festival has taken the rhythm and culture of reggae music to fans across the country, and this year, it is finally making its Oregon debut this August at the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center. Some of this year’s headliners include Stephen Marley, Iration, Rebelution, Slightly Stoopid and…
Before the Moving Trucks Arrive:
The ink is dry, the keys are in hand, and the excitement is palpable — you’ve officially bought a new home! While the urge to immediately fill every room with furniture and boxes is strong, taking a breath and tackling a few key projects before moving day can save you significant time, stress, and money…
Horoscope Week of August 6, 2025
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In the Arctic, the sun shines for 24 hours a day during midsummer. There is no night, only the surreal glow of prolonged gold. The human body, confused by the unending day, may be confused about when to sleep. For some, this creates disorientation, and for others, a strange euphoria. In…
Letters to the Editor 08/06/2025
A Letter to Bend City Council and Deschutes County Commissioners I am again writing to demand the immediate removal of the Confederate flag currently displayed on the east side of Highway 97, between the access road to Dirt World (where the dumpsters are currently located) and the highway’s southbound-to-northbound turnaround point. This flag is especially…
Source Warmup
Suspect Arrested in Gas Station Stabbing A 36-year-old man from Apple Valley, California, is in custody in connection with a stabbing at a Bend gas station. Bend Police believe the suspect stabbed a man in the arm at the ARCO on South Highway 97 just after 9:30pm on Friday, July 25. Witnesses and responding officers…
Awakening Your Inner Hero
We all have love wisdom from heaven. We just have to slow down, breathe slowly, find a quiet place and listen to our tender, wise hearts and souls. We also have to keep learning from others who know more. I rarely know the content of my monthly messages when I sit down to type. Wendy,…
Simón
The restaurant formerly known as Esta Bien on NW Hill Street in Bend has been sold and rebranded as Simón. The new owners are Roberto Cardenas, who’s held leadership roles at La Rosa, Rio, and Fat Tony’s, and Rocio Villalobos, from Rio and Madras Brewing. The two chefs are offering a Latin Fusion concept that…
Pho 88 Brings Vietnamese Comfort Food to the Old Mill
A new addition to Bend’s Old Mill District is serving up steaming bowls of pho, crunchy banh mi sandwiches and plenty of crispy fried appetizers, all with a welcoming, family-friendly vibe. Pho 88, located in the former Mill Works Pub space, is the newest venture from Alice Nguyen, a seasoned restaurateur who previously managed Mio Sushi…
Governor Kotek Signs Bills to Improve and Expand Mental Health, Addiction Care
Today, Governor Tina Kotek hosted an event to commemorate the signing of House Bill 2005, House Bill 2059, House Bill 2024, and House Bill 3321, all bipartisan legislation building on the Governor’s initiatives to improve and expand mental health and addiction care in Oregon. Governor Kotek stated: “Mental health and addiction challenges touch lives and…
New Leadership Steps into the Tower’s Spotlight
Under the prominent “Tower” sign in downtown Bend stands a theatre filled with history. It first opened in 1940 as a luxurious art deco-style movie theater. Over the next several decades, it evolved to include musical performances, fashion shows and other live performances. By the 1980s, however, the Tower was struggling. A drop in attendance…
The Old Mill District, Hayden Homes Amphitheater, and Commute Options Partner to Encourage Sustainable Transportation Options This August
World-class shows at Hayden Homes Amphitheater, walking along the river trail, patio happy hours, and retail therapy are highlights of the Bend Summer season. Commute Options is thrilled to announce a new partnership with the Hayden Homes Amphitheater and the Old Mill District for the “August Car-Free Commute Challenge.” The “August Car-Free Commute Challenge” is…
Shifting Priorities Around Exploitation for the Sake of Immigration Reform
Recent reporting and concern from an Oregon senator reveal a deeply troubling pattern: A focus on a quota of 1 million deportations in the U.S. per year at the federal level is resulting in other investigations, including those aimed at stopping the exploitation of children, being put by the wayside. It is ironic at a…
Forest Service Road 370 Opens Friday
On Friday, August 8, the Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District on the Deschutes National Forest will open the gate at Todd Lake to Forest Service Road (FSR) 370 which provides driving access to the Broken Top and Crater Ditch Trailheads. Forest Service Road 370 is a very rough road with sections through which low-clearance vehicles cannot…
Serving the Community
If there’s one thing Central Oregon loves, it’s volleyball. The volleyball community in Central Oregon has been continuously growing, and with it, the opportunities to compete. This past year, members of the community came together to form the High Desert Volleyball Association, one of Central Oregon’s newest 501(c)(3) nonprofits. The nonprofit was born out of…
Bend Police see uptick in recent scams targeting community members
The Bend Police Department would like to alert community members to an uptick in scams we are frequently seeing in an effort to help you avoid becoming a victim. So far in 2025, we have received at least 243 calls reporting scams and fraud attempts. In July alone, 20 people reported to the Bend…
The New Math
Remember when education got a whopping 4% of the federal budget? Well, those days are officially over. The U.S. Department of Education’s budget fell by $73 billion this year, from $268.4 billion in 2024 to $194.7 billion in 2025, bringing the DOE’s spending to a 1.3% trickle. Oregon’s COVID relief funds are also now exhausted,…
Marvel Goes Retro
I don’t know if I’ve ever admitted this to myself, but sometimes I think I was born into the wrong time. Don’t get it twisted: being there for the birth of the internet, social media, AI, virtual reality and all kinds of other tech breakthroughs has been cool, but as a child of the ’80s, I…
“Rock of Ages”
There’s not much you can’t do outdoors in Bend, including going to the theater. This year’s Theater in the Park features the musical, “Rock of Ages.” The play is set in the 1980s with music from Styx, Journey, Bon Jovi and more. The story is about aspiring musician Drew and dreamer Sherri who fight to…
Weed News Roundup
GLASSHOUSE RAID – California’s cannabis producer Glasshouse found itself in the national spotlight when federal law enforcement agencies raided a production facility. On July 10, Drug Enforcement and ICE raided grow warehouses in Camarillo and Carpinteria, located in California’s Central Valley. Agents served immigration and naturalization warrants, resulting in 360 arrests, 14 children taken into…
“The Lightning Thief”
In Redmond, “The Lightning Thief – The Percy Jackson Musical” opens Aug. 14 with performances on six dates at High Desert Music Hall. The story is adapted from the first book of author Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series. Jackson has a troubled childhood until he discovers that he is a child of a Greek god.…
Composer Chris Thomas Does It All
Chris Thomas is a composer, cellist, conductor, professor, Comic-Con sound designer, film scorer… and I could keep going on and on. He is a musical treasure in both of his two home bases: Los Angeles and Bend. A native Oregonian, from Pendleton in fact, Chris realized as a child that he had original musical ideas…
