Cover Stories
Sitting Down With Santa
Sitting on Santa’s lap is something of an annual tradition—that is, unless there’s a protracted global pandemic. To get kids (OK, adults, too) in the spirit, the folks at the Tower Theatre alerted us to the upcoming Santa sighting starting Dec. 20 in downtown Bend. Then, we managed to track down the big guy himself…
Growing with Intention
On October 1, 2021, Bend local, extreme outdoor athlete and kayaker, Alex Vincent Kollar, passed away. Alex is survived by his mother, Ruthanne Adams, his father, James Kollar, his Soul’s Connection Life Partner, Kim Benrath, and was preceded in death by his brother Philip Hunter Kollar. During his 28 years on the planet, Alex developed…
Be Their Guest
There’s a weird contradiction sometimes when it comes to the holiday season, especially around Thanksgiving and Christmas. Obviously, the importance of the holidays is to connect or reconnect with friends and family, and tradition says it usually involves some sort of massive home-cooked meal. Simultaneously, 2021 was a hell of a nasty year, maybe a…
Santiam Pass Ski Lodge Shapes Up
Located just west of the Hoodoo Ski Bowl at Santiam Pass, the historic Santiam Pass Ski Lodge is garnering the attention it deserves. Built by the Civilian Conservation Corps from July 1939 to February 1940, the lodge has stood empty and deserted since 1986, except for some periodic maintenance by the U.S. Forest Service and…
Listen: Chief Mike Krantz on Law Enforcement’s Approach to Homelessness 🎧
In part three of a three-part series of interviews on approaches to homelessness in Bend, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz talks about how officers respond to calls involving people experiencing homelessness, how that work impacts levels of service elsewhere and much more. Listen now: Source Weekly – Bend, Oregon · Law Enforcement Approach to Homelessness…
Source Weekly Update podcast 12/16/21 🎧
A fundraiser in honor of a fallen Bend kayaker, a new space for El Sancho and the rollout of a partnership between the sheriff’s office and an addiction treatment center… all in this week’s Source Weekly Update podcast. Source Weekly – Bend, Oregon · Source Weekly Update 12/16/21
A Pilot Program for Houseless Services?
On Dec. 8 the Deschutes County Commission signed a letter that put it in the running for a potential pilot program that would give $1 million to communities to form joint offices to address houselessness. Rep. Jason Kropf (D-Bend) is developing the concept with the League of Oregon Cities, Association of Oregon Counties and other…
Awakening Your Inner Hero
Really? Really! I kissed mine for the first time ever last week and after just one kiss, I recommend it for everyone. Many of you who have been reading my messages over this past year likely know I am a woodstove lover, fanatic, connoisseur…all the above and more. In my younger days, when we lived…
Gatherings, Back On The Table
The holidays usually involve friends and family coming together to share a meal, gifts and good tidings. Last year, with a pandemic raging with no vaccine or end in sight, a lot of people adapted to a distanced Christmas. Now two COVID-Christmases down, people are easing back into their holiday traditions, though often with extra…
Addiction Treatment Program Begins
The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, along with Ideal Option, an addiction treatment organization, launched Operation Guardian Angel Dec. 10. The program encourages drug users to trade in their drug paraphernalia in exchange for the recovery services at Ideal Option. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates over 100,000 people died in the U.S. of…
Noticias en Español
Sentarse en las piernas de Santa es un tipo de tradición anual –eso es, a menos que haya una pandemia mundial prolongada. Para que los niños (bueno, y los adultos también) entren a ese espíritu de la temporada, el personal del Teatro Tower nos puso al tanto de la próxima venida de Santa que comienza…
Letters to the Editor 12/16/21
RE: Housing for Hire: Data collected on short term rentals will look into its effect on housing costs News, 12/9 Of course it does! It takes away from long-term renters. Single parents and average people in the work force. Many businesses are short staffed because people have nowhere affordable to live, so people are leaving…
May the Source Be with You
We’ve finally seen Bend get its first bit of snowfall of the winter—which means I’m officially one day removed from slipping in my first patch of ice downtown and hurting my wrist like I’m actually as old as I feel inside. Don’t get me wrong, Bend is a Winter Wonderland and all of that stuff,…
El Sancho’s Super-Secret Space
Lovers of El Sancho have a number of places to enjoy the food—from the newest Galveston Avenue location to the east side taco shop on Dekalb, to the cart at Crux Fermentation Project and its traveling cart seen at events. Now, there’s another location to (occasionally) add to the list: El Sancho’s “Super Secret Side…
Bend Parks Hosts Food Drive
Two drive-thru food drives hosted by Bend Park and Recreation District are happening Sat., Dec. 18. People can donate food at both The Pavilion and the Larkspur Community Center from 10am to 2pm on Saturday, with donations going to NeighborImpact. “We especially need items like canned soup, canned produce, broth and canned protein to help…
Bed Over Heels?
Bed Over Heels? I’m a 29-year-old guy with a “keep it casual” relationship history, but I can’t stop thinking about this new girl at work. Beyond not wanting her to date anyone else, I don’t want someone to hurt her or make her sad. No other woman has ever made me feel this way. How…
Winter is Finally Coming. Drink These Beers to Fend it Off.
I’m not even sure if serious wine lovers enjoy mulled wine, but I can assure you beer lovers love “winter warmers.” These are ales that are typically brewed to higher gravities, meaning punchier in the ABV department so as to fight off Jack Frost. While we can start to get excited that the 8th annual…
Free Will Astrology—Week of December 16
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): The coming months will be a favorable time for you to redefine the meaning of the term “sacred” and to deepen your relationship with sacredness. To spur your imagination, I offer four quotes: 1. “Recognizing the sacred begins when we are interested in every detail of our lives.” —Buddhist teacher Chögyam…
Feeding Our Feathered Friends
Those Bushtits in Sue’s photo, pigging out at our suet feeder, always bring the thrill of feeding wild birds alive in our souls. Don’t know about you guys, but if you’re having a slow and not-so-fun day, Bushtits will bring joy into your life! Both Elise Wolf (a bird rehabber in Sisters), and my wife…
Erin Cole-Baker Readies For Her New EP
After seven months of cruising around the Northwest in their motorhome since moving back to the U.S. from New Zealand, Erin Cole-Baker and her family finally settled back in Central Oregon at the beginning of 2020. Right before the pandemic began, Cole-Baker opened the Tower Theatre for Joseph, looking to kick off her year of…
Real Estate Etiquette
Etiquette is defined as a customary code of polite behavior in social and professional settings – the behavior exhibited in interactions with family, friends, coworkers or strangers. When looking for a home, it is easy to get swept up in the emotion and excitement, and in some cases the frustration of the process. This can…
Short-Term Rentals: Let’s See the Data
Over the past year or so, Central Oregon, like many places in the U.S., has seen its median home prices skyrocket. In November 2020, Bend’s median sale price for a single-family home sat at $538,500. In November 2021, it was $683,250. For anyone trying to buy a home or to find a new rental, “sticker…
Winter Solstice Ice Skating Bonanza
The winter season begins in just a few days, on Dec. 21. That being said, start your seasonal cycle change celebration early at The Pavilion’s Winter Solstice Ice Skating event. On Friday, Dec. 17, from 5:30-8:30pm carve up the ice with family and friends at The Pavilion’s covered outdoor skating rink. Get ready for the…
