Travel Oregon Officials Give Well-Paid CEO a New Deal in Retirement
Shortly after Travel Oregon’s CEO announced his retirement, the commission that oversees the agency voted to keep him on for a year to help pick his successor and approved a new employment package. But the state agency is now unwilling to share with the public the details of his offer letter. It’s a significant omission…
Jackstraw Development Announces Two Retail Tenants and Construction Updates
The mixed-use residential and retail development, Jackstraw, adjacent to Bend’s Box Factory area, announced on June 17 that it secured two long-term retail leases for the building. Joining the development will be Sisters Coffee Company and Drybar, a salon providing hair styling services. The ground floor will feature 18,000 square feet of retail space, with…
Alder Springs Fire is Human Caused
Authorities say the Alder Springs Fire is human caused and estimate it will be contained by July 1. The fire started Monday, June 16, eight miles northwest of Terrebonne. It’s estimated to be around 3,442 acres with 0% containment. According to Central Oregon Fire Info, the Alder Springs Fire is burning on the Crooked River…
Thousands Join ‘No Kings’ Protests in Central Oregon
People across the region took part in city-wide events and marches for the national ‘No Kings’ protests on June 14 against the Trump administration. With demonstrations in Bend, Redmond, La Pine, Prineville and Madras, the region saw thousands of people in attendance. In Bend, organizers estimate about 3,000 to 6,000 community members attended the local…
Authentic Japanese Wares Featured at Portland Japanese Garden’s Behind the Shoji Summer Marketplace
Behind the Shoji, opening Saturday, 6/21 and running through Monday, 9/1, in Portland Japanese Garden’s Pavilion Gallery, is one of the Garden’s most beloved summer traditions. An annual show and sale of Japanese and Japanese-inspired wares, visitors can peruse and purchase from a variety of curated items often unavailable short of a visit to Japan…
Council on Aging of Central Oregon Celebrates 50 Years of Service to Older Adults
The Council on Aging of Central Oregon (CoA) is proud to mark 50 years of serving older adults and their families across Deschutes, Jefferson, and Crook counties on June 16th, 2025. Since 1975, CoA has grown from a grassroots initiative to a leading regional nonprofit dedicated to supporting all Central Oregonians to age well wherever…
Destination Rehab Hosts Free Adaptive Wellness & Outdoor Recreation Day in Bend
Destination Rehab, a Central Oregon nonprofit, invites individuals with physical challenges and disabilities to a morning of movement, connection, and outdoor fun at SOAR 2025 — a free, inclusive event designed to celebrate ability and community through adaptive sports and wellness activities. This year’s event will take place on Friday, June 20, 2025, from 9:00…
Art is Work: Professional Development Workshops for Artists at Scalehouse
Art is Work Summer Workshop Series at Scalehouse Collaborative for the Arts, led by Nancy Floyd, offers professional development opportunities for Artists and is dedicated to enhancing the skills, knowledge, and professional practices of adult arts learners in the dynamic landscape of contemporary arts education. SUMMER WORKSHOP SERIES: -Art is Work: Grant Writing for Artists…
Oregon Psilocybin Services publishes interactive data dashboard
Oregon Psilocybin Services (OPS) at Oregon Health Authority has published new data on a just-launched interactive online dashboard based on implementation of new legislation. The OPS Data Dashboard includes data reported by licensed service centers in accordance with SB 303 (2023), now codified in Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 475A. See ORS 475A.372 and ORS 475A.374.…
Great NW Milk Drive to benefit pre-term infants!
Northwest Mothers Milk Bank, the Central Oregon Breastfeeding Coalition and Nourish Lactation are hosting “The Great NW Milk Drive” to spotlight the importance of non-profit milk donations that benefit infants across the region, especially infants who are born prematurely. Human milk donations from screened milk donors will be collected at the event. The event will…
Free Summer Meal Program Begins June 16
Bend-La Pine Schools will offer healthy meals at no charge to children and teens at four outdoor locations this summer. The program, open to anyone 18 and younger, begins Monday, June 16 and continues through the middle of August. “Our summer meals program helps provide families with food security when our school kitchens are closed,”…
Nourish Your Neighbor
Nourish Your Neighbor Campaign: Nourish Your Neighbor is a month-long fundraising campaign led by Around the Bend Farms, a Central Oregon nonprofi t committed to food justice, sustainability, and community care. Running throughout June, the campaign aims to raise $50,000 to directly support our mission of growing and distributing organic, nutrient-dense food to those who…
Teen Gets His Two Billboards Moment
“Their job is risky. Don’t make it deadly.” It’s a straightforward concept. The language is concise. Combined with clear illustration, the message packs a punch. And now it’s one of ODOT’s newest billboards — one that might save road workers’ lives. The billboard is the work of Gavin McConnell, a recent graduate of Ridgeview High…
Safe Parking Set to Operate on Public Safety Campus in Bend
A new safe parking program will create six micro shelter units at the site of the Deschutes County Public Safety Campus in north Bend. Mountain View Community Development, the organization running the safe parking program in Redmond, identified the nearly .05-acre site as viable location, allowing more safe spaces for individuals experiencing homelessness to live. On…
Reigniting E-Bike Rebates
A revitalized program will offer 70 residents the chance for a $1,800 rebate on the purchase of an e-bike. Local organization, Commute Options, is partnering with the City of Bend to launch this E-bike Rebate Program, starting on June 16. The program will allow eligible residents to utilize a rebate for the purchase of an electric…
LISTEN: Bend Don’t Break: Sherman H. Bloomer 🎧
In this episode of Bend Don’t Break, host Aaron Switzer sits down with Sherman “Sherm” Bloomer, Chancellor and Dean of Oregon State University–Cascades. With a background in geology and decades of experience in higher education leadership, Sherm shares his journey from faculty roles at Boston University and Duke to his long tenure at OSU, where…
Horoscope Week of June 12, 2025
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): I’ve always had the impression that honeybees are restless wanderers, randomly hopping from flower to flower as they gradually accumulate nectar. But I recently discovered that they only meander until they find a single good fount of nourishment, whereupon they sup deeply and make a beeline back to the hive. I…
Letters to the Editor
Our Water The COMMON GOOD and DO NO HARM. Decisions in a decent society are based on these concepts. Privatization of water, our precious natural resource, denies the rights of people and nature to exist. Privatization of water fails to protect the COMMON GOOD and causes irreparable HARM to people and nature. The COMMON GOOD…
Brown Owl is Back!
The Brown Owl food truck is returning! After closing in March of 2024, Brown Owl is reopening at Crux Fermentation Project. Owner Lisandro Ramon told the Source they’ll feature some of their classics like the chicken sando, burger and popcorn chicken along with kid options. They’ll also debut new items like chopped brisket, pulled chicken…
Almadorada Coffee Shop Opens in Downtown Bend
A new coffee shop officially opened June 11 in downtown Bend. Melissa Cavaccang and Liliana — who prefers to be referred to by first name only — opened Almadorada in the former Turtle Island Coffee, which closed in March. “We wanted to carry on that value set that Turtle Island had put into play,” Cavaccang said.…
Bend Police Embraces Drones, Grapples with State Limits
On May 30, the Bend Police Department received a report that a Bend resident had threatened to execute a mass shooting in the area. The man, identified as 36-year-old Nathaniel Benjamin Wright, was known to own multiple firearms. Bend PD officers responded to Wright’s home on NE Waller Avenue and saw his white truck parked…
The Source Honored with Three First Place Awards
The Source won three first-place awards in the 2024 Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Northwest Excellence in Journalism competition. The northwest region includes newsrooms from Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Alaska. The Source placed first in “General Excellence Writing (Small Newsroom), “Graphics & Illustrations (Small Newsroom) and “Environment & Natural Disaster Reporting. “These awards are…
Bend BCD: The Clash of the Haves and the Have Nots
Last week’s Source feature story, “Promised Land,” made one thing abundantly clear: Developers, along with a few vanguard businesses in the Bend Central District, think the process of revitalizing, aka developing, the area isn’t moving fast enough. Some developers Reporter Julianna LaFollette talked to place not a small amount of blame on the City of…
The Hunt for Sustainably Sourced (By You) Food
If you like the idea of eating sustainably harvested, local food, and also love cooking, and maybe even hiking, then keep reading. This article is for you. I want to share some tips on mushroom hunting, specifically for morels, here in central Oregon. Mushroom hunting is a family friendly activity, and due to the variety…
Toxic Algae a Growing Concern (with Humans to Blame)
The spread of Harmful Algae Blooms (HABs) impacting water bodies throughout Central Oregon and surrounding areas creates cause for concern as exposure, ingestion and inhalation can have life threatening affects. It’s true that many types of algae are safe, so the proper identification of toxic algae can be life saving for humans and pets alike.…
This Isn’t Nanna’s Bolognese
This wasn’t supposed to be a story. It was supposed to be dinner. But like most of my meals, this one came together somewhat haphazardly between photo editing, metal design, a dog walk and the “Oh crap, it’s already 12 pm.” I didn’t set out to reinvent Bolognese, I was just trying to avoid making…
Redmond’s Antler Community Paves Way for New Child Care Facility
Plans for a complete community in Redmond are taking shape, seeking affordable housing, commercial buildings and a new child care facility to serve the community. The Antler Campus, located at 1699 W Antler in Redmond, will have a total of 76 housing units, including affordable rental and homeownership options. Local affordable housing developers Rooted Homes…
UPP to the Future
When Tonya Cornett came to Bend in 2002 to become brewmaster at Bend Brewing Company, she drew attention right away. Back then, the notice was mainly that she was a woman operating in a male-dominated industry. Twenty-plus years later, her gender is merely a footnote to the fact that Cornett has become one of the…
Aesthetically Idiosyncratic Existentialism
I’m tired of apologizing for my love of the films of Wes Anderson. Here’s my hard line: I don’t begrudge anyone who doesn’t like Anderson’s movies. The combination of quirk, whimsy, intricate sets, obsessive symmetry, bright color palette and hyper-specific aesthetic isn’t for everyone, and nor should it be. BUT, where I do take issue…
Shred Lightly: ‘A Field Guide to the Subterranean’
From the kaleidoscopic pages of “A Field Guide to the Subterranean: Reclaiming the Deep Earth and our Deepest Selves,” a new memoir by Justin Hocking, tumbles the author’s ambition, as a young man, to be hard. He cultivated a stiff upper lip in his late teens by training to become a mountaineering guide in his…
Northern California's The Musers Are Having a Good Time
How to describe the Musers in one sentence? Let me try: They are a quirky, uber-talented band of middle-aged hippies from Northern California who want to change the world one smile at a time, while having the best time doing it. Their songs and entertaining music videos range the gamut from silly and sweet to…
Central Oregon Underwater
Snowflakes melt instantly upon touching the water of Lake Billy Chinook near Madras. It is February of 2008 and I float in a thick wetsuit shouldering scuba diving gear in 45-degree water. I shiver and feel awe at the thought of living under that water for a moment. As one might expect, there is not…
Quick Guide to Appraisals:
In the world of real estate, the term “appraisal” often triggers a misunderstanding for homeowners and prospective buyers alike. Many assume that their recent kitchen remodel with high-end appliances, the newly installed designer light fixtures, or that luxurious, custom-tiled bathroom will translate directly into a dollar-for-dollar increase in their home’s appraised value. The reality, however,…
A Backcountry Skiing Trifecta!
Hello, readers! You are welcome to join me again on another summer skiing trip! This past Memorial Day weekend I met with brothers Todd Baribault and Allen Baribault. They flew into Portland from Santa Fe and Vermont respectively, where Todd and I were high school friends. We met up the following day with an agenda…
Source Warmup
Another 24-Hour Pet Emergency Center Bend Animal Emergency and Specialty Center is now open 24 hours a day every day, including holidays. The expanded hours began on June 10. “To support this, we staff every shift, including overnights, with experienced emergency veterinarians, rather than relying primarily on interns as is common in some teaching hospitals,”…
Airshow of the Cascades celebrates 25 years
The Airshow of the Cascades has been thrilling audiences with spectacular displays in the sky for a quarter of a century. This year’s show will feature two new acts. The Patriot Jet Team will have six roaring jets flying in formation, doing loops. Rick Allen, one of the organizers, says the last time a jet…
Understanding Intimacy: A column that fosters deeper love between couples
I’m a 26-year-old woman who’s in a relationship with another woman. She’s been my girlfriend for 4+ years. Right now, she’s in grad school and I’m working full time – mostly from home. Our relationship started out with lots of passion, but these days it’s hard for us to connect physically. It seems like we’re…
Don Felder to Play at Hayden Homes Amphitheater
Former lead guitarist for the Eagles, Don Felder, is coming to Hayden Homes Amphitheater June 14. I spoke with the guitar legend about adolescent band battles with the Allman Brothers, opening night at the Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles, and if he was responsible for Tom Petty’s music career. the Source: You recently released a…
