Gung Ho for Summer Shows
Well people, the time is finally here. Let the summer concert galore begin! For months it seemed like you just had to blink an eye and there would be a new concert announcement at Hayden Homes Amphitheater. As things stand, there are 50 shows lined up from June to Oct. With so much hype around…
Listen: Speaking for the trees with Roger Worthington 🎧
Roger Worthington lives to ride his mountain bike, play with his dog Diggy, and drink beer with friends. He owns Worthy Brewing; Indie Hops – a hop breeding company in the valley and a law firm in Los Angeles that specializes in asbestos cancer. He’s the president of the Worthy Garden Club, a non profit…
Greening the High Desert
“My wish is for every home in Bend to grow their own food.” A dream? Not in the mind of Shiv Shakti, an optimist transforming 10 acres of the High Desert into a permaculture paradise. In the local news the words “Hunnel Road” often conjure ideas of homelessness and dilapidated RVs, but after the dead…
The Kids are Not All Right
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the results of a troubling survey on March 31, finding that 44% of high school students in the United States reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness over the past year in 2021. It’s the sharpest increase in youth hopelessness since the CDC began tracking the data,…
Running Mad for Craft Beer
When discussing beer and running combined into a race, the first thought that comes up is the infamous beer mile challenge. This is where racers have to run a lap around the track, chug a beer and then go again until completing four laps and four beers as fast as possible. This challenge usually involves…
Horoscope Week of June 2, 2022
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): It’s an excellent time to correct and uplift your self-image. I invite you to speak the following affirmations aloud: “I am not damaged. I am not on the wrong path. I am not inept or ignorant or off-kilter. The truth is, I am learning how to live. I am learning how…
Letters to the Editor 06/02/2022
In response to school shootings. Safety. Words which were never oxymorons before America. There are not enough tears to undo the vetoes there are not enough votes to undo the tears is the story they say, but they are wrong. And we, we are so tired- “thoughts and prayers” cannot undo the lifelong trauma of…
Pesticides are Killing Us
I’m not an alarmist, but I am a naturalist who has been a guest in this world we call home for nigh into 94 years. When I was a kid on the farm in West Haven, Connecticut, my grandfather swore by a chemical named, “Black Leaf 40,” a so-called “safe” biodegradable agricultural insecticide used around…
Unlucky Horseshoe
On May 21 Joshua Hockenson started packing up his storage unit at Lucky Horseshoe Storage Facility on the north side of Bend. Inside were some prized possessions from his travels; a tapestry from Thailand, a painting of the Thousand Hand Buddha from Bhutan and the hiking gear he’d brought on his journey. Hockenson flew over…
Endicott Opts Out
Redmond Mayor George Endicott announced he wouldn’t seek reelection on May 31, after holding the position through seven election cycles and 14 years. In a press release, Endicott highlighted accomplishments like the Redmond airport terminal expansion, the creation of Centennial Park, supporting affordable housing projects, the 2022 public safety building bond measure and more. “Several…
Deschutes County’s Lowered Tax Rate Brought a Predictable Outcome: Future Debt
It was so predictable. Four years ago, the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners reduced the county’s tax rate, arguing that we had plenty in reserves. As we can see today, there was not plenty in reserves, but it played really well to a voter base that would relish seeing politicians go to bat to “lower…
Floating the Deschutes Paddle Trail
With the chorus from the Talking Heads’ “Take Me to the River” swirling through my brain, I push off from the riverbank and enter the current of the Deschutes River. Upstream of me is the Tetherow Logjam, an impressive pile-up of logs that requires a mandatory portage. But from the boat launch, where I’ve just…
Cruise Rides Into the Danger Zone
It finally happened, for the first time in years. It was perfect. It’s opening night of “Top Gun: Maverick,” the sequel to a 36-year-old movie that is mostly loved today for nostalgic or ironic reasons. The new “Top Gun” should be terrible, a jingoistic Tom Cruise vehicle that is only good for a few forgettable…
Lions, Tigers and Marijuana-Laced Fentanyl
The history of cannabis is in many ways a history of the psychology of fear. The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 weaponized white people’s fear of immigrants from the southern border and Black men to outlaw cannabis. This came on the heels of the notorious 1936 “documentary” film “Reefer Madness,” which gained infamy for its…
A Love Affair with the Moon
At the beginning of April, Trevor Martell of Profit Drama arrived at the Rancho De La Luna recording studio in Joshua Tree. Many big names have spent time there to record or get inspiration— Arctic Monkeys, Snow Patrol, Foo Fighters, Kurt Vile and many more. Martell, currently living on a farm in Ashwood, Oregon, found…
Awakening Your Inner Hero: You are a Magician
Each one of us has the power to influence, even change our world. That is a huge responsibility. It may also be one of our greatest sources of joy. I never read “Harry Potter.” It just wasn’t on my radar back in 2001 when I was 55 years old and in the vortex of my…
Noticias en Español
“Mi deseo es que todo hogar cultive su propio alimento” ¿Un sueño? No para la mente de Shiv Sagar, un optimista que transforma 10 acres del desierto alto en un paraíso de premacultura. En las noticias locales las palabras “Hunnel Road” a menudo evocan ideas de personas desamparadas y RVs deteriorados, pero después de la…
In Praise of the Fungal Phoenix
Morels have no psychoactive properties but are definitely magical. The caps have a brainly look that might make you feel like you’re hallucinating, but these whacky, whimsical mushrooms are for real, and can cause real-life magic to happen. This is especially true if you are hunting them, but preparing morels can be an adventure, too.…
Time in the Market Beats Timing the Market
Working with folks looking to purchase a home in Bend has been tough for a few years now. Between COVID, low inventory and fierce competition, it seems like buyers have been unable to catch a break. Now things have sort of pivoted. I use that word because while things have changed a bit, by and…
Pride Month Begins
Winter PrideFest in Central Oregon was a raucous time filled with dance parties, drag brunches and more. As winter (kind of) gives way to summer, OUT Central Oregon is back with a full month of events for Pride Month. Events are continually being added to OUT Central Oregon’s Pride web page at outcentraloregon.com/pride, but some…
