Sting 3.0
Sting kicked off a two-night stop in Bend with an SOS from “Message in a Bottle.” With no opening act, the legend stepped onto the stage at 7:14pm Sunday, May 25. For nearly two and a half hours, he sang 18 of his greatest hits plus an encore. Sting 3.0 is a trio. The 17-time Grammy…
Family Sues After Heat-Related Death at Bend Senior Care Facility
The estate of Celia Lenore Hess, who died after being left out in the sun at a Bend memory care facility on a blazing hot day last August, has filed a wrongful death suit against the facility’s owner, Dallas-based Frontier Senior Living. The Kafoury & McDougal firm filed the lawsuit in Multnomah County Circuit Court…
East Side Intersection to Close for Roundabout Construction
Construction is scheduled to begin on a new roundabout which will close an intersection in northeast Bend starting June 2. The work will be done at the intersection of Bear Creek Road, Pettigrew Road and Purcell Boulevard. Drivers should expect delays and detours. The city of Bend says the project will also provide safer connections…
Kotek is Reluctant to Mirror California Proposal to Reduce Health Care for Undocumented Immigrants
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek told reporters Monday afternoon she would be very reluctant to follow the lead of her fellow Democrat, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who last week proposed reducing his state’s spending on health care for undocumented immigrants. In a May 14 budget message, The New York Times reported, Newsom proposed halting new sign-ups…
A Nice Place to Visit
During commercial breaks this television season, viewers were likely to spy a Muppet-like beaver leading delighted visitors on a snowshoe hike past Mount Hood or singing the benefits of fishing guides while flycasting in pristine Oregon waters. These jaunty scenes, produced by award-winning Portland-based ad agency Wieden+Kennedy, grab the attention but are also somewhat puzzling…
Elmer’s Restaurants Announce New Location Coming to Bend
Elmer’s Restaurants, Inc. is delighted to announce plans to open a new Elmer’s Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner in Bend, Oregon, later this year. The new restaurant will be located at 3098 The Dalles- California Hwy, in the Bend River Promenade, taking over the space formerly occupied by Shari’s Café & Pies. This opening marks…
Museum Kicks Off Summer with Return of Raptors of the Desert Sky Flight Program
The High Desert Museum’s signature outdoor flight program, Raptors of the Desert Sky, returns beginning Saturday, May 24. The demonstration takes place daily during the summer at 11:30 am through Labor Day. Hawks, owls, falcons and even turkey vultures soar from perch to perch directly over the crowd seated in a natural amphitheater nestled in…
Visit Bend Awards $300,000 for Arts and Cultural Tourism Projects
Twenty organizations dedicated to Bend’s arts and culture scene will receive a total of $300,000 in grants from the Bend Cultural Tourism Fund (BCTF) to spread the word about upcoming events and to maximize the number of people who get to experience them. Visit Bend funds the grants using taxes paid by guests who spend…
Merkley, Wyden, Bonamici Demand Reinstatement of Critical Disaster Mitigation Program for Oregon
Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden—along with U.S. Representative Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01)—joined over 80 of their Senate and House colleagues in a bipartisan effort to demand that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem reinstate the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This essential…
BEND 101: Connecting Through the Outdoors—June 3
Exploring Recreation, History, and Community in Central Oregon Spend an evening with us at Bend 101—a welcoming gathering designed for new neighbors and long-time locals alike who want to deepen their connection to this special place we call home. In addition to our regular programming, this edition of Bend 101 adds a focus on outdoor…
City of Redmond Invites Artists to Submit Concepts for New Downtown Mural
The Redmond Commission for Art in Public Places (RCAPP) is seeking artists interested in painting a mural in the heart of Redmond as part of the RCAPP Sponsor Mural Program. Interested artists and artists teams are encouraged to review the Request for Proposals (RFP) available at www.redmondoregon.gov/Mura2025 and submit their proposal(s) before 11:59 pm June…
Central Oregon Locavore Carries Meat from 30+ Local Ranchers and Oregon Anglers
Central Oregon Locavore Non-Profit’s year-round local food marketplace is home to nearly 30 local ranchers producing meats with organic, restorative practices in Central Oregon, as well as Oregon coast seafood vendors using a fishing line over nets for optimal environmental impact. From beef, pork, poultry, lamb, bison, goat and alpaca to salmon, halibut, rockfish, and…
Local Weather Services Set to Take a Hit Following Staff Cuts
Job reductions within the National Weather Service could impact offices across the country, including an office that covers weather forecasting for Central Oregon. The job cuts – a result of efforts from the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency to shrink the federal government — could result in a loss of round-the-clock staffing for offices including…
Updated: Deschutes County Sheriff Kent van der Kamp May Lose Police Certifications For Life
Deschutes County Sheriff Kent van der Kamp experienced his latest setback May 22, when a state police policy committee voted unanimously to recommend a lifetime revocation of his police certifications to the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training board. The board will review and vote July 27 on whether to take the committee’s…
LISTEN: Bend Don’t Break with Johannah Johnson-Weinberg 🎧
In this episode of Bend Don’t Break, host Aaron Switzer sits down with Johannah Johnson-Weinberg, founder of CAMP (Companion Animal Medical Project), to discuss the vital intersection of animal welfare and housing insecurity in Central Oregon. Johannah shares how her early work at a local humane society and a low-cost spay/neuter clinic opened her eyes…
First Cargo E-Bike Festival
With electric bikes becoming mainstream, Bend Bikes and Bend Electric Bikes are teaming up to put on the first “Coffee & Cargo Bike Show.” Owners of electric cargo bikes are invited to show off their bikes, share cycling adventures and meet fellow riders. Even if you don’t own a bike, everyone is welcome. “I imagine…
Laid-Back Legend
James Taylor eased us into the summer concert series at Hayden Homes Amphitheater in Bend Monday, May 19. Just before 8pm, he casually strolled onto stage, picked up his guitar, sat on a stool and began singing “Wandering,” a folk song he wrote in 1975. The audience was bundled in coats, hats and gloves as…
Horoscope Week of May 22, 2025
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gemini writer Raymond Carter (1938–1988) established a reputation as a master of terse minimalism. One critic noted that he practiced the “Theory of Omission”—an approach to writing fiction that mandates the elimination of superfluous narrative elements. But it turns out that Carver’s editor Gordon Lish had a major role in all…
Letters to the Editor 05/22/2025
Challenging to drive downtown My wife and I live on the SE side of Bend. Over the past five years we have just seen the changes to the downtown area make it progressively more unpleasant to drive to the area for dining. The latest, and perhaps the proverbial “straw that broke the camel’s back”, has…
Play Theory Cafe
A new type of cafe in Bend is aimed at families with young children. The Play Theory Cafe is filled with activities for kids to explore, learn and socialize while parents and caregivers enjoy food and drinks from the cafe. The 4,000-square-foot space is located on NE Third Street in Bend next to Bootbarn. It’s an…
The Third Act
“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” ~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry In writing classes and programs there’s a lot of talk about the importance of an author or poet’s voice. Emerging writers are urged to find theirs. Book club groups discuss authors who have…
Public Input Matters. Sometimes It Even Works.
For a lot of people right now, hope is in short supply. Whether it’s inflation and the price of eggs, the cuts to federal budgets — and in turn, the looming ones to state budgets, the threats to Medicaid or Social Security or the Veteran’s Administration or the perceived abandonment of the rule of law,…
Summer Guide 2025
Keep this guide handy to help plan your summer! Kiki with Cliché: Bend’s queer DJ duo, Cliché, prepares for a summer of inclusive local events to find community on the dance floor Same Spirit, New Stage: The 4 Peaks Music Festival Moves Indoors Big Ponderoo: The Sensational Summer Festival in Sisters ‘Get Innocuous!’ LCD Soundsystem…
No Man’s Land Film Festival
“You’re so amazing!” “No. I’m an average person with a lot of problems.” The exploration of this sentiment is too often stifled in the pursuit — and documentation — of outdoorsy adventure and achievement. Since 2015, however, the No Man’s Land Film Festival, has sought to fix that. The festival visits Volcanic Theatre Pub on…
Northern and Southern India by Way of Downtown
As someone who has lived and worked in downtown Bend for over 15 years, I can’t tell you how excited I get when a new restaurant opens that reaches beyond the comfort zone of brewery/pub food, steak houses, wine shops, and fine dining. Don’t get me wrong, there is some amazing food downtown that falls…
The Psychedelic Frontier
Q: “I am a successful, stable, satisfied man in his late 70s who has just been given a terminal diagnosis from an aggressive brain cancer. I am reasonably disappointed with the situation but also feel satisfied with what I have accomplished in my life and accepting that it may be my time to go. I…
Kiki with Cliché
From summer festivals and Pride events to a weekly queer night at local cocktail bar, Dogwood at the Pine Shed, local DJ duo Cliché is gearing up for a busy summer. The two DJs, Sean Lawrence (Father Sean) and Jonathon Lynch (Daddy Doubtfire), played their first gig together in 2023. According to Lawrence, the group…
Redmond Advances Long-Awaited Northpoint Vista Development
Redmond is moving forward with a mixed housing development on the northeast side of town, following recent City Council decisions to approve the contracts to start construction. The Northpoint Vista project, a 40-acre site, is situated between NE Maple Ave. and NE Kingwood Avenue and is slated to offer over 400 housing units at a…
Same Spirit, New Stage: The 4 Peaks Music Festival Moves Indoors
The 4 Peaks Presents Music Festival, a cherished Central Oregon tradition since 2007, looks a little different this year, but the spirit remains the same. While it usually takes place outdoors, 2025’s event will move inside to the historic Tower Theatre in downtown Bend June 20-22. The 4 Peaks Music Festival all began with five…
Death and Log Trucks
I watch so many movies. Like, if you knew the sheer amount of film I consume weekly, you would wonder if I ever sleep or just slip into rest mode for a few minutes here and there so I can keep filling my brain with high-brow art, low-brow schlock and everything in between. Because of…
Movement Enthusiast Unlocks Joy Through Dance
Born to dance, Elise Porter, a Bend resident and local movement aficionado, pursues her life’s purpose by helping “humans get unstuck and release into the full joy of movement expression.” Propelling herself into as many styles of dance as possible, from high-school belly dancing classes and ballet-modern fusion in college, she’d jumped at every dance…
Van Cliburn Winning Pianist Coming to Sunriver
During this year’s Sunriver Music Festival, listeners will be treated to amazing performers, diverse compositions and a dynamic, creative driving force behind it all. One of the most thrilling aspects of this year’s festival is that a newly awarded medalist from the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition will be announced on June 7, and this…
Big Ponderoo
One of the best things about Central Oregonians is our love of nature. So it’s no surprise that the SFF Presents outdoor festival, Big Ponderoo, is returning for its fourth year. Nestled beneath the giant shade trees of the idyllic Village Green Park in Sisters, this family-friendly event promises to be a summer sensation. With…
Timing Your Sale and New Purchase in Today’s Market
The days of listing your home on Friday and being in contract by Monday are not as common as they once were. After years of houses flying off the market, Central Oregon’s real estate landscape has shifted. Generally, homes are now spending a longer time on the market, buyers have regained negotiating power, and the…
Food, Books and Connection
In my half-filled baby book, my mother wrote several entries about my appetite such as, “Loves bananas, crackers, and cookies” or “Loves to eat all the time.” Was this an early indication of my affair with food? I use that word quite seriously because it’s something I keep quiet about unless I’m around other food-smitten…
‘Get Innocuous!’ LCD Soundsystem and TV On The Radio Bring NYC Dance Punk to Bend
Judging by LCD Soundsystem’s packed show at Hayden Homes Amphitheater last year, it might seem impossible that the group, fronted by James Murphy, was destined for anything but greatness. But flashback 23 years ago to a period shortly after 9/11: Murphy was having a creative — if not full-blown identity — crisis. The founder and…
A Gravel Ride That’s Not a Race
A grassroots, do-it-yourself gravel ride is returning for the second year this June. The Barnduster Gran Fundo is a fundraiser for Sisters Trails Alliance. It’s an untimed, mostly self-supported ride, bringing gravel cyclists of all levels together for a day of riding and comradery. The 40-mile course is primarily in the Deschutes National Forest starting at…
This Ain’t Netflix
Matt Rife. Trevor Noah. Jerry Seinfeld. No. You’re not scrolling through your favorite streaming platform’s list of stand-up comedy specials. This short list of comedic all-stars is bringing distinct styles to Hayden Homes Amphitheater this summer in Bend. It’s tempting to imagine what spontaneous crowd work or social observations these wry commentors might have for…
