Cover Story
Wrong Side of the Line: The Messy Fight Over the Sisters Urban Growth Boundary
Bill Willitts stops his Dodge truck at a quiet neighborhood intersection west of downtown Sisters and gets out. He points out two different types of homes: some have garages in the back, and some have garages in the front, which is more space efficient. Rows of two-story tract houses are separated by wide black asphalt streets flanked by gravel drainage ditches. Then he…
Rockin’ Away Hunger
Eight local bands are teaming up for a free concert to help fight local food insecurity. The idea started last year when a member of the Bend band Long Operators wanted to do something to honor his late grandfather, a preacher in Seattle. After learning his family had been assisted by St. Vincent de Paul…
Candidates File to Run for Redmond City Council
The filing deadline may be Aug. 25, but numerous candidates for Redmond City Council have signaled their interest by filing paperwork early. The mayoral seat is open, along with three seats on the Redmond City Council. These are four-year terms. Interested parties can pick up a campaign packet from the city’s Recorder’s Office send an…
The Magic is in the Bowl
One bite of Cascade Alchemy Bowls’ Mt. Hood Bowl and I immediately regretted every visit I had ever made to Blacksmith Public House without ordering it from the food truck. The creamy Thai-inspired peanut sauce was bright and citrusy. Tender marinated chicken, crunchy pickled carrots, sautéed bok choy and cool cucumber slices came together over…
Letters to the Editor, Week of July 16, 2026
Being Seen At Munch & Music the other night, a handsome man, early forties maybe, looked at me and said, “You are pretty.” Three words. At this season of my life, I never expected to hear those words again. But his tone, his eye contact, the plain sincerity of it, made me believe him. I…
An Awkward Dinner, Demi-gods and the Unquiet Dead
When I go to the theater, I’m rarely there for just a single movie. I spend an inordinate amount of my life in dark rooms, staring at giant screens alongside strangers, all hoping to be transported out of the mundanity of existence. I think ultimately we all want to enter worlds that make us feel…
Dave Chun: Craftsman
The walls are dotted with images of surfing legends and rows of unshaped surfboard blanks line the tall wooden shelves. A series of finished boards are hung as art pieces around the shop, as light classical music echoes from the shaping rooms in the back. A respirator-clad Dave Chun shuffles around a newly minted surfboard,…
Free Will Astrology, Week of July 16
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Make a list of your five greatest pleasures. These are experiences that stir your senses, steady your pulse, and remind you why love being alive. Write them down as if they were sacred prayers. Sing a spontaneous song of praise of them. Then set out on a quest to discover pleasure…
Much Ado About Psilocybin
A recent review of Oregon’s psilocybin therapy program brings up some of the most obvious points about the initiative, approved by voters just a handful of years ago: High-earning individuals are often the ones accessing the program. Many of them come from out of state to do so. People are accessing the program not just…
Waterwise and Resilient Gardens on Display
The 31st annual High Desert Garden Tour will guide you to five locations including the OSU Demonstration Garden and outdoor learning lab. The demonstration garden, which started at the Deschutes County fairgrounds in 2003, includes perennials, trees and shrubs that demonstrate cold hardiness, water wise and fire-resistance. It also features a watersmart controller and a…
Want to be the New Deschutes Public Library Director? Todd Dunkelberg Says ‘Listen’
The year was 1999. Books, magazines and newspapers still ruled the Earth. The internet, barely existent, wriggled in a puddle somewhere. Todd Dunkelberg had already earned a master’s in library and information science from the University of Texas-Austin. He’d been working as a children’s librarian when he was tapped to relocate to Central Oregon to…
Competitive Sports for Health of Mind and Body
It is not news to anyone that getting regular exercise is good for health and well-being, but you might be surprised to know that participating in competitive group sports takes that to the next level. Further, you might be even more surprised to learn that spectating and enjoying sporting events carries with it elements that…
‘ICE Out’ Protest Remains Peaceful, if Aware of Upcoming Elections’ Precarity
The honking from passing drivers was incessant during the afternoon of July 11 at the downtown Bend Peace Corner. For the roughly 50 protesters mingling at the corner of NW Portland and Wall, those honks of solidarity was a good thing, if the two recent local arrests and Houston shooting death by U.S. Immigration and…
The Sunriver Quilt Show Highlights Local Talent
On the heels of the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show this weekend, a smaller celebration of the treasured tradition of quilting will brighten up Sunriver Village later this summer. It’s the 38th year for the Sunriver Quilt Show and Sale, which will feature more than 100 quilts. Most of those on display will be shown for…
Melissa Etheridge Will ‘Rock Your Toes Off’
Melissa Etheridge is a survivor. For starters try coming out publicly as a lesbian in January 1992 at a time when entertainers didn’t do that kind of thing, surviving breast cancer and most recently, losing a child to an opioid overdose. This kind of reclamation of self and survival over the trauma and tragedies real…
Wynonna Judd: ‘A Tragic Comedy’
A decade ago, Wynonna Judd played one of the most surprising and memorable shows ever at the South By Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas. Judd agreed to perform at SXSW, for no money, only if she could play in St. David’s Episcopal Church, a venue she knew of from the time she lived in…
Why Pricing Your Home Correctly in This Market Matters So Much
If you’re buying or selling a home in Central Oregon right now, you’ve probably already noticed: this isn’t the market it was a few years ago. Gone are the days of frenzied bidding wars, multiple offers within hours, and buyers competing to pay well over asking price. The market has settled into something different. Understanding…
