Cover Story
A Tale of Two Downtown Bends
For better or for worse, shoulder season offers respite from the influxes of summer and winter tourists. Fewer vacation dollars might wisp in the wind, but downtown parking is a relative breeze. Still, though, the shuttering of legacy establishments of 900 Wall, and the sale listing of The Lemon Tree, indicate that merchants in downtown…
Sound Off: Submit Your Opinion About New Hawthorne Crossing Designs
The Oregon Department of Public Transportation has launched an online open house to offer the public the latest updates — and to solicit feedback — on the long-anticipated Hawthorne Crossing that will connect east and west Bend above Highway 97 and the railroad tracks. The online open house, which debuted on Nov. 19 and is…
Free Will Astrology Week of Nov. 20
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Your theme for the coming weeks is the fertile power of small things: the transformations that happen in the margins and subtle gestures. A kind word that shifts someone’s day, for instance. Or a refusal to participate in casual cruelty. Or a choice to see value in what you’re supposed to…
Small Businesses Rely on Holiday Sales
Oregon’s small businesses are the backbone of the state and local economy. According to a report from the City of Bend, in 2024 the retail sector generated approximately $928 million in gross domestic product, which was 8% of the total economy. The report also found that consumer spending at brick-and-mortar stores in Bend has been slowly declining, down 8% in 2024 from July 2023 and…
IV Nutritional Therapy: Optimizing Cellular Metabolism
The focus of nutrition in every form through diet and supplements has become a cornerstone of medicine, and important for anyone interested in treating disease states as well as improving health and vitality. While taking in nutrition and supplements orally is the obvious choice in most circumstances, delivering vitamins, minerals and other compounds by an…
A Disoriented Seattleite Begs Downtown Bend Passersby to Tell Him About Local Businesses
I’m a true-blue Pacific Northwesterner, but I don’t hail from around here. My childhood memories lie on the opposite side of the Cascade Mountains and on the opposite side of the Columbia River from Bend, in a city famous for fresh fish, depression, dope and historically disappointing major league baseball. Upon moving to Oregon’s sixth…
Homegrown Hustle
There’s “shop local,” and then there’s really shop local. Like, handmade jewelry glittering in the display case of a Redmond boutique that was crafted a few blocks away on someone’s kitchen table. Or a cinnamon roll from a home bakery that smells like someone’s Sunday morning, because it literally came from their home oven. This season, as…
Not Your Typical ‘Paper Doll’
Having played in these parts before, rock/blues guitarist Samantha Fish is no stranger to Central Oregon. In the meantime, she and her band have just been tearing it up. Fish was nominated for Best Contemporary Blues Album in the 2024 Grammys for her 2023 collaboration with rocker Jesse Dayton, “Death Wish Blues.” She and the…
Flex Plaza Proposed for Small Events
The Bend City Council is working on a plan to revamp the North Mirror Pond parking lot downtown, between The Commons and Watershed Coffee, into a flex space that can double as an event venue. “It’s got non-standard parking spaces in it right now. It needs to be redone. So this was actually an opportunity to use some of these tourism dollars to get a win-win, by upgrading the…
As the Battles Over Public Funds Commence, We Need an Equitable Process
With the end of the federal government shutdown, the roughly 757,000 people in Oregon who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits could breathe a sigh of relief. Food would be on the table as winter sets in. There might even be enough to give thanks at Thanksgiving. But that relief is temporary. The federal government…
Leadbetter Band Out With New Album: ‘Spell’
More than two years since the release of “Cake,” the Leadbetter Band has announced the release of the highly anticipated fourth album, “Spell,” alongside an animated video made with other local artists to showcase the album. The Bend-based band’s new 12-track compilation will be the second album that includes bassist and vocalist Aaron Moore and…
It’s Alive!
Guillermo del Toro loves his monsters. He’s built an Oscar-winning and critically lauded career on telling stories about the darkness at the center of the world and the creatures born from it. Because there’s no one that del Toro empathizes with more than the underdog, the misunderstood beast at the end of the book that…
For the Love of Craft Beer
It’s that time of year when we are perhaps a little more reflective about what we are thankful for in this wildly beautiful life. Here, in Central Oregon, I think that we are generally pretty grateful for such an exciting and generous craft beer scene. This year we asked folks from different breweries: Why are…
Letters to the Editor, Week of Nov. 20
Natural Gas causes health hazards Natural gas releases carbon emissions, causes health hazards within homes and wreaks intense environmental destruction through fracking. Geoff Reynolds’ letter to the Source claimed that in 2023, households using electricity contributed 63% of residential carbon emissions while only 29% came from gas. The link he cited, at the U.S. Energy…
Habitat for Humanity is Reopening a ReStore in Redmond
Redmond shoppers will soon be able to feel warm and fuzzy about saving money on “new and gently used furniture, appliances, home décor, building materials, and more.” That’s because making a purchase at the new Redmond ReStore will “directly support Bend-Redmond Habitat for Humanity’s mission to build homes, communities, and hope across Central Oregon,” a…
Support Staff at COCC Fight for Higher Pay
“Get up! Get down! Bend, Oregon, is a union town!” A group of college employees gathered outside Central Oregon Community College’s Boyle Education Center, cheering and hoisting signs that read, among other slogans, “No More Poverty Pay!” and “Pay a Living Wage Now!” Their chants, slightly stilted at first, gained momentum and volume as dusk…
Rats! Central Oregon Hosts an Autumn Uptick in Cohabitating Vermin
With UB40’s classic reggae hit echoing in my mind, I pondered this question for the first time since moving to Central Oregon three decades ago. Tipped off by my dogs’ unusual curiosity around the furnace vents from the cellar, sniffing the blowing air, I set a few small snap traps in anticipation of an errant…
Committee Advances District Map for Future Deschutes County Commission
The committee tasked with forming a map for five Deschutes County commissioner seats has advanced a plan to the current county commissioners, which is expected to go before voters in May. In a meeting Nov. 12, the District Mapping Advisory Committee voted 4-3 in favor of advancing Map C. That map splits Bend into three sections: east, west and the southern portion, which also encompasses southern Deschutes County down to La Pine. The two…
The Belfry to Host Singing Competition Star
A top finisher on both “The Voice” and “American Idol,” Thunderstorm Artis grew up on the North Shore of Oahu in a family of 11 kids. His father, Ron Artis, was a Motown session player who performed on many iconic tracks, including Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” His mother, no musical wallflower herself, toured as a backup…
Western Rivers Conservancy buys in to preserve lands, protect wildlife
If you haven’t heard of Western Rivers Conservancy, you’re not alone. The organization engages in purchasing private lands along Western rivers to conserve habitat, protect wildlife species at risk, and to provide public access. WRG’s motto is Sometimes to save a river, you have to buy it, Way more than a slogan; it’s the core…
Nourishing Central Oregon One Bowl at a Time
On a chilly Bend afternoon, nothing soothes quite like the sound of a soup lid popping open. The steam curls up, fragrant and homey, hinting at garlic, herbs, and something that feels like kindness. That’s the vibe you get when you walk into Central Oregon Soup Company on Bend’s east side, a no-fuss take-out spot…
Dee Ford Potter is Weaving a Heartfelt Legacy
Bend artist Dee Ford Potter has poured her life story into woven arts. A 58-year retrospective collection of her work called “A Life Well Woven is on display at Central Oregon Community College’s Rotunda Gallery in the Barber Library through Dec. 7. The art dates back to Potter’s early days. In 1967, she was studying…
Bend’s True Property Value: Its People
With the chaos of the world accessible at our fingertips, it’s easy to get detached from what is right in front of us, something special. We don’t just enjoy the mountains, the Deschutes and the public lands that surround us, we also benefit from those who bind us together. Built by locals, newcomers and everyone…
