Cover Story
Nowhere to Stay
Last August, on a clear, sunny day, a group of elected officials and health experts gathered at St. Charles Medical Center in Bend for a presentation on emergency services for youth experiencing a mental health crisis in Central Oregon. The information they left with was bleak. Emergency departments at all St. Charles hospitals in Central…
New Data Shows Oregon Has the Nation’s Second-Tightest Housing Market
This month, the state began acting on the results of a long-awaited Oregon Housing Needs Analysis, hoping the trove of data will help policymakers solve Oregon’s housing shortage. Lawmakers dug right in, inviting economists from the consulting firm ECOnorthwest to brief both the House Committee on Housing and Homelessness and the Senate Housing and Development…
Kotek’s Gift to Trade Unions Contradicts ODOT’s Analysis
Gov. Tina Kotek issued an executive order last month that will make highway projects more expensive, reduce bidding competition and benefit a relatively small number of workers — who happen to be strong supporters of hers — at the expense of many Oregonians. Who says so? Kotek’s own agency, the Oregon Department of Transportation. On…
School District Issues Safety Report Following Armed Student on Campus
Bend-La Pine Schools released a report on Jan. 23, following a months-long investigation into the handling of an unprecedented event in October, when a 7th grader at Pilot Butte Middle School brought a loaded handgun to campus, along with a list of targets. According to the report, the event marked the first known time a…
Key Oregon Housing Voucher Program Faces Uncertain Future
Mike Charlton visited the Housing Works office in Redmond on a recent morning in January. The 41-year-old was there to apply for a Housing Choice Voucher (HCV). Charlton was eventually joined by his wife, Marina. They have five kids between them, aged eight months to 16 years. Charlton said this would be the fourth consecutive…
NeighborImpact Opens New Food Bank Warehouse in Redmond
NeighborImpact, a nonprofit offering food assistance, energy assistance and emergency housing to people in need, celebrated its 40th anniversary January 24 and held a grand opening for its new food warehouse in Redmond. The organization’s new building, housing a wide variety of food products for those in need, will help the nonprofit keep up with…
Recreation needs survey coming to mailboxes soon
Bend Park and Recreation District is seeking to better understand residents’ desires for organized recreation programs and services. A community wide survey will help the district to align recreation programs and services with the community’s priorities. A statistically valid survey is being distributed to 5,000 household mailboxes beginning this weekend. Questions will be asked about…
City of Redmond Invites Interested Artists to Apply for Art Around the Clock
The Redmond Commission for Art in Public Places (RCAPP) is seeking artists interested in showcasing their sculptures in the heart of Redmond as part of the eighth round of Art Around the Clock, a rotating outdoor public art gallery program. Interested artists and artists teams will want to review the Request for Proposals (RFP) available…
Special Screening of No Place to Grow Old to Address Senior Homelessness Crisis
Central Oregon Villages and the Council on Aging of Central Oregon are proud to host a special screening of No Place to Grow Old, a compelling 44-minute documentary that sheds light on the escalating crisis of senior homelessness. The screening will take place on Wednesday, February 5th, from 6-8pm at Ray Hall on the OSU…
Black History Month at COCC Highlighted by Afrobeats Dance, Dinner Celebration
Featuring an Afrobeats dance class, a screening of the 2023 film “Origin” and an educational dinner celebration, Central Oregon Community College’s (COCC) Black History Month commemoration kicks off on Feb. 8. All events are free and open to the public and registration is required; email mlegrand2@cocc.edu to reserve a spot for individual events. More details…
Five St. Charles nurses earn DAISY distinction
Five nurses from St. Charles Health System recently earned DAISY Awards for Extraordinary Nurses, recognizing the outstanding, compassionate nursing care they provide patients and families every day. The nurses, who represent all four St. Charles hospitals in Bend, Redmond, Madras and Prineville, were recognized with a ceremony on their respective units and presented with a…
St. Charles Health System Partners with Rimrock Trails Treatment Services in Supporting Programs Addressing Substance Use and Behavioral Health Challenges in Central Oregon
Rimrock Trails announced today that it has been awarded a $10,000 grant from St. Charles Health System. Grant monies will be directed to the Rimrock Trails’ Peer Support Specialist Program. Rimrock Trails is proud to announce the receipt of a $10,000 grant from St. Charles Health System, which will contribute to the Peer Support Specialist…
Wyden Decided Against Protecting the Owyhee, and Now Oregonians May Not Get Another Chance Soon
Dr. Julie Weikel, a retired large animal veterinarian, has been fighting to protect the Owyhee Canyonlands in Southeastern Oregon for a long time. How long? “My daughter’s name is Owyhee, and she’s 43 years old,” she says. Weikel, 78, now lives about 30 miles south of Burns in Harney County but treated animals from all…
Local Love: A Q/A with Steve Arnold of Blackstrap Bluegrass
“We’re not truly a bluegrass band,” says Steve Arnold, reflecting on his quarter century in Bend’s Blackstrap Bluegrass. It’s easy to understand how a band that’s been making music and playing shows for more than 25 years might not stick to just one lane. “I’m the only original” band member, he continues. “We’ve had three…
Source Warmup
Pahlisch Backs Out of Tree Code Appeal Pahlisch Homes, a local homebuilding company, announced on Jan. 16 that it will withdraw its appeal of the City of Bend’s recently enacted tree code. The City approved its updated tree regulations on June 20 to clarify how and when trees can be removed in new developments. “Our…
How to Hold Title
This week, I thought we could touch on a subject that occurs with every real estate transaction, and that is how to hold title. Title is essentially the “proof” that you are the rightful and legal owner of a property; however, this is not something that is often discussed, especially with first-time homeowners. This article…
The Third Act: Workarounds
Ok. A new year. If you’re my age, or older, you’re now in full awareness mode. I read somewhere that in galactic or geologic or anthropologic time (I don’t remember which), one life will have only lasted an hour. That would mean, at my age, I have the equivalent of a few nanoseconds left, if…
A Journey to Cheesecake
While cheesecake may seem like an unconventional product for a food cart, local business Little Slice of Hell strikes just the right balance of originality and quality. After years of wanting to offer joy through endless flavors of cheesecakes, Julie Higgins, the owner of Little Slice of Hell, is thrilled about her position within the…
Books for a Healthy Mind and a Healthy Year
A 2023 Forbes Health survey reported that most New Year’s resolutions are abandoned within the first four months of the year. Sabrina Romanoff, PsyD, a clinical psychologist, attributes this to our tendency to set very specific goals, rather than general improvement, and discouragement sets in before we put the necessary time in to meet our goal.…
Furry Fun at Sunriver Brewing’s K-9 Keg Pull
“And they’re off!” While this phrase is usually reserved for horse racing, at Sunriver Brewing Company’s K-9 Keg Pull, it signals an entirely different kind of race — dogs dashing down a snowy runway, pulling beer kegs behind them. Set to take place on Saturday, Feb. 1, from 11am to 3pm at the Village at…
Horoscope Week of January 23, 2025
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In old Hawaii, it was forbidden for ordinary people to touch objects that belonged to the chiefs or to anyone with spiritual powers. Other taboos: Never walk across the shadow of an important person and never wear red and yellow feathers. Our modern taboos are different, but often equally rigid. For…
Letters to the Editor 1/23/2025
RE: “Historic Skyliners Lodge to Close in June,” 1/1 This is a great opportunity for a building/roofing company with deep pockets in our community to do the right thing. Perhaps they could donate the labor for this roof repair as a tax write-off for the nonprofit and the funds already secured by the Forest Service…
M’s Bakery Takes Old Mill District by Storm
The walls of the Old Mill District’s new brick and mortar are having a hard time containing the customers flocking in for fresh bread, pastries and coffee. After only two weeks since its soft opening, M’s Bakery has a consistent line out the door, and the smell of sourdough wafts through the beautiful, tall archways…
Domaine Serene Closes Doors in Downtown
After three years serving the Bend community, Domaine Serene closed the doors to its downtown wine lounge on Jan. 3. “This decision was not made lightly, and we are profoundly grateful to the members, guests and staff who have made this location a special place in the community,” said Danielle Holbrook from the winery’s marketing…
It’s Avian Influenza Season, Too
Flu season is upon us and it’s not just restricted to humans. Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), also known as avian influenza or bird flu, is a spreadable virus that affects wild birds, poultry, livestock, pets and, in rare cases, humans. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed the current strain of the…
Former Senator Tim Knopp on Accomplishments, Next Steps
Former Sen. Tim Knopp served in the Oregon legislature for 18 years, working as a state representative from 1999 to 2005, then as a member of the State Senate from 2013 to 2025. Knopp, ineligible to run for reelection in 2024 after leading the longest walkout in the state’s history, says he’s going back to…
Bend’s Walkout King Leads Another Hypocritical Charge
You gotta hand it to Tim Knopp. After beginning his political career in Oregon in 1999 with three terms in the Oregon House, followed later by stints in the Oregon Senate that lasted through this January, he’s got a new gig working as the Oregon state co-chair for U.S. term limits. In the new role,…
The Psychedelic Frontier: Exploring Intentional Psychedelic Use in the Modern World
Q: Aside from the substances themselves, what do you find to be the single biggest factor or determinant in lasting, healing change or growth in the people you work with? Thank you for the opportunity to answer this important question. In sitting with hundreds of people navigating psychedelic realms, I’ve learned that the synthesis of…
Former Redmond Motel Reopens as Apartment Complex
Redmond leaders and community members attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Jan. 21 to introduce a new apartment complex in the downtown area. The NOVA Apartments, situated on Redmond’s Fifth Street, will support the city’s ongoing revitalization efforts of the downtown neighborhood. Formerly known as the Village Squire Motel, the building was converted to studio apartments,…
Wildest Heart
We lost the artist David Lynch on Jan. 15, just five days before his 79th birthday. As a writer, director, painter and designer, he spent his entire career finding ways to map the human subconscious, making movies that feel like glimpses of half-remembered dreams, scripts that turn dream logic into tactile reality and paintings that…
