Former Bend Mayor, Bob Woodward, Dies at 85
Bob Woodward, former Bend mayor, journalist and pioneering mountain biker, has passed away at age 85. According to reports, Woodward was battling Parkinson’s disease before his death. Woodward was known widely in Bend and Central Oregon as pillar in the outdoor community. Since Woodward’s passing, positive messages have flooded social media, with locals sharing fond…
Central Oregon Transgender Woman Strives to Escape Homelessness in Face of Mounting Barriers
Patricia Griffith lived on and off in the juniper forest just east of Redmond for 20 years. On a recent cold February afternoon, Griffith, who was previously known as John, drove a white Honda Civic through a network of dirt roads buried beneath six inches of fresh snow. The snow didn’t stop the 60-year-old from…
Partners In Care Hosts A Year to Live Book Discussion Group Starting April 5
The Bereavement Department in conjunction with leadership at Partners In Care is hosting a community group to explore messaging in Stephen Levine’s book “A Year to Live” through a series of monthly sessions in 2025 and early 2026. In “A Year to Live,” Stephen Levine, author of the perennial bestseller “Who Dies?” teaches us how…
First Annual Bend Bike Festival + Swap Benefitting Bend Endurance Academy
Join Bend Endurance Academy and the Bend Community April 25-27th, 2025 at The Pavilion for the first ever Bend Bike Fest, produced by Bend Endurance Academy. The BBF is the new event home of the legendary Bend Bike Swap from years past. Consign your new/used gear and bikes, browse a selection of local businesses and…
Think Wild Cares for Rare American Goshawk Injured in Chicken Coop
Think Wild, Central Oregon’s wildlife hospital and conservation center, recently rescued a juvenile American goshawk after the bird became entangled in netting in a chicken coop. American goshawks are a Species of Greatest Concern in Oregon and are known for their size and aggressive hunting behaviors. The raptor sustained severe injuries requiring surgical intervention but…
Ceiling: Unlimited Expands Running Offerings to Include Crucial Second Step
Following a banner year of expanded offerings and runner retention, Ceiling: Unlimited will be offering two women’s training groups this spring, with a new Skill-A-Day 10K Training Group added to the mix! “Beginner level classes for many sports are readily available, but often the second step is missing”, says Michelle Poirot, founder of Ceiling: Unlimited.…
Students Present Second Life & Career Readiness Night
Taking the next step after high school is one of the biggest decisions in life. A group of teens in Bend-La Pine Schools is making it easier for students to explore their options locally and across the region. The Caldera High School students have invited Central Oregon employers and representatives of colleges and trade schools…
Central Oregon Locavore Seeks New Local Vendors
Central Oregon Locavore Non-Profit has expanded its sales floor and is eager to welcome new local vendors to delight our shoppers! Are you a local vendor in Central Oregon looking to reach a new or extended audience? Locavore provides a market for small, local businesses to sell high-quality products on consignment, reinvesting dollars spent into…
Portland Winery Moves into Downtown Space Recently Vacated by Domaine Serene
A Portland-based winery announced on March 3 that it will open a full-service restaurant and tasting room in downtown Bend. Amaterra winery will take over the building on NW Bond Street, previously occupied by Domaine Serene, which closed its doors in January. The winery, set to open in late spring, will offer wine tastings and a…
Former Central Oregon Forest Service Employees are Fighting Back Against Firings
Liz Crandall and Isabella Isaksen, former U.S. Forest Service employees from Bend, traveled to Washington, D.C., earlier this week to attend President Trump’s address at a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night. Crandall went as a guest of Rep. Janelle Bynum (OR-5) and Isaksen was there at the invitation of U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley…
Kotek and Conservation Groups Want DEQ to Address Deschutes River Water Quality
In the past two weeks, seven conservation groups have written to Gov. Tina Kotek and state environmental regulators pushing for changes they hope could improve the water quality in the lower 100 miles of the Deschutes River. As the Oregon Journalism Project has reported, Portland General Electric and its partner in the Pelton-Round Butte Dam…
LISTEN: Bend Don’t Break with Gregory Deffenbaugh 🎧
In this episode of Bend Don’t Break, host Aaron Switzer sits down with Gregory Deffenbaugh, the new News Director at KTVZ-TV, to discuss his journey through the evolving world of news. From his early days in the newsroom to leading award-winning teams across multiple markets, Gregory shares insights into the changing landscape of journalism and…
Reward Increased for Recent Wolf Poaching in Oregon
Poaching impacts all fish and wildlife across Oregon,” said Yvonne Shaw, Protect Oregon’s Wildlife’s Turn In Poachers (TIP) campaign coordinator. “The illegal killing of fish and wildlife not only complicates biologists’ ability to maintain species populations across the state, but it removes opportunity from hunters and anglers who harvest and from residents, recreationists and others…
Rising Above
When Jeff Swaney was 14 years old, an insurance salesperson knocked on the door of his home in Detroit, Michigan, extolling the soundness of a dizzying policy scheme to his parents. Detecting some dubious math in the pitch, the 14-year-old Swaney stepped in to quibble with the solicitor, trying and failing to convince his parents…
Launching and Growing a Farmers Market Business with Cultivate Bend
For many small businesses, a farmers market booth is more than just a weekend stand — it’s a steppingstone to a thriving brand. But turning a booth into a business takes strategy, and that’s exactly what Cultivate Bend’s upcoming panel event aims to provide. To help vendors succeed, Cultivate Bend and the High Desert Food…
Letters to the Editor 3/6/2025
Guest Opinion: Fixing Oregon’s Mental Health Crisis Requires Consistency, Not Recruitment With the highest prevalence of mental illness in the U.S., Oregon is caught in the middle of a behavioral health crisis. The need for mental health and substance use disorder services is growing at an alarming rate, but the workforce to meet that need…
Sisters Meat and Smokehouse Is Coming to Bend
When I walked into Sisters Meat and Smokehouse in Redmond, the enticing aroma of smoked meat and the invitation from the windowed wall to watch the butchers slicing steak made it clear to me that this was the place to get high-quality meat. The cashier, Garrett, rang me up for a couple of sandwiches and…
Horoscope Week of March 6, 2025
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): No cars drove through London’s streets in 1868. That invention was still years away. But the roads were crammed with pedestrians and horses. To improve safety amidst the heavy traffic, a mechanical traffic light was installed—the first in the world. But it had a breakdown a month later, injured a police…
Have You Grown Up Yet?
Who would you truly want to be when you grow up? Maybe you’ve already grown up. Maybe not. We’ll begin by defining what we mean by this age-old concept. First, as with most things, there’s not one understanding of this often-misunderstood word. There are generally as many understandings for grown up as there are readers.…
Ski For All: A Celebration of Movement, Inclusion and Adventure
Riders of all abilities are uniting for an unforgettable day on the slopes at the eighth annual Ski For All fundraiser at Mt. Bachelor hosted by Oregon Adaptive Sports (OAS), celebrating outdoor adventure and inclusivity for all. More than just an event, Ski For All is a movement driven by a shared belief in the…
Road to Table
Each year, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife issues a growing number of roadkill salvage permits to people taking elk and deer from the road to their dinner table. The “whys” for salvaging are many, ranging from ethical concerns to saving money on food. The “hows” are not for the squeamish.
Source Warmup
Deschutes County to Host Retail Theft Meetings The Bend Police Department, along with the Redmond Police Department and the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office, will host a series of Retailer Listening Sessions. The listening sessions are a result of an Organized Retail Theft (ORT) grant the County secured in the fall. “The goal of the…
The Shortcomings of ‘Price per Square Foot’
You’ve probably been told that “price per square foot” is the golden rule, the magic number that tells you a house’s worth. “This one’s only $X per square foot!” they exclaim. But here’s the truth, straight from an agent: that number is a dangerous oversimplification. It’s like judging a gourmet meal by its calorie count…
‘Half a Hundred Years,’ and Then Some
“I never thought I’d last a half a hundred years,” bellows the smooth baritone of Ray Benson on Asleep at the Wheel’s “Half a Hundred Years” — not a lot of folks have had this kind of longevity in the music industry. From behind a big white beard, Benson’s answer to his showbiz success is…
Why Is Social Equity in Cannabis Such a Failure?
Social equity” is a frequently used term that isn’t always defined the same way. Because I, for one, welcome our new AI overlords, an AI-generated definition posits that “social equity is the principle of fairness and justice in how society allocates resources and opportunities. It aims to ensure that everyone has access to the same…
Heed the Call
Uncle Fred has died. He died in the street across the way from a brothel in the middle of the night. Shula, Fred’s niece, is on her way back from a costume party where she dressed as Missy Elliott from the music video for “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly).” When she finds his body, she…
City of Redmond to Vote on Marijuana Rules in March
On Feb. 25, the Redmond City Council held a public hearing on a proposal to allow marijuana dispensaries within city limits. Following the hearing, the Council decided to postpone its vote on amending city code until its next meeting in March. In November, Redmond residents voted in favor of allowing marijuana dispensaries within the City…
While the Feds Take a ‘Burn It Down’ Approach, Local Public Lands Could Quite Literally Burn
If you were worried about unauthorized camping and fires starting on public lands before, buckle up. With cuts to U.S. Forest Service personnel happening, it’s going to be very tough to see a lot of enforcement or an increase in fire-management activity on our public lands this summer. In the last several weeks, at least…
