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Posted inLocal News

Longtime Incumbent, Credentialed Challenger Clash in Deschutes County Commissioner Position 1 Race 

U.S. Coast Guard veteran and disaster responder Jamie Collins has doubled the fundraising totals of 15-year commissioner Tony DeBone
Avatar photo by Clayton Franke

Tony DeBone was first elected to the Deschutes County Board of County Commissioners in 2010. He won again in 2014, and again in 2018 and 2022.   Now, as he seeks a fifth term, he faces an aggressive and well-funded challenge.  Jamie Collins, a U.S. Coast Guard veteran and founder of a climate consulting firm, has more than doubled DeBone’s campaign donations, […]

Posted inSmoke Signals

Cannabis Discrimination

Second Class Canna Citizens
by Josh Jardine

Oregon’s Adult Use Cannabis program is 10 years old, and those of us who work within it thought by now we would have – more – than we do. Things like social cannabis consumption spaces, cannabis tourism packages, and events on par with the many beer, wine, cider, and spirits festivals Oregon hosts.  Such options […]

Posted inUncategorized

Embattled Winery Proposal North of Bend Gets Deschutes County Approval 

Neighbors are divided over a tasting room and production facility at a 5-acre vineyard
Avatar photo by Clayton Franke

After a four-year dispute, owners of a 5-acre vineyard just north of Bend finally have Deschutes County’s approval to open a wine tasting and production facility. Still, neighbors in opposition say the fight is far from over.   The Deschutes County Board of County Commissioners tentatively approved the application March 25, pending a final decision in the coming weeks. The board greenlit the proposal amid some neighbors’ fears the winery would pollute well water and bring […]

Posted inLocal News

Deschutes County Courthouse Expansion on Track with August Completion Date

County facilities officials updated the Board of County Commissioners with a March 30 progress report
Avatar photo by Peter Madsen

Two new courtrooms at the Deschutes County Circuit Court are nearly finished. And the overall completion of the new justice facility in downtown Bend is on track to meet its final completion date in August. County facilities officials presented the monthly update on the courthouse expansion project at the Board of County Commissioners meeting March […]

Posted inNews

Thousands Gather at Bend’s No Kings Protest 

Demonstrators gathered at Drake Park and Peace Corner to protest the Trump Administration’s policies
Avatar photoBy Jesse Coronado

Thousands of Central Oregonians showed up to No Kings, a movement against the Trump Administration, on March 28 in Bend. The day started with a rally at Drake Park and transitioned into a protest at 2pm sharp, with protesters marching toward Peace Corner at the intersection of Northwest Greenwood Avenue and Northwest Wall Street.  Protesters told the Source they turned out to protest Trump’s immigration […]

Posted inLocal News

Redmond May Ban Throttle-Powered E-bikes from City Parks

The City says speeding e-bikes are causing safety issues, but enforcing new rules could be difficult
Avatar photo by Clayton Franke

The City of Redmond may be the latest government body to clamp down on e-bikes, with new regulations stirred by a stream of complaints over speeders in City parks.   The City Council launched a survey March 24 asking the public whether throttle-propelled bicycles should be banned from City parks. Results of the two-week survey will inform an April discussion that could lead to new rules in place by summer. But questions remain about […]

Posted inNews

Traffic Blockers Installed in Old Bend Neighborhood 

The City of Bend installs diverters and physical barriers in Old Bend Neighborhood as a part of its Bend Bikeway Project.
Avatar photoBy Jesse Coronado

The City of Bend installed new diverters and physical barriers on Old Bend streets to help protect cyclists and pedestrians from vehicles, reduce speeding and prioritize walkers and bikers on shared streets.   The new installations are part of the Bend Bikeway Project, an organized initiative with the goal of creating safer connections for pedestrians and cyclists around the city. The new installs were placed in the Old Bend Neighborhood, where city officials […]

Posted inLocal News

New Community of Affordable Housing Slated for Prineville  

RootedHomes, an affordable housing community developer, plans to create new housing opportunities for working class families in Prineville
Avatar photoBy Jesse Coronado

RootedHomes, a local nonprofit that develops homes for the local workforce, prepares to expand a new 24-home community of affordable housing in the Iron Horse neighborhood in Prineville. The project is estimated to cost $19.5 million.   “Home buyers tell us they feel more stable… They are actually able to put roots down in their community,” Executive Director Eliza Wilson says of […]

Posted inLocal News

Oregon Department of Forestry Scores Futuristic Wildfire Detection Airplane

The Twin Otter plane, equipped with AI mapping abilities, will speed up detection time
Avatar photo by Peter Madsen

The Oregon Department of Forestry will be stationing a new, multi-mission airplane, equipped with technology out of a sci-fi movie, in Prineville — just in time for fire season. The Twin Otter, which some appreciators refer to as a “Twotter,” will relieve ODF’s Partenavia P.68 Observer airplane, which will be retired after more than three […]

Posted inLocal News

Oiling the Cogs of the Housing Industry

Two bills, which U.S. Rep. Janelle Bynum authored — and co-authored — strive to speed up housing construction and ramp up affordability. In some ways, Bend is ahead of the curve.
Avatar photo by Peter Madsen

Amid an ongoing housing crisis, homebuilders, first-time homebuyers and the building appraisal industry are on their way to earning big wins not just in Oregon, but throughout the country. Two bills, either authored or co-authored by U.S. Rep. Janelle Bynum (OR-05), are aimed at building more houses, decreasing housing costs and speeding up the licensing […]

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