Some days The Eye wonders whether the members of The Bulletin’s editorial board bother to read their own paper. Today is one of those days.
On Page One there’s a story with the headline: “Draft plan contains tradeoffs for resorts, opponents.” It describes how state officials are working with developers to craft a plan that will protect the Metolius Basin while still allowing some destination resort development.
The plan as it now stands would allow Ponderosa Land and Cattle Co. to create a scaled-back version of its 10,000-acre destination resort on the edge of the basin. A much smaller resort that Dutch Pacific Resources LLC wants to build within the basin would have to be moved to another site. A copy of the plan is on the website of the state Land Conservation and Development Commission.
The draft plan appears to not fully satisfy either the developers or resort opponents. Erik Kancler, executive director of Central Oregon LandWatch, is quoted in the Bulletin story as saying it allows more development than he’d like. Friends of the Metolius put out a news release this morning restating “its longstanding position that destination resorts and large-scale developments should never be allowed in the basin or its larger watershed.”
A lobbyist for the smaller resort said her client would be open to putting it in another location. “The devil’s in the details,” said Rick Allen, lobbyist for Ponderosa, adding that his client will wait for the final plan before reacting.
So it sounds like the DLCD is working in good faith toward a reasonable compromise, right?
Apparently The Bulletin’s editorial board never got the word. In its typical sneering style, it rips into Gov. Ted Kulongoski this morning for putting on what it claims is a charade:
“Jefferson County and owners of two proposed destination resorts have gone through the public process under state law. Kulongoski ordered the land conservation department to go through a new ‘public’ process.
“He directed the agency to write a management plan that does not allow destination resorts within the basin. There are to be a series of public hearings about the plan.
“We can’t imagine why.
“Kulongoski has already dictated what the management plan is going to say. Maybe the department will take suggestions for synonyms for ‘ban.'”
Gotta love those quotation marks around the word “public.” The DLCD will hold a series of four public hearings on the draft plan in Sisters and Madras starting Wednesday. We wonder why The Bulletin thinks they won’t really be public. Do they know something we don’t know?
We also continue to wonder why The Bulletin’s editorial board has such a hair up its collective butt about this issue. It’s already written two snarky editorials about it in less than a month. Expect many, many more.
This article appears in Feb 5-11, 2009.
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It’s almost like the Bulletin is talking out of both sides of it’s mouth, but at least it is talking. The Source’s relentless task of talking down the competitor is not only a bore to local communications, but a bore to me the reader. I’m left asking myself, what does the Source have to say/report on all of the basin development? I can assume from your opinions on the Bulletins editorials, so how about one of your own? If you are confused about what I am asking of you then you think you made a point about the development of the area, instead of regurgitate. There is a fine line where readers want local news or a blog ranting. The Source needs to find it!
It’ll be a sad day, as it were the instrument of my learning to read, but I look forward to The Bullshiten going under. Go over there to sit on one of those big rocks, crack a beer, and piss on the hollowed out shell.
The Bulletin is best used as a bird cage liner as it has been called by the locals here for the last three decades. It is a right wing extremist paper that resembles more a propaganda flier from Iron Curtain Russia. To rely on anything written in this paper is a joke. It should be called ” the brown nosers paper”.
The Source although sometimes a bit too lax at least gives us a real picture of what is going on and is capable of telling the truth, a concept long forgotten in this town.
Local builders and realtors should have years ago started their own advertising paper and put “The Bullshiten” out of business for good.
Seeing how they have their noses buried up some developers _ss is no big surprise. In addition they did not publish a number of articles about corruption, fraud and local developers scams, which did appear in The Oregonian over the last two years, exposing some real white collar criminals who cost many their homes and their livelihoods.
We need another destination resort like we need more homes built here.
We as locals need to promote more PAYING JOBS into this area for the next decade before we start to focus on more development of destination resorts.
In my opinion the only place truly fitting for a destination resort is at Mt. B as it would draw more people thru our area. As it is going to be a long time before our housing market returns. This market is currently declining at 1.5% per month at current rate. The bottom is no where near.
Follow the money of these destination resort developers and it leads to someone at The Bullshiten” BTW, a great new name for this paper, thanks to Ten Bears. LOL
“The Bullshiten” BTW, a great new name for this paper, thanks to Ten Bears. LOL”
Not to disparage Mr. Bears, but I’ve been calling it The Bullshittin for a couple of years.
“There is a fine line where readers want local news or a blog ranting.”
This thing you’re reading is a “blog” and like most blogs it is a mix of news and opinion — my opinion.
The Source supports protecting the Metolius and has said so editorially a number of times. This blog expresses my opinion, which is not necessarily the same as the Source’s — although on this issue we agree.
As for trying to “tear down the competition”: One of the traditional and valuable roles of the alternative media is to critique the performance of the mainstream media. The Bulletin is Bend’s only daily newspaper. It is by far the biggest and most influential news outlet in Central Oregon. It has far more money and resources than any other news outlet in Central Oregon. When it ignores (or suppresses) important news, or distorts the truth in its editorial columns, I think that deserves comment — and I intend to keep commenting on it.