The Warmup: Week of December 7, 2023

Downtown Bend Installs New Parking System
The City of Bend announced on Dec. 4 that it installed a new parking guidance system in downtown Bend, aimed at enhancing parking, reducing traffic congestion and improving accessibility.

The system, which started on Dec. 5, provides signs showing up-to-date information on available parking spaces throughout downtown, including parking lots and the Centennial Garage, according to a press release. The parking system is paid for through the City’s parking fund.

“This will improve the parking experience and promote the vibrant atmosphere of our thriving downtown Bend,” said Parking Services Division Manager Tobias Marx.

Local Radio Station Hit with Cyber Attack
A local radio station dealt with unexpected changes to its usual programming after a cyber-attack. The station 92.9 FM, part of Backyard Bend, experienced a “ransomware,” attack, which locked up the radio’s files and computers. The attackers demanded money, in the form of Bitcoin, in exchange for the data.

“Our official statement to them is they can pound sand,” said Andy Hilmes, general manager of Backyard Bend. “We’re not paying them.” The cyber-attack froze up all of the station’s songs, commercials and promotional audio. According to Hilmes, billing and payment information wasn’t compromised.

The radio was forced to go off air and utilized its limited backups for music after a few hours. “We’re doing it like how radio was originally done. We play the music and then we read the commercials live,” he said.

The unexpected issue will require Backyard Bend to manufacture new hardware, but it hopes to be mainly operational within two weeks.

“This is unfortunately the world that we live in today and our listeners and our advertisers mean the world to us, so we’re doing everything we can to get their favorite music on air and our advertisement messages back up,” said Hilmes.

—Julianna LaFollette

$100 Billion – Total expected U.S. economic impact from cannabis sales in 2023, from this week’s Smoke Signals story.

“Understanding that this is going to be a part of students’ lives, we’re setting them up for much more success if we teach them how to properly use it, interact with it and think about the ethical implications of it, rather than just telling them not to use it.” – Kelly Fast, director of academic and experiential programs at Cascades Academy, from this week’s news story on the school’s adoption of an artificial intelligence policy.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and the leaders of the Oregon House and Senate have committed $19 million to make up a shortfall at the Oregon Department of Transportation. State officials announced in October that it would need to reduce winter road maintenance because of a shortage in its budget. With the $19 million promised by the governor and state leaders, ODOT can buy more snow plows and de-icing equipment and fix potholes and other damage. Meanwhile, Kotek issued an executive order on Tuesday that means about 10,000 people may be eligible to get their driver’s licenses reinstated, after failing to pay fees or fines. Most of the fines and fees have not been paid for three or more years, and “For families who are already struggling to make ends meet, these orders seek to remove one more barrier to financial stability,” Kotek wrote in a press release. HB 4210, passed in 2020, already ended the practice of suspending people’s licenses for nonpayment of fines, but Tuesday’s order addresses those who had their licenses suspended before the legislation went into place.

—Compiled by Nicole Vulcan

This article appears in Source Weekly December 7, 2023.