Cranes, Planes and AutoBikes
“Look up in the sky and on the roads, it’s…the end of Bend as we knew it!”
Most Central Oregon Bendocratsplants (yes, make it official) have seen cranes before, and surely a big jet airliner lumbering along for a landing. E-bikes, well, aside from the teens hogging the river trail, are used as alternative means of transport to combat the overcrowded streets.
Get used to it folks, it’s only going to get worse.
—Rick Lobaugh
Guest Opinion: Madd Walks in Honor of Impaired Driving Victims
Impaired driving has been an ongoing devastating problem in our state and across the nation for generations. For decades the number of fatalities attributed to impaired driving hovered between 30-35% of all fatal crashes. In 2021 Oregon saw a catastrophic leap in impaired fatalities with over 64% of all fatal crashes involving alcohol and/or drugs! We are experiencing a crisis around our state that is taking lives, destroying families and shattering communities. In 2021, 387 lives were taken and 2,675 people suffered injuries, many left with life altering results – 34 of those fatalities and 157 injured people were from Central Oregon. In 2022, in Deschutes County alone, there were 1,019 DUII cases filed. Central Oregon saw a total of 1,642 cases filed. These are just the people who were caught, but we know statistically this reflects less than 20% of those who are driving impaired at any given time.
These numbers are terrifying and unacceptable! These aren’t just numbers. They’re people – mothers, fathers, children, grandparents, friends, neighbors and coworkers. These numbers include lives lost such as the life of 17-year-old AJ Clough. AJ had his whole life ahead of him. He was looking forward to his senior year in high school, had just passed his driver’s license test four days before being killed in an impaired driving crash. He left behind a devastated mother, two sisters, friends and his community. We can and must do better!
MADD believes in a world where everyone is safe to live, work and play. We are a movement of caring individuals with a shared purpose to end the dangers of impaired driving, a health and safety issue that affects every community. We work diligently to educate our youth and communities, support law enforcement efforts, promote safer laws through legislation, serve victims and their families, and honor the lives of those who have been injured or killed by this 100% preventable tragic crime. At MADD, our voices and experiences are our strength, and our compassion is our fuel. We invite everyone to join our movement of advocates and changemakers. Together, we will not stop until we create a safer future for all and a world in which impairment puts no lives at risk.
On Oct. 14, 2023, MADD Oregon will be hosting a community event called Walk Like MADD at Alpenglow Park in Bend. This event helps raise community awareness, provides education about the dangers and consequences of driving impaired, honors those whose lives have been taken or were seriously injured. The money raised from this event helps to fund our programs and services in Oregon. How can you get involved? Sign up to participate in the Walk, donate, become a sponsor, or join us as a volunteer for the event. Here is the link to our event website: walklikemadd.org/event/oregon.
Together, we can make a difference. We can save lives! Join us today. For additional information or questions, please contact Cate Duke, at cate.duke@madd.org, or call 541-521-6476 (c) or 541-343-8115 (o).
—Cate Duke is the programs manager for Mothers Against Drunk Driving’s Oregon state office.
The Difference Between a Conversation and a Filibuster
The holidays are approaching, along with opportunities for more social gathering.
Relevant to this, a friend recently noted, “In my growing experience, the proportion of people who do not know the difference between a conversation and a filibuster is growing.”
Unfortunately, the people who most need to hear this probably won’t recognize themselves. Because (seemingly) they can’t.
Recently I’ve been observing people in a variety of social settings — restaurants, parties, common affiliation groups. I’m struck with how often there’s at least one person who just can’t help themselves from dominating a conversation, who can’t resist interrupting to make their perceived superior point or to tell their perceived superior story. Neither gender has a monopoly. It’s as if they see social interaction as a competitive sport, showing astoundingly little curiosity about the people with whom (they believe) they’re socializing. Just turn on the TV, and examples of people talking over one another, like verbal tanks, are yawningly commonplace.
Are such habits of communication getting absorbed into our culture?
A friend says she and her husband have a secret game when they socialize: As a way to also monitor their own behavior, they mentally tally points for whenever anyone asks a thoughtful question to others, giving extra credit for follow-up questions.
The art of dialogue, of asking great questions, listening carefully and drawing others out to genuinely understand someone else’s experience seems to be getting lost in our increasingly fast-paced culture.
Why might that be so?
Could be worth a conversation.
—Ginny Contento
RE: Budget Lunches: The Endangered Species. Breakfast and Lunch Guide, 9*14
“Sadness soup” totally cracks me up. I’ve been there! We should all get out more when we can, support our local businesses, and have some respect for ourselves with a more uplifting meal 🙂
—Laura Blossey via bendsource.com
Letter of the Week:
There’s a pretty simple system I adhere to here at the Source Weekly: Compliment my writing, get Letter of the Week. Thanks for making my day, Laura! Coincidentally, today my lunch consists of soup I made on Sunday as an effort at meal prep. It’s the opposite of Sadness Soup. Things are lookin’ up!
—Nicole Vulcan
This article appears in Source Weekly October 12, 2023.
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