Oregon’s largest credit union donated an unprecedented amount to 350+ nonprofits across Oregon and southwest Washington. This year’s giving totaled more than $4 million, and focusedon food and shelter, youth services, financial education, and environmental stewardship. “The holiday season reminds us of what communities can accomplish when we come together,” said Rob Stuart, president and CEO of OnPoint Community Credit Union. “These […]
OR and WA Nonprofits Receive More Than $4 Million from OnPoint Community Credit Union in 2025
Posted inLocal News
Crush Your Opponents in Pickleball to Support Foster Care Advocacy
The sport of pickleball has come a long way. Even some hardcore players may not be aware of its Pacific Northwestern past. The sport was created in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, a ferry ride away from Seattle, and came to exist as something of an athletic hybrid: a mix of tennis and badminton, played with a wiffleball and short paddles. Humble backyard beginnings turned […]
Posted inLocal News
In 2026, Central Oregon Occupational Therapists May Lose Their Occupations
An upcoming adjustment to how much behavioral health providers get paid through Oregon’s Medicaid infrastructure could put some, specifically occupational therapists, straight out of business. Occupational therapy, like physical therapy, is intended to help disabled or injured people work past their medical issues and return to normal life. Through OT services, everyday actions that feel out of reach can gradually […]
Posted inOpinion
The Year’s Winners and Losers
The end of a year is an ideal time to look back, reassess and think about what we could do better in the new year. With that, we present some of the winners and losers of the year 2025. Let’s start with the Losers. Losing locally –Oregon’s budget. Federal decisions and executive orders are bringing […]
Posted inBusiness News
United Way of Central Oregon Hosts CARES Collection Drive
Here in Central Oregon, 1 in 3 households – about 30,000 families – struggle daily just to make ends meet. Every day, our neighbors must make impossible choices. United Way of Central Oregon (UWCO) is hoping to make some of those choices easier. As we move through the year‑end holidays — a time when many families feel both the joy of the season and the strain of added […]
Posted inLocal News
Budget Cuts Threaten Oregon Program for Helping People Get Jobs After Prison
Thomas Van Hoose had been here before. Nearing the end of his third stint in an Oregon correctional facility on drug charges, he was thinking about what life on the outside would be like yet again. His first two times exiting prison went about the same way: He got a minimum-wage job, but soon found […]
Posted inColumns
The Psychedelic Frontier Dec. 25
Q: After 20+ years in traditional indigenous ceremonies with mushrooms, peyote, and ayahuasca in South and Central America, I’m watching local options emerge with both curiosity and apprehension. Most seem facilitated by mental health professionals or those with limited connection to indigenous roots. What’s the difference between these approaches and traditional circles? Are there benefits or […]
Posted inLocal News
Mountain View Community Village Takes Off With a $3 Million Grant
In January 2025, the Homeless Leadership Coalition counted 1,611 people experiencing homelessness in Deschutes County. Of that number, at least 374 were homeless in Redmond, said the HLC, which is Central Oregon’s designated Continuum of Care – a federal program designed to oversee resources to address homelessness regionally. Getting even one person off the street, […]
Posted inColumns
Star Quality
A few years ago I headed to Oregon’s Summer Lake Wildlife Area to meet friends for our annual spring bird-a-thon. Armed with binoculars, the Merlin Bird ID app and bird books, we good humoredly tried to outdo each other’s species count. Come nightfall, I took in the staggering beauty of the Milky Way that claimed […]
Posted inBusiness News
Mt. Bachelor Plans to Open Tuesday, Dec. 23
The past seven days have delivered 19” of snow to the base area, with higher totals at mid-mountain, and continued snowfall in the forecast all week. Additional operational details—including expected lifts and trails, Opening Day events schedule, and CET bus route services—will be released in the Mountain Report. Uphill access and Nordic trails will remain closed […]