Not Your Typical ‘Paper Doll’

I’m a true-blue Pacific Northwesterner, but I don’t hail from around here. My childhood memories lie on the opposite side of the Cascade Mountains and on the opposite side of the Columbia River from Bend, in a city famous for fresh fish, depression, dope and historically disappointing major league baseball.   Upon moving to Oregon’s sixth […]

For better or for worse, shoulder season offers respite from the influxes of summer and winter tourists. Fewer vacation dollars might wisp in the wind, but downtown parking is a relative breeze.  Still, though, the shuttering of legacy establishments of 900 Wall, and the sale listing of The Lemon Tree, indicate that merchants in downtown […]

Oregon’s small businesses are the backbone of the state and local economy. According to a report from the City of Bend, in 2024 the retail sector generated approximately $928 million in gross domestic product, which was 8% of the total economy. The report also found that consumer spending at brick-and-mortar stores in Bend has been slowly declining, down 8% in 2024 from July 2023 and […]

There’s “shop local,” and then there’s really shop local. Like, handmade jewelry glittering in the display case of a Redmond boutique that was crafted a few blocks away on someone’s kitchen table. Or a cinnamon roll from a home bakery that smells like someone’s Sunday morning, because it literally came from their home oven. This season, as […]

Deschutes County Circuit Court Judge Wells Ashby sentenced Dawn Holland, of Bend, Oregon, to 42 months in prison for embezzling funds from the nonprofit she founded, DAWN’s House. Holland will also serve 36 months of post-prison supervision following her release. DAWNS House was founded in 2014 as a residential placement for women battling addiction, providing […]

The Bend City Council is working on a plan to revamp the North Mirror Pond parking lot downtown, between The Commons and Watershed Coffee, into a flex space that can double as an event venue.   “It’s got non-standard parking spaces in it right now. It needs to be redone. So this was actually an opportunity to use some of these tourism dollars to get a win-win, by upgrading the […]