In this episode of Bend Don’t Break, host Aaron Switzer sits down with Todd Dunkelberg, Director of the Deschutes Public Library and an unexpected TikTok sensation. Todd shares his journey from graduating in library science at the University of Texas to leading one of Oregon’s most dynamic library systems. He reflects on the evolution of […]
LISTEN: Bend Don’t Break, Todd Dunkelberg 🎧
Posted inLocal News
Redmond Puts Its Foot Down on Fireworks
The Redmond City Council passed Ordinance No. 2025-21, which prohibits, except on July 4, “the use of any and all fireworks” within city limits. Mayor Ed Fitch approved it the same day on Tuesday, Nov. 18. Per Oregon state law, the term “fireworks” refers to “consumer fireworks, display fireworks, exempt fireworks, pyrotechnic articles, special effects; […]
Posted inCulture
Books to Inspire Your Next Gathering
I’ve been making my Thanksgiving turkey the same exact way for over 20 years. As a young mom in my 20s, I had no idea how to even start a turkey, so I went to the only expert I knew: Martha Stewart. Martha’s Perfect Roast Turkey recipe, from brine to cheesecloth, is one of the […]
Posted inColumns
Saying Grace
Remember when you received your first copy of AARP Magazine? It felt like a cold hand reaching up from the grave. Looking the other way, you picked it up like a dead mouse, a page pinched between forefinger and thumb, and threw it in the trash. Fast forward a decade or two and, admit it, […]
Posted inTake Me Home
When Should You Sell?
The number one question most people ask when they’re considering selling their home is, “When should we sell?” The long-standing belief is that summer is the prime season — but what does the data actually show? To get a clear answer, I focused on three key statistics: % of Original List Price Received, Average Days […]
Posted inLocal News
Sound Off: Submit Your Opinion About New Hawthorne Crossing Designs
The Oregon Department of Public Transportation has launched an online open house to offer the public the latest updates — and to solicit feedback — on the long-anticipated Hawthorne Crossing that will connect east and west Bend above Highway 97 and the railroad tracks. The online open house, which debuted on Nov. 19 and is […]
Posted inCulture
Free Will Astrology Week of Nov. 20
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Your theme for the coming weeks is the fertile power of small things: the transformations that happen in the margins and subtle gestures. A kind word that shifts someone’s day, for instance. Or a refusal to participate in casual cruelty. Or a choice to see value in what you’re supposed to […]
Posted inOutside
Volunteers Needed at Bunny Rescue
Most pet owners will reminisce about their favorite pet, one that deeply touched their heart, was a bonafide family member and by which each future pet is compared. Lindsey Provost took that sentiment to extremes after falling in love with her first pet bunny, Ember, in 2015. When Ember passed away in 2019, Provost started […]
Posted inMusic
Not Your Typical ‘Paper Doll’
Having played in these parts before, rock/blues guitarist Samantha Fish is no stranger to Central Oregon. In the meantime, she and her band have just been tearing it up. Fish was nominated for Best Contemporary Blues Album in the 2024 Grammys for her 2023 collaboration with rocker Jesse Dayton, “Death Wish Blues.” She and the […]
Posted inLocal News
A Disoriented Seattleite Begs Downtown Bend Passersby to Tell Him About Local Businesses
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 […]