Supporting Equality & Equity There has been an ongoing policy discussion within the Redmond School Board in regard to Equity and Equality in our school. Some have tried to turn those two words into political wedges. I planned on speaking at the meeting, but the citizen comments list was full when I went to sign […]
Letters to the Editor Week of Oct. 30
Posted inLocal News
Bend Considers Adding a Fee to Discourage Natural Gas in New Homes
The Bend City Council is struggling to define a policy to encourage all electric appliances and heating/cooling systems in new construction. The City is working toward a goal of cutting fossil fuel use by 70% by 2050. According to the City’s website, half of local emissions come from energy use in buildings. Residential buildings are […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Bar Rio is Morphing into The Rio Room
Bar Rio in downtown Bend is rebranding into a private event space called The Rio Room. The last day for the public to visit Bar Rio is expected to be Thursday, Oct. 30. After that, the owners will focus on renting out the space for rehearsal dinners, business luncheons, birthdays, holiday parties and more. The […]
Posted inFilm
Rich Man/Rich Man
I think Aziz Ansari meant well when he sat down to write ”Good Fortune” and really thought he was trying to unpack the unfairness of the gig worker system in America, and how easy it is to make one or two small mistakes and end up homeless and destitute. While “Good Fortune” has some solid […]
Posted inLocal News
Bend OB-GYN Claims St. Charles Forced Him to Close Down
A longtime Bend doctor is closing his practice and suing St. Charles Health System, accusing it of forcing him out of business. Dr. John Murphy’s lawsuit, which was filed in Deschutes County Circuit Court, alleges that the central Oregon hospital and clinic system tried to “sabotage” his practice by hiring away one of his colleagues. The lawsuit also […]
Posted inLocal News
Oregon’s Rural Counties are the Hardest Hit by the Federal Government Shutdown
As the government shutdown stretches into its fourth week, most of the nearly 23,000 federal employees in Oregon are still going without pay—including many required to keep working during the shutdown, such as airport screeners and air traffic controllers. Analysis by OJP indicates that back pay for Oregon’s federal workers, mandated by the Government Employee […]
Posted inTake Me Home
Bend’s Still on Top
Most of us already know why people move to Bend—because at one point, we did the same thing. But why does it continue to top Oregon’s “best places to live” lists, and yet not a single Oregon city appears in U.S. News‘ Top 275? Back in 2000, Bend’s population was 52,029. A decade later, it […]
Posted inColumns
Savage in Bend (or Redmond)
Readers get a two for one, because this week is the Redmond issue AND Halloween! So why not answer a question about a haunting? Lynn J. asks, “Is the SCP Redmond Hotel really haunted?” This tale begins way back in 1906, when William and Fannie Wilson built the original Redmond Hotel, a wooden two-story structure […]
Posted inCulture
Building Confidence, Character and Grace
A Disney classic, “The Little Mermaid,” will be center stage in Redmond this November. Ovation Performing Arts is putting on the production. The non-profit primarily serves homeschooled families and describes itself as a Christian-based organization. Jonathan Shepherd and his wife have run OPA for the past decade, developing young actors from around Central Oregon. For […]
Posted inMusic
The Sounds of Yemen Are Coming to Bend
What began as a few friends playing music together in the Middle East turned into an international tour with a stop at Silver Moon Brewing in Bend. El Khat is a three-person minimalist band, using mostly homemade instruments. “I wasn’t planning on starting a band, I was working on some tunes that afterwards became the first […]