Deschutes County is taking steps to protect our night skies from light pollution and wants to hear what you think about it. The Deschutes County Planning Commission is hosting a public hearing this Thursday, July 10, to discuss some significant changes to rural lighting rules. The big changes on the table The proposed updates are […]
Dark Sky Lighting Changes Could Be Coming to Rural Deschutes County
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LISTEN: Bend Don’t Break: Katie Chipko 🎧
In this episode of Bend Don’t Break, host Aaron Switzer sits down with Katie Chipko, Executive Director of NatureConnect Central Oregon. Since joining the organization in 2012, Katie has been a champion for outdoor access, working to build partnerships and create inclusive nature-based programs for youth and families. She and Aaron discuss the vital role […]
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Journalists at ‘The Bulletin’ Have Had Enough
Reporters and photographers at “The Bulletin” are mad as hell and aren’t going to take this anymore. In a news release the Source obtained July 8, unionized staffers at “The Bulletin” detailed their ongoing struggles to convince Carpenter Media Group, which obtained the daily from when it purchased EO Media Group in October 2024, to […]
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BLM to Address Human-Caused Fires in La Pine Basin
The Bureau of Land Management has announced the mobilization of a National Fire Prevention and Education Team to address human-caused fires in the La Pine Basin. It’s composed of fire prevention specialists from the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service. Zach Ellinger, the team lead for the fire prevention team, told the […]
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Travel & Leisure Readers Choose Central Oregon Resorts
Two Central Oregon resorts made the top 10 list for Travel & Leisure World’s Best 2025 Readers Survey Awards. Brasada Ranch ranked number five, while Sunriver Resort was listed as number six on the winners’ list. Brasada Ranch in Powell Butte is an upscale retreat with farm-to-table dining options, outdoor activities and stunning views of the […]
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Oregon Hospitals Are Bracing for Medicaid Cuts That Will Hit Harder Here Than in Most States
When President Donald Trump signed the “One Big Beautiful Bill” into law on July 4, every hospital CEO in Oregon got heartburn. That’s because the bill focused heavily on cuts to Medicaid, the health insurance program for low-income Americans called the Oregon Health Plan here. Estimates from Princeton University indicate that about 11% of Medicaid […]
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OHA launches ‘Connect to Hope’ awareness campaign, data dashboard on third anniversary of 988
Salem, Ore. – Oregon Health Authority is marking the third anniversary of 988—the three-digit number that anyone can call, text or chat when in need of mental health support—with two significant milestones: the launch of a new data dashboard to increase transparency, track usage and demonstrate the impact of 988 in Oregon and the start […]
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New Lawsuit Says Oregon’s Closed Primaries Violate the Constitution
A new lawsuit seeks to break the stranglehold Oregon’s two major political primaries have on legislative and statewide elections. The nonprofit Our Primary Voices and one of its members, Mark Porter, a resident of Clackamas County, filed the lawsuit on June 25 in Marion County Circuit Court against the state and the state’s top elections official, […]
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Big Pink Has a New Owner
Jeff Swickard is betting that better days are ahead for Portland—and, by extension, Oregon. Swickard, 53, the founder and CEO of Swickard Auto Group, a large chain of car dealerships, closed on the purchase of the U.S. Bancorp Tower (also known as “Big Pink”) earlier this week in an all-cash offer, he said today. Swickard […]
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Decorated Marine Corps Veteran who’s Homeless, Braces for Change
Andrew Couture sat on a lawn chair, puffing a cigarette, as rain clouds swirled over “the dirt,” a growing encampment east of Redmond. Couture’s dog, Octavia, a 5-year-old pitbull, bull mastiff, lay in the powdered dust at Couture’s feet. The 57-year-old tilted his chin, gesturing toward a generator humming behind his fifth-wheel camper. “I can’t […]