Sue Anderson, leader of the annual Ochoco Butterfly Count, gathers the participants into a pre-count circle and gives the ten of us volunteers, including Juba the dog (named after the Juba skipper), a morning pep talk prior to all of us heading out in the Ochoco National Forest where this count, sponsored by the Lane […]
The 36th Annual Ochoco Butterfly Count
Posted inFood & Drink
Flights Wine Bar Earns Prestigious Award
Flights Wine Bar announced it received the 2025 Wine Spectator Restaurant Award of Excellence. Owner Kelsey Daniels says it’s the first woman-led restaurant in Central Oregon to achieve the prestigious recognition and Bend’s first wine bar to receive the award. Daniels, who’s a Certified Sommelier, said in a news release, “Our wine list is a […]
Posted inNews
Gov. Kotek signs Executive Order Setting a Statewide Standard for Cell Phone Use in Schools
The following is a news release from the Governor’s office: Today, Governor Tina Kotek signed Executive Order 25-09, which aims to improve student educational outcomes and mental wellbeing across the state by prohibiting cell phone use by students during the school day in Oregon’s K-12 public schools. Model policies for schools that already have prohibitions […]
Posted inNews
Hospice of Redmond to Host Special Presentation by Project Recover: Bringing Missing Military Home
REDMOND, OR – July 1, 2025 – Hospice of Redmond is honored to announce a special presentation featuring Project Recover, an organization dedicated to finding and bringing home military personnel missing in action (MIA). The event will take place on Thursday, July 9, 2025, from 1:30-3:00 PM at the VFW Deschutes Post 1408, located at […]
Posted inNews
Downtown Axe-Throwing Spot to Shut its Doors
A local axe-throwing bar, Unofficial Logging Co., announced Monday evening that it will close its downtown Bend taphouse after July 2. The taphouse, located on the corner of Greenwood Avenue and NW Harriman Street, cited a series of challenges since the pandemic. The bar opened in 2019, offering axe-throwing, 18 taps of craft beer and a […]
Posted inNews
Oregon Ski Resort Operations Hang in the Balance
Oregon ski mountains, recreational companies and nonprofits, are on the verge of an operational crisis involving the difficulty of getting, and retaining, affordable liability insurance — or any at all. As of May 29, ski resorts including Mt. Hood Meadows, Timberline and Willamette Pass became uninsured, or stand to become so by sometime this summer […]
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Governor Kotek Announces Landmark Office to Spur Housing is Open for Business
S alem, OR – Today, Governor Tina Kotek announced the full launch of the Housing Accountability and Production Office (HAPO), a joint office between the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) and the Building Codes Division (BCD), part of the Department of Consumer and Business Services (DCBS). HAPO is an essential piece of the […]
Posted inNews
35 Cent Minimum Wage Increase Presents Mixed Challenge
On July 1, the minimum wage in Deschutes County increased from $14.70 to $15.05 per hour. An hourly increase of 35 cents could be challenging for some small businesses. With 9 out of 10 restaurants being small businesses and most paying minimum wage to food service workers, the increase can significantly impact whether the restaurant […]
Posted inNews
Think Wild Launches Crooked River Park Restoration Project in Prineville
Prineville, Oregon — Think Wild, Central Oregon’s wildlife conservation nonprofit, invites community members to join a volunteer day on Thursday, July 3, to help launch a new habitat restoration project in Prineville. Volunteers will assist with solarization, an eco-friendly, sun-powered method of preparing soil for native planting by laying out large tarps over a 20,000-square-foot […]
Posted inNews
A Downtown Bend Bar is Closing
Less than two months after 900 Wall closed its doors blaming a significant drop in business, a bar in downtown Bend announced its closing for the same reason. In a posting to Facebook, Unofficial Logging Co. on NW Harriman Street and Greenwood Avenue, said its last day is expected to be Wednesday, July 2. The […]