Ground Down: Despite value, urban caves prove hard to protect

Posted inNews

Ground Down: Despite value, urban caves prove hard to protect

Eric Flowers

Perhaps only in the obscure world of cave exploration could a relatively cave rich area like Bend find its foremost expert in the form of a pizza delivery driver. But that's what seems to be the case, at least as it relates to the Horse system and local caver Matt Skeels, who has dedicated a huge amount of his free time to exploring and inventorying the network of lava caves that stretches from the flank of Newberry Caldera to the industrial area on Redmond's east side.

The caves are no secret, most people who have been around Central Oregon for a few years have either heard of, or poked around in some of the Horse system lava caves. But lately they've been getting a little more attention - at least from cavers like Skeels who are keenly aware that urbanization can quickly degrade cave habitat for bats and other - sometimes rare - creatures. Yet, in some ways the growth can be a mixed blessing for cavers and conservationists who know that with increase exposure will come more opportunities for preservation, but also more risk of degradation.

Posted inOpinion

Wyden’s “Health Care Reform” Turkey

Intern

For many years, the relationship between organized labor and Ron Wyden has looked like a match made in heaven. Lately, though, labor has been doing everything short of throwing the kitchen knives at Oregon's senior senator.

The reason is Wyden's health care plan, which he's calling the "Healthy Americans Act." Unions, such as the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), think Wyden's plan would squander the opportunity to enact meaningful reform of our pathetic health care system.
We agree.
On a website it's put up (stopwydenshealthtax.com), AFSCME calls Wyden's idea a "health tax." That's a rhetorical gimmick, sort of like conservatives calling the estate tax "the death tax." But while Wyden's plan wouldn't literally tax health, it would tax health care benefits. And that – especially in a time of falling wages and rising layoffs – is not the way to go.

Posted inOpinion

Up In Smoke: Satan’s houseguests, Palin’s plans, and more celebrity deathwatch

Intern

The author has been sent on the road to discover a lost country formerly known as America. He is reporting from Black Butte, urinating on ashes, trying to make a puddle that resembles Jacko, on assignment for Or-Bust.com and The Source Weekly.

Hell Is Getting Crowded
In yet another sign that Satan will have to expand Hades soon, Robert McNamara died on Monday at age 93. The "whiz kid" who JFK invited to destroy a generation of Americans, McNamara oversaw the Vietnam War for both JFK and LBJ, later writing in his autobiography that it was all a mistake. Thanks, Bob. Oh, it gets better - McNamara's resume is guaranteed to impress Beelzebub: Analyzing the efficiency of U.S. firebombing missions in World War II (for which McNamara received rank of Lieutenant Colonel); afterward he joined Ford (his sole qualification being that he read an article on the company in Life magazine - no lie) where he killed the Edsel, tried to terminate the Lincoln line, and championed the forgettable Ford Falcon sedan. As Secretary of Defense from 1961-1968, McNamara increased our "limited warfare" capabilities by drafting teenagers to defend a country they didn't know anything about, under the guise of preventing "the steady erosion of the Free World through limited wars." Seriously, if you want to both understand and be fully baffled by this man, rent "The Fog of War." Dick Cheney may attend McNamara's funeral; if not, no one will.

Posted inOpinion

Economics Versus Deschutes County’s Land-Use Planning

Intern

Except for only very few readers, here's a sentence that will prompt yawns: On Wednesday July 15, the Deschutes County Commission plans to hold a public meeting on a proposed amendment to the County's land-use code allowing commercial wedding events on parcels designated for Exclusive Farm Use. Yawns all around, perhaps, but we three economists think that on this issue, the County is doing neither the right thing nor the thing right. And we think these two wrongs matter.

Some context helps. The Deschutes County Commissioners are nearing the end of the period for public comment on their update of the County's comprehensive, land-use plan. Coincidentally, they're nearing the end of their deliberations on the commercial wedding-events matter. What bothers us about both the big thing-the update of the comprehensive plan-and the deceptively little thing-the amendment to allow more commercial enterprises on EFU land-is that the County's land-use planning proceeds as if economics isn't relevant. In the March 12 meeting of Deschutes County's Planning Commission, for example, Planning Commissioner Chris Brown, addressing the commercial wedding-events issue, argued that economics has no bearing on land-use issues. Incredible.

Posted inFood & Drink

New Beginnings: Pubs and Coffee

The Source Staff

Pour us a pint, Brother Jon.

Those in the Galveston Avenue neighborhood – referred to as the “Parrilla District” by at least one Source staffer – got another watering hole option this week with the opening of Brother Jon’s Public House.
Operating out of what was the short-lived Mahkanas on Galveston, Brother Jon’s is a venture by Downtowner partner Stephen Barnette and fellow Deschutes pub alum John Machell (along with wife Kristen). Barnette calls Brother Jon’s a “neighborhood pub” with a clean atmosphere, a full bar with choices of microbrews as well as the seemingly obligatory $2 PBR tall can. The menu is pub fare with nothing exceeding the $10 line, underlining the pub’s focus on affordability. Having opened just Monday, Barnette says he’s already noticed a come-one-come-all ethos to his pub.
“Yesterday a couple guys from down the street came by with a guitar and banjo and played out on the back patio. And we’re fine with that sort of thing,” said Barnette, adding that they also have cable sports packages.

Posted inOpinion

Liberals Have No Answers

Intern

While I am quite certain that The Source is a "left leaning" publication (I don't think I have ever seen a conservative article), it is the reason why I am never "shocked" at what I see there. In a recent article one of your "columnists" made a "compassionate" comment about wishing a microwave would go off just as Dick Cheney was passing by, obviously wishing Cheney would die.

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