It’s hard out there for climate justice advocate these days. Few know how quickly your eyes glaze over when the topic turns to, say, heating pumps, than this year’s Young Hero, Brennan Breen. Breen, the campaign coordinator of Energize Bend, a nonprofit coalition advocating for electrification, however, decidedly does not live in mamby-pamby land. At […]
Young Hero: Brennan Breen
Posted inLocal News
Water Hero: Kevin Tanski
Kevin Tanski is a lifelong conservationist and environmentalist, but in the past three years his attention has been laser focused on beavers. As a volunteer with Think Wild’s Beaver Works Oregon, he’s traveled to remote areas of the state, putting in countless hours restoring beaver habitat. The significance of beavers caught his attention after he read two books, “Eager” and “Beaver Land” which explore the profound impact beavers have […]
Posted inLocal News
Earth Hero: Sakari Farms
Sakari, a word meaning “sweet” in Inupiaq, represents a loving and warm personality, which exactly describes the vibe I felt when Spring and Sam Schreiner, along with Otis, their energetic canine, welcomed me to their farm on a bright, blue-sky day in Tumalo. Spring, an enrolled member of the Chugach Alaska Native Corporation and Valdez […]
Posted inCulture
Free Will Astrology, Week of April 16
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Anthropologist and author Clifford Geertz loved to use “thick description.” He wrote detailed reports that captured not just the surface level of what happened but the deeper levels of meaning. Here’s an example of thin description: “He winked.” Thick description: “He quickly closed and opened his right eyelid in a culturally […]
Posted inElections
Vote Morgan Schmidt for Deschutes County Commission, Pos. 5
Like a lot of the races for the Deschutes County Board of County Commissioners this May, the one for Position 5 is a crowded field. Voters will see four names on their ballots for this seat — one of two seats that are being added after voters previously moved to expand the county commission. If […]
Posted inNews
Tri-County Area Places Burn Ban in Effect for Late April
Central Oregon fire chiefs are placing a burn ban into effect on April 30 due to abnormally warm weather. Debris burning will remain closed in some areas until fall. An alert sent out by Redmond Fire and Rescue on April 13 stated that because of warm and dry conditions and declining fuel moisture, the risk for wildfire has increased throughout Central Oregon. The burn ban comes one month […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Letters to the Editor, Week of April 16, 2026
250th Proclamation The Deschutes County Commission recently passed a resolution that proports to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, when in fact it is right out of the MAGA playbook, implying support for President Trump’s policies and actions, and filled with hypocrisy. The piece was written by a right-wing group called the Taxpayers Association of Oregon. It passed […]
Posted inOutside
The Green Team is a Leader in Sustainability
The morning after every concert at Hayden Homes Amphitheater, employees known as the Green Team, show up to sort through the trash. They dump each bag into a plastic kiddie pool, pull on rubber gloves and meticulously pick out recyclable and compostable materials achieving a 93.5% landfill diversion rate. That accomplishment involves a multi-prong effort […]
Posted inBusiness News
Redmond Municipal Airport to Host TSA Precheck Enrollment Event May 5-8, 2026
Redmond Municipal Airport (RDM) will be hosting a TSA Pre✓® enrollment event in collaboration with IDEMIA, a TSA PreCheck authorized enrollment provider. Travelers will be able to enroll or renew membership at 2252 Jesse Butler Circle, in the terminal conference room across from baggage claim. The enrollment process is quick, convenient, and even faster when the application […]
Posted inBusiness News
Deschutes National Forest to Update Temporary Cabin Butte Project Area Closure
The Deschutes National Forest will extend a reduced version of the temporary area closure of the Cabin Butte Vegetation Management Project area south of Bend, Oregon, beginning May 1, to ensure public safety and support critical forest restoration efforts. The 32,565-acre closure will remain in effect through at least April 30, 2027. The closure restricts […]