“When I start carving wood, I can lose track of three hours and not know what even happened. I just get zoned into it.” — George Blackman On a recent breezy morning, volunteers gathered at the Central Oregon Veterans Ranch in the high desert backcountry between Bend and Redmond to hang a new sign to […]
Bend News
Posted inMusic
GUNG HO FOR SHOWS
T.I, Paul Simon and the Initial Sisters Folk Festival Lineup
T.I — On the Hustle Gang Tour May 23 RAP— It’s a feat to release an album when you’re incarcerated but, hey, that ain’t no thang for T.I, a man known for not only his rap skills and crazy-fun dancehall like collaborations, but also his acting chops. Having won two Grammys and been in American […]
Posted inNews
Real Estate Statistics for March 2017
The Beacon Report, which is based on real estate statistics from our local Multiple Listing Service (MLS) released its reports of the March 2017 figures, which allows some interesting comparisons to last year’s Bend single family residence sales of 1 acre or less. According to the report, closed sales in Bend for the month of […]
Posted inOpinion
Letters 4/5-4/11
Feeling the Heat: Knopp & Whisnant Get Grilled at Town Hall in Bend (3/31) Oh, Whisnant got pretty aggressive at the Sunriver town hall too. Knopp actually had to stop him because it was getting embarrassing. It was pathetic to see our “representative” get visually heated when anyone made a comment that opposed his point […]
Posted inCulture
A Bazaar Era for Redmond Bookstore
Second Shop Features Books and Art
Things appeared momentarily bleak for Redmond’s Friends Bookshop. The city’s planned library remodel could have spelled the end for the cherished 1,000-square-foot used bookstore, located inside. First, construction meant the store would have had to temporarily shut down. Next, a drastically smaller space awaited upon the library’s eventual reopening. That meant the Friends of Redmond […]
Posted inCulture
A Novel Idea: Yaa Gyasi and “Homegoing”
After its inception in 2004, the Deschutes Public Library Foundation‘s “A Novel Idea” concept is no longer, well, novel—but it continues to be a forum that brings people together under the noble banner of reading good literature. When I picked up a copy of the 2017 Novel Idea selection, “Homegoing,” by Ghanian-American author Yaa Gyasi, […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Little Bites: Saying Goodbye to Family Businesses
Mazza Bistro Closing; Devores Selling
Just as they turned five years old, Mazza Bistro announced on Facebook, “Dear customers, this is to inform you that this coming Thursday, March 30th, will be Mazza’s last day in business due to loss of lease.” Mazza Bistro was a family-owned authentic Middle Eastern restaurant that served fresh, affordable food downtown. Michel Shehadeh, executive […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Grounding the Flight
A case for enjoying a taproom visit without a billion little glasses
It’s a typical Saturday afternoon at Crux Fermentation Project: families and dogs outside, diners and beer nerds inside, and what seem to be half a dozen taster trays underneath the taps, waiting to be filled. “They tend to come and go in waves,” the bartender comments. “It’s sort of the same deal as Bloody Marys. […]
Posted inOutside
Natural World: An unexpected encounter
The last thing the people at Lowe’s in Bend expected to see last week was a lone common poorwill (a bird very closely related to a nighthawk) standing in the middle of the garden center. You have to admit, that bundle of feathers with red eyes just doesn’t fit into a bird category—unless someone knows […]
Posted inNews
Opioid Epidemic
In light of rampant overdoses, an Oregon Senate bill aims to limit access to opiates in the state
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has officially declared an opioid epidemic in the United States—and Oregon is definitely not immune. In an attempt to fight the epidemic, the Oregon state senate will be voting on Senate Bill 270 on April 18—a bill introduced by the Committee on Health Care for Oregon Department […]