The story behind the book version of “A Monster Calls” is a tragic one. Siobhan Dowd was an activist and a writer in the UK. She was diagnosed with breast cancer and, during her terminal illness, came up with the story of a young boy fighting to come to terms with his mother’s fate. She […]
Bend News
Posted inCulture
Space Racism
“Hidden Figures” turns separate but equal into a crowd please
The trailers for “Hidden Figures” have been omnipresent for at least six months. I've seen the trailer for “Hidden Figures” at least 50 times over the last few months and it made me feel like I’d already seen the film. Luckily, the film is such a warmhearted crowd pleaser that it’s hard to hold its […]
Posted inOutside
Bird’s Eye View
Seeing Central Oregon from a helicopter offers a peek at our winter wonderland in a way no ski lift can muster
Editor’s note: The online version of this story has been updated from the print version. Details regarding “landing near Broken Top” have been removed. If you’re looking for the ultimate marriage proposal, here’s an idea for you: Surprise your future spouse with a helicopter proposal that includes a tour of Central Oregon’s snow-capped mountains. You’ll land […]
Posted inOutside
Birds of a Feather
Where all those birds are coming from right now—and how you can help them thrive this winter
First it was, “Hey, where have all my robins gone…?” Then in November the question was changed to, “Where in (expletive) did all the robins come from!?” Where did “our” robins go, you ask? Most scientific research places them in Central California in winter—around Sacramento—but it wouldn’t surprise anyone if some of them ended up […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Beer in the OG Portland
Maine turning into a beer powerhouse
On a tour of U.S. beer, you can’t get much farther away (in miles) than this Northeast city. In terms of beer quality, however, Portland sticks close. Portland, the largest city in Maine, shares quite a bit in common with Bend (which it is slightly smaller than, population-wise). They are both rather remote large towns, […]
Posted inOpinion
Letters 1/11-1/18
In Response to Letter “Four-Way Stops & Traffic Circles,” (12/21/16) As a resident of Bend for the last five years, I have regularly noted to new transplants that drivers in Bend are: A. Very nice. B. Very bad. As someone who chose to bicycle, in general, as my primary mode of transportation, I saw countless […]
Posted inNews
Unearthing the Underground
Raising awareness of modern day slavery with Human Trafficking Awareness Month
Nearly 151 years ago, slavery was abolished in the United States—but for some it may come as a surprise that slavery is not only alive today, but hiding in plain sight. Women, teens and even men are regularly enslaved by those who possess power, using threats and coercion to force people into commercial sex and […]
Posted inCulture
“Vía Láctea” Opera Branches Out to Eugene
It’s not every day that Central Oregon sees its very own, locally-written opera hit the stage, so when it happened last June, it was a pretty big deal. “Vía Láctea, A New Opera in English” debuted at the Tower Theatre June 10, 2016 , after a successful Kickstarter campaign. Now the opera is spreading its […]
Posted inOpinion
Deschutes River Settlement: An Uneasy Truce
In terms of water, it’s going to be a good year. Just look outside. According to the U.S.D.A. Natural Resources Conservation Service, all basins in Oregon have normal to above-normal snowpack, with the Deschutes and Crooked River basin at 126 percent of the median. “That was not the case last year, when we observed rapid, […]
Posted inCulture
Source Spotlight: Bob Eberhard
A spotlight on the people of Central Oregon
If the economic downturn at Boeing in Seattle in the early 1960s hadn’t occurred, Redmond’s Eberhard Dairy may not even exist today. Bob Eberhard was selling Dictaphones in Puget Sound and was concerned he wouldn’t weather the downturn. That was the catalyst for a young Eberhard to return home in August of 1964 to join […]