As a bad year comes to a close, Smoke Signals considers the best strains of 2016. The strains making the list are both strong sellers in Bend, Portland and elsewhere in Oregon, as well as those that have increased greatly in popularity over the past year. Blue Dream Blue Dream is what’s known as a […]
Bend News
Good Stuff, Not-So-Good Stuff
Every year there are films that are wonderful, yet are completely ignored by audiences, eventually attracting a cult following several years later. On the opposite end there are movies that critics and audiences alike think are giant piles of crap. Here are a couple of films misunderstood or over-loved by audiences this year. Underrated: The […]
Year in Review for Bend and National Housing
What is happening in the national housing market appears to be very true for Bend as well. According to the Beacon Report for December 2016, based on November MLS statistics, prices for Bend single family homes have increased by about 16 percent for the period of November 2015 to November 2016, but housing inventory has […]
Picks 12/28-1/4
Friday 30 Quick and Easy Boys ROCK & ROLL—This Portland-based trio rocks the house every time they come to Central Oregon, and this show should be no exception. A great way to gear up for New Year's Eve celebrations. Compare Quick and Easy Boys to Band of Gypsies, the Police, the Minutemen…or don’t compare them […]
Beauty for the Beasts
If you didn’t find a way to support your local artists in 2016, there’s still time to do so in 2017. Here’s where to start. Flor and Fawn Flor and Fawn is the artistic collaboration between friends Katie Daisy and Karen Eland. On their own, their artistic characteristics are unique and diverse, but together their […]
2016 Editorials
Here’s a review of some of the issues our editorial board tackled this year—which we also expect to see pop back up next year. “This is Not Your Land” Jan 7, 2016 and “Malheur Verdict: A Slap in the Face to Law and Order” Nov 2, 2106 January brought the occupiers; November brought their stunning […]
Best of the Web
The readers of BendSource.com are an entertaining bunch. Sometimes they leave us mean comments. Other times they spark threads of provocative commentary on stories new and strange. Here’s a peek at the top web stories of the year. Nina de la Tierra: Child of the Earth The mystery of the Jerusalem Cricket (2009) Jim Anderson […]
Extraordinary Women, Ancient Life in Oregon and More
In covering feature stories, my goal is to find unique content that deviates from the standard approach. One thing that differentiates me from other media outlets is that I like to cover stories "first hand," talking to people face to face. I find it provides a deeper and richer experience that enables me to tell […]
Pop These on your Record Player
The year in music seems likely to be remembered for its major losses. This was a year when we lost artists who were not merely stars, but icons whose albums helped shape entire genres of music. A couple of them, even as death approached, managed to make the Sources’ top albums of 2016 list. 1 […]
Puttin’ on a Good Show
Over the past year more theatre was produced in Central Oregon than ever before, and a wide majority of those productions were performed for sold out houses. With all of the productions that happened last year, we asked some of the myriad theatre folk in the region what their favorite shows across 2016 were. The […]

