Every year, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health asks Americans about their use of cannabis and other drugs. The results of the 2015 survey, released recently, show that 8.3 percent of Americans aged 12 and up said they had used cannabis at least once in the past month. Meanwhile, 13.5 percent said they […]
Bend Source
Side Notes 1/11-1/18
State Attorney General Takes Over Investigation of Police Shooting Case Oregon State Police have released the names of the two Bend police officers involved in the officer-involved shooting that happened Dec 23 in downtown Bend. OSP say Officer Scott Schaier fired his handgun during the incident, and that one or both of the officers, which […]
I’m Friends With the Monster
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 […]
Space Racism
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 […]
Bird’s Eye View
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 […]
Birds of a Feather
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 […]
Beer in the OG Portland
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, […]
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 […]
Unearthing the Underground
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 […]
โVรญa Lรกcteaโ 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 […]

