Remember when education got a whopping 4% of the federal budget? Well, those days are officially over. The U.S. Department of Education’s budget fell by $73 billion this year, from $268.4 billion in 2024 to $194.7 billion in 2025, bringing the DOE’s spending to a 1.3% trickle. Oregon’s COVID relief funds are also now exhausted, […]
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Five Convictions Thrown out Due to Former Sheriff Kent van der Kamp’s Dishonesty
The Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office concluded an investigation into five cases between 2012 and 2014
Kent van der Kamp’s past dishonesty and misconduct have cost the former Deschutes County Sheriff his career in Oregon law enforcement. Now, van der Kamp’s transgressions have resulted in five convictions being overturned by the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office, the Source has learned. Each of these five cases were tried in Deschutes County Circuit […]
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From Campground to Common Ground
Redmond facility aims to bridge the gap between street and shelter
Following months of careful deliberation and community input, the Deschutes County Board of County Commissioners voted on July 21 to move forward with Central Oregon’s new managed camp for people experiencing houselessness. The vote was 2-1, with Commissioners Patti Adair and Phil Chang voting yes and Commissioner Tony DeBone opposing. The board approved up […]
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Off Target: How the managers of Oregon’s $100 billion pension fund ignored expert guidance and lost big
A PERS investigation
Earlier this year, Grant School District Superintendent Mark Witty faced a $900,000 hike in what his district needs to pay this coming year to the Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund. It was a crippling announcement. The cause of the increase? Lousy investment returns by the state agency empowered to invest public employees’ money. And when investment […]
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Meteor Shower Lights Up Oregon Dark Skies
Peak Perseids on Aug. 12 and 13
There’s something magical about shooting stars that brings out the kid in all of us. No matter your age, spotting a meteor streak across the night sky never gets old. This month, Oregon skywatchers have the chance to catch nature’s fireworks show. The Perseid meteor shower runs from July 17 through August 23, hitting its […]
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Governor Kotek Declares Drought Emergency in Douglas, Morrow, and Union Counties
Drought emergencies declared in five counties this calendar year
Salem OR – Governor Tina Kotek has declared a drought in Douglas, Morrow, and Union counties through Executive Order 25-18 and directed state agencies to coordinate and prioritize assistance to the region. A link to Executive Order 25-18 can be found here. Union County According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, Union County has been experiencing […]
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Judge in PacifiCorp Wildfire Trials Wants to Quadruple the Court’s Pace
Many victims of the 2020 wildfires still await resolution of their damages.
A Multnomah County circuit judge has adopted an ambitious new schedule to speed up a class action lawsuit PacifiCorp faces over Oregon’s 2020 wildfires. Judge Steffan Alexander approved a new case management order July 28 that will quadruple the number of damages trials by February. The new schedule calls for four damages trials to run simultaneously. […]
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Ballot Initiative Seeks to Repeal New Permit Fees on Paddleboards & Kayaks
A new law levies fees on human-powered vessels to raise money to fight invasive species
A trio of petitioners aims to repeal a new law that would require paddle-boarders and flatwater kayakers to pay state permit fees starting in January. “I think it goes against our constitutional rights,” says Angela Epperson, a Hermiston resident who enjoys kayaking on the Columbia and Umatilla Rivers. “I just think they’ve gone too far.” In […]
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Candidate List for Five-Seat Deschutes County Commission Growing
At least seven people are running thus far for the non-partisan positions
The 2026 primary race for an expanded Deschutes County Commission from three to five seats continues growing. Four of the five seats are up for election. Two of those are held by incumbents Tony DeBone and Patti Adair. The two new seats are at-large. Commissioner Phil Chang’s seat in Position 2 is not up for […]
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Abstrax’s Extracts Are on the Nose
Cannabis industry’s flavorists spark new joint for brewers
I‘d like to open by issuing Abstrax’s national sales manager, Barbara Stone, an apology. In discussing the brave new world of smell and taste wrought by Abstrax’s 100% plant-derived terpene extracts—a terpene being the aromatic compound found in all plant life and notoriously central to the world of cannabis—I provincially asked if dosing cannabis products […]