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COTA Opens New Mountain Bike Trails At Wanoga Sno-Park

2 out of the planned 5 downhill trails have been completed and are open to the public starting July 9th.
Avatar photo by Nic Moye

The Wanoga Downhill Trails project, which has been years in the making, broke ground in mid-June and plans to add a total of 5 trails of the Wanoga Sno-Park Complex. Two out of the planned 5 trails will be open to the public starting Wednesday, July 9, which will include an advanced/black downhill flow trail […]

Posted inMusic

Bryan Bielanski Loves Tacos and Bend

North Carolina’s galivanting troubadour is bringing his Super Happy Fun Time to Bend
by Julie Hanney

Catching Bryan Bielanski in one place can be a difficult feat. He is on tour about 49 weeks a year, playing shows all over (and I mean ALL over) the U.S. and Europe. As a one-man band, he is on a mission to bring his Super Happy Fun Time albums I-IV to as many people […]

Posted inNews

Prevailing Wage Expansion Advances With Key Questions Unanswered

Trade unions strongly support extending higher-wage requirements to off-site fabrication but lawmakers—and legislative lawyers—don’t know whether or how the state would enforce the proposed law.
by Nigel Jaquiss, Oregon Journalism Project

A bill that would expand the scope of Oregon’s prevailing wage law is moving toward a floor vote with key questions unanswered. That matters because the expansion could impact just about every public works project in Oregon, from roads and sewers to schools—both renovations and new construction. House Bill 2688 “applies the prevailing rate of wage […]

Posted inNews

Volunteers Fill Gaps in Rural Oregon Emergency Medical Care

Without a state-mandated tax base, some rural first responders work unpaid.
by OPB, Jennifer Baires

On New Year’s Day in 2023, Erik Kerr met up with a snowmobiling group near Crescent in south-central Oregon, intending to ride through the forest to the rim of Crater Lake. But he never made it that day. “I hit the tree dead between the skis,” Kerr said recently. “My torso went forward. My head […]

Posted inNews

Deschutes County Sheriff Resigns, Effective July 31

Following accusations of dishonesty, Sheriff Kent van der Kamp decided to resign from his position June 23
Avatar photo by Julianna LaFollette

Deschutes County Sheriff Kent van der Kamp resigned from his position on Monday morning, following months of scrutiny for accusations of dishonesty. Around 8:20am on June 23, van der Kamp sent an email to Deschutes County, stating his resignation from the Office of Sheriff, effective July 31. According to an email from Deschutes County Clerk […]

Posted inNews

Residents Weigh in on Public Lands Sale Proposal

Locals are fighting back against an amendment to the ‘big, beautiful bill’ that would allow the private sale of public lands in Western states
Avatar photo by Julianna LaFollette

Bend locals gathered at Drake Park June 21 to march in protest against the proposed sale of millions of acres public lands in several Western states, including Oregon. The proposal was introduced in early June as an amendment to a Republican budget bill called colloquially the “big beautiful bill.” According to reporting from The New […]

Posted inNews

Teen Gets His Two Billboards Moment

Redmond high schooler Gavin McConnell won an ODOT billboard design contest dedicated to road worker safety
Avatar photo by Peter Madsen

“Their job is risky. Don’t make it deadly.”  It’s a straightforward concept. The language is concise. Combined with clear illustration, the message packs a punch.  And now it’s one of ODOT’s newest billboards — one that might save road workers’ lives.  The billboard is the work of Gavin McConnell, a recent graduate of Ridgeview High […]

Posted inNews

Central Oregon Underwater

Being part of the larger community
by Kimberly Bowker

Snowflakes melt instantly upon touching the water of Lake Billy Chinook near Madras. It is February of 2008 and I float in a thick wetsuit shouldering scuba diving gear in 45-degree water. I shiver and feel awe at the thought of living under that water for a moment. As one might expect, there is not […]

Posted inNews

A Backcountry Skiing Trifecta!

A thrill ride down Mt. Saint Helens, Mt. Hood & Mt. Adams
by Matt Brannen

Hello, readers! You are welcome to join me again on another summer skiing trip! This past Memorial Day weekend I met with brothers Todd Baribault and Allen Baribault. They flew into Portland from Santa Fe and Vermont respectively, where Todd and I were high school friends. We met up the following day with an agenda […]

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