Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan announced she’s resigning from her office effective May 8. Fagan faces an ethics investigation and calls to resign from state Republican leaders after Willamette Week reported Fagan worked as a consultant for the cannabis dispensary chain La Mota. Fagan’s office oversees the Oregon Audits Division, which recently released an […]
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County Reneges on Planned Managed Camp
Commissioners Adair and DeBone backed out of a collaboration with the City that would’ve established a managed camp for displaced Hunnell Road residents
The Deschutes County Commissioners backed out of a plan to hire a contractor to manage a safe parking campsite on a 1-acre parcel of land on Murphy Road in south Bend after a two-to-one vote. At a meeting on March 8, Commissioners Tony DeBone and Patti Adair said complaints from neighbors, proximity to unmanaged camps […]
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Mask Mandate Ending (Again)
After eight months, Oregon health officials will strip mask requirements for indoor public spaces
On Monday, Oregon Health Authority officials announced they would lift all public mask mandates, including in schools, no later than March 31. Oregon has had some of the strictest mask mandates in the nation, and is joined by just eight other states who have some form of a mandate in place at the time this […]
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Less Deadly, More Contagious
Omicron makes up nearly 30% of COVID cases in Oregon
The Omicron variant of COVID is spreading in Oregon and gaining ground against the Delta variant, which has been the leading strain since August. The Oregon Health Authority reports the new variant made up 27% of cases on Dec. 19, the most recent data available, since appearing in early December. Centers for Disease Control and […]
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It’s a (OE)RAP
Gov. Kate Brown looks to extend safe harbor for tenants as applications continue to be processed
Gov. Kate Brown announced on Tuesday that she will call for a special legislative session on Dec. 13 to address eviction protections. Earlier in the day Oregon Housing and Community Services said they are pausing any new applications for the Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program, or OERAP for at least six weeks. OHCS received over […]
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Back to Work?
A year and a half after a COVID-caused recession, employment numbers exceed pre-pandemic levels
The number of working Central Oregonians exceeds pre-pandemic levels from October 2019 by about 630 jobs, signaling that the economy largely recovered from the shock of COVID. The Oregon Employment Department reported Nov. 23 that the unemployment rate is around 4.9% in Deschutes County, one-and-a-half points higher than pre-pandemic rates from February 2020, but lower […]
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Omicron Incoming
The newest COVID variant is concerning many public health officials
A new COVID variant detected in South Africa is causing concern among Oregon Health officials. South African scientists announced a new variant, now called the Omicron variant, was spreading in their country last week and it’s already been detected in 20 other countries. Scientists are working to understand the novel variant, but it’s currently unknown whether […]
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Source Weekly Update 10/21/21
New food carts; health care workers out of a job in this week’s podcast
New food carts for Bend and Sisters, and health workers out of a job after the vaccine mandate, all found in this week’s Source Weekly Update podcast. Source Weekly – Bend, Oregon · Source Weekly Update Podcast 10/21/21
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Source Weekly Update 9/23/21
The death of Barry Washington and an effort to make Bend’s streets safer
The death of a young man on the streets of Bend after a bar fight, and a push to make Bend’s streets safer through a survey and upcoming conference… all in this week’s Source Weekly Update. Source Weekly – Bend, Oregon · Source Weekly Update 9/23/21
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Record High COVID Cases In Oregon
COVID cases and hospitalizations soar—largely among unvaccinated people
Oregon COVID cases and hospitalizations are exceeding pandemic highs. Only 57 of Oregon’s 883 ICU beds are available when this story went to print. “The delta variant continues to ravage communities across Oregon, our hospitals are scrambling to avoid being overtopped by record numbers of COVID-19 patients,” said Dr. Dean Sidelinger, Oregon State Health Officer, in a video for […]