It’s a typical Saturday afternoon at Crux Fermentation Project: families and dogs outside, diners and beer nerds inside, and what seem to be half a dozen taster trays underneath the taps, waiting to be filled. “They tend to come and go in waves,” the bartender comments. “It’s sort of the same deal as Bloody Marys. […]
Pacific Northwest
Natural World: An unexpected encounter
The last thing the people at Lowe’s in Bend expected to see last week was a lone common poorwill (a bird very closely related to a nighthawk) standing in the middle of the garden center. You have to admit, that bundle of feathers with red eyes just doesn’t fit into a bird categoryโunless someone knows […]
Opioid Epidemic
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has officially declared an opioid epidemic in the United Statesโand Oregon is definitely not immune. In an attempt to fight the epidemic, the Oregon state senate will be voting on Senate Bill 270 on April 18โa bill introduced by the Committee on Health Care for Oregon Department […]
Payroll Woes
At Central Oregon Community College, full time classified employees including librarians, technicians, maintenance workers and janitors, recently found themselves facing a payroll change that, although legal, is causing some dismay. In March and April, approximately 115 COCC full-time, non-exempt hourly workers were forced to accommodate a payroll update which resulted in employees receiving just half […]
Picks of the Week
Greg Walden Town Hall Thursday 13 MEETINGโIf you’re one of the many who’s been impatiently waiting for our Republican Congressman to grace Bend with a public town hall, this is your moment. Come with your questions about health care, the environment, or whatever else you got. Arrive early, because it’s going to be packed. // […]
Shell Games
The title “Ghost in the Shell” is an ironic one. It’s explained to Major (Scarlett Johansson) early on that the “Ghost” is her soul and that even though she is primarily made up of cybernetic pieces, she is still mostly a real girl because of the humanity she possesses underneath all the metal and futuristic […]
You Want a Cannabis News Roundup?
Take a number, we’ll call you when your canna news is ready. Green and White all over Maryland has had a rocky start getting its medical cannabis program up and running. Although approved in 2013, the program stalled after requiring that the only growers allowed to grow and distribute cannabis be academic centers. After no […]
Bend’s Best Kept Secret Turns 70
The M&J Tavern has stood on the corner of Greenwood and Hill collecting colorful stories for the past 70 years. The tavern, which has changed hands six times, opened in 1947, just after World War II, when Bend’s population was barely 11,000. They only served beer and wine back then and their patrons were primarily […]
Last Up: Ravi
In case you’re out of the loop, here’s the deal: over the course of the last seven months, the Mt. Bachelor Riverhouse Jazz Series has been bringing some big names in modern jazz here to Central Oregon. The series wraps up this weekend, with two nights featuring a big name in jazz, Ravi Coltraneโwho also […]
Fast Times at Redmond High
How long would it take you to write a seven-minute play? Remember, you can’t just throw down whatever ramblings wander into your head. This play needs a coherent beginning, middle and end, just like they taught you in English class. Seven minutes that make dramatic sense. You know the elements: Plot. Theme. Character. Imagine staring […]

