POLITICS: Joe Pakootas (D) is the first tribal member to ever make a serious bid for Congress in Washington. He’s not expected to unseat five-term incumbent Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R), but his campaign—and story—is still noteworthy. (Al-Jazeera) ABORTION: A portion of an Alabama law that sought to require abortion providers to have admitting privileges at a […]
Politics
Posted inNews
District 54 Candidates Knute Buehler and Craig Wilhelm Face Off Tuesday in Bend Chamber Debate
One way or another, voters will be getting a new representative for House District 54. Rep. Jason Conger (R), who currently fills that seat, will be returning to his law practice following his defeat to Monica Wehby in the Oregon Senate primary election. District 54 candidates Republican Knute Buehler and Democrat Craig Wilhelm will debate […]
Posted inOpinion
Vic Atiyeh: The gold standard
Perhaps it is overly romantic nostalgia to think that politicians were once more fair and balanced, and that they once followed their hearts more than their party lines. But even if that is a rose-colored look at the past, it only makes Vic Atiyeh an even more remarkable politician—and man. The state’s governor from 1979 […]
Posted inNews
What in the World: Girls with Guns, Diversity Training for The Man, and the Return of Harry Potter?
GIRL POWER: Women in Iraq are learning self-defense—the armed and dangerous kind—as the men go off to battle ISIS. Girls as young as 14 are learning to fire AK-47s to protect their younger siblings in case of an attack. (CNN) POLITICS: We already know that brain chemistry can influence a person’s political leanings, but so can the […]
Posted inNews
Mark Capell Says He’ll Run for a Third City Council Term
Mark Capell announced today that he will run for a third term on the Bend City Council. He was first elected to council in 2006 and made headlines in 2012 when he bucked tradition and publicly declared his interested in serving as mayor. Capell currently serves as chair of the Bend Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Bend Urban Renewal Agency and is […]
Posted inNews
Whatcha Doing, Candidate?
Jodie Barram says she’s building connections to bring jobs
Jodie Barram has no illusions about what government can do. She says she knows the power of public office is in the strength of connections between agencies, the crafting of infrastructures, and the support of effective policies. Though she claims to love city politics—she’s served as a city councilor and mayor pro-tem for the past […]
Posted inOpinion
The State Legislature: Our Absentee Parent
For decades, Oregon resisted hosting an annual legislative session. It was one of the final states to finally concede that leadership requires at least a meeting of its lawmakers every year, and in 2012, installed an annual session. But even now, its new concession barely seems to qualify as an annual legislature; during even-numbered years, […]