Section Feature
Posted inNews

ODOT Layoffs Will Hit Key Democratic Constituency

SEIU represents half of the Oregon Department of Transportation’s nearly 5,000 employees.
by Nigel Jaquiss, Oregon Journalism Project

To better understand the high stakes of the final days of the 2025 legislative session, it’s useful to consider one fact that was largely absent from the debate over House Bill 2025, the multibillion-dollar transportation funding measure that failed in numerous incarnations: The biggest immediate loser will be the members of Service Employees International Union […]

Posted inNews

Bend Endurance Academy Climber Crowned National Champion, Earns Spot on U.S. Youth National Team and Invite to Youth Worlds in Helsinki

by The Source Staff

Five athletes from the Bend Endurance Academy’s Performance Climbing Team competed at the 2025 USA Climbing Youth National Championships, held June 26 through July 2 at Portland Rock Gym in Beaverton, Oregon. The event brought together the nation’s top youth climbers for a full week of competition across three climbing disciplines: Lead, Bouldering, and Speed. […]

Posted inNews

These are the Union-Recommended Applicants for Deschutes County Interim Sheriff

While these five short-listers haven’t officially applied, they’ll debate their merits at a July 7 public forum
Avatar photo by Peter Madsen

The short list is in.  The Deschutes County Sheriff Employee’s Association has recommended five applicants for Interim Sheriff.  Those listed are Deschutes County Undersheriff Aaron Wells; DCSO Detective and Special Services Commander Ty Rupert; DCSO Detective Lt. James McLaughlin; former DCSO Captain Deron McMaster; and COCC Director of Campus Safety and Emergency Management, Cory Darling. […]

Posted inOpinion

In Shutdown of Federal Lands Sale, a Win for Public Process — But Perhaps Not Public Lands

The notion of selling off public lands in the interest of “housing” has gotten a lot of attention
by The Source Editorial Board

Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah got stars in his eyes. What if all of the purported housing woes felt in places like St. George, Utah, and Bend, Oregon, could be alleviated by simply selling off millions of acres of land owned and managed by the American people? Better yet, wouldn’t it be great to […]

Posted inFood & Drink

Nashville Night

The Blacksteer Steakhouse & Saloon is pivoting
Avatar photo by Nic Moye

The Blacksteer Steakhouse & Saloon at the north end of Bend is undergoing a makeover. It’ll close on July 4th for nearly a month as the new owner, Susan Anderson-Korinzer, remodels, rebrands and relaunches with an entirely new menu in August. To kick off the reopening, Anderson-Korinzer is offering a special themed Nashville night on […]

Posted inOutside

New Downhill Mountain Bike Trails

Wanoga Downhill is being created by some of the best in the sport
Avatar photo by Nic Moye

Work is underway for a new mountain biking playground. Wanoga Downhill trails are being crafted by the Central Oregon Trail Alliance with input from some elite athletes including Carson Storch, a world-class freeride and slopestyle mountain biker as well as Dusty Wygle, a high-flying freeride mountain biker known for daring tricks. The trails are near […]

Posted inFood & Drink

Your Cooler Called — It Wants Real Food: Easy Camping Provisions for Happy Campers

Fresh eats, no freeze-dried regrets
Avatar photo by Donna Britt

Let’s talk about the real reason anyone tolerates sleeping in a nylon bag on the ground — the food. Not granola bars and foil pouches of mystery mush. We’re talking honest-to-goodness meals you actually want to eat. Just because you’re heading into the woods doesn’t mean you have to resign yourself to beef jerky and […]

Posted inOutside

Bend Dirt Fest

Get dirty, Bend: New event combines competition, camaraderie and dusty trails
by Al Olson

Let’s talk dirty. The inaugural Bend Dirt Fest, organized by longtime endurance event director Mike Ripley and his company, Mudslinger Events, rolls into town on Friday, July 12, offering a mix of trail running, gravel grinding, and mountain biking fun—with a distinct local vibe. The Bend Dirt Fest is a spiritual successor to one of […]

Posted inCulture

In Praise of Getting Off the Couch

Netflix is nice, but human-to-human interaction can change your life
by Julie Hanney

Rather than wax eloquent on the benefits of going to social gatherings, being vulnerable and experiencing life outside of your comfort zone, I actually got off my couch and attended (or attempted to attend) four different group activities in Central Oregon. It sounds cliché to say that these experiences changed my life, and yet they […]

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