Classical pianist Hunter Noack is traveling to some of the most peaceful and scenic locations in the west for concerts. The “In a Landscape” series takes classical music into the wild. Noack is performing at three locations in Central Oregon. His 1912 Steinway Model D concert grand piano is hauled on a flatbed trailer. Audience […]
Section Feature
Horoscope Week of June 5, 2025
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): It’s time for your Uncle Rob to offer you some fundamental advice for living. These tips are always worthy of your contemplation, but especially now. Ready? Being poised amidst uncertainty is a superpower. You may attract wonders and blessings if you can function well while dealing with contradictory feelings, unclear situations, […]
Letters to the Editor 06/05/2025
Bias in Our Backyard Having read your piece this morning I feel compelled to say that much of what happens in terms of biased encounters is never reported. I thought I’d checked a neighborhood. It was the north end of La Pine where I bought my last central OR house in 2017. The absence of […]
Savory Social Club
A new restaurant/wine bar is opening in downtown Bend on Friday, June 6. Amaterra Kitchen + Social Club is taking over the space once occupied by Domain Serene Wine Lounge. This is its second Oregon location. Amaterra has a vineyard estate and winery in Portland’s West Hills. The Bend menu features starters like Wagyu Carpaccio with […]
Awakening Your Inner Hero
Love is what we all want. Admit it or not…we do. In order to receive it we must practice living it. We all need to get better at love and the better we get, miracles happen. I LOVE YOU I do. Do I know you? Maybe. Maybe not. So, what do I remotely mean when […]
El Sancho East Returns
Nearly a year after a fire destroyed its building on the east side of Bend, the owners of El Sancho reopened on Monday, June 2 at that location on NE Dekalb Avenue. The fire on June 20, 2024, was ruled accidental. A small line was awaiting the grand reopening at 11am. Everything is brand new, […]
A Bright, Beautiful Fusion of Japanese Technique and Peruvian Soul
On Bend’s ever-growing culinary map, Kusshi has landed with confidence, elegance and a style all its own. Once a popular pop-up with a strong local following, Kusshi is now a dynamic new brick & mortar restaurant delivering fresh and refined Nikkei cuisine, the inspired fusion of Japanese and Peruvian culinary traditions. At the helm are […]
New Hummingbird Garden is a First for Central Oregon
Novelist W.P. Kinsella’s line in Shoeless Joe, “If you build it, he will come,” is a common mantra associated with habitat restoration projects for a good reason: the transformation from empty field to lush meadow takes time and/or action to bring back diversity. In Bend’s Orchard Park, that means prepping and planting an area to […]
Texas THC in Turmoil
Texans who enjoy having access to legal THC may soon be SOL. As of this writing, a bill which would ban all hemp derived THC consumables was sent to Gov. Greg Abbott. As someone with a long history of enacting terrible legislation, it’s expected he will sign it. In doing so, he will eliminate a […]
In Bias Crime Reporting, Accurate Data is Key
Peter Madsen’s feature story from last week, “Bias in Our Backyard,” explored the numbers around bias crimes in our area, and the state, in the five-year period since state and local authorities began collecting such data. The numbers available, from the years 2020-2023, were quite striking, with marked increases in the number of bias crimes […]

