To many, country music conjures up the image of rednecks in pickup trucks, drinking whiskey and singing about heartbreak. Yet, country music actually represents a blend of folk, Western and blues music from the Southern United States. Stylistically, these forms were deeply influenced by Black spirituals and work songs, while the lyrics reflected the trials […]
Section Feature
Posted inNews
900 Wall Abruptly Closes
The downtown Bend restaurant has been struggling for months
A day after announcing its sudden closure, employees at 900 Wall were clearing out the restaurant. A social media post on Monday, May 5 said “We did all we could to continue to provide a living for our employees, a sense of community for our guests and a platform for all of the local farmers and […]
Posted inNews
Oregon has Spent $46 million Fighting Black Market
Experts say the state’s lack of market-related data may be hampering its efforts.
The tales of illicit cannabis operations were coming from all corners of Oregon, and by 2018 — four years after the state voted to legalize recreational weed — lawmakers were feeling the pressure to act. Workers on unlicensed grows just miles north of California were sleeping in shipping containers and being held on site by armed […]
Posted inNews
Skyliners Lodge Finds Stewards in NatureConnect Central Oregon
The historic landmark — ‘a beautiful thing’ — reopens July 1
Skyliners Lodge, the historic log cabin near Tumalo Falls, will soon reopen under the new stewardship of educational nonprofit NatureConnect Central Oregon. NatureConnect will oversee Skyliners Lodge operations and resume renting out the lodge for private events, such as weddings, company retreats and parties. Profits from the rentals will go toward school field trips and […]
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Dismal Financial Results Threaten Oregon Hospitals
Costs are rising much faster than reimbursements
In the 18 years of hospital profitability data the Oregon Health Authority has collected, only one year—2022, a COVID hangover—yielded lower profits than 2024. “We are at a tipping point in this state,” Becky Hultberg, CEO of the Hospital Association of Oregon, said in an interview. “Hospitals are on the brink of closure.” A report […]
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An Oregon Senate Bill Would Make Tech Giants Share Their Wealth
The concept has been tried in California, Canada and Australia
CHIEF SPONSOR: State Sen. Khanh Pham (D-Portland) and 13 Democratic co-sponsors, along with one Republican, Sen. Dick Anderson (R-Lincoln City) WHAT IT WOULD DO: Senate Bill 686 would compel the dominant players in internet search, Google and Facebook, to compensate local news organizations for the content they provide. Currently, internet searches yield results that are often generated […]
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Oregon State Parks Will Further Welcome (Certain) E-Bikes
Class I pedal-assist e-bikes can roll deeper in state parks this summer
E-bike enthusiasts celebrated a landmark victory on April 23: Certain varieties of their pedal-assist bikes will be allowed greater access in Oregon State Parks beginning July 1. It’s an important precedent, as e-bikes are still not allowed on singletrack trails in the Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests. There, e-bikers have to stick to trails and […]
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Forest Closure Takes Effect as Houseless People Attempt to Relocate
Local service providers are working to help relocate an estimated 40 to 60 people remaining off China Hat Road following the May 1 forest closure
People living on U.S. Forest Service land south of Bend have been forced to relocate following a May 1 closure of the area. A collection of lived-in vehicles lined the streets of China Hat Road on Thursday morning, just outside of the now-restricted area that hundreds of houseless residents called home. The closure, in effect […]
Posted inOpinion
May 2025 Electoral Endorsements: Zone 7
Vote Kina Chadwick for Bend-La Pine Schools Board of Directors, Zone 7
In this race, the incumbent, Kina Chadwick, is most prepared to serve. From their years on the school board, Chadwick has a clear vision of the challenges ahead: funding cutbacks, a need for more early childhood literacy, engaging students and chronic absenteeism among them. They should have a chance to continue their work. Chadwick’s opponent, […]
Posted inNews
Cascade Cycling Classic Criterium
A single-day event since last year, Bend's downtown bicycle racing showcase still electrifies
There’s something indelible about the Cascade Cycling Classic Criterium, held in downtown Bend. The closed-course, high-octane bicycle race has been held most summers since 1980. It’s an “Old Bend” event that has ushered local cycling through the sport’s various booms and busts — and certainly through the myriad transformations that make up “New Bend.” Local […]
