Last week, we chatted with City Policy Analyst Gillian Ockner and Water Conservation Manager Mike Buettner about changes to water and sewer rates and the City’s efforts to encourage conservation. Over the course of the conversation, they busted a few myths—get the facts below. MYTH: Water rates are going up for all Bend residents. FACT: […]
Side Notes
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Side Notes 5/27-6/3
Gov. Kate Brown declares drought emergency in Deschutes County
Deschutes County joins a growing list of Oregon counties—now 15 deep—designated by Gov. Kate Brown as drought emergencies following Friday’s announcement. In addition to Deschutes, Grant, Jackson, Josephine, Lane, Morrow, Umatilla, and Wasco counties have been added. “The majority of our state is parched due to the warm winter and lack of snow,” Gov. Brown said […]
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Side Notes 5/20-5/27
In the growing trend of big water users giving back to water-related causes, Deschutes Brewery and Columbia Distributing recently donated $16,600 from last month’s Beer Machines Party in Portland to Salmon-Safe, a nonprofit focused on restoring salmon watersheds in the Pacific Northwest. But it’s not the first time Deschutes has shown up for salmon. It […]
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Side Notes 5/14-5/21
OSU-Cascades announced that Emilie Cortes will give the commencement speech for the Class of 2015 on Sunday, June 14. Once a San Francisco investment professional, Cortes left her 17-year career to follow her passion for adventure travel and mountaineering. She now serves as the president for Call of the Wild Adventures, Inc., which leads adventure […]
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Side Notes 5/7-5/14
The results of Bend 2030’s April Transportation Forum are in. The first revelation is unsurprising: People want more from their transportation systems and infrastructure. But the follow-up is less anticipated: They are willing to pay for it. When presented with four different entities—the community at large, local governments, transit riders, and private industry—the 175 attendees […]
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Side Notes 4/29-5/6
If you are among those that believe every day is Earth Day, then there are plenty of upcoming opportunities to make an impact. For starters, May is National Bike Month. According to My City Bikes, a public health campaign for beginner cyclists, there are plenty of perks to taking two wheels. The organization claims that […]
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Side Notes 4/22-4/29
Marriage equality will continue to be the law of the land in Oregon, despite the best efforts of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM). The conservative activist group, which opposes extending civil marriage rights to same-sex couples, had asked the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene in Oregon. The court’s response: “Petition denied.” No one seems […]
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Side Notes 4/15-4/22
The Oregon House of Representatives voted Tuesday to allow local governments to practice what’s known as “inclusionary zoning.” Currently banned in Oregon and Texas, the zoning approach would require affordable housing units to be built alongside market-rate housing, while creating incentives for such development. The bill’s proponents say the change would create much-needed opportunities for […]
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Side Notes 4/8-4/15
Last week, after hours of deliberation and months of meetings, City Council voted unanimously to support the first reading of ordinances intended to stem the tide of vacation rentals encroaching on residential neighborhoods. The first ordinance will require new and existing short-term rentals owners to obtain an annual license with the City. However, new licenses […]
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Side Notes 4/1-4/8
An activist group called Cascadia Forest Defenders protested proposed clear cuts in the Deschutes National Forest on Monday by hanging a banner from the Highway 97 overpass above Greenwood Avenue that read “Entering Deschutes National Forest: Where Recreation and Clearcuts Abound!” The Defenders, a grassroots environmental organization opposed to what it calls the “ecologically and […]
