Gov. Kate Brown is coming to Bend Friday to celebrate last week’s signing of agreements in Deschutes and other Oregon counties to protect sage grouse habitats. The bird, which roams across the Western United States, is being considered for the endangered species list. But in the meantime, conservationists are working with landowners to conserve habitats […]
Side Notes
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Side Notes 3/18-3/25
Oregon’s newly minted Gov. Kate Brown made history Monday by signing a bill to register all voting-age Oregonians with DMV-issued IDs to vote. The legislation, which Brown had initiated while still Secretary of State, allows residents to opt-out of voter registration, instead of requiring them to opt in. The move is expected to add about […]
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Side Notes 3/11-3/18
We recently chatted with Spencer Stander, an executive producer working in reality television, about his interest in casting for a show in Bend. Here’s what we learned. 1. He’s been to Bend before. About seven years ago, he shot a pilot for a show about a brewer that opened up a restaurant, called “Brewmasters.” Unfortunately, […]
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Side Notes 3/5-3/11
The Oregon Senate passed a bill Monday that would reconfigure the way it assesses property taxes for large data centers (think: Apple, Google, etc.) in an effort to incentivize more of the tech companies setting up shop or expanding in Central Oregon. Supporters of Senate Bill 611, including Sen. Tim Knopp (R-Bend), say it would […]
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Side Notes 2/25-3/4
Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel announced last Thursday that he will not file charges against Kevin Perry and Amanda Weinman in the shooting death of Shane Munoz on June 23, 2012. He explained at a press conference that, based on the available evidence and witness testimony, he is “confident” that a crime was not […]
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Side Notes 2/18-2/25
Re-sig-na-tion. (Imagine it sung, plaintively drawn out, in the style of k.d. lang’s “Constant Craving.”) Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber resigned his post at high noon, Friday the 13th. The day before Oregon’s 156th birthday. His decision to step down followed a dog pile by media […]
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Side Notes 2/11-2/18
Central Oregonians are known for their independent spirit. And, now, there’s a (major) party for that. Secretary of State Kate Brown announced Monday that the Independent Party of Oregon—also known as the party people sometimes join when then mean to register as “unaffiliated”—is officially a major political party (a bragging right previously reserved for Democrats […]
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Side Notes 2/4-2/11
Foster Fell v. City of Bend/City Attorney/City Recorder Local activist Foster Fell, represented by attorney and former representative Charlie Ringo, has re-filed his lawsuit challenging the election—and now certification—of City Councilor Casey Roats. Worth noting: Roats is no longer listed as a defendant, as he was in last year’s dismissed version of the lawsuit alleging […]
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Side Notes 1/15-1/21
Mayor Jim Clinton will hold on to his gavel after receiving the unanimous backing of his fellow city councilors at their Jan. 1 meeting. This was not an entirely forgone conclusion, as Councilor Doug Knight mounted a campaign asking community members to write in their support. By the time the meeting came around, however, Knight […]