City Dollars Fill Pothole Funding Gap In March, Bend voters rejected the gas tax that could have paid for pothole repairs—so to fill the gaps, the City is stepping up. According to David Abbas, Director of the Bend Streets & Operations Department, the City is using street preservation dollars from next year’s budget to fill […]
Side Notes
Posted inNews
Side Notes 8/10-8/17
Legal Pot Increases Home Prices? Since June of 2015, home prices in Bend-Redmond have increased 10.4 percent, tracking closely the 10.9 percent increase in home prices in Oregon over the past year. In fact, the Beaver State topped the list of states with the biggest increases in home prices, followed by Washington at 10.3 percent, […]
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Side Notes 8/3-8/10
“Safe” Passageway Reopens for Floaters at Bend Whitewater Park Bend river floaters might not be sure what to call the former Colorado Dam “Safe” Passage yet (Whitewater Park Passageway?), but they sure know how to take advantage of it. An estimated 5,000 visitors and locals alike negotiated the passageway channel at the Bend Whitewater Park […]
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Side Notes 7/27-8/3
Tower Theatre Gets a Facelift Thanks to a grant from The Bend Foundation and matching donations from community businesses, the Tower Theatre in downtown Bend just got a facelift. The makeover included updates and repairs to the iconic marquee, fresh paint and wood stain inside and outside, and a thorough cleaning and resealing of the […]
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Sides Notes 7/20-7/27
We’re Number 16! Bend is accustomed to making all kinds of “Best Place To” lists: best place to retire, drink craft beer, play golf, play outside, or just plain live. But our little drinking town with a mountain problem didn’t even make the top 10 list of the Most Successful Cities in Oregon. Online career-finding […]
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Side Notes 7/13-7/20
Local Arborist Does Business by Bike A local arborist gave up his vehicle for an electric bicycle and says he now makes more money working fewer hours, giving him more time to play in the mountains. Sean Shriver has done professional tree care for 23 years, mostly in Austin, Texas, where he owned a thriving […]
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Side Notes 7/6-7/13
Drones and Wildfires Don’t Mix Recreational drone enthusiasts looking to get an aerial shot of a blazing wildfire should stay far, far away, according to Oregon officials who point out that operating an unmanned aerial vehicle in a Temporary Flight Restriction zone—such as in an active wildfire area—is punishable under state and federal law. In […]
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Side Notes 6/29-7/6
Everyone Gets a Raise! Thanks to the passage of Senate Bill 1532, minimum wage workers in Deschutes County will get a raise on July 1, when Oregon’s minimum wage increases from the current $9.25 hourly rate to $9.50. Minimum wage workers in Portland will see an increase of 50-cents an hour. The new “wage law” […]
Posted inOpinion
Bend Pride and Troy Field: Two Big Winners
Bend Pride We visited the Pride celebration this past weekend in Drake Park, and Bend sure has changed since 2005 when the Human Dignity Coalition and a few dozen brave folks threw the first public Pride celebration in McKay Park. Back in those days, many locals were hesitant to join the party, out of concern […]
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Sides Notes 6/22-6/29
Popular personal-finance website WalletHub recently released its 2016 Car Insurance & Credit Scores Report, shining a light on a controversial pricing policy among the automotive insurance industry: the direct use of an individual’s credit score in determining policy costs. In Oregon, WalletHub found a 68 percent fluctuation in premiums based on credit. Data also show […]