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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Posted inMusic
Ladies Night
k.d. lang, Neko Case and Laura Veirs
What happens when three of the most incredibly talented women in songwriting combine goals and dreams to create an album together? A self-titled album called “Case/Lang/Veirs.” It all started with an email sent years ago from k.d. lang to Neko Case and Laura Veirs, suggesting that the three make an album together. The successful, soulful […]
Posted inOutside
The Sweet Sounds of Spring
Thanks to hearing device technology from Central Oregon Audiology, I am acutely aware of the cacophony of hundreds of male Pacific tree frogs in Central Oregon’s irrigation ponds, decorative water features, and drainage ditches that are making their presence known to one and all. They are gleefully summoning their lady-friend partners to come join them […]
Posted inNews
Union Helps Win Cannabis Case
One of the strangest situations created by cannabis legalization in Oregon and elsewhere in the US is the effect, or lack thereof, of legalization on state employment law. Oregonians can get a doctor’s prescription for cannabis to treat a variety of illnesses in the state’s medical marijuana program, and Oregonians 21 and older can now […]
Posted inOpinion
Letters 6/29-7/6
Bend, Not Ready for Prime Time Coming to your neighborhood soon: higher density, Bend style Have you heard? Bend will continue to expand at its current, incredible pace, growing another 40 percent within a decade. While I’m sure that developers, realtors, and those who actually benefit from more people and tourism are jumping for joy, the other […]
Posted inNews
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 inNews
Incarcerated Adults Address Chronic Illness
Living Well workshops transform prisoners’ lives, save taxpayers’ money
A four-year-old program is saving taxpayers more than $10,000 per prisoner, per year, and making life better for people with chronic illnesses living behind bars. Since adopting the Living Well with Chronic Conditions program (LWCC) in 2012, more than 1,000 incarcerated adults in Oregon have improved their health and well-being by completing the course. According […]
Posted inCulture
Lively Up Yourself
“The Shallows” swims in deep waters
Saying that “The Shallows” is the best shark movie since “Jaws” isn’t saying much. Mainly because there aren’t that many good shark movies, but also because it’s not. It is definitely better than the “Sharknado” movies, but “Deep Blue Sea,” “Open Water,” and maybe even the goofy-as-all-hell “Shark Night” are more fun. “The Shallows” follows […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Supermarket Sweep
Market of Choice brings new options
in grocery shopping
At 5:30pm on opening day, the parking lot at Market of Choice on Colorado Avenue was overflowing. I parked a block away and made my way inside the 42,000-square-foot shopping Mecca, along with everyone else in Bend, it seemed. Market of Choice boasts more than 10 different departments, ranging from fresh produce, seafood and meat […]
Posted inCulture
Aliens vs. Teenagers
No matter who wins, we lose
When “Independence Day” was released in 1996, there was something refreshing about a movie that chose to blow up most of the world before saving it. The heroics of Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum mattered little because millions of people were already dead. While there were plenty of disaster flicks before “ID4,” the novelty of […]
