If You Do Not Build It, They Will Not Come If you do not build it, they will not come. Who are you helping with more and more houses? You are helping developers. This City cannot even keep its streets plowed or repaired. We don’t even have sidewalks and most areas are not even ADA […]
Source Weekly Bend Oregon
In Search of a Cooler River
To the average houseboater dipping her toes in Lake Billy Chinook, the water might feel relatively warm and inviting. Well below the surface, however, the temperatures take a nosedive. The frigid waters of the Metolius River flow into the reservoir and sink to the bottom, while the warm waters of the Crooked River stay near […]
Side Notes 8/24-8/31
Urban Growth Boundary Expansion Amendment Moves Forward After a series of public meetings, on Thursday, Aug. 25, the City of Bend will move forward with its adoption of the long-overdue Bend Urban Growth Boundary Remand. Public testimony on the issue ended Aug. 18. The final plan would expand the City of Bend by a proposed […]
Runnin’ to the Oldies
Runners listen to all types of music to help them keep pace, especially during a race. You might find hip-hop, pop and even heavy metal on a runner’s playlist—especially when energy runs low on the last mile. But on Aug. 21, Beethoven’s 5th Symphony will be the only tune lighting the fire for racers as […]
A Rock and Roll Heart
Trampled By Turtles has a bluegrass surface with rock and roll infused in every note. Straight out of Duluth, Minn., the band has released eight albums since 2004 and continues to evolve with each one. The band's most recent record, “Wild Animals” (2014), is more relaxed and haunting than what came before, and easily the […]
Stand By Me Turns 30
Going back and re-watching movies from your childhood is mostly an exercise in futility and disappointment. As an '80s kid, it’s impossible to recapture the same magic I felt watching “The Neverending Story” or “The Golden Child” as an eight-year-old. While some of the movies I loved as a kid are still inherently “good” movies, […]
This Dog and Pony Show Doesn’t Play on Repeat
Band Of Horses singer/guitarist Ben Bridwell can promise a couple of things to people who come to see the group in concert Aug. 22 in Bend. First off, expect the unexpected. ”One thing that I do like about this band is, I don’t know that we’ve ever played the same set list twice,” Bridwell said in an early August […]
Reefer Madness
Even though there is a metaphoric mountain of evidence that cannabis can treat several serious medical conditions, the Obama administration’s Drug Enforcement Administration has again declined to loosen restrictions on the drug. Currently, cannabis is treated the same as heroin and LSD under federal law, which states that cannabis has “no currently accepted medical use […]
It’s Time to Retire the Wild West Governance Model in Bend
Back in August 1876, Seth Bullock arrived in Deadwood, Dakota Territory, a mere one day before Wild Bill Hickok was killed while playing cards in a saloon. That quintessential Wild-West shooting prompted the local community to appoint Bullock the first Sheriff of Deadwood, right on the spot. No election, no community input. That was just […]
Head in the Clouds
There is this running narrative in Disney films that seems to say that adventure in life is OK, but only for a bit. Then you have to cut your hair, go to school and stop wearing a loincloth all day and get prepared for student loans, mortgages and death. “Pete’s Dragon” isn’t necessarily trying to […]

