When local Bend Velo bike shop owner Eric Power began his business in 2009, he knew he wanted to focus his shop on promoting commuter-style riding. I travel to Portland quite a bit and I was thinking about biking more as a mode of transportation, as opposed to racing or mountain biking,” Power said. We […]
Source Weekly Bend
Enduring the High Cascades
With its mix of mountainous terrain and high desert flatlands, Bend is a mountain biker’s paradise. The trails here offer a variety of challenges and sights, and their abundance makes it easy for riders to spend at least a week exploring all of them. Or, they can compete in The High Cascades 100 and see […]
Will Brexit Benefit Our Local Housing Market?
Last week’s British vote to exit the European Union may have beneficial effects on our real estate market because of the effect on mortgage interest rates. Various blogs from the National Association of Realtors, Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, to name just a few, are reporting some optimistic news. The Wall Street Journal on June […]
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 […]
Behind the Mask
Writing a story about Buckethead is like trying to do an expose on the Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot. People know Buckethead exists and that he has a real name, but he hasn’t done an interview in a decade and doesn't talk to many people in general. I knew a phone or Skype interview would […]
Latinos Rising
Locals shouldn’t be surprised by recently released U.S. census data showing consistently growing Latino populations in Bend, Deschutes County, and Oregon. After all, Spanish-speaking peoples settled this region in the-mid 1800s, long before other European cultures. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Latino population in Deschutes County increased by 18.6 percent between 2010 and […]
Murder Party 2016
You had one job, “The Purge: Election Year,” just one. You either needed to be a schlocky gorefest that painted America as a candy-colored nightmare of xenophobia and fear or a smartly satirical look at the worst case scenario of Trump’s America. You failed at both, “Purge,” and I hope you feel bad about it. […]
Irreverent Commentary Makes Bad Movies Hilarious
Bendites who miss Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K) are in for a real treat. For those few unfortunate individuals who have never seen the cult classic television show, it starred Joel Hodgson as a janitor trapped on The Satellite of Love by a couple of mad scientists who wanted to rule the world. Along with […]
Mercury in Our Air, Water, Soil and Fish
In April of this year the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) issued a warning about consuming too many bass found to be contaminated with excessive amounts of mercury in fish tissue sampled from a number of water bodies across the state. Dave Farrer, Ph.D., toxicologist in the Environmental Public Health Section at the OHA Public Health […]
Ninth Annual Harvest Writing Contest
This year, Oregon writers of all ages have the opportunity to have their work recognized. On June 1, Central Oregon Writers Guild (COWG) began accepting entries for its annual Harvest Writing Contest. With the contest heading into its ninth year, the guild decided to make some changes and is inviting writers 18 years and younger […]

