Things appeared momentarily bleak for Redmond’s Friends Bookshop. The city’s planned library remodel could have spelled the end for the cherished 1,000-square-foot used bookstore, located inside. First, construction meant the store would have had to temporarily shut down. Next, a drastically smaller space awaited upon the library’s eventual reopening. That meant the Friends of Redmond […]
Source
Posted inCulture
A Novel Idea: Yaa Gyasi and “Homegoing”
After its inception in 2004, the Deschutes Public Library Foundation‘s “A Novel Idea” concept is no longer, well, novel—but it continues to be a forum that brings people together under the noble banner of reading good literature. When I picked up a copy of the 2017 Novel Idea selection, “Homegoing,” by Ghanian-American author Yaa Gyasi, […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Little Bites: Saying Goodbye to Family Businesses
Mazza Bistro Closing; Devores Selling
Just as they turned five years old, Mazza Bistro announced on Facebook, “Dear customers, this is to inform you that this coming Thursday, March 30th, will be Mazza’s last day in business due to loss of lease.” Mazza Bistro was a family-owned authentic Middle Eastern restaurant that served fresh, affordable food downtown. Michel Shehadeh, executive […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Grounding the Flight
A case for enjoying a taproom visit without a billion little glasses
It’s a typical Saturday afternoon at Crux Fermentation Project: families and dogs outside, diners and beer nerds inside, and what seem to be half a dozen taster trays underneath the taps, waiting to be filled. “They tend to come and go in waves,” the bartender comments. “It’s sort of the same deal as Bloody Marys. […]
Posted inOutside
Natural World: An unexpected encounter
The last thing the people at Lowe’s in Bend expected to see last week was a lone common poorwill (a bird very closely related to a nighthawk) standing in the middle of the garden center. You have to admit, that bundle of feathers with red eyes just doesn’t fit into a bird category—unless someone knows […]
Posted inNews
Opioid Epidemic
In light of rampant overdoses, an Oregon Senate bill aims to limit access to opiates in the state
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has officially declared an opioid epidemic in the United States—and Oregon is definitely not immune. In an attempt to fight the epidemic, the Oregon state senate will be voting on Senate Bill 270 on April 18—a bill introduced by the Committee on Health Care for Oregon Department […]
Posted inNews
Payroll Woes
A change in the pay system at COCC forces 115 employees to receive reduced paychecks
At Central Oregon Community College, full time classified employees including librarians, technicians, maintenance workers and janitors, recently found themselves facing a payroll change that, although legal, is causing some dismay. In March and April, approximately 115 COCC full-time, non-exempt hourly workers were forced to accommodate a payroll update which resulted in employees receiving just half […]
Posted inCulture
Picks of the Week
Greg Walden Townhall, The New Pornographers, Take Back the Night & more
Greg Walden Town Hall Thursday 13 MEETING—If you’re one of the many who’s been impatiently waiting for our Republican Congressman to grace Bend with a public town hall, this is your moment. Come with your questions about health care, the environment, or whatever else you got. Arrive early, because it’s going to be packed. // […]
Posted inCulture
Shell Games
The Ghost of an Idea
The title “Ghost in the Shell” is an ironic one. It’s explained to Major (Scarlett Johansson) early on that the “Ghost” is her soul and that even though she is primarily made up of cybernetic pieces, she is still mostly a real girl because of the humanity she possesses underneath all the metal and futuristic […]
Posted inNews
You Want a Cannabis News Roundup?
Cause that’s what we have today, and we aren’t doing any substitutions.
Take a number, we’ll call you when your canna news is ready. Green and White all over Maryland has had a rocky start getting its medical cannabis program up and running. Although approved in 2013, the program stalled after requiring that the only growers allowed to grow and distribute cannabis be academic centers. After no […]
