The Beacon

Bend's restaurant scene, particularly downtown, has seen more than its fair share of turnover in the past few years. Thankfully where restaurants have disappeared others have been quick to take their places – at least in most instances.

The cash-strapped city of Bend is preparing to send a collective six figure bill for overdue room tax charges that the city believes it has been shorted by a number of local hotels, including the Riverhouse.
The city of Bend released the final figures from its recent audit of six Bend hotels showing that the properties owe together more than $330,000 to the city because they under reported room tax revenue between Jan.

Wow. Just wow.

We’re a pretty humble bunch around here, but we just had to let ya’ll know that your hometown alt weekly nabbed a couple of nods this past week from the Society of Professional Journalists for our writing and reporting in 2009. Competing against non-daily newspapers and magazines from across the state and in southwest Washington, the Source garnered awards for news, social, issues and business reporting.

Mt Bachelor's marketing director Alex Kaufman has left the company in what he calls a mutual decision to separate.
Kaufman who was known for his hands on approach to marketing helped modernize the mountain's social marketing campaigns, moving Bachelor aggressively in to the world of Facebook and Twitter.

 
 A state land use planner who has been a thorn in the side of the city’s long suffering UGB expansion proposal announced today that he is retiring early. Mark Radabaugh has served as the state’s point person throughout the city’s prolonged UGB process and has been a pointed critic of the city’s unprecedented expansion proposal.

Environmentalists rejoice! Oregon's pre-eminent statewide conservation group 1,000 Friends of Oregon is kicking of its renewed commitment to Central Oregon with an open house this evening at its new regional office, conveniently located above the Summit Saloon and Stage. Festivities begin at 7 p.

 
Oregon Attorney John Kroger announced today that his office will not be filing criminal charges against the University of Oregon over its handling of the dismissal of former football coach and athletic director Mike Bellotti, who was given a roughly $2.3 million severance earlier this year by the school.

While most eyes are on the primary with the May 18 election fast approaching, there is already some preliminary jockeying for the three Bend City Council seats up for grabs in November. Local businessman and BendFilm board member Scott Ramsay was the latest to announce his intention to run.

The latest Central Oregon wilderness lands bill took a step forward today clearing Sen. Ron Wyden's public lands subcommittee in a development that could set the stage for another wilderness showdown with Sen.