The Wandering Eye

One day long, long ago, shortly after The Eye moved to Bend, our boss came up to us beaming, shook our hand and offered his congratulations. Our big achievement: We'd just bought a Jeep Cherokee from a local dealer.

Bend, the Bubble-and-Bust Capital of America, is about to get some really big-time recognition: The Eye has it on excellent authority that the New York Times is working on a story about our current economic calamity.

At the end of last month, the folks in Bend (well, those of them who hadn't been paying attention) were stunned by the news that Cessna was closing its manufacturing plant here and laying off its last 200 workers.

The current issue of Business Week has a fascinating story headlined, "Once booming, Bend, Oregon tumbles." It runs through the all-too-familiar litany of woes: home sales and prices tumbling, unemployment soaring, businesses closing.

Oregon's freshman senator, Jeff Merkley, has carved a couple of new orifices in Republican pollster and strategist Frank Luntz over Luntz's plan for derailing health care reform.

Why does winter linger in Central Oregon like a particularly stubborn case of toenail fungus? Meteorologist Adam Clark of KOHD has the answer - sort of.

Adopted in 1927, our official state song, "Oregon, My Oregon," is getting a little creaky, with lyrics about Oregon being "conquered and held by free men" and "blest by the blood of martyrs."

We're still keeping our fingers crossed, but it's beginning to look like the Great Swine Flu Pandemic is petering out.

It would be a shame if Republicans went extinct - they give us so many great laughs.

The tough times that have battered newspapers across the country have hit home in Bend: Staffers at The Bulletin and its parent company, Western Communications Inc., were told yesterday that they'll be taking pay cuts of up to 10%.