The Wandering Eye

It was a long day for destination resorts Wednesday.
People who picked up their morning paper might have read today over a cup of coffee that Tetherow resort, which is located just outside Bend's city limits on Century Drive, had scrapped plans for its "luxury" hotel because of financing problems.

Things are looking pretty grim for anti-tax crusader Bill Sizemore, who admitted in court yesterday that he's spent more than $660,000 from a tax-exempt foundation on personal items.

Destination resorts - love 'em or hate 'em? You'll be able to have your say next Wednesday.

The Eye tuned in OPB this morning to listen to the "Think Out Loud" program (taped Monday) about the slumping Bend economy and learned that the Doctrine of Bend Exceptionalism is still alive, if not exactly well, despite the bursting of the real estate bubble.

Plenty of celebrities have their own fan sites on the Web, but damn few have their own ANTI-fan sites. And now Bill Sizemore has joined that distinguished company.

Locked in a tight race with Jeff Merkley, Gordon Smith made a gutsy - and risky - move yesterday in voting for the $700 billion Wall Street bailout bill in the Senate.

Gordon Smith likes to describe himself as a uniter, not a divider, but his campaign is running an ad aimed at antagonizing rural Oregonians against those durn pinko elitists in Portland.

The Shire, the ill-fated, Tolkien-themed housing development on Bend's southeast side, has become a national symbol of the follies of the real estate bubble. Latest evidence: a mention in Harper's Index, the venerable monthly's compilation of interesting and quirky statistics.

The Eye found a surprise when we opened up our copy of The Bulletin on Sunday - an insert containing a DVD of a documentary called "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West."

The first big debate is over, the early reviews are in, and - predictably - both sides are saying they're happy with the way their guy did.