The Wandering Eye

Bratton Day - April 25, the day when appraiser Dana Bratton said the Bend real estate market would start its rebound - has come and gone with no discernible sign of an upswing. But The EYE is prepared to be patient. Meanwhile, "short sales" are becoming epidemic around here - not an encouraging development.

If political contributions are any barometer of how people will vote, Hillary Clinton won't be picking up many votes in Bend.

A presidential debate in little old Bend, Oregon? It could actually happen - although we have to say it's a long shot.

Tomorrow, April 25, marks the day when the Bend real estate market is supposed to pull out of its slump - at least according to the cheerful prediction that appraiser Dana Bratton made publicly two months ago. The EYE can't say we've seen any clear signs of a turnaround so far, but maybe it's too soon to tell.

The conventional wisdom advises that when a political candidate is trailing, what he should do is go negative against his opponent - and it looks like Jeff Merkley is following that advice.

BendBroadband's plan to offer faster connections but charge heavy users extra inspired the technology site Gizmodo to post an article headlined: "The Future of Broadband: We're Totally Screwed."

The top story in The Bulletin's business section this morning trumpeted the news that single-family home sales in March were up sharply over the previous month.

Jeff Merkley has racked up some impressive endorsements in his race for the Oregon Democratic Senate nomination - a governor and a former governor, a passel of mayors, state senators and state representatives, and a slew of labor organizations. But when it comes to the music scene, his rival Steve Novick leaves him in the dust.

For those who missed the 10pm news on KTVZ last night, you weren't alone. News Manager and Anchor Lee Anderson was conspicuously absent from last night's broadcast along with his co-anchor Molly Hendrickson.

What does a president's daughter from Texas do when she's in Bend and gets a yen for some liquid refreshment and a fellow Texan to talk with?