The Source Weekly January 23, 2025

Dine. Drink. Gather.

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Wednesdays – Prime Rib

Wednesdays – Prime Rib

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Classic Slow-roasted Prime Rib Dinner for just $35. 5pm until the last slice is gone.

Thursdays – Bingo & Build-Your-Own Pasta Dinner

Thursdays – Bingo & Build-Your-Own Pasta Dinner

Play Happy Hour Bingo from 4 - 5pm, stay for a custom pasta creation for dinner

Play Happy Hour Bingo from 4 - 5pm, stay for a custom pasta creation for dinner

Fridays – Live Music

Fridays – Live Music

Start your weekend with music and a sunset from 5:15 to 6:45pm

Start your weekend with music and a sunset from 5:15 to 6:45pm To

EDITOR’S NOTE:

This week’s feature story about the dearth of youth mental health beds in Central Oregon comes from investigative reporter Jennifer Baires. Without residential treatment facilities in the area, the region’s youth who experience severe mental health symptoms must wait in ER beds — as there’s nowhere else to stay — while awaiting an opening in a facility on the other side of the Cascades. And as our region grows, so does the problem. In other local news, reporter Julianna LaFollette covers staffing woes at the DMV in Central Oregon, checks in with longtime Sen. Tim Knopp on his next steps, visits a new Redmond apartment complex that was once a motel and samples some cheesecake in Chow. In Sound, I spoke with one of Bend’s longest-running musicians, Steve Arnold of Blackstrap Bluegrass, as his band navigates year 25, and calendar editor Savannah Mendoza has another interview with the jazzy, electronic big band High Step Society. In Little Bites, Skylor Young tries a new bakery in the Old Mill and reports on a closure downtown. There are book recommendations for the new year and a remembrance of David Lynch by Jared Rasic. It feels like everyone has been sick of late and the birds of Central Oregon aren’t immune to it either, as Damian Fagan discusses in Natural World. If it’s impacting you, too, rest up, read on and be well.

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Nicole Vulcan - nicole@bendsource.com

MANAGING EDITOR

Chris Young - editor@bendsource.com

FEATURES AND INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER

Jennifer Baires - features@layitoutfoundation.org

REPORTER

Julianna LaFollette - reporter@bendsource.com

REPORTER / CALENDAR EDITOR

Savannah Mendoza - calendar@bendsource.com

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Richard Sitts

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Jared Rasic, Damian Fagan, Ellen Waterston, Mary Casanave Sheridan, Cassie Clemans, Skylor Young

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Bend’s Walkout King Leads Another Hypocritical Charge

You gotta hand it to Tim Knopp.

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After beginning his political career in Oregon in 1999 with three terms in the Oregon House, followed later by stints in the Oregon Senate that lasted through this January, he’s got a new gig working as the Oregon state co-chair for U.S. term limits. In the new role, he’ll advocate for Oregon to adopt a resolution supporting term limits at the congressional level.

“Now more than ever before, the need for term limits is crystal clear,” he stated in a press release from U.S. Term Limits, for which he now serves. “Polls show that one issue that unites all Oregonians regardless of political affiliation is the need for congressional term limits.”

Is this all a ploy for the recently departed state senator and minority leader — who only limited his own term in office by getting disqualified from serving again due to his repeated walkouts during the 2023 legislative session — to make a run for one of Oregon’s House or Senate seats in the near future? That’s tough to say — but it does give us cause for reflection.

Visit the offices of the Source Weekly and on the walls, you’ll find a limited archive of past Source covers, going all the way back to the newspaper’s birth in 1997. Every year, we place two covers on the wall, and going back as far as 1998, Tim Knopp appears there. In other words, Knopp’s political career in the

Oregon legislature is nearly as old as this newspaper, yet he’s aiming to be the poster child in our state for limiting other people’s tenure in office.

On the one hand, thank goodness for term limits, because as we might be about to find out, the ones set in place for the president mean the clock is now ticking down for Donald Trump.

On the other hand, it’s tough not to notice the hypocrisy of the effort from Knopp, knowing that he’s served a very long time here… and added to that, that he was forced out of office for refusing to participate in the political process. As you’ll read in this week’s feature story, “Nowhere to Stay,” those walkouts, which shut down business in the legislature for weeks, continue to have consequences, including the failure to secure funding for a facility that could have housed people under 18 who are experiencing mental health crises. Deschutes County is experiencing an absolute crisis in suicide rates among those under 18, and those kids don’t have time to wait for more political machinations.

Implementing term limits at the congressional level is a heavy lift, requiring a change to the U.S. Constitution. If voters see fit to prioritize that, so be it – but here in Oregon, we can’t help but wonder what else, or who else, will slip through the cracks in the meantime.

HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY? Send your thoughts to editor@bendsource.com. Letters must be received by noon Friday for inclusion in the following week’s paper. Please limit letters to 250 words. Submission does not guarantee publication. Opinions printed here do not constitute an editorial endorsement of said opinions. Letter of the week receives $5 to Palate!

RE: “HISTORIC SKYLINERS LODGE TO CLOSE IN JUNE,”

1/1

This is a great opportunity for a building/roofing company with deep pockets in our community to do the right thing. Perhaps they could donate the labor for this roof repair as a tax write-off for the nonprofit and the funds already secured by the Forest Service might cover the materials. What a community treasure this is and I hope the Clarks can stay on as caretakers.

—Elise Jones via bendsource.com on 1/6

RE: “THE IMMORALITY OF BEND’S TRAFFIC ENGINEERS AND POLITICAL LEADERS” LETTER, 1/2

I entirely agree with James Teeter’s observations on the inherent risk of the flashing yellow lights at multilane pedestrian crossings. The dangerous 12th and Greenwood crossing (cited by James) is heavily used by students on their way to Juniper Elementary School. It was there on a recent night that my dog and I came within millimeters of being smacked by a driver speeding past a vehicle that had already stopped for us. I would suggest installing speed bumps on both sides of the RRFB crossings (as well as school zones). The historic animosity of the City of Bend to neighborhood traffic calming devices is beginning to taper off, but we still need them extensively — not just on greenways.

—Foster Fell via bendsource.com on 1/6

RE: “HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE CONTINUES TO RISE IN VULNERABLE AREAS,” 1/15

Thanks for the article on homeowners insurance. Taking a large step back from what’s taking place on the ground, we might wonder what the future will look like. Following the devastating fires in L.A., insurance rates for everybody are only going up. This reminds us that we are indeed all in this together. The thing is, as flooding increases, as storm intensity (hurricanes, tornadoes) increases, as fires increase, our insurance companies will reach the place where insuring homes is just not possible. The biggest red herring around is this blaming the fire department, the hydrants, the lack of water infrastructure, the governor of California and on and on and on…. These full-on attacks do absolutely nothing to address the main source of the problem: our behavior, both individual and collective, which is causing climate change. The lemmings are running merrily along, straight toward the cliff of no return.

Robert Currie

RE: “GROWING PAINS,” 1/8

Smart growth apparently went out the window when the Caldera Ranch project was approved. Why build 700 new dwellings in an area where the adjacent community (in the same fire risk classification) is having insurance issues? Many residents of the abutting

neighborhood of Woodside Ranch are seeing their rates double, triple, quadruple and/or are finding their policies are not being renewed by insurers who tell homeowners they’re “uninsurable.” This newly approved project is supposed to have more affordable housing, how will the increased insurance rates affect these new homebuyers? Higher rates might cancel out any cost savings and render homes unaffordable. This is NOT SMART. Additionally dumping 700-1,400 additional vehicles on two lane Knott Road is a Paradise event in the making. This is also NOT SMART.

Bend talks a good talk, and an economy driven by building and expansion will not survive in the next recession that will come sooner rather than later. The need for more housing is a self-perpetuating argument to continue to build. The real issue is: Are more new structures needed for current residents, or do we need to rethink the status of second homes, seasonal rentals, investment property owners and, of course, livable wages? I feel that Bend is overbuilding hurriedly to take advantage of the quick UGB expansion process. City Council was quoted acknowledging that in OPB yesterday (1/13). Irresponsible governance.

—Marilyn Hofmann-Jones via bendsource.com on 1/14

RE: RESPONSE TO “RECYCLE RUNNERS” LETTER, 1/9

I lived for a time in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. There was a feature at the town dumps that I think would be great to put into practice in our area. At each one there was a “Gift Shop” where things that were still in good condition could be saved from the landfill and given another life. It was a great resource for items of all kinds and staffed by volunteers. For a deeper look check out Orleans, Massachusetts, town dump.

—Virlene Arnold

Letter of the Week:

Virlene, I love this idea! Stop by and get your gift card to Palate.

—Chris

Young

Pahlisch Backs Out of Tree Code Appeal

Pahlisch Homes, a local homebuilding company, announced on Jan. 16 that it will withdraw its appeal of the City of Bend’s recently enacted tree code. The City approved its updated tree regulations on June 20 to clarify how and when trees can be removed in new developments.

“Our decision to withdraw the appeal demonstrates our commitment to working together constructively. We believe collaboration will lead to meaningful solutions that benefit the entire community,” Jason Myhre, chief communications officer at Pahlisch Homes, said in a statement.

On Aug. 6, just a few weeks before the new code was set to go into effect, Pahlisch submitted an appeal to the code, advocating for a more balanced approach. Later that month, other local businesses joined in on the appeal, including Brooks Resources, Central Oregon Builders Association and Hayden Homes, among others.

“Though we remain concerned about the potential negative impacts the tree code could have on housing production and affordability, we are

0optimistic about the City’s willingness to engage with the development community,” read a statement from the press release.

—Julianna LaFollette

Gov. Tina Kotek Hosts Bend Housing Workshop

Gov. Tina Kotek hosted a workshop on Jan. 15 and 16 at Bend’s Oxford Hotel as part of the Building Resilient and Affordable New Developments in the West (BRAND West) initiative. Kotek discussed strategies for advancing middle-income and affordable housing development. Panelists, including local officials and housing experts, joined Kotek at the workshop, covering a variety of housing topics.

Key topics for the workshop included regulatory reforms, attainable homeownership and resilient housing. Kotek also joined Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler on a housing tour of three affordable housing sites, including Crescita by Rooted Homes, Woodhaven Estates by Thistle & Nest and NW Cottages by Habitat for Humanity.

—Julianna LaFollette

— The number of residential beds available to youth experiencing a mental health crisis in Central Oregon, from the Feature story, “Nowhere to Stay”

"Anyone can write a song, you know, you just gotta do it. And then you just gotta keep playing."

DMV Offices in Central Oregon Face Staffing Shortages, Closures

Amid local DMV issues, ODOT announces new express kiosks to improve customer experience

By Julianna LaFollette

In recent months, several Oregon Driver and Motor Vehicle offices in the region have reported closures as a result of staffing issues. According to the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), DMV offices across Central Oregon have closed an average of about eight and a half days since September.

From September to January, Madras and Prineville offices have each closed three full days, while Redmond closed for one full day and two partial days, according to Public Information Officer Chris Crabb with ODOT. Officials say these closures were due to staffing.

While there were no reported closures during that time in La Pine or Bend, some residents have seen longer than normal wait times, experiencing the downsides of staffing shortages. According to Crabb, the DMV has been operating at a minimal level of staff for many years now.

“While the population of Oregon has increased by about 750,000 people in the past two decades, DMV staffing has remained about the same

as it was 20 years ago,” Crabb said. Bend resident Eric Sedransk went to the DMV office in Bend on Jan. 7 to get a new license and registration. He arrived around 10:30am, thinking he’d miss the morning rush. Upon entering the building, DMV staff members told Sedransk that several people were out, making the wait around five to six hours.

“We

see these kiosks as a way to improve customer service, access and equity."

AMY JOYCE, DMV ADMINISTRATOR

Instead of waiting for someone to help him, Sedransk told the Source Weekly, he left the DMV without obtaining his license and registration. While he hasn’t had a chance to return, he plans to try another Central Oregon location that may be less crowded.

— Steve Arnold from the Sound story, “Local Love: A Q/A with Steve Arnold of Blackstrap Bluegrass”

Oregon Department of Transportation

Daily staffing challenges, Crabb said, are often a result of the DMV sending relief between the offices, typically covering for employees on leave, to try and maintain a minimal level of staffing necessary to keep regional offices open.

“This often means we are especially short-staffed at our busiest office in the area (Bend) to keep the others going, resulting in long wait times in Bend, and we fall short of our primary goal to provide excellent customer service to all Oregonians,” Crabb told the Source Weekly in an email. “On some days, the staffing falls below the minimal levels necessary to send relief and the only way to continue is to close an office and try and consolidate staff in the offices we can keep open.”

In an attempt to make some services easier to access, ODOT announced Jan. 16 that Oregon DMV is launching express kiosks in Fred Meyer stores in nine cities, including one in Bend. The self-service kiosks will offer customers another way to renew their vehicle registration beyond a DMV field office, mail or online.

“We see these kiosks as a way to improve customer service, access and equity,” said DMV administrator Amy Joyce in a press release. “This program is the latest effort aimed at improving the DMV experience for our customers. Seven days a week, any time Fred Meyer is open, Oregonians can renew their registration and receive their tags immediately. And half of the kiosks accept cash in addition to credit and debit cards. Offering cash payments as an option helps ensure everyone has access to essential services, regardless of their banking status or their comfort using credit and debit cards online. We’re looking forward to bringing more kiosks to the state later this year.”

With the new kiosks, customers are charged a vendor fee of $4.95 per transaction and can walk away with a printed vehicle registration and license plate stickers. Oregon DMV plans to eventually add more kiosks in grocery stores across the state to meet customer demand.

While the kiosk may free up wait times at local DMVs, the deadline for people to get a Real ID from the DMV is coming up, and that needs to be done in person.

Individuals without a valid U.S. passport will need a Real ID to travel by plane after May 7, 2025. To obtain a Real ID, people must visit a DMV office to apply in person and bring original documents that prove their identity, date of birth, residence address and lawful status in the U.S. The Real ID option costs an additional $30, according to ODOT.

Those who want to get their Real ID, or need to visit the DMV in person, have the option to make an appointment online or walk in at any DMV office without an appointment.

Former Senator Tim Knopp on Accomplishments, Next Steps

Tim Knopp talks to the Source Weekly about his new role and his time in

the Oregon legislature

By Julianna LaFollette

Former Sen. Tim Knopp served in the Oregon legislature for 18 years, working as a state representative from 1999 to 2005, then as a member of the State Senate from 2013 to 2025. Knopp, ineligible to run for reelection in 2024 after leading the longest walkout in the state’s history, says he’s going back to his roots in grassroots advocacy work. The Source Weekly caught up with Knopp about his work in the legislature, the state of Central Oregon Republicans and his new position with advocacy group, U.S. Term Limits.

Source Weekly: Tell me about your new position with U.S. Term Limits.

Tim Knopp: I’m an Oregon co-director, in a bipartisan way, with a colleague from the Lane County area. We’re working to get a constitutional amendment referred in Oregon, as well as nationally, through Congress, for congressional term limits. I've always been a supporter of term limits and my advocacy goes back probably to 1994 on this issue.

SW: What sparked this desire to advocate for term limits?

TK: I was looking forward to taking a break from policy and politics for a while, but U.S. Term Limits called and said I had been recommended by several people to take over the co-director spot that Alek Skarlatos had been in. It's completely volunteer, which is important, because I can't be paid to [professionally] lobby for a year after leaving the legislature.

I just believe that what the founders envisioned was not people serving, you know, 20, 40, 50 years at a time, because it, quite frankly, turns into more of people ruling versus people serving.

I don't think that's healthy, and here's how we know it's not healthy. The United States has a nearly $36 trillion debt, and that has been caused by people that have been in Congress for decades, and they don't seem to care or do anything about it, and it's gonna literally destroy the country economically.

SW: Being a public servant for so many years, how does it feel transitioning into this new space?

TK: It's like coming home, because that's where I

started over 30 years ago. I was a grassroots activist. The first thing I really did publicly in Oregon was, I was unhappy about the legislature's referral of a sales tax in 1993. I founded a group and a PAC to fight that at the ballot. There were several different groups that got started -- mine was just kind of an uprising of a grassroots group here in Central Oregon, and we ended up winning that pretty significantly.

SW: Locally, Democrats saw overwhelming victories in this past election. What are your thoughts on this? How does it affect the state of Central Oregon Republicans?

TK: I think that, generally, Central Oregon has been moving slowly over time more Democrat, and that is due to the influx of people coming to Central Oregon that are from California, Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, and they tend to lean left. So, my district, basically, moved about one point Democrat every year. Redistricting moved it a little bit more, but I don't think it was significant. There’s no question that Bend has become much more left-leaning, and that is what the electorate is voting for right now. So, I think it's challenging for any Republican that has a significant portion of whatever district they're in in Bend to run and win office in Bend or Central Oregon.

SW: Lastly, how do you feel about your time serving the state of Oregon?

TK: It’s been such an honor for me to be able to serve for 18 years in the legislature, and there's been so much that's been accomplished.

I was there at the beginning helping to found and fund OSU-Cascades campus. I think that will be a long-lasting impact. I think the kicker is going to be a long-lasting legacy – putting that in the Constitution. The Democrats would have gotten rid of the kicker a couple decades ago if it wasn't in the Constitution. That happened in the year 2000 in an election and has returned literally billions of dollars to taxpayers, the biggest one of which just most recently happened last year.

I think there are a lot of other things, like Kaylee's Law…which was critically important to keep our students safe, and other things like increasing the statute of limitations on rape in Oregon. And then, of course, honoring veterans – we've done so much great work there as well.

When I look back on the totality of over 450 pieces of legislation that I've been a sponsor, chief sponsor or co-sponsor of, I'm proud of the work that we've been able to accomplish as a community, because really, much of that was community-driven. And I always felt like I was just the instrument for the community to be able to, you know, raise their voice and to get things done that they cared about.

Tim Knopp

Former Redmond Motel Reopens as Apartment Complex

Redmond officials held a grand opening on Tuesday to introduce the NOVA Apartments in downtown Redmond

By Julianna LaFollette

Redmond leaders and community members attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Jan. 21 to introduce a new apartment complex in the downtown area. The NOVA Apartments, situated on Redmond’s Fifth Street, will support the city’s ongoing revitalization efforts of the downtown neighborhood.

Formerly known as the Village Squire Motel, the building was converted to studio apartments, offering 24 units with amenities including small kitchens, on-site laundry, security and a gym. The units will be priced to prioritize livability and affordability for Redmond’s local workforce.

According to Jeff Lundin with Watson Development, the construction company that worked on the building, all units will be priced intentionally so that those earning 80% of the area’s median income can afford the units. Rent prices, he said, will be informed by data provided by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Oregon Housing and Community Services.

“We are very thankful for this public-private partnership with the City’s support, including $75,000 from city urban renewal in SDC credits,” said Lundin. “We want to thank our construction partners, Simplicity by Hayden Homes, for having the vision in less than a year to turn this former motel site into these apartments that we see.”

Cobalt Property Management said it will be welcoming 24 residents into the apartments in just a couple of weeks.

“For young people getting started and working, these are perfect,” Redmond Mayor Ed Fitch told the Source Weekly. “You can go anywhere downtown very easily, and the parking, it’s just fantastic for a young person, single person, getting their feet wet and saving some money.”

According to Fitch, the City of Redmond had been looking at this location for a couple of years now, in terms of how it could be renovated. About a year ago, Hayden Homes showed interest in the property, leading to its partnership with the City on this project.

“I want to thank Hayden Homes Simplicity and all the other organizations under that umbrella for what they did here,” Fitch said. “It just shows what a community can do to come together to build a great product for people who need it.”

THE CABIN FEVER EXPO

VEHICLES FOR ADVENTURE

Explore the latest RVs, boats and ATVs all in one place at The Cabin Fever Expo. The expo takes place over the span of four days, so whether you’re planning your next big trip or just dreaming of warmer days, it’s an opportunity to gear up, get inspired and kick off a year full of adventure. Thu., Jan. 23, 10am-5pm through Sun., Jan. 26, 10am3pm at Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center. 3800 SE Airport Way, Redmond. Free.

MONDAY 1/27

SOUND YOGA AND GONG BATH MEDITATION

DE-STRESS WITH LIGHT MOVEMENT AND MEDITATION

Relax deeply in the sound meditation and yogic movement session with Soundshala’s Kevin Kraft. Session includes a brief explanation of the instruments, mantra, light movement and breathwork and lying down for the gong bath. Bring whatever will make you comfortable: yoga mats, pillow, blankets, etc. Mon., Jan. 27, 6-7:30pm at High Desert Music Hall. 818 SW Forest Ave., Redmond. Free.

The new apartment complex is located in the former Village Squire Motel in downtown Redmond.

Redmond Mayor Ed Fitch, flanked by other officials, cuts the ribbon Tuesday in front of the new NOVA Apartments.

Photos by Julianna LaFollette

Nowhere to Stay

A

young person experiencing a mental health crisis in Central

nearest emergency room

and

wait for

Oregon has just one option: Go to the

days — sometimes weeks — for an in-patient treatment bed to open on the other side of the mountains

By Jennifer Baires

Last August, on a clear, sunny day, a group of elected officials and health experts gathered at St. Charles Medical Center in Bend for a presentation on emergency services for youth experiencing a mental health crisis in Central Oregon.

The information they left with was bleak. Emergency departments at all St. Charles hospitals in Cental Oregon are seeing an increase in young people experiencing mental health crises, and while it can keep them safe from physical harm when they’re admitted, it’s not equipped to treat them.

Instead, for days and even weeks at a time, a person under the age of 18 sits in an emergency department bed on 24/7 watch, while hoping a spot at an in-patient residential care facility several hours away will open. The nearest beds are in Portland, Salem and Eugene. In Central Oregon, there aren’t any facilities that provide respite or inpatient residential care for youth experiencing psychosis or who are at grave risk of harming themselves or others.

It’s a disparity in services that experts in the region say contributes to Deschutes County’s outsized suicide rate for youth, which is twice as high as statewide numbers and three times as high as youth nationally. Suicide is the leading cause of death among 10- to 17-year-olds in Deschutes County, responsible for 58% of deaths in that age group.

Rep. Emerson Levy (D-OR53), who represents parts of Deschutes County, was at the August roundtable at St. Charles. She left the presentation that day with heavy worries and a renewed sense of urgency to introduce legislation to address the problem. This year she plans to reintroduce a bill that would establish regional care psychiatric facilities for youth. It’s drafted from a similar bill that failed to make it out of the Joint Committee on Ways and Means two years ago and, even if passed, wouldn’t fully fund a facility. Building and running a facility would require buy-in from multiple levels of government and a coalition of support among health care providers. Representatives from St. Charles and Deschutes County officials say they’ve been working out the details for a Central Oregon center for the last few years. The final piece of the puzzle is funding. “I just think we’re not doing right by our families,”

Levy said. “I might get in trouble for saying that, but I really think we’re failing them.”

And, as the region’s population grows, so, too, does the number of young people needing a service that doesn’t exist.

IN THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT

Six years ago, Veronica Smith’s* young daughter made her first suicide attempt. It was a shock to the family, as the then 13-year-old had never shown signs of suicidal ideation before, and the Smiths were a close family.

“We’re a family that eats dinner every night together,” Smith said. “We’re a family that every night like clockwork, we play a game called ‘High-Low’ where we talk about a high of our day, and a low of our day. She never indicated to us that anything had happened, or that anything was going on.”

Upon finding their daughter unresponsive on the bathroom floor, the Smiths were thrown into a crisis that they had no framework for navigating. In the emergency department at St. Charles in Bend, their daughter was treated for her physical trauma, but once stabilized she was sent home with instructions to her parents to keep a close eye on her. Smith says they were not connected with a therapist or referred to anyone for further care.

To provide around-the-clock care, Smith quit her job and became hypervigilant of her daughter’s every move. She and her husband lived in constant fear. Despite those efforts, a few months later they were in the emergency department again, following a second attempt.

This time, they were told about a litany of services, but all were out of reach.

“Now, all of a sudden, it’s important,” she recalled. “And now, all of a sudden, everybody’s like, ‘Well, we have these services. We don’t have them here, but we have residential treatment programs. But they’re over the mountain, and there are no beds.’”

Once again, Smith’s daughter was sent home with instructions to watch her closely. They got her into an outpatient treatment program that Smith said helped a bit, but wasn’t the exact right fit. Over time, and with stops and starts, her daughter healed and is thriving in college today, Smith said.

Smith now works for Deschutes County, helping and

advocating for families going through similar situations. She says she joined the County to try to ensure that no family experiences what hers went through. Initially, she worked with families to empower them to speak up about their needs and express whether they felt comfortable taking a potentially suicidal child home. In her current role, she refers families to facilities for in-patient care – programs that are still out of reach for many on the other side of the Cascades.

“I work with single moms who don’t have a car to drive there every day,” Smith said. “I work with single moms who have three jobs. And you know, the residential program would be like, ‘Well, visiting hours are on Wednesday at 1 o’clock,’ and the mom is like, ‘I have three other kids and two jobs, I can’t get there.’”

A GROWING NEED

What the Smiths went through years ago is happening to more families today in Central Oregon than before, and the outcomes haven’t changed much. When evaluating its emergency department data, St. Charles found that the number of youths staying in the emergency department longer than 24 hours has increased yearly since 2021 – hitting a historic high in 2024. And it’s a problem unique to youth: The same emergency room data showed that the average length of a stay, in hours, is highest for those under 18.

Lindsey Overstreet is a licensed clinical social worker and head of Pediatric Behavioral Health at Mosaic Community Health. In her role, she sometimes refers patients to the emergency department for psychosis, being a potential safety threat to themselves or others and other acute mental health crisis concerns. Overstreet said while there are plenty of resources and services to support mental health before it gets to needing emergency care, the lack of a nearby, dedicated residential treatment facility for those under 18 years old is dangerous and can further traumatize the child in crisis and their family.

Statewide, there are only around 40 beds available for inpatient psychiatric care for youth. It can take so long for a spot to open that a child may claim to feel better just to get out of the emergency department.

“We know of youth who have been there for many weeks because they cannot be safe at home,” Overstreet said. “There is no room for them at one of the facilities in the [Willamette] Valley, and so unfortunately, I think a lot of times, the youth just say, ‘I’m not suicidal anymore’ in order to be able to be released – even if that’s not necessarily true. And while we have incredible clinicians who are evaluating them, if they [the youth in crisis] are adamant that they’re no longer suicidal, and those are the words they’re telling them, then they’re not going to be detained in that unit anymore.”

The Source Weekly

In 2023, when Deschutes County released its suicide trend report, it acknowledged the problem in stark terms. "In ED settings, youth receive minimal behavioral health services, and the ED is not equipped to provide the level of care that is needed to help youth address their behavioral health needs, in turn, lowering our ability to prevent suicide in the Central Oregon region,” the report read.

Molly Wells Darling, the senior behavioral health director at St. Charles, says the hospital is doing its best to help the youth who come to the emergency department in crisis, and she stresses that absent specialized services, the emergency department remains the best — and only — place to bring a child in distress.

“It’s incredibly hard for the youth, and it’s hard for the caregivers too,” Wells Darling said. “Because the caregivers know that this isn’t what we want to be doing, in terms of serving our youth. They certainly do the best that they can. But, ideally, the youth would be in a crisis stabilization unit or a hospital with expansive youth services.”

In Deschutes County, urgent care-type services are available for children and adults through the County’s Stabilization Center in Bend. The center is open 24/7 and staffed with clinicians who can assess a person in crisis and make referrals for treatment or other services. For adults, there are dedicated shortterm respite recliners available for up to 23 hours at a time as temporary, safe spaces to rest, de-escalate and regain some control over their emotions and behaviors. It also gives caregivers a break from the intensity of trying to manage the crisis. And while youth can come to the center at any time, they are not eligible to use the respite space.

“It would be great to open some form of respite for youth because sometimes crises require inpatient, but what we found in our adult continuum of care is that we need some in-between levels of care,” said Nicole VonLaven, the County’s program manager for behavioral health crisis services. “And I think for youth, particularly, a respite space would be wildly helpful.”

VonLaven said the Stabilization Center along with the community-based crisis team that responds to emergencies called into 911 or 988, school-based health centers and the intensive in-home mental health treatment program offered through Youth Villages have all been great additions to acute care in the region. But the gap in care at the highest-need end of the spectrum still yawns.

BUILDING ON THIS SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN

More expansive services are what Wells Darling at St. Charles is hoping to bring to Central Oregon in partnership with Deschutes, Jefferson and Crook County’s health departments, as well as PacificSource and Greater Oregon Behavioral Health Inc., a part of the Eastern Oregon Coordinated Care Organization. Wells Darling said the group started working on the logistics for a facility about a year and a half ago, following the failure of state legislation in 2023 to develop regional residential psychiatric care facilities for youth in underserved areas throughout Oregon.

The coalition also includes Deschutes County Commissioner Phil Chang, who hosted the August roundtable at St. Charles to

draw attention to the gap in care. Chang said he thinks the political will is there to support and pass a bill this year at the state level to create regional facilities. Part of why it didn’t move forward in 2023, he said, was because that was the year Republicans in the

state senate participated in a six-week-long walkout, the longest in state history.

“I would blame the death of the bill in 2023 on the walkouts,” Chang said. “When people finally came back, they were only able to triage some of the most urgent, biggest, most critical things. There was a ton of legislation, good legislation, that just fell by the way.”

Now, Chang is hopeful the bill passes and that the work that’s been done since then to develop a model of care for the area will mean that if approved and funded – possibly through congressionally directed funding – a facility could be built relatively quickly.

Any federal money would require the support of a member of Congress, known as Congressionally Directed Spending in the Senate and Community Project Funding in the House. When reached for comment, representatives for Oregon Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) said that youth mental health services are a concern for the senators and that each is willing to work with local representatives to find a solution, like a dedicated facility.

“I hear consistently in town halls and visits to classrooms all across the state how severe the mental health crisis is for young Oregonians, paired with the acute lack of placement options for these children,” Wyden wrote in a statement to the Source Weekly. “I will work with anybody at the local level in Central Oregon to find common-sense solutions like a mental health facility that could treat these young Oregonians with common decency.”

Likewise, Merkley’s office said the senator is aware of the severe shortage of mental health resources for youth and is open to helping secure funding for an in-care facility through congressionally directed spending. In addition, Merkley’s press secretary, Molly Prescott, wrote in an email that the senator is developing legislation of his own to address the need.

“His office is tracking what is being proposed on a state and local level as the senator is gearing up to introduce legislation soon that is targeted to address this exact challenge facing the region and many other communities across America,” Prescott wrote.

Meanwhile, without a facility nearby, parents of children in crisis are still driving over the mountains for care – if they’re lucky enough that a bed opens. And, even in that “best-case scenario,” there is no best choice..

Smith remembers one mom she worked with who didn’t have reliable transportation but managed to get a ride for her and her son to a facility in the Willamette Valley. When they arrived at the treatment center, the mom, Smith said, was shocked to see barbed wire around the place and was told by staff there that for her son’s best outcome, she’d need to participate fully in care by attending in-person therapy. However, as a single mom with a fulltime job, other children to care for and no car, she didn’t know how she was going to make that happen.

“I remember her telling me, she was sitting in the car just crying,” Smith said. “And she’s sitting next to her son who needs this, and they turned around and drove away because she just couldn't come to terms with what the residential program was asking of her as a parent at the participation level. Saying to her, ‘Go home, three hours away, and then tomorrow, be back here by one.’”

*Names and some details have been changed to protect the family’s privacy.

—This story is powered by the Lay It Out Foundation, the nonprofit with a mission of promoting deep reporting and investigative journalism in Central Oregon. Learn more and be part of this important work by visiting layitoutfoundation.org.

Resources for those experiencing a mental health crisis:

National Suicide Hotline

(800) 273-8255

Text: ‘273TALK’ to 839863 (8am-11pm daily) 988lifeline.org

Drug and Alcohol

Helpline

24/7 help line for individuals and family members seeking crisis intervention, treatment referral and chemical dependency information. (800) 923-4357

Text: ‘RecoveryNow’ to 839863 (8am-11pm daily) linesforlife.org/alcoholand-drug-helpline

Youthline

A teen-to-teen crisis and helpline for youth and teens. Teens available to help daily from 4-10pm (off-hour calls are answered by the crisis line) (877) 968-8491

Text: ‘teen2teen’ to 839863 oregonyouthline.org

St. Charles

SOURCE PICKS

WEDNESDAY 1/22

MANIA: THE ABBA TRIBUTE

MAMMA MIA – HERE I GO AGAIN

From “Dancing Queen” to “Mamma Mia,” the band The ABBA Tribute performs all of ABBA’s greatest hits with passion and delivers and unforgettable tribute to the legendary Swedish band that has captured the hearts of fans for generations. Wed., Jan. 22, 7:30-9pm at Tower Theatre. 835 NW Wall St., Bend. $39.50-$69.50.

THURSDAY 1/23

FRIENDS TRIVIA NIGHT

‘90S SITCOM TRIVIA COMPETITION

Could we be any more excited? Join an unforgettable evening of fun, laughter and friendly competition for Friends Trivia Night. Get ready to test your knowledge about the classic ‘90s comedy series. There will be prizes for winners. Thu., Jan. 23, 6-8pm at The Abbey at Monkless Belgian Ales. 900 SE Wilson Ave., Bend. Free.

THURSDAY 1/23

THE PACK DRUMLINE

A DYNAMIC DRUM PERFORMANCE

The Pack Drumline made its presence known to the world when it kicked off Season 17 of “America’s Got Talent.” Since then, The Pack has touched many stages and traveled across the country performing for thousands of crowds. Catch their dynamic drum performance at the Tower Theatre. Thu., Jan. 23, 7:30pm at Tower Theatre. 835 NW Wall St., Bend. $24-$44.

THURSDAY 1/23

MOON TRICKS WITH HIGH STEP SOCIETY

A BLEND OF ELECTRONIC, FOLK AND DANCE MUSIC

Based in the rustic Kootenay mountains of western Canada, Nathan Gurley and Sean Rodman of nationally renowned electro-folk duo of Moontricks are known for blending organic folk, roots rock, blues and modern electronic production into its musical style. Thu., Jan. 23, 8pm at Midtown Ballroom. 51 NW Greenwood Ave., Bend. $25.

FRIDAY - SUNDAY 1/24 - 1/26

APRÈS-SKI WEEKEND CELEBRATION

PRIZES + PASSHOLDER SPECIALS AT FREELAND SPIRITS

Come hang out and warm up after a day on the mountain at Freeland Spirits during the après ski weekend celebration. Drink and food specials throughout the weekend, employee/pass holder discounts as well as a ski pass scavenger hunt at the tasting room with lots of prizes. Fri., Jan. 24, Noon-9pm through Sun., Jan. 26, Noon-8pm at Freeland Spirits. 550 SW Industrial Way Suite 190, Bend. Free.

FRIDAY - SATURDAY 1/17 - 1/18

BACKCOUNTRY FILM FESTIVAL

A LINEUP OF INSPIRING FILMS

Join Discover Your Forest for an evening of epic films celebrating human-powered, backcountry-inspired stories rooted in wild snowscapes. With raffle items sponsored by local businesses, the event is a fundraiser to support youth conservation education programs in Central Oregon. Fri., Jan. 24, 3-5pm & 7-9pm at Volcanic Theatre Pub. 70 SW Century Dr., Bend. $25.

FRIDAY 1/24

JASON DEA WEST & THE SISKOU CREST

A FOLK SINGER THROUGH AND THROUGH Jason Dea West is an American troubadour whose poignant lyrics are blended with vintage country, folk and blues. Catch his performance filled with guitar and harmonica instrumentals. Fri., Jan. 24, 7pm at Silver Moon Brewing. 24 NW Greenwood Ave., Bend. $15.

FRIDAY 1/24

AN EVENING WITH RAILROAD EARTH

BLUEGRASS AND AMERICANA BAND

Formed in New Jersey, Railroad Earth is a bluegrass Americana band, its music blending elements of progressive bluegrass, folk, rock, country and jazz influences. Fri., Jan. 24, 8pm-Midnight at Midtown Ballroom. 51 NW Greenwood Ave., Bend. $30.

SATURDAY 1/25

PIANO FLOW AT MT. BACHELOR

MUSIC AT THE MOUNTAIN

Celebrate the winter season in the great outdoors during the Piano Flow at Mt. Bachelor. Ski the candlelit trails under the stars while pianist Paula Dreyer serenades you with her beautiful piano music. Sat., Jan. 25, 5-8pm at Mt. Bachelor Nordic Center. 13000 Century Dr., Bend. $20-$40.

Local Love: A Q/A with Steve Arnold of Blackstrap Bluegrass

By Chris Young

“We’re not truly a bluegrass band,” says Steve Arnold, reflecting on his quarter century in Bend’s Blackstrap Bluegrass. It’s easy to understand how a band that’s been making music and playing shows for more than 25 years might not stick to just one lane.

“I’m the only original” band member, he continues. “We’ve had three or four incarnations over the years.” This also contributes to the group’s varied influences and directions during the decades. Today’s band features Arnold on five-string banjo, Derek Hofbauer on mandolin, Craig Mavis on upright bass and Jak Rands on acoustic guitar. The foursome share songwriting duties and officially kicked off year 25 with the release of “Songs to Remember” last April.

An everyman’s band singing songs about love, wideopen Central Oregon landscapes, road trips, “Whiskey & Rye” and a propane-heated trailer (one of the first songs Arnold ever wrote), the Source Weekly caught up with Steve Arnold recently — answers have been edited for brevity and clarity.

Source Weekly: Twenty-five years is quite a milestone. During that time, you’ve released three albums so it’s obvious that making studio records hasn’t been the priority for the band.

Steve Arnold: No. I think we technically have four, but that first one… I don’t even think we did it with an engineer. I think I did it myself. It was just called “Made in Bend.” That was when we were first starting out.

SW: What’s your songwriting process like?

SA: When I write songs, I sometimes think about places I’ve been or places I like to go, just as a kind of a place to start. But we seem to have some songs that have geographic references, like “The Lights of Winnemucca,” which is when you’re driving through Oregon and you haven’t seen anything for a while, and there’s the lights of Winnemucca. A friend of mine dared me to write a

song about Winnemucca.

SW: So, have you played Winnemucca?

SA: No, we haven’t. But we have played in Frenchglen, Oregon, which is kind of close.

SW: It counts.

SA: Yeah. And then “Alvord Annie” was another one that was about the Alvord Desert, a place that I love.

SW: How’d you start playing music?

SA: I was always the guy in the jam circle without the instrument, because I didn’t grow up playing music. But I would know words, so I could always sing. Maybe not great, but at least I knew the words.

When I moved out here in ’94, one of the guys that I would go see these bluegrass festivals with — he was a college friend and a musician — I went to visit him on my way out here. We went to the Albuquerque flea market, and my buddies found me this banjo, this beater banjo for $100. And they’re like, “You’re gonna need this in Oregon.” Then I just figured it out from there, Appalachian style.

SW: What kind of gigs do you derive the most enjoyment from?

SA: Since we’ve been playing so long, it’s no longer just our friends coming to see us. So there’s just a bunch of new people who are pleasantly surprised. That’s kind

of fun. I just like to see people having a good time, people I don’t know. Weddings, private parties are super fun because that’s when you get to engage with the crowd, and you get to meet people and collectively raise the energy level.

SW: Do you have any advice for younger musicians?

SA: Anyone can write a song, you know, you just gotta do it. And then you just gotta keep playing. One of the best pieces of advice I got was: Don’t keep your instrument in its case. Keep it on the couch or something, or hang it up so you can see it. Find a style you like. Find your style, whatever that is, and nurture that.

CALENDAR

22 Wednesday

Bridge 99 Brewery Acoustic Open Mic Night

Presented by Oddfellow Join us for an Open Mic Night presented by Oddfellow! Whether you’re a seasoned performer or brand new, this is your chance to shine. Enjoy a night of talent, good vibes, and community spirit. 6:30-8:30pm. Free.

The Cellar-A Porter Brewing Company

Wednesday Jam Sessions Drink some fine cask or imported beers and try some British pies while listening to local musicians. 6:30-8:30pm. Free.

Crosscut Warming Hut No 5 Kenny Hadden Relax with a pint and enjoy great local music from Kenny Hadden. 6-8pm. Free.

Deschutes Brewery & Public House Head

Games Trivia Night Eat. Drink. Think. Win! Head

Games multi-media trivia is at Deschutes Bend Public House every Wednesday. Win prizes. Teams up to six. 6:30-8:30pm. Free.

JC’s Bar & Grill WING-skey Wednesdays + TRIVIA Wednesdays at JC’s are a triple threat: $0.75 wings, killer whiskey specials and trivia kicking off at 7pm. Bring your A-game for our infamous “physical challenge” (think limbo and musical chairs!) and a night full of laughs and flavor. 7pm. Free.

M&J Tavern Open Mic Night Downtown living room welcomes musicians to bring their acoustic set or turn it up to eleven with the whole band. Bring your own instruments. Goes to last call or last musician, whichever comes first. 21+. 6:30pm. Free.

McMenamins Old St. Francis School

Chained to Stone Come jam with us in Downtown Bend at McMenamins Old St. Francis School in the Father Luke Room and experience Central Oregon’s premier ‘90s rock band! We tribute Stone Temple Pilots, Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and more! 7-10pm. Free. Midtown Yacht Club Sink or Swim Trivia Bring your friends and join us for a locally run trivia show! This is not "out of the box" national, pre-made trivia and is most definitely NOT your dad’s trivia night. 6-8pm. Free.

Northside Bar & Grill Mellow Wednesday Acoustic Open Mic and Jam hosted by Derek Michael Marc Sign-up sheet is available at 6:30pm. 7-9pm. Free.

Pinky G’s Pizzeria MUSIC BINGO Join music Bingo (think Bingo and Name that Tune). Great food, cold drinks and good times. Free to play and prizes for each round winner. 6-8pm. Free.

Ponch’s Place Bingo Wednesdays Enjoy bingo at Ponch’s Place on Wednesdays. 5-7pm. Free.

Prost! Bend Trivia Prost! UKB Trivia is now at Prost! Genuine UKB Trivia is no average trivia night! Meet up with friends, win gift card prizes for top teams! Enjoy Prost’s authentic beer and food menu. Trivia is free to play, with no buy-ins! 7-9pm. Free. River’s Place Cribbage Tournament No sign up needed. Just show up! Buy-in is $20 cash per person. Half goes to Silver Linings Rescue Ranch, the rest is awarded to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners. Please arrive early to go over the rules and set up the game. 5:30-8:30pm. Free.

The Commonwealth Pub Jared Lee McComas at The Commonwealth Pub Jared Lee McComas was born in Santa Clara ,CA, but grew up in the East Valley of Arizona, then traveled the Southwestern United States. Jared plays a wide variety of music from rock, to country and folk, with a wide array of covers. 7:30pm. Free.

Thursday. Offering a light happy hour menu — daily flatbread, chili, charcuterie, soft pretzels and more! 4:30-6:30pm. Free.

Bridge 99 Brewery Trivia Thursday at Bridge 99 Brewery Trivia Thursdays at 6:30pm at Bridge 99 Brewery with Useless Knowledge Bowl. It’s no ordinary trivia night, Team up to win house gift cards! Great brews, cocktails, and more. In-house menu and food truck options available! It’s free to play. Indoor and outdoor seating available. 63063 Layton Ave, Bend. 6:30-8:30pm. Free.

Bunk+Brew Karaoke Thursdays Sing your heart out at Bunk + Brew’s Karaoke Night! Thursdays from 7-10 PM. Whether you’re a pro or just love the spotlight, all voices are welcome. Food carts available all evening! Located in the Historic Lucas House Living Room for winter. 7-10pm. Free.

Elements Public House Trivia Night at Elements Public House with QuizHead Games Come be all you can be with Trivia Night every Thursday from 6-8pm! Featuring QuizHead. games. Located at the north end of Redmond. Full bar and great food! 6-8pm. Free.

Midtown Ballroom Moon Tricks w/ High Step Society Based in the rustic Kootenay mountains of Western Canada, Nathan Gurley and Sean Rodman of nationally renowned electro-folk duo Moontricks draw inspiration from the ongoing cycles of the natural world. Both volatile and constant—like nature’s best offerings— the band finds solace and beauty in the fusion of seemingly disparate elements. 8pm. $25.

Mountain Burger Richard Fitzgerald at Mountain Burger Thursday night live at Mountain Burger is Richard Fitzgerald. 5-7pm. Free

The Pack Drumline The Pack Drumline made its presence known to the world when it kicked off Season 17 of America’s Got Talent. This type of opportunity has only ever been a dream of theirs since forming back in 2014. Since then, The Pack has been blessed to touch many stages and travel across the country performing for thousands of crowds. The Pack has even performed at Super Bowl LVIII! Jan. 23, 7:30pm. Tower Theatre, 835 NW Wall St., Bend. $24-$44.. Ponch’s Place Trivia Thursdays with Quizhead Games Trivia Thursdays at Ponch’s Place with QuizHead Games. 5-7pm. Free.

River’s Place Long Gone Wilder Trio Blues and rock favorites from Long Gone Wilder Trio. 6-8pm. Free.

Silver Moon Brewing Trivia on the Moon Come down to Silver Moon Brewing for a night of trivia! Teams are welcome to show up in groups up to 8 people. Silver Moon also offers seating reservations for $20 donations that all go to F*Cancer! If you would like to reserve a table please contact the Trivia on the Moon Facebook page. 7pm. Free.

The Abbey at Monkless Belgian Ales Trivia Night @ The Abbey at Monkless Belgian Ales Could we be any more excited? Join us for an unforgettable evening of fun, laughter, and friendly competition at The Abbey at Monkless Belgian Ales for Friends Trivia Night! To reserve your team’s place, simply send us a message through our social media channels. 6-8pm. Free.

LIVE MUSIC & NIGHTLIFE

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Eccentric indie rockers Rainbow Kitten Surprise are coming to Bend this summer as part of the band’s “Thanks For Coming Tour.” Mon., Aug. 11, 7pm at Hayden Homes Amphitheater.

The Commonwealth Pub Outlaw Country Band Matt Martin and the .45s at The Commonwealth Pub Matt Martin and the .45s are from Central Oregon. The band and Matt grasp the audiences attention with all-time country music favorites. Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams Jr., Merle Haggard, and more. Matt and the fellas also perform contemporary songs from Whitey Morgan, Cody Jinks, Jamey, 7:30pm. Free.

The Dez Lounge Open Mic w/ Joyful Lane Join Joyful Lane as he hosts open mic night @The Dez Lounge! Enjoy NA cocktails, Charcuterie and desserts while listening to local talent! 6-9pm. Free.

The Lot Breanna Gonzalez An indie-folk-soul singer/songwriter with a passion for creating heartfelt, authentic music. Born in Bend and raised all over Oregon, her musical journey has been shaped by the beautiful landscapes and diverse sounds of the Pacific Northwest. 6-8pm. Free.

Velvet Open Mic Monthly Open Mic at Velvet! Hosted by Mari every 4th Thu., of every month! Sign-up starts at 6pm, and music goes until 9pm. All are welcome! 7-9pm. Free.

Volcanic Theatre Pub The Main Squeeze. Paranorma: Tour of a lifetime The Main Squeeze, who have toured with the likes of George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, String Cheese Incident, Umphrey’s McGee, and many more and are lauded across North America’s live music circuit. 7pm. $23.

24 Friday

Community Bonfire Fridays Gather around the fire every Friday from 7-10pm at Bunk + Brew. Meet new friends, share stories, and enjoy the cozy vibes. Don’t miss our delicious food carts in the backyard! Fridays, 7-10pm. Bunk+Brew, 42 NW Hawthorne Avenue, Bend. Free.

Deschutes Brewery Tasting Room

Fresh Squeezed Friday w/ UKB Trivia Friday Jan. 24 at 5pm You’re invited to ‘Fresh Squeezed Friday’ with Useless Knowledge Bowl live trivia at 5pm Wrap up your afternoon or start your night off right! Featuring $5 Fresh Squeezed pints! Tasty N/A brews available for dry January. Win top team prizes and free to play! Tasty food cart options too! 5pm. Free.

Hardtails Bar & Grill Stage 28 Karaoke Come out for a night of Stage 28 Karaoke with your host Miss Min! What’s your go-to karaoke tune? Come to Hardtails for a fun Friday night and sing your heart out! 8pm-Midnight. Free. Hawkeye & Huckleberry Lounge Heller Highwater Trio Heller Highwater Trio playing acoustic covers from R&B, rock, and country covers that are favorites for all ages. Come enjoy this incredible new venue on Century Dr. 8:3010pm. Free.

Hosmer Bar Comedy Night at Hosmer Bar Join Bits N Skits Productions for a night of comedy at Hosmer Bar. Located in the lobby of the Waypoint Hotel, Hosmer Bar, the newest of swanky Bend hotspots offering both delicious drinks, yummy mocktails, and kick-ass food, Hosmer is the perfect backdrop to laugh and end your week. 7-9pm. $10 online/$15 at the door.

Big E’s Sports Bar Karaoke Night Central Oregon’s most fun karaoke venue! Karaoke is hosted by A Fine Note Karaoke Too and DJ Jackie J. Delicious food and drink and a friendly staff. Come join the show where you are the star! 8pm. Free.

Midtown Ballroom An Evening with Railroad Earth For over two decades, Railroad Earth has captivated audiences with gleefully unpredictable live shows and eloquent and elevated studio output. The New Jersey-built jam-grass engine Railroad Earth has let no moss grow under its rustic wheels. 8pm-Midnight. $30.

Silver Moon Brewing Jason Dea West & The Siskou Crest Jason Dea West is an American troubadour who sings what he lives and lives what he sings. Wests’ poignant lyrics are brilliantly blended with vintage country, folk and blues, and timely sensibilities. 7pm. $15.

The Commonwealth Pub Billy and the Box Kid Billy and the Box Kid emerged as a duo in the Bend open mic scene when singer/songwriter Anderson Koenig (also known as Billy) and Scottie McClelland (the Box Kid) collided. 8pm. Free. Wildwood Bar & Grill Hencel, Hyman, & Bennett Mark Hencel, Matthew Hyman, & Conner Bennett are a Bend-based bluegrass band with a sprinkle of Dawg & Newgrass. 7-10pm. Free.

Rainbow Kitten Surprise

25 Saturday

Austin Mercantile Saturday Afternoon Live Music Austin Mercantile has added live music on Saturdays! Serving wine, beer, lite happy hour menu, gifts and home decor. 4:30-6:30pm. Free.

Bevel Craft Brewing ‘80s Dance Party Dance these cold, dark nights away with us Bevel Craft Brewing the last Saturday of the month through March! This month DJ Bevel Beard will spin the best hits from the ‘80s. Wear your best ‘80s attire to get $1 off drinks all night! 6-9pm. Free.

Craft Kitchen and Brewery Ball Pit Comedy Show Get ready for a night of side-splitting laughter with a twist! Join us for a comedy show where you become part of the action. Armed with colorful pit balls, the audience gets to toss at comedians as they deliver their best punchlines. Doors Open: 7pm. Show Starts: 8pm 8-9:30pm.

Northside Bar & Grill Chained to Stone Come jam with us at Northside Bar & Grill and experience Central Oregon’s premier ‘90s rock band! We tribute Stone Temple Pilots, Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and more! 8-11pm. Free.

Powell Butte Community Center Public Dance Public Dance Saturday Jan. 25. Featuring Frank Carlson. Saloon opens at 6pm. Taco Bar available. Dance from 7-10. Western, rock and ‘50s. Powell Butte Community Center. 7-10pm. Dance Admission is $10 per adult.

River’s Place Saturday Jazz Sessions Michelle Van Handel Quartet Jazz Standards performs at River’s Place. 6-8pm. Free.

Silver Moon Brewing SHADOWHOUSE Portland's post punk goth band first gig in Bend Portlands post punk goth band Shadowhouse will play Bend for its first time at Silver Moon Brewing! Along with local Industrial Electro prog act Regal Nonchalant and Idaho duo Honey Trail. 7-11:30pm. $12 pre-sale/$15 at the door.

Sons of Beer Chasin’ Bandits feat Christie Strode Chasin’ Bandits plays a variety of country, rock & southern rock tunes for dancing and toe tapping! Christie Strode adds great vocal energy to her songs. Sons of Beer is a hangout featuring pub grub, beers on tap & cocktails. 7-10pm. Free.

Volcanic Theatre Pub Watkins Glen & Oregon Fryer - Watkins Glen’s Double-Decker Double-Header Super Jam Vol. III Parallel 44 Presents Watkins Glen’s Double-Decker Double-Header Super Jam Vol. III feat. 4 interlocking back-and-forth sets, 2 from Watkins Glen and 2 from Oregon Fryer. 7:30pm. $15 presale.

Wildwood Bar & Grill Eric Leadbetter & Conner Bennett Eric Leadbetter’s music is very unique and original, with ghostly echoes of the golden ages of rock. Conner Bennett is a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Inspired by nature and funky jams. 7-10pm. Free.

26 Sunday

The Commons Cafe & Taproom Trivia Night Sunday Funday Trivia with Sean. Gather your team, or roll solo and find a spot early in the cafe, knowledge tests begin at 6pm. Prizes for 1st and 2nd place. 6-8pm. Free.

The Domino Room An Evening with Tony Furtado Duo featuring Luke Price Tony Furtado is an evocative and soulful singer, a wide-ranging songwriter, and a virtuoso multi-instrumentalist adept on slide guitar, banjo, cello-banjo, and baritone ukulele. Joining Tony is Luke Price who is a 5-time Grand National Fiddle Champion. 8-11pm. $20.

River’s Place Trivia! Free to play and prizes to win! Every Sunday Noon-2pm. UKB Trivia hosts this friendly Sunday Funday meeting of the minds. Check out our Mimosa menu! Noon-2pm. Free.

River’s Place Bill Powers Americana, country folk...a broad mix of original songs and covers spanning various styles 5-7pm. Free.

Silver Moon Brewing Open Mic at the Moon Get a taste of the big time! Sign-up is at 4pm! Come check out the biggest and baddest open mic night in Bend! 5-8pm. Free.

Silver Moon Brewing Shwazy & Bikini trill Raised on the beaches of Southern California, Aaron Smith is a rapper, actor, musician, and father who became known to the world simply as Shwayze following a massive music breakout in 2008. 6pm. $22.

Tower Theatre Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra Jazz at Lincoln Center presents brings the soul of New Orleans and the spirit of Mardi Gras to this amazing evening, celebrating the composers and inspired songs of the Crescent City, the historic epicenter of jazz. 7:30pm. $46-$69.

Unofficial Logging Co. Sunday Matinee Music Series Sunday Matinee Live Music Series. Featuring local Central Oregon musician favorites. Family friendly! Presented by: Unofficial Logging Co. & DMM Music LLC. 5-7pm. Free.

27 Monday

Bridge 99 Brewery Trivia Mondays at Bridge 99 Trivia Mondays at 6:30pm at Bridge 99 Brewery with Useless Knowledge Bowl. It’s no ordinary trivia night, Team up to win house gift cards! Great brews, cocktails, and more. Inhouse menu and food truck options available! It’s free to play. Indoor and outdoor seating available. 63063 Layton Ave, Bend. 6:30-8:30pm. Free.

Bunk+Brew Open Mic Mondays Show off your talent at Bunk + Brew! Open mic runs from 6-10pm, with sign-ups starting at 5:30. Stick around for open jam from 9-10pm. Enjoy food carts in our backyard while supporting local performers. Located in the Historic Lucas House Living Room for winter. 6-10pm. Free.

Crux Fermentation Project Trivia Night @ Crux Trivia Night at Crux! First place team wins a $25 gift card! 6-8pm. Free.

Elixir Wine Locals Music Night and Open Mic Bend’s friendliest open-mic! All genres welcome. Oregon and international wine, beer and tapas menu available all evening. 6-9pm. Free.

JC’s Bar & Grill Free Pool + all day Happy Hour! Free pool Mondays! All day Happy Hour, free pool with any purchase, and unbeatable deals on drinks and bites! Enjoy delicious eats, ice-cold brews, and game day vibes with football on and the sound up. Don’t miss out- Mondays just got way better! 2pm-Midnight. Free.

On Tap Locals’ Day Plus Live Music Cheaper drinks all day and live music at night, get down to On Tap. 11am-9pm. Free.

Silver Moon Brewing Beertown Comedy Open Mic Voted #1 Open Mic and Locals Night, Beertown Comedy’s Open Mic happens every Monday at Silver Moon Brewing. Free to watch and perform! With 20 spots available, bring your best jokes and get noticed for paid gigs. Laughter guaranteed! 6:30-9pm. Free.

The Commonwealth Pub Monday Acoustic Open Mic Night Monday Acoustic Open Mic Night at The Commonwealth Pub Whether you’re performing original songs or acoustic covers, the stage is yours Monday nights at The Commonwealth Pub! Sign-ups 5pm and music 6-10pm. 5pm. Free.

28 Tuesday

Bunk+Brew Trivia Tuesdays Test your knowledge every Tuesday from 7-9pm at Bunk + Brew! New exciting themes every week. Bring your friends for a night of fun and prizes. Food carts will be open, so grab a bite or brew while you play. Located in the Historic Lucas House Dining Room. 7-9pm. Free.

The Cellar-A Porter Brewing Company Open Mic Open mic at The Cellar hosted by Mari! 6-8pm and all are welcome! 6-8pm. Free.

The Commons Cafe & Taproom Storytellers Open Mic StoryTellers open mic nights are full of music, laughs and community. Mason James is the host. Poetry, comedy and spoken word are welcome, but this is mainly a musical open mic. Performance slots are a quick 10 minutes each, so being warmed up and ready is ideal. If you wish to perform sign-ups start at 5pm in the cafe. 6pm. Free.

JC’s Bar & Grill TACOS + TEQUILA TUESDAYS! Spice up your week with 3 tacos for $6.50 and amazing deals on drinks! Special runs from open-close! Come join us every Tuesday-where the tacos are hot, and the drink specials are even hotter! 2-10pm. Free.

Mountain Burger Trivia Tuesday at Mountain Burger Come to Trivia Tuesday at Mountain Burger! Fun and prizes await! 7:30-9pm. Free..

Pinky G’s Pizzeria TRIVIA NIGHT Test your knowledge in a casual/laid-back atmosphere. Pizza, beer and trivia. Free to play and prizes for 1st and 2nd place. 6-8pm. Free.

River’s Place Bingo! Have fun, win $$, and support a local nonprofit organization! Cards $1$5. 6-8pm. Free.

Silver Moon Brewing High Desert Blues Revival High Desert Blues Revival. With Shades of Blue. Welcoming soloists to join. Horns, harp, singers, shredders. 7pm. Free.

Ski Inn Taphouse and Hotel Linda Quon & Hello Trouble! Linda Quon & Hello Trouble is a dynamic six-piece band delivering a swingy vintage roots sound infused with blues and old-school country vibes. 6-8pm. Free.

The Commonwealth Pub Karaoke Get ready for a night of music, singing, and nonstop fun at The Commonwealth Pub! DJ Chris is bringing the energy with top 40 hits and all your favorite karaoke tracks. Grab your friends, warm up those vocal cords, and join us for an unforgettable evening. Sign-ups 6pm Karaoke 7pm! Free.

The Lot TRIVIA TUESDAY @ The Lot Join your trivia loving peeps on the heated benches for a fun Tuesday evening out! Six categories with six questions each. Eat. Drink. Think. Prizes from food carts and local breweries. Every Tuesday from November to end of April. 6-8pm. Free.

Suttle Lodge & Boathouse THURSDAY JAN 23 @ 6pm

FIRESIDE SHOW

Raised on the beaches of Southern California, Aaron Smith — known to the world as Shwayze — is an actor, rapper and musician. Sun., Jan. 26, 8pm at Silver Moon Brewing.

Shwayze

By Savannah Mendoza

GUNG HO Dancing to a New Beat with High Step Society

Fusing jazz, EDM and big band style, the Portland-based group creates a party

Based out of Portland, High Step Society fuses jazz and electronic music, bringing high-energy, big band vibes. Known for its innovative sound and dynamic beats, the band creates an inviting space for dancing and celebration. Ahead of the group’s upcoming show with Moontricks at Midtown Ballroom on Thursday, Jan. 23, the Source Weekly spoke with Anthony Meade, producer and trombonist for High Step Society, about the band’s influences, memorable moments and dream dance party location. Answers have been edited for brevity and clarity.

Source Weekly: High Step Society combines jazz, EDM and big band energy. How did you develop this unique sound and what drew you to these genres?

Anthony Meade: High Step Society was heavily influenced by bands like Caravan Palace and Parov Stelar back in the mid-2010s. Since then, we’ve moved away from the traditional electro-swing sound and infused more blues, West Coast bass and American big band styles.

SW: You’ve performed alongside artists like Beats Antique and The Polish Ambassador as well as burlesque performers worldwide. How have these collaborations influenced your music and performances?

AM: Writing and playing music for a specific dancer or circus performer brings a unique sense of focus. It’s a collaborative effort where moment

and sound align to create something greater than the sum of its parts. We’re especially inspired by the path Beats Antique has paved for live instrumentation and performance in the festival scene.

SW: After nearly a decade of touring and being festival favorites, what’s been one of your most memorable moments as a band?

AM: The moments when everything goes wrong often become the most legendary. In 2019, we played at Volcanic Theatre Pub and the fire alarm went off mid-set. We finished the song, started another with the alarm blaring and eventually improvised a song to match the alarm’s rhythm and key. The audience joined in, singing along to what we called “the fire alarm song.” Moments like that are so special because they’re spontaneous and authentic — something you just can’t replicate.

SW: If High Step Society could throw the ultimate dance party anywhere, what would it look like?

AM: We’d pave over a section of the playa near Black Rock City and throw a dapper, roaring ’20s, Great Gatsby-themed steampunk party.

Moontricks with High Step Society Thu., Jan. 23, doors 7pm, show 8pm Midtown Ballroom 51 NW Greenwood Ave., Bend tixr.com/groups/1988entertainment/events/ moontricks-116586

$25 advance, $35-$40 day of show All ages

High Step Society IG

CALENDAR EVENTS

MUSIC

27th Street Brass Quintet Enjoy an hour of music courtesy of Central Oregon Symphony. Jan. 25, 2-3pm. Sisters Library, 110 North Cedar Street, Sisters. Contact: 541-312-1032. lizg@ dpls.lib.or.us. Free.

Dove String Quartet Enjoy an hour of music courtesy of Central Oregon Symphony. Jan. 25, 2-3pm. Sunriver Public Library, 56855 Venture Lane, Sunriver. Contact: 541-312-1032. lizg@ dpls.lib.or.us. Free.

FILM EVENTS

Backcountry Film Festival Join Discover Your Forest for an evening of epic films celebrating human-powered, backcountry-inspired stories rooted in wild snowscapes! With raffle items sponsored by local businesses, this event is a fundraiser to support our free youth conservation education programs in Central Oregon. Jan. 24, 3-5 and 7-9pm. Volcanic Theatre Pub, 70 SW Century Dr., Bend. Contact: 541-3903379. deschutescollaborative@gmail.com. $25.

Confidence Documentary Screening

Explore how confidence can help navigate change and challenges with Bola Gbadebo, a local journalist, poet and filmmaker. Jan. 26, 3-5pm. Downtown Bend Library, 601 Northwest Wall Street, Bend. Contact: 541-312-1032. lizg@dpls.lib.or.us. Free.

ARTS + CRAFTS

All Seeing Eye: Stained Glass Workshop

In this 3-hour class, learn the Tiffany method of foiling, soldering, lead came framing, and how to clean and polish stained glass while creating your own All Seeing Eye design. Each student will work with a pre-cut glass kit of the design pictured. Skill Level: Beginner to Intermediate. Jan. 25, 3:30-6:30pm. FREAK’N ART, 1265 NW Wall st., Bend. Contact: 541508-7438. hellofreaknart@gmail.com. $110.

How to Make a Solar System for Trailers and RVs Ready to harness the sun for off-grid adventure? This workshop will guide you through building a 12v solar system for your trailer or RV. Over two engaging sessions, you’ll learn how to make solar panels, controllers, batteries, and more in a working system. Jan. 26, 10am-1pm. OSU Deschutes Extension Service, 3800 SW Airport Way, Building 3, Redmond. Contact: 650-224-6750. info@schoolofranch.org. $210.

Learn to Make Shaker Cabinet Doors

This class will give you an opportunity to learn how cabinet doors are made for different configurations of cabinetry. You will learn how to calculate the different individual door part sizes, how to cut, machine, and assemble them to achieve a specific finished size. Jan. 28, 6-9pm. DIY Cave, 444 SE Ninth St. Suite 150, Bend. Contact: 541-388-2283. classes@diycave.com. $189.

Paint and Sip at Bevel Craft Brewing

Looking for a laid-back night out? Come join me, your friendly local artist, for some painting and sipping fun! No pressure, just good vibes and a

relaxed atmosphere. This event is two hours, and I’ll provide the 11”x14” canvas, all the supplies you need, and a guided tutorial. Jan. 22, 6:308:30pm. Bevel Craft Brewing, 911 SE Armour St., Bend. Contact: chalkedcreative@gmail.com. $52.

GROUPS + MEETUPS

Bend ET Social @ Bridge 99 Brewery— Join us for an engaging evening with Bend Emerging Talent (Bend ET) on Jan. 28 to mingle, connect, and learn. Hosted by our friends at Bridge 99 Brewery! Enjoy relaxed networking in a cozy environment with Bridge 99 beverages, appetizers, activities and a raffle. Jan. 28, 5-7pm. Bridge 99 Brewery, 63063 Layton Ave., Bend. $15 Bend Chamber Members | $25 Non-Chamber Members. Mom-Friend “Speed Dating” Event

Looking to make more mom-friends in Bend? This speed-dating-style event is designed for local moms to build friendships. You’ll join a table of 3 other moms and answer some set questions to get to know one another. Low-key & introvert-friendly. Jan. 26, 2-4pm. Bevel Craft Brewing, 911 SE Armour St., Bend. Contact: 971-302-1379. reillwriting@gmail.com. $20.

FUNDRAISING

Bunco Blitz - Greased Lightin’ Get ready for a night of Bunco fun! Bites from Bevel’s food carts, sip craft beers, and roll the dice to support KIDS Center. Two exciting rounds of Bunco, with prizes for best ‘50s costumes. Jan. 25, 6-8pm. Bevel Craft Brewing, 911 SE Armour St., Bend. Contact: 541-383-5958. bvella@kidscenter.org. $35.

Game of S.K.A.T.E. Join us as we cheer on the top 16 skaters in Central Oregon - Board House Society’s first annual Game of SKATE hang back and watch as these athletes compete for honor, bragging rights, cash and the coveted BoHo Trucks Trophy. Jan. 24, 6-10pm. Webfoot Garage at Silver Moon Brewing, 24 NW Greenwood Ave, Bend. Contact: hi@boardhousebend. com. $10 suggested donation.

SEASONAL EVENTS

The Cabin Fever Expo Shake off the winter blues and join us this January at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds for the Cabin Fever Expo! Explore the latest RVs, boats, and ATVs, all in one place. Whether you’re planning your next big trip or just dreaming of warmer days, this event has something for everyone! Thu, Jan. 23, 10am-5pm, Fri, Jan. 24, 10am-5pm, Sat, Jan. 25, 10am-5pm and Sun, Jan. 26, 10am-3pm. Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center, 3800 SW Airport Way, Redmond, Redmond. Contact: 866-780-4997. craig@ beavercoachsales.com. Free.

FAMILY + KIDS

Birth & Newborn Online Class Join us virtually for a comprehensive 4-class series where we will learn about how your baby and body work together during labor, how partners can best support, ins and outs of intervention, birth plan considerations, postpartum healing, breastfeeding basics, and newborn care. Wednesdays, 6-8pm. Through Jan. 29. Contact: admin@centraloregonbirth.com. $300.

Fencing Learn the Olympic sport of fencing! High Desert Fencing Club offers instruction in Foil and Epee for 9-year-olds through adults. We offer a one-time free trial lesson on Tuesdays with a reservation. Fencing gear provided. Please email us at HDFencing@gmail.com to arrange a date for your free trial lesson. Mondays-Thursdays, 5:30-7:30pm. High Desert Fencing Club, 61445 S. Hwy 97 Suite D, Bend. Contact: 541419-7087. hdfencing@gmail.com. Free.

BEER + DRINK

Ales For ALS Bingo Night & Beer Release Get ready for a fun evening of bingo, prizes, craft beer, and community spirit—all for a great cause! Crux is hosting a special Bingo Night to raise money for the ALS Therapy Development Institute. Jan. 23, 6-8pm. Crux Fermentation Project, 50 SW Division St., Bend. Contact: 541-385-3333. Free.

Apres Ski Weekend Celebration! Come hangout with your buddies after a day on the Mountain! All weekend: Drink & food specials and mountain employee/pass holder discounts! Saturday: Ski pass scavenger hunt all day at the tasting room with lots of prizes! Sunday: Special Happy Hour 3-5pm. Fri, Jan. 24, Noon-9pm, Sat, Jan. 25, Noon-9pm and Sun, Jan. 26, Noon-8pm. Freeland Spirits Tasting Room, 550 SW Industrial Way Suite 190, Bend. Contact: 541-593-0129. bendtastingroom@freelandspirits.com. Free. Skunkape Release Party Our Lib Tech x Boneyard Beer collab, Skunkape, will release at Boneyard Pub on Fri., Jan. 24. We're raffling off a Skunkape Snowboard + other swag from Tactics, Tokyo Starfish, Lib Tech & Boneyard Beer. Proceeds benefit OAS. Jan. 24, 6-10pm. Boneyard Pub, 1955 NE Division St., Bend. Contact: 541241-7184. chasen@boneyardpub.com. Free.

HEALTH + WELLNESS

Cleansing Ritual: Incense Cone Making & Sound Bath Craft incense cones with purifying herbs and set intentions. Then, immerse yourself in a Reiki-infused sound bath, clearing negative energy and restoring balance. Join us for a transformative experience of energetic cleansing and grounding, led by Natalia Martin of Align45. Jan. 25, 6-7:30pm. The Peoples Apothecary, 1841 NE Division Street, Bend. Contact: 541-728-2368. classes@thepeoplesapothecary.net. $45.

Pain and Gain: How to Stay Active in The Presence of Pain Join us to explore the science of pain and its impact on movement. Discover strategies to adapt movement, manage discomfort, and improve function. Gain practical tools to enhance movement patterns and promote a healthier, more balanced body. Jan. 23, 6-7:30pm. Apex Spine and Performance, 1900 NE Division St STE 206, Bend, OR 97701, Bend. Contact: 541-316-0237. apexspineandperformance@gmail.com. Free.

Sound Yoga and Gong Bath Meditation Relax deeply in this sound meditation and yogic movement session with Soundshala’s Kevin Kraft. Space is limited. First come-first served. Session includes brief explanation of the instruments; mantra, light movement and breathwork; and laying down for the gong bath. Bring whatever will make you comfortable: yoga mats, pillow, blankets, etc. Jan. 27, 6-7:30pm. High Desert Music Hall, 818 SW Forest Ave, Redmond. Contact: 541312-1029. laurelh@deschuteslibrary.org. Free.

Hailing from Bloomington, Ind., The Main Squeeze is a five-piece American funk band that blends rock, R&B and blues together. Thu., Jan. 23, 7pm at Volcanic Theatre Pub.

Brokenmold Entertainment FB

CHOW

A Journey to Cheesecake After operating on and off for years, Little Slice of Hell is an established hit at two Central Oregon food carts

By Julianna LaFollette

While cheesecake may seem like an unconventional product for a food cart, local business Little Slice of Hell strikes just the right balance of originality and quality. After years of wanting to offer joy through endless flavors of cheesecakes, Julie Higgins, the owner of Little Slice of Hell, is thrilled about her position within the Central Oregon food cart industry.

After eyeing this food truck for a while now, I finally decided to stop in and see what the hype was about. Little Slice of Hell, formerly Little Slice of Heaven, has locations in two food cart lots — The Podski on Arizona Avenue in Bend and Century Commons Taps & Trucks in Sunriver.

The cart first opened at The Podski in 2020, offering a rotating selection of far-out flavors. From triple chocolate and bourbon praline to carrot cake and lemon, the options are extensive.

I went to the cart in Sunriver to see its newer creation, Baked! Looking to offer some hot food items for customers, Higgins opened her second food cart in July 2024, slinging her famous cheesecakes alongside an array of Texas-style comfort food, such as loaded baked potatoes, chili and gumbo.

For my cheesecake selection, I went with one of the cart’s most popular flavors: Marbled Marionberry. The cheesecake was everything you want in a dessert — sweet and velvety. Another favorite among customers is the Back Off My Butterfinger flavor. The cart also

offers gluten-free and vegan cheesecake.

Little Slice of Hell doesn’t compromise on the quality of its ingredients, Higgins said, setting itself apart from others. Higgins is very careful about the sourcing of her products, while still maintaining the true taste of the creamy dessert. At $10 for a slice of cheesecake, Higgins wishes she could sell them for less but emphasizes the work and quality that goes into them.

“I will close the business before I ever get a cheaper ingredient,” she said. “We always joke that, you know, the secret ingredient is love. But we do put so much into these cheesecakes, it’s a huge amount of labor.”

“We always joke that the secret ingredient is love. But we do put so much into these cheesecakes, it’s a huge amount of labor.”

—JULIE HIGGINS

The recipe that started it all first came from Higgins’ mother. Her mom began selling her cheesecakes back in Texas, where the family is from, but decided to stop after it became too expensive to operate. Realizing how many people appreciated the taste and quality of the desserts, Higgins wanted to fulfil her mom’s dream.

When Higgins and her family decided to move to Oregon in 2016, she began the business again and made it into four local stores. Soon after, when her son went off to college, she couldn’t keep up with orders and halted the business.

Then, in 2020, Higgins was diagnosed with cancer. While fighting the cancer naturally, Higgins still had the itch to make cheesecake, and customers continued to ask for them. She finally set her sights on a food cart and got a spot at The Podski.

“It just kept tugging at my heart over and over,” she said.

In March 2024, Higgins found out she was finally cancer free. After years of being mindful about the things she ate and put into her body, she decided to rebrand, changing the name of the food cart to Little Slice of Hell, promoting moderation.

“I learned that balance is so important in life,” Higgins said. “There’s got to be some joy, but we also need to take care of ourselves.”

Little Slice of Hell

The Podski

536 NW Arizona Ave., Bend

Baked!

at Century Commons Taps & Trucks 56809 Venture Ln., Sunriver bendcheesecake.com

Julianna LaFollette

Julianna LaFollette

At Baked! in Sunriver, the menu of cheesecakes is joined by Texas-style comfort food.

LITTLE BITES

By Skylor Young

M’s Bakery Takes Old Mill District by Storm

You no longer have to wait for farmers market season to get these delicious breads and pastries

The walls of the Old Mill District’s new brick and mortar are having a hard time containing the customers flocking in for fresh bread, pastries and coffee. After only two weeks since its soft opening, M’s Bakery has a consistent line out the door, and the smell of sourdough wafts through the beautiful, tall archways from the kitchen. By the end of the month, this production area will have a glass gate door so customers can still bear witness to the magic of what’s baking. The terracotta light fixtures, green tiles and wooden benches add beautiful visual accents to the white, clean walls. From Mexico City and Arizona by way of southern California, the owners Dario Muciño Trujillo and Macy Davis have created a southwestern vibe with a modern flare.

The bakery is well staffed with happy faces all working together, pairing fantastic service with a beautiful array of baked goods. Personally, I found it hard to choose between the staple sourdoughs: classic, country wheat, olive and sesame. But when I realized the olive was made with Castelvetranos, it was a shoo-in, and a great choice it was. The generous pieces of olive added a texturally pleasant shift from the fluffy dough surrounded by a full-flavored crust. The blueberries in the buckwheat muffin were very fresh, and the croissant was the way a croissant should be: The outer layer was crispy, encasing buttery,

flakey, pillowy layers. What wowed me most was the monkey bread — not only because it’s incredibly rare to see monkey bread on a menu, but the harmony of taste and texture was spot on. Coated in just the right amount of powdered sugar, each pull-apart bite was light and quickly melted in your mouth. M’s drink menu is stacked with a variety of coffees, teas and sparkling drinks.

M’s Bakery will celebrate its grand opening at the end of January, at which point the hours will be 7am to 3pm. Until then, the hours are truncated — 8am to 1pm — and the seating is limited while some construction is finished. No need to wait until the grand opening though, even in an unfinished state M’s Bakery is a delight for all your senses!

M’s Bakery

Mon.-Fri., 8am-1pm

330 SW Powerhouse Dr., Ste. 140, Bend ms-bend.com

Domaine Serene Closes Doors in Downtown

The

Oregon

winery will shift its Bend location from brick and mortar to pop-ups and exclusive member events

After three years serving the Bend community, Domaine Serene closed the doors to its downtown wine lounge on Jan. 3. “This decision was not made lightly, and we are profoundly grateful to the members, guests and staff who have made this location a special place in the community,” said Danielle Holbrook from the winery’s marketing team.

The founders of Domaine Serene, Ken and Grace Evenstad, began their wine adventures in 1989 when they

purchased 42 acres in the Dundee Hills for pinot noir grapes. They opened their first winery in 1994, and by 1997, they had expanded their expertise to include chardonnay. With wines coming from seven different vineyards, all in Oregon, the award-winning winery specializes in pinot noir and chardonnay grapes. It made its way to Bend in 2021, establishing a wine lounge in downtown Bend that catered to locals and tourists alike. The winery hosted a farewell party for area members on Jan. 18. Though the doors of the brick and mortar are now closed, you can expect to see Domaine Serene’s presence continue here in Bend through exclusive popups, member mixers and winemaker dinners, according to Holbrook.

Domaine Serene Wine Lounge 909 NW Bond St., Bend

Skylor Young

Domaine Serene Instagram

CULTURE

Books for a Healthy Mind and a Healthy Year

By Cassie Clemans, Owner of Roundabout Books & Cafe

WHAT CASSIE'S READING

—In this exhilarating tale by New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Nnedi Okorafor, a disabled Nigerian-American woman pens a wildly successful sci-fi novel, but as her fame rises, she loses control of the narrative — a surprisingly cutting yet heartfelt drama about art and love, identity and connection and, ultimately, what makes us human. This is a story unlike anything you’ve read before.

A2023 Forbes Health survey reported that most New Year’s resolutions are abandoned within the first four months of the year. Sabrina Romanoff, PsyD, a clinical psychologist, attributes this to our tendency to set very specific goals, rather than general improvement, and discouragement sets in before we put the necessary time in to meet our goal. As we move into February, I wanted to share a selection of wellness titles that might just inspire us to persevere and embrace this critical moment with the confidence to keep going.

“Outlive” by Peter Attia, “Breath” by James Nestor and “Run Fast. Eat Slow.” by Shalane Flanagan and Bend local, Elyse Kopecky, are proven examples of Central Oregon health and wellness favorites, but there are so many more titles to check out that may not be on your radar yet.

In her new book, “The Let Them Theory,” Mel Robbins shares a step-by-step guide on how to stop letting other people’s opinions, drama and judgement impact your life. The book has emerged from the shadows of a late-holiday publication date to be one of the most highly requested books we’ve seen in the new year. Most know her from her podcast that averages 1 million listeners a week and employs a mix of success stories and proven science.

“Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health” by Casey Means, MD, and Calley Means, combines powerful personal stories and cutting-edge research to reveal a bold new vision for optimizing our health now and in the future. Means argues that our metabolic function can be managed to prevent and reverse everything from depression and anxiety to diabetes, dementia, cancer, insomnia and more.

According to a 2023 NIH study, 21% of adults in the U.S. experience chronic pain. “Mind Your Body: A Revolutionary Program to Release Chronic Pain and Anxiety” by Nicole Sachs teaches readers about mind-body medicine, and explains essential practices of turning inward to explore the trauma responses associated with deeply rooted psychological and emotional triggers that send the brain and nervous system into fight or flight.

“The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness” by Robert Waldinger, MD, and Marc Schulz, PhD, is now out in paperback. It draws on the Harvard Study of Adult Development to explain the essential factor that makes for a fulfilling and satisfying life: our relationships. “The Good Life” shows it’s never too late to strengthen our current relationships, and build new ones.

“Fast Like a Girl: A Woman’s Guide to Using the Healing Power of Fasting to Burn Fat, Boost Energy, and Balance Hormones” by Mindy Pelz is a go-to fasting manual created specifically to address women’s needs based on hormones and menstrual cycles. It even includes a 30-day fasting reset to use the power of your cycle, even if you no longer have one! And speaking of women of a certain age, “The New Menopause: Navigating Your Path Through Hormonal Change with Purpose, Power, and Facts” by Mary Claire Haver embraces an empowering approach to self-advocacy for women amid hormonal change.

Are you one of Bend’s many passionate runners, or do you want to improve your running practice this year? Consider “The Art of Running: Learning to Run Like a Greek” by Andrea Marcolongo, a renowned classicist, who elaborates on how the Greeks not only invented our modern notions of sport but were also the first to understand how physical activity is connected to our mental well-being. Valentine’s Day is around the corner, and we have a fun

and informative display of books on sex set up for February. Maybe improving your sex life is on your mind in the new year, and we’d like to recommend “Come As You Are: Revised and Updated: The Surprising New Science that will Transform Your Sex Life” by Emily Nagoski that illuminates research on desire and pleasure, as well as her newest book, “Come Together: The Science (and Art!) of Creating Lasting Sexual Connection,” a book that explores how to maintain a happy sex life in a long-term relationship.

Perhaps your goals for 2025 focus more on advocacy and creating change in the world more so than self-improvement? Check out “Sage Warrior: Wake to Oneness, Practice Pleasure, Choose Courage, Become Victory” by Valarie Kaur, a civil rights leader and founder of the Revolutionary Love Project. As a sage warrior, we have the power to build community and allow our deepest wisdom to align with our words and actions, as based on the ideas of her Sikh ancestral wisdom. Or follow along with our Roundabout Community Read and discussion of the themes outlined in “Democracy in Retrograde” by Sami Sage and Emily Amick to create a personalized civic engagement plan.

Finally, sometimes all we need is a little reminder to think positively and take care of ourselves, all year long. Sourcebooks has two lovely little paperback collections: “A Year of Positive Thinking” by Cyndie Spiegel and “A Year of Self-Care” by Dr. Zoe Shaw. Both come in a small, trim size but are beautifully packaged to share daily words of wisdom and reminders to shift our perspectives toward positivity. The perfect gift for yourself, or a friend. Here’s to a fantastic 2025!

“Death of the Author” by Nnedi Okorafor

No matter what your resolutions are for 2025, there is a book out there to inspire you and to encourage you to persevere.

HarperCollins

SCREEN

SC Wildest Heart Goodbye, David Lynch

By Jared Rasic

We lost the artist David Lynch on Jan. 15, just five days before his 79th birthday. As a writer, director, painter and designer, he spent his entire career finding ways to map the human subconscious, making movies that feel like glimpses of half-remembered dreams, scripts that turn dream logic into tactile reality and paintings that found more layers behind the darkness than we ever knew were there. I’m just as guilty as anyone for overusing words like “genius” or “visionary,” so instead of using either word to describe David Lynch, I will just say this: Thank you, David Lynch. You were one of the best to ever do it.

What I find so fascinating about Lynch is that if you view his work outside of the context of who he was and his history, you would think he was a tortured artist, high on his own supply. But he grew up in the land of white picket fences and perfectly manicured lawns with a loving mother and father, who he doesn’t remember ever hearing fight a single time. After spending so much of his youth up to his neck in the Middle American Dream, finding the darkness contrasted against the smooth, unblemished surface became a recurring motif in almost everything he would make. One of his earliest memories as a child was playing outside with his brother and seeing a naked, crying woman walking down the neighborhood street. This would become one of the seeds (and most haunting images) of his 1986 masterpiece “Blue Velvet.”

But again, Lynch wasn’t some tortured artist using the canvas of cinema as a form of therapy. He thought being an artist was mostly comprised of drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes and, every once and awhile, meeting a woman. Yet, if you look at his earlier work, you would absolutely think he had a traumatic childhood he was still trying to process. His 1970 short “The Grandmother” follows a little kid who is neglected and abused by his parents so he plants some seeds and grows a weird grandmother. It’s an amazing short, filled with so many of the absurdist

touchstones that would come to define his style. Lynch would always take details from his life as inspiration. Moving from idyllic small-town life to a rough neighborhood in Philadelphia (contrasted with the unexpected pregnancy of his wife and birth of his daughter, Jennifer) provided the spine for 1977’s “Eraserhead,” a body horror experiment in surrealistic panic that feels steeped in the fear of fatherhood and the paranoia of the violent world outside your door. But Lynch himself said that not a single critic ever really understood “Eraserhead” for what it was trying to say, so please don’t mistake anything I say about his work to remotely resemble his intentions. I always assumed most of his work was about finding the rot at the center of the American Dream, but the older I get, the more I realize that it’s always been more than that. There is no

singular theme. His work is like life: only understood while living.

It was seeing his insane howl at the moon, 1990’s “Wild at Heart,” at 12 years old that imprinted Lynch onto my brain. Seeing the fearlessness of how he moved the camera and the pure uninhibited insanity he got from his actors while luxuriating in the dreamy darkness of Angelo Badalamenti’s score made me realize for the first time that there were no borders to cinema; that as large as your imagination could possibly be, movies were still a wide enough canvas on which to splash those ideas. Without “Wild at Heart,” without the epiphany of the limitlessness of art, I’d be a different person today.

It doesn’t matter where you discovered him: Whether it was the grime of 1997’s “Lost Highway,” the calm quiet of 1999’s “The Straight Story,” the neo-noir splash of sex and death in 2001’s “Mulholland Drive,” the flawlessly framed “The Elephant Man” from 1980, the original water-cooler show “Twin Peaks” or even the sci-fi insanity of 1984’s “Dune,” Lynch approached everyone who was touched by his work differently — just a gentle tap on the shoulder before his booming voice asked you if you wanted to see something weird.

David Lynch changed movies forever. Changed me forever. I’m not sure a filmmaker passing has ever affected me this much and I doubt it will again. In my youth, I spent so much time trying to decode his work so I could be the smartest person at Denny’s with my watery, black coffee and bottomless pack of Camels, arguing what Lynch meant with the ending of “Mulholland Drive.” But then a quote I read of his quieted that part of my brain and just let me exist with his art instead of trying to tame it.

“I don’t know why people expect art to make sense when they accept the fact that life doesn’t make sense,” he told the Los Angeles Times in 1989.

Thank you, David Lynch — for your art, your soul and your untamed mind.

David Lynch, forever and always.

Josh Telles

It’s Avian Influenza Season, Too

Think Wild sees an increase in wildlife hotline calls regarding possible bird flu cases

By Damian Fagan

Flu season is upon us and it’s not just restricted to humans. Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), also known as avian influenza or bird flu, is a spreadable virus that affects wild birds, poultry, livestock, pets and, in rare cases, humans.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed the current strain of the virus, H5N1, in 2022 in the U.S. about three months after the virus had been detected in one of Canada’s eastern provinces. APHIS, along with state and county organizations, have been working to respond to and mitigate the impacts of the virus, especially on the poultry industry.

“Avian influenza has been detected in 153 wild bird species across the United States.”

—MOLLY HONEA, THINK WILD

“Avian influenza has been detected in 153 wild bird species across the United States,” said Molly Honea, communications coordinator for Think Wild, Bend’s nonprofit wildlife hospital. Over 10,000 cases of confirmed avian influenza have been recorded in the U.S.

Think Wild is seeing an uptick in calls to its wildlife hotline of suspected bird flu cases, so staff is following protocols when admitting a wildlife patient to the hospital, but also providing guidelines for public safety, as well.

“Think Wild always maintains strict biosecurity measures, but we implemented additional HPAI-specific protocols when it was first detected in Oregon in 2022 to mitigate potential spread,” said Dr. Laura Acevedo, Think Wild’s veterinarian. “Our protocols include immediate diagnostics for sick birds, comprehensive

protective equipment for staff and rigorous cleaning procedures with EPA-registered disinfectants. These guidelines are of utmost importance to protect the patients in our care, as well as our staff and volunteers.”

HPAI has its origins in wild bird populations, hence the “avian” title of the virus. Wild birds, such as waterfowl, raptors and scavenging birds, are hit hardest as the virus spreads through body fluids or ingesting feces. Detections of the virus in wild bird populations is often higher during the spring and fall migrations, as birds spread the virus to new areas and other flocks.

The current stain of the virus H5N1 is often fatal to chickens and turkeys, and has greater impacts in the poultry industry as flocks showing signs of the virus are often destroyed to contain the spread of this virus.

If you like to geek out on science a bit, according to APHIS, the virus type H5N1 is derived from the combination of two groups of proteins that form on the outer surface of the virus — hemagglutinin or H proteins, of which there are 16 (H1-H16), and neuraminidase or N proteins, of which there are nine (N1-N9). Imagine a pin cushion full of pins. The “pins” are the proteins of the virus “cushion.”

The H protein acts by attaching to and entering a cell, where the virus takes over and infects the cell and replicates itself. The N protein enables the newly created viruses to escape the host cell and eventually infect other cells. Without each protein, the viral infection would not happen.

Though the risk to humans is extremely low, the first recorded human fatality attributed to the current strain of the virus H5N1 occurred recently in Louisiana.

Owners of backyard flocks should embrace biosecurity measures to limit wildlife from spreading the virus to their poultry and preventing the virus’ spread to other areas.

Signs to look for are: loss of energy or appetite, misshapen eggs, swelling in the face, nasal discharge, incoordination or diarrhea. Biosecurity measures include protecting flocks from exposure to wild birds or ponds that may be contaminated by wild birds, cleaning and disinfecting equipment, changing and cleaning footwear and clothing after visiting a flock, keeping pets away from domestic fowl production areas and reporting any diseases, whether it’s avian flu or salmonella, to state health officials. Backyard bird feeders are encouraged to clean and disinfect feeders and remove platform-type feeders where birds may defecate on available seed.

The U.S. has a rigorous surveillance program for monitoring and detecting avian influenza in both wild and domestic bird populations. Honea said that the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) have been testing birds and tracking outbreaks of the H5N1 strain of avian influenza since it was first detected in Oregon in 2022.

Honea says that Think Wild is still accepting most native birds for care and that the wildlife center is following restrictions set by ODFW to not treat any adult species of waterfowl, waterbirds or shorebirds, which can be asymptomatic carriers of the virus. Think Wild screens all wild birds for symptoms of avian influenza, and sick birds are quarantined from other patients.

The public is encouraged to report any sick or dead wild birds to ODFW 866-968-2600 or Wildlife.Health@odfw.oregon.gov, contact ODA at 503986-4711 to report sick or dead domestic birds or call Think Wild’s wildlife hotline at 541-241-8680 for questions or concerns about wild birds.

A wild patient is checked under strict biohazard guidelines. A Canada goose shows signs of possible avian influenza infection. Processing a wild bird at the Think Wild hospital.

Photos courtesy of Think Wild

By Savannah Mendoza

Furry Fun at Sunriver Brewing’s K-9 Keg Pull

Dogs dash at the annual K-9 Keg Pull in Sunriver that combines fun, competition and giving back

“And they’re off!” While this phrase is usually reserved for horse racing, at Sunriver Brewing Company’s K-9 Keg Pull, it signals an entirely different kind of race — dogs dashing down a snowy runway, pulling beer kegs behind them.

Set to take place on Saturday, Feb. 1, from 11am to 3pm at the Village at Sunriver, this beloved winter tradition promises fun for dogs, their owners and spectators alike.

The event’s highlight is the 120-foot snow runway where canine competitors pull empty kegs sized to match their weight class. Dogs are divided into categories based on weight, ranging from growlers for pups weighing 11 to 20 pounds to full-sized kegs for dogs over 50 pounds. Owners are encouraged to bring their own harnesses, but extras will be available on-site for those who need them.

Races begin at 11am and continue throughout the day, with awards presented to the fastest dog in each weight category, earning them the title of “Fast as Lightning Fido.”

Some dogs may arrive with months of training under their collars, while

others are brought along for a spur-ofthe-moment adventure. The result? A mix of impressive sprints and laughout-loud moments as some pups pause to sniff or seem hilariously confused about the kegs trailing behind them.

Beyond the races, the event has a heartfelt purpose: All proceeds from the $25 registration fee go to the Ronald McDonald House, which supports families with sick children. Spectators and participants are also encouraged to bring donations of dog food, which will benefit the Humane Society of Central Oregon.

The festivities don’t stop at the finish line. Attendees can snap commemorative photo strips at the Bend VW Photo Bus and browse dog-related vendors offering treats, toys and services for furry friends.

Sunriver Brewing Company K-9 Keg Pull Sat., Feb. 1, 11am-3pm

The Village at Sunriver 57100 Beaver Dr., Sunriver villageatsunriver.com/events/2025-k9-kegpull-with-bend-vw-photo-bus

$25 to register

Sunriver Brewing

This fun race in Sunriver has cleary gone to the dogs.

THE PSYCHEDELIC

FRONTIER EXPLORING INTENTIONAL PSYCHEDELIC USE IN THE MODERN WORLD

By Mary Casanave Sheridan

The Importance of Community

Q: Aside from the substances themselves, what do you find to be the single biggest factor or determinant in lasting, healing change or growth in the people you work with?

Thank you for the opportunity to answer this important question. In sitting with hundreds of people navigating psychedelic realms, I’ve learned that the synthesis of these experiences doesn’t happen in isolation. Yes, the substances serve as keys to open doors of perception, insight and understanding, but there is a crucial element that leads to true lasting change: community.

The path of self-discovery, particularly when aided by psychedelics, can be akin to navigating a dense and disorienting forest, or a voyage to a distant and deeply personal universe. Upon return, the voyager, whether exhausted or radiant with new insights, needs a place to rest, a sanctuary. This is where community becomes the crucible for the alchemy of lasting change. In these moments, the presence of even a single understanding soul to reach out to can light the way, making the journey not only bearable but illuminating.

is a desire to heal from earlier wounding due to a lack of family, connection or safety. So, how can people find and join a collective like I outlined above? The answer is we cultivate these spaces of belonging and growth.

Engaging with psychedelics is a powerful exploration that unfolds over time, and having a community to share this with amplifies the healing, embeds the change and ensures growth is not a flash of insight but a continual blossoming of the spirit. Furthermore, a community inspires action — it channels newfound inspiration into collective endeavors, turning personal enlightenment into societal betterment. The healing witnessed within these circles ripples outward, touching families, friendships and, ultimately, the larger community. Psychedelic journeys, though deeply personal, need not be solitary ones.

We, as guides, knowledge-keepers and space-holders of these realms, share the duty of not just facilitating individual experiences, but of cultivating these sacred spaces where growth can be sustained through connection. After the experiences have ended, our work goes beyond this. It is more than guiding individuals through their psychedelic journeys, embodying compassion, offering our time, listening, learning and showing unconditional love; it is about connecting them with others on similar paths, creating a lattice of support and understanding. We are tasked with more than the facilitation of experiences; we are called to be the architects of community. By hosting gatherings and workshops and promoting ongoing support groups, we provide spaces not just for sharing knowledge but for essential human connection. Envision a family, by blood or bond, gathered in a circle of support and shared wisdom, where tales of transformation become legends that guide the collective. These gatherings become spaces within which individuals see their own journeys reflected in others, creating a reinforcing cycle of shared vulnerability and collective strength — coming together in pursuit of a common goal: growth.

And let’s face it, traveling in the psychedelic realms is not always peaceful and pleasant. It can leave us feeling untethered at times and occasionally truly traumatized. Psychedelic-friendly communities that include informed systems of care, where people can be open and honest and met with knowledgeable and non-judgmental support, is essential in ensuring safe and effective outcomes in the long term when continuation of care is needed after a challenging or harmful experience.

I am writing this with awareness that many, if not most, people in our society are suffering from a lack of community and support systems to some degree. Many to the extreme. For many, the motivation to experience psychedelics

The role of community also extends beyond those we serve, and allows us, the practitioners, a cocoon of safety, support and accountability, as well. Within this sacred circle, we lean on and learn from each other, ensuring our practices remain grounded, effective and examined. This interconnectedness fosters a culture of mutual care. Having the eyes, ears and input of others on our practice allows us the support and feedback we need to serve with both confidence and humility.

This is my invitation to you. Beyond the realms of psychedelia and the immediate circles you identify with lies a vast community waiting to be realized. Let us weave together this interconnected tapestry of a mindful collective by sharing our vulnerabilities, strengths and shared humanity.

—Mary Casanave Sheridan is a psychedelic coach and ceremonialist. Questions are encouraged: Send to mothermarymyco@gmail.com

17. SIT

19. Storage room

20. Film ___

21. “I’m crying”

23. Pass (out), as into a deep slumber

24. Largest county in Northern Ireland

26. 3/21/24 for Reddit

28. THOUSAND

35. WWII predator

37. Face for storytelling?

38. Baton Rouge inst.

39. Swish

40. Dairy-free cheese brand

41. Strike participants?

42. Top card

43. Chest

44. Tennis star Djokovic

45. MAHLER

48. Wood splitter

49. Civil rights activist Cummings

52. Lock part

55. Cut a rug

59. Sports heavyweight

60. Overhead

62. NIGHT

64. Like a sticky situation

65. San Antonio tourist attraction

66. “___ Admits Role in 1985 Coup to Oust David Lee Roth” (Onion headline)

67. Suggest

68. Its flag has red, white, and black bars

69. Very long stretch

By Brendan Emmett Quigley

DOWN

1. Formal proclamation

2. Contest ___

3. Printer powder

4. Cheapass beer brand, initially

5. Gets up

6. Anti-organized crime law initials

7. Bergdorf Goodman competitor

8. Irish singer who has songs in the fictional language Loxian

9. The Specials specialized in it

10. Passover flatbread

11. One getting a tune-up

12. Placed down

13. Enjoy a lollipop

18. Going in both directions

22. Informal inquiry

25. Minor problem

27. Letter between chi and omega

29. Eye drops?

30. Horse-and-buggy sect

31. “Who else could I be talking about!”

32. Dirty martini ingredient

33. Annapolis inst.

34. Narwhal feature

35. State that joined after it oulawed polygamy

36. Kraft Heinz veggie burger

40. Like St. Peter’s Basilica and Saint Basil’s Cathedral

41. Like pierogis and babkas

43. Ranch name

44. Art Rooney Award org.

46. One of the Baltic states

47. “When’s dinner?”

50. Prenatal test, for short

51. Hulk in the ring

52. Shooting sound

53. Instrument similar to a heckelphone

54. Condition that might lead to decreased muscle mass

56. Not at home

57. Khartoum river

58. ___ digging

61. Stapedectomy doc.

63. Metaphorical superabundance

Puzzle for the week of January 20, 2025

Pearl’s Puzzle Difficulty Level

Puzzle for the week of January 20, 2025

Difficulty Level: ●●○○

Fill in every row, column, and 3x3 box with each of the letters

Fill in every row, column, and 3x3 box with each of the letters exactly once. ANGERHITS

A N G E R H I T S exactly once.

Fill in every row, column, and 3x3 box with each of the letters A N G

exactly once.

The highlighted letters read left to right and top to bottom will complete the quote: “______ does not come from winning. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is _____.”

The highlighted letters read left to right and top to bottom will complete the quote: “ does not come from winning. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is .” - Mahatma Gandhi

Answer for the week of January 13, 2025

ANSWER TO LAST WEEK'S PUZZLES

D B E T U A S I R

A R I E S D T U B

U S T B I R A E D

The highlighted letters read left to right and top to bottom will “ does not come from winning. When you go through surrender, that is .” - Mahatma Gandhi

I E R S B U D T A

T D B A R I E S U

Answer for the week of January 13, 2025

S A U D E T B R I

E I S R A B U D T

B U D I T E R A S

R T A U D S I B E

“I bet you don’t believe after nearly a decade, the Canadian prime minister is resigning, but it's Trudeau.” —Author unknown

“I bet you don’t believe after nearly a decade, the Canadian prime minister is resigning, but it's Trudeau.” - Author unknown

Mahatma Gandhi

ASTROLOGY

By Rob Brezsny

In the coming months, be extra creative as you enhance your network of connections and support. Encourage your allies to provide you with tips about opportunities and possibilities that you would not otherwise know about. Ask them to serve as links to novel resources that will nurture your long-term dreams. Here's an idea to energize your efforts: Get a vivid sense of how trees use vast underground fungal webs to communicate with each other. (Learn more here: bit. ly/TheWoodWideWeb) Knowing about this natural magic may impregnate your subconscious mind with evocative suggestions about how to be ingenious in weaving the kind of community you want.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): As winter progresses, each day is longer and each night shorter. Most humans feel an undercurrent of joy that the amount of light in the world is growing. But as an astrologer who appreciates cycles, I like to honor the beauty and powers of darkness. That’s where everything new gets born! It’s where the future comes from! In ancient Hawaiian religion, the word kumulipo meant "beginning-in-deep-darkness." It was also the name of a prayer describing the creation of the world. In the coming weeks, I believe you will be wise to tap into the rich offerings of darkness.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Author Anais Nin wrote, "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage.” I bring this to your attention because you Aries folks now have a mandate to expand your life through courageous acts, thoughts, and feelings. I suggest we make the Arctic fox your power symbol. This intrepid creature undertakes epic migrations, journeying over 2,000 miles across sea ice, using starlight and magnetic fields to navigate. Let’s dare to speculate that you have something in common with it; let’s propose that you are equipped with an inner guidance system that gives you a keen intuitive sense of how to maneuver in unfamiliar territory. PS: Anais Nin has another tip: "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are."

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I love my job as a horoscope writer. What could be more fun than analyzing cosmic signs to generate inspirational counsel for my readers? It’s a big responsibility, though. I am intensely aware of how crucial it is that I craft my messages with utmost care and compassion. Having been scarred as a young adult by reckless, fear-mongering fortune-tellers, I’m rigorous about nurturing your free will, not undermining it. I want you to be uplifted, not confused or demoralized as I was. With these thoughts in mind, I invite you to take a vigorous inventory of the effects that your work and play have on the world. Are they aligned with your intentions? Are your ambitions moored in impeccable integrity?

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Why are diamonds considered so valuable?

I’m skeptical. Highgrade diamonds are not as rare as public perception would lead us to believe. Yes, they are extraordinarily hard and scratch-resistant, but is that a reason to regard them as a sublime treasure? I acknowledge they are pretty in a bland way. But other gems are more intriguingly beautiful. Maybe the most important reason they are so prized is that diamond sellers have done effective marketing campaigns to promote them as symbols of love and luxury. All this is a prelude to my main message: Now is an excellent time to think and feel deeply about what is truly beautiful to you—and take steps to bring more of it into your life. For you Libras, beauty is an essential ingredient in your life’s purpose.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Taurus archeologist Howard Carter made a spectacular discovery in 1922: the intact tomb of the Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun, more than 3,300 years after his death. It was filled with over 5,000 artifacts, became a global sensation, and to this day remains the most famous find from ancient Egypt. A short time before he succeeded at his five-year quest, Howard Carter nearly gave up. But then his sponsor agreed to provide funds for a few more months, and he continued. In this spirit, Taurus, I urge you to keep pushing to fulfill your own dream. Renew your faith. Boost your devotion. Remember why you feel so strongly.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The James Webb Space Telescope is the largest telescope in space. Recently, it discovered hundreds of galaxies that no humans had ever before beheld. They are very old, too—far more ancient than our own Milky Way Galaxy. I propose we make this marvelous perception-enhancing tool a symbol of power for you. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you now have a robust potential to see things that have always been invisible, secret, or off-limits to you. Some of these wonders could motivate you to reinterpret your life story and reshape your future plans.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): One theory says that humans evolved to be afraid of reptiles because our early ancestors were frequently threatened by them. Among the most commonly feared creatures in modern culture are snakes. And yet, as anyone knows if they’ve studied mythology, snakes have also been symbols of fertility and healing in many cultures. Because they periodically shed their skin, they also represent regeneration and rebirth. I’m hoping you don’t harbor an instinctual aversion to snakes, Cancerian. The coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to call on and benefit from their iconic powers.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): The way that ancient Romans made concrete was more ingenious than modern methods. Their manufacturing materials included "lime clasts," which gave the concrete self-healing qualities. When cracks arose, they fixed themselves. That's why Roman aqueducts built 2,000 years ago can still convey water today. Metaphorically speaking, I hope you will work on building similar structures in the coming weeks. It’s time to create strong foundations that will last for a very long time.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Do you harbor a yearning to learn a new language, new skill, or new trick? The coming weeks will be a favorable phase to get serious about doing it. Have you fantasized about embarking on an adventure that would expand your understanding of how the world works? The time is right. Have you wished you could attract an inspirational prod to unleash more creativity and experiment freely? The astrological omens suggest that inspirational prod is imminent. Have you wondered whether you could enhance and fine-tune your receptivity—and thereby open up surprising sources of fresh teaching? Do it now!

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Bristlecone pine trees grow very slowly, but they are hardy and long-lived. Their wood is so dense and strong that it’s virtually immune to disease, insects, and erosion. They grow in places that are inhospitable for many other trees, flourishing in cold, windy environments where the soil is not particularly rich in nutrients. For the bristlecone pine, apparent obstacles stimulate their resilience. I don’t want to exaggerate the ways they remind me of you Capricorns, but you and they certainly have affinities. I believe these shared qualities will be especially useful for you in the coming weeks.

THE THIRD ACT A COLUMN ON AGEISM AND AGEING

By Ellen Waterston

Ok. A new year. If you’re my age, or older, you’re now in full awareness mode. I read somewhere that in galactic or geologic or anthropologic time (I don’t remember which), one life will have only lasted an hour. That would mean, at my age, I have the equivalent of a few nanoseconds left, if that. Holy you know what!

We oldsters aren’t in the mood to wait until it’s gone to appreciate what we had. Instead, to riff on Theodore Roosevelt’s quote, we do what we can in the time that is left with the resources we have. The older we get, the more those resources include workarounds.

In the before times (under 65 years of age), New Year’s resolutions reflected our certainty that with better time management and a little extra discipline, any goal was possible: fitness, financial success, fame, finding the perfect partner, health, happiness…. Now, in the goodbye years, staying active, slim and healthy still rank high, but key to achieving them requires coming up with new and better approaches, with quirky, creative solutions that head problems off at the pass. It’s a lifehack skill essential to managing the multitude of unanticipated economic, social, physical or neurological challenges that, I guarantee, show up in the latter years.

Boomers are well suited to coming up with ingenious detours. We might as well be called the duct tape or binder twine generation. Born before the cyber age and growing up on the heels of the Great Depression, when phrases like “mend and make do” were ubiquitous, there was a lot each of us had to figure out — had the privilege of figuring out. It was a form of fun, a confidence builder. As kids, we felt like discoverers and inventors at once, had sovereignty over the bicycles, boats, pickups and fences we fixed; over the basketball hoops, tennis backboards and water ski jumps we fashioned. That curiosity and can-do distinguishes us still. I don’t mean to suggest there isn’t a cyber age equivalent to this. I just don’t know what it is, and it seems most of our eggs are in that basket. What’s the work-around if there’s a

widespread cyberattack, for example?

What might Boomer-style New Year’s work-around goals look like? How about getting a custom boot for your bum foot so you can still, at 80, enjoy a ski outing. When it’s too cold and icy to go to the gym, do sit-ups and stretches while watching television. Better yet, turn off the TV, strap on your Yaktrax, grab your walking sticks, put on an extra layer and go outside. Fancy diets not working? As an octogenarian doctor in the Midwest is quoted as saying, “If it tastes good, spit it out.” Appearances? When your phone tells you your face doesn’t match, make your own facial scrub and apply. You’ll instantly feel better, even if your phone isn’t fooled. Bathroom hack? Rig a rope to help you out of the tub. Just don’t attach it to the shower curtain rod.

In all seriousness, one thing is clear: Boomers and youngers alike will have to beef up work-around skills over the course of the next four years. Whatever our positions or opinions, it will be important to pay attention to what is taking place; to be aware of misleading news cycles and information campaigns; to be diligent fact-checkers. The road to hell is paved with citizenry who got lazy about keeping their country and its leaders honest. Make it a New Year’s resolution to speak up and out for yourself and others. What’s the hack, the work-around, to make that happen?

If you find the news noise is drowning out your do-the-rightthing voice, get out of your bubble, push through your troubles and head out into the desert. And, speaking of work-arounds, if you’re unable to go on your own, get someone to take you. Nature teaches us to go inside, we must go outside. The high desert’s grandeur reminds us of our small stature. We’re dwarfed by mountains migrating across desiccated lake beds; awed by alkaline dust devils trading colors and places with the wind. There, we can hear the bigger invitation. Sometimes the best workaround is right out your back door.

—Poet and author Ellen Waterston is a woman of a certain age who resides in Bend. "The Third Act" is a series of columns on ageing and ageism.

Alcoholics Anonymous

TAKE ME HOME

How to Hold Title Various options for buyers

This week, I thought we could touch on a subject that occurs with every real estate transaction, and that is how to hold title. Title is essentially the “proof” that you are the rightful and legal owner of a property; however, this is not something that is often discussed, especially with first-time homeowners. This article is meant to be a starting point for folks to use to consider how to hold title — please consult an estate planning attorney for individual-specific advice or your accountant for less nuanced advice. Let’s dive in and check out how people can hold title on their home!

The most common way to hold title on a single-family home is as tenants in common, where each owner possesses an undivided interest in the property. This allows for varying ownership percentages and flexible inheritance options. For example, if you and your sibling co-own a house as tenants in common, you might each own a 50% share. You can also specify how your share is passed on to your heirs in your will, giving you greater control over your inheritance.

Another common way to hold title is through joint tenancy with right of survivorship. In this arrangement, each owner has an equal share in the property, and upon the death of one owner, their ownership interest automatically transfers to the surviving owner(s). This simplifies the probate process, as the property doesn’t need to go through the legal system to be transferred.

Community property is a legal concept that applies in some states, such

By James Keane Broker

as California. In these states, property acquired during marriage is generally considered community property, meaning it’s owned equally by both spouses. Property acquired before marriage or inherited during marriage typically remains separate property.

Trusts can also be used to hold title on a property. Trusts can offer several benefits, including asset protection, privacy and tax advantages. They can also be used to ensure that the property is managed and distributed according to your wishes after your death.

Choosing the right way to hold title depends on several factors, including your marital status, your estate planning goals and the potential tax implications of each option. For example, married couples often choose joint tenancy with right of survivorship or community property, while individuals with complex estate plans may benefit from a trust.

It’s crucial to consult with legal and financial professionals before making any decisions about how to hold title on your property. An experienced real estate attorney can provide guidance on the best option for your specific circumstances and help you understand the legal and financial implications of each choice.

Understanding the different ways to hold title is essential for a smooth and secure ownership experience. By carefully considering your options and seeking professional advice, you can make informed decisions that protect your interests and align with your longterm goals.

Angie Mombert