BEND DON'T BREAK--A veteran of Bend’s political scene shares his words of wisdom on Bend’s leftward lurch, the City’s rapid growth and his work to help people without homes.

On this week’s episode of “Bend Don’t Break” we talk with former Bend City Councilor Bruce Abernethy. He is well-known in the community for his service work: He’s served on the board of directors for more than a dozen organizations ranging from nonprofits to government entities to educational institutions. He sat on the City Council for a total of 12 years as was the Mayor from 2007 to 2008.

Abernethy first ran for City Council on a “slow growth” platform. In the early 2000s, Bend was growing between 6-7% and many old timers and those who had come in on the first wave of migration in the 1990s were not happy about the way Bend was changing. Abernethy describes why it was nearly impossible to stop the growth because of Oregon’s land use laws which are still in place today. He also provides an honest and refreshing perspective on affordable housing which acknowledges the realities of a free-market economy with the view that the City could be doing more.

Abernethy offers a bird’s eye view of local politics and discusses Bend’s leftward shift over the last decade. He shares his thoughts on the way that national politics has influenced the regional discourse, particularly in the last election.

Abernethy moved to Bend in 1992. He spent 12 years on the Bend City Council and he also served on the Board of the Bend-La Pine School District and the Bend Park and Recreation District. Currently, he serves on the board of a number of organizations including Central Oregon Community College, Bend international School, Camp Tamarack, Central Oregon FUSE and many others. He attended Swarthmore College with a dual major in Economics and Political Science and then earned his Masters of Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. He is a grant writer for Bend-La Pine Schools.

The crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people is growing and has reached epidemic levels for women and girls. Here is what's being done and what challenges advocates face.

BEND DON’T BREAK—Born and raised in New York City, Evelyn has lived and worked in predominantly white communities in the Pacific Northwest for most of his life. He’s not afraid to challenge small town paradigms.

For this week’s “Bend Don’t Break” podcast we talk with Redmond City Councilor Clifford Evelyn. Evelyn won an insurgent victory in 2020 through a campaign of connecting with local business owners and others in the community, despite the constraints of COVID-19. Evelyn talked about how his message resonated with people who want to see more amenities in Redmond like restaurants, stores, movie theaters and even a bowling alley. Right now, even though Redmond’s real estate market is booming, most locals travel to Bend to shop and have fun, Evelyn said. He’d like to see more of that money circulating in Redmond.

What effects did 2020 events have on trails in Central Oregon? Learn how COVID-19, wildfires, and stay-at-home orders are affecting recreational use in 2021, and find out about implementation of an online, limited-entry permit system from the Forest Service.

BEND DON'T BREAK-- The founder of the Natural Mind Dharma Center in Bend discusses how spiritual practices increase coping mechanisms and brain health.

For this week’s episode of “Bend Don’t Break” we talk with Michael Scott Stevens, a Buddhism teacher and founder of the Natural Mind Dharma Center. When Stevens opened the center in 1996, Bend was a one-brewery ski town. Today, there’s a yoga studio on every corner and a growing community of spiritual seekers that regularly gather to engage with Eastern religions and philosophy. With the rise of Zoom and social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Stevens now leads Sadhanas (or meditation groups) online for people in Central Oregon and those who live in other areas up and down the West Coast. Stevens told the Source he was initially very resistant to the technology as the some of the energetic aspects of the group practice are lost, but Zoom has also helped grow the community.

In this week’s podcast, technical employees at St. Charles Medical Center plan to strike on March 4 in hopes of resolving a contract dispute with their employer, and deputies with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office choose body cams to begin wearing in early May.

The western monarch butterfly population has seen a steep decline in recent years due to loss of habitats. Here are some tips on how to help them this spring.

BEND DON'T BREAK - While there are quite a few environmental organizations in Central Oregon at least partially dedicated to restoring the Deschutes, the DRC is unique in both its mission and structure. Kate explains the history of the DRC: It was founded in the 1990s to function as a collaboration between various interest groups including farmers, recreation advocates, ranchers, environmentalists, loggers, tribal communities and government entities. The goal was to create market-based solutions to restore the Deschutes River. These include opportunities that allow water rights holders to lease or sell their water back to the river, for example.

“Bend Don’t Break” is hosted by the Source Weekly’s publisher Aaron Switzer and co-hosted by Laurel Brauns. Every week, we feature a guest from the community with a new perspective on living through the COVID-19 pandemic including mental health professionals, economists, educators, artists, business people, local leaders and historians.

A housing project for veterans that could be used as a model for other homeless programs, a taproom that’s handing over the keys to a wine bar, and a new food cart pod opening in Prineville — all in this week’s podcast.

BEND DON'T BREAK - This week we talk with Dr. Sabrina Hadeed-Duea, a Licensed Professional Counselor and a professor at Oregon State University – Cascades. During this conversation Hadeed-Duea details the benefits of wilderness therapy and explores the challenges and rewards of Zoom counseling. She also discusses the cultural implications of COVID precautions and the long-term impacts of heightened anxiety.

Free counseling is available in Bend through the OSU-Cascades Master of Counseling program clinic which is currently accepting new clients. https://osucascades.edu/counseling-clinic