From the article:

According to [Cascades East Transit Director Bob] Townsend, the plan is to run buses from Bend’s Hawthorne Station to the Redmond Airport terminal every hour starting from about 4 am to 1 pm five days a week, in order to serve people catching early morning flights. If the service goes well, it could be expanded to evening hours, Townsend said. He estimated the ride will cost $15 each way.  

Both northbound lanes blocked at 8:15. Emergency service on the way but not there yet.

I'm a little surprised the cameras near Lowes haven't been taken down; maybe this is a good alternative if Flock refuses to remove them.

My power in SW just went out AGAIN. This is the fifth time in the last three days and the outages are lasting 1-2+ hours. Anyone know what is happening? Is it fire related? Seems excessive…

Hi folks! As I’m sure you all have noticed, we are off to a pretty gnarly fire season. As a frequent dispersed camper, I noticed that there is no centralized, intuitive source to determine the campfire restrictions in a given national forest or BLM land district.

I got fed up with having to dig through each national forest and ranger district website to determine if I could legally (and safely) have a fire. It made planning camping trips a headache. I also realized that in the face of this friction, some people may not bother to check regulations at all. My goal is to make planning more convenient and to help dispersed campers have fires safely.

So I set out to make one myself! I have reached a point where I think it is worth sharing to get some feedback and feature suggestions from anyone who might see themselves using it. While obviously it is not a good idea to have a fire basically anywhere in Oregon right now, I expect it to be a useful resource in September and October as areas begin to loosen restrictions in the face of better conditions.

Please let me know what you think! Would you use this? What features would you like to see? How could the user interface be improved?

Oregon Fire Restriction Map (Demo)

One benefit of the smoke is that we get a chance to check out our star! I just took this photo with my phone. Those visible sun spots are bigger than earth itself.

WARNING: THE SMOKE FILTERS A LOT OF HARMFUL UV RADIATION FROM THE SUN, BUT NOT ALL OF IT. STILL DO NOT STARE AT THE SUN FOR EXTENDED PERIODS

Since this came up in another post, I thought I'd post another update to my posts from 2 years and 5 years ago.

Source: Wildfire Smoke Trends and the Air Quality Index Data from 2000-2025 (DEQ)

"Between 2000 and 2012, Bend had six USG days caused by wildfire smoke. Between 2013 and 2025, Bend experienced 100 days ≥ USG, including 31 unhealthy days, 10 very unhealthy days, and eight hazardous days. Of those, 96 days ≥ USG occurred from 2017 to 2025. In 2025, Bend recorded only two Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (USG) days."

It feels like it's time to start shopping my home/auto/umbrella policies. I've been with State Farm for a long time and the umbrella premiums have gotten ridiculous in the past couple years. I'm wondering if there is a better way than going to individual agents that represent a single insurance company.

Do you have any experiences with the independent brokers in the area that you would be willing to share? I am interested in additional data points beyond the google and yelp reviews I am looking at currently.

I have had an iPhone since 2010 and I honestly can say this is the probably the best app I have ever used. Each year they keep making it better. The best part is the only reason to upgrade to pro is if you want to nerd out on all the information.

Probably going to purchase it just to support them. Not sure why I felt the need to post this. Maybe it’s because so many things are so shitty, divided, expensive, stressful right now. Knowing there are organizations like this out there trying to help without asking its users for money like gives me a little hope?

Very sad... condolences to the family and friends of Stacy Chiddix: https://barneysbendbugle.com/article/news_story/fatal-atv-crash-during-brewer-fire-response-3

I’m craving spaghetti, where should I go tonight that’s in the middle of Bosa and Olive Garden?

I saw a red food truck that said Maria’s Tamales on it (closed) in the parking lot of the Budget Inn on 3rd tonight. Was driving so couldn’t take a picture. Does anyone happen to know if that’s the same Maria that is usually in front of gross out?

And do you have recommendations? I’ve got some yard work to do, and my throat hurts from the smoke.

Hate the ones over the ears they hurts. Also I probably need to shave my beard.

Reposted due to moderator, Hopefully the news article title is "safe" ... apparently the auto moderator doesn't allow the human moderators suggested title

**No water in hydrants when crews responded to Bend house fire**

Published 5:30 am Monday, July 20, 2026

By Noemi Arellano-Summer

There were additional portable toilets at Seventh Mountain Resort Friday as the resort experienced water issues. (Noemi Arellano-Summer/The Bulletin)

Bend Fire & Rescue crews responded to a garage fire Friday afternoon, only to find that nearby hydrants were dry.

The fire damaged a home at 60515 Snap Shot Loop, outside Bend city limits and near Seventh Mountain Resort.

The fire caused $50,000 worth of damage to the water heater, garage walls and a car. The occupants made it out safely and no injuries were reported.

According to Bend Fire & Rescue Deputy Fire Chief Dan Derlacki, nearby fire hydrants were impacted by a lack of water due to ongoing work on a private pump system.

Though Bend Fire & Rescue crews didn’t know about the hydrants before arriving, Derlacki said if the fire had been larger it could have caused serious problems. The fire was put out using water from fire engines. Most engines can carry roughly 700 gallons of water.

Bend Fire & Rescue will adjust their planning for future fires in the area, ensuring they have water trucks to serve areas without working hydrants, said Derlacki Monday. The cause of the fire is under investigation, though it’s possible that combustibles were left too close to the water heater or the heater malfunctioned.

The nearby Seventh Mountain Resort was without any water for more than 15 hours on Friday. That was linked to a separate water issue, said Derlacki. Toilets could not be flushed and there was no potable water coming from the tap. Housekeeping staff at the resort used water bottles to clean dishes. One staff member said the issues began at midnight and he was not informed until 8:30 a.m. Friday. Portable toilets were placed outside the resort Friday afternoon.

The resort, located on SW Century Drive, is undergoing construction on its water system. The water was off from midnight Thursday through 3:15 p.m. Friday.

The resort’s water experienced a loss of pressure, said Deschutes County officials. Clients of the resort were told to boil their water before using it.

[https://bendbulletin.com/2026/07/20/hydrants-did-not-work-as-crews-responded-to-bend-house-fire/\](https://bendbulletin.com/2026/07/20/hydrants-did-not-work-as-crews-responded-to-bend-house-fire/)

Over the past few years residents have warned City leaders about their growth plans based upon State legislative work arounds to the UGB expansion process, and continually pointed out the City isn't ready for what they keep approving. Caldera Ranch is the best example (adjacent to the Deschutes National Forest) and should never have been approved, or at least not until the infrastructure had been improved to save what is already built let alone future housing plans.

We got lucky this time, fire season has just started.

Does Hayden Homes amphitheater usually cancel shows when the air gets crappy like this? We have tickets for Trevor Noah tomorrow night and are wondering what the odds for cancelation are. Is there an AQI number that officials use to determine cancelations? Thanks.

Hey everyone. I am doing my behind the wheel driving test this Thursday. I am testing through a third party testing service that operates in Central Oregon called Hanford Testing Service. Just came here to ask if anybody has tested with them, or has knowledge on the general route as well as opinions on them. They were heavily recommended by my friends. The location is Downtown adjacent, so I assume it is going to be a drive around Old Bend. As always, thanks in advance!

Had family in town and a blue Hydro Flask cooler got left behind after hanging at the park Friday afternoon/evening. Probably long gone, but thought I'd make a post in case on of the many good Samaritans of Bend grabbed it for safe keeping.

Can anyone help or recommend where to go for a sofa/sectional, decent price, in box or deliver? We been looking for days 🙄

Interested in the bike park. Hard to get aqi readings at Bachelor specifically vs downtown Bend. With the higher altitude, I'd assume it's either higher or lower AQI but not sure. Anyone know?