In January 2021, there were 13 people of color in the Legislature. That number will rise to 17 next year, and lawmakers are celebrating the step toward greater diversity while acknowledging that there is more work to be done to make Oregon’s legislative body look more like the state it represents.

The Legislature will remain overwhelmingly…

The Summit Storm football team is bringing home the hardware as state champions.

The Storm defeated Wilsonville 35-28 in Hillsboro Friday night to take the Oregon 5A high school football title.

It was a tight game throughout and the teams went back and forth in second half before Summit was able to pull away to a 35-21 lead with just over three minutes to play.

Wilsonville scored in just a few seconds to make it a one score game, but Summit was able to play keep away in the final minutes to secure the title.

Summit finishes 12-1 on the…

A Portland couple welcomes IVF twins from embryos frozen in 1992. Learn more here.

By Jen Christensen and Nadia Kounang, CNN

In April 1992, Vanessa Williams’ “Save the Best for Last” topped the Billboard 100, Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton was running for the White House, “Who’s the Boss?” aired its final episode, and the babies born to Rachel and Philip Ridgeway a couple of weeks ago were frozen as embryos.

Born on October 31, Lydia and Timothy Ridgeway were born from what may be the longest-frozen embryos to ever result in a live birth, according to the National Embryo Donation Center.

The previous known record holder was Molly Gibson, born in 2020 from an…

The Under the Snow exhibit at High Desert Museum opens Dec. 17. Learn more here!

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — In the depth of winter, a deep layer of snow quiets the High Desert’s forests. But under the surface, a secret world comes to life. A new High Desert Museum exhibit dives into the snow, where voles, shrews, insects and porcupines build a matrix of tunnels to survive the winter and hide from the predators that lurk just above the surface.

Under the Snow opens at the Museum on Saturday, Dec. 17. The original exhibit explores the “subnivium” environment, what scientists call this seasonal habitat. In the subnivium, the temperature stays a toasty 32-degrees Fahrenheit, which protects plants and animals from the winter’s frigid temperatures.

Bend is seeing recent growth in the partner dancing scene. Learn more about upcoming events here.

Article byAllie Noland of the Bend Source

The Bend social partner dance scene is growing. With so many new dance lesson events coming through the Source Weekly calendar, we thought it would be nice to do a little roundup of options out there.

“There’s a lot of technique and connection that goes into social dances, because it’s about lead and follow. You learn about connection so that you can dance with everybody in the club,” said Victoria Tolonen from Bend Dance.

Tolonen has been teaching dance in Bend since 2001, and said she is excited to see the…

The growing season for produce at Seed to Table in Sisters is more than half the year. Learn more about S2T here.

SISTERS, Ore. (KTVZ) – The 2022 growing season has proven to be better than Seed to Table Executive Director Audrey Tehan hoped for.

“Wow! What an incredible season it’s been. With a combination of our greenhouse expansions, warm October weather, and our amazing farm team’s experiences we will be continuing the produce share through November 16th!” said Tehan. “We have 110 families in our produce share. They’ve received S2T produce for 30 weeks this year!”

This will make S2T produce share (also known as a CSA- Community Supported Agriculture) one of the longest running shares in Central Oregon…

Portland artist Katie Reim has been selected for the Old Mill District’s Winter Art Series. Learn more here.

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Natural and manufactured wonders alike dot the sweeping Central Oregon landscape. The snow-capped peak of Mount Bachelor, the winding Deschutes River, the alpine lakes at the heart of the Newberry National Volcanic Monument, and — of course — the soaring smokestacks of the Old Mill District.

All get their fair share of love in the featured painting selected for the Old Mill District’s 2022 Winter Art Series. Portland artist Katie Reim, who dreamed up and created the naturally inspired piece, is the sixth artist to be honored in the series, and her work pays tribute…

Sam Adventure Baker, an 8-year-old, sets out to become the youngest person to summit El Capitan. Check out more here.

If your parents name you “Adventure,” they probably hoped you’d do some adventurous things.

Sam Adventure Baker understood his assignment.

The Colorado 8-year-old sets out Tuesday to become the youngest person to reach the summit of El Capitan in California’s Yosemite National Park.

The journey is expected to take four days “of hanging from your fingers or hanging from your anchors,” Sam’s dad Joe Baker told CNN’s Fredricka Whitfield on Sunday. They’ll camp one night on the top of El Capitan and then hike down eight miles on the fifth day.

Recent storms in Oregon have pushed the Cedar Creek Fire to 55% containment. Find out more here.

Fire crews working the months old Cedar Creek Fire have caught a break with the help from a strong storm that’s blown into the Oregon.

Saturday’s fire update listed accumulating snow instead of more acres burned.

“With much lower temperatures, higher relative humidity, and considerable precipitation expected over the next few days, fire activity is expected to decrease substantially, with the possibility of 3 – 5 inches of snow in the fire area. However, some smoldering will continue in the fire area,” the update read.

Firefighters will work patrol and mop up, but scouts will evaluate the impact of high winds and precipitation…

A small coastal Oregon town has been named one of the “Most Beautiful Small Towns in America.” Find out more here.

By Karly Imus | The Oregonian/OregonLive

What’s not to love about Manzanita?

Not much, if you believe Architectural Digest. It just named the Oregon coast town one of the “55 Most Beautiful Small Towns in America.”

We won’t argue, though we would argue for more spots for the Pacific Northwest’s picturesque small towns. (Friday Harbor, Washington is the only other one that made the list.)

What sets Manzanita apart, according to Architectural Digest?

“Along…