More things that haven't been reported by the local news (I get they're only reporting what the get officially from the Bend PD and the school district).

The 16-year-old who shot and killed three students and a teacher at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend last Thursday may have been radicalized online by extremist groups and developed an “obsession with Nazism,” law-enforcement sources familiar with the investigation said.

https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2026/10/fbi-probes-16-year-old-bend-shooters-online-radicalization-apparent-nazi-obsession.html

Ballots are in hand at the same time that we’re all still reeling as a community from the Silver Rail tragedy. I posted earlier today my observations regarding County Commissioner candidate, Morgan Schmidt, and how she has shown (again) incredible leadership qualities in the midst of chaos and sorrow. 

Now, my observations about our incumbent mayor, Melanie Kebler. She stepped up to speak at press conference night of the shooting, spoke at the vigil same night. After the vigil, she met directly with community members and educational leadership. Solid and comforting. (Note she is a mom of an elementary-aged kid.)

She brought all our elected officials and Bend Police officials together for a well-coordinated press conference on Friday. Somewhere along the way, I heard her on NPR, because it was (unfortunately) getting national attention. It’s obvious that there was lots of behind the scenes communication and coordination happening, FBI notwithstanding. By Friday, Mayor Kebler had gotten the Oregon Community Foundation fund set up and communicated lots of info to our community. I heard she went to Silver Rail memorial on Sunday and spoke to some parents there (but I didn’t observe this myself).

In the meantime, her opponent is making weird, dramatic social media posts claiming that the city has not funded police protection for BLP schools. This is a lie. The Bend City Council commissioned a staffing study that said we need more SROs. The city does not have the funding to immediately staff to those levels. So what they have done is make a plan to hire more every year, and they’ve done exactly that. During budget, the city has sometimes even added more positions than the Bend Police Department has asked for.

City of Bend spends about 75% of its discretionary general fund dollars (taxes, some fees, etc.) on public safety, which includes police & fire. In the current budget (2025-2027), they’re projected to spend about $10m more on police personnel than the previous budget, including 10 new police dept positions. 

So, we choose: A proven, problem-solving leader who steps up to the task a hand, even when it’s harrowing? Or an unprepared, patently ignorant opportunist who is exploiting a tragedy and passing off lies as campaign content.

Vote carefully.

The guy on the right is Jonathan A Curtis and he is running for Deschutes County Clerk. The pile of crap on the left is Roger Stone.

I’m sure I’m not the only parent sending their little one back to school today with a pit in their stomach. We’re scared. We’re worried. We hope something like this will never happen at our child’s school—or any school. Yet here we are, trying to help our children feel safe while carrying so much fear ourselves.

The love and generosity the Bend community has shown the families affected by the Silver Rail Elementary shooting have been beautiful to witness. The outpouring of donations in just a few days speaks volumes about this community. Those families deserve every bit of that love and support.

As we continue supporting them, I hope some of that generosity can also extend to our first responders—Bend Fire & Rescue, our local law enforcement, and everyone working to protect our schools and children.

They were there during something no one should ever have to witness. The emotional weight of responding to a tragedy like this deserves acknowledgment, and the people doing that work deserve care and support, too.

I also wonder whether having a school resource officer (SRO) assigned to every school could help improve safety and prevent something like this from happening again in our county. I know there are many factors to consider, including funding, training, and how best to support students, but I believe it’s a conversation worth having. How can we donate or advocate for funding to make that possible? Who should we contact to help ensure our schools have the resources they need to keep our children safe?

I know we may not all share the same views, but I’m thankful for the officers and emergency responders showing up for our community during such a painful time. They’re part of this hurting community, too. Let’s show them some love. 💜

There's been some speculation about the shooter's father. 'sounds like the kid had a rough upbringing.

We're in the middle of an election.

Alongside our community's shock and grief, we still have to use some of our attention to vote wisely. 

This terrible black swan event has been an important and weirdly timely litmus test that highlights exactly how these leaders/potential leaders function under duress when we really need them. 

I have some info about one in particular: Morgan Schmidt, who is running for Deschutes county commissioner. 

She happens to be the Executive Director for the Red Cross of Central & Eastern Oregon (that, in itself, tells you something). So this week, she was seen organizing and running a crisis center for the Silver Rail families where they retrieved their belongings from the school, got top-level crisis counseling and came together to grieve and map a way forward.

I heard that this crisis center was raised quickly from nothing: bringing together the area's most highly trained mental health trauma team, set up with generously borrowed/donated furniture and stuffed animals, snacks, tools and supplies for the mental health professionals and the families. Apparently this crisis center ran extremely efficiently and the Silver Rail families were deeply grateful during an extremely hard few days.

She's running against a guy whose main platform is putting up lies on billboards and buying Mt Bachelor. What has he DONE for our community? Has he ever run towards a disaster? It's a farce.

So while Schmidt likely won't talk much about any of this during the remainder of the campaign, WE can talk about it so voters knew what's up.

Get those ballots in early.

[EDIT: Posted my observations about another candidate, Mayor Melanie Kebler, here.)

Franti admitted to this affair and apologized to his wife. This creep picked a 19 year old off the internet when he was 52, brought her on tour, then groomed and abused her. Other women came out validating her claims and telling their own stories. This was a year ago Victoria came out with this, and this abuser is doing a whole tour again cuz his cult like followers love his toxic-positivity BS.

Messages reveal LaVallee claimed chief interviews were underway weeks before the board even approved advertising the position and planned to urge his successor to seek another levy in November after nearly 80% of voters rejected one in May.

By Justin Alderman - Prineville Review

Alfalfa, Ore. — Newly obtained text messages between former Alfalfa Fire District Chief Chad LaVallee and two Central Oregon Community College (COCC) officials reveal that LaVallee claimed the district was already interviewing prospective replacements for his position weeks before its governing board formally authorized advertising the job.

The communications also show LaVallee continued making decisions concerning district-owned equipment, vehicles and training facilities after his tenure ended June 30th, including authorizing the use of an ambulance later purchased by COCC for $15,000.

In another exchange, LaVallee expressed his intention to persuade the district’s next fire chief to pursue another property tax levy in November, despite voters overwhelmingly rejecting a similar funding measure in May.

The revelations come as Alfalfa Fire District Director Mark Laucks confirmed during the board’s October 14th meeting that he was resigning effective at the conclusion of its regular November meeting. Director Dustin Piggott also announced his intention to resign in the near future, although he did not specify an effective date.

Full Story - Prineville Review

Not too much in the first update in recent days from Bend Police, who were on hand at every Bend-La Pine school to welcome returning students. They did confirm search warrants served at his home and on his devices and social media accounts - and continue to investigate "details" regarding the gun used in the attack.

I want to appreciate every single person who has stepped up to show someone that they are not alone over the last six days. You all made this 100K population feel like the small town I still see it as, it has been a joy to experience.

To the supporting personnel, police, teachers, and administrative staff at the schools today... As a parent, I know there are many levels of concern/fear, a heightened awareness for safety, and too much sadness this morning. Your strength to smile through each of those emotions while welcoming students back will not be forgotten, you have my eternal appreciation.

Has anyone seen this today?

https://ktvz.com/news/2026/10/21/developing-news-bend-police-involved-in-standoff-avoid-the-area/

Drink water. Take care of yourselves. Check in on your neighbors. Mark your calendars for the 6th and support these kids.

I haven’t had health insurance in a while and I was fortunate enough to be extended two job offers that also offer health insurance. The jobs and pay are identical, the big difference is health insurance. One offers Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield and the other is Cigna. Is one better than the other as far as providers accepting them in Central Oregon? Is one easier to work with than the other? I had honestly never ever heard of Cigna until I got my offer letter. Thanks for any insights!

Passing along this message from the school district:

Dear Bend-La Pine Families,

The outpouring of love and support for our Silver Rail Elementary community has been deeply moving. The flowers, heartfelt messages, chalk art, and other tributes left outside the school are a beautiful reflection of a community grieving together and surrounding one another with care. We are grateful for every gesture of kindness.

With guidance from victim support professionals, we will very soon be carefully gathering the memorials outside Silver Rail and moving them to a safe location within Bend-La Pine Schools. We will also photograph the memorials to preserve and share these heartfelt expressions of love and support. If there is a memorial item you would like to keep, you are welcome to collect it by the end of the day tomorrow, Wednesday.

To everyone who has taken the time to leave a message, bring flowers, or simply stand with our Silver Rail community, thank you. Your kindness and generosity mean more than words can express.

In the days ahead, we will continue to lean on one another and find strength in our community.. 

We encourage you to visit the Silver Rail Community Information Hub where you can access information about community support and healing gatherings, grief support materials, and other helpful resources.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Bend-La Pine Schools

My partner and I are both self-employed people and I took a look at the new Oregon healthcare exchange website and I cannot believe how bad these plans are. $540 pp a month to basically cover nothing until a high deductible is met. Curious how other people are planning to handle this change over? I don't qualify for an insurance broker because of pre-existing conditions. Are there any good hacks out there (working halftime somewhere to get coverage, etc)? Any advice, help or venting is appreciated!

We are grateful for our great partnership with our local law enforcement partners. Families can expect increased law enforcement presence in and around our schools over the coming days and weeks. Coverage may include campus visits and additional patrols; it does not mean an officer will be stationed at every school throughout the day. Locations, hours, and staffing will vary with school needs and available resources. Our partners have worked around the clock since the incident and must also meet community-wide emergency and public safety needs. Our law enforcement partners are dedicated to providing as much law enforcement presence at our schools as possible.

It seems hard to imagine that this is not something we can make happen after such a tragic event. Kids are afraid to go to school and the best we can offer is 'additional patrols'. This is basically the "thoughts and prayers" response, from the city.

As autumn colors sweep across Central Oregon, a new era begins at the Symphony. Our Fall Concert Series launches Jonathan Moore’s inaugural season as Music Director. Join us for an exciting year of music as we welcome him to the podium.

The Central Oregon Symphony opens Jonathan Moore’s inaugural season with a program featuring Bend native violinist John Fawcett (Editor's note: if I remember correctly, John was our first young artist scholarship winner and performed with the symphony when he was 9 years old. I remember having to find him backstage when it was time for him to perform as he had wandered off). Recently appointed Concertmaster of the Boise Philharmonic, Fawcett returns home to perform Bruch’s soaring Violin Concerto No. 1. The program also includes Bernstein’s sparkling Overture to Candide and Beethoven’s beloved Symphony No. 6 (“Pastoral”), a musical journey through the countryside, complete with birdsong, a thunderstorm, and a joyful conclusion.

Event Details:

• Date: Saturday, October 24, 2026 Time: 2:00 PM and 7:30 PM
• Date: Sunday, October 25, 2026 Time: 2:00 PM performance (Livestream available)

Please note that our venue for this concert will be Mountain View High School.

Livestream Option

We understand that not everyone can join us in person. That’s why we’re pleased to offer a livestream of the Sunday matinee performance, ensuring everyone has the opportunity to experience the magic of live music, no matter where they are. Look for the link on our website at https://www.cosymphony.com/

Tickets

At this time, tickets to the Fall Concert Series are reserved exclusively for Central Oregon Symphony members (due to limited seating). Members will receive instructions on how to reserve tickets via e-mail. Not a member yet? Become a member today or call the COSA office at (541) 317-3941 to reserve your tickets with a tax-deductible donation of $75 or more for 2 tickets for the entire season.

There may be a few rush seats available at each show (more likely on Saturday evening and possibly Saturday afternoon -- Sunday is already full) but call the COSA office or email [info@cosymphony.com](mailto:info@cosymphony.com) for more information.

At Costco, someone says “look, a rainbow!” At first I don’t look because all around is a wildly beautiful sunset so there can’t be a rainbow; but sure as shit, something I’ve never seen before - a rainbow coming out of the sunset!

School was out today, and again tomorrow in Bend. But the librarians were there today for the kids and families of Bend. The second floor (kid's stuff) was buzzing. Crafts, story time, interactive stations, and - you know - books, computer games, face painting, balloon critters. I was there with my granddaughter and she found friends and classmates. It was healing, joyous. Thank you librarians. You are awesome! ❤️

We have through the course of life, become somewhat familiar with our Silver Rail hero and his family. Haven't been able to verify this with the family but his stepfather just posted the following. I also respect what journalists are trying to do, and get that there's a story to be told, but not at the expense of harassing someone who has just experienced a severe trauma. Now, it would seem that a professional code of ethics should be something their employer should be concerned with, and despite the fact that ABC News has a basically impossible to locate complaint line, their tip line is news.tips@abc.com. Up to everyone I suppose whether it's appropriate to speak their minds, but I for one, think one No should be enough to dissuade a reputable journalist from harassing a grieving family.

While a team of three law firms plan to conduct an independent investigation into what went so horribly wrong, the parents of Rhoam Summer - at 5, America's youngest mass school shooting victim - also shared more of their memories in a tribute to their active little boy, who loved unicorns and rainbows, sharks and dinosaurs,

Hello all. I wanted to share a quick note about requests for memorials and honoring those lost and those who intervened at Silver Rail.

We must make sure any efforts are led by the victim families and the Silver Rail community. That means we are going to need to be patient, because right now is not a good time to talk to the impacted about whether we should have a tree, or a plaque, or something else, and where it should go, or what it should say. We have temporary spaces right now with memorials and those have come from community and are serving us well at this time.

I fully appreciate everyone wanting to do something, anything to help and to honor right now. I just want to let you know that it may take a good while before we get to a place where a permanent memorial is placed. Please understand that's not because people or leaders don't care, but because time and space is needed for the folks most affected right now.

You can find some guides and information from the National Mass Violence Center on this topic here: https://nmvvrc.org/community-leaders/rebuild-your-community/remembering/