The Source Weekly
Bend’s Independent Voice Since 1997
The Source Weekly is a weekly newspaper based in Bend, Ore., covering news, art, music, events, outdoors and other issues of interest to readers in Central Oregon.
Our mission: to go deeper into the stories Central Oregon is talking about, and to offer thoughtful, well-researched, sometimes humorous and always entertaining insight into issues—with a lens of equity and social justice, and the goal of balanced journalism, backed by diligent fact checking.
Based in downtown Bend, the Source was founded in 1997 by Aaron and Angela Switzer, who continue to independently own and operate this vibrant local paper. Several years after founding the Source Weekly, the Switzers also founded Lay It Out Events, offering a host of events including the Bite of Bend, WinterFest and SummerFest. 2016 marked the launch of Bend Nest: A Parenting Magazine, a Source Weekly sister publication.
In addition to covering local news, the Source Weekly maintains the most comprehensive events calendar in the region, and produces a host of guides and special issues—including Scout, our annual visitor’s guide; an annual Best of Central Oregon issue; a biannual Happy Hour Guide; an annual Restaurant Guide; a Breakfast & Lunch Guide and The Leaflet, our biannual guide to the cannabis scene in Central Oregon.
Have an event to share? It’s free to submit and share your event on our Calendar page.
Looking to connect with us? Visit our Facebook, Instagram or Twitter feeds to stay up-to-date on what’s happening in Central Oregon, or visit our Contact Us page to email us directly.
Our Team
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Chad Barnes
Account ExecutiveChad is a SoCal native and proud Oregon State University alumni. Go Beavs! He enjoys kayaking and fishing in the summer and snowboarding in the winter. He loves living in Bend with his lovely fiancé and their two pups.
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Ashley Sarvis
Account ExecutiveAshley is a native Floridian who enjoys live music, strong coffee, and a good Old Fashioned. She is a former Olympic trapeze artist with an extensive bug collection.
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Jennifer Galler
Art Director/Production ManagerCreative, quirky, and lost in her imagination, singing and dancing to the melody in her head. Jennifer proudly earned her Bachelor’s in Graphic Design from Portland State University, where she was taught to think outside the box, and to focus on the future.
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Angela Switzer
Controller/Bend Nest EditorOne of the original members of the Source team, Angela remembers the days of ringing fax machines and crying babies when the newspaper operated out of her home. She loves all things outdoors, especially mountain biking with hubby, trail running and cooking gourmet meals, while camping in her beloved Eurovan. Her partner in crime is a mini Aussie named Kashi. She is a self-taught accounting wizard, loves to read non-fiction books and is the Editor of Bend Nest Parenting Magazine.
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Richard Sitts
Copy EditorRichard Sitts grew up in the midwest, mostly in Kansas. After earning a journalism degree from Kansas State University, he worked in various capacities at newspapers in Kansas, New York, New Mexico, California and Colorado, before arriving in Bend several years ago. Highlights included working as a bureau reporter covering the Navajo Nation in Window Rock, Ariz., copy editing and writing stories for the Albuquerque Tribune, and serving as editor for a group of four weekly newspapers in central California. Once, between journalism jobs in Houston, he worked as the assistant stage manager at an old school, burlesque dinner theater. The second show every night, the dancers performed topless, as he moved curtains and props, and operated the dry ice fog machine.
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Nicole Vulcan
Editor in ChiefNicole Vulcan became Editor of the Source in 2016 and was promoted to Editor in Chief in 2024, managing the Editorial Board and the news team's many investigative projects. She's also at work on her debut book of journalistic non-fiction, titled "Self Medication," which traces Oregon's drug decriminalization efforts in the 21st Century, and tells a parallel tale of her own family’s losses from fentanyl addiction in the age of Measure 110. With all of that on her plate, send snacks.
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Jared Rasic
Film ReviewerFilm critic and author of food, arts and culture stories for the Source Weekly since 2010.
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Aaron Switzer
Founder/PublisherAaron Switzer is the founder and publisher of the Source. He remains fascinated with the art of communication even after being marinated in it for the past 30 years. He has many favorites but they pale in comparison to mountain biking on the middle fork of the Willamette with any family member who will go. Believes ultimate frisbee is the worst sport and best game ever invented. Thinks everyone should ride a motorcycle.
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Ben Irish
Graphic DesignerBen is a Bend native who recently returned from San Diego, CA. He graduated from the University of Oregon in June 2020 and has since then pursued a passion for digital arts and graphic design.
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Jennifer Baires
Investigative ReporterJennifer is a features and investigative reporter for the Source Weekly; her work is supported by the Lay It Out Foundation. She is passionate about stories that further transparency and accountability in our region. A nerd at heart, Jennifer enjoys diving into wonky topics and messy data. Away from her computer and reporting notebook, she can be found chasing her two young children around parks and soccer fields.
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Chris Young
Managing EditorA journalist and editor, Chris graduated from the University of Oregon and has worked in local, community-focused media and publications for 15 years. He founded Vortex Music Magazine, a quarterly print publication that covered Portland's vibrant music scene, in 2014. He's since moved to Bend where you can find him going to concerts, hiking, biking and trying to keep up with his kids.
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Julianna LaFollette
ReporterJulianna earned her Masters in Journalism at NYU in 2024. She loves writing local stories about interesting people and events. When she’s not reporting, you can find her cooking, participating in outdoor activities or attempting to keep up with her 90 pound dog, Finn.
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Ban Tat
Senior Account ExecutiveBan has over 20 years of experience in the field of marketing with a proven track record. He graduated at Oregon State University with degrees in Business and Political Science, which provides a strong analytical and strategic mindset. Originally from Calgary, Canada, Ban is also an avid outdoor enthusiast and loves traveling, hiking, camping, and going to concerts with his family. This deep connection to nature fuels his creativity and provides a unique perspective on life and business. For over 25 years, he’s dedicated his time to coaching youth sports, primarily in volleyball and track. This experience has instilled a strong work ethic, leadership skills, and a passion for mentoring young athletes. I'm committed to fostering a positive and supportive environment, helping young people reach their full potential.
Awards We've Won
2010
First Place — Best Feature Story, awarded to Daniel Pearson (Society of Professional Journalists Northwest Excellence in Journalism)2011
3rd place – Social Issues Reporting, awarded to Eric Flowers (Society of Professional Journalists Northwest Excellence in Journalism)
2012
1st Place – Writing, awarded to Eric Flowers (Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association)
2018
1st place – Best Editorial/Column, awarded to Nicole Vulcan/Aaron Switzer (Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association)
1st place – Best Feature Writing, awarded to Nicole Vulcan (Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association)
2nd place – Target Audience Publication General Excellence (Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association)
2019
1st place - Best Editorial/Column, awarded to Nicole Vulcan/Aaron Switzer (Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association)
1st place – Target Audience Publication General Excellence (Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association)
1st place – Design, awarded to Shannon Corey, Wyatt Gaines, Esther Gray (Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association)
2nd place – Best Feature Writing, awarded to Nicole Vulcan (Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association)
3rd place – Best Feature Writing, awarded to Chris Miller (Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association)
2020
1st place - Best Feature Writing, awarded to Nicole Vulcan (Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association)
1st Place - Design, awarded to Shannon Corey, Esther Gray, Darris Hurst
2021
2nd Place - Multimedia Storytelling, awarded to Nicole Vulcan (Society of Professional Journalists, Oregon)
Source Weekly Editorial Policies:
Fact Checking Policy
Our editorial team makes every effort to verify the information provided to us is accurate and truthful before we publish it. Reporters are responsible for checking names, dates, titles, days and dates, addresses and URLs and other factual information in their stories, and for verifying the information included in quotes is accurate and truthful. An editor and copy editor subsequently edit and fact-check information provided in stories before they go to press or are published online. If you encounter information you deem incorrect on our site or in our print publication, please email editor@bendsource.com and provide any supporting documentation so that we can review it and assess whether a correction is in order. (see Corrections policy below)
Ethics Policy
Our ethics policy is simple: seek the truth. Verify information before it’s published. Aim to present a responsible and fair glimpse of the issue at hand. Be accurate, and correct inaccuracies as soon as possible.
Our editorial team does not engage in “pay to play” journalism, in which sources pay or otherwise influence us to write a positive story on them, and our news and advertising departments engage in separate duties so as not to allow undue influence from advertisers over our editorial coverage. When we are in doubt about a particular ethics-related question in our journalism, we rely on the trusted guidance from the Society of Professional Journalists and The Associate Press’ ethics policies to help us make sound decisions.
Corrections Policy
When we make a mistake in our stories, we will update or otherwise correct the story in its online form as soon as possible and will add a note to the story that indicates what changes we made. We will also publish a printed correction in our print edition, if the error appeared in print, within three weeks of the initial error.Comment Policy
We believe in people’s First Amendment rights to free speech, even if we don’t agree with their arguments, and will not remove comments simply because they differ with the personal or political perspectives of our staff. We do reserve the right to remove comments or block users from our website and social media accounts should they use libelous or slanderous language— in other words, when they write things that are untrue or intended to defame someone. We also reserve the right to remove or block users who post spam on our site(s), and to filter comments for disinformation, hate speech and threats.
Thanks for reading!
