News

Q&A with Bend’s Favorite Redditor

Since September, one of the most accessible outlets for information on the Bend City Council comes from an unlikely source: Pseudonymous Redditor Tailor Glad

By Jack Harvel

Once every two weeks Reddit User TailorGlad3272 spends over five hours reporting the Bend City Council on the subreddit r/Bend, a forum where users share news, ask questions and discuss all things Bend. The meeting notes have been so well received that Glad’s now gone cross-platform, starting a Twitter account under their pseudonym and a Substack, a paid newsletter service. Glad requested anonymity for reasons discussed in this article.

Source Weekly: How did you, in the golden age of television and entertainment, get into watching the city council and why?

Tailor Glad: Well, I guess it was a

few years ago. I took an intro to political science class and one of my assignments was to go to my local city council meeting and write about it. I had a great time, I really enjoyed it. I began watching the Bend City Council meetings around eight months ago. When I started to get really invested, I tried to find a place to talk about the meeting, but I wasn’t able to find any active discussion threads. I figured if I wanted a place to talk about it, I would have to make it myself. I tried to find some kind of resource to post on the Bend subreddit so that people could talk about the meetings, but nothing was coming out fast enough for facilitating that kind of same-day discussion. City council videos aren’t posted for hours after the meeting is over and reporting about the meeting comes out slowly over the course of days and doesn’t really go over the meeting as a whole; they’re focused on specific parts. I decided to try making a meeting summary myself.

SW: Your write-ups are really detailed and informative. But there it also has commentary and I did want to ask how you toe the line between just straight facts reporting and opinion.

TG: It’s something that I actually think a lot about and it’s a hard thing

to get right. I really try my best to portray

Tailor Glad what councilors are trying to say in good faith and as accurately as possible. I also try to make it obvious when stating an opinion that what I am saying is coming from me and not the councilors. I think most of the time I am able to do that.

SW: How has how you’ve handled this changed over the course of the project? Are you doing things any differently since the first post?

TG: How I approached the project has definitely changed over time. At first I just typed as I watched live. I just sat down, put the City Council meeting on and just started describing what I was experiencing and what I thought. People liked that, and they responded really well to it, but it was a lot more challenging than I expected. It was very difficult, especially with some of the more complicated agenda items, to explain what an issue was about in real time. So one of the things I started doing very early on was make an outline from the agenda beforehand. It gives me a good structure for the post and lets me spend more time describing complicated topics. I also started doing a little bit of creative writing for the intro paragraph, which I find very satisfying. One of the things I am working on right now is trying to figure out how to make the post more easy to understand and accessible for people who don’t know what common terms used in the meetings mean.

SW: What kind of response have you seen, both positive and negative?

TG: The response has been over-

whelmingly positive. I know some city councilors really appreciate it. They like how it makes the meeting more accessible. I’ve heard some staff members use it as a litmus test to make sure that they are communicating effectively. I’ve had a lot of people say they want to keep themselves updated and engaged about what the City Council is doing, but they don’t have six hours to watch it themselves.

Not all the feedback has been positive. Different people like my notes for different reasons. Some people like it when there’s more opinion, and some people prefer it when it’s just cold reporting of what’s happening. Other people like my notes best when I type them cross-faded out of my mind. I can’t really make everyone happy at the same time. It’s difficult, because I’m not exactly sure where in that spectrum I want to be and where I am on that spectrum changes each post.

SW: These meetings can be pretty long and in the weeds. What’s your biggest frustration, if any, covering these things?

TG: Public comment can be pretty

frustrating. There’s always a lot of different people that call in to talk to the city council about things that they care about deeply. They’re often not the most respectful people. Sometimes it’s really hard to listen to someone saying something that’s just really wrong and really upsetting. There’s a caller that I mute every single time they speak because it just really gets to me. They call in all the time.

SW: It seems like you value your anonymity and I wanted to ask why that was.

TG: I’m a pretty neurotic person, and it is difficult for me to feel com-

fortable expressing myself. It’s easier when I’m anonymous. I don’t really know why that is. I’ve been on Reddit for nine years under various different pseudonyms and it’s one of the only places that I can communicate without feeling debilitatingly self-conscious.

Being a public figure is not something that I want to be. Councilor [Rita] Schenkelberg expresses their opinion and is cyber bullied for it regularly. I don’t want that kind of attention. Expressing your opinion publicly with your name attached is a kind of bravery I do not possess.

SW: You’re now on Substack, where people can pay to support your work, and Twitter. Do you have any other plans to expand either in platform or content?

TG: I don’t plan on expanding to any

other platforms at this time.For now, I’m only doing the twice-a-month city council meeting notes, but if the Substack is really successful I would consider expanding it to include editorials, coverage of County meetings or other similar content. If I was getting paid more for it, I could definitely put more time in. But right now it’s only a passion project, I’m getting paid about $3 an hour for my work. This is not something that I can afford to devote additional time to at this point.

Cranston Approaches Bail Hearing

A timeline of events emerge in court documents for Ian Cranston’s bail hearing as he faces murder charges in the shooting of Barry Washington, Jr.

By Jack Harvel

Court documents filed Jan. 26 argue that Ian Cranston doesn’t meet the standards for a pretrial release as he awaits a November trial for the shooting of Barry Washington, Jr. Kevin Sali, Cranston’s attorney, filed a motion for release on bail on Dec. 30 and painted a different picture than that presented by prosecutors of the events leading up to the shooting of Washington on Sept. 19.

Sali’s document claims Cranston acted in self-defense, that Washington punched Cranston unprovoked, was undeterred upon seeing Cranston’s handgun, that he turned toward Cranston before the shooting and that Cranston immediately provided aid to Washington after the shooting. Prosecutors contest nearly all these assertions and maintain that evidence supports the charge of murder. A timeline of events in the prosecutor’s documents have Washington arriving at The Capitol, a bar in downtown Bend, shortly after 11 pm with a friend. A few minutes later Cranston entered the bar with his fiancée Allison Butler and a friend named Tyler Smith, both of whom knew Cranston was carrying a concealed pistol, documents say. Washington approached Butler around midnight, complimenting her and having a brief encounter that ended with a hug.

At 12:05 am Washington left The Capitol and spoke with a group of people on the street. Two minutes later Cranston, Butler and Smith left the bar to smoke cigarettes. Washington approached Butler again, talked to her and called her “good looking,” the documents state.

Cranston responded by saying something to the effect of, “she’s taken, move along, mind your business,” according to court documents. An argument escalated and Washington punched Cranston twice, stumbling him.

“It is unclear from the video if Defendant fell down, but in any event, Defendant immediately recovered to his feet and within five seconds Defendant was on his feet and produced a handgun from his waist, holding it at his side in his right hand as he walked towards Washington,” Deputy District Attorney J. Michael Swart wrote.

Smith and Butler got in between Cranston and Washington as both parties continued to argue. Prosecutors say Butler may have obstructed Washington’s view of the gun, and that Sali’s claim that Washington was “completely undeterred by the sight of Cranston’s handgun” is speculative.

Washington started walking down Oregon Avenue away from Smith and Butler, before Butler walked towards him while recording a video on her cell phone. Smith followed and called Washington a name, and they began struggling. It was then that Cranston fired his handgun, the documents state.

“Defense in their motion states that Washington turned at and squared towards Cranston. The State disagrees with this statement and the video will demonstrate this is incorrect. As is the

Jack Harvel

Dozens of candles shine onto the memorial for Barry Washington at the corner of Oregon and Wall Street in downtown Bend.

defense’s representation that Cranston immediately rendered aid to Washington,” Swart wrote. “Rather, the video time stamp shows that for seventeen seconds, Cranston looked around with his firearm still at his side and it was not until 12:09:39 am, that he walked to and leaned over a dying Barry Washington, eventually rendering aid.

A total of 26 seconds passed between Washington punching Cranston, and Cranston shooting Washington. Prosecutors say that Cranston had no right to use deadly force, and point to Smith’s interview with police where he said he didn’t fear for his life and was surprised Cranston shot Washington.

“Cranston’s belief about the need for deadly force is fallacious since his actions were unreasonable for the following reasons: First, Cranston faced no imminent danger of suffering serious physical injury or death. Second, Cranston’s response to use deadly force in response to at best a continuing misdemeanor assault was astonishingly disproportionate,” Swart wrote.

Cranston’s bail hearing is scheduled for Feb. 8, and the District Attorney’s Office requested it be closed to the public.

Anti-Masking Protest Targets Redmond High Schoolers

Protestors are urging students to demand mask use be made optional, and to go on strike this Friday if the district doesn’t concede

By Jack Harvel

People’s Rights, an anti-mandate and anti-government conservative activist group, started a 10-day protest at the Nolan Town Center on Jan. 24 aimed at Redmond High School students.

The protest is led by Deschutes County Commission candidate Scott Stuart, who gained notoriety locally after dressing as a Confederate soldier at Redmond’s Fourth of July parade in 2021. Protestors have dispersed gift cards and flyers arguing against masking and urging students to speak out against masking, vaccination and mandates.

One flyer asked students to complain to the principal, attend an event on Tuesday and stage a walkout on Wednesday and Thursday, and if masking is still required, to go on strike and not return to school “until Personal Choice to mask or not is applied.”

The Redmond School Board asked the state to return local control to school districts in October and rejected Superintendent Dr. Charan Cline’s proposed termination of a fourth-grade teacher who refused to wear a mask. Four members of the Redmond School Board submitted a letter to the Oregon Health Authority in opposition to creating a permanent masking law, which OHA says it is doing just to avoid the technicality of renewing the order every 180 days.

Students who spoke to KTVZ at the protest had mixed reviews. Some said they agreed with it, others didn’t and some admitted they were only there for the free gift cards.

“It’s our lunch money. I just bought two pounds worth of food at M&W over there, so I mean—it works, it’s worth it, but, it’s just, it’s bogus. They don’t need to do this,” sophomore Joshua Veracruz told KTVZ.

The protest ends on Feb. 4, when protestors hope a student strike will begin if their demands aren’t met. The district’s spokesperson told KTVZ they aren’t experiencing issues with mask use compliance and that if one occurred the administration is capable of handling it.

Noticias en Español Cinco deportistas Ore-mpicos llegan a Beijing

Por Chris Williams / By Chris Williams Translated by/Traducido por Jéssica Sánchez-Millar

Courtesy US Ski & Snowboard/Team USA

Tommy Ford and Ravi Drugan are two Bend athletes competing for Olympic gold in Beijing.

Los juegos olímpicos de invierno en Beijing, China, comienzan esta semana. He aquí un resumen sobre los atletas locales y de Oregon.

Tommy Ford, esquiador Eslalon Gigante Giant Slalom skier

Tommy Ford, originario de Bend que creció esquiando para la Fundación de Educación Deportiva de Mountain Bachelor, planea regresar al estrado este invierno como esquiador de Eslalon Gigante de 32 años que compite por el primer puesto en los juegos olímpicos de invierno 2022. Después de los juegos olímpicos de 2018, en donde Ford se colocó en el puesto número 20, entro en una serie de de victorias impresionantes, las cuales incluyeron en 2019 una medalla de oro en la Copa Mundial Beaver Creek.

En enero pasado Ford tuvo un aparatoso accidente , dejándolo inconsciente, con una planicie tibial derecha rota y ligamentos desgarrados de la rodilla derecha. Ford es uno de los Benditos con medallas a la vista.

Ravi Drugan, Paralímpico uniesquiador

Mientras tanto, Ravi Drugan competirá en los juegos paralímpicos de invierno más grandes de la historia. Drugan en uno de los 700 atletas que compiten por una medalla en la competencia diseñada para atletas con discapacidades. Al crecer en Eugene, Drugan sobrevivió al ser aventado por un tren a los 14 años de edad. El accidente le haría perder ambas piernas desde el principio de las rodillas para abajo. En Hoodoo aprendería como usar un uniesqui por medio del programa adaptación deportiva de Oregon. Drugan ha recibido medallas en los X-Games en 2015, en donde ganó la medalla de bronce en el evento Monoski-X. Este mes de marzo saldrá a competir en carreras importantes de bermas y saltos, ya que planea competir en eventos de Eslalon y Super-G en los juegos que se llavarán a cabo después de los juegos olímpicos.

Jacqueline Wiles, esquiadora de descenso y Super-G Downhill and Super-G skier

Jacqueline Wiles tiene vivencia con el equipo de esquí de los Estados Unidos, llegando a las olimpiadas del 2014 y calificando para los juegos del 2018 antes de haber sufrido una lesión. Wiles competirá en ambas carreras de equí de descenso (downhill) y Super-G por tercera vez en los juegos olímpicos. Ella, junto con Ford, representa a un grupo de atletas con experiencia. Oregon tiene unos cuantos atletas novatos olímpicos buscan distinguirse.

Luke Winters, esquiador slalon Slalom skier

El joven Luke Winters de Gresham, Oregon competirá en sus primeros juegos olímpicos este mes. Winters creció con el equipo de carreras Mountain Hood Racing Team y encontró el éxito en un circuito de Eslalon junior, ganando competencias nacionales a una corta edad. Se le otorgó el premio Schwabe de Pacific Northwest Ski Associations (PNSA por sus siglas en inglés), el cual le es entregado a el esquiador alpine del año por medio de PNSA. Su éxito a una edad corta se ha transladado a sus 20 años, tendiendo carreras exitosas en el circuito de la copa mundial, la cual cedió a Winters su primera aparición olímpica.

Sean FitzSimmons, esquiador Slopestyle snowboarder

Snowboarder Sean FitzSimons de Hoodriver compite en la carrera slopestyle, una serie de saltos y barandillas en donde los atletas marcan las carreras de giros y vueltas difíciles, uniendo a las carreras sin chocar. FitzSimons es el atleta más joven de Oregon a los 21 años, pero ha acumulado una impresionante variedad de experiencia a tan temprana edad. FitzSimons estuvo con el equipo de snowboard de Mt. Bachelor de joven y ha avanzado en su profesión a lo largo de los años, llevándolo a sus primeros juegos olímpicos.

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