It has been another newsy week in Redmond, as we introduced to both a new city councilor and a new school board member. Less than three months after a competitive and engaging election — for mayor and city council, at least — two residents were able to raise their hands and join two of the area’s most powerful elected boards. School board member Eric Lea’s term runs just a few months, but city councilor Tobias Colvin will serve for nearly two years.

Perhaps the biggest news that came across the transom this week was St. Charles unveiling plans for a $90 million cancer center in Redmond. The massive new project is slated to be built just south of the current hospital campus off Canal.

Building a cancer center is not like building a warehouse, or a library for that matter. St. Charles had to hire physicists — no, not physicians — to help design it. Since there will be radiation treatment at the new center, there are stringent requirements for the amount of concrete and lead needed to surround the linear accelerator and the two vaults that contain it. Creating something effective for patients and safe for staff and city residents takes a ton of planning and a ton of high tech infrastructure. Which is how you can quickly get to that $90 million price tag. Read the full story for more details.

We put lots of fun stuff on the website this week as well, include some possible ideas for getting you through what could be a very chilly weekend in Central Oregon. Learn to sew at the High Desert Music Hall, or maybe dive into some new treats at Saffron Grill.

Some good news, too, about Kim Varner and her daughter Zoey. They lived unhoused in Redmond for months, including for awhile in the safe parking program. It’s hard to find the positive in stories of homelessness in Oregon these days, so when one comes about its good to celebrate it. Be sure to reach next week’s story about local service providers going deep into areas around Redmond this week to get an accurate “point in time” count that can help us have reliable information going forward.

There’s also good news about local graduation rates and actors being sought for local commercials.

I had a fun night on Thursday chatting with old pal Erika Bolstad at Paulina Springs Books in Sisters. Erika has a new book out — her debut — entitled “Windfall.” It’s about her great-grandmother who disappeared on the windswept North Dakota prairie where she homesteaded in the early 1900s, woven together with the mineral rights she inherited from that same woman. A little mystery, a little journalism, a little genealogy. Made for a fun chat about literature with a great crowd.

I’ll be out next week, so you’ll have to make do with fill-in Bulletin editor Gerry O’Brien. Treat him well! I’m heading out of country for the first time since the pandemic. I think, like a lot of us, I’ve got that travel fever after having so many trips and experiences canceled the last few years. I’m heading down to Bogota, Colombia and then traveling a bit up the Andes — to towns like Villa de Leyva and Mongui. If you’ve got any travel tips for that little part of our planet, I’m all ears.

In my brief, absence, we’ll keep at it here at the Spokesman. Thanks to your support we’re seeing strong subscription growth each and every month. Call 541-923-1370 or go to redmondspokesman.com and we’ll get you signed up. Buying a subscription is without a doubt the best way to support our work and get informed about your community.

To reach our newsroom, stop by our office — located at 361 SW Sixth — from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call us anytime at 541-548-3203 or email me a ttrainor@redmondspokesman.com. We look forward to chatting with you.

— Tim Trainor is editor of the Redmond Spokesman.