How ’bout them Panthers?

Redmond High teams both did damage in the 5A state tournament this week in McMinnville — and big games are still to come. First, the Redmond boys team took the defending state champs to the wire before falling, then the girls punched their ticket to the state semifinals for the first time in school history.

While defeating top-seeded Silverton was too tall a task on Friday night, the Redmond girls still have a chance to medal when they play South Albany tonight with the winner finishing third in the state.

The Redmond boys rebounded from their initial loss to beat #3 North Eugene 68-58. They are facing #5 West Albany on Saturday morning, with the winner finishing fourth in the state.

Judging by the size of the crowd in the stands, a big chunk of Redmond went up to McMinnville to cheer on both squads. But if you stayed in town this weekend, consider checking out the Central Oregon Sportsmen’s Show. It kicked off on Thursday and runs through Sunday at the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center.

Redmond School Board chair Michael Summers is running for Oregon Senate. Summers is “Plan C” for Oregon Republicans, after current officeholder and minority leader Tim Knopp was ruled ineligible for re-election, then so too was his chosen successor Shannon Monihan.

Summers is not the only Redmond School Board member running for state office. Keri Lopez is also running for House District 53. If both are the sole Republicans to file in their districts, they will move on to the November general election.

The public is having a good debate about the future of the well-liked but mechanically-troubled downtown ice rink. City council will decide if it’s better to pay the pricey annual maintenance fees, or if they should invest in a newer, bigger rink that might save money in the long run. Take a read and let us know what you think is the best plan of action.

We continue to report on Oregon Department of Water Resources tipping their hand about their denial of Redmond’s application for more groundwater. Although the city has plenty of water at the moment, if it continues to grow the lack of new resources could cause an “existential” threat in a few decades, according to current Mayor Ed Fitch. City staff are confused by state directives to build more housing but not to secure more water.

People are getting a kick reading about the “Good Duck” artist who grew up in rural Oregon. Cool to think that we have an Oregon farm kid to thank for one of Disney’s most indelible characters. The final part in that series will run in next week’s newspaper.

I can’t forget about the work we publish every week — the Redmond police log and the “Flashback” look through Redmond history. Both features are now for subscribers only.

And don’t forget to “Spring Forward” on Saturday night. We lose an hour by the morning, but gain an hour of evening light going forward. 

Quote of the Week

“The mayor is trying to meet the governor’s goals of creating workforce housing, affordable housing. How do you do that if the state steps in and says you can’t have any water?”

— Josh Wedding, public works operations manager for the city of Redmond

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— Tim Trainor is editor of the Redmond Spokesman.