Check out the latest episode of the Source's Weekly's "Bend Don't Break" podcast hosted by our publisher Aaron Switzer. This week our guest is Ben Hemson, the City of Bend Business Advocate. Ben hasn't gotten much sleep since the pandemic began. He's been doing everything from helping local businesses with their loans from the federal government to managing a new program to allow businesses to move out into the streets to sell goods and serve meals. He said local businesses are still split 50/50 on whether they are feeling hopeful or doomed in the new economic environment. Still, summer tourists should bring some cash into the local economy, hopefully without bringing COVID-19 along with them. We also learned about Bend's remote working trend and how the pandemic may attract even more urban escapists in the months to come.
