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About The Redmond spokesman. (Redmond, Crook County, Or.) 1910-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 17, 2021)
Inside: High schoolers will be on campus four days each week WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2021 Redmond, Oregon • $1 redmondspokesman.com A special good morning to subscriber Michael Brannon @RedmondSpox National Guard site in Redmond gets funding BY GARY A. WARNER Oregon Capital Bureau The state has agreed to pay $1.66 million to buy 20 acres in Redmond as the site for a new Oregon National Guard Readiness Center. The State Land Board — made up of Gov. Kate Brown, Secretary of State Shemia Fagan and Treasurer Tobias Read — voted 3-0 on Tuesday to pur- chase the land, which will be assigned to the Oregon Military Department. The sale is part of a larger, long- range plan involving the Department of State Lands, Oregon Military De- partment, the city of Redmond and Deschutes County. A 945-acre project would allow for expansion of the county fairgrounds. The project also includes new indus- trial parks and technology centers that supporters say would bring high- er-paying jobs to the area. The new readiness center would replace Redmond’s 65-year-old ar- mory, but have an expanded mission of training National Guard soldiers from around the state. Officials have said earlier it will be the most seismically advanced Na- tional Guard facility in Oregon. The center is also marked as a likely component of a Bend-area command post for state government and federal emergency response in the event of major disaster caused by movement of the Cascadia Subduc- tion Zone, off the coast of Oregon. Officials have said the National Guard site will be the most seis- mically advanced National Guard facil- ity in Ore- gon. See Guard / P3 123RF COVID-19 | Descutes County Fair & Expo CENTER LOOKS TO THE FUTURE Spokesman file photo The Central Oregon Sportsmen’s Show will take place March 11-14 with COVID-19 precautions in place at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds. BY BRENNA VISSER The Bulletin REDMOND — Like every other gov- ernment entity or business in 2021, the De- schutes County Fair & Expo Center is try- ing to predict the future. After surviving a year of event can- cellations or postponements due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the expo center is trying to move forward, hoping for a world “We lived through it this year, and we’ll still be in existence. We’ll still be able to pay the bills.” — Geoff Hinds, Fair & Expo director that returns to some sense of normalcy, but preparing for the worst in case it doesn’t, said Geoff Hinds, director of the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center. “I think the future looks good, assum- ing we can get back to a level of normalcy,” Hinds said Friday. “We understand it’s go- ing to be a long process.” The fund that finances the Fair & Expo center was one of the hardest hit within De- schutes County government, losing roughly $700,000 — or 30% of its entire budget — just between March and July of last year due to pandemic-related cancellations, Hinds said. The loss of revenue prompted the county to reassign several fair workers to other departments within the county, as well as some temporary salary reductions and furloughs, he said. The annual fair was also for the most part cancel ed, except for the livestock auc- tion. See Expo / P3 The Spokesman uses recycled newsprint WEDNESDAY 2/17 Events in and around Redmond The Redmond Spokesman welcomes event information for its community calendar. Submissions are limited to nonprofit, free and live entertainment events. Deadline is 5 p.m. Thursday for the following Wednesday’s paper. Items are published on a space-available basis and may be edited. Contact us at news@redmondspokesman.com or fax 541-548-3203. Fitness 4 Life with Diane: This class is 20 minutes of low im- pact moves, 20 minutes of strength exercises designed to in- crease range of motion and 20 minutes of balance and flexibil- ity; 7:45-8:45 a.m.; $3.50; online; raprd.org or 541-548-7275. Powercut Plus with Julane: This weightlifting class uses free- weights, resistance bands and fitness balls along with great music to get you through an hour of head-to-toe muscle work. Cardio intervals are interjected between strength sets. Offered online or in person (limited capacity); 9:15-10:15 a.m.; $3.50; RAPRD Activity Center, 2441 SW Canal Blvd., Redmond or on- line; raprd.org or 541-548-7275. 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s: Alzheimer’s and other dementias cause memory, thinking and behavior problems that interfere with daily living. Join us to learn how to recog- nize common signs of the disease and identify resources; 10- 11:30 a.m.; online; go.evvnt.com/735590-0 or 541-230-9594. Redmond Housing and Community Development Com- mittee Meeting: A regular meeting will be held; 4-6 p.m.; on- line;go.evvnt.com/740047-0 or 541-923-7710. 34th Annual Tibet House US Benefit Concert: The fund- raiser will be live-streamed across the country and feature performances by Eddie Vedder, Patti Smith, Iggy Pop, Brittany Howard and more with a special message from the Dalai Lama; See Calendar / P3 INDEX Puzzles ............. 2 Obituaries ....... 4 Police log ........ 2 Classifieds ....... 5 Volume 111, No. 26 USPS 778-040 U|xaIICGHy02326kzU