THE SPOKESMAN • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 2021 P3
Happy Black Bear Diner hit with $35,000 OSHA fine
Redmond, Bend locations
spring
allowed indoor dining while
from the state deemed county was at
‘extreme risk’ virus category
libraries
Redmond library’s
Latino services
coordinator gives
a bilingual look
at new offerings
BY MICHAEL KOHN
The Bulletin
The Black Bear Diner locations in
Bend and Redmond were fined $35,000
for violating COVID-related restric-
tions, including allowing indoor dining
when Deschutes County was in the ex-
treme risk category due to high corona-
virus caseloads.
Both diners, which are under the
same ownership, “willfully” continue to
potentially expose workers to the virus,
despite a public health order of lim-
ited or zero indoor dining, according
to a release from Oregon Occupational
Safety and Health.
Oregon OSHA has been actively pur-
suing businesses that ignored the lock-
down restrictions that limited restau-
rants, coffee shops and bars to takeout
service only. Last month Kevista Coffee
was fined $27,470 for similar violations
by OSHA.
Kathy Degree, the owner of the two
Black Bear diners, has hired the services
of Salem-based Kevin L. Mannix law
firm to appeal the penalty.
Degree has 30 days to appeal the ci-
tation. She believes she was properly
adhering to U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention rules and regu-
lations for businesses that were permit-
ted to be open at the time.
“We felt that we were following all the
CDC guidelines of social distancing,
face masks, sanitation as all businesses
that were open,” said Degree by phone.
“We felt we were entitled to those same
parameters. We took the safety of our
employees to the highest priority, and
the records will show that no employee
tested positive for COVID.”
Oregon OSHA conducted inspec-
tions of both sites following com-
plaints by the public. The restaurants,
operating under the legal name of
Bucc’NDulge Inc., allowed indoor din-
ing on or around Jan. 13 and continued
through Feb. 11, according to an OSHA
statement.
Degree told OSHA inspectors that
she was aware of the restrictions. Each
diner was given a $17,800 fine. The
amount is twice the minimum penalty
for willful violations.
“Most employers continue to follow
worker health and safety standards as
part of our ongoing work to defeat this
disease, and we continue to make prog-
ress,” OSHA Administrator Michael
Wood said in a press release.
“Unfortunately some employers are
choosing to defy standards and to put
their workers at risk,” Wood said. “As
a result, we will continue to bring our
enforcement tools to bear where appro-
priate.”
ý
Reporter: 541-617-7818, mkohn@bendbulletin.com
BY CARLY GARZÓN VARGAS
Bookshelf for The Spokesman
April is poetry month,
and here are some recom-
mendations in Spanish.
For Kids, Milo Imagina el
Mundo by Matt de La Pena,
Bravo by Margarita En-
gle, and Me dicen Güero
by David
Bowles.
For teens
Gabi Frag-
mentos de
una ado-
lescente
by Isabel
Carly Garzón
Quintero
Vargas
and La
PoetX by
Elizabeth Acevedo. I also
recommend these novels
written in English by Latina
authors Fat Chance, Char-
lie Vega by Crystal Maldo-
nado, Infinite Country by
Patricia Engle y Of Women
and Salt by Gabriela Garcia.
This year we will cele-
brate El Día del Niño, El
Día del Libro with a virtual
program. Share with our
special guest, professional
ventriloquist Vikki Gasco
Green along with Rodrigo
and Carly. It will happen on
April 24th at 1 p.m.
Summer is almost here
and that means Biblioteca
en Camino will be out
and about in Deschutes
county! Find updates
about our visits this
summer on social media @
deschuteslibrarysvcslatinos.
•••
Llegó la primavera y trae
muchas cosas para celebrar.
Abril es el mes de la
poesía, por eso, recomiendo
estos títulos de poesía en es-
pañol. Para los niños Milo
Imagina el Mundo por Matt
de La Pena, Bravo por Mar-
garita Engle, y Me dicen
Güero por David Bowles.
Para adolescentes Gabi
Fragmentos de una ado-
lescente por Isabel Quin-
tero y La PoetX por Eliz-
abeth Acevedo. También
recomiendo estas nove-
las nuevas escritas en in-
gles por autores latinas Fat
Chance, Charlie Vega por
Crystal Maldonado, Infinite
Country por Patricia Engle
y Of Women and Salt por
Gabriela Garcia
Este año la celebración
de El Día del Nino, El Día
del Libro, será un pro-
grama virtual. Comparta
con nuestra invitada es-
pecial ventrílocuo profe-
sional Vikki Gasco Green
junta con Rodrigo y Carly.
Tomará lugar el 24 de abril
a la 1 p.m.
¡Ya casi viene el verano y
eso significa que estaremos
“en camino”! Busca actual-
izaciones de eventos y vis-
itas este verano por medio
de las redes sociales @de-
schuteslibrarysvcslatinos.
ý
Carly Garzón Vargas is the Latino
services coordinator at the
Redmond Public Library. Contact
her at carlyg@dpls.lib.or.us.
More coverage
Reserve titles from the
Pura Belpré book list at
bit.ly/2R1SSF3
Find us
ONLINE
www.redmond
spokesman.com
@RedmondSpox
FIND IT in the
NEWS BRIEFING
SPOKESMAN
CLASSIFIEDS
Public forum planned
for wildlife data proposal
Deschutes County is plan-
ning to hold a public forum on
its plan to update inventories
of mule deer, elk and eagles.
Inventory information avail-
able to wildlife officials is ap-
proximately 30 years old.
The first phase of the project
represents only the data col-
lection stage and presentation
of biological info. No changes
to county zoning or other reg-
ulations have been proposed.
A separate phase conducted at
a later date would initiate the
wildlife inventory.
“The goal for this phase is
to present the data collected
by the wildlife biologists to the
public, give them some back-
ground on how that data was
collected by our agency part-
ners and consultant team, and
give a sense of potential next
steps,” said Tanya Saltzman,
senior planner for Deschutes
County Community Develop-
ment.
Saltzman said a public on-
line survey will be an oppor-
tunity for the county to gauge
general interest in incorporat-
ing the new data into its devel-
opment code and comprehen-
sive plan.
The meetings, scheduled for
April 15 and April 29 at 6 p.m.,
will be held virtually.
For the April 15 meeting,
participants can join by phone
by dialing 346-248-7799.
923-3725 or classified@
redmondspokesman.com
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Deschutes County plans to up-
date inventories of mule deer, elk
and eagles.
For the Zoom Link, visit:
www.deschutes.org/cd/page/
wildlife-inventory-update. The
webinar ID is 889-2006-9503.
The passcode is 717743.
RV fire kills one person
in Terrebonne
One person is dead follow-
ing a fire in an RV early Mon-
day in Terrebonne.
Around 2 a.m., Redmond
Fire & Rescue received a call
reporting a mobile home
burning on property on NE
Wilcox Way near Smith Rock
State Park.
The RV was being used as a
residence, said Redmond Fire
Assistant Chief Jeff Puller. The
name of the victim has not
been released.
The cause of the fire is under
investigation.
JOIN IN ON THE TOPICS WE’RE COVERING
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more information, call 541-633-2166.
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