P4 The SpokeSman • WedneSday, January 5, 2022
Guide to returning gifts
Husky
Continued from P1
When Richardson heard
the gunshots, he said he bolted
through the snow blowing his
dog whistle, screaming and
clicking on all of the buttons
on Mateo’s training collar.
“My heart sank,” Richard-
son said.
He found Mateo dead with
four gunshot wounds. Then
Richardson said he heard
someone get into their car
parked on the access road
nearby and race off — though
he never saw the person.
Footprints were visible
around Mateo’s body, Richard-
son said, so he followed them
back to a tree about 25 feet
away where he found shell cas-
ings and a knee pad.
“There is no way at 25
feet that you can mistake a
65-pound red Siberian husky
for a 40-pound coyote,” Rich-
ardson said.
The Deschutes County Sher-
iff’s Office responded to the
incident around 9 a.m. on Dec.
31, the agency wrote on Face-
book.
A suspect or vehicle has not
been found, the sheriff’s office
said. The investigation is on-
going.
Anyone with information is
asked to call 541-693-6911 and
reference the case number: 21-
72336.
Mateo’s family starts petition
Richardson said there were
no signs warning visitors of
potential hunters. But he said
he was in an area “closed to all
firearm discharge,” according
to a Cline Buttes Recreation
Area map.
Firearm restrictions differ
across the Cline Buttes Rec-
reation Area. A spokesperson
with the Oregon Department
of Fish and Wildlife told Mc-
Clatchy News they “assume
(it) would be lawful to hunt” in
some places in the area if a per-
son has a hunting license, even
though it is an area popular
with dog walkers.
Those areas include north-
western parts of Cline Buttes,
which Richardson said he was
not in.
Instead, Richardson said, he
New laws
Continued from P1
Previously, counties would
count only ballots actually re-
ceived on or before Election
Day. It passed the House 39-21
and the Senate 16-13. This will
delay how quickly election re-
sults can be determined but is
likely to lead to higher election
turnout.
Police reform
George Floyd’s murder by a
Minneapolis police officer trig-
gered a national reckoning on
civil rights. Oregon lawmakers
responded with several bills
aimed at improving police con-
duct and oversight.
Other more profound
changes require more train-
ing, more accountability and
transparency, greater scrutiny
of police use of force and more
skilled attention to the well-be-
ing of people restrained by offi-
cers. Here are specifics of those
changes that took effect Jan. 1:
• Senate Bill 204 gives civil-
ian oversight board access to a
database of police encounters
and arrests. The bill passed the
House 34-22, and the Senate
18-11.
• Senate Bill 621 gives local
jurisdictions the ability to set
law for community oversight
boards that oversee police dis-
cipline. Lawmakers took up
this bill at Portland’s request. It
passed the Senate 20-7 and the
House 37-19.
• House Bill 2513 requires
CPR training for police certi-
fication and requires police to
call for emergency medical aid
if a restrained person suffers
respiratory or cardiac crisis.
The bill passed the House 58-2
clothing with rapid turnarounds, so returns
aren’t the most profitable path to take. In the
Now that the holidays are over, are you star-
time it takes to ship, process, and refund a re-
ing at a heap of well-intended gifts that just
turn, the clothing sent back will already be last
didn’t work out? You’re likely stuck
season’s trend.
with the scarf your aunt knitted for
Review return shipping and restock-
you, but most presents purchased on-
ing fees. While many large companies
line can be returned. How easily that
offer free return shipping, don’t assume
happens, though, depends on your ap-
all online retailers offer the same op-
proach.
tion. Companies with brick-and-mor-
National Returns Day annually falls
tar locations may only accept online
during the first week of January, inun-
returns in their stores. Even if return
dating businesses and postal services
Spradling
shipping is free, there may be restock-
alike with some of the highest return vol-
ing fees to consider. The return policy
umes of the year. Understanding return
should clearly disclose restocking fees if
policies is your key to ensuring effective re-
there are any. Refer to their return policy to
turns after the holiday.
check for potential fees and call customer ser-
Better Business Bureau has a few tips on
vice if there is any doubt.
how to prepare and what to expect when re-
Watch for third-party retailers: Online re-
turning an online purchase.
tailers such as Amazon, Target, Walmart, and
Keep your gift receipts. They’re your key to
Best Buy often allow third-party vendors to
confirming the original price paid for your gift. sell products on their sites. Don’t assume those
Without a gift receipt, some retailers may only
third-party sellers offer the same policies as the
offer a store credit for the item at its current
sites hosting their products. A quick check for
sale price or even the lowest price it sold for in
a vendor’s return policy will save some gift-giv-
the past 30 days.
ing grief.
Don’t delay returns. Take a couple of days
Return everything that came with your
to decide whether to keep or exchange the gifts gift. This includes packaging, paperwork, and
you received. But try not to deliberate for too
anything else that was included in your orig-
long. You may end up receiving less for the
inal shipment. For electronics, make sure the
return or being stuck with the gift altogether.
packaging is still intact or many merchants
Some retailers have extended their return pol-
won’t accept the return. And if you’re returning
icies to Jan. 31, while others start their normal
clothing, don’t remove the tags or stickers.
return window countdown as early as Dec. 26.
Where can you return your package?
Make sure you know the difference.
Thanks to Amazon, consumers now expect to
Verify return eligibility. Many companies
be able to return products via home pick-up,
offer a 30-day or 90-day return window on
in-store drop offs, and lockers.
most purchases, but some retailers offer a little
As a result, many companies are adopting
more time to account for holiday gifting. How- similar practices to facilitate the return process
ever, not all purchases are eligible for return
and maintain customer satisfaction. This infor-
and some departments may have smaller re-
mation is normally listed in the return policy if
turn windows than others.
these options are available.
Fast fashion companies focus on trendy
For more consumer tips, visit Trust-bbb.org.
BY BEN SPRADLING
BBB advice
Submitted photo
Mateo, a red Siberian husky, front, and Maverick, a husky and Labrador
mix are pictured.
was in an area marked orange
near Juniper Trailhead.
His daughter Savanna Rich-
ardson started a petition to
stop people from hunting in
public hiking areas.
“Hunting in any public
area is wrong and dangerous
and risks people or even chil-
dren getting shot,” she wrote.
“We don’t want anyone to go
through the pain and hurt we
are going through right now.”
Stephen Richardson also
wants the public to know when
they are entering hunting areas
after losing Mateo.
“I want awareness. I want
signs to be posted up there that
and the Senate 24-4.
• House Bill 2929 requires
police officers to report mis-
conduct or fitness standards
and mandates investigation
into such a report with 72
hours. Investigators must re-
port misconduct findings to a
state board. The House voted
58-2 for the bill; the Senate ap-
proved it 27-2.
• House Bill 2936 creates
a background checklist and
standardized personal history
questionnaire for aspiring po-
lice officers and exempts law
enforcement from a prohibi-
tion on employer access to per-
sonal social media accounts.
While the law takes effect on
Jan. 1, it cannot be used to hire
corrections officers until July 1,
2023. It passed the House 54-4
and the Senate 20-8.
• House Bill 3145 requires
police departments to report
officer discipline to the state
within 10 days. The state will
publish those reports in an on-
line publicly accessible data-
base. It passed the House 58-1
and the Senate 26-2.
• House Bill 2932 requires
Oregon law enforcement to par-
ticipate in the FBI’s national use-
of-force database and directs a
state commission to analyze the
data and report its findings to
the Legislature every year. The
bill passed the House 58-1 and
the Senate 20-7.
• House Bill 2986 requires
police officers be trained to
investigate and report bias
crimes. It passed both the
House and the Senate unani-
mously.
• House Bill 3059 requires
any arrests associated with
“unlawful assemblies” to be
based on crimes other than
it is legal to be hunting and
have traps out,” he said.
He also started a GoFundMe
to cover the costs of Mateo’s
cremation. Any money raised
past their goal will go toward a
reward for catching the person
who shot their husky, he said.
Missing teens wrote ‘SOS’ in
snow, helping helicopter find
them, Oregon rescuers say
Raging flood water leads to
dozens of rescues at California
state park, firefighters say
Truck dangles above icy
river after plunge off cliff,
Washington rescuers say
e
Helena Wegner writes for the Charlotte
Observer.
a failure to disperse. It also
passed the House and Senate
unanimously.
• House Bill 3273 limits the
circumstances in which law en-
forcement officers may release
booking photos, commonly
known as mugshots. Support-
ers said online publication of
mugshots were impinging on
people’s privacy and prevent-
ing them from moving on with
their lives, whether or not they
were ultimately convicted of
crimes. It passed the House
54-4 and the Senate 17-13.
Affordable housing
Senate Bill 8 requires local
governments to allow devel-
opment of affordable housing
even on land not zoned for
residential use, with some ex-
ceptions for lands designated
for heavy industry and publicly
owned properties next to sites
zoned for school or residential
use. It also lowers the duration
for which such housing must
be classified as affordable, from
40 years to 30. The bill won
overwhelming legislative sup-
port, passing the Senate 25-5
and the House 46-3.
Hate crimes
Senate Bill 398 makes it a
crime to intimidate people by
displaying a noose. Violators
face up to 364 days in prison
and a fine of $6,250. The bill
passed the Senate 27-1 and the
House 54-0.
Racial equity
House Bill 2935, known
as the Crown Act, bans dis-
crimination in schools or the
workplace “based on physical
characteristics that are histori-
cally associated with race.” The
Redmond senior receives full-ride
scholarship to Boston University
Staff report
Redmond Proficiency Academy senior Ni-
ysa Heilman-Gast will attend Boston Univer-
sity on a full ride scholarship next year as part
of the QuestBridge National College Match,
a program that connects high-achieving high
school seniors from low-income backgrounds
with full four-year scholarships to top colleges.
Heilman-Gast, the first in her family to at-
law specifies hair style and hair
texture are among those newly
protected traits. It passed the
House 58-0 and the Senate
28-1.
Juvenile suspects
Senate Bill 418 establishes
that if a police officer intention-
ally uses false information to
elicit a statement from someone
under age 18, that statement will
be presumed to be involuntary.
The bill passed the Senate 24-4,
and the House 53-2.
Teacher unions
Senate Bill 580 requires
school districts bargain with
teacher unions over class sizes
at schools with high concen-
trations of low-income stu-
dents. The bill’s original ver-
sion would have applied more
broadly, potentially requiring
schools to lower class sizes
in high-income schools and
raise them in schools with a
concentration of low-income
students, who have greater
learning needs. The Legislature
narrowed the bill’s scope after
The Oregonian/OregonLive
reported that it could under-
mine the state’s efforts to pro-
vide more equitable outcomes
for students of all backgrounds.
The House approved the bill
36-21; the Senate voted 18-11
in favor.
Homelessness
Senate Bill 850 requires that
death reports for homeless
people list the person’s resi-
dence as “domicile unknown.”
Supporters hope the bill will
help track the number of peo-
ple who die while experienc-
ing homelessness, something
that already happens in Mult-
tend college, said after spending her entire life
on the West Coast, she is excited to attend an
East Coast school and explore everything the
area has to offer.
“I am super excited to attend Boston Univer-
sity,” she said. “I can’t wait to be in a new environ-
ment and have new experiences. I am very grate-
ful to be going to a school filled with students
and staff who are passionate about learning.”
nomah County. The bill passed
22-5 in the Senate and 52-0 in
the House.
Marijuana
House Bill 3369 allows
nurses to discuss possible med-
ical use of marijuana with their
patients. It passed the House
47-5 and passed the Senate
21-6.
Ride shares
House Bill 2393 calls for
Transportation Network Com-
panies, like Uber and Lyft and
cab companies, to upgrade
insurance coverage to protect
their passengers and drivers.
The bill requires the compa-
nies to provide personal injury
protection coverage of up to
$15,000 of crash-related med-
ical care and lost wages for up
to a year in case of an accident.
Until now, a loophole allowed
taxicabs and the ride share
companies to avoid providing
this basic coverage, although
Lyft has done so voluntarily.
The new law impacts new poli-
cies or those renewed on Jan. 1
or later. It passed in the House
52 votes in support, with six
representatives excused, and
the Senate 21-1.
Worship Directory
Baptist
Non-Denominational
Highland Baptist Church
Seventh Day Adventist
3100 SW Highland Ave., Redmond
541-548-4161
Barry Campbell, Lead Pastor
945 W. Glacier Ave.,
Redmond, OR
541-923-0301
Sunday Worship Services:
Blended - 8 & 9 am
Contemporary - 10:30 am
(Worship Center)
hbc Español - 10:30 am
Acoustic - 6 pm
(Youth Room)
*9 am & 10:30 am live-streamed on
website: www.hbcredmond.org
Family Night Wednesdays
(January 2 - March 16)
5:30 pm - Dinner in Gym (free)
6 pm - Practical classes for all ages
See website for a list of classes!
How can hbc pray for you?
prayer@hbcredmond.org
Sabbath School 9:30 am
Worship 10:45 am
Roman Catholic
St Thomas Roman Catholic
Church
1720 NW 19th Street
Redmond, Oregon 97756
541-923-3390
Father Todd Unger, Pastor
Mass Schedule:
Weekdays 8:00 am
(Except Wednesdays)
Wednesday 6:00 pm
Saturday Vigil 5:00 pm
First Saturday 8:00 am (English)
Sunday 8:00 am, 10:00 am (English)
12:00 noon (Spanish)
CHECK YOUR AD
On the first day it runs to
make sure it is correct.
Call 541-617-7823 for corrections.
Confessions on Wednesdays
From 5:00 to 5:45 pm and on
Saturdays From 3:00 to 4:30 pm