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Tuesday, October 11, 2022 • Redmond, Oregon • $1
redmondspokesman.com
@RedmondSpox
House,
senate
districts
split city
November vote will bring new
representation for Redmond residents
BY NICK ROSENBERGER
Redmond Spokesman
In 2023, Redmond will be cleaved in two.
Splitting the city in half along W Antler Av-
enue, Canyon Drive and Greenwood Avenue,
political redistricting earlier this year carved the
growing city into two house districts and two sen-
ate districts.
Redmond had been represented by a single
state representative and state senator. Currently,
that’s Jack Zika and Tim Knopp. In 2023, the city
will now have two representatives and two sena-
tors in Salem.
“It becomes a little more difficult to find who
you’re represented by,” said Zika, who is not run-
ning for reelection. “I think that causes confu-
sion and frustration for people ... They have to go
through four people instead of me.”
In the southern half, residents will now be part
of House District 53 and Senate District 27, which
include parts of Bend.
In the northern half, residents will be repre-
sented by House District 59 and Senate District
30. Senate District 30 is the largest in the state,
stretching south and east to Oregon’s borders with
California, Nevada and Idaho
The southern half of Redmond will be wrapped
into more left-leaning districts, while the north-
ern half is hitched to voters that tend to vote Re-
publican.
Zika said splitting Redmond will make it more
complicated for taxing districts like police, fire
and school to secure funding. Additionally, he
said it will be harder to advocate for Redmond
with the need to split district priorities with Sisters
and northern Bend.
“You’re not going to have that true champion
anymore,” Zika said.
Eric Sande, the director of the Redmond
Chamber of Commerce, isn’t sure how the new
redistricting will affect Redmond’s business com-
munity.
See Districts / A6
SPORTS
Redmond football
Nick Rosenberger/Spokesman
Members of the Redmond Rotary and MX13 presented the Central Oregon Veteran’s Ranch with a check for $10,000 on Oct. 5 at Wild Ride Brewing in Redmond.
‘It’s an honor to do this work’
Central Oregon Veteran’s Ranch featured in documentary film, winning awards
BY NICK ROSENBERGER • Redmond Spokesman
T
he Central Oregon Veteran’s Ranch has had multiple wins recently.
First, it took home two awards from New York-based film festivals for a documentary film made about the ranch. Later,
COVR received a $10,000 check on Oct. 5 at Wild Ride Brewing in Redmond — proceeds from the August MX13 Jump
Show.
The ranch, a 19-acre working farm that
opened in 2015, brings veterans together to en-
gage in “agri-therapy.” It offers struggling veter-
ans the opportunity to engage in peer-to-peer
support as they work the land.
The documentary film, titled “Cover Me: The
Path to Purpose” is directed by Dale Fabrigar.
It captures local veterans as they come to terms
with their service.
The idea for the film began after Alison
Perry, the founder of the veteran’s ranch, gave
Vinni Jacques a tour last year. After walking the
grounds, he introduced her to film producer and
actress Suzanne DeLaurentiis.
According to Perry, DeLaurentiis started cry-
ing within a few minutes of their conversation
and asked how she could help. Soon they had
planned the entire production of a documen-
tary.
“(When) opportunity comes along you have
to take it,” Perry said.
The first screening was Sept. 17 in Los Ange-
les. An official public release date for the docu-
mentary is not set until either winter or spring
2023.
Perry said the screening was well received,
with people coming up after to share their own
stories.
“People were crying,” she said. “It was an in-
credible experience to see it on the screen.”
She said the film was an opportunity to spread
the model of the veteran’s ranch across the coun-
try. She has since heard from veterans who want
to replicate the model in Washington State, Ten-
nessee and Texas.
The military, she said, is like a family. When
soldiers leave the service, they lose that connec-
tion. The ranch helps bring that connection and
kinship back.
“This is a model of care that transforms lives,”
Perry said. “It’s about building community for a
marginalized population.”
She said she was grateful for Redmond and the
support they’ve seen from the surrounding com-
munity. The $10,000 check from Justin Homan’s
MX13 jump show, she said, meant much more to
her than just supporting the film — it was sup-
porting the message of the ranch.
“We just feel a lot of support here locally,” she
said. “It just means a lot.”
Perry said it was hard to put into words what
“
“This is a model of care that
transforms lives. It’s about
building community for a
marginalized population.”
it felt like to see the film come together after the
last year of production.
“It’s an honor to do this work,” Perry said.
Marv Kaplan, a Vietnam veteran at the ranch
who was featured in the film, felt similarly and
said watching it the first time left him emotional.
“The ranch hits the heart of what veterans
need,” Kaplan said. “There’s trust. Trust and
community. Those are the keywords… it’s not
white walls.”
Adrian De La Rosa, operations manager for
the ranch and Marine Corps veteran, said he’s
never been a part of something like the film be-
fore and was grateful for the ranch.
He said that for the first time in his life, he
feels and knows the difference he’s making with
his work.
“I can see the transformation of the guys that
we’re working with,” said De La Rosa. “It’s pretty
incredible.”
De La Rosa said the film is aimed toward vet-
erans — an often isolated demographic that is
hard to reach.
He said the filming crew were careful and
respectful towards the veterans, knowing the
demographic they were serving. He said they
didn’t change their answers and left the inter-
views pure and raw.
“The deeper I got into the documentary the
more I was just grateful that they painted it that
way,” he said.
█
Reporter: nrosenberger@redmondspokesman.com
— Alison Perry, founder of the Central Oregon
Veteran’s Ranch
Panthers fall to big Bend schoool, A8
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