A14 THE BULLETIN • THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2021 SALEM Community College receives $200K donation for agricultural hub BY SIERRA DAWN MCCLAIN Capital Press SALEM — Chemeketa Community College has re- ceived a $200,000 gift from Northwest Farm Credit Ser- vices to build a greenhouse in the college’s new Agricultural Hub, which is slated to open in Salem this month. “This gift is huge. We’re so grateful,” said Holly Nelson, ex- ecutive dean of the school. Brent Fetch, Oregon presi- dent of Northwest Farm Credit Services, the area’s top agricul- tural lender and crop insur- ance provider, explained in a statement why his organization is investing. “We are pleased to support Chemeketa Community Col- lege’s Agricultural Hub because we believe this program will yield the next generation of Oregon’s agricultural talent, which is vital to the industry’s long-term success,” he said. The new hub is modeled af- ter Oregon State University’s Extension Service, offering classes, workshops and other agricultural resources to col- lege students and the commu- nity. The college has been plan- ning the Agricultural Hub for years, but high construction costs the past year meant the school was about $2 million short on funding and had to cut several pieces from its plan, including hoop houses, a con- servatory, learning gardens and a greenhouse. School administrators say the cuts — especially the greenhouse — were a huge dis- appointment. Nelson, the executive dean, said a greenhouse is sorely needed because Chemeketa’s Washington denies permit for methanol plant OLYMPIA, Wash. — Officials in Washington state denied a key permit for a large proposed methanol plant Tuesday, saying the project that aims to send the chemical to China to be used in everything from fabrics and contact lenses to iPhones and medical equipment would pump out too much pollution. A significant increase in greenhouse gas emissions and inconsisten- cies with the Shoreline Management Act were the main reasons the permit was rejected for the project planned on the Columbia River, the Washington Department of Ecology said in a news release. The $2 billion Northwest Innovation Works plant proposed in Kalama would take natural gas from Canada and convert it into methanol. It would then be shipped to China to make olefins — compounds used in many everyday products. An environmental analysis done by the state agency found that the facility would be one of the largest sources of carbon pollution in Washington, emitting nearly 1 million metric tons a year within the state, and millions of tons more from extracting natural gas, shipping the product to Asia and final uses of the methanol, officials said. The company has 21 days to appeal the permit decision. “While we are disappointed by this ruling and evaluating our options for an immediate appeal, we feel confident that science and reason will prevail,” Kent Caputo, attorney for Northwest Innovation Works, said in a news release. Gas Continued from A13 The ruling was hailed as a major victory by opponents of Jordan Cove, which would be the first such LNG overseas export terminal in the lower 48 states. The proposed 230- mile feeder pipeline would begin in Malin, in southwest Oregon, and end at the city of Coos Bay on the Oregon Coast. Jordan Cove did not imme- diately respond to an email seeking comment, and it was unclear what next steps the project would take. Opposition to the pipeline has brought together southern Oregon tribes, environmental- ists, anglers and coastal resi- dents since 2006. “Thousands of southern Oregonians have raised their voices to stop this project for years and will continue to until the threat of Jordan Cove LNG is gone for good,” said Han- nah Sohl, executive director of Rogue Climate. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, who has opposed the project, said in a statement on Twitter that she was pleased with the ruling. “At every stage of the regu- latory process, I have insisted that the Jordan Cove LNG project must meet Oregon’s rigorous standards for protect- ing the environment, or it can- not move forward,” she wrote. The outgoing Trump ad- ministration has supported energy export projects and in particular Jordan Cove. It had proposed streamlining approval of gas pipelines and other energy projects by lim- iting states’ certification au- thorities under the U.S. Clean Water Act. William “Bill” B. Johnson 1940 - 2021 William (“Bill”) B. Johnson, III passed away on January 3, 2021. Bill was born in Seat le, WA in 1940 to William and Frances Johnson. He married his soulmate, Ginny, in the summer of 1986. They had 34 years of love and friendship together. Bill graduated in 1963 from Eastern Oregon University and for 35 years was an educator for the Bend/La Pine School District. He genuinely enjoyed the } me he spent with his students and fellow teachers. Bill was also an avid û sherman and hunter. Bill is survived by his wife Ginny, his son Bill <Jay= Johnson, his daughter Debbie (Terry) Starr, step-son Todd (Kris} e) Hornbeck, step-daughter Tina Vickers, his sister Bobbie Thompson, and her family. Bill is also survived by 7 grandchildren: Pete, Mat , Tom, Ashley Brit any, Caitlyn and Anna. He was blessed with 8 great-grandchildren. Bill was preceded in death by both parents, a great- grandson, and his brother-in-law Jim. Forever in our hearts. existing greenhouse is old and dilapidated, requiring regular maintenance. A new greenhouse, she said, will support the school’s hor- ticulture program, which in- cludes horticulture certificates, two-year degrees and a transfer degree option. She said a new greenhouse will also help the school pro- vide continuing professional development and workshops, called “workforce training,” to local nursery businesses and farms. After the school made cuts in the face of rising construc- tion costs, administrators de- cided to fundraise. When leaders at Northwest Farm Credit Services heard of the college’s decision to scrap its greenhouse plans, they sur- prised college officials with their gift. Jobs Continued from A13 Full-service restaurants accounted for 17,600 of the Oregon jobs lost in No- vember. The service sector has been particularly hard hit by the pandemic. It’s a relatively low-paid sector, which makes workers es- pecially vulnerable to eco- nomic hardship. In December, Congress passed an extension of job- less benefits for self-em- ployed workers and a new, weekly $300 bonus for peo- Courtesy of Chemeketa Community College via Capital Press/capitalpress.com Chemeketa Community College’s Agricultural Hub, also known as the Ag Complex, is under construction. ple receiving unemploy- ment assistance. That will help blunt the impact of the job losses, but those bene- fits expire in March unless Congress takes up another stimulus bill. Oregon unemployment remained below the na- tional rate of 6.7% in De- cember, and was less than half the state’s record 14.9% jobless rate in April. The state remains in a deep re- cession, though, and full recovery is unlikely un- til the pandemic is under control. Richard Vogel/AP file Vendors from MF Extracts counting their intake of cash at their booth at the 2018 Kushstock 6.5 festival in Adelanto California. The lead- ing cannabis industry group in California announced Tuesday it had reached an agreement with a state credit union that will provide access to checking and other banking services for marijuana compa- nies, ending what had been a longstanding obstacle for many. Banking Continued from A13 The agreement is in- tended “to alleviate the banking obstacles that can- nabis operators face, so they can focus on their core business.” Industry experts say the number of state financial in- stitutions willing to handle cannabis-linked funds is grad- ually growing, and a state law enacted last year was designed to provide legal safeguards for Gerald “Jerry” Bruce Seed of Bend, OR Ethel C. Hohnstein of La Pine, OR Jan 04, 1933 - Jan 15, 2021 Arrangements: Niswonger-Reynolds Funeral Home is honored to serve the family. 541- 382-2471 Please visit the online registry for the fam- ily at www.niswonger-reyn- olds.com Services: A gathering of family & friends for a visitation period will be held Friday, January 22, 2021 from 1 until 5PM in the Nis- wonger-Reynolds Funeral Chapel Contributions may be made to: Memorial contributions in Jerry’s name may be made to Partner’s in Care - Bend, 2075 NE Wyatt Court, Bend, Oregon 97701, Crater Lake Council of Boy Scouts of America, 61383 S. Highway 97 Ste. F, Bend, Oregon 97702 and/ or donate a pint of blood to your local Red Cross. May 29, 1926 - January 14, 2021 Jacqueline Colombana of Bend, OR Sep 17, 1931 - Jan 17, 2021 Arrangements: Baird Funeral Home of Bend is honored to serve the family. Please visit our website, www.bairdfh.com, to share condolences and sign our online guest book. 541.382.0903 Arrangements: Baird Memorial Chapel of La Pine is honored to serve the Hohnstein family. Please visit our website, www.bairdfh.com, to share condolences and sign the online guestbook. Services: A private service will be held at a later date. OBITUARY POLICY Death Notices are free and will be run for one day, but specific guidelines must be followed. Local obituaries are paid advertisements submitted by families or funeral homes. They may be submitted by phone, mail, email or fax. The Bulletin reserves the right to edit all submissions. Please include contact information in all correspondence. For information on any of these services or about the obituary policy, contact 541-385-5809. Deadlines: Call to ask about our deadlines 541-385-5809 Monday - Friday, 10am - 3pm. No death notices or obituaries are published Mondays. Email: obits@bendbulletin.com Hammond In December 2019, U.S. Dis- trict Judge Michael H. Simon of Portland revoked the East- ern Oregon grazing permit for Hammond Ranches Inc. after finding that a renewal order by former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, issued on Zinke’s last day in office in early 2019, was an “abuse of discretion.” The renewal followed Pres- ident Donald Trump’s pardon of the Hammonds in July 2018. Father and son had been con- victed of arson and were serv- ing out five-year mandatory minimum sentences for set- ting fire to public land where they had grazing rights. Both were convicted of setting a fire in 2001, and the son was con- victed of setting a second fire in 2006. When they walked out of prison, Dwight Hammond had served two years and nine months in prison and his son had served three years and four months. In 2015, the Ham- monds also paid $400,000 to settle a civil suit brought by the government to recoup dam- ages caused by the fires. banks and credit unions engag- ing with marijuana companies. The credit union said on its website that it has been of- fering banking services to the cannabis industry since 2017. Medicinal cannabis sales have been legal in California for over two decades. Jerred Kiloh, who heads the Los Angeles-based United Cannabis Business Associa- tion, said the agreement rep- resents another encouraging step as more financial institu- tions open their doors to the industry. With growing acceptance of cannabis nationwide, along with regulatory changes, “there are more banks that are willing to tell people they are willing to accept cannabis accounts,” he said. As of Sept. 30, federal regu- lators reported that 677 banks and credit unions were pro- viding services for marijuana business. That represents a small fraction of the overall banking industry, and the fig- ure had declined slightly in 2020, a drop attributed in part to business closings caused by coronavirus restrictions. Efforts to broaden banking access for pot companies have stalled in Congress. Continued from A13 Curt Horowitz August 14, 1956 - January 9, 2021 Anyone who met Curt remembered him. He was outgoing, interested in others’ lives, always looking for a moment to bring someone joy and laughter. Curt Horowitz lost his hard-fought battle with cancer on January 9, 2021, in Bend, Oregon. Born August 14, 1956, in Philadelphia, PA, Curt grew up in the Philadelphia area before moving to Gainesville, Florida, where he graduated from the University of Florida. Curt leaves behind his wife of 21 years, Linda (Bend, OR), and beloved daughter, Alena (Bend, OR), his mother, Irene Greene (Philadelphia, PA), brothers, Victor Horowitz (Philadelphia, PA) and Richard Horowitz (Sarasota, FL), father-in-law, Michael Kalyk (Sonoma, CA and Bend, OR), mother-in-law, Roni Kalyk (Sonoma, CA and Bend, OR), and brother-in- law, Tony Kalyk (Telluride, CO). Curt is preceded in death by his father, Irwin Horowitz (Philadelphia, PA, and Sarasota, FL). When he wasn’t spending time with family or working, you could fi nd Curt at Th e Pickleball Zone, mountain biking with friends, hiking Smith Rock, or on his twice a day walk around Northwest Crossing with his dog, Cassie. Curt’s limitless optimism and his ability to connect with anyone he met will be missed by everyone who knew him. His devotion to his family and especially his daughter will be remembered by all. We are grateful for the outpouring of support we received during Curt’s illness and following his death. If you would like to donate in Curt’s honor, please consider Central Oregon Humane Society (hsco.org).