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About The Bulletin. (Bend, OR) 1963-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 26, 2021)
A4 THE BULLETIN • TUESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2021 TODAY Restrictions Today is Tuesday, Jan. 26, the 26th day of 2021. There are 339 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Jan. 26, 2020, NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter and seven others were killed when their helicopter plunged into a hillside in dense morning fog in Southern Califor- nia; the former Lakers star was 41. In 1788, the first European settlers in Australia landed in present-day Sydney. In 1988, the Andrew Lloyd Web- ber musical “Phantom of the Opera” opened at Broadway’s Majestic Theater. In 1998, President Bill Clinton forcefully denied having an affair with a former White House intern, telling reporters, “I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky.” In 2009, Nadya Suleman gave birth to six boys and two girls; criticism came after the public learned the unemployed moth- er had gotten pregnant with the octuplets and six elder children through in vitro fertilization. Ten years ago: President Barack Obama campaigned vigorously for his revamped economic mes- sage on his path to reelection. Five years ago: The FBI arrested the leaders of an armed group that was occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Ore- gon for more than three weeks during a traffic stop that left one man dead. One year ago: Five cases of the new coronavirus were con- firmed in the United States; all involved people who had trav- eled to Wuhan in China. Today’s Birthdays: Cartoonist Jules Feiffer is 92. Sportscast- er-actor Bob Uecker is 86. Activist Angela Davis is 77. Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres is 63. Hockey Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky is 60. Actor Nate Mooney is 49. Ac- tor Jennifer Crystal is 48. Retired NBA player Vince Carter is 44. Actor Sarah Rue is 43. Continued from A1 — Associated Press Pot Continued from A1 In 2020, the city of Bend earned more than $1.5 million in tax revenue from marijuana sales, according to city spokes- person Anne Aurand. About $1.07 million of that total came from Bend’s city-imposed 3% sales tax on marijuana, which goes directly into the city’s gen- eral fund. The rest of the money comes from the state’s 17% sales tax on marijuana. State cannabis tax revenue is pooled together into a pot — which totaled over $142 million in 2020, ac- cording to state data — and distributed to the state school fund, state police, mental health and drug treatment ser- vices and cities and counties that have opted to allow mari- juana sales. As of last year, Oregon cit- ies that allowed dispensaries split 10% of the state tax rev- enue, but that amount will be reduced, due to the recent- ly-passed Measure 110. That measure will divert a big chunk of tax revenue towards addic- tion treatment, according to Mark Pettinger, spokesperson for Oregon Liquor Control Commission, which regulates cannabis sales in the state. Allen said with only the two approved vaccines and the cur- rent projected rate of supply coming to the state each week, some Oregonians will not be inoculated until the end of 2021 or beyond. The state is working through the highest priority group: health care workers, plus resi- dents and staff of nursing homes that have accounted for over half of the deaths in Oregon. Sen. Tim Knopp, R-Bend, a member of the committee, said he’d heard from constituents upset with Brown’s decision to vaccinate about 150,000 edu- cators and school workers next as a step to getting schools re- opened this spring. Those over 65 are the most likely to suffer severe illness or die from COVID-19, with fa- Oregon finds third case of contagious virus variant The Oregon Health Authority said Sunday that a third Orego- nian has tested positive for a new, highly contagious variant of the COVID-19 virus. Sunday’s case, in Washington County, comes just a day after the state announced a second Oregon case — in Yamhill County. None of Oregon’s three people who have tested positive for the variant have a known travel history, which suggests the virus is likely circulating within the state. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday the new variant, known formally as B.1.1.7, has been found in roughly two-dozen states. The new variant spread rapidly in the United Kington, which led health authorities to conclude it is more contagious. Authorities do believe that existing vaccines likely are effective against this mutation. Oregon identified its first case of the more contagious strain earlier this month, linking it to an employee at the University of Portland. — The Oregonian tality rates rising as people get into their 70s, 80s, or 90s. After waiting nearly a year in fear and sometimes isolation, the word that they will have to wait lon- ger because of a desire to reopen COCC Continued from A1 The funding comes as Oregon and the nation are suffering from record job losses due to pandemic lockdowns. Ore- gon’s unemployment rate rose in Decem- ber to 6.4% from 6% the month before. It was the first time the jobless rate went up since the initial wave of pandemic layoffs in April. The state lost 25,500 nonfarm payroll jobs in just one month. An upgrade in training facilities at COCC will prepare students for new opportunities that are expected to rev up once the pandemic subsides and businesses resume hiring. Renewable energy and aviation are two areas of growth for Oregon and beyond. Welding, metal fabrication and ma- chine technology are a few of the skills that students can gain through the COCC programs. Central Oregon is already home to a number of small and midsized man- ufacturers. There are three companies building small aircraft and several oth- ers that build outdoor gear and apparel. Evelyn, who was elected to the Redmond City Council in November, said maintaining Redmond’s ban on dispensa- ries showcases an “antiquated state of mind.” Ed Fitch, a fellow new face on the City Council, agreed with Evelyn that the city was losing money by not allowing dispensaries. He believes the administra- tion of newly elected President Joe Biden, along with a Dem- ocrat-controlled U.S. Con- gress, will likely decriminalize marijuana federally. And even if Biden doesn’t, people in Or- egon, where the drug is legal, will still use marijuana regard- less, Fitch said. “People are going to use it. They’re just going to drive to Bend,” Fitch said. “It doesn’t make sense that we would give up that revenue when we know it’s happening anyway.” Fitch acknowledged that if Redmond allows dispensaries, the city will have to be care- ful to not open too many, or open them near schools or kid- friendly businesses. “If we do it smartly, I think it’ll be fine,” he said. Jon Bullock, is the third city councilor interested in explor- ing the possibility of legalizing dispensaries in Redmond. He “Experienced people are in short supply, and we are all competing for these skilled laborers,” said Carsten Sundin, chief technical officer for Red- mond-based Stratos Aircraft. “It is vi- tal that people without experience are trained so they can replenish the pool.” Roger Lee, executive director of Eco- nomic Development for Central Ore- gon, said prior to the pandemic, there were around 1,500 manufacturing and tech jobs that were going unfilled in the area, often due to a lack of experienced and trained applicants. “There are opportunities to put peo- ple back to work sooner rather than later, and if deployed with industry in- put, this COCC grant could be part of the solution,” said Lee. Manufacturing employment fell roughly 17% in 2020 in Central Ore- gon, according to Damon Runberg, the Oregon Employment Department’s re- gional economist. Despite the fall, Runberg said Central Oregon manufacturing has become more diverse and technically sophisticated. The area has “3D printing, aviation wants the city to look into the benefits of allowing dispensa- ries. “This isn’t a high-priority is- sue, but it’s certainly one that people talk about on a reason- able basis, so it’s on the list of things we need to potentially consider,” Bullock said. “Dis- pensaries are a growing busi- ness, … so looking at it is a rea- sonable thing to do for a city of our size.” Mayor George Endicott said he was willing to discuss dispensaries during Tuesday night’s goal-setting City Coun- cil workshop. But Endicott noted that there’s a simple reason Red- Owen Ulam of Prineville, OR March 20, 1940 - January 17, 2021 Arrangements: Prineville Funeral Home Services: A Memorial service will be held Jan 31, 2021 at 1:00 PM at Prineville Funeral Home. Please see the Funeral Home website for more information as it comes in. Patricia Spires of Gilchrist, OR February 18, 1942 - January 15, 2021 Arrangements: Baird Memorial Chapel of La Pine is honored to serve the Spires family. Please visit our website, www.bairdfh.com, to share condolences and sign the online guestbook. Roland I. Steffey of Redmond, OR November 11, 1944 - January 8, 2021 Arrangements: Autumn Funerals, Redmond 541-504-9485 www.autumnfunerals.net Services: Services will be held at a later date. Steven Micheal Murray of La Pine, OR www.pulsepoll.com schools is difficult to accept. “They are very, very un- happy about it,” Knopp said. Allen said that the federal guidelines calling for seniors living outside of nursing homes September 22, 1959 - January 18, 2021 Arrangements: Baird Memorial Chapel of La Pine is honored to serve the Murray family. Please visit our website, www.bairdfh.com, to share condolences and sign the online guestbook. as the next priority are “advi- sory” with each state being able to make its own decisions. “We had to ask, what are our priorities going to be?” Allen said. Oregon is the only state that has placed educators above se- niors in priority for the vaccine. Allen defended the decision, saying that Brown and OHA are trying to balance a variety of health needs. Getting educators vaccinated could return children to in-class instruction, which state education experts say will improve their learning, as well as emotional and physical health. “We are trying to accom- modate a lot of different health objectives,” Allen said. “We are making progress.” Allen also said the process is slowed somewhat by the effort of the state to ensure that all those in the first priority group get a chance to be vaccinated, and aerospace, beer, kombucha, oat- meal, medical products, etcetera,” said Runberg. “We are no longer as reliant on wood product manufacturing as we were prior to the mid-2000s.” Over the next 10 years, Runberg es- timates Central Oregon will have 6,600 replacement openings and 700 new jobs in manufacturing. In October WalletHub ranked Bend the second-fastest growing city in the country after Fort Myers, Florida, and more jobs are expected to follow that trend. COCC says it will use the award to fund equipment purchases and facility upgrades at the college’s Redmond cam- pus. The college will also work with re- gional manufacturing partners to provide integrated education and training, short- term certifications and hands-on training. John Pallasch, assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of Labor, called community colleges “critical partners” to train the American workforce and build a pipeline for workers for critical industries. The funds come through the Department of Labor’s Strengthening mond doesn’t allow dispensa- ries: City code doesn’t allow business licenses for any busi- ness that violates state or fed- eral law. And marijuana is still illegal at the federal level. But like Fitch, Endicott be- lieves the Biden administration will soon change federal policy, either decriminalizing mari- juana entirely or allowing it to be used as a controlled, medi- cal substance. If that happens, Redmond can have dispensa- ries, he said. “I’ve always been a propo- nent of the feds changing their policy,” Endicott said. “If they legalize it, we’ll legalize it.” At least one local canna- including health caregivers for the elderly in most distant lo- cations in the state. “There is a tension between go thorough and go fast,” Allen said. “If fast is the only things we focus on, we leave some re- ally vulnerable people behind.” Allen also acknowledged that Oregonians will find there is a difference between eligibil- ity and availability. The state has not finished in- oculating the highest priority workers, though it has started vaccinating educators. Even when seniors are eligible, the other two groups will likely still be receiving shots. “We will have three different population groups open at the same time,” Allen said. “That is going to create a demand challenge at the time of a sup- ply challenge. That is going to be hairy.” e e gwarner@eomediagroup.com Community College training grant. The “grants will play an important role in helping workers to reskill as quickly as possible with industry-recognized cre- dentials and accelerated pathways to de- grees,” said Pallasch in a statement. Members of the coalition of Oregon community colleges that applied for the grant are meeting this week to discuss the timing of the funds distribution, said Jennifer Kovitz, director of market- ing and public relations for COCC. “While we have reason to feel confi- dent COCC will begin to receive our al- location of award dollars before the end of the 2020/2021 academic year, we will know more once the coalition meets and discusses this very question,” said Kovitz. The program will partner with Bend- based Cv International, which builds products for aviation, wind energy, util- ities and other industries. “We will offer students exposure to and hands-on time with manufacturing,” said Dale Riggs, director of engineering for Cv International. “Qualified trainees will be interviewed as potential employees.” e e Reporter: 541-617-7818, mkohn@bendbulletin.com bis grower hopes Redmond changes its stance on dispen- saries. Lindsey Pate — CEO of craft cannabis company Glass House Grown and president of the Cascade Cannabis Associ- ation advocacy group — owns a small marijuana farm just north of Redmond. She said that Redmond’s insistence in not allowing dispensaries results in locals spending their money else- where. And that isn’t limited to just buying marijuana — if Redmond residents drive to Bend to visit a dispensary, they might stop and get dinner in Bend, too, or visit Costco. “In a time of COVID, where businesses are already having struggles, the last thing Red- mond small-business owners need is people who live in Red- mond to drive to Bend and spend their money elsewhere,” Pate said. e e Reporter: 541-617-7854, jhogan@bendbulletin.com Leroy Rhodes of Las Cruces, NM (Formerly of Central OR) December 12, 1925 - January 18, 2021 Arrangements: Autumn Funerals of Red- mond is honored to serve the family. 541-504-9485 Memories and condolenc- es may be expressed to the family on our wesite at www.autumnfunerals.net Services: No services will be held at this time. Contributions may be made to: Memorial contributions may be made to St. Charles Hospice 2500 NE Neff Rd., Bend, OR 97701 Leon E. Devereaux Jr. of Bend, OR August 26, 1923 - January 21, 2021 Arrangements: Niswonger-Reynolds Funeral Home is honored to serve the family. 541-382-2471 Please visit the online registry for the family at www.nis- wonger-reynolds.com Services: A memorial gathering of family & friends will be held at a later date Contributions may be made to: A veterans organization of your choice or the Bend Elks Lodge #1371, 63120 Boyd Acres Rd Bend, OR 97701-8516 OBITUARY DEADLINE Call to ask about our deadlines 541-385-5809 Monday-Friday 10am-3pm Email: obits@bendbulletin.com June 4, 1943 - January 5, 2021 Eddie “Ed” H. Anderson, age 77, of Redmond, Oregon passed away in Parker, Arizona on January 5th, 2021 due to complica} ons from COVID-19. Ed was born in Stockton, California on June 4th, 1943 to his late parents Hubert Anderson and Margaret Louise Skeen-Bock} ng. He spent most of his childhood in San Diego, California before moving to Madras, Oregon as a young teenager. Av er gradua} ng from Madras Senior High School in 1961, Ed trained with his father to become a highly skilled auto body technician. He owned Anderson Auto Body in Madras for many years. Ed enjoyed restoring classic cars, golû ng, traveling, hos} ng get-togethers for friends and family and spending } me outdoors. He was a fun-loving, lighthearted soul who loved nothing more than making his friends and family laugh and doing his best to embarrass his daughters, a task in which he ov en exceeded. Ed is survived by four daughters, Angela Anderson of Vancouver, Washington, Michelle & son-in-law Daryl Hersch of Rockwall, Texas, Tara Edwards of Seat le, Washington and Madison Anderson of Marsing, Idaho, along with three grandchildren, Margaret, Drew and Jalen, and older sister Marjorie Troyer. A Celebra} on of Life will be held at a later date, pending COVID-19 related safety and restric} ons. In lieu of û owers, dona} ons can be made to the American Cancer Society in Ed’s honor.