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WEDNESDAY • January 27, 2021 • Serving Central Oregon since 1903 • $1.50 SPORTS PULLOUT, A5-8 COVID-19 CENTRAL OREGON TRUMPETER SWANS U.S. to boost vaccine deliveries, A4 ELOISE ALONE Methods for annual count of homeless see change BY BRENNA VISSER The Bulletin Some Central Oregon social service pro- viders are worried the number of homeless people will be underreported because of fed- eral COVID-19 guidelines limiting interaction between the homeless and the volunteers who tally them in the annual Point-in-Time Count. Each year, Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson counties participate in the federally-mandated Point-in-Time count, where volunteers count the number of people experiencing homeless- ness or are in transitional housing on one day in January. The national effort offers a snap- shot of how many people are experiencing homelessness in a region, and often is tied to funding for homeless services. See Homeless / A4 Eloise, a trumpeter swan, sits on a frozen pond without her mate, Pete, who died Saturday at Aspen Lakes. Dean Guernsey/For The Bulletin Vaccinations in Central Oregon proceed to next group: seniors With death of Pete, tragedy strikes trumpeter swan breeding program again BY KYLE SPURR The Bulletin BY SUZANNE ROIG The Bulletin The most prolific trumpeter swan pair in Deschutes, Jefferson and Crook counties opened up vaccinations to people 75 and older ahead of the state sched- ule after rapidly dispensing shots to health care professionals and teachers. It’s part of a priority process the Oregon Health Authority has set up for counties that have moved through each group and want to go to the next on the priority list. “Deschutes County was one of those coun- ties, and began vaccinating educators last week,” said Charles Boyle, a spokesman for Gov. Kate Brown. Oregon’s breeding program experienced a tragic turn of events Saturday when the male, Pete, died Ryan Brennecke/Bulletin file Pete and his mate, Eloise, produced 15 young in In this 2018 file photo, Pete, a male swan donated to the Aspen Lakes Golf Course to enhance Oregon’s trumpeter swan breeding program, swims with his cygnet Sydney on a small pond at the golf course in Sisters. Pete died Saturday. the past three years from their home at the Aspen Lakes Golf Course in Sisters. The pair was a boost to lose a mate in recent months, after Gracie, the resident to the state’s effort to repopulate the threatened swan at Sunriver Nature Center, was killed in October, species. leaving her mate, Gus. Eloise is now the second swan in Central Oregon See Vaccinations / A4 See Swan / A13 New COVID-19 rule allows gyms leeway to reopen DESCHUTES COUNTY COMMISSION No decision yet on whether to go nonpartisan BY BRENNA VISSER The Bulletin Deschutes County commis- sioners do not appear interested in asking voters this year to de- cide whether their seats should be nonpartisan, but they are still con- sidering it for next year. During a meeting Monday, commissioners discussed what it would take for this issue to make it to the ballot. State statute prevents a commis- sion from putting an issue like this TODAY’S WEATHER on the ballot of a May special elec- tion, according to county attorney Dave Doyle, leaving a special elec- tion in November as the soonest the commissioners could put the issue before voters. But the commission unani- mously decided against that after learning that a special election in November would cost the county $140,000 if no other issue joined the ballot. “I could not justify calling an Rain or snow High 40, Low 27 Page A12 INDEX Business Classifieds Comics election in November just for this item,” Commissioner Phil Chang said Monday. The idea was raised by Chang, the newly elected Democrat to the commission who earlier this month asked the commission to explore changing the seats to be nonparti- san. Currently, candidates for the commission must win a Republican or Democratic primary before fac- ing off in the November election. The last time this issue was con- A11-12 A14 A9-10 Dear Abby Editorial Horoscope A7 A8 A7 Local/State A2-3, 13 Lottery A6 Nation A4, 13-14 BY GARY A. WARNER Oregon Capital Bureau sidered was in 2006. Residents voted against this, as well as in- creasing the number of commis- sioners from three to five and against making a commission po- sition a part-time job. Chang argued making races nonpartisan would allow every- one in Deschutes County to decide who gets to be on the commission, not just those who are registered Democrats or Republicans. Gyms can reopen under tight guidelines to control COVID-19 infections, Gov. Kate Brown announced Tuesday. The new rules for “indoor recreation” were included in an update of county risk levels. There was little movement among counties from their risk levels two weeks ago. Nearly all of the state’s most populous counties were among the 26 that remained in the extreme risk category. Under the four-tier risk ratings, counties are assigned a level based on COVID-19 spread: lower, moderate, high or extreme. As the levels go up, more health and safety measures, along with business and activity restrictions, are re- quired. See Commission / A13 See COVID-19 / A4 Obituaries Puzzles Sports A4 A10 A5-7 The Bulletin ù An Independent Newspaper We use recycled newsprint Vol. 119, No. 23, 14 pages, 1 section DAILY from a bacterial infection. INSIDE • How to make an appoint- ment, A4 U|xaIICGHy02329lz[