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About The Bulletin. (Bend, OR) 1963-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 2, 2021)
Serving Central Oregon since 1903 • $1.50 TUESDAY • February 2, 2021 HOW TO CATCH THE BIG RAINBOW TROUT GARY LEWIS OFFERS TIPS • SPORTS PULLOUT, A5-8 Bargain hunters fill Bend WinCo 3 arrested in death of Redmond’s Brian Jones OPENING DAY Belgard Robinson Winishut BY GARRETT ANDREWS The Bulletin Three adults from Warm Springs were arrested in connection with the death of Brian Jones, whose body was discovered in August on the side of Danube Drive in farmland north of Madras. Theresa Marjorie Winishut, 27; Salbador Angeles Robinson, 27; and Stephanie Mae Belgard, 37, are being held without bail in the Jefferson County jail, each charged with the same 10 felony counts, in- cluding second-degree murder, conspiracy to com- mit murder, robbery and unlawful use of a vehicle. The investigation into Jones’ death was delayed by the backlog at the state crime lab, according to Jefferson County Sheriff Jim Adkins, who added DNA evidence proved decisive in pinning Jones’ death on Belgard, Robinson and Winishut. “We had a suspicion as to who we thought it was,” Adkins said. “Then DNA and other evi- dence tied them right to it.” Adkins said he could not publicly describe Jones’ cause or manner of death, though inves- tigators believe the three suspects robbed Jones and stole his vehicle, which turned up later on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. Photos by Dean Guernsey/The Bulletin ABOVE: Check stands are busy with shoppers at WinCo Foods in Bend on Monday. BELOW: A large selection of bulk foods is featured at the new store. BY MICHAEL KOHN • The Bulletin T he much-anticipated opening for the new WinCo Foods store in Bend ar- rived Monday, with giddy shoppers filling the aisles at the former Shopko store at the Bend River Plaza. The grocery store, well known by le- gions of fans for its low prices and bulk food section, opened around 8 a.m. Mon- day when a handful of shoppers gathered at its door. Boise, Idaho-based WinCo continues its march across the Northwest, opening stores in Bend and Wenatchee, Washington, on the same day. WinCo now has 131 locations with two more expected to open in Mon- tana later this month. See Death / A13 Madras councilor offers resignation after online row BY GARRETT ANDREWS The Bulletin See Winco / A4 Legislature sees a familiar address atop COVID-19 list BY GARY A. WARNER Oregon Capital Bureau When the Oregon Health Au- thority issued its weekly list of the state’s 373 ZIP codes that had the highest number of new COVID-19 cases, No. 1 caught the eye of Oregon politicians. 97301. Salem. Including the Oregon State Capitol. The ZIP code added 113 cases, giving the area 3,075 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic hit Oregon last February. The good news is the Capitol’s ZIP code was the worst spot during a time when cases statewide have dropped by half. But it was a reminder that there is an element of danger in bringing lawmakers staff, police and journalists to the Capitol for the current Legislative session in the middle of a pandemic. The possible hazards have been on the minds of senators and repre- sentatives since the coronavirus arrived in Oregon in late Febru- ary. Oregon’s Legislature is slated to meet for 160 days, adjourning by July 1. But lawmakers will likely be in the Capitol itself for only a fraction of that time. The Legis- lature swore in new members at the Capitol on Jan. 11 and then held a short session of the House and Senate on Jan. 19. But now meetings are via virtual platforms. Almost a year into the pandemic, the early flubs and glitches have mostly been smoothed out and dozens of meetings are held every day. Legislative leaders say they will concentrate on meeting as boxes on each other’s computer screens instead of in-person for awhile. Most bills have been introduced, while meetings and hearings can be held online. See Legislature / A13 A Madras city coun- cilor who drew ire for a Facebook post calling a fellow elected official a “terrorist” will resign. Austin Throop sub- mitted his letter of res- ignation to the city ad- ministrator following a special meeting Friday to discuss the online incident, according to Lysa Vattimo, city spokeswoman. Councilors ended the meeting by say- ing they would accept public input and de- cide what to do with Throop at the council’s next meeting, Feb. 9. Now, the council will vote whether to ap- prove Throop’s resigna- tion on that day. His seat would be filled by the rest of council through an ap- pointment process. “We’ve never had to do this before so we’re still figuring it out,” Vattimo said. Throop, 30, is a self-employed web developer and life- long Central Ore- gon resident. He was a councilor for only two meetings after defeating Republican challenger Mathew Birchard in the No- vember general elec- tion. See Councilor / A4 Central Oregon Thousands of educators received first vaccine dose At 11 a.m. on Wednes- day, Jan. 13, Joey Kansky was the first Bend-La Pine school staffer to receive a COVID-19 vaccine at St. Charles Bend. That achievement was pure luck, he joked. TODAY’S WEATHER “I just live close to the hospi- tal and had my email open. Go figure,” said Kansky, an educa- tional assistant for Pine Ridge Elementary School’s special ed- ucation program. Kansky, 52, will get his sec- ond dose of vaccine Wednes- day morning. He believes be- Morning flurries High 43, Low 32 Page A13 INDEX ing fully vaccinated will make him a more effective educator. “It definitely makes me more capable of helping children, because I won’t have as many fears,” Kansky said. “When you’re teaching and you’re fear- ful, kids pick up on that stuff.” Kansky is one of thousands of Business Classifieds Comics A11 A14 A9-10 Dear Abby Editorial Horoscope A7 A8 A7 Central Oregon educators who have already received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Although not every county health department or school district has exact numbers of vaccinated school staff, or vac- cine refusal rates, it’s clear that the vast majority of local educa- Kid Scoop Local/State Lottery A12 A2-3 A6 Obituaries Puzzles Sports A4 A10 A5-7 tors are getting vaccinated. “It has relieved a lot of stress to have access to these,” said Sarah Barclay, president of the Bend Education Association teachers’ union. “They’re head- ing back into classrooms with lots of (COVID-19) exposure … so just knowing there was The Bulletin An Independent Newspaper Vol. 119, No. 28, 14 pages, 1 section ù We use recycled newsprint prioritization to help ensure community safety, we’re very thankful for that.” In a push to reopen in-per- son school, Oregon is the only state prioritizing educators over seniors for receiving the COVID-19 vaccination. See Vaccine / A13 DAILY BY JACKSON HOGAN The Bulletin U|xaIICGHy02329lz[