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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
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