A2 THE BULLETIN • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2021
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Deschutes County cases: 5,860 (11 new cases)
Deschutes County deaths: 58 (zero new deaths)
Jefferson County cases: 1,925 (4 new cases)
Jefferson County deaths: 27 (zero new deaths)
Oregon cases: 153,134 (324 new cases)
Oregon deaths: 2,155 (0 new deaths)
GENERAL
INFORMATION
BULLETIN
GRAPHIC
129 new cases
COVID-19 data for Monday, Feb. 22:
Crook County cases: 765 (zero new cases)
Crook County deaths: 18 (zero new deaths)
7 a.m.-noon Saturday-Sunday
and holidays
SOURCES: OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY,
DESCHUTES COUNTY HEALTH SERVICES
New COVID-19 cases per day
130
(Dec. 4)
What is COVID-19? It’s an infection caused by a new coronavirus. Coronavi-
ruses are a group of viruses that can cause a range of symptoms. Some usually
cause mild illness. Some, like this one, can cause more severe symptoms and
can be fatal. Symptoms include fever, coughing and shortness of breath.
108 new cases
120
(Jan. 1)
90
new
cases
110
*No data
available on
Jan. 31
due to state
computer
maintenence
(Nov. 27)
7 ways to help limit its spread: 1. Wash hands often with soap and water for
at least 20 seconds. 2. Avoid touching your face. 3. Avoid close contact with
sick people. 4. Stay home. 5. In public, stay 6 feet from others and wear a cloth
face covering or mask. 6. Cover a cough or sneeze with a tissue or cough into
your elbow. 7. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
100
90
80
70
60
47 new cases
50
(Nov. 14)
541-382-1811
7-day
average
8 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri.
(Oct. 31)
ONLINE
30
16 new cases
(July 16)
(Sept. 19)
9 new cases
www.bendbulletin.com
40
31 new cases
28 new cases
20
(May 20)
1st case
10
(March 11)
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Lottery results can now be found on
the second page of Sports.
LOCAL BRIEFING
NEWS FROM SALEM
Oregon lawmaker accused
of harassment is resigning
which could present problems for
On Sunday evening, Rep. Diego
his fellow Democrats who want to
Hernandez, D-Portland, alerted
pass bills out of the committees he
the Oregon Secretary of State’s Of-
currently sits on. Hernandez sits
fice that he would be resign-
on the Joint Committee
ing, but at the time he said it
on Tax Expenditures,
would not be until the end
House Committee on
of March. On Monday after-
Energy and Environ-
noon, Hernandez revised the
ment, House Commit-
date saying he plans to stay
tee on Revenue and the
in office through March 15,
House Committee on
rather than March 31 as he
General Government.
Hernandez
had originally proposed.
After a panel of law-
Hernandez said in a text
makers determined
message to OPB that he made the
Hernandez had violated legislative
change due to “office/staff transi-
harassment rules, the entire House
tions/health care” issues.
was scheduled to vote on his possi-
Barring any unforeseen circum-
ble expulsion Tuesday.
stances, Hernandez would continue
Hernandez would have been the
to accept his pay, benefits and $151
first lawmaker to be expelled from
per diem until March 15 when his
the body. It would have taken a two-
resignation is effective.
thirds vote, or 40 members of the
“If you’re elected and in office,
chamber to expel him.
you get your salaries and benefits
After submitting a resigna-
until you are no longer in office,”
tion, lawmakers have three days to
said Jessica Knieling, the Legisla-
withdraw the resignation. House
ture’s human resource director, who Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland,
provided OPB with a copy of Her-
said the House would push the ex-
nandez’s letter of resignation. “It’s
pulsion vote to the following week.
not discretionary. It’s statutory.”
Once Hernandez’s resignation be-
Hernandez does not plan to par-
comes final, the House would set
ticipate in any legislative committee the motion aside.
hearings in the upcoming weeks,
Kotek, who was one of several
Oregon Public Broadcasting
Democratic colleagues who urged
Hernandez to resign, said she was
being cautious in her remarks due
to a pending lawsuit.
Hernandez sued the Legislature
and some individuals, including
Kotek, seeking $1 million in dam-
ages, plus attorney fees, noting the
process of investigating allegations
against him has inflicted “emotional
distress in the form of anguish, em-
barrassment, loss of reputation, fear,
worry, grief, anger, confusion, frus-
tration, loss of sleep, and interference
with usual life activities” for him.
But Kotek noted even “in a vir-
tual work setting legislators have
tremendous power” and it was im-
portant to hold members account-
able.
To replace Hernandez, Demo-
cratic precinct committee people in
his district will select between three
and five people. This must be done
within 20 days of the vacancy. Mult-
nomah County Commissioners will
then consider the candidates and se-
lect one to fill the remainder of Her-
nandez’s term. They must choose
Hernandez’s replacement within 30
calendar days of the vacancy.
The 2021 legislative session is un-
derway.
Oregon GOP ousts chair in shakeup;
senators take key leadership roles
BY DIRK VANDERHART
Oregon Public Broadcasting
A conservative state senator from
Myrtle Creek is the new chair of the
Oregon Republican Party, following
an event Saturday in which Repub-
licans overhauled their top party
leadership.
According to multiple Republi-
can sources, state Sen. Dallas Heard
handily won the job, beating three-
term chair and Adair Village Mayor
Bill Currier.
Heard, 35, is just one in a slate of
current and former Republican sen-
ators who now have a central role in
steering the party’s course. Former
Senate Minority Leader Herman
Baertschiger Jr., now a Josephine
County commissioner, won a con-
tested race for vice chair. And state
Sen. Dennis Linthicum, R-Klamath
Falls, will serve as party treasurer.
A third sitting state senator, Chuck
Thomsen of Hood River, was unsuc-
cessful in his bid to serve as the par-
ty’s secretary. He was defeated by in-
cumbent secretary Becky Mitts, who
also serves as chief of staff to state
Rep. Mike Nearman, a Republican
from Polk County.
“It’s just kind of taking the party
in a little different direction, a differ-
ent type of leadership,” Baertschiger
said Sunday. “No criticism really of
the prior leadership. … It wasn’t like
there was some kind of coup.”
Inquiries to Heard, Thomsen and
a party spokesman were not an-
swered Sunday morning.
The in-person election of top
party officials was held Saturday at
a VFW hall in Salem. Photos sent to
OPB from a person who reported
attending the event showed a hall
packed with people in close quarters,
none of them wearing face masks.
The leadership swap comes at a
time the Oregon GOP has gained
national attention for passing a res-
olution claiming the Jan. 6 attack on
the U.S. Capitol was a “false flag” op-
Kaylee Domzalski/OPB
Sen. Dallas Heard, R-Myrtle Creek, was elected chair of the Oregon Republican
Party on Saturday. Heard defeated three-term party chair Bill Currier.
eration by leftist forces — a conspir-
acy theory that has been debunked
in the weeks since the incident.
The statement was denounced
by all 23 Republicans in the state
House. Two Republican sena-
tors representing swing districts,
Thomsen and Bend-based Sen.
Tim Knopp, also took exception to
the statement. Knute Buehler, 2018
Republican nominee for governor,
changed his party registration to
nonaffiliated following the incident.
‘It’s going to take a while
for the facts to get out’
Baertschiger was less critical.
“I didn’t really see an upside to
that, even though there’s a lot of
questions about the Jan. 6 Capi-
tol incident,” he said. “It’s going to
take a while for the facts to get out.
They’re starting to come out. I think
it’s gonna be a mixed bag.”
The state GOP has also been crit-
icized in recent years for expending
resources running two unsuccess-
ful recall campaigns against Gov.
Kate Brown, while at the same time
failing to recruit competitive can-
didates for some statewide offices.
Democrats currently control every
executive office in the state and hold
supermajorities in the House and
Senate, allowing them to pass any
bill without Republican support.
It was unclear how Heard and oth-
ers might seek to alter that trajectory.
Heard in recent months has repeat-
edly garnered attention for his stri-
dent stance against state rules requir-
ing masks and shuttering businesses
to stem the spread of COVID-19.
When the Legislature met in
special session Dec. 21, Heard tore
off his face mask in protest on the
Senate floor, and he accused Dem-
ocratic legislators and the governor
of a “campaign against the people
and the children of God.”
On Jan. 6, the same day as the
attack on the U.S. Capitol, Heard
addressed supporters of then-Presi-
dent Trump at an “Occupy the Cap-
itol” rally in Salem.
It’s not unheard of for sitting state
lawmakers to lead the state party.
More often, though, elected legis-
lators and party leadership remain
distinct from one another and for-
mer lawmakers like Baertschiger
pursue the chair. Baertschiger said
Sunday that Heard had a “burning
desire” for the party’s top spot.
OSU-Cascades to hold discussion
on Oregon’s Black exclusion laws
A group of Oregon State University profes-
sors will discuss various historical Oregon laws
that discouraged Black Americans from moving
to the state, and those laws’ wide-reaching im-
pacts, at a discussion Wednesday night.
The event, hosted by OSU-Cascades and
Bend-based organization Love Your Neighbor,
will feature four OSU professors: Erica Mc-
Calpine, Dwaine Plaza, Stacey Smith, and Rob-
ert Thompson, according to a university press
release. The latter three professors are experts
on the migration and settlement of Caribbe-
ans, the role race placed in the history of the
American West, and African-American his-
tory, respectively, the release states. McCalpine,
a business professor, is also the director of the
OSU-Cascades Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Laboratory.
The free discussion is scheduled for 6 p.m.
To register, visit OSU-Cascades’ website.
Bend-La Pine School Board to discuss
survey results, reopening schedule
The Bend-La Pine School Board plans to go
over the results of a recent student-and-family
survey, as well as discuss how school reopening
has fared, at its work session Tuesday night.
In late November and December, Bend-La
Pine Schools sent a survey to students and fam-
ilies in the district called YouthTruth, accord-
ing to Andrea Wilson, executive assistant to the
school board. The school board will go over the
survey results, and talk about how to best gather
input from students, parents and staff, Wilson
said.
The school board only discusses topics
during work sessions — no actions are taken.
The meeting can be viewed at 5:30 p.m. on
Bend-La Pine’s YouTube page, or listeners can
call in at 408-418-9388. The access code to listen
in over the phone is 120 614 0872.
Deschutes County Commission
to discuss wildfire strategies
The Deschutes County Commission plans to
discuss possible code changes related to wildfire
hazard mitigation at a meeting Wednesday.
The commission is expected to talk about
whether to affirm or amend the wildfire hazard
zone in Deschutes County and how to develop
building codes that make buildings more resil-
ient to fire.
The commission is also expected to talk
about whether to move forward with setting
up standards for developing defensible space,
which is the buffer created between a building
and the grass, trees or any wildland areas that
surround it, according to a county memo.
Having this space helps to slow or stop the
spread of wildfire and helps protect structures
from catching fire.
This topic is scheduled to be discussed af-
ter 1 p.m. at the commission’s virtual meeting,
which can be viewed on the county’s website.
3 cars, 7 people rescued after getting
stuck on Cascades Lakes Highway
Seven people and three cars became stranded
Sunday after a motorist attempted to navigate
a closed highway route and two other drivers
became stuck while helping, according to De-
schutes County Sheriff’s Office.
At 10 p.m., Deschutes County dispatch re-
ceived a call from Eric Valentine, a La Pine res-
ident, who said his vehicle became stuck in the
snow while trying to rescue his nephew, Bran-
don Dustin.
Dustin, of Eugene, had left La Pine around
5 p.m. Sunday and tried to take the “back way”
to Eugene, authorities said. He attempted to
take state Highway 372, also known as Century
Drive or Cascade Lakes Highway, to U.S. High-
way 58.
Snowmobilers traveling on the Oregon route
told Dustin it was closed. Dustin attempted to
turn around and got stuck in the snow, accord-
ing to the sheriff’s office. When Valentine tried
to help Dustin, he also got stuck.
Valentine decided to call a friend, La Pine res-
ident Jason Winford, who has a tow truck, and
declined help from a search and rescue team.
Winford arrived in a Chevy Suburban instead
of a tow truck, and got stuck, too.
With three vehicles and seven people now
stuck, Valentine called for experienced help. A
search and rescue team returned the people and
the vehicles to safety.
— Bulletin staff reports