Serving Central Oregon since 1903 • $1.50
MONDAY • March 1, 2021
Report: Oregon led U.S.
in militia interest online
State is also called a
breeding ground for
‘FEMA concentration
camps’ conspiracy theory
BY DOUGLAS PERRY
The Oregonian
In the run-up to the insurrection
at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, Ore-
gon led all states in per capita inter-
net searches for “armed groups” and
Paula Bronstein/AP file
Armed supporters of then-President Donald Trump attend a “Stop The Steal” rally at the
Oregon Capitol in Salem on Nov. 14, protesting the outcome of the election.
conspiracy theories.
This data comes from Moonshot
CVE, an anti-extremism tech com-
pany that, from September to De-
cember, tracked internet disinforma-
tion and threats of violence that were
linked to the U.S. presidential election.
The results don’t surprise Univer-
sity of Oregon political science pro-
fessor Joseph Lowndes, who studies
populism, racial politics and far-right
groups.
“Oregon has seen a convergence
of strong QAnon support, an active
POLITICS
• Trump speaks publicly, A10
paramilitary milieu and, in Portland,
Patriot Prayer,” he says.
He points out that the state has been
a longtime home to right-wing mili-
tia activity, spurred years ago by the
reduction in federal timber payments
as well as increasingly limited govern-
ment services in some rural areas.
See Militias / A4
SPRING IS NEAR
Photo by RYAN BRENNECKE • The Bulletin
Jacob Watters, 13, prepares to field a ground ball while practicing with his stepfather and coach, Josh Forcier, at Pine Nursery Park on
Saturday. The pair were out taking advantage of the warm weather to get ready for the upcoming season playing and coaching with
the 13U Jr. Bend Elks travel baseball team. IN SPORTS » Fans are back for spring training openers in Florida and Arizona, A5
COVID-19 | Shift in focus
Amid vaccine push, plunging demand for tests may leave U.S. exposed
WASHINGTON — Just five weeks
ago, Los Angeles County was conducting
more than 350,000 weekly coronavirus
tests, including at a massive drive-thru
site at Dodger Stadium, as health work-
ers raced to contain the worst COVID-19
hotspot in the U.S.
Now, county officials say testing has
TODAY’S
WEATHER
nearly collapsed. More than 180 govern-
ment-supported sites are operating at
only a third of their capacity.
“It’s shocking how quickly we’ve gone
from moving at 100 miles an hour to
about 25,” said Dr. Clemens Hong, who
leads the county’s testing operation.
After a year of struggling to boost test-
ing, communities across the country are
seeing plummeting demand, shuttering
Some clouds
High 61, Low 30
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Dear Abby
Horoscope
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testing sites or even trying to return sup-
plies.
The drop in screening comes at a signif-
icant moment in the outbreak: Experts are
cautiously optimistic that COVID-19 is re-
ceding after killing more than 500,000 peo-
ple in the U.S. but concerned that emerging
variants could prolong the epidemic.
“Everyone is hopeful for rapid, wide-
spread vaccinations, but I don’t think
Kid Scoop
Local/State
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A10
we’re at a point where we can drop our
guard just yet,” said Hong. “We just don’t
have enough people who are immune to
rule out another surge.”
U.S. testing hit a peak on Jan. 15, when
the country was averaging more than 2
million tests per day. Since then, the aver-
age number of daily tests has fallen more
than 28%.
1 billion
The number of
monthly tests the
U.S. should be able to
conduct by June. The
current testing rate is
about 40 million.
See Testing / A4
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