Serving Central Oregon since 1903 • $1.50
TUESDAY • March 2, 2021
MADRAS NETS BIG WIN AS SPORTS RETURN
PLUS
PREP SOCCER • SPORTS PULLOUT, A5-8
GARY LEWIS HUNTS BISON
TO HELP LIMIT NUMBERS
ON NEBRASKA PRESERVE
SPORTS, A5
St. Charles prepares for technician strike
BY SUZANNE ROIG
The Bulletin
After meeting 28 times
over the past year to resolve
a labor dispute with medical
technicians, St. Charles Bend
has filed a lawsuit in federal
court to block a walkout.
A federal court hearing is
set for 9 a.m. Tuesday in Eu-
gene to block the strike by
the 154 members of the Ore-
gon Federation of Nurses and
Health Professionals union.
The walkout is set for Thurs-
day unless an agreement can
be reached.
Meanwhile, both sides
have a date with a federal me-
diator for March 10 , said Sam
Potter, union external orga-
nizer. St. Charles is seeking
an order from the court to
that would pause the strike.
The hospital says the union
failed to provide adequate
notice of a strike as outlined
by the labor board.
This is the first contract
that the union, which began
representing the members in
October 2019, has attempted
to negotiate on behalf of the
members with St. Charles.
During previous negotiation
sessions, 85% of the contract
had been hammered out,
what was left on the table
were cost items, Potter said.
“We’ve been stalled since
September,” Potter said.
“That’s when we began
talking about economic is-
sues.”
St. Charles, however, has
filed two unfair labor prac-
tice charges with the Na-
tional Labor Relations Board,
DESCHUTES COUNTY
SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Sergeant
investigated
for sexually
abusing
woman
which oversees disputes like
these. St. Charles Bend main-
tains the strike notice was
unlawful and the union isn’t
bargaining in good faith, ac-
cording to a prepared state-
ment.
The hospital declined to
comment for this story and
referred The Bulletin to pre-
pared statements.
See Strike / A14
BY GARRETT ANDREWS
The Bulletin
A decorated Deschutes
County Sheriff’s Office ser-
geant remains on paid leave
more than a year after Red-
mond Police began investigat-
ing him in an alleged sexual
assault.
A newly released police re-
port outlines an ongoing crim-
inal investigation into Rich-
ard “Deke” DeMars, once a
fast-rising officer at the agency
and Oregon’s 2007 Deputy of
the Year.
“I believe there is probable
cause the crime of sodomy
has occurred,” wrote Lt. Aaron
Wells of the Redmond Police
Department. “(The alleged vic-
tim) had a clear recollection of
the sexual encounter. She told
friends, went to the extent of
seeing a doctor and was clear
communicating to DeMars
and others she did not want
(the sexual contact).”
Seeking
treasure
Metal detecting
hobby helps Sisters
man find cherished
items lost by owners
See Investigation / A14
BY KYLE SPURR
The Bulletin
S
isters resident Todd Williver has turned
Bend has
‘normal’
February
weather for
a change
his hobby of metal detecting into
helping people recover their priceless jewelry
and wedding rings.
Last month, a woman lost her engagement
ring and contacted Williver through The Ring
Finders, an online platform that connects
people with a metal detecting specialist.
Williver met 24-year-old Gresham resident
BY KYLE SPURR
The Bulletin
Maddie Pernich, who said she lost her ring
Weather in Bend was nor-
mal in February, compared
to year and the 2 feet of snow
that fell during the month two
years ago.
The National Weather Ser-
vice office in Pendleton re-
ported in its monthly climate
summary that Bend had near
normal temperatures and pre-
cipitation in February.
The average February tem-
perature in Bend was 33.9 de-
grees, which was 0.3 degrees
below normal. High tempera-
tures last month averaged 43.5
degrees, which was 0.8 degrees
below normal.
The highest temperature was
57 degrees on Feb. 23.
while sledding on the snow-covered shores of
Lake Billy Chinook west of Madras.
Pernich and Williver were convinced
Todd Williver, above,
of Sisters has turned
his hobby of metal de-
tecting into a way to
help people recover
their lost things.
Williver holds a small
sample of items, right,
that he has found
with his metal detec-
tor over the past year.
they would find the ring, but after hours
of searching on the muddy lakeshore they
almost gave up. When they returned to the
house where Pernich was staying, Pernich’s
fianc e spotted the ring on the gravel driveway.
See Williver / A14
Ryan Brennecke/Bulletin photos
See Weather / A4
Vaccine clinic at fairgrounds to be replaced by trade show
BY BRENNA VISSER
The Bulletin
The mass COVID-19 vac-
cination clinic currently oper-
ating at the Deschutes County
Fair & Expo Center will be
TODAY’S
WEATHER
temporarily replaced by the
Central Oregon Sportsmen’s
Show next week, though vacci-
nations will continue to occur
in pop-up clinics around rural
parts of the county.
Clouds and sun
High 60, Low 31
Page A13
INDEX
Since Jan. 20, a portion of
the Deschutes County Fair &
Expo Center has been used to
vaccinate thousands of people.
But the annual Sportsmen’s
Show is already booked in the
area where the vaccination
clinic is happening. The show
takes place March 11 to 14.
Molly Wells Darling, the
county’s deputy incident com-
Business
Classifieds
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A14
A9-10
Dear Abby
Editorial
Horoscope
A7
A8
A7
mander, said the county will
not stop vaccinating people
because of this, but instead will
open temporary, pop-up clin-
ics in rural and remote parts of
the county, such as in La Pine.
“We will continue to provide
vaccines … We’ll just be pro-
viding them in a different way,”
Wells Darling said Monday.
Wells Darling said she and
Kid Scoop
Local/State
Lottery
A12
A2-3
A6
Obituaries
Puzzles
Sports
A4
A10
A5-7
her team heard about needing
to find another way to do vac-
cinations about two or three
weeks ago. Exactly how many
clinics and their locations will
be decided after the county
learns what its vaccine allot-
ment will be from the state on
Thursday, she said.
The vaccine clinic is ex-
pected to resume at the fair-
The Bulletin
ù
An Independent Newspaper
We use
recycled
newsprint
Vol. 119, No. 52, 14 pages, 1 section
grounds the week of March 15.
But the county has received
some complaints about the
move, said Commissioner Phil
Chang. When asked whether
the commission had any part
in making the decision about
moving the clinic, he said the
issue was never brought before
commissioners in a public way.
See Fairgrounds / A4
DAILY
Vaccinations will continue at rural pop-up
clinics while Sportsmen’s Show uses the space
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