Serving Central Oregon since 1903 • $1.50
TUESDAY • March 9, 2021
PLANS FOR 2021 BEND MARATHON FADE
EVENT IS CANCELED FOR 2ND YEAR • SPORTS PULLOUT, A5-8
STRIKE AT ST. CHARLES BEND | DAY 5
Nurses express support
for medical technicians
BY MICHAEL KOHN
The Bulletin
In the five days since medi-
cal technician workers walked
off the job at St. Charles Bend
to strike for wages and benefits,
health care has been compro-
mised due to the sudden loss of
experienced employees, nurses
at the hospital say.
“The narrative that things
are status quo at St. Charles
isn’t accurate,” said Joel Her-
nandez, a registered nurse at St.
Charles. “In the last week, we
have had a significant decrease
in the number of surgeries and
delays in procedures.”
Hernandez and two other
nurses told reporters outside the
hospital on Monday that their
jobs have become more difficult
since the roughly 150 med techs
exited the building on Thurs-
day, describing the situation as
stressful and anxiety-inducing.
Hernandez added that he is
concerned about the qualifica-
tions of the workers who have
replaced the med techs.
“There have been instances
where these people have come
into the hospital and said, and
I quote, ‘I do not know what I
am doing,’ which is very con-
cerning and raises issues of
safety for our community,” said
Hernandez.
See Nurses / A4
Neysa Larson, right, a registered nurse, shows her support of the strike Monday.
Dean Guernsey/Bulletin photo
Too snowy?
JEFFERSON COUNTY
Find freedom
on fatbikes
School
district
picks Jay
Mathisen
for top job
BY JACKSON HOGAN
The Bulletin
C
Jay Mathisen had just left
his administrative position
at Bend-La Pine Schools for
a job with George Fox Uni-
versity, when he heard Jeffer-
son County School District
needed a new superintendent.
He said he knew he had to
apply for the job.
“I love what I’m doing at
George Fox,” said Mathisen, 47.
“But when the superintendent
seat in Jefferson County came
up, it was too good to pass up.”
After a months-long in-
terview process, the Jeffer-
son County School Board has
named Mathisen as its new
superintendent. Mathisen will
replace the retiring superinten-
dent, Ken Parshall, on July 1.
Mathisen said he’s ready for
the new challenge in leading
a school district far different
than Bend-La Pine — smaller,
more rural and more ethni-
cally diverse. But instead of
charging in with new ideas,
he plans to establish a rela-
tionship with the community
first, he said.
“It’s never wise to ride into
town as somebody new and
bring a basket full of ideas un-
til you listen and learn from
those doing the good work
there,” Mathisen said.
PHOTO BY DEAN GUERNSEY • The Bulletin
olleen and Craig Farnum of Bend ride fat bikes Monday on trails at Wanoga Sno -park. Feeling that urge to
get out on the snowy trails, too? For weekly updates on trail conditions, check out The Bulletin’s Conditions
Report every Friday in the Central Oregon Explore section.
See Mathisen / A4
Redistricting hearings start despite no maps, no data and uncertain future
Despite no redistricting
maps or data to show vot-
ers, the Legislature is moving
ahead this week with hearings
on plans for redrawing 2020
political districts.
Ten hearings are planned,
two for each congressional dis-
trict. First up is the 1st Con-
TODAY’S
WEATHER
gressional District in north-
west Oregon on Tuesday, then
the 2nd Congressional District
that covers all of Oregon east of
the Cascades on Wednesday.
The COVID-19 pandemic
has upended the once-a-de-
cade redrawing of legislative
and congressional districts.
The U.S. Census Bureau has
said the pandemic made col-
Afternoon shower
High 48, Low 28
Page A13
INDEX
lection of population data diffi-
cult or impossible at times.
The data was required by
federal law to be sent to the
states by April 1 to begin draw-
ing maps. Now it will not ar-
rive until Sept. 30.
The unprecedented delay
has set off a constitutional cri-
sis in Oregon and at least 23
other states.
Business
Classifieds
Comics
A11
A14
A9-10
Dear Abby
Editorial
Horoscope
A7
A8
A7
The autumn delivery date
will be well beyond all of Ore-
gon’s constitutional and statu-
tory deadlines for submitting
maps. Both the Legislature and
the secretary of state, which
have authority to draw maps
at different points during the
usual process, are shut out by
the drawn-out timeline.
The fate of 60 House, 30
Kid Scoop
Local/State
Lottery
A12
A2
A6
Obituaries
Puzzles
Sports
A4
A10
A5-7
Senate and five or six congres-
sional districts is headed to the
Oregon Supreme Court.
The Legislature has decided
to go ahead with the 10 legally
mandated hearings. Though
two are focused on each con-
gressional district, they also
deal with legislative boundaries
as well.
“We will be proceeding as
The Bulletin
ù
An Independent Newspaper
We use
recycled
newsprint
Vol. 119, No. 58, 14 pages, 1 section
if we’ll get an extension from
the Oregon Supreme Court or
whatever else it takes to get the
job done,” said Sen. Michael
Dembrow, D-Portland, a se-
nior Democratic lawmaker.
The pandemic has also
turned the every-10-year “road
show” of hearings into a series
of virtual hearings.
See Redistricting / A4
DAILY
BY GARY A. WARNER
Oregon Capital Bureau
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