A8 The BulleTin • Friday, March 12, 2021 COVID-19 DEAR ABBY Write to Dear Abby online at dearabby.com or by mail at P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069 Dear Abby: I recently got into a huge fight with my boyfriend, which caused us to break up and me to move two hours away to stay with my mom. We have a beautiful 6-month-old daughter, and I still love him very much. He has begged me to move back and has shown me he still has feelings for me. Because of past abuse from family and previous partners, I find it very hard to trust. I would love to go back, but I keep being told that it would be a mistake. I want to be a family again, but I don’t want the people who tell me it’s a mistake to be mad at me. Must I give in and stay away or follow my heart and go back? — Mixed Up in Missouri Dear Mixed Up: I wish you had disclosed more about the fight that caused you to move away and take the baby. It must have been a doozy. Was he cheating? Physically or emotionally abusive? If it was any of those, I don’t think it is advisable to reconcile. Why are “people” advis- ing you not to go back with him? Are their reasons valid? If they aren’t, perhaps you should worry less about pleasing them and more about accepting responsibility for your own choices. Should you follow your heart? Yes, if it leads you and this man to a licensed cou- ples counselor for help in re- solving your problems before they get out of hand again, and deciding what would be in the best interest of your child. Dear Abby: My husband and I just got married. We have only one problem: his ex-girlfriend. She used to be my best friend, but we fell out years ago. She hadn’t contacted him in a long time, but since she found out we got married, she has been texting him begging to meet up. She messaged me once asking for all of us to get together, but she mes- sages him to meet her alone and “talk.” He ignores her and shows me the messages. Should I step in and tell her to back off or ignore her as he is doing? I trust and love my husband, but she’s becoming a pest and starting to annoy me and him. — Troubled in Tennessee Dear Troubled: Because silence hasn’t successfully conveyed the message that you and your husband aren’t interested in renewing the relationship, HE should be the one to tell her — in plain English. If he doesn’t do that, then you should. Dear Abby: Last year was a tough one for me and my family. In addition to the COVID mess, I lost my best friend of 30 years, and one of my sisters-in-law lost her best friend of 50 years. We were talking about each of our losses recently, and she mentioned that she has no pictures of her and her friend together. I said the same about my friend. Right then I decided that no matter how bad my hair, makeup, etc. looked, I wouldn’t shy away from having my photo taken. Sometimes we don’t realize how much a candid snapshot can mean until it is too late. Do you agree? — Moment in Time in Texas Dear Moment: Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. I have been guilty of photo-dodging, and I am sure many others have been, too. After reading your letter, I am resolving to do better in the future. Thank you! YOUR HOROSCOPE By Madalyn Aslan Stars show the kind of day you’ll have DYNAMIC | POSITIVE | AVERAGE | SO-SO | DIFFICULT HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 2021: Coura- geous, determined and visionary, you’re tough enough to withstand this year and to start on a new path or project that will be extremely successful. A risky venture pays off tremendously. If single, learn to trust fully and you’ll find your mate waiting in the wings. If attached, there is much unrealized potential still within your very tight bond. Express all of who you are. ARIES loves the whole package. ARIES (March 21-April 19) Old and poignant memories surface. Past life regression might be useful to aid in understanding and accepting the present situation. A deep rapport with wild creatures and the spirit of wilderness prevails. Tonight: Talk deeply with a mentor from your past. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Friends include you in their plans. The expectations of others draw Continued from A7 They also object to a for- mula that distributes more money per capita to states with higher unemployment rates, which they see as penalizing them for keeping more of their economies open through the pandemic. “Instead of using the bipar- tisan blueprint of previous fed- eral coronavirus relief bills, this legislation is literally a wish list for California and New York,” said Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. “It’s a slap in the face for my fellow Georgians.” The Republicans who con- trol state government in Geor- gia are working on plans to cut taxes — something being pur- sued in other GOP-run states, including Arizona and Iowa. Hack Continued from A7 Kottmann said that included outdoor and indoor cameras at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecti- cut, where 26 first-grade stu- dents and six educators were killed in 2012 by a gunman in one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history. The school district’s super- intendent didn’t return calls or emailed requests for comment Wednesday. One of Verkada’s affected customers, the San Francisco web infrastructure and security company Cloudflare, said the compromised Verkada cam- eras were watching entrances and main thoroughfares to some of its offices that have been closed for nearly a year due to the pandemic. “As soon as we were notified of the breach, we proceeded to shut down the cameras in all our office locations to prevent further access,” said John Gra- ham-Cumming, the compa- ny’s chief technology officer, in a blog post. “To be clear: this hack affected the cameras and nothing else.” Another San Francisco tech company, Okta, said five cameras it placed at office en- trances were compromised, though there’s no evidence anyone viewed the live streams. At Cloudfare, videos of an of- fice lobby downloaded by the hackers actually date from last summer and had been saved for a theft investigation, Gra- ham-Cumming said. The Verkada footage cap- tured and shared by hackers appeared to include a Tesla facility in China and the Mad- ison County Jail in Huntsville, Alabama. Madison County Sheriff Kevin Turner said in a statement Wednesday the jail you into group activities or a prominent role within an organization. You might assume the role of mediator or overseer. Tonight: A light illuminates the future of an important relationship. GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Today puts a positive spin on your status and career situation. You’ll be highly visible. A Zoom meeting goes especially well. Others express ad- miration and see you as a role model. Burn sage to cleanse your workspace. Tonight: Excitement builds about your future; constructive daydreaming. CANCER (June 21-July 22) Today reveals new potentials on the horizon. Your luck is chang- ing for the better. Select goals for the long-range future. Write a wish list. Information and new ideas are directed your way. Opportunities are likely to come about. Tonight: The world is your oyster. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Today will be memorable. Be receptive to growth and change. Don’t be surprised by the magnitude of changes brewing. It’s a time of turning points. There can be a debate or some points of controversy to settle. To- night: A partner needs convincing. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Listen carefully and honor others’ freedom of thought, even if you disagree. A long-standing partnership, in business or love, might be ending or a new one beginning. Your imagination and creativity are excellent. To- night: An original idea solves a problem, and it’s profitable. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) Today affects your health sector. A dream or intuitive perception brings insight into fitness factors. Seek ways to ease a stressful daily sched- ule. A much loved animal companion might require extra love and attention. Tonight: Eliminate clutter and begin spring cleaning early. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) Today gives you renewed energy and enthusiasm. You’ll enjoy sports, creative projects and hobbies. Love and admiration come your way. Children have much to share. Young people are sources of inspiration, pride and hope. Tonight: A relationship becomes more supportive. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Today generates mood swings in a loved one. Offer words of encour- agement. Be a good listener. A visitor offers to help with chores or repairs. A household gathering is peppered with lively discussions. Tonight: Ideas and stories that family share will inspire you. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Today indicates that you might look for a new vehicle or consider alternative travel and transportation arrangements. Mobility issues will be resolved satisfactorily. Hesitate if an acquaintance suggests a risky proposal. Tonight: If something just doesn’t feel right to you, back off. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Double-check suggestions others make regarding finances. Today’s oppo- sition could allow the actions taken by another to drain your resources. Trust your own judgment, particularly if something sounds too good to be true. Tonight: Deep disappointment in a loved one. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) Today generates enthusiasm and motivation. Control impatience and anger though. It is especially important to be constructive in your focus. Both love prospects and finances are very promising. A desirable relationship grows. Tonight: Extra hours of sleep to catch up. But that might run afoul of a provision in the relief package that bars the money from be- ing used to pay for tax cuts. Around the country, it turns out that the state budget pic- ture generally isn’t as bleak as it was expected to be. Last year’s relief spending helped by send- ing money directly to govern- ments, businesses and individ- uals. It helped keep workers on the payroll and paying taxes. Further, investors who sup- ply much of the tax revenue in states like New York and California, which announced a $15 billion surplus in Janu- ary, had a good year because of the soaring stock market. And the job losses from the pandemic were deepest among lower-wage workers, who ac- count for a smaller portion of tax revenue. An analysis by the Tax Foun- dation, a nonprofit that pro- motes “pro-growth” policies, found that 28 states brought in less revenue in 2020 than 2019. The hardest-hit states included Florida, Hawaii, Nevada and Texas, which rely heavily on tourism and sales taxes. The amounts states are in line to receive from the COVID-19 relief package exceed the revenue declines in every state, though, and amount to more than 100 times the combined revenue loss, the group found. Even while objecting to the Democratic measure in gen- eral, Idaho Gov. Brad Little outlined some of the same pri- orities as his Democratic coun- terparts. “We know the debt is mort- gaged from our grandkids,” he said, “and I will push to use those funds to directly support them through long-range in- vestments in education, broad- band and water infrastructure.” Central Oregon’s Best Kept Secret has taken the cameras offline, adding “we are confident that this unauthorized release did not and will not impact the safety of staff or inmates.” Tesla didn’t respond to requests for comment. Verkada, based in San Ma- teo, California, has pitched its cloud-based surveillance ser- vice as part of the next gener- ation of workplace security. Its software detects when people are in the camera’s view, and a “Person History” feature en- ables customers to recognize and track individual faces and other attributes, such as cloth- ing color and likely gender. Not all customers use the facial rec- ognition feature. Cybersecurity expert Elisa Costante said it’s worrisome that this week’s hack wasn’t sophisticated and simply in- volved using valid credentials to access a huge trove of data stored on a cloud server. “What is disturbing is to see how much real-life data can go into the wrong hands and how easy it can be,” said Costante, vice president of research at Forescout. “It’s a wake up call to make sure that whenever you are collecting this much data we need to have basic se- curity hygiene.” 265 SE Scott St. in Bend! 541-323-9338 Weekly specials Munchie Monday - 10% OFF Edibles Topical & Tincture Tuesday - 10% OFF Why Not Wednesday - 10% OFF Cartridges Thank You Thursday - 15% OFF Flower Fri-YAY - 10% OFF Pre-Rolls Shatterday - 10% OFF Concentrates Daily specials 15% off for Veterans 5% off for The Good Life Crowd (60+) Drive-up/Curbside Window available for Online Orders @ Dutchie.com or Weedmaps.com Give the Gift of Cannabis @ kindregards.com ENTER TO WIN THE HIGH DESERT STAMPEDE GIVEAWAY! WIN TWO TICKETS Vacasa Continued from A7 “The vacation rental sector continues to see significant gains in market share for ac- commodations and, with our expert teams and innovative technology, we’ll have the op- portunity to lead the industry forward,” Vacasa CEO Matt Roberts said in Thursday’s an- nouncement. Vacasa has grown largely through a series of small ac- quisitions, buying many small management companies in va- cation destinations around the country. In Central Oregon, Vacasa bought vacation rental man- agement company Discover Sunriver in 2016 and Carefree Vacation Rentals, which han- dled vacation rentals around Eagle Crest, in 2015. Vacasa has also made a hand- ful of large deals, too. In 2019, the Portland company paid $162 million for the vacation rental management business run by Wyndham Destinations. Privately held Vacasa is among the few large compa- nies to emerge in Oregon in re- cent decades. It has raised $630 million through several rounds of investment, including $108 million last spring. Vacasa says its technology dynamically adjusts rental pricing to account for fluctua- tions in demand, maximizing what property owners earn by making vacations more expen- sive for those who rent. The company takes a percentage of the revenue for itself. to the Friday, March 26 Rodeo performance and a $50 gift certifi cate to Carnaval Mexican Grill in Redmond, OR. You can enter online, by email, or by mailing the form below. HIGH DESERT STAMPEDE GIVEAWAY ENTRY FORM First & Last Name Email Address Phone Number Mailing Address Please check here if you would like to be contacted about subscribing to The Bulletin. Date of Birth MAIL YOUR ENTRY FORM TO: Enter to Win! C/O The Bulletin P.O. Box 6020 Bend, OR 97708 SEE CONTEST DETAILS AND ENTER ONLINE AT www.BendBulletin.com/offers Email your entry to enter-to-win@bendbulletin.com No purchase necessary to enter. 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