Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Bulletin. (Bend, OR) 1963-current | View Entire Issue (March 19, 2021)
Serving Central Oregon since 1903 • $1.50 Friday • March 19, 2021 INSIDE: PULSE MAGAZINE OREGON’S TRIBES ARE HIT HARD BY COVID-19 SPORTS PULLOUT, B3-6 Jury begins hearing Region awaits greenlight on outdoor concerts, festivals Wirkkala murder trial No. 2 COVID-19 | Central Oregon By GarrETT aNdrEWS The Bulletin Luke Anton Wirkkala is once again on trial in Deschutes County for the murder of David Ryder, a young husband, father and friend of the defendant. And as before, during his first trial in 2014, the key question for jurors is the same: Was Wirkkala acting in self-defense when authori- ties say he shot Ryder at close distance with a shotgun? Wirkkala On Thursday, a jury of 15 — eight women and seven men — was chosen and opening statements provided by defense and prosecution in Wirkkala’s second murder trial. Now 40, Wirkkala appeared in court wearing a black suit and tie and a trim hair- cut. He’s been in the Deschutes County jail since the Oregon Court of Appeals vacated his earlier conviction in early 2018. The appellate court ruled Bend Police officers should have stopped interviewing Wirkkala when he asked for a lawyer. Since then, Wirkkala has turned down opportunities to plead guilty to a lesser charge and leave custody in only a few years. See Wirkkala / A6 Bulletin file photos dave Matthews Band performs for a sold-out crowd aug. 28, 2018, at Les Schwab amphitheater in Bend. Central Oregonians are hopeful events will return in the summer as the virus risk drops By MiCHaEL KOHN • The Bulletin summertime events, concerts and festivals. The restart of these gatherings will be good for local businesses, too. The vendors, artists, promoters and others that make a living from the summer events circuit have ex- perienced a rough year without these gatherings that give them crucial ex- posure. But they still have to wait a bit longer — most permitted events are shelved until COVID-19 risk drops to lower levels. It has been a year since Bend went into its first lockdown, which prema- turely ended the 2020 outdoor events season. That caused pain for this ar- ea’s craft makers, small businesses and other creative people who rely on the outdoor festival season to show off their products. “The event industry has been dev- astated by the pandemic,” said Katy Brooks, CEO and president of the Bend Chamber of Commerce. “They have done the best they can to survive for a year with virtually zero business.” Brooks said President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan will be a “wel- come boost,” as billions are targeted to the event industry and the busi- nesses that support it. “The key to their long-term eco- nomic survival is to keep COVID cases down,” Brooks added. See Events / A6 By BrENNa ViSSEr The Bulletin Shoppers browse produce for sale at the Groundwork Organics stand during the downtown Bend Farmers Market in 2018. Deschutes County could receive mari- juana tax revenue again if a bill in the state Legislature is approved. House Bill 3295, sponsored by Rep. Jason Kropf, D-Bend, and Rep. Jack Zika, R-Red- mond, is intended to resolve an issue that arose in Deschutes County after the De- schutes County Commission voted in 2019 to place a moratorium on any new mari- juana processors and growers. See Marijuana / A4 High Desert Museum is finalist for national medal Award is nation’s highest honor for museums, libraries By daVid JaSPEr The Bulletin The High Desert Museum has been named as one of 15 finalists for the 2021 IMLS Na- tional Medal for Museum and TODAY’S WEATHER Library Service. “This is the nation’s highest honor for museums and librar- ies,” said Dana Whitelaw, exec- utive director of the Bend mu- seum. “The honor is bestowed upon museums that really go above and beyond to serve their community and provide a lot of engagement and support.” Three museums and three li- braries will win the prestigious Clouds and sun High 50, Low 32 Page B5 INDEX medal from the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences, which Whitelaw described as a peer agency of the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities. The High Desert Museum is the only museum west of the Mississippi River to be named a finalist this year. As an example of the type of community engagement that Business Classifieds Comics A7-8 B6 B7-8 Dear Abby A8 Editorial A5 Explore B1-2,9-10 La Pine Elemen- tary School stu- dents experi- ence a field trip through the High desert Museum’s program for first through fifth grad- ers at the school during compre- hensive distance learning in 2020. put the museum in contention for the award, Whitelaw cites a program created last year by the museum’s education team. “Because there were no mu- seum field trips for the 12,000 schoolkids that we normally see in a year, our education team rallied a comprehensive distance learning support program at La Pine Elementary,” she said. Horoscope Local/State Obituaries High Desert Museum/ Submitted photo See Museum / A4 A8 A2 A8 Puzzles Sports B8 B3-5 The Bulletin An Independent Newspaper We use recycled newsprint Vol. 119, No. 67, 18 pages, 2 sections DAILY A fter a year of social distancing, Central Oregonians are looking forward to rubbing their vaccinated shoulders at Bill would direct pot tax revenue back to county U|xaIICGHy02329lz[