A6 The BulleTin • SaTurday, March 27, 2021
Tourism
DEAR ABBY
— Angry Neighbor
Dear Neighbor: I see noth-
ing to be gained by “clearing
the air” with someone you
know is emotionally unstable.
Let it ride, keep your distance
and remain cool. If her prob-
lems manifest at the office,
she may not be there long.
And at home, stay away from
her AND her driveway.
Dear Abby: I have been in
a relationship with my boy-
friend for almost four years.
We live together along with
my two older sons, ages 30
and 33. He doesn’t spend
much time with me because
he’s working or hanging out
with the guys at the bar. I do
have jealousy issues. He looks
at and talks to other women
when I am with him.
My former husband used
to be out every day until late
in the evenings until I caught
him cheating with my best
friend. It’s hard for me to trust
again. I love my boyfriend,
and I don’t want to lose him.
Should I be jealous or let it go?
— Undervalued in Indiana
Dear Undervalued: Your
insecurity is something you
need to work on because
your jealousy could drive a
wedge between you and your
boyfriend. If his looking at
and conversing with women
were a threat to your rela-
tionship, it’s likely something
would have happened.
Talk to him. Tell him you
need more time together.
The new initiative comes af-
ter Travel Oregon last month
awarded $913,000 to fund 34
projects across the state fo-
cused on improving visitor
experiences during the pan-
demic. Among the recipients
of that grant money was Port-
land’s economic development
agency, which received $50,000
to improve the city’s green
loop.
Oregon’s tourism industry
has been decimated during the
pandemic.
More than 1 million people
visit Oregon in a typical year,
fueling a $12.8 billion tourism
industry, according to Travel
Oregon.
However, visitor spending
throughout the state dropped
by nearly 60% last year as
tourism dried up amid the
pandemic, according to the
Repair
Continued from A5
In a press release, Apple said
that following the launch of its
independent repair program in
2019, over 140 US companies
have joined its independent re-
pair program.
David Edmondson, a
spokesman for the computer
trade group TechNet, said
that if someone wants to re-
pair their computer or take it
Ruger
Continued from A5
YOUR HOROSCOPE
By Madalyn Aslan
Stars show the kind of day you’ll have
DYNAMIC | POSITIVE | AVERAGE | SO-SO | DIFFICULT
HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 2021: Inde-
pendent, spirited and temperamental, the fast-paced lifestyle you love may
need to slow down just a little. This year, you pay attention to details that will
serve you well on the professional and financial front. Express your excess
energy through swimming, tennis, bicycle riding or any physical or compet-
itive sport that you enjoy. If single, accept invitations to online gatherings. If
attached, keep romance alive with surprises. PISCES comforts you.
ARIES (March 21-April 19)
Spring has arrived, so change your wardrobe to fit the season.
Research food and exercise plans that suit your lifestyle. You may be inspired
by a friend who steers you in the right direction. Teamwork is best. Tonight:
Social time.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
Explore your love of the arts. Start your own creative project or part-
ner with someone who encourages you. Revive talents you may have let fall
by the wayside. Practice makes perfect, so follow a routine. Tonight: Watch a
film or concert.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20)
Avoid a relative who may want to involve you in ongoing family
drama. Today is for laughter and happy thoughts. Spend the day with friends
who you can rely on to supply just that. Tonight: Continue to have fun.
CANCER (June 21-July 22)
Resist making decisions that have long-term consequences. Use your
special talent for finding the right solution in due time. Switch gears to some-
thing less serious. An inviting message may keep you grinning from ear to
ear. Tonight: Tell funny stories.
Fear and uncertainty about
what it is next has long been
a boon to gunmakers’ bottom
lines.
“They will sell more guns
as a result of this, no doubt
— out of fear,” said Benjamin
Dowd-Arrow, a public health
professor at Florida State Uni-
versity who studies firearms
and mental health.
People often buy firearms
when they feel threatened, said
the National Shooting Sports
Foundation, the gun indus-
try’s leading trade group. Mark
Olivia, a spokesman for the
group, compared it to stocking
up on milk, bread and toilet
paper before a storm.
“People become very con-
cerned that they will not be
able to buy the firearms that
they are choosing,” Olivia said,
“and there is that concern right
now.”
The biggest limitation on
gun sales is that demand is al-
ready so elevated, said Phillip
Levine, an economics profes-
sor at Wellesley College who
Discover new takeout venues to sample food from different cultures. Buy a
cookbook and try out exotic recipes on your family. Tonight: Do someone a
favor.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
Move forward with plans for personal projects. Involve friends who
see the world as you do. Your enthusiasm attracts others who want to work
with you. Be a go-getter, but don’t get too pushy. Tonight: Learn yoga posi-
tions or workout routines.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
Take time out to write down your intentions for the coming months.
and organizational skills. You may be
called on to head up a team where you
work or volunteer. People you love
will give you the thumbs up. Tonight:
Leave work behind and have fun.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
Research enrolling in a course
to improve your skills. If you do
not register for formal instruction,
explore subjects that pique your cu-
riosity. If you cannot find something
in-person, anything you want to
study will be available online. To-
night: Movie night.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Today is not the best day
to sign papers or make a business
decision. The answer will make itself
clear in due time. Play a board game
or jigsaw puzzle with people you love.
Tonight: Something you lost may
reappear.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)
Straighten out a difference of
opinion. Stick to your guns on import-
ant issues and move on from others.
Spend quality time with someone
special. Plan a surprise that includes a
menu you thought out and carefully
prepared. Tonight: Scented candles.
ers, not adding more risk,” he
said.
Charlie Fisher with the Or-
egon Public Interest Research
Group is pushing the “Right
to Repair” bill. He said the en-
vironmental ramifications are
potentially enormous.
“We estimate that if Orego-
nians were able to extend the
life of their phone for just one
year, it would be the equivalent
of removing 8,100 cars off the
road in terms of carbon emis-
sions,” he said.
The “Right to Repair” con-
cept started nine years ago in
Massachusetts, where voters
gave smaller independent ga-
rages the right to repair cars
by making manufacturers sell
them the necessary tools and
manuals.
After the vote, the industry
agreed to sell the tools across the
country. So Fisher is hopeful.
A public hearing in Oregon
is scheduled for March 31.
studies the topic.
“All of the anxiety from the
past year is still hanging over
our heads,” Levine said. “We
have no precedent for this.
We’re already in a spike. So
are they really going to go up
more?”
Firearms sales over the last
decade have tracked a pattern
of surging with mass shootings
and political uncertainty, ac-
cording to Levine’s research.
And gun rights groups, such
as the National Rifle Associ-
ation, have become expert at
using worries about new gun
regulations to argue that fire-
arms are about to disappear —
which drives more sales.
Monthly gun sale estimates
collected by Levine show dra-
matic peaks followed infa-
mous mass shooting, such as
the one seared into memory
by their names alone: Sandy
Hook, San Bernardino and
Parkland.
The election of Biden wor-
ried gun enthusiasts because
of comments he made about
wanting tougher gun control.
“It was not lost on members
of the industry,” Olivia said.
Gun sales were so brisk
last year that Ruger strug-
gled to keep firearms in stock.
It warned of shortages on its
website. It hired new workers.
It was feeling bullish enough
about the future that it paid
$28.3 million to snatch up Mar-
lin Firearms — known for its
rifles — from bankrupt Rem-
ington.
And in a year of record gun
sales, gun violence killed nearly
20,000 Americans in 2020 and
another 24,000 people died by
suicide with a gun, according
to data from the Gun Violence
Archive, more than any other
year in at least two decades.
Now, after two high-profile
mass shootings and facing a
pandemic overhang, worries
about what is going to happen
next could drive additional gun
sales.
“Guns are almost like Linus’
security blanket,” Dowd-Ar-
row said.
And then the cycle repeats.
“Talk of regulations and fear
lead to more sales,” Levine said,
“which leads to more violence.”
louie@louiehoffman.com
Louie Hoffman, CCIM
Principal Broker, Licensed in Oregon
SRES, Senior Real Estate Specialist
OBITUARY
Michael Leroy Barker
May 11, 1947 - March 5, 2021
Mike, whose parents were Quinti n
(Bun) and Marie Barker, grew
up in Juncti on City, Oregon and
graduated from Juncti on City High
School. From a young age, Mike’s
life revolved around sports. Like his
dad, Mike was a natural athlete and excelled at any sport
he played, (especially basketball and golf).
Mike att ended Southern Oregon College in Ashland for
two years prior to enlisti ng in the Air Force in 1967. His
son Scott was born shortly aft erwards. Mike stayed in the
Air Force for 10 years. Even though he wasn’t a pilot in
the Air Force, he developed a love for planes and fl ying.
He earned his pilots license and fl ew for many years.
Mike’s interest in aviati on conti nued when he became
an air traffi c controller at the Honolulu Airport. He later
managed the Arco Club at his former Hawaiian Air Base
as a civilian.
Mike and Myrna, his second wife, were married and then
divorced but remained close friends up unti l his death.
Talking to or visiting a friend in need may be on the agenda. If weather
permits, enjoy the warmth of spring. Take a walk, go for a bicycle ride or feed
the birds in the park. Tonight: Dinner for two.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
to an unauthorized shop, they
can. There are aftermarket
parts available on the web and
tools to open machines and fix
them. But, he said, doing so
often voids warranties because
untrained staff will be doing
the work.
“The government forcing
manufactures to give out the
digital and physical keys to all
electronic products, is not a
smart approach. It should be
focused on protecting consum-
“Catch My Drift”
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
Brush up on your leadership
has shed 37% of its jobs
during the pandemic, accord-
ing to the Bureau of Labor
Statistics.
“We anticipate that we will
probably not see recovery back
to 2019 levels until at least 2024
Dave Killen/The Oregonian
Visitor spending throughout the state dropped by nearly 60% last year
as tourism dried up amid the pandemic, including in Newport, home to
the Yaquina Bay bridge.
541.480.8130
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
Treat your taste buds to a delicious dish that is out of the ordinary.
Distinguish between pipe dreams and
goals that can materialize. Get togeth-
er with friends you can use as a sound-
ing board. Take in their suggestions
and support. Tonight: Make music.
agency. It could take years for
the industry to rebound, es-
pecially if international travel
remains limited and large
events and conventions are
slow to return. Oregon’s lei-
sure and hospitality industry
Continued from A5
Write to Dear Abby online at dearabby.com
or by mail at P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069
Dear Abby: Last year, my
across-the-street neighbor
backed into my car. At least,
that’s what I think happened.
My car was parked legally
on the street, and there was a
huge dent in it. I called the po-
lice and, based on the location
of the dent and the neighbor’s
driveway, the officer deter-
mined that the neighbor had
backed into it. Furthermore,
light blue paint from my car
was on her car’s bumper.
When the officer went
across the street, the neighbor
came running out screaming
at him. She was hysterical and
belligerent, and she denied it.
Eventually, the officer told me
that even though he was cer-
tain she did it, there was noth-
ing he could do since it was
her word against mine.
I had never met this
woman before, but she is
mean, and I often hear her
screaming and cussing at her
small children. Last week, I ar-
rived at work to discover that
my company had hired a new
clerk. I’ll give you one guess
who it is. I don’t think she re-
alizes I’m her neighbor. I must
interact with her at work, and
so far, I’ve been professional
but chilly toward her.
She’s going to see me in
my yard and realize I’m her
neighbor. Should I clear the
air now, or should I pretend
it never happened? I’m angry
because she cost me a lot of
money.
and it could be 2025,” David-
son said.
While certain parts of the
state saw tourism rebound last
summer as leisure travel picked
up, hotel occupancy in Port-
land plummeted from nearly
75% in 2019 to 34% in 2020,
worse than anywhere else in
the state.
The decline in tourism
across the state could have se-
vere financial implications for
cities and counties.
In Portland, five percent of
the overall transient lodging
taxes assessed on hotel and va-
cation rentals goes to the city’s
general fund. The city received
$30.8 million in general fund
money from hotel room taxes
in the 2019-20 fiscal year, but
expects those revenues to be
down 75% this fiscal year.
“The travel and tourism in-
dustry is a primary driver of
Oregon’s economy,” Davidson
said.
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Aft er his father’s death in 1990, Mike devoted himself
to his mother’s needs and medical care. At that ti me he
fi nished his college degree at Northwest Christi an College
in Eugene. Aft er his graduati on in the early 1990’s, Mike
went to work in Bend as a Veteran’s Advocate for the
State of Oregon, which he referred to as his “calling.” For
thirteen years unti l his reti rement, Mike was a vet’s best
friend. His dedicati on led to Sen. Ron Wyden reading a
Statement of Recogniti on for his veteran’s advocacy into
the U.S. Congressional Record.
Mike’s work with the vets conti nued on a volunteer
basis for years, unti l infi rmiti es began taking a toll on his
physical mobility. At that ti me vets pitched in to return
the help that Mike had given them. His family is deeply
grateful in parti cular to Mike’s good friend Greg Vernon
of Bend. For years Greg made sure that Mike was looked
aft er; and he went above and beyond in Mike’s fi nal
months assisti ng with his care.
Mike was an avid golfer and was a long ti me member at
the Bend Country Club.
Mike’s compassion extended to animals as well. His
cats truly lived the royal life, and he gave generously to
animal welfare organizati ons as well as humanitarian
causes.
Mike is survived by his son Scott Counts, grandson
Harrison Counts, brother David Barker (Glenna), along
with numerous cousins, nephews, and nieces. He is
preceded in death by his parents Quinti n and Marie and
sisters Patricia and Charlott e.
Donati ons can be made to the Humane Society of
Ochocos or the DAV chapter 14 in Bend in lieu of fl owers.