A2 THE BULLETIN • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31, 2021
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GENERAL
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LOCAL, STATE & REGION
DESCHUTES COUNTY
Deschutes County cases: 6,327 (11 new cases)
Deschutes County deaths: 70 (zero new deaths)
Crook County cases: 809 (6 new cases)
Crook County deaths: 18 (zero new deaths)
Jefferson County cases: 2,012 (1 new case)
Jefferson County deaths: 31 (zero new deaths)
Oregon cases: 164,570 (415 new cases)
Oregon deaths: 2,381 (6 new deaths)
130
(Dec. 4)
What is COVID-19? It’s an infection caused by a new coronavirus.
Symptoms (including fever, coughing and shortness of breath)
can be severe. While some cases are mild, the disease can be fatal.
108 new cases
120
7-day
average
(Jan. 1)
90
new
cases
7 ways to help limit its spread: 1. Wash hands often with soap
and water for at least 20 seconds. 2. Avoid touching your face.
3. Avoid close contact with sick people. 4. Stay home. 5. In public,
stay 6 feet from others and wear a cloth face covering or mask.
6. Cover a cough or sneeze with a tissue or cough into your elbow.
7. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
(Nov. 27)
110
*No data
available on
Jan. 31
due to state
computer
maintenence
90
80
50
new
cases
70
60
47 new cases
50
(Nov. 14)
28 new cases
(July 16)
40
31 new cases
(Oct. 31)
30
16 new cases
(Sept. 19)
9 new cases
20
(May 20)
1st case
100
(Feb. 17)
COVID-19 patients hospitalized at St. Charles
Bend on Tuesday: 5 (2 in ICU)
ONLINE
BULLETIN
GRAPHIC
129 new cases
COVID-19 data for Tuesday, March 30:
8 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri.
www.bendbulletin.com
SOURCES: OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY,
DESCHUTES COUNTY HEALTH SERVICES
New COVID-19 cases per day
10
(March 11)
EMAIL
bulletin@bendbulletin.com
March 2020
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
January 2021
February
March
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ƒ
Lottery results can now be found on
the second page of Sports.
Small plane
crashes in
flight from
Bend to
Tacoma
Pilot, only passenger
were rescued with
minor injuries
Associated Press
A U.S. Navy helicopter crew
late Monday night rescued the
pilot and the passenger of a
small plane that took off from
the Bend Municipal Airport
and went down in forestland
near Yacolt, Washington, ac-
cording to the Washington
Department of Transporta-
tion.
Authorities began search-
ing for the small plane after its
pilot reported engine trouble
Monday afternoon, KATU re-
ported. The plane was headed
to the Tacoma Narrows Air-
port near Gig Harbor, Wash-
ington.
The pilot told air traffic con-
trollers the plane was unable to
maintain altitude and was de-
scending through the clouds.
Air traffic controllers lost radar
contact with the plane shortly
before 4 p.m. as it flew over
forestland near Yacolt. The
plane did not emit an emer-
gency signal, but that last radar
contact gave search and rescue
crews a good idea where the
plane went down.
According to the trans-
portation department, the
helicopter crew spotted the
two people and their aircraft
near Jack Mountain around
9:30 p.m. They picked them up
in a clearing and flew them to
Yacolt Primary School’s park-
ing lot to be checked out.
Officials say they were
treated for their minor injuries
and given food and water, ac-
cording to the Clark County,
Washington, sheriff’s office
and released.
LOCAL
BRIEFING
Prescribed burns planned
near Pine Mountain
Deschutes National Forest
personnel will start prescribed
burns Tuesday about 5 miles
west of Pine Mountain near
Forest Road 25.
The prescribed burns will
cover about 1,000 acres and
occur from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tuesday to Thursday, accord-
ing to the national forest.
Smoke and burning debris
will be visible in the area for up
to a week after the burn. Resi-
dents near Pine Mountain may
experience smoke in the morn-
ings this week. The public is
encouraged to close their win-
dows at night.
Off-highway vehicle trails
10, 12 and 28 will be temporar-
ily closed due to the burn.
The goal of the burns is to
reintroduce fire into the land-
scape to improve wildlife hab-
itat, and reduce the affect of
future fires, according to the
national forest.
— Bulletin staff report
Wirkkala faces stinging cross-exam
as retrial for 2013 slaying continues
BY GARRETT ANDREWS
The Bulletin
REDMOND — Prose-
cutor Kristen Hoffmeyer
demonstrated Tuesday
why defendants rarely take
the stand in their own
defense, pelting accused
murderer Luke Wirkkala
with tough leading ques-
tions and pressing him to
answer only those he was
asked.
After a more friendly
interview with his own
counsel Friday, Wirk-
kala, 40, retook the wit-
ness stand as his retrial
for murder resumed in
Deschutes County Cir-
cuit Court, where he was
grilled by Hoffmeyer, a
seasoned assistant attorney
general with the Oregon
Department of Justice.
“Mr. Wirkkala, what
question are you answer-
ing right now?” Hoffmeyer
asked. “You understand
how this works, right?”
He sighed, sounding
frustrated.
Deschutes County Cir-
cuit Judge Randy Miller
eventually cut in.
“I can see this is de-
volving,” Miller said. “Mr.
Wirkkala, you are to an-
swer the questions you’re
asked.”
Dean Guernsey/Bulletin
Luke Wirkkala is seen March 19 in court during his retrial.
Tuesday was the start of the
third week of Wirkkala’s re-
trial. In 2014, a jury convicted
the onetime Bend resident
of murdering his 31-year-old
houseguest, David Andrew
Ryder. That conviction was
vacated in 2018 when the Or-
egon Court of Appeals ruled
the original jury heard por-
tions of a police interview that
took place after Wirkkala had
invoked his right to an attor-
ney.
Wirkkala has again claimed
self-defense. He faces life in
prison if convicted.
Wirkkala might not have
opted to testify had the judge
allowed a pretrial request by
the defense team to present
evidence about Ryder’s char-
acter, specifically that he was
sexually aggressive and vio-
lent toward passed -out men.
On Friday, Wirkkala told
the jury about conversations
he had with Ryder about the
latter’s penchant for violence.
Wirkkala stated once again
how in the early morning of
Feb. 4, 2013, Ryder sexually
assaulted him, and “made me
shoot him” by attacking him
after Wirkkala retrieved his
shotgun and ordered Ryder
to leave.
Under cross-examination
Tuesday, he noted the diffi-
culty recalling with precise de-
tail events that took place in a
few seconds eight years ago.
After Wirkkala left the
stand, forensic psychologist
Michelle Guyton testified she
evaluated him in 2019 and
found he met symptom crite-
ria for post-traumatic stress
disorder, as well as social anx-
iety disorder and alcohol use
disorder.
Defense attorneys asked
Guyton about the connection
between PTSD and experi-
encing a sexual assault.
Throughout trial, prosecu-
tors have sought to poke holes
in Wirkkala’s claim he was vi-
olently sexually assaulted by
Ryder, referring to it as an “al-
leged” assault and highlight-
ing his level of intoxication.
While cross-examining
Guyton, prosecutor Jayme
Kimberly asked if the act of
killing someone by shooting
them in the face could also
cause PTSD.
“It could, yes,” Guyton re-
plied.
The defense continues its
presentation Wednesday.
Reporter: 541-383-0325,
gandrews@bendbulletin.com
Lawmakers explore wiping out stimulus
tax penalty, but refunds could take months
Oregon’s unusual system resulted in 900K
low-income residents owing state taxes
BY MIKE ROGOWAY
The Oregonian
The Oregon Legislature
is moving to wipe out more
than $300 million in state
taxes triggered by federal
stimulus payments, but it
could take several months
for 900,000 taxpayers to get
all the money back.
Congress authorized
$1,800 in coronavirus re-
lief payments in two in-
stallments last year and
approved another $1,400
earlier this month. The aid
comes in the form of a fed-
eral tax rebate, which isn’t
taxable.
Oregon is one of just six
states that allow residents
to subtract their federal taxes
from their state tax liability.
That’s usually a tax break, but
the stimulus payments pro-
duced the opposite effect:
Lower federal taxes meant Or-
egonians had less to subtract
from their state tax obligation.
On average, that created a
$333 tax hit for Oregonians
who received stimulus pay-
ments. The actual amount var-
ies considerably based on indi-
vidual circumstances, but even
some lower-income house-
holds could end up owing a
few hundred dollars.
The issue has been clear
to lawmakers since last May,
at least, when the Legislative
Revenue Office wrote a report
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on the effects of the federal
stimulus program. But law-
makers are just now taking it
up.
An amendment to House
Bill 2433 proposed Monday
would wipe out the entire Or-
egon tax obligation created by
the stimulus payments. Some
taxpayers who owed no federal
taxes at all could also benefit
with lower state taxes.
Lawmakers in both parties
have signaled support for ad-
dressing the stimulus tax issue.
It may not be easy, though.
Changes in Oregon tax law
don’t take effect until 90 days af-
ter the Legislature convenes, long
after the tax deadline for filing
2020 taxes (the deadline is May
17 this year, following a federal
and state postponements.)
At a House committee
hearing Monday, represen-
tatives from the Oregon
Department of Revenue tes-
tified that any change could
take months to implement.
That means Oregonians will
have to wait an extended pe-
riod to get repaid for taxes
generated by stimulus pay-
ments, including the stimulus
money Congress approved in
December.
Legislators and administra-
tors hashed out various op-
tions for implementing the
change at Monday’s hearing.
Oregon could send out re-
fund checks, enable people to
file amended tax returns, or
simply allow them to claim
a credit when they file their
2021 taxes next year.
Hope Starts Here
MountainStar Family Relief Nursery
Child Abuse Prevention
mtstar.org | 541-322-6828