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SPORTS PULLOUT
A5-8
COVID-19 update
from Salem
SOUTHWEST BEND
Site of alleged murders burns
Homicide suspect’s mother
had been visiting the home
BY GARRETT ANDREWS
The Bulletin
The home at 60971 Granite Drive,
the scene of three suspected murders,
burned Tuesday night, adding another
level of tragedy and mystery to an al-
ready confounding story.
Around 10:45 p.m., Darlene Allen
ran to a neighbor’s house yelling that
her house was on fire and to call 911.
Crews with Bend Fire & Rescue re-
sponded and were able to keep flames
from spreading to the ponderosa trees
surrounding the house. But the home
itself was a total loss, according to
Chantel Taylor, whose family owns it.
The double-wide home contained
numerous items of significance to
Taylor and her family: her mother’s
Christmas decorations, family photos
from her childhood. She grew up there
for a time, and it was once her grand-
mother’s house.
She drove over from her home in
Redmond on Tuesday night to evaluate
the damage.
“I’m crushed,” she said. “I have so
many memories from there, and there
was so much stuff — my mom’s, my
dad’s, my uncle’s — that we hadn’t got-
ten out yet.”
A month ago, the home was oc-
cupied by four people: Jeffrey Allen
“Jeff” Taylor, his brother-in-law Ben-
jamin Harlin “Benny” Taylor, Randall
Kilby and Kilby’s mother, Darlene
Allen.
See Fire / A4
Cases rising
on perception
that we’re at
‘finish line,’
official warns
BY GARY A. WARNER
Oregon Capital Bureau
COVID-19 infection rates
are rising again in Oregon, but
the growing number of vacci-
nated residents will likely blunt
the severity far short of last
year’s spikes, state health offi-
cials said Wednesday.
The forecast came during an
appearance by Oregon Health
Authority Director Pat Allen
and state Health Director Dean
Sidelinger on a virtual hearing
of the House subcommittee on
COVID-19.
Much of the nation is see-
ing a sharp rise in cases of the
more contagious and virulent
B.1.1.7 mutation of the corona-
virus first seen in Britain. But
in Oregon, two less harmful
forms of the virus are “crowd-
ing out” the U.K. variant for
now.
The U.K. variant — 50%
more contagious and likely
more lethal — now makes up
about 32% of new infections
in the U.S. But in Oregon,
two variants from Califor-
nia are more dominant. The
California variants are about
20% more contagious but so
far have not been shown to
be more significantly viru-
lent than the original virus.
Sidelinger said the variants
are “in competition” and the
dominance of the California
variants gives Oregon “a little
more time” to vaccinate res-
idents than states in the East
and Midwest.
“We are a different pan-
demic than the rest of the
country,” said Sidelinger, the
state’s top infectious disease
expert.
Sidelinger said the spread of
even the slightly more conta-
gious variants mixed with peo-
ple getting out more and seeing
others was fueling the upswing.
“Travel is up; people
are moving about more,”
Sidelinger said. “The feeling
that we are at the finish line is
driving the increase.”
Dean Guernsey/The Bulletin
An investigation was underway Wednesday at the Bend double-wide home that burned.
VACANT NO LONGER
Redmond helps Hood River kitchen store renovate Arch Building, a downtown fixture since 1927
Ryan Brennecke/The Bulletin
See Virus / A13
The exterior of the Arch Building, located at 432 SW Sixth St. in downtown Redmond, has been vacant for the past decade.
BY JACKSON HOGAN
The Bulletin
S
ince its opening in 1927, the Arch
Building in downtown Redmond has
housed many businesses, including a
gym, a teen nightclub and a second-
hand store. But for the past decade, it’s sat va-
cant, awaiting a new tenant and falling into
disrepair.
A new tenant will likely arrive this year.
Arome — a Hood River store specializing
in hard-to-find kitchenware and cooking sup-
plies — plans to open its second location in the
Arch Building this fall. And the Redmond City
Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to
loan the company up to $98,000 to help remodel
the outdated building.
“I’ve seen it go downhill over the years, and
I’m excited to see that building get revitalized,”
Mayor George Endicott said of the Arch Build-
ing at the City Council meeting.
Arome’s co-owners — married couple Jan-
More news from Salem
ice and Nathan Bell — and Redmond city staff
argue that not only will the store’s Redmond
location resurrect a classic downtown building,
but it will also further downtown Redmond’s
status as a shopping destination.
“The new (store) will create activity and feet
on the street, and really help catalyze other ac-
tivity around it,” Chuck Arnold, manager of
Redmond’s urban renewal program, told The
Bulletin.
• Oregon won’t approve COVID-19
exposure notification app, says re-
sources are spread too thin, A2
• After firearms bill passes, Senate
Republican leader faces recall ef-
fort for not walking out, A4
• Can you actually recycle that? Law-
makers want stricter standards for
the “chasing arrows” symbol, A13
• On a bipartisan vote, 10 police re-
form bills advance, A14
See Arch Building / A13
Tumalo Irrigation seeks answers after new pipeline is vandalized
The Tumalo Irrigation District is
offering a $10,000 reward to find and
convict who ever drilled several holes
in the district’s new pipeline near
Pinehurst Road.
TODAY’S
WEATHER
The vandalism was discovered
March 27 during the final inspections
and testing of the new pipeline, ac-
cording to the district.
Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office
detectives are investigating the case
and believe the crimes occurred be-
Cool, some clouds
High 51, Low 26
Page A12
INDEX
Business
Classifieds
Comics
A11-12
A14
A9-10
tween Jan. 6 and Jan. 13, when some-
body climbed into the open trench
and drilled multiple holes in the 36-
inch polyethylene pipeline.
Sgt. Jayson Janes, a spokesperson
for the sheriff’s office, said Wednes-
day a motive for the vandalism has
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not yet been determined.
“We are still trying to figure all of
that out,” Janes said.
The new pipeline is part of a system
improvement project that will leave
more water in streams and rivers and
provide farmers with pressurized water
A6
A4
A5-7
for crops, according to the district.
The pipeline was challenged in fed-
eral court by property owners who
were concerned about the loss of veg-
etation in the area and lower property
values from the piping project.
See Irrigation / A4
The Bulletin
An Independent Newspaper
We use
recycled
newsprint
Vol. 119, No. 84, 38 pages, 2 sections
SUN/THU
BY KYLE SPURR
The Bulletin
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