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About The Bulletin. (Bend, OR) 1963-current | View Entire Issue (April 15, 2021)
The BulleTin • Thursday, april 15, 2021 A13 Rockchucks: Infestation worse this year Continued from A1 Ryan Brennecke/The Bulletin A rockchuck sits near its burrow at Hugh Hartman Elementary School in Redmond on Wednesday. The marmots emerge from hi- bernation the last week of February through the first week of March, ac- cording to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The rockchucks create holes that cause tripping hazards, and their fe- ces can spread disease such as salmo- nella, according to wildlife officials. “Now that the students are back, we have found the rockchucks are also back,” Miller said. This year, the rockchuck infesta- tion is more widespread. Their feces and dug-out holes have been spot- ted at Redmond High School and Ridgeview High School, in addition to the elementary school. The school district is planning to work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services De- partment, which will have a wild- life specialist exterminate the rock- chucks by fumigating their burrows. The specialist places gas cartridges in the burrows, which give off car- bon monoxide. This time, the work will be done early enough in the season to catch rockchucks before they start hiber- nating again at the end of July, ac- cording to wildlife officials. “Right now is when they all start showing back up,” Miller said. “Hopefully, we can get it done early enough that it will be effective this season.” Rockchucks are the largest squir- rels in Oregon and are known for being plump and larger than other marmots. They are often seen on rocks throughout the Old Mill Dis- trict in Bend. e e Reporter: 541-617-7820, kspurr@bendbulletin.com WORLD BRIEFING Minnesota officer who resigned now charged in shooting A white former suburban Min- neapolis police officer was charged Wednesday with second-degree man- slaughter for killing 20-year-old Black motorist Daunte Wright in a shooting that ignited days of unrest and clashes between protesters and police. The charge against former Brooklyn Center po- lice Officer Kim Pot- ter was filed three days after Wright Potter was killed during a traffic stop and as the nearby murder trial progresses for the ex-officer charged with killing George Floyd last May. The former Brooklyn Center police chief has said that Potter, a 26-year veteran and training officer, intended to use her Taser on Wright but fired her handgun instead. However, pro- testers and Wright’s family members say there’s no excuse for the shooting and that it shows how the justice sys- tem is tilted against Blacks, noting Wright was stopped for an expired car registration and ended up dead. Intent isn’t a necessary component of second-degree manslaughter in Minnesota. The charge carries a max- imum penalty of 10 years in prison. Potter, 48, posted $100,000 bond Wednesday evening and was sched- uled to make her initial court appear- ance Thursday. Potter and Police Chief Tim Gannon both resigned Tuesday. Humanitarian crisis feared in St. Vincent amid eruptions Ongoing volcanic eruptions have dis- placed about 20% of people in the east- ern Caribbean island of St. Vincent as a U.N. official on Wednesday warned of a growing humanitarian crisis. Between 16,000 to 20,000 people were evacuated under government or- ders before La Soufriere volcano first erupted Friday, covering the lush green island with ash that continues to blan- ket communities in St. Vincent as well as Barbados and other nearby islands. About 6,000 of those evacuees are considered most vulnerable, said Di- dier Trebucq, United Nations resident coordinator for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean. “So we are facing a situation with a great deal of uncertainty, and also a humanitarian crisis that is grow- ing and may continue for weeks and months,” he said. Trebucq said that based on certain information and preliminary estima- tions, 20,000 people are “estimated at risk of food insecurity, given the loss of the assets in terms of livelihood like fisheries, or agriculture.” Volcanic activity is expected to con- tinue for days or even weeks. The vol- cano had a minor eruption in Decem- ber after a previous eruption in 1979. An older eruption in 1902 killed some 1,600 people. At least one killed after ship capsizes off Louisiana’s coast Coast Guard boats and aircraft have covered an area larger than the state of Rhode Island to search for 12 people missing Wednesday off the Louisiana coast after their offshore oilfield vessel capsized in hurricane-force winds. One worker’s body was recovered Wednesday and six people were res- cued Tuesday after the Seacor Power U.S. Coast Guard Coast Guard Cutter Glenn Harris via AP A Coast Guard crew heads toward a capsized 175-foot commercial lift boat to search for people in the water 8 miles south of Grand Isle, Louisiana. overturned Tuesday afternoon in the Gulf of Mexico, the Coast Guard said. The search, interrupted by darkness and bad weather, has covered more than 1,440 square miles of Gulf waters by Wednesday afternoon, according to a news release. The hunt for the missing continued into the evening, said Petty Officer Carlos Galarza. The bulky vessel, also called a jackup rig because it has three long legs it can lower to the sea floor to lift the boat out of the water as an offshore platform, flipped over Tuesday afternoon south of Port Fourchon, a major base for the U.S. oil and gas industry. One worker was found dead on the surface of the water, Watson said at a news conference Wednesday. — Bulletin wire reports SAVINGS EVENT SAVINGSEVENT Mattresses Recliners Sofas Sectionals Bedroom Sets Lift Chairs Chofa Just From $549 $699 Dining Sets Accessories Swivel Glider Recliner Just $549 FREE Foundation or FREE Pillows with Purchase FREE DELIVERY & SPECIAL FINANCING AVAILABLE* *Subject to credit approval. See store for details 2071 S. Hwy 97, Redmond 541-548-2066 • www.wilsonsofredmond.net • 63485 N. Hwy 97, Bend 541-330-5084