A2 THE BULLETIN • SUNDAY, APRIL 18, 2021 The Bulletin How to reach us CIRCULATION Didn’t receive your paper? Start or stop subscription? 541-385-5800 PHONE HOURS 6 a.m.-noon Tuesday-Friday 7 a.m.-noon Saturday-Sunday and holidays LOCAL, STATE & REGION DESCHUTES COUNTY COVID-19 data for Saturday, April 17: Deschutes County cases: 7,082 (94 new cases) Deschutes County deaths: 72 (zero new deaths) Crook County cases: 878 (10 new cases) Crook County deaths: 19 (zero new deaths) Oregon cases: 174,501 (888 new cases) Oregon deaths: 2,460 (3 new deaths) 130 (Dec. 4) 108 new cases (Jan. 1) 90 new cases 120 7-day average 110 100 (Nov. 27) 84 new cases (April 14) 90 80 50 new cases 70 60 (Feb. 17) GENERAL INFORMATION 47 new cases 50 (Nov. 14) 541-382-1811 28 new cases 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri. (July 16) ONLINE 40 *State data unavailable for Jan. 31 31 new cases (Oct. 31) 16 new cases 30 (Sept. 19) 9 new cases www.bendbulletin.com BULLETIN GRAPHIC 129 new cases 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. 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. Jefferson County cases: 2,064 (6 new cases) Jefferson County deaths: 32 (zero new deaths) SOURCES: OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY, DESCHUTES COUNTY HEALTH SERVICES New COVID-19 cases per day 20 (May 20) 1st case 10 (March 11) EMAIL bulletin@bendbulletin.com March 2020 April May June July August September October November December January 2021 February March April AFTER HOURS Newsroom ................................541-383-0348 Circulation ................................541-385-5800 NEWSROOM EMAIL Business ........business@bendbulletin.com City Desk .............news@bendbulletin.com Features.................................................................. communitylife@bendbulletin.com Sports ................. sports@bendbulletin.com NEWSROOM FAX 541-385-5804 OUR ADDRESS Street .............. 320 SW Upper Terrace Drive Suite 200 Bend, OR 97702 Mailing ........... P.O. Box 6020 Bend, OR 97708 B ADMINISTRATION Publisher Heidi Wright ..............................541-383-0341 Editor Gerry O’Brien .............................541-633-2166 DEPARTMENT HEADS Advertising Steve Rosen ................................541-383-0370 Circulation/Operations Jeremy Feldman ......................541-617-7830 Finance Anthony Georger ....................541-383-0324 Human Resources ................541-383-0340 TALK TO AN EDITOR City Julie Johnson ...................541-383-0367 Business, Features, GO! 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Box 6020 Bend, OR 97708 Phone ......................................... 541-617-7829 CORRECTIONS The Bulletin’s primary concern is that all stories are accurate. If you know of an error in a story, call us at 541-383-0367. TO SUBSCRIBE Call us ......................541-385-5800 • Home delivery and E-Edition ..........................$7 per week • By mail .................................$9.50 per week • E-Edition only ...................$4.50 per week To sign up for our e-Editions, visit www.bendbulletin.com to register. TO PLACE AN AD Classified ......................................541-385-5809 Advertising fax ..........................541-385-5802 Other information ....................541-382-1811 OBITUARIES No death notices or obituaries are published Mondays. When submitting, please include your name, address and contact number. Call to ask about deadlines, Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Phone ..........................................541-385-5809 Fax .................................................541-598-3150 Email .......................obits@bendbulletin.com LOCAL BRIEFING Upper Deschutes Basin Study released A study that will help irriga- tors, politicians, biologists and others who study and utilize water in the Upper Deschutes Basin has been released and is expected to help guide how water is used and conserved in Central Oregon. The Upper Deschutes River Basin Study, jointly funded by the Bureau of Reclamation and the Oregon Water Resources Department, is built on two decades of investigations, plan- ning, and the implementation of projects to address water shortages. The $1.5 million study pro- vides analytical tools that will help basin stakeholders de- velop plans to meet seasonal water needs of rivers, farms, and cities. The study lays out various pathways to improve water management, including mar- ket incentives to change how people use water, canal piping to eliminate seepage losses, and improving watering methods on farms. Tod Heisler, director of the Rivers Conservation Program at Central Oregon LandWatch, said the Deschutes Basin Study will help authorities identify water supply problems and create a range of innovative solutions. “It examines restoring sig- nificant flows to our rivers and creeks and the effects of doing so on agricultural water sup- ply,” said Heisler. “It also identi- fies the future water demand of Central Oregon’s growing cit- ies and how that water supply might be secured.” The 79-page study can be found in PDF form (www.usbr. gov/pn/studies/deschutes/fi- nalstudy.pdf) 4 injured after crash on Highway 97 in Bend A two-vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 97 in Bend on Friday night left four people injured, according to Oregon State Po- lice. Troopers arrived at the crash near milepost 141 at about 11 p.m. and found a Subaru Legacy, driven by Tomas Fra- ley, 25, of Bend, had traveled south when it crashed into a Jeep Grand Cherokee that was also traveling southbound, OSP said. The Jeep was driven by Ja- mie Carson-Clarkson, 45, of Bend, who had two passengers, Deanna Black, 58, of Califor- nia, and Brett Cold, 43, of Me- ridian, Idaho, OSP said. All four people involved in the crash were injured and transported to St. Charles Bend, OSP said. OSP is looking to talk with the occupants of a black pickup that was in the area at the time of the crash. The pickup stopped at the crash scene but continued south on the high- way before emergency person- nel arrived. Any witnesses are asked to call Oregon State Police at 800-442-0776 and ask for Sgt. Caleb Ratliff and reference case #SP21-099724. Artists relief fund hits halfway mark The Central Oregon Cre- ative Artist Relief Effort (CO CAREs) fund has reached $20,000 of its $40,000 fund- raising goal in just under two months. The fund — created by The Bulletin and Scalehouse Col- laborative for the Arts — puts money directly into the hands of artists, performers and mu- sicians in Central Oregon to help them through the corona- virus pandemic. The effort offers grants and a platform to bring attention to the talent that needs help to continue thriving in the Bend community. With the assistance of local sponsors and help from The Tower Theatre and KPOV community radio, CO CAREs is recognizing a different artist each week with a video on The Bulletin’s website and a promi- nent feature story in GO! Mag- azine. The House Concert videos feature the music of several lo- cal artists. The videos are sim- ilar to National Public Radio’s Tiny Desk Concerts or GO! Magazine’s Anatomy of a Song series. People can give tax-deduct- ible donations to the charity GoFundMe CO CAREs ac- count or to the featured artists’ independent accounts. Links with opportunities to donate or apply for a grant are available at the top of the webpage be- side the launch video describ- ing the effort. Other sponsors in the ef- fort include Brooks Resources, Robberson Ford, KPOV, the Tower Theatre, Amy Tykeson and Dr. John Teller. — Bulletin staff reports Hope Starts Here OTHER SERVICES Back issues ................................541-385-5800 Photo reprints .........................541-383-0366 Apply for a job ........................541-383-0340 All Bulletin payments are accepted at the drop box at City Hall or at The Bulletin, P.O. Box 6020, Bend, OR 97708. Check payments may be converted to an electronic funds transfer. The Bulletin, USPS #552-520, is published daily by Central Oregon Media Group, 320 SW Upper Terrace Drive, Bend, OR 97702. Periodicals postage paid at Bend, OR. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Bulletin circulation department, P.O. Box 6020, Bend, OR 97708. The Bulletin retains ownership and copyright protection of all staff-prepared news copy, advertising copy and news or ad illustrations. They may not be reproduced without explicit prior approval. Lottery results can now be found on the second page of Sports. MountainStar Family Relief Nursery Child Abuse Prevention mtstar.org | 541-322-6828 As U.S. mask mandates end, Oregon bucks trend with an indefinite rule BY SARA CLINE Associated Press/Report for America PORTLAND — As states around the coun- try lift COVID-19 restrictions, Oregon is poised to go the opposite direction — and many residents are fuming about it. A top health official is considering indefi- nitely extending rules requiring masks and so- cial distancing in all businesses in the state. The proposal would keep the rules in place until they are “no longer necessary to address the effects of the pandemic in the workplace.” Michael Wood, administrator of the state’s division of Occupational Safety and Health, said the move is necessary to address a techni- cality in state law that requires a “permanent” rule to keep current restrictions from expir- ing. “We are not out of the woods yet,” he said. But the idea has prompted a flood of an- gry responses, with everyone from parents to teachers to business owners and employees crying government overreach. Wood’s agency received a record number of public comments, mostly critical, and nearly 60,000 residents signed a petition against the proposal. ‘When will masks be unnecessary?’ Opponents also are upset government offi- cials won’t say how low Oregon’s COVID-19 case numbers must go, or how many people would have to be vaccinated, to get the require- ments lifted in a state that’s already had some of the nation’s strictest safety measures. “When will masks be unnecessary? What scientific studies do these mandates rely on, particularly now that the vaccine is days away from being available to everyone?” said state Sen. Kim Thatcher, a Republican from Keizer, near the state’s capital. “Businesses have had to play ‘mask cop’ for the better part of a year now. They deserve some certainty on when they will no longer be threatened with fines.” Jaime Valdez/PMG file Gov. Kate Brown wears her mask in public at a press event last year as the coronavirus raged. Wood said he is reviewing all the feedback to see if changes are needed before he makes a final decision by May 4, when the current rules lapse. Where mandates are being lifted Oregon has been among those with the country’s most stringent COVID-19 restric- tions and now stands in contrast with much of the rest of the nation as vaccines become more widely available. At least six states — Alabama, Iowa, Mis- sissippi, Montana, North Dakota and Texas — have lifted mask mandates, and some never implemented them. In Texas, businesses re- opened at 100% capacity last month. In January, Virginia became the first in the nation to enact permanent COVID-19 work- place safety and health rules. “While the end of this pandemic is finally in sight, the virus is still spreading — and now is not the time to let up on preventative mea- sures,” Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam said following the announcement. Besides mask and distancing requirements, Oregon’s proposal includes workplace rules regarding air flow, ventilation, employee noti- fication in case of an outbreak, and sanitation protocols. “Art is not what you see but what you make others see.” - Edgar Degas JEFF AND HEATHER THOMPSON 103 NW Oregon Ave. • Downtown Bend 541-306-3176 • redchairgallerybend.com Attention Parents of 2021 Grads! Help make some memories! The Bulletin is publishing a special Class of 2021 Graduation section on May 30 to celebrate graduating Central Oregon high school students. Enter a congratulatory message or a short biography along with a photo for just $25. Your messages will be grouped together by school and published in full color. Call The Bulletin Advertising Dept. for more information. 541-385-5809 Advertising deadline: Monday, May 17