The BulleTin • Wednesday, april 21, 2021 A7
Risk
DEAR ABBY
Write to Dear Abby online at dearabby.com
or by mail at P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069
Dear Abby: My husband
and I have had a total of six
miscarriages — one before
our miracle son and five
since we began trying for a
second child more than two
years ago.
I always wanted a boat-
load of children, but my hus-
band and I agreed on two
before we got married. Now
he wants to call it quits. He
doesn’t want to keep trying
because he sees the emotional
toll each loss has on me. I
want to get a second opinion
from a fertility specialist who
helped a friend with similar
issues.
The only way I know how
to describe the way I feel is
that it feels as though “some-
one” is missing from our
family. I ache and long for
and miss that person, even
though I’ve never met them.
I know deep in my soul that
they are supposed to be here.
Missing them doesn’t mean
I love my husband and son
any less. But as much as I love
those two, I also miss that
person. What should my hus-
band and I do?
— Challenged in Texas
Dear Challenged: Please
accept my heartfelt sympa-
thy. Clearly you have been
through a wrenching time,
and your loving husband
is reluctant to see you con-
tinue to suffer as you have
been. You and your husband
should talk to the fertility
specialist who helped your
friend. However, if more
treatment is unsuccessful, it
will be time for you to seek a
referral to a licensed psycho-
therapist who can help you
cope with your disappoint-
ment and loss.
Because you can’t escape
the feeling that someone is
missing, perhaps you might
consider using a surrogate,
fostering or adopting a child
who needs a loving home and
family.
Dear Abby: I have been
single for almost three years.
I recently started dating a
man who, I have realized
over the past few weeks, has
a problem with me spend-
ing time with friends without
him. I have explained that it
is a healthy and normal thing
to have friends and to go do
things with them. I have ex-
plained that he has nothing
to worry about because I am
respectful of our relationship
and a faithful girlfriend. I
have also begun to notice that
he has no friends.
I have told him he is com-
ing across as controlling. I
don’t want this to be a prob-
lem with him, and I don’t
know how to get him to see
that it’s normal for people to
go and have fun as friends.
My friends are classmates
of mine, both male and fe-
male, and younger than I am.
One of them is gay. I have
explained that as well to my
boyfriend. Am I overthinking
this as a potential problem or
is this truly a red flag?
— Catching It Now in California
Dear Catching It: You are
not overthinking anything,
and yes, this is a red flag —
not a potential one. The per-
son you have described ap-
pears to be so insecure that
any activity you have that
doesn’t include him is per-
ceived as a threat. The longer
you remain involved with
this person, the harder he
will try to socially isolate you.
Please do not allow that to
happen. End it now.
Continued from A1
Brown said the waivers
were possible because of ad-
vances in vaccination numbers
and a drop in severe cases of
COVID-19, along with fewer
deaths. But she said new vari-
ants that are able to morph
inside infected bodies could
prove a future challenge. Some
of the variants have been
shown to be more contagious
and lethal than the version that
appeared in the United States
early last year.
“As we face more contagious
variants and increased spread
of COVID-19 in our commu-
nities, the best way to protect
yourself and others is to get
vaccinated,” Brown said. “Until
you, your family, your friends,
and your neighbors are fully
vaccinated, it’s also critical that
we all continue to wear masks,
maintain physical distance,
and stay home when sick.”
The new risk list that goes
into effect Friday has no coun-
ties at extreme risk, 23 at high
risk, three at moderate risk and
10 at lower risk.
The levels are determined by
the measure of new cases, cases
per 100,000 people and posi-
tive test rates. As the levels rise,
so does the severity of limits on
activities, events, dining, and
shopping.
But a mandate from Brown
is keeping 11 counties from go-
ing into the extreme-risk cat-
egory even if the county level
data suggests they should be.
On April 6 she ordered that no
county be put in extreme risk
if the statewide number of hos-
pitalized COVID-19 patients
remained under 300 and didn’t
rise by more than 15% in a
week.
With 25% of state resi-
Tax
Continued from A1
YOUR HOROSCOPE
By Madalyn Aslan
Stars show the kind of day you’ll have
DYNAMIC | POSITIVE | AVERAGE | SO-SO | DIFFICULT
HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21, 2021:
Practical, stubborn and compassionate, opportunities follow you wherever
you go. This year, you contribute your unique talents to a day job or a cre-
ative venture after hours. Do what you love and make time for it all without
shortchanging friends and family. Money flows steadily, though watch for
unexpected expenses. If single, get involved with groups. If attached, let
your partner take you out of your comfort zone. LEO is assertive.
ARIES (March 21-April 19) 5
Your playful mood might spill over into making jokes and wise-
cracks at inopportune moments. You can’t play hooky, so keep your mind
focused. When the workday ends, scoot out the door and do something
physical. Tonight: Takeout from your favorite restaurant.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
Reconnect with relatives you have not seen in awhile. Mend fences
and move forward from disagreements that resulted in stretches of silence.
Invite them to your neck of the woods. Ask children and grandchildren for
tips on social media. Tonight: True crime docuseries.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20)
Pace yourself to make time for networking events. These online
gatherings are important due to contacts you acquire. Let family know that
you might be missing in action. Reassure them that you will make it up to
them. Tonight: Play word games.
CANCER (June 21-July 22)
Investing in home improvements and renovations are long overdue.
Take advantage of your stable financial situation. The desire for a comfort-
able living space where you can invite family and friends to stay over can
now take shape. Tonight: School reunion planning.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
Continue to research obscure subjects even if friends are baffled. Seek
out likeminded people who share your passion and are interested in what
you have to say. Come out of the woodwork and get noticed. Tonight: Learn
a meditation technique.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
Focus on your creative expression. Value “me” time so you can prac-
tice and maintain discipline. Family and friends will respect your privacy. The
more confident you become, the more likely you can show others what you
produced. Tonight: Time for love.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
Explore forming your own business. You can be your own boss and
promote ideas or products that you care about. Exchange ideas with friends
who speak from their own experience. You could find a partner. Tonight:
Walk in the park.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
Unexpected career opportunities arise. A group with exciting ideas
could ask to join your team or ask you to be part of theirs. This will lead you
in a direction that has permanent possibilities. Tonight: Air concerns to loved
ones.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
Catch up on reading material. Make a list of classics you always
wanted to read. Go to the library or purchase a paperback or e-book you can
view on your device. Publish your thoughts on a blog. Tonight: Watch a game
show.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
Check your financial statements thoroughly. An automatic charge
you meant to cancel may still appear. Straighten that out and cut down on
other unnecessary subscriptions and products. Enter a fun contest that tests
your brain power. Tonight: Home-cooked meal.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Mark off dates for a much-needed getaway with your partner or
group of friends. Find a place you can explore together and laugh at each
other’s jokes. If you start researching now, you may find wonderful deals.
Tonight: Purchase workout gear.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)
Allergies or lack of sleep could make you feel under the weather.
Take it easy today and avoid strenuous activities. If the weather permits, walk
among greenery, enjoy the sunshine and breathe fresh air. Tonight: New
music for your playlist.
Historically, that has meant
things like a convention cen-
ter — a physical structure that
would, in theory, bring people
to town, said Carolyn Eagan,
the city’s economic develop-
ment director.
But years of conversation
around how transient room
tax dollars should be spent has
shifted, with more commu-
nities arguing that it’s not just
convention centers or sports
complexes that bring tourism
to an area, Eagan said. For the
Oregon Coast, it’s the beach.
In Bend that often means
trails or outdoor recreation
areas.
“We don’t necessarily need a
convention center,” Eagan said
Tuesday. “We do need trail
maintenance, and we do need
better parking facilities.”
This effort from the tour-
ism industry to have more
money go toward maintaining
tourism facilities is somewhat
recent in Bend. While other
cities have allowed this money
to go toward this purpose for
years, Bend’s tourism industry
advocated to keep this reve-
nue toward promotion alone
when the transient room tax
legislation was first adopted in
2003, Eagan said.
This was in part because a
leader of the industry at the
time, who owned the River-
house Convention Center, did
not want competition, Eagan
said. But now, with new own-
ership at The Riverhouse, as
well as a significant increase
in the number of people us-
ing Bend’s surrounding trail
systems, the conversation has
changed.
The city receives roughly
$10 million in transient room
tax revenue, Eagan said. Ac-
cording to state law, 70% of it
goes to the city’s general fund
to pay for things like police or
firefighters. The other $3 mil-
lion is reserved for tourism re-
lated purposes.
Because the Bend Park &
Recreation District maintains
trails within the city limits, the
improvements would likely
focus more on areas right out-
side of Bend, Eagan said.
The idea is that at least a
portion of that $3 million
could go toward the upkeep or
improvement of high-use rec-
reational areas like Phil’s Trail
or the Tumalo Falls Trailhead,
said Kevney Dugan, the CEO
of the tourism agency Visit
Bend.
While the tourism industry
hasn’t heard a large number
of complaints about the con-
Risk-level designations for Oregon counties beginning April 23
LOWER RISK (10)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Gilliam
Grant
Harney
Lake
Malheur
Morrow
Sherman
Union (moved from
moderate)
• Wallowa
• Wheeler
MODERATE RISK (3)
from moderate)
•
Coos
• Curry (moved from high)
•
Crook*
(moved from
• Hood River (moved
lower)
from lower)
• Deschutes*
• Umatilla
• Douglas
HIGH RISK (23)
• Jackson*
• Baker* (moved from
• Jefferson (moved from
lower)
lower)
• Benton
• Josephine*
• Clackamas*
• Klamath*
• Clatsop (moved from
• Lane (moved from
moderate)
lower)
• Columbia* (moved
• Lincoln
•
•
•
•
Linn*
Marion*
Multnomah
Polk* (moved from
moderate)
• Tillamook
• Wasco (moved from
lower)
• Washington (moved
from moderate)
• Yamhill (moved from
lower)
EXTREME RISK (0)*
*This county qualifies for extreme risk but is placed at High Risk because the statewide hospitalization trigger
for Extreme Risk was not met.
“As we face more contagious variants and increased spread
of COVID-19 in our communities, the best way to protect
yourself and others is to get vaccinated.”
— Gov. Kate Brown
dents immunized, including
75% of those 70 and older, the
upswing in infections hasn’t
always been followed by in-
creases in hospitalizations and
deaths.
The Oregon Health Author-
ity reported Tuesday that 270
people are hospitalized with
COVID-19 in Oregon, below
the threshold.
That means residents of the
11 counties don’t have to go all
the way back to the harshest
curbs of the pandemic. They
top out at the rules associated
with the high-risk level.
Under an earlier plan ad-
opted by Brown, counties that
moved to a lower risk level
only to boomerang back up
were held at the lower level
of restrictions and given two
weeks to get their virus num-
bers back down.
Three Eastern Oregon
counties were listed at risk
levels lower than their num-
bers would suggest: Umatilla
County will remain at mod-
erate risk instead of moving
to high risk. Grant County
will stay at lower risk instead
of high risk. Malheur County
will stay at lower risk instead of
moderate risk.
Brown’s cap only extends
to the extreme level. Seven
counties moved from either
lower or moderate to high. All
will have to follow the stricter
guidelines that go with their
new risk-level status.
Amid the stampede of coun-
ties moving to higher risk lev-
els, two were exceptions, with
dition of popular areas like
these, it is agreed that it is im-
portant to be proactive, Du-
gan said.
“One of the things
COVID-19 has done is driven
more people to outdoor rec-
reation,” he said. “COVID in
some ways has enlightened
the need to take this step, and
think about what the tourism
facilities are in Bend and how
we invest in them.”
It would be structured so
organizations like the Central
Oregon Trail Alliance, Dis-
cover Your Forest and other
nonprofits could apply for the
dropping infection numbers
leading to a drop in restric-
tions. Curry County went from
high to moderate, while Union
County stepped down from
moderate to low.
The rising county numbers
reflect statewide statistics. Or-
egon recorded 8,276 cases be-
tween April 4 and April 17.
The statewide measure of cases
per 100,000 residents is 195.4
and the test positivity rate is
5.1%
For comparison, if Oregon
were a county, it would be on
the lip between high and ex-
treme risk levels. For larger
counties, 200 cases and above
per 100,000 people is the trig-
ger for an extreme-level rat-
ing. The test positivity is just
slightly above the highest rate
the state has said will keep the
infection rate flat.
The next risk level adjust-
ment will be announced May 4
and take effect May 7.
Updates are posted to
coronavirus.oregon.gov.
e
gwarner@eomediagroup.com
money for specific projects,
Dugan said. The community
would have a voice in what
projects get funded.
The City Council is ex-
pected to vote on this ordi-
nance at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
e
Reporter: 541-633-2160,
bvisser@bendbulletin.com