A8 THE BULLETIN • FRIDAY, APRIL 23, 2021
TODAY
Jobs
FTC
Today is Friday, April 23, the
113th day of 2021. There are 252
days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On April 23, 1969, Sirhan Sirhan
was sentenced to death for
assassinating New York Sen.
Robert F. Kennedy. (The sen-
tence was later reduced to life
imprisonment.)
In 1616 (Old Style calendar),
English poet and dramatist
William Shakespeare died in
Stratford-upon-Avon on what
has traditionally been regarded
as the 52nd anniversary of his
birth in 1564.
In 1789, President-elect George
Washington and his wife,
Martha, moved into the first
executive mansion, the Franklin
House, in New York.
In 1898, Spain declared war
on the United States, which re-
sponded in kind two days later.
In 1940, about 200 people died
in the Rhythm Night Club Fire in
Natchez, Mississippi.
In 1943, U.S. Navy Lt. (jg) John
F. Kennedy assumed command
of PT-109, a motor torpedo boat,
in the Solomon Islands during
World War II.
In 1954, Hank Aaron of the Mil-
waukee Braves hit the first of his
755 major-league home runs in
a game against the St. Louis Car-
dinals. (The Braves won, 7-5.)
In 1987, 28 construction workers
were killed when an apartment
complex being built in Bridge-
port, Connecticut, suddenly
collapsed.
In 1988, a federal ban on smok-
ing during domestic airline
flights of two hours or less went
into effect.
In 1993, labor leader Cesar
Chavez died in San Luis, Arizona,
at age 66.
In 1996, a civil court jury in The
Bronx, New York, ordered Bern-
hard Goetz to pay $43 million to
Darrell Cabey, one of four young
men he’d shot on a subway car
in 1984.
In 1998, James Earl Ray, who
confessed to assassinating the
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and
then insisted he’d been framed,
died at a Nashville, Tennessee,
hospital at age 70.
In 2005, the recently created
video-sharing website YouTube
uploaded its first clip, “Me at the
Zoo,” which showed YouTube
co-founder Jawed Karim stand-
ing in front of an elephant enclo-
sure at the San Diego Zoo.
Ten years ago: Yemen’s em-
battled president, Ali Abdullah
Saleh, agreed to a proposal by
Gulf Arab mediators to step
down within 30 days and hand
power to his deputy in exchange
for immunity from prosecution.
Five years ago: A confident
Donald Trump told supporters
in Bridgeport, Connecticut, that
he was not changing his pitch to
voters, a day after his chief advis-
er assured Republican officials
their party’s front-runner would
show more restraint.
One year ago: New data
showed unemployment in the
U.S. swelling to levels last seen
during the Great Depression of
the 1930s, with 1 in 6 American
workers thrown out of a job
by the coronavirus; more than
4.4 million laid-off workers had
applied for unemployment
benefits in the preceding week.
At a White House briefing,
President Donald Trump noted
that researchers were looking
at the effects of disinfectants on
the coronavirus, and wondered
aloud whether they could be
injected into people.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor Alan
Oppenheimer is 91. Actor David
Birney is 82. Actor Lee Majors is
82. Hockey Hall of Famer Tony
Esposito is 78. Irish nationalist
Bernadette Devlin McAliskey
is 74. Actor Blair Brown is 74.
Writer-director Paul Brickman
is 72. Actor Joyce DeWitt is 72.
Actor James Russo is 68. Film-
maker-author Michael Moore is
67. Actor Judy Davis is 66. Actor
Valerie Bertinelli is 61. Actor
Craig Sheffer is 61. Actor-co-
median-talk show host George
Lopez is 60. U.S. Olympic gold
medal skier Donna Weinbrecht
is 56. Actor Melina Kanakaredes
is 54. Rock musician Stan Frazier
(Sugar Ray) is 53. Actor Scott
Bairstow is 51. Actor-writer John
Lutz is 48. Actor Barry Watson is
47. Professional wrestler/actor
John Cena is 44. Actor-writer-co-
median John Oliver is 44. Actor
Kal Penn is 44. Retired MLB All-
Star Andruw Jones is 44. Actor
Jaime King is 42. Pop singer Taio
Cruz is 38. Actor Aaron Hill is 38.
Actor Jesse Lee Soffer is 37. Actor
Rachel Skarsten is 36. Actor
Dev Patel is 31. Actor Matthew
Underwood is 31. Model Gigi
Hadid is 26. Tennis player Ash-
leigh Barty is 25. U.S. Olympic
gold medal snowboarder Chloe
Kim is 21.
Continued from A7
Continued from A7
Businesses of all sizes are
struggling with hiring even
with millions of Americans
unemployed and as increasing
numbers of people get vacci-
nated and look forward to a
more normal life. A Census
survey taken in late March
shows that 6.3 million didn’t
seek work because they had to
care for a child, and 4.1 million
said they feared contracting or
spreading the virus.
But smaller companies that
often can’t offer pay and bene-
fits as generous as larger com-
panies have a tougher time.
“A shortage of talent is
nothing new for small busi-
nesses, but the circumstances
surrounding this shortage
are entirely different,” said Jill
Chapman, a consultant with
Insperity, a human resources
provider.
The National Federation of
Independent Business found
in a March survey of its own
members that 42% had job
openings they couldn’t fill.
Owners cited higher unem-
ployment benefits as one fac-
tor. And a study released last
month by the National Bureau
of Economic Research found
that a 10% increase in unem-
ployment benefits during the
pandemic led to a 3.6% drop in
job applications.
“Unemployment benefits al-
low workers to be able to wait
longer before they take a job,
which can make hiring harder,”
said Ioana Marinescu, a Uni-
versity of Pennsylvania profes-
sor who co-authored the study.
Companies whose work is
done inside homes — includ-
ing plumbers, contractors and
“If the Commission be-
lieves that authority too
cumbersome or otherwise
inadequate, it is, of course,
free to ask Congress to grant
it further remedial author-
ity. Indeed, the Commission
has recently asked Congress
for that very authority.”
The acting FTC chair-
woman, Rebecca Kelly
Slaughter, issued a scathing
statement in response to
the decision. Slaughter said
the court “ruled in favor of
scam artists and dishonest
corporations, leaving aver-
age Americans to pay for
illegal behavior. With this
ruling, the Court has de-
prived the FTC of the stron-
gest tool we had to help
consumers when they need
it most.”
She called on Congress
“to act swiftly to restore and
strengthen the powers of
the agency so we can make
wronged consumers whole.”
The FTC accused Scott
Tucker of Leawood, Kan-
sas, of using his payday loan
companies to deceive con-
sumers across the United
States and illegally charge
them undisclosed and in-
flated fees.
Tucker is a former Amer-
ican Le Mans Series cham-
pion who, according to
prosecutors, used proceeds
from the lending business
to finance a professional
auto racing team.
In a separate criminal
case, Tucker was sentenced
in 2018 to more than 16
years in prison on fraud and
other charges.
— Associated Press
Hannah Albert via AP
Braised in the South, a Johns Island, South Carolina, restaurant and food truck business, is having trou-
ble finding workers during the pandemic. Many small businesses find hiring more difficult because many
would-be staffers fear contracting COVID-19 on the job or would prefer to live off unemployment benefits.
pest control businesses — find
many prospective hires are
afraid of contracting the virus
on a job.
Meanwhile, demand for
their services is up because
there’s more wear and tear on
houses and apartments as peo-
ple spend more time at home.
Economist Joe Brusuelas
said child care is another issue
that may extend owners’ strug-
gles to find workers.
“Until the schools are re-
opened and avenues of child
care normalized, small firms
in general, as well as food, bev-
erage, leisure and hospitality,
in particular, are going to face
staffing challenges until later
this fall at the earliest,” said
Brusuelas, chief economist
with the consulting firm RSM.
Jillian Melton was laid off
from a Seasons 52 restaurant
in Memphis, Tennessee, when
the pandemic shut the restau-
rant down. Melton, who had
worked at the restaurant for
seven years, can’t work a regu-
lar schedule; she has three chil-
dren at home from school and
she’s caring for her 93-year-old
grandmother. Babysitters and
nurses are in short supply.
Melton said employers need
to understand that many work-
ers have compromised im-
mune systems or limited avail-
ability because schools and day
care centers are closed. Some
people, upended by the pan-
demic, are just looking for new
lines of work, she said.
“All of it is just a hot mess,”
she said.
Revenue is down 30% at
Filter King, based in Miami.
Demand for air filters is jump-
ing as people work from home
and run their air conditioners
more, but owners Mike Jacob
and Rick Hoskins need to dou-
ble their staff of 20 to keep up
with orders.
But even when people are
willing to work, Filter King is
at a disadvantage compared to
companies that can pay more,
Jacob said. He’s lost staffers
and candidates to a competi-
tor funded by a venture capital
firm.
OBITUARY
Produce
Continued from A7
“But I also think people are
just really tuned into health
right now,” she said.
Moving into the second
quarter of 2021, as pandemic
closures ease up and restau-
rants reopen, the Organic Pro-
duce Network report said it’s
not yet clear how quickly con-
sumers will return to pre-pan-
demic purchasing behaviors.
“Sales of organic fresh pro-
duce continue to be a major
growth opportunity for retail-
ers across the country,” Matt
Seeley, CEO of Organic Pro-
duce Network, said in a state-
ment. “At the same time, as the
country enters a post-COVID
environment, with restaurants
reopening and other foodser-
vice options available, it ap-
pears the double-digit growth
rate will be slowing.”
Organic certifiers continue
to predict more farms will en-
ter the organic space, and Ag-
riculture Secretary Tom Vil-
sack said the U.S. Department
of Agriculture will be looking
at ways to make the transition
from conventional to organic
production easier.
Look for Central Oregon events and add your own
bendbulletin.com/events
Gary W. Hibbard
November 1942 - April 2021
Gary William Hibbard, devoted husband, loving son,
and encouraging friend, passed away on April 3,
2021. He was 78.
Gary, originally from Pasadena, California
and his wife Janet K. Mullert, originally
from Bangkok, Thailand, have been Bend
residents since 2003, when the couple
reti red.
Gary, the son of Patricia McNamee
Hibbard of Altadena, California and
William Fleming Hibbard of South
Pasadena, California, graduated from
Pasadena High School in 1960, then went
on to Pasadena City College, before earning
his Bachelors of Science degree in Business
Administrati on from Woodbury College, Los
Angeles, California in 1965.
During the Vietnam War, Gary went to work for Pan
American Airways/Department of Defense, and became the Airport Manager for Pan
Am handling R&R fl ights for our GI’s in DaNang, Vietnam. His rank was Major and was
awarded the Outstanding Service Award from General Westmorland.
OBITUARY
Aft er Vietnam, Gary att ended Thunderbird Graduate School of Internati onal
Management in Glendale, Arizona, where he received his Bachelors of Internati onal
Management degree. A year later he earned his Masters in Internati onal Management
with a major in Internati onal Finance.
Jonathan Michael Seefeld
It was while earning his master’s that Gary met Janet Mullert, and a month later both
knew they’d found “the one.” Shortly aft er graduati on, Gary and Janet were married,
and began what would become a nearly 51-year partnership and friendship.
April 28, 1989 - February 13, 2021
John Seefeld, of
Bend, Oregon, died
on Saturday February
13, surrounded by
many loved ones.
In the comfort of
his own home - he
passed
peacefully
at the young age of
31, aft er an arduous
batt le with testi cular
cancer.
John was born on April 28, 1989 in Riverside,
California. He grew up in Bullhead City, Arizona
and Bend, Oregon. In 2000, during middle school
advisory, he fi rst met his one-day, future high-
school sweetheart, Jennifer Seefeld. They married
on March 27, 2014 in celebrati on with close
family and friends. Together they welcomed one
beauti ful daughter into this world - Julia; John
excelled at parenti ng because of his love for her!
If it required hands and tools to build, John could
do it! He loved wood working and custom home
building, especially when working as a framer.
John returned to waiti ng arms of his grandmother,
Beverly who passed November 2013.
John is survived by his spouse Jennifer, his
daughter Julia, his litt le brother Brandon, his
mother Brenda, his grandfather LeRoy, and his
Aunt and Uncle - Rebecca and Shawn.
A celebrati on of life will be held on Saturday April
24, 2021 at the Pilot Butt e cemetery in Bend,
Oregon.
“He lights up a room, has this giggle sort of laugh, quick witt y humor and is always
making up jokes,’ says Janet fondly.
In 1970, Gary accepted a job with G.D. Searle & Co. of Skokie, Illinois, a well respected
pharmaceuti cal company founded in 1888. His fi rst job was assistant to the President of
G.D. Searle Internati onal, and he soon ascended to the positi on of Marketi ng Manager
for G.D. Searle Philippines, so the couple moved to Manila. A short while later Gary was
promoted to Country Manager for G.D. Searle Thailand, the couple began yet another
internati onal adventure —Thailand, Janet’s former home.
Aft er Thailand, Gary and Janet moved back to the United States and eventually sett led
in Honolulu, Hawaii, where Gary spent 27 years with Procter & Gamble as Manager
Pharmaceuti cals for Hawaii, unti l 2003 when Gary reti red and the couple moved to
sunny Bend, Oregon.
Earlier in his life, Gary played many sports beginning with baseball as a pitcher with
the Pasadena litt le league team, before trying his hand at tennis, golf, snow skiing and
water skiing. In Hawaii, Gary and Janet sailed Hobie Cats, small sailing catamarans, and
also fi shed and water skied. Gary, always up for an adventure, hunted in New Zealand
and fi shed in Canada.
Gary’s lifelong hobby: cars. When in Hawaii he had sports cars and even moved to Bend
with a Porsche, yet with the snow, soon switched to SUVs.
“He got a new car every two years, the last one around his birthday, just last November,”
explained Janet. “It’s kind of big for litt le ole me, but maybe I’ll drive it.”
Gary will be remembered by family and friends for his smile, his infecti ous laugh, the
way he “cracked jokes,” also for his loyalty. He was a friends-for-life kind of guy.
“Gary was wonderful, senti mental and caring. He enjoyed people and stayed in touch
with friends and relati ves unti l the end.”
“I talked to Gary just a couple weeks ago,” was a common refrain at Gary’s celebrati on
of life.
One friend thought for a moment and gave “jolly” as the best descriptor for Gary’s
manner.
Gary is survived by his wife, Janet, many cousins and his beloved dog Jesse. He is resti ng
in peace at Mountain View Mausoleum in Altadena, California.
We miss you Gary, your contagious laugh, how you were always there for us.