A6 The BulleTin • Friday, april 30, 2021 Vaccine DEAR ABBY Write to Dear Abby online at dearabby.com or by mail at P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069 Dear Abby: I am a 48-year- old woman, divorced for 10 years. During that time, I have been in two serious re- lationships. I’m no prude, but it seems like everyone I date, and who my friends and I talk to, and articles I see are all about sex, having sex, rushing to sex. It’s like there’s no emphasis on actually get- ting to know a person any- more. I’d like to believe that sex is something people who are already emotionally intimate can share. But by the third date, sex is not only expected but considered “normal.” When I say that it’s too soon for me, I’m not called back for another date. If I do go forward with sex, I feel com- promised and cheapened when the “relationship” ends. These men didn’t take the time to actually know ME. Please understand. I’m ma- ture enough to handle this, but I’m deterred from dat- ing because of it. Are there any men out there who want a connection that isn’t just physical? — Not Connecting in Missouri Dear Not Connecting: Yes, there are. But in our hookup culture, it may take time to find them. I agree that we live in a sex-obsessed society, as we are constantly reminded in print, television, film and online media. Many men in your age group avoid emo- tional intimacy because they have been divorced and don’t want to quickly jump back into a committed relationship. It’s possible you might have better luck if you join activity groups in which the mem- bers have common interests besides running right off to the bedroom. You should never allow yourself to be coerced into doing anything you don’t feel ready for. Un- like what some people may believe, sex does not auto- matically go with the dinner. Dear Abby: My husband and I have been together for 10 years and were legally married a year ago. Our wed- ding was last-minute because my mother asked us to move the date up and make it hap- pen fast. We obliged because she was very sick at the time, and we put the wedding to- gether in nine days. The cer- emony was beautiful. My mother passed away days later. It is obvious to me now that she knew she was termi- nal; however, I did not. Since the date of her death is so close to our anniversary, it’s a very emotional and hard time for me. I would prefer to celebrate on a different day, perhaps the anniversary of our first date. My husband tells me that while he under- stands it’s hard for me, the date of our legal ceremony is important to him and wor- thy of celebration. I just don’t feel much like celebrating. Al- though I know it’s not fair to him, all I want to do is mourn the loss of my mother. How should I handle this? — Bittersweet Memories in Florida Dear Bittersweet: A com- promise is in order. Explain again to your husband that because you lost your mother only a year ago, and this will be the first anniversary after her death, you would prefer to either forgo a celebration this year or celebrate on a dif- ferent date. Assure him that your sadness will lessen even- tually, and when it does, you will be fine celebrating your wedding anniversary with him in the future. YOUR HOROSCOPE By Madalyn Aslan Stars show the kind of day you’ll have DYNAMIC | POSITIVE | AVERAGE | SO-SO | DIFFICULT HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 2021: Reliable, sen- sual and solid, it takes time to adjust to change. This year, you step up your pace and use untapped resources to tackle challenges. Your ability to stick to a task until it’s done will gain the appreciation of those who matter. Money will flow, and you can even take a much-need vacation. If single, satisfy your need for affection. If attached, remember to get physical. ARIES is active. ARIES (March 21-April 19) Grappling with an intellectually challenging problem brings you hidden benefits. Your need to know will open doors to new discoveries about the world, and yourself. Try a new ethnic restaurant on the other side of town. Tonight: Consider an online seminar. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Deeper answers are the only ones that satisfy you. If you want to know what someone is thinking, don’t be afraid to ask. No one really wants to keep you guessing. Say something self-revealing. Tonight: Binge watch a mystery series. Continued from A1 “If it’s convenient, they’re more likely to take advantage of the opportunity,” he said. These clinics are starting as about 5% of the Bend-La Pine Schools student body is quar- antining due to being in close contact with fellow students who caught COVID-19. In the past 28 days, 95 students and staff members in Bend-La Pine have tested positive, according to the district. Newer COVID-19 vari- ants are more likely to affect younger people, which is why this mass effort to vaccinate lo- cal teens is important, Noyes said. “I think it’s excellent timing,” he said. Teens are by far the low- est-vaccinated group in De- schutes County. As of April 18, only 4% of residents age 19 or younger had received a single dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to county data. The vaccines are only approved for those 16 and older. In comparison, about 25% of Deschutes County residents in their early 20s had received a vaccine dose. The Bend High School vaccine clinic, located in the school’s second gym, looked like a miniature version of the large vaccine clinic at the De- schutes County fairgrounds. Seven students at a time could be vaccinated in the par- titioned vaccination section of the gym. If students were ner- Cases High school vaccine clinic schedule This is a list of all the planned high school-based COVID-19 vaccination clinics in Central Oregon. The first date listed for each school is for first doses, and the second date is for second doses. High schoolers ages 16 and older who attend lo- cal private schools, charter schools or alternative/mag- net schools can attend the clinic nearest to them. Every location will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., except Sis- ters, which will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. • Bend High School: May 20 • Mountain View High School: May 4 and May 25 • Crook County High School: May 4 and May 25 • La Pine High School: May 6 and May 27 • Summit High School: May 6 and May 27 • Redmond High School: May 7 and May 26 • Ridgeview High School: May 11 and June 1 • Sisters High School: May 13 and June 3 vous before receiving their shot, behavioral health supervisor Lindsey Overstreet was present to help calm them down. Students could be eased by taking deep breaths, pick- ing a point on the wall and in- tently focusing on it, or being reminded of the reasons why they’re getting vaccinated. “Most of us have a natural instinct to be reluctant to get poked,” Overstreet said. Before students left, they could take a selfie or pose for a photo in front of a large ban- ner reading “I Got The Shot” alongside the a collage of the Bend High School logo in many pastel colors. Thursday morning, across Ninth Street from the high school in front of First Presby- terian Church of Bend, a group of anti-vaccine protestors were yelling at students. Morgan Schmidt, an associ- ate pastor at First Presbyterian, said church staff was unaware that the protesters would park in their lot, and didn’t condone it. “We support everyone in their decision to get the COVID vaccine,” she said. “To have anti-vaxxers hassling kids on their way to school is not who we are.” Schmidt said she asked the protesters to move their cars from the church’s private park- ing lot, but they refused. She declined to repeat what the protesters told her, but she said they were hostile. Schmidt then called the po- lice, and protesters began to scatter once officers arrived, she said. Before police arrived, church staff and Bend High School ad- ministrators helped students who parked in the church lot cross Ninth Street safely, while protesters yelled at them. “For kids to feel at all un- Walk-up vaccinations available Continued from A1 “This is a significant surge, and the number of positive cases and hospitalizations in the region only continue to rise,” said Dr. Jeff Absalon, chief physician executive for St. Charles Health System. “We’re encouraging people to heed the necessary steps to stop the spread of the virus, including getting vaccinated. Reviewing our data, we can clearly see this surge — while serious — is less severe than it would have been without the vaccine.” Deschutes County’s skyrock- eting COVID-19 case counts are impacting its schools, too. As of Wednesday, 5% — or about 700 — of students in Bend-La Pine Schools were in quarantine after being exposed. On Thursday, all students Tree removal Continued from A1 The tree removal program, being carried out by several contractors monitored by the Florida-based disaster recov- ery firm CDR Maguire, has al- Walk-up COVID-19 vaccine appointments will be offered Saturday between noon and 2 p.m. at the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center. First-dose appointments will only be offered at the mass vaccination clinic through the end of next week. Operations will continue through the end of May to complete second-dose appointments. Residents can choose a convenient time and schedule a vaccine appointment directly by visiting centraloregoncovidvaccine.com. Preregistration for vaccine appointments is no longer required. at Sisters high and middle schools were sent back to on- line distance learning, after school officials discovered two high schoolers tested positive for COVID-19, according to Superintendent Curt Scholl. Those students had close con- tact with middle school stu- dents, he said. “When we got that informa- tion, we needed to make sure we didn’t have greater expo- sure, so we asked our kids for a pause today until we could do more extensive contact trac- ing,” Scholl said Thursday. “We didn’t want to make it worse today.” After school staff conducted contact tracing, Sisters school officials decided to place be- tween 20 to 25 middle and high school students in quarantine, Scholl said. The rest of the schools’ students will return to in-person school on Monday, as the district’s current schedule ready removed some 29,000. But a growing number of arborists, landowners and en- vironmental advocates are concerned that CDR Maguire is mismanaging the tree-re- moval program. They also say the state is failing to oversee the firm, which was hired un- der a $70 million contract to monitor the logging and de- bris removal and ensure the state is reimbursed by the Fed- eral Emergency Management safe on church property is not something we’re OK with,” Schmidt said. Before the school vaccine clinics began, Bend-La Pine School Board members re- ceived hundreds of angry emails from anti-vaccine ac- tivists, said board member Ju- lie Craig. Most had the exact same, copy-and-paste wording, but a few were especially nasty, she said. Board member Carrie McPherson Douglass shared emails with The Bulletin that called the school board Nazis for allowing vaccine clinics in the schools. “… if my child is harmed in anyway I will exact cruel and inhuman revenge,” one email stated. “Mothers don’t f*** around. You do not have per- mission to medicate or vacci- nate our children without our permission, you Nazis.” In the state of Oregon, teens age 15 and older can agree to medical services — including immunization — without pa- rental consent, according to the Oregon Health Authority. During the Bend-La Pine School Board work session meeting Tuesday, Craig said she was furious about these hostile anti-vaccine emails. “I’m frankly so done with it,” she said. “I’m so disappointed in community members who feel that is the best way to try and have a conversation, when they don’t agree with some- thing that we’re doing.” e Reporter: 541-617-7854, jhogan@bendbulletin.com doesn’t have in-person classes on Fridays. All of this comes on the eve of Deschutes County entering into the extreme risk category for the second time since De- cember. Nearly all the local COVID-19 cases, Emerson said, are coming from individu- als who are not fully vaccinated. “We are seeing school-aged children do a great job of wear- ing masks at school and being more relaxed about precau- tions at things like after-school activities, carpooling and so- cial activities,” Emerson said. “We continue to see significant spread from social activities where people aren’t masking or distancing. Masks, distance, so- cializing outdoors and vaccines are the best tools to prevent spread.” e Reporter: 541-633-2117, sroig@bendbulletin.com Agency. The work is ultimately funded largely by the federal government, with 75% of it el- igible for reimbursement by FEMA. GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Make it a point to spend quality downtime with one special person. Whether you pick up a warm meal or cook comfort food at home, it’s the company that matters. Romance is in the air. Tonight: Share your heart. CANCER (June 21-July 22) Examine your work routine and make sure you’re putting your full effort into an important project. If you want it, a career move could be in the offing. Later, take care of an almost-forgotten bill. Tonight: Take a brisk walk. Indulge in Self Care LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Meet our Specialists A frantic co-worker needs your organization skills. Use your sense of humor to defuse a tense work situation. Look past petty annoyances and know there’s enough love for everybody. Your compassionate side always shines through. Tonight: Watch a dark comedy. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Your family life needs more attention. A relative could complain to you about someone you both struggle to love. Suggest diplomatic strategies to make everyone less prone to hostility. Plan a getaway vacation with your bestie. Tonight: Seek your muse. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) Speak up and tell people they need to do their part. Holding in your frustration is only going to lead to trouble later on. 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