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INSIDE
SPORTS PULLOUT, A5-8
Bend-La Pine
CITY BUDGET
Bend plans
for a more
stable future
after a year
of instability
READY FOR
Schools
cut hours
amid
COVID-19
upswing
MARKET
MANIA?
Farmers market season kicks off in Central Oregon
BY BRENNA VISSER
The Bulletin
After a year of pandem-
ic-related uncertainty, the
city of Bend is counting on
a return to normalcy with a
proposed two-year budget
that’s nearly a billion dollars.
About a year ago, the city
was anticipating up to an $8
million shortfall due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, and
cut 37 vacant positions as a
cost saving measure.
But the impacts have not
been nearly as severe as city
staff once feared, leaving
room to reinstate those po-
sitions, as well as add new
ones, in this proposed bud-
get, according to a budget
summary issued by the city.
“Overall these revenues
are coming in stronger than
predicted,” City Manager
Eric King wrote in the bud-
get summary. “The 2021-
2023 proposed budget as-
sumes the majority of the
COVID-19 impacted reve-
nues return to pre-pandemic
levels or higher.”
The proposed budget,
which was publicly intro-
duced to the City Council on
Wednesday, is $919.4 million,
a 3% increase over the previ-
ous budget. Of that budget,
$395 million accounts for the
city’s operating revenue that
comes from things like water,
sewer and stormwater fees
and property taxes.
BY JACKSON HOGAN
The Bulletin
Bend-La Pine middle school students will
be losing a day of in-person instruction each
week and high school students about two hours
nearly every day due to increased COVID-19
cases among youth in Deschutes County, start-
ing Monday.
The change comes about
a month after returning to
full time school.
Number of new
Interim Superintendent
COVID-19 cases
Lora Nordquist said the
detected in Bend-La
primary reason for this
Pine schools in the
schedule shift is to accom-
last 28 days
modate the many students
who’ve struggled with
school recently due to quarantining — whether
they’re currently missing classes, or struggling
to catch up after returning.
“Many of our staff were being overwhelmed
by the need to support students who were out
for long absences,” Nordquist told The Bulletin.
“This (schedule change) seemed to be the best
option.”
In the last 28 days, there have been 130
COVID-19 cases detected in Bend-La Pine
Schools, according to the district. By far, the
schools with the highest case counts are the
three major high schools in Bend, which each
have more than 20. No other school has more
than six cases at the moment.
130
See Bend-La Pine / A14
See City / A14
OSU-Cascades
JEFFERSON COUNTY
Candidates
highlight
Warm
Springs in
school races
The Jefferson County
School Board has two posi-
tions on the May 18 special
district election ballot with
candidates who want to
bring more representation
to Warm Springs.
Incumbent Jamie Hurd
is facing Lorien Stacona, a
case manager for the Con-
federated Tribes of Warm
Springs, for the Position 2
seat. Jaylyn Suppah, a com-
munity planner in Warm
Springs, and Jacob Struck,
a construction superinten-
dent, are campaigning for
the Position 3 seat, which
opened when board mem-
ber Tom Norton Jr. did not
seek reelection.
Board Chair Laurie
Danzuka is running unop-
posed for her seat.
BY JACKSON HOGAN
The Bulletin
he downtown Bend Farmers
Market opened Wednesday,
kicking off market season.
The weekly outdoor market, lo-
cated in Brooks Alley above Drake
Park, runs from 2 to 6 p.m. Wednes-
days through Oct. 13.
The NorthWest Crossing Sat-
urday Farmers Market in Bend’s
NorthWest Crossing neighborhood
opens in June.
The Redmond Farmers Market at
Centennial Park also opens in June
and runs from 3 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays.
The Sisters Farmers Market runs
from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays
at Fir Street Park, starting June 6
through October.
The Madras Farmers Market runs
from June through September, on
Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at
Sahalee Park.
In Prineville, the Crooked River
Open Pastures Farmers Market is
open Saturdays from June through
September in Stryker Park.
T
— Bulletin staff report
Dean Guernsey/Bulletin photos
ABOVE: Shoppers fill their baskets during the opening day of the Bend
Farmers Market on Wednesday. AT TOP: Mike Cosca, of Denver, chooses
strawberries from Groundworks Organics at the Bend market.
More than 1,500 combined students, faculty
and staff at Oregon State University-Cascades
will be required to receive the COVID-19 vac-
cine before returning to the Bend campus this
fall.
But while some students, including the stu-
dent body president, say they’re happy that the
university is encouraging vaccinations, they do
have a few quibbles.
“I think for one, it would be nice to get back
to a somewhat normal life, and that’s the gate-
way to do it,” said OSU-Cascades sophomore
Quentin Comus, who said he has received the
vaccine. “But it shuts doors for those who might
be skeptical about it for any reason.”
Taha Elwafati — a fellow sophomore at
OSU-Cascades and the president of Associated
Students of Cascades Campus — said he was
fine with mandating vaccines, but he hoped
exemptions would be allowed for those with
medical or personal concerns. He also hoped
the university wouldn’t hide the fact that some
people do get side effects from the COVID-19
vaccine.
“When you’re (saying) it’s ‘too good to be
true,’ I think that’s where it’s off-putting to peo-
ple who do have general concerns about med-
ication in general, or vaccines,” said Elwafati,
who is fully vaccinated.
See School board / A4
TODAY’S
WEATHER
See OSU-Cascades / A14
Some sun
High 73, Low 36
Page A12
INDEX
Business
Classifieds
Comics
A11,13
A14
A9-10
Dear Abby
Editorial
Events
A7
A8
GO!
Horoscope
Local/State
Lottery
A7
A2-4
A6
Obituaries
Puzzles
Sports
A4
A10
A5-7
The Bulletin
An Independent Newspaper
We use
recycled
newsprint
Vol. 117, No. 329, 38 pages, 2 sections
SUN/THU
BY KYLE SPURR
The Bulletin
Staff, students
react to fall
vaccine mandate
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