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A2 THE BULLETIN • THURSDAY, MAY 20, 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 GENERAL INFORMATION LOCAL, STATE & REGION DESCHUTES COUNTY COVID-19 data for Wednesday, May 19: Deschutes County cases: 9,271 (36 new cases) Deschutes County deaths: 77 (2 new deaths) Crook County cases: 1,154 (11 new cases) Crook County deaths: 22 (zero new deaths) Jefferson County cases: 2,235 (8 new cases) Jefferson County deaths: 37 (zero new deaths) Oregon cases: 196,787(394 new cases) Oregon deaths: 2,601 (7 new deaths) COVID-19 patients hospitalized at St. Charles Bend on Wednesday: 48 (9 in ICU) 129 new cases 90 new cases 120 7-day average 110 103 new cases (April 23) 100 (Nov. 27) 90 74 new cases 80 (April 10) 50 new cases 70 60 50 (Nov. 14) (July 16) 40 *State data unavailable for Jan. 31 31 new cases (Oct. 31) 16 new cases 30 (Sept. 19) 9 new cases EMAIL (Jan. 1) (Feb. 17) 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri. bulletin@bendbulletin.com 130 (April 29) 108 new cases 47 new cases 28 new cases ONLINE BULLETIN GRAPHIC 125 new cases (Dec. 4) Vaccines are available. Find a list of vaccination sites and other information about the COVID-19 vaccines online: centraloregoncovidvaccine.com If you have questions, call 541-382-4321. 541-382-1811 www.bendbulletin.com SOURCES: OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY, DESCHUTES COUNTY HEALTH SERVICES New COVID-19 cases per day 20 (May 20) 1st case 10 (March 11) March 2020 April May June July August September October November December January 2021 February March April May 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 Investigator: Oregon lawmaker didn’t intend sexual favors for vote on Breese-Iverson’s bill NEWSROOM FAX Associated Press 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 SALEM — An investigator hired by the Oregon Legislature has concluded that Rep. Brad Witt, D-Clatskanie, did not in- tend to tell a colleague that he would vote for her bill in ex- change for sexual favors. However, the investigator did find that Republican Rep. Vikki Breese-Iverson, of Prineville, “was not unreasonable” to inter- pret Witt’s text message as sexual harassment. Breese-Iverson did not imme- diately respond to a request for comment. According to screenshots of messages sent between them April 12, Breese-Iverson asked Witt to back her bill that would ease red tape for reservoir own- ers in her district. Witt declined, citing his Breese-Iverson Witt “commitment to sustainability.” Breese-Iverson continued to push for his support, and at one point Witt replied, “We proba- bly need to go for a beer some- time.” Breese-Iverson did not ad- dress the beer comment, but continued to advocate for her bill. Witt responded: “I’m not wedded to beer by any means. Could be dinner or …?” “Or what?” Breese-Iverson texted back. “I’ve made two offerings,” Witt responded. “If you wanna meet, find something better than dinner or beer.” “Trying to get a vote count,” Breese-Iverson texted in the fi- nal message included in the re- port. Breese-Iverson that week filed a formal complaint with the Legislature, alleging that Witt’s texts constituted a “quid pro quo,” in which he was seeking sexual favors in exchange for his support of the bill. The report, posted on the Legislature’s website Wednes- day, was written by Sarah Ryan, a Portland attorney hired by the Legislataive Equity Office. Ryan warote that Witt’s text messages were “not invited or welcome, and that Complainant was offended, uncomfortable, shaken and anxious as a result.” But the investigator doesn’t think Witt was actually offering to trade his vote for a date or sex. “I also find that respondent did not intend to offer his vote on complainant’s bill, in ex- change for a date or sexual fa- vors, or to comment on sexual matters,” she wrote. The next steps will be dis- cussed in a June 1 meeting of the House Committee on Con- duct. In April, the committee discussed but decided against stripping Witt of his position as chair of the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Com- mittee. “I’m gratified that the inves- tigation dealt with the facts at hand and came to a conclusion on that basis,” Witt said in a written statement. LOCAL BRIEFING Prineville Reservoir to close for two days The day-use area and boat ramp at Prineville Reservoir will be closed for a repaving project from around 9 p.m. Sunday through Monday. The popular recreation area will reopen Tuesday. Between now and the closure, visitors should ex- pect delays to enter the day-use parking lot and boat ramp, according to a statement by the Oregon Department of Parks and Recreation. Visitors will see heavy equipment in the area. For information, con- tact Brian Vaughan with Prineville Reservoir State Park at 541-416-0645 ext. 103. — Bulletin staff report TALK TO AN EDITOR City Julie Johnson ...................541-383-0367 Business, Features, GO! Magazine Jody Lawrence-Turner ............541-383-0308 Editorials Richard Coe ...........541-383-0353 News Tim Doran .......................541-383-0360 Photos .........................................541-383-0366 Sports ..........................................541-383-0359 TALK TO A REPORTER Bend/Deschutes Government Brenna Visser .............................541-633-2160 Business Suzanne Roig ............................541-633-2117 Calendar .....................................541-383-0304 Crook County ..........................541-617-7829 Deschutes County ................541-617-7818 Education Jackson Hogan ...........................541-617-7854 Fine Arts/Features David Jasper .................................541-383-0349 General Assignment Kyle Spurr ...................................541-617-7820 Health Suzanne Roig ............................541-633-2117 Jefferson County ..................541-617-7829 La Pine ........................................541-383-0367 Public Lands/Environment Michael Kohn ............................541-617-7818 Public Safety Garrett Andrews ......................541-383-0325 Redmond Jackson Hogan ...........................541-617-7854 Salem/State Government .. 541-617-7829 Sisters .........................................541-383-0367 Sunriver .....................................541-383-0367 REDMOND BUREAU Mailing address ..................P.O. 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 Biology students plant trees, hunt mushrooms BY LISA BRITTON Baker City Herald Nicole Sullivan couldn’t quit smiling as her students set out to plant some trees. The source of her joy was one word — “hoedad” — that drifted from one group of kids to the next. The word is the name of a special tool workers use to plant seedlings. On May 5, Sullivan’s ad- vanced biology students from Baker High School worked with Bill Mitchell, a U.S. For- est Service employee and for- mer teacher, to plant about 300 western white pine seedlings. The location was just off the Anthony Lakes Highway in a logged area known as the East Face Project. After outfitting the students with hard hats, Mitchell dis- tributed necessary tools and gloves. Then he demonstrated the proper way to plant a seed- ling. “The clock’s ticking,” he told the group. “They need to get in the ground in the next hour.” Mitchell used a hoedad to loosen the soil, then dug a good-sized hole to accommo- date the seedling’s roots. He tamped the dirt around the tree and made sure it was se- cure. As a test, he planted one the wrong way as students hollered out criticism to point out his mistakes. Armed with trees and tools, the group hiked away from the road to start planting the seed- lings. Before choosing a spot, each group looked up to ensure there was space for a tree, then looked around to make sure the seedling wasn’t too close to a slash pile. Mitchell said western white pines are not common these days because the species, which used to be abundant in this area, were highly prized for lumber. As part of the lesson, Mitch- ell helped the classes identify types of trees. Sullivan had the students take selfies with at least five different species. This field trip fits with the class’s unit on botany and fungi. “We’ve been covering basi- cally the entire plant kingdom,” Sullivan said. Foraging for fungi The next week, on May 13, Sullivan’s advanced biology classes headed to a different part of the forest near Sumpter. This time they weren’t planting — instead they were searching for the prized morel mush- room. As the students spread out across the mountainside, one group relied on advice from freshman Lily Gately, who has been mushroom hunting with her family. “All these cones look like morels,” Gately said, after in- specting a spot on the ground. 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. CLOCK SERVICE & REPAIR TIMESMITHY Marvin Davidson || 541-241-0653 61419 S Hwy 97, Suite Q • Bend • Behind Richard’s Donuts Nearby, junior Gus Terteling peered close at the forest floor. “I feel they should be in flat, sunny areas, by water. Which is not where we are,” he said. Throughout the morn- ing, each group took a turn with two employees from the U.S. Forest Service. Lanny Flaherty, who focuses on botany and conducts field studies, talked about fungi. Lia Spiegel, an entomologist whose work area includes the Wallowa-Whitman, Umatilla and Malheur national forests as well as federal land managed by the Bureau of Land Man- agement in Eastern Oregon, talked about the world of in- sects. Her specialty is bark bee- tles and defoliators — both of which cause illness in the for- ests of Eastern Oregon. As part of his talk, Flaherty also gave a bit of career advice for anyone interested in natural resources. He didn’t intend to Megan Hurley shows off her find of morel mush- rooms during a field trip on May 13. Lisa Britton/ Baker City Herald work for the Forest Service, he said, but enjoys searching for fragile or endangered plants prior to a planned project, such as logging. “I like being out in the field. I like to look for rare things,” he said. “I never thought someone would pay me to go on a trea- sure hunt every day.” During the session with Spiegel, students were asked to find evidence of insect damage. Terteling quickly handed over a stick marked with gouged lines. Spiegel said it showed the path of a female beetle. The deep lines were where the bee- tle chewed the wood, and the shallow marks were where she laid her eggs. Then, armed with knowl- edge of fungi and insects, the science students set off on their true mission: find the morels.
