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Petition to make the Deschutes County Family of
Commission non partisan is under way roofer sues
CALDERA HIGH PROJECT
BY BRENNA VISSER
The Bulletin
A group of Deschutes County res-
idents is hoping to collect enough
signatures to get an initiative on the
ballot that, if passed by voters, would
make the Deschutes County Com-
mission nonpartisan.
Deschutes County is one out of 10
counties in Oregon that make county
commission races partisan, meaning
candidates must win the nomination
of their political parties in a primary
election before winners face off in a
general election . Usually, candidates
are only fielded from the Democratic
and Republican parties.
But a small group of residents,
which has the support of one current
commissioner, Phil Chang, is hoping
to change the system .
“Local government is not parti-
san,” said Mimi Alkire, a Sunriver
resident who is a chief petitioner for
the initiative. “It doesn’t even make
sense to feel like we need people who
are on our side of the fence.”
See Nonpartisan / A4
for $19M
Estate alleges negligence
by construction company
BY GARRETT ANDREWS
The Bulletin
Pandemic | Central Oregon
St. Charles Bend at capacity
with COVID-19, trauma patients
The family of a Bend roofer killed
in August in a fall off the Caldera
High School gymnasium roof has
brought a $19 million wrongful death
lawsuit against Kirby Nagelhout Con-
struction.
The suit, filed Thursday in Mult-
nomah County Circuit Court, alleges
the Bend-based builder allowed work-
ers to move materials on a sloped roof
in an unsafe manner and failed to re-
quire proper safety harnesses, among
other claims.
Kirby Nagelhout and its subcon-
tractor, River Roofing, have already
been cited and fined for the accident
by state safety officials.
Neither River Roofing nor Bend-La
Pine Schools are named as defendants
in the lawsuit.
Kirby Nagelhout president Jeff
Deswert said he was not aware of the
court filing Thursday morning.
“I know about the unfortunate acci-
dent, but I don’t know anything about
the lawsuit,” he said.
See Roofer / A6
Bend man
pleads
not guilty
Kilby accused of 3 murders
BY GARRETT ANDREWS
The Bulletin
Emily Kroytz, a registered nurse in St. Charles Bend’s intensive care unit, right , checks in with hospital staff who are caring for an unconscious COVID-19
patient on a ventilator Thursday.
BY KYLE SPURR
The Bulletin
Emily Kroytz, a registered nurse in St.
Charles Bend’s intensive care unit, ended a
16-hour shift this week and came home in
tears.
Kroytz and the other ICU nurses have not
seen this many COVID-19 patients at once in
six months. As of Thursday, all 24 beds were
full in the ICU, including five patients with
the virus. Three of the infected patients are
on ventilators.
Another 36 COVID-19 patients were be-
ing treated in the hospital.
“It takes an emotional toll,” Kroytz said.
The full capacity in the ICU is due to the
ongoing spread of COVID-19, but also an
increase in patients who put off medical
treatment during the pandemic and are now
showing up to the emergency room with ne-
glected illnesses. In addition, the hospital is
seeing heart attacks and major injuries that
will likely increase through the summer.
See ICU / A4
County offers position to community development director
BY BRENNA VISSER
The Bulletin
Lelack
TODAY’S
WEATHER
The Deschutes County Com-
mission has officially offered
Nick Lelack , who is the county’s
current community develop-
ment director, the job of county
administrator.
The commission voted unan-
Intervals of clouds
High 69, Low 40
Page B5
imously to offer Lelack the po-
sition Wednesday, pending ne-
gotiations over issues including
salary and benefits. The county
administrator is the chief exec-
utive of the county, overseeing
departments in the day-to-day
work of the government.
“Not only is he highly qual-
INDEX
Business
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Comics
A7-8
B7-8
B9-10
ified, but he has an intricate
knowledge of the challenges fac-
ing our community,” Commis-
sioner Phil Chang said .
While other qualified appli-
cants were considered, Lelack
had the benefit of being able to
hit the ground running com-
pared to someone outside of the
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A5
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community who would need
time to get up to speed, Chang
said.
Lelack has served as commu-
nity development director since
2012 and serves on the state
Land Conservation and Devel-
opment Commission.
Accused triple murderer Randall
Richard Kilby pleaded not guilty
in his two pending homicide cases
Thursday morning in Deschutes
County Circuit Court.
Kilby, 35, will be
back in a week to
schedule trial dates.
“Thank you, Your
Honor. Have a good
morning,” was all the
defendant said in the
12-minute hearing.
Kilby
Kilby is charged
with two counts of
first-degree murder and three of sec-
ond-degree murder for a pair of alleged
attacks that stunned a quiet southwest
Bend subdivision this winter.
In one case, Kilby is accused of
fatally attacking his friend Daphne
Banks, 43, on Christmas morning. In
the other, he’s accused of murdering
his roommates, brothers-in-law Jef-
frey “Jeff” Taylor, 66, and Benjamin
“Benny” Taylor, 69, around March 20.
That Kilby was out of custody after
the alleged attack on Banks has been a
major point of contention for friends
and relatives of the victims.
See Manager / A6
A8
B8
B3-6
See Kilby / A4
The Bulletin
An Independent Newspaper
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recycled
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Vol. 117, No. 329, 20 pages, 2 sections
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Kyle Spurr/The Bulletin
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