WEDNESDAY • June 9, 2021 • Serving Central Oregon since 1903 • $1.50
SPORTS PULLOUT, A5-8
Oregon’s
public
defense
office out
of money
Nonprofit puts
to
Bend
chapter
of Sleep in
Heavenly
Peace
distributes
bedding
kids bed
BY GARRETT ANDREWS
The Bulletin
The head of the state public defense of-
fice said his office is out of money with
nearly a month to go until new budget
funds would be available. Lane Borg, outgo-
ing director of the Oregon Office of Public
Defense Services, did not provide a specific
amount Tuesday morning while discussing
the shortfall during a regular conference
call to managers of Oregon public defense
providers.
Borg attributed the shortfall in part to
the pandemic and said his office, which is
responsible for paying attorneys who repre-
sent criminal defendants who cannot afford
their own attorneys, will soon ask the Legis-
lature for additional money.
“The agency is presently working on a
plan to avoid delay of any kind of payment
for the vast majority of providers while the
rebalance request is pending,” Borg wrote in
a letter dated Friday. “And we expect to have
more information to share with you early
next week.”
According to several people on Tuesday’s
call, an expected impact of the shortfall
is delayed payment for people providing
“downstream” public defense work, such as
private investigators, foreign language in-
terpreters, social workers, psychologists and
forensic scientists. These professionals, who
typically receive payment in 30 to 60 days,
could have to wait up to three months for
compensation.
Following the call, Jennifer Kimble, ad-
ministrator of 22nd Circuit Defenders, a le-
gal aid consortium for Crook and Jefferson
counties, started writing an email to mem-
bers, urging them to hold aside some extra
money this month.
Ryan Brennecke/The Bulletin
BY SUZANNE ROIG • The Bulletin
R
obyn and Bob Mickelsen knew
that retirement included helping
their community, but not how they
wanted to do it.
While visiting friend s in Grants Pass, the
Mickelsens discovered their calling: Build-
ing beds for children of families in need. In
January 2020, right before the pandemic
began, the couple started a chapter of Sleep
in Heavenly Peace, a nonprofit with 250
branches across the United States that uses
donations of lumber, mattresses and new
bedding to provide a bed for every child.
The nonprofit estimates that, nationwide,
Robyn Mickelsen talks about how to load pieces of a bunk bed into a trailer
before heading out with fellow volunteers Tony Wahlberg, from left, Jeff Jones, Rick
Scherbert and Bob Mickelsen to deliver beds Friday.
about 3% of the families in any given com-
munity don’t have a bed for every child.
“We thought it was a great idea and
thought about bringing it up here,” said
Robyn Mickelsen, 68. “We didn’t want to
sit around, and we wanted to give back to
the community.”
They started their chapter in January
2020 and built a few beds, but then the
pandemic shut them down. They began to
accept requests in June the same year and
delivered 105 beds, pillows and blankets to
families by year’s end.
And their volunteer effort is still going
strong.
On Friday, the Mickelsens delivered two
bunk beds to Kara Anderson’s Redmond
apartment. Anderson, who has four kids,
saw a post on Facebook of someone else
who had received free beds and reached
out to the Mickelsens.
See Nonprofit / A4
See Public defense / A4
Rankings show little change as state
nears goal for 65% vaccination rate
BY GARY A. WARNER
Oregon Capital Bureau
Most Oregonians will see
no change this week to local
COVID-19 risk level restric-
tions as 30 counties retained
their current tiers, Gov. Kate
Brown said Tuesday.
But if nearly 100,000 more
residents get vaccinated, the
whole system of do’s and don’ts
would go away.
“If you have been waiting
to get vaccinated, go get your
shot today,” Brown said. “It’s
TODAY’S
WEATHER
never been easier to get an
appointment.”
The new weekly COVID-19
risk rankings released Tuesday
showed five counties moving
down a level, with just one
rising.
Deschutes County retains its
lower-risk level, while Crook
and Jefferson counties remain
in the high-risk tier.
Lane, Coos, and Wasco
counties dropped to lower risk,
the least restrictive category.
Yamhill and Josephine counties
Thunderstorm
High 58, Low 38
Page A12
INDEX
will drop to moderate level.
The changes in the five coun-
ties will go into effect Wednes-
day, sooner than in some previ-
ous risk-level announcements
in prior weeks. Harney was
the only county to move into a
more restrictive level. It will be
at moderate risk effective Friday.
All other counties remain at
their current levels until at least
Thursday, June 17. There will
be 21 counties at the lower-risk
level, four at moderate risk and
11 at the high-risk level. The
Business
Classifieds
Comics
A11
A14
A9-10
Dear Abby
Editorial
Horoscope
A7
A8
A7
higher the risk level, the more
restrictions meant to limit the
spread of COVID-19.
Brown has shifted the em-
phasis on risk-level assign-
ments to include how well a
county is doing in vaccinating
residents. Counties that can
show they had administered at
least one shot to 65% of eligi-
ble adult residents are allowed
to drop to the lower risk level
regardless of infection rates in
their county.
See COVID-19 / A12
Local/State
Lottery
Nation
A2
A6
A 12
Obituaries
Puzzles
Sports
A4
A10
A5-7
Bend’s Skyline magnet
school to close and
combine with Realms
BY KYLE SPURR
The Bulletin
Skyline High School, a small
experimental school in Bend,
will close this fall and combine
with Realms High School. The
two magnet schools opened
four years ago and already
share a warehouse on Brinson
Boulevard.
“We have decided to unify
the two schools under one high
school at the Brinson campus,”
said Katie Legace, executive di-
rector of high school programs
for Bend-La Pine Schools.
The Bulletin
An Independent Newspaper
We use
recycled
newsprint
Vol. 117, No. 329, 14 pages, 1 section
2021 Deschutes County Fair & Rodeo
Exhibitor & Contest Guidebook
The Exhibitor & Contest Guidebook includes all
of the rules and regulations pertaining to the fair
and details of each of the exhibit categories.
The main reason for Sky-
line’s closure was significant
staff turnover, with 50% of
the teachers, the principal
and office manager deciding
to leave, according to a recent
newsletter from Realms High
School. In addition, the news-
letter said enrollment was
lower than expected next year,
with fewer than 25 freshmen
confirmed to attend, and there
were some questions about
how to expand the school in
the future.
See Skyline / A12
DAILY
COVID-19 county risk levels
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