A2 The BulleTin • SaTurday, July 24, 2021
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COVID-19 data for Friday, July 23
Deschutes County cases: 10,357 (23 new cases)
Deschutes County deaths: 87 (zero new deaths)
Crook County cases: 1,368 (2 new cases)
Crook County deaths: 24 (zero new deaths)
Jefferson County cases: 2,456 (9 new cases)
Jefferson County deaths: 42 (zero new deaths)
Oregon cases: 214,869 (613 new cases)
Oregon deaths: 2,836 (2 new deaths)
COVID-19 patients hospitalized at St. Charles Bend on
Friday: 15 (4 in ICU)
The Bulletin had been tracking the seven-day average case
count based on state data since local coronavirus cases were
first reported in March of last year. Starting with the July Fourth
weekend, the state stopped providing county-level data for
weekends or holidays. When data is available, The Bulletin will
continue to publish information about the pandemic.
8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday
7 a.m.-11 a.m. Saturday-Sunday
and holidays
VACCINATIONS IN OREGON COUNTIES
GENERAL
INFORMATION
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OUR ADDRESS
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Bend, OR 97708
BY AIMEE GREEN
The Oregonian
What’s true across the nation
appears to be true in Oregon: If
you’re a Republican, you’re less
likely to be vaccinated against
COVID-19.
The Oregonian looked at the
county-by-county statistics of
Oregonians inoculated against
the coronavirus and saw a clear
correlation: The 10 counties
with the lowest percentages of
residents vaccinated all voted
— by a landslide — for Donald
Trump in the last presidential
election. That’s Lake, Malheur,
Umatilla, Grant, Harney, Gil-
liam, Morrow, Union, Douglas
and Baker counties.
Eight of the 10 counties with
the highest vaccination rates
voted overwhelmingly for Jo-
seph Biden. That’s Washington,
Hood River, Multnomah, Ben-
ton, Lincoln, Deschutes, Lane
and Clackamas.
Polk and Tillamook —
where Trump beat Biden by
slim margins of less than 2
percentage points — also
made Oregon’s top 10 list of
most-immunized counties.
Another way to look at it?
Compare the most-Republi-
can county in the state — Lake
— with the most-Democratic
— Multnomah. Eight out
of 10 voters in Lake County
voted for Trump in November
2020, and 35% of residents 16
and older in the county had
received at least one shot of
COVID-19 vaccine as of early
July.
Conversely, nearly 8 out
of 10 voters in Multnomah
County chose Biden, and 73%
of residents 16 and older —
more than double the figure in
Lake County — had received at
least one jab.
Asked about Lake County’s
low inoculation rate, James
Williams, chairman of the
County Commission, bristled
at the correlation between vot-
ing and vaccinations.
“If you are looking to attack
or degrade the majority (or any
part) of Lake County’s popu-
lation, based around their po-
litical affiliation and/or their
medical choices,” Williams
wrote in an email, “I would say
that it not only shows a shame-
ful personal bias on your part,
but possibly the need to find a
new profession.”
Meanwhile, George
Murdock, chair of the Uma-
tilla County Commission, said
he’s a Republican and got vac-
cinated on the first day he was
eligible. “Mind boggling” is
how he describes the Republi-
can-Democrat divide.
“It just doesn’t make any
sense to me,” Murdock said.
“There’s absolutely no reason
for it to be polarized between
political parties.”
Umatilla County, where 64%
voted for Trump, has the third
lowest vaccination rate in the
state with just over 41% of res-
idents 16 and older having re-
ceived at least one shot.
Murdock, 78, is vocal about
his vaccination status and
the story of his daughter, 46,
who is still a COVID-19 long-
hauler seven months after she
came down with the virus.
In Oregon, it’s also worth
noting that the counties with
the highest rates of vaccine
hesitancy or resistance are
generally the smallest and
most rural in the state. Some
observers say that might con-
tribute to lower vaccination
rates: Residents don’t perceive
COVID-19 as a significant
threat.
B
Trump-Biden voting split aligns with rates
ADMINISTRATION
Taxpayers foot $100,000 bill for
governor’s political consultant
Publisher
Heidi Wright ..............................541-383-0341
Editor
Gerry O’Brien .............................541-633-2166
LOCAL BRIEFING
Open house now online
for Wilson Avenue
Corridor Project
The Wilson Avenue Corri-
dor Project has been chosen
as the first project to be done
out of dozens promised in
the $190 million Transporta-
tion General Obligation bond
passed by voters last year.
The corridor project will
replace a damaged and aging
traffic signal, improve walk-
ing and biking infrastructure
and upgrade a water line,
among other improvements,
according to the city of Bend.
DEPARTMENT HEADS
Advertising
Brian Naplachowski .................541-383-0370
Circulation/Operations
Jeremy Feldman ......................541-617-7830
Finance
Anthony Georger ....................541-383-0324
Human Resources ................541-383-0340
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
This project was selected
by the transportation bond
oversight committee, which is
made up of residents to over-
see how and when the bond
money is allocated. The city
is moving toward design
work for the west section of
Wilson Avenue from Second
Street to Douglas Street, ac-
cording to the city.
A virtual open house is ac-
cessible now through Aug. 9
at bendoregon.gov/wilson.
An in-person open house
will be at the Vince Genna
Stadium parking lot from 4
to 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 2.
— Bulletin staff report
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 ....................................541-617-7854
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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.....................................541-617-7854
Salem/State Government .. 541-617-7829
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REDMOND BUREAU
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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.
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Kristyna Wentz-Graff/OPB file
Gov. Kate Brown speaks at the Reopening Oregon Celebration at Providence Park in Portland on June 30.
GO ONLINE
BY HILLARY BORRUD
The Oregonian
Gov. Kate Brown is on track
to spend more than $100,000
in taxpayer funds for one of her
longtime advisers to serve as a
part-time political consultant.
Under an arrangement dat-
ing back to early 2020, Brown
hired her former communi-
cations director, Chris Pair,
through a no-bid state contract
at a rate of $6,500 a month to
attend weekly meetings of the
Western Governors Associa-
tion on expanding electric ve-
hicle infrastructure, the gover-
nor’s signature initiative during
her time as chair of the group.
So far the state has paid Pair
$91,000 under the contract, ac-
cording to the governor’s press
secretary.
During the same time,
Brown also paid Pair an un-
disclosed amount through her
political action committee for
work that she has declined to
describe, beyond saying it was
unrelated to state business.
Brown did not disclose that
• To read the complete story, view it
at www.bendbulletin.com
Pair might be hired back on
the state’s dime as a consultant
when a reporter asked about
the longtime communications
director’s departure at a Jan. 17,
2020, press conference. “We’re
continuing to work together in
other capacities,” the governor
said of Pair. But she refused
to say what that work was be-
cause she said the duties “don’t
have to do with stateside at this
point” and were paid for by her
political action committee.
A month later, the governor’s
staff asked state procurement
officials to prepare a no-bid
contract worth up to $150,000
for Pair’s consulting company,
Althea, so that Pair could assist
with Oregon’s share of work
on the Western Governors’ As-
sociation electric vehicle rec-
ommendations, according to
public records. The contract
called for the state to pay Pair
$78,000 a year, roughly half the
$158,000 salary he previously
earned as the governor’s com-
munications director and se-
nior adviser.
Brown declined to com-
ment on why it was necessary
and beneficial to taxpayers for
her to hire her former staffer
through a no-bid contract. Pair
also did not respond to calls for
comment.
Liz Merah, press secretary
for the governor, wrote in an
email that Brown had tasked
Pair with developing her initia-
tive for the Western Governors’
Association when he was still
her communications director,
so “when Chris chose to move
on from the governor’s office
in late 2019,” Brown asked Pair
to complete the work.
Merah said Pair’s state-paid
work for the governor has been
strictly separated from any
other political work he does for
Brown. “All work performed
by Althea LLC under this con-
tract is related to the West-
ern Governors’ Association,”
Merah wrote.
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Citing delta variant,
Washington state
urges indoor masks
The Associated Press
SEATTLE — Washing-
ton state’s top epidemiologist
is recommending that ev-
eryone wear a mask or face
covering in crowded indoor
places because of the rise of
the COVID-19 delta variant
— even if they have been vac-
cinated.
Dr. Scott Lindquist said
Friday the state is seeing a
“fifth wave” of the new
coronavirus that is sending
more people to the
hospital.
The state saw 2,572 new
cases reported for Wednes-
day compared with 750 seven
days earlier.
The state Department of
Health reports that about 350
people statewide are hospital-
ized with COVID-19, which
is roughly half the figure
for earlier waves of the pan-
demic.
“The majority of these hos-
pitalizations can be prevented
by people getting vaccinated,”
Linquist said.
Washington state’s popula-
tion is about 7.65 million.
The Department of Health
and Gov. Jay Inslee aren’t for-
mally reinstating mask man-
dates or other measures yet,
Lindquist said.
bendbulletin.com
IT’S FAIR TIME!
Get your Deschutes County
Fair & Rodeo Guide
in The Bulletin on Sunday, July 25!