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About The Bulletin. (Bend, OR) 1963-current | View Entire Issue (June 7, 2022)
A2 THE BULLETIN • TUESDAY, JUNE 7, 2022 The Bulletin LOCAL, STATE & REGION How to reach us CIRCULATION Didn’t receive your paper? Start or stop subscription? 541-385-5800 PHONE HOURS 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday 7 a.m.-11 a.m. Saturday-Sunday and holidays GENERAL INFORMATION 541-382-1811 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri. ONLINE www.bendbulletin.com EMAIL news@bendbulletin.com 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 NEWSROOM FAX 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 Biden picks Wight to be Oregon’s U.S. attorney BY MAXINE BERNSTEIN The Oregonian President Joe Biden has nom- inated Natalie K. Wight, who is deputy chief of the organized and violent crime sec- tion of Oregon’s U.S. Attorney’s office, to serve as the top federal prosecutor in the state. Wight, a 1992 gradu- ate of Portland’s Cleve- land High School, has been working in the Wight District of Oregon since 2012 and with the U.S. De- partment of Justice since 2003. Wight, 47, was selected out of three finalists chosen from a pool of seven candidates who applied for the job. “We strongly support Presi- dent Biden’s nomination of Na- talie Wight to be the next U.S. Attorney for Oregon,” said a joint statement from Oregon’s U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merk- ley. “She brings an outstanding combination of leadership, integ- rity, independence and commu- nity connections to this crucial post. We look forward to ad- vancing her through the Senate confirmation process.” Wight is one of five U.S. at- torney nominations announced Monday by the Biden adminis- tration. The nominations now go to the Senate Judiciary Com- mittee for confirmation. “These individuals were chosen for their devotion to enforcing the law, their profes- sionalism, their expe- rience and credentials, their dedication to pursuing equal justice for all, and their com- mitment to the inde- pendence of the Department of Justice,” said a news release from The White House. Biden said he expects the new chief federal law enforce- ment officers to play key roles in helping support his effort to prosecute gun traffickers, put more police on the street and bolster community violence prevention programs. Wight has supervised and prosecuted Native American tribal cases with a specialized focus on child exploitation in- vestigations. She was one of the prosecutors who handled the trial of Jason P. Schaefer, who was sentenced to 40 years in prison in 2019 for ig- niting a cigarette pack filled with explosive material as he was cor- nered in his car by members of the FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Force. The Oct. 11, 2017, blast blew off two fingers on Schaefer’s left hand and left Washington County Sheriff’s Detective Jer- emy Chedester, a member of the task force, with vertigo, ringing in his ear and a concussion. Before working as a federal prosecutor in Oregon, she was an assistant U.S. attorney in the Northern District of California from 2008 to 2012. Wight also was an attorney at the Federal Bureau of Prisons from 2003 to 2008. She received her law de- gree from the University of No- tre Dame Law School in 2003, masters in science from Califor- nia State University in 2000, and bachelors of science degree from the College of Idaho in 1996. She also was inducted into the Portland Interscholastic League Hall of Fame, after serv- ing as captain of the woman’s soccer team and women’s bas- ketball team and running track at Cleveland High School. In recent years, Wight has served as the high school’s mock trial coach. LOCAL BRIEFING New principal hired for La Pine Middle School Bend-La Pine Schools has hired La Pine Middle School’s new principal, according to a news release issued Monday. Brian Barringer, a principal at Big Pic- ture Learning College and Career Acad- emy in Denver will serve in the school’s lead role starting July 1, the news release said. He follows Principal Matt Mont- gomery, who has retired. Superintendent Steven Cook said, “Barringer has great experience as a principal at a small school setting and is Barringer known for building strong relationships with staff, students and the broader community.” Barringer previously served as an assistant principal for three years, a middle and high school teacher for six years, and as an athletic director. COVID-19 community levels for Central Oregon The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention moni- tors community levels of COVID-19 to help communities decide what prevention steps to take based on the latest data. Levels can be low, medium or high and are deter- mined by looking at hospital beds being used, hospital admissions and the total number of new COVID-19 cases in an area. The CDC listed the following levels for Central Oregon: Deschutes County: Medium Crook County: Medium Jefferson County: Low Precautions the CDC recommends for communities with low levels: • Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines. • Get tested if you have symptoms. Additional precautions for communities with medium levels: If you are at high risk for severe illness, talk to your health care provider about whether you need to wear a mask and take other precautions. — Bulletin staff reports ADMINISTRATION Publisher Heidi Wright ..............................541-383-0341 Editor Gerry O’Brien .............................541-633-2166 DEPARTMENT HEADS Advertising Brian Naplachowski .................541-383-0370 Circulation/Operations Maria Johnson ..........................541-617-7830 Finance Wendy Dougherty ...541-383-0324 Human Resources ................541-383-0340 TALK TO AN EDITOR City Julie Johnson ...................541-383-0367 Business, Features, GO! 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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 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 Email .......................obits@bendbulletin.com Sakari Farms near Tumalo keeps Indigenous plants going strong with going in this year know- ing that there’s less water or no The pond is full again at water,” Schreiner said. Upingaksraq Spring Alaska Schreiner is Inupiaq, a Schreiner’s High Desert farm. member of the Valdez Native It’s a welcome sight for Tribe of Alaska and Chugach Schreiner, who owns Sakari Alaska Native Corporation. Farms, northwest of Tumalo Her tribal name is Upingaks- on U.S. Highway 20. raq, which means “the time Last summer, as drought when the ice breaks.” She punished Central Or- opened Sakari Botan- egon, Schreiner’s icals in 2012 and irrigation district Sakari Farms in stopped deliver- 2018 to bolster ing water. She and restore ac- watched as the cess to tradi- pond gradually tional foods disappeared, for Indigenous leaving a mud people locally puddle behind. in Central Ore- “I cried last year gon and across the when I walked Bradley W. Parks/OPB country. Hopi red amaranth through the dry Native people canal,” Schreiner grows in starter trays will send seeds told Oregon Public to Sakari, which in a greenhouse at Broadcasting. “I was means “sweet.” The Sakari Farms. pissed. I was like, farm will grow the ‘There’s nothing we can do.’” plants, collect the new seeds Schreiner has rights to a and send them back, keeping little over 2 acre-feet of wa- Indigenous plant varieties go- ter, which makes its way to ing strong. Sakari also hosts the farm from the Deschutes farm education, tribal cooking River through a series of pipes classes and tribal community and canals. events. She only got a fraction of Water has sustained that that amount last year. vision to this point, but now This year is looking worse. Schreiner knows that water is Gov. Kate Brown has al- no longer a guarantee. ready declared drought emer- “All I can do is implement it gencies in 16 Oregon counties, practically,” she said. including Deschutes. That’s She’s channeling the frus- the most ever for this time of tration she felt last year into year, and Oregon farmers like solutions. Schreiner are on edge. On a hill behind the farm- “I’m not sure how to cope house are four old chain-link BY BRADLEY W. PARKS Oregon Public Broadcasting fence panels surrounding a bare patch of dirt. Beneath the surface is an elaborate pattern of squash seeds, beans and corn — the three sisters. Schreiner won’t water the plot, but said she’s hoping seed- lings will soon emerge from the dirt. She said the moment will surely bring her to tears. “It’s literally your ancestors telling you thank you for try- ing this,” Schreiner said. The hilltop plot represents one of the best hopes for Sa- kari’s future. Indigenous peo- ple, particularly the Hopi, have practiced dryland farm- ing for thousands of years in semi-arid regions, relying solely on rain and snowmelt to grow crops. “It’s imperative that we look for guidance from Indigenous people on fire management, climate change, water usage, how we grow our crops, when, why,” Schreiner said. “No one asks us how to do things. They just kinda push us in the corner. And that’ll bite them, I think.” Schreiner is also installing more drip irrigation at Sakari and securing grant money to implement new technologies like weather stations and water sensors on-farm to improve efficiency. She said she’s learned lessons Courtesy of Sakari Farms Sakari Farms owner and Indigenous agriculturalist Upingaksraq Spring Alaska Schreiner. Schreiner grows traditional crops, and during the drought, she’s trying dryland farming. on what not to do by watching other farmers fail. For example, Schreiner won’t truck in wa- ter from elsewhere if her pond goes dry again this year. “I’m still promoting all the farmers to grow as much food as they can and extend the seasons,” Schreiner said. “But it’s not natural, so that’s where we’re going to be ahead of the game.” Sakari is almost fully planted and will only plant once this year. Farm work- ers Harrison Hill and Kobe Stites were busy putting bean starts in the ground on a hot Wednesday in late May. “The water that we did have to start out the season isn’t al- ways going to be here,” Hill said. “We’re going to have to learn how to use it most effec- tively.” Schreiner said if the water’s shut off again, she’ll cut off the farm plot-by-plot and seek fi- nancial relief for failed crops. Still, the plants’ resilience and that of the people who have grown those plants since time immemorial give Sch- reiner confidence — even in the face of Oregon’s drier fu- ture. It’s Hummingbird Season! LEGAL NOTICES Email .....................legals@bendbulletin.com 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. 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