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About The Bulletin. (Bend, OR) 1963-current | View Entire Issue (July 8, 2022)
A4 THE BULLETIN • FRIDAY, JULY 8, 2022 Wallowa County aims to outright ban psilocybin BY BILL BRADSHAW Wallowa County Chieftain Ryan Brennecke/The Bulletin With his whistle ready, lifeguard Jose Vera watches the water intently Wednesday as swimmers splash about in the outdoor pool at Juniper Swim & Fitness Center in Bend. Lifeguards Continued from A1 Nationwide, an estimated one-third of U.S. pools have closed since the start of the pandemic due to a lack of staff, according to Bernard J. Fisher II, the American Lifeguard As- sociation’s director of health and safety. Many of the pools that have managed to stay open have been forced to scale back their opening hours, some- times to just three hours a day, he added. “It’s bad, the worst we have Guard Continued from A1 The Department of Defense issued an order in August that all military personnel be vac- cinated against COVID-19. The Army said the announce- ment this week would affect about 62,000 service members out of a total force of over 1 million soldiers. About 97% of the 8,000 members of the Oregon Na- tional Guard have complied with the order by getting vaccinated, starting the vac- cination process, or going through the administrative approvals to get exemptions or accommodations, Bomar said. The Oregon National Guard declined to provide an exact number of members not in compliance or seeking waivers, citing privacy and ap- peals processes. If 97% of the Oregon Na- tional Guard is in compliance, that would leave 3%, or about 240 members. Bomar said decisions on ex- emptions are scheduled to be completed by Oct. 1. “No adverse actions will take place against Guard members with pending or ap- proved exemption requests,” Bomar said. If a service member’s per- manent medical exemption or religious accommodation request is denied he or she has the right to appeal that deci- sion within 30 days. If the appeal is unsuccess- ful, the service member has the option of being vaccinated or being considered to have refused the order to be vacci- nated. “The specific number of days from receiving a final denial to being considered to have refused the vaccine is scheduled to come out in a fu- ture order,” Bomar said. Summer is the time when many National Guard units go through their mandatory two- week training, often working with active-duty personnel. Ahead of those assignments, the U.S. Army announced plans to enforce vaccination deadlines that had been previ- ously announced. “Members of the Army Na- tional Guard and U.S. Army Reserve who have refused the lawful Department of De- fense COVID-19 vaccination order without an approved or pending exemption may not participate in federally funded drills and training and will not receive pay or ever seen it,” Fisher told The Bul- letin in a phone interview. “We fear it’s going to get worse in Au- gust.” There are multiple reasons for the shortage of lifeguards, said Fisher. One problem is related to a shortage of cultural visas that are typically given to young people from Eastern Europe to spend the summer in the U.S. working as lifeguards. COVID impacted those types of visas because embassies and consul- ates are slow to fully reopen and do not have the capacity to is- sue visas at pre-pandemic rates. retirement credit,” accord- ing to the Army statement on Thursday. The order has the biggest impact on the Army, which accounts for just under half of all uniformed personnel and 75% of all National Guard Most of the visa applicants for lifeguard jobs came from Russia and Ukraine, said Fisher. “The program will be slow to regain the momentum it once had, plus the war is going on,” said Fisher. Another pandemic-related problem is that many existing lifeguards were unable to recer- tify their credentials during the past two years. Close to 1 mil- lion people have dropped out of the lifeguard system nationwide, said Fisher. Lifeguard jobs are still avail- able with the Bend park district. members. The overwhelming major- ity of service members have complied with the order. The Army has just over 1 mil- lion soldiers in service, with 480,000 on active duty. There are 336,000 National Guard Applicants must be at least 15 years old and be able to pass a swim test. Fisher said he encourages ex-military retirees to train as lifeguards to help fill the gaps, especially with the lack of East- ern Europeans lifeguarding in the U.S. “We shouldn’t be hoping for the Russians to come and save us,” said Fisher. “I think (retir- ees) would be great candidates. We need to start thinking outside the box.” █ Reporter: 541-617-7818, mkohn@bendbulletin.com members and 189,500 U.S. Army reservists. “Maintaining readiness con- tinues to be among the U.S. Army’s highest priorities.” said a statement from the U.S. Army command at the Pen- tagon near Washington, D.C. ENTERPRISE — Wallowa County voters will likely be asked to consider an outright ban on the establishment of psilocybin facilities once county officials complete work on a ballot measure for Nov. 8. The Wallowa County Commission on Wednes- day, July 6, and instructed county counsel Paige Sully to prepare an ordinance that could be passed after two public hearings are held. The hear- ings would have to be completed and a resolution passed by Sept. 8 to get on the November ballot, the Wallow County Clerk’s Office said. The proposed ballot measure would ban psilo- cybin facilities just in unincorporated areas of the county. The way the law is written, commission Chairwoman Susan Roberts said, allows each juris- diction to act for its own interests. Legalization of psilocybin products and the pro- vision of psilocybin services was approved by Or- egon voters in November 2020 under Ballot Mea- sure 109 that created Oregon Psilocybin Services as a new section within the Oregon Health Authority. Psilocybin mushrooms — commonly known as “magic mushrooms” — are believed to be thera- peutically helpful for some. The Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research has treated addiction, se- vere depression and other disorders with psilocy- bin, as well as on healthy patients, saying positive results extend for up to a year, according to its web- site. But it’s psilocybin’s use as a recreational halluci- nogenic drug that concerns county commission- ers. Roberts said she’s aware psilocybin can help in therapy, but she and the other commissioners are concerned that allowing even heavily restricted psi- locybin into the county may open the door for rec- reational use. Sully said the state has yet to establish its rules for the Psilocybin Services Section, but it’s expected to be ready to start issuing licenses by January, so it’s in the county’s interest to take action. “We are fully committed to ensuring all soldiers are vacci- nated against COVID-19.” The Pentagon said 40,000 National Guard members and 22,000 reservists were not yet in compliance with the order. The Army said that as of June 21, it had discharged or accepted the retirements of 1,037 soldiers for “refusing the lawful order to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.” OBITUARY Plan your 2023 Getaway! Jeff Patrick Lynch May 20, 1956 - May 25, 2022 Jeff Patrick Lynch, 66, passed away on May 25, 2022 in Bend. Born in Seattle, Washington, Jeff was raised in Medford and, after attending COCC and EOSC, he dedicated his life to Bell A Land and Cattle (La Pine) as Ranch Foreman. GREAT TRAINS 6 & DAYS GRAND CANYONS MARCH 19-24, 2023 DAY 1: PHOENIX, SEDONA DAY 2: SEDONA DAY 3: GRAND CANYON DAY 4: MONTEZUMA CASTLE, JEROME, VERDE CANYON RAILROAD DAY 5: DAY AT LEISURE, BLAZIN’ M RANCH DAY 6: SEDONA, SCOTTSDALE, FLIGHT HOME Want to know more, and meet a Premier World Discovery representative who can help you choose the best trip for you? JOIN US FOR AN IN-PERSON TRAVEL MEETING! TUESDAY, JULY 12, 2022 Choose between Noon - Lunch (snacks provided) or 5pm - (snacks provided) 320 SW Upper Terrace Drive, Suite 200 Space is Limited. Register now to learn more about these amazing trips! Questions? Call 541-385-5809 or email worldtravel@bendbulletin.com Predeceased by his father, Patrick Lynch, Jeff is survived by his mother, Darlene Lynch of Portland, and sisters, Tamra Orlando (Bob) of Springfield, Cindy Sawyer (Eric) of Spokane, Washington, and Tina Lynch (Patrick Garcia) of Buchillon, Switzerland, plus numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. A devoted son, Jeff was the best brother, cousin, surrogate father, friend, and guy anyone could ever hope to have in their lives. He always had time for those he cared about and was an excellent listener. He was kind, loyal, witty, compassionate, intelligent, generous, and a man of his word. Jeff was also a talented and ingenious craftsman, evidenced by his design and construction of numerous ranch building projects and structures. He was an accomplished lumberjack and horticulturist, and somehow managed to carve out time for his primary hobbies, including hunting and fishing. He will be forever loved and forever missed. In lieu of flowers or money, the family suggest making a donation in his name to one of the following associations: Arbor Day Foundation: https://www.arborday.org/ Ducks Unlimited: https://www.ducks.org/ One Tree Planted Oregon: https://onetreeplanted. org/products/oregon Visit www.bendbulletin.com/offers/travel for a more detailed look at all trip itineraries
