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TUESDAY January 8,2013
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bendbulletin.com TODAY'S READERBOARD
OREGON SUPREME COURT WHATEyER
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• Exercise much? —How much? There's a movement to put your answer onyour medical charts, right next to your
blood pressure.A3 BCS —Little drama as 'Bama flattens Notre Dame.C1
Changing timesBy tapping Chuck
Hagel and John
axes,
Follow i n g up on CentralOregon's most interesting stories, even if they've been out of the headlines for a while. Email ideas to news@bendbulletin.com. O To follow the series, visit www.bendbulletin.com/updates.
HERO THE RESCUED HORSE
an one or e a , n ow a carrier o o e
on e sa e
Brennan, Presi-
By Lauren Dake
dent Dbamaplans for an era of down-
The Bulletin
SALEM — The Oregon Supreme Court has a full docket today and expects to hear arguments on a tax case involving Comcast and a separate case involving home foreclosuresand the Mortgage Electronic Registration System, or MERS. After the state of Oregon defined Comcast as a communication company, its assessed tax rates spiked in the 2009-2010 fiscal year. The value of communication companies can be centrally assessed, which means the state may take into consideration the company's intangible assets, such as worldwide value or brand recognition. Centralassessment can result in a much bigger tax bill for companies like Comcast. State lawmakers are also working to update the decades-old tax statute that defines communication companies. The Oregon Department of Revenue attempted to assess Facebook's data center in Prineville using the same law. In 2012, lawmakers passed legislation ensuring Facebook would not be centrallyassessed as a communication company. See Court/A4
sized but enduring conflict.A4
Odituary —Klemens von Klemperer fled the y'
='„:,, Nazis, then wrote the definitive his-
tory of those who opposed them.BS
in dusinessnews — Banks to pay $8.5 billion
to resolve claims of mortgage abuse.C6
And a Wed exclusiveIn Newtown, well-meaning
memorials pose aquandary when it comes to moving on.
bendbulletin.com/extras
EDITOR'5 CHOICE
In digital globes, a dynamic world map By Mark Vanhoenacker New York Times News Service
In the main hall of the hands-on science exhibits at the Cape Town Science Center in South Africa, a lifeless, tattered globe stands under naked fluorescent bulbs, all but ignored by children passing through on school tours. Across a sun-blasted
courtyard and up a dingy staircase, another globea digital globe — stands in a darkened room. This globe is a shining sphere of light. Children stand awe-struck; adults of a certain age may be reminded of images like Apollo 8's Earthrise photograph, while Tolkien fans of all ages will recall the
Photos by Joe Khne/The Bulletin
Hero the horse was adopted by Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch in 2008 after hunters found him wandering with two bullet wounds to the head near Suttle Lake northwest of Sisters. In warmer months, Hero gives children rides at the faith-based youth ranch. "He's an amazing
By Ben Botkin The Bulletin
Hero's lesson continues to be passed on to children at Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch, more than four years after the horse lost his left eye and was left for dead with two bullet wounds to the head. S cars from h i s i n j u ries r e main, but the bay Arab gelding gives rides to children visiting the ranch and has a story that tells others to not give up despite the odds. Hero's life at the ranch, which adopted him in 2008 after hunters found him with injuries, is peaceful. "He's an amazing horse," said Kim Meeder, a co-founder of Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch in rural Tumalo. "He's kind and curious and playful and intelligent." During the w a rmer m onths, children visit H er o an d o t h er horses, sometimes riding him. The horse has room to stretch his legs and mingle with other horses in the corral. The empty eye socket and scars on the left front leg are a constant lesson to others. The non-
horse," says Kim Meeder, background,
a co-founder of Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch in rural Tumalo. "He's kind and curious and playful and intelligent."
Mock Mars trek finds sleep woes
jiv
profit, faith-based youth ranch is a haven of sorts for previously abused and neglected horses. At the same time, children, free of charge, can work with and ride the animals. Kelsie Woodford, director of operations at the ranch, said Hero has a good mix of playfulness and sensitivity, sometimes tossing orange cones about for fun. For children who also have suffered abuse,the experience is an e ncouragement, showing t h a t
they, too, have reason to hope, Meeder said. Meeder saysthe horse also offers a lesson inforgiveness because Hero is friendly toward people, even after being abandoned and betrayed. Hero's story captured national attention in 2008. The horse was found wandering with a halter and dragging a lead rope, with two bullet wounds to the head near Suttle Lake northwest of Sisters. See Horse /A4
By Seth Borenstein The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Astronauts have a down-to-Earth problem that could be even worse on a long trip to Mars: They can't get enough sleep. And over time, the lack of slumber can turn intrepid spacetravelersinto drowsy couch potatoes, a new study shows. In a novel experiment, six volunteers were confined in
spherical, swirling "palantir" of Saruman in "The
Lord of the Rings" (forged in the days when Middle Earth was still flat). Until recently, cost and technical limitations have largely confined these modern spheres to institutional settings like science centers. But as technology improves and prices fall,
it's growing more likely
that a digital orb will someday arrive in a classroom or boardroom — even a living room — near you. As the name suggests, a digital globe is a spherical-
Cyanide is found indead lottery winner By Jason Keyser The Associated Press
CHICAGO — With no signs of trauma and nothing to raise suspicions, the sudden deathof a Chicago man just as he was about to collect nearly $425,000 in lottery winnings was initially ruled a result of natural
causes. Nearly six months later, authorities have a mystery on their hands after medical examiners, responding to a relative's pleas, did an expanded screening and determined that Urooj Khan, 46, died shortly after ingesting a lethal dose of cyanide.
The finding has triggered a homicide investigation, the Chicago Police Department said Monday. "It's pretty unusual," said Cook County Medical Examiner Stephen Cina, commenting on the rarity of cyanide poisonings. "I've had one, maybe two cases out of 4,500
autopsies I've done." In June, Khan, who owned a number of dry cleaners, stopped in at a 7-Eleven near his home in the West Rogers Park neighborhood on the city's North Side and bought a ticket for an instant lottery
game. See Lottery/A5
a cramped mock spaceship in Moscowto simulate a 17month voyage. It made most of the would-be spacemen lethargic, much like birds and bears heading into winter,
gearing up for hibernation. The men went into a prolonged funk. Four had considerable trouble sleeping, with one having minor problems and the sixth mostly unaffected.Some had depression issues. See Sleepless/A5
ly shaped display screen. Like the old-school globes once common in classrooms, digital globes vary in size, but a typical model is about 24 inches across. See Globes/A5
TODAY'S WEATHER Rain possible High 48, Low 30
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