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TH E BULLETIN• FRIDAY, MAY 30, 2014
WEST NEWS
NEWS OF RECORD
HonoringHooverDam'sblue-collar heroes
The Bulletin will update items in the Police Logwhensuch a request is received. Anynewinformation, such asthe dismissal of chargesor acquittal, must be verifiable. For more information, call 541-633-2117.
"Maybethetalesw ere apocryphal, but people retold them.
By JohnM.Giionna Los Ange(es Times
BOULDER CITY, Nev.
Like the time someone saw
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Nobody could recall his real
Alabam fishing inside a latrine with a stick. He explained he was trying to get his jacket. When told it would probably be ruined, he supposedly said he
name. Instead, he was known
simply as Alabam, probably a riff off his Southern mots. But
they all knew him, the old man who played a gritty and all-butthankless mle in the Depression-era building of Hoover
bam's statue should be the first
work commissioned. "How can you question the spirit of a guy,
was a one-man sanitation crew
as old as he was, coming to the
for the 7,000 workers who labored to shore up a rock-walled
Hoover Dam project seeking work? In those times they were looking for young, virile men, not old-timers," he said. "Out of
canyon and build what was
John M. Glionna/ Los Angeles Times / MCT
then almost unthinkable — a Alabam wasonce the nickname ofan old man who cleaned the dam that would eventually pro- Iatrines during the1930s construction of the Hoover Dam. Now, thanks to a Boulder City, Nev., arts project, a bronze statue of the
ern states. long-gone character stands on a city street corner, greeting visitors. Probably in his 70s back then, Alabam is long-gone. But he's far from forgotten. then ableak desert wilderness. and its residents in erecting the On the main drag of this But there out front, the first dam. "Most tourists spend a short community of 15,000 residents, of the statues to greet visitors not far from the shores of Lake on their way into Boulder City's period of t i m e h e re," said Mead, he stands in an immortal old town area, stands Alabam. former City Manager Vicki "Here was a simple sanita- Mayes. "We wanted a way to pose, 8 feet tall with his widebrimmed sun hat,long-sticked tion engineer whose job was so help them feel the city's unique broom slung over his shoulder bad — even whentemperatures character." — all in bronze, right down to hit 120 degrees, he climbed inThe place is indeed unique: the garland of spare toilet paper side those tin latrine boxes," Gambling is outlawed here. Berolls around his neck. said Steven Liguori, the Las cause it was settled as a federal Alabam's is one of sev- Vegas sculptor who created camp for dam workers, offieral stat ues erected around the piece. "Now he's the unof- cials wanted to avoid the addicthis former federal company ficial greeter to the entire town. tive side of gambling. When the town to memorialize Hoover What an incredible thing." city incorporated in 1959, the Dam workers and their families. The work crews indud-
ed "high-scalers," who hung suspended from flimsy guide "powder-monkeys," ropes; named for the dynamite they planted; cable operators, who
Criminal mischief — Anact of criminal mischief wasreported at 6:17 a.m. April16, in the2200block of Northeast Wailer Court. Theft — Atheft was reported at 2:25 p.m. April 25, in the2800 block of Northwest Clearwater Drive. Criminal mischief — Anact of criminal mischief wasreported at 7:09a.m.May4,inthe500 blockof Northwest OgdenAvenue. Criminal mischief — Anact of criminal mischief wasreported at11:43a.m. May 9, inthe area of Northwest SisemoreStreet and Northwest Hunter Place. Theft — Atheft was reported at 10:07 a.m. May11, in the63700 block of StanleyWay. Unlawful entry — Avehicle was reported entered at11:29a.m. May 19, in the 400block of Northwest Hill Street. Theft — Atheft was reported at 9:50 a.m. May21, inthe 20000 blockof Covey Lane. Theft — Atheft was reported at1:47 p.m. May23, in the 600 block of Northwest Yosemite Drive. Theft — Atheft was reported at 2:33 p.m. May24, in the 20100 block of
his lunch was inthe pocket." McBride suggested that Ala-
Alabam cleaned latrines. As far as historians can tell, he
vide water to a swath of West-
BEND POLICE DEPARTMENT
didn't care about the jacket, but
Dam.
all the characters that deserved to be remembered, he was the
one most people I spoke to had a softspot for."
Liguori, who had already done a series of bronzes of Hoover Dam workers, one of which is on permanent dis-
play there, got the job. He took a 1930s photograph of the old sanitation man, the only one known to exist, and went to work. The project took him two
weeks. Just after dawn on a recent
day, as the morning sun reflected off Alabam's face, the 52-year-old Liguori addressed
ban continued.
tor Dennis McBride calls "an amazingpublic artsprogram" for a community that decided to honor its mammoth past.
written on Boulder City and
compensation. " The best they can do i s
Continued from B1 achieve 15 minutes of fame," DuValle said S o larBeethe email read. claimed it does not pay pubAn email sent to DuValle lic works employees who from Tom Hickmann, the city's provide testimonials or offer infrastructure planning diproduct discounts or
o t h er rector, credited Brelje for lead-
Measles Continued from B1 "Most of the country has been like Oregon, where you'll see transmission for a generation or two," and the original sick person will infect one or two other people, but it doesn't spread much beyond
at risk from the disease.
"One of the things that differentiates measles from other infectious diseases is how
highly contagious it is," he said. Five minutes sitting next to someone in a waiting room
could be enough to pass along the infection, he said. "Most people who get meathat, he said. "It dies out pretty sles will recover. But a persoon. It dies out because there centage will not," he said. is a lack of susceptibles." Before the introduction of a Oregon's five cases include measles vaccine in 1963, bean i n f an t i n Mu l t n omah tween 3 and 4 million people County and four cases in contracted the disease each Marion County who were all year,according to the Centers immunized, had close contact for Disease Control. Of those, with one another and were in contact with someone who
Continued from Bf
mix with the bronze, to make
Crews to apply chip seal on Veterans Way VeteransWaynear the rail crossing in Redmondwill be closed from 8to11 a.m.Tuesday for road crews toapply chipseal. Crews will block off thesouthbound turning lane on U.S.High-
— Bulletin staffreport
on a 2006 hunting trip paid for throughthepurchase of more in part by a company that sup- than $3.6 million in supplies facility, where water pulled to use the SolarBee product, plied parts to the Public Works from the company, which parfrom Bridge Creek is chlorinat- Hickmann wrote, and saved an Department. tially paid for the hunting trip, ed before being distributed to estimated$250,000by doingso. The city did not disdose the and from people tied to the city residents. Brelje was disciplined by the nature of the discipline. It found company. equipment at the city's Outback
H ickmann wrote that h e
authorized Brelje to appear in
was the first city in the country
city in 2011, when a separate in-
no evidence the city's purchas-
— Reporter:541-383-0387, shammers@bendbulletin.com
vestigation found he had gone ing guidelines were violated
tool," said Carlson. Importation of the disease by someone who has traveled
abroad, particularly to countries without strong vaccination programs, still poses the greatest threat of infection, he sald.
"The vaccine is working; we don't have a lot of evidence of waning immunity,"
e
44 i+'.i
-4
added Cieslak. "I continue to
believe that measles has been a great public health victory."
T ., 'd,
's +j~'
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p
But Cieslak remains con-
cerned about Oregon's inc rease in n o n medical e x emptions to vaccination re-
400 to 500 died and 48,000
DUlls
he said. "It's a very prevalent problem in Central Oregon, Continued from B1 especially in Bend." Bend police arrested 12 He said most bars are dilpeople over Memorial Day igent in monitoring patrons' weekend, including a 14-year- alcohol consumption, calling old, on suspicion of driving cabs for people who are too
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DUII arrests since the start
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of 2013. Parker said police average about 40 arrests per month.
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intoxicated to drive. "I want the message to get
accountedfor 32 percent of all
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drunken-driving incidents. As of Thursday morning, Bend police had made 666
Burleigh said M emorial Day weekend was especially During the same weekend in out that people should save an busy and that other officers 2013, police made four DUII extra couple bucks for a cab," commented on the large numarrests, he said. he said. ber of DUII arrests. He also "We had two extra patrol "If you think you might said studies have shown that, officers to help look for people have had too much to drink, by the time a person is arrestdriving under the influence," you have had too much to ed on suspicion of DUII, he Parker said. "Unfortunately drink. There are plenty of oth- has driven drunk many times. "I don't know the exact stathere are so many more out er ways to get home without there, and we're not able to ar- drlvlng. tistics, but most people who rest all of them." According to the Centers are arrested for DUII h ave The holiday weekend sus- for Disease Control, in 2010 an driven drunk approximatepects ranged from age 14 estimated 4 million U.S. adults ly 80 times before they're to 60, and though the bulk reported driving impaired at caught," Burleigh said. "Peowere in their 20s, Burleigh least one time. Of those, men ple generally drive drunk a said there's no "typical" DUII accounted for 81 percent of substantial number of times arrestee. reported drunken-driving in- before they're caught." "In my experience, they cidents and men ages 21 to 34 — Reporter:541-383-0376, can be 14 or they can be 74,"
way 97 andthroughlaneonWest VeteransWay.Readerboards, barricades, conesand flaggers will be in place tocontrol and directtraffic. Maps of the closurecanbe found on thecity of Redmond Transportation website atwww. redmond.or.us/government/ departments/public-works/transportation-division.
ing the effort to use SolarBee the SolarBee testimonial. Bend
quirements, when parents were hospitalized. can choose not to vaccinate had been overseas, he said. Thanks largely to vaccina- their child on religious, philo"You're still finding that tion,measles was considered sophical or personal grounds. most of the people who are "eliminated" i n t h e U n i t ed At 6.4 percent, Oregon has getting measles are unvacci- States in 2000, meaning there the highest rate of unvaccinated," with the majority of was an absence of continuous nated kindergartners in the cases occurring in the 6 per- transmission for a 12-month country. "We still have a lot of percent of the population that period. In addition to prohasn't been vaccinated, he tecting individuals who have tussis (whooping cough) in said. "That means the vac- been immunized, vaccines Oregon," as well as human cines are working." create herd immunity, where p apillomavirus, o r HP V , Oregon hadsix cases last diseases don't spread because which can lead to genital of a lack of susceptible hosts. warts orcancer, Cieslak said. year, he said. Dr. Kenneth Carlson, presSince 2000, the yearly num- "I am more concerned about ident of the Oregon Pediatric ber of cases nationwide has getting those v accination Society, said infants who may been more than 200 once, in rates up where there is still a not haveyetbeen vaccinated 2011. Most years, the total lot of disease out there to be and people with compromised was fewer than 100. prevented." immune systems or other "This is an area where vac— Reporter:202-662-7456, chronic health issues are most cination is our most effective aclevenger@bendbulletin.com
under the influence of intoxicants, Lt. Nick Parker said.
Tuesday 3:20 p.m. — Unauthorized burning, 1112 S.W.Long Creek Lane. 6:51 p.m — Natural vegetation fire, 18629 CouchMarket Road. 27 — Medical aidcalls. Wednesday 21 — Medical aid calls.
LOCAL BRIEFING
Hoover Dam, joined a commit- Alabam really part of his old tee to pick character types to haunts, and they part of him. memorialize. His first thought Nowadays, each time he "It's something that any town was Alabam. While McBride drives past Alabam, the sculpkeptthe concrete buckets mov- can do," he said, "but most was doing oral histories for a tor smiles. "He played such a ing amund the dock; not to don't." The project started a de- book, stories of the old worker simple role inbuildingthe dam, mention the wives and children cade ago when officials allocat- surhced agalll and agam. a guy who was happy about "Everybody r emembered doing it," he said. "It doesn't get who set up camp not far away, ed $75,000 a year for five years making a life out of what was to promote the role of the city the old guy in his 70s," he said. more down-to-earth than that."
Inquiry
BEND FIRE RUNS
the statue like a f riend. He
described how he scrounged some old copper cableleft McBride, ahistorianwhohas over from building the dam to
The statues are part of what Nevada State Museum Direc-
Pinebrook Boulevard. Burglary — A burglary wasreported at10:30a.m. May27, inthe 21300 block of Starling Drive. Theft — Atheft was reported at 2:39 p.m. May27, inthe1500 block of Northwest GalvestonAvenue. Unlawful entry — Avehicle was reported entered at9:10 p.m.May 27, in the 300block of Northwest Georgia Avenue. Theft — Atheftwasreported at9:37 a.m. May28, in the 2600 blockof Altair Court. Theft — Atheft was reported at 10:25 a.m. May28, in the1400 block of Northwest CumberlandAvenue. Burglary — A burglary wasreported at10:32 a.m. May24, inthe 300 block of Southeast ClevelandAvenue. Theft — Atheft was reported andan arrest made at6:12a.m. May27, in the 600 block of Northeast Bellevue Drive. Theft — Atheft was reported at 2:59 p.m. May 22, inthe1500 block of Northeast Purcell Boulevard. DUII — ShannonDenise Claywell,46, was arrested onsuspicion of driving under the influence of intoxicants at 7:12 p.m. May23, inthe100 blockof Southwest Century Drive.
POLICE LOG
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