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Serving Central Oregon since 1903 www.bendbulletin.com
Reset government: The push to get rid of the PERS pickup Behind By Sheila G. Miller The Bulletin
More news of state and local budget woes accost the public every day, with everything from eliminated school days to closed state offices inciting frustration
and concern. But almost nothing piques interest so much as public employees and their benefits, like the practice by the state and many other public employers around Oregon to pick up the amount of money employees are
required to pay into their own retirement savings account. Now, Gov. Ted Kulongoski is recommending the state eliminate that perk as part of his government reset recommendations to help a state budget currently
mired in shortfall after shortfall. While the idea is simple and the results clear, it may not be so easy. Oregon’s Public Employees Retirement System, or PERS, has existed since 1946. Since then, those employees have been required to
Last day of play
contribute a portion of their pay to fund that pension. In 1979, with inflation raging, the state began paying that contribution for many employees to avoid giving up skyhigh salary increases. See PERS / A4
Crowded at the top for today’s round • C1
— and local fans are sad to say goodbye
Bend’s water options City Council’s decision to focus on 3 things: where it comes from, how to clean it, and how much it will cost By Nick Grube The Bulletin
Rob Kerr / The Bulletin
Tournament leader Tom Lehman signs autographs Saturday as the crowd in the background streams to the exit at the Jeld-Wen Tradition at Crosswater Club in Sunriver. Jeld-Wen’s announcement earlier this month that it will not renew its contract to sponsor the event has fans wondering about The Tradition’s future.
By Sheila G. Miller • The Bulletin
SUNRIVER —
T
oday could well be the last day of Champions Tour golf in Central Oregon.
With Tradition title sponsor Jeld-Wen announcing earlier this month it would not renew its contract with the PGA Tour, the tournament’s future is uncertain. If the tournament left Central Oregon, it would be a real loss for fans like Dennis Osborn, who has gone to every Tradition since it moved to Oregon in 2003.
“It’s a big ritual for me,” he said. “It’s a fun little trip, just for me.” Osborn, like many fans, is upset that the tournament will likely leave. But most fans say that, with the economy the way it is, it’s no surprise. Jeld-Wen Inc., the Klamath Falls-based door and window manufacturer, has been The Tradition’s title sponsor since 2003, and the major championship on the 50-and-older circuit has been played at Sunriver Resort’s Crosswater Club since 2007. Osborn, who has traveled the past four years to Central Oregon from his home in Sheridan to see the pros
IRAN: Russia helps Islamic Republic open its first nuclear plant, Page A2
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in action, suggested a consortium of sponsors might save the tournament. “It’s been a mainstay for Oregon fans,” he said. “We don’t have much in the way of professional sports events in Oregon. … And these guys are my age. I feel like I’ve grown up with them since the ’70s.” He had a feeling this spring that the tournament’s days in Central Oregon might be numbered. “I understand the economic times we have here,” Osborn said. “I don’t know if a major Oregon entity will come and step in. I’m very afraid this might be the last Tradition in Oregon.” See Tradition / A4
How much rates could go up Bend city councilors have at least three options for a proposed overhaul of the surface water system. Each has a different price tag and would increase rates by different percentages, estimated between 7.5 and 9.1 percent on an annual basis — meaning increases of between 37.5 and 45.5 percent over the next five years.
Complicated balancing act A champion against cancer for imam in mosque furor — now under siege
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If Bend wants to continue taking much of its water supply from Bridge Creek over the next several decades, city councilors will have to weigh a number of options for how to do so, each one with a different cost and impact on ratepayers. The city’s surface water system needs several repairs to meet clean-water mandates, protect against wildfires and serve a growing population. City officials and paid consultants have come up with several options, and based on estimates released last week, the total price could range from $54.7 million to $73 million. This means water rates could go up between 37.5 and 45.5 percent over the next five years. City Manager Eric King said if councilors decide to take on this project it would be one of the single largest infrastructure overhauls in Bend’s history, and would help ensure there was safe drinking water for years to come. “We’ve got a big challenge ahead of us in educating the public about the value of this project and what it means,” King said. “We’re not doing this project for our own benefit. It’s for the community, and we have to think about what’s in the best interest for this community.” While the city has studied this topic for years and put together estimates for how much it will cost, many things have changed over the past year that have caused officials to re-evaluate the surface water options and how the city will pay for them. See Water / A9
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The Bulletin An Independent Newspaper
Vol. 107, No. 234, 54 pages, 7 sections
For years, Feisal Abdul Rauf has encountered distrust as he tries to reconcile Islam with the West.
By Anne Barnard
By Bruce Weber and Juliet Macur
New York Times News Service
New York Times News Service
Muslims need to understand and soothe Americans who fear them; they should be conciliatory, not judgmental, toward the West. That was Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf’s message, but not everyone in the Cairo lecture hall last February was buying it. As he talked of reconciliation between America and Middle Eastern Muslims — his voice soft, almost New Agey — some questions were so hostile that he felt the need to declare that he was not an American agent. See Imam / A7
AUSTIN, Texas — Barry Bonds. Marion Jones. Alex Rodriguez. Roger Clemens. There is no shortage of athletes who have fallen from grace, their achievements on the playing field and their public stature compromised by accusations of cheating or other repugnant revelations. The case of Lance Armstrong is far more complex. Having survived testicular cancer that metastasized to his lungs and his brain, Armstrong — who went on to win a record seven Tour de France titles — has become a powerful symbol of the possibilities of life after the disease. He has also become a world-class philanthropist. See Armstrong / A8 Lance Armstrong in 2005. AP