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Assessing the risks locally and beyond • PAGE F1
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Serving Central Oregon since 1903 www.bendbulletin.com Bend’s top 10 citations Number issued for violations of city ordinances only, from Jan. 1, 2010, to March 18, 2011: 354: Unlicensed dog 29: Noise 351: Dog at large 15: Public urination/ defecation 184: Parking violations 12: Skateboarding/ 77: Animal nuisance, rollerblading downtown including barks and bites 10: Curfew violations 49: Drinking violations Source: Bend Police 34: Avoiding intersections by crossing private property Department
WEIGHT OF WAR: AN INVESTIGATION
While gear protects soldiers, it also injures
City’s fines could cost you more Bend is set to raise long-unchanged penalties like pet and noise citations By Nick Grube The Bulletin
Drinking while floating the Deschutes River, failing to license your dog and numerous other infractions would become a little more costly if the city
of Bend decides to increase its fines for civil infractions. The city is in the process of updating its municipal code, and officials say they want to boost fines because the current penalties are
nearly 20 years old. “It’s been awhile, and the dollars don’t mean as much as they once did,” Assistant City Attorney Gary Firestone said. “Even though inflation has been low recently, these amounts have
Wildlife tax breaks benefit landowners, but do some cheat? As the program expands locally, so has oversight.
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DES MOINES, Iowa — The ailing economy and the tea party’s demand for smaller government have dominated Republican politics for two years, but a resurgent social conservative movement is shaping the first stage of the presidential nominating contest, complicating the strategy for any candidate who prefers to focus on fiscal issues over faith. Here in Iowa, whose caucuses next winter will open the campaign, social and religious conservatives are pressing the likely candidates on issues like samesex marriage and abortion, overshadowing jobs, the budget deficit and other economic concerns that leaders of both parties expect to dominate the general election. More broadly, some Republicans say, it could muddle the party’s message as it seeks to defeat President Barack Obama. “We look like Camp Christian out here,” said Doug Gross, a Republican activist and former nominee for governor. “If Iowa becomes some extraneous right-wing outpost, you have to question whether it is going to be a good place to vet your presidential candidates.” While social conservatives have long wielded a greater influence in Iowa than in many early-voting states, a bitter fight here over gay marriage and rivalries among some of the state’s conservative leaders have amplified the issues and might help define the message of GOP candidates in ways that could resonate nationally. See GOP / A7
ELECTION
Ryan Brennecke / The Bulletin
Kim Christoffersen walks through his property, east of Bend, Friday morning. The Christoffersens participate in Oregon’s Wildlife Habitat Conservation Management Program, in which landowners create and maintain habitat that is wildlife-friendly and in return receive property tax breaks.
Weeding out the abusers T By Kate Ramsayer and Hillary Borrud • The Bulletin
Pvt. Amanda Culley lifts herself, and her heavy combat gear, from a ditch during a battle exercise at Fort Bliss, Texas, in 2009. Military studies acknowledge that combat soldiers are carrying too much weight, leading to soaring numbers of injuries and higher costs in disability payments.
The role of social issues in 2012: debatable By Jeff Zeleny
By Hal Bernton SEATTLE — Before venturing out on patrol in Iraq, Spc. Joseph Chroniger would wrap his upper body in armor, then sling on a vest and pack that contained batteries for his radio, water, food, flashlight, ammunition and other gear. With his M4 rifle, the whole get-up weighed 70 to 80 pounds — and left him aching. His body hurt the most when his squad came under attack, and he tried to Inside run or dive on the • Graphic: ground. His neck For some and shoulders GIs, gear would burn as if is close to on fire. 100 pounds, Since returning to Western WashPage A6 ington 2½ years ago, Chroniger has been diagnosed with bone spurs in the vertebrae of his neck caused by a degenerative arthritic condition. Sometimes, the pain is intense, and he dreads getting out of bed in the morning. “This is ridiculous,” Chroniger said. “I’m only 25 years old. Arthritis is supposed to happen when you get old. What’s it going to be like when I’m 50 or 60?” Chroniger’s injury is a symptom of the overloaded U.S. combat forces that have served in the long wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. See Gear / A7
been around for a while, and there has been a fair amount of inflation since then.” Today, Class A infractions, which include adults shooting off illegal fireworks or drinking alcohol while floating the river, carry a base fine of $500. The city is proposing to increase that amount to $700. See Fines / A4
he expansive motorcycle play area didn’t mesh with the plan to protect and improve wildlife habitat. Neither did replacing a 924-square-foot house with a 3,500square-foot one and a 626-square-foot art studio or, on a separate property, carving a road over a rimrock cliff, down a canyon and up the other side. The owners of these properties had signed up for the state Wildlife Habitat Conservation Management Program, which provides a significant tax break for people who maintain and improve
habitat on their land. But when Larry Pecenka, a habitat biologist with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, began inspecting participating properties several years ago, he found that roughly a third of the landowners were violating the contracts to which they had agreed. “That kind of gave us a heads up. ... Some of these landowners had objectives, but it’s not the same as the program’s objectives,” Pecenka said. While officials and beneficiaries say the program helps wildlife and property owners alike, oversight has
“This isn’t a freebie. This isn’t a way to dodge taxes. We’re for somebody who has a passion: ‘This is something we want to do with our property.’” — Larry Pecenka, a biologist with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
The Bulletin An Independent Newspaper
Vol. 108, No. 86, 46 pages, 7 sections
INDEX Business G1-6
Crossword C7, E2
Movies
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Obituaries B5
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proved difficult. Biologists who inspect properties and approve plans have barely enough time and resources to ensure that everyone plays by the rules. For that reason, they’d like to keep the program from growing. Deschutes County, nonetheless, recently expanded eligibility for the program and for the tax breaks it brings. Those who haven’t played by the rules, meanwhile, have been kicked out of the program and been required to reimburse the county for thousands of dollars of lost tax revenue. Although such abuse has been frustrating, says Pecenka, most of the program’s participants joined because they care about their land, and the conservation program helps preserve habitat as development expands in Deschutes County.
The program: ‘Not a freebie’ The Legislature established the Wildlife Habitat Conservation Management Program in 1997, and Deschutes County decided to participate the following year. Taxpayers are eligible if they have property that is zoned for exclusive farm use and offers some significant habitat values, including wetlands, old-growth juniper and rimrock. The landowners, with the help of a biologist, draw up individual plans that outline what is needed — and what will be prohibited — on the property. See Wildlife / A5
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Obituary: Until her, national politics was a men’s club Geraldine Ferraro was a relatively obscure congresswoman from New York in 1984. But her vice presidential bid that year, the first for a woman on a major-party ticket, emboldened women across the country to seek public office. For story, see Page A3.
TOP NEWS INSIDE LIBYA: Progress, but U.S. faces new problem in Syria, Page A2