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THE BULLETIN • FRIDAY, JULY 8, 2011
IN BRIEF Deck fire causes $20,000 in damage A fire that broke out at a southeast Bend residence Thursday morning caused $20,000 in damage, the Bend Fire Department said. Fire crews were alerted to a deck fire on Southeast Douglas Street at around 9 a.m. Crews were able to contain the fire to the deck and prevent it from spreading. There were no injuries. The house is unoccupied. Firefighters determined the improper disposal of a cigarette by cleaning crews caused the fire.
Small brush fire sparked by tractor
Warm Springs blaze surpasses 2,000 acres By Erik Hidle The Bulletin
A fire on the Warm Springs Reservation grew to 2,000 acres Thursday night as firefighters worked to keep the blaze away from Highway 26. The fire started around 2 p.m. in the Upper Dry Creek area of the reservation, northwest of the city of Warm Springs. Winds estimated at up to 45 mph out of the northwest helped the fire crawl over the butte and into Miller Heights by 5 p.m.
A small brush fire that broke out near U.S. Highway 97 Thursday was sparked by a tractor, the Bend Fire Department said. Firefighters responded to a call about a brush fire north of Deschutes Junction along the highway’s southbound lanes at 12:30 p.m. Crews quickly contained the halfacre fire, though the highway was reduced to one lane for more than an hour because of hazardous smoke conditions. There were no injuries or property damage. The fire was caused by an Oregon Department of Transportation tractor mowing in the area after its blade struck a rock, creating a spark that ignited dry grass nearby.
The path of the burn claimed one house and one abandoned building, but no injuries or deaths were reported. Warm Springs Fire Management reported 80 firefighters from Central Oregon, including hotshot crews from Prineville, had been called in by 7 p.m. Officials said they hope to see the fire contained by this morning. “We think we’re going to get a handle on the fire tonight,� said Fire Information Officer
Clay Penhollow. “They have it contained to some back roads, and that has kept the fire off the highway.� Penhollow said the cause was unknown but dry conditions and high winds were responsible for the fire’s rapid growth. Highway 26 remained open as of Thursday night, but the Oregon Department of Transportation recommends travelers check www.tripcheck.com before taking the highway. See Fire / C5
Submitted photo
A hillside adjacent to Natural Resources buildings on the Warm Springs Reservation is charred after a fire swept over it Tuesday.
Deschutes looks for feedback on roads
A MAIN COURSE OF MUSIC WITH DINNER ON THE SIDE
By Hillary Borrud The Bulletin
Brush fire caused by damaged power line A brush fire that broke out near Johnson Road in Bend Wednesday afternoon was caused by a damaged power line, the Bend Fire Department said. Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire that was caused by a power line that had shorted out and dropped sparks onto dry grass. Central Electric Coop later repaired the line. — Bulletin staff reports
EVENT CLOSURE Bend Summer Festival
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CALIFORNIA Small town seeing greater share of hard times, see Page C2. OREGON Portland’s open reservoirs vulnerable to attack, see Page C3.
Rob Kerr / The Bulletin
Kim Costa, 36, hands out plates of pizza to children belonging to her and a friend at Munch & Music on Thursday evening in Bend’s Drake Park. San Francisco-based Tracorum performed at the first of six free concerts in the series. In addition to performances, Munch & Music features food, beverages, clothing, crafts and a kids’ inflatable fun zone. On July 14, Portland singer-songwriter Curtis Salgado will take the park stage. After that comes Rootz Underground on July 21, Cherry Poppin’ Daddies on July 28, and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy on Aug. 4. The final Munch & Music concert guest will be Shemekia Copeland on Aug. 11. The Thursday events run from 5:30-9:30 p.m.
Panel: Elected mayor not best for Bend By Nick Grube The Bulletin
After a meeting last month, the committee formed to study whether Bend’s mayor should be elected and wield more power than other city councilors rejected the idea. Among the reasons: Committee members believed that someone with enough money would be able to buy an election even if he or she didn’t have
any experience, and they felt the wrong person in that position could turn council relations acrimonious. The problem is that no one outside of that meeting knew about the decision or the deliberations that took place because the city didn’t post public meeting notices as required by law. To remedy the oversight, the city held a second meeting Thursday in which the com-
mittee officially adopted the decision and recommended to the City Council that it leave Bend’s mayoralty an appointed position. But even though the committee decided against an elected mayoral position, it did suggest the current City Council look at ways to extend the current twoyear term up to four years. “Our main emphasis is that we need this continuity,� com-
mittee member Oran Teater said. “And that continuity is a four-year term.� Teater is a former Bend city councilor and mayor. For years he has advocated making the mayor position an elected one because that would allow residents to pick who their “yell king� would be, as well as allow that person to settle into that role. See Charter / C1
Deschutes County faces an annual shortfall of at least $2 million in road maintenance money, and officials want to know whether residents are willing to pay more to keep roads in good condition. The county this week launched a survey that asks whether residents favor various taxes and fees to pay for roads. The county is also asking whether residents support taking some roads back to gravel in order to save money, and officials want to know if residents have their own ideas about how to solve the funding problem. The county’s home page instructs people to read a county staff report on the road maintenance budget shortfall, and then take the survey. The county is at least $2 million short of what it needs each year to fill potholes, put down chip seal and asphalt overlay and do other road maintenance, according to a recent county report. The annual budget hole is expected to grow by more than $1 million when the federal Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act expires next year. As of Wednesday morning, 84 people had responded to the survey, said county spokeswoman Anna Johnson. The survey asks people whether the county should raise money for road maintenance through options such as a bond measure, new tax districts and fees on vehicle registrations and the transportation of aggregate rock. See Survey / C5
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Andy Zeigert / The Bulletin
Ex-manager of Crook County may appeal bank branch $1M ruling to highest court imprisoned for embezzlement By Erik Hidle The Bulletin
HOW TO SUBMIT Letters and submissions: • Mail: My Nickel’s Worth or In My View, P.O. Box 6020, Bend, OR 97708 • E-mail: bulletin@bendbulletin.com • More details inside this section. Civic Calendar notices: • E-mail: news@bendbulletin.com • Please write “Civic Calendarâ€? in the subject line and include a contact name and daytime phone number. Births, engagements, marriages and anniversaries: • Mail information to Milestones, P.O. Box 6020, Bend, OR 97708, within one month of the celebration. • More details: Milestones publishes in Sunday’s Community Life section.
Scott Hammers The Bulletin
A former manager of a Bend branch of U.S. Bank was sentenced Wednesday to eight months in prison for embezzlement. Shawn Jewett, 32, of Medford, was convicted in U.S. District Court for taking $91,000 from the bank and bank customers between May 2008 and November 2009. Court documents indicate Jewett used the funds to pay down personal debts, including credit cards and a car loan, and to take a vacation. In some instances, Jewett would take money from one customer’s account. See Embezzle / C5
Crook County officials are considering an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court over a $1 million ruling against the county for halting a residential development in 2003. On Tuesday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the county’s appeal to rehear the case. Crook County Legal Counsel David Gordon said the county still believes it is in the right by halting the development. “We are considering a potential appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court,� Gordon said. “It will be weeks before that decision is made, however.� The Supreme Court is the county’s final avenue for appeal in what has already been an eight-year dispute. In May 2009, a circuit court jury found the county had
committed the act of taking by stopping development on land belonging to Dave Molony in 2003. The court awarded Molony $1 million compensation, plus attorney fees, to be paid by the county. The county appealed the ruling, and on May 27 the appeals court upheld the judgment. The county then asked for the trial to be reheard, but a three-judge panel unanimously denied the request. Molony, now a 62-year-old rancher, said he is happy to see the county reaching the end of its legal remedies. “I’m feeling pretty good about it right now,� Molony said. “At this point, I’m expecting to see what the jury has awarded to me.�
Erik Hidle can be reached at 541-617-7837 or at ehidle@bendbulletin.com.
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