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Ironman bid hits snag: Other triathlon already set By Hillary Borrud The Bulletin
A plan to bring the West Coast’s first-ever Ironman to Central Oregon has gained the support of Gov. John Kitzhaber and Sen. Ron Wyden, but might not secure the support that backers hoped
for from the city of Bend. Bend officials said they were mostly concerned that the Ironman event is to take place on the same weekend as another triathlon, the LeadmanTri, which is already scheduled for three years beginning on Sept. 22.
Doug LaPlaca, president and CEO of Visit Bend, was careful not to criticize Ironman organizers on Thursday. “There’s no question that if they could successfully court Ironman to Central Oregon, the economic impact would be enormous,” LaPlaca said.
However, LaPlaca said Visit Bend already committed to host LeadmanTri events on the same weekend as the proposed Ironman event, and there would be two years when the events would overlap. See Triathlon / A4
• Lobbyist tells state lawmakers uncertainty threatens expansion
WINTER WEATHER
Record snow buries Bachelor
Jamie Hryciuk, 33, shovels her RV out of snow in the Mt. Bachelor parking lot on Thursday.
Facebook wants tax assurance
• The resort expects to reopen today after Thursday’s whopping 35 inches forces a rare closure
By Lauren Dake The Bulletin
SALEM — Without the promise of a hefty tax break, Facebook would not have built its first data center in Prineville, a lobbyist for the social network told state lawmakers Thursday. Corey Owens, who is representing the company, said the uncertainty surrounding Facebook’s tax bill could jeopardize both the expansion of Facebook in the area and other data centers looking to locate or build in the state. In his pitch urging a legislative fix to the state’s tax code, Owens said that while Facebook may be the “poster child” for a company that is faced with central assessment, “this is about the future of data centers in Oregon.” The economic impact, he said, will be felt not just in “the community of Prineville, but (in) the state of Oregon.” Under the enterprise zone agreement, struck with Crook County and the state’s economic development office, Facebook has a 15-year exemption on taxes on its buildings, contents and further development. But the way the state has defined Facebook — as a communication company — means it could centrally assess the company and tax it on its intangible assets, such as worldwide value and brand recognition. See Facebook / A6
A game-changing day redefines the Republican race • Perry quits, supports Gingrich; Santorum declared Iowa winner By Dan Balz and Chris Cillizza The Washington Post
Photos by Rob Kerr / The Bulletin
Mt. Bachelor employees shovel snow off the roof of the West Village Lodge on Thursday. The ski area shut down Thursday, when it received 35 inches of snow in 24 hours. A spokesman said Thursday’s snowfall could be the heaviest one-day total in the resort’s history. By Scott Hammers The Bulletin
More snow coverage on C1:
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• 2 stranded snowmobilers rescued • Snowplow hits pedestrian in Bend • Cascade Disposal delays collection
ecord snowfall buried Mt. Bachelor on Thursday, forcing the ski area to shut down due to weather for only the second time in more than 20 years.
Morning snow reports from the resort put the total snowfall at 35 inches in 24 hours, and 59 inches over three days, with snow continuing to fall at a slower pace. Spokesman Drew Jackson said a limited review of snowfall data and consultation with the mountain’s most senior ski patrollers suggest it was the heaviest one-day snowfall in the resort’s history of more than 60 years. Due to the heavy snowfall, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office and the Deschutes National Forest issued a joint advisory Thursday, recommending that skiers, snow-
TOP NEWS AUTISM: New definition will exclude many, A3 The Bulletin
mobilers and snowshoers avoid backcountry areas for the next few days. Lt. Scott Shelton, head of the Sheriff’s Office Search & Rescue unit, said those who venture into the backcountry risk becoming stuck or triggering an avalanche, and that his unit cannot guarantee they’ll be able to respond. “The current conditions out there are not ones that we really want folks traveling in,” he said. “Unfortunately if they chose to do that, they’re placing themselves at very high risk, and it also put our people at extreme risk to go get them.”
TODAY’S WEATHER Midday rain High 49, Low 37 Page C6
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At Mt. Bachelor, ski patrollers sent up the mountain just after daylight found more snow than had been forecast, Jackson said, and that it was “upside-down” — heavy, wet snow on top of a layer of lighter powder. Due to the avalanche danger presented by the upside-down conditions, all employees moving around the runs on snowmobiles and groomers were called back so that the ski patrol could conduct avalanche control operations, setting off explosive charges in various locations. See Winter / A6
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — In the most extraordinary day of the Republican presidential race, a series of fast-paced and unexpected events shook the candidates and their campaigns Thursday, significantly altering the dynamic of the contest just two days before a crucial primary that many thought might settle the nomination. It was a day of split-screen viewing and almost hourly recalibration. Iowa Republicans declared Rick Santorum the new winner of their Jan. 3 caucuses, erasing Mitt Romney’s eight-vote victory. Rick Perry, who had one of the largest donor networks, quit the race and endorsed Newt Gingrich, who was gaining momentum but faced new challenges as his ex-wife accused him in interviews of asking for an “open marriage.” And that was all before midafternoon. Thursday was capped by the second candidate debate in four days, this time with just four contenders — Romney, Gingrich, Santorum and Ron Paul — on stage and with more at stake than in any of the previous forums. As the day neared an end, a race that only a few days ago appeared to be almost on autopilot, with Romney wrapping up the nomination, was careering toward Saturday’s primary with Romney fighting to avoid a potentially costly defeat to Gingrich that would send the race on to Florida for a Jan. 31 primary and potentially beyond. See GOP / A3
Seaweed in the tank? Company turns to aquaculture for ethanol By Renee Schoof McClatchy-Tribune News Service
Imagine driving up to a gas station for ethanol made not from corn farms in the heartland but from seaweed farms on the coasts. Futuristic, yes. But as the world looks for ways to reduce the use of fossil fuels, farming for seaweed as a fuel feedstock could emerge as an option. It’s already starting in the
earliest stages of testing in Chile. On Thursday, a breakthrough in the development of biofuels from seaweed made the cover of the current issue of Science magazine. The story tells how scientists from Bio Architecture Lab in Berkeley, Calif., engineered a microbe that can convert the sugars in brown, inedible seaweed into energy. See Seaweed / A4
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
Workers harvest seaweed at a coastal farm for Bio Architecture Lab, which has engineered a microbe to make fuel and chemicals from seaweed.