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Prineville explores options for water
Marine honored for valor
By Duffie Taylor The Bulletin
PRINEVILLE — With another data center moving to Prineville, the city is ratcheting up its efforts to ensure a long-term water supply. On Tuesday, city councilors awarded a $201,652 contract to Abbas Well Drilling for two test wells above an underground aquifer near the Prineville airport. The Terrebone company also drilled a similar exploratory well near that location and another in northern Prineville near the Northridge subdivision last December. The test wells near the airport allow officials to map the aquifer, which is believed to hold enough water to serve the city’s urban growth boundary buildout for the next 20 to 30 years. It will also give information about the area’s water chemistry and geological strata so that officials can pinpoint the best location for another production well. City Engineer Eric Klann said so far the results of the study have provided the necessary stepping-stones to move forward. The exploratory well drilled in December produced about 350 gallons per minute, which is considered a good well for Prineville, but Klann said the spot for a production well can’t be determined until the extent of the aquifer is mapped. Though test wells cost about $100,000 each, Klann said that figure is significantly less than a $400,000 production well. When officials do decide to drill a well for production, they want to aim for the center of the aquifer — where output is highest — and they have to know the aquifer’s scope before doing that. “With each test well, we gather a great deal of information. With the next two test wells, we feel we’ll be within reach of our goal,” Klann said. Klann said the other test well recently drilled in the city’s northern section produced less satisfying results. See Prineville / A5
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• Michael Bremont is arraigned on charges in sex abuse case
— Tom Teela, Kyle Thompson’s grandfather
By Ben Botkin
Ryan Brennecke / The Bulletin file photo
• Kyle Thompson is awarded a Bronze Star for his actions in Afghanistan By Nick Grube
Thompson graduated from La Pine High School in 2005, went to Iraq in 2008, completing his tour in 2009 and extending his enlistment so he could go to Afghanistan.
The Bulletin
A U.S. Marine corporal from La Pine who lost his left eye in an explosion while fighting in Afghanistan was awarded a Bronze Star for Valor last week. Kyle Thompson, 25, of the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion out of Camp Pendleton, Calif., earned the medal for what the military deemed “courageous actions” during two firefights in which his patrol was ambushed and he led his troops to safety. Both incidents occurred in Afghanistan’s dangerous Helmand province, and each one happened before Thompson was injured by the improvised explosive device that ultimately ended his military career. He received a Purple Heart after that injury. He also received a Purple Heart for an earlier incident involving an IED that struck his armored vehicle. “I’m very proud of him,” Thompson’s grandfather Tom Teela said. “He’s lost an eye and
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“I’m very proud of him. He’s lost an eye and about five teeth. ... So he’s had quite an experience over there.”
Marine Cpl. Kyle Thompson, left, is greeted by the community during a welcome-home party in May at the American Legion Post 45 in La Pine. Thompson says he’s looking forward to fishing and enrolling in classes at Central Oregon Community College.
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U.S. Marine Cpl. Kyle Thompson, of La Pine, earned the Bronze Star for his courage during two firefights in Afghanistan.
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RPA chief out of jail on new conditions
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about five teeth. … So he’s had quite an experience over there.” Teela, who lives just south of Sunriver, said he’s probably the reason his grandson went into the military. Teela was a Marine who fought in World War II and, like Thompson, was awarded a Purple Heart after being injured in battle. “He’s a gung-ho Marine, and he didn’t go for just being a rifleman like me,” Teela said of his grandson. “He had to be in the best unit.” Thompson graduated from La
Pine High School in 2005 and was trained in reconnaissance after joining the Marines. He went to Iraq in 2008, completing his tour in 2009. He extended his enlistment so he could go to Afghanistan. Thompson was stationed in Marjah, a south-central part of the country that’s considered a hub in Afghanistan’s fertile opium trade. The poppy fields there and elsewhere in the Helmand province help fund the Taliban’s efforts. See Thompson / A4
The Bulletin
Following a court hearing Wednesday, Redmond Proficiency Academy founder Michael Bremont will be under house arrest and wear an ankle bracelet with electronic monitoring. Bremont has been indicted on charges of sexually abusing a female student. House arrest and electronic monitoring are part of a new release agreement for Bremont, 39, who faces 14 charges connected to his alleged abuse of a student between October 2009 and September 2010. Bremont also was arraigned in Deschutes County Circuit Court Bremont on the charges, which consist of one count of third-degree sodomy, one count of third-degree attempted rape, two counts of second-degree sexual abuse, and 10 counts of third-degree sexual abuse. The release agreement, approved by Deschutes County Circuit Court Judge Stephen Forte, requires Bremont to live at the home of his aunt and uncle in West Linn and surrender his passport. Bremont cannot have contact with minors, except his children under conditions agreed to with his wife, Tamara Bremont. Bremont also cannot be on the premises of the Redmond charter school or have contact with any of the school’s students or staff. The exception to that condition is his wife, who is a teacher at RPA. Bremont, who appeared in court via video broadcast from the Deschutes County jail, was quiet during the hearing, saying “Yes, sir” when the judge asked him if he understood. See Bremont / A5
Hire a hit man online? Not a joke, at least to some By Victoria Kim Los Angeles Times
LOS ANGELES — As with other online businesses, the site promised convenience and efficiency. With a few clicks of the mouse, one could hire a professional hit man ready to kill “at a moment’s notice.” On the “employment” section of the site, would-be assassins could upload resumes for consideration. “Thanks to the Internet, ordering a hit has never been easier,” read the site HitmanForHire. net, in a chipper, infomercial-like tone. Most thought it was a joke, including the Web designer in Florida commissioned to create the site. See Hit man / A4
Doubling down on speeding up the Web By Steve Lohr New York Times News Service
Wait a second. No, that’s too long. Remember when you were willing to wait a few seconds for a computer to respond to a click on a website or a tap on a keyboard? These days, even 400 milliseconds — literally the blink of an eye — is too long, as Google engineers have discovered. That barely perceptible delay causes people to search less. “Subconsciously, you don’t like to wait,” said Arvind Jain, a Google en-
gineer who is the company’s resident speed maestro. “Every millisecond matters.” Google and other tech companies are on a new quest for speed, challenging the likes of Jain to make fast go faster. The reason is that data-hungry smartphones and tablets are creating frustrating digital traffic jams, as people download maps, video clips of sports highlights, news updates or recommendations for nearby restaurants. The competition to be the quickest is fierce. See Speed / A5
Peter DaSilva / New York Times News Service
Arvind Jain, an engineer at Google, points to a screen showing data at the Google offices in Mountain View. Google’s internal research shows that if search results are slowed by just 400 milliseconds, literally the blink of an eye, people will search less.