Fun on a winter run
Time to learn
Do you need some inspiration to get up and go? • SPORTS, D1
COMMUNITY, E1
with Nature of Words
WEATHER TODAY
TUESDAY
Mostly cloudy High 46, Low 32 Page C6
• February 2, 2010 50¢
Serving Central Oregon since 1903 www.bendbulletin.com
Westlund’s back where ‘things are OBAMA’S BUDGET PL AN happening’ — and back to work Forest
State Treasurer Ben Westlund speaks with Rep. Judy Stiegler, DBend, on Monday about a bill that includes a $25 million expansion and realignment of Murphy Road and U.S. Highway 97 in Bend.
By Nick Budnick The Bulletin
SALEM — On Monday morning in Salem, as Senate President Peter Courtney smacked his gavel to kick off a four-week special session, state Treasurer Ben Westlund watched from above, sitting in the south side
Submitted photo
To cure some of Bend’s job ills, time’s ripe for tech center, councilor says
gallery on the Capitol’s third floor. And if that doesn’t seem like news, you’re probably not Ben Westlund. The former Tumalo lawmaker’s presence at the Capitol was his first since December thanks to a potentially life-threaten-
ing bout with pneumonia. Westlund, who’d already been weakened by a return of the cancer he beat in 2003, as well as aggressive chemotherapy, was hospitalized five weeks ago with the new illness before recuperating at home. See Westlund / A4
1 chess club,
By Keith Chu
2 members,
The Bulletin
150 years of playing the game
By Erin Golden The Bulletin
Bend City Councilor Jim Clinton wants Bend to have a more diverse economy, better job prospects and closer links to higher education. It’s a goal shared by many city officials, but Clinton has a specific plan: A research center that would link high-tech companies with investors and universities, and provide equipment and guidance for research and business development. Clinton, a physicist who has served on the council since 2004, said he’s been thinking about the idea for years. He said his time on the council has made him more aware of the economic development needs of the area, and the downturn in some of the area’s biggest industries has created an opportunity to look at high-tech in a new way. He’s brought the issue to city leaders, business owners and university officials and on Wednesday, in a special goal-setting work session, Clinton plans to ask the council for its support in requesting federal money to help pay for the center. Clinton said the city has focused in the last few years on growth and tourism but the economic crash has shown the need to branch out. “Now it’s the perfect time to stop and think about what we’re doing here for making our economy stronger and more diversified in the future,” he said. See Research / A5
Photos by Pete Erickson / The Bulletin
Ken Seidel, 79, left, and Larry Rudin, 97, play a game Monday during a meeting of the Whispering Winds Chess Club at the Whispering Winds Retirement Home in Bend. They are the only remaining members of the club, which once included eight to 10 people. “We’ve tried (to recruit people), but there doesn’t seem to be much interest,” Rudin said. Seidel, who lives nearby, comes over to the retirement home every Monday to join Rudin in a game. They have played together since 2003 and estimate they have played chess for a combined total of 150 years. At top, Rudin moves a rook; at left, the two shake hands after Rudin wins. Rudin said he looks forward to the games. “It’s a great way of keeping your mind oiled, I would say.”
TOP NEWS INSIDE SUPER BOWL: An advocacy ad has people talking, Page A3 What do I do?
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The Associated Press
If your accelerator gets stuck at full throttle, Toyota recommends taking one of these steps. Of course, circumstances vary, and drivers should use their best judgment. • If you need to stop immediately: The vehicle can be controlled by stepping on the brake pedal with both feet using firm and steady pressure. Do not pump the brake. Shift to neutral and use the brakes to make a controlled stop at the side of the road. • If unable to put the vehicle in neutral: Turn the engine off. This will not cause loss of steering or braking control, but the power assist to these systems will be lost. • If the vehicle has an engine start/stop button: Firmly and steadily push it for at least three seconds to turn off the engine. Do not tap the button. • If the vehicle has a conventional key ignition: Turn the key to the ACC position. Do not remove the key as this will lock the steering wheel. Source: Toyota Motor Corp.
trail, road funding would drop 20%
Inside • A deeper look at the budget proposal, Page A2 • Plans for NASA, Page A3
A N A LY S I S
Decade of huge deficits may alter politics, power
Toyota promises fix for gas pedals, to regain trust
By David E. Sanger New York Times News Service
By Ken Thomas and Tom Krisher The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Toyota apologized to its customers Monday and said a piece of steel about the size of a postage stamp will fix the gas pedal problem that led Inside to the recall of millions of cars. • Still confused? Repairs will take about a halfMore answers hour and will start in a matter to common of days, the company said. questions, Toyota insisted the solution, Page A5 rolled out six days after it temporarily stopped selling some of its most popular models, had been through rigorous testing and would solve the problem for the life of the car. See Toyota / A5
WASHINGTON — Funding to maintain forest trails and roads would be slashed by more than 20 percent under the White House budget proposal released on Monday. The item was just one detail of hundreds in President Barack Obama’s budget, which included increased money to develop renewable energy on public lands, more funding to fight wildfires and a proposal to end a military cargo plane program partially manufactured in Central Oregon. Obama’s proposed $3.8 trillion budget freezes most domestic spending, except for entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare. The president pledged to extend the freeze for the next three years to help rein in the budget deficit, which is projected at $1.3 trillion next year. The proposal is the first step in a months-long project for establishing a federal budget next year. Next, congressional committees in the U.S. House and Senate will craft spending plans, which must pass both chambers, then be signed into law by the president. The U.S. Forest Service budget would see a slight increase under the president’s proposal, but funding would be shifted from trail upkeep toward protecting land for environmental values, like water quality, wildlife habitat and storing carbon dioxide, according to the budget. This year’s federal budget, which begins in October, cuts road and trail maintenance from $556 million to $438 million. The funding drop-off is even steeper if about $650 million in federal stimulus funding is factored into last year’s budget. See Budget / A4
Paul Sakuma / The Associated Press
Salesman Andre Kamali opens up a recalled Camry Monday at a Toyota dealership in Palo Alto, Calif. Toyota said Monday its dealers should get parts to fix a sticky gas pedal problem by the end of this week.
WASHINGTON — In a federal budget filled with mind-boggling statistics, two numbers stand out as particularly stunning, for the way they may change American politics and American power. The first is the projected deficit in the coming year, nearly 11 percent of the country’s entire economic output. That is not unprecedented: During the Civil War, World War I and World War II, the United States ran soaring deficits, but usually with the expectation that they would come back down once peace was restored and war spending abated. See Future / A4