Advertising with zing Awards night honors the best from local agencies • BUSINESS, B1
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Federation of Central
Oregon
s c t E m T
By Andrew Moore
The Bulletin
Annual event honors the creativ of Central Oregon advertising e work agencies
Despite its size and isolated setting, Bend is home to a relatively large number of copywriters, graphic artists and marketing consultan ts. Each year, the city’s creative industry gathers to celebrate its work with
D L fo si tir w wo at ton Ne T tra A Sch
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• March 12, 2010 50¢
Serving Central Oregon since 1903 www.bendbulletin.com
Walden says 3 found dead in Sunriver area no earmarks Bodies of mother, son in home; father hanging outside; no suspects sought — what’s it mean for us? By Keith Chu The Bulletin
WASHINGTON — Saying it’s time for a “fresh start” for the federal budget, U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Hood River, joined the rest of House Republicans in announcing that he won’t ask for any federal earmarks this year. Earmarks — or spending items specifically requested by one or more lawmakers for individual projects — are a frequently attacked feature of the federal budget process, thanks to several examples of wasteful items, including the Alaskan “bridge to nowhere.” Despite that, many lawmakers, including Walden, have defended the practice in the past, saying that politicians can better identify worthwhile projects than federal bureaucrats. Walden’s decision could make it harder for local governments to find federal funding for projects like restoring Mirror Pond, which Bend has already submitted to Walden and Oregon’s U.S. senators. But Walden’s spokesman argued that the current record deficits require a new approach. See Earmarks / A4
Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office deputies and detectives work Thursday evening at the scene of what law enforcement officials are calling a homicide on Hermosa Road, south of Sunriver.
By Erin Golden The Bulletin
SUNRIVER — A Sunriverarea couple and their 7-year-old son were found dead at their home Thursday morning. Dispatchers received a call around 10:30 a.m. from someone who reported seeing a person hanging outside of a garage at a home on Hermosa Road, south of Sunriver. When responders from the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office and Oregon State Police arrived on the scene, they found Joachim Steffan, 40, hanging outside the garage. Inside the
Rob Kerr The Bulletin
light blue house, they found the bodies of Dagmar Steffan, 49, and Pascal Steffan, 7. By Thursday evening, officials had released no information about a cause of death for the family. They were calling the incident a homicide, but said they were not looking for suspects and did not believe residents in the area were in any danger. Neighbors on Hermosa Road said they didn’t know something had happened until the emergency vehicles started showing up late Wednesday morning. See Deaths / A4
Airport catches some rays
Bend earmark requests The city has requested millions of dollars, including roughly $16.2 million for the following: Project
Request
Reason
Surface water project
$10 million
Design a water treatment project to meet federal regulations and replace an aging water pipeline
Mirror Pond restoration
$500,000
Finish a federally required analysis of alternatives to dredging Mirror Pond
ADA improvements
$750,000
Build sidewalks and curb ramps
$4.9 million Bend Applied Research Center
Build a research center to provide a space to operate, and links to universities and investors for small, high-tech businesses
For Deschutes earmark requests, see Page A4 Anders Ramberg / The Bulletin
Congo’s fashionable disguise the daily toil By Stephanie McCrummen The Washington Post
KINSHASA, Congo — This vast central African nation is known for many things: the massive corruption of the late leopard-hat-wearing dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, grinding poverty, a devastating conflict in the east. But it is worth noting that Congo is also home to a formidable cult of high fashion, as demonstrated by the scene at a pool hall here one Sunday. It was a lackluster afternoon until a shiny maroon Mercedes pulled up, delivering a group of young men in ensembles of Gaultier, Cavalli and Issey Miyake. See Congo / A4
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Seed prices draw farmer ire ... and federal scrutiny By William Neuman
INDEX Business
Ryan Brennecke / The Bulletin
Pacific Power President Pat Reiten and Redmond Airport Manager Carrie Novick take a closer look Thursday at solar panels recently installed on the roof of the airport. The solar arrays, one of the first community solar projects in Central Oregon, can produce about 64,763 kilowatt hours of electricity a year, providing the newly expanded facility with about 10 percent of its electricity use. The rooftop panels are angled to catch as much sun as possible along a south-facing section of the roof. A $200,000 grant from Pacific Power’s Blue Sky program funded more than a third of the project. Reiten said it’s an educational tool
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The Bulletin An Independent Newspaper
Vol. 107, No. 71, 64 pages, 7 sections
During the depths of the economic crisis last year, the prices for many goods held steady or even dropped. But on American farms, the picture was far different, as farmers watched the price they paid for seeds jump. Corn seed prices rose 32 percent, soybean seeds 24 percent. Such price increases for seeds — the most important purchase a farmer makes each year — are part of an unprecedented climb that began more than a decade ago, stemming from the advent of genetically engineered crops and the rapid concentration in the seed industry that accompanied it. See Seeds / A4
for passengers at the airport to see the possibilities of solar projects. “As the community sees success (at the airport), we hope it will spur additional solar development,” he said. Novick said she doesn’t know how long it will take for the energy savings from the panels to repay the cost of the project, but added that solar was an obvious option for the $40 million terminal expansion project. “If you live in Central Oregon, you want to take advantage of it,” Novick said. — Kate Ramsayer, The Bulletin
PLENTY OF TIME FOR SOME TURNS Bend’s Ralph Yanes turns through the fresh powder at Hoodoo last week. After multiple runs from the top of the Green chairlift, Yanes said, “It was better than I thought it was going to be.” More powder days — and spring corn snow — await snow riders in Central Oregon. See full story in Sports, Page D1. Andy Tullis / The Bulletin