Tearing up the track
‘Bend, Overall’ Area guide updated • COMMUNITY LIFE, B1
BMX races at the High Desert Sport Complex • SPORTS, D1
WEATHER TODAY
SATURDAY
Abundant sunshine with afternoon breezes High 74, Low 38 Page C8
• July 3, 2010 50¢
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Citations up for phone-using drivers
“We want to emphasize to people to take your call before you leave work.... If you have to make a call, find a safe place to pull over.”
By Erin Golden The Bulletin
Six months after Oregon’s new hands-free cell phone law went into effect, police say many drivers are following the rules — but some have started to return to old habits because they think they can avoid a ticket. Between January and June,
— Lt. Gregg Hastings, Oregon State Police
Central Oregon law enforcement agencies issued a combined total of 176 citations — and about the same number of warnings — to drivers who were using a cell phone without a hands-free device. Statewide, Oregon State Police troopers handed out 326 citations and 1,091 warnings in the first
five months of the year. The minimum fine is $142. Officials from several agencies said they’ve been willing to issue citations since the law went into effect but that in the first few months they opted for warnings and conversations with drivers about the rules. See Cell phones / A7
New ban reduces chemical levels in watersheds
Making
a splash
By Cindy Powers The Bulletin
Photos by Rob Kerr / The Bulletin
Redmond cuts ribbon on Centennial Park Hadleigh Heller, 5, of Redmond, above, plays in the Centennial Park fountain Friday evening following the Centennial Park and Clock Tower Dedication on Seventh Street and Evergreen Avenue in Redmond.
More online For video, events listing and historic timeline, visit www. bendbulletin.com/ redmond
Redmond officials, right, cut the ribbon on Redmond’s Centennial Park on Friday evening. A plaque commemorates the July 2 ceremony with the words, “Centennial Park was built as a lasting memorial to celebrate the community of Redmond, past, present and future generations.”
TOP NEWS INSIDE IRAQ: Obama’s August deadline not an end to fighting, Page A2
By Thom Shanker
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Vol. 107, No. 184, 62 pages, 6 sections
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U.S. military tightens rules on press access
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WASHINGTON — Nine days after a four-star general was relieved of command for comments made to Rolling Stone magazine, Defense Secretary Robert Gates issued orders on Friday tightening the reins on officials dealing with the news media. The memorandum requires top-level Pentagon and military leaders to notify the office of the Defense Department’s assistant secretary for public affairs “prior to interviews or any other means of media and public engagement with possible national or international implications.” Just as the removal of Gen. Stanley McChrystal from command in Afghanistan was viewed as President Barack Obama’s reassertion of civilian control of the military, so Gates’ memo on “Interaction With the Media” was viewed as a reassertion by civilian public affairs specialists of control over the military’s contacts with the news media. Senior officials involved in preparing the threepage memo said work on it had begun well before the uproar that followed Rolling Stone’s profile of McChrystal. See Media / A6
No-phosphate cleaner: Does it get job done?
An Oregon law that kicked in Thursday requiring automatic dishwasher detergents to be nearly phosphate free is good news for the state’s lakes and rivers, but how well the new cleaner works has been a subject of controversy elsewhere. The move is designed to lower the amount of phosphorus, which acts as a fertilizer for algae, in Oregon waterways. Large algae blooms can suffocate fish and aquatic plant life and, in some cases, have adverse health effects on animals, livestock and humans, according to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. “What (phosphorus) does is it depletes oxygen and that is good for slimey plants and algae, but it’s not good for fish and animals,” said Marcia Danab, spokeswoman for the DEQ. “And the worst is blue-green algae, which has been linked to a couple of dog deaths. The Oregon Health Division has actually put up posters alerting people about the possible danger to their dogs.” A similar ban went into effect Thursday in 15 other states and has been in place in two Washington counties since 2008. Consumer backlash against the new detergent’s effectiveness prompted some Washingtonians to drive to Idaho to buy higher-phosphate products, according to a Los Angeles Times article published in April 2009. But Danab said she’s been using phosphate-free detergent “forever” and hasn’t had any problems. She added that most people are probably already using low-phosphate dishwasher detergents “because the stores have had the new stuff on the shelves for a long time.” After the blowback in Washington, several detergent manufacturers announced they were
Why ban phosphorus? Phosphorus acts as a fertilizer for oxygen-depleting algae, which can suffocate fish and aquatic plants. Some algae, including blue-green algae, can be toxic to animals and humans.
WHAT DOES THE NEW DISHWASHER DETERGENT LAW SAY? • Effective July 1 in Oregon, retailers and distributors may not sell dishwasher detergent containing more than 0.5 percent phosphorus by weight. • All products must now be labeled with the percentage of phosphorus by weight. Source: Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
More information about the new law can be found online at oregon.gov/DEQ Ryan Brennecke The Bulletin
Above is a sampling of detergents that comply with a new Oregon law requiring household dishwasher detergents to contain 0.5 percent phosphate or less by weight. reformulating their products to increase their effectiveness. The new Oregon law requires detergent manufacturers to drop the phosphate levels in their products from the previously allowed 8.7 percent to 0.5 percent by weight. See Phosphates / A6
Illinois behind on bills in face of deficit Political gridlock keeps state from fixing budget crisis By Michael Powell New York Times News Service
CHICAGO — Even by the standards of this deficit-ridden state, Illinois’ comptroller, Daniel Hynes, faces an ugly balance sheet. Precisely how ugly becomes clear when he beckons you into his office to examine his daily briefing memo. He picks the papers off his desk and points to a figure in red: $5.01 billion. “This is what the state owes right now to schools, rehabilitation centers, child care, the state university — and it’s getting worse every single day,” he says in his downtown office. Hynes shakes his head. “This is not some esoteric budget issue; we are not paying bills for absolutely essential services,” he says. “That is obscene.” See Illinois / A7
Sally Ryan / The New York Times News Service
Dan Hynes, Illinois’ comptroller, works on the state deficit in his office in Chicago. The state has a deficit at least of $12 billion, but lawmakers have opted not to cut budgets or raise taxes.