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Former motel becomes a nuisance for police
ROOSTER ROCK FIRE
Blaze spreads to 6,000 acres By Kate Ramsayer The Bulletin
The Rooster Rock Fire grew to about 6,000 acres Thursday— and has burned into an area key to the agreement to create a community forest west of Bend. Winds have pushed the fire, which started about 6 miles southwest of Sisters, further south, into the northern section of land owned by Fidelity Inside • A map of the National Timber Resources. The Oregon Legislature has approved fire area so a plan for Fidelity to develop far, Page A5 about 200 dwellings in that area, if it sold 30,000 acres to the Deschutes Land Trust to create the Skyline Forest. Fidelity is watching the fire carefully, said Greg Lane, chief operating officer with the company, and hoping for the best. The company will have to gauge the extent of the fire’s damage before determining what to do next — and what the possible implications are for the Skyline Forest plan, he said. See Fire / A5
Andy Tullis / The Bulletin
Bend police officers Ashley Porterfield and Justin Lovrien talk to a man outside of the former Plaza Motel in Bend while investigating a theft case on Wednesday afternoon.
Bend property accounted for 110 police calls last month By Erin Golden The Bulletin
Over the last several months, it’s been a rare day that Bend police officers haven’t had to respond to at least one call from the Plaza Motel. Some days, there are four, five or six calls for issues ranging from noise complaints to assaults at the motel-turned-affordable housing complex near the intersection of Wall Street and Portland Avenue. Last month, the property generated about 110 calls through the 911 dispatch system — a volume that’s unheard of for any other similar property in the city. The number of calls has been on the rise over the past two years, but this summer the problems at the Plaza have hit a new level. Lt. Ken Stenkamp of the Bend Police Department
Andy Tullis / The Bulletin
The pilot of a Boeing Vertol 234, front right, uses a private pond to fill up a bucket with water that will be dropped on the Rooster Rock Fire. In the background, the pilot of a S-64 Skycrane, flies toward the blaze with a full tank Thursday morning.
Officials urge bikers and hikers away from smoky areas By Kate Ramsayer The Bulletin
With smoke hanging in the air over Bend and even some high-elevation sites along the Cascade Lakes Highway, it might be a good Inside time to explore new hiking • How has the and mountain biking trails smoke affected elsewhere, said Amy Tinderlocal athletics? holt, recreation team leader Page D1 on the Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District. “Folks can take advantage, and maybe explore some new places they haven’t seen before,” she said. See Recreation / A5
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By Jesse McKinley New York Times News Service
SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge’s decision on Wednesday overturning Proposition 8 — California’s ban on same-sex marriage — has tossed a largely unwanted issue into the middle of the November midterm elections. The decision, which ruled Proposition 8 unconstitutional, has complicated the political tasks before President Barack Obama, whose aides had to explain in the wake of the decision that the president supported equal gay rights but opposed marriage rights for gays. Meanwhile, Republicans said the issue could actually harm Republicans’ chances of winning back one or both houses of Congress from Democrats this fall. See Ruling / A4
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The Associated Press
ABOARD THE USS GEORGE WASHINGTON — Nothing projects U.S. global air and sea power more vividly than supercarriers. Bristling with fighter jets that can reach deep into even landlocked trouble zones, America’s virtually invincible carrier fleet has long enforced its dominance of the high seas. China may soon put an end to that. U.S. naval planners are scrambling to deal with what analysts say is a game-changing weapon being developed by China — an unprecedented carrier-killing missile called the Dong Feng 21D that could be launched from land with enough accuracy to penetrate the defenses of even the most advanced moving aircraft carrier at a distance of more than 900 miles. See Missile / A4
Eric Risberg / The Associated Press
Opponents of Proposition 8 cheer on Wednesday after hearing the decision in the United States District Court proceedings challenging Proposition 8 outside of the Phillip Burton Federal Building in San Francisco.
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Lt. Ken Stenkamp, Bend Police Department
By Eric Talmadge
INDEX Abby
“At a minimum, we’re sending two officers there just because the people that reside there are somewhat hostile to law enforcement. ... It’s just escalating to where there’s a lot more potential for violent confrontation, and that is creating a problem.”
Chinese missile could shift Pacific power balance
Ruling on gay marriage challenges parties ahead of midterm elections
The Bulletin An Independent Newspaper
said officers are receiving more calls about assaults and other crimes that require plenty of resources. “At a minimum, we’re sending two officers there just because the people that reside there are somewhat hostile to law enforcement,” he said. “Generally the fire department will not respond in there without having the police on scene. It’s just escalating to where there’s a lot more potential for violent confrontation, and that is creating a problem.” Now, officials are working with the property’s owner and manager to come up with a solution. The situation is complicated by the Plaza’s financial status. See Plaza Motel / A5
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TOP NEWS INSIDE KAGAN: U.S. Senate appoints Obama’s second justice, Page A3