Making a nordic area
Preps: Hoops teams in action
Bob Mathews helped put Bachelor on map • COMMUNITY, B1
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• January 22, 2011 50¢
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What’s happening in ... CROOK COUNTY: Cougar, hit by a car, is later shot BEND: Police Chief Sandi Baxter is retiring — again REDMOND: Revitalizing its downtown core LOCAL, C1
With eye on Legislature, local schools want out of health plan
Up to $27M in bonds would lead to tangible impacts, officials say
JAMMING SKILL FLASHED ON THE HILL
By Nick Grube The Bulletin
Bend voters will likely have the choice between property tax reductions or building new roads when they fill out their ballots on May 17. On Friday, the Bend City Council decided to pursue an initiative that would allow it to issue up to $27 million in general obligation bonds for transportation projects. These bonds would then be paid back through a property tax levy, which requires a vote by Bend residents. Councilors approved the move during an all-day budget workshop that included talks on how to fix an estimated five-year $17 million to $27 million shortfall in the general fund. While city officials said the bond wouldn’t do much to fix this projected deficit, it would be used to help the city catch up on street infrastructure improvements that it currently can’t afford. If passed, the levy would replace a tax of $0.27 for every $1,000 of assessed property value that has been paying for downtown improvements, such as the downtown parking garage, that is set to expire this year. For a $200,000 home, that tax equates to a $54 charge. City officials said the reason they want to pursue the bond, aside from need, is that the money would go toward paying for something tangible and easily seen — unlike sewer or water lines that are underground — and would not involve asking for a tax increase since it is simply supplanting one levy for another. At the workshop, Councilor Mark Capell said he liked the idea of a bond versus something like a transportation utility fee because it gives residents a say in whether they are willing to pay more. The city doesn’t have to go to a vote to add utility fees. See Bond / A8
By Lauren Dake The Bulletin
Local school district officials said they could spend less on health care if a change in the law allowed them to opt out of a statewide health insurance plan. And they say the state plan has overwhelmed their employees with high deduc tibles and rising outIN THE of-pocket LEGISLATURE costs. In 2007, the Legislature created a statewideinsurance pool for employees of the state’s school districts. The thought was that by State Sen. creating a Chris Telfer, large pool, R-Bend, is they could neproposing a gotiate lower bill to allow health insurschool districts ance costs and to opt out of stabilize rates. the Oregon Local ofEducators ficials say it’s Benefit Board. not working. Premiums have increased, for some of the higher-end plans by as much as 28 percent. Central Oregon school leaders said they can save money and find better care for their employees if they aren’t mandated to be part of the Oregon Educators Benefit Board. But as the law stands: Once you’re in OEBB, you’re in for life. See OEBB / A7
Giffords faces long fight as brain rebuilds By David Brown The Washington Post
Ryan Brennecke / The Bulletin
TOP NEWS OBAMA: What Immelt addition means, Page A2
Bend will pursue tax levy to pay street costs
Eric Muller, 18, of Klamath Falls, attempts a trick down the kinked rail while competing Friday evening in the “Jam on the Hill” railslide competition at Central Oregon Community College in Bend. Riders competed in a series of heats and were judged on a combination of technical and stylistic components. The competition was a qualifying event for the Bend WinterFest and the Cricket Campus Rail Jam Tour Finals in Portland.
With the transfer Friday of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., from a hospital to a rehabilitation center in Houston, her treatment transitions from a heroic, high-tech fight to save her life to a long and arduous Inside slog to help her brain rebuild itself. • Crowds cheer The success of this second efas Giffords fort will depend on the extent of heads to her brain damage (which is not rehab, yet fully determined), the skill of Page A2 her therapists, personal effort and the unpredictable capacity of her brain to change. Despite the use of terms like “miraculous” to describe Giffords’s progress, numerous experts describe her survival and apparently good condition as an increasingly common outcome in braininjured patients, thanks to aggressive surgery and meticulous care afterward. See Brain / A8
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Vol. 108, No. 22, 64 pages, 6 sections
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Hu’s visit a reminder of China’s For many species, no escape growing role in U.S. businesses as temperatures rise By Don Lee
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
SAGINAW, Mich. — For many in this proud but depressed industrial town, Chinese President Hu Jintao’s visit Friday to an Illinois exhibit showcasing products made by Chinese-owned companies in the U.S. was a bittersweet reflection of new realities they were already living with. Just over a month ago, Saginaw’s largest private employer
— a car steering systems maker — rolled out its own red carpet: The new owners had come to town, all the way from China. The sale of Nexteer Automotive, then owned by General Motors, for about $450 million in cash was one of the latest and largest Chinese investments of U.S. companies — a growing trend that has stirred both hope and anxiety here and across the country. See China / A7
By Elisabeth Rosenthal New York Times News Service
KINANGOP, Kenya — Simon Joakim Kiiru remembers a time not long ago when familiar birdsongs filled the air here and life was correlated with bird sightings. His lush, well-tended homestead is in the highlands next to the Aberdare National Park, one of the world’s premier birding destinations.
When the hornbill arrived, Kiiru recalled, the rains were near, meaning that it was time to plant. When a buzzard showed a man his chest, it meant a visitor was imminent. When an owl called at night, it foretold a death. “There used to be myths because these are our giants,” said Kiiru, 58. “But so many today are gone.” See Species / A7
Ed Ou / New York Times News Service
Sacred Ibis birds are among the species in Kenya facing challenges from an increased number of people as well as warmer temperatures.