State Library eClips
* 6 things to know about Oregon’s new minimum wage law
* Something not in the air at Oregon’s environmental agency? Transparency
* Cowlitz casino on track, still stirring controversy
* Public receives extra 30 days to comment on Portland Harbor cleanup plan
* Better lifestyle or bankruptcy? Farms adjust to new minimum wage increase
* Oregon imprisons African Americans at a higher rate than most other states
* As subpoenas swirl, Kate Brown shares vision for reshaping energy agency
* Switch in ballot procedures has some worried about secrecy
* Dorm offers a new option for OSU students in recovery
* Eat invasive species and save Oregon’s natives
* Health advisory issued for Howard’s Bay in Upper Klamath Lake
* Labor goes on the offensive with corporate tax hike – Steve Duin
* Lawmakers are not misusing the emergency clause — Guest Opinion
* Pets not ‘mere’ property: Oregon Supreme Court upholds dog-starvation conviction
* Kate Brown commits to some debates: Editorial Peak — Opinion
* New tools join the fight against distracted driving
* West Salem agricultural burn raises questions
* 24-week guide; week No. 6
* Local woman wins emergency preparedness kit
* Oregon fines Coburg Road Quarry over spring discharge to McKenzie River
* Students opting out of state standardized test doubles in Springfield, Bethel districts
* Value of Oregon’s forests more than timber — Guest Opinion
* Reaping profits from the poor — Opinion
* Curbing mosquito-borne illness requires strategic approach — Guest Opinion
* EPA extends Superfund comment period until Sept. 6.
* Former legislator seeks to bring traffic back to port
* Northwest Natural estimates rate hike if IP 28 passes
* Hispanic population increases in Central Oregon
* Who’s covered by federal safety laws?
* Supreme Court deadlock leaves some Latinos in Central Oregon out of luck
* Portlanders blast EPA for Superfund cleanup plan
* Escaped inmate apprehended
* Surplus of jobs for grads may not be ones they want
* Major battle over oil terminal unfolds
* Fewer homebuyers paying cash in Bend
* Old Mill District named finalist for global award
* Editorial: Letting the neighbors know about ADU’s — Opinion
* Editorial: Keep pressure on USDA and bentgrass developer — Opinion
* Editorial: Robbing fire prevention to fight fires — Opinion
* What Does Brexit Mean For Oregon?
* Washington Governor Asks Union Pacific To Halt Oil Trains
* Oregon Zika Researchers Tell Senators They Need More Money
* Any impact of Brexit vote on ag likely to be temporary, experts say
* NW Natural says IP 28 will cause 2 percent rate hike
* Worker shortage coincides with immigration decline
* Officials split: Unfunded fiat or more money?
* What’s really driving this bill? — Opinion
* Oregon Recreational Marijuana Sales Continue To Exceed Expectations
* Governor misses chance to show leadership — Opinion
* Two CCO’s step up with $300,000 in grants
* Medford officials ramp up water testing in wake of lead pipe discoveries
* Guest Opinion: Fighting poverty with a paycheck in Klamath Falls — Guest Opinion
* Health advisory: Toxic algae confirmed in Howard Bay
* Date for public hearing on Stateline Compost set
* What one district’s data mining did for chronic absence
* Whitsett maneuver continues to roil Klamath politics — Opinion
* Council to meet to discuss ramifications of wastewater privatization
* Time to go to work, kids — Opinion
* Panelists at Ashland forum decry oil industry influence
* Fighting wildfires with ‘good fires’
* Danger on the rails — Opinion
* Railroad to replace bolts after Mosier derailment
* Jewel Road Fire near Dufur burns 31 acres Saturday
* WWNF revives logging project
* Knowing the cost of health care
* ODOT installing traffic light at Highway 30, McAlister
* MY VOICE: A first step but not enough — Guest Opinion
* Operation Dry Water this weekend
* No to oil trains — Opinion
* Another Voice: Trains in the Columbia Gorge are going in the wrong direction — Guest Opinion
* Douglas County jobless rate falls to new low
* Oregon sheriffs and police chiefs back Gov. Brown’s OSP superintendent pick — Guest Opinion
* Per-mile tax the future, not necessarily the now — Opinion
* Education advocates turn in signatures for Oregon funding measure
* Gov. Kate Browns Former Top Aide Goes to Work for a Hospital Chain
* OSP accepting applications online for new troopers
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6 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT OREGON’S NEW MINIMUM WAGE LAW (Portland Oregonian)
More than 100,000 low-wage workers across Oregon will start to see a small bump in take-home pay on Friday when the state’s new minimum wage takes effect.
Oregon’s current $9.25-an-hour minimum wage, already one of the highest in the nation, will start looking radically different each July depending on where residents live and work.
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SOMETHING NOT IN THE AIR AT OREGON’S ENVIRONMENTAL AGENCY? TRANSPARENCY (Portland Oregonian)
When two Pacific Green Party activists set out two years ago to let people know who was responsible for Portland’s air pollution, they didn’t realize how hard it would be.
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COWLITZ CASINO ON TRACK, STILL STIRRING CONTROVERSY (Portland Oregonian)
Just 16 miles north of Portland, near the tiny Washington town of La Center, construction is roaring on what will become by far the metro area’s closest casino.
An army of workers has already completed the shell of the Cowlitz Tribe’s planned $510 million resort.
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PUBLIC RECEIVES EXTRA 30 DAYS TO COMMENT ON PORTLAND HARBOR CLEANUP PLAN (Portland Oregonian)
Sixty days just wasn’t long enough for the public to speak out on a proposed $746 million cleanup plan for the Willamette River, so the U.S. Environmental Agency on Friday extended its deadline 30 more days, to Sept. 6.
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BETTER LIFESTYLE OR BANKRUPTCY? FARMS ADJUST TO NEW MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE (Portland Oregonian)
Gustavo Velasco moved through a row of strawberries, crouching and quickly plucking several of the ripe fruit from the bush. He put them into a wheelbarrow and moved on. Around him, other men did the same, wearing hats to shade their faces from the sun.
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OREGON IMPRISONS AFRICAN AMERICANS AT A HIGHER RATE THAN MOST OTHER STATES (Portland Oregonian)
Oregon imprisons African Americans at a rate higher than most other states, a new report revealed this week.
For every 1,000 black residents, about 21 are in prison, the seventh-highest rate in the country.
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AS SUBPOENAS SWIRL, KATE BROWN SHARES VISION FOR RESHAPING ENERGY AGENCY (Portland Oregonian)
Days before lawmakers once again weigh the fate of Oregon’s embattled Department of Energy, Gov. Kate Brown sent top legislative Democrats her own vision for how reshape the agency.
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SWITCH IN BALLOT PROCEDURES HAS SOME WORRIED ABOUT SECRECY (Portland Oregonian)
Ever since Oregon approved voting exclusively by mail in 1998, Hasso Hering took comfort that a sealable “secrecy envelope” would guarantee his right to a private ballot.
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DORM OFFERS A NEW OPTION FOR OSU STUDENTS IN RECOVERY (Portland Oregonian)
Oregon State University will become the first in the state to offer housing for students battling drug or alcohol addiction. The new dorm, which will open this fall, is one way OSU is adapting to meet the needs of students recovering from addiction.
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EAT INVASIVE SPECIES AND SAVE OREGON’S NATIVES (Portland Oregonian)
Tom Kaye loved the triple threat louisiana crawdad dip alongside his fried frog legs and purple varnish clam chowder.
And the bacon-wrapped starling kabob in a blackberry reduction “was to die for,” said Kaye, executive director of the Institute for Applied Ecology in Corvallis.
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HEALTH ADVISORY ISSUED FOR HOWARD’S BAY IN UPPER KLAMATH LAKE (Portland Oregonian)
Oregon health officials have issued a health advisory for Howard’s Bay in Upper Klamath Lake.
Officials found toxic blue-green algae in the area, located in the southwest corner of the lake.
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LABOR GOES ON THE OFFENSIVE WITH CORPORATE TAX HIKE – STEVE DUIN (Portland Oregonian)
It may sound like a Silicon Valley vanity plate, but “IP 28” is a game-changing tax hike, one that will spark what state Sen. Mark Hass, D-Beaverton, calls “the most divisive political fight Oregon has ever seen.”
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LAWMAKERS ARE NOT MISUSING THE EMERGENCY CLAUSE — GUEST OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
In their latest endorsem*nt of Initiative Petition 49, The Oregonian/OregonLive editorial board claims the initiative is voters’ chance to put an end to lawmakers’ “misuse” of the emergency clause. Unfortunately, the piece fails to mention the most critical aspect of this ballot initiative: that by passing IP49, a key function of the state’s democratic process would be removed, ultimately leading to less progress for a state currently recognized as one of the country’s leaders.
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PETS NOT ‘MERE’ PROPERTY: OREGON SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS DOG-STARVATION CONVICTION (Portland Oregonian)
A Portland-area dog owner found guilty of starving her pet was rightfully convicted — even though a veterinarian gathered evidence against her by drawing the dog’s blood without a warrant, the Oregon Supreme Court ruled Thursday.
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KATE BROWN COMMITS TO SOME DEBATES: EDITORIAL PEAK — OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
Gov. Kate Brown faced widespread criticism this week for skipping the election season’s traditional kick-off debate, hosted by the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association. That criticism seems to have hit home. On Thursday, her campaign announced plans to debate Republican opponent Bud Pierce beginning in September with the expectation that at least three of the events will be televised. Her campaign said additional debates will be considered “on a case-by-case basis.”
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NEW TOOLS JOIN THE FIGHT AGAINST DISTRACTED DRIVING (Portland Oregonian)
Andie Portie recalls the time her friend crashed a car into a fire hydrant.
The friend dropped a phone under the car seat and looked down to pick it up. The car swerved and went off the road, hitting the hydrant. The friend and a passenger were OK, she said, but the car was wrecked.
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WEST SALEM AGRICULTURAL BURN RAISES QUESTIONS (Salem Statesman Journal)
The acrid smoke interrupted breakfast. Residents could smell it before they saw it, a bitter aroma that filled their nostrils minutes before the gray-blue haze drifted across yards and into their West Salem kitchens.
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24-WEEK GUIDE; WEEK NO. 6 (Salem Statesman Journal)
This week’s emergency-preparedness kit additions are limited, but for good reason: disaster preparers will need to spend a little money on first-aid supplies.
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LOCAL WOMAN WINS EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS KIT (Salem Statesman Journal)
Laura Aspinwall isn’t telling her neighbors and friends that the sky is falling. But if walls should come crumbling down around her, she’ll be ready.
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OREGON FINES COBURG ROAD QUARRY OVER SPRING DISCHARGE TO MCKENZIE RIVER (Eugene Register-Guard)
A Coburg-area quarry faces a $22,675 fine for allowing muddy water to flow into the McKenzie River.
The state Department of Environmental Quality has issued the fine to Coburg Road Quarry for discharging untreated water from its site to the McKenzie River and operating without a discharge permit.
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STUDENTS OPTING OUT OF STATE STANDARDIZED TEST DOUBLES IN SPRINGFIELD, BETHEL DISTRICTS (Eugene Register-Guard)
-Eugene district also sees bump in numbers-
The number of students who chose to opt out of the states standardized Smarter Balanced tests in the Bethel and Springfield school districts more than doubled between the 2015-16 school year and the previous year, district officials say.
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VALUE OF OREGON’S FORESTS MORE THAN TIMBER — GUEST OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
Born and raised in Creswell, I grew up reading The Register-Guard. Based on the newspapers June 12, 2016, editorial, Congress must act on O&C lands, I misread the date as 1986.
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REAPING PROFITS FROM THE POOR — OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
The deal was controversial from the beginning. Trillium Community Health Plan, which provides taxpayer-funded health care to almost 100,000 low-income Lane County residents, was being sold by its owner, Agate Resources, to a Fortune 500 company for a large amount of money. Initial estimates of the price put it at $80 million to $130 million.
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CURBING MOSQUITO-BORNE ILLNESS REQUIRES STRATEGIC APPROACH — GUEST OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
This years warm, wet spring seems to have brought with it more mosquitoes. With West Nile virus in Oregon and Zika slowly moving north, we have a window of opportunity to establish sound practices to manage the growing threat of mosquito-borne diseases. To wait invites an ill-conceived response that causes more harm than good.
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EPA EXTENDS SUPERFUND COMMENT PERIOD UNTIL SEPT. 6. (Portland Tribune)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced on Friday that it is extending the comment period on its proposed cleanup plan for the Portland Harbor Superfund site until Sept. 6.
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FORMER LEGISLATOR SEEKS TO BRING TRAFFIC BACK TO PORT (Portland Tribune)
A tone of resignation could be discerned among reports last month that Westwood Shipping Lines, the only shipping company still serving the Port of Portlands Terminal 6, would discontinue service there.
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NORTHWEST NATURAL ESTIMATES RATE HIKE IF IP 28 PASSES (Portland Tribune)
Northwest Natural estimates it faces an $11 million to $14 million annual tax hike if a controversial corporate sales tax measure wins voter approval in November.
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HISPANIC POPULATION INCREASES IN CENTRAL OREGON (Bend Bulletin)
-U.S. Census Bureau estimates Hispanic numbers up 18 percent since 2010-
The Hispanic population in Central Oregon has continued to grow steadily in recent years, according to new U.S. Census Bureau population estimates released last week.
Many newcomers have likely moved to the region to work in construction or tourism as Central Oregon has bounced back from the Great Recession.
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WHO’S COVERED BY FEDERAL SAFETY LAWS? (Bend Bulletin)
-One mans fall raises questions about contract work on tribal lands-
Matt Fox told his supervisors that if no changes were made, one night an employee carrying buckets of fish across an unfinished bridge and down a steep, scree-covered trail leading down to Fifteenmile Creek would fall and be injured.
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SUPREME COURT DEADLOCK LEAVES SOME LATINOS IN CENTRAL OREGON OUT OF LUCK (Bend Bulletin)
-Thousands of undocumented immigrants in the area wont receive protection DAPA might have provided-
On Thursday evening, about 25 people met in a tucked-away prayer chapel at the back of the First Presbyterian Church in Bend to talk about immigration.
The meeting, put on by the Latino Community Association, had been planned for more than a month so that Latinos in Central Oregon, some of them undocumented, could have their questions answered about various immigration programs and options that could help lead to legal status.
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PORTLANDERS BLAST EPA FOR SUPERFUND CLEANUP PLAN (Bend Bulletin)
A 10-mile stretch of the Willamette River the iconic body of water flowing directly through one of Americas most environmentally conscious cities could soon be teeming with massive equipment and crews tasked with cleaning up more than a century’s worth of hazardous contaminants from industrial use.
The federal governments $746 million cleanup plan for Portland Harbor was revealed two weeks ago, ending a 16-year wait after the polluted area gained status as a Superfund site by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
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ESCAPED INMATE APPREHENDED (Bend Bulletin)
A Deer Ridge Correctional Institution inmate who walked away from an inmate work crew near Sisters Thursday was apprehended at about 1 p.m. Friday, according to the Oregon Department of Corrections.
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SURPLUS OF JOBS FOR GRADS MAY NOT BE ONES THEY WANT (Bend Bulletin)
It may be the best time to graduate from college since the Great Recession. The rate of unemployment for recent graduates is under 5 percent and job prospects are finally brightening.
But they’re still not great.
Since the recession, it has been hard for graduates to find jobs at their education level, and it still is.
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MAJOR BATTLE OVER OIL TERMINAL UNFOLDS (Bend Bulletin)
Two companies proposing to build what would be the nations largest oil-by-rail marine terminal along the Columbia River in Washington see it as an opportunity to link domestic crude oil from the Midwest to a West Coast port.
Critics, however, see an environmental and safety catastrophe waiting to happen, especially after a train carrying volatile Bakken crude oil derailed and burned on June 3 in Mosier, just 70 miles upriver from the project site in Vancouver, Washington.
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FEWER HOMEBUYERS PAYING CASH IN BEND (Bend Bulletin)
-Low interest rates, high prices are factors-
The number of cash buyers as a percentage of all homebuyers in Bend is on the decline, according to data from the Central Oregon Association of Realtors.
Homebuyers paying with cash represented 31 percent of all home purchases in Bend in 2011, the peak year for cash purchases, according to Multiple Listing Service of Central Oregon numbers. Through May of this year, cash buyers accounted for 24 percent of all Bend home sales. In 2015, they represented 23 percent.
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OLD MILL DISTRICT NAMED FINALIST FOR GLOBAL AWARD (Bend Bulletin)
The Old Mill District in Bend is one of 26 developments around the world selected as finalists for the Urban Land Institutes 2016 Global Awards for Excellence.
Winning projects, selected by a jury of international experts in design, land planning and other services, will be announced in October in Dallas.
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EDITORIAL: LETTING THE NEIGHBORS KNOW ABOUT ADU’S — OPINION (Bend Bulletin)
Bend city councilors have done many commendable things to increase the stock of affordable housing. Adding secrecy was not one of them. We are going to dispel some of the secrecy.
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EDITORIAL: KEEP PRESSURE ON USDA AND BENTGRASS DEVELOPER — OPINION (Bend Bulletin)
While genetically modified organisms are not the frankenplants their opponents would like you to think, they can have problems. Roundup Ready creeping bentgrass offers a case in point.
Scotts and Monsanto developed GMO creeping bentgrass in the early 2000s and tested it in Jefferson County. One anticipated market would be the grass for golf courses.
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EDITORIAL: ROBBING FIRE PREVENTION TO FIGHT FIRES — OPINION (Bend Bulletin)
The federal government has been robbing fire prevention to fight wildfires.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., has come out with proposed legislation to fix it. It may be a good starting place, but it could also rob fire prevention to fight wildfires.
This is not the comprehensive fire budget fix we need, said Bryan Rice, director of the Office of Wildland Fire for the Department of Interior in written testimony to a Senate committee.
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WHAT DOES BREXIT MEAN FOR OREGON? (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
As the U.K. decides to leave the European Union, the question in Oregon is: What does it mean for the state?
Oregon State University assistant professor Alison Johnston said the main issue is stock market volatility.
I think your big Oregon companies that I know of, companies like Nike, and Intel and Columbia, I don’t think they’re going to be impacted too much, Johnston said.
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WASHINGTON GOVERNOR ASKS UNION PACIFIC TO HALT OIL TRAINS (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Gov. Jay Inslee asked the Union Pacific Railroad on Friday to halt oil train shipments through Washington until the company does more walking inspections of its railroad track.
Inslee joins Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, who has repeatedly called for a moratorium on oil train traffic after a fiery oil train derailment in Mosier, Oregon, on June 3.
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OREGON ZIKA RESEARCHERS TELL SENATORS THEY NEED MORE MONEY (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Oregon’s senators learned Friday how important Zika virus research is being conducted locally and that more funding is needed.
So far there have been eight Zika cases in Oregon. All somehow related to travel overseas, because the mosquitoes that carries the virus dont live here.
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ANY IMPACT OF BREXIT VOTE ON AG LIKELY TO BE TEMPORARY, EXPERTS SAY (Capital Press)
With British voters deciding to leave the European Union, U.S. agriculture may experience a dent in commodity crop prices, experts say.
Exactly how much impact a Brexit will have had on U.S. crop values is debatable, however.
Any major unprecedented event in global financial markets can lead to volatility, said Lindsey Piegza, chief economist for the Stifel brokerage and investment firm.
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NW NATURAL SAYS IP 28 WILL CAUSE 2 PERCENT RATE HIKE (East Oregonian)
Northwest Natural estimates it faces an $11 million to $14 million annual tax hike if a controversial corporate sales tax measure wins voter approval in November.
Recouping that cost would likely entail raising customers natural gas utility rates by at least 2 percent, after five rate decreases in the last several years, a company spokeswoman said Friday.
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WORKER SHORTAGE COINCIDES WITH IMMIGRATION DECLINE (Argus Observer)
For better or for worse, a large portion of Kelly Henggelers apple crop outside Fruitland was damaged by hail storms last year.
Worse, because he lost a lot of crops; better, because he would not have had enough workers to harvest them anyway.
Farmers in the Western Treasure Valley and beyond have experienced a shortage of farmworkers for some time, he said.
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OFFICIALS SPLIT: UNFUNDED FIAT OR MORE MONEY? (Argus Observer)
A new initiative petition for career and technical education should be available on the November ballot this year, after the petitions advocates submitted the necessary number of signatures, a spokesman for the campaign stated during Wednesdays Ontario school board meeting.
Initiative Petition 65 aims to provide money for career technical education and college readiness, and to prevent dropouts, according to a news release from the campaign.
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WHAT’S REALLY DRIVING THIS BILL? — OPINION (Argus Observer)
Wait what?
That was our reaction upon learning Oregons two U.S. senators want to withdraw more than 2 million acres in Malheur County from mineral exploration. Democrats Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden say the proposal would protect public lands from threats including the possibility of foreign companies who want to parachute into the state to explore for minerals such as uranium.
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OREGON RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA SALES CONTINUE TO EXCEED EXPECTATIONS (Medford Mail Tribune)
Q: I see references to people getting cited for traffic offenses that are Class A, Class B, etc., violations, and I assume the fines levied are commensurate with the class of the infraction. But what are the different classes, and how much are the fines for each of them?
A: Violations, in general, are any infraction in which fines and fees, as opposed to jail time, may be used as penalties. Infractions in state law that may involve jail time such as driving with a suspended license for the first time are misdemeanors, and violations of the law that can be penalized with more than a year in prison are felonies. There are four classes of violations, running from Class A to Class D, and three classes each for misdemeanors and felonies, running from Class A to Class C.
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GOVERNOR MISSES CHANCE TO SHOW LEADERSHIP — OPINION (Medford Mail Tribune)
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has approached her new job with great caution since being thrust into the state’s top position by the resignation of Gov. John Kitzhaber a little over a year ago. As a result, Oregon voters don’t really have a clear picture of who she is especially those in this part of the state and she’s not helping matters by declining an invitation to debate her opponent next month at the Oregon Newspaper Publisher’s Association’s annual convention.
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TWO CCO’S STEP UP WITH $300,000 IN GRANTS (Medford Mail Tribune)
Two coordinated care organizations have announced donations of more than $300,000 to Rogue Valley programs promoting health and wellness.
Jackson Care Connect has awarded $197,000 to five organizations, while an advisory council with Allcare CCO has awarded $118,000 to ACCESS to be used in its food assistance program.
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MEDFORD OFFICIALS RAMP UP WATER TESTING IN WAKE OF LEAD PIPE DISCOVERIES (Medford Mail Tribune)
Following the discovery of lead pipes in Medford’s water system last week, officials say they have launched an all-out effort to identify any suspicious pipes.
That’s not necessarily good enough for some city residents, who have their own suspicions about the lead discoveries.
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GUEST OPINION: FIGHTING POVERTY WITH A PAYCHECK IN KLAMATH FALLS — GUEST OPINION (Medford Mail Tribune)
Our region is home to timber, ranch and agriculture communities that have been hit hard by changing economic and social patterns, both in Medford and Klamath Falls. Even before the recent recession, our rural region struggled to hold on to living-wage jobs. This in turn contributed to growing problems with crime, drug abuse and homelessness as referenced in the June 5 editorial entitled There goes the neighborhood. Creative and holistic solutions are necessary to address these problems in our community.
The Oregon Department of Human Services spends over $60 million annually on food stamps and welfare benefits in Klamath County.
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HEALTH ADVISORY: TOXIC ALGAE CONFIRMED IN HOWARD BAY (Herald and News)
A health advisory was issued Friday for toxic blue-green algae in Howard Bay on Upper Klamath Lake by the Oregon Health Authority.
Water monitoring confirmed the presence of toxic blue-green algae in the bay, according to a news release. Toxin concentrations can be harmful to humans and animals, though toxin testing in other areas of the lake have been low.
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DATE FOR PUBLIC HEARING ON STATELINE COMPOST SET (Herald and News)
A public hearing and information session for the proposed Stateline Compost facility off of Highway 97 will be held by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, July 28 at the Midland Grange Hall at 6601 Tingley Lane in Klamath Falls, according to a news release from the DEQ.
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WHAT ONE DISTRICT’S DATA MINING DID FOR CHRONIC ABSENCE (Herald and News)
-What one district’s data mining did for chronic absence-
Coos Bay World Editors Note: The Klamath Falls schools are marked with chronic absenteeism. The following is how one school solved the problem.
Mel Atkins has spent most of his life with Grand Rapids Public Schools. He graduated from Ottawa Hills High, where he played baseball. But his real love: bowling. He says hes bowled 22 perfect games.
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WHITSETT MANEUVER CONTINUES TO ROIL KLAMATH POLITICS — OPINION (Herald and News)
The local legislative election this year should be interesting, though it’s been obvious since Gail and Doug Whitsett did their best to secretly pick their successors that 2016 probably wasn’t going to be your run-of-the-mill local legislative races where the best Republican wins.
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COUNCIL TO MEET TO DISCUSS RAMIFICATIONS OF WASTEWATER PRIVATIZATION (The World)
-Consequences include millions in fines, cost over-runs-
The Tuesday decision by the Coos Bay City Council to suspend work on a planned wastewater plant replacement and system upgrade while a three-person committee explores the benefits of privatization already faces possible ramifications: Halting all work on the Empire Boulevard piping project being done in conjunction with the extensive roadwork.
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TIME TO GO TO WORK, KIDS — OPINION (The World)
Summer is here and schools out, meaning opportunities for young folks to occupy their time with some activity that puts a little spending money in their pockets.
We often hear that summer jobs are difficult to find, and a number of factors play into the challenge of matching up willing employers and eager young men and women. But when we talked earlier this week with career consultant Beth Palmer at South Coast Business Employment Corp., we learned the biggest hurdle oftentimes is overcoming a young persons lack of previous experience with responsibility outside school work, that is.
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PANELISTS AT ASHLAND FORUM DECRY OIL INDUSTRY INFLUENCE (Ashland Daily Tidings)
Led by Common Cause Oregon, a group of local activists warned Ashlanders on Thursday how the oil industry is dumping dirty money into attack ads, lobbying and political campaigns to try and block climate change bills at the state level.
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FIGHTING WILDFIRES WITH ‘GOOD FIRES’ (Ashland Daily Tidings)
Its no secret that the Pacific Northwest is prone to wildfires during warmer months. Even inside the city limits of Ashland, certain areas with dense vegetation can be at risk for wildfires.
The Fire Learning Network FLN and the Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network FACLN collaborated for a four-day learning exchange in Ashland from Monday through Thursday this week to try and lessen wildfire risk.
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DANGER ON THE RAILS — OPINION (Baker City Herald)
The season of the open night window is upon us and so, it sometime seems to me as a Union Pacific locomotive whistle pierces my darkened bedroom, is the railroad.
Literally on us.
In fact the rails lie about a quarter-mile to the east of my house.
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RAILROAD TO REPLACE BOLTS AFTER MOSIER DERAILMENT (The Dalles Chronicle)
Union Pacific Railroad said it will replace a type of bolt on its track that led to a fiery oil train derailment on the Oregon-Washington border, but the pledge failed to ease concerns in the tiny town where the wreck sparked a massive fire that burned for 14 hours.
Federal investigators in a preliminary report released Thursday blamed the derailment on Union Pacific for failing to properly maintain its track.
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JEWEL ROAD FIRE NEAR DUFUR BURNS 31 ACRES SATURDAY (The Dalles Chronicle)
Jewel Road Fire Burns 31 Acres in Central Oregon
The Jewel Road Fire was reported Saturday at 4:30 p.m. burning in grass and brush on Oregon Department of Forestry-protected lands west of Dufur in central Oregon. Fire-fighting resources from ODFs Central Oregon District and several cooperators stopped the fires spread at 31 acres.
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WWNF REVIVES LOGGING PROJECT (LaGrande Observer)
A year after a federal court stopped work on the biggest proposed logging project in Baker County in more than two decades, the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest is reviving its plan.
The 2012 Snow Basin project, in the southern Wallowas about 30 miles northeast of Baker City, included four timber sales.
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KNOWING THE COST OF HEALTH CARE (LaGrande Observer)
This kind of price transparency is the ultimate goal of an Oregon initiative launched in Spring 2015, designed to drive hospitals to set standards for providing financial and billing information.
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ODOT INSTALLING TRAFFIC LIGHT AT HIGHWAY 30, MCALISTER (LaGrande Observer)
-Safety improvements added near Flying J intersection on track for fall completion-
The Oregon Department of Transportation’s $767,000 project to add a signal, turn lanes and other improvements to the U.S. Hwy. 30 and McAlister Lane intersection near the Flying J Truck Stop is on track for completion by fall.
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MY VOICE: A FIRST STEP BUT NOT ENOUGH — GUEST OPINION (LaGrande Observer)
My grandmother died feeling betrayed, frightened and utterly powerless in a bleak hospital room. Shed completed an advance directive about her end-of-life goals, preferences and values, including a do not resuscitate order.
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OPERATION DRY WATER THIS WEEKEND (Hood River News)
The Marine Board and law enforcement from 32 counties and the Oregon State Police will be participating in Operation Dry Water during the weekend of June 24-26 as part of a nationally coordinated effort to reduce the number of accidents and fatalities related to boating under the influence of intoxicants BUII.
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NO TO OIL TRAINS — OPINION (Hood River News)
Union Pacifics poor stewardship of the tracks as revealed by federal findings and the ominous likelihood of another derailment, worse than the one at Mosier June 3, points simply to the need to end oil train travel through the Gorge. The governors call for a moratorium on oil traffic in the Gorge should be heeded by federal authorities and the railroad, and the entire Oregon and Washington Congressional delegation should support the ban.
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ANOTHER VOICE: TRAINS IN THE COLUMBIA GORGE ARE GOING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION — GUEST OPINION (Hood River News)
If there is any positive outcome to the Mosier oil train derailment on June 3, it is that many more people are asking the right questions about oil trains traveling along the Columbia River and through our communities. These are questions that challenge our complacency and call for us to stand up for our values as residents of the Columbia Gorge.
#Is it safe to ship oil by rail through the Columbia Gorge? What happens in the event of a major oil fire?
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DOUGLAS COUNTY JOBLESS RATE FALLS TO NEW LOW (Douglas County
The unemployment rate continues to drop to new record lows for Douglas County. In May, the seasonally adjusted rate fell to 6 percent from 6.1 percent in April.
The most significant part is its down from 7.9 percent in May 2015, so over the year, it actually decreased by 1.9 percentage points, said Will Burchard, economist for the Oregon Employment Department.
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OREGON SHERIFFS AND POLICE CHIEFS BACK GOV. BROWN’S OSP SUPERINTENDENT PICK — GUEST OPINION (St. Helens Chronicle)
-Viewpoint by Oregon State Sheriff’s Association-
The announcement that Governor Kate Brown is forwarding Travis Hampton as her choice to serve as the next Superintendent of the Oregon State Police OSP is welcome news to the law enforcement agencies throughout Oregon that partner to keep our state a safe place to live, work and play.
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PER-MILE TAX THE FUTURE, NOT NECESSARILY THE NOW — OPINION (Yamhill Valley News Register)
Drivers should probably get used to the idea of a per-mile tax to one day replace the gas tax. But there’s much to debate regarding the effectiveness of such a plan in the short term.
Often a pioneer in forward-thinking legislation, Oregon was the first state in the nation to launch a pilot program to test a per-mile tax.
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EDUCATION ADVOCATES TURN IN SIGNATURES FOR OREGON FUNDING MEASURE (Oregon Business Journal)
Supporters of an education-aimed Oregon ballot measure have turned in signatures that they believe will formally put the issue before voters.
Backers of IP 65 collected more than 125,000 signatures. Of those, 88,184 must be verified in order for the initiative to hit the ballot.
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GOV. KATE BROWNS FORMER TOP AIDE GOES TO WORK FOR A HOSPITAL CHAIN (Willamette Week)
Longtime political insider Brian Shipley will head government affairs for a three-state hospital chain.
Brian Shipley, a top aide to the past three Oregon governors, has taken a new job as the top lobbyist for PeaceHealth, a non-profit Vancouver, Wash.-based healthcare company that operates 10 hospitals in Alaska, Washington and Oregon.
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OSP ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS ONLINE FOR NEW TROOPERS (KTVZ Bend)
Have you ever considered the Oregon State Police as a career? If so, the Oregon State Police offers numerous duty assignments across our beautiful state and will be accepting Entry Level and Lateral recruit trooper applications beginning today and will close at midnight on Sunday, August 7.
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