- Oregon Lottery: Facing difficult politics, gambling reformers forced to play long game
- Fees gouging financial-aid college students would evaporate under Oregon House bill passed Wednesday
- Kate Brown’s first weeks in office: top takeaways
- Bill limiting Oregon medical marijuana program faces additional legislative scrutiny
- Legislature’s inaction could mean lower returns for state pension fund, officials warn
- State board upholds county denial of permit for Oregon LNG pipeline
- Oregon House passes ‘Ban the Box’ bill, aimed at helping ex-cons get jobs
- The middle class deserves more attention — Opinion
- Oregon Supreme Court to decide fate of historic Lake Oswego house
- The middle class deserves more attention — Opinion
- Washington state whooping cough epidemic worsens
- Hillsboro Airport’s new runway is complete, will open this week, officials say
- Wildfire-fighting strategy includes $4 million for sage grouse habitat protection
- Past Tense Oregon: Highway czar Glenn Jackson among most influential Oregonians
- Supreme Court overrules state in some PERS cuts
- Will Oregon be next to ban microbeads?
- House passes bill on student debit cards
- Oregon ranks in bottom three in fluoridated water
- Oregon declares March 22 Tom McCall Day
- State warns sister city group
- Pharm-free farms: Oregon lawmakers consider a bill curtailing antibiotics in livestock
- Only way to be sure about STD? Take the TEST — Guest Opinion
- State ethics commission dismisses complaint against Axelrod
- Decisions expected Thursday in Supreme Court PERS cases
- Committee vote could limit medical pot program
- Facing recall, Riley apologizes for slavery law remark
- A curb for campaign cash
- Court rejects retroactive adjustments to PERS
- A curb for campaign cash
- Influence-peddling probe: scandal or soap opera?
- ‘Ban the box’ legislation gets House OK
- Facing recall, Riley apologizes for slavery law remark
- Committee vote could limit medical pot program
- Pendleton prison packs potatoes for food bank
- Residency Requirements for Weed Businesses Are Probably Unconstitutional, Says Oregon Legislature’s Lawyer– Blog
- Cover Oregon Fallout Continues: High Level State IT Official Alleges State Committed ‘Illegal Actions’– Blog
- Editorial: Tourism trends offer mid-valley promise — Opinion
- Timber payments announced for Central Oregon counties
- Controlled hunt deadline nears
- Oregon Counties To Receive $61 Million In Timber Payments
- Bill Aims To Curb Elementary School Suspensions
- Test Driving The Electric Highway
- Oregon LNG Considers Federal Permit After County Permit Withdrawn
- With Legal Pot On The Way, Oregon Considers Wiping Marijuana Convictions
- Court Partially Strikes Down Oregon Public Employee Pension Cuts
- White Powder At Oregon Prison Mailroom Not Hazardous
- Oregon Senators Ask VA To Help Vets Exposed To Agent Orange
- Oregon LNG Considers Federal Permit After County Permit Withdrawn
- Senate Kills Bill Requiring Seatbelts For All Passengers
- Oregon Counties To Receive $61 Million In Timber Payments
- A Bill To Stop Construction in Tsunami-Prone Areas Is Dead
- State Agency Upholds Clatsop Decision Against Gas Pipeline
- Harvey: Wolves can do without state protection
- Ranchers unhappy with wolf delisting delay
- Senate kills bill requiring seatbelts for all passengers
- Gonorrhea cases jump by nearly 40 percent in Washington
- Fed lowers economic outlook but stays mum on rate plans
- White powder at Salem prison mail room not hazardous
- Dry conditions expected to fuel early wildfire season
- Deschutes County wages 11 pct. below U.S. average
- Merkley: Bill seeks to ensure safe hospital nurses staffing
- MY VOICE: Newspapers were pivotal in making America and still are — Opinion
- U.S. economic growth slows to 0.2 percent, grinding nearly to a halt– Blog
- The jobs most likely to make you drink– Blog
- Why you should be skeptical of the biggest excuse for the weak economy– Blog
- Why parenting is even more daunting for millennials than it was for their parents or their grandparents
- Supreme Court hearing about lethal injection procedures turns into heated debate
- The sexting scandal no one sees
- Managing Marijuana: Potential Effects On Employers and Employees
- Departments Monitoring Water For Returning Salmon
- Farmers React to GMO Ordinance
- Earthquake emergency exercises ramped up
- Are we too quick to diagnose corruption?
- Fighting Fire With Fire
- Rosenblum, Willamette Week and Backpage.com
- Increasing costs equal smaller families, later
- MY VOICE: Newspapers were pivotal in making America and still are — Opinion
- Measure Would Allow Rural Oregonians To Sometimes Pump Their Own Gas
- DOE nuclear waste disposal proposal met with skepticism
- Bayocean: the American city that disappeared because man ignored natur
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OREGON LOTTERY: FACING DIFFICULT POLITICS, GAMBLING REFORMERS FORCED TO PLAY LONG GAME
(Portland Oregonian)Stymied by past failures and an inhospitable political climate, lawmakers pushing gambling reforms for the Oregon Lottery have come to grips with a difficult reality this session: They’ve had to shrink their ambitions.
At least for now.
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FEES GOUGING FINANCIAL-AID COLLEGE STUDENTS WOULD EVAPORATE UNDER OREGON HOUSE BILL PASSED WEDNESDAY
(Portland Oregonian)So you’re a college student on financial aid, and every time you buy a textbook, you incur a 50-cent “swipe fee” from your charge-card company.
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KATE BROWN’S FIRST WEEKS IN OFFICE: TOP TAKEAWAYS
(Portland Oregonian)Getting up to speed on marijuana legalization. Making nice with both Democrats and Republicans. Reaching out to business interests.
Those were among top priorities of Gov. Kate Brown during her first weeks in office, as evidenced by the calendars she released in response to a public records request from The Oregonian/OregonLive.
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BILL LIMITING OREGON MEDICAL MARIJUANA PROGRAM FACES ADDITIONAL LEGISLATIVE SCRUTINY
(Portland Oregonian)An Oregon legislative committee on Wednesday delayed action on a bill to put new limits on the medical marijuana program as they heard testimony raising divergent complaints about the legislation.
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LEGISLATURE’S INACTION COULD MEAN LOWER RETURNS FOR STATE PENSION FUND, OFFICIALS WARN
(Portland Oregonian)The state’s chief investment officer said Wednesday that the Oregon Treasury’s investment management division may soon be forced to restructure its $90 billion investment portfolio, dial back risk and accept lower returns.
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STATE BOARD UPHOLDS COUNTY DENIAL OF PERMIT FOR OREGON LNG PIPELINE
(Portland Oregonian)Oregon’s Land Use of Board of Appeals has upheld Clatsop County’s decision to deny a land use permit for a 41-mile section of the pipeline that would serve a proposed liquefied natural gas terminal in Warrenton, near the mouth of the Columbia River.
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OREGON HOUSE PASSES ‘BAN THE BOX’ BILL, AIMED AT HELPING EX-CONS GET JOBS
(Portland Oregonian) The House approved a bill Wednesday to ban employers from asking about a job candidate’s criminal history on an application.
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THE MIDDLE CLASS DESERVES MORE ATTENTION — OPINION
(Portland Oregonian)Despite all the attention that has fallen on efforts to increase the minimum wage, many on both sides of the debate acknowledge that raising the minimum is at most one step toward addressing middle-class economic problems.
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OREGON SUPREME COURT TO DECIDE FATE OF HISTORIC LAKE OSWEGO HOUSE
(Portland Oregonian)The Oregon Supreme Court has agreed to review a lower court’s decision that cleared the way for demolition of the Carman House, Lake Oswego’s oldest home.
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THE MIDDLE CLASS DESERVES MORE ATTENTION — OPINION
(Portland Oregonian)Despite all the attention that has fallen on efforts to increase the minimum wage, many on both sides of the debate acknowledge that raising the minimum is at most one step toward addressing middle-class economic problems.
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WASHINGTON STATE WHOOPING COUGH EPIDEMIC WORSENS
(Portland Oregonian)Washington state’s whooping cough epidemic continues to spread at a rapid pace, infecting more than 80 children in a matter of days and showing a heavy presence in Clark County.
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HILLSBORO AIRPORT’S NEW RUNWAY IS COMPLETE, WILL OPEN THIS WEEK, OFFICIALS SAY
(Portland Oregonian)The project to build a new runway at Hillsboro Airport is complete, the Port of Portland announced in a mailer sent recently to area residents.
The runway, built to separate business-class jets from smaller planes such as those operated by flight-training students, will open on
Thursday, April 30, said the Port, which owns and operates the airport.
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WILDFIRE-FIGHTING STRATEGY INCLUDES $4 MILLION FOR SAGE GROUSE HABITAT PROTECTION
(Portland Oregonian)Federal officials have announced more than $4 million in projects in four states as part of a wildfire-fighting strategy to protect a wide swath of intermountain West sagebrush country that supports cattle ranching and is home to a struggling bird species.
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PAST TENSE OREGON: HIGHWAY CZAR GLENN JACKSON AMONG MOST INFLUENTIAL OREGONIANS
(Portland Oregonian)Who would you include if asked to list the most influential Oregonians of the 20th Century?
Mark Hatfield? Tom McCall? Abigail Scott Duniway? C.E.S. Wood?
According to William Stack, your list should definitely include Glenn Jackson.
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SUPREME COURT OVERRULES STATE IN SOME PERS CUTS
(Salem Statesman Journal)The Oregon Supreme Court has decided that parts of the pension cuts for public employees enacted in 2013 are unconstitutional.
The decision means that schools, cities, state agencies and other public employers likely will face steep increases in the rates they pay toward the pension fund.
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WILL OREGON BE NEXT TO BAN MICROBEADS?
(Salem Statesman Journal)The Oregon House is scheduled to vote this week on a bill to ban microbeads, the tiny plastic particles used as an exfoliant in personal care products.
Microbeads, found in common household products such as soap and toothpaste, get washed down the sink, and they are small enough to bypass sewer and water-treatment filters.
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HOUSE PASSES BILL ON STUDENT DEBIT CARDS
(Salem Statesman Journal)A bill about student debit cards approved by the Oregon House on Wednesday aims to protect consumer rights of students by requiring universities to consider federal guidelines when entering into contracts with third party financial institutions.
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OREGON RANKS IN BOTTOM THREE IN FLUORIDATED WATER
(Salem Statesman Journal)As the federal government adjusts its recommendations on fluoride levels in public water systems, Oregon is left wondering how to get fluoride in its largest communities.
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OREGON DECLARES MARCH 22 TOM MCCALL DAY
(Salem Statesman Journal)Gov. Kate Brown on Wednesday signed a bill declaring March 22 to be Tom McCall Day in Oregon.
Tad McCall, the late governor’s son, traveled from his home in Virginia to attend the ceremony.
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STATE WARNS SISTER CITY GROUP
(Eugene Register-Guard)-A local association has lost its federal nonprofit status; donations to it for quake victims arent tax deductible-
An effort by the Eugene/Kathmandu Sister City Association to raise money for victims of the earthquake that struck Nepal on Saturday experienced an aftershock this week when the state Department of Justice discovered that the association is not a federally approved nonprofit organization.
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PHARM-FREE FARMS: OREGON LAWMAKERS CONSIDER A BILL CURTAILING ANTIBIOTICS IN LIVESTOCK
(Eugene Register-Guard)For decades, farmers have routinely fed antibiotics to livestock to fatten up the animals and protect them from illnesses amplified by confined conditions.
But critics say repeated use of antibiotics has made bacteria more resistant to the drugs, resulting in people developing antibiotic-resistant infections. As public pressure mounts nationally against antibiotics, Oregon legislators are debating whether to curtail their use in agriculture.
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ONLY WAY TO BE SURE ABOUT STD? TAKE THE TEST — GUEST OPINION
(Eugene Register-Guard)Lets talk about statistics. Sexy, right?
Did you know that one in two thats half of all sexually active people will get a sexually transmitted disease, or STD, by the age of 25? And most wont even know it.
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STATE ETHICS COMMISSION DISMISSES COMPLAINT AGAINST AXELROD
(Portland Tribune)-State finds mayoral candidate did not use Planning Commision seat to benefit his business-
The Oregon Government Ethics Commission has dismissed an ethics complaint filed this week against City Councilor and mayoral candidate Russ Axelrod.
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DECISIONS EXPECTED THURSDAY IN SUPREME COURT PERS CASES
(Portland Tribune)The Oregon Supreme Court is scheduled Thursday to announce its decision in a pair of cases challenging whether Oregon lawmakers can pare cost-of-living increases for public retirees.
The court also will decide a pair of challenges to whether lawmakers can take away extra payments for out-of-state retirees not subject to state taxes.
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COMMITTEE VOTE COULD LIMIT MEDICAL POT PROGRAM
(Portland Tribune)Lawmakers moved a step closer Wednesday night to tightening regulations on Oregons medical marijuana program, despite vocal opposition from some people in the medical pot industry.
The legislative committee tasked with implementing Oregons new recreational marijuana system voted to include a proposal to limit the size of medical pot grows in a bill that could come up for a vote as soon as Monday.
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FACING RECALL, RILEY APOLOGIZES FOR SLAVERY LAW REMARK
(Portland Tribune)-Republicans call for censure; YouTube video captures comment-
State Sen. Chuck Riley apologized Wednesday for a Hillsboro town-hall remark that suggested he supported slavery.
I made a statement that I deeply regret, the Democratic lawmaker from Hillsboro said in the Senate chamber.
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A CURB FOR CAMPAIGN CASH
(Portland Tribune)-Governor supports effort for campaign finance reform-
Gov. Kate Brown was first in line last Tuesday to testify in support of legislation to cap campaign contributions, which she pushed for when she as secretary of state.
Advocates for campaign finance reform hope that with Browns support, they can curb campaign cash in the state, which has repeatedly tried and failed to adopt contribution limits that stick.
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COURT REJECTS RETROACTIVE ADJUSTMENTS TO PERS
(Portland Tribune)The Oregon Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a cost-of-living adjustment for public retirees cannot be changed retroactively.
The court, in a long-awaited April 30 decision, also ruled that lawmakers can change how that cost-of-living increase is applied to benefits earned by employees but only after dates of the 2013 changes.
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A CURB FOR CAMPAIGN CASH
(Portland Tribune)Gov. Kate Brown was first in line last Tuesday to testify in support of legislation to cap campaign contributions, which she pushed for when she as secretary of state.
Advocates for campaign finance reform hope that with Browns support, they can curb campaign cash in the state, which has repeatedly tried and failed to adopt contribution limits that stick.
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INFLUENCE-PEDDLING PROBE: SCANDAL OR SOAP OPERA?
(Portland Tribune)Its unclear what the resignation of Oregon U.S. Attorney Amanda Marshall will mean to the federal influence-peddling investigation into former Gov. John Kitzhaber and his fiancee, Cylvia Hayes.
Marshall has announced she will resign on May 15 for health reasons after being placed on leave for harassing one of the prosecutors in her office. She is being replaced on an interim basis by prosecutor Billy Williams.
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‘BAN THE BOX’ LEGISLATION GETS HOUSE OK
(Portland Tribune)The Oregon House has advanced legislation to ban employers to ask about criminal convictions on their initial job applications.
The 33-27 vote Wednesday, largely on party lines and taken after a 90-minute debate, moved House Bill 3025 to the Senate.
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FACING RECALL, RILEY APOLOGIZES FOR SLAVERY LAW REMARK
(Portland Tribune)State Sen. Chuck Riley apologized Wednesday for a Hillsboro town-hall remark that suggested he supported slavery.
I made a statement that I deeply regret, the Democratic lawmaker from Hillsboro said in the Senate chamber.
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COMMITTEE VOTE COULD LIMIT MEDICAL POT PROGRAM
(Portland Tribune)Lawmakers moved a step closer Wednesday night to tightening regulations on Oregons medical marijuana program, despite vocal opposition from some people in the medical pot industry.
The legislative committee tasked with implementing Oregons new recreational marijuana system voted to include a proposal to limit the size of medical pot grows in a bill that could come up for a vote as soon as Monday.
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PENDLETON PRISON PACKS POTATOES FOR FOOD BANK
(East Oregonian)-Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution has worked with Hale Farms and Farmers Ending Hunger to donate 20,000 pounds of potatoes to CAPECO.-
Umatilla and Morrow county farmers rank first and third, respectively, in growing fresh vegetables statewide.
With a little help from prison labor, more of that food could be kept locally to feed hungry families.
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RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS FOR WEED BUSINESSES ARE PROBABLY UNCONSTITUTIONAL, SAYS OREGON LEGISLATURE’S LAWYER– BLOG
(Willamette Week)Oregonians who are paranoid about large, out-of-state marijuana companies dominating the states legal weed market now have more reason to worry.
State lawmakers are considering a way to keep Big Marijuana out by creating residency requirements, such as those in Washington and Colorado.
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COVER OREGON FALLOUT CONTINUES: HIGH LEVEL STATE IT OFFICIAL ALLEGES STATE COMMITTED ‘ILLEGAL ACTIONS’– BLOG
(Willamette Week)-Tort claim notice accuses Oregon’s former chief operating officer Michael Jordan of illegality, retaliation-
The slow-motion disaster formerly known as Cover Oregon continues to reverberate through state government.
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EDITORIAL: TOURISM TRENDS OFFER MID-VALLEY PROMISE — OPINION
(Albany Democrat Herald)The mid-valley may be exceedingly well-positioned to take advantage of a growing trend in tourism and it may be the kind of opportunity that would benefit from a multicounty promotional effort.
A story on our Monday InBusiness page reported on the recent growth of bicycle tourism. A 2012 study by Travel Oregon, the states tourism department, estimated that such tourism pumped some $400 million into Oregons economy in 2012.
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TIMBER PAYMENTS ANNOUNCED FOR CENTRAL OREGON COUNTIES
(Bend Bulletin)-Oregon will receive $60.8 million after reauthorization of federal program-
Central Oregon counties will receive a combined $4 million this year from federal timber payments that were in danger of not being renewed.
The amount goes toward public schools, roads and county programs as part of the Secure Rural Schools program. Federal legislation established the payments in 2000 to make up for revenue lost to declining timber sales in federal forests.
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CONTROLLED HUNT DEADLINE NEARS
(Bend Bulletin)The deadline to apply for Oregons controlled hunts is May 15.
Some of Oregons best hunting opportunities are limited-entry including most rifle elk and all rifle deer hunting in eastern Oregon, as well as all pronghorn, bighorn sheep and Rocky Mountain goat hunts.
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OREGON COUNTIES TO RECEIVE $61 MILLION IN TIMBER PAYMENTS
(Oregon Public Broadcasting)The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released information on how much money states will receive from the Secure Rural Schools Act, known as timber payments. Oregon counties will receive nearly $61 million over two years.
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BILL AIMS TO CURB ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SUSPENSIONS
(Oregon Public Broadcasting)Oregon state senator Sara Gelser D-Corvallis is sponsoring a bill she says is necessary to address the school-to-prison pipeline thats the idea that out-of-school suspensions and expulsions increase the likelihood that a kid will wind up in the criminal justice system.
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TEST DRIVING THE ELECTRIC HIGHWAY
(Oregon Public Broadcasting)The West Coast Electric Highway is a network of fast-charging stations for electric vehicles that runs all the way from Vancouver, Canada to the California border. Oregon completed its section of the electric highway this month, with the installation of a charging station at a Fred Meyer store in Brookings, near the California border.
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OREGON LNG CONSIDERS FEDERAL PERMIT AFTER COUNTY PERMIT WITHDRAWN
(Oregon Public Broadcasting)Oregons Land Use Board of Appeals Wednesday upheld the rejection of a permit for a liquefied natural gas facility proposed for Warrenton.
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WITH LEGAL POT ON THE WAY, OREGON CONSIDERS WIPING MARIJUANA CONVICTIONS
(Oregon Public Broadcasting)Starting in July, adults in Oregon can legally use recreational marijuana.
But thousands of Oregonians will still have criminal records for marijuana offenses that would have been legal under the new law. Now, Oregon lawmakers are considering a proposal to wipe the slate clean for people convicted of certain marijuana offenses.
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COURT PARTIALLY STRIKES DOWN OREGON PUBLIC EMPLOYEE PENSION CUTS
(Oregon Public Broadcasting)The Oregon Supreme Court says some of the 2013 cuts to public-employee retirement benefits are unconstitutional.
The courts ruling on Thursday means state and local governments will likely have to increase their pension contributions in future years.
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WHITE POWDER AT OREGON PRISON MAILROOM NOT HAZARDOUS
(Oregon Public Broadcasting)The Oregon Corrections Department says a white powdery substance found in an envelope at the state penitentiary mailroom in Salem was not hazardous.
Spokeswoman Crystal Archdeacon said Wednesday that one staff member directly exposed to the powder on Monday afternoon was taken to Salem Hospital to be checked. The state police hazardous materials unit, the FBI and Salem Fire and Rescue responded to evaluate the powder.
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OREGON SENATORS ASK VA TO HELP VETS EXPOSED TO AGENT ORANGE
(Oregon Public Broadcasting)Oregons U.S. senators signed a letter this week asking the Department of Veterans Affairs to treat members of the National Guard who were exposed to Agent Orange.
The exposure largely took place after the Vietnam War ended.
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OREGON LNG CONSIDERS FEDERAL PERMIT AFTER COUNTY PERMIT WITHDRAWN
(Oregon Public Broadcasting)Oregons Land Use Board of Appeals Wednesday upheld the rejection of a permit for a liquefied natural gas facility proposed for Warrenton.
A tanker carrying liquefied natural gas.
Clatsop County commissioners turned down a pipeline permit for the facility in 2013.
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SENATE KILLS BILL REQUIRING SEATBELTS FOR ALL PASSENGERS
(Oregon Public Broadcasting)The Oregon Senate voted Wednesday to kill a bill that would have made it illegal to sit on the floor or on someones lap in a moving vehicle.
In a voice vote Wednesday, senators sent the bill to a committee where its barred by Senate rules from moving forward. The move came after legislative leaders determined the bill didnt have enough support to pass.
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OREGON COUNTIES TO RECEIVE $61 MILLION IN TIMBER PAYMENTS
(Oregon Public Broadcasting)The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released information on how much money states will receive from the Secure Rural Schools Act, known as timber payments. Oregon counties will receive nearly $61 million over two years.
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A BILL TO STOP CONSTRUCTION IN TSUNAMI-PRONE AREAS IS DEAD
(Oregon Public Broadcasting)A bill that would have given the state of Oregon the power to stop new construction in tsunami-prone areas is dead.
The Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries DOGAMI can regulate construction in the tsunami zone.
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STATE AGENCY UPHOLDS CLATSOP DECISION AGAINST GAS PIPELINE
(Oregon Public Broadcasting)State regulators have upheld a county commission decision to deny a permit for a pipeline to a proposed liquefied natural gas plant in northwest Oregon.
The decision came Wednesday from the state Land Use Board of Appeals.
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HARVEY: WOLVES CAN DO WITHOUT STATE PROTECTION
(Baker City Herald)Baker County Commission Chairman Bill Harvey doesnt mince words regarding whether wolves in Oregon should be removed from the states endangered species list.
I think they ought to delist them. They have too many of them, Harvey said.
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RANCHERS UNHAPPY WITH WOLF DELISTING DELAY
(Capital Press)-Ranchers and the Oregon Farm Bureau believe wolves should be taken off the state endangered species list, but conservation groups say it’s way too early for that decision.-
Livestock ranchers and farm groups approached the April 24 meeting of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Commission with a clear mindset: Oregons rapidly-growing wolf population has increased to the point that gray wolves can be removed from the state endangered species list.
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SENATE KILLS BILL REQUIRING SEATBELTS FOR ALL PASSENGERS
(KGW)The Oregon Senate voted Wednesday to kill a bill that would have made it illegal to sit on the floor or on someone’s lap in a moving vehicle.
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GONORRHEA CASES JUMP BY NEARLY 40 PERCENT IN WASHINGTON
(KGW)State health officials say gonorrhea is spreading in Washington.
The number of gonorrhea cases diagnosed rose by nearly 40 percent in 2014 – from 4,395 cases in 2013 to 6,136 cases in 2014.
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FED LOWERS ECONOMIC OUTLOOK BUT STAYS MUM ON RATE PLANS
(KGW)The Federal Reserve lowered its economic outlook Wednesday after a harsh winter chilled the U.S economy’s growth, reducing the odds for an initial interest rate hike as soon as the Fed’s June meeting
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WHITE POWDER AT SALEM PRISON MAIL ROOM NOT HAZARDOUS
(KTVZ Bend)The Oregon Corrections Department says a white powdery substance found in an envelope at the state penitentiary mail room in Salem was not hazardous.
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DRY CONDITIONS EXPECTED TO FUEL EARLY WILDFIRE SEASON
(KTVZ Bend)-Forest Service gears up for busy summer – maybe spring, too-
Wildfire fuels like brush, needles and trees are already drier than normal — more typical of what would be seen in early June — officials with Central Oregon Fire Management Services said Wednesday.
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DESCHUTES COUNTY WAGES 11 PCT. BELOW U.S. AVERAGE
(KTVZ Bend)-BLS finds wages higher in six categories; 12 ‘significantly lower’-
Workers in the Bend Metropolitan Statistical Area Deschutes County had an average mean hourly wage of $20.22 in May 2014, about 11 percent below the nationwide average of $22.71, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday.
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MERKLEY: BILL SEEKS TO ENSURE SAFE HOSPITAL NURSES STAFFING
(KTVZ Bend)-Requires thorough plans, adds whistleblower protections-
Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., introduced legislation Wednesday that he says aims to make hospitals safer for nurses and patients.
The Registered Nurse Safe Staffing Act of 2015 requires hospitals participating in Medicare to implement thorough staffing plans for nursing services and establishes whistleblower protections for patients and employees.
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MY VOICE: NEWSPAPERS WERE PIVOTAL IN MAKING AMERICA AND STILL ARE — OPINION
(LaGrande Observer)When the Revolutionary War began in 1775, Americas media consisted of 38 newspapers and they were pivotal in making America. Patriots newspapers fanned the flames of rebellion, sustained loyalty to the cause and ultimately aided in the outcome. David Ramsay, delegate to the Continental Congress, wrote that, in establishing American independence, the pen and the press had merit equal to that of the sword.
Without newspapers, there wouldve been no American Revolution.
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U.S. ECONOMIC GROWTH SLOWS TO 0.2 PERCENT, GRINDING NEARLY TO A HALT– BLOG
(Washington Post)The U.S. economy ground nearly to a halt in the first three months of the year, according to government data released Wednesday morning, as exports plunged and severe winter weather helped keep consumers indoors.
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THE JOBS MOST LIKELY TO MAKE YOU DRINK– BLOG
(Washington Post)Drug abuse — including and especially alcohol abuse — costs the U.S. economy billions of dollars in lost productivity each year. New government data released this month can now tell us exactly which industries’ employees drink the most, which do the most drugs, and where employees are most likely not just to use drugs, but abuse them
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WHY YOU SHOULD BE SKEPTICAL OF THE BIGGEST EXCUSE FOR THE WEAK ECONOMY– BLOG
(Washington Post)Even before the U.S. was set to release its first reading of U.S. economic growth Wednesday morning, analysts were already dismissing its significance.
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WHY PARENTING IS EVEN MORE DAUNTING FOR MILLENNIALS THAN IT WAS FOR THEIR PARENTS OR THEIR GRANDPARENTS
(Washington Post)Raising a child has never been cheap.
But millennials starting a family today face a double disadvantage that makes it more difficult to have children than it was for their parents or grandparents. Not only is it ever more expensive to have a child, but many young workers today struggle with stagnant or falling wages, leaving them less equipped to cope with those rising costs.
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SUPREME COURT HEARING ABOUT LETHAL INJECTION PROCEDURES TURNS INTO HEATED DEBATE
(Washington Post)The Supreme Courts hearing Wednesday about the constitutionality of a lethal injection procedure turned into a tendentious, almost bitter battle between the courts conservative and liberal justices.
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THE SEXTING SCANDAL NO ONE SEES
(Washington Post)Parents and educators expend a lot of energy trying to stop kids from sending each other nude photos of themselves. They run workshops on digital citizenship. They preach, frequently, about online reputation and good judgment and the long-forgotten value of self-respect.
But they might be missing the real, and really dangerous, sexting scandal the one that few people, besides kids themselves, see.
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MANAGING MARIJUANA: POTENTIAL EFFECTS ON EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES
(KEZI)We are just two months away from recreational marijuana being legal in Oregon, and employers and employees both have questions regarding the work place.
What kind of guidelines and rules can employers set and what should job seekers know?
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DEPARTMENTS MONITORING WATER FOR RETURNING SALMON
(kdrv.com Medford)Spring Chinook salmon are migrating back into the watershed from the ocean. Departments are monitoring water levels and temperatures at Lost Creek Lake to make sure salmon can stay healthy for their return trip.
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FARMERS REACT TO GMO ORDINANCE
(kdrv.com Medford)Voters in Jackson and Josephine counties passed GMO bans last year. While Jackson’s ban is on hold, pending court proceedings. Josephine county is moving forward.
Even though the state does not recognize Josephine County’s GMO ban, The county has now set up a way of reporting non-conformance to the ban.
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EARTHQUAKE EMERGENCY EXERCISES RAMPED UP
(OregonBusiness)Radio would be the only means of communication in the case of a catastrophic earthquake that knocked out phone and Internet lines.
In light of the recent disaster in Nepal, more ham radio operators are participating in emergency exercises.
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ARE WE TOO QUICK TO DIAGNOSE CORRUPTION?
(OregonBusiness)The resignation in February of former governor John Kitzhaber was swift and shocking. But Kitzhaber, who was forced out of government following allegations his fiance, Cylvia Hayes, violated ethics rules, is in good company: He is one of several high-profile governors and public officials to be toppled recently by allegations of unethical behavior.
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FIGHTING FIRE WITH FIRE
(OregonBusiness)-Timber companies and environmental groups take a stab at collaboration to boost logging and restoration in Oregon fires-
This springs high school graduating seniors were newborns the last time the U.S. Forest Service proposed a major forest thinning project around Ashland and the outcome was a disaster.
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ROSENBLUM, WILLAMETTE WEEK AND BACKPAGE.COM
(KOIN)-Oregon AG married to owner of Willamette Week, who uses Backpage on his site-
When Ellen Rosenblum was running for Oregon Attorney General three years ago, stopping human sex trafficking was a cornerstone of her campaign. At that time, she delivered a speech to the Washington County Democrats.
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INCREASING COSTS EQUAL SMALLER FAMILIES, LATER
(KOIN)-More and more couples are choosing to wait until later in life because of the high cost of raising a child-
A new study shows that a nationwide trend is forming to have children later in life, often results in smaller families.
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MY VOICE: NEWSPAPERS WERE PIVOTAL IN MAKING AMERICA AND STILL ARE — OPINION
(LaGrande Observer)When the Revolutionary War began in 1775, Americas media consisted of 38 newspapers and they were pivotal in making America. Patriots newspapers fanned the flames of rebellion, sustained loyalty to the cause and ultimately aided in the outcome. David Ramsay, delegate to the Continental Congress, wrote that, in establishing American independence, the pen and the press had merit equal to that of the sword.
Without newspapers, there wouldve been no American Revolution.
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MEASURE WOULD ALLOW RURAL OREGONIANS TO SOMETIMES PUMP THEIR OWN GAS
(KLCC)Anyone who drives through Oregon knows that the state doesn’t let people pump their own gas.
A measure moving through the state legislature would create an exception to that law, but only under limited circ*mstances.
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DOE NUCLEAR WASTE DISPOSAL PROPOSAL MET WITH SKEPTICISM
(Tri City Herald)The United States has an opportunity to start disposing of defense nuclear waste, including Hanford waste, sooner and at less cost by abandoning a one-size-fits-all approach, a federal energy official said Monday night.
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BAYOCEAN: THE AMERICAN CITY THAT DISAPPEARED BECAUSE MAN IGNORED NATUR
(The Guardian UK)-The Oregon resort was established in 1906, but by 1960 the last house had fallen into the ocean, destroyed by meddling with the natural systems that allowed the town to exist-
Every western ghost town is an object lesson. Oregon, with more ghost towns than any other state, has a full curriculum. In the places that emptied out when the railways lost out to highways, we can see how capital and technology, then as now, destroy homes and livelihoods as relentlessly as they build them.
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