April 20, 2016 OSL eClips (2024)

* Cougar spotted in Gresham; three cats reported dead
* Columbia River tribal village picks up steam as House includes language in appropriations bill
* State finishes 1st of 3 treatments to eradicate N. Portland’s gypsy moths
* Tribal pilot program may point to dental-care future for all Oregonians — Guest Opinion
* How Facebook is getting involved in the Oregon primary
* You need an income of $60,195 to ‘live comfortably’ in Portland, study says
* How Oregon pot dealers pay taxes
* High levels of mercury found in Oregon bass
* Intel to lay off 11% of workforce in big shift from PCs
* Hanford officials prepare to pump nuke waste back into tank
* Go fishing and catch a $50 trout at Empire Lakes
* Eugene judge orders Oregon to pay $318,000 in lawyer fees to man kicked in chest by state trooper
* Let’s slam the brakes on rising traffic fatalities — Guest Opinion
* Report: Improving school quality would create a half-trillion dollars in Oregon
* Intel restructuring to cut 12,000 jobs, save $1.4 billion
* Yeah, we’re green, just not the ‘greenest’ state
* Central Oregon Zika tests turn up negative
* Anglers ready for fishing opener
* Deschutes County jobless rate below 5 percent
* Map: Where Can Adults Legally Buy Marijuana In Oregon? Almost Everywhere
* Limit Your Consumption Of Bass, Oregon Officials Say
* News Roundtable: April 22 Independent Party Of Oregon Primary The Student Vote
* Foresters seek solution to clear-cut image problem
* Census Bureau data provides snapshots of life in Umatilla County
* Another bighorn ram poached in Gilliam County
* Oregon Rising asks people to dream big for schools
* UAS test range reauthorization bill passes Senate
* Construction industry finding it tough to add workers
* Since You Asked: Wanton, careless litterers dirty state highways
* Our View: Institute proponents may have picked wrong place — Opinion
* Forums planned for new Every Student Succeeds Act
* BOLI finds evidence of retaliation by Gold Hill city manager
* Tribe calls lottery ad campaign ‘hypocritical’
* TSA Fairness Act passes Senate
* DEQ official calls Powers wastewater treatment project alternative ‘disconcerting’ as USDA deadline looms
* Coquille Tribe offended by state’s lottery campaign
* Editorial: Floodplains are vital for residents and salmon — Opinion
* Astoria uneasy about vacation rentals
* Editorial: It’s time to pull pot from Schedule 1 — Opinion
* Editorial: Ranked-choice voting system worth a look — Opinion
* OSP seeks publics help in finding elk poachers
* County geographic squaw references renamed
* Guest Comment: Sexual assault prevention is possible — Guest Opinion
* Crosstalk: Preparing ahead for an emergency — Guest Opinion
* Be prepared for ‘Big One’
* Cascade Locks Port nears decision on bridge toll hike
* Open Range: A deals a deal, including the wolf plan — Guest Opinion
* Guest editorial: Rural white women face declining lifespans — Guest Opinion
* An Oregon-made kite that can power 5 homes Video
* Oregon’s Total Employment Gap, March 2016– Blog
* You Need to Make $60,000 a Year to Live Comfortably in Portland, Study Says
* Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian Wants to Re-Define the Secretary of State’s Job
* The Early Disappointments of Cannabis Legalization in Oregon — Opinion
* Independent Party gets clarity on nomination process
* Oregon Senate Republicans seek repeal of low-carbon fuel standard
* Voters In Two Oregon Counties To Decide Fate Of Marijuana Businesses
* Tax compression is a minus for teaching math in Oregon
* Earthquake hazard report reflects a compromise
* Legislative Work Group in Oregon Grappling With Drug Pricing

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COUGAR SPOTTED IN GRESHAM; THREE CATS REPORTED DEAD (Portland Oregonian)

Police have increased the number of officers on patrol in Northeast Gresham after a cougar was spotted there Tuesday evening.

Six people reported to police that they saw a cougar near the 800 block of Northeast 25th Street in Gresham, police spokesman John Rasmussen said. He said three residents in an approximately five-block radius told officers they found their cats dead Tuesday.

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COLUMBIA RIVER TRIBAL VILLAGE PICKS UP STEAM AS HOUSE INCLUDES LANGUAGE IN APPROPRIATIONS BILL (Portland Oregonian)

Both houses of Congress have now included a directive to build a new tribal village along the Columbia River into their appropriations bills.

Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., inserted language into the U.S. House appropriations bill Tuesday that mirrors the Senate’s version, which passed the appropriations committee last week.

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STATE FINISHES 1ST OF 3 TREATMENTS TO ERADICATE N. PORTLAND’S GYPSY MOTHS (Portland Oregonian)

The first of three applications to eradicate the leaf-eating gypsy moth in North Portland finished Monday after a helicopter malfunction halted efforts Sunday.

The remaining untreated area in the 8,800-acre treatment zone was sprayed by 9 a.m., said Bruce Pokarney, spokesman for the Oregon Department of Agriculture. The areas included Linnton and a portion of Forest Park, officials said.

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TRIBAL PILOT PROGRAM MAY POINT TO DENTAL-CARE FUTURE FOR ALL OREGONIANS — GUEST OPINION (Portland Oregonian)

Oregon, already nationally recognized as a leader in health care innovation, is now making similar strides to address the barriers to oral health care that many face. Last month, the Oregon Health Authority took a common sense step to improve dental health access by approving a dental pilot project that will help dentists in tribal communities see more patients. As a co-author of recent legislation that strengthened Oregon’s pilot law, it is rewarding to see the initial pilots gain approval, providing a pathway to modernize Oregon’s oral health care system in some of the communities that need it the most.

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HOW FACEBOOK IS GETTING INVOLVED IN THE OREGON PRIMARY (Salem Statesman Journal)

Have you registered to vote?

If not, you’re not alone two of Donald Trump’s own children didn’t register in time to vote in Tuesday’s New York primary election.

But if you’re still eligible to register, you’ll be getting a reminder in your Facebook news-feed.

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YOU NEED AN INCOME OF $60,195 TO ‘LIVE COMFORTABLY’ IN PORTLAND, STUDY SAYS (Portland Oregonian)

A Portland resident needs to make about $60,000 to “live comfortably” in the city, according to a report by a personal finance and banking site.

The idea of what it means to “live comfortably” is subjective and can of course vary depending on the person.

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HOW OREGON POT DEALERS PAY TAXES (Salem Statesman Journal)

Oregon raked in $3.48 million from January recreational pot sales the first month of the state’s 25 percent tax far outpacing the $3 million projected for the entire year.

Collecting those taxes is no simple task. More than half of Oregon’s recreational pot dealers paying their taxes that month did so in cash, a symptom of the industry’s yearslong struggle for banking access that’s also a big security risk.

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HIGH LEVELS OF MERCURY FOUND IN OREGON BASS (Salem Statesman Journal)

Oregon health officials have issued a permanent, statewide consumption advisory for bass because of high levels of mercury contamination.

The Oregon Health Authority evaluated samples from 62 bass in 11 water bodies across the state eight rivers, two reservoirs and one lake between 2008 and 2014.

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INTEL TO LAY OFF 11% OF WORKFORCE IN BIG SHIFT FROM PCS (Salem Statesman Journal)

Intel will lay off 11% of its global workforce, up to 12,000 employees, a painful downsizing aimed at accelerating its shift away from the waning PC market to one more focused on cloud computing and connected devices.

In an email to employees, CEO Brian Krzanich said that after the restructuring, “I am confident that we’ll emerge as a more productive company with broader reach and sharper execution.”

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HANFORD OFFICIALS PREPARE TO PUMP NUKE WASTE BACK INTO TANK (Salem Statesman Journal)

Hanford Nuclear Reservation officials are preparing to pump thousands of gallons of leaked radioactive waste back into a 46-year-old storage tank that contains toxic leftovers from the production of plutonium for nuclear weapons.

The Washington state Department of Ecology says none of the waste appears to have been released into the environment when it leaked Sunday, and there is no known danger to the public.

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GO FISHING AND CATCH A $50 TROUT AT EMPIRE LAKES (Salem Statesman Journal)

Empire Lakes anglers have a chance of taking home a $50 VISA gift card if they land a specially tagged rainbow trout.

Empire Lakes is a popular coastal rainbow trout fishery in Coos Bay, and ODFW biologists need anglers to help them keep it that way by reporting tagged fish they catch.

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EUGENE JUDGE ORDERS OREGON TO PAY $318,000 IN LAWYER FEES TO MAN KICKED IN CHEST BY STATE TROOPER (Eugene Register-Guard)

-Judge McShane faults state attorneys for their poor conduct and stalling tactics in federal trial-

U.S. District Judge Michael McShane has ordered the state to pay more than $318,000 in attorney fees to lawyers for a Eugene man who proved to a federal jury in January that an Oregon State Police captain violated his civil rights by kicking him in the chest after a traffic stop in rural Lane County.

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LET’S SLAM THE BRAKES ON RISING TRAFFIC FATALITIES — GUEST OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)

How many people killed or maimed in road crashes can we accept?

In 1938, Washington, D.C., flew a black skull-and-crossbones flag whenever The Washington Post reported a car crash death, part of the city’s “program to aid the fight against wanton killing.” Such tragedies were rare then; now it seems we accept them as a fact of life.

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REPORT: IMPROVING SCHOOL QUALITY WOULD CREATE A HALF-TRILLION DOLLARS IN OREGON (Portland Tribune)

How do we improve school quality?

According to a new report, that’s the nations $76 trillion question.

Stanford University economist and researcher Eric Hanushek led a study published Wednesday in EducationNext that says Oregon alone could realize $574 billion more in gross domestic product during the lifetime of a child born today, if it improved school quality to the level of the best-educated state in the nation.

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OUR VIEW: INSTITUTE PROPONENTS MAY HAVE PICKED WRONG PLACE — OPINION (Medford Mail Tribune)

A residential college on scenic rural acreage where students would study organic agriculture, forest management and wildlife habitat restoration in a hands-on setting. It’s an enticing vision, but there’s just one problem: It’s likely in the wrong place.

Rod and Brooks Newton, who operate Hidden Springs Wellness Center in Ashland, want to establish the private, nonprofit Novalis Institute on a 2,000-acre property off Buckhorn Springs Road south of Emigrant Lake
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FORUMS PLANNED FOR NEW EVERY STUDENT SUCCEEDS ACT (Medford Mail Tribune)

State and local educators are seeking public input as they develop Oregon’s plan for the implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act, which replaces the No Child Left Behind Act.

The new federal law goes into effect in 2017-18 and affords states greater flexibility over areas of standards and assessments, accountability, school improvement and educator effectiveness, said Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction Salam Noor.

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BOLI FINDS EVIDENCE OF RETALIATION BY GOLD HILL CITY MANAGER (Medford Mail Tribune)

-Employee alleged city manager singled her out-

The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries has found “substantial evidence” to support allegations that Gold Hill City Manager Rick Hohnbaum retaliated against a longtime city employee after she accused him of sexual harassment.

BOLI investigator Charlie Burr confirmed that investigations into two charges over the past year and a half were concluded this week.

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TRIBE CALLS LOTTERY AD CAMPAIGN ‘HYPOCRITICAL’ (Medford Mail Tribune)

-Ads depict Lewis and Clark, omit native people-

A week after Gov. Kate Brown wrote to the Bureau of Indian Affairs opposing a new casino in Medford, the Coquille Tribe is calling a new Oregon Lottery ad campaign promoting video lottery games in bars hypocritical.

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TSA FAIRNESS ACT PASSES SENATE (Herald and News)

Crater Lake-Klamath Regional Airport Manager John Barsalou is hoping for commercial air service to return to Klamath Falls before the winter holiday season.

With the passage of the Transportation Security Administration Fairness Act in the U.S. Senate Tuesday, the legislation may give that hope a good nudge toward reality
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DEQ OFFICIAL CALLS POWERS WASTEWATER TREATMENT PROJECT ALTERNATIVE ‘DISCONCERTING’ AS USDA DEADLINE LOOMS (The World)

The City of Powers on Tuesday issued a response to recent statements made by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and U.S. Department of Agriculture regarding the city’s wastewater treatment plant upgrade project.

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COQUILLE TRIBE OFFENDED BY STATE’S LOTTERY CAMPAIGN (The World)

The Coquille Indian Tribe is pushing back this week at the Oregon Lottery’s “Lewis and Clark” advertising campaign, saying it’s insensitive to indigenous people, and is placing emphasis on government enterprise over private enterprise.

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EDITORIAL: FLOODPLAINS ARE VITAL FOR RESIDENTS AND SALMON — OPINION (Daily Astorian)

-FEMA flood insurance approach moves in the right direction-

A look around the Columbia River estuary’s edges reveals thousands of acres of land that were, are or will be floodplains. After a century in which dams, diking and a mostly stable climate allowed people to hold back floodwaters, local floodplains are back in the news.

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ASTORIA UNEASY ABOUT VACATION RENTALS (Daily Astorian)

Vacation rentals are not allowed in Astoria’s residential neighborhoods. Technically, the term doesn’t even exist in the development code, which was written when the city was known more for work than play.

But the City Council is concerned that a lack of enforcement on homestay lodging, which is permitted, could lead to the kind of conflicts over short-term rentals that have divided Gearhart and Cannon Beach.

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EDITORIAL: IT’S TIME TO PULL POT FROM SCHEDULE 1 — OPINION (Albany Democrat Herald)

The federal government last week announced that it was reviewing marijuanas status as a Schedule 1 drug, a move that regardless of what you think about the drug is long overdue.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency made the announcement in a memo to lawmakers and said it hopes to have a decision ready sometime in the first half of this year.

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EDITORIAL: RANKED-CHOICE VOTING SYSTEM WORTH A LOOK — OPINION (Corvallis Gazette-Times)

Yes, we know that we recently counseled you like, in yesterdays editorial to be cautious when approached by someone seeking your signature to push an initiative onto the ballot.

But some of the ideas on some of those clipboards being waved in your face are worth a second look. Here’s one of them:

State Rep. Dan Rayfield, D-Corvallis, and Blair Bobier, a Corvallis attorney who cofounded the Pacific Green Party of Oregon, are working to get a proposal for so-called ranked-choice voting on the Benton County ballot this November.

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OSP SEEKS PUBLIC’S HELP IN FINDING ELK POACHERS (Baker City Herald)

-Police investigating killing of two bull elk this winter near Sparta-

The Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division is asking the public’s help in tracking down whoever illegally killed two bull elk near Sparta this winter.

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COUNTY GEOGRAPHIC SQUAW REFERENCES RENAMED (Blue Mountain Eagle)

The federal agency responsible for naming natural features has changed 13 names in Grant County that contained the word squaw.

Thursday, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names approved five names proposed by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and seven proposed by the Grant County Court as alternatives to the tribal proposals, according to Oregon Geographic Names Board President Phil Cogswell.

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GUEST COMMENT: SEXUAL ASSAULT PREVENTION IS POSSIBLE — GUEST OPINION (Blue Mountain Eagle)

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month SAAM. This years campaign focuses on ways that individuals, communities and the private sector can help prevent sexual violence. Nearly one in five women, and one in 71 men, are victims of sexual assault Black et al., 2011, but all of us are impacted by sexual violence.

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CROSSTALK: PREPARING AHEAD FOR AN EMERGENCY — GUEST OPINION (The Dalles Chronicle)

Opinion 1 – Emergency management agencies throughout Oregon are working out contingency plans for The Big One, a subduction zone earthquake off the Oregon Coast.

Opinion 2 – Do you really want to rely on the government if there is a manmade or natural disaster that shuts down stores and services for any significant length of time?

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BE PREPARED FOR ‘BIG ONE’ (Hood River News)

Columbia Gorge Community College and Hood River County Sheriffs Office of Emergency Management present an interactive learning event, offering insight into Cascadia earthquake geology, impacts and preparedness actions residents can take, on April 21 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at Springhouse Cellar, 14 Railroad St., Hood River.

The Cascadia earthquake is Oregons greatest natural threat, according to the Governors Task Force on Resilience.
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CASCADE LOCKS PORT NEARS DECISION ON BRIDGE TOLL HIKE (Hood River News)

Crossing Bridge of the Gods may become more expensive for tourists this summer.

The Port of Cascade Locks plans to increase toll rates on the bridge through a tiered plan, with Gorge area residents paying the current $1 per crossing, while non-residents pay a boosted $2. The Port Commission hopes to finalize the rules and then adopt them May 5.

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OPEN RANGE: A DEALS A DEAL, INCLUDING THE WOLF PLAN — GUEST OPINION (Wallowa.com)

My Dad was odd in some ways. I never heard him cuss, he didnt drink, never smoked a cigarette and never lied. He did, however, really appreciate a good looking woman, the only thing I might have inherited from him. This was a personal code he had, not because he was afraid of going to hell or because he had any deep religious convictions.

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GUEST EDITORIAL: RURAL WHITE WOMEN FACE DECLINING LIFESPANS — GUEST OPINION (Wallowa.com)

Middle-aged white women in places like Eastern Oregon are dying long before they should a reversal in decades of improving life expectancy in the U.S.

Delving into government and academic data, The Washington Post recently published a deeply troubling look at how addictions, depression and other factors cut decades from the lifespans of women, especially in Americas countryside and small towns.

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AN OREGON-MADE KITE THAT CAN POWER 5 HOMES VIDEO (Oregon Business Journal)

Oregon researchers have developed a kite that generates enough electricity to power four or five homes.

Beaverton-based eWind Solutions has nabbed a $100,000 Small Business Innovation Research grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and a $125,000 commercialization grant from Oregon BEST, the state’s cleantech research accelerator.

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OREGON’S TOTAL EMPLOYMENT GAP, MARCH 2016— BLOG (Oregon Office of Economic Analysis)

Last weeks employment report brought continued good news regarding Oregons labor market. The most commonly reported figure was an all-time record low unemployment rate in the states history. Or at least back to the 1970s when the good data begins. The only time period in Oregon’s history where our unemployment rate has been below 5% was a brief 11 month stretch in 1994-1995. That is until 2016, at least based on the initial data. Regardless of where revisions will take the data, we know Oregons labor market is doing quite well.

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YOU NEED TO MAKE $60,000 A YEAR TO LIVE COMFORTABLY IN PORTLAND, STUDY SAYS (Willamette Week)

-You’re probably feeling some discomfort right now.-

Does your day-to-day existence seem a little tenuous? Do you feel guilty when you buy brand-name toothpaste and do you wake up in a cold sweat after a dream involving a trip to the ER? You, my friend, are not alone.

According to a post today on GoBankingRates, you need to make $60,195 to “live comfortably” in Portland.
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LABOR COMMISSIONER BRAD AVAKIAN WANTS TO RE-DEFINE THE SECRETARY OF STATE’S JOB (Willamette Week)

-He’s told supporters he’d audit private corporations, pursue polluters and police workplace pay.-

Oregon Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian is making bold promises in his campaign to become secretary of state.

Avakian, 55, who’s won the bulk of the endorsem*nts in a three-way Democratic primary, has told supporters he’d audit private corporations, pursue polluters and police workplace pay.

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THE EARLY DISAPPOINTMENTS OF CANNABIS LEGALIZATION IN OREGON — OPINION (Willamette Week)

-Are we sure weed is even legal?-

For 10 months now, cannabis has been legal in Oregon. Adults can buy flower, or grow their own, and medical patients still have access to other products without dosage or potency restrictions. Some have had cannabis-related convictions expunged. These are all good things, yes. But is this what you thought legalization would look like? Personally, I’ve felt some disappointments.

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INDEPENDENT PARTY GETS CLARITY ON NOMINATION PROCESS (KOIN)

-Independent Party of Oregon in first state-run primary election next month-

The Independent Party of Oregon got some clarity this week about how itll be allowed to pick a presidential nominee during its first state-run primary election next month.
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OREGON SENATE REPUBLICANS SEEK REPEAL OF LOW-CARBON FUEL STANDARD (KTVZ Bend)

-Ferrioli warns mandate will hike gas prices at least 19 cents-

Oregon Senate Republican leaders wrote to Gov. Kate Brown Monday, urging her to “protect struggling Oregonians by repealing the Low Carbon Fuel Standard before passing a transportation package in the 2017 legislative session.”

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VOTERS IN TWO OREGON COUNTIES TO DECIDE FATE OF MARIJUANA BUSINESSES (KUOW)

Voters in two Oregon counties will decide in the May primary whether to allow marijuana-related businesses. County commissioners banned marijuana retailers and growers in unincorporated parts of Klamath and Grant counties last year.

But local residents gathered enough signatures to force a vote to reverse that.

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TAX COMPRESSION IS A MINUS FOR TEACHING MATH IN OREGON (Around the O)

Oregon’s complex property tax system sometimes adds up to problems for eighth-graders who rely heavily on teachers for shaping their skills as they enter advanced math courses.

A study led by two University of Oregon undergraduate economics students has found that math scores go down by 5 percent in the first year of Oregon’s two-year budget cycle when tax-compression rules are triggered in local school districts. The problem is the unpredictability of funding that disrupts planning and teacher assignments.

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EARTHQUAKE HAZARD REPORT REFLECTS A COMPROMISE (Around the O)

The first one-year earthquake hazard report issued by the U.S. Geological Survey need not stir panic for Oregonians beyond our already frayed nerves about an impending Cascadia rupture.

There are policy implications, says UO geologist Ray Weldon, a member of the report’s steering committee. The document, issued March 28, for the first time included induced earthquakes from the Great Plains to the East Coast.

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LEGISLATIVE WORK GROUP IN OREGON GRAPPLING WITH DRUG PRICING (Bloomberg BNA)

The death in the Oregon House of Representative of a drug-pricing transparency bill has led to the birth of a legislative work group with the ambitious goal of seeking “revolutionary” solutions at the state level to the national conundrum of high drug prices.

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