Oregon
updated
4:45 p.m.
Last night we blasted the O 's editors for what we called "burying" today's James Chasse story. But it has been called to our attention that in the print version of today's paper (which we had not seen last night), the story gets the most prominent play possible: That being the case, it's wrong to say that the story was "buried." Running it on a national holiday at the start of the thre...
Jack Bog's Blog - 4:25 p.m.
Another bizarre chapter in a crazy story. Does this mean she has to give the baby back to its real mother? What is really going on with her? Did the Letterman thing push her over the edge? Perhaps she is giving up her political career to take on the care of the recently orphaned Bubbles the chimp. She looks like she hasn't been eating . UPDATE, 2:43 p.m.: Pentagon sources report increase...
Jack Bog's Blog - 2:59 p.m. - 3 clicks 
4. She actually does believe she can do more for Alaska and America by leaving office in mid-term. (No one believes this; it's simply mentioned here for the sake of logical completeness, and then discarded.) 3. Pregnancy. (Several variations on this, most circling back around local rumors from a few years ago.) 2. Governing is complicated and boring; what she really likes is the money, the fame,...
Persuasion, Perseverance, and Patience - 2:24 p.m.
The Green Line expansion of the MAX Light Rail system from Downtown Portland to Clackamas Town Center will open later this summer. On June 30th, a "First Ride" preview event occurred where a couple of hundred individuals including a number of public officials rode the route. Part 1 features interviews with TriMet General Manager Fred Hansen, Councilor Greg Chaimov (City of Milwau...
Portland Transport - 2:01 p.m.
If you read OLCV's last E-bulletin, then you know that OLCV wants your photographs. We will select the best photo for the cover of OLCV's 2009 Legislative Scorecard, published in September. Do you have photos of your favorite places in......
OLCV Talk - 2:01 p.m.
AP and other sources are reporting that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is resigning effective July 26. There’s a tad bit of info here. Late night talk shows are deeply saddened at this news. There appears to be no truth to rumors that Palin is leaving Alaska to take a job as the head writer with David Letterman. ...
Just Out Blog - 2:00 p.m.
Scandals isn’t the only downtown joint throwing a July 4th weekend Block Pahtayyy. CC Slaughters (219 NW Davis) hosts its own “Cascade Cup Indepen-dance” shindig, beginning at 7 p.m. tomorrow. Performers include the Superstar Divas and Burlesquire (pictured right), current RuPaul’s Drag Race fan voting finalist Bolivia Carmichaels, DJ Robb and much much more. Cover will set...
Just Out Blog - 2:00 p.m.
This is it, folks — your last few days to get one of Portland’s premier drag queens on national television and beyond. Now’s the time to make your voice heard for the open spot on the season 2 cast of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Though Sabel Scities (profiled in the issue of Just Out fresh awaiting [...]...
Just Out Blog - 11:38 a.m.
Yesterday, Full Sail Brewing celebrated 10 years of employee ownership. They have a lot to celebrate. Full Sail appears to be thriving largely because they seem to have an exquisite sense of the market and have made some pretty savvy commercial decisions that seem to have worked out very well (e.g. the logo and packaging redesign of a few years ago - including the cringe inducing "Brewed to Sto...
Oregon Economics Blog - 11:02 a.m. - 3 clicks
What are you doing at the tailend of your long holiday weekend? Nothing you say? Well not any more. Sunday you want to head down to Scandals, Stark & 11th, for the Boys of Summer block party. Join the Rose City Softball Association as they celebrate the end of a weekend of hot softball. At some point [...]...
Just Out Blog - 11:02 a.m.
An alert reader comes across evidence that the Portland city government was making stadium renovation promises to the "major league" (by U.S. standards) soccer league more than 18 months ago. At that time, the commissioner of the league told some folks up in Vancouver (the real Vancouver) so: "Two of the many cities that Vancouver is competing with for an expansion franchise are Portland a...
Jack Bog's Blog - 9:22 a.m. - 8 clicks
In 2001, Portland reversed the trend , opening a downtown streetcar line with brand new rolling stock, intent on using this mode of transportation to encourage transit-oriented development. The results have been impressive: $3.5 billion in new construction, 10,000 residential units, more than 5,000,000 square feet of office and hotel space. Politicians and transportation experts have flocked to...
Jack Bog's Blog - 7:52 a.m. - 10 clicks
Webtrends, the on-line survey outfit, has caused quite a stir in Pedaltown by posting provocative signs on Max trains reading “Should Cyclists Pay a Road Tax?” Wrong question. How about: “Should tax-subsidized MAX trains be used as billboards?”? If you want to play Webtrends' little game, which is to show the effectiveness of asking in-your-face questions, you can go to the Webtrends si...
The Red Electric - 7:41 a.m. - 3 clicks
It was even hotter today than yesterday. Hot enough my MIL actually turned on the cooler about 2PM and ran it until 8PM. This gave me back my ambition, energy and IQ. I used them to unpack the last of the bags from my return home eleven days ago. The one pictured above and one other nearly the same size that looks more like a soft-sided attache case. They both held my notebooks, manuscript...
JoyStory - 3:25 a.m.
I think this is the worst news ever posted on this blog. Long-time Portland activist, marriage equality leader and civil rights crusader, Bonnie Tinker was killed today in a bike accident in Virginia. Tinker was the founder and director of Portland’s Love Makes A Family. A few details can be found here, at OregonLive.com. Memories and tributes to [...]...
Just Out Blog - Thu 10:35 p.m. - 13 clicks
And in his place comes a gal recently departed from the Portland Development Commission after more than 20 years. She was the "senior development manager" of the SoWhat District -- Linchpin City! It appears that Goldschmidt Party control of the Convention Center has been restored....
Jack Bog's Blog - Thu 10:35 p.m. - 5 clicks
And that broke his ribs on the night the Portland cops let him die. Even the medical examiner who helped whitewash the murder now admits it under oath. There's a special place in hell for news editors who deliberately bury important stories on the eve of a holiday weekend. This is an example of why Sandy Rowe and Peter Bhatia of the O should be worried about that. UPDATE, 7/3, 3:10 p.m.: ...
Jack Bog's Blog - Thu 10:35 p.m. - 2 clicks
Right now they're showing the Mariners-Yankees game on cable TV (channel 34 on our service) with crowd audio, but no announcers. I'm sure it's a replay -- it's 12:30 in the morning in New York, and the game on the tube is only in the third inning -- but it's worth watching. They've even got the announcers muted on the commercials -- don't know how they managed that. A whole different way to tun...
Jack Bog's Blog - Thu 10:35 p.m.
Three weeks after my first three days on my Suzuki Burgman 650 maxi-scooter, I've still got plenty of smiles on my two-wheeled motoring face. With plenty of warm and dry weather here in western Oregon (pretty typical for June-September), I've......
Hines Sight - Thu 10:35 p.m.
I’ve blogged before (see here and here) about the important trend towards effective online education. Now he US Department of Education reports that online instruction is more effective that face to face instruction. They say the data is solid for......
Global Strategies - Thu 8:49 p.m.
My conversation in a comment thread with (someone claiming to be) the man who wants al Qaeda to attack America....
Darrel Plant - Thu 3:57 p.m. - 8 clicks
Two interesting and potentially game-changing happenings went down yesterday, both of which would seem to be positives for the drive to see a full and robust public option (FRPO) included in any health care reform bill that passes Congress. Plus I've got news of a demonstration in Portland that goes even beyond that, and continues to press for action on a single-payer plan. First, the...
Loaded Orygun - Thu 2:58 p.m. - 9 clicks
Portland Mercury article about $15 million of yet-to-be-identified funding for renovating PGE Park for Major League Soccer. Portland Mercury article about the Sit-Lie law being ruled unconstitutional. Portland Mercury article about Commissioner Fritz's attempt to freeze merit pay increases for......
Commissioner Randy Leonard - Thu 2:04 p.m. - 11 clicks
Video of yesterday's streetcar unveiling, with short interviews with Rep. DeFazio and Rep. Blumenauer. In particular, I asked both representatives about funding opportunities for improving transit access in existing corridors which are not slated for streetcar or light rail projects. ...
Portland Transport - Thu 2:03 p.m. - 9 clicks
Former Trail Blazer and lifetime Jail Blazer Zach Randolph has apparently been traded again -- this time from the Knicks Clippers to the Grizzlies....
Jack Bog's Blog - Thu 2:02 p.m. - 4 clicks
Missouri State Rep. Cynthia Davis is against free summer lunches for kids. "Can’t they get a job during the summer?" asksthe politician / Bible book store owner. The editorial board of the St. Louis Dispatch reports: State Rep. Cynthia Davis,......
Chuck Currie - Thu 2:02 p.m. - 6 clicks
An alert reader writes: PDX has been choked down to one runway for the last several weeks. Well, 1¼ if you count the Dash-8s using the cross-wind runway to fly to Seattle every half hour. Have there been any delays? Have airlines had to cut flights? The place doesn't look like it's all that choked. Maybe we can get away with just one. What? Stop building unneeded stuff at the airport? Surel...
Jack Bog's Blog - Thu 12:07 p.m. - 2 clicks
The City of Portland's building permit bureau (whatever foolish name it goes by these days) is laying off dozens of people. But it still has resources to publish this thing . Meanwhile, as the water bills continue to rise, we still have staff time and bandwidth for this . Are we spending too much time on public relations and not enough on public services? ...
Jack Bog's Blog - Thu 12:07 p.m. - 15 clicks
Photo courtesy Miles Hochstein / Portland Ground . As the Portland City Council rolls like lemmings toward a no-bid deal with Little Lord Paulson on the conversion of PGE Park to a soccer-only stadium, nobody's seen any plans, or even descriptions, of what the work is going to entail, or what the finished product is going to look like. It's been announced that anyone who thinks the ...
Jack Bog's Blog - Thu 12:07 p.m. - 11 clicks
Several Multnomah County roads and one bridge will see traffic changes during firework displays and community events on the Fourth of July. On the Hawthorne Bridge, sidewalks will close at 8:00 pm and the outside traffic lanes will close at 9:00 pm. All lanes and sidewalks will reopen after the fireworks show ends at approximately 10:30 pm. Depending on the wind direction, the entire bridge ...
Commissioner Jeff Cogen - Thu 12:06 p.m. - 6 clicks
Note to readers : This is the seventeenth part of a recounting of my Grand European Tour. You can read Part XVI here . Uncharacteristic forethought caused me to book a room in Avignon from a telephone in Geneva. Nearly three months on the rails now. Weary of the frantic scramble to find accommodations after a long train ride. Plan ahead then, Dade. Said accommodations consisted of a bunk ...
Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing - Thu 11:27 a.m. - 2 clicks
Israel postpones ‘drought tax’ Look at a topographical map of the region and note where the bulk of the water flows and you'll begin to understand that religion and "terrorism" are merely a smokescreen for official Israeli attachment to the Occupied West Bank and the Golan Heights. Simple demographic projections combined with fundamental geology demonstrate the unsustainable squeeze Israel is look...
Preemptive Karma - Thu 11:26 a.m. - 6 clicks
Lastly here is some linkage to a great article explaining the newly unveiled Metro rebranding of trails and parks, rivers and streams as The Inter Twine. I attended the kick-off event at Keen Footware's HQ in The Pearl but I was there to see Senator Merkley. And that's why I didn't bother with a summation of my own. I don't know enough about The Inter Twine and feel it's better left to those who d...
Preemptive Karma - Thu 11:26 a.m.
I've been following the story of the jet crash off the Comoros and the young girl who survived. The other day I was reading an article where her father expressed amazement that she was the one to have survived because she'd always been a shy and timid girl. Which seems to me to speak to the fact that judging a person on outward appearances is often a mistake. This 14 year old girl clearly has an i...
Preemptive Karma - Thu 11:26 a.m. - 3 clicks
Oh alright, one more... Wexler: Settlement freeze would call Arab world’s ‘bluff’ Visiting Israel, Rep. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.) tells Herb Keinon of the Jerusalem Post that Israel should agree to a short-term settlement freeze -- and that it's a smart move to call the Arab states' bluff: "A request for a moratorium or freeze in settlement activity that can be mutually agreed upon by the US and Isra...
Preemptive Karma - Thu 11:26 a.m.
The Autism Association of Oregon (ASO) is presenting Peter Wright of Wrightslaw in a one day special education law and advocacy training conference October 29 in Portland. Details of the program and online registration are available at the ASO Web site ....
PPS Equity - Thu 11:26 a.m. - 10 clicks
Though a lagging indicator the fact that the US unemployment rate has risen to 9.5% on the the wave of another 467,000 job losses is a pretty dismal showing for an economy everyone thought was starting to bottom out. It still may, be but the number of job losses is still very severe - quite a bit higher than most economists were hoping for. This graphic from the NY Times does a nice job sh...
Oregon Economics Blog - Thu 11:26 a.m.
That’s right, kids. Adam Lambert, the crazily charismatic American Idol runner-up — and groundbreaking Rolling Stone cover boy — is in P-town. Lambert is set to perform, along with his fellow AI finalists, July 5 at the Rose Garden. The show marks the first date of this summer’s AI Live touring juggernaut. Just Out knows that [...]...
Just Out Blog - Thu 11:25 a.m.
Many thought the Adams/Breedlove saga ended with the release of the Oregon State Attorney General’s report. An angry Beau Breedlove took to the KGW Channel 8 airwaves last night, and left behind new accusations. You can listen to the interview here. ...
Just Out Blog - Thu 11:25 a.m.
As Multnomah County experiences its first real heat wave this summer with temperatures expected to hover in the low 90’s over the next few days, the Aging and Disability Services Division would like to remind older adults and people with heat sensitive disabilities to take the following precautions in the hot weather: Keep air circulating with fans; take cool sponge baths. Go to an air-condi...
Commissioner Jeff Cogen - Thu 11:25 a.m.
Police Chiefs from urban departments around the United States are calling for immigration reform legislation that would “integrate immigrants into the legal system, possibly with driver's licenses, and separate the local police from immigration enforcement” according to a New York Times article. At a Press Conference in Miami on Wednesday, Chief John Timoney of the Miami Police Department said ...
CAUSA:blog - Thu 9:47 a.m.
A forty-five day public comment period began yesterday on the Streetcar System Plan , leading to a Planning Commission hearing on August 14th and City Council consideration in September. The plan, a 20-50 year vision of where Streetcars might run in Portland, has been 20 months in the making, with work by staff, a System Advisory Committee, neighborhood-based district working groups and sever...
Portland Transport - Thu 4:59 a.m. - 8 clicks
Anything wolf makes big headlines--and, it seems, is never old news. For fourteen years since conservationists and the federal government brought the wolf back to the northern Rockies (plus several years leading up to the reintroduction), anything and everything about the Big Dog has been, to say the least, controversial. But something hasn't happened yet that could make it much more contentious...
New West Bend - Thu 4:59 a.m. - 2 clicks
It was in the high 90s here today and this evening clouds moved in raising the muggy factor. I'm not much into having my hands on the hot keyboard of my laptop right now. If I can keep the sweat out of my eyes, I'd like to return to the YA novel I started this afternoon. Seven Tears into the Sea by Terri Farley. It is set on the California coast south of San Francisco and all the descrip...
JoyStory - Thu 12:27 a.m.
Ron Wyden Oregon Senator Ron Wyden doesn’t often find the word “radical” in close proximity. His manner doesn’t suggest it, and neither does his trademark bipartisan work; such gripes as you hear about him back in Oregon tend to come from the left, form people arguing that he’s too compromising. So even in the context - [...]...
Ridenbaugh Press (Oregon) - Wed 11:02 p.m. - 10 clicks
Come listen to my Sunday, July 5th sermon on “God, Guns & American Violence: Turning Weapons Into Ploughshares," Click here for all the info....
Chuck Currie - Wed 11:01 p.m.
…beat blogging! Two and a half years ago, I started ranting on this site about the gross educational inequities in Portland’s public schools. This eventually got the attention of the local mainstream media and the greater school district community. I didn’t set out with a mission, other than just speaking my mind. Pretty soon all I wrote [...]...
More Hockey Less War - Wed 8:42 p.m.
Portland has nearly as many graphic artists as it has bicyclists . It might even be the exact same number. Could it be. . . ? Anyway, here’s the deal. I could use some help. I am, by default, the acting chair of the new Hillsdale Community Foundation. The name pretty much says it all, but if you need to know more, suffice to say we are out to raise money and to make sure it improves our li...
The Red Electric - Wed 5:37 p.m.
The Oregonian, Greater Portland and Oregon's Newspaper of record, after slashing costs, eliminating the evening "bulldog" edition, furloughing staff, and merging the Metro section into the rest of section A on Mondays to save printing costs, has hit on a possible solution to its problems: They're going to charge you a buck at the newsstand/paper box, up twenty-five cents. Which, of course, means t...
Preemptive Karma - Wed 4:22 p.m. - 5 clicks
Peter David’s X-Factor, 45 - a best-selling X-Men related title - is breaking new ground with the image at right. The issue features mainstream comics’ first same-sex kiss, between Rictor and Shatterstar. The characters’ relationship has been hinted at throughout the series. On David’s blog, he is quick to assure fans that “no, it’s not a fake [...]...
Just Out Blog - Wed 4:22 p.m. - 5 clicks
By Sean Cruz There was little sign of Cesar Chavez in the Council chambers, even when the “Yes” panels were speaking. None had thought to bring a photograph to the hearing…. No one among those in the first panel up in support of renaming 39th Avenue identified himself/herself as a member of the mostly-secret Chavez Boulevard Committee, although until recently, Portland School Board member Marti...
Blogolitical Sean - Wed 4:22 p.m. - 3 clicks
I attended my second 'first ride' in two days as Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood visited Portland for the first passenger trip on the first made-in-USA Streetcar in 60 years. Our congressional delegation effused over job creation, sustainability and mom and apple pie in front of the vehicle built by Oregon Iron Works. A full photo roll after the jump. The vehicle i...
Portland Transport - Wed 1:57 p.m. - 10 clicks
Oregon does have one Senator who's willing to come out and stake his claim for a full and robust public option (FRPO)--junior Senator Jeff Merkley. In this video recorded today at Pioneer Square outside KGW's new studios there, Merkley affirms his support for a public option, one that competes directly with private insurance and cuts costs using Medicare-style bargaining rules with provid...
Loaded Orygun - Wed 1:57 p.m. - 8 clicks
Listen to the show (mp3, 27.8MB) Sara and Elly host a conversation about bicycle justice, with lawyer Bob Mionske, author of Cycling and the Law and social worker Meghan Sinnott. Mionske discusses the biases against bicycling inherent in law enforcement, the court system and the written law. Sinnott talks about barriers in both mobility and justice for society's neediest. ...
Portland Transport - Wed 1:06 p.m. - 3 clicks
Al Franken: Magic Number 60 Yesterday, the Minnesota Supreme Court rejected all counts of the legal case that former Senator Norm Coleman brought to contest the results of the election last November to determine the Senator from Minnesota. Coleman finally conceded the race and congratulated Minnesota's soon-to-be junior Senator, Al Franken. Mr. Franken will be the 60th Democrat in the ...
Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing - Wed 12:42 p.m. - 3 clicks
Apparently the Supreme Being has even less confidence in Joe the Plumber than in Mark Sanford : Last year at the height of his "fame," Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher — aka "Joe the Plumber" — said that he was considering a run for public office. "I’d be up for it," he said. Excited fans even set up a "Draft Joe the Plumber" site. But in a new interview with WorldNetDaily, Wurzelbacher said that ...
Persuasion, Perseverance, and Patience - Wed 12:09 p.m. - 3 clicks
Two weeks ago today, we joined with Dr. Howard Dean in asking Oregonians to stand with him and petition their Senators for a full and robust public option (which I call FRPO for short). Oregon is one of the key states in building support for a FRPO, given Senator Ron Wyden's reticence to fully back a FRPO that would directly compete against his own health care bill, which does not include o...
Loaded Orygun - Wed 12:08 p.m. - 5 clicks
Looking for something to satiate your wily outdoor whims this 4th of July weekend? Great Frith, who isn’t? This Saturday, Portland’s LGBTQ soccer club, NetRippers F.C., will be hosting their second annual co-ed soccer tournament at Fernhill Park in northeast Portland (NE 37th and Ainsworth). For extended details on schedule, participation, registration, contact and costs, check out [....
Just Out Blog - Wed 12:08 p.m. - 2 clicks
After Monday’s pledge from President Obama to reaffirm the gay rights agenda he promised during his campaign run, the White House announced today that it will not fight a ruling awarded to Diane Schroer (formerly David Schroer) for $491,190 in back pay and damages because of sex discrimination. Schroer, a retired Army Special Forces commander from [...]...
Just Out Blog - Wed 12:08 p.m. - 2 clicks
As per the news today about the ruling in favor of Diane Schroer (nee David Schroer), the Human Right Campaign has issued a supportive public statement today. The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, issued the following statement today in reaction to the decision by the U.S. [...]...
Just Out Blog - Wed 12:08 p.m.
Perry Hart, Roxie Hart and Miss Avon Laydee Hart invite you to the third annual Pink Ribbon Show. This annual event is a benefit for the local chapter of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. The list of performers includes, but is not limited to, Topaz Crawford, Roxie Hart, and the new Miss Gay Oregon, [...]...
Just Out Blog - Wed 12:08 p.m. - 5 clicks
The editorial board at The Oregonian gives Carole Smith's plan its tentative stamp of approval . Also in The Oregonian , Jake Cohen reports on PPS school board members' words of caution on the plan. Jennifer Anderson summarizes the plan in the Portland Tribune . ...
PPS Equity - Wed 11:03 a.m. - 7 clicks
There is a Master Recycler course coming up for all those who want to participate. There's even a class in Español! Check out this link for details. ...
Commissioner Jeff Cogen - Wed 11:02 a.m. - 4 clicks
The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article about the relative increase in the size of cities proper versus their suburbs. Their economics blog also discusses it. Why is this happening? I can think of three reasons (all touched on by the article and discussion): 1) The real collapse of housing has occurred in the suburbs. So people who have lost homes and people who might ha...
Oregon Economics Blog - Wed 10:07 a.m.
Art lovers, a new exhibit showcasing works by area queer artists open Thursday, July 2 at the BFA Gallery at the Pacific Northwest College of Art, 1241 NW Johnson St. The focus of this exhibit is the works of PNCA artists who are queer, or, are working with queer themes. Co-curated by Saral Black, Finn Grey [...]...
Just Out Blog - Wed 10:07 a.m.
Various conservative pundits are lining up to take shots at a Vanity Fair article about Sarah Palin. I'll let you read the article and draw your own conclusions. But one criticism stood out to me. In an email to a Washington Post blogger, McCain staffer David Welch wrote: "Purdum did not include quotes from pro-Palin staffers (Mike Goldfarb, Randy Scheunemann have been outspoken in their support) ...
Preemptive Karma - Wed 9:42 a.m. - 3 clicks
From Media Matters: This is Michael Scheuer arguing that "the only chance we have as a country right now is" for bin Laden to "detonate a major weapon" in U.S.......
Preemptive Karma - Wed 9:42 a.m.
rush home road by Lori Lansens (c) 2002; 2008 (paperback) Back Bay Books 387 p I finally kept my promise to myself to devote some quality hours to reading for the first time in months. Today I finished the novel I started on Mother's Day and that was technically a restart since I first began reading this book the day I did this Book Blurb post on it shortly after I received my review copy f...
JoyStory - Wed 3:19 a.m.
Here’s a tantalizing headline from the Interior Department. Secretary Ken Salazar says a final agreement to manage water in the Klamath River Basin, and to remove hydropower dams from the river, is “within reach”. All we need, according to Salazar, is “one more push” and the agreement could be finalized by the end of [...]...
Natural Oregon - Wed 12:27 a.m. - 4 clicks
Naming Rites If you were asked to prioritize all of the issues that can be appropriately addressed by the Portland City Council, where would you place renaming a street after Cesar Chavez? Yeah, me too. It definitely wouldn’t crack the top ten. I suspect a significant number of Latinos actually feel the same way, considering the unemployment rate, high cost of housing, decreased fun...
Unconventional Folly - Tue 11:22 p.m. - 14 clicks
Walter Lara is a 23 year-old honor student facing deportation on July 6, 2009. Walters family immigrated from Argentina when he was three years old. He has only known life as an American, and proudly declares that the United States is my home. U.S. Senator Bill Nelson wrote the Department of Homeland Security on Walter's behalf, requesting that they defer action on Walter's deportation because...
CAUSA:blog - Tue 11:21 p.m.
The debate over how to fix our country's broken health care system can get pretty darn abstract and complex. But last night my wife and I had a hands-on experience of what's wrong with private medical insurance. And it made......
Hines Sight - Tue 10:28 p.m. - 3 clicks
As PPS presses forward with high school system redesign, significant problems with the K-8 transition remain unaddressed. Teacher and parent Sheila Wilcox shares her inside perspective....
PPS Equity - Tue 9:07 p.m. - 4 clicks
Today was the first VIP ride on the Green Line and I had the chance to join anybody and everybody involved in transportation in the region to ride out to Clackamas Town Center. My biggest overall impression was probably looking at the system map and reflecting on how much of the region is now connected by rail... Photos after the jump. P.S. Look for video from Bob la...
Portland Transport - Tue 8:39 p.m. - 4 clicks
How would fusion voting change Oregon politics? by Jeff Mapes June 30, 2009 16:29PM On the last day of the session, you might say the Oregon Legislature struck a blow for political activists who operate outside the two-party system. After a long fight - which mostly seemed to play out behind closed doors - lawmakers passed Senate Bill 326, which did two things. It r...
Independent Party of Oregon - Tue 7:43 p.m. - 3 clicks
Item: With respect to the Sotomayor-assisted minority opinion on the now-famous Ricci v. DiStefano case, The Talented Mr. Limbaugh said: And this is why brilliant legal analysts are saying this decision, when you get right down to it, is actually nine-zip, not 5 to 4, when you look at some of the things that Ginsburg wrote about the mistakes here in not even hearing the case, not even taking the c...
Preemptive Karma - Tue 4:40 p.m. - 4 clicks
Al Franken is now officially a U.S. Senator. From Minnesota. Seriously. He really is this time. It says so here. If it’s on the Web, it must be right. ...
Just Out Blog - Tue 3:06 p.m. - 13 clicks
Reported variously: With the unanimous decision of the MN Supremes, Norm "It's Over When I Say It's Over" Coleman finally concedes the Minnesota US Senate race. Being able to say the words "Senator Al Franken of Minnesota" has been tempered somewhat because of bitter, angry Republicans who hate us who made it stall for eight months. But when you've won, you've won. Republicans ought to know that a...
Preemptive Karma - Tue 2:41 p.m. - 4 clicks
Last week, when I said I'd heard enough of the emails between (still-)Governor Mark Sanford and "the other woman." There are privacy issues regarding the family, of course, but mainly it was that the image of Sanford doing it with anyone, any time, anywhere, was definitely not something I wanted stuck in my head. My admonishment was directed toward the mainstream and alternative media. It sim...
Persuasion, Perseverance, and Patience - Tue 2:41 p.m. - 2 clicks
Putting a formal stamp on its difficult transaction that netted it 15 stores from the bankrupt Sportsman's Warehouse chain, UFA Co-operative Limited,of Calgary, Alberta, has quickly rebranded the stores as part of the Wholesale Sports chain it has owned and operated for many years in Canada. The new signs are going up right now, says Natalie Dawes, of UFA, but customers still might find temporary...
New West Bend - Tue 2:40 p.m.
Life is good... if you're a pig! Corporations in America resemble nothing so much as feudal overlords, skimming the cream off the milk pail of proletariat labor. Free market capitalism ? It's a myth! A sick joke that, Lord knows, the corporate titans must surely chortle about as they gorge on their Volga River caviar. Marx called these creatures parasites, vampires feeding off the s...
Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing - Tue 12:02 p.m.
Beetle hysteria has raised its head again, and I am not talking about the Fab four. A prominent article in the New York Times titled "Tiny Beetle Adds New Dynamic to Forest Fire Control Efforts" quotes many foresters and others who suggest that beetle-kill trees across the West will create larger wildfires and by implications are "destroying" our forests. For instance, Mon...
New West Bend - Tue 12:01 p.m.
From Representative Chip Shields: Directly Impacting North/Northeast Portland: $3.2 million restored to Oregon Project Independence funding to help seniors, including those served by the Urban League. (HB 5054-A) $150,000 to The Skanner Foundation for continuation funding for the neighborhood multi-media training center in North Portland. (HB 5054-A) Over $1 million for funding ci...
Commissioner Jeff Cogen - Tue 12:00 p.m. - 5 clicks
Please join us for our LAST meeting before our Inaugural Farmers Market Opening! This Thursday, July 2nd, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm at the North Portland Police Precinct (7214 N Philadelphia Ave). If you are unable to make the meeting, but are still interested in volunteering, please email Ginger Gross, our volunteer coordinator, at gross.ginger@gmail.com . ...
Commissioner Jeff Cogen - Tue 12:00 p.m.
CQ Politics has an article up this morning on the importance of tonight's 2Q fundraising deadline and with it, the inevitable ratcheting-up of the apocalyptic tone of political fundraising letters: Without fail, these solicitations note the importance that the press and political analysts ascribe to the second-quarter campaign finance reports, which candidates have to file by July 15. The fund...
Persuasion, Perseverance, and Patience - Tue 9:25 a.m. - 8 clicks
The April Case-Shiller numbers are out and Portland's home values dropped 0.6% since March and 16% since last year at this time. The Wall Street Journal has a nice summary. I think the employment situation is really starting to hit the housing market which counters the low mortgage prices and the incentive programs. However, anecdotally, I haven't seen a huge difference in close-in neighborho...
Oregon Economics Blog - Tue 9:25 a.m. - 6 clicks
Here are the only two health care numbers you need to know: Premiums have gone up over the past six years by more than 87 percent, on average, while profits at ten of the largest publicly traded health insurance companies rose 428 percent from 2000 to 2007. That's Zachary Roth at TPMuckraker citing data from a Health Care for America Now! report on the anti-capitalist nature of the heal...
Tin Cup Chalice - Tue 7:41 a.m. - 5 clicks
Pictured are some of the crocheted bookmarks that came off the hook in the last month but which still need to have the finishing touches applied--their tails tucked and ribbons and/or beads attached. This picture was taken several weeks ago while I was stil at Mom's and several of those pictured have been finished and then given away already and a few more, not pictured were made and finished...
JoyStory - Tue 3:07 a.m.
The Fly There was a rumor buzzing around the Internet for a few days that Jeff Goldblum had died, joining Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett and Ed McMahon. Fortunately for all us Goldblum geeks, it wasn’t true. Hope still abounds that he will live on to make films as great as The Adventures of Buckaroo Bonzai Across the Eight Dimension and Earth Girls Are Easy . T...
Unconventional Folly - Tue 12:23 a.m.
I am in the process of converting our cat, Izzy, from being an indoor/outdoor cat to being an exclusively indoor cat. Teaching old dogs new tricks has nothing on this. I won’t go into the details of why this is necessary except to offer some “key” phrases: abscess on the butt for cat fight, nasty excretions for said abscess, a three-figured vet bill, and lurking neighborhood coyotes. Got it?...
The Red Electric - Tue 12:23 a.m.
Here are updates on two stories that likely deserve their own post, but as we've covered both here before, and both are updates connected to the ongoing homeless struggle in Portland, we'll combine them. (Also in common is the strong coverage of the issue by the Street Roots newspaper and blog.) Freshest news first: we've received our answer to the campaign seeking emergency fundin...
Loaded Orygun - Tue 12:21 a.m. - 6 clicks
Three more pieces of the environmental agenda received final passage today and are on their way to Governor Kulongoski. Not a bad day considering the four victories racked up over the weekend. Meanwhile, enviros took a big loss on a renewable energy bill. So as we used to say in televsion, let’s go right to the [...]...
Natural Oregon - Mon 10:09 p.m. - 14 clicks
Representative Arnie Roblan at one of the last debates/Oregon Channel Oregon House Speaker Dave Hunt had remarked that he hoped to adjourn for the year by sundown today. He missed that mark, but by less than an hour - a close bit of timing, indicative of the kind of tight operation the Oregon Legislature (moreso in [...]...
Ridenbaugh Press (Oregon) - Mon 10:08 p.m. - 13 clicks
June 29 - SALEM The Oregon Senate today passed SB 326, which will expand ballot access for non-affiliated candidates and minor political parties. The vote was 25-5. The same bill passed in the Oregon House last week on a vote of 42-17. It now heads to the Governor's desk for signature. SB 326 consists of two parts: It repeals HB 2614 (2005), a law that made it more than twice as diffic...
Independent Party of Oregon - Mon 8:42 p.m. - 8 clicks
Our current president is a former U.S. senator, but historically that’s an anomaly: In recent decades, and even no so recent, a lot of them have come from the ranks of governors. (Bush II, Clinton, Reagan, Carter . . .) So Ken Rudin of National Public Radio decided, just as an exercise, to rank the nation’s [...]...
Ridenbaugh Press (Oregon) - Mon 8:41 p.m. - 14 clicks
A fun thread about Oregon gubernatorial prospects for 2010 at Blue Oregon; a longish list of prospects followed by some (sometimes cutting) reviews. Don’t miss the comments by Jack Roberts, a Republican who gives his nickel’s worth along with the Democratic regulars. Bottom line after review: The odds seem to favor a wide-open situation, though [...]...
Ridenbaugh Press (Oregon) - Mon 8:41 p.m. - 17 clicks
Time for a couple more recipes. This time they are both flavored butters, which are an elegant and very tasty way to take something simple like Salmon or Chicken or a steak to a whole 'nother level. I made both of these specifically for Salmon, although they would be great on any other type of fish too.......
Preemptive Karma - Mon 8:41 p.m.
Senators gave Rep. Jefferson Smith a birthday present today (he turned 36, I believe). The Oregon Senate passed HB 3369 on a 20-9 vote, with Republican Senators Morse and Nelson joining the 18-member Democratic caucus in support. Sen. Boquist was......
OLCV Talk - Mon 4:06 p.m. - 6 clicks
Oregon House members passed SB 101 on a 37-21 vote today. The bill, which now heads to the Governor, sets standards for long-term investments in new energy sources, setting significant barriers to new coal plants. (More about the bill) Representative......
OLCV Talk - Mon 4:06 p.m. - 9 clicks
Two bills passed this afternoon will help Oregonians get back on their feet Two bills passed this afternoon demonstrate the Senate’s ongoing focus on helping out-of-work Oregonians get through tough times and train them for the jobs of the future. House Bill 2398 creates the Career Readiness Certificate Program to assess workplace and college readiness skills [...]...
Oregon Senate Democrats - Mon 4:05 p.m. - 3 clicks
Tim Duy thinks so (as do I) but we both agree that the recovery could be a very slow one, especially as seen through the employment metric. I am still sticking to my Q4 of 2009 prediction of the end of the recession, but it won't be pretty for a quite a while after that. ...
Oregon Economics Blog - Mon 4:03 p.m. - 7 clicks
On an 18-11 vote, the Oregon Senate just passed HB 2020, a bill to create an emergency response fund to detect and quickly respond to invasive species outbreaks. (More about the bill). It was the third OCN Priority bill on......
OLCV Talk - Mon 2:56 p.m. - 2 clicks
Richard Devlin It was supposed to be dead. Although a lot of the individual members of the Oregon Legislature were on board, a measure enabling easier and more widespread activities by minor political parties, including explicitly approved cross-nomination, seemed dead in the water. (The Oregon Education Association was apparently one of the key reasons for that.) Just [...]...
Ridenbaugh Press (Oregon) - Mon 1:45 p.m. - 4 clicks
A tragic crime unfolds on the tee-vee; Sanguine rivulets from Neda's mouth, nose, Flow freely; Astonished she seems, eyes wide; A father's wail; scarlet pool, red as rose, To mark the spot where bravely Neda died, Until street cleaner hoses wash it free From mem'ry; Hope, alas, is denied; In America, we are feasting. Those Faces faraway removed by degree. Solemn youthful face, sitting at my sid...
Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing - Mon 1:08 p.m. - 3 clicks
On a 31-29 vote, the Oregon House passed SB 528, a bill to limit the amount of field burning in Oregon. The bill now heads to the Governor. Senate Bill 528 would limits on field burning throughout the Willamette Valley,......
OLCV Talk - Mon 12:28 p.m. - 5 clicks
Street Roots has been following nearly 300 families that are being terminated from Section 8 because of to a numbers game between the Northwest Oregon Housing Authority (NOHA) and the Housing and Urban Development (HUD). On June 12 Street Roots wrote an indepth piece about the complexities of the situation and has been following a family [...] ...
For those who can't afford free speech - Mon 12:04 p.m.
By a 54-6 vote, the Oregon House repassed House Bill 2940 an hour ago. The bill weakens Oregon's commitment to clean energy by redefining what is "renewable" under Oregon's renewable energy standard passed in 2007. The Standard requires Oregon have......
OLCV Talk - Mon 11:19 a.m. - 3 clicks
From Sunday’s Oregonian: If a woman drinks too much at a party and is raped, under current Oregon law her attacker could be charged with second-degree sex abuse. But if a drug is slipped into the woman’s nonalcoholic drink, the attacker could face first-degree rape or another serious charge carrying a mandatory prison sentence. Oregon is one of [...]...
Oregon Senate Democrats - Mon 10:27 a.m. - 5 clicks
Street Roots Director Israel Bayer will be writing a weekly column/blog for the End Homelessness blog at Change.org about Street Roots and the street newspaper movement. The column will highlight news and vendor voices that are having a social and political impact in communities around the world, including Portland. About Change.org: Today as citizens of the [...] ...
For those who can't afford free speech - Mon 10:27 a.m.
This morning's Oregon news limericks, as written by me, read by quizmaster TJ of Loaded Orygun, and answered (usually) by Carl, Christine,and Paul on the KPOJ 620AM Morning Show, are posted at LO . I'm still trying to convince TJ to actually refer to me as "The Poet Laureate of Oregon News" on the air, but he hasn't caved yet. Give it time. And once again we ended up with an extra limerick tha...
Persuasion, Perseverance, and Patience - Mon 10:26 a.m. - 4 clicks
All right, technically there's still a non-streetcar option in the mix: Dear community member, Thank you for your interest in the Lake Oswego to Portland Transit Project. As many of you know, we are beginning the next phase of analysis on this project, an environmental review referred to as the Draft Environmental Impact Statement or DEIS. During this phase of work, the public invol...
Portland Transport - Mon 8:04 a.m. - 4 clicks
There has been much publicity over the past few days about "HB 2414" and how it would reverse the meaning of votes on certain expected referenda on tax bills enacted by the 2009 Oregon Legislature. This new "HB 2414" is not the HB 2414 that is part of the IPO's 2009 legislative agenda. Instead, our HB 2414 was "gutted and stuffed" with the new content. Read More ... In Oregon, a bill pa...
Independent Party of Oregon - Mon 7:27 a.m. - 12 clicks
The Real Mob at Stonewall By: LUCIAN K. TRUSCOTT IV NY Times Op-Ed June 25th, 2009 The author of the Op Ed in the NY Times had stumpbled upon the first moments of the Stonewall Riots while on leave from the military as a recently graduated from West Point. “A prominent Stonewall myth holds that the riots were [...]...
DPO GLBT Caucus - Mon 5:52 a.m.
Parading in Carlton/Stapilus As residents of a bona fide small town (Carlton, Oregon, population still well shy of 2,000), we’ve never quite figured out those qualities that are supposed to distinguish the authentics of the small town from the phonies of the larger. People are people. Most of the people here, as in most small towns, [...]...
Ridenbaugh Press (Oregon) - Mon 5:52 a.m. - 5 clicks
In Salem, we have a new Greenhouse Gas Emissions Task Force. Here's a note from the Oregon Environmental Council on the bill: House Bill 2186 passed the Senate Wednesday evening, the House concurred with Senate amendments Thursday, and the bill now goes to the Governor for his signature. Thanks for your help! As mentioned in my earlier email, besides the centerpiece of the bill, a low-...
Portland Transport - Mon 5:51 a.m. - 5 clicks
One of my favorite Randy Newman tunes is also, by coincidence, one of the few he seems to have written without the clear intention of pissing somebody off somewhere. (Don't believe me? Catch the short bit at the end of this clip where he tees up his next song for the audience.) ...
Persuasion, Perseverance, and Patience - Mon 5:51 a.m.
From Farrah Fawcett's point of view, the death of Michael Jackson--for whom the Clock of Celebrity Self-Abuse had been ticking for some time--only a few hours after her own sad but much more dignified death was reported, had to be genuinely irritating. On the other hand, from SC governor Mark Sanford's point of view, it was a PR-diversion blessing. Only the protests in Iran top Sanford in the ch...
Persuasion, Perseverance, and Patience - Mon 5:51 a.m.
Didn't need to cast an "Obama for Change" vote last fall to get this ; we already had it: White House Is Drafting Executive Order to Allow Indefinite Detention; Move Would Bypass Congress The Obama administration, fearing a battle with Congress that could stall plans to close Guantanamo, is drafting an executive order that would reassert presidential authority to incarcerate suspected terro...
Persuasion, Perseverance, and Patience - Mon 5:51 a.m.
Senators Kruse, George, Boquist became the only three legislators to vote against Reps. Bailey and Read's excellent energy efficiency EEAST program. Today the Senate passed the bill, HB 2626, on a 27-3 vote after the House passed it 57-0. It......
OLCV Talk - Mon 5:51 a.m. - 2 clicks
On a 26-4 vote, the Oregon Senate passed HB 2220B, a bill to create mobile boat check stations and fight invasive species such as quagga and zebra mussels and aquatic plants. The bill -- an OCN Priority bill -- now......
OLCV Talk - Mon 5:51 a.m. - 3 clicks
The Oregon Senate just voted 25-5 to pass HB 3037 and send the bill to the Governor. The bill creates a paint stewardship program, helping protect Oregon's rivers and landfills from toxic paint waste. More about the bill. Post-consumer paint......
OLCV Talk - Mon 5:51 a.m. - 2 clicks
As part of the Obama Administration's push on health care reform, they've launched a website called healthreform.gov , with video clips, newsy stories, and the like. It also features a state-by-state breakdown from a report called "The Hidden Costs of Health Care: Why Americans Are Paying MORE and Getting LESS." The Oregon numbers include: Roughly 2.2 million people in Oregon get...
Loaded Orygun - Mon 5:51 a.m. - 4 clicks
Oregonians hit hard by the economic meltdown and foreclosure crisis may have been expecting help from the State. This past week, a very small number got that help. On June 25, the Oregon Legislature passed the revised bill HB3004. This bill helps a limited number of foreclosed former homeowners erase additional debt - the problem is that the scope of the bill is so small only a v...
Loaded Orygun - Mon 5:51 a.m. - 3 clicks
I took this picture on the drive south last Sunday and I just love it. I'm such a total beginner at photo taking (can't even give it the title of photography) I rarely get results that appeal to me and when I do, I don't know what I've done right or even if an experienced photographer would call it right--I just know I like it. I'm seeing a needlepoint or cross stitch project in it. But th...
JoyStory - Mon 5:51 a.m.
A lot of my plans and goals relating to my fiction writing got put on hold while I was helping care for my Mom the last six months. Now I can put them back on project status. This past week has been all about getting my stuff unpacked and our room clean and organized again and my highest motivation to keep plugging away at it in spite of the heat and fatigue is the thought of re-engaging wit...
JoyStory - Mon 5:51 a.m.
Now you can caption videos courtesy of LOLcats. Check it out. The 5 winners of The Night Gardener by George Pelecanos : Kitten22 one of the family Rebecca Cox Dawn M. ihpie Many thanks to all who participated and extra appreciation to those who helped spread the word. ...
JoyStory - Mon 5:51 a.m. - 2 clicks
Is it possible to get in touch with life's meaning, or the lack thereof, while getting some riding instruction in an outdoor arena? Absolutely. I've been re-reading Albert Camus' "The Myth of Sisyphus." Here's some existential pondering that applies to......
Hines Sight - Mon 5:51 a.m.
A great weekend: I've fallen in love with my first high-end point and shoot digital camera, a Sony DSC-HX1 that I got last Friday (a three-month early birthday present from me to me, figuring that if I waited to give......
Hines Sight - Mon 5:51 a.m. - 2 clicks
Ron Wyden promised to visit every County each year and hold town halls, this weekend was Baker County's turn. I thought it might be interesting to have Oregon's Senior Senator and one of two Democratic Senators give pose for fun. Senator Wyden gracefully climbed aboard the Harley for your amusement. I'm not a fanboy of politicians, but that doesn't stop me from recognizing that Ron Wyd...
Chuck Butcher - Mon 5:50 a.m. - 2 clicks
I'm sure you recognize the lady holding the funny looking baby, who I'm pretty sure you don't know, one Eddie Burke. He's a radio talk show host ... conservative - some surprise there. Blogger Linda Kellen Biegel is in the middle of trying to raise money to pay for the State of Alaska records of emails between Palin and Burke, some extra coziness is surmised. Now Alaskan politics and parti...
Chuck Butcher - Mon 5:50 a.m.
Maybe you wonder why people want to live where unemployment is always higher and wages lower. This is about 10 miles NE outside Baker City, OR on the state highway to Medical Springs and the background to the east are the Eagle Caps of the Wallowa Mountains which top out just above 10,000 feet. The Elkhorns which are just west of Baker City at 3,500 feet top out just under 10,000 feet. Both ra...
Chuck Butcher - Mon 5:50 a.m. - 3 clicks
What the heck is the deal with the media and Michael Jackson? I suppose I could understand one day of mania on their part, two began to stretch credibility, now we're reached lunacy. I have a news flash for the scheduling managers, if you care about this at all, you already know all about Michael. The world didn't stop when he crapped out, things are still going on that have one heck of a lot ...
Chuck Butcher - Mon 5:50 a.m.
Government transparency and accountability has big day in Senate As the 75th Assembly moves towards sine die, the Legislative budget for 2009-2011 was approved in the Senate this afternoon. The Legislature will stretch dollars within its own budget by reducing the length of the 2011 session to 5 months and by [...]...
Oregon Senate Democrats - Mon 3:50 a.m.
Four bills illustrate diversity of environmental legislation this session During Saturday afternoon session, the Senate passed a number of green friendly bills that speak to different areas of concern and improvement in Oregon’s environment. Legislation approved included: HB 2626 – Establishes the Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Technology loan [...]...
Oregon Senate Democrats - Mon 3:50 a.m.
SB 701 creates loan repayment program to help address Oregon’s number one workforce need With the state’s demand for nurses showing no signs of slowing down, the Senate took action this afternoon to create a program that will help attract and keep qualified nurse faculty in Oregon schools. Since 2001, [...]...
Oregon Senate Democrats - Mon 3:50 a.m. - 2 clicks
With adjournment just a few days away, the Oregon Senate made a rare weekend appearance to take care of unfinished business. This includes some of the bills that are important to the state’s environmental community. Invasive Species The Senate approved a bill that creates a system of mobile checkpoints, where vehicles hauling boats and trailers will [...]...
Natural Oregon - Mon 2:47 a.m. - 7 clicks
It’s a good thing that Michael Jackson didn’t live to be 90. The year is 2049. Michael’s fan base, those who have survived, are in their 80s and 90s and 100s. Yes, the hundreds are the new 70s. Whole retirement colonies are on the Moon — moon dancing. Indeed, until recently, Michael himself had been moon dancing on the Moon. At Craterland, his moon mansion, he had devised some clever, if slo...
The Red Electric - Mon 2:46 a.m.
By Sean Cruz Prior to hearing the invited and public testimony on the proposed ordnance renaming 39th Avenue, the Council heard comments from City staff members and various parties with their fingerprints on the “process”, and voted on accepting the report of the Planning Commission (which did no actual planning and no research on its own). There was a consistent thread through these “process” c...
Blogolitical Sean - Mon 2:46 a.m. - 6 clicks
I'm investigating what it would take to close a block of SW Capitol Highway in Hillsdale to vehicular traffic on Sunday, July 25, 2010. Note: that's 13 months from now, the date of next year's Hillsdale Pancake Breakfast and Hillsdale Community Foundation Book Sale. I envision moving the Hillsdale Farmers' Market to the middle of the road. Imagine that! We'd divert westbound traffic up ...
The Red Electric - Fri 11:17 p.m. - 6 clicks
Not all the decisions in the effort to do something useful about health care are necessarily easy. But some of them - a considerable number - simply seem to be no-brainers, proposals whose downside is awfully hard to find. Consider Oregon House Bill 2376, passed today by the House, which “requires manufacturers of pharmaceuticals and [...]...
Ridenbaugh Press (Oregon) - Fri 11:16 p.m. - 18 clicks
SB 628 outlines process to help prevent foreclosures With Oregon foreclosure rates soaring, the Senate voted today to pass an assistance package that aims at helping Oregonians who are at risk of losing their homes. SB 628 establishes a process to bring lenders and borrowers together to review the viability of [...]...
Oregon Senate Democrats - Fri 8:50 p.m. - 4 clicks
The creation of thousands of jobs through targeted investments in healthcare, transportation and capital construction is one of the crowning achievements of the 2009 session and the biggest jobs package in Oregon history,said Friday. Combined with the ...
Oregon Senate Democrats - Fri 8:50 p.m.
SB 443 creates resources for high quality professional development for teachers A program that will give teachers improved tools for professional development found support in the Senate this afternoon. Senate Bill 443 establishes the Oregon Educator Professional Development Commission, a key piece of thefor the 2009 session. “Giving teachers the tools [...]...
Oregon Senate Democrats - Fri 8:50 p.m. - 6 clicks
The Oregon Senate, on a 25-3 vote, passed House Bill 2940 an hour ago. The bill weakens Oregon's commitment to clean energy by redefining what is "renewable" under Oregon's renewable energy standard passed in 2007. The Standard requires Oregon have......
OLCV Talk - Fri 7:15 p.m. - 20 clicks
Gov. Ted Kulongoski and environmental advocates began this legislative session with a long to-do list of green-friendly legislation that included making Oregon a world leader in combating global warming. Instead, despite a Democratic Legislature, they've seen their plans crumble in the face of a poor economy and determined business opposition. The lesson: Even though Democrats gained a three-...
RePower Oregon 2009 News - Fri 4:54 p.m. - 10 clicks
Oregon's Legislature passed one of its most-contested environmental bills Thursday, allowing regulators to adopt a requirement to cut the carbon content of fuel in cars and trucks by 10 percent come 2020, handing Gov. Ted Kulongoski what could be his biggest green victory this session. The "low carbon fuel standard" is designed to reduce the state's dependence on foreign oil, cut greenhouse gas...
RePower Oregon 2009 News - Fri 4:54 p.m. - 6 clicks
n the waning, let's-make-a-deal days of the 2009 Oregon Legislature, clean-energy advocates, utilities and industry trade groups have been wrangling over three bills that could significantly modify renewable energy legislation implemented just two years ago. Depending on whose lobbyist is talking, the bills are either poised to create jobs and fast track development of emerging renewable-energy...
RePower Oregon 2009 News - Fri 4:54 p.m. - 4 clicks
“Dear Michael, I was pleased to learn that you were not seriously hurt in your recent accident. I know from experience that these things can happen on the set—no matter how much caution is exercised. All over America, millions of people look up to you as an example. Your deep faith in God and adherence to [...] ...
His Vorpal Sword - Fri 4:52 p.m.
By Sean Cruz Since Governor Sanford’s “hiking in the Appalachians” story went south, thousands of husbands and boyfriends have cancelled their summer hiking-type plans/stories…. At the same time, there has been a strong surge in the sales of men’s hiking boots, propelled by women buying their husbands and boyfriends gifts.... How do you like your new boots? http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/i...
Blogolitical Sean - Fri 4:51 p.m. - 7 clicks
In the past 24 hours, we’ve seen some key pieces of the environmental agenda make progress before the Oregon Legislature. Here’s the latest we know as of this morning. Low Carbon Fuel Standards House Bill 2186 calls for lowering the carbon emissions associated with fuel for cars, trucks and other vehicles. Transportation is one of the biggest source [...]...
Natural Oregon - Jun 26 - 13 clicks
William signs his papers before going out to sell at NW 9th & Hoyt. Kreeg, our volunteer, begins the Friday morning process of sending out subsciptions. Leo buys papers before heading out to Hollywood. Vendor coordinator Art Garcia counts papers to give to vendors. Posted in Street Roots ...
For those who can't afford free speech - Jun 26 - 2 clicks
The new ruling that the sit-lie law is unconstitutional caught Street Roots off guard. According to sources at City Hall, it also caught the city on its heels. Rumor has it that staffers there are scrambling to try to figure out what exactly the ruling means. Street Roots thinks it’s clear to the broader public what the [...] ...
For those who can't afford free speech - Jun 26
Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Stephen K. Bushong has ruled that the city of Portland’s sidewalk-obstruction ordinance — commonly referred to as sit-lie, unconstitutionally exceeds the city’s authority. The ruling was issued June 19, and grants the motion to dismiss a sit-lie case being defended by attorney Clayton Lance. “This ordinances has been found unconstitutional on three [...] ...
For those who can't afford free speech - Jun 26 - 7 clicks
Pelican Brewery in Pacific City, Oregon is among the very best Oregon breweries (as evidenced by their many, many national and international awards) and yet it is very hard to find their beers in the store. This something that I wondered about: why aren't they more available in Portland (and other parts of Oregon)? An answer immediately suggests itself when one visits the brewery. It is ...
Oregon Economics Blog - Jun 26 - 4 clicks
HB 2867 would establish best practices in awarding public contracts June 25, 2009 SALEM – House Democrats today voted to adopt stronger accountability measures in public contracting, which will result in increased quality and efficiency in state funded projects. HB 2867 will do so by mandating quality standards and reducing conflicts of interest for contractors, and by opening the books o...
Benton County Democrats - Jun 26 - 6 clicks
HB 2186 would increase energy security, build the economy and help the environment June 26, 2009 SALEM – The House of Representatives today passed HB 2186, a landmark bill that reduces dependence on foreign oil by establishing a low carbon fuel standard, after concurring with Senate amendments. Oregon becomes just the second state in the country to enact a low carbon fuel standard. r...
Benton County Democrats - Jun 26 - 2 clicks
As the Daily Journal of Commerce reports , because: "When you look at the two pictures (of the bridge designs), most people can't tell the difference," [TriMet spokesperson Mary] Fetsch said. That sounds like something an agency with no elected leadership would say. Sigh. ...
Portland Transport - Jun 26 - 13 clicks
I know the main focus of debate on the future of the I-5 system in the Portland area has of late been on the future of the Columbia River crossing. One "wild card" that will be arguable for years is how much growth can we reasonably anticipate in the Portland- Vancouver area. Right now, with the second highest unemployment rate in the US--- a typical Oregon condition, btw---the immediate prospec...
Portland Transport - Jun 25 - 16 clicks
Yesterday I wrote of duplicates and triplicates in my library that I have culled for the July 26 Hillsdale Used Book Sale. I confess there is some redundancy in my library that I overlook and did not mention. When it comes to pruning, I leave be the literary branches of George Orwell. I have five anthologies of Orwell’s essays. One brick of a book includes 240 essays. It’s depth and scope mi...
The Red Electric - Jun 25 - 8 clicks
Karen Noyes, the Yachats woman who was convicted for feeding bears, will have to leave her home by the end of August and stay away for three years. That’s according to the Oregonian . The paper says Noyes was sentenced to three years probation, including the conditions she move out of her house and her [...]...
Natural Oregon - Jun 25 - 14 clicks
A bill to help keep invasive species out of Oregon has been approved the House. House Bill 2220B allows state officials to set up check points where they can inspect boats and trailers for invasive species, and if necessary, decontaminate them. Anyone who’s caught knowingly transporting invasive species can be fined up to $6,250. Quagga [...]...
Natural Oregon - Jun 25 - 8 clicks
The debate over health care reform is well underway, and one thing is perfectly clear: when it comes to influencing legislation, the health care insurance industry has a hell of a lot more pull with Congress (and especially the US Senate) than does the voting public. An NBC/Wall Street Journal poll released on June 17th showed that 76% of respondents felt it was either "extremely" or "quit...
Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing - Jun 25 - 2 clicks
Members of Congress should be required to wear uniforms like NASCAR drivers do. That way it would be a lot easier for us to see who their corporate sponsors are.......
Preemptive Karma - Jun 25 - 4 clicks
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 25, 2009 Contact: Francisco Lopez, Executive Director: (503) 269-5694 Erik Sorensen, Communications Director: (503) 488-0263 Historic White House Meeting on Immigration a Complete Success Roadmap to Immigration Reform makes a strong and positive beginning Salem, Ore --Today members of Congress from both houses and from both sides of the aisle met at the ...
CAUSA:blog - Jun 25 - 7 clicks
Recall, please, that this session of the Oregon legislature declined to expand Mandarin programs in Oregon’s public schools and refused to create the Go Global High School Study Abroad Program. Both would have prepared our next generations to sell our......
Global Strategies - Jun 25
From the June 12 edition of Street Roots For five days at the end of May, I survived exclusively on wild food if found in Portland. There was no Dumpster diving and nothing plucked from gardens. Instead, I ate weeds and wild plants found within the city limits. I wanted to see what it would be [...] ...
For those who can't afford free speech - Jun 25 - 9 clicks
From the June 12 edition of Street Roots The first thing I noticed about George, when I arrived a little late for our meeting at the Street Roots office, was how nicely he was dressed. He was sporting a blue dress shirt, a tie, and nice dress slacks. A suit jacket was draped over his chair. [...] ...
For those who can't afford free speech - Jun 25 - 5 clicks
