State Library eClips
- Oregon expects teens to flock to ‘free’ community college
- Most Oregon births are safe, but home births are riskier for babies, OHSU study says
- Measure to block Nestle bottling plant headed to May 2016 ballot
- Lawsuit claims Oregon State Hospital retaliated against patient with meds, killing him
- Oregon’s marijuana sales tax holiday ends Monday – Q&A
- CenturyLink complaints spike as new services arrive
- Militiamen, ranchers in showdown for soul of Burns
- Lattice Semiconductor penalized for tossing personnel files in landfill
- Portland must rehire cop fired after killing unarmed man in 2010, court rules
- Oregonians should not pick up the tab — Opinion
- Birth control, sick leave and pumping your own gas: Oregon’s new laws in 2016
- Seeking freedom: Five facts about refugees to Oregon and the United States
- Can I trim my Oregon driver’s license to fit in my wallet?
- Oregon ranchers’ fight with feds sparks militias’ interest
- Lake Oswego child care facility to close after complaints of neglect, sexual contact
- Expanding the economic reach of software careers — Opinion
- Judge approves settlement with disabled Oregon workers
- Marijuana tax starts Jan. 4
- BOLI delivers $2.9 million wage settlement
- New laws in 2016 show states are diverging on guns, voting
- Blumenauer, Schrader named efficient lawmakers
- A New Years resolution for Salem and Oregon lawmakers — Guest Opinion
- Southern Oregon University to pay $2.5 million to settle claim that hundreds of construction workers were underpaid on its projects
- Below-freezing temperatures prompt opening of area warming centers; air stagnation may prompt woodstove burn ban
- Oregon on Jan. 1 waiving day-use fees at some state parks, offering guided hikes
- Kitzhaber calling it quits top Oregon story of 2015; Umpqua CC shooting ranked No. 2
- This budget needs work — Opinion
- Education act devalues needs of black children — Guest Opinion
- Arming educators wont make schools safer — Guest Opinion
- Helping to pay for college — Opinion
- Oregon Coast abuzz for Whale Watching Week
- PERS and the elephant in the room
- Employment Department computers still vulnerable a year after breach
- Youth involved in MacLaren riot gets 7.5 years
- Oregon Will Allow Self-Service Gas In Limited Circ*mstances
- More Access To Birthcontrol Starts Jan. 1
- Oregon’s Wolf Delisting Is Challenged In Court
- Report of Mexican Christmas tree rejections baffles farmers
- Groups seek review of Oregon wolf decision
- Heavy snow eases Oregon drought concern, but uncertainties remain
- SOU workers get $2.5 million wage settlement
- Top 10 stories of 2015 in Eastern Oregon
- Hammonds, local supporters distance themselves from militia groups
- Driving under the influence of cellphone — Guest Opinion
- Stray inmate arrested
- Prison inmates crafting care
- St. Lukes sees influx of mentally ill Oregonians
- Park Service effort gives Christmas trees to coho
- Rebuilding the teacher corps starts with raises — Opinion
- Powder River inmates make gift bags for local kids
- Don’t skimp on salvage — Opinion
- Solar farm proposed south of Redmond
- Air pollution advisory issued for Central Oregon
- Saving money for disabled minors may soon be less complicated
- Buehler looks to expand access to anti-overdose drug
- 2015: The Bulletins top stories
- Oregon mulls lodging tax increase
- Sunriver snow already passes average for whole season
- Oregon’s workers with disabilities should see more chances for jobs
- Forest Service plan is reasonable — Opinion
- Send clear message on Tumalo Reservoir — Opinion
- Forest Service publishes road reports
- The big shortage of appraisers
- Water the big issue for 2016, just like ’15 — Opinion
- A good start
- New year brings new laws
- OLCC approves temporary changes to marijuana rules
- ODOT says road work may have helped trigger Highway 42 landslide
- Open house planned to discuss Jordan Cove permits
- Lakeside man on a mission to advocate for Oregonians with disabilities
- 8 Oregon health care laws that’ll take effect New Year’s Day– Blog
- Oregon Groups Sue to Reinstate Protected Status for Gray Wolves
- Battle Over OLCC Privatization Unites Unlikely Allies -Labor Union and Beer Distributors
- Revelations About a Portland Police Snitch Lead to Drug Offenders Being Sprung From Prison
- Oregon Court Of Appeals Rules Portland Must Re-Hire Ron Frashour, Police Officer Who Fatally Shot Aaron Campbell
- New Oregon consumer protections set to begin
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OREGON EXPECTS TEENS TO FLOCK TO ‘FREE’ COMMUNITY COLLEGE (Portland Oregonian)
Oregon has found a clever way to prompt thousands more young Oregonians to go to community college and to do better once they get there — while having the federal government pay most of the tab.
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MOST OREGON BIRTHS ARE SAFE, BUT HOME BIRTHS ARE RISKIER FOR BABIES, OHSU STUDY SAYS (Portland Oregonian)
A new Oregon Health and Science University study concludes that most pregnant women in Oregon will have safe deliveries regardless of where they give birth.
But the study also found that when women deliver outside a hospital, the risk of the babies dying within their first month doubles. And when women deliver in a hospital, they’re five times more likely to have Caesarean sections.
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MEASURE TO BLOCK NESTLE BOTTLING PLANT HEADED TO MAY 2016 BALLOT (Portland Oregonian)
Hood River County officials have approved a ballot measure that would stop Nestle from building a controversial water bottling plant in Cascade Locks.
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LAWSUIT CLAIMS OREGON STATE HOSPITAL RETALIATED AGAINST PATIENT WITH MEDS, KILLING HIM (Portland Oregonian)
An $8.8 million lawsuit filed this week accuses the Oregon State Hospital of causing the death of one of its psychiatric patients after it retaliated against him for telling police and reporters about a nurse who had a sexual relationship with another patient.
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OREGON’S MARIJUANA SALES TAX HOLIDAY ENDS MONDAY – Q&A (Portland Oregonian)
Recreational marijuana consumers in Oregon should prepare for sticker shock starting Monday when a 25 percent sales tax kicks in.
The Oregon Legislature this year signed off on allowing medical marijuana dispensaries to sell recreational pot to anyone 21 and older. Those sales, which began Oct. 1, have been tax free. But that holiday comes to an end Jan. 4, when the state will impose a sales tax that extends until the end of 2016.
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CENTURYLINK COMPLAINTS SPIKE AS NEW SERVICES ARRIVE (Portland Oregonian)
Complaints to state regulators about CenturyLink jumped more than 30 percent this year.
The Oregon Public Utility Commission fielded 814 complaints about CenturyLink from January through the middle of December, up from 666 in all of 2014. The spike in consumer concerns accompanies a broad expansion in service from CenturyLink.
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MILITIAMEN, RANCHERS IN SHOWDOWN FOR SOUL OF BURNS (Portland Oregonian)
The strangers carrying the whisper of danger arrived in the vast territory of the Harney Basin just before the holidays.
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LATTICE SEMICONDUCTOR PENALIZED FOR TOSSING PERSONNEL FILES IN LANDFILL (Portland Oregonian)
Lattice Semiconductor has agreed to a state civil penalty after discarding personal information of 145 current and former employees in a public landfill.
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PORTLAND MUST REHIRE COP FIRED AFTER KILLING UNARMED MAN IN 2010, COURT RULES (Portland Oregonian)
The Oregon Court of Appeals announced Wednesday that it agrees with an arbitrator’s and state board’s orders to reinstate a Portland police officer fired after fatally shooting an unarmed man in the back with an AR-15 rifle in 2010.
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OREGONIANS SHOULD NOT PICK UP THE TAB — OPINION (Bend Bulletin)
They’re track mad in Eugene. The University of Oregon has a long, proud history of producing outstanding track athletes and hosting major track competitions.
What’s been in Eugene pales in comparison with what the city will do in 2021, when it might host the International Association of Athletics Federations world track and field championship.
But what supporters of the championship want from the state should concern Oregonians.
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BIRTH CONTROL, SICK LEAVE AND PUMPING YOUR OWN GAS: OREGON’S NEW LAWS IN 2016 (Portland Oregonian)
All throughout Oregon, some of life’s basic rituals from voting to pumping gas to preventing pregnancy are about to change.
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SEEKING FREEDOM: FIVE FACTS ABOUT REFUGEES TO OREGON AND THE UNITED STATES (Portland Oregonian)
Oregonian/OregonLive data expert Mark Graves has done some digging into recent refugee statistics. Here are five highlights from his work:
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CAN I TRIM MY OREGON DRIVER’S LICENSE TO FIT IN MY WALLET? (Portland Oregonian)
I have cut the edges of my Oregon license to make it easier to remove from my wallet. Is that subject to getting a ticket or fine?
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OREGON RANCHERS’ FIGHT WITH FEDS SPARKS MILITIAS’ INTEREST (Portland Oregonian)
Rancher Dwight Hammond Jr. paused while loading cattle one recent day to listen to the fund-raising pitch.
Another rancher was selling raffle tickets, raising money for local scholarships while working cattle southeast of town.
Hammond drew out his wallet and pulled out the only currency he had a $100 bill. He bought five tickets, never asking for change.
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LAKE OSWEGO CHILD CARE FACILITY TO CLOSE AFTER COMPLAINTS OF NEGLECT, SEXUAL CONTACT (Portland Oregonian)
Less than a month after two state agencies released letters detailing serious complaints against Youth Villages Oregon, formerly known as ChristieCare, the organization announced plans to close its Lake Oswego residential facility.
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EXPANDING THE ECONOMIC REACH OF SOFTWARE CAREERS — OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
Of the many reasons for the decline of the middle class, few are more fundamental than this simple fact: There are far more people without college degrees 70 percent of working-age Oregonians than there are family-wage jobs that don’t require a college degree.
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JUDGE APPROVES SETTLEMENT WITH DISABLED OREGON WORKERS (Salem Statesman Journal)
A federal judge has accepted a proposed settlement affecting employment opportunities for thousands of Oregonians with disabilities.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Janice Stewart approved the settlement on Tuesday.
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MARIJUANA TAX STARTS JAN. 4 (Salem Statesman Journal)
A temporary 25 percent tax on the retail sale of recreational marijuana begins January 4. The implementation of the tax ends a three month tax-free retail period that began in October when legal sales of pot started.
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BOLI DELIVERS $2.9 MILLION WAGE SETTLEMENT (Salem Statesman Journal)
The largest wage settlement in Oregon history will mean that 325 construction workers who helped build a dining hall and two dormitories at Southern Oregon University will be getting $7,900 each in back wages.
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NEW LAWS IN 2016 SHOW STATES ARE DIVERGING ON GUNS, VOTING (Salem Statesman Journal)
Laws taking effect at the start of the new year show states diverging on some hot-button issues.
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BLUMENAUER, SCHRADER NAMED EFFICIENT LAWMAKERS (Salem Statesman Journal)
Two members of Oregon’s congressional delegation have been recognized by the Washington Post as efficient lawmakers.
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A NEW YEARS RESOLUTION FOR SALEM AND OREGON LAWMAKERS — GUEST OPINION (Salem Statesman Journal)
What should Oregon lawmakers New Years resolutions be? I have a suggestion: Break down barriers to opportunity for the least fortunate.
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SOUTHERN OREGON UNIVERSITY TO PAY $2.5 MILLION TO SETTLE CLAIM THAT HUNDREDS OF CONSTRUCTION WORKERS WERE UNDERPAID ON ITS PROJECTS (Eugene Register-Guard)
The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries has settled a $2.5 million unpaid wage complaint against Southern Oregon University, the largest settlement in the bureaus history.
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BELOW-FREEZING TEMPERATURES PROMPT OPENING OF AREA WARMING CENTERS; AIR STAGNATION MAY PROMPT WOODSTOVE BURN BAN (Eugene Register-Guard)
-Air stagnation advisory in effect through Jan. 4-
Temperatures in the southern Willamette Valley are expected to drop sharply heading into New Years and the weekend, prompting Eugene-Springfield area warming stations to open their doors to those in need of a warm place to sleep, and raising the possibility that air quality authorities will ban woodstove and fireplace use.
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OREGON ON JAN. 1 WAIVING DAY-USE FEES AT SOME STATE PARKS, OFFERING GUIDED HIKES (Eugene Register-Guard)
Oregon’s Parks and Recreation Department will herald the new year Friday at 28 of its parks by waiving day-use parking fees and hosting special events.
Its part of First Day Hikes, an event also sponsored by Americas State Parks.
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KITZHABER CALLING IT QUITS TOP OREGON STORY OF 2015; UMPQUA CC SHOOTING RANKED NO. 2 (Eugene Register-Guard)
Gov. John Kitzhaber’s unprecedented fourth term turned into an unprecedented short term, and his abrupt February resignation was selected Oregon’s story of the year in the annual vote conducted by The Associated Press.
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THIS BUDGET NEEDS WORK — OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
Some state resources will undoubtedly be required when the University of Oregon hosts the International Association of Athletics Federations world track and field championships in 2021. Persuading legislators from Portland or Klamath Falls to support a state contribution will involve making the case that the money will bring statewide benefits. That case is not convincingly made by the UOs draft plan for financing the championships, released by Gov. Kate Browns office after a public records request.
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EDUCATION ACT DEVALUES NEEDS OF BLACK CHILDREN — GUEST OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
The nations capital is experiencing something of a thaw in polarization and partisanship. And the largest iceberg that that has broken free is the Every Student Succeeds Act, the most consequential education reform in the last 15 years.
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ARMING EDUCATORS WONT MAKE SCHOOLS SAFER — GUEST OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
The recent controversy in Lowell over whether to allow armed school personnel as a deterrent to potential attacks resonated with me, because I was a teacher at the time of the Columbine school massacre in 1999.
Rock Falls High School in Illinois, my employer, reacted as most other schools in the country did. We sought expert advice and developed a school plan for dealing with threats of violence.
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HELPING TO PAY FOR COLLEGE — OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
The Federal Perkins Loan Program offers low-interest loans to undergraduate and graduate college students with exceptional financial need. This target group includes extremely low income students, minorities and first-generation college students.
Perkins is the only federal student loan program that is owned and operated by the colleges themselves, which means loan repayments go back to the colleges. The money can then be used to make new loans.
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OREGON COAST ABUZZ FOR WHALE WATCHING WEEK (Eugene Register-Guard)
Captain Ahab may not be the one looking through the binoculars, but from the excitement evinced, the coastal travelers in Depoe Bay are searching for a Moby-Dick sighting of their own.
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PERS AND THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM (Portland Tribune)
Now that the Oregon Supreme Court has declared the PERS Grand Bargain of benefit reductions to be unconstitutional, school districts are facing huge increases in PERS costs to restore the benefits. Unless something changes, these increases will cause significant reductions in school programs when these programs are already stretched too thin.
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EMPLOYMENT DEPARTMENT COMPUTERS STILL VULNERABLE A YEAR AFTER BREACH (Portland Tribune)
Computer systems at the Oregon Employment Department remain vulnerable more than a year after a major data breach at the agency, according to a state audit released this week.
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YOUTH INVOLVED IN MACLAREN RIOT GETS 7.5 YEARS (Portland Tribune)
-19-year-old also ordered to pay more than $35,000 in restitution for his role in July 6 incident-
A 19-year-old has been sentenced to prison time after being convicted for his role in a riot at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility in Woodburn this past summer.
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OREGON WILL ALLOW SELF-SERVICE GAS IN LIMITED CIRc*msTANCES (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
A quirky fact about Oregon is that its one of only two states in the nation that dont allow most drivers to pump their own fuel. But that’s going to change in 2016 in a limited way.
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MORE ACCESS TO BIRTHCONTROL STARTS JAN. 1 (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Pharmacists who go through a five-hour training will be able to prescribe hormonal contraception to women, starting Jan. 1. Not every pharmacy will choose to make the service available and some of the billing logistics are still being worked out.
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OREGON’S WOLF DELISTING IS CHALLENGED IN COURT (Jefferson Public Radio)
Oregon’s controversial decision to take gray wolves off the states endangered species list is headed to court.
Three environmental groups filed a legal challenge of the decision Wednesday under the states Endangered Species Act.
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REPORT OF MEXICAN CHRISTMAS TREE REJECTIONS BAFFLES FARMERS (Capital Press)
Mexico has rejected more Christmas trees due to pests this year, according to USDA.
Mexican authorities have reportedly doubled their rejections of U.S. Christmas trees due to pests this year, which is baffling to some domestic farmers and regulators.
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GROUPS SEEK REVIEW OF OREGON WOLF DECISION (Capital Press)
-Three environmental groups say the state acted prematurely when it removed state Endangered Species Act protect from the gray wolf in Oregon.-
Saying the state acted prematurely, three environmental groups on Dec. 30 challenged the removal of Oregon Endangered Species Act protection for gray wolves.
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HEAVY SNOW EASES OREGON DROUGHT CONCERN, BUT UNCERTAINTIES REMAIN (Capital Press)
-It’s too early to declare the drought over, but a federal hydrologist said the high water-content levels measured in Oregon’s mountain snowpack is “such a relief from last year.”-
Making her way on cross-country skis to take a snowpack reading near this historic lodge on Mount Hood, hydrologist Julie Koeberle stopped to admire the sight of big firs bent silent with weight.
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SOU WORKERS GET $2.5 MILLION WAGE SETTLEMENT (East Oregonian)
-Construction claim may be BOLI’s largest prevailing wage case.-
Some 325 employees who built a dining hall and residence halls at Southern Oregon University will receive $2.5 million in a settlement with the Bureau of Labor and Industries.
The sum is the largest prevailing wage settlement in the 112-year history of the agency, according to BOLI spokesman Charlie Burr
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TOP 10 STORIES OF 2015 IN EASTERN OREGON (East Oregonian)
The East Oregonian covered countless stories this year, but ten of them made more of an impression than the rest.
They range from natural disasters and public policy to crime and economic development.
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HAMMONDS, LOCAL SUPPORTERS DISTANCE THEMSELVES FROM MILITIA GROUPS (East Oregonian)
-Militia members rally support for Oregon ranchers set to report to federal prison, but neither the ranchers or their local allies are embracing the effort.-
Two Oregon ranchers convicted of setting fires on federal lands say they will report to prison Jan. 4, though militia organizations with ties to Nevada cattleman Cliven Bundy are rallying supporters to protect them.
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DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF CELLPHONE — GUEST OPINION (Medford Mail Tribune)
This past summer I was stopped on my motorcycle, waiting to make a left turn. I was hit by a car from behind. My life since that moment has been quite challenging, painful and frustrating. For months I had been unable to do even the simplest of things for myself and have spent countless hours in hospitals and doctors’ offices.
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STRAY INMATE ARRESTED (Albany Democrat Herald) l
Update: Travis Riley, 32, was found early Tuesday morning in an abandoned house near Cheshire, in Lane County. Riley was arrested by the Oregon State Police without incident.
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PRISON INMATES CRAFTING CARE (Argus Observer)
Photos of Snake River Correctional Institution inmates in the prisons quilting program show burly men proudly holding up colorful quilts in a variety of patterns.
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St. LUKES SEES INFLUX OF MENTALLY ILL OREGONIANS (Argus Observer)
Fruitland has had an influx of mentally ill Oregon residents turning up at its St. Lukes Medical Plaza, Payette County Prosecutor Anne-Marie Kelso told county commissioners at their Monday morning meeting.
When a patient needs those services but cannot pay the medical costs, the obligated county in this case, Payette ends up footing the bill, she said.
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PARK SERVICE EFFORT GIVES CHRISTMAS TREES TO COHO (Daily Astorian)
Christmas trees will be collected until Jan. 16, when park staff and volunteers will host a work party to place the trees into Colewort Creek.
Christmas trees can serve another purpose beyond keeping homes festive during the holiday season.
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REBUILDING THE TEACHER CORPS STARTS WITH RAISES — OPINION (Daily Astorian)
-A mismatch between the need for teachers and ready applicant, is becoming a nationwide problem.-
Caught between stagnant salaries, rising housing costs and blame for low test scores, the teaching profession is showing signs of strain in the Pacific Northwest.
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POWDER RIVER INMATES MAKE GIFT BAGS FOR LOCAL KIDS (Baker City Herald)
More than a dozen children in Baker City had a little more this Christmas thanks to the efforts of local benefactors behind bars.
Inmate participants in Powder River Correctional Facility’s PCRF alternative incarceration program AIP created and filled gift bags that have been distributed to 21 children in the area.
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DON’T SKIMP ON SALVAGE — OPINION (Baker City Herald)
We were pleased to hear that Baker County’s biggest wildfire will yield something besides smoke and ash.
Something much more valuable logs that will be milled into useful products.
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SOLAR FARM PROPOSED SOUTH OF REDMOND (Bend Bulletin)
-Canadian company hopes to create 10-megawatt facility east of Highway 97-
A Canadian renewable energy company is planning to create a small solar farm about 5 miles south of Redmond and east of U.S. Highway 97.
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AIR POLLUTION ADVISORY ISSUED FOR CENTRAL OREGON (Bend Bulletin)
Central Oregon will be under an air pollution advisory through the weekend due to stagnant conditions.
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SAVING MONEY FOR DISABLED MINORS MAY SOON BE LESS COMPLICATED (Bend Bulletin)
-Tax-advantaged accounts available in January 2017-
A law passed by the 2015 Oregon Legislature will allow disabled minors to use tax-advantaged savings accounts similar to 529 accounts families use to save for college.
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BUEHLER LOOKS TO EXPAND ACCESS TO ANTI-OVERDOSE DRUG (Bend Bulletin)
-Bill planned for February legislative session-
Rep. Knute Buehler plans to push for a bill eliminating the need for a prescription to purchase a drug that can reverse an overdose of heroin or other opiates.
Buehler, R-Bend, led a successful push for a similar measure last year that will allow women in Oregon to obtain various forms of birth control without a prescription.
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2015: THE BULLETIN’S TOP STORIES (Bend Bulletin)
-These are our top 10 stories-
MARIJUANA IS LEGAL
Oregon might not have been the first state, but it joined the club this year.
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OREGON MULLS LODGING TAX INCREASE (Bend Bulletin)
-The money would go toward cost of world track and field championships scheduled in Eugene-
Several prominent organizations in the state, including the University of Oregon, have expressed support for a proposal that would double Oregon’s statewide lodging tax as soon as July. However, Central Oregon’s tourism agencies are more reserved about the proposal aimed at covering costs for the world track and field championships.
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SUNRIVER SNOW ALREADY PASSES AVERAGE FOR WHOLE SEASON (Bend Bulletin)
-Deep snow has kept road crews busy-
Perhaps Sunriver should consider a name change this winter to Snowriver.
A series of snowstorms over the past month and a half have dropped more snow on the unincorporated community south of Bend than it sees in an average winter season, said Brooke Snavely, communications director for the Sunriver Owners Association.
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OREGON’S WORKERS WITH DISABILITIES SHOULD SEE MORE CHANCES FOR JOBS (Bend Bulletin)
-State and U.S. Department of Justice reach agreement in lawsuit-
The state of Oregon reached a settlement this week with the U.S. Department of Justice that will allow people with intellectual or developmental disabilities more opportunities for work.
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FOREST SERVICE PLAN IS REASONABLE — OPINION (Bend Bulletin)
When several parties agree to something say, trail maintenance on the Deschutes National Forest and things don’t work out as planned, it makes sense to find out just what went wrong.
That’s exactly what happened when the U.S. Forest Service and two local snowmobile clubs agreed to trail maintenance work on the Deschutes National Forest in summer 2014.
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SEND CLEAR MESSAGE ON TUMALO RESERVOIR — OPINION (Bend Bulletin)
Try to figure out who owns Tumalo Reservoir and the area around it, and its easy to get confused.
The answers could change access to public lands, wildlife protection and development.
That’s why the Deschutes County Commission made a good decision Monday to try to settle the matter.
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FOREST SERVICE PUBLISHES ROAD REPORTS (Blue Mountain Eagle)
-Forest Service analysis reports will lead toward sustainable road system.-
The U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region released 17 travel analysis reports in mid-December that outline existing road systems.
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THE BIG SHORTAGE OF APPRAISERS (Corvallis Gazette-Times)
Buying real estate can be a complicated transaction.
And that’s when the deal works smoothly.
So many pieces of the puzzle can produce frustrating delays: haggling over the price, finding the right financing and loan terms, getting all of the components into escrow in time to meet the terms of the contract.
And finding an appraiser.
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WATER THE BIG ISSUE FOR 2016, JUST LIKE ’15 — OPINION (Herald and News)
Saying goodbye to a year usually calls for a review of the high points and low points. Thats being covered elsewhere in the newspaper in a series that began Saturday and ends tomorrow. We are, however, going to add a point of emphasis for the year leaving us.
The lack of a Klamath Basin water agreement hurt the region.
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A GOOD START (LaGrande Observer)
Old Man Winter has been generous to the driest parts of Oregon. Snowpack totals as of this week show the entire state sitting above average for snow water equivalent, with the Owyhee basin at double its normal for this time of year, according to USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service data posted Monday.
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NEW YEAR BRINGS NEW LAWS (LaGrande Observer)
A host of new laws will be on the books for 2016, including several that sparked vigorous debate during the last legislative session.
From a new law that allows women to obtain birth control prescriptions straight from a pharmacist House Bill 2879 to a grandparents rights edict that permits grandparents to remain in their grandchildren’s lives if parents parental rights are halted, Oregonians will face a swarm of new mandates in 2016.
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OLCC APPROVES TEMPORARY CHANGES TO MARIJUANA RULES (Lake County Examiner)
Oregon Liquor Control Commission approved temporary changes to marijuana rules at its monthly meeting on Friday, Dec. 18, correcting a statutory definition in the recreational marijuana program temporary rules.
The temporary rule passed by the Commission in November misinterprets a statutory definition by errantly using tax lot, which has a different definition than an entire lot or parcel.
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ODOT SAYS ROAD WORK MAY HAVE HELPED TRIGGER HIGHWAY 42 LANDSLIDE (The World)
A spokesman for the Oregon Department of Transportation on Tuesday conceded that a road-straightening project may have contributed to the Dec. 23 landslide that shattered Oregon Highway 42 at the Coos-Douglas county line.
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OPEN HOUSE PLANNED TO DISCUSS JORDAN COVE PERMITS (The World)
The Oregon Department of State Lands is coming to North Bend next week to talk Jordan Cove.
The public will be able to comment on two removal-fill permit applications that Jordan Cove and the Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline need. Two public meetings will be held in Medford and North Bend.
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LAKESIDE MAN ON A MISSION TO ADVOCATE FOR OREGONIANS WITH DISABILITIES (The World)
Jordan Lawson has found his calling: to be a voice for rural Oregonians with disabilities.
Lawson, 26, grew up in Coos Bay. His childhood was challenging; he was surrounded by abuse and suffered from abuse, and in his teens spent a lot of time in treatment centers after suicide attempts.
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8 OREGON HEALTH CARE LAWS THAT’LL TAKE EFFECT NEW YEAR’S DAY— BLOG (Oregon Business Journal)
Oregonians will benefit from a number of new health-related laws including cutting-edge birth control measures passed during the 2015 legislative session and scheduled to go into effect New Years Day.
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OREGON GROUPS SUE TO REINSTATE PROTECTED STATUS FOR GRAY WOLVES (Willamette Week)
The wolves were removed from the protected list in November.
Who will speak for the gray wolves? Oregon Wild, Cascadia Wildlands and the Center for Biological Diversity, that’s who.
In November, in a 4-2 vote, gray wolves were taken off of Oregon’s Endangered Species Act list.
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BATTLE OVER OLCC PRIVATIZATION UNITES UNLIKELY ALLIES – LABOR UNION AND BEER DISTRIBUTORS (Willamette Week)
-AFSCME partners with Beverage PAC to fight grocery-industry funded measure.-
Beer distributors sometimes have contentious relationships with their unionized employees, and it’s certain the distributors and one of Oregon’s largest public employee unions will be on opposite sides of a proposed $5 billion corporate tax increase headed for the 2016 ballot.
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REVELATIONS ABOUT A PORTLAND POLICE SNITCH LEAD TO DRUG OFFENDERS BEING SPRUNG FROM PRISON (Willamette Week)
-The release of prisoners is part of sweeping overhauls to the DA’s informant policy.-
The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office has directed state corrections officials to release six drug offenders from prison, and free another 24 from parole, probation and post-prison supervision, following revelations about the Portland police informant who testified against them.
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OREGON COURT OF APPEALS RULES PORTLAND MUST RE-HIRE RON FRASHOUR, POLICE OFFICER WHO FATALLY SHOT AARON CAMPBELL (Willamette Week)
The Oregon Court of Appeals has ordered the city of Portland to re-hire Ron Frashour, the Portland police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black man named Aaron Campbell in 2010.
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NEW OREGON CONSUMER PROTECTIONS SET TO BEGIN (KTVZ Bend)
-From lending to health care, insurance-
The 2015 Oregon Legislature passed many new consumer protection bills that take effect starting Friday, Jan. 1, 2016.
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