- Oregon DOJ launches investigations of tax credits for university solar projects
- Past Tense Oregon: Spring Break Quake 22 years ago was literally a wake-up call
- Wild animal rescue closed indefinitely for Clackamas County code violations
- Oregon Senate sends tech tax package to Gov. Kate Brown: 8 things to know
- Beaverton residents Amy Heinlen and Anne Erwin on Gov. Kate Brown’s list of appointees
- Misguided attack on Oregon’s equal-service law — Guest Opinion
- State prison inmate’s death under investigation
- Amy’s Kitchen products with spinach recalled nationwide for possible listeria contamination
- Don’t worry about the Big One: Wild animals can be our early-warning system for earthquakes
- Beetle-infested forests no more likely to burn than healthy ones, study finds
- Troutdale City Council votes to dissolve the police department, contract with sheriff
- Oregon would set guidelines for use of police body cameras, under proposed bill
- Clean fuels controversy: Energy, trucking groups sue to block low-carbon standard
- The serious business of specialty license plates — Opinion
- Oregon Senate sends tech tax package to Gov. Kate Brown: 8 things to know
- Aid to timber-dependent Oregon counties is revived by House leaders
- Oregon beer makers could convert bored Chinese drinkers ready for new flavors, USDA says
- Lawmakers should support Metro’s home rule and its OCC hotel project — Opinion
- Western congress members seek quake warning funding
- Walden: Timber payments extension in Medicare bill
- Free spring break lunches combat childhood hunger
- Oregon to investigate LifeWise data breach
- California wants to adopt Oregon’s ‘motor voter’ law
- Public hearing on coal-to-clean legislation on Wednesday
- Obesity, poverty drag on Marion County’s health
- Oregon legislative panel advances schools budget
- Timber payments extension in Medicare bill
- Oil companies fight Oregon low-carbon standards
- Businesses fight Oregons new rule on clean fuels
- House accord extends timber pay
- Give a green light on red — Opinion
- Renewed hope for counties — Opinion
- Truckers, energy group sue to block low-carbon fuel standards
- State school fund advances
- Lawmakers wrangle antibiotics use in livestock
- Bill offers tax breaks for data centers, high-speed Internet network
- Should Oregon get into the retirement account business?
- Seasonally adjusted jobless rate dips to 7 percent for first time since May 2008
- In First Direct Message to State Workers, Gov. Kate Brown Lauds DAS Dissenters
- Linn unemployment lowest since 2008
- Deschutes jobless rate falls below 7%
- Interior secretary, Gov. Brown coming to Bend
- Data center bill took a perilous path before passing Oregon Legislature
- Oregon Bill Would Eliminate Coal-Fired Power By 2025
- License Plate Proposals Cover Everything From Trail Blazers To Wolf OR-7– Blog
- VA Announces Changes To Choice Act
- Ore. Supreme Court Vacates Ruling In Animals-As-Victims Case
- Quality-Testing Legal Marijuana: Strong But Not Always Clean
- Schools Won’t Be Evaluated By Student Test Scores If Bill Passes
- Oregon Health Plan Pays For Puberty Suppression
- More voters, but will they vote? — Opinion
- Control of federal land? Be careful what you wish for — Guest Opinion
- Klamath water transfer bill draws suspicion
- ‘Your Voice Your Vote’: Police body cameras – VIDEO
- Phones, friends are distracting problem for teen drivers
- Multistate investigation announced into Premera cyberattack
- ODOT, smartphone app Waze create new partnership
- Gov. Brown asks state employees to report fraud, abuse
- Hummel asks Oregon DOJ to review jail inmate death
- Lockups in 5 states to lessen use of solitary confinement
- Bracing for a big power grid attack: ‘One is too many’
- How the whitest city in America appears through the eyes of its black residents– Blog
- How much money you need to make to be middle class in every big city– Blog
- Coos County relieved by Secure Rural Schools extension
- Oregon legislators considering harsher penalties for hash oil explosions
- Local school admins: Oregon K-12 budget won’t pay for full-day K
- Douglas County foster children participate in Princess for a Day
- Oregon schools budget on pace for earliest passage ever
- Low-carbon fuel standard challenged by manufacturing, energy groups
- Hospital Cost Transparency Faces Legislature Tomorrow
- School funding forecast: Cuts ahead?
- Rosenblum: Fund crimes against elderly force
- Oregon lawmakers take up police body camera issue
- PDX development boom: I think were back
- Oregon bill would regulate use of antibiotics in livestock
- Pump It Up: Oregon’s Clean Fuels Debate
- February Unemployment Rate Decreases in All but One of Oregons Counties– Blog
- A majority of English-speaking Hispanics in the U.S. are bilingual
- City receives grant to study environmental sites
- Could Paternity Leave Policies Close The Wage Gap?
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OREGON DOJ LAUNCHES INVESTIGATIONS OF TAX CREDITS FOR UNIVERSITY SOLAR PROJECTS
(Portland Oregonian)The Oregon Department of Justice has opened criminal and civil investigations into the award of $11.8 million in state tax credits for a series of solar arrays installed at Oregon State University and the Oregon Institute of Technology.
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PAST TENSE OREGON: SPRING BREAK QUAKE 22 YEARS AGO WAS LITERALLY A WAKE-UP CALL
(Portland Oregonian)It was Spring Break and when people in the Portland area went to bed on Wednesday evening, a lot of them probably were looking forward to a little extra sleep Thursday morning.
No such luck, however, on March 25, 1993.
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WILD ANIMAL RESCUE CLOSED INDEFINITELY FOR CLACKAMAS COUNTY CODE VIOLATIONS
(Portland Oregonian)A nonprofit wild animal rescue in Canby is closed to the public indefinitely in the wake of ongoing county code violations.
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OREGON SENATE SENDS TECH TAX PACKAGE TO GOV. KATE BROWN: 8 THINGS TO KNOW
(Portland Oregonian)The Oregon Senate signed off Tuesday on a package of property tax breaks aimed at Comcast, Google Fiber and Oregon data centers.
The state House of Representatives approved the bill Friday 52-2 and it now heads to the desk of Gov. Kate Brown.
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BEAVERTON RESIDENTS AMY HEINLEN AND ANNE ERWIN ON GOV. KATE BROWN’S LIST OF APPOINTEES
(Portland Oregonian)Two Beaverton residents, Amy Heinlen and Anne Erwin, are among 39 appointees named today to Oregon boards and commissions by Oregon Gov. Kate Brown.
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MISGUIDED ATTACK ON OREGON’S EQUAL-SERVICE LAW — GUEST OPINION
(Portland Oregonian)In 1961, Oregon amended its civil rights law to prohibit discrimination in “any place offering to the public goods or services.”
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STATE PRISON INMATE’S DEATH UNDER INVESTIGATION
(Portland Oregonian)Oregon state police are investigating the unexpected death Saturday night of an Oregon State Penitentiary.
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AMY’S KITCHEN PRODUCTS WITH SPINACH RECALLED NATIONWIDE FOR POSSIBLE LISTERIA CONTAMINATION
(Portland Oregonian)Amy’s Kitchen, a popular organic food brand, recalled several products that featured spinach after a grower warned the company that the spinach might be infected with Listeria monocytogenes, which can sometimes prove fatal.
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DON’T WORRY ABOUT THE BIG ONE: WILD ANIMALS CAN BE OUR EARLY-WARNING SYSTEM FOR EARTHQUAKES
(Portland Oregonian)The Big One is coming. Oregon is due for a massive earthquake up to magnitude-9.
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BEETLE-INFESTED FORESTS NO MORE LIKELY TO BURN THAN HEALTHY ONES, STUDY FINDS
(Portland Oregonian) Mountain pine beetles have left vast tracts of dead, dry trees in the West, raising fears that they’re more vulnerable to wildfire outbreaks, but a new study found no evidence that bug-infested forests are more likely to burn than healthy ones.
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TROUTDALE CITY COUNCIL VOTES TO DISSOLVE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, CONTRACT WITH SHERIFF
(Portland Oregonian)The sworn police officers of the Troutdale Police Department could all become Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office deputies in July after the City Council approved to disband its law enforcement Tuesday night in a 4-to-3 vote.
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OREGON WOULD SET GUIDELINES FOR USE OF POLICE BODY CAMERAS, UNDER PROPOSED BILL
(Portland Oregonian)Oregon police agencies would have to adopt basic statewide standards if they equip officers with body cameras and the footage would be exempt from public disclosure except under limited circ*mstances, under a bill before state lawmakers.
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CLEAN FUELS CONTROVERSY: ENERGY, TRUCKING GROUPS SUE TO BLOCK LOW-CARBON STANDARD
(Portland Oregonian)Three groups are suing Gov. Kate Brown and state environmental regulators to block the rollout of Oregon’s clean-fuels program.
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THE SERIOUS BUSINESS OF SPECIALTY LICENSE PLATES — OPINION
(Portland Oregonian)Monday was “license plate day” for the House Committee on Transportation and Economic Development.
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OREGON SENATE SENDS TECH TAX PACKAGE TO GOV. KATE BROWN: 8 THINGS TO KNOW
(Portland Oregonian)The Oregon Senate signed off Tuesday on a package of property tax breaks aimed at Comcast, Google Fiber and Oregon data centers.
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AID TO TIMBER-DEPENDENT OREGON COUNTIES IS REVIVED BY HOUSE LEADERS
(Portland Oregonian)Federal aid that has provided a financial lifeline for timber-dependent counties in Oregon may soon start flowing again after a key congressional deal was announced Tuesday.
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OREGON BEER MAKERS COULD CONVERT BORED CHINESE DRINKERS READY FOR NEW FLAVORS, USDA SAYS
(Portland Oregonian)Chinese beer connoisseurs are bored by the same old macrobrews they’ve been drinking for years.
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LAWMAKERS SHOULD SUPPORT METRO’S HOME RULE AND ITS OCC HOTEL PROJECT — OPINION
(Portland Oregonian)On Wednesday, the Oregon Senate will consider a bill underscoring Metro’s ability to build big expensive things without first taking a public vote.
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WESTERN CONGRESS MEMBERS SEEK QUAKE WARNING FUNDING
(Salem Statesman Journal)Three dozen members of Congress from California, Oregon and Washington are urging full funding of a West Coast earthquake early warning system.
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WALDEN: TIMBER PAYMENTS EXTENSION IN MEDICARE BILL
(Salem Statesman Journal)Rep. Greg Walden says House Speaker John Boehner has agreed to include a two-year extension of subsidies to Oregon timber counties in a bipartisan agreement to reform the way doctors are paid by Medicare.
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FREE SPRING BREAK LUNCHES COMBAT CHILDHOOD HUNGER
(Salem Statesman Journal)Sixty-one percent of students in the Salem-Keizer School District were eligible for free or reduced lunch last school year. When school is out, many of them don’t have a way to replace the meal they would have gotten at school.
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OREGON TO INVESTIGATE LIFEWISE DATA BREACH
(Salem Statesman Journal)Oregon will join Washington and Alaska in a multi-state investigation of a cyber attack of LifeWise Health Plan of Oregon and its parent company Premera Blue Cross, the Oregon Insurance Division has announced.
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CALIFORNIA WANTS TO ADOPT OREGON’S ‘MOTOR VOTER’ LAW
(Salem Statesman Journal)Gov. Kate Brown’s “Motor Voter” law received significant national attention when it passed this month, and it has already found its first adopter in California, whose secretary of state said this week he plans to push for the same law.
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PUBLIC HEARING ON COAL-TO-CLEAN LEGISLATION ON WEDNESDAY
(Salem Statesman Journal)Lawmakers will consider a bill Wednesday that would force the state’s electric companies to transition from coal to cleaner power.
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OBESITY, POVERTY DRAG ON MARION COUNTY’S HEALTH
(Salem Statesman Journal)Obesity, sexually transmitted infections and childhood poverty are among the factors bringing down the health of Marion County residents, according to the annual County Health Rankings released Wednesday by the University of Wisconsin and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
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OREGON LEGISLATIVE PANEL ADVANCES SCHOOLS BUDGET
(Salem Statesman Journal)Democrats on an Oregon legislative panel voted Tuesday to advance a $7.255 billion spending plan for primary and secondary schools.
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TIMBER PAYMENTS EXTENSION IN MEDICARE BILL
(Salem Statesman Journal) Rep. Greg Walden says House Speaker John Boehner has agreed to include a two-year extension of subsidies to Oregon timber counties in a bipartisan agreement to reform the way doctors are paid by Medicare.
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OIL COMPANIES FIGHT OREGON LOW-CARBON STANDARDS
(Salem Statesman Journal)Oil, trucking and manufacturing groups have opened a second front against Oregon’s low-carbon fuel rules.
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BUSINESSES FIGHT OREGONS NEW RULE ON CLEAN FUELS
(Eugene Register-Guard)-Energy and manufacturing groups file a lawsuit challenging the states standard-
Three manufacturing and energy groups are challenging the constitutionality of Oregons low-carbon fuel standard.
The standard, part of whats known as the clean fuels program, requires a reduction in the amount of carbon in car and truck fuels in Oregon over the next decade in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
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HOUSE ACCORD EXTENDS TIMBER PAY
(Eugene Register-Guard)-If approved, it provides $185 million to counties over a two-year period-
Lawmakers in the U.S. House have reached a deal on a two-year extension of so-called federal timber payments to rural counties.
The agreement would provide approximately $185 million over two years to 33 Oregon counties, continuing a recent pattern of decline in the aid.
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GIVE A GREEN LIGHT ON RED — OPINION
(Eugene Register-Guard)-Bill would let cyclists proceed after prescribed wait-
The very thought of bicyclists zooming through red lights is enough to make some motorists apoplectic, so its not hard to understand why a proposed Oregon bill that would give both cyclists and motorcycles the right to do so after waiting has drawn intense criticism across the state.
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RENEWED HOPE FOR COUNTIES — OPINION
(Eugene Register-Guard)-House lawmakers agree to extend timber payments-
Oregons hard-hit rural counties got some encouraging news Tuesday: Lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives have agreed to a two-year extension of federal timber payments.
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TRUCKERS, ENERGY GROUP SUE TO BLOCK LOW-CARBON FUEL STANDARDS
(Portland Tribune)Fuel producers and truckers are suing to stop Oregon from implementing the states low-carbon fuel standard.
Industry groups filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Portland on Monday against Gov. Kate Brown, members of the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission and employees of the state Department of Environmental Quality.
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STATE SCHOOL FUND ADVANCES
(Portland Tribune)-$7.255 billion slightly more than originally proposed by Legislature’s chief budget writers.-
A state school fund of $7.255 billion, slightly more than was originally proposed by the Legislatures chief budget writers, has cleared its first hurdle.
The joint budget subcommittee on education approved the school fund, which is the largest single item in the budget that comes from the tax-supported general fund and lottery proceeds.
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LAWMAKERS WRANGLE ANTIBIOTICS USE IN LIVESTOCK
(Portland Tribune)Federal oversight of antibiotic use in livestock production recently sparked debate as Oregon lawmakers considered enacting state restrictions on such treatments.
Proponents of House Bill 2598, which would prohibit treating livestock with nontherapeutic doses of antibiotics, claim the legislation is necessary because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration doesnt impose adequate limits on the drugs.
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BILL OFFERS TAX BREAKS FOR DATA CENTERS, HIGH-SPEED INTERNET NETWORK
(Portland Tribune)-Lawmakers also reduce potential tax liability for Comcast resulting from 2014 court decision.-
Lawmakers have completed action on a bill ensuring property tax breaks to data centers around Oregon and a potential high-speed Internet network in Portland.
Senate Bill 611, which the Senate sent to Gov. Kate Brown on a 28-2 vote Tuesday, also gives telecommunications giant Comcast tax relief from an Oregon Supreme Court decision last fall.
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SHOULD OREGON GET INTO THE RETIREMENT ACCOUNT BUSINESS?
(Portland Tribune)Barbara Perrin of Eugene says shes an example of why Oregon should require employers to offer automatic enrollment in a state-sponsored savings plan for retirement.
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SEASONALLY ADJUSTED JOBLESS RATE DIPS TO 7 PERCENT FOR FIRST TIME SINCE MAY 2008
(Medford Mail Tribune)-Health care, manufacturing, leisure lead way to year-over-year 3,200-job gain-
Jackson County’s February seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dipped to 7.0 percent, a level not seen since May 2008, and the lowest figure since April 2008’s 6.7 percent reading.
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IN FIRST DIRECT MESSAGE TO STATE WORKERS, GOV. KATE BROWN LAUDS DAS DISSENTERS
(Willamette Week)Gov. Kate Brown today sent her first written message to all state employees.
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LINN UNEMPLOYMENT LOWEST SINCE 2008
(Albany Democrat Herald)Linn Countys unemployment rate took another dramatic drop in February, falling to its lowest level in seven years.
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DESCHUTES JOBLESS RATE FALLS BELOW 7%
(Bend Bulletin)-Crook, Jefferson counties also added jobs in February-
The Deschutes County seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dipped to 6.5 percent in February, falling below 7 percent for the first time since April 2008, the Oregon Employment Department reported today.
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INTERIOR SECRETARY, GOV. BROWN COMING TO BEND
(Bend Bulletin)-Pair to appear at sage grouse event-
U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell and Gov. Kate Brown are set to be in Bend on Friday to celebrate recent signings of agreements to conserve habitat for sage grouse.
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DATA CENTER BILL TOOK A PERILOUS PATH BEFORE PASSING OREGON LEGISLATURE
(Bend Bulletin)-Bill passed Senate Tuesday, awaits signature of Gov. Kate Brown-
A bill local leaders say will bring jobs and investment to hard-struck Crook County barely survived political wrangling and pressure from businesses before it was sent to Gov. Kate Brown on Tuesday after a 28-2 Senate vote.
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OREGON BILL WOULD ELIMINATE COAL-FIRED POWER BY 2025
(Oregon Public Broadcasting)A bill in the Oregon Legislature this session would require electric companies to stop delivering coal-fired power to Oregon customers by 2025.
The replacement power would have to come from sources that are 90 percent cleaner than coal plants.
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LICENSE PLATE PROPOSALS COVER EVERYTHING FROM TRAIL BLAZERS TO WOLF OR-7– BLOG
(Oregon Public Broadcasting)If youre looking to make a new statement with your license plate in Oregon, theres a chance youll have five new designs and organizations to choose from.
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VA ANNOUNCES CHANGES TO CHOICE ACT
(Oregon Public Broadcasting)The Department of Veterans Affairs announced changes Tuesday to a new law that will expand veterans access to health care outside the VA system.
When Congress passed the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act last year, it included a provision that allows veterans who live more than 40 miles from a VA facility to see a doctor outside the VA system.
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ORE. SUPREME COURT VACATES RULING IN ANIMALS-AS-VICTIMS CASE
(Oregon Public Broadcasting)The Oregon Supreme Court has vacated its 2014 ruling that said animals can be considered individual victims of a crime.
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QUALITY-TESTING LEGAL MARIJUANA: STRONG BUT NOT ALWAYS CLEAN
(Oregon Public Broadcasting)Recreational marijuana has been legalized in four states, but that doesnt mean its a tested consumer product.
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SCHOOLS WON’T BE EVALUATED BY STUDENT TEST SCORES IF BILL PASSES
(Oregon Public Broadcasting)A bill that would temporarily prohibit standardized test results from being used to evaluate schools passed the Oregon House last week and now moves to the Senate.
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OREGON HEALTH PLAN PAYS FOR PUBERTY SUPPRESSION
(Oregon Public Broadcasting)Some states now cover the cost of medical treatment for people who are transgender. Oregon is one of them. But, since January, Oregon is going one step further.
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MORE VOTERS, BUT WILL THEY VOTE? — OPINION
(Baker City Herald)Voting is such a fundamental right that questioning anything which encourages people to exercise that right is to tread on treacherous rhetorical ground.
But well risk it.
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CONTROL OF FEDERAL LAND? BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR — GUEST OPINION
(Baker City Herald)Our own worst enemy thats what Baker County Commissioner Harvey thinks of the U.S. government.
Harvey supports HB 3444, introduced by Republican State Representative Jim Weidner. The bill requires the United States to extinguish title to public lands and transfer title to the state.
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KLAMATH WATER TRANSFER BILL DRAWS SUSPICION
(Capital Press)-Bills that would allow irrigators in the Klamath Basin to lease or transfer water rights have drawn suspicion from opponents of broader legal settlements that require dam removal.-
Irrigators in Oregons Klamath Basin are seeking more flexibility in how they manage water due to concerns of looming drought in the region.
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‘YOUR VOICE YOUR VOTE’: POLICE BODY CAMERAS – VIDEO
(KATU)In the wake of police shootings and the outrage nationwide, police body cameras are being pushed as a way to increase transparency. Portland police are moving in that direction, and officers could be wearing them in a matter of months.
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PHONES, FRIENDS ARE DISTRACTING PROBLEM FOR TEEN DRIVERS
(KATU)Distractions – especially talking with passengers and using cellphones – play a far greater role in car crashes involving teen drivers than has been previously understood, according to compelling new evidence cited by safety researchers.
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MULTISTATE INVESTIGATION ANNOUNCED INTO PREMERA CYBERATTACK
(KATU)Washington state’s insurance commissioner announced Tuesday a multistate investigation into this winter’s cyberattack on Premera Blue Cross.
Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler said he plans to work with his counterparts in Alaska and Oregon to look into operations at Premera, which is based in Mountlake Terrace, Washington.
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ODOT, SMARTPHONE APP WAZE CREATE NEW PARTNERSHIP
(KATU)The Oregon Department of Transportation has formed a partnership with the crowdsourced app Waze, in an effort to streamline transit-related information.
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GOV. BROWN ASKS STATE EMPLOYEES TO REPORT FRAUD, ABUSE
(KGW)In her first direct message to state employees, Governor Kate Brown stressed her commitment to “fostering a culture of accountability and trust within public service.”
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HUMMEL ASKS OREGON DOJ TO REVIEW JAIL INMATE DEATH
(KTVZ Bend)-Sheriff’s office vows full cooperation-
Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel said Tuesday he has asked the Oregon Department of Justices District Attorney Assist Unit for an independent review of the investigation into the Dec. 14 death of a county jail inmate.
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LOCKUPS IN 5 STATES TO LESSEN USE OF SOLITARY CONFINEMENT
(KTVZ Bend)A New York-based criminal justice nonprofit says it will work with jails and prisons in five states to reduce the use of solitary confinement.
The Vera Institute of Justice said Tuesday that state corrections systems in Nebraska, Oregon and North Carolina as well as jails in New York City and Middlesex County, New Jersey, were picked for the two-year plan.
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DEBUNKING THE MYTH OF THE JOB-STEALING IMMIGRANT
(New York Times)When I was growing up in the 1980s, I watched my grandfather my dads stepdad struggle with his own prejudice.
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BRACING FOR A BIG POWER GRID ATTACK: ‘ONE IS TOO MANY’
(USA Today)About once every four days, part of the nation’s power grid a system whose failure could leave millions in the dark is struck by a cyber or physical attack, a USA TODAY analysis of federal energy records finds.
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HOW THE WHITEST CITY IN AMERICA APPEARS THROUGH THE EYES OF ITS BLACK RESIDENTS– BLOG
(Washington Post)In the above picture of Portland, Ore., from Dustin Cable’s breathtaking Racial Dot Map, each blue dot represents a white resident counted during the 2010 census. The city itself is about 76 percent white, making it the whitest big city in the U.S.
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HOW MUCH MONEY YOU NEED TO MAKE TO BE MIDDLE CLASS IN EVERY BIG CITY– BLOG
(Washington Post)Being middle-class often seems as American as apple pie or baseball. Even though the middle class has technically shrunk since the financial crisis, Americans are still more likely to identify as middle class than any other stratum, whether they make $20,000 or $200,000 a year.
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COOS COUNTY RELIEVED BY SECURE RURAL SCHOOLS EXTENSION
(The World)The Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act SRS is on its way to being renewed for another two years. That’s a relief for Coos County because once passed, the subsidies from the program will provide schools, roads and local law enforcement with much needed funds.
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OREGON LEGISLATORS CONSIDERING HARSHER PENALTIES FOR HASH OIL EXPLOSIONS
(KPTV)People responsible for fires that result from extracting hash oil could face harsher penalties in the future under some changes lawmakers are considering making to Oregon’s arson laws.
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LOCAL SCHOOL ADMINS: OREGON K-12 BUDGET WON’T PAY FOR FULL-DAY K
(KVAL)The K-12 budget that cleared a House subcommittee Tuesday provides more dollars for Oregon school districts over the next 2 years than in the prior 2 years.
But school administrators contend the money isn’t enough to implement full-day kindergarten.
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DOUGLAS COUNTY FOSTER CHILDREN PARTICIPATE IN PRINCESS FOR A DAY
(Douglas County News-Review)The skirts spun like colorful metallic pinwheels.
Girls of all ages twirled, danced and jumped, crowned with sparkling tiaras.
They were princesses, if just for a day.
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OREGON SCHOOLS BUDGET ON PACE FOR EARLIEST PASSAGE EVER
(OregonBusiness)The leaders of both chambers of the Oregon Legislature said Monday the $7.2 billion K-12 schools budget is ready for its next step.
The proposal calls for a $600 million increase to the 2013-15 budget and encompasses measures for full-day kindergarten, the Portland Business Journal reports.
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LOW-CARBON FUEL STANDARD CHALLENGED BY MANUFACTURING, ENERGY GROUPS
(OregonBusiness)Oregon’s recently-signed low-carbon fuel standard law is being challenged in the U.S. District Court by out-of-state groups claiming it violates the Constitution.
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HOSPITAL COST TRANSPARENCY FACES LEGISLATURE TOMORROW
(The Lund Report)Two bills, sponsored by SEIU Local 49 and the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems, could lead to a frank discussion of hospital costs for the very first time.
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SCHOOL FUNDING FORECAST: CUTS AHEAD?
(Blue Mountain Eagle)-Officials say the budget bump isn’t enough to overcome years of cuts in programs, days and offerings in the schools.-
Local school officials are sounding the alarm about state funding projections, saying the latest scenario at the Legislature would trigger a new round of cuts for most districts in Grant County.
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ROSENBLUM: FUND CRIMES AGAINST ELDERLY FORCE
(KOIN)-Crimes against elderly jump 17% in 2014-
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum asked a House subcommittee to fund three new positions in the Oregon Justice Department that would do nothing but help prosecute crimes against the elderly.
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OREGON LAWMAKERS TAKE UP POLICE BODY CAMERA ISSUE
(KOIN)-Portland Mayor Charlie Hales supports House Bill 2571-
Its a spiny issue, and one that has everyone from media agencies, to the ACLU and even Portlands mayor weighing in: body cameras for police.
Oregons Public Records Law is at the core of the body camera issue. State lawmakers took up the debate at a public hearing in Salem Tuesday.
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PDX DEVELOPMENT BOOM: I THINK WERE BACK
(KOIN)-Construction group predicts city has 3-5 years of development ahead-
Across the City of Portland, you cant miss the sights of cranes rising and the sounds of construction clear signs that a great deal of development is underway.
I think were back, Skanska General Manager Jim Link told KOIN 6 News.
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OREGON BILL WOULD REGULATE USE OF ANTIBIOTICS IN LIVESTOCK
(Wallowa.com)-Oregon lawmakers are considering restricting antibiotics in livestock production.-
Federal oversight of antibiotic use in livestock production recently sparked debate as Oregon lawmakers considered enacting state restrictions on such treatments.
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PUMP IT UP: OREGON’S CLEAN FUELS DEBATE
(Jefferson Public Radio)The Oregon legislature recently voted to continue the “clean fuels” program begun six years ago.
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FEBRUARY UNEMPLOYMENT RATE DECREASES IN ALL BUT ONE OF OREGONS COUNTIES– BLOG
(Oregon Workforce & Economic Information)Benton County had Oregons lowest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in February at 4.7 percent. Grant County, the only county not to see a drop in February, registered the highest rate for the month at 10.1 percent.
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A MAJORITY OF ENGLISH-SPEAKING HISPANICS IN THE U.S. ARE BILINGUAL
(Pew Research)About six-in-ten U.S. adult Hispanics 62% speak English or are bilingual, according to an analysis of the Pew Research Centers 2013 National Survey of Latinos. Hispanics in the United States break down into three groups when it comes to their use of language: 36% are bilingual, 25% mainly use English and 38% mainly use Spanish. Among those who speak English, 59% are bilingual.
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CITY RECEIVES GRANT TO STUDY ENVIRONMENTAL SITES
(St. Helens Chronicle)The City of St. Helens has received a $200,000 Brownfields Area-Wide Planning Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency EPA to continue work on a waterfront redevelopment plan for the former Boise Veneer Plant and White Paper Mill sites.
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COULD PATERNITY LEAVE POLICIES CLOSE THE WAGE GAP?
(Fast Company)-The key to leveling the playing field for pay and career advancement might be in encouraging dads to spend more time with their newborns.-
If we want to close the gender wage gap, we need to stop focusing on maternity leave and start implementing paternity leave.
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