State Library eClips
* Big, complicated and potentially expensive climate bills pass out of committee at Legislature
* Celebrate Oregon’s birthday with these 45 amazing vintage photos
* Map shows arsenic pollution in five more Portland neighborhoods
* Oregon State sees its future far beyond Corvallis
* Oregon Senate approves minimum wage hike after marathon debate
* Gun sales loophole: Background check bill clears committee after changes
* State investigation begins as Multomah County Dan Staton settles tort claim over alleged harassment
* Oregon Bar considers controversial overhaul of disciplinary rules
* Mule deer buck poached on Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, police seeking tips
* Slain Seaside police officer awarded Medal of Ultimate Sacrifice
* ‘The healing will take a lot of time’: Kate Brown grateful for peaceful end to occupation
* Oregon standoff ends with a ‘hallelujah’
* Legislative panel OKs new PERS perk even as deficit balloons — Opinion
* No-coal proposal will help environment, Oregonians — Guest Opinion
* Oregon Legislature drops GMO crop issue
* Tribal member dental care project launched
* 41-days later at the Malheur refuge: This ordeal is over
* Many parents still don’t have their children vaccinated or exempted as Exclusion Day approaches
* FBI will spend weeks collecting evidence at now-emptied wildlife refuge headquarters
* Oregon officials remind residents that paid tax preparers must be licensed
* Its over: What a relief — Opinion
* Harder tapped to lead Business Oregon
* Portland area home prices continue to spike
* Brown: state will seek reimbursem*nt for Harney County standoff costs
* Relief in Harney County
* Senate passes three-tiered minimum wage plan
* Despite concerns, bill to spur wind and solar moves forward
* Commercial vacancy rate in Bend decreases
* Editorial: Oregon doesn’t need a Eugene tax — Opinion
* Editorial: Let voters decide on minimum wage — Opinion
* With Occupation Over, Oregon Governor Looks Ahead
* Oregon Congressman: Malheur Could Have Been Prevented With Earlier Bundy Arrest
* Harney County Officials React To Occupation’s End
* Relaxed Oregon hemp rules headed for House vote
* Local biotech authority proposal replaced with fish labeling requirement
* Some Oregon, California leaders upset over Klamath dams
* U.S. horticulture sales blossom, survey shows
* New maritime rule may jeopardize container trade, coalition says
* Federal land ownership battle heads for court
* Federal government shouldn’t be shopping for more land — Opinion
* We must dispel myths surrounding protest — Guest Opinion
* Judge rules against environmentalists on Snake River dredging
* Senate passes three-tier minimum wage
* Brown says shes talking to feds about land issues
* Oregon higher ed fiscal improvement tops nation
* Umatilla County racks up $51,000 bill for helping Harney County
* Senate votes on minimum wage today
* Jackson County pot regulations in limbo
* Legal pot might be decreasing applicant pool, sheriff says
* Upper Rogue navigability fight may go to U.S. Supreme Court
* Monarch butterflies tagged last year in Southern Oregon found in California
* Our View: Malheur occupation ends without a bang — Opinion
* Since You Asked: Canned corn OK for fishing, not for chumming
* TSA bill aims to return air service to Klamath
* Guilty plea given in artifact poaching case
* Congress gives final OK to banning local Internet taxes
* Patient strategy pays off for FBI in ending Oregon standoff
* Bill doubling renewable mandate passes to House floor
* The ultimate sacrifice: Thousands expected to honor slain Sgt. Goodding
* Grad rate going the right way — Opinion
* Wolf bill on the move
* Minimum wage talks add fuel to secession debate
* We are the people too — Guest Opinion
* Revenue steps up fraud, identity theft prevention
* City, county support affordable housing bill
* Oregon’s small coastal ports receive funds for dredging
* Legislative update given at UCC board meeting
* Predator Damage Committee sending surveys
* Roseburg named a top place to retire
* Guest column: Speaking out for rural Oregon — Guest Opinion
* FBI Deploying Art Crime Team to Investigate If Militants Desecrated Paiute Graves
* Oregon standoff ends, but its new kind of ‘protest’ is just beginning +video
* The quake-maker you’ve never heard of: Cascadia
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BIG, COMPLICATED AND POTENTIALLY EXPENSIVE CLIMATE BILLS PASS OUT OF COMMITTEE AT LEGISLATURE (Portland Oregonian)
Two of the most complex, controversial and potentially costly energy bills in the history of the state passed out of their initial committees in the Oregon Legislature on Thursday.
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CELEBRATE OREGON’S BIRTHDAY WITH THESE 45 AMAZING VINTAGE PHOTOS (Portland Oregonian)
Oregon turns 157 on Sunday with a party at the Oregon Historical Society.
“Oregon shares its birthday with Valentine’s Day,” the historical society said in a news release. “What could be a better way to celebrate the holiday than by professing your love for Oregon?”
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MAP SHOWS ARSENIC POLLUTION IN FIVE MORE PORTLAND NEIGHBORHOODS (Portland Oregonian)
As an angry crowd of more than 750 people watched Tuesday night, state and federal officials for the first time unveiled maps that showed where they’d found alarming levels of carcinogenic metals in tree moss around Portland.
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OREGON STATE SEES ITS FUTURE FAR BEYOND CORVALLIS (Portland Oregonian)
Ed Ray first visited Oregon in 2003, but the longtime Ohio State University administrator was a quick study.
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OREGON SENATE APPROVES MINIMUM WAGE HIKE AFTER MARATHON DEBATE (Portland Oregonian)
The Oregon Senate approved monumental increases to the minimum wage Thursday night, a major breakthrough on what’s become the defining issue of the legislative session.
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GUN SALES LOOPHOLE: BACKGROUND CHECK BILL CLEARS COMMITTEE AFTER CHANGES (Portland Oregonian)
Oregon gun-buyers will still be able to obtain firearms by default if their background checks are delayed, after a House committee Thursday did away with provisions that would have forced buyers wait as long as it took for investigations to finish.
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STATE INVESTIGATION BEGINS AS MULTOMAH COUNTY DAN STATON SETTLES TORT CLAIM OVER ALLEGED HARASSMENT (Portland Oregonian)
Multnomah County Sheriff Dan Staton is the subject of a state criminal investigation, Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said Thursday in a letter to county leaders.
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OREGON BAR CONSIDERS CONTROVERSIAL OVERHAUL OF DISCIPLINARY RULES (Portland Oregonian)
One of the most ambitious and controversial disciplinary cases in the history of the Oregon State Bar concluded a year ago when the state Supreme Court exonerated high-powered corporate attorneys Barnes Ellis and Lois Rosenbaum of ethical transgressions.
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MULE DEER BUCK POACHED ON MALHEUR NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, POLICE SEEKING TIPS (Portland Oregonian)
A mule deer buck was killed illegally on the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in November, and Oregon State Police need help finding the culprit.
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SLAIN SEASIDE POLICE OFFICER AWARDED MEDAL OF ULTIMATE SACRIFICE (Portland Oregonian)
Seaside Police Sgt. Jason Goodding, who was shot and killed in the line of duty Friday, has been posthumously awarded the Medal of Ultimate Sacrifice, officials said Wednesday.
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‘THE HEALING WILL TAKE A LOT OF TIME’: KATE BROWN GRATEFUL FOR PEACEFUL END TO OCCUPATION (Portland Oregonian)
Gov. Kate Brown on Wednesday gave thanks for the peaceful, if tense, finish to militants’ 41-day occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge addressing a development that became certain only minutes before a previously scheduled press conference.
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OREGON STANDOFF ENDS WITH A ‘HALLELUJAH’ (Portland Oregonian)
American flags lined the main streets of Burns and Hines by early Thursday afternoon.
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LEGISLATIVE PANEL OKS NEW PERS PERK EVEN AS DEFICIT BALLOONS — OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
Oregon has a public-pension problem. You may have heard about it. The system that provides for the retirement of public employees in Oregon has an unfunded liability so large north of $20 billion that employers, from school districts to state agencies, may soon be contributing about 30 percent of payroll to keep it afloat.
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NO-COAL PROPOSAL WILL HELP ENVIRONMENT, OREGONIANS — GUEST OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
Collaboration and compromise to achieve shared goals are all too rare these days, but it’s happening in Oregon right now, where a diverse group of allies came together and drafted a plan to remove coal from the state’s energy mix and increase its renewable portfolio standard to 50 percent by 2040.
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OREGON LEGISLATURE DROPS GMO CROP ISSUE (Salem Statesman Journal)
A bill to restore local control over genetically engineered crops was gutted and replaced Thursday with language that will require labels on genetically engineered fish sold in Oregon.
The bill now heads to the House floor for a vote.
Rep. Paul Holvey, D-Eugene, sponsored both the original bill and the amendment.
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TRIBAL MEMBER DENTAL CARE PROJECT LAUNCHED (Salem Statesman Journal)
This won’t hurt a bit.
More than four years after the Oregon Legislature took action to bring much-needed dental care to the state’s most vulnerable populations, several tribes in Oregon are inching closer to getting it, after a pilot project was launched this month along the coast and in the southern part of the state.
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41-DAYS LATER AT THE MALHEUR REFUGE: THIS ORDEAL IS OVER (Eugene Register-Guard)
And then there were none.
The last remaining occupier, David Fry, finally walked out of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters just before 11 a.m. Thursday and was arrested by FBI agents.
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MANY PARENTS STILL DON’T HAVE THEIR CHILDREN VACCINATED OR EXEMPTED AS EXCLUSION DAY APPROACHES (Eugene Register-Guard)
Lane County health officials have sent out more than 3,000 letters believed to be a record number reminding families that they need to get their school-age children up to date on vaccinations or exemptions by Wednesday School Exclusion Day.
Students who aren’t vaccinated by Wednesday wont be allowed to attend school or child care.
Families can opt for two types of immunization exemptions.
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FBI WILL SPEND WEEKS COLLECTING EVIDENCE AT NOW-EMPTIED WILDLIFE REFUGE HEADQUARTERS (Eugene Register-Guard)
The 41-day takeover of the headquarters of the 187,000-acre Malheur National Wildlife Refuge might be over, but it will be some number of weeks before law enforcement officials turn it back to the management of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, FBI Special Agent Greg Bretzing said Thursday.
That’s because its a crime scene, Bretzing said.
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OREGON OFFICIALS REMIND RESIDENTS THAT PAID TAX PREPARERS MUST BE LICENSED (Eugene Register-Guard)
Not just anyone can legally prepare tax returns in Oregon and be paid for the work, state officials say.
Only licensed tax practitioners or certified public accountants are allowed to prepare taxes for compensation, said JoAnn Martin, administrator of the Oregon Department of Revenues personal tax and compliance division.
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ITS OVER: WHAT A RELIEF — OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
Oregonians breathed a sign of relief when the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge finally ended peacefully Thursday, with about the best outcome under the circ*mstances no more violence.
There were no real winners, only losers. From both an environmental and human viewpoint, it was a disaster.
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HARDER TAPPED TO LEAD BUSINESS OREGON (Portland Tribune)
Gov. Kate Brown announced Wednesday the selection of a new director for the states economic development agency Business Oregon.
Chris Harder will begin work as the agencys acting director on March 22, according to a press release from the governors office.
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PORTLAND AREA HOME PRICES CONTINUE TO SPIKE (Portland Tribune)
Home prices continued to increase in the Portland area in January, even though the supply of homes for sale also increased over December’s record low level.
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BROWN: STATE WILL SEEK REIMBURsem*nT FOR HARNEY COUNTY STANDOFF COSTS (Portland Tribune)
Gov. Kate Brown said that Oregon will focus on helping the community of Burns to recover, after the remaining four occupiers at a nearby national wildlife refuge surrendered to FBI agents on Thursday.
Brown said she continues to seek federal reimbursem*nt of state and local government costs associated with the occupation, and she is also talking to federal officials about federal land management issues.
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RELIEF IN HARNEY COUNTY (Bend Bulletin)
-Siege may be over, but county and refuge have long haul to return to normal-
Emotion. Exhaustion. Relief.
All were on display Thursday afternoon from Harney County Sheriff David Ward during a news conference marking the end of the 41-day armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters. The siege ended late Thursday morning with the peaceful surrender of the last four holdouts.
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SENATE PASSES THREE-TIERED MINIMUM WAGE PLAN (Bend Bulletin)
-Democrats carry bill to create $13.50 minimum wage in Deschutes, $12.50 in Crook and Jefferson-
Advocates for a higher minimum wage in Oregon came one step closer to their goal Thursday.
After more than six hours of debate and opposition from all Republicans and one Democrat, the Oregon Senate voted 16-12 to pass a bill that would split the state into three regions with different minimum wage rates for each.
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DESPITE CONCERNS, BILL TO SPUR WIND AND SOLAR MOVES FORWARD (Bend Bulletin)
A House committee on the environment sent to a full vote Thursday a bill that would drastically alter Oregon’s energy mix, despite concerns from some lawmakers who say the bill needs more work to avoid rate hikes.
The committee voted 6-3, with a Hood River Republican joining all Democrats, to move House Bill 4036 to the floor. Two Democrats said they were concerned the bill wasnt ready for final passage and gave courtesy yes votes to keep the bill moving through the Legislature before a looming deadline.
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COMMERCIAL VACANCY RATE IN BEND DECREASES (Bend Bulletin)
-Lease rates going up, according to Compass Commercial survey-
The amount of commercial property available for lease in Bend and Redmond shrank again in 2015, leaving landlords and property owners wanting to sell with the upper hand, according to the quarterly survey by Compass Commercial Real Estate Services.
The outlook for this year is more of the same, according to Howard Friedman, a principal broker and partner with the firm.
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EDITORIAL: OREGON DOESN’T NEED A EUGENE TAX — OPINION (Bend Bulletin)
The city of Eugene wants it. Lane County legislators are pushing for it. Fortunately for Oregon, wiser heads still might prevail.
Lane Countys lawmakers suspected they faced problems persuading the 2016 Legislature to double the states share of the transient room tax. The increase would, at least initially, help to finance the 2021 world track and field championships in Eugene. Now those problems are becoming clear.
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EDITORIAL: LET VOTERS DECIDE ON MINIMUM WAGE — OPINION (Bend Bulletin)
Oregon Democrats clearly learned a thing or two during the 2015 legislative session. With a majority in both houses and a compliant governor, they can do just about anything they want.
They’re at it again.
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WITH OCCUPATION OVER, OREGON GOVERNOR LOOKS AHEAD (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
The 41-day armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon is over. The final four remaining occupiers surrendered to the FBI Thursday morning without incident.
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OREGON CONGRESSMAN: MALHEUR COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED WITH EARLIER BUNDY ARREST (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Two Democratic congressmen from Oregon said federal prosecutors should have acted much earlier to arrest Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy. Had authorities acted sooner, the lawmakers said it might have discouraged militants inspired by Bundy from occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.
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HARNEY COUNTY OFFICIALS REACT TO OCCUPATION’S END (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
After 41 days, the armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge concluded when the last four militants surrendered to the FBI. Reactions to the occupiers every move came in real time online as negotiations streamed live.
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RELAXED OREGON HEMP RULES HEADED FOR HOUSE VOTE (Capital Press)
-More relaxed hemp production rules, which allow the crop to be grown from cuttings and in greenhouses, are up for a vote before the Oregon House.-
Oregon hemp growers would be free to propagate the crop from cuttings and propagate it from cuttings under a bill that’s headed for a vote in the House.
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LOCAL BIOTECH AUTHORITY PROPOSAL REPLACED WITH FISH LABELING REQUIREMENT (Capital Press)
-A bill that would allow local governments in Oregon to regulate biotech crops has been gutted and stuffed with a proposal to require labeling of genetically engineered fish.-
A proposal to give local governments in Oregon the power to regulate biotech crops has been scrapped in favor of a labeling requirement for genetically engineered fish.
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SOME OREGON, CALIFORNIA LEADERS UPSET OVER KLAMATH DAMS (Capital Press)
-The Department of Interior has said it will work with Oregon, California and PacifiCorp to amend the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement and move forward with plans to remove the four dams from the Klamath River.-
Local leaders say they are dismayed with the renewed effort to demolish four Klamath River dams, three of which are in California.
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U.S. HORTICULTURE SALES BLOSSOM, SURVEY SHOWS (Capital Press)
-California led the nation in horticulture sales in 2014, claiming 21 percent of the $13.8 billion in total U.S. sales.-
The sale of horticulture specialties such as nursery stock, sod and flowering plants jumped 18 percent during the five-year period ending in 2014, a USDA census shows.
Ed. Note: Oregon ranks 3rd with $932 million in sales in 2014 _________________________________________
NEW MARITIME RULE MAY JEOPARDIZE CONTAINER TRADE, COALITION SAYS (Capital Press)
-U.S. exporters and importers could be faced with added costs and port turmoil this summer due to new maritime cargo rule, the Agriculture Transportation Coalition says.-
A new maritime rule on container weight documentation that goes into effect July 1 could create major turmoil at marine terminals and significantly impede U.S. exports, the Agriculture Transportation Coalition warns.
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FEDERAL LAND OWNERSHIP BATTLE HEADS FOR COURT (Capital Press)
-A standoff orchestrated by a group of ranchers at a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon has raised awareness about efforts among Western states to force the federal government to turn federal lands over to state control.-
Utah Rep. Ken Ivory is on the front line of an approaching legal battle to wrestle millions of acres of land from federal control, and legislators in other Western states are intently watching his progress.
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FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHOULDN’T BE SHOPPING FOR MORE LAND — OPINION (Capital Press)
-We aren’t convinced the federal government should be looking to add to its holdings to the tune of more than half a billion dollars in the current fiscal year.-
Although many readers disagree, we find no Constitutional barriers to the federal government owning real estate in any of the 50 states, 16 territories and the District of Columbia.
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WE MUST DISPEL MYTHS SURROUNDING PROTEST — GUEST OPINION (Capital Press)
-It is time to dispel a few myths about what is going on.-
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown sat in her office Jan. 20 and drafted a letter to the U.S. attorney general and the director of the FBI. She wrote that negotiations with the radicals occupying the Malheur Wildlife Refuge had failed and insisted on a swift resolution to this matter.
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JUDGE RULES AGAINST ENVIRONMENTALISTS ON SNAKE RIVER DREDGING (Capital Press)
-The Pacific Northwest Waterways Association is hailing a U.S. District Court judge’s ruling in Seattle against arguments that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers didn’t take the proper precautions when dredging the Lower Snake River in 2015.-
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers did everything right when dredging sediment to improve navigation on the Lower Snake River in early 2015, a federal judge has ruled.
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SENATE PASSES THREE-TIER MINIMUM WAGE (East Oregonian)
-Oregon Senate passes three-tier minimum wage bill despite GOP attempts to postpone vote.-
The Oregon Senate on Thursday passed a controversial bill that sets three regional minimum wage rates throughout the state.
The bill now proceeds to the House of Representatives, where there appears to be enough support for passage, lawmakers said.
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BROWN SAYS SHES TALKING TO FEDS ABOUT LAND ISSUES (East Oregonian)
-Oregon Gov. Kate Brown Thursday addressed issues related to the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, which ended with the surrender of the last four remaining protesters.-
Gov. Kate Brown said that Oregon will focus on helping the community of Burns to recover, after the remaining four occupiers at a nearby national wildlife refuge surrendered to FBI agents on Thursday.
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OREGON HIGHER ED FISCAL IMPROVEMENT TOPS NATION (East Oregonian)
Oregon higher education funding is out of the cellar.
A recent national report revealed that Oregon improved more than any other state in the nation last year. The states public universities and community colleges received $779.4 million in 2015, a hike of 16.1 percent. The national average was a 4.1 percent improvement, though a few states bucked the trend. Arizona, the worst in the nation, actually reduced spending by 14 percent.
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UMATILLA COUNTY RACKS UP $51,000 BILL FOR HELPING HARNEY COUNTY (East Oregonian)
-Umatilla County, others, total about $650,000 in overtime, meals lodging during armed occupation on wildlife refuge.-
Umatilla County Sheriff Terry Rowan reported his staffs work in Harney County during the armed standoff on the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge has already cost $51,000.
Rowan said the state is looking to reimburse his office and others for the outlays, and would then turn to the federal government to recoup the funds.
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SENATE VOTES ON MINIMUM WAGE TODAY (Argus Observer)
A vote on whether to increase Oregon’s minimum wage is coming today in the state Senate, with the House expected to take up the measure next week.
Senate Republican Leader Ted. Ferrioli, R-John Day, said this morning that members of his caucus will be using every means at their disposal to get the minimum wage bill referred back to the Joint Ways and Means Committee for a report on the measures possible financial impact on the state.
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JACKSON COUNTY POT REGULATIONS IN LIMBO (Medford Mail Tribune)
-Oregon Legislature still adjusting marijuana laws-
With the Oregon Legislature still adjusting marijuana laws, the Jackson County Board of Commissioners is delaying the adoption of county regulations on pot.
“There are fairly significant questions being looked at by the Legislature,” said Commissioner Rick Dyer. “I would feel more comfortable waiting.”
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LEGAL POT MIGHT BE DECREASING APPLICANT POOL, SHERIFF SAYS (Medford Mail Tribune)
-Local sheriffs talk about legal marijuana, drones and crime at community forum-
Jackson County Sheriff Corey Falls said employment applications have dropped in his department since recreational marijuana was legalized in Oregon last year.
“It’s dropped since July 1,” Falls said, adding that Jackson County’s human resources manager has reached out to other employers that require pre-employment drug testing in Washington and Colorado to see whether they’ve had similar applicant drops because of legalization.
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UPPER ROGUE NAVIGABILITY FIGHT MAY GO TO U.S. SUPREME COURT (Medford Mail Tribune)
The U.S. Supreme Court could be the next, and last, venue for Rogue River landowners to fight the state of Oregon’s hotly contested navigability claim to the river’s bed and banks along a 58-mile stretch from Lost Creek Dam to Grants Pass.
A group of upper Rogue River landowners opposing the State Land Board’s navigability claim is mulling an appeal to the high court after a recent Oregon Court of Appeals ruling that threw out part of a 2010 Jackson County Circuit Court decision denying the state’s claim.
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MONARCH BUTTERFLIES TAGGED LAST YEAR IN SOUTHERN OREGON FOUND IN CALIFORNIA (Medford Mail Tribune)
Robert Coffan stood next to a patch of milkweed at Coyote Trails Nature Center in Medford last September feeling a little choked up about all that had transpired to bring him and monarch butterfly No. A2045 to this point.
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OUR VIEW: MALHEUR OCCUPATION ENDS WITHOUT A BANG — OPINION (Medford Mail Tribune)
The last of the misguided Malheur militants finally faced reality Thursday and departed the federal property they had occupied since Jan. 2. They accomplished none of what they set out to do, all of them face federal charges for their actions, and one lost his life.
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SINCE YOU ASKED: CANNED CORN OK FOR FISHING, NOT FOR CHUMMING (Medford Mail Tribune)
A friend told me that it’s illegal to fish in Oregon using canned corn. Now I’ve never really considered using canned corn for bait, but is that really a law in Oregon? Not sure why eating corn would be any worse for a fish than eating a slimy worm?
Well now, Sylvia, have you ever tried a slimy worm with a little butter and garlic? OK, neither have we, but it might make it a bit more palatable.
We found numerous references and debates online about whether it’s legal to fish in Oregon with canned corn, or any corn for that matter. But, since you can’t always believe what you read on the Internet shocking, we know, we turned to a more reliable source the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
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TSA BILL AIMS TO RETURN AIR SERVICE TO KLAMATH (Herald and News)
City of Klamath Falls officials and community leaders are hopeful a bill introduced Thursday by a congressional delegation will bring passenger screening services back to the Klamath Falls airport.
The bill, introduced by Oregon Sens. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Reps. Greg Walden, R-Ore., and Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., would require the federal Transportation Security Administration to return screening services to Crater Lake-Klamath Regional Airport and other airports in similar situations.
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GUILTY PLEA GIVEN IN ARTIFACT POACHING CASE (Herald and News)
A Klamath Falls man has pleaded guilty to poaching Native American artifacts and was sentenced two years probation, according to a Thursday news release from Oregon State Police OSP.
Douglas Porter Cotellese, 47, pleaded guilty Jan. 13 to two counts of unlawful possession of Native American items. His sentence also included 20 days in jail and 160 hours of community service.
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CONGRESS GIVES FINAL OK TO BANNING LOCAL INTERNET TAXES (The World)
Congress voted Thursday to permanently bar state and local governments from taxing access to the Internet, as lawmakers leapt at an election-year chance to demonstrate their opposition to imposing levies on online service.
On a vote of 75-20, the Senate gave final congressional approval to the wide-ranging bill, which would also revamp trade laws. The White House said President Barack Obama will sign it.
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PATIENT STRATEGY PAYS OFF FOR FBI IN ENDING OREGON STANDOFF (The World)
The last four armed occupiers of an Oregon wildlife refuge shouted, argued and raved for all the world to hear. But in the end, they surrendered without a shot being fired, leaving behind a vandalized federal property that authorities will spend weeks combing for evidence, explosives and damage before it can reopen to the public.
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BILL DOUBLING RENEWABLE MANDATE PASSES TO HOUSE FLOOR (Daily Astorian)
-Bill written by utilities and environmentalists doubles Oregon’s renewable energy mandate and eliminates coal from the state’s power mix.-
A bill that would double Oregon’s renewable energy mandate and eliminate coal from the states power mix is headed to the state House for a floor vote, after lawmakers voted it out of committee on Thursday.
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THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE: THOUSANDS EXPECTED TO HONOR SLAIN SGT. GOODDING (Daily Astorian)
-Thousands expected to honor Goodding at memorial Friday-
Seaside Police Sgt. Jason Goodding was awarded the Medal of Ultimate Sacrifice posthumously Wednesday, the fifth Oregon law enforcement officer recognized since the honor was established in 2012.
Gov. Kate Brown will present the medal and an American flag to Gooddings wife, Amy, at a memorial Friday afternoon at the Seaside Civic and Convention Center.
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GRAD RATE GOING THE RIGHT WAY — OPINION (Baker City Herald)
Baker High School is succeeding at one of its more important tasks.
Making sure students, when they shut their locker door for the last time, will have a diploma with their name on it waiting for them.
Last year 85 percent of BHS students who graduated had done so within four years.
That’s 11 percentage points higher than the Oregon average.
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WOLF BILL ON THE MOVE (The Dalles Chronicle)
Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Athena, is pleased to see a bill upholding a state agency’s decision to remove the gray wolf from the endangered species list making headway in the current legislative session.
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MINIMUM WAGE TALKS ADD FUEL TO SECESSION DEBATE (LaGrande Observer)
A new Idaho is not the brainchild of Union County resident Ken Parsons. Quite the contrary. The secession of Oregon has been brought up in years past to then Umatilla County Commissioner Bill Hansell, who is now a state senator, as well as Rep. Greg Barreto, R-Cove.
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WE ARE THE PEOPLE TOO — GUEST OPINION (LaGrande Observer)
As the armed occupation of the Malheur Wildlife Refuge dissipates, hopefully without further bloodshed, we the people of Oregon Rural Action are raising our voices to support Harney County and its elected leaders. In particular, we support Sheriff David Ward and Judge Steve Grasty, who have taken courageous stands to guarantee the rule of law and protect citizens against armed occupiers from outside of Harney County and outside the Sate of Oregon.
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REVENUE STEPS UP FRAUD, IDENTITY THEFT PREVENTION (Hood River News)
-Ways listed to protect yourself this tax season-
Tax filing season has begun and the Oregon Department of Revenue wants to remind taxpayers to file early, file electronically, and immediately report suspected identity theft. Oregon, other states, and the IRS have seen significant increases in the filing of fraudulent tax returns, often using stolen identities and fictitious W-2s as a way to try and claim refunds.
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CITY, COUNTY SUPPORT AFFORDABLE HOUSING BILL (Hood River News)
Hood River City and County have penned support for an inclusionary zoning Senate bill, which targets affordable housing development.
Inclusionary zoning a land use policy that allows local governments to require affordable housing units to be built alongside market-rate housing has been illegal in Oregon since 1999, but many Hood River elected officials want to change that.
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OREGON’S SMALL COASTAL PORTS RECEIVE FUNDS FOR DREDGING (Douglas County News-Review)
The Army Corps of Engineers will allocate an additional $9 million this year toward dredging projects at Oregon’s small ports.
More than $5 million of those funds will go toward the needs of small ports along Oregon’s South Coast, including $942,000 for the Port of Umpqua.
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LEGISLATIVE UPDATE GIVEN AT UCC BOARD MEETING (Douglas County News-Review)
The Umpqua Community College Board of Trustees reviewed legislative updates affecting the college at a Wednesday meeting. An update on the recovery progress following the Oct. 1 shooting was also given.
Interim President Walter Nolte reported testifying in Salem Wednesday morning at a Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Education hearing along with UCC student Joshua Friedlein and UCC Foundation Director Susan Taylor. The meeting was informational regarding UCCs funding request.
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PREDATOR DAMAGE COMMITTEE SENDING SURVEYS (Douglas County News-Review)
Three full-time trappers through Wildlife Services are charged with covering all the wildlife animal damage issues in Douglas County to protect public safety, livestock and natural resources.
However, Douglas County has had to cut back on programs, including predator control, due to less funding because of reductions in federal timber payments.
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ROSEBURG NAMED A TOP PLACE TO RETIRE (Douglas County News-Review)
I had heard you should retire where you spend your vacations, said Winifred Fiske, who moved to Oregon from Washington to retire three years ago.
Fiske, who turned 97 today, spent her vacations hunting and backpacking along the Columbia River. She moved to Chehalis, but after her husband died, she decided to come down to Roseburg to be closer to her daughter and granddaughter.
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GUEST COLUMN: SPEAKING OUT FOR RURAL OREGON — GUEST OPINION (Wallowa.com)
In recent weeks, the people of Harney County have become no stranger to national headlines. On Jan. 3 a group of armed protesters overtook a federal facility in the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Two days later Dwight and Steve Hammond father and son ranchers from Harney County who were convicted of arson for setting a backfire that burned 139 acres of federal land reported to prison to serve the remainder of a mandatory five-year sentence.
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FBI DEPLOYING ART CRIME TEAM TO INVESTIGATE IF MILITANTS DESECRATED PAIUTE GRAVES (Willamette Week)
-If you want to sign-up to help restore Malheur refuge after the FBI units are done, there is a place.-
Now that the Bundys and their buddies are in jail and Malheur National Wildlife Refuge has been returned to its rightful custodians the birds, it’s time to start assessing the damage caused by the month-and-a-half unsanctioned, live-action-role-playing campout.
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OREGON STANDOFF ENDS, BUT ITS NEW KIND OF ‘PROTEST’ IS JUST BEGINNING +VIDEO (Christian Science Monitor)
-The occupiers at the Oregon refuge, who surrendered Thursday, defended their action as free speech. Others saw it as armed intimidation.-
Thursday in Oregon, federal authorities moved in to surround the last four holdouts occupying Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in a protest against federal land policy. All four have now surrendered. When rancher Cliven Bundy flew into Portland, Ore., Wednesday with plans to support the protest, he was arrested.
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THE QUAKE-MAKER YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF: CASCADIA (CNN)
Mother Earth slowly reveals her secrets, and this time, it’s a fault line deep in the belly of the planet.
Its name is a whopper: The Cascadia subduction zone.
Its gargantuan size and potential power amaze earthquake experts, who say it could cause the worst natural disaster in the history of North America — if it ruptures entirely.
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