State Library eClips
* Oregon standoff: ‘Local control’ might not pan out so well for locals
* Oregon faces uncertain deadline to upgrade driver’s licenses for air travel
* 10 reasons you shouldn’t move to Oregon – Galley
* Get Oregon centered: Editorial Agenda 2016 — Opinion
* Why public schools need measurable standards — Guest Opinion
* The Oregonian’s 2016 Editorial Agenda — Opinion
* Oregon standoff: FBI stages at Burns airport
* Foster care scandal deepens: ‘Every single staff person has a criminal record’
* A state dog for Oregon? Newfoundland suggested for the job
* Oregon student invited to State of the Union address for work with Native American youth
* Anglers protest potential loss of popular fishing spot in Gladstone
* Steve Duin: Rage, reconciliation and rural Oregon
* There is no reliable method for predicting earthquakes — Guest Opinion
* Tim Nesbitt: PERS remains an inconvenient truth for Oregon progressives — Guest Opinion
* Oregon snowpack at 138 percent of normal
* Should the Newfoundland be Oregon’s state dog?
* Work needed to restore confidence in state crime labs — Guest Opinion
* Private Douglas County boarding school contests state closure threat
* Willamette Basin snowpack well above normal, new survey finds
* Oregon Highway 42 landslide repairs could cost $5 million
* Lane County tourism official named to Oregon committee
* Still no student stampede — Opinion
* Allow teachers to defend themselves and students — Guest Opinion
* Dexter education centers expansion plan draws widespread neighborhood opposition
* Deep snowpack bodes well for drought recovery
* Landmark deal could put Oregon on cutting edge in fight against climate change
* Oregon Snowpack Suggests Good Streamflows For Summer
* These Photos Inspired The Creation Of That Occupied Oregon Refuge
* Harney Ranchers Have Long, Varied History With Feds
* Militants May Have Accessed Government Computers At Refuge
* Like The ‘Rust Belt’, The ‘Timber Belt’ And Harney County Are Hurting
* Our view: The big issue at heart of protest — Opinion
* Oregon LNG pulls out of Army Corps litigation
* Wyden stresses the Oregon way
* States working out taxes on legal marijuana
* Editorial: Crab is back; cash begins to flow — Opinion
* For many in the West, grazing rights are a big frustration
* Editorial: Complaint against Judge Miller was undeserved — Opinion
* Editorial: The value of the watchdog — Opinion
* Editorial: Ethics commission needs to be able to prosecute — Opinion
* Angry Birders: Standoff at Oregon Refuge Has Riled a Passionate Group
* Homeland Security Looked Past Antigovernment Movement, Ex-Analyst Says
* Behind the Oregon Standoff, You’ll Find Big Questions About Democracy
* The Ideological Roots of the Oregon Standoff — Opinion
* Americans Are Moving South, West Again
* I’m an Oregon rancher. Here’s what you don’t understand about the Bundy standoff. — Guest Opinion
* The government closed its offices in Oregon days before the armed takeover due to fears of violence
* Nonprofits Want Increased Rates from State to Pay Higher Wages
* OHA Prepares Statewide RFP to Implement Tele-mentoring and Reduce Specialty Referrals
* 2016 Health Law Exchange Enrollment Tops 11.3M
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OREGON STANDOFF: ‘LOCAL CONTROL’ MIGHT NOT PAN OUT SO WELL FOR LOCALS (Portland Oregonian)
Across much of the West, ranchers chafe at federal rules governing how they can use their land. At the same time, they are heavily dependent upon – some would say heavily subsidized by their access to cheap grass on public lands.
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OREGON FACES UNCERTAIN DEADLINE TO UPGRADE DRIVER’S LICENSES FOR AIR TRAVEL (Portland Oregonian)
Oregonians might soon find their driver’s licenses and ID cards no longer pass muster at federal checkpoints, including airport security.
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10 REASONS YOU SHOULDN’T MOVE TO OREGON – GALLEY (Portland Oregonian)
Oregon is the country’s top relocation destination, as Luke Hammill of The Oregonian/OregonLive.com reported Thursday.
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GET OREGON CENTERED: EDITORIAL AGENDA 2016 — OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
We’ll admit this at the outset: The principle at the heart of our first agenda item this year – finding the political center – can be almost as squishy as a month-old banana. A policy position that seems moderate to one person can seem very different to someone else. Meanwhile, the typical manifestation of moderation bipartisanship is no guarantee that a policy is good
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WHY PUBLIC SCHOOLS NEED MEASURABLE STANDARDS — GUEST OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
In a Jan. 5 guest column by Geoffrey Barrett, the argument is made that standards and testing do not improve results in schools. When Barrett states that “reform advocates claim that ‘tougher standards’ and test-based accountability increase student proficiency levels,” he is fundamentally misstating the issue.
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THE OREGONIAN’S 2016 EDITORIAL AGENDA — OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
Last year was both an eventful one for Oregon and, politically, a bitter one. It began with a governor in crisis, featured a particularly contentious legislative session and concluded with a militant, anti-government group gathering in Burns.
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OREGON STANDOFF: FBI STAGES AT BURNS AIRPORT (Portland Oregonian)
The FBI has staged at the Burns Municipal Airport, blocking entrance to a U.S. Bureau of Land Management base there used to fight fires during the summer.
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FOSTER CARE SCANDAL DEEPENS: ‘EVERY SINGLE STAFF PERSON HAS A CRIMINAL RECORD’ (Portland Oregonian)
Back in February 2009, the head of Oregon’s child welfare programs emailed her boss with worries about Portland foster care provider Give Us This Day.
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A STATE DOG FOR OREGON? NEWFOUNDLAND SUGGESTED FOR THE JOB (Portland Oregonian)
An Oregon House of Representatives committee will hear a pitch Thursday on naming the Newfoundland State Dog of Oregon.
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OREGON STUDENT INVITED TO STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS FOR WORK WITH NATIVE AMERICAN YOUTH (Portland Oregonian)
Lydia Doza missed a call on her cellphone while sitting in class at the Oregon Institute of Technology. The caller left a voicemail. And then sent a text message.
Doza looked at her phone skeptically. She almost ignored the text.
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ANGLERS PROTEST POTENTIAL LOSS OF POPULAR FISHING SPOT IN GLADSTONE (Portland Oregonian)
Upset anglers have drawn a line at the lower Willamette River’s most popular and accessible bank-fishing hole and asked not dared the City of Gladstone and the Port of Portland to not step across.
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STEVE DUIN: RAGE, RECONCILIATION AND RURAL OREGON (Portland Oregonian)
The ongoing Western tragedy, folks, is not an armed and angry posse holding a bird sanctuary hostage in the high desert of Harney County.
It’s the cynical abandonment of the ranchers, fishermen and Native American tribes so dependent on water in the Klamath Basin.
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THERE IS NO RELIABLE METHOD FOR PREDICTING EARTHQUAKES — GUEST OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
A recent guest column in The Oregonian/OregonLive promoted short-term earthquake prediction techniques based on precursory electromagnetic EM signals.
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TIM NESBITT: PERS REMAINS AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH FOR OREGON PROGRESSIVES — GUEST OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
PERS again? Really?
That was the reaction of many of my former colleagues in labor and government at the Oregon Leadership Summit last month, when I presented yet another report on how to solve the problem of a pension plan that threatens to consume larger and larger shares of public budgets.
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OREGON SNOWPACK AT 138 PERCENT OF NORMAL (Salem Statesman Journal)
The cold month of December has brought welcome precipitation to Oregon, kicking off 2016 with promises of plentiful water in the forecast, the Natural Resources Conservation Service announced Friday.
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SHOULD THE NEWFOUNDLAND BE OREGON’S STATE DOG? (Salem Statesman Journal)
A Hubbard woman hopes to gain some support during this coming week’s Legislative Days to formally establish the Newfoundland as Oregon’s official state dog.
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WORK NEEDED TO RESTORE CONFIDENCE IN STATE CRIME LABS — GUEST OPINION (Salem Statesman Journal)
Its a scenario familiar to all of us from television crime shows: the court case that turns on a vital piece of evidence from an expert witness proving beyond question the guilt or innocence of the defendant.
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PRIVATE DOUGLAS COUNTY BOARDING SCHOOL CONTESTS STATE CLOSURE THREAT (Eugene Register-Guard)
A private, for-profit Douglas County boarding school accused by the Department of Human Services of child abuse, neglect and other repeated offenses now is scheduled to face the state agency to contest the allegations.
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WILLAMETTE BASIN SNOWPACK WELL ABOVE NORMAL, NEW SURVEY FINDS (Eugene Register-Guard)
This winters storms have dumped so much snow onto the Willamette Basin mountains that the snowpack stands at 126 percent of normal, the federal government said in its first snowpack report of the year.
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OREGON HIGHWAY 42 LANDSLIDE REPAIRS COULD COST $5 MILLION (Eugene Register-Guard)
Clearing and repairing a stretch of Highway 42 inundated by a half-million cubic yards of debris could cost the state $5 million, state Department of Transportation officials said Friday.
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LANE COUNTY TOURISM OFFICIAL NAMED TO OREGON COMMITTEE (Eugene Register-Guard)
Travel Lane County Chief Executive Kari Westlund has been appointed to a state task force that will help guide conservation, education and outdoor recreation policies in Oregon.
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STILL NO STUDENT STAMPEDE — OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
When the 2011 Legislature approved a law allowing Oregon children to enroll in any school district that would accept them, it was a victory for school choice and for the idea that the states education system exists to serve students, not school districts.
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ALLOW TEACHERS TO DEFEND THEMSELVES AND STUDENTS — GUEST OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
James Newtons Dec. 31 guest viewpoint arguing that educators should not be armed showed him to be a thoughtful and caring teacher.
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DEXTER EDUCATION CENTERS EXPANSION PLAN DRAWS WIDESPREAD NEIGHBORHOOD OPPOSITION (Eugene Register-Guard)
The yellow sign at the mouth of the long, muddy, forested driveway reads Faerie Children at Play.
Behind it stretch 87 acres of Douglas fir, moss-covered oak trees and meadows; scattered dorms, cabins, shacks, yurts and trailers; plus gardens, greenhouses and a free-roaming flock of chickens.
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DEEP SNOWPACK BODES WELL FOR DROUGHT RECOVERY (Portland Tribune)
Oregon’s mountain snowpack is above normal and has already surpassed last years snowpack, which could be a good sign as the state recovers from drought.
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LANDMARK DEAL COULD PUT OREGON ON CUTTING EDGE IN FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE (Portland Tribune)
A potentially landmark deal between environmentalists and Portland electric utilities could phase out coal power in Oregon and speed its replacement with wind, solar and other renewable energy.
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OREGON SNOWPACK SUGGESTS GOOD STREAMFLOWS FOR SUMMER (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Recent snowfall is setting up Oregon for a summer with plenty of water. But much of the state remains in drought.
Its the job of the Natural Resources Conservation Service to track how much water there is in rivers, in reservoirs and in snow, waiting to melt.
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THESE PHOTOS INSPIRED THE CREATION OF THAT OCCUPIED OREGON REFUGE (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
The armed militants occupying Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Eastern Oregon come from as far away as Texas and Montana. But they are hardly the refuges first out-of-state visitors.
Malheur Lake is a regional hub for hundreds of thousands of migrating waterfowl. By some measures, it boasts the greatest diversity of bird species in the entire state.
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HARNEY RANCHERS HAVE LONG, VARIED HISTORY WITH FEDS (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Surrounded by her five children, rancher Debbie Johnson walked through the occupied Malheur Wildlife Refuge headquarters Tuesday, talking with the militants who want an end to federal management of public lands.
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MILITANTS MAY HAVE ACCESSED GOVERNMENT COMPUTERS AT REFUGE (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking into whether militants at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge have accessed government computers during their occupation.
OPB observed militants interacting with computers in the compound that can only be accessed with employee ID badges. The armed men also appear to have gone through materials in an office building used by federal employees.
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LIKE THE ‘RUST BELT’, THE ‘TIMBER BELT’ AND HARNEY COUNTY ARE HURTING (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
While Harney County residents are asking armed protesters to leave, many locals are sympathetic to their issues. Economists say the root may lie in the west’s rural economy.
Harney County is sparsely populated, with 7,000 residents living on 10,000 square miles of land. That used to mean a healthy timber industry.
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OUR VIEW: THE BIG ISSUE AT HEART OF PROTEST — OPINION (East Oregonian)
For perhaps the only time in recorded history, Eastern Oregon is the setting of the nations biggest news story.
For more than a week now, a group of armed protesters have failed at provoking a firefight with federal agents while occupying facilities at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Harney County residents have largely rebuffed the militancy, and have made clear that they want the out-of-area occupiers to leave.
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OREGON LNG PULLS OUT OF ARMY CORPS LITIGATION (Daily Astorian)
-Judge John V. Acosta orders the case dismissed ‘without prejudice.’-
Oregon LNG has voluntarily withdrawn from litigation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers before a federal district court judge could officially dismiss the energy company’s claims.
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WYDEN STRESSES THE OREGON WAY (Daily Astorian)
-Solutions, not standoffs, the senator says-
Whether addressing low graduation rates, sea lions migrating to the Columbia River or armed protesters in Harney County, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden stressed during a Saturday town hall what he called the Oregon way: solutions and not standoffs.
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STATES WORKING OUT TAXES ON LEGAL MARIJUANA (Daily Astorian)
Oregon medical marijuana dispensaries started collecting a 25 percent tax on the retail price of recreational marijuana products on Jan. 4.
Dispensaries started selling nontaxable limited recreational marijuana products seeds, leaves, flowers, and non-flowering plants to those 21 or older on Oct. 1, 2015. However, taxation wasn’t authorized to start until January, and the rate is in effect for dispensary sales until Dec. 31.
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EDITORIAL: CRAB IS BACK; CASH BEGINS TO FLOW — OPINION (Daily Astorian)
-The painful delay is over-
Partnerships between crabbers, the Coast Guard and fishery agencies are a pleasant contrast to enmity elsewhere
A 35-day delay in the start of crab season was a loud reminder of the continuing importance of this fishery for our regions economy and the well-being of local families.
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FOR MANY IN THE WEST, GRAZING RIGHTS ARE A BIG FRUSTRATION (Bend Bulletin)
-Why ranchers feel frustration with federal government-
Over a cup of coffee Friday morning, Candy Tiller explained why many ranchers in rural counties, like Harney County east of Bend, are frustrated when it comes to grazing on federally managed land.
Our lands are not being taken care of like they should be, she said. Federal agencies are not utilizing the locals knowledge.
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EDITORIAL: COMPLAINT AGAINST JUDGE MILLER WAS UNDESERVED — OPINION (Bend Bulletin)
For more than a year, Judge Randy Miller of Bend has had a cloud over his reputation. Recently, that cloud has been lifted. The Oregon Commission on Judicial Fitness and Disability recommended dismissal of charges filed against him in the summer of 2014.
That it did so comes as no surprise.
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EDITORIAL: THE VALUE OF THE WATCHDOG — OPINION (Bend Bulletin)
The Eugene Register-Guard has published a potent story of money, former Gov. John Kitzhaber and the proposed world track championships in Eugene at the University of Oregon. The Bulletin ran a version of the story Thursday.
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EDITORIAL: ETHICS COMMISSION NEEDS TO BE ABLE TO PROSECUTE — OPINION (Bend Bulletin)
Oregon’s Government Ethics Commission has grown toothless with old age. It clearly prefers settlement over confrontation, so much so that since 2008 it has settled all of the 150 or so cases it gets each year, according to The Oregonian, taking no one to the commissions equivalent of court.
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ANGRY BIRDERS: STANDOFF AT OREGON REFUGE HAS RILED A PASSIONATE GROUP (New York Times)
Noah Strycker was in a hotel room in Ethiopia when he saw news that Oregon’s Malheur National Wildlife Refuge had been occupied by an armed group protesting the federal government’s imprisonment of two local ranchers. He had just completed a record-breaking “Big Year” of birding, in which he often spent 18 hours a day, without taking a day off, observing some 6,042 species of birds in 41 countries on seven continents.
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HOMELAND SECURITY LOOKED PAST ANTIGOVERNMENT MOVEMENT, EX-ANALYST SAYS (New York Times)
Daryl Johnson once worked in the branch of the Department of Homeland Security that studied the threats posed by antigovernment groups. His former office was shut down more than five years ago.
But when members of an armed group took over a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon last week, Mr. Johnson was not surprised.
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BEHIND THE OREGON STANDOFF, YOU’LL FIND BIG QUESTIONS ABOUT DEMOCRACY (New York Times)
Arguments about federal land have been a feature of American political life since the birth of the nation. The details of the controversies may vary, but the theme is always the same: How should we use federal lands for the collective and individual benefit of the nation? The issue sounds abstract and philosophical. But given that the federal Bureau of Land Management administers roughly one-eighth of the nation’s landmass, its decisions confront the question in a very concrete way: What, fundamentally, is our land for?
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THE IDEOLOGICAL ROOTS OF THE OREGON STANDOFF (New York Times)
It is tempting to dismiss the antigovernment gunmen who took control of an animal refuge in Oregon on Jan. 2 as fanatics working at the fringes of American politics. But if the methods used by the rancher Ammon Bundy to seize the federal property were radical, the ideological roots of the operation were somewhat more mainstream.
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AMERICANS ARE MOVING SOUTH, WEST AGAIN (Stateline)
Americans are heading South and West again in search of jobs and more affordable housing, as the nations economic health continues to improve.
Census population estimates show that the 16 states and the District of Columbia that comprise the South saw an increase of almost 1.4 million people between 2014 and 2015. The 13 states in the West grew by about 866,000 people.
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I’M AN OREGON RANCHER. HERE’S WHAT YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE BUNDY STANDOFF. — GUEST OPINION (Washington Post)
-The Obama administration has pushed our livelihood to the brink.-
This week, the Ammon Bundy-led seizure of a federal wildlife refuge thrust Oregon’s ranchers into the spotlight. While I don’t agree with the occupiers tactics, I sympathize with their position. Being a rancher was always challenging. And it has become increasingly difficult under the Obama administration.
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THE GOVERNMENT CLOSED ITS OFFICES IN OREGON DAYS BEFORE THE ARMED TAKEOVER DUE TO FEARS OF VIOLENCE (Washington Post)
The federal government began shutting its offices in eastern Oregon days before the showdown with armed anti-government protesters began this week, because of mounting hostility and security threats, officials said Thursday.
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NONPROFITS WANT INCREASED RATES FROM STATE TO PAY HIGHER WAGES (The Lund Report)
If the state raises the minimum wage but fails to increase the rates it pays nonprofits to provide state services, these organizations would end up feeling the squeeze. The median wages of workers who provide crucial services to the states most vulnerable residents is $11 an hour, which is $1 less an hour than they made in 2003, when adjusted for inflation.
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OHA PREPARES STATEWIDE RFP TO IMPLEMENT TELE-MENTORING AND REDUCE SPECIALTY REFERRALS (The Lund Report)
The Oregon Healthcare Workforce Committee probed Oregon’s foray into tele-mentoring through Project ECHO, developed at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center to increase access to specialty treatment in rural and underserved areas by giving front-line clinicians support to manage patients with complex conditions such as hepatitis C, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic pain and behavioral health disorders.
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2016 HEALTH LAW EXCHANGE ENROLLMENT TOPS 11.3M (The Lund Report)
More than 11.3 million people have enrolled in private health insurance for 2016 under the Affordable Care Act, surpassing last years mark and the 10.5 million goal that the Obama administration set for the year, federal officials said Thursday.
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