State Library eClips
* Earthquake strikes early Friday outside Pendleton; area along Oregon-Nevada border quiets
* Kurt Schrader praises ‘hot goods’ settlement, others more moderate
* Process for choosing judges in Oregon must change — Guest Opinion
* Eastern Oregon residents didn’t vote for legal marijuana, urge OLCC to keep a tight rein
* Fight over contact lens pricing heads to Oregon Legislature
* The Oddball Bill Bowl for the 2015 Legislature — Opinion
* Minimum wage boost, other policies will not hurt small businesses — Guest Opinion
* Environmental group explains timber-project challenge — Guest Opinion
* Intel’s parental ‘bonding’ leave sets new standard, but other Oregon employers unlikely to add it
* HealthCare.gov scales back data-sharing with third parties after privacy outcry
* Portland Meat Collective receives $150,000 grant, Oregon Arts Commission awards $200,000 in grants to 34 projects
* Toxic chemicals in Oregon: EPA report details releases
* Protesters at Capitol demand higher minimum wage
* Oregon lawmakers have much to discern about marijuana — Opinion
* Why did Gov. Kitzhaber fire Catherine Mater? — Opinion
* Editorial Board: Tina Kotek
* Gear guide: Tips for navigating swampy legislature
* Dirty cleaners
* Rules to help groundfish spur new technology
* Fish safe, hatcheries back to normal
* Pot-related poison control calls rising
* Kitzhaber warns of overreach — Opinion
* Clean fuels help economy as well as environment — Guest Opinion
* Clearing properties costly, worthwhile
* School choice becomes rally cry across nation, Portland
* Panel recommends state debt limits
* Other Views: Governor should not forget rural Oregon — Guest Opinion
* Hansell: Looking forward to second session, tired of attacks — Guest Opinion
* Oregon Strippers Prepare to Fight For Workplace Protection Laws — Blog
* Oregon Bill Would Expand Parents’ Rights to Excuse Kids from Standarized Tests — Blog
* State contributing $400,000 to Springfield mill for post-fire rebuild
* Carbon needs to cost in state — Guest Opinion
* Deschutes County looks at its priorities for Legislature
* Oregon tech group shakes up the way it bridges business, civic and education programs — Blog
* A look at the hospital tax and Kitzhaber’s Oregon Health Plan budget — Blog
* Oregon Small Businesses Open To Crowdfunding Investors
* Oregon Doctors Wait For Feds To Allow New Meningococcal Vaccine
* Board Tightens Requirements On Instructional Hours For Oregon Students
* Sea Stars Make A Comeback – For Now
* ODOT Adding Road Cams In Southern Oregon To Update TripCheck
* Lawmaker: Oregon farm industry vulnerable in 2015 legislature
* Oregons wine industry packs a surprising economic punch
* States Look to Tax E-Cigarettes — Blog
* A Humane Alternative to Physician-Assisted Suicide — Blog
* Dungeness crab fishery proving what goes up must come down
* Oregon inching closer to free community college
* Gun control group focusing on Oregon
* UO and the Emerald interview Gov. Kitzhaber
* Technology helps more people enjoy books
* California considering plan to replace gas tax with charge per mile driven
* Nineteen environmental groups push for pesticide rules
* Company Wants To Turn Sewer Water Into Beer
* Oregon Laboratory Earns Safety Recognition
* Wyden Introduces Bill To Fund Wildfire Control
____________________
EARTHQUAKE STRIKES EARLY FRIDAY OUTSIDE PENDLETON; AREA ALONG OREGON-NEVADA BORDER QUIETS (Portland Oregonian)
A magnitude-3.6 earthquake struck early Friday in a rural area just northeast of Pendleton.
More than 20 people reported feeling the earthquake, which struck at 5:47 a.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The agency’s website reports the number of people who self-report experiencing an earthquake.
_________________________________________
KURT SCHRADER PRAISES ‘HOT GOODS’ SETTLEMENT, OTHERS MORE MODERATE (Portland Oregonian)
The settlement between two Oregon blueberry growers and the Department of Labor are drawing reactions throughout the West Coast.
The blueberry growers received a more than $130,000, combined, in the settlement. Both parties dropped the claims against each other in the years-long case.
_________________________________________
PROCESS FOR CHOOSING JUDGES IN OREGON MUST CHANGE — GUEST OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
Judicial races take place across the country every election cycle. Sadly, many of those judicial elections now resemble the nasty, high-cost battles we see for legislative and executive offices, making judges look more like politicians in robes. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Oregon has an opportunity to insulate our courts from the high-stakes election spending and protect judges from political pressure by changing the way judges in our state are selected.
_________________________________________
EASTERN OREGON RESIDENTS DIDN’T VOTE FOR LEGAL MARIJUANA, URGE OLCC TO KEEP A TIGHT REIN (Portland Oregonian)
Oregonians settled the question of marijuanas legality in a decisive vote last November. Yet the home of the 105-year-old Pendleton Round-Up isnt ready to concede.
_________________________________________
FIGHT OVER CONTACT LENS PRICING HEADS TO OREGON LEGISLATURE (Portland Oregonian)
An Internet firm that sells contact lenses is trying to persuade Oregon legislators to stop manufacturers from setting a minimum price on their products.
_________________________________________
THE ODDBALL BILL BOWL FOR THE 2015 LEGISLATURE — OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
The beginning of each session of the Oregon Legislature is marked by ceremony, speechifying and the introduction of bills. Lots of bills, some good, some bad and a small number that simply make you scratch your head.
_________________________________________
MINIMUM WAGE BOOST, OTHER POLICIES WILL NOT HURT SMALL BUSINESSES — GUEST OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
I co-own Hawthorne Auto Clinic in Portland. We’ve been in business for more than 30 years, so I know a thing or two about how small businesses succeed.
_________________________________________
ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP EXPLAINS TIMBER-PROJECT CHALLENGE — GUEST OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
The Snow Basin timber project, described in Union County Commissioner Mark Davidson’s recent guest column, involves 44 square miles just south of the Eagle Cap Wilderness in the Wallowa Mountains of northeast Oregon.
_________________________________________
INTEL’S PARENTAL ‘BONDING’ LEAVE SETS NEW STANDARD, BUT OTHER OREGON EMPLOYERS UNLIKELY TO ADD IT (Portland Oregonian)
It’s a perk that’s the envy of new parents everywhere.
In addition to helping finance new moms’ 13-week maternity leave, Intel made headlines this month when it promised an additional eight weeks of paid “bonding” time for all new parents, mothers and fathers alike.
_________________________________________
HEALTHCARE.GOV SCALES BACK DATA-SHARING WITH THIRD PARTIES AFTER PRIVACY OUTCRY (Portland Oregonian)
Bowing to an outcry over privacy, the Obama administration reversed itself Friday, scaling back the release of consumers’ personal information from the government’s health insurance website to private companies with a commercial interest in the data.
_________________________________________
PORTLAND MEAT COLLECTIVE RECEIVES $150,000 GRANT, OREGON ARTS COMMISSION AWARDS $200,000 IN GRANTS TO 34 PROJECTS (Portland Oregonian)
Camas Davis and the Portland Meat Collective, a traveling butchery school that brings local meat to local people, received a $150,000 Mission Main Street Grant from Chase.
_________________________________________
TOXIC CHEMICALS IN OREGON: EPA REPORT DETAILS RELEASES (Salem Statesman Journal)
The quantity of toxic chemicals released to Oregon’s air, land and water decreased by 18 percent in 2013, according to new data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
_________________________________________
PROTESTERS AT CAPITOL DEMAND HIGHER MINIMUM WAGE (Salem Statesman Journal)
Supporters of higher wages for Oregon’s low-paid workers swarmed the state Capitol steps today, loudly chanting, “Fight for 15.”
_________________________________________
OREGON LAWMAKERS HAVE MUCH TO DISCERN ABOUT MARIJUANA — OPINION (Salem Statesman Journal)
Get over the jokes about the Legislature’s “Joint Committee,” digging through the legislative weeds, and Oregon’s emergence “out of the Stone Age and into the Get Stoned Age.”
_________________________________________
WHY DID GOV. KITZHABER FIRE CATHERINE MATER? — OPINION (Salem Statesman Journal)
Raise your hand if you think theres something more to the story about Gov. John Kitzhaber dismissing Corvallis resident Catherine Mater from her post on the Oregon Transportation Commission.
_________________________________________
EDITORIAL BOARD: TINA KOTEK (Salem Statesman Journal)
Tina Kotek meets with the Statesman Journal Editorial Board to discuss the upcoming legislative session. Jan. 22, 2015
_________________________________________
GEAR GUIDE: TIPS FOR NAVIGATING SWAMPY LEGISLATURE (Salem Statesman Journal)
Let us wade this week into the virtual swamp that is the Oregon Legislature’s current 2015 session.
Specifically, here are some online tips to see what’s going on in the marble palace up the street.
_________________________________________
DIRTY CLEANERS (Eugene Register-Guard)
-Reviving an abandoned, contaminated site could cost $850,000-
Nestled between the always-bustling Eugene Public Library and The Kiva grocery store, the one-story building that until five years ago housed a dry cleaners and a shoe repair store is a boarded-up afterthought in the heart of downtown Eugene.
_________________________________________
RULES TO HELP GROUNDFISH SPUR NEW TECHNOLOGY (Eugene Register-Guard)
Sara Skamser has to do a lot less convincing these days.
The owner of Newports Foulweather Trawl fishing net company has been a trusted business partner of West Coast trawlers for three decades, but many of them were skeptical when she began developing special nets designed to keep out unwanted species.
_________________________________________
FISH SAFE, HATCHERIES BACK TO NORMAL (Eugene Register-Guard)
-The state-run facilities halt emergency operations after EWEB refills the lake Wednesday behind Leaburg Dam-
Two state-run fish hatcheries downstream from Leaburg Dam have returned to normal operations.
_________________________________________
POT-RELATED POISON CONTROL CALLS RISING (Eugene Register-Guard)
-Officials in Washington and Colorado are most worried about a rise in calls for kids-
Marijuana-related calls to poison control centers in Washington and Colorado have spiked since the states began allowing legal sales last year, with an especially troubling increase in calls concerning young children.
_________________________________________
KITZHABER WARNS OF OVERREACH — OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
-Governor says Legislatures Democratic majority could go too far, too fast-
House Speaker Tina Kotek told The Register-Guard editorial board that when the 2015 Legislature convenes a week from Monday, it will focus on matters that led voters to enlarge the Democratic majorities in both chambers: education and workplace issues such as paid leave and a higher minimum wage.
_________________________________________
CLEAN FUELS HELP ECONOMY AS WELL AS ENVIRONMENT — GUEST OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
This year, Oregon has an opportunity to give our economy a boost while creating a healthier, cleaner environment. The Clean Fuels Program works and the Legislature should support it.
_________________________________________
CLEARING PROPERTIES COSTLY, WORTHWHILE (Eugene Register-Guard)
Contaminated and abandoned commercial properties, such as the former McAyeals lot, are common in Oregon.
_________________________________________
SCHOOL CHOICE BECOMES RALLY CRY ACROSS NATION, PORTLAND (Portland Tribune)
The public education system is a pillar of American democracy but questions are rising about the method of delivery.
_________________________________________
PANEL RECOMMENDS STATE DEBT LIMITS (Portland Tribune)
-Lawmakers will set bond ceilings, set projects as part of state budget process-
_________________________________________
OTHER VIEWS: GOVERNOR SHOULD NOT FORGET RURAL OREGON — GUEST OPINION (Medford Mail Tribune)
Gov. John Kitzhaber took his oath of office on Jan. 13 to begin his unprecedented fourth term. In the speech that followed the oath, he struck an interesting note that might suggest one of his priorities for his final four years in office.
_________________________________________
HANSELL: LOOKING FORWARD TO SECOND SESSION, TIRED OF ATTACKS — GUEST OPINION (East Oregonian)
-State senator defends record in first term, talks about upcoming session.-
As the 2015 legislative session is set to begin, I wanted to take a moment and thank you for the ability to serve and represent you in Salem. This is truly an honor and I worked hard to make you proud as a freshman legislator.
_________________________________________
OREGON STRIPPERS PREPARE TO FIGHT FOR WORKPLACE PROTECTION LAWS — BLOG (Willamette Week)
Nude dancers who want more rights and better workplace protections are pushing forward with bills to create new rules for Oregon strip clubs.
_________________________________________
OREGON BILL WOULD EXPAND PARENTS’ RIGHTS TO EXCUSE KIDS FROM STANDARIZED TESTS — BLOG (Willamette Week)
Rep. Lew Frederick D-Portland wants parents to be able to opt their children out of standardized tests for any reason, broadening a state law that currently allows opting out for reasons of religion or disability only.
_________________________________________
STATE CONTRIBUTING $400,000 TO SPRINGFIELD MILL FOR POST-FIRE REBUILD (Bend Bulletin)
Steve Swanson, the president and chief executive officer of Swanson Group Inc., picked up his ringing phone the day after a massive fire destroyed his companys plywood and veneer mill in Springfield. On the other end was Gov. John Kitzhaber, offering his help.
_________________________________________
CARBON NEEDS TO COST IN STATE — GUEST OPINION (Bend Bulletin)
Its time Oregon put a price on carbon.
Rising temperatures, decreased snow pack and changing rainfall patterns are negatively affecting the areas traditional economy rooted in tourism, agriculture and forestry and human health.
_________________________________________
DESCHUTES COUNTY LOOKS AT ITS PRIORITIES FOR LEGISLATURE (Bend Bulletin)
-Bills pertaining to land use and recreational marijuana of interest-
Deschutes County officials are looking closely at bills in the upcoming Oregon legislative session that would affect the county.
_________________________________________
OREGON TECH GROUP SHAKES UP THE WAY IT BRIDGES BUSINESS, CIVIC AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS — BLOG (Oregon Business Journal)
While the Technology Association of Oregon has sought to nurture the state’s innovation economy, the efforts have sometimes led to silos within the organization.
_________________________________________
A LOOK AT THE HOSPITAL TAX AND KITZHABER’S OREGON HEALTH PLAN BUDGET — BLOG (Oregon Business Journal)
If all goes according to plan, there won’t be any change to the hospital tax in the next biennium.
Gov. John Kitzhaber’s budget assumes it will remain at 4.5 percent of net patient revenue. In addition, there is a 1 percent assessment for the Hospital Transformation Performance Program.
_________________________________________
OREGON SMALL BUSINESSES OPEN TO CROWDFUNDING INVESTORS (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
While other states have softly launched new crowdfunding investment laws, Oregon has been determined to start off with a bang.
More than 300 people RSVPd to Thursdays Launch Oregon event at Hatch Innovation in Portland. Curious potential investors browsed among nine small businesses. Some companies were just starting out, while others were hoping to expand.
_________________________________________
OREGON DOCTORS WAIT FOR FEDS TO ALLOW NEW MENINGOCOCCAL VACCINE (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Following several high-profile cases of meningococcal disease in Oregon, local doctors are waiting to see if the federal government will permit a new vaccine.
The rate of meningococcal disease has been dropping over the last two decades, but the illness can be fatal.
_________________________________________
BOARD TIGHTENS REQUIREMENTS ON INSTRUCTIONAL HOURS FOR OREGON STUDENTS (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
The Oregon Board of Education approved more stringent requirements Thursday for how many hours public school students spend learning each year.
A loophole in the old rules had led some parents and students to complain their schedules were padded with study halls and empty periods.
_________________________________________
SEA STARS MAKE A COMEBACK – FOR NOW (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
The worst of the sea star wasting disease epidemic that decimated sea star populations along the West Coast during the past 19 months appears to be over at Haystack Rock at least for now.
_________________________________________
ODOT ADDING ROAD CAMS IN SOUTHERN OREGON TO UPDATE TRIPCHECK (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Drivers on Interstate 5 in Douglas County and other southern Oregon highways will soon have access to better information about weather and road conditions.
_________________________________________
LAWMAKER: OREGON FARM INDUSTRY VULNERABLE IN 2015 LEGISLATURE (Capital Press)
-Speakers at the Dunn Carney law firm’s annual Ag Summit provided an outlook for Oregon’s upcoming legislative session.-
Oregons farm industry will be more vulnerable to bad bills this year due to larger Democratic majorities in the state legislature, said Sen. Betsy Johnson, D-Scappoose.
_________________________________________
OREGONS WINE INDUSTRY PACKS A SURPRISING ECONOMIC PUNCH (Capital Press)
-A new study says Oregon’s focus on high-quality wine has paid off in the form of a $3.3 billion economic impact.-
The first comprehensive look at Oregons wine industry in four years estimates it has grown to have an economic impact of $3.35 billion, counting direct and related sales, jobs, services and products.
_________________________________________
STATES LOOK TO TAX E-CIGARETTES — BLOG (Stateline)
Taking a long inhale and blowing a cloud of vapor, Jason Jones, who has owned the Vapor Mania store here since 2011, considered what a tax would do to his business, which includes selling electronic cigarettes as well as manufacturing a wide variety of flavored nicotine liquids to go into them.
_________________________________________
A HUMANE ALTERNATIVE TO PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED SUICIDE — BLOG (Wall Street Journal)
Since the inception of Oregons Death with Dignity Act in 1994, approximately 750 individuals having taken their own lives with the assistance of a physician, representing 60% to 70% of those who sought out and received a lethal but legal prescription. Routine data collected from these individuals indicate consistently that the most common reasons for seeking physician-assisted suicide in Oregon include loss of autonomy, decreased ability to participate in enjoyable activities, and loss of dignity.
_________________________________________
DUNGENESS CRAB FISHERY PROVING WHAT GOES UP MUST COME DOWN (The World)
-Dungeness crab fishery seeing fewer pounds of crab being pulled from the ocean-
The Oregon Dungeness Crab fishery is a cyclical one, meaning it has its share of up-and-down seasons. This year is going to be one of the latter.
Hugh Link, executive director of the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission, said this week that the quality of crab remains high, but the quantity is lacking.
_________________________________________
OREGON INCHING CLOSER TO FREE COMMUNITY COLLEGE (The World)
-Mark Hass’ proposal would only be available to recent high school graduates-
Students may be tossed a life ring before drowning themselves in student loan debt for college in Oregon.
_________________________________________
GUN CONTROL GROUP FOCUSING ON OREGON (The Columbian)
-Bloomberg-backed organization supported Washington’s initiative on background checks-
Fresh off a victory in Washington state, a leading gun control group backed by billionaire Michael Bloomberg is hoping to make Oregon its next prize in a campaign to require gun sales to go through universal background checks.
_________________________________________
UO AND THE EMERALD INTERVIEW GOV. KITZHABER (The Daily Emerald)
I grew up in an era where people actually believed in government, Governor John Kitzhaber said toward the beginning of his speech on January 22 at University of Oregon.
Kitzhaber was speaking to a collection of UO political science students, Wayne Morse scholarship recipients and student government representatives.
_________________________________________
TECHNOLOGY HELPS MORE PEOPLE ENJOY BOOKS (Hermiston Herald)
-Technology offers new options for enjoying books.-
Judy Barkhurst has read hundreds of large-print books through Hermiston Public Librarys Elderlibraries program, but because of recent eye problems, she hopes to continue enjoying books using technology.
_________________________________________
CALIFORNIA CONSIDERING PLAN TO REPLACE GAS TAX WITH CHARGE PER MILE DRIVEN (Mercury News)
More people are driving electric cars. Gasoline cars are getting better mileage. And California’s vehicles are causing less pollution.
But all that good news is generating a major problem: As motorists buy less gasoline, state gas tax revenues that pay for roads have been falling for a decade, leading to more potholes and traffic jams.
_________________________________________
NINETEEN ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS PUSH FOR PESTICIDE RULES (Herald and News)
-The groups range from local watershed alliances to Oregon Wild and the Sierra Club-
Ever since residents in a Southern Oregon community near Gold Beach claimed weed killer sprayed from a helicopter poisoned them in late 2013, the Eugene-based environmental group Beyond Toxics has been pushing hard for stricter rules governing aerial spraying.
Now it has company.
_________________________________________
COMPANY WANTS TO TURN SEWER WATER INTO BEER (Northwest Public Radio)
An Oregon water treatment company wants to turn sewer water into beer. But current state rules wouldn’t allow anyone to drink it.
_________________________________________
OREGON LABORATORY EARNS SAFETY RECOGNITION (Workers Compensation)
Oregon OSHA welcomes VR Analytical in Bend as the latest employer in the Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program SHARP.
SHARP provides an incentive for Oregon employers to work with their employees to find and correct hazards, develop and implement effective safety and health programs, and continuously improve. The ultimate goal of SHARP is to encourage employers to become self-sufficient in managing workplace safety and health issues. Currently, about 34 employer locations are active SHARP employers , in addition to approximately 136 facilities that have graduated from the program.
_________________________________________
WYDEN INTRODUCES BILL TO FUND WILDFIRE CONTROL (Jefferson Public Radio)
Oregon Democratic Senator Ron Wyden reintroduced legislation Thursday that would boost federal funding to fight wildfires.
_________________________________________
