State Library eClips
* 74,500 Oregonians enroll, re-enroll via HealthCare.Gov
* Warm Springs tribes vote on growing, selling marijuana
* Warm water off Northwest coast could weaken future salmon runs
* Wildfires: Congress can’t reach deal on Forest Service’s fire funding problem
* Oregon job growth reaches highest mark in 2 decades
* Why is there a ramp signal if there’s no merge?
* Judicial fitness case against Oregon judge ‘not about religion,’ lawyer argues
* Family of Oregon worker crushed by dump truck seeks $7.9 million
* Walmart raises wages again: Oregon full-timers to make $13.75
* Company names West Linn safest city in metro area, third-safest in Oregon
* Woodburn Democrat won’t run in 2016, setting up swing-seat battle in Oregon House
* What Oregon can do to combat climate change — Guest Opinion
* Oregon election law trumps Portland’s anti-Donald resolution
* Pet food recalled for positive Listeria test
* State workers show holiday generosity
* Silverton Health, Legacy Health sign agreement to align
* Budget bill stuffed with millions more for Western needs
* Oregon’s graduation rate lags as U.S. hits record high
* Elliott State Forest sale attracts four dozen prospective buyers
* Rep. Betty Komp announces retirement from legislature
* Non-native crayfish invading Crater Lake
* Ease sick-leave compliance — Opinion
* The costs of homelessness — Opinion
* Large Oregon grant to provide housing for people with mental health issues in Eugene-Springfield
* Low-tax, low-wage ideology hurts middle class — Guest Opinion
* School district violates Oregon City tree code, hires contractor without business license
* Securing our schools
* What’s good for business is good for Oregon — Opinion
* Board starts on retirement savings plans
* Question remains who will pay for Willamette River cleanup
* Portland area slipping in its waste prevention efforts
* Oregonians have until Dec. 17 to enroll in Jan. 1. health coverage using HealthCare.gov
* Do You Know What’s Covered By Your Earthquake Insurance Policy?
* New Research Suggests Warm Water ‘Blob Could Hurt Salmon
* PGE Rates To Drop Slightly Next Year
* What’s Oregon’s Role In The Post-Paris Effort To Reduce Carbon?
* Oregon Could Go Back To State-Based Health Exchange
* What Does The Fed’s Interest Rate Increase Mean For Oregon?
* Remembering 2 Shootings In Oregon
* More Northwest Oil Trains Could Result From Lifting Export Ban
* Oregon’s organic acreage grows as number of farms shrinks
* Spread of glyphosate-resistant kochia appears limited
* As Congress dithers, parties becoming resigned to KBRAs demise
* Cannabis research task force begins work
* Oregon’s death with dignity law lets terminally ill die on own terms
* Congress gives Land and Water Conservation Fund three more years
* DEQ backyard burn ban in effect until March
* To keep water safe, task force is vigilant
* Officials plan to spray in Portland to stop Asian gypsy moths
* Port interested in South Tongue Point
* Climate change is a real thing in the ocean — Opinion
* Dont shortchange the disabled — Opinion
* South Coast students absent more often than Oregon average
* Oregonians 18th in charitable giving
* Protecting ag land important as Oregon hits 4 million mark
* Oregon recycling rates drop for the first time in a decade– Blog
* A price on carbon could be Oregon’s new ‘Bottle Bill’– Blog
* Oregon bankers, businesses await fallout from Fed rate hike– Blog
* A New Hope for Affordable Housing
* Oregon To Regulate E-Cigarettes Like Regular Cigarettes
* Water Under the I-5 Bridge — Opinion
* Teen Marijuana Use Holds Steady Despite Legalization
* Oregon sees more working families in poverty
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74,500 OREGONIANS ENROLL, RE-ENROLL VIA HEALTHCARE.GOV (Portland Oregonian)
Federal statistics show 74,500 Oregonians have signed up for private health insurance plans via the federal exchange portal.
The data released Wednesday by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid include newly insured Oregonians, as well as those who already had insurance but shopped around and actively re-enrolled via HealthCare.Gov.
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WARM SPRINGS TRIBES VOTE ON GROWING, SELLING MARIJUANA (Portland Oregonian)
Members of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs will vote Thursday on a proposal to grow and process marijuana on the reservation and sell the product at tribal-owned stores in Portland and other Oregon cities.
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WARM WATER OFF NORTHWEST COAST COULD WEAKEN FUTURE SALMON RUNS (Portland Oregonian)
The warm water blob that’s hovering off the Oregon coast is stunting the growth of northwest salmon, spurring scientists to warn this year’s impressive fall chinook runs won’t last.
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WILDFIRES: CONGRESS CAN’T REACH DEAL ON FOREST SERVICE’S FIRE FUNDING PROBLEM (Portland Oregonian)
A potential deal to fix the U.S. Forest Service’s chronic wildfire funding problem collapsed Wednesday in Congress.
The lack of action means the Forest Service continues to face the prospect of cannibalizing its budget to fight wildfires while having fewer resources to reduce fire danger in the first place.
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OREGON JOB GROWTH REACHES HIGHEST MARK IN 2 DECADES (Portland Oregonian)
Oregon employers added more jobs in November than any other month in almost two decades, according to a report released Tuesday by the Oregon Employment Department.
The unemployment rate declined to 5.7 percent from 6.0 as more people found work.
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WHY IS THERE A RAMP SIGNAL IF THERE’S NO MERGE? (Portland Oregonian)
At the on-ramp from Oregon 99E to northbound Interstate 205 in Oregon City, the ramp becomes a new lane and there’s no merge required. Why is there a ramp signal?
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JUDICIAL FITNESS CASE AGAINST OREGON JUDGE ‘NOT ABOUT RELIGION,’ LAWYER ARGUES (Portland Oregonian) http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2015/12/oregon_judge_who_refused_to_ma.html#incart_river_index
The Oregon Commission on Judicial Fitness and Disability released written closing arguments Wednesday in the case of Marion County Circuit Judge Vance Day.
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FAMILY OF OREGON WORKER CRUSHED BY DUMP TRUCK SEEKS $7.9 MILLION (Portland Oregonian)
The family of a highway construction worker who was crushed to death by a dump truck near Cottage Grove filed a wrongful death lawsuit Wednesday, alleging the truck driver, his employer and another company were collectively negligent.
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WALMART RAISES WAGES AGAIN: OREGON FULL-TIMERS TO MAKE $13.75 (Portland Oregonian)
Last February, in an effort to remake its image as a retail giant with a ready-made supply of dead-end jobs, Walmart announced it would increase its entry level wages to at least $9 an hour as of April.
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COMPANY NAMES WEST LINN SAFEST CITY IN METRO AREA, THIRD-SAFEST IN OREGON (Portland Oregonian)
West Linn has been named the safest city in the Portland metropolitan area this week by a company that reviews home security systems.
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WOODBURN DEMOCRAT WON’T RUN IN 2016, SETTING UP SWING-SEAT BATTLE IN OREGON HOUSE (Portland Oregonian)
State Rep. Betty Komp, D-Woodburn, announced Wednesday she’s not running for re-election in 2016, a decision that could have implications for the partisan makeup of the Oregon House.
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WHAT OREGON CAN DO TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE — GUEST OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
We will begin 2016 with some hope: 195 nations agree it is vital to act to stop the dangerous warming of our planet by reducing climate-changing pollution. The Paris Agreement puts the world on a path to a healthier, more prosperous future.
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OREGON ELECTION LAW TRUMPS PORTLAND’S ANTI-DONALD RESOLUTION (Salem Statesman Journal)
The Portland City Council planned to pass an anti-Donald Trump resolution, but has changed it on the advice of the Secretary of State’s Office.
The resolution passed by the City Council on Wednesday focuses more on supporting the Muslim and immigrant community.
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PET FOOD RECALLED FOR POSITIVE LISTERIA TEST (Salem Statesman Journal)
A type of bacteria found in a recently recalled raw pet food has the potential to harm pregnant women, newborns or humans with compromised immune systems, says Dr. Emilio DeBess, the states public health veterinarian.
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STATE WORKERS SHOW HOLIDAY GENEROSITY (Salem Statesman Journal)
The actual count is going to take a few days, but organizers believe more toys were collected during the 31st annual State Agency Toy Drive than last year.
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SILVERTON HEALTH, LEGACY HEALTH SIGN AGREEMENT TO ALIGN (Salem Statesman Journal)
Silverton Health is another step closer to becoming a Legacy Health medical center, as the boards of the two organizations signed definitive agreements, officials announced Wednesday.
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BUDGET BILL STUFFED WITH MILLIONS MORE FOR WESTERN NEEDS (Salem Statesman Journal)
-USA Today-
The annual spending bill negotiated by congressional leaders is stuffed with millions in additional funding for Western needs, such as fighting wildfires, fixing national parks and helping deal with the drought.
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OREGON’S GRADUATION RATE LAGS AS U.S. HITS RECORD HIGH (Salem Statesman Journal)
Although the nation’s students are graduating from high school at a higher rate than ever before, Oregon’s graduation rate remains among the lowest in the U.S., according to data released Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Educations National Center for Education Statistics.
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ELLIOTT STATE FOREST SALE ATTRACTS FOUR DOZEN PROSPECTIVE BUYERS (Salem Statesman Journal)
Four dozen entities have formally expressed interest in buying the Elliott State Forest, an 84,000-acre property near Coos Bay.
Prospective owners include timber companies, conservation groups, local governments, tribes and a handful of individuals.
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REP. BETTY KOMP ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT FROM LEGISLATURE (Salem Statesman Journal)
Rep. Betty Komp, D-Woodburn, will not run for reelection next year. Komp announced her decision Wednesday, having served House District 22 since 2006.
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NON-NATIVE CRAYFISH INVADING CRATER LAKE (Eugene Register-Guard)
Underwater barriers in Crater Lake are being floated as one idea to slow the invasion of millions of non-native crayfish that are threatening a salamander known as the Mazama newt.
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EASE SICK-LEAVE COMPLIANCE — OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
The Oregon Legislature passed a sweeping bill near the end of the session in June requiring employers to provide paid sick leave.
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THE COSTS OF HOMELESSNESS — OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
The Housing First model popularized by Salt Lake City has captured the attention and imagination of people across the country who are on the front lines of the struggle to address the stubborn problem of homelessness.
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LARGE OREGON GRANT TO PROVIDE HOUSING FOR PEOPLE WITH MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES IN EUGENE-SPRINGFIELD (Eugene Register-Guard)
ShelterCare has been awarded a $556,200 grant by the Oregon Health Authority’s Health Systems Division to provide housing to 30 people with mental health issues who are homeless or at risk of being homeless.
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LOW-TAX, LOW-WAGE IDEOLOGY HURTS MIDDLE CLASS — GUEST OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
Proposals by Lane County and the city of Eugene to increase wages have raised predictable complaints. These implicitly argue that using government power to ensure that those who work for us receive a living wage is less important than equalizing suffering in the declining American economy’s race to the bottom. In other words, if private-sector workers are victims of the cult of free market ideology, then public-sector workers should suffer proportionately.
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SCHOOL DISTRICT VIOLATES OREGON CITY TREE CODE, HIRES CONTRACTOR WITHOUT BUSINESS LICENSE (Portland Tribune)
-Illegal cuttings raise awareness of limits for current OC rules-
State officials this week urged the public to hire a certified arborist before cutting down any tree that looks storm-damaged.
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SECURING OUR SCHOOLS (Portland Tribune)
-Sen. Chuck Thomsen looks at what Sandy is doing to keep kids safer-
Sandy’s police officers have children in the Oregon Trail School District. And just like school staff members, they want to keep every student in those schools safe.
Our desire to safeguard your kids, is just as strong as it is to safeguard our kids, Sandy Police Chief Kim Yamash*ta likes to convey to other Sandy parents.
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WHAT’S GOOD FOR BUSINESS IS GOOD FOR OREGON — OPINION (Portland Tribune)
Just about any of Oregon’s ills, no matter how unrelated they might seem, would be eased greatly by a singular medicine: continued economic growth.
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BOARD STARTS ON RETIREMENT SAVINGS PLANS (Portland Tribune)
Goal is to offer options to private-sector workers without them.
A new state board has started work on plans that will enable more than 600,000 Oregonians without access to them to save for retirement.
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QUESTION REMAINS WHO WILL PAY FOR WILLAMETTE RIVER CLEANUP (Portland Tribune)
Cleaning up 100 years of toxic sludge in the Willamette riverbed could cost anything from tens of millions to a couple of billion dollars, according to experts.
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PORTLAND AREA SLIPPING IN ITS WASTE PREVENTION EFFORTS (Portland Tribune)
The Portland area put more of its trash into the landfill last year, the first time that went up in nearly a decade.
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OREGONIANS HAVE UNTIL DEC. 17 TO ENROLL IN JAN. 1. HEALTH COVERAGE USING HEALTHCARE.GOV (Portland Tribune)
Oregonians who want to use HealthCare.Gov to buy health insurance for Jan. 1 have until just before midnight on Dec. 17 to enroll, under a new federal deadline.
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DO YOU KNOW WHAT’S COVERED BY YOUR EARTHQUAKE INSURANCE POLICY? (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
A couple of months ago, Lake Oswego climate consultant Mark Trexler was contacted by his brother. He was thinking about buying earthquake insurance, but couldnt understand the contract.
I read it and it didnt make any sense at all to me, Trexler said.
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NEW RESEARCH SUGGESTS WARM WATER ‘BLOB COULD HURT SALMON (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
New research from Oregon State University and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration this week suggests a large patch of warm water off the West Coast could harm future salmon runs in the Northwest.
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PGE RATES TO DROP SLIGHTLY NEXT YEAR (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Electricity in the Portland area will be a little cheaper next year.
The Oregon Public Utility Commission has set Portland General Electric’s rates for 2016.
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WHAT’S OREGON’S ROLE IN THE POST-PARIS EFFORT TO REDUCE CARBON? (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Nearly 200 nations came together in Paris to agree to reduce carbon emissions. The global effort will depend on the policies and regulations set by cities and states.
But a recent report by Lewis & Clark Colleges Green Energy Institute says Oregon is falling short of its own goals to reduce its emissions.
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OREGON COULD GO BACK TO STATE-BASED HEALTH EXCHANGE (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Oregon is considering switching back to running its own health exchange marketplace, but the guy in charge wants you to know this is not going to be a repeat of the Cover Oregon debacle.
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WHAT DOES THE FED’S INTEREST RATE INCREASE MEAN FOR OREGON? (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve increased its target interest rate by 0.25 percentage point. The effects aren’t expected to be drastic, but it is a significant sign that the national economy is doing well after the Great Recession.
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REMEMBERING 2 SHOOTINGS IN OREGON (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
-Lessons After Responding To 3 Oregon School Shootings-
Earlier this month, we traveled to Roseburg to talk to people there about how they are coping two months after the deadly shooting at Umpqua Community College. In addition to the show we recorded there, we sat down for some one-on-one interviews.
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MORE NORTHWEST OIL TRAINS COULD RESULT FROM LIFTING EXPORT BAN (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
A budget deal that’s heading for final action Friday includes a provision that could create international demand for American oil and help make the case for building rail-to-ship export terminals on the West Coast.
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OREGON’S ORGANIC ACREAGE GROWS AS NUMBER OF FARMS SHRINKS (Capital Press)
-The total number of organic farms in the state decreased 18 percent, from 657 to 525, between 2008 and 2014 as organic acreage nearly doubled, from 105,600 to 204,000.-
Organic acreage has surged in Oregon even as the number of organic farmers has shrunk in recent years, according to federal data.
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SPREAD OF GLYPHOSATE-RESISTANT KOCHIA APPEARS LIMITED (Capital Press)
The distribution of kochia weeds in the Treasure Valley area of Idaho and Oregon that are resistant to the popular weed killer Roundup appears to be limited. Scientists say growers can limit their spread by implementing the correct weed resistance management strategies.
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AS CONGRESS DITHERS, PARTIES BECOMING RESIGNED TO KBRAS DEMISE (Capital Press)
As competing bills to authorize the Klamath Basin water agreements have failed to advance in Congress, parties to the agreements are becoming resigned to the pacts’ demise at the end of the year.
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CANNABIS RESEARCH TASK FORCE BEGINS WORK (East Oregonian)
-The legislatively created task force could lay the groundwork for a state medical marijuana research program.-
A new cannabis research task force began work Monday to try to clear the way for more research in Oregon on the medical benefits of cannabis.
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OREGON’S DEATH WITH DIGNITY LAW LETS TERMINALLY ILL DIE ON OWN TERMS (East Oregonian)
-Brittany Maynard moved to Oregon to end her life peacefully surrounded by family.-
Betsy Moss has always had an easy relationship with death.
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CONGRESS GIVES LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUND THREE MORE YEARS (East Oregonian)
Congress has agreed to extend the Land and Water Conservation Fund for three more years in the omnibus budget, which should go to a vote Thursday.
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DEQ BACKYARD BURN BAN IN EFFECT UNTIL MARCH (Albany Democrat Herald)
The annual Department of Environmental Quality backyard burning ban is in effect throughout Oregon, effective until March 1.
The ban pertains to any open burning, which includes fires in burn barrels or open material piles. Open burning violations can lead to fines of up to $10,000 per day.
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TO KEEP WATER SAFE, TASK FORCE IS VIGILANT (Daily Astorian)
-Task force urges attention to water quality for the health of all species.-
Clean water is crucial to ecological health. Its why Jesse Jones with the Surfrider Foundations Blue Water Task Force talked about the Ecola Creek Watersheds health during a Haystack Rock Awareness Program lecture last week at the Cannon Beach Library.
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OFFICIALS PLAN TO SPRAY IN PORTLAND TO STOP ASIAN GYPSY MOTHS (Daily Astorian)
Oregon farm regulators plan to spray more than 8,000 acres in Portland next spring to prevent the establishment of the Asian gypsy moth, a destructive pest found in the area this year.
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PORT INTERESTED IN SOUTH TONGUE POINT (Daily Astorian)
-Mushen takes Port Commission chairman post-
Add the Port of Astoria to the mix of suitors interested in South Tongue Point.
During a Port Commission meeting Tuesday, Executive Director Jim Knight said the Port sent a letter to the Oregon Department of State Lands stating that the agency is interested in buying some or all of South Tongue Point.
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CLIMATE CHANGE IS A REAL THING IN THE OCEAN — OPINION (Daily Astorian)
Oregon’s environmental strategy is being sharpened.
While Congress does little and while the Republican presidential field is rife with climate change deniers, the states are not waiting.
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DON’T SHORTCHANGE THE DISABLED — OPINION (Bend Bulletin)
The message to Oregon’s legislators should be loud and clear: If they dont bump up funding for the states youngest children with intellectual and developmental disabilities, the state is likely to be sued.
And, educators say, its likely to lose.
That’s because the states two special education programs for young children early intervention for children to age 3 and early childhood special education for kids 3 to 5 are inadequate.
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SOUTH COAST STUDENTS ABSENT MORE OFTEN THAN OREGON AVERAGE (The World)
Last school year, about 25 percent of South Coast students were chronically absent.
On Tuesday, the Oregon Department of Education released data on K-12 attendance across the state showing one in six students missed at least 10 percent of school days last year. That’s how the state defines “chronic absenteeism,” a relatively new set of data that educators are considering when looking at student outcomes.
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OREGONIANS 18TH IN CHARITABLE GIVING (The World)
According to the Oregon Community Foundation’s new 2015 Giving in Oregon report, Oregon nonprofits received more than $1.76 billion in donations in 2013, up from $1.75 billion in 2012. 2013 is the latest year for which complete IRS data is available.
That’s $443 for every one of Oregon’s 3.97 million residents.
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PROTECTING AG LAND IMPORTANT AS OREGON HITS 4 MILLION MARK (The World)
Oregon’s population now tops 4 million people. Whether the continued population increase negatively impacts agriculture remains to be seen, but the states land use protections are more important than ever, according to officials with the Oregon Department of Agriculture.
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OREGON RECYCLING RATES DROP FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A DECADE— BLOG (Oregon Business Journal)
Oregonians are recycling less than at any time in the past 10 years.
So says the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, which has issued its annual Material Recovery and Waste Generation Report. The report was spotlighted on Metro’s website this week.
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A PRICE ON CARBON COULD BE OREGON’S NEW ‘BOTTLE BILL’— BLOG (Oregon Business Journal)
Early this month, representatives from 195 countries including the United States struck a historic agreement in Paris to tackle the carbon pollution thats driving the heating of the Earths atmosphere.
The negotiators failed to do what many, including Tesla founder Elon Musk, urged from the sidelines: charge carbon-based fuels for their contribution to this dangerous trend.
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OREGON BANKERS, BUSINESSES AWAIT FALLOUT FROM FED RATE HIKE— BLOG (Oregon Business Journal)
Portland banking leaders have steadfastly agreed that the prospect of a higher federal funds rate, the figure set by the Federal Reserve by which other interest rates are set, won’t affect commercial lending.
After the Fed pulled the trigger on a hike, it’s now time to find out whether that’ll remain true.
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A NEW HOPE FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING (Portland Mercury)
-Will Oregon Lift the Ban on Inclusionary Zoning in 2016?-
Earlier this year, affordable housing advocates had high hopes for House Bill 2564, which would have squashed a 16-year-old law prohibiting local governments from requiring developers to include affordable units in large residential projects.
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OREGON TO REGULATE E-CIGARETTES LIKE REGULAR CIGARETTES (KUOW)
People who use electronic cigarettes in Oregon will have fewer places to light up starting in January. That’s because of a new law that takes effect with the start of the year.
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WATER UNDER THE I-5 BRIDGE — OPINION (The Columbian)
-Washington, Oregon lawmakers must move past CRC, join forces for new span-
While there are no simple answers to the Interstate 5 Bridge conundrum, one thing is clear for Washington lawmakers: The discussion needs to begin by engaging with leaders from Oregon.
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TEEN MARIJUANA USE HOLDS STEADY DESPITE LEGALIZATION (New York Times)
People who oppose the legalization of marijuana argue that changing the law will encourage more teenagers to try the drug and will lead them to more dangerous substances like heroin, ecstasy and amphetamines. But a new study provides fresh evidence that contradicts both of those assertions.
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OREGON SEES MORE WORKING FAMILIES IN POVERTY (KTVL)
Oregon families under the poverty line with at least one working parent went up 10 percent from 2007 to 2014. The Oregon Center for Public Policy is calling on Oregon Legislature to fix the problem by raising the state minimum wage.
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