The Oregon Army National Guard helicopter assisting the Union County Sheriff's Office in a search and rescue operation returned to the Salem Army Aviation Support Facility yesterday. Searchers located the body of 13 year old Nathan Cain in a remote area yesterday. The Washington state boy had disappeared while on a cross-country ski trip in Oregon. The cause of death has not been confirmed, but sheriff's Captain Craig Ward says there are strong indications the boy died of hypothermia.
The Klamath Falls City Council approved a settlement agreement yesterday in connection with the airport wetlands condemnation lawsuit. Pine Cone LLC and Modoc Lumber took the city to court after the city acquired a piece of property near Lake Ewauna through imminent domain. The city lost that suit and was required to pay the Shaws, the owners of Modoc Lumber and Pine Cone, a large settlement. But the agreement signed last night reduces the settlement to $2,125,000 and essentially freezes the interest as of January 25th. The City will make quarterly payments of half a million dollars out of Co-Gen proceeds until the FAA pays back their share of the settlement to the city.
Klamath County Commissioner Cheryl Hukill will hold a press conference to issue a 2010 Census mail participation rate challenge for all communities in Klamath County. The friendly competition is an effort to encourage all those in Klamath County to mail back their 2010 Census forms upon receipt and to eclipse their Census 2000 mail participation rates. Mailing back a form ensures an accurate count and lowers the cost of the 2010 Census by reducing the number of census workers who must go door-to-door to collect census data. About $85 million is saved for every one percent increase in mail participation. The press conference will be held March 12th at 11:15 am at the government center.
Oregon Tech senior Justin Parnell, who ranked among the top 10 in no less than six CCC statistical categories, has been voted the Cascade Collegiate Conference Player of the Year, the conference office announced yesterday. Parnell, a two-time CCC Player of the Week, ranked second in the CCC in scoring (18.8 ppg) and led the conference in assists (4.72 apg) and assist/turnover ratio (2.66). The 6-4 guard/forward also averaged a team-high 5.9 rebounds per game in conference play. And OIT coach Dan Miles, who guided the No. 2-ranked Hustlin’ Owls to the CCC regular season title and a berth in the NAIA Championships, was voted the Coach of the Year. It is the fifth CCC coaching honor for Miles, who also earned the award following the 1996-97, 2000-01, 2004-05 and 2006-07 campaigns. Joining Parnell on the All-CCC team from OIT was teammate Joseph Foster, a 5-11 junior guard who averaged 17.9 points per game and led the league in free throw percentage (.913). Foster also ranked tied for third in 3-point field goals made (41). Oregon Tech’s Myles Daley won Honorable Mention.
Oregon Tech first baseman Cory Staniforth, a 6’ junior from Central Point, has been named the Cascade Conference Baseball Player of the Week as announced yesterday by the league office. Staniforth set an Oregon Tech record with 4 homeruns in 2 games; he batted .667 at the plate, scored four runs, had eight RBI and finished the day with a slugging percentage of 2000 as Oregon Tech swept a double-header from Patton University 12-5 and 14-4 to open up Conference play. The Crater High three-sport standout in football, basketball and baseball was a First-Team All-State shortstop, helping the Comets to a state baseball championship 2007. Staniforth is the son of Ronald and Donna Staniforth and is a Medical Imaging major at Oregon Tech.
Charter Communications announced yesterday that it has increased its internet download speeds on Charter Internet Express, Internet Plus and Internet Max tiers. The kicker is that there’s no additional charge to customers. Charter has been upgrading and enhancing their products and services continuously over the last year in an effort to bring quick, easy internet access to rural residents as well as urban ones. “It’s important to a consumer who can’t always pay more to get more, and Charter understands that,” said Rich DiGeronimo, Vice President of Product Management for Charter.
Ben Mikaelsen, author of “Touching Spirit Bear” will visit the Klamath County Library at 6:00 p.m. Wednesday March 17th. In 1993, the author won the International Reading Association Award and the Western Writer's Golden Spur Award. In addition, his novels have won numerous state Reader's Choice awards. These novels include Sparrow Hawk Red, Stranded, Countdown, Touching Spirit Bear and many more. His novels, Rescue Josh McGuire, Petey and Touching Spirit Bear are also being considered for the screen. Recently, Ben was featured nationally on Jack Hanna's Animal Adventures. Ben lives in a log cabin near Bozeman, Montana, with a 750 pound black bear that he adopted and has raised for the last twenty five years. For the author’s library appearance, copies of Ben Mikaelsen’s books will be available for purchase and signing. Cookies and punch will be served and an activity for children will be provided.
Oregon State Police (OSP) troopers' enforcement of Oregon's new cell phone law banning most uses of mobile communication devices while driving a motor vehicle noted nearly twice as many citations issued during February in comparison to the number issued during January. Updated enforcement statistics indicated OSP troopers issued drivers 72 citations and 233 warnings during February. During the new law's first month, OSP troopers issued 41 citations and 259 warnings. In total, OSP troopers have cited 113 drivers and warned 492 others since the new law went into effect January 1st. With some exceptions, it is unlawful in Oregon for a driver to use a cell phone without using a hands-free accessory while operating a motor vehicle. Violation of the cell phone law is a primary offense, meaning that a police officer may stop a driver solely for observing the violation, and is a class D traffic violation with a minimum base fine of $142. Law enforcement around the state will start cracking down on violators over the next two weeks.
From Monday, March 1, 2010
by Melody Kirk
A Montague man on 2/26/10 reported that his Browning Mark Bush .22 hand gun with a five-inch barrel was missing from his residence in the Big Springs area.
A Napa, California resident reported on Friday that her vacation home near Mount Shasta had been broken into sometime during the past few months. The resident says that it appears the person has been living in the home while the owners were away.
Sky Lakes Medical Center’s annual free health fair starts this Saturday, March 6th from 8 to 3 at the Community Health Education Center. The “Living Well Community Health Fair” offers free health-related information to people in the community to challenge them to make positive changes in their lives. Exhibitors include local organizations, Oregon Tech clubs and athletic teams, area businesses and Sky Lakes medical departments, which will offer glucose and cholesterol screening. “Each organization involved has something different to offer, whether it is related to physical, emotional or mental health,” said Tom Hottman, Community Benefit Coordinator for Sky Lakes Medical Center.
Oregon's worst-performing schools will be offered millions of dollars to improve, but they will have to make big changes to get the money. That may include removing the principal and evaluating teachers based on student achievement. The Obama administration is driving most of this change. By March 16th, the 12 Oregon districts with schools on the 18-worst list must indicate whether they will seek federal turnaround funds and name the schools on whose behalf they intend to apply. Oregon schools with the lowest reading and math scores and graduation rates below 60 percent include 6 Tier I schools in Salem and Portland and 6 Tier II schools throughout the state and seven small alternative high schools in Klamath Falls, Bend, Eugene, Fern Ridge and Salem.
Oregon Tech’s baseball doubleheader against Patten College originally scheduled for Saturday has been postponed due to poor field conditions at Marin Catholic High School. Sunday’s doubleheader versus Patten College took place as scheduled, but the NAIA season opener doubleheader took place yesterday, with the Oregon Tech baseball team hammering Patten pitching to the tune of 32 hits, including nine homeruns, as the Owls took the opener 12-5 and the nightcap by a 14-4 final.
Players of the year for the CCC Women’s Basketball teams were announced by the league’s head coaches yesterday. Guard Jessica Wilkerson of Northwest University and forward Jacki Speer of Southern Oregon University were voted Co-Players of the Year. Others honored in the voting included Oregon Tech’s Brittany Cherry. Cherry was named to the 12-person All-CCC team. Cherry is a 5’10” junior from Pasco, Washington.
The Western Athletic Conference Women's Swimming and Diving Championship was won by Boise State University Saturday night, thanks in part to a former Henley High School student. Boise State sophomore Stephanie North, who hails from Klamath Falls, repeated as WAC champion in the 100 free with a time of 49.86, which temporarily set a school record. North’s time was an NCAA provisional mark. North also swam in the 200 freestyle and finished second with an NCAA provisional time and took second in the 50 free. North swam the anchor leg of four relays for Boise which took second in one and won the other three, with four times that are now school records. The Broncos team total for 2010 includes eight WAC titles.
During the month of March, Dutch Bros. Coffee is accepting submissions for one customer-generated design for their new gift card program. Submissions will only be accepted online, at dutchbros.com. Dutch Bros. recently launched a formal gift card program that will replace the gift certificate or “coffee cash” program. The contest starts today and submissions will be accepted online through noon on Wednesday, March 31st. Designs will be judged by Dutch Bros.’ co-founder Travis Boersma and the winner will be announced on Thursday, April 15th. There is no fee to participate.
Starting today, Oregonians have another option for voter registration. The Secretary of State’s office has set up an online registration site. April Baer reports. Secretary of State Kate Brown says she can’t imagine getting rid of the traditional paper forms, but one of her priorities is refitting the registration system with more modern options. Kate Brown “Oregonians turn out to vote once they registered. In fact, in November of 2008 our voter turnout was 85.7%, one of the highest in the nation. Where we’re lagging is actually registration. Brown hopes younger Oregonians in particular, who are under represented, will be more likely to take part in the process now that they can register from their home computers. The new database cost about $200,000 dollars to set up. Most of that paid for the electronic system that verifies signatures. Some of the funding came from the federal government. Brown says the system will cross-reference with a citizenship database maintained by the Oregon DMV starting in 2016.
Organic farmers fear this year's spring breezes will be carrying pollen from genetically altered sugar beets, which they say could render their crops worthless, and they hope to persuade a federal judge this week to halt the plantings nationwide. Experts and industry groups say such an injunction could jeopardize U.S. sugar supplies, about half of which comes from the biotech beets planted on more than 1 million acres in 10 states stretching from Michigan to Oregon. The beets, engineered to be resistant to the popular herbicide Roundup, comprise 95 percent of the crop after two seasons of planting. All the seed comes from Oregon's Willamette Valley. Organic farmers, food safety advocates and conservation groups already have won a lawsuit forcing federal authorities to reconsider their 2005 approval of the Roundup Ready beets for unrestricted use, saying the government failed to take a hard look at cross-pollination risks. If granted at a hearing scheduled for Friday in San Francisco, a requested injunction would halt planting of the altered beets until the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service does an environmental impact statement - a process that could take two or three years.
20 year old Lawrence Earl Jensen was arrested for Burglary, Theft and criminal mischief on Saturday. He was lodged in Klamath County Jail on $20,000 bail.
52 year old Robert Howard Peters was arrested Friday and charged with 2 counts of criminal conspiracy and possession and delivery of marijuana. He was lodged in Klamath County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail.
Senator Jeff Merkley held a town hall meeting at OIT on Saturday. OIT President Chris Maples and County Commissioner Cheryl Hukill introduced the Senator onstage. Merkley took questions from audience members by drawing numbers from a list of people who wanted to comment at the meeting. But not everyone was able to do so. Niki Sampson from the Klamath-Lake Counties Food Bank had to leave her typed speech with the Senator, hoping he would later read the statistics she quoted and how state decisions affect rural communities like Klamath and Lake Counties.
2020 Klamath Vision met last week to discuss the future of Klamath County. About ten groups were formed during the meeting. Those groups will meet over the coming weeks to discuss topics like jobs, healthcare and education. Darin Rutledge, President of the Executive Committee, said the groups are already coming up with great ideas to lead Klamath County towards a more prosperous future over the next decade. The first vision committee in the 90’s facilitated the founding of Klamath Community College and many other community projects.
Behind one of the best defensive efforts of the season, top-seeded Oregon Tech held on for a 71-56 win over five-seed Northwest University in Saturday’s Cascade Collegiate Conference semifinal round. The Hustlin’ Owls will look for back-to-back Conference tournament titles when they host three-seeded Warner Pacific tomorrow in the championship game. Warner Pacific defeated Eastern Oregon in La Grande to move to the conference title game against the Owls. No. 2 Oregon Tech moves to 28-4 overall.
Oregon Tech’s baseball doubleheader against PattenCollege originally scheduled for Saturday has been postponed due to poor field conditions at MarinCatholicHigh School. Sunday’s doubleheader versus PattenCollege took place as scheduled, but the opening doubleheader will now be played today at MilpitasHigh School; 1285 Escuela Pkwy. Milpitas, California at 11am.
The Oregon Tech softball team picked up two wins in day 2 of the Southern Oregon tournament to move to 7-7 on the season. Oregon Tech held on to defeat Holy Names by a 5-3 score in the opener, while handing Azusa Pacific a 2-1 loss. Oregon Tech faced Biola University in the opening game on Saturday with a final score of 4-3 against Oregon Tech and closed out tournament play with a game versus Hope International. Oregon Tech won that game 10-1.
Work continues on Highway 97 at Haglestein Park near Klamath Falls. ODOT crews are placing a concrete barrier on the highway, working from 7pm to 7am. Motorists should expect delays up to 20 minutes when traveling in the area during those hours.
The Klamath National Forest has applied for funding to assist with costs related to sustaining and planning long-term Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) use. Public land managers are giving the public an opportunity to comment on their grant applications for state funds. The funding will facilitate OHV use in the Humbug Creek area (~7 miles NW of Yreka), and in an area north of County Road A-12 near Juniper Flat (2 miles NW of the Hwy 97/A-12 junction) to help preserve natural and cultural resources while sustaining OHV use into the future. The Forest has also applied for funds to assist with law enforcement activities related to OHV recreation to ensure public safety. The public review and comment period is open from March 2nd through April 5th. Comments may be mailed to: Klamath National Forest, 1312 Fairlane Road, Yreka, CA 96097, attention to: OHV Grants. Comments must be postmarked by April 5th to receive consideration. Written comments may also be submitted via e-mail to klamathinfo@fs.fed.us. For more information on the grant applications, or to give verbal comments, contact Jim Stout, Juniper Flat area, (530) 398-5771; Kevin Walton, Humbug Creek, (530) 468-1203; or Jeff Brown, Law Enforcement, (530) 841-4464.
A magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck Chile over the weekend and some 80+ aftershocks ranging from 5.1 to 6.9. A tsunami advisory was in effect for the entire west coast Saturday including Oregon, Washington, California and all the way to British Columbia and Alaska. Residents in Hawaii were also on alert. But the only effects of the earthquake felt on the Oregon coast were slight swells no more than a foot high and arrived during low tide. The 8.8 earthquake is one of the largest on record.
From Friday, February 26, 2010
by Melody Kirk
The Klamath Falls City Council held an all-day executive session last week to interview City Attorney candidates. Current City Attorney Rick Whitlock was offered the position of City Manager in December after the city council approved a contract for his employment. City Manager Jeff ball is retiring from the position April 1st. The City Council will announce the candidate chosen to replace Jeff Ball at the council meeting on March 15th.
Klamath County Commissioners will meet at 9am Tuesday for a weekly public meeting in room 219. The draft agenda includes items such as addressing setting fees for the Klamath County Museum and discussing possible tourism grant extensions. The Commissioners will be out of town from the 3rd through the tenth so no other meetings are scheduled for next week.
Senator Jeff Merkley will be in Klamath Falls tomorrow for a town hall meeting. Merkley has committed to visit every county in Oregon every year and meet with locals to talk about issues ranging from how to expand local businesses and hire more employees to re-establishing accountability on Wall Street. The town hall meeting will be held at the auditorium at OIT at 3201 Campus Drive at 3pm.
The regular Klamath Falls City Council meeting is scheduled for Monday night at 7pm in the city council chambers. Among the agenda items are discussions of a request for approval to permit alcohol sales and consumption in a beer garden at the marina in Moore Park on April 17th for the Herald and News Trophy Trout Fishing Derby as well as a request for approval allowing a walk-around beer garden in Veteran’s Memorial Park on September 18th in Conjunction with the Klamath Blues Festival.
Mount Ashland has received new snow over the last 24 hours and has 12 groomed runs operating today. Mount Ashland road is plowed and sanded and ready for travelers. The mountain is open until 9 pm tonight with Twilight Friday skiing on the slopes this evening.
Oregon Oyster Farms, Inc. is issuing a product recall involving oyster meat and oysters in the shell harvested in Yaquina Bay, Newport, Oregon from February 1–24, 2010. Oyster meat includes all 1/2 pint containers, pint containers, half gallon containers, and 4 gallon buckets. Oysters in the shell include all large, medium, small, extra-small, and petite Pacific oysters, Kumamoto oysters, and Yaquina native oysters. All shucked product containers with sell or use by dates of February 15th, through March 11th, 2010 are included in this recall. This recall has been initiated due to potential norovirus contamination. Please note that the source of the recall order has not been traced to Oregon Oyster Farms, and it is yet to be determined where the faulty product is from. Consumers who have purchased Yaquina Bay oysters are encouraged to discard any remaining product.
The Register Guard newspaper has joined the ranks of newspapers making cuts this week. The paper announced layoffs yesterday of 14 staff members. With those layoffs and the recently announced cuts of 37 employees at the Oregonian, the internet may become an even bigger focus for news and advertising. Some market analysts say more businesses are turning to online resources for advertising and more people are turning to the internet for free news. Many newspapers and radio broadcasters are working to meet the demand by initiating local websites promoting community resources and allowing for new marketing opportunities.
The final “practice run” of Oregon’s even numbered year session was defined by political posturing, retribution and a distinctly partisan agenda, leaving little substantive work product for Oregonians to feel good about. Much has been made of the 209,000 Oregonians who can’t find work today. Since January of last year, when Democrats first vowed to address Oregon’s festering unemployment problem, the state has hemorrhaged another 50,000 jobs. The session began February 1st and in the afternoon of February 25th.
A traffic stop near the town of Weed yesterday resulted in the arrest of the four Siskiyou County residents. The driver, 23-yer old Troy Clayton Facey was charged with driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, 27 year old Babe Charles Snapp was charged with being drunk in public and unlawful possession of a game animal, 19 year old Haley Dawn Stringfellow and 19 year old Logan Diane Koher were both charged with possession of a controlled substance. Additional charges are likely against Facey. A .17 caliber HMR rifle and a .380 automatic pistol were confiscated along with three knives, assorted ammunition and firearm accessories.
Oregon Tech basketball coach Danny Miles has moved past Bobby Knight on the career wins list. The Hustlin' Owls, a member of the NAIA, defeated the College of Idaho 64-63 Wednesday to give Miles victory No. 903 in his nearly 40-year career. Miles is now tied with Herb Magee, the Philadelphia University coach who passed Knight this week to become the all-time winningest coach at NCAA schools. Earlier this season, McKendree University coach Harry Statham notched his 1000th win to become the first men's coach to reach 1,000 wins at a four-year program. The only other members of the 1,000-win club are community college coach Gene Bess and Tennessee women's coach Pat Summitt.
Oregon's largest newspaper has cut 37 workers. The Oregonian delivered the bad news to workers yesterday morning and severance packages were offered. The Oregonian says most of the affected employees worked in the news department, but advertising, circulation and accounting also lost people.
The Oregonian and other newspapers have been hurt by the recession and the migration of advertising to the Internet. The Oregonian publishing company has 750 employees after the layoff. The news department employs more than 200.
The Oregon Legislature has approved a new bill that would require emergency heart-starting equipment in schools. The bill now goes to the desk of Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski. If passed, all schools would be required to have Automatic Emergency Defibrillators. However, some schools are concerned about the cost of the medical equipment. The law would require school districts to pay for, update, and maintain the equipment and train staff members on using it. Many high schools and middle schools already possess AEDs. The bill passed the Oregon House Tuesday and the Senate earlier Wednesday. If the bill is signed by Kulongoski, all schools would have until January 2015 to raise the money needed for the equipment.
Students at more than two dozen Oregon high schools are being taught and graded in a new way. Under the approach known as "proficiency-based education," students receive credit for demonstrating knowledge of key material.
They must prove on tests, essays and other assignments that they've mastered the essential skills and content of a course. If they don't prove proficient the first time, they can redo tests or projects until they get them right. Supporters say students taught this way really know the material.
According to jail reports, 24 year old Michael Joseph Arnold of Klamath Falls was arrested this morning by Klamath Falls City police. He is charged with 1st degree theft, possession of methamphetamine and possession of hashish. Bail is listed at $60,000.
Oregon Tech’s Hustlin’ Owls won the match last night against College of Idaho. That means the record is now 36 wins for the Owls at Danny Miles Court. In the last twenty seconds, Oregon Tech's Justin Parnell sank two free throws with 14 seconds to play and then the Owls were ahead by one point when College of Idaho tried to score. But the Owls’ Myles Daley knocked the ball out of the way of the basket, helping Oregon Tech win the game with a 64-63 final score. Bobby Thompson, OIT's sports information director, said of the game, “The Owls have dodged a bullet!” Oregon Tech will play Northwest at home this Saturday in the semifinals.
2020 Klamath Vision will hold its public kick-off meeting tonight. The 2020 Klamath Vision Team was organized by KCEDA and Team Klamath with a $10,000 grant from Pacific Power. The goal is to develop visions that will guide Klamath County towards the year 2020. 2020 Klamath Vision is led by its President Darin Rutledge and a 17-member executive committee comprised of local government and business leaders. 2020 Klamath Vision has outlined topics to discuss like education, government, job creation and natural resources with the assistance of KCEDA, Klamath County Chamber of Commerce, Kingsley Field, Team Klamath, City of Klamath Falls, Klamath County, and other community leaders. The meeting will be held at 6pm at OIT in the gymnasium.
The U.S. Forest Service is selling surplus vehicles and equipment by public Internet auction. The Klamath and Six Rivers National Forests are selling 78 items, including trucks, a grader, a backhoe, and miscellaneous equipment to the highest Internet bidder. The vehicles and equipment are available for public viewing from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily through Monday, March 1st at the Klamath National Forest office in Yreka, but the bidding ends Monday. Bids can be made by going to gsaauctions.gov.
Siskiyou County’s Undersheriff Mike Murphy is encouraging veterans with health issues to call the local VA office. Murphy says Vietnam Veterans have had a long history of unique health problems that the government denied for years could be related to exposure to Agent Orange. But in October of 2009, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, General Eric Shinseki decided to add a few more diseases to the list of so called “Presumptive” diseases. So there are now three new diseases that the VA has recognized as being service connected. They are Ischemic heart disease (including coronary artery disease); Parkinson’s disease; and B-cell leukemia (such as hairy cell leukemia). And it no longer matters when the disease manifested itself. The Undersheriff encourages all veterans and their dependents to call (530) 842-8010 and speak with Tim Grenvik, Veterans Service Officer, if they think they are eligible for benefits.
U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) have asked Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to make extending expiring unemployment and COBRA benefits a priority when the Senate returns from recess next week. These benefits are set to expire for millions of Americans who currently rely on them for income and health care while they look for employment. Provisions passed last year that extended unemployment benefits and expanded eligibility for COBRA subsidies are set to expire on Sunday, February 28th. Wyden and Merkley argue that allowing these extensions to expire will “pull the safety net” out from under families who rely on the support they provide. The Oregon senators called for the immediate extension of these three projects and expressed disappointment that a one-week extension of UI benefits and COBRA eligibility were not agreed upon prior to the President’s Day recess.
More than 400 firefighters from across the state will converge on Salem this weekend for the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training's annual Winter Fire School. The Fire School will offer more than a dozen classes in a wide variety of topics from firefighting skills, vehicle rescue, tactics, command, and leadership. "This is really an outstanding opportunity for Oregon's career and volunteer fire service professionals to come in and receive training from top-notch instructors from the National Fire Academy and local fire agencies," said Fire Program Supervisor Mark Ayers.
A Designing Projects for Successful Grants Workshop will be offered online, March 1 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. The workshop will available via the internet and toll free conference call. The workshop is free to all who are interested. It will cover how to plan your project and write about it for a successful grant application. We will emphasize the Oregon Heritage Grants, the Oregon Museums Grants and the Historic Cemeteries Grant offered by Heritage Programs of Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, but the information can be applied to any grant. Call Kuri Gill, Historic Cemeteries Program Coordinator at 503-986-0685 to register.
From Wednesday, February 24, 2010
by Melody Kirk
The Klamath Falls Urban Renewal District will likely dissolve over the next several years unless the city chooses to retain it. Over $8 million in improvements to the downtown area have been completed through the special district but the city could decide to let businesses take over future improvement projects rather than extend the tax district. The state Special Districts Association is lobbying the legislature to limit extension of urban renewal districts.
Oregon legislators have approved a bill to allow teachers to wear religious clothing in classrooms. The Senate approved the measure 21-9 on Tuesday, and the bill is expected soon to be sent to Governor Ted Kulongoski. It would strike down a law dating to the 1920s when the Ku Klux Klan dominated the Legislature. Only two other states have such laws. The bill cut across liberal-conservative, rural-urban divides in the Legislature. Some legislators say it was a struggle to figure out how to vote because the measure raises a constitutional clash between the religious freedom of teachers and students' right to be free of religious proselytizing.
The recent death of the director of the U-S Fish and Wildlife Service is having a real-world effect on the status of a desert bird that lives in the Northwest.
The agency is debating whether to list the sage grouse as an endangered or threatened species. It was due to announce its decision this Friday. But spokeswoman Diane Katzenberger says Sam Hamilton's death last Saturday has put that on hold. Katzenberger says the agency has asked a federal judge in Boise for permission to delay its sage grouse decision on March 5. The sage grouse is about the size of a chicken and it lives in 11 Western states. Federal wildlife officials say its habitat is declining. About the death of Hamilton, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said, "Sam Hamilton was a professional whose years of service and passionate dedication to his work have left an indelible mark on the lands and wildlife we cherish . . . that will continue to shape our nation's stewardship for years to come."
The Oregon House passed a bill Monday that requires all new buildings in the state be Radon resistant. Radon is a natural, radioactive gas that seeps up from the ground. In small amounts, it's not really dangerous, but one out of every 15 homes in Oregon has elevated levels that are deadly. Phil Donovan with the American Lung Association of Oregon says radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in Oregon and is easily preventable. The bill has already passed the senate and, although Governor Kulongoski has not said whether he’ll sign the bill, state agencies are supporting it. A family can test their home for radon with a $15 kit, but if the home has elevated levels of the gas, installing a pump to remove it can cost about $1,600 dollars.
