7/31/2006 - Report Sheds Light On Mentally Ill Prisoners

A new state report out Monday confirms that Oregon's jails hold hundreds of people suffering from serious mental illnesses.

The survey shows nearly nine percent of prisoners have schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or some other serious psychiatric problem.

It concludes that such inmates have more trouble following rules, spend more time in isolation and need extra staff supervision. Kristian Foden-Vencil reports.

Read the full story...

Also on Monday's Oregon Considered

Inspector Holds Officials Responsible In Indian Student Death
Environmental Groups Call For Even Tighter Mercury Rules
Police Adding Muscle Cars To Fleet
Protesters Demand Israeli Cease-Fire

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Posted by Michael Clapp

7/27/2006 - Tribes, Scientists Still Divided Over 'The Ancient One'

It's been ten years since a near-complete human skeleton emerged from the muck along the Columbia River in Kennewick, Washington.

His advanced age, 9000 years and counting, got scientists excited. But for local tribes, the discovery remains a high-profile example of a persistent divide.

In part two of our series, correspondent Elizabeth Wynne Johnson reports on what's changed, and what hasn't, in the relationship between archaeologists and native peoples.

Read the full story...

Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered

Military Suicides On The Rise
An Early Flame, Rekindled Late in Life

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Posted by Michael Clapp

7/26/2006 - Bach Festival Opens At Mt. Angel Abbey

The path to Mt. Angel Abbey winds through a stand of trees then opens onto a hilltop with a panoramic view of the valley below.

Bells ring at various times of day, calling the monks who live here to daily prayer.

In the church, the Benedictine monks sing a modern version of Gregorian chant. Chants sung for generations.

Every year, the abbey invites the public to come to the hill and participate in the Abbey Bach Festival.

Read the full story...

Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered

Some Kennewick Man Mysteries May Last To Eternity
Gay Marriage Ban Stands in Washington State
Senate To Debate Food Labeling Bill
Supporters Of Israel Hold Pioneer Square Rally

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Posted by Michael Clapp

7/25/2006 - Earth Homes Make For Affordable Housing

If you're like most people, you wouldn't think "striking architecture" and "low income housing" belong in the same sentence.

But an Okanogan, WA non-profit is planning just that -- a village of domed adobe houses.

Correspondent Tom Banse reports it's like nothing you've seen before.

Read the full story...

Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered

Measure 37 Makes Couple's Dream Home Possible
Senate Passes Parental Notification Bill
Feds Arrive To Assess Drug Abuse Prevention Programs

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Posted by Michael Clapp

7/24/2006 - Technology Brings Security To Oatfield Estates

The older you are the more you likely think about where you're going to spend the last years of your life.

One Portland couple looked around for a while, but didn't find anything they liked, so they decided to build their own.

The result: Oatfield Estates, an assisted living community unlike any other in the country. Residents get the benefit of advanced technology, a family style atmosphere, and a natural setting -- which, as Mary Sawyers found when she visited, seems to be a winning combination.

Read the full story...

Also on Monday's Oregon Considered

A Hot And Dangerous Weekend In Oregon
Some In Oregon Watch The Mideast War With Special Interest
Northwest Land Rush to Build Wind Farms

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Posted by Michael Clapp

'Are We There Yet?' And Other Favorite Questions From The Road

Summertime and "road trip" are synonymous in many families. The search for that elusive "getaway" or the chance to see a new part of the country has kept families traveling for decades.

Author Robert Sullivan is a veteran of the long haul. He has driven across the country nearly 30 times in the last 15 years, often beginning or ending a trip in Portland because his wife's family lives here, and he has chronicled his thoughts on a recent trip, with detours into the history of road lore, in his new book Cross Country.

He talks with Oregon Considered host Eve Epstein about the book and the adventures that inspired it.
Read the full story...

Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered

River Patrols Gearing Up For A Warm Weekend
Fewer Oregonians Testing Positive For Meth
Facing Deadly Fires, Fire Managers Buying Liability Insurance
MultCo Library Levy Will Appear On Fall Ballot

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Posted by Michael Clapp

7/19/2006 - Sneakin' Out For A New Sound

Time now for a pop quiz on local music.

Oregon is:

A. home to countless top-notch rock bands.
B. growing its reputation as a jazz hub.
C. country and bluegrass pickers' paradise.
or
D. all of the above.

Of course, the correct answer is "D". This weekend Oregon fans have a bumper crop of concerts to choose from, with shows to suit every taste.

Of course, if you'd like to cover all the bases at once, you could just go see Portland's acoustic trio, Sneakin' Out. April Baer has this profile.
Read the full story...

Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered

Portland WiFi Cloud Starting To Take Shape
BC Artist Wins Buffett Leadership Award
PPS Seeking Funding Through Property Tax Increase
OTC Approves $100 Million for New Projects

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Posted by Michael Clapp

7/18/2006 - 2007 Lacrosse All-Star Game Slated For Portland

The National Lacrosse League announced Tuesday that Portland will host its All-Star Game next year -- bringing about 15,000 fans from across the country.

The Rose City beat out the likes of Denver, Colorado and Edmundton, Alberta, for the game, which will be played March 10th 2007 in the Rose Garden. Kristian Foden-Vencil reports.

Read the full story...

Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered

Smith Votes In Favor Of Embryonic Stem Cell Bill
Portland's T-Horse Turns 10

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Posted by Michael Clapp

7/17/2006 - Metro Looks To Fine Tune Recycling Efforts

Think you know how to recycle at the curb? Portland's regional government begs to differ, at least a little.
While officials are quick to applaud Portland area residents for having one of the best recycling rates in the country -- at 59 percent -- they think it could be a little better.

As Allison Frost reports, Metro is launching a campaign Monday to nudge up the recycling rate.

Read the full story...

Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Crash Brings Air Show's Future Into Question
The Gem State Has High Hopes For Biodiesel's Future
State Regulators Prepare To Enforce New Utility Tax Law
'Our House' Reopens For Area AIDS Patients

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Posted by Michael Clapp

7/13/2006 - Haystack Summer Arts Program Set To Begin

The ocean has been a muse to many authors and in that spirit, professional writers from the Pacific Northwest are gathering at Cannon Beach starting this week to teach courses at the Haystack Summer Program in the Arts.

One of the authors scheduled to teach a course in late July is Portland poet and memoirist Judith Barrington.

Barrington has a longstanding fascination with the sea, stemming in part from a family tragedy that she documented in her memoir "Lifesaving."

We spoke recently, and I asked her if she would read one of the early passages from that book.
Read the full story...

Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Mt. St. Helens Will Re-Open to Climbers
Risk Of Financial Abuse High For Older Citizens

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Posted by Michael Clapp

7/12/2006 - Veterinary Hospital Moves Into New Facilities

Oregon's largest animal hospital, DoveLewis in Northwest Portland, is holding a grand opening party for its new campus Thursday.

Members of the public will get a chance to look at the eight new exam rooms, two new surgery suites and the 75 spaces in which animals can convalesce overnight. During the last 18 months, the non-profit has raised $2.5 million toward the new $8 million facility.

Kristian Foden-Vencil went on a tour and filed this report.

DoveLewis Audio Slideshow
Read the full story...

Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Interior Secretary Kempthorne Tours Volcano Observatory
Measure 37 Interpretation Varies From County To County

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Posted by Michael Clapp

7/11/2006 - CD's From A Bank? What's Unusual About That?

A new CD featuring local musicians was released Tuesday by of all places -- Umpqua Bank.

The Oregon based institution is sponsoring the "Discover Local Music" project in an effort to enhance its image as a community-based bank.

As Kristian Foden-Vencil reports, keeping up that image is a challenge since in recent years, Umpqua has gone from five to 127 branches on the west coast.

Read the full story...

Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Walla Wallans Wary Of Bend-Like Growth
Beaverton Wal-Mart Plan Draws Criticism

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Posted by Michael Clapp

7/10/2006 - Go Climb A Tree (Like A World-Champion)

This month, hundreds of people will turn out to watch the world championships in a sport you may have never heard of.

Here's a clue: the defending men's champion is from the Northwest. A past female champion is also from these parts. Still stumped? The sport is competitive tree climbing.

Correspondent Tom Banse reports the reigning champion honed his skills rescuing local cats.

Read the full story...

Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Commission To Examine Nursing Home Conditions
Ballot Measures Abound For November Elections
Laid-Off Custodians Asked To Come Back
Cheap and Reliable Power Nurtures Server Farms

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Posted by Michael Clapp

7/6/2006 - Portlanders Take On "Low Car" Diet

25 Portlanders surrendered their car keys at a ceremony at Pioneer Square Thursday to begin what organizers are calling a "Low Car Diet."

For the next month the volunteers will depend on bicycles, TriMet, the shared car service Flexcar, and their own two feet to get around town.

Read the full story...

Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
A Race To The Finish For Some Initiative Backers
Shorter Summer For Year-Round Students
Court Rules Cross-Border Pollution Case Can Proceed

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Posted by Casey

7/5/2006 - Senators Unveil Catastrophic Health Care Plan

Oregon's two U.S. senators unveiled a plan today to create a new kind of federally subsidized health insurance plan for small businesses and poor individuals.

The insurance wouldn't provide any benefit for modest health problems, like colds or ear infections, but it would kick into gear if someone suffered a major emergency, like cancer or a serious car accident.

Read the full story...

Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Portland Lawyers Represent Gitmo Detainees
Camp Reunites Siblings Split By Foster Care

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Posted by Casey

7/3/2006 - The State Of State Parks

During this busy Fourth of July holiday, rotting buildings, outdated sewer systems, and dangerous wiring are just some of the concerns at aging state parks across the Northwest.

Deferred maintenance at Northwest state parks totals in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Austin Jenkins reports on the conditions vacationers might find at campsites across the region. Read the entire story.

Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Read the complete text to "The State Of State Parks"
Police, Firefighters Warn Of Fireworks Damage
Local Waters Claim Two More Lives
Sizing Up The Next Cold War
Northern Smugglers Take To The Air

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Posted by Casey