Oregon Considered - Oregon Considered
11/29/2007 - Oregon A National Leader In Health Care
Republican Senator Gordon Smith Friday again called on Congress to pass the children's health care measure known as SCHIP. Smith says the measure could still become law, even though the president vetoed an earlier version of the bill in October.
Gordon Smith: "But let's not quit, because this is too important. Let's get it done in Washington and Salem."
Smith faces a tough reelection fight next year. And his position on the issue breaks with most of his fellow Republicans. But maverick positions on health care aren't unusual to Oregon politics,
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
3500 Oregon Guard Soldiers Called Up For Overseas Duty
Oregonian Given Buffett Award For Indigenous Leadership
Oregon Considered Leaves The Air After 17 Years
11/28/2007 - The Hunt For The Elusive Giant Palouse Earthworm
It’s three feet long, it smells like a lily and it can spit at attackers. But so far the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service doesn't want to pay to study the giant Palouse earthworm.
Environmental groups plan to sue to make that happen and to protect the worm under the Endangered Species Act. But studying the worms is a difficult task. In the last 100 years scientists have only found them three times.
Richland correspondent Anna King recently followed a University of Idaho researcher on a quest for the elusive ground-dweller.
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Fireproofing Homes Rather Than Forests
Washington Special Session Promises Political Fireworks
Council Votes To Drop Venture Capital Tax
HHS Secretary Says Major Changes To Import Controls Needed
Canadians Looking South For Renewable Energy Collaboration
11/27/2007 - Cessna Buys Columbia Aircraft For $26.4 Million
Tuesday outside of Portland bankruptcy court, a world-renowned planemaker appears to have purchased Bend-based Columbia Aircraft for what many say is a bargain price.
The deal is being finalized and if a bankruptcy judge accepts the terms, Kansas-based Cessna will have outbid just one other suitor for Columbia. Central Oregon correspondent Ethan Lindsey reports.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Albany Neighbors Voice Concern About Group Home For Criminally Insane
Speaker Pelosi Visits To Discuss Sharing Health Care Information
A Behind The Scenes Look At Kicker Central
Idaho May See Water War Over Snake Plane Aquifer
11/26/2007 - Panhandling Crackdown Raises Free Speech Concerns
Asking for money from strangers is never easy.
In two Oregon cities, it will soon be even tougher.
That’s because leaders there are trying to put an end to panhandling along the side of the road.
Complete article...
Oregon ACLU May Challenge Panhandling Laws
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Madras Wrongful Imprisonment Case Returns To Court
Multnomah County Moves To Limit Mental Health Coverage
Will Oregon Voters Go For Publicly Financed Campaigns For State Office?
11/15/2007 - Grays Anatomy: A Timber County Embraces Green
On the Washington coast, an economically distressed timber county is going green. Grays Harbor County wants to transform itself from a community of extraction to a community of renewables.
As part of our series on Northwest communities reinventing themselves, correspondent Austin Jenkins introduces us to some young adults at the forefront of this economic transformation.
Complete article...
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Central Oregon May Get New Rendering Plant
Foster Parents Still Hoping To Keep Gabriel In Oregon
Governor Plans To Reduce Illegal Aliens' Access To Licenses
11/14/2007 - Coos Bay: Little City, Big Port
The southern coast of Oregon is one of the most isolated parts of the state. But leaders in one coastal town want to turn the seclusion to their advantage.
As part of our series on Northwest communities re-inventing themselves, correspondent Chris Lehman reports on Coos Bay, a little city with plans for a big port.
Complete article...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Scientists Create Cloned Embryos From Adult Monkey
Kulongoski Kicks Off Expansion Of Opportunity Grants
Who's Mr. Kelly And What's In A Name?
11/13/2007 - A Timber Truce, But Not Everyone Is On Board
For more than a decade, Northwest environmentalists have waged a war on what they consider unsustainable logging practices. They’ve filed lawsuit after lawsuit to stop timber sales.
That’s why in timber towns, environmentalists are often blamed for ruining the economy. So what if the two sides called a truce and decided to work together to bring back jobs and preserve the forest?
It’s happening in the Northeast corner of Washington. And that’s where we start our series on Northwest communities reinventing themselves. Correspondent Austin Jenkins reports.
Complete article...
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
PETA Files Complaints Against Primate Research Center
Anti-Illegal Immigration Measure In The Offing
Looking For A Vacation Home In A Vineyard?
11/8/2007 - Big City Style Popular Even In Small Towns
You might expect fancy loft living in downtown Portland and Seattle. But how about this? Now there are lofts going up in downtown Yakima and Pendleton, Oregon!
Richland correspondent Anna King takes us for a closer look at how small Northwest towns are embracing downtown living.
Complete article...
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Outdoor Burning Bans Show Central Oregon's Growth
A Child Of The 'Great Society,' Public Broadcasting Act Turns 40
Digging In To Learn With Young Tree Planters
House Approves Free-Trade Agreement With Peru
Enrollment In Oregon Universities Increases
11/7/2007 - Measure 49 Just Another Bend In A Long Land Use Road
After years of conflict over Oregon’s land-use planning system, voters Tuesday approved a measure billed as a compromise.
Measure 49 limits development under property compensation initiative, Measure 37, which passed in 2004. It also changes the process for reviewing claims, and addresses Measure 37’s legal uncertainties.
As Rob Manning reports, Measure 49’s passage Tuesday appears to have settled the dispute pitting a person’s right to build on property against potential harm to Oregon’s farms and forests.
Complete article...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Clatsop County DA Pay Measure Failing
Voters Seem Fickle After Spendy Fall Campaign
Washington Voters Send 'No New Taxes' Message
Millions Of Reasons For Measure 50 Defeat
11/6/2007 - Oregon Author Offers Brush Up Course In 'Kitchen Literacy'
Chances are if you're asked where dinner's coming from, you probably think that means a choice of restaurants or supermarket chains.
At least that's how it occurred to Oregon historian Ann Vileisis.
She's the author of Kitchen Literacy: How We Lost Knowledge of Where Food Comes from and Why We Need to Get It Back.
Listen to the interview...
View images from the book
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Special Election Turnout Leaves Much To Be Desired
Time To Rethink How We Name Ballot Measures?
Justices Focus On Procedure During Circumcision Arguments
Pressure Grows In Re-Naming Interstate Ave. Controversy
Gay Scandals Bedevil Republican Party
11/5/2007 - Beervana
In 1852, beer came to the Northwest quenching the thirsts of loggers, miners, fisherman and farmers.
Today, Portland is the beer capital of the world.
Learn the story of the industry through compelling and amusing anecdotes of the Oregon beer community.
Beervana producer Beth Harrington talks with Oregon Considered host Allison Frost about the project.
Complete article...
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
China, Oregon Sign Food Testing Agreement
Oregon Supreme Court Hears Circumcision Case
Measure Promises To Fix Fire And Police Disability Retirement Fund
Job Fair Links Returning Soldiers With Potential Employers
11/1/2007 - Veterans Find Help Working In The Woods
Individual states are stepping up to provide more help to returning soldiers and sailors. A novel program under the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs uses nature to heal the wounds of war.
Vets also get experience in environmental restoration that could lead to a good civilian job. Correspondent Tom Banse has more from suburban Seattle.
Complete article...
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Seattle Car-Share Customers Slapped With Rental Tax
Giusto Calls Report 'False And Misleading'
Bend's 'Nature Of Words' Festival Faces Challenges
Low Turnout Looms As Major Factor In This Election
10/31/2007 - Oregon Vortex Offers A Spooky Mystery For All
For most of us, Halloween is about candy, costumes, and spooky stories. But at the roadside attraction known as the Oregon Vortex in Southern Oregon Halloween marks the end of a long season.
It’s Oregon’s so-called “mystery spot” -- where water runs uphill, gravity seems off-kilter and short reporters like Harriet Baskas appear taller than they really are.
Complete article...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Technology Opens Window Into Secret Life Of Bats
Sen. Smith's Immigration Vote Draws Scrutiny
Sheriff Giusto To Comment On Goldschmidt Report
Council Finally Accepts 45 Acres Of Ross Island From Pamplin
10/30/2007 - Explosions Open Wetlands Reclaimation Project In The Klamath Basin
It took years of planning, and it was over in a matter of seconds. As onlookers cheered, four earthen levees were destroyed with thousands of pounds of explosives.
The dikes were built in the 1950’s to create more farmland in Klamath Basin. But more farmland meant less water for fish.
The blasts are meant to reverse that.
Complete article...
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Portland Police Respond To Sex Crime Audit
Report Says Some Allegations Against Giusto Have Merit
Central Oregon Man Imprisoned Wrongfully
10/29/2007 - The Quest For One Square Inch Of Quiet
The quietest square inch in the continental United States is -- drumroll please -- at a rock placed on a moss-covered log in the Hoh Rain Forest of Olympic National Park.
An Olympic Peninsula man identified the spot as part of his quest to preserve solitude in the national parks.
He writes complaint letters to airlines that fly overhead and sometimes even gets results.
Correspondent Tom Banse went with the sound tracker for a visit.
Complete article...
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
'Speak Shop' Explores New Way To Foreign Language Learning
Ellsbury Makes Many Oregonians Into Red Sox Fans
Converting Food Crops Into Fuel 'Crime Against Humanity'
10/25/2007 - Global Climate Change Skeptics Continue To Doubt Data
The scientific debate over whether humans are contributing to global climate change is largely over.
But a number of skeptics remain in what you might call the weather industry: TV weather forecasters and state climatologists.
That’s the subject that OPB producer Christy George tackles in her new documentary called “Forecast: Cloudy” which premiers Thursday night on the television stations of OPB.
Christy George sat down with Oregon Considered host Allison Frost for something of a sneak preview.
Complete article...
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Rossi Announces Rematch With Gregoire For Washington Governor
Owners Say States Over Look Small Business
Court Battles Return For Portland Archdiocese
10/24/2007 - Packy's Vet Returns To Visit His Most Famous Delivery
Early this month, the Oregon Zoo revealed that 13-year-old Asian elephant “Rose Tu” is pregnant.
Elephant births seem almost common today. But in 1962, the zoo attracted worldwide attention with the first elephant born in captivity in 44 years. You know him as Packy.
The man who helped make that happen is retired now. Recently, Dr. Matt Maberry sat down with Oregon Field Guide’s Vince Patton to recall an important mark in elephant breeding history.
Complete article...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Oregon's Death With Dignity Law Turns 10
Fires In Keeping With Global Climate Change Predictions
Does America Need A Federal Shield Law For Journalists?
10/23/2007 - Deadly 'Right-Hook' Kills Another Cyclist In Portland
A Portland cyclist died Monday when he collided with a garbage truck in North Portland. That is the second fatality in two weeks where a cyclist collided with a large truck and it's the fourth cyclist to die this year.
The latest two incidents have a common thread: a vehicle turns right across a bike lane. It's called a right hook.
Cyclists and law enforcement officials believe something needs to be done but there is little consensus about what.
Complete article...
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Seeking Solutions To The Deadly Bike/Truck Conflict
Nike Buys British Sports Firm Umbro
Oregon Senator Part Of Bi-Partisan Political Dynasty
Bend's Juniper Ridge Project Delayed, Possibly At Risk
10/22/2007 - Measure 50: Tobacco Tax For Healthy Kids Or Constitutional Rewrite?
Cigarettes are often viewed as an easy target for tax-hungry governments.
Measure 50 on the November ballot raises state tobacco taxes to pay for the Healthy Kids Program. But this tobacco tax is giving some people second thoughts.
That’s because the tax would end up in the state’s constitution. Salem correspondent Chris Lehman explains.
Complete article...
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Author Peg Bracken Dies At Age 89
Marijuana Measures Collecting Signatures For 2008 Ballot
Ref 67: Consumers In The Middle As Insurance Companies And Trial Lawyers Duke It Out
Bend Planemaker's Future Up For Grabs
10/17/2007 - Both Sides In Measure 49 Debate Claim Farmer Support
Two new reports are out on Ballot Measure 49. The initiative limits the development allowed under property compensation initiative, Measure 37. It changes the process for reviewing claims, and addresses the measure's legal uncertainties.
As Colin Fogarty reports, both sides of this land-use debate are citing the views of people who live off the land.
Complete article...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Measure 50 Campaigns Dispute How Much Money Will Go To Kids
Eastside Earthquakes Get Attention At Conference In Yakima
Portland Hosts Major Match, Looks To Future Of Soccer
10/16/2007 - Van Gogh's 'Ox-Cart' Comes To Portland After Decades On A Wall In Roseburg
The Portland Art Museum scored a coup this week. It received its first painting by Vincent van Gogh.
The Dutch artist painted “The Ox-Cart” in 1884. That was before he moved to France, where he painted the brightly colored “Sunflowers” and “Starry Night”.
As Colin Fogarty reports, the Portland Art Museum received this painting as a donation from a private collection.
Complete article...
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Builders Still Building But Home Sales Slow In Central Oregon
Fake Bomb Starts Off Portland Counterterrorism Exercise
Rainy Day? WA Voters Asked To Amend Constitution
10/15/2007 - Wu Earmark For Campaign Donor Draws Scrutiny
Oregon Congressman David Wu is under fire for a $2 million Congressional earmark to a company that makes T-shirts for U.S. Marines.
The polyester shirts that disperse sweat appeared ideal for soldiers in Iraq. But the shirts could melt when a blast goes off nearby.
As Colin Fogarty reports, company that made the shirts gave generously to Wu’s re-election campaign.
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Tektronix Bought Out By East Coast Conglomerate
Interstate Bridge A Source Of 'Frustration, Fumes and Failure'
10/11/2007 - Simple Signs Sell Complex Solution
This November will see the most expensive ballot measure campaign in Oregon history.
The tobacco industry is dumping $9 million in an effort to defeat Measure 50, which raises state tobacco taxes to pay for the Healthy Kids Program. But in a separate ballot measure, a low tech and relatively inexpensive campaign is also getting attention.
Have you seen those black and white signs by the side of the road asking whether you “love Oregon?” Colin Fogarty found the man behind the signs and has this report.
Complete article...
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Hillsdale And Bridgeport Wild Oats Stores To Close
Panel To Look For Ways To Develop Brownfield Lands
10/10/2007 - Opal Creek Wilderness: Protected And Ready For Visitors
There's only one way into the old mining town of Jaw Bone Flats, Oregon. You've got to go south of Mount Hood and then hike 3 miles into the middle of the Opal Creek Wilderness.
The area was at one time the subject of bitter debate between timber interests and conservationists. Until 11 years ago when Congress decided to set aside the Opal Creek Wilderness as protected forest.
OPB's Vince Patton went out with the Oregon Field Guide crew to see how the forest has changed and he filed this report for OPB News.
Complete article...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Performance Artist Panhandles For Slavery Reparations
Portland Auditor Looks At Recruiting Practices
Cigarette Companies Burning Through Millions To Defeat Measure 50
10/9/2007 - John Edwards Campaigns At Union Meeting In Seaside
Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards won thundering applause from about 500 members of Oregon AFL-CIO this Tuesday morning. The former senator from North Carolina spoke to a convention of the state labor federation in Seaside.
Another presidential candidate -- Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich -- spoke on Sunday.
Oregon’s presidential primary is next May, long after other states make their picks. But as Colin Fogarty reports, that hasn’t dampened the energy of union members.
Complete article...
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Pigeons Pose Poop Problem For GOP
Signatures Fall Short, Domestic Partnerships To Become Law
Gresham Looks For New Way To Manage Rental Complaints
Council And Citizens Split On Renaming Interstate Ave.
10/8/2007 - Oregon Filmmaker Seeks To Save 'Los Banos' Raid Memories
There’s a famous picture taken during the Second World War, in which a group of six Marines raise a flag atop Mount Suribachi.
It ran in magazines and papers across the world, announcing news of American victory in the Battle of Iwo Jima.
That news, however, knocked another amazing story off the front pages that day. It involved a military mission that against all odds saved two thousand civilians from a concentration camp 30 miles behind enemy lines.
Military teachers still use the raid on Los Banos as an example of how to execute a successful rescue.
Memories of that raid are fading as participants grow older. But as Kristian Foden-Vencil reports, an Oregon filmmaker and local survivors are working hard to preserve them for posterity.
Complete article...
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
OHSU Researchers Find Breast Cancer Risk Linked To Mother's Hips
I-960: Eyman’s Latest Attempt To Curb Government
'Certainty' Of Measure 49 Seems Uncertain At Best
10/4/2007 - Beggars and Choosers, Motherhood Is NOT A Class Privilege
If there’s one sound effect that might accompany a new photo exhibit of mothers opening Thursday at Portland State University and the YWCA in Portland, it’s this...[Clearing throat.]
The exhibit is called Beggars and Choosers, Motherhood is NOT a class privilege in America. And curator and historian Ricki Solenger says what it is, is primarily an interruption. An interruption in the usual perception of who is a mother, a legitimate mother.
Complete article...
View photographs from the exhibit
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Guardians In The Graveyard Of The Pacific
Portland Considers Building Municipal Broadband Internet System
Black Butte Forest Project Serves As Wildfire Model
North Clackamas Board Is Latest To Consider Development Tax To Fund Schools
10/3/2007 - Lack Of Health Insurance Leads Many To Bankruptcy
With the never-ending rise of health care costs, comes a never-ending debate over how to pay for it.
In Oregon, voters will decide Measure 50 this fall, which raises tobacco taxes to pay for the Healthy Kids Program. And no matter how that measure is decided, it's clear that in Oregon, as elsewhere, the healthcare system as a whole is not well.
Complete article...
- Harvard Doctor Discusses Medical Study
TOWNSQUARE: Are Medical Expenses Killing You?
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Oregon Treasurer’s Race Gets First Candidate
A Tug Boat Ride Down the Snake River
Adams Makes It Official, He's In The Run For Portland Mayor
10/2/2007 - Still Waters Run Deep And Deadly For Columbia River Salmon
Environmentalists often call Columbia River dams “fish killers.” But in fact the deadliest dam isn’t a dam at all: it’s a 76 mile reservoir that pools behind a dam east of The Dalles, Oregon.
In part two of our journey down the Columbia River, correspondent Anna King takes a closer look at the deadly John Day reservoir.
Complete article...
Part 1 of the series
A Canoe Trip On The Upper Columbia
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Bend Home Hunting Changes With Market
Republican 'Farm Team' Not Out Yet In State Races
Wyden Health Care Bill Gains Support In Senate
10/1/2007 - Oregon Photographer Documents A World Of Climate Change
It’s a big day for Oregon photojournalist Gary Braasch. His new book Earth Under Fire comes out today.
It’s a hard cover, coffee table book that’s filled with his pictures from around the world documenting the physical changes that have accompanied global warming.
He joined us in our Portland studios to talk about what he found -- particularly in Oregon and the Northwest.
Complete article...
View an audio slideshow of Gary Braasch talking about his photographs.
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
PSU Study Looks At 'Age-Friendliness' Of Cities
New ID Theft Law Takes Effect In Oregon
A Canoe Trip On The Upper Columbia
9/27/2007 - Timberline Lodge Celebrates 70 Years Since FDR's Visit
Friday marks the 70 anniversary of the official opening of Timberline Lodge. On September 28, 1937 President Franklin Roosevelt spoke to a crowd gathered on Mount Hood.
70 years later, the lodge has become an icon of the Northwest and a show case for Depression-era artistry. Only a few of the people who worked on Timberline Lodge survive today, as Colin Fogarty reports.
Complete article...
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Oregon Conference Focuses On Tribal Children
Ruling In Mayfield Case Seen As Blow To Justice Department
Lewis & Clark Scholar Reacts To Mayfield Decision
9/26/2007 - Morning Star Congregation Keeps Faith In Building's Resurrection
Last February, a ferocious four-alarm fire gutted a Northeast Portland institution. Fire crews, neighbors, and parishioners watched as the historic Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church was engulfed in flames.
The church building and an adjacent school had stood at 106 NE Ivy Street for over 80 years. The cause of that fire was never determined, and in the 8 months since, the congregation has faced more than its share of misfortune.
But as Andrew Theen reports, the Morning Star congregation is holding fast to their faith and their hope for a rebuilt church.
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
U.S./Russia Davis Cup Final Slated For Portland
Some Payday Lenders Pack Up And Leave
Gay Rights Opponents Submit Referendum Signatures
9/25/2007 - Rockin' Away In A New 'Cabaret'
Portland Center Stage kicks off its 20th anniversary season with Storm Large and Wade McCollum as the leads in the classic musical Cabaret. But before artistic director Chris Coleman cast the larger-than-life rocker opposite a seasoned actor, he first went to YouTube to check her out.
He wasn’t sure what he wanted at first but the evident vocal chops of Storm Large helped convince Coleman that he was headed in the right direction.
Complete article...
View an audio slideshow tour with costume designer Jeff Cone and his staff.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Autzen Stadium Is Focus Of Local, National Attention
FCC Fines Comcast, But Not KPTV
Portland Leaders Look To Spread The Renewal Wealth Around
9/24/2007 - Portland Jazz Great Enters Ukulele Hall Of Fame
Lyle Ritz may be the most famous Portland jazz great you might never have heard of. This year marks the 50th anniversary of his groundbreaking album, “How About Uke?” -- the world's first jazz ukulele recording.
Ritz may not be a household name, but you've almost certainly heard him playing bass on pop hits like The Beach Boys "Good Vibrations," Sonny and Cher's "The Beat Goes On," and The Righteous Brothers "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling."
This year, Lyle Ritz was inducted into the Ukulele Hall of Fame at the Portland Uke Fest. And at 77 years old, Ritz is not slowing down.
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Independent Party Growing Fast In Oregon
Pipebomb Kills Man In Boardman
Is This New Math? Test Scores Down, But That's A Good Thing
Pilot's Family Makes Peace With His Death
9/20/2007 - Farmers And Scientists Search For Super Fuel Crop
Growing canola to make biodiesel isn't exactly setting Northwest farmers' hearts aflutter.
Government statistics show just a slight increase in canola plantings, despite layers of incentives to support homegrown fuel. Plant breeders and university researchers in Oregon, Idaho, and Washington keep plugging away to find more options for area growers.
Correspondent Tom Banse reports on what we might call ALTERNATIVE alternative fuel crops.
Complete article...
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Parishioners Reach Out To Sex Abuse Survivors
More Billboards Just Around The Corner On Oregon Highways
Former Enron Prosecutor Joins Race For Attorney General
Fly Along On A Mt. Rainier Rescue Training Mission
Family Traces Road Rage Incident To Time In Iraq
9/19/2007 - Clock Is Ticking For Oregon Signature Gatherers
Time is running out for people trying to overturn two new gay rights laws in Oregon. They have until September 26 to gather enough signatures to force the issue to a vote.
Complete article...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
'Step-Up' Program Helps Keep High Schoolers In School
Oregon Minimum Wage Workers Get 15 Cent Raise
More Criticism For Rep. Baird's Iraq Stand
9/18/2007 - Aid Agencies Respond To Flooding In North Korea
Two Oregon-based aid agencies, Medical Teams International and Mercy Corps are among those offering food and medical supplies to North Korea.
The country is still recovering from horrific floods in August that displaced nearly a million people and left hundreds dead.
Allison Frost talked with representatives of the two agencies.
Complete article...
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Drug Report FInds Meth Still A Problem In Oregon
Suicide Rate For Vets Twice That For Non-Veterans
Measure 50 Supporters Want To Send Message To Tobacco Companies
Light Sentences For Raptor Killers Riles Bird Lovers
9/17/2007 - Behind-The-Scenes At The NW Immigration Detention Center
When illegal immigrants are captured in Washington, Oregon and Alaska, they’re brought to a federal detention center in Tacoma, WA.
It’s the only facility of its kind in the Northwest. When it opened three years ago, it held 500 detainees. Now it holds on average a thousand.
Correspondent Austin Jenkins recently got a rare look inside this federal lock-up.
Complete article...
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Republicans Favor Erickson Early In Repeat Run Against Hooley
Making 'Vision PDX' Into A Reality
Looking For Changes A Year After Chasse Death
Crater Lake Loop Tops Off 20 Years Of Cycle Oregon
9/13/2007 - OSU Wave Center Demonstrates Effects Of Tsunami On Seaside
This week's earthquake in Indonesia was a dramatic reminder of the massive tsunami that hit that region in late 2004. It killed 230,000 people.
Researchers say America's west coast could be hit by a tsunami that big someday, too. Thursday in Corvallis, researchers demonstrated what a tsunami would do if it hit the coastal town of Seaside.
Complete article...
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Let's Talk Transit, Not Iraq
Blazers Fans Have To Wait A Little Longer For Oden's Debut
It’s Not Just Boeing; NW Has a Growing Role in Defense Contracting
Oregon Soldier Awarded The Purple Heart
9/12/2007 - Only The Best Saddles For Real Cowboys
You can tell a lot about a cowboy by the type of saddle on his horse’s back.
Some are dolled up with silver for the show ring, others are rugged for work in the backcountry.
And there is one place in the Northwest where cowboys turn for the best.
Anna King has this profile of a saddle maker in Pendleton, Oregon.
Complete article...
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
John Frohnmayer Joins Senate Race
New Machine At OHSU Promises Reduced Prostate Cancer Side Effects
Gunshots Blamed For Wildfire
Prineville Writes First Measure 37 Check
Political Analysis By Bill Lunch - Bill talks with Allison Frost about John Frohnmayer's run for Senate and Nancy Pelosi's visit to the Northwest. (mp3, 4:53)
9/11/2007 - Northwest Congressional Leaders Weigh In On War Hearings
Northwest congressional leaders responded to two days of briefings on the Iraq War Tuesday. It appears few, if any, minds have changed.
Instead, opponents of the troop surge questioned the evidence of success, especially on the political front in the Iraqi parliament.
The few supporters in the Northwest applauded the latest efforts from General David Petraeus. One congressman said Tuesday the American people should consider how much they are personally willing to sacrifice for success in Iraq, as Rob Manning reports.
Complete article...
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Bilal Mosque Observes Sixth Anniversary Of 9/11 Attacks
Opinions Vary On Fair Punishment For Makah Whale Hunters
New Wilderness Area Proposed In Southern Oregon
9/10/2007 - One Term In Mayor's Office Enough For Potter
Portland Mayor Tom Potter announced Monday he will not be running for reelection. Potter told City Hall staff Monday, that he wants to spend more time with his family.
Potter stood next to his wife Karin and sported the beginnings of a new beard which he'd asked Portland residents to vote for or against online. Potter said he’s done most of the things he set out to do when elected.
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Brandon Mayfield Back In Court
Prison Overcrowding Forces New State Prison
Makah Tribe Representatives Say They Didn't Approve Whale Killing
9/6/2007 - Cycle Oregon Turns 20
Every summer for the past 20 years, an enormous group of cyclists get on their bikes for seven full days of riding, camping, and camaraderie.
The ride is Cycle Oregon -- a fully supported, rolling summer camp for cyclists. But it's more than a bike ride; since it began 20 years ago, it's evolved into an Oregon institution. Not to mention the state's most spandex-clad charitable foundation, awarding over $1.7 million in grants.
Casey Negreiff taped his microphone to his handlebars and went for a spin with the man behind that first ride, Jonathan Nicholas.
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Idaho Lags Behind In Mental Health
New Dam Proposal Attempts To Recover Salmon
Scientists Try To Discover 'Which Spider Delivers Which Bite'
Rinde Eckert Discussing Opening Of Time Based Art Festival
9/5/2007 - The Making Of A Rural Doc
Throughout the Northwest, rural communities are in a constant struggle to attract and keep doctors. To practice in a remote area is to embrace a life of long hours, professional isolation and lower pay.
The region's medical school has a program dedicated to helping students see the upside of rural practice, too.
In Part II of our series on rural health care, correspondent Elizabeth Wynne Johnson chronicles the journey of one medical student as she gets her first real taste of what rural medicine is all about.
Complete article...
Part One of the Series - General Surgeons Hard To Replace In Rural Hospitals
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
A Year After Layoffs, Intel Bounces Back
Initiative Activists Already Gathering Signatures For 2008 Ballot
Black Butte Fire Ignites Policy Debate
New Debate on Evacuating Fire-Prone Areas
9/4/2007 - Xeriscaping: A Hot Topic in Santa Fe
Gardeners in New Mexico are exploring xeriscaping — landscaping that doesn't require a lot of water. Displays have moved well beyond mere cactus and rock, but the practice still stirs controversy in some neighborhoods.
Complete article...
Ketzel Levine's Talking Plants Blog
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Enviromentalists Cheer, Conservatives Bemoan Departure Of Sen. Craig
Black Butte Evacuees Allowed To Return Home
General Surgeons Hard To Replace In Rural Hospitals
Rep. Hooley Proposes $100 Million For Willamette River Projects
8/30/2007 - Framing The Life Of A Photographer's Wife
The story of the late American photographer Edward Weston is perhaps not as well known as his friend and contemporary, Ansel Adams. And until now, the name Charis Wilson may not have rung any bells for Oregonians.
Documentary filmmaker Ian McClusky set out to change that. His new film “Eloquent Nude” tells the story of Charis Wilson, who modeled for and later married photographer Edward Weston.
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Big Tobacco Heads To Courtroom Over Measure 50
Kulongoski Accepts ODOT's Bridge Condition Report
Oregon Home Care Workers Negotiate New Contract
Test Scores Show Marked Improvement In Student's Yearly Progress
8/29/2007 - The Volcano's Calm, But The Park Debate Isn't
If you can see Mount St Helens from where you sit today, you’ll no doubt agree it looks placid. A thin vapor plume trickles over the crater rim. If it’s action you’re after, look in the towns around the foot of the volcano. People are lining up to support or oppose making the volcano a full-fledged national park.
Complete article...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
War Protesters Target Senator Wyden's Office
Portland Approves Sweatshop-Free Resolution
Craig's Problems Have Mixed Implications For Oregon
Pacific University To Shutter Its 'Upward Bound' Program
OHSU Diabetes Study Shows Promise For Type 2 Sufferers
8/28/2007 - Insurance Companies Fighting Wildfire Losses In New Ways
The Castle Rock Fire in central Idaho is officially the nation’s number one fire priority. It’s not lives that are threatened, so much as about a billion dollars’ worth of high-end real estate.
Correspondent Elizabeth Wynne Johnson has this look at what one insurance company is doing to avoid getting burned.
Complete article...
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Kaiser Studies Gestational Diabetes And Childhood Obesity Link
Teens Face Charges In Beating Of Homeless Man
Oregon's Christmas Tree Growers Wage War Against Fake Trees
Wallowa Mill Closing Prompts Community Meeting
Would-be U.S. Citizens From Iraq Kept Waiting
8/27/2007 - State Fair Ratchets Up The Cuteness Quotient
The Oregon State Fair is trying some new things this year to grab your attention. For instance, there’s a whole new section that showcases adventure sports such as rock climbing and snowboarding.
There’s also something new in the livestock section. Officials are betting that baby barnyard animals will capture the hearts of 21st Century kids. Correspondent Chris Lehman has more.
Complete article...
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Wind Turbine Tower Collapses Killing One Worker
Aid Worker Began Volunteer Work In High School
Oregon-Made Trumpet Will Be Lasting Memorial To Katrina Victims
Dead Humpback Off Coast Puts Damper On Whale Watching Week
Four Sentenced In Bank Of Grenada Ponzi Scheme
8/23/2007 - Mixologist Shaking-Up Everyday Cocktails
Oregonian Lucy Brennan is one of the nation’s top mixologists. That means, among other things, she makes a mean avocado daiquiri.
Portlanders may know her restaurant mint or her lounge 820. Magazines from Food and Wine to Playboy have all named the local restaurateur in articles about who’s who in mixology.
Brennan immigrated to the US in the 80’s from Great Britain but only started her first restaurant after she moved to Portland 14 years ago.
She’s just written a new book, called Hip Sips -- published by Chronicle Books -- which contains many of her signature drinks --with fresh fruit and the occasional vegetable.
Complete article...
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Portland's Goose Hollow Inn Celebrates 4 Decades
Michelle Wie Lands In Portland For Golf Tourney
Five Eastern Oregon Counties Seeking Drought Relief
Forest Service Promises Review Of Fish-Killing Fire Retardant
Washington State Battling To Regulate Brush Pickers
8/22/2007 - Mount Rainier National Park Briskly Recovering From Storms
Unprecedented numbers of volunteers are helping paid contractors rebuild trails, campgrounds, and roads in Mount Rainier National Park.
Storm damage closed the iconic park for six months this past winter and spring. Now, the pace of recovery is delightfully brisk. Correspondent Tom Banse reports.
Complete article...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Social Change Students Use New Media To Highlight Issues
Six Western States And Two Provinces Agree To Cut Greenhouse Gases
Portland Police Issue Expensive Reminders To Yield For Pedestrians
Hazelnut Crop Off, But Farmers Keep Faith
8/21/2007 - Dam Removal On Elwha Creeps Closer
East of Portland, the electric utility PGE is “almost through” tearing down Marmot Dam on the Sandy River.
The demolition project is ahead of schedule. The same cannot be said for an oft-delayed project on Washington’s Elwha River.
The targeted dams there would be the biggest ever removed in the whole United States. Correspondent Tom Banse reports there’s the prospect of action on the ground after more than twenty years of debate.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Oregon AG Hardy Myers Won't Run For Office Again
Poll Finds Shift In Oregonians' Candidate Preferences
Knight's $100 Million Comes With Questions
Peace And Trade Focus Of Chinese Ambassador's Speech
Schools To Debate Native American Mascots Again
8/20/2007 - More Logging Could Be On The Way For Northwest
It’s not exactly a return to the heyday of years gone by, but the northwest logging industry has reason to celebrate.
Two federal agencies are gearing up to allow more logging in Washington, Oregon and northern California.
As correspondent Chris Lehman reports, you could see a lot more logging trucks rolling down the highway in the next few years.
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
PBS Series Features Oregon Connections
Young Musicians Get Onboard The Lennon Tour Bus
Charges Dropped In McMinnville Teens' Harassment Case
8/16/2007 - Biodiesel Refinery Will Depend On Foreign Oil At Start
More than 250 luminaries and guests celebrated the opening of the nation's biggest biodiesel refinery in Hoquiam, Washington Wednesday. Speeches touted the benefits of keeping our petro-dollars at home. But the new plant still relies on imported oil -- vegetable oil in this case.
Correspondent Tom Banse reports that energy independence remains a hard nut to crack in the Northwest.
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
McMinnville Case Puts Teenage Sexual Behavoir On Public Agenda
Feds Round Up 175 Fugitives With Operation Falcon
Warm Weather Keeps Oregon Wildfires Burning Police Lieutenant Fired In Deadly Force Case
8/15/2007 - Northwest Ready To Lead In Harnessing The Motion Of The Ocean
This month a new technology to generate electricity from ocean waves hits the water. Test buoys will be deployed a few miles off the coast at Newport and Bandon, Oregon and Makah Bay, Washington.
The Northwest is poised to lead the way on wave energy. But for those who earn a living on the water, it's not clear the ocean's big enough for everyone.
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
D.A. Faces Questions In McMinnville Sex Harassment Case
Metro Looking For Way To Build Convention Hotel
Sen. Smith Addresses Klamath Fish Kill Criticisms
8/14/2007 - Poop Cruise Shows The Smelly Side Of Lake Roosevelt
There’s an experience almost universally shared by anyone who’s ever ventured into the great outdoors. Nature calls. And you’re nowhere near any sort of modern flush facility. Or even an outhouse.
Apparently, that’s happening to an alarming number of visitors at Lake Roosevelt in northeast Washington. One of the most beautiful sections of the Columbia River is awash in human waste.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Sen. Wyden Greeted With Calls For Impeachment At Portland Meeting
Portland's Five Percent Biodiesel Solution Set To Begin
Wildfire Threat Grows, Small Central Oregon Fires Continue
OHSU Brain Researcher Wins Javitz Neuroscience Award
8/13/2007 - Dead And Dying: Sounding The Alarm Over The Health Of NW Forests
You don't have to be a forester to see that giant swaths of Northwest forests are dead or dying. The infected areas stand out like a sore thumb: rust-red dead trees where once healthy evergreens stood.
Especially east of the Cascades, bugs and disease are feasting on forests made vulnerable by drought and overcrowding. Now the question is: how to stop the spread of this epidemic.
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Study Finds Drug Use Increases With 'Acculturation'
Gov. Kulongoski Makes Early Pick In U.S. Senate Race
Amateur Astronomers Gather Near Bend To Watch Perseids
8/9/2007 - Role Of 'Gusset Plates' In Bridge Collapse Considered
Investigators in Minnesota have raised concerns about a structural part used in bridges all over the country, including 177 in Oregon. The possible design flaw came up in the investigation of deadly collapse of a Minneapolis bridge.
Federal transportation officials are calling on states to be aware of the stress placed on what are known as “gusset plates.” Colin Fogarty reports.
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Logging On Federal Forest Lands Trending Higher
Hop Heads Gather To Discuss Their Favorite Flower
Hounds To Be Used To Control Cougar Numbers
Challenges Await New President At Eastern Oregon University
8/8/2007 - Portland Schools Prepare Search Criteria For New Superintendent
With the Portland Public Schools superintendent’s chair empty, school board members are thinking about the qualities they want in a new superintendent.
The school board finalized its criteria for selecting a new superintendent Wednesday.
That post was vacated, of course, when former Schools Superintendent Vicki Phillips left the job to lead the Gates Foundation’s education division.
School Board member Bobbie Regan is the point person for the new superintendent’s search. She talks with OPB's Eve Epstein about the process.
Listen to the interview...
Portland Public Schools Superintendent Selection Criteria
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Northwest Wheat Farmers Glean Best Price In Decades
Judge Denies Request For New Trial For Kip Kinkel
Bend's Bum Buses End Up In Court
Lebanon School District Reviews Superintendent's Performance
8/7/2007 - Backcountry Skiers Pursue Turns All Year
When it's 80 degrees and sunny, skiing is probably the last thing you're thinking of. But some Northwesterners just can't get snow off the brain.
Among them are some die-hards who tally impressive streaks of year-round skiing without leaving the Northwest.
Correspondent Tom Banse grabbed his ski poles to meet the people who carve turns all year round.
Complete article...
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Climate Change On The Agenda In The Northwest
ODOT Begins Inspections Of Oregon's Steel Deck Truss Bridges
How To Pick The Perfect Watermelon
Pope & Talbot Timber Company Up For Sale
8/6/2007 - Mt. Hood Fans Celebrate Pittock's First Climb 150 Years Ago
150 years ago Monday a small group of men completed what's thought to be the first climb to the summit of Mt. Hood. Henry Pittock and four friends ascended what is now the most popular mountain in Oregon.
Native Americans could have climbed to the summit long before 1847. But Pittock's ascent is considered the first documented climb to the summit.
Colin Fogarty spoke to the man who wrote the book on the history of Mount Hood, about that first expedition.
Complete article...
Mt. Hood Audio Slideshow.
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Mosquitoes' Buzz Brings State Of Emergency To Union County
Portland State Expands With New Rec Center
Traumatic Brain Injury: A Northwest Soldier's Struggle To Recover
Auto Theft Is East Portland's New Hot Crime
8/2/2007 - Mattel Recalls Chinese-Made Toys With Lead Paint
Mattel, the company that makes Big Bird, Dora the Explorer and other cuddly characters, is recalling almost a million toys because of lead paint.
The recall covers 83 different products made after April this year, including: giggling Elmo; Toucan Motorcycle Rescue and Sesame Street Jack-In-The-Box.
It's hard to know exactly how many of the 300,000 recalled toys in the U.S. were purchased in Oregon. Kristian Foden-Vencil reports.
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Portland Day Laborer Site Plans Draw Controversy
Judge Orders Idaho Prison To Provide Estrogen Therapy
Northwest Farmers May See New Yields In Farm Bill
8/1/2007 - Oregon House Speaker Merkley Joins Race For U.S. Senate
Democratic House Speaker Jeff Merkley filed papers Wednesday declaring he is candidate for the U.S. Senate.
The Portland Democrat enters the Democratic primary against political activist Steve Novick.
The House Speaker is hoping successes in the state legislature can propel him into the U.S. Senate seat now occupied by Republican Gordon Smith. But as Colin Fogarty reports, the debate over the war in Iraq is taking center stage.
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Ryan Deckert To Lead Oregon Business Association
Tsunami Learning Exchange: West Coast To Indian Ocean
7/31/2007 - Jolly Green Giant Left Town, But His Image Remains
There was a time when almost all canned asparagus with the Green Giant label came from Dayton, Washington.
In fact, for about 70 years, this tiny town 30 miles northeast of Walla Walla was home to the world's largest asparagus cannery. But in 2005, the cannery was moved to Peru and the town lost 50 full-time positions and nearly a thousand seasonal jobs.
Now, one of the questions people in Dayton are facing is what to do with the 300-foot-tall Jolly Green Giant. Harriet Baskas went out to southeast Washington and filed this report.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Kulongoski Threatens Veto Of OMSI Bail-Out Bill
House Panel Probes Cheney's Role In Klamath Fish Die-Off
Bend Realtors Feel Pressured By City Ban On Signs
Land Deal Marks The Beginning Of The End For The New Carissa Saga
7/30/2007 - Oregon Farmers Find Their Thrill With Blueberries
Summer in the northwest is a time for fruits and vegetables. Fans of fresh produce love to browse farmers markets and roadside stands for their favorites.
An increasingly popular choice is the blueberry. And Oregon is becoming one of the nation's leading producers.
Complete article...
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Hanford Officials Forming Clean-Up Plans For Friday's Leak
19-Year-Old Grants Pass Soldier Oregon's Latest Loss In Iraq
Philips Moves On To Gates Foundation, Leaves Her Mark On Portland Schools
City of Bend Anticipates 113,000 Residents By 2027
7/26/2007 - Portland Turns Into 'Beertown' For Four-Day Brewfest
Everyone knows Oregon's a big beer state, and today, the 20th annual Oregon Brewers' Festival got under way.
A parade kicked off the four-day beer bonanza, led by Portland Mayor and Honorary Mayor of Beertown, Tom Potter.
Casey Negreiff attended, and did not imbibe, so that he could send us this audio postcard.
Complete article...
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Governor Signs $28 Million In Grants For Research and Innovation
Rural Voters Still Looking For Candidate Who Knows Their Issues
Confiscated Nail Clippers? You Can Buy Them Back
7/25/2007 - Celilo Residents Move Into Temporary Houses
The Army Corps of Engineers is making good on a 50-year-old promise to build new housing at an historic tribal village.
This July, a small band of Columbia River Indians are moving into temporary homes. It's happening at Celilo Village, a legendary gathering place for Northwest Tribes near The Dalles, Oregon.
Correspondent Anna King visited with the residents of Celilo, on moving day.
Complete article...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Sellwood Bridge Project Still Moving Forward
Oregon's Foster Care Rate Above National Average
7/24/2007 - Brick By Brick: Demolition With Dignity In New Orleans
In post-Katrina New Orleans, a project with northwest roots is making its mark on the rebuilding effort.
It aims to preserve more of the original by rethinking how damaged buildings get taken apart.
In the process, familiar conservation concepts like "re-use" and "recycle" serve a purpose well beyond environmentalism. Correspondent Elizabeth Wynne Johnson went to check it out.
Complete article...
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Dust-Up Over DA Pay In Clatsop County Has Statewide Implications
Some Oregon Blazes Under Control, But Fire Season's Still In Full Swing
Washington's Bar Exam Now Tests Knowledge Of Indian Law
Farm Bill Advances To House Floor Vote
Hotter NW Summers Consistent With Global Warming
7/23/2007 - Drugstore Cowboys: Feds Crack Prolific NW Pharmacy Burglary Ring
Federal authorities have cracked the most prolific pharmacy burglary ring in the Northwest, if not the nation.
The break-in artists hit dozens of drug stores in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and California between 2004 and 2006.
Their target: heavy-duty painkillers like OxyContin that can sell for three times their value on the street. Correspondent Austin Jenkins has the story of one the ringleaders.
Complete article...
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Administrators Scramble To Grow Head Start Programs Across State
Rodeo Is More About Guts Than Bucks
Portland Popular With Open Source Aficionados
State Settles MacLaren Sex Abuse Cases
Northwest Potato Harvest Gets Off To A Hot And Dusty Start
7/19/2007 - Medical Pot Plants Seized, And The Debate Rages On
Salem police have arrested three people in a major pot bust.
Two of the suspects had medical marijuana cards. Oregon voters legalized the medical use of pot in 1998.
But arrests like the one in Salem this week have become fodder for a debate that's quietly raging over the future of the medical marijuana law.
Complete article...
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Soldiers' Kids Get A Little Normalcy At 'Operation Purple' Summer Camp
Redmond's RV Rally Is A Small Town On Wheels
Naomi Pomeroy: Fresh Ingredients, Fresh Start
Entrepreneurs Strike Oil In Winery Waste
7/18/2007 - More Than Medicine: Bio-Tech's Increasing Role
It's probably no surprise that bio-technology has become big business in Oregon. But you might be surprised by just how many aspects of everyday life are touched by bio-tech.
Moira Gunn's new book "Welcome to BioTech Nation," chronicles her journey of discovering BioTech and starting a weekly segment on her public radio program, Tech Nation.
Download an extended version of this interview
Click here for the rest of the story...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Got Your Allen Wrench Handy? Portland's IKEA Opens Next Week
Residents Of St Helens Debate Immigrant Ordinance
Land-Use Planning Head Lane Shetterly Stepping Down
7/17/2007 - NW Troops Repay A Debt By Sponsoring Iraqi Refugees
Iraqi refugees have begun to trickle into the Northwest. They're mostly translators who assisted Northwest soldiers on deployments in Iraq.
In some instances, local troops are repaying a debt by sponsoring the Iraqi immigrants.
Correspondent Tom Banse has a profile of one Iraqi whose arrival could be a sign of things to come.
Click here for the rest of the story...
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Next On The List? Another Dem Considers Senate Run Against Smith
With Store's Closure Portland's A Little Sadder, A Little Less Weird
There's No Substitute For the Lessons Of Predator And Prey
7/16/2007 - 'Fishtrap' Is Like A Summer Camp For Adults
When you think book readings and literary salons, usually that means fancy bookstores or wine-and-cheese platters. But one of Oregon's most famous literary gatherings happens in a remote part of the state.
And to reporter Ethan Lindsey it seemed less like a book group, and more like summer camp. Ethan sent us back this audio postcard from his bunk bed.
Click here for the rest of the story...
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Court Upholds Endangered Species Protection For Coast Coho
'Big Look' Land-Use Review Headed For The Big Sleep
Sen. Gordon Smith Looks Ahead To 2008 Race
Threemile Canyon Farms Signs Union Agreement
7/12/2007 - Shadow Project Helps Special Needs Kids Earn And Learn
Educating kids with special needs and learning disabilities can be difficult.
They take more time and attention -- which many teachers never seem to have enough of. But one Oregon mom has developed a remarkably simple and effective program.
The idea is that kids earn points for doing well -- they can use those points to buy toys for themselves or gifts for others.
As simple as it sounds, "The Shadow Project" is thought to be the only nonprofit of its kind in the country. And it's growing.
Next week, the charitable foundation Social Venture Partners will announce a major grant to help get the program outside of Portland. Allison Frost checked out some places where the Shadow Project has been working wonders.
Click here for the rest of the story...
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Biscuit Fire: Five Years Later
New Measure, Same Old Land Use Battle
ODOT Seeks Cheaper Way To Get From Corvallis To Newport
7/11/2007 - A Tale of Two Interstates
Interstate 15 runs from Canada to Mexico through the American West, while Interstate 86 runs west to Portland and then Seattle.
The two highways intersect at Pocatello, Idaho.
We hear from truckers, traveling teenagers and a hitchhiker about the culture of the interstates.
Click here for the rest of the story...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Beef Or Bison? How 'Bout Both In One Bite
Elections Division Still Trying To Get Money Out Of Former Rep. Doyle
7/10/2007 - A Fresh Look At The Roads Most Traveled
If you're an Oregonian or Washingtonian, and you want to see much of your state at all, it usually means driving.
If you've ever made the five-hour drive between Spokane and Seattle along Interstate 90, you'd be forgiven for gritting your teeth, twirling the radio dial and hoping the time passes quickly.
Fortunately there's now another option. A new audio heritage tour could open your eyes to a new way of seeing that seemingly unremarkable stretch of road. Correspondent Elizabeth Wynne Johnson takes us on the journey.
Click here for the rest of the story...
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Smith Co-Sponsors Troop Withdrawal Bill
Heat Wave Threatens Pets Too
Bend, Portland Named Best Places To Live
Physicians' Groups Decry Proposed Medicare Cuts
7/9/2007 - Kate Brown To Run For Secretary Of State
State Senator Kate Brown announced Monday she's running for Secretary of State next year. The Portland Democrat stepped down as majority leader in the Oregon Senate just last month. As Colin Fogarty reports, Kate Brown isn't the only Democratic state Senator seeking the post.
Click here for the rest of the story...
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Summertime Is Bottling Time At Northwest Wineries
Kaiser Patients Eager To E-mail Doctors
NW Teens Vie For Jobs Collecting Roadside Trash
7/5/2007 - A Doctor In Darfur
Dr. Jonathan Bird returned recently from month in the Darfur region of Western Sudan. He lives near Farmington, Missouri, but he was working as part of the Oregon relief agency, Medical Teams International.
The situation in Darfur has been called the worst humanitarian crisis anywhere on the globe. It's also been called genocide.
The most conservative estimates puts the number of dead at 200,000, and others say it's at least half a million.
More than two a half million people are without homes.
Complete article....
Dr. Bird gives some of his impressions of the country in this audio slideshow.
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Movie Documents 162nd Infantry's Time In Iraq
Using Bull Run Water To Help Wild Salmon
7/3/2007 - 'And The Rockets Red Glare...'
Today on Oregon Considered we bring you a couple of views of Independence Day.
First commentator Bob Balmer with some thoughts about the 4th of July picnic food hierarchy.
And Vancouver poet Scott Poole remembers a 4th that ended with a pizza 'chucked' at a horse.
And we couldn’t let the show end without explaining, in case you were wondering, and even if you weren’t, that the music you’ve been hearing on today’s show is all from musicians who will be appearing at the 20th annual Waterfront Blues Festival. It’s as always, a benefit for the Oregon Food Bank. And it starts at noon on the 4th at the Tom McCall Waterfront Park in downtown Portland.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Assessing The State Of Portland's Wi-Fi Cloud
Federal And State Funds Bring MAX To Clackamas County
More Money Spent Than Saved In City's Bulk Purchasing Program
Biofuels' Raw Material To Get Financial Boost
Oregon's Higher Ed Looks Forward To Improvements
7/2/2007 - Jockeying Among LNG Developers Picks Up
The jockeying among developers wanting to build natural gas import terminals near the coast is heating up. Four companies have their eyes on the lower Columbia River and another likes Coos Bay.
Insiders say the region probably can support only one tanker terminal. And opponents aim to make it none. Correspondent Tom Banse has the latest on a brewing showdown from Astoria.
Complete article...
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Assessing The State Of Portland's Wi-Fi Cloud
Oregonians Get More 'Bang For The Buck' In Washington
Portland Schools' Vicki Phillips Off To Gates Foundation
Volunteerism: Feels Good, Sounds Good
6/28/2007 - Cold-Averse Plants Warm Up to a New Home
With apologies to most of the country, we gardeners in the Pacific Northwest are spoiled rotten. Our temperate climate enables us to grow a glut of the world's plants.
Walk down a leafy street and you'll see not only native or Asian plants, but less familiar species from South Africa, Chile and the South Pacific, particularly from New Zealand.
Complete article...
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Lawmakers Wrap Up Shortest Session Since '95
Farmers, Interest Groups React To Squashed Immigration Bill
Metro 'Open To Partnerships' With Businesses To Run Park System
6/27/2007 - Senate Colleagues Prepare For Kate Brown's Farewell
When the 2007 session of the legislature ends, it will be the last time Portland Democrat Kate Brown will lead her caucus in the Oregon state Senate.
Brown's been in the legislature for 16 years. She's spent half that time as leader of the Senate Democrats, the longest caucus leader that legislative veterans can remember.
They consistently rate Kate Brown as one of the most effective legislators in Salem. Colin Fogarty has this profile.
Complete article...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Legislature Heading For First June Finish In Over 10 Years
Air National Guard Releases Name Of Pilot Killed In Crash
Blazers' Top Draft Pick Has Portland Holding Its Breath
6/26/2007 - Scientists Working To Shore-Up Honeybee Population
You may have heard that the nation's honeybees are in trouble. Their numbers have declined by about a quarter in just the last year alone.
Worst of all, nobody knows why.
In response, scientists and the federal government are trying to come up with ways to encourage more bees and other pollinators to thrive.
Complete article...
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Mayor Potter Announces Grants For Safety At New Columbia
TV Stations Blur The Line Between News And Ads
Final March Is On For Salem Lawmakers
Report Shows Significant Increase In Child Abuse Cases
6/25/2007 - One-Party Rule Yields Mixed Bag In Salem
The clock is ticking for the Oregon legislature. Lawmakers have until the end of the week to wrap things up.
It was the first session in 16 years that one political party enjoyed control of the House, the Senate, and the Governor's office. Salem correspondent Chris Lehman reports on how things worked out with the Democrats in charge.
Complete article...
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Flight Attendant Wings Through Lifetime Of Airline Change
Are Advertising Agreements Healthy For Local Television News?
Governor Signs Bills To Protect Children In Foster Care
6/21/2007 - Chinese Pop Star Sells NW Cherries In Music Video
Washington is often called the most trade dependent state in the nation. When it comes to agriculture, about a third of the state's crops are exported -- most to Asian countries.
But marketing Northwest products overseas takes some creativity. Correspondent Austin Jenkins shows us what a Chinese pop star and Northwest cherries have in common.
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Oregon Boy Writes Winning Essay On Bees
Ambulance Workers Vote For Strike Over Wages, Insurance
Better For The Customers, Better For The Birds
6/20/2007 - Top Draft Prospect Works Out For Blazers
Greg Oden worked out for the Portland Trail Blazers Wednesday. He and Kevin Durant are the two players the team is considering for the top pick in next week's NBA Draft.
Oden had a large audience for the latter part of his workout. Several members of the Blazers watched him participate in drills with head coach Nate McMillan and other coaches.
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Judge To Decide On Kinkel Case Within 30 Days
Portland Police Searching For Missing California Couple
Senate Looks To Scale Back 'Double Majority' Requirement
6/19/2007 - The Life Vest's Struggle To Win Hearts And Minds
A warning you hear often in the summer is that anyone going out on a boat should wear a life vest. After any accident on water, we hear whether the victims were wearing life jackets.
We all know they save lives. So why do so many of us still refuse to wear them?
Correspondent Elizabeth Wynne Johnson went to a busy boat launch in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho to ask around.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Multi-Year Timber Payments Deal Still Possible
Rise In Pedestrian/Train Accidents An 'Unfortunate Trend'
Judge Considers New Trial For Kip Kinkel
Report Blasts Portland Police For Poor Sexual Assault Record
6/18/2007 - Your Past Can Catch Up With You At The Northern Border
Some travelers who used to blithely cross the Canadian border are being tripped up by indiscretions in their pasts.
Thanks to improved databases and information sharing, border guards can now call up records of crimes that exclude you from entering Canada or the USA.
And they just might Google you. Correspondent Tom Banse has the details you should know.
Complete article...
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Governor Signs Three Bills To Better Protect Oregon Consumers
It's Hip To Be Square...Dancing, That Is
6/14/2007 - Evergreen Museum Hoping To Land A Space Shuttle
As anyone who has visited 'The Spruce Goose' recently can tell you, the Evergreen Aviation Museum is in the middle of a massive expansion.
Having opened in 2001 with just four planes, the collection now numbers more than 80. And, as Kristian Foden-Vencil reports, there's a move afoot to try and bring a space shuttle to the small town of McMinnville.
Complete article...
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
U of O Professor Studies Motivations Of Immigrant Workers
Clackamas Commission Considers Adding Members
Universal Health Care Discussed In Salem
6/13/2007 - Filmmaker Explores Challenges Facing Recovering Addicts
Independent filmaker Brian Lindstrom spent four months following the recovery of alcoholics and addicts in a mentor program in Portland.
That resulted in a documentary he titled, "Finding Normal." The film won best local production early this year in the Longbaugh film festival.
It will be shown Friday night at the Portland Art Museum's Whitsell auditorium and it also will have a run later this summer at Cinema 21.
Brian Lindstrom stopped by our studios for a candid talk about the documentary which isn't his first film focused on recovery and drug treatment.
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Immigration Raid Brings Praise, Condemnation And Concern
Silicon Wafer Company Bringing Renewable Energy Jobs To Oregon
Lawmakers May Have Deal On Prevailing Wage Issue
6/12/2007 - Millions Spent On Train Yard, But No Trains Stop
You know the saying, "If you build it they will come"? Well, what happens if you build it with taxpayer money and they don't come?
That's what's happened in the central Washington town of Quincy. Several million dollars were spent to build a railroad terminal to get goods to market. But so far, no trains are stopping at the station.
We sent correspondent Austin Jenkins to find out if this is a taxpayer boondoggle in the desert.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Feds Propose Reducing Spotted Owls' Protected Habitat
OSU Beavers Return To College World Series
Reflections On Rosaria
6/11/2007 - Pro-reform Advocate Underwent Immigration Transformation
It failed a test. But is it dead? That's the question Northwest farmers and high tech managers have about the immigration reform bill.
The Senate failed to vote on the measure last week. It would have made it easier for companies to bring in guest workers.
One of the people speaking up for the region's orchardists has seen his personal views flip 180-degrees on immigration. Correspondent Tom Banse has this profile.
Complete article...
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Remembering A Stillborn Child
Study Questions Benefits Of Salvage Logging
Veterans Twice As Likely To Commit Suicide
Oregon National Guard Troops Return From Afghanistan
Pigeon Enthusiasts Charged With Killing Birds of Prey
6/7/2007 - Portland Archdiocese Releases Accused Priests' Personnel Files
The Archdiocese of Portland released a series of documents Wednesday from the personnel files of priests accused of molesting children.
Church officials agreed to release the papers when they settled a massive bankruptcy case in April involving about 150 claimants. But attorneys for those accusers complain the document release caught them by surprise.
Attorney Kelly Clark estimates that this batch of papers is only a portion of what will ultimately be released.
Complete article...
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Forestry Board Considers Increased Logging On State Lands
OMSI Unveils Controversial 'Body Worlds' Exhibit
Retired General Visits Portland, Criticizes Iraq War
Record-Setting Philanthropist Hallie Ford Dies
In Salem, Beer Tax Hops Along
6/6/2007 - Renewable Energy Bill Could Lure Energy Companies To Oregon
Every now Oregonians pass a law that sets the Beaver State apart: The Bottle Bill, The Beach Bill, Vote-By-Mail, Death with Dignity....
Wednesday Governor Ted Kulongoski signed another landmark piece of legislation into law: The Renewable Energy Bill. It required utilities to generate a quarter of their power form wind, sun, wave or geothermal sources by 2025.
While the legislation will help prevent global warming, supporters say it'll be remembered for a much more concrete reason: money.
As Kristian Foden-Vencil reports, they say the legislation will make Oregon one of the places to be for new energy start-ups - businesses that one day could become as big as the likes of Chevron and Exxon Mobile.
Complete article...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
California Assembly To Vote On Assisted Suicide
Cormorant Flock May Get Moving Orders
Home Builders See Green In North Idaho
Oregon Philanthropist Jean Vollum Dies
Oregon In Line, Kind Of, With Nationwide 'No Child Left Behind' Trends
Portland's Arts And Culture Add Greatly To Economy, Says Study
6/5/2007 - Family Leave Could Come With Some Cash
People who need to care for elderly parents or sick children are allowed to take time off from work and not worry about losing their job. But many people don't, because they can't afford to give up their paycheck. Lawmakers in Salem are considering a plan that would give employees a source of income while they're away from their job. Salem Correspondent Chris Lehman reports.
Complete article...
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Smith And Wyden Still Undecided On Immigration Bill
Dry-Wallers Strike For Better Pay
Measure 37 Referral Passes Senate
Tsunami Preparedness, One Year Later
6/4/2007 - A Day In The Life Of Congressman Peter DeFazio
Peter DeFazio has just begun his 11th term representing the 4th District in and around Eugene. The Democrat is the longest-serving member of the Oregon House delegation.
In our ongoing series of profiles of Oregon's congressional delegation, Todd Zwillich brings us a day in the life of Democrat Peter DeFazio.
Complete article...
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Ethics Panel May Review State Sen. Johnson's Land Deal
Fire Season's Early Start Has Officials Concerned
Some Girls Try Steroids In Weight-Loss Quest, Study Finds
Immigrants' Advocates Press For 'Hate Crime' Designation In Beating Case
5/31/2007 - Kicking Off Portland's Biggest Party
Portland's 100th Rose Festival started in historic style Thursday afternoon. Two tall ships sailed up the Willamette River to dock at the Waterfront downtown, along with vessels from the Navy, the Coast Guard and others.
The Rose Festival's Grand Floral Parade is Saturday, June 9th, and most of the big events will be wrapped up by June 10th.
Kristian Foden-Vencil talked to people at the festival site as they made last minute preparation and filed this audio postcard.
Complete article...
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Pamplin Changes Mind On Ross Island Donation
Kevorkian's Release Has Death With Dignity Advocates Wary
Hundreds Gather In Redmond To Pay Respects To An Oregon Icon
Legislators Hit Deadline For Bills To Pass Committee, Or Die
Queer Film Festival Makes Its Debut In Portland
5/30/2007 - Family Revives 'Ellis Island Of The Columbia River'
Who knew the Northwest had it's own "Ellis Island"?
Nearly 100,000 immigrants passed through the port of entry at Astoria between 1899 and 1938.
The U.S. Quarantine Station on the Washington side of the river is now in private hands. The family owners say their nearly forgotten slice of immigration history can shed light on our current immigration debate.
Correspondent Tom Banse reports from the mouth of the Columbia River.
Complete article...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Portland Bets Its Money On Smart Cars
Salem Hospital Sends Midwives Packing
Oregon Legislature Could Punt Two Major Issues To Voters
Budget Cuts Make It Rough For Multnomah County's New Chair
5/29/2007 - Making Washington A Hub For Plug-In Hybrid Cars
How would you like to fuel up for 75 cents per gallon? Engineers estimate it might even cost less than that to fuel a hybrid electric car with cheap Northwest hydropower.
A coalition of utilities and local governments hopes the Northwest can become a development hub for such plug-in cars. Correspondent Tom Banse has more from Wenatchee, Washington.
Complete article...
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
A Day In The Life Of Congressman Greg Walden
Sen. Wyden, Schools Chief Castillo Pledge To Overhaul 'No Child Left Behind' Act
To Bike Or Not To Bike
5/24/2007 - Violent Gang Problem Plagues Rural Northwest
Police across the Northwest are noticing a disturbing trend. Violent gang activity is on the rise once again. And it's not just in big cities.
In fact one epicenter of the problem appears to be Washington's Yakima County. That's farm country.
In the town of Sunnyside, city leaders this week passed a controversial ordinance that makes gang membership illegal. Other towns may soon follow suit. Correspondent Austin Jenkins reports.
Complete article...
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Deconstructing The Updated Bottle Bill
Oregon's Highest Court Won't Rule On Measure 37 In The Gorge
ELF Environmental Activists Sentenced
Oath of Secrecy gave Wyden Intelligence Dilemma
Three Charged In Portland Car Arson Cases
5/23/2007 - PGE Prepares To Remove Two Dams On The Sandy River
For nearly a century, Portland General Electric has gotten some of its power from the Sandy River basin.
Now, the company is preparing to vacate the Sandy and Little Sandy Rivers and turn much of the land over for conservation.
Eight years ago, PGE decided it would be more expensive to repair and keep up the Marmot and Little Sandy Dams than to just tear them out. Colin Fogarty was among several reporters who went on the last tour of the dams before removal begins this summer.
Complete article...
Sandy River Dams Audio Slideshow
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Senate Nixes 'Open Primaries' Bill
Blazers Win Top Draft Pick
Washington Rolls Out Video Welcome Mat To Farmworkers
Seed Banks Move to Save Threatened Species
5/22/2007 - Grocers Say Bottle Bill Update Should Be Canned
Look around your car. Chances are there are some empty plastic water bottles rolling around. You probably plan on recycling them at some point, right?
In Oregon, less than a third of water bottles sold each year actually are recycled. Lawmakers want to dramatically increase that percentage.
They're on the verge of adding water bottles to the list of items that require buyers to fork over a nickel deposit. But the move has generated considerable opposition from the grocery industry.
Complete article...
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Clearing The Air: More Smoking Bans Pass Oregon Senate
Former Reporter Turned Foster Care Advocate Sues Washington
Report Finds School Buildings At Risk In Earthquake
New Beavers/Timbers Owner Sees Their Value To Community
5/21/2007 - A Busy Day In The House With Rep. David Wu
This year Congressman David Wu began his fifth term representing Oregon's first congressional district, which stretches from Portland to the Oregon Coast.
Wu serves on three committees in Congress including the Science Committee, Education and Labor, and the Foreign Affairs committee. As part of OPB's continuing series on Oregon's congressional delegation, correspondent Max Cacas spent a day with Representative David Wu.
Complete article...
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Lake Oswego Students Challenge City's Curfew Laws
Senate Passes Funds For More Troopers
Merging Schools For Deaf And Blind Debated In Salem
5/17/2007 - Inside The Volcano: Slow-Brewing Mystery Stew
May 18th is a big anniversary date in the Northwest. It's the day Mount St Helens blew its top 27 years ago.
There hasn't been a towering steam and ash plume from the volcano for more than a year now. But the lava dome in the crater continues to grow, slowly and steadily.
Nobody knows how long this phase of the eruption will last. Correspondent Tom Banse reports Mount St Helens presents something of a scientific puzzle.
Complete article...
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Defense Department Faults Commanders In Death Of Madras Soldier
Jurors Side With Two Accusers In Sex Abuse Case
Report Links 8th-Grade Achievement To Employers' Workforce Woes
Oregon's At The Forefront Of The Readable Fiscal Documents Trend
5/16/2007 - Eco-saboteurs Fight Potential 'Terrorist' Label
Are they mere arsonists or are they terrorists?
That's what a federal judge in Eugene is mulling over today as it pertains to a group of radical environmentalists. The judge is preparing to sentence ten people for their roles in a long spree of firebombings across the Northwest.
Correspondent Tom Banse reports from Eugene on arguments over what exactly constitutes "terrorism" in this day and age.
TOWN SQUARE - Are They Terrorists Or Just Arsonists?
How do you define terrorism? Does arson and sabotage count, even if no lives were lost or even targeted? Let us know your thoughts on terrorism and justice in Town Square.
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
With Election Losses, Portland City Government Avoids Big Changes
Blumenauer Won't Challenge Smith For Senate Seat
School-Based Intervention Programs Keep Kids In Class
5/15/2007 - Higher Education Gets Boost From Latest Budget Numbers
Oregon lawmakers learned Tuesday they'll have more money to spend than previously thought as they enter the final weeks of the session.
The consensus seems to be that most of the extra money will go towards the state's universities and community colleges.
Salem correspondent Chris Lehman reports.
Complete article...
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Winery Opening Symbolizes 'Arrival' Of NW Wine
Oregon Governor Eyes Biomass Strategy
5/14/2007 - Profile Of Oregon's Lone Woman In Congress Is On The Rise
Darlene Hooley of West Linn is Oregon's only woman serving in Congress. Her stock in the U.S. House has been rising under the leadership of Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
In the next installment of our continuing series on the Oregon delegation, capitol correspondent Matt Laslo spent a day with Hooley on Capitol Hill.
Complete article...
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Priest Sexual Abuse Trial Nearly Over
Tax Hikes Proposed For Timber Counties
5/10/2007 - Oregon Legislators Looking At Sales Tax Again
Oregonians hate the idea of a sales tax, and have rejected the idea over and over again.
Nonetheless, Oregon legislators held a public hearing on a new sales tax proposal Thursday.
Supporters hope to pass it by promising that other taxes will be cut. But as Kristian Foden-Vencil reports, they're also not limiting their effort to this session.
Complete article...
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Out-of-state Gay Political Donors Targeted NW Legislative Races
Opponents May Try To Push Gay Rights Laws To Voters
Senate Votes For School Infrastructure Fee
5/9/2007 - Irrigation Canal Harnessed To Generate Electricity
When you think of hydropower, you probably think of large dams along the Columbia River. But one of the newest hydropower projects in the northwest could be as close as your nearest irrigation ditch.
Correspondent Chris Lehman has the story of how an engineering problem was solved with an environmentally-friendly solution.
Complete article...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Kulongoski Signs Two Gay-Rights Bills Into Law
Portland Set To Officially Recognize Homeless Camp
5/8/2007 - Fate Of Portland Development Commission Rests With Voters
Next week, Oregonians in counties all over the state will decide a variety of local measures. In most places the election is fairly low-profile and has prompted fairly low turnout.
Portland is no exception to that rule, despite having not one but four measures that would make big and small changes to the city's government. One of those would change the way the Portland Development Commission is run.
Measure 26-92 would refine the agency's mission and give the Portland city council oversight of its budget.
Complete article...
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Air Force's 60th Anniversary Marked In Portland
State Rep Mac Sumner Succumbs To Cancer
To Counter Cougars, Oregon House Releases The Hounds
Lawmakers Move To Require Mental Health Training For Cops
5/3/2007-Legislators See Things To Love And Hate In Proposed Changes To Measure 37
After six years of legislative failure, it appears that bills related to the controversial issue of property compensation will be voted on tomorrow in the Oregon House. Representatives will weigh in on proposed changes to Ballot Measure 37.
One bill would extend the deadline to process claims. Some state and county officials have said they don't have time to research all the claims they've received before a deadline this month. Missing it could mean costly lawsuits.
Complete article...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Domestic Partners Ready To Live 'Domestically'
Good Food, Good Friends, And No Rules
5/2/2007 - Moms Of Multiples Converge On Bellingham, WA
It used to be that twins were rare. Triplets even more so. But over the last 25 years, the rate of twin births is up almost 70%.
Behind all those babies are mothers who know first-hand what it means to get more than what you bargained for.
Correspondent Elizabeth Wynne Johnson recently spent time with a group of women who share the singular experience of raising multiples.
Complete article...
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
John Edwards Brings Campaign To Portland
Blazers' Roy Wins NBA's 'Rookie Of The Year'
Oregon Could Do Better In Summertime Safety Assessment
After Stalling Last Year, Mt Hood Wilderness Bill Back In Committee
5/1/2007 - Immigration Rally Draws Thousands To Salem
People across the country are holding rallies in support of more immigration rights today. That includes over a thousand people at the Oregon state capitol in Salem.
For about three hours, marchers chanted and held signs demanding more rights for people who have entered the country illegally.
Complete article...
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Wave Energy Gets The Go-Ahead From Feds
Portland Plans To Upgrade Its Curbside Recycling Program
Strategies Shift In Care For Developmentally Disabled
White Families Lead The Exodus From Metro-Area Public Schools
4/30/2007 - A Day With Oregon's Congressman On A Bike
Earl Blumenauer represents Portland in the U.S. House of Representatives. He doesn't fit the Congressional stereotype.
There are common, bizarre and even playful aspects to his not-so-normal life. In the next installment of our occasional series on Oregon's congressional delegation, Capitol correspondent Matt Laslo followed Blumenauer around Capitol Hill.
Complete article...
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Open Primary Bill Makes It Out Of Committee
The Difference Between Promoting Religion And Teaching Religion
Captain To Be Sentenced In 'Seaman's Manslaughter' Case
4/26/2007 - Oregon High Court Rules On Trash Searches
The Oregon Supreme Court talked trash Thursday. The justices ruled that police don't need a warrant to search garbage, once it's collected by the trash company.
Complete article...
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
State Police Funding Plan Stalled By Legislative Showdown
Documentary Highlights The Plight Of Uganda's Refugees
Barred Owl Shooting Proposed To Help Spotted Owl Survival
Phillips' Departure Takes Portland Schools By Surprise
4/25/2007 - State Mulls Options For Timber Payment Counties
The end of Federal payments to timber dependent counties has largely been a showdown between Congress and county governments.
It's unclear what role, if any, state governments should take as county governments slash services and lay off workers.
Local officials in Oregon turned to state lawmakers for help recently. Correspondent Chris Lehman has more from Coos County on the south Oregon coast.
Complete article...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Rented Bees Under-appreciated But Vital Cog For NW Farms
Oregon Soldier Among Nine Killed In Iraq
Domestic Partnerships Bill Nears Senate Floor Vote
4/24/2007 - The Big Turnoff: One Woman's Tale Of Avoiding The Tube
Ellen Currey-Wilson used to watch a lot of TV. The huge number of commercials on most stations was just one of many reasons she decided after she became pregnant that her child would not watch any TV at all before he turned 6.
Ellen Currey-Wilson has just written a book chronicling her experience. It's called: The Big Turnoff: Confessions of a TV-Addicted Mom trying to Raise a TV-Free kid.
Some of her public appearances were timed to coincide with TV turnoff week, which is, in case you missed it, this week.
Complete article...
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Mosquitoes' Genes May Offer Clues To Global Climate Change
School Board Cleans Up Custodians' Firing Mess
Portland Police Release 'Force Task Force' Report
4/23/2007 - Sen. Wyden: A Long-Time Fan Of The Underdog
Oregon Democratic Senator Ron Wyden has walked the halls of the U.S. Capitol for more than 25 years.
As he moves through his third term in the Senate, Wyden hopes to finally make his mark with the help of a Democratic majority.
In our continuing series profiling Oregon's congressional delegation, Capitol correspondent Terry Gildea spent a day with the state's senior Senator.
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Oregon Drivers Using More (And More Expensive) Gasoline
Fluorescent Lights Still Haven't Turned Consumers On
WA Legislature Passes $33 Billion Budget, Adjourns Sine Die
4/19/2007 - 'Health Care Access' Means More Than Insurance
There's a lot of discussion around the state capitol these days about improving access to health care.
But universal health insurance is meaningless if you can't get to the doctor's office.
Correspondent Chris Lehman visited a clinic in rural central Oregon to find out what it's like to stay healthy when your neighbors are sagebrush and jackrabbits.
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
New Rules Set For Future Sports League Redistricting
Bill Signings, But No Budget Yet, As WA Legislature Winds Down
State Begins Investigation Of Portland Schools' Gifted Program
4/18/2007 - First Democrat Steps Forward To Challenge Sen. Smith
Portland attorney Steve Novick launched his bid for the U.S. Senate Wednesday. The Democratic activist faces a big challenge running against a two-term senator, Gordon Smith.
But Oregon Democrats are energized after last year's election -- even if their first candidate for the 2008 Senate race is not very well known.
Complete article...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
'Rip City' Rings Out In Portland Once Again
Will The Sonics Really Leave The NW?
The Excitement Of Podcasting Comes To Salem
Oregon Ranks 15th In Volunteering And 8th In Civic Life
Protections For Threatened Salmon Go Back To Court
4/17/2007 - Archdiocese Will Disclose Records Of Priests Accused Of Sex Abuse
The Catholic Archdiocese of Portland has agreed to disclose some personnel records of priests accused of molesting children.
The settlement with attorneys for those sex abuse victims caps a nearly three year bankruptcy case. Colin Fogarty reports.
Complete article...
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
The Three Certainties: Death, Taxes, And Complaining About Taxes
On The Hill, Talk Of Gun Control After Virginia Tech Shooting
Leonard And Potter Debate Dumping Portland's Commission-Oriented Government
Gay Rights Bills Clear Oregon House
4/16/2007 - A Day In The Life Of Senator Gordon Smith
Gordon Smith has been a US Senator for over a decade now. In that time he's overcome many challenges, some political, others quite personal. Through it all the Oregon Republican has built a reputation as a moderate -- working across the political aisle on many issues. But life on the Hill is different when you're in the Minority. In the first of an occasional series focusing on Oregon's congressional delegation, capitol correspondent Benjamin Shaw brings us a day in the life of Senator Gordon Smith.
Complete article...
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Students And Educators Consider Safety After Virginia Tech Shooting
One Week Left For Washington Legislators
Jackie Robinson's Daughter Brings His Legacy To Portland
4/12/2007 - Washington's Franklin County First To Become Majority Hispanic In NW
We've all heard of the explosive growth in Bend, greater Boise, and Coeur d'Alene. But did you know the very fastest growing area of the Northwest is Franklin County in south-central Washington?
Dig deeper into the population numbers and you'll find another distinction. The county is the first in the region to become majority Hispanic.
Correspondent Tom Banse reports from the Franklin County seat of Pasco.
Complete article...
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Portland Auto Swap Meet Takes Over PIR
Western States Rank High In Wind Energy Potential
Structural Problems Threaten The John Day Dam
4/11/2007 - Filmed By Bike Film Fest Rolls Into Town
If you're new to Portland you may not know that the city hosts innumerable film festivals, but even if you're not new you may have missed this particular event -- it's called Filmed by Bike.
The clip we just heard is from a quirky 90 second film called "Hit a Frog."
Ayleen Crotty is the founder and director of the festival, which turns 5 this year. Although there's always room for policy discussions around bicycle transportation, Crotty says, this isn't about that.
Complete article...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Nine Years After Rampage, Patient Up For Supervised Release
Simple Measures At Prison Save Taxpayers Big Bucks
Committee Considers Consolidated Health Care Bill
4/10/2007 - Breastfeeding Bill May Make It Into Law This Time
A bill that would require businesses to provide a clean, private place for mothers to express breast milk, is waiting to be heard in the Oregon Senate Business Committee.
It's the fourth time the idea has surfaced in the legislature. But supporters believe this time's a charm -- because the governor's mansion, the House and Senate are all controlled by Democrats.
Kristian Foden-Vencil visited a mother who managed to negotiate time and a place to express her milk at work, but who still feels there ought to be a law.
Complete article...
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Bill Would Alter Rules For Hunting Cougars And Bears
NW States Consider Tax To Fund Paid Family Leave
Oregon Farmers Want More Columbia River Water
Portland Archdiocese Bankruptcy Plan Goes Before Judge
4/9/2007 - Medical Teams International One Of First To Return To Darfur
For the first time in 18 months, the government of Sudan is allowing international relief workers back into Darfur.
The civil war that is now acknowledged as genocide has left an estimated 200,000 to 400,000 people dead and more than 2 million people displaced.
Many live in refugee camps with little or no food, water or medical care.
One of the first groups to go back in is Portland-based Medical Teams International, formerly Northwest Medical Teams.
Jon Bird of Missouri left Monday for western Darfur and will be there as part of the Medical Teams International program for the next several weeks. He talked with Oregon Considered host Allison Frost about how a person prepares to go to a place like Darfur.
Complete article...
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Gay Rights Bills Working Their Way Through Legislature
Appeals Court Rejects Bush Plan To Manage Salmon
"There Was No Choice In Jonestown That Day..."
4/5/2007 - No Story Time, But Lots Of Classics At The Last Library In Jackson County
A plan to renew the federal subsidy that provides millions of dollars to timber counties appears to be on-track in Washington D.C. But in Jackson County, Oregon, the money won't come soon enough.
Without the federal money in the bank, the county can't afford keep the 15 branches open, and Friday the libraries will close.
Yet, there will be one major library in the county with its lights still on -- the library at Southern Oregon University. Jessica Robinson reports.
Complete article...
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Conservative Pastors Lobby Against Discrimination Bill
Hooley, Kulongoski Hear Guard Troops' Complaints
Public Vocal On Sellwood Bridge Plans
Bend One Of Fastest Growing Cities In The Nation
After 36 Years, Oregon's Bottle Bill Due For An Update
4/4/2007 - Lasers Used To Spot Landslides Wherever They Hide
A week ago Wednesday a landslide brought westbound commuters on Highway 26 to a screeching halt during morning rush hour.
Work crews are still analyzing the stability of that hillside, just west of the Vista Ridge Tunnel. Meanwhile an Oregon company has been working on an aerial survey of the entire Portland metro area.
As Andrew Theen reports, the company's using laser technology to pinpoint old landslides and predict where new ones might occur.
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Chalkboard Project Sees Mixed Results On Legislative Agenda
Open Primary Bill Makes Strange Political Bedfellows
4/3/2007 - When Money's Tight, Recent Grads' Health Insurance Is The First To Go
In March, Washington Governor Chris Gregoire signed a bill into law that would provide health insurance for all children in Washington State by 2010.
But the biggest group of uninsured people are between the ages of 19 and 34. 50% of them don't have any health insurance.
That includes our colleague in Olympia, Sarah Gustavus. Here's her story.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Senator Wyden Sees Room For Improvement At Portland's VA Hospital
Bridging The Parent-Teacher Language Gap
Police Investigating Tillamook Priest Accused Of Sexual Misconduct
Environmental Groups Lobby For Funds For Endangered Species Act
4/2/2007 - Public Defenders Turn To YouTube To Tell Gitmo Stories
In a ruling Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal from Guantanamo detainees, who are challenging their confinement.
The decision is yet another twist in a long-running legal battle.
Lawyers at the Federal Public Defenders Office in Portland, have become so exasperated with the legal hurdles surrounding their docket of Guantanamo detainees, that they've turned to 'YouTube'.
Defense attorneys in the Oregon office were assigned seven Guantanamo inmates -- the largest number for any state.
They have spent hours, and even weekends, creating a series of short films about one detainee -- Adel Hamad. He's spent five years behind bars without being charged with a crime.
The lawyers say frustration is forcing them to go beyond the usual legal toolbox to 'YouTube' -- as they try to prove that the government shouldn't be allowed to imprison anyone indefinitely, without charges. Kristian Foden-Vencil reports.
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Youth Philharmonic Outreach Emphasizes Finely-Tuned Education
Doctors Alerted To Increasing Prescription Narcotics Abuse
In Olympia, Lawmakers Tackle "Not Sexy" Side Of Healthcare Reform
Oregon, Washington Like Supreme Court's Clean Air Decision
3/29/2007 - Nursing Home Residents File Class-Action Lawsuit
Elderly residents of an assisted living home in Sheridan have filed a lawsuit against the owners -- saying they're charging for services that aren't provided. Kristian Foden-Vencil reports.
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Prison Reform: NW Inmates Enroll In Therapeutic Communities
Latino Soap Opera Has Drama And A Health Message
Three Houses Or Less? Use Measure 37's 'Express Lane'
3/28/2007 - Freightliner Employees Seek Jobs To Replace Those Sent To Mexico
The last 'Coronado' Freightliner truck to be built in the U.S. will roll off a Portland factory line this week. The company is shifting its production to Mexico.
800 welders, machinists and others, lose their positions Friday.
A job fair was held Wednesday to try and find work for those people. Some of those workers are frustrated to see their jobs go to other countries.
And as Kristian Foden-Vencil reports, some labor activists contend the Freightliner layoffs are a direct result of international trade agreements, which they say have gone too far.
At right Freightliner's founder Leland James
Complete article...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Divergent Polls Show Sen. Smith's Future Uncertain
Portland, PGE Gear Up For Court Battle
Voters Could Consider Change To Double Majority Rule
Oregon Legislature Debates School Junk Food Ban
3/27/2006 - Feds May Help Pay For Portland's Big Pipe Project
Some of Portland's sewer pipes are nearly 100 years old. And they're beginning to show their age.
City residents are paying big water bills to fix the system.
The federal government has money available to help cities like Portland. However, as Capitol Hill correspondent Chad Pergram reports, the White House is throwing up some big roadblocks.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Oregon Lawmakers Plan Tour Of Rural Counties
Three Indicted In Prison Foods Scandal
Higher Education Advocates Push For More Funds
3/26/2007 - Oregon Pet Owners Continue To Report Food Poisonings
Pet owners in Oregon are continuing to report concerns that their animals may have been poisoned by contaminated pet food.
Investigators found Menu Food pet food was causing animals to fall ill and in some cases die.
The Canadian company recalled 60 million cans and pouches of pet food from the U.S.
Veterinarians across Oregon have been reporting suspected cases of pet poisoning to the state Public Health Veterinarian Emilio DeBess, and the director of the Oregon Veterinary Medical Association, Glenn Kolb.
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Fear And Anger After Border Patrol Dragnet
Disputed Play on Gaza Activist Debuts in Seattle
Counselors Try To Convince Lawmakers They Deserve To Be Paid
3/22/2007 - Gourd Art Is A Passion For Some
As agricultural products go, gourds tend to be oddly-shaped, tough, and not the least bit tasty. But in the hands of an artist, the humble fruit becomes a 360-degree canvas.
Gourd art is growing in popularity. Correspondent Elizabeth Wynne Johnson recently spent time with one Idaho woman whose gourd patch is fertile ground for creativity.
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Ducks In The Sweet Sixteen, Peace And Goodwill Reign Over Oregon
Education Dollars Sticking Point In Legislative Budgets
Edwards Leads Democrats In Organization In Oregon
3/21/2007 - Music And Poetry And Robert Pinsky
Even if you're not a particular fan of poetry, David Biespiel's name, may have a familiar ring.
The Oregonian newspaper runs his poetry column each month. And he's published several books of poetry.
His latest -- a collection of Northwest poets -- just won the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award. He's also brought back to life the magazine, Poetry Northwest, which was the longest running such journal in the country.
David Biespiel joined us earlier to talk about the new issue and the lecture series he's launching, starting with former U.S. poet laureate, Robert Pinsky (photo at right).
Click here to listen to David Biespiel read a poem by Robert Pinsky
Click here to hear more of the interview with David Biespiel.
Complete article...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Internet Safety: The Newest School Subject
Oregon Senate Passes Non-Discrimination Bill
Interior Secretary Kempthorne Unveils 'Healthy Lands' Initiative
3/20/2006 - It's A Cool Bus, It's A School Bus, It's A Party On Wheels
For many, weekend preparations mean making plans to get from Bar A to Pub B. One increasingly popular way to do that that is by party bus.
From the vineyards of Oregon to downtown Spokane, the private bus business is in overdrive.
Correspondent Elizabeth Wynne Johnson recently spent an evening on one of the Northwest's more boisterous buses and has this story.
Complete article...
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Democrats Attach County Payments To War Supplimental
Schools Still Need Parents' Fundraising For Arts Programs
Idaho Gov. Vetos Food Sales Tax Cut
The Cost Of War In Rural Oregon
3/19/2007 - Deaths Of Claimants Can Add To Measure 37 Headaches
When Dennis Beach was fatally shot two months ago in Northeastern Oregon, it involved a family feud and possibly cattle rustling. But Monday afternoon, commissioners in Wallowa County looked at the property implications of Beach's death.
Before he died, Dennis Beach had filed a claim under property compensation initiative Measure 37.
Rob Manning reports on what death means to a claim -- and whether state lawmakers might act to change that.
Complete article...
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Feds Double Money To Dig A Deeper Columbia
Canadian Pet-Food Manufacturer Announces Massive Recall
Practitioners Hoping For Relaxed Animal Massage Licensing Requirements
Portlanders Mark War's Official Anniversary With Subdued Rally
Iraq War's Anniversary Draws Comparisons To Vietnam
3/15/2007 - Rare Bunnies Back In The Wild
One of the most endangered animals in the Northwest is getting a second shot at freedom.
Twenty Columbia Basin pygmy rabbits have been returned to the wild in north central Washington.
Five years ago, the few remaining pygmy rabbits there were rounded up and placed in a captive breeding program. Correspondent Tom Banse has an early Easter tale.
Complete article...
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Rainy Day Plan Passes Senate, Awaits Governor's Signature
Scientists Say 50-Percent Cascade Snowpack Decline Is Wrong
Author Writes About Her Trip Through The Infertility 'Vortex'
Should Oregon Join The Crowded 'Super-Duper Tuesday' Primary?
3/14/2007 - Former Gov. Kitzhaber Kicks Off Health Care Overhaul Plan
Several hundred healthcare advocates rallied on the steps of the State Capitol Wednesday to voice support for the "Archimedes Movement."
Championed by former Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber, the movement aims to completely overhaul healthcare in this country.
That national overhaul is designed to start with the passage of local Senate Bill 27. Kristian Foden-Vencil was there, and has this report.
Complete article...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Sens. Wyden And Smith Begin Hearings On Health Care Reform
Global Warming Has A Goose Face In The Northwest
Eight Plaintiffs Settle Abuse Suits With Portland Archdiocese
Romney Raises Funds In Portland For '08 Presidential Bid
3/13/2007 - The Portland-Tweety Bird Connection
Warner Brothers' character Tweety Bird hardly needs an introduction -- and he was voiced by a man whose name may be almost as familiar: Mel Blanc. He grew up in Portland and made his radio debut at KGW.
He's just one of many animators and cartoon character voice-over artists featured in a three-week-long "Cartoon Extravaganza."
The cartoons are part of film archivist Dennis Nyback's collection.
Dennis Nyback joined Allison Frost to talk about the unusual number of Oregon cartoonists and animators he's discovered.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Is Springfield Ready For Its Simpsons Close-Up?
Portland Hosts US Squash Championships
Jury Hears Testimony To Determine Diocese's Bill For Abuse
Ed Officials Release Report On Special Needs Students
3/12/2007 - Mining Town Turns On Mining
Tourists flock to Jacksonville, Oregon to soak up its old-west ambiance.
Now, area residents say that ambiance is being threatened by plans to open a mine on the outskirts of town. But the mine is the same one that made Jacksonville wealthy in the first place.
Correspondent Chris Lehman has more from southwest Oregon.
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Portland Company Hopes New Technology Will Cut Down On Wasted Paper And Ink
Eugene City Council To Vote On Iraq War Resolution
Portland Film Wins "Best Picture" In 48-Hour Film Competition
Glitches And Contract Disputes Push Computerized Tests Offline
3/8/2007 - Salem Lawmakers Hoping To Eliminate 'Double Majority' Requirement
Oregon lawmakers are considering a constitutional amendment to reduce the impact of what's known as the double majority. That's the requirement that local property tax levies can only pass if more than half the registered voters participate, even of a majority of those voting support it.
Local governments and schools say the double majority makes it difficult to raise taxes, but supporters of the requirement say that's the point. Colin Fogarty reports.
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
House Leaders Hoping For One-Year Extension Of County Payments Program
New Agreement Could Save Unraveling Rainy-Day Fund Deal
Portland Police Extending Precinct Hours To Midnight
- View an audio slideshow of the Baby Loves Disco event
3/7/2007 - Ruling May Bring An End To Old-Growth Logging On Mt. Hood
A federal judge signed an order this week that environmentalists say effectively ends "old growth logging" on Mount Hood.
Forestry industry reps say that when Judge Michael Mosman blocked the timber sale, its impact was limited. And as Rob Manning reports, the decision comes in a forest debate that's been complicated by financial pressure.
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Oregon And Washington Try Different Approaches To Gay Rights
Oregon's Former US Attorney Weighs In On Firings
Charity, One Person At A Time
Portland Considers Life After Cheap Oil
3/6/2007 - Bombs, Tanks Shoot Down Roadside Avalanches
Would you believe that the Washington Department of Transportation deploys two Vietnam-era army tanks each winter?
Or that the Idaho Transportation Department has permits for "helibombing."
Highway crews use the heavy weaponry to shoot down roadside avalanches.
A visit by a book author highlights a hundred year trend of increasingly aggressive measures to control avalanches in the Northwest.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Portland Resident Leads Effort To Catch Online Sex Predators
Castillo Wants More Authority Over OSAA League Changes
Former Seattle U.S. Attorney Tells Senate Committee He Felt Threatened
Seattle Novelty Store a Living Shrine to Pop Culture
3/5/2007 - Love's Affair with America (A Problem With Barak-mania)
Selma, Alabama was in the news over the weekend. Two top presidential candidates were there to mark the anniversary of a milestone in the civil rights movement.
Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are competing hard for the votes of African Americans in 2008. Obama's star has risen so fast -- and Portland commentator Ronault Catalani says all that attention may come at a price.
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
The Battle Over Payday Lending In Washington
Mt. Hood Rescuees Raise Money For Rescuers
Districts Looking For New Ways To Pay For New Schools
3/1/2007 - NW Japanese-Americans Reflect On WWII Internment
65 years ago Friday, the federal government issued the proclamation that triggered the internment of Japanese Americans.
The order targeted only the coastal portions of Northwest states. Japanese people who lived inland were allowed to stay. But even though they weren't sent away to remote desert camps, their lives were forever changed.
Correspondent Elizabeth Wynne Johnson brings us the stories of two Japanese-Americans who experienced the war years in Spokane -- on the uneasy outskirts of internment.
Complete article...
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Oregon Iron Works Kicks-Off Streetcar Manufacture
Senators Grill Forest Service Heads Over County Payments Program
Compromise Reached On Rainy Day Fund
2/28/2007 - Mixing Washington Grapes With Gem State Charm
Northwest wines generate buzz -- in every sense of the word. So it's no surprise that wineries now rank alongside espresso bars and day spas as must-have amenities for resort towns throughout the region.
No vineyard? No problem.
Correspondent Elizabeth Wynne Johnson visited a North Idaho winery that's making something special from a fine blend of Washington State grapes and Gem State opportunity.
Complete article...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
No Free Lunch: WA Lawmaker Proposes Ban On Lobbyist Gifts And Meals
Bill Would Require Prescription Contraceptive Coverage By Insurers
Task Force Recommends Two Hospitals To Replace Crumbling State Facility
'Core Curriculum' Latest Headache For Portland Schools
2/27/2007 - Counties Turn To Tax Hikes In Lieu Of Federal Funding
An environmental group unveiled a new idea Tuesday aimed at replacing the county payments system. It would split federal lands into two and increase logging on one half while preserving the other. It would also require an act of Congress.
Meanwhile, Oregon's 18 most rural counties are facing deep cuts totaling $200 million. That means hundreds of police officers, public health nurses and other staff are facing lay-offs.
As Kristian Foden-Vencil reports, several counties are looking at increasing taxes to retain those services, but many voters aren't enamored with the idea.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Senator Smith Proposes Tobacco Tax Increase
Proposed Bill Would Allow Judges To Decrease Traffic Fines
Oregon Lawmakers Take A Pass On Rainy Day Fund
Group Maps Demographic Trends On Its 'Regional Equity Atlas'
2/26/2007 - Can Seafood Be Organic?
Northwest salmon farmers, trout breeders, and shellfish growers want to jump into the fast-growing organic category.
They're lobbying the government to set standards and begin certifying organic seafood so you can buy it.
Oddly enough, some environmental campaigners are trying to deep six this organic expansion. Correspondent Tom Banse has more.
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Cycling Activists Seek New Laws To Protect Bike Riders
Western Governors Sign Greenhouse Gas Agreement
Hormone Replacement Claimants Call For Drug Ban
Siberian Tigers As Pets?
2/22/2007 - Meet The Palouse's Almost-Famous Artist
The work of Northwest painter Gaylen Hansen is known to collectors and fellow artists worldwide.
But he chooses to keep his life and career outside spotlight of the urban art world.
Recently correspondent Elizabeth Wynne Johnson visited with the artist of the Palouse to find out why.
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Sheriff's Deputy Placed On Unpaid Leave During Investigation
Lawmakers Poised To Bring The 'Bottle Bill' Into The 21st Century
Portland Parks Bureau Weighing Role Of Private Sponsorship
Faced With Impounding Boats, Charleston's Harbormaster Resigns
2/21/2007 - Idaho Game Farms Find Themselves In The Cross-hairs
Idaho is in the throes of a heated debate over ranches that offer big game hunting within a fenced enclosure.
An effort to ban these so-called "canned hunts" could have major consequences for another burgeoning industry as well.
As correspondent Elizabeth Wynne Johnson reports, all game farms that raise elk in captivity now find themselves in the crosshairs of an emotional battle.
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Will The 'Beacon Bill' Make Mt. Hood Safer?
Eugene Environmentalist Urges Truckers To Clean Up Their Rigs
Law Agencies Hold Child Exploitation Conference
Lack Of Salmon Puts Snake River Study On Hold
2/20/2007 - 'Northwest Medical Teams' Becomes 'Medical Teams International'
Northwest Medical Teams became Medical Teams International on Tuesday.
The Portland-headquartered, faith-based agency currently has medical teams in 10 countries and sends about 180 teams each year.
President Bas Vanderzalm stopped by our Portland studios to talk with Allison Frost about the group's name change and current work.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Adams Wants Retirement Benefits For Same-Sex Couples
Portland Police Revise Suspect Transport Policy
Court Overturns Judgment Against Philip Morris
'Canned' Hunts Provoke Emotional Debate
2/15/2007 - Wanted: Country Doctor
It's slim pickings if you need a doctor in rural parts of the Northwest. Small and remote towns have a hard time attracting and keeping medical professionals.
Pomeroy, Washington is facing that problem...again.
The eastern Washington community will try once more to sell "small town life" to big town doctors. Chana Joffe-Walt reports.
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Eugene Symphony Pays Tribute To Missing Members
New Signs Help Walkers Navigate The City
Multnomah County Hopes To Appease Measure 37 Sponsor
2/14/2007 - Cattle Rustling, Family Feuds, And Murder In Isolated Eastern Oregon Town
It sounds like a tale straight out of the Wild West: Accusations of cattle-rustling; a man on horseback shot from his saddle; a long-standing family feud.
But this landscape isn't open plains and tumbleweeds -- instead think mountains and snowdrifts. Local writer Rich Wandschneider describes it this way:
Rich Wandschneider: "If you want to think you're in heaven, you know, go ice-skating on Wallowa Lake sometime. You're like the only person in the world, and that God made it for you. And then for this other thing to go on..."
That "other thing" unfolded last month in the tiny northeast Oregon town of Flora. Two men were shot dead in a barnyard.
We sent OPB's Rob Manning to Wallowa County, where Dennis Beach and Shane Huntsman were killed. His report details much of what happened to the Beach family in January, and how it squares with life in a remote part of Oregon.
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Oregon Zoo Prepares Elephant For Tusk-Removal Surgery
Ports Begin To Impound Boats Of Idled Salmon Fishermen
Hearings Begin For Changes To Initiative Petition Process
UO Names Donor As Athletic Director
Looking For Love In The Lonely West
2/13/2007 - Looking For Love In The Emerald City
In honor of Valentines Day, we're asking this question -- how do people find love?
Especially those of you who have good reason to think you won't find it.
We sent reporter Chana Joffe-Walt out to the city and the country to find some answers.
First, we bring you one Seattle woman who is probably one of those undatable people.
Complete article...
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
OSU Climate Change Conference Offers Ideas To Foresters
Oregon Lawmakers Consider Full-Day Kindergarten
Oregon House Passes Payday Loan Package
2/12/2007 - John Callahan: 'Touch Me Someplace I Can Feel'
Cartoonist John Callahan has "the soul of a poet and the mind of an assassin."
That's how Willamette Week editor Mark Zusman describes the paper's syndicated cartoonist. His description appears in a movie about Callahan that premiered this week at the Portland International Film Festival.
He stopped by our Portland studios before the premier to talk about his old art and new craft.
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Sen. Smith Vows Filibuster Over County Payments Program
'Our Building Is Burned, But Our Passion Is Renewed'
Portland Schools Look To Enhance 'Enrichment' Programs
2/8/2007 - Family Of James Chasse Jr. Files Federal Suit
The family of the mentally ill man, James Chasse Jr, who died after being chased down and subdued by three police officers, filed suit in federal court Thursday.
Kristian Foden-Vencil spoke to their lawyer at a press conference this afternoon and joins us live in the studio.
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Smith Among GOP Senators Calling For Debate On Iraq
WA Democrats See Political Danger In Gun Control Measures
How Can You Drive If You Can't Read The Signs?
2/7/2007 - Political Group Targets Sen. Smith In TV Ads
In another sign that Democrats are targeting Senator Gordon Smith's re-election bid next year, a new ad against the Oregon Republican goes up on Portland television stations this week.
The ad comes from MoveOn.org, a group dedicated to winning Congressional seats for Democrats. They see Senator Smith as vulnerable in next year's election because he's a Republican from a state that leans Democratic.
Smith has criticized President Bush's plans to send 21,000 more American troops to Iraq.
Complete article...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Officials See Need For More Rural Doctors
No Answers Yet In Portland Church Fire
Portland Will Open Single-Sex 'Academies'
Astoria Man Killed In Iraq
2/6/2007 - Four-Alarm Fire Guts Portland Church
A four-alarm fire gutted a historic church in Northeast Portland Monday night.
The Morning Star Missionary Baptist church stood on Irving Street, at Rodney. The building was over 100 years old.
The heat from the intense flames singed rose bushes and lawns across the street.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Oregon And Washington Team Up For Cheaper Prescription Drugs
Are 'Earmarking' Cuts A Threat To NW Agriculture Research?
Woman Sues Religious Order Over Sexual Abuse
City, County Leaders Team Up For Future Of Portland-Metro Area
2/5/2007 - War Critic Watada Faces Court Martial
The court-martial trial for Army Lt. Ehren Watada, who refused to deploy to Iraq, is under way at Fort Lewis in Washington state. Watada faces up to four years in the stockade.
Watada joined the Army in 2003. He says he supported U.S. policy — until he did some reading, and decided the invasion had been illegal. Last year, when the order to deploy to Iraq came down, he resisted.
"I view what we're doing in Iraq, in conduct and inception, as in clear violation of my oath. If I'm forced to go in there, I have no other choice, I have to refuse," he said.
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Washington Not Likely to Follow Texas HPV Vaccine Mandate
Registered Nurses Join In Emergency Response Network
Governor's Bill Would Put A Hold On Most Measure 37 Claims
2/1/2007 - How to Prevent Meth Use?
How do you go about keeping people off of methamphetamine? Idaho thinks a new aggressive in-your-face advertising campaign might do the trick.
Washington and Oregon say that kind of approach is not for them. Chana Joffe-Walt reports.
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Feds Step Up Inspection of Forest Contractors
Oregon Progress Board Releases Its Latest Survey
Mush! Sled Dog Races Multiply And Diversify In Northwest
1/31/2007 - Portland Filmmaker Leaves Sundance With Audience Award
Portland filmmaker Irene Taylor Brodsky is back in town after 12 days at the Sundance Film festival. She took home the Audience Award for Best Documentary for her film Hear and Now.
It chronicles her parents' decision to go from a deaf world to a hearing one, by getting cochlear implant surgery.
She spoke to us from her office this afternoon about the unique honor of the Audience Award.
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Ripples Spread From Prosecution Of Crew Boss In Thirtymile Fire
Democratic Activist Contemplating Run Against Sen. Smith
Small-Business Owners Trek To Salem
1/30/2007 - Is Cheap Heat Beneath Our Feet?
Ethanol, biodiesel, and wind power hog the attention when it comes to alternative energy these days.
But the Northwest also has great untapped potential for geothermal energy.
That at least is what attendees heard at a conference on clean energy now underway in Boise. Correspondent Tom Banse reports.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Mental Health Advocates Forge Ahead
Innovative Oregon Program Uses 'Peer Support' To Assist Mentally Ill
Edmunson To Step Down As Chair Of Oregon's Dems
Schools Chief Honors Efforts To Close Achievement Gap
The Highs And Lows Of Idaho's Record Unemployment
1/29/2007 - Prison Officials Defend Food Buying Program
Oregon prison officials are defending their food buying program even after the manager of the program faces allegations of taking bribes.
Federal investigators say in court documents that prison food manager Fred Monem took $680,000 in the last five years. But the Oregon Department of Corrections says the system of buying food that's close to expiring works.
Colin Fogarty went to see the food distribution system first hand and has this report.
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Family And Friends Remember Keizer Soldier Killed In Iraq
With Wolves Poised For De-Listing, Oregon Considers Management Plans
Portland Native Udoka Adding To Blazers' Positive Season
1/25/2007 - Blumenauer To Introduce Iraq War Bill
Congressman Earl Blumenauer appeared in Portland Thursday to present what he calls "the first legislation to deal comprehensively with Iraq." He was flanked by Portland mayor Tom Potter and others who are also unhappy with the way the war is being fought.
The bill calls for a variety of actions, from withdrawing troops within a year to prosecuting war profiteers. As Kristian Foden-Vencil reports, Blumenauer admits it's a tall order.
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Independent Party Qualifies For Ballot
The Rewards And Costs Of A Life On Ice
Unearthing Hanford's Contaminated Ark
1/24/2007 - Appeals Court Rules In Favor Of Fish Passage Center Funding
Environmentalists and Native tribes are celebrating a fish decision today by the 9th Circuit Court of appeals.
The Court ruled that the Portland-based Fish Passage Center will remain open.
The center studies fish and makes recommendations about how much water to spill over Columbia River Dams.
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Prison Food Kickback Scheme Isolated Incident, Says Kulongoski
Portland Asking For Input On Future Of Field In St Johns
Federal Way Schools Move To Cool An 'Inconvenient' Firestorm
Council Votes To Withdraw Modified 'Sit/Lie' Ordinance
Governor Wants Oregon To Lead In Battle Against Global Warming
1/23/2007 - Plasticized-Bodies Exhibit Coming To OMSI
The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry annouced Tuesday it will host a controversial new exhibit in June.
OMSI has teamed up with OHSU for the display of real human bodies that have been skinned and filled with colorful plastic. Visitors will see 200 organs and 25 bodies in dramatic poses.
Organizers credit the exhibition with everything from encouraging people to give up smoking to packing museums with record crowds. But such exhibitions have faced criticism for gathering bodies from questionable sources. Kristian Foden-Vencil reports was on hand today for the Portland museum's announcement.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
OPB And Frontline Revisit Oregon's War On Meth
Northwesterners' Charitable Giving Increased In 2006
Peace Begins At Home - Commentary by Ronault Catalani
1/22/2007 - Pete's Mountain Becoming Target For Measure 37 Claims
So Measure 37 has not led to the construction of sub-divisions that opponents warned about. But maybe it's just a matter of time.
Planners in Clackamas County began reviewing a land-use application Monday that -- if approved -- could put dozens of new homes on a rural hilltop.
It's the first phase of what would be a large sub-division made possible by Measure 37. Rob Manning visited the area in question -- it's called Pete's Mountain and lies between West Linn and Wilsonville.
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Kulongoski Pushes For Children's Health Care Insurance
Lawmakers Consider Healthy Kids Program
'The Compact' Takes Root In The NW
GOP Powerplay: WA Republicans Stack the Education Committee
1/18/2007 - Report Finds Problems Plagued Search For Kim Family
The search for the Kim family, in the remote mountains of Southern Oregon, was hampered by several problems.
That's according to a report released Thursday by the Oregon State Sheriffs' Association.
People around the nation were riveted by the frantic 11-day search for the San Francisco family that went missing after Thanksgiving.
County sheriffs have been compiling the facts about that search, and they're presenting the findings at a press conference in Grants Pass.
Kristian Foden-Vencil has read the report, and is here to fill us in on it.
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Is The Bloom Off The Biodiesel Rose?
Graduation Requirements Increased For Oregon High Schools
1/17/2007 - Wintry Weather, Round Two
Commuters and idled school children faced another snow day Wednesday.
Gritters and de-icers have cleared many of the major roads around Portland, but several surface streets remain slippery.
Kristian Foden-Vencil joined Allison Frost in the studio to discuss how Oregonians are dealing with the storm.
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Columbia River's Pollution Makes It A National Priority
PUC Denies PacifiCorp's Coal Plant Request
Hayden, Idaho: A City In Search Of Its Soul
Freshmen Legislators Face New Challenges
Kitzhaber's Health Plan Features 'Portable' Benefits
1/16/2007 - Western Oregon Meets The White Stuff Head-On
Much of the Northern Willamette Valley was inundated by snow Tuesday, causing countless wrecks and more than a little frustration.
Hundreds of Tri-Met commuters were stranded, and snow and ice was reported all the way down the Willamette Valley, from Portland to Medford.
For the first time in three years, the Oregon Department of Transportation blocked the I-5 and all other Portland-area interstate and highways to vehicles without chains or studded tires.
Kristian Foden-Vencil joined Allison Frost to round-up the day's weather-related news.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Teachers Sparking An Interest In Science Years Before High School
Drifting Along With The Troublesome Tumbling Tumbleweeds
Red Scare: Washington Faces 'Structural Deficit'
1/11/2007 - Setting Aside Time To Be Tidy Pays Off
Vicki Norris lives in Sherwood Oregon and she's a professional organizer.
That means she runs an organizing business, sells organizing products, makes TV appearances as an organizing expert and of course, writes organizing books.
Her new trade paperback is called Restoring Order to your Home, published this year by Harvest House Publishers in Eugene.
Rather than have her into the studio to talk about her book and her business, I invited her to my home where I thought she might be able to demonstrate the ideas in Restoring Order.
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Union's Young Mayor Takes Office
Oregon Students Set To Gain From Lower Loan Interest Rates
Oregonians Respond To The President's New Plan
1/10/2007 - Birdsong Recordist Overcomes Sonic "Pollution"
Would you believe the common domestic pigeon would be the hardest bird
to record in the Northwest?
That's what soundman Martyn Stewart discovered as he worked on a new guide to birdsongs of the Pacific Northwest.
Correspondent Tom Banse walked through the woods with a man with an enviable job.
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Lawmakers Look For Ways To Pay For More State Cops
Behind The Scenes At The WA State Of The State
Portland Forms Racial Profiling Committee
Foresters Plan To Do Nothing To Klootchy Creek Spruce
Life After Oregon's Largest Tree Topples
1/9/2007 - Measure 37 Clouds Hover Over Hood River Valley
One issue that has bedeviled lawmakers the last three sessions is the rights of long-time property owners.
Two years ago, voters passed Measure 37. The initiative has led to rule changes for thousands of landowners who say regulations were limiting their development rights.
To date, court challenges to the law have largely stopped development activity.
Advocates are now looking to the Legislature for changes that could settle disputes. Rob Manning went to one Measure 37 hotbed - Hood River.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Should County Ban Trans Fats From Restaurants?
New Carissa Remains Will Rest On The Beach Another Year
Health Care Issues Top Legislative Agenda
Vancouver Tries To Avoid Mistakes of Past Olympic Games
1/8/2007 - Successful Magnet School Program May Have To Move
One of the most successful magnet programs in Portland may soon be uprooted and moved across town.
Monday night the Portland Public School board will hear from parents from the Winterhaven school.
This follows a series of discussions by groups of parents all over the city about how to handle the district problem of shrinking enrollment and less money to go around.
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Cannons And Fighter Jets Mark Opening Of 2007 Legislature
Hitchhiking On The Information Super Highway
WA Legislature Convenes with Democrats in Firm Control
1/4/2006 - Salem Tortilla Maker Seeks New Markets
If you head out in search of Mexican food tonight, you'll probably find it. There are Mexican restaurants in nearly every town across the Pacific Northwest.
That adds up to tens of thousands of tortillas being served each day. Many of those tortillas come from Salem, Oregon.
It's home to one of the largest tortilla factories in the country. Correspondent Chris Lehman stopped in for a visit and has this report.
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
What To Expect, After The Blue Wave That Hit Salem
Delegates Follow Party Lines In Vote For Speaker
Winter Wear Goes to the Dogs
Oregon Lawmakers A Step Ahead On Health Insurance 'Cornerstones'
1/3/2007 - As Hanford Plant Falters, Toxic Plumes Head Toward Columbia River
The Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Southeast Washington is known as the most polluted place in North America.
Underground toxic plumes are heading toward the Columbia River. Some have even reached river's edge.
Clean-up is underway, but critics say efforts are woefully inadequate.
Correspondent Austin Jenkins recently toured the Hanford site with a scientist who's on the frontlines of Hanford clean-up.
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Oregon Ranks 35th In 'Quality Counts' Education Report
Portlanders Mark Iraq Deaths With Song and Prayer
Farmers Question Lawmakers On Ag Issues
Declining Revenue Has Groups Scrutinizing Forests Management Plan
1/2/2007 - Boondoggle in the Desert? Hanford's Troubled Waste Plant
It's been almost a year-and-a-half since construction was halted on key portions of the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant in Southeast Washington.
The plant is supposed to transform millions of gallons of buried radioactive waste into safer glass logs. But the project is now eight years behind schedule and $8 billion over budget.
Correspondent Austin Jenkins recently visited Hanford and reports on efforts to salvage the project.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Vigil Planned To Mark 3000 American Soldiers Killed In Iraq
Klootchy Creek's Sitka Spruce Damaged By December Storms
Shootings Mar Start Of New Year
Pace Of Cultural Change Too Fast For Rural Washington Town
12/28/2006 - Politics Year-In-Review
On the last Oregon Considered of the year, it's become a tradition to look back at the year in politics.
There's always something political to talk about when you look back over the news landscape of any year. But election years provide a particularly rich vein of stories.
We won't get to every story, but we will examine that big political behemoth -- elections results -- and a few stories you may not as easily remember from earlier in the year. And we'll update you on where some of those Oregon-based civil liberties cases stand.
Political Analyst Bill Lunch and OPB's senior political reporter Colin Fogarty joined Allison Frost to dig into this year's mine.
12/27/2006 - The Price Of Liberty
In the final week of 2006, OPB is looking back at some of the significant issues and events of the year.
Last September 11th, we marked the 5th anniversary of the attacks on New York and Washington DC by looking at how efforts to keep Americans safe since that time have affected our freedom. We called that edition of Oregon Considered "The Price of Liberty."
This special rebroadcast looks at recent cases in Oregon that help illustrate the age old tension between civil liberties and security.
12/26/2006 - Oregon Reconsidered
Every year about this time, we look back at the events and issues that shaped Oregon and the Northwest.
Today, we're looking at our own coverage and singling some stories out for "reconsideration."
We hope the pieces you hear leave an impression about the diversity of stories you might have heard on Oregon Considered throughout the year.
On this special year-end edition of Oregon Considered, Colin Fogarty brings us the voices of voters as they drop off ballots before the May primary.
Then, Ley Garnett takes us to "Eyes Wide Open," an anti-war exhibit that features a collection of military boots, civilian shoes, and peace flags, designed to show the effect of the Iraq war on Oregon.
And we'll hear satire from Faces for Radio Theatre, a tongue-in-cheek look at what some of the earliest immigration debates might have sounded like.
12/21/2006 - Pawn For The Holidays
Malls and big-box stores aren't the only places that see a bump in business around the holidays. It's high season for pawnshops, too.
A quick-cash solution for some, a bargain-hunter's paradise for others: at a pawnshop, Christmas commerce comes full circle. Correspondent Elizabeth Wynne Johnson has the story.
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Daniel Chan: The Troubled Man Behind The Salem Church Fire
Sounds for the Holidays: Russian Church Choir Tweaks Traditional Music
Development Commission Makes its Move on Old Town
12/20/2006 - Mt. Hood Mission Moves From 'Rescue' To 'Recovery'
The search for two missing climbers on Mt. Hood is now a recovery, rather than a rescue, mission. Authorities have given up hope of finding the men alive, as Ley Garnett reports.
Hood County Sheriff Joe Wampler flew over the mountain before a new weather system moved in to obscure the 11,000 foot peak.
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
NSA-Al Haramain Case Sent To San Francisco
Unionized WA Foster Parents Prepare To Lobby Lawmakers
Two Years Into Portland's Ten-Year Plan To End Homelessness
How About Nothing For Christmas?
12/19/2006 - Homeless In Post Falls, ID
In recent days, Northwest headlines have been about high winds and disrupted lives.
On a frozen patch of muddy ground in North Idaho, all that remains of one mobile home park is a few humble trailers, surrounded by rubble. But it wasn't the record-breaking storm that got them.
It was the gale-force winds of economic change. Correspondent Elizabeth Wynne Johnson has the story of one woman on the brink of homelessness.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Oregon Bucks National Violent Crime Trend
Portland Archdiocese Submits Reorganization Plan
Reverse Migration Brings Greek Immigrants Back Home
Portland Zoo Debuts Its Shy Little Ocelot
Going Home For The Holidays
12/18/2006 - Sounds for the Holiday: Choir sings songs of unity and praise
This month OPB Radio's occasional series drops in on Oregonians making music in a variety of traditions.
OPB's April Baer recently visited a gospel choir grounded with a powerful sense of community.
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Search Continues For Missing Climbers, But Evidence Of Accident Grows
Top Sources Of Mercury Pollution Remain Uncontrolled
Archdiocese Reorganization Plan Still A Mystery
Transformer Fire Knocks Out Power To 50,000 Over Weekend
12/14/2006 - BLM Says Vandals Not Responsible For Open Gate
Federal workers -- not vandals -- were responsible for leaving the gate open on the logging spur that led James Kim to his death.
After saying vandals had cut the lock and opened the gate, the Bureau of Land Management now says that's not the case.
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Fish Managers Predict Smaller Run Of Spring Chinook
Hurricane-Force Winds Expected In Latest Storm
AWOL Soldier's Mother Says Ordeal Has Been 'Exhausting'
Kennewick School Mixes ESL Students And English-Speakers
12/13/2006 - Oregon Delegation Starts Slow Return To 'Glory Days'
There was a time when Oregon had one of the most powerful Congressional Delegations in the country. But for the past decade it's been mostly freshman with little influence.
The Democrats' congressional takeover has the state clawing back slowly to its glory days. Jill Morrison has more from Capitol Hill.
Complete article...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
After 54 Years, Les Schwab Moves Headquarters From Prineville
Technology Aiding Search For Lost Mt Hood Climbers
Beyond Home Inspections, Energy Trust Looks To The Future
Commissioners Poised To Restore SUN Program Funding
12/12/2006 - Batten Disease Patient Benefits From Stem Cell Injections
The parents of a critically ill 6-year-old praised researchers for their work at Oregon Health and Science University Tuesday.
Doctors drilled through Daniel Kerner's skull last month and injected nervous-system stem cells to try and help him fight Batten disease.
The medical school says it was the first such procedure ever undertaken. As Kristian Foden-Vencil reports, the parents are thrilled that Daniel hasn't suffered any of his customary seizures since the operation and that he'll be going home soon.
Complete article...
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Smith On Iraq: Heartfelt Political Posturing?
ODOT Considering Tolls To Fund Newberg-Dundee Bypass
PGE Makes Its Case For A 9% Rate Hike
12/11/2006 - Sounds for the Holiday: The Portland Revels
Today our series of holiday music brings you the Portland Revels.
Complete article...
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Senator Smith Expounds On His Iraq About-Face
Portland Archdiocese Settles Bankruptcy Case
Portland Schools Paying For The Past
Where Are We, And How Did We Get Here?
12/7/2006 - NW Sports Transplants Face Culture Shock
Every year, dozens of Northwest athletes nurse dreams of playing in the NBA or NFL only to be passed over in the draft.
A smaller number of our college standouts get a second chance. They sign professional contracts to play for teams in Europe.
Correspondent Tom Banse profiles a Tacoma native -- and former women's collegiate basketball star from Oregon State -- who's playing pro basketball in Athens this fall.
Complete article...
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Fort Clatsop Replica Ready For Visitors
Work Piling Up As Congress Winds Down
Exposure Killed Lost Father On Rescue Mission
Memories Of Pearl Harbor On 65th Anniversary
12/6/2006 - Labor Shortage Spurs Orchard Mechanization
Picking cherries. Pruning pear trees. Thinning the apple crop. Those are all tasks done by hand here in the Northwest.
The fruit industry is among the last in farming to mechanize. But a shortage of migrant labor this year is giving an added push to automate area orchards.
Correspondent Tom Banse reports from outside Yakima.
Complete article...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
OHSU-Developed Leukemia Drug Shows Promise
- Extended interview with Dr. Druker of OHSU
City Still Pushing To Investigate PGE's Finances
Students In Limbo As State 'Re-Calibrates' Passing Scores For Tests
12/5/2006 - Governor Plans Car Insurance Tax To Beef-Up State Police
Speeders, beware. You could be affected by an item in Governor Ted Kulongoski's $15 billion, two-year state budget proposal released this week.
The Oregon State Police has complained for years that it's chronically underfunded.
Now, Kulongoski is proposing a tax hike to beef-up the number of state troopers. Colin Fogarty reports.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Highway 35 Will Likely Reopen Ahead Of Schedule
Portland's Free Wi-Fi Cloud Starts Service
Q Center Hosts First College Night For Gay And Lesbian Students
Reasons To Let That Garden Go To Seed
12/4/2006 - Sounds of the Holiday: Shape Note Singers Usher in December with a Shout
Shape Note singing has a long and storied tradition in American music. Once you've heard it, you'll never forget it.
Singers practice an alternate form of sight reading, and deliver in a vigorous, fervent style that values devotion over note-perfect precision.
OPB's April Baer checked in with a Portland sing, and sends this audio postcard.
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Governor Proposes $15 Billion Budget
Patrice Lumumba Ford Appeals His Plea-Bargained Sentence
Group Looks To Place Measure 37 On 2007 Legislature's Agenda
Eugene Math Student Wins 'Siemens Competition'
11/30/2006 - Disjecta Seeks To File A Void In Portland Arts Scene
What do you get when you combine a drastic reduction in arts funding from the federal government in the last two decades with more competition for private grants and an increasing number of so-called creatives in Portland?
Bryan Suereth would argue: Disjecta.
It's what he and others are calling an Interdisciplinary Arts Center that will serve as a base for visual and conceptual artists and house performance spaces for dance, theatre and music.
Complete article...
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
British Judge OKs Extradition For Bly Terror Camp Suspect
Multnomah County Commissioners Will Inspect Jails
Feds Send $1.4 Million For AIDS Housing In Oregon
11/29/2006 - Portland Filmmaker's Documentary Makes Sundance Cut
You might not think very much about these simple sounds. A clock ticking, waves crashing, the sound of snow crunching underfoot, dogs, geese.
But for Paul and Sally Taylor, who are in their mid 60's, those are sounds they had never heard. Now that they have undergone cochlear implants surgery they may be able to hear some of those sounds.
They're the subject of documentary called Hear and Now made by their daughter, Portland filmmaker, Irene Taylor Brodsky.
The film was just accepted into the Sundance film festival. Irene Taylor Brodsky joined us in our Portland studios to talk about her parents and the film.
Complete article...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
States Ask Supreme Court To Force EPA Regulation Of Greenhouse Gases
City And Development Commission Start Budget Collaboration
Kulongoski Makes Two-Day Visit To Baghdad
No Smoking In Portland's Living Room?
11/28/2006 - Wine Country Resort Proposed For Newberg
One way or another, Oregon's wine country will likely have a luxury destination resort in the next few years.
This morning, the Austin family unveiled plans for a combination inn and residential development in the north end of the city of Newberg.
It's the second such plan presented in Yamhill County this year. The first received county approval over the summer, despite vocal opposition from some in the wine industry.
As Rob Manning reports, the so-called Springbrook development announced Tuesday in Newberg, is enjoying wide support.
Complete article...
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Weyerhaeuser Seeks To Overturn $80 Million Anti-Trust Award
Christmas Trees Growers Look South For New Markets
'Carbon Offset' Business Takes Root
11/27/2006 - Ducks' Athletic Director Stepping Down
The Oregon Ducks' most significant loss over Thanksgiving weekend may not have been the one to Oregon State in Friday's Civil War college football game.
A weekend chat between U of O's athletics director Bill Moos and president, Dave Frohnmayer means Eugene won't have the highly successful Moos, come April.
Moos says he couldn't simultaneously follow through on personal goals and take on the unfinished business at the U of O, as Rob Manning reports.
Complete article...
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Weed Warriors Track Plant Growth With GPS
Weather Service Issues Snow Advisory For Portland Metro Area
Controversial Meth Treatment Program Comes To Northwest
Kulongoski Leaves For Visit With Guard Troops Overseas
11/22/2006 - Cowlitz Tribe Finds Cultural Renaissance In Drums
Chances are if you've heard of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, it's because of its controversial plans to build a casino close to Portland.
The southwest Washington tribe has no reservation. It was federally recognized only four years ago. But there's something newer and interesting going on.
A cultural renaissance is building verse by verse. Correspondent Tom Banse explains.
Complete article...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Oregon Revenue Forecast Looks Sunny
WA Supreme Court Upholds Medicinal Marijuana Conviction
Be Thankful, Yes, And Be Careful What You Wish For
Multnomah Co. Sheriff Responds To DA's Report
11/21/2006 - Moms And Babies Gather For 'Nurse-In' At PDX
About 25 mothers staged a "nurse-in" at the Portland International Airport Tuesday.
They gathered in front of the Delta ticket office and breast-fed their babies.
They were protesting the airline's expulsion of a New Mexico woman who was removed from a plane for breast-feeding last month.
Complete article...
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Governor Wants Wilderness Money To Fix Highway 35
Nearly Extinct Turkey Breeds Making A Comeback
Schools Look At Next Steps After Bond Failures
11/20/2006 - Road Crews Work Furiously To Reopen Highway 35
State highway officials say they'll reopen state route 35 between Hood River and Government Camp by December 15th.
About 10 miles of the highway were severely damaged by the recent storms. Some of the debris traveled more than a mile from a glacier on Mt Hood.
Among its effects, it smothered the road and shifted the channels of several streams. Ley Garnett toured the destruction and prepared this report.
Complete article...
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Kulongoski Promises More Money For Juvenile Justice
Oregon Steel Now Under Russian Ownership
UO Grad Off To Oxford On Rhodes Scholarship
Super Grass Spreads Beyond Its Oregon Test Plot
11/16/2006 - Reed Professor Receives National Carnegie Award
Oregon professor Ken Brashier accepted a national Professor of the Year award Thursday in Washington D.C. It's one of four honors given by the Carnegie Foundation but the only one for undergraduate teaching.
Brashier teaches Chinese Religions, among other classes at Reed College in Portland. He's known for going to great lengths to engage students in the material. He talks with Oregon Considered host Allison Frost.
Complete article...
Hear an extended interview with Ken Brashier (MP3, about 13 minutes)
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Officials Plan More Harassment For Bonneville Sea Lions
Hillsboro Air Show To Continue With New Safety Precautions
Yakima Valley Soldier Dies in Iraq
Youth Philharmonic Tries To Inspire Minority Talent
11/15/2006 - Sandy River Changes Course
The latest storm hitting Oregon and Washington is bringing more rain and high winds tonight, even as those most affected by last week's flooding are still recovering. Officials in Clackamas County are watching the Sandy River closely.
The river changed its course at several points during a flood last Monday.
Colin Fogarty visited the Sandy River near the town of Hoodland, and chatted with Allison Frost about what he saw.
Complete article...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Tyson Offers To Move Laid-Off Workers, But Most Stay Put
Seniors Do The Drug-Plan Shuffle Once Again
Oregon Schools Also Facing Difficulty Of Homeless Students
Mount Rainier Park Starts Long Road to Recovery
11/14/2006 - Portlander Launches Family-Oriented Networking Site
Two years ago, a pair of Stanford students scribbled the compound word "YouTube" on a whiteboard in their garage.
That video-sharing site recently sold for more than $1.5 billion.
If you wonder what it might have been like as Chad Hurley and Steve Chen started putting that business together, Kristian Foden-Vencil would like to introduce you to Melanie Salisbury -- a 25-year-old Portland entrepreneur who just launched her own new website.
Complete article...
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Feds Start Investigation Into Civil Rights Violations At State Hospital
Protesters Voice Concern Over Lame-Duck Legislators
'Bi-Partisanship' The Watchword For Oregon House
Patriot Guard Riders Comfort Returning Vets
11/13/2006 - In Idaho, An Uneasy Peace With Wolves
Wolves have a larger-than-life image from just about any perspective. Advocates say they embody a kind of wildness that's disappearing from the Northwest.
Foes say wolves are a symbol of everything that's wrong with government-led species protection.
As Idaho moves closer to full state management of wolves, correspondent Elizabeth Wynne Johnson went in search of a better understanding of what's at stake.
Complete article...
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Portland Begins Downtown Marketing Campaign
Oregon Poised To Lead In Fledgling Biodiesel Industry
Windstorm Knocks Out Power For Thousands
Jefferson Students Aim To Set The Record Straight With Film
11/9/2006 - Music As Medicine
Scott Garred is a Portland musician who has found a second outlet for his creativity: Garred practices music therapy at the Oregon State Hospital -- a discipline that's been practiced there in various forms since the 1900s.
April Baer sent us this report on how music is being used to heal.
Complete article...
You can listen to April Baer's Morning Edition feature on Scott Garred's music here.
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Accused Eco-Sabateurs Plead Guilty
New Definition For 'Wildlife' Brings An End To Enclosure Hunts
Highway 35 Likely Won't Reopen Before Ski Season
University Enrollment Sees Sharp Drop-Off
The Secret Of Autumn's Leaves (And Snow Gum, Too)
11/8/2006 - Empowered Oregon Democrats Pledge Bipartisanship
Democrats in the Oregon Legislature are pledging bipartisanship in the upcoming legislative session.
The party held on to firm control of the state Senate and gained just enough spots in the Oregon House to win a majority there.
One race still hangs open -- that's the high profile contest between Republican House Speaker Karen Minnis and Democratic challenger Rob Brading. Colin Fogarty reports.
Complete article...
Election Results
More Coverage of Election 2006 from OPB News
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Voters Approve Portland Schools Levy; Other Ed Measures Fail
Little Payoff For Massive Campaigns Funded By NY Millionaire
Rescues Continue As Flood Waters Recede
Without Measure 46, Implementing Measure 47 A Challenge
11/7/2006 - Headfirst, Down The Legislative Rabbit Hole
This falls' midterm elections are the most competitive in 12 years. And even though no members of Oregon's congressional delegation face tough re-election races, things could be very different when they return to Washington.
Control of both the House and Senate could flip this November. Deciphering the rhythms of Congress has always been a challenge. And it often flies in the face of much of what you may have been taught in high school.
In this special report from Capitol Hill, Chad Pergram unveils the "real" workings of Congress.
Complete article...
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
The Money Behind WA Property Rights Initiative 933
Storm Brings Record Floods On Some Washington Rivers
Election Day Could Give Oregon Two New Cities
11/6/2006 - Lane County Considers Income Tax For Public Safety
One of the challenges for any community is how to adequately fund its cops and courts.
One Oregon county wants to try something different.
Correspondent Chris Lehman reports from Eugene on a unique tax measure that's on the Tuesday ballot
Complete article...
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Portland Students Practice Tap-Dancing -- Around The Issues
States Use Technology To Aid Disabled Voters
Saxton, Kulongoski Campaigns Begin Final Push For Votes
Bipartisan Support For Renewing Irrigation Act
11/2/2006 - Measure Opponents Focus On Bill Sizemore
Now that Oregon voters have their ballots in hand, the people behind all of the campaigns are hoping their advertising messages pay off.
Voters have been subjected to a steady stream of ads about many high-profile ballot measures this year.
As correspondent Chris Lehman reports, some of those advertising blitzes have focused on the people behind the ballot measures, instead of the measures themselves.
Complete article...
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Billions In School Bonds Face Voters Across The State
Wyden Threatens Hold For EPA Nominee Over Benzene Levels
Elections Hold Key To Future Of Foreign Policy
Commissioners React To Scathing Report On Jails
11/1/2006 - Pet Hospital, Meals On Wheels Provide Food For Pets
Meals on Wheels -- the national program that brings food to hundreds of thousands of seniors every week -- did a little research recently and found: It has a problem.
A good portion of the food it serves up every day, ends up being scarfed by Fido, Snookums or Bowser!
As Kristian Foden-Vencil reports, a large Portland company is hoping to come to the rescue with a national Pet Food Drive launched Wednesday.
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Measure 41, Explained
Rental Assistance Program Reopens After 4 Years
10/31/2006 - Candidates Enlist Environmental Record In Campaign Battle
One of the biggest differences between Oregon's two leading candidates for governor is the environment.
Incumbent Governor Ted Kulongoski has won the endorsement of conservation groups while challenger Ron Saxton is championed by the timber industry.
Ley Garnett takes an in depth look at the issue and where the candidates stand.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Measure 26-80: Preserving Open Spaces, Or Harming Farm Economy?
Justices Looking At Jury Instructions In Oregon Smoker Case
Be Alert For Flying Pumpkins
Oregon House Race Not Immune To Nasty Tactics
10/30/2006 - Clean Energy Mandates Headed To Voters & Lawmakers
Northwest politicians and voters will get a say in a matter that used to be the sole province of utility managers.
On Election Day, Washington State voters can demand that a percentage of their electricity come from clean, green sources. In January, the Oregon Legislature will grapple with a similar requirement for its state.
Correspondent Tom Banse reports some utilities and big power users are calling the measures unnecessary - and potentially costly.
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Cantwell vs McGavick: The Race For U.S. Senate In Washington State
Senate Desks Store History Of Our Democracy
State Releases Annual Hospital Report
Parties Turn Eyes Towards Oregon Legislature
10/26/2006 - After 100 Years, Peter Iredale's Bones Still 'Bleach In The Sand'
One hundred years ago this week, the sailing ship Peter Iredale ran aground off the coast of Oregon.
It's become the most visited shipwreck on the West Coast. Joanne Rideout reports.
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Gubernatorial Candidate Saxton Makes Appeal To Moderates
Candidates For WA State Legislature Duke it Out
Council Requires PDC To Spend More On Affordable Housing
10/25/2006 - 'Africa House' To Provide Services To Immigrants And Refugees
There's an estimated 20,000 African refugees and immigrants in Oregon, most of them in the greater Portland area.
Now, thanks to a grant announced Wednesday, new arrivals have a place - just for them - to get help: Africa House. Rob Manning reports.
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
TriMet Breaks Ground On Commuter Rail Project
Al Gore Stumps For Kulongoski
10/24/2006 - Do Newspaper Endorsements Matter?
An ad running in the contested race for Oregon governor includes nothing but quotes from the Oregonian newspaper's editorial endorsement.
The paper chose to support Republican challenger Ron Saxton over Democratic incumbent Ted Kulongoski. But do voters pay attention to newspaper endorsements?
Colin Fogarty explores the question.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Washington's Initiative 920 Could Separate Death And Taxes
OSPIRG Sends 'Net Neutrality' Petitions To Congress
Oregon DOJ Investigating Hood River Hospice
OregonGroup Wants Filmmaker Gore To Become Candidate Gore Again
10/23/2006 - Portland Schools Begins Discussions On Restructuring Plan
The Portland Public School Board will begin discussing recommendations Monday night from seven different neighborhoods, which have been meeting since June.
Superintendent Vicki Phillips asked communities for help in deciding how to deal with various problems, including declining enrollment and low student achievement in some schools and overcrowding in others. Rob Manning reports.
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Get-Out-The-Vote Campaigns Switch To High Gear
Corvallis Firm Hopes To Eliminate Bioterror Smallpox Threat
10/19/2006 - Bridges Close Gap In 40-Mile Loop
Drivers on south McLoughlin Blvd --or 99E -- in Portland may have noticed an orange bridge spanning the roadway. Technically, officials say, it's not orange; it's Tabasco.
The bridge is one of three formally dedicated today. They're part of the Springwater corridor trail -- a multi-use path for walkers, joggers, rollerbladers and cyclists that stretches from Portland to Boring.
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Wal-Mart's Drug Deal Met With Some Apprehension
Kitzhaber Worries Measures 41 & 48 Will Doom Oregon Health Plan
Glenn Family Considering Civil Suit In Police Shooting
10/18/2006 - Measure 39: Limiting Eminent Domain
Say you own a business on a run-down street corner. Now say the city wants something else there - perhaps another business, which might help spruce up the neighborhood.
Under current Oregon law, the city can force you to give up that property and move away, on two conditions. Number one, it has to pay you fair market value. And number two, it has to be for a legitimate reason that benefits the public.
That standard was upheld in a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, involving the city of New London, Connecticut. Oregon Ballot Measure 39 would change that standard for the state.
If passed, Measure 39 would prevent the government from using its eminent domain power to acquire private property for a public purpose, if the government intends to convey the property to another private owner.
Rob Manning visited a run-down street corner in Portland to learn more about the claims for and against Measure 39.
Complete article...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Erickson Draws On Anti-Incumbent Vibe In Race Against Hooley
Cleaning Up Idaho's Toxic Silver Valley
Chasse's Family Disappointed By Grand Jury Finding
10/17/2006 - Changing The World, One Meal At A Time
Ask "where does food come from?" and you'll likely hear, "the grocery store."
For most of us, an arms-length relationship with the production and preparation of food is simply a fact of modern life. But a couple of organic farmers in Eastern Washington are taking an unusual approach to transcend the gap.
They invite chefs and culinary students to spend a week living farm to table. Correspondent Elizabeth Wynne Johnson went for a taste.
Complete article...
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Measure 43 Supporters Launch TV Ad Campaign
'Saltier' Saline Could Save Lives
Food Retailers Partner To Fight Hunger
10/16/2006 - Registering Young Voters For The Good Of The Democracy
After weeks of flagging down students in dorms and on sidewalks, a coalition of Oregon non-profits said Monday it's registered 18,000 college students to vote.
That was the goal, and it's one day before the voter registration deadline. A bigger goal of 28,000 young people is in sight, as well.
The effort is geared toward getting Oregonians who often ignore politics to pay attention. Rob Manning has more on the impact young voters could have on next month's election.
Complete article...
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Measure 42: Using Credit Scores To Determine Insurance Premiums
Duncan Pleads Guilty, Family Members Express Relief
'Suicide' Removed From Death With Dignity Act
Preferred Drug List Worked For A Short Time
10/12/2006 - Poop Power Could Be Next Energy Frontier
Dairy cow manure could be the next frontier of alternative energy in the Northwest. Lord knows, there's plenty of it around here. Machinery called a "digester" can turn poop into power.
This fall, the biggest digesters built to date in Washington and Idaho go online. Correspondent Tom Banse reports from south-central Idaho.
Complete article...
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Military Needs Accelerate Takeoff For Washington Company
Peruvian Sheepherders: At Home In Idaho
10/11/2006 - Business Groups Unite Against Measures 41 & 48
Oregon's largest business organizations came out Wednesday against two initiatives on the November ballot to cut taxes and cap state spending.
Associated Oregon Industries, the Oregon Business Association, and the Oregon Business Council are throwing their collective weight behind a campaign to defeat Ballot Measures 41 and 48.
Complete article...
Election 2006 coverage from OPB News
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Weapons-Related Expulsions Rate Rises, Again
Feds Laud Portland's Drop In Homeless Population
New Faces And Renewed Hustle Mark 2006-07 Blazers
Think Homegrown Eats Are Cheap? Think Again
10/10/2006 - Property Rights Issue On Your Ballot? Consider Measure 37
This November, voters in Washington and Idaho will cast ballots on property rights measures.
Before you vote you might want to consider what's happened in Oregon.
Two years ago voters there passed Measure 37. But as correspondent Austin Jenkins reports, it hasn't been a clear victory for people who want to be compensated when the government regulates their land.
Complete article...
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Schools Superintendent Calls For Saxton To Stop Running Ad
Police Dog Academies Face Growing Demand For K-9 Teams
10/9/2006 - Former New York Mayor Giuliani Stumps For Saxton
Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani stumped in Portland Monday for Republican candidate for governor Ron Saxton.
Giuliani and Saxton share a rare position among Republican Party leaders: they support abortion rights. Yet Saxton won the support of the Oregon Right to Life, though the group stopped short of a full endorsement.
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
OSU Center Breaks Bridges To Build For The Future
Kitzhaber, Babbitt Call For Snake River Dam Removal
Peace Vigil Still Going Strong In Corvallis
'Oregon Thrives' Initiative Hopes To Reduce Poverty
10/5/2006 - Tiny Idaho Town Considers Gun-Ownership Ordinance
City officials in a tiny town near the Idaho-Oregon border are considering an ordinance that encourages residents to arm themselves. And they want would-be criminals to know it.
But the attention they're getting might be more than they bargained for.
Correspondent Elizabeth Wynne Johnson explains.
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Portland Protesters Take Part In "World Can't Wait"
Judgment Upheld Against Sizemore; Labor Groups Applaud
Bill Lunch On Oregon Politics This Week
10/4/2006 - Future Looks Sweet For NW Cranberry Growers
The cranberry harvest has begun in the Pacific Northwest. The ruby red berries that grace our Thanksgiving tables grow in coastal peat bogs.
The farms are sprinkled between Bandon, Oregon and the suburbs of Vancouver, BC.
Seven years ago, Northwest cranberry growers were pushed to the brink by a crash in wholesale prices. But now cranberries are again a hot commodity. Correspondent Tom Banse reports on the upswing.
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Biscuit Salvage Will Cost Forest Service $2 Million
Nurses, Union Leaders Rally Against NLRB Decision
Speaker Minnis 'Spaced' Israel Trip Report To Commission
Oregon Sees Decline In High School Dropout Rate
10/3/2006 - Millions Still Waiting To Be Spent In Measure Battles
The first campaign finance reports due in Monday show that millions of dollars are ready to be unleashed for and against Oregon's ten ballot measures. It's hard to trace the money directly.
Complete article...
Election 2006 Coverage From OPB News
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Measure 45: New Blood vs. Experience
Addressing The Housing-Schools Connection
Oil and Gas Companies Set Sights on Northwest
10/2/2006 - Seattle Attorney Dominates Food-Borne Illness Litigation
If your kid gets E. coli poisoning, who ya gonna call?
These days people from across the country dial-up Seattle attorney Bill Marler -- sometimes before they talk to the health department. He's made his name and his fortune suing the food industry to the tune of a quarter-billion dollars.
Now, as correspondent Austin Jenkins reports, he's going to bat for victims of the recent spinach E. coli outbreak.
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Quiet, Steady Eruption At Mt St Helens Starts 2nd Year
Oregon City Course Hosts Blind Golf Championship
Three Cases From Oregon To Be Heard By Supreme Court
Feds Cite Conflict Of Interest In U of O Ed Programs
9/28/2006 - Saxton and Kulongoski Square Off on Children's Issues
Gubernatorial hopefuls Democratic Governor Ted Kulongoski and Republican challenger Ron Saxton held their first debate of the 2006 general election Thursday.
It was held at OPB's Portland studios on the theme of children and families. OPB sponsored the debate with Children First for Oregon, The Children's Institute and Stand for Children. Governor Kulongoski won a coin toss so was first with his opening statement.
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Wilsonville Chamber Hosts Measure 48 Debate
Recruitment 'Opt Out' Deadline Approaching For Students
The Wisdom Of The Corn Maze
Firefighters Start Blaze At Oaks Bottom
- Audio slideshow of the Oaks Bottom burn
9/27/2006 - Lawmakers Fail To Report Trip Paid For By Lobbying Group
One of the three state legislators who failed to report an all-expenses-paid trip to a conference to Hawaii says he was told the trip didn't have to be reported.
An investigation by The Oregonian newspaper found that in 2004, Senator David Nelson and Representatives Wayne Scott and Derrick Kitts were taken to the Grand Wailea Resort by the Oregon Beer and Wine Distributors Association.
As Kristian Foden-Vencil reports, such junkets are legal, but the question is: Should the politicians have informed the State Ethics Commission?
Complete article...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Rebuffed By Beaverton, Wal-Mart Sets Its Sights On Gresham
Lack Of Immigration Fixes Threatens Oregon Farmers
"Beauty Is Truth, Truth Beauty" -- And More Interesting, Too
9/26/2006 - Renovated Armory Ready For Life As Theatre
Portland Center Stage will put on its first play at its glitzy new Pearl District home tonight.
The 115-year-old Armory building has undergone a $36 million make-over. It's now a fortress for two state-of-the-art theatres.
Kristian Foden-Vencil was given a tour this morning and files this report.
Complete article...
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Chalkboard Project Reveals Fixes For OR Education
Group Director Discusses Oregon's D+ Grade
Voters Facing Campaign Finance Reform Measures, Again
9/25/2006 - New Digs For Ducks
As classes start at public universities around Oregon Monday, some Ducks will have a new address.
The new dorm is called the Living Learning Center. It's the first new residence hall at U of O in more than 40 years.
Housing director Mike Eyster says the design is meant to encourage interaction among students and professors.
"What we know from research is that when students get to know faculty and staff members and each other, they feel more affiliated with the university, more connected," Eyster says. "And they actually do better."
Complete article...
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
No Clear Solution Yet For Gorge Air Pollution Problems
Tsunami Preparedness Rising, But Has Way To Go
Caregivers Seek Nursing Home Changes Without Going To The Ballot
9/21/2006 - Remembering Oregon Politician Monroe Sweetland
Oregon lost a prominent figure about ten days ago. Monroe Sweetland had a long career in Democratic politics.
He was an Oregon legislator, and became a newspaper publisher. But I first heard of him in 1988, when I worked for a documentary filmmaker named Loni Ding.
She had just interviewed Sweetland for a film she was making on the military service of Japanese American soldiers in World War II. When I heard that Sweetland had died, I called Loni Ding, to ask her about him.
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
'Eyes Wide Open' Exhibit Looks At Costs Of Iraq War
Chopping Her Way To The Top
Portland Historic Sites Being Turned Over To 'Friends Of' Groups
- Have A Look Around Pittock Mansion
- Take A Tour Of The Northwest Medical Teams' "Real Life" Exhibit
9/20/2006 - Language Barriers Complicate Domestic Violence Cases
Every year the Clark County YWCA provides services to about 2,000 women who are victims of domestic violence.
Its "Safe Choice" program offers battered women temporary shelter, legal and economic help and the counseling they need to break free from abuse. But an increasing Latino population in the Vancouver area has been putting a strain on the program.
Kirsten Flagg paid a visit to the program and some of its Spanish speaking clients, and filed this report.
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Groups React To Roadless Protection Reinstatement
Analyzing The Washington State Primary
Questions Of Bias Surround ODE-Charter School Squabble
9/19/2006 - Age No Barrier For Region's Youngest Winemaker
The Northwest's youngest professional winemaker has released his first vintage for sale. Victor Palencia is just 21 years old.
You are correct if you deduce that this fellow learned his craft before he was of legal drinking age. Area wine schools take students as young as eighteen.
Correspondent Tom Banse has more on the aging of a wine prodigy.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Six Oregon Schools Part Of Nationwide Diabetes Study
Getting The Recycling Message Out To Portland Businesses
Western Voters Consider Property Rights Changes
Gresham Teacher Named 'Teacher Of The Year'
9/18/2006 - Western Voters Weigh Shift in Property Rights
Voters across the West are considering initiatives this November that backers say would strengthen private property rights.
The proposals are similar to each other. That's because they're part of a coordinated effort by libertarian and small-government groups.
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Candidates Agree On Pre-School Education
Walters Appointed To Succeed Justice Riggs
9/14/2006 - Hundreds Of Cats Rescued From Idaho 'Sanctuary'
There's a cat rescue facility in North Idaho called "Camelot." And the operators call themselves 'the Voice of Animals.'
But what authorities found recently inside a cluster of dilapidated trailers speaks only of suffering and disease.
Hundreds of cats and other animals were living in squalor. Correspondent Elizabeth Wynne Johnson reports on the phenomenon known as "animal hoarding."
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Program Uses Teens To Talk To Teens About Drugs
Oregon Lawyers To Defend Seven Guantanamo Prisoners
West Side Big Pipe Project Ready For The Rains
Another Name For Reality TV
9/13/2006 - Massive Dairy A Factor In Gorge Air Quality Woes
When you think of cattle farms, certain sights and smells may come to mind, but you may not suspect that cows are a major contributor to air pollution. But air quality regulators from Washington and Oregon say they're focusing on five sources of haze in the Columbia River Gorge.
Four of the usual suspects include an old coal burning power plant, exhaust from cars and trucks, and smoke stacks in both the Gorge and in metropolitan Portland. The fifth source is the Three Mile Canyon Farms near Boardman.
As Ley Garnett found out when he took a tour, this is not your typical ranch or dairy.
Complete article...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Border Agents Mount-Up To Patrol Rugged Terrain
New Laser Helps Police Crack Down On Tailgaters
Microlending Meets Needs Of Lower-Income People
9/12/2006 - Remembering Two Oregon Soldiers Killed In Afghanistan
Two Oregon soldiers died in Afghanistan last week.
On Friday, Army Staff Sergeant Robert Paul of The Dalles was killed in Kabul when a bomb-laden car exploded next to his Humvee during a patrol.
On Saturday, Sergeant Brad Lindsey of Troutdale died in an ambush -- when his patrol encountered a roadblock set up by Taliban militants.
As Kristian Foden-Vencil reports, both men had a long history with the military and were highly regarded by friends and family.
Complete article...
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Kulongoski And Saxton Agree On One Thing: Head Start
Washington Supreme Court Races Turn Nasty
9/11/2006 - The Price Of Liberty
Today on Oregon Considered: "The Price of Liberty."
On this 5th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks, we'll be discussing how efforts to keep Americans safe since 9-11 are affecting our freedoms.
And we'll be looking at recent cases in Oregon that help illustrate the age old tension between civil liberties and security.
Oregon Considered transcript...
Stephen Kanter's web page at Lewis & Clark Law School
The U.S. Constitution & other founding documents
Sept. 11: A Day That Changed the World - Special Report from NPR
9/7/2006 - Judge Rules Oregon Wiretap Case Can Continue
A Portland judge ruled Thursday that a defunct Islamic Charity, once in Ashland, can continue its lawsuit against the federal government.
The government says Al-Haramain had direct ties to Al-Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden.
The charity's suit against the government claims that the National Security Agency broke the law by monitoring phone calls made between Al-Haramain's directors and its lawyers.
As Kristian Foden-Vencil reports, today's ruling is a significant win for the charity, but the case isn't over yet.
Complete article...
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Supreme Court Ruling Makes November Ballot Final
Walden Introduces Rural Health Care Act
Get Away From It All -- At Hanford
9/6/2006 - Where'd Your Dinner Come From?
When you sit down to eat dinner tonight, consider this: an average piece of produce travels 1500 miles from farm to table. Even if your broccoli or squash is organic, that doesn't mean it came from nearby.
Organic crops are increasing grown by large agribusinesses. So the "organic" label doesn't ensure that it was grown locally. That fact was the impetus for the Portland environmental group Eco-trust to pose what it calls the "eat local" challenge.
The challenge is to draw a one hundred mile radius around your house, and eat only food from within that circle for a week. Reporter David Welch tried it himself.
Complete article...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Measure 44: Expansion Of State Prescription Drug Program
MASH Unit For Pets Visits NW Reservations
MAX Celebrates 20 Years On The Rails
9/5/2006 - What Makes Good Raccoons Turn Bad?
Commentator Marc Acito listens to the news, and something he heard last month continues to bother him.
-------------
Raccoons have been terrorizing Olympia, Washington, murdering ten innocent cats and trying to carry off a small dog.
I live in Southwest Portland. I have a Pekingese. I'm scared.
The Audubon Society of Portland thinks residents may be overreacting, but raccoons have a long history of criminal behavior. Traditionally it's petty crimes like vandalism or theft.
Mark's commentary...
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Local Impact Of Intel Cuts Still Unclear
Teachers And Students Anticipate First Day At Rosa Parks
Pending Release Of South Hill Rapist Spurs Debate Of Civil Commitment
Marijuana Harvest Season Sends Police Flying
8/31/2006 - A Tale Of Two Neighborhoods
Two of Portland's neighborhoods are undergoing radical transformations, with housing designed to attract residents from very different income brackets. Both developments have received public funding in the form of subsidies or tax breaks, and both include a range of prices in an attempt to create some income diversity.
But the high-end South Waterfront development is as different as can be from New Columbia, a newly-remodeled neighborhood for low-income to middle-income families. Kristian Foden-Vencil profiles the new South Waterfront, and Rob Manning profiles New Columbia.
Read Kristian Foden-Vencil's story...
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Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Yearlong Legal Battle Finally Gets Its Day In Court
Record-Setting 'Kicker' Refund Expected
Click here to listen to Eve Epstein's conversation with Mark Russell
8/30/2006 - Wind Power In Your Own Back Yard
Now you too can generate your own wind power. A small company in Newberg, Oregon is making and selling residential-sized wind turbines. But there are lots of details to consider. Not the least of which: the high purchase price and what the neighbors will think.
Read the entire article...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Live Cultures Compliments Of The Counter-Culture
OR Gas Prices Remain Higher Than National Average
Meet Jefferson High's Newest Principal
8/29/2006 - "Alphabet Houses" Part Of Hanford Heritage
The Hanford nuclear site rose out of the sagebrush of Richland, Washington, in the 1940s. So did thousands of houses built for Hanford workers. They're called the Alphabet Houses. Richland correspondent Carol Cizauskas explains from the Alphabet House she calls home.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Limited Housing Funds Allocated Through Lottery
NW Coast Faces Development Boom
Legal Arguments Continue In Charity Wiretapping Case
8/28/2006 - Students Ready For School; Schools Aren't
As parents all over the state are getting their kids back in school mode, educators are trying to get their buildings ready. In many Oregon districts, they'll be opening the doors to overcrowded classrooms. Districts from Bend to Medford to Forest Grove are asking voters for help this fall with construction bonds.
The requests total nearly a billion and a half dollars - but that number could rise. The filing deadline is September 7th. As Rob Manning reports, much of the bond for North Clackamas' schools would pay for repairs to the area's aging buildings.
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Kulongoski Wants Measure 48 Debate With Backer
U.S. Pollution Law Targets Canadian Smelter
Fun For Canines At New Dog Park
What's Killing Bighorn Sheep?
8/24/2006 - Through The Rabbit Hole And Into The Trees
The A-WOL dance company is swinging from the trees this weekend. A-WOL stands for Aerial Without Limits, and members of this dance collective will take to the air on a trapeze, a ladder, fabric, anything they can find to defy gravity.
Friday and Saturday, they'll hang from the branches to perform their interpretation of "Alice in Wonderland," at the Mary S. Young State Park in West Linn.
- View an audio slideshow of the A-WOL rehersal
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Constitution Party Candidate Will Remain On Ballot For Governor
Elder Suicide Is A Hidden Social Problem
Idaho Convenes Special Session On Property Taxes
8/23/2006 - Lookin' For 'Good Vibrations' In The Life Of Brian Wilson
Sometimes it's easy to forget how revolutionary this sounded back in 1966.
(cue "Good Vibrations")
The songs Brian Wilson wrote and recorded with the Beach Boys are some of the most dizzlingly catchy pop music ever recorded. But his notoriously unhappy life remains a puzzle, even to people who love the music.
The psychological problems and drug abuse that marked his career have become the stuff of legend.
Peter Ames Carlin is a big Brian Wilson fan -- and also TV critic for the Oregonian. He's written a new biography that attempts to unravel Wilson's complex inner life.
It's called Catch a Wave: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson.
Carlin sat down with OPB's April Baer recently to talk about why people seem so drawn to such a fragile person.
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
BPA Looks To Create Two-Tiered Rate System For Power
Northwest Water Crisis: Odessa Aquifer Drying Up
Drawing The Line Between Religion And Politics
8/22/2006 - Washington State Democrats Courting the Latino Vote
Latinos traditionally vote Democratic, come election time. Northwest Democrats want to keep it that way.
They also want to capitalize on the momentum of the huge turnout of Hispanics last spring at immigration marches across the region.
Correspondent Carol Cizauskas went out with Democratic canvassers in Sunnyside, Washington and files this report.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Firefighters Use Backfires To Control Mt. Hood Complex Fires
Portland Officials Call For Healthcare For All Oregon's Children
Portland Art Museum Names New Director
Film Documents Efforts To Rescue Pets After Katrina
8/21/2006 - Counterpoint Program Offers Help For Juvenile Sex Offenders
You hear a lot about sex offenders in the media these days.
Which ones are classified as predatory and how you can find out where they live. But some say all the attention that's paid to labeling and tracking these felons may lead people to overlook the bigger threat.
Children are much more likely to be violated by someone they trust -- like a neighbor, a relative or a member of their immediate family.
What most people don't know is that a significant number of abuses are committed by minors. The good news is that those who treat offenders say juveniles -- unlike hardened adult offenders -- can often be treated successfully.
And that's what Morrison Child and Family services has been doing in Multnomah County for more than 2 decades. Its Counterpoint program boasts a recidivism rate of 2 percent and graduates like Jack Stone, who's learning to become a welder.
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
KPCN Will Give Voice To Valley Farm Workers
- View an audio slideshow of the KPCN work weekend
Jefferson Students, Parents Rally To Support School
8/17/2006 - Testing For Bird Flu Begins In NW
How to put this next story delicately? Biologists are swabbing the rear ends of a whole bunch of area ducks, geese, and sandpipers.
They're ruffling feathers to provide early warning for the deadly strain of bird flu.
Correspondent Tom Banse has more on the start of testing for avian flu in the Northwest.
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Senators Plan Expanded Mt Hood Wilderness Bill
Mult. County Gives SUN Program Reprieve
Tighter Regulations Creating Welfare Headaches
8/16/2006 - The Promise Of Juniper Ridge
One project that seems to encompass all the dimensions of Bend's exponential growth is the region's most ambitious project to date: Juniper Ridge. It's expected to have some affordable housing. But backers also tout living wage jobs, and even a four-year university.
Advocates have called it a "utopia." Critics use the word "boondoggle."
Wednesday night, Bend city councilors are expected to approve a Memorandum of Understanding, signaling a significant step forward. In this last installment of our series, Rob Manning reports on the promise of Juniper Ridge.
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Is The Portland Housing Bubble Deflating?
Modified Grass Found Growing Beyond Control Area
Meet The Horse Undertaker: A Man Alone In His Field
8/15/2006 - Bend's Growth Squeezing Out Affordable Housing
Rising home prices in Bend and Redmond are hurting aspects of the area's economy.
Meanwhile, local officials are worried enough about the loss of affordable places that they discussed options with residents of mobile home parks.
In the second part of our series on growth, Rob Manning reports on what's being done to help central Oregonians afford housing.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
The Lighter Side Of The Immigration Debate
Large Turnout Shows Support For Roadless Areas
Crowded Field Vying For Idaho Congressional Seat
8/14/2006 - Program Provides Meals During Summer Vacation
Public schools are for education. For low-income families, they're also a source of child care and meals.
But what happens in the summer, when children in poverty might be left alone while their parents work?
Correspondent Carol Cizauskas visited White Swan in south-central Washington to look at a program that bridges the summertime gap.
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Housing Shortage Causing Worker Shortage In Central Oregon
Looking To The Future Of Rural Oregon
Wildfires Close Two Oregon Highways
8/9/2006 - Older Students Having Trouble Reaching Benchmarks
We got another clue Wednesday about how Oregon's public school students are doing.
Last week, the feds gave their up-or-down evaluations under the No Child Left Behind Act. Wednesday, more detailed results have come from the state assessment. But regardless of whose test you're using, the results are similar.
Younger students do well. Older kids, struggle.
Yet at the individual school level, there are some particular highs and lows. Rob Manning has the numbers, and a look at one North Portland high school.
Complete article...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Filmmakers Launch Into Frantic 48 Hour Project
Candidates Turning To Podcasting To Get Message Out
8/8/2006 - Wine Growers Provide Health Clinic For Workers
Just as Willamette Valley wine growers need the warm sun and soft rain to nourish their grapes, they also need a ready supply of labor at just the right moment.
Those migrant workers face a difficult life. One month they're picking grapes for one employer, the next it's berries for someone else and then Christmas trees for yet another business.
The temporary nature of the work means there's usually no healthcare. A minor infection or health problem can quickly become life-threatening if it's not taken care of.
To tackle the problem, wine growers in the five counties that make up the Northern Willamette Valley get together each year to raise money for a mobile health clinic.
Kristian Foden-Vencil visited the clinic and files this report.
Complete article...
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Could You Survive 30 Days On The Low-Car Diet?
Beaverton Council Says No To Wal-Mart
8/7/2006 - Water Cop Keeps the Peace in Walla Walla Basin
There's a saying in the rural West: "Whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting." That's why there are more than 130 watermasters across the Northwest.
Essentially, they're cops. Their job is to keep the peace among farmers whose livelihoods depend on water.
Correspondent Austin Jenkins recently went on patrol with a watermaster in Washington's Walla Walla basin.
Complete article...
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Beaverton Council Faces Wal-Mart Decision
Medford Police Arrest Mike's Gulch Protestors
Measure 37 Brings Recall Attempt In Jefferson County
8/3/2006 - Oregon Poet Laureate Lawson Inada
The Willamette Writer's conference kicks off in Portland Friday. At a banquet on Saturday, the group will give a lifetime achievement award to Oregon poet Lawson Inada.
Inada has written about everything from growing up in Fresno, CA to jazz, to his family's experience in the Japanese American internment camps in World War II.
He was named Oregon's poet laureate, and he teaches at Southern Oregon University.
Listen to his interview with OPB's Eve Epstein
Listen to Inada's poem 'Radio'
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Stream And Trail Watchers Fight Crime
Small Morning Quake Rattles Area
Mercy Corps Aiding Lebanese Displaced By Fighting
8/2/2006 - Federal Officers Make Charges In Endangered Species Case
The U.S. Attorney in Portland has charged five people with selling an endangered species and three others will be paying fines for smuggling federally protected animals.
The case involves the ocelot, a rare cat that looks like a small leopard. A new age spiritual organization in California, that sponsors an ocelot sanctuary, has entered into a plea agreement.
Ley Garnett has more on the federal investigation and efforts to preserve the ocelot.
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Adults Play in the Mud in Annual Footrace
Tribes Demonstrate For Klamath River Dam Demolition
Salvage Logging Issue Comes Before Congress
8/1/2006 - Some Black Crater Evacuees Return Home
Cooler temperatures and a secure fire line are helping fight the Black Crater fire southwest of Sisters Tuesday. It's 30% contained and the lull means 1,000 residents have returned home.
But families from 200 homes in the Crossroads subdivision and Edgington Road have to wait until tonight to find out if they can return.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Investigator Finds Sohappy Case Frustrating
'Rail' Still Rockin' Years After MTV Break
Federal Judge Sides With Bush Administration On Roadless Rule
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.
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
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.
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Military Suicides On The Rise
An Early Flame, Rekindled Late in Life
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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
'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
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
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.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Smith Votes In Favor Of Embryonic Stem Cell Bill
Portland's T-Horse Turns 10
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.
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
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
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
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.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Walla Wallans Wary Of Bend-Like Growth
Beaverton Wal-Mart Plan Draws Criticism
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.
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
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.
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Portland Lawyers Represent Gitmo Detainees
Camp Reunites Siblings Split By Foster Care
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
6/29/2006 - New Orleans Sound Blows Into Blues Fest
Portland's annual Waterfront Blues Festival gets under way Friday, June 30, with a focus this year on New Orleans and Gulf Coast musicians.
Reggie Houston grew up playing the saxophone in New Orleans. He was a member of Fats Domino's band, among others.
He relocated to Portland the year before Hurricane Katrina struck the gulf, and this year encouraged many of his friends from the region to come play in the festival.
He stopped by our studio to talk, and to set the right mood, I asked him to play something with a real New Orleans feel...
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Oregon Kicks Off New Anti-Meth Law
Grocery Store Owner Defends Decision Not to Stock "Morning After" Pill
6/28/2006 - Oregon's Trail Band Is A Global Hit
Visas to North Korea are hard to come by. The communist government of Kim Jong-Il severely restricts tourism. All foreign visitors must get official approval.
But Mercy Corps has a long track record of sending delegations and shipments of food and medicine to Pyongyang. It's an Oregon based non-profit that's been providing food assistance (ever since the 1995 famine that killed more than 2 million North Koreans).
Food assistance and now country music. Last year North Korean officials invited Mercy Corps to bring along some genuine American folk musicians for a festival in Pyongyang.
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Supreme Court Victory Makes Oregon 3 For 3
Portland City Council Considering Biofuels Mandate
What Do Those Graduation Rate Numbers Mean?
6/27/2006 - Governor's Panel On Climate Change Convenes
Some of the state's top scientists and business leaders, appointed by Governor Kulongoski to advise him on climate change issues, held their first meeting in Salem Tuesday.
As Ley Garnett reports, this panel is charged not only with looking at global warming's downside for Oregon, but also possible economic benefits for the state.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Thousands Of Fans Greet Champion Beavers
CA Assisted Suicide Bill Fails In Committee
Corvallis Musician Nears End Of Year With A Very Special Violin
6/26/2006 - Anglers Become Bounty Hunters In Effort To Help Salmon
Wildlife managers know that one way to help a threatened species is to go after the predators.
So Northwest states are paying anglers to bring in certain fish. In Oregon and Washington, the payment scheme has inspired some fishing enthusiasts to make a living as bounty-hunters.
The best can reel in as much as $40,000 a year. Now Idaho is trying its own approach: how about lottery tickets in exchange for trout heads?
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
WA Gears Up for Oregon-Style Property Rights Battle
Beavers Win College World Series, National Championship
Iraq Veteran Says Sexual Harassment Prompted Desertion
6/22/2006 - Oldest Oregon Trooper Eschews Retirement
Washington recently ushered its most experienced state trooper out the door.
The veteran patrolman was forced into retirement because he turned 60 years old.
He carried the nickname, the "pewter trooper," because he aged so gracefully.
Oregon and Idaho don't have mandatory retirement rules for state police. The oldest active patrolman on the Oregon force turns 61 on his next birthday.
Correspondent Tom Banse has Robert Hereau's story in his own words.
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Mayor Potter Names Sizer To Chief's Job
County Commission Cuts Funds To Popular SUN Program
Retrofiting Trucks May Help Clean North Portland's Air
6/21/2006 - Solar Power Buff Celebrates Solstice With Open House
Wednesday was the summer solstice - the longest day of the year. To celebrate, one Northwest solar-power buff dedicated the day to convincing people to go solar.
Correspondent Austin Jenkins filed this report from a solar open house in Tacoma
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Oregon Education Officials Question Graduation Rate Numbers
Governor's Office Next Front In Mike's Gulch Timber Sale Battle
Government Moves To Consolidate Eavesdropping Cases
6/20/2006 - Batten Disease Unites Parents, Dog Owners
In what may be an unprecedented collaboration, a rare and as yet incurable illness has brought together two unlikely communities: parents of children and owners of dogs.
The two groups are linked by the fatal illness known as Batten disease.
Batten disease is a rare inherited genetic disorder leading to a breakdown of the entire nervous system.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Study Finds Oregon Failing African American Students
Oregon Struggling To Meet Mercury Emissions Limits
Distant War Hits Close To Home In Madras
6/19/2006 - Oregon's 'Big Look' Goes Under The Microscope
Oregon's land-use planning system is getting a thorough looking over these days.
The Urban Land Institute's forum convened in Redmond this weekend. The Metro regional government held a discussion on what it's calling its New Look last Friday. But the land-use task force created by the state lawmakers is drawing some critical eyes as it begins its work including it appears, those in the Governor's office.
As Rob Manning reports, the Governor said Monday he's planning to send a letter to the panel expressing concern about public involvement.
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Ethics Commission Begins Search For New Director
Madras Soldier Abducted By Iraqi Insurgents
Irrigon Students Put Letters To Soldiers To Music
6/15/2006 - Late Spring Chinook Run Exceeds Predictions
This past season's run of Spring Chinook Salmon was like a roller coaster on the Columbia River but it ended on a high.
Fishery experts estimated 88,000 of the prized fish, also known as king salmon, would come back to spawn but in fact 130,000 ended up making it. Ley Garnett reports.
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
New Shipping Line To Dock Weekly At Port Of Portland
Tribes Unite To Rebury Artifacts And Remains
Parents Facing A Difficult Summer Assignment
Bicycling's $63 Million Impact On Portland
Bicycling's $63 Million Impact On Portland
Anyone who lives in Portland knows that bicycling is big. But just how big is it? The city Office of Transportation wanted to know, so after sponsoring a study, it released the results Thursday that puts the economic impact of bicycling at $63 million. The city's Linda Ginenthal, who is also coorinating a regional bike summit this weekend, says people may take bicycling for granted now, but 10 or 15 years ago, the picture was a lot different. She says although Portland's been rated the number one city by Bicycling Magazine and given a Gold rating by the League of American Bicyclists, there's still a lot to be done in this weekend's bike summit.
Click here to listen to the interview. (about 4:15)
Biking in Portland Websites:
6/14/2006 - Knight Bringing Hollywood Magic To Tualatin
Oregon's richest man, Phil Knight, unveiled plans Wednesday to build a new state-of-the-art animation studio in Tualatin.
Designed to compete with Hollywood icons such as Pixar and Dreamworks, the Laika studio will hire hundreds of filmmakers over the next two years and produce everything from full-length movies to commercials.
As Kristian Foden-Vencil reports, it's by far the most ambitious media project Oregon has seen.
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Small-Schools Program Divisive For Lebanon Residents
Medford Judge Postpones Biscuit Salvage Logging Deal
Maintaining The Memory Of Oregon State Hospital's Patients
The Day Of The African Child
Maintaining The Memory Of Oregon State Hospital's Patients
One of the more enduring symbols of conditions at the crumbling Oregon State Hospital has been a small room in a former crematorium. It contains shelves of copper cans, stacked three deep, holding the cremated remains of patients from as early as 1913. More than 3,500 have gone unclaimed by their relatives. Wednesday, officials at the Oregon State Hospital in Salem began repackaging urns. Colin Fogarty paid a visit and filed this story.
Click here to listen to the story. (about 3 minutes)
The Day Of The African Child
This weekend in Portland, a unique gathering joins the line up of Rose Festival-sanctioned events for its final weekend. It's a celebration marking the Day of the African Child, designed to highlight the plight of children on the continent, who live in extreme poverty, get little to no education, and are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. One of the Northwest groups working in African countries to help make a dent in those problems is the Harambee Center, based in Portland. Jackie Goldrick, Co-founder and President, spoke with us earlier in our Portland studios. She says this Saturday's event has a lot to offer children here.
Click here to listen to the interview. (about 2 minutes)
Click here to visit the Harambee Center's website.
6/13/2006 - Curtis Salgado Benefit
There's good news and bad news to report about long time Oregon blues musician Curtis Salgado, who was the inspiration for the late John Belushi's character in the Blues Brothers.
On the one hand, Salgodo is fighting liver cancer, needs a new liver and recently lost his health insurance.
On the other, he's fighting liver cancer, just got onto a donor waiting list and his friends--many music legends in their own right-- are playing alongside him in a benefit concert Tuesday.
He talked with us about some of the musicians like Steve Miller, Robert Cray and Taj Mahal and how he was drawn to music at an early age growing up in Eugene.
Click here to listen to the interview. (about 5 minutes)
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The benefit concert for Curtis Salgado is Tuesday at 7:30 at the Rose Garden arena's Theatre of the Clouds. If you can't make it, you can also catch him at the Waterfront Blues festival next month. And for all sorts of other information, check out his website -- http://www.curtissalgado.com
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Initiative Backers Racing Against Signature Deadline
Northwesterners Rediscovering The Craft Of Spinning
OSU Forestry Dean Hal Salwasser Receives Strong Vote Of Confidence
6/12/2006 - Academia and Activism Collide on NW College Campus
Last month, nearly thirty people were arrested at the Port of Olympia. They were protesting the Iraq War and the use of the port for military shipments.
Many of those arrested attend Evergreen College - a state-funded school a few miles from the port. Some are students in a class on parallels between the Vietnam and Iraq wars.
Olympia correspondent Austin Jenkins examines the line between academia and activism.
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Popular After-School Program On The Chopping Block
Governor, Legislators Agree On Plan To Revamp Mental Health Care
Mobile Clinic Brings Healthcare To Multnomah County Homeless
Reaction To Revamping Oregon's Mental Health Care: An Interview With Dr. George Keepers
Reaction To Revamping Oregon's Mental Health Care: An Interview With Dr. George Keepers
The addition of new hospital beds is welcome news to those on the front lines of dealing with mental illness in Oregon. Dr. George Keepers, who heads the department of Psychiatry at Oregon Health and Science University, spoke with Allison Frost. He says new facilities are desperately needed. But he also cautions that the much greater need comes when patients are released.
Click here to listen to the interview. (3:18)
6/8/2006 - Portland Judge Allows Abuse Lawsuit Against Vatican To Proceed
Two years ago, Portland made international headlines when the Catholic Archdiocese became the first to declare bankruptcy in response to clergy sex abuse lawsuits.
Now, a separate case in Portland raises the serious possibility that for the first time, the Vatican itself could be sued over priest sexual abuse. Colin Fogarty reports.
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
World Cup Battle: Nike vs. Adidas
Environmental Groups Sue To Stop Biscuit Salvage Sale
Robots Help Pharmacists Fill The Pill Bottle
6/7/2006 - Reconciling Republicanism And Art
Former Portland attorney Gary Cole saw no contradiction between his dual interests in arts and Republican Party politics.
But the co-founder of small theater in Portland found out the hard way: Sometimes art and politics don't mix.
Now as Colin Fogarty reports, Cole has written a memoir called Artless: The Odyssey of a Republican Cultural Creative.
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Communities Near Weapons Depot Practice Contamination Drills
Blazers And Rose Garden Up For Bids
Unions Want Prevailing Wages, Healthcare For Workers
Oregon Pharmacy Board Adopts New Ethics Stance - an interview with executive director Gary Schnabel.
Pharmacy Board Adopts New Ethics Stance
The Oregon Board of Pharmacy adopted a clarification today on what should happen when a pharmacist refuses to fill a patient's prescription on moral or religious grounds. Gary Schnabel is the executive director of the Oregon Board of Pharmacy. He says the board met with women's groups, including NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon and Planned Parenthood to clarify language the panel adopted last summer. Schnabel also says the new language the board approved today also makes it clear that a patient can demand the prescription back from a pharmacist if that pharmacist chooses not to fill it.
Allison Frost spoke with Schnabel by telephone from Bend earlier today.
Click here to listen to the interview. (mp3, about 2:30)
6/6/2006 - Research Group Puts School Funding Numbers Online
With the click of a mouse, you can now find out how one Oregon school district spends money, compared with a similar one, maybe on the other side of the state.
Statewide school research group, the Chalkboard Project, unveiled an online database that reveals whether Bend schools spend more on teachers than say, Reynolds or Springfield.
But as Rob Manning reports, users on the first day came away enthusiastic, yet hungry for more information - and curious about political implications.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Exploding Price Of Oil Fuels Quest For Alternatives
Microsoft Moves Into Little Quincy, WA
Considering The Dangers Of What Goes On Online
Governor Dedicates Job Training Center At New Columbia
6/5/2006 - Tiny "Smart Cars" Make Their Northwest Debut
A smart way to beat high gas prices could be a Smart car.
That at least is the sales pitch of the first Northwest dealership to carry the eye-catching European auto. "Smart" is the brand name of the tiny two-seater.
Correspondent Tom Banse takes us along for a test drive.
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Biodiesel Coop Powers Cars For Less
OSHA Cites Boise Cascade In Death Of Mill Worker
Governor's Race Starting To Get Crowded
GAO Report Questions Oregon Tsunami Readiness
6/1/2006 - Kicker Refunds Grow, Governor Repeats Call For Rainy Day Fund
Oregon's kicker refunds will grow to more than a billion dollars in 2007. That was the eye popping headline from the quarterly revenue forecast Thursday by state economists.
Just as quickly as the refund prediction came, the debate over what to do with the money ensued. Colin Fogarty reports from Salem.
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
State Looks For Allies In Its War On Weeds
Portland Kids Writing A 'Children's Bill Of Rights'
GED: A Different Kind Of Graduation Story
WA Board of Pharmacy Board Defends Controversial Rule
5/31/2006 - Estacada Soldier Killed On Memorial Day In Iraq
As an Oregonian wife mourns the loss of her husband in Iraq, details of how he was killed are emerging.
Medic, Jeremy Loveless, died Memorial Day after being shot in the shoulder while traveling through Mosul in a Stryker armored vehicle.
As Kristian Foden-Vencil reports, apparently his unit didn't notice he'd been hit until it was too late.
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Commission Wrestles With Utility Tax Law
Northwest Aid Agencies Quick To Respond To Java Quake
Foster Care Graduates Face Tough Transition
Emilie Boyles Pleads Her Case
5/30/2006 - Sizemore's Back In Politics, But With A Lower Profile
Bill Sizemore is back.
The once high-profile anti-tax activist has played a much more subdued role in Oregon politics in recent years, since a judge slapped him with a multi-million dollar judgment. But Sizemore is now trying to qualify a ballot measure for the November ballot.
Last week, he and other initiative activists submitted petition signatures for an early deadline. As Colin Fogarty reports, Sizemore's latest proposal has nothing to do with taxes.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Electronic Medical Records Could Save Money, Time -- And Lives
WA Foster Parents Announce Unionization
Tending 'Defiant Gardens' During Wartime
5/24/2006 - The Wellness Project and Training Institute
The only free mental health clinic in the Portland metro area may have to shut its doors, after just two years in operation.
The Wellness Project and Training Institute in Clark County has kept more than 4000 appointments since 2004 and trained 70 graduate students in at universities throughout the region.
Oregon Considered host Allison Frost talks with the Executive Director of Community Services Northwest, the agency that runs the Wellness Project, Sharon Campbell-Krupski.
Click here to listen to the entire interview (mp3, about 11 minutes).
Wellness Project and Training Institute website
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Listen to Stacy Bolt's commentary "The Happiest Hour" here.
New Magazine Caters To Thirsty Readers
Potter-FBI Skirmish Highlights Domestic Surveillance Issues
More from Oregon Considered for Wednesday, May 24, 2006
This summer, the new Portland-based beverage magazine Imbibe is printing an essay from a commentator who's been something of a regular on OPB airwaves. Stacy Bolt contributes to Live Wire!, heard on the last Saturday night of the month. She says when she was growing up there was never a question about whether or what to imbibe. She describes what she calls the "happiest hour."
Click here to listen to the commentary. (mp3, about 3 minutes)
5/23/2006 - Foreign Pest Multiplies On NW Waterways
A buck-toothed rodent that can mow down waterfront gardens and turn dikes into Swiss cheese is expanding its range in the Northwest.
The non-native animal is called nutria. It's recently turned up in new places including Lake Washington, next to Seattle, and Oregon's Rogue River valley.
Some communities are resigned to its presence. Others are trying to eradicate the creature. Correspondent Tom Banse reports.
complete article...
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Judge Redden Voids Upper Snake River Plan
Judge Dismisses 'Loss Of Companionship' Claim
New Carissa A Step Closer To Getting Off The Beach
Kitzhaber Taking On Healthcare Reform
5/22/2006 - Trojan Implosion Ends A Chapter In Oregon's Nuclear History
The familiar landmark cooling tower at Oregon's only nuclear plant is history.
All that remains of the Trojan Nuclear Power Plant cooling tower today is a chunk of the lower tower wall about 50 feet tall and several hundred feet long.
That segment withstood the force of 3,300 sticks of dynamite detonated early Sunday morning.
Even though the demolition of the 500-foot tall structure was televised live throughout the region, thousands of people turned out to watch it in person.
Ley Garnett was among the crowd and has this report.
complete article...
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Colleges Offering More "Merit-Based" Finanical Aid
Commission Recommends Sobriety Rule For Legislators
Lawmakers Want National Guard Represented On Joint Chiefs Of Staff
Mt. St. Helens Still Active After 26 Years
Today marks the 26th anniversary of Mt. St. Helens' deadly eruption that killed 57 people and flattened 230 square miles of forest.
More recently, the volcano has sputtered to life again, but on a much smaller scale. Allison Frost spoke with Willie Scott, a vulcanologist at the USGS Cascades Volcano observatory in Vancouver, Washington. He says prior to 2004, the lava dome that had been building since the 1980s was getting buried by the glacier that was also growing inside the crater.
Click here to listen to the interview (mp3, about 8 minutes).
Click here to visit Mt. St. Helens' current eruption website.
5/18/2006 - Organic Biodiesel Could Pay Off For NW Farmers
Reducing our dependence on foreign oil. Producing homegrown fuel. It's all the rage when gas prices set new records practically every day.
Some of the puzzle pieces are falling into place. Ground will be broken soon on big new biodiesel and ethanol plants in Washington and Oregon (and possibly Twin Falls, Idaho).
But to make truly homegrown fuel, local farmers have to plant the raw materials. That's not happening, by and large. Correspondent Tom Banse found one dairyman who's trying to make the economics work.
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Portland Police Disproportionately Target Minority Drivers
Wyden Accuses Nominee Of Violating Briefing Law
Immigration Issue Divides Idaho Congressional Candidates
Post-Primary Analysis With Bill Lunch
Pundits and political analysts are always being asked to make projections and predictions. OPB's Political Analyst Bill Lunch says those who do look into the crystal ball, including himself, risk treading later over the shards of broken glass. Nonetheless, we convinced him to say a few words about how November's political races might shape up, after the results of the yesterday's primary election.
Click here to listen to the entire interview (mp3, about 11 minutes).
5/17/2006 - Wheeler Beats Incumbent Linn By 3-To-1 Margin
In Multnomah County, business consultant Ted Wheeler swept into the commission chair's seat with an overwhelming 69% of the vote. The embattled incumbent, Diane Linn, garnered just 23%.
As Kristian Foden-Vencil reports, it seems Linn's critics -- who accuse her of everything from mishandling same-sex marriage to outright impropriety -- have finally caught up with her.
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Candidates Already Gearing Up For November Fight
Burdick Concedes Race To Sten
5/16/2006 - Strange Piece of Paradise
In 1977, a man with an axe made a seemingly random attack on two college students at a state park near Redmond. The women were brutalized and left for dead.
One survivor, Terri Jentz, revisits the unsolved incident, and her psychological journey to recovery. Her book is called "Strange Piece of Paradise".
She spoke with OPB Senior Producer Eve Epstein about the attack, and her return to Oregon.
Hear the web version of the interview (mp3 about 13 mins).
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Offender Treatment Program Linked To Lower Rate Of Recidivism
Low Turnout Expected To Rise By Deadline
Oregon Guard Troops Unlikely To Be Used Along Border
5/15/2006 - Oregon Reps Split On Medicare D Penalties
Monday is the deadline for eligible seniors to sign up for Medicare's new prescription drug benefit. But many who eligible still have not enrolled.
Correspondent Todd Zwillich reports from Capitol Hill on the debate in Congress over whether to lift penalties for latecomers.
complete article...
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
For Some Seniors, Prescription Plan Has Too Many Options
Not All Washington Sex Offenders Face Hard Time
Preliminary Counts Indicate Turnout Rate Below 25%
5/11/2006 - Sasquatch Lives On In Sculpture
Cruising down the highway you're used to seeing animal warnings such as "watch for deer" or "elk crossing."
Now think about how you'd react to a "Sasquatch crossing." It's in the works in north central Washington. A huge, hairy man is turning drivers' heads on the Colville Indian Reservation.
Naturally, we had to send correspondent Tom Banse for a look.
complete article...
If you're looking for that music at the end of Tom's piece, you can listen here - Theme from "Big Foot and Wild Boy"
More on "Big Foot and Wild Boy" - IMDb
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Phone Call Records Didn't Come From Qwest
Oregon Supreme Court Upholds Bowen's Death Sentence
5/10/2006 - "Voter Owned Elections" System Coming Under Fire
Advocates of Portland's public campaign finance system have been put on the defensive in the last few weeks because of allegations about a candidate who received $145,000 in taxpayer money.
Campaign finance reform advocates are trying to look beyond accusations against Emilie Boyles and are instead touting the overall effect of the so-called "Voter Owned Election" system. Colin Fogarty reports.
complete article...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Small Oregon Town To Vote On NASCAR Speedway Tax
Policymakers Struggling To Interpret Language Of Utility-Tax Bill
5/9/2006 - Potlatch Poplar Farm Greens A Patch Of Eastern Oregon
Out of the scrub brush of eastern Oregon a huge forest sprouts like an oasis between Boardman and Hermiston. We sent Ley Garnett to check out this roadside curiosity.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Officials Eyeing Mumps Outbreak In Eugene
PSU Looking To Fill The Computer Engineer Vacuum
5/8/2006 - Spring Chinook Finally Starting To Show Up At Bonneville Dam
Columbia River fish managers are still clinging to hope that the Spring Chinook run will reach their pre-season expectations.
As Ley Garnett reports, biologists are optimistic that the low count so far is only because the run is extremely late in getting underway this year.
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Professor's Career Melds Science With Advocacy
Wyden Questioning Nominee's Statements On Wiretapping
Portland Kids Win Big With Soccer Poems
It's not too often that Amercian schools win international competitions. Or win all expense paid trips to Europe. But that's just what happened to the 4th, 5th, and 6th graders at the German American School of Portland. Their German poems about soccer propelled them into the group of 100 winning schools -- out of more than 12,000 from around the world. Allison Frost spoke with Blake Peters, who runs the school. He said they've never won anything quite as big the "World Cup in School" contest.
You can listen to the interview by clicking here. (mp3, 3:40)
5/4/2006 - A Broad Field Of Candidates Line Up For City Council Seats
Two seats are up for grabs on the Portland City Council May 16th, but incumbent commissioner Dan Saltzman is trying to retain his position and serve a third term.
He's fighting off about a dozen hopefuls, including a real estate agent, a nurse, and a single parent.
As Kristian Foden-Vencil reports, five candidates turned up for a recent meeting of the Portland Eastside Democratic Club and left members undecided.
complete article...
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
High Gas Prices Spurring Politicians Into Action
Reach Out And Touch Someone (And Maybe They'll Vote For You)
Eugene Schools To Adopt Stricter Soda Policy
Life With Stinky Stan
All the news of late about dwindling Northwest salmon runs has captured the attention of commentator Ronault Catalani. He's noticed that more than a little blame has been heaped on a certain water mammal. It's funny, he says, because he's been having problems just like the Fish and Wildlife workers at Bonneville Dam.
Click here to listen to the comments of Ronault Catalani, a Willamette Valley writer. (mp3, about 4 minutes.)
5/3/2006 - An Oregon Chicken Farm Prepares For Avian Flu
On the same day the Bush Administration revealed its updated plans to deal with Avian Flu, state officials appeared with an Oregon chicken farmer to detail the kinds of protections in place for the states poultry operations.
For months growers and the state have kept commercial chicken sheds under wraps - for fear of introducing disease to the large flocks. But Willamette Valley farmer, Curt Johnston, conducted the tour and spoke to Kristian Foden-Vencil.
complete article...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Sen. Smith Pushes For Rural Broadband
Judge Considers How To Manage Snake And Columbia River Basins
Corvallis Struggles With Decision To Close A School
5/2/2006 - Immigration Debate Heats Up Republican Primary
For weeks now, illegal immigration has been one of the top issues in the Republican primary for governor.
The debate got even hotter when 13,000 immigrants and their supporters rallied in Portland and Salem, along with several smaller cities across the state.
Ballots for the May primary are due in two weeks. But as Colin Fogarty reports, the issue will likely linger into the November election.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Portland Board Split On Closing Schools
But Will Plato Get Along With His New House Mate?
Candidates Band Together To Cover Oregon's Second District
5/1/2006 - Thousands Turn Out For Protests In Salem
More than 13,000 mostly Latino immigrants and their supporters rallied and marched in Salem and Portland Monday as part of a nationwide "day without immigrants" protest.
The demonstrations were aimed at showing the economic impact of immigrants on Oregon's economy. Colin Fogarty reports from Salem.
complete article...
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Protesters Point To Immigrants' Role In Economy
Washington Asparagus Growers Switch to Fresh Spears
Looking Back On The Fall Of Saigon
For some immigrants, May 1st marks a day to honor workers and call attention to their economic importance. But others, like commentator Ronault Catalani, are remembering April 30th, the anniversary of the fall of Saigon, which marked the end of the Vietnam War.
Click here to listen to the comments of Willamette Valley writer, Ronault Catalani. (mp3, about 3 minutes, 30 seconds)
Candidates Will Discuss Immigration In Forum
Portland city council candidates and those running for seats on the Multnomah county commission will address immigrant concerns Thursday night in a forum put on by the Latino Network and APANO, the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon.
Allison Frost spoke with Martin Gonzales with the Latino Network, one of the organizations sponsoring the forum at the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization in NE Portland.
Click here to listen to the interview (mp3, about 3 minutes)
4/27/2006 - Initiative Activists Will Appeal Ruling On Political Contributions
Advocates of campaign finance reform say they're appealing a decision this week to the Oregon Supreme Court that would affect two possible ballot measures this November.
Petition 8 would allow the Oregon legislature to set limits on political contributions. But a three judge panel has said that proposal might amend multiple parts of the constitution, something that courts have not allowed. Colin Fogarty reports.
complete article...
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
WA Auditor Questions Over $1 Billion In Medicaid Costs
Feds Arrest 9,000 Fugitives Nationwide
Details Emerging In OLCC Director Drunk-Driving Case
4/26/2006 - Fly Fishing Equals Good Medicine
There's something about fly fishing that inspires amateur enthusiasts and Hollywood directors alike to explore its magic.
To a cancer doctor in Seattle, it seemed like the right blend of physical and emotional therapy for women who are recovering from breast cancer.
Correspondent Elizabeth Wynne Johnson has the story.
complete article...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Minority Of Portland City Commissioner Candidates Meet In Forum
Groups Opposing Small-Business Healthcare Bill
Massive Crane Ship Heading Up The Columbia River
Boyles' Troubled Campaign Facing New Charges
Looking At The Holocaust As News
Oregon State University is holding a series of events this week commemorating the Holocaust. It's the 20th year in a row the campus has brought survivors and scholars for events remembering the genocide. Boston Journalism professor Laurel Leff speaks tonight at OSU on the subject of her recent book--about the news coverage of the Holocaust titled Buried by the Times.
Leff says she found in her research that the New York Times ran 1,186 stories on the Holocaust during World War 2 but that virtually all of them were on the inside of the newspaper, not on the front page.
Laurel Leff will lecture Tuesday night at 7:30 as part of OSU's Holocaust Memorial Week.
Click here to listen to the entire interview (mp3, about 10 minutes).
4/25/2006 - Coos Bay's 20-Year Recession Coming To An End
After 20 years of recession, the coastal town of Coos Bay is being wooed by three major businesses.
In a previous story, OPB examined the pros and cons of building a liquefied natural gas depot on the bay, but the port is also wrestling with the idea of hosting ship breaking, and a Washington company is looking into drilling for methane gas.
Kristian Foden-Vencil traveled to Coos Bay to find out just how likely it is that these two prospects will come to fruition.
complete article...
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Fact-Checking The Republican Gubernatorial Candidates
Sticking To Closure Schedule Could Win Portland Schools Votes
4/24/2006 - Will Liquid Natural Gas Power Coos Bay's Renaissance?
After a recession stretching back to the 1980's, Coos Bay on the Central Oregon Coast is enjoying something of a renaissance.
Three major new businesses are sniffing around the area -- a $500 million dollar Liquified Natural Gas depot, a ship breaking yard, and a drilling company prospecting for methane gas.
Kristian Foden-Vencil visited what locals call the bay area' and files a series of stories on these new business proposals.
The first looks at the pros and cons of shipping natural gas into the deepwater port and delivering it via a large new pipeline that would run up and down the west coast.
complete article...
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Oregon Supreme Court Candidates Hold Forum
WA State Workers Embrace Plain Talk
Portland General Electric Defies Subpoena
4/20/2006 - Road Warrior Visits Every City In Washington State
You may have heard of the Houston man on a mission to visit every Starbucks in the world. Then there's the handful of frequent fliers from this area admitted to the Travelers' Century Club -- you have to visit at least a hundred different countries to get in.
Closer to home, an aspiring teacher set out to go to every city and town in Washington State. Achieving the goal was so much fun, he can't let go. Correspondent Tom Banse caught up with the peripatetic man on a new quest.
complete article...
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Oregon Legislature Speeds Through Special Session
Northwest Economy Has Spring In Its Step
When It Comes To Salmon, Sea Lions Prove Crafty And Determined
Trail Blazers' Dismal Season Ends With A Loss And Questions About The Future
4/19/2006 - Lawmakers Hoping One Day Is All It Will Take
One day.
That's how long state lawmakers in Salem are hoping it will take them to pass five bills in a special session that begins Thursday.
A special committee took testimony on the session Wednesday, and as Colin Fogarty reports, the agenda is limited.
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Willamette Ranks Third On Endangered Rivers List
As Blazers Founder Portland Fans Turn To Odd Sports
Oregon Social Workers Face Low Pay, Mountains Of Debt
4/18/2006 - Potter's Budget Reflects Strong Portland Economy
On Tuesday, Portland Mayor Tom Potter released his plans for the city's next fiscal year.
He wants to add 32 new police officers, 12 emergency operators for the 911 system, and create a whole new "Revenue Bureau."
But as Kristian Foden-Vencil reports, there are cuts, too -- most notably in the city's transportation department.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Republican Race For Governor Turns Negative With Airing Of Independent Ad
End Of I-Tax Threatens Multnomah County Schools
Booklovers To Meet In Portland For 2nd Annual Wordstock Festival
4/17/2006 - Wildlife Commission Gets Input On Cougar Management Plan
Over the weekend a cougar attacked and injured a seven-year old boy who was hiking with his family near Boulder, Colorado. He is expected to fully recover. In Oregon, no cougar assaults on humans have been documented in more than 100 years.
Nevertheless, state wildlife officials are worried because the cougar population is growing in some areas and those concerns are reflected in Oregon's new cougar management plan.
The state Fish and Wildlife Commission unanimously approved the plan last week, but not before hours of emotional testimony. Ley Garnett was there for the meeting and has this report.
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Effectiveness Of Longer Sentences For Sex Offenders Questioned
Mobile Home Parks Disappearing In Bend
Mobile Home Residents Face Eviction As Developers Move In
Disappearing Birds May Point to Bigger Problems
4/13/2006 - Details Emerge In Landscape Architect Board Embezzlement Case
The Oregon department of justice released an audit Thursday detailing how the top administrator of the state's 'Landscape Architect Board' stole $139,000.
As Kristian Foden-Vencil reports, Leslie Clement lived the high life for the five years of her tenure, using the state's credit card and checkbook for everything from vacations to dresses.
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Oregon Hunger Relief Task Force Releases Updated Plan
Foresters Fighting Back Against Bark Beetle Invasion
Regional Factors Have Big Impact On Prices At The Pump
4/12/2006 - Beverly Cleary, Creator Of 'Ramona Quimby,' Turns 90
'Henry Huggins' was the first book that author Beverly Cleary ever wrote. The Portland native only decided to put pen to paper as a 33-year-old librarian after little boys kept complaining they couldn't find books about kids like them.
Since then, Cleary has written 39 books and sold 91 million copies. To put that in perspective, the 'Harry Potter' series has sold 120 million.
On April 12, Cleary turns 90. Kristian Foden-Vencil called her at her California home and filed this report.
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Governor, Legislative Leaders Show Unity Before Special Session
More Allegations Surface In Foxworth Case
Portland City Council Approves Additional Tram Funds
Bridger Elementary Supporters Question School Board's Plan
4/11/2006 - Columbia River Sport Fishing Closed
State fishery managers Tuesday called a halt to recreational salmon, steelhead, and shad fishing on the Columbia River effective midnight Thursday.
They took the action based on a sparse number of salmon reaching Bonneville Dam so far this spring.
The cause of the apparently small run is unknown, but sea lions seem to be getting most of the blame, as Ley Garnett reports.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Fact-Checking The Candidates
Portland School-Closure Plan Could Be Postponed
Mayor Potter Places Foxworth On Administrative Leave
4/10/2006 - What Might The Future Hold With Kempthorne As Interior Secretary?
Idaho Governor Dirk Kempthorne is the President's pick to succeed Gale Norton as Secretary of the Interior.
Most political observers are predicting an easy confirmation. What will it mean for the Northwest?
Correspondent Elizabeth Wynne Johnson looks ahead and back at Kempthorne's environmental record for clues on what to expect.
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Salmon Fishing Supporters Hold Rallies
No Visitors Allowed At Retirement Homes Under Quarantine
Commentary: Immigration Reform
Thousands Rally In Salem For Immigrants' Rights
4/6/2006 - State Regulators Won't Curtail Sport Fishing On Columbia
Despite low numbers of Spring Chinook returning to Bonneville Dam, state regulators are going to continue allowing sport fishing on the Columbia from I-5 to the mouth of the river.
The Columbia River Compact decided Thursday instead to take a new measure of the fish runs next week, in hopes the number of returning fish will go up. Ley Garnett reports.
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Governor Calls Special Session In Two Weeks
Republican Candidates For Governor Square Off
Portland Mayor Supportive Of Beleaguered Chief
Lebanon School Officials Facing Criticism, Potential Recall
4/5/06 - Chief Facing Sexual Misconduct Allegations
A desk clerk at the Portland Police Bureau who says she had a sexual relationship with Police Chief Derrick Foxworth, claims he discussed confidential matters with her -- including the cover-up of a serious sexual harassment complaint.
In a nine-page tort notice, Angela Oswalt's attorney says Foxworth initiated the affair in 2000 then sent her sexually explicit e-mails from both his work and home computers.
The city has started an investigation, but Foxworth has said he expects to be cleared of any wrongdoing. Kristian Foden-Vencil reports.
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Lawsuit Focuses On Parental Rights For Gays And Lesbians
Tax Credit Gives Working Poor a Step Up
Mt. Hood Stewardship Bill Gets Hearing In Congress
Student Loan Burdens Impacting Career Options
Portland Schools Budget Keeps Teachers, Delays Closings
The Portland school district's major financial problems appear to have been averted for next fall.
Superintendent Vickie Phillips announced Tuesday that only one neighborhood school program is slated for closure.
And although no teachers are likely to face the budget axe, as Rob Manning reports, school board members are concerned about the risks, and some parents are still on edge.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Portland Police Investigating Fraud Allegations In City Council Campaign
NW Trust Lands Managers Eye Commercial Property
4/3/2006 - Sea Lion Rebound Brings Frustrations
On the weekend of April 1st, fish and wildlife officers started a new campaign to keep hungry sea lions from decimating the salmon migration up the Columbia River.
For the next two months, officers in boats will attempt to drive the predators away from Bonneville Dam with firecrackers and noisemakers. The sea lion population on the West Coast has quadrupled since hunting stopped some thirty years ago.
Debate is heating up all along the Northwest coast about how to control the beasts. Correspondent Tom Banse reports.
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Bi-Partisan Effort To Save Rural Funding Program
PGE Issues New Stock Amid Public Relations Blitz
Grand Ronde Ads Target Governor Kulongoski
3/30/2006 - Building Your Bird Flu Preparedness Kit
The looming threat of bird flu is causing emergency planners to rethink some of their advice.
You've no doubt heard for years now that you need to be prepared to survive on your own for three days after a natural disaster. In a flu pandemic, you could well have to hold out longer. Correspondent Tom Banse has the updated thinking.
OPB News Series - Are We Ready For Bird Flu?
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Health Secretary Attends Oregon Flu Summit
AG Gonzales Defends President's Warrantless Wiretaps
Snowpack Up For Final Measurement Of The Season
3/29/2006 - Businesses Bracing For Bird Flu Impact
When you think of who might get hit hardest in an avian flu pandemic, you probably think of poultry farmers or maybe veterinarians and doctors.
But there are thousands of not-so-obvious Oregonians with responsibilities in any pandemic.
In the latest in OPB's series on avian flu, Rob Manning reports on the potential impact on businesses.
OPB News Series - Are We Ready For Bird Flu?
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Supreme Court Hears Oregon Case On Foreign Criminal Defendants
Recycling Plastics More Than A Numbers Game
Portland Still Hounding PGE For Taxes
3/28/2006 - Oregon Hospitals Putting Bird Flu Plans In Place
If just one person, or a few, turn up with bird flu, the state will try to isolate them -- put them in quarantine.
But if there's a full-fledged outbreak of Avian flu -- a pandemic -- the health care system would be the first line of defense.
Oregon is working under the assumption that more than 11,000 people will be sick enough to need hospital care. As Mary Sawyers reports, hospitals from Portland to the coast are supposed to draft bird flu plans by next month.
complete article...
OPB News Series - Are We Ready For Bird Flu?
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
OHSU Plans First 'Satellite Campus' For Eugene
Oregon's Senators Weigh In On Immigration Reform
Oregon District A Case Study For Education Center
Governor Opens 'Salmon Summit' Under Shadow Of No Fishing Order
3/27/2006 - Wild Flocks Could Bring Avian Flu To Oregon
As the Avian Flu virus continues to travel around the world, health experts wonder if, and how, it might reach Oregon.
Since the virus isn't easily spread from human to human, it's currently traveling via poultry and wild birds.
The U.S. has a ban on bird importation from affected countries, but as Kristian Foden-Vencil reports, customs officials can't do much to stop migrating wild flocks.
complete article...
OPB News Series - Are We Ready For Bird Flu?
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Members Of Snowbound Family Facing Charges In Arizona
First Ads In Governor's Race Come From Independent Group
Helping Dropouts Break the Cycle of Poverty
3/23/2006 - Process To Determine Fate Of Sellwood Bridge Has Begun
What to do about the Sellwood Bridge?
A large crowd turned out Wednesday night at Oaks Park to speak out on the future of the 81-year old structure.
It will take two years to decide whether to replace the bridge -- which remains closed to buses and trucks -- or spend millions of dollars to shore it up.
Ley Garnett attended the meeting and filed this report.
complete article...
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
'March Madness For The Mind' Comes To Portland
Oregon Supreme Court Tosses Out Billboard Limits
Tempers Flare As County Decides On School Funding
3/22/2006 - Segregation A Part Of Hidden History Of Hanford
World War II spawned the first major African-American migration to the Northwest.
Blacks came to the Hanford nuclear site for jobs to help make plutonium for the atom bomb. But their past followed them, a past of segregation and discrimination.
Carol Cizauskas brings us the story of one African-American family in the Tri-Cities then and now.
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Domestic Surveillance Case Takes New Turn
Oregonians Skeptical Of Air Pollution Report
Coast Guard Exercise Simulates Terrorist Attack
3/21/2006 - Six Oregon Schools Sue State Over Education Funding
Six Oregon school districts - Coos Bay, Corvallis, Crow-Applegate-Lorane, Eugene, Pendleton, and Three Rivers in Josephine County - formalized their exasperation Tuesday by suing the state of Oregon.
Art Johnson is the lead attorney.
Art Johnson: "There's a moral question, there's an ethical question and in this lawsuit, there's a constitutional question, and the legislature should be held accountable."
The suit argues that Oregon lawmakers have run afoul of the constitution by providing inadequate money to schools.
Rob Manning reports on a suit that may boil down to a six year-old ballot measure.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
The Healing Power Of 'Sorry'
Blumenauer And Walden Unveil Mt. Hood Wilderness Plan
Group Organizes Tap Water Taste Test Challlenge
Congress Considering Rural Telecommunications
3/20/2006 - Thousands March In Portland To Protest Iraq War
Sentiment against the war in Iraq was evident Sunday in Portland as nearly 10,000 people turned out for a rally to mark the third anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion.
The sunny afternoon brought out a mix of families and students frustrated with the conflict and the Bush administration. As Kristian Foden-Vencil reports, there was one arrest, but the crowds were mainly calm and orderly.
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Church-Backed Alternative School Proposal Questioned
Federal Court Keeps Fish Passage Center Open, For Now
Gubernatorial Candidate Hill Receives Union Endorsement
3/16/2006 - Two Governors Want Regional Agenda
The governors of Oregon and Washington gathered in Portland Thursday for a bi-state conference aimed at coordinating regional policies on transportation, trade, and education.
As Colin Fogarty reports, leaders from both states hope to strengthen economic ties.
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Last Gasp Lawsuit Seeks To Save Fish Passage Center
Getting Money But Closing Schools?
City Council Considers Its Tram Options
3/15/2006 - Portland To Propose New Plan To Pay For Aerial Tram
Portland City officials are scheduled to present a new agreement Thursday outlining who is going to pay what for the aerial tram being built on the south waterfront.
The price tag for the gondola and massive towers currently stands at $55 million - almost four times the original estimate.
Tuesday night, the two city commissioners who support the tram, held a public meeting to explain why it is needed and what would happen if they pull the plug.
Kristian Foden-Vencil was there.
complete article...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Rising Dread, Narrowing Options For Coastal Fishing Towns
Advocates Vie For Scarce County Funds
Portland Subpoenas PGE Financial Documents
Independent Ben Westlund Gathers Signatures
3/14/2006 - Gorge Air Quality Threatened From Both Ends
Preliminary results of a new air quality study in the Columbia River Gorge were released Tuesday.
The study attempts to trace the source of the pollution that often hangs over the National Scenic Area during the winter and summer.
The research found that air in the Gorge is dirtier than the haze over Grand Canyon National Park, which has gotten a lot of national attention. But as Ley Garnett reports, researchers say much more study is needed to draw up a plan to tackle the problem.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Multnomah County Considers How Best To Help Schools
Mannix and Saxton Try New Course on Old Race
3/13/2006 - First 'Everybody But Ted' Debate Held In Salem
Six of the seven major candidates for governor met Monday for a debate in Salem.
The one contender missing from the line up is the sitting governor himself. Democratic Governor Ted Kulongoski has declined most invitations to appear with his potential rivals.
But as Colin Fogarty reports the challengers made their case without him.
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Rescue Readiness Stressed at Northwest Mines
Portland Still Pushing For PGE Investigation
3/9/2006 - Chalkboard Project Gets Down To Dollars And Cents
While Portland schools struggle to get out from under another funding crisis, a statewide nonprofit has been looking at ways to improve the function and financial health of all of Oregon's schools.
Wednesday, Rob Manning reported on recommendations for school changes the Chalkboard Project has been working on for the past two years. Now, he has the second exclusive report on Chalkboard's ideas about raising the money to pay for them.
complete article...
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Washington Legislative Session Ends Early
Portland Council Puts Forward School Funding Plan
3/8/2006 - Chalkboard Project Suggests Changes For Oregon Schools
Five of Oregon's largest private charitable foundations agreed two years ago that the state's public school system was reaching a crisis point. In spring 2004, they created the Chalkboard Project and made Sue Hildick, executive director.
Sue Hildick: The consequences are huge for Oregon -- not only for our children, but the quality of life that we all love and cherish, we think depends on a really strong school system.
After two years of research, Chalkboard Project has now come out with its most ambitious proposals to date.
Among the suggestions -- mentors for all new teachers; better ongoing training for more experienced teachers. And something for everyone in the school system: a whole new way of paying people who spend their days with Oregon's children.
Tomorrow, we'll hear about the group's ideas for funding the recommendations. But today, Rob Manning has an exclusive report about the changes the Chalkboard Project is suggesting for Oregon's classrooms.
complete article...
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Portland Seeks Statements of Confidence
Washington Legislature Wraps Up Session
Sen. Smith Targeted For His Tax Break Vote
Outdoor Rec Degree Catches On In Bend - 3/7/2006
Here's a college degree that probably wasn't offered where you went to school -- a major in outdoor recreation and tourism.
There's one place in the Northwest offering that, the Bend campus of Oregon State University.
Students in the program tell our correspondent Tom Banse that it's harder than it sounds.
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Watershed Management Plan Will Help Urban Streams
Filing Day For May Primary
The 'Hidden Hands' Behind Idaho's Resorts - 3/6/2006
There's a saying: "The hands that do the work are hidden." That's increasingly true in the posh mountain resorts of the Northwest, where soaring prices and long commutes are putting ever more distance between the workers and the players.
Idaho correspondent Elizabeth Wynne Johnson went to the outskirts of prestigious Sun Valley to meet one man whose 'hidden hands' do the work.
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Trade Mission Visits Oregon From India
Governor Wants Corporations To Give Up Kicker Refunds
Matrixing: Unlocking Solutions To Early Jail Releases
Sen. Wyden Introduces Internet Legislation
It was a busy 24 hours for Senator Wyden Thursday. In addition to his Patriot Act vote, he introduced new legislation that would stop phone and cable companies from charging internet consumers differently -- depending on how they use their computers.
He says a new fee structure -- being discussed by the telecommunications industry -- would fundamentally alter the Internet: from a system that's open-to-all' to a pay-as-you-go arrangement,' which gives poorer people less access. As Kristian Foden-Vencil reports.
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
Combat Meth Act Passes With Patroit Act Renewal
Lawmakers Make Amends For Cross-Border Lynching
Portland Scrambling For School Dollars
PUC Rejects Portland's Complaints Against PGE
State Economy Growing, But Budgetary Woes Continue
A new revenue forecast from state economists in Salem Wednesday shows Oregon's pocketbook growing.
Unemployment is down, jobs and incomes are up, and the future looks bright. But that doesn't mean Oregon is out of the budgetary woods yet.
As Colin Fogarty reports, most of the gains in the state budget will be off-set by kicker refunds in 2007.
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
DEQ And Ag Dept. Consider Farm Environmental Regulations
Religious Leaders Launch End The War Campaign
Lawsuit Filed Against NSA For Wiretapping
A lawsuit filed in Portland Tuesday alleges the federal government illegally wiretapped lawyers for an Islamic charity based in Ashland, Oregon.
The case is thought to be the most specific allegation of warrantless wiretapping against the National Security Agency. Colin Fogarty reports.
complete article...
Also on Tuesday's Oregon Considered
Assistance League Fills Gaps In Youth Dental Care
Idaho Looks To Attract Hollywood
Repeal Measure Fails Again
Blazers Considering All Options To Stem Losses
NW States Back in the Black, But Will it Last?
For the first time since the September 11th attacks, Washington and Idaho have healthy budget surpluses.
Even in Oregon, where human service costs are a $172 million more than expected, tax revenue is flowing into the state's bank account. But across the region, lawmakers hardly feel like they've won the lottery.
Instead they have serious concerns about the future. Olympia Correspondent Austin Jenkins has this regional budget round up.
complete article...
Also on Monday's Oregon Considered
Medford Hearing Debates Salvage Logging
Parents Institute Offers Help For Dealing With Teens
Oregon Governor Pushes 'Healthy Kids' Initiative
Unionization of Day Care Workers
Sten Vs. Burdick Campaign Begins
State Senator Ginny Burdick marked the official beginning of her race for Portland City Council Thursday with a bike ride.
She is gunning for Commissioner Erik Sten's seat, saying city residents can't afford to pour money into what she calls pet projects like the Water Bureau billing system, the aerial tram, and the failed effort to buy PGE.
complete article...
Also on Thursday's Oregon Considered
State Of The State Preview
Logging Science
Shooting At Roseburg High School
Oregon Senators Work For More Money To Fight Meth
Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith met with federal and local law enforcement officials in Portland Wednesday).
The topic was methamphetamine - how much money is being spent curbing the drug's use and what Congress is doing about it.
Next week, the U.S. Senate votes on a major anti-methamphetamine bill. But as Colin Fogarty reports, local detectives say meth is getting worse.
Also on Wednesday's Oregon Considered
Former Portland Archbishop Levada To Become Cardinal
Crime Victims Summit Brings Together The Survivors
Oregon Sees Increase In CIM Graduates
Oregon High Court Upholds Measure 37
Oregon's one-of-a-kind property compensation initiative, Measure 37, is back.
The Oregon Supreme Court reinstated the pay-or-waive initiative Tuesday, reversing a lower court decision that had found