Oregon utilities report no substation attacks over holiday weekend
Oregon power providers say they did not detect any attacks on substations over the holiday weekend. Both Portland General Electric and the Bonneville Power Administration confirmed Tuesday that their facilities were undisturbed. That’s after four substations near Tacoma, Washington, documented intentional attacks that left around 15,000 people without power on Christmas morning. Power companies in Oregon and Washington have seen a rise in attacks on the power grid this year. States on the East Coast have also seen attacks in recent months. It is not clear if the attacks are connected, but law enforcement say they are investigating. (OPB Staff)
Meat plant, ranchers expand traceability using USDA grant
With the help of a federal grant, a small Oregon meat-processing plant is working with ranchers to track livestock from the farm to the meat package. Marks Meat, a Canby-based facility that works under the brand Revel Meat Co., will use radio frequency identification, or RFID, tags and packaging barcodes to track the livestock. Ben Meyer, the plant’s owner, said ranchers can use the data to make management decisions and to market their meat as traceable. Revel Meat Co.’s clients have had mixed responses to the program. Of the 15 ranchers the plant invited to participate in the 2021 pilot, nine agreed. This year, 14 are on board. Some ranchers have said they just didn’t have the time to implement the tracking. (Sierra Dawn McClain/Capital Press)
Gearhart leaders accused of defamation
A deep divide over plans to replace an old firehouse in the coastal city of Gearhart has gotten deeper. Three residents critical of a $14.5 million bond measure to replace the decades-old building are suing the city and several public officials for “unlawfully targeting and attacking” them after the measure was rejected by voters. “Plaintiffs must be made whole and leaders not driven by ego and vengeance elected and appointed in order for Gearhart to begin to regain its former greatness,” the residents’ attorney Mitchell Cogen said in an email to The Astorian newspaper. (R.J. Marx/The Astorian)
Windfall for water in Umatilla, Morrow counties
Nearly $2 million in federal funds is heading to Umatilla and Morrow counties in Eastern Oregon to address longstanding drinking water contamination in private wells. Nitrate contamination has plagued groundwater supplies in the region for decades, and little has been done to stop it. Federal dollars will allow the counties to develop and implement a standardized well-testing program — and maybe even kickstart work on permanent solutions like a public drinking water system. It’s one of several projects in the two-county region receiving funding from the federal spending package signed by President Joe Biden last week. (John Tillman and Beau Glynn/East Oregonian)
Northeast Oregon counties plan to use opioid funds for addiction services
Leaders in Northeast Oregon say they plan to use payouts from opioid settlements to help people dealing with addiction. Oregon has received millions of settlement dollars from drug makers and distributors that contributed to the opioid crisis. Some of that money will flow to counties and cities in the state. Umatilla and Morrow counties, as well as the cities of Hermiston and Pendleton, agreed earlier this month to combine some of their funds to create a new position that will help people with addiction navigate the court system. That combined effort will ensure people attend court dates and receive addiction treatment. The local nonprofit Community Counseling Solutions will oversee the position when it’s created. (John Tillman/East Oregonian)
