As usual after decisive elections, the commentariat is writing off the losers as headed for the dustbin of history. Chances are the commentators are as wrong this time as they were a few election cycles ago, when they predicted the Republicans would be in charge as far as the eye could see. Now conservatives are […]
A local story illustrates why there is no hope of reforming our government and reversing the drive for more costly, federal  control. There would have been no hope for such reforms even if Obama had not been re-elected. Albany and surrounding towns are forming a metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for transportation planning. Whether they want to or […]
If you thought the political differences between Linn and Benton counties would have diminished by now, the general election would have disabused you of that notion. Just take a look at some of the results. In Linn County, Romney beat Obama by more than 9,000 votes. If the country were like Linn County, Romney would be […]
Things must really be going great in Oregon. How else to explain the results of the general election? At the state level, all the office holders got re-elected. All our five members of Congress will stay in the House. And the Democrats, who have been in charge of state government for years, regain full control […]
Voting by mail had nothing to do with the Clackamas County elections scandal. But state and county officials could have done a far better job of handling this affair. The main thing is, they should have pressed their investigation in order to get to the bottom of it well before the last day to cast […]
Driving across the Coast Range on the Alsea Highway? Or hunting at E.E. Wilson, the wildlife area northwest of Albany? The following two items might be of interest. I found them in the Benton County sheriff’s log. On Oct. 26, Benton deputies helped a man who was walking along the road trying to flag down […]
Freeway planning: Slow is the word
For two or three years now, the Oregon transportation department has been preparing for an environmental assessment of plans to widen Interstate 5 from Highway 20 in Albany to the Jefferson exit. The process is an example of how the agency, following its own and federal regulations on big projects, wastes both time and money. […]
Tags: Albany, Interstate 5, ODOT