Commentary

Hush-hush in Millersburg

Written June 30th, 2014 by Hasso Hering

Comments: one response.

Oregon law allows city councils to talk about some things behind closed doors in order to further the public interest. I think the proceedings in Millersburg’s proposed electric power grab go far beyond the intent of the law and disrespect rather than advance the interests of the town’s residents.

Posted in: Commentary
Tags: ATI Wah Chang, Millersburg city council, Pacific Power, public meetings law

District 8 Senate race: Uneven money

Written June 29th, 2014 by Hasso Hering

Comments: no responses.

As far as campaign money is concerned, the contest for state Senate in District 8 (Albany and Corvallis) is a fairly lop-sided affair. Democrat Sara Gelser of Corvallis, a state representative hoping to move to the Senate, has raised almost twice as much in cash contributions for her campaign as Republican Sen. Betsy Close of Albany […]

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Betsy Close, camaign finance, Oregon Senate District 8, Sara Gelser

Those amber waves …

Written June 27th, 2014 by Hasso Hering

Comments: one response.

Here I am taking a leisurely ride on a breezy afternoon and once again I’m impressed by the scenery just outside of town.

Posted in: Commentary, Videos
Tags: bicycle riding, land-use controls, Oregon farming, urban growth boundaries

Marijuana initiative: What’s in it

Written June 26th, 2014 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 5 responses.

So it looks as though we’ll be voting this fall on an initiative to create and regulate a legal industry supporting the recreational use of marijuana. The sponsors turned in more than 145,000 signatures Thursday. They claimed to have checked many of them for their validity even before the state does the same, and they needed only 87,213. So […]

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: marijuana initiative, November election, recreational marijuana

No-show bike kids: An explanation

Written June 25th, 2014 by Hasso Hering

Comments: one response.

Yesterday I wrote about Sunday’s Albany Bike Ride for Kids for which no kids showed up. It was for children who had taken a bike safety course during the just-concluded school year and were invited to take part, and I speculated about why they stayed away. A reader wondered about those alleged invitations, because she […]

Posted in: Commentary
Tags: Albany Bike Commission, Bike Ride for Kids

On Benton’s Bailey Branch: Looking to the future

Written June 25th, 2014 by Hasso Hering

Comments: no responses.

Whether the old rail corridor known as the Bailey Branch can ever again serve the cause of transportation, I don’t know. But clearly some segments, especially the one from Alpine Junction to Dawson in the foothills of the Coast Range, have huge potential as a recreational trail. That’s my impression from joining a smattering of other […]

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Alpine Junction, Bailey Branch, Benton County Oregon, Dawson, Monroe, Southern Pacific

Can we get kids to ride bikes?

Written June 25th, 2014 by Hasso Hering

Comments: one response.

The first “Albany Bike Ride for Kids” turned out to be a bust, but it should not be taken as a discouraging sign. Getting kids interested in cycling doesn’t depend on events. It comes on its own if it comes at all.

Posted in: Commentary
Tags: Albany Bike-Ped Commission, bicycling