Would liquor cost more or less in Oregon if the state gave up its monopoly on selling the stuff? Experience in Washington state says that with privatization, the price goes up. But there seems to be some confusion on that point, stirred up by a story in the Salem newspaper a few days ago.
As for catching a ride on a high-speed or even moderately fast passenger train up the Willamette Valley any time soon, don’t get your hopes up. There is no estimate for when such a service might start, says Jim Cox of the Oregon Department of Transportation. He and Benton County Commissioner Linda Modrell spoke about […]
The 2014 legislative session has not even begun, and already there’s talk once again of guns, as though that was one of the most pressing issues of the day. Sen. Floyd Prozanski, D-Eugene, wants to revive a proposal that died last session. It would require criminal background checks before “the private sale of firearms.” The legislation would […]
This may be the year when something finally gets built on a big riverfront tract in Albany that has been a wasteland since the demolition of what was left of the Inland Quick Freeze packing plant after it burned down in 2006. The roughly six acres lie between the Willamette River and Water Avenue, stretching three […]
Turns out that Oregon has a “Prosperity Initiative” and Cylvia Hayes, the governor’s lady, is in charge of it. I had never heard of this until Willamette Week reported that Hayes had given a talk about prosperity in Portland on Dec. 16, when she got a parking ticket for displaying a state police pass on […]
Once again there’s talk in the NCAA of possibly paying college athletes for their work. The argument against it is that the athletes are getting a more or less free education, and that should be enough. It’s a dubious argument considering that participation in top-flight athletic programs is a year-round obligation that doesn’t leave much […]
I-5 bridge toll: How would it work?
Oregon legislators are wondering if and how Oregon could collect the toll on the proposed Columbia River Crossing from Washington state drivers. Never mind Washington. How about Oregon and California drivers? How would the toll be collected from us and our southern neighbors? Or from others from around this continent using Interstate 5 to cross […]
Tags: bridge tolls, Columbia River Crossing