The aftermath of Sandy, the big storm on the East Coast, reminds us all that we ought to be better prepared, even here in the tranquil mid-valley, where severe weather is very rare indeed.Our last really big wind storm was 50 years ago, and though it was bad, it was nothing like what hit the […]
Here the general electon is just around the corner and you have heard almost nothing about Ballot Measure 80. That’s the initiative that would legalize marijuana in Oregon — and try to regulate and tax it. Nobody is spending any money for or against its passage. You may have seen an occasional newspaper editorial about […]
The Obama administration keeps excusing its conduct after the September attack on our consulate in Benghazi on the grounds that it was clueless and helpless. That’s a pitiful response in light of what we spend on intelligence and the military. First was the implication by the State Department and the president that the attack was […]
Oregon State University said this week it was “reviewing its options” after a federal appeals court reinstated a lawsuit by The Liberty, a right-leaning student paper. Here’s one option for the university to consider in the interest of avoiding further legal delays and expense. It could apologize to the student paper and reimburse it for […]
For people who ride bikes, there’s bad news from California. The governor, Jerry Brown, has vetoed a bill that would make it unlawful for drivers to pass bicyclists closer than three feet. According to a report in Bycycling magazine, the governor said he was worried about a provision allowing drivers to cross the double center line […]
Barbara Roberts was our governor in Oregon from 1991 until early 1995. Before that she was a state representative and the secretary of state. She has also held other offices, and now she’s on the board of metro, the regional government in Portland. People may know all that. Not long ago, an audience in Lebanon […]
Those pesky parking fees
For almost a year now, if you visited the E.E. Wilson Wildlife Area northwest of Albany, you were supposed to display a parking permit. The permit would have cost you seven dollars. Or you could have bought one good for the whole year, and then the price would have been 22 dollars. But if you […]