News – Page 418 – Hasso Hering

No surprise: Property taxes rise

Written October 9th, 2013 by

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Guess what, property tax totals in two mid-valley counties are up again this year. This is no surprise. Voters in Albany approved a slight bump in the special levy for public safety. New construction has taken place, and in many cases the assessed value of property went up regardless of what the market did because […]

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Benton County, compression, Linn County, property taxes

Luckiamute paddlers face longer wait

Written October 9th, 2013 by

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If you’ve been waiting to use the long-planned paddlers’ access on the Luckiamute River, you’re in for a disappointment. It was supposed to be built this year, but it hasn’t happened, even though the signs are in place on Buena Vista Road and the parking lot and restroom have long been finished. The access point to […]

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: canoeing, kayaks, Luckiamute River, Luckiamute State Natural Area, Oregon Depatment of Fish and Wildlife, paddling

A piece of railroad history

Written October 8th, 2013 by

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There’s a story behind this passenger rail car, which was parked under the Albany overpass a few days ago. To get it, I went to Bob Melbo, who has had the answer to every railroad-connected question I have ever asked him. The lettering says the car belongs to the California Northern, a subsidiary of RailAmerica. […]

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Appekunny Mountain, Bob Melbo, California Northern, Genesee & Wyoming, Portland & Western, RailAmerica

Albany email dispute: Story continues

Written October 2nd, 2013 by

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Tom Cordier, the citizen activist in Albany, has scored a partial victory for the public’s right to get public records, in this case email addresses. The case also raises a question about the city’s own use of those addresses. Cordier had sought to use a list of 33,800 addresses to which the city government emails its […]

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Albany city, Doug Marteeny, email addresses, Tom Cordier

Rep. Olson’s plan: He’ll file again

Written September 23rd, 2013 by

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Here’s a bit of news from the political front. In an email on another subject, I asked Rep. Andy Olson, R-Albany: “And by the way, are you going for another term in the House in ’14 or do you have other plans?” His answer a few days later, on Sept. 22: “I do plan to […]

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Andy Olson, Betsy Close, Oregon legislature, Sara Gelser

A convoluted crossing story: What it means

Written September 23rd, 2013 by

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The old Oregon Electric freight rail line from Albany south is a sleepy track. Usually there’s one train in the morning and one going the other way late in the day. In the Albany neighborhood east of Geary Street, the line crosses several streets, also with very little traffic. Considering the low speed of […]

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Albany council, BNSF line, crossing issues, Edgewater Village

Blues on a Saturday afternoon

Written September 21st, 2013 by

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Here’s a look at the saxophone player I mentioned a couple of weeks ago. He had been entertaining passersby off and on at the North Albany Village shopping center, and at the time, when I wanted to get his picture I could not find him. Somebody had complained about him on Facebook, but I liked his music and I […]

Posted in: Commentary, News, Videos
Tags: Calapooia Brewery, Ed Raines, North Albany Village, saxophone musix