Here’s a brief chat with the owner of a roadside farm stand that’s a bit more elaborate than the usual. It’s at 2901 Oak Grove Drive N.W. in North Albany, about a quarter-mile south of Dumbeck Lane. I’ve driven by the place dozens of times and finally stopped there on Sunday on my way home.
The federal budget impasse was not enough to shut down the Social Security office in Albany. But on Thursday (Oct. 10) a utility problem did. Signs on the door said the office was able to handle only some transactions owing to the lapse in federal funding caused by the political impasse in Washington. On Thursday, […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
No surprise: Property taxes rise
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 […]
Tags: Benton County, compression, Linn County, property taxes