It’s no surprise that the Oregon Supreme Court has upheld Governor Kitzhaber’s refusal to carry out the execution of Gary Haugen for aggravated murder. The decision follows the tradition of Oregon appellate courts to do whatever they can to prevent the death penalty from being carried out. Haugen, if you’ll remember, had refused further appeals […]
When riding your bicycle around Oregon in the summer, it’s hard not to stop every time you come to a stream — like, for example, the Applegate River in this little video. I was heading out Highway 238 west of Jacksonville when I came to a sign advertising Cantrall Buckley Park. I took the side […]
The other day I wrote about an old house in the country, a farm house between Jefferson and Scio that was still standing but had not been lived in for many years. On Saturday I came across another one, also abandoned to the wind, sun and rain. This one was on Hoefer Road north of Millersburg. I […]
Most good things cost something. But once you have a bicycle and a small assortment of equipment, riding through the countryside is absolutely free. It’s amazing there’s no charge for something that enjoyable. Here are some further thoughts — not exactly organized thoughts — on that theme from Meadow Road south of Albany.
The Oregon House on Thursday was scheduled to vote on flags in schools, which was unnecessary because we already have a perfectly adequate law on that subject. The law now calls for schools to have U.S. flags in every classroom and make time for students to say the pledge of allegiance once a week. House […]
What happened to House Bill 2386 is an example of how state legislators can screw things up. When it was introduced — by Rep. Phil Barnhart of Eugene and Sen. Betsy Close of Albany — it was a simple bill to keep schools from requiring children to wear electronic bugs so they could be tracked […]
Freeway Lakes southeast of Albany may not be the south of France, but it’s still a nice place for an hour or two on the water. And it’s close, just about the only lake within 15 minutes’ drive of Albany. Bigger lakes are an hour or more away. On a Sunday afternoon, you’ll see a few people […]
