Nearly six years ago, in 2007, some parents in North Albany urged that the city build sidewalks on Gibson Hill Road so that children, when walking down to North Albany elementary and middle schools, would be safely away from fast-moving traffic. City engineers started working on the idea. They applied for grant money. In February 2012, […]
A plea against expanding Oregon’s bicycle helmet law to riders up through age 18: The last thing we need is yet another law related to biking. ——————— Bob Thomas: Hasso, I agree with you 100%. Great editoral or statement. One thing to ponder is if this helmet law is bad for bicycles, shouldn’t the same […]
Oregon has a public meetings law, but whenever things might get interesting, the public can be kept out. The law says public bodies like the city council must meet in public when deliberating or making decisions. But there are exceptions. For instance, the public may be kept out when governing boards hire or discipline public officers. […]
After 12 years of effort, Oregon state officials are taking another stab at establishing some kind of road mileage tax for vehicles that burn little or no fuel. Many questions remain, and lawmakers now may try to answer them. On Wednesday, the House Transportation Committee is planning to act on House Bill 2453, which would […]
Egads! Coal trains though Albany? What a horrible prospect! That’s the sentiment of a group that managed to get a proposed resolution against coal trains on the Albany City Council’s agenda for Wednesday night. It is part of the campaign to stop the use of coal worldwide in the interest of slowing down global warming. […]
In the U.S. Senate, a proposed ban on so-called assault rifles has been stripped from a bill intended to combat gun violence. Supporters of banning these guns may be disappointed, but there’s a good reason the ban did not get the support of even 40 senators, as Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada announced on […]
What Oregon could use, especially during the rainy season, is an invention that cuts down on road spray from vehicles hurtling down the interstates. You know the problem. You are driving down I-5, say, and a line of trucks is in the right-hand lane. You get ready to pass, but you can’t see much , […]
