A contractor for ODOT has been putting up a cable barrier in the median of Interstate 5 through parts of Lane and Linn counties. The idea is to prevent crossover crashes, of which there have been a few over the last several years. For now, the cable carrier will extend for 35 miles from mile […]
So what exactly is wrong with performance-enhancing drugs, so-called? I’ve been wondering about that since the Lance Armstrong story unraveled. If we take something to help us stay awake while driving, or to give us extra energy at work, or to power us through a night of cramming for an important test, why exactly do […]
Here’s something else to worry about. Or maybe not. “The Week,” a news weekly, reports on a new study suggesting that the Earth’s magnetic field may disappear in maybe 500 years. This, it says, might allow more solar radiation to reach the surface of the Earth, harming life and eventually making us look like Mars. […]
Benton County voters got their general election ballots a couple of days early because the Salem Post Office jumped the gun. I learned this after reporting Thursday night that for me, the election was over. How come, a kind reader asked by email. She didn’t even have her ballot yet. So how come I got […]
My election is over. As far as I’m concerned, the candidates and the campaign committees can stop now. They can quit running TV ads. They can quit calling. My ballot has been filled out. It’s been stuck in its “secrecy” envelope and sealed, and it’s ready to be dropped in the nearest drop county box. […]
His latest campaign finance report shows a whopping contribution of $75,000 in cash to state Rep. Andy Olson of Albany, the current Republican leader in the Oregon House who is seeking his fifth term. The contribution came from Loren Parks, owner of an Oregon company that makes medical equipment. Parks, who moved from Oregon in 2002 […]
Remembering a cyclists’ friend
All of us bike riders in Oregon owe a debt of gratitude to former state legislator from Jackson County, the late Donald L. Stathos. I’m reminded of this every time I ride my bike from Jacksonville the four miles or so to Medford. That’s because long ago the road authorities put up a commemorative sign, […]