Hasso Hering

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

Where’s the fire, Gov?

Written September 23rd, 2013 by

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It’s hard to see the urgency that prompted Gov. John Kitzhaber to call the legislature to Salem for a special session on Sept. 30. The governor says it’s to boost education funding by $140 million “to restore lost school days and provide tuition relief for Oregon students this school year.” But that’s not likely, is […]

Posted in: Commentary
Tags: Governor Kitzhaber, Oregon legislature, pension cuts, special session, tax increases

Correcting a sign…

Written September 21st, 2013 by

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“No park access”? Well, what do you call this, then? What the sign makers wanted to say was: “You can’t drive into North Albany County Park from this direction, and there are no parking places this way either. So don’t drive up this dead-end section of Grandview Drive N.W. if you want to go to […]

Posted in: Commentary
Tags: Benton County, North Albany County Park

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

Passenger Rail Project is back

Written September 20th, 2013 by

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The Oregon Passenger Rail Project is back in the news. It says the project team has done a preliminary evaluation of alternative passenger rail routes between Eugene and Portland. And it has announced a series of open houses in November to let people see and comment on the results. The Albany open house will […]

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: alternative routes, open houses, Oregon Rail Passenger Project

Albany issue: Signals to avoid delays?

Written September 19th, 2013 by

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Everybody with a car in Albany has been delayed at the Queen Avenue crossing when the Portland & Western shunts freight cars back and forth to build trains. This was supposed to have become rare by now as the railroad expanded its Millersburg yard. But delays are still common. So how about this: How about signals […]

Posted in: Commentary
Tags: Albany traffic delays, Queen Avenue crossing

What’s with these rail cars?

Written September 19th, 2013 by

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Almost every ride through the mid-valley countryside makes me ask this question: What the heck is that? Take Thursday, for example. On this brilliant late-summer afternoon I’m pedaling my two-year old Giant Rincon mountain bike along Midway Road. The road parallels the track of the Albany & Eastern Railroad. And on a siding next to the […]

Posted in: Commentary
Tags: Albany & Eastern, GBRX, Greenbrier, Midway Road