Our Oregon legislature is filled with earnest legislators who like nothing better than to make new laws. So it won’t be a complete surprise for you to learn that they intend to tighten their control of, among many other things, the amount of water you flush down the toilet. On April 12, according to the […]
On Tuesday the state Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to act on — and will probably endorse — four bills related to guns. Only one of them makes some kind of sense. It would bar people from carrying firearms in the Capitol building but makes an exception for people with concealed handgun licenses who keep […]
If you’re wondering why the extension of Oak Street to Pacific Boulevard in Albany remains blocked months after being finished, you’re not alone. Members of the city council wonder the same thing, and they ask about it just about every time they meet. According to Public Works Director Mark Shepard and City Councilman Bill Coburn, […]
When you have extra time on your hands in the mid-valley, you may want to visit the bird cages at the E.E. Wilson Wildlife Area off Camp Adair Road in north Benton County. The Department of Fish and Wildlife has displayed pheasants and other game birds there for many years. (hh)
Oregon’s three biggest public universities are about to undergo a big change in how they are governed. This could be good if it holds down or even lowers the price of attendance, as unlikely as that is. It will be a mistake if it accelerates the soaring rise in tuition and fees and results in […]
In a world full of sadness, an empty schoolhouse may not be the saddest thing you ever see, but it’s still pretty sad. This lament is prompted by the sight of Fir Grove Elementary School in North Albany, vacant since 2011, when the school board was forced to close it as part of a range […]
Sales tax? A closer look
If Oregon voters are ever going to approve a sales tax, two conditions have to be met. It has to be simple, and it has to replace one of the other big taxes we have, either the income tax or the property tax. The proposal discussed by the state Senate tax committee on April 15 […]
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