This looks like the end of the Albany Wye, the railroad Y that on a few occasions allowed big steam locomotives to turn around so they didn’t have to run home to Portland backward. Unless it will be restored later, the wye seems to have fallen victim to the Portland & Western’s project — at a standstill […]
The Farmers’ Market in Albany is back in full swing for another year. It is held every Saturday morning through the fall at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Ellsworth Street. Producers from around the valley offer their farm products including plants, cut flowers, bakery items and, as the season progresses, lots of other edible goods. Usually […]
After Boston, any philosophical qualms about the proliferation of surveillance cameras sound hopelessly naive. The two suspects in the marathon bombing were identified as quickly as they were because not just one but at least two surveillance cameras caught them in the act of walking past, carrying backpacks. As it happens, the Oregon House has […]
Four anti-gun bills have cleared the state Senate Judiciary Committee, but they have been almost completely watered down. The panel’s three Democrats backed the bills on Thursday while the two Republicans, including Betsy Close of Albany, opposed them. The bills themselves had been stripped of their most objectionable provisions and in their present form would […]
No matter what goes on inside, the grounds of the Oregon Capitol and the building itself are something of which Oregonians can be proud. What we have there, in Salem, is a handsome building surrounded by a well kept park. More important, citizens have unfettered access to the seat of the state government. There is […]
After lying low for about a year, Albany’s downtown urban renewal district will soon have to make a choice: Look for new projects and regain its momentum or return some of its money to other taxing districts. The advisory board of the Central Albany Revitalization Area started debating this Wednesday. The issue comes up because […]
Albany’s credibility problem and how to repair it
The Albany city government has a problem. It’s a problem with credibility and it’s connected with public safety and urban renewal. In March 2012, city voters approved a public-safety tax levy outside the city’s normal taxing authority. Voters were assured the money would go to the police and fire departments. Most of it does. But […]
Tags: CARA, local option levies, public safety