September 24, 2012 eClips Weekend Edition
State Library eClips
* Drug traffickers exploit Oregon medical marijuana program’s lax oversight and loose rules
* Medical marijuana growers with criminal records are being licensed
* Recruiting medical marijuana patients for profit
* Big pro-marijuana donors bypassing Oregon legalization measure for more promising initiatives in Washington and Colorado
* Prosecutors object to state’s new risk tool classifying serious criminal offenders as ‘low risk’
* Crews hoping for rain to deal with wildfires, may get lightning this weekend instead
* Gresham DMV office to reopen in October
* Former Coffee Creek food service coordinator accused of sexual misconduct
* Washington County, Oregon’s economic powerhouse, could hold keys to control of Legislature
* Oregon used $1.45 million subsidy to lure Salesforce.com jobs
* Shepherds Flat wind farm opens Saturday in eastern Oregon
* Governor asks panel to find a solution in rural Oregon: Allow more logging while protecting the environment
* Outback, the Northwest’s largest solar farm, goes online Oct. 15
* Vote no on Measure 80, Oregon’s marijuana manifesto — Opinion
* Portland club changes name, labor bureau investigates its treatment of cross dressers
* We can end the Columbia basin salmon wars now by balancing energy, conservation — Guest Opinion
* An Alaska pipeline to the Oregon Food Bank — Opinion
* Funding for suicide prevention lacking
* Governor to speak to safety panel
* McKay will be stop on registration day
* State Archives sets digital workshop
* Commission targets Oregon public safety — Opinion
* Budding concerns: Measure 80 has its share of supporters and critics
* Ceremony in Washington D.C. will honor local National Guard leader Brunk Conley
* Toxic algae blooms at Fern Ridge Reservoir
* Oregon college students will compete at creating problem-solving social businesses
* Measure 84 No — Opinion
* Extend wind subsidy — Opinion
* Measure 78 Yes — Opinion
* Bitter gillnetting battle heats up
* Wind Farm Opens In Arlington
* Garden Aims To Use Fire To Bring Back Historic Ecosystem
* Caithness Shepherds Flat Commences Official Operations; Becomes One of the World’s Largest Wind Farms
* Avian botulism the cause of die-off of 1,200 birds at Oregon wetland
* Toxic algae found in Fern Ridge Reservoir
* What Mass. Can Learn From Oregon About Dying With Dignity
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DRUG TRAFFICKERS EXPLOIT OREGON MEDICAL MARIJUANA PROGRAM’S LAX OVERSIGHT AND LOOSE RULES (Portland Oregonian)
Elizabeth Saul shipped high-grade Oregon marijuana to the East Coast to pay the bills. In five months, the southern Oregon woman pulled in $125,000. She was busy, but grateful.
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MEDICAL MARIJUANA GROWERS WITH CRIMINAL RECORDS ARE BEING LICENSED (Portland Oregonian)
Almost anyone, even a felon, can be an Oregon medical marijuana grower or caregiver.
The Oregonian reviewed dozens of recent cases involving people registered by the state to be growers, patients or caregivers who were later accused of selling marijuana.
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RECRUITING MEDICAL MARIJUANA PATIENTS FOR PROFIT (Portland Oregonian)
Federal agents searching Robert Hisamoto’s Lincoln Navigator last year found handwritten pages detailing how productive — and profitable — Oregon medical marijuana can be, authorities say.
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BIG PRO-MARIJUANA DONORS BYPASSING OREGON LEGALIZATION MEASURE FOR MORE PROMISING INITIATIVES IN WASHINGTON AND COLORADO (Portland Oregonian)
Deep-pocketed marijuana activists are pouring millions of dollars into legalization measures on the ballot in Washington and Colorado, but they are keeping their distance from a similar pot campaign in Oregon.
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PROSECUTORS OBJECT TO STATE’S NEW RISK TOOL CLASSIFYING SERIOUS CRIMINAL OFFENDERS AS ‘LOW RISK’ (Portland Oregonian)
A slide shown to the Governor’s Public Safety Commission this summer categorized one quarter of the offenders who were sent to Oregon prisons in 2011 as “low risk.”
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CREWS HOPING FOR RAIN TO DEAL WITH WILDFIRES, MAY GET LIGHTNING THIS WEEKEND INSTEAD (Portland Oregonian)
After torching more than 25,500 acres in Central Oregon since Sept. 9, fire officials estimate a wildfire burning near Sisters will continue until being put out by fall rains.
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GRESHAM DMV OFFICE TO REOPEN IN OCTOBER (Portland Oregonian)
The Oregon Driver and Motor Vehicle Services Division’s Gresham office is scheduled to reopen Oct. 1 after a fire has caused the facility to be shut down since last month.
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FORMER COFFEE CREEK FOOD SERVICE COORDINATOR ACCUSED OF SEXUAL MISCONDUCT (Portland Oregonian)
A former Coffee Creek Correctional Facility food service coordinator has been accused of sexual misconduct, according to authorities.
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WASHINGTON COUNTY, OREGON’S ECONOMIC POWERHOUSE, COULD HOLD KEYS TO CONTROL OF LEGISLATURE (Portland Oregonian)
To understand the political gestalt of Washington County, go to the busy intersection of Murray Road and Allen Boulevard and check out the newly renovated Chevron station.
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OREGON USED $1.45 MILLION SUBSIDY TO LURE SALESFORCE.COM JOBS (Portland Oregonian)
Oregon will pay Salesforce.com $1.45 million to finance the San Francisco company’s new office in the Portland area, using for the first time new business incentives the state Legislature established in 2011.
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SHEPHERDS FLAT WIND FARM OPENS SATURDAY IN EASTERN OREGON (Portland Oregonian)
Despite controversy over funding and a delay by the Air Force, Shepherds Flat wind farm near Arlington in eastern Oregon opens officially at noon Saturday.
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GOVERNOR ASKS PANEL TO FIND A SOLUTION IN RURAL OREGON: ALLOW MORE LOGGING WHILE PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT (Portland Oregonian)
Gov. John Kitzhaber said he’ll convene a panel of timber industry executives, conservation groups and hard-hit county representatives to figure out how to allow more logging on 2.6 million acres of federal land while protecting key environmental features.
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OUTBACK, THE NORTHWEST’S LARGEST SOLAR FARM, GOES ONLINE OCT. 15 (Portland Oregonian)
Backers of what is expected to become the Northwest’s largest solar power plant say they are close to 90 percent finished with construction in the high desert east of Christmas Valley.
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VOTE NO ON MEASURE 80, OREGON’S MARIJUANA MANIFESTO — OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
Oregon, Washington and Colorado all have marijuana legalization measures on their November ballots, but Oregon’s effort stands in a class by itself.
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PORTLAND CLUB CHANGES NAME, LABOR BUREAU INVESTIGATES ITS TREATMENT OF CROSS DRESSERS (Portland Oregonian)
Nearly 50 years after the first Portsmouth Club sign went up, Chris Penner painted a new name on the North Lombard Street bar. This, Penner said in mid-September, is the Twilight Room Annex.
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WE CAN END THE COLUMBIA BASIN SALMON WARS NOW BY BALANCING ENERGY, CONSERVATION — GUEST OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
If you look only at the courtroom record, environmentalists are winning the war to save salmon in the Northwest. A year ago, U.S. District Judge James Redden sent the federal plan for managing the Columbia hydro system back to the drawing board — marking the fourth time in the past 20 years that federal agencies have failed to present a defensible program for saving salmon.
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AN ALASKA PIPELINE TO THE OREGON FOOD BANK — OPINION (Portland Oregonian)
It started with the moose.
Or rather, it started with the end of the moose, animals who in a certain stretch of Alaska keep wandering onto railroad tracks and getting run over.
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FUNDING FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION LACKING (Salem Statesman Journal)
-Oregon’s rate is among the highest in the United States-
While suicide continues to be a national problem, Oregon faces an even higher rate than the rest of the country and for an issue thats largely preventable, funding is hard to come by.
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GOVERNOR TO SPEAK TO SAFETY PANEL (Salem Statesman Journal)
Gov. John Kitzhaber is scheduled to speak to the Commission on Public Safety as it proceeds into its next phase of considering ways to restrain the growing costs of Oregons inmates.
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MCKAY WILL BE STOP ON REGISTRATION DAY (Salem Statesman Journal)
McKay High School in Salem will be one of three stops by Secretary of State Kate Brown on National Voter Registration Day.
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STATE ARCHIVES SETS DIGITAL WORKSHOP (Salem Statesman Journal)
The third in a series of workshops on basic digital preservation is scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon Wednesday at the State Archives, 800 Summer St. NE, Salem.
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COMMISSION TARGETS OREGON PUBLIC SAFETY — OPINION (Salem Statesman Journal)
Dick Withnell insists he was a C student at Linfield College who happened to be astute enough to marry Gayle, an A student. Dicks self-effacing sense of humor, though, doesnt mask his intense focus on finding ROI return on investment in the grayest of areas.
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BUDDING CONCERNS: MEASURE 80 HAS ITS SHARE OF SUPPORTERS AND CRITICS (Salem Statesman Journal)
Proponents say legalizing and taxing marijuana would net millions of dollars. Others aren’t convinced.
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CEREMONY IN WASHINGTON D.C. WILL HONOR LOCAL NATIONAL GUARD LEADER BRUNK CONLEY (Salem Statesman Journal)
Command Sgt. Maj. Brunk Conley of the Oregon National Guard will become the highest ranking enlisted soldier in the Army National Guard at a ceremony Wednesday, Sept. 26 in Washington, D.C
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TOXIC ALGAE BLOOMS AT FERN RIDGE RESERVOIR (Salem Statesman Journal)
Lane County and state health officials Friday issued a health advisory to avoid water contact at Fern Ridge Reservoir because of a bloom of toxin-producing blue-green algae.
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OREGON COLLEGE STUDENTS WILL COMPETE AT CREATING PROBLEM-SOLVING SOCIAL BUSINESSES (Eugene Register-Guard)
Teams of university students will compete to tackle Oregons social and environmental problems this fall through creation of problem-solving companies, or so-called social businesses.
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MEASURE 84 NO — OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
-Estate tax should be part of larger reform effort-
Oregons imbalanced, volatile tax system is ripe for reform. But taxpayers need a long-term, comprehensive solution and not short-term fixes through the initiative system.
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EXTEND WIND SUBSIDY — OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
-Industry has grown but isnt ready to stand on own-
All it takes is a drive east on Interstate 84 past the Columbia River Gorge to appreciate the remarkable growth of wind energy in Oregon.
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MEASURE 78 YES — OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
-Proposal would update constitutional references-
Despite a procession of amendments in recent years, the Oregon Constitution is hardly Tolstoyan in length.
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BITTER GILLNETTING BATTLE HEATS UP (Daily Astorian)
September 21, 2012
Backers of a ballot measure that would ban the use of nontribal gillnets on the Columbia River and those who are tied to the fishing industry have reached little middle ground following Gov. John Kitzhabers compromise proposal announced last month, which called for limiting gillnets to the rivers off-channel areas.
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WIND FARM OPENS IN ARLINGTON (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Sept. 23, 2012
A huge new wind farm is now fully operational in Oregon’s Morrow and Gilliam Counties, along the Eastern Columbia Gorge.
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GARDEN AIMS TO USE FIRE TO BRING BACK HISTORIC ECOSYSTEM (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Firefighters will be lighting flames, rather than putting them out, at the Oregon Garden on Monday. Their aim is to burn away non-native species to the Silverton garden can re-create an ecosystem once quite familiar in the state.
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CAITHNESS SHEPHERDS FLAT COMMENCES OFFICIAL OPERATIONS; BECOMES ONE OF THE WORLD’S LARGEST WIND FARMS (Sacramento Bee)
September 24, 2012
Caithness Energy announced today that its Shepherds Flat Wind Farm is operational and generating up to 845 Megawatts of clean wind energy. The company’s leaders, its project partners and government representatives gathered at the site today to mark the kick-off of operations.
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AVIAN BOTULISM THE CAUSE OF DIE-OFF OF 1,200 BIRDS AT OREGON WETLAND (San Francisco Examiner)
September 22, 2012
Labs in Wisconsin and at Oregon State University say that testing performed on at least a dozen ducks show preliminary findings that avian botulism was the cause of death of more than 1,200 birds at a Portland-area wetland, according to a Metro government news release Sept. 20.
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TOXIC ALGAE FOUND IN FERN RIDGE RESERVOIR (KVAL)
Sep 21, 2012
A health advisory was issued Friday for people using the Fern Ridge Lake after the Oregon Health Authority confirmed high levels of blue-green algae in the water.
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WHAT MASS. CAN LEARN FROM OREGON ABOUT DYING WITH DIGNITY (WBUR Boston)
September 21, 2012
Death is an emotional thing. And debate over whether to allow terminally ill patients to end their lives by taking a lethal dose of medication the question facing Massachusetts voters in November is particularly fraught. Just listen to the charged on-air exchange between supporters and opponents of Question 2 aka, The Death With Dignity Act, aka, physician-assisted suicide on Radio Boston earlier this week.
So we thought it might help to start with some cold, hard statistics from the state that knows the issue best.
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