June 23, 2016 OSL eClips
* Union Pacific to resume sending oil trains through Columbia River Gorge
* 45 percent of Portland school’s faucets break lead limits
* About 300 gallons of diesel fuel leak from train in Columbia River Gorge, official confirms
* Reports of state government waste surge in 2015
* $15 million in taxes collected from pot sales this year
* Gov. Kate Brown takes heat for declining debate
* Forest Service planning camping fee increases in Oregon
* Oregon DMV begins accepting credit, debit cards
* Agate Resources insiders made $34 million on sale of company that used public funds to provide health care to low-income Oregonians
* Arbitrator reinstates Lane County employee fired for medical marijuana use
* Oregon dispensaries sell close to $60 million in recreational pot over first five months this year
* Social Security benefits expected to increase
* A less car-reliant future — Opinion
* Red flags for children — Opinion
* Seneca has complied on taxes, environment — Guest Opinion
* Financial abuse of seniors big, and getting bigger
* State tab in Oracle case tops $10M
* Gov. Brown remains silent on corporate tax hike
* State police conducting inquiry into examiner at Portland lab
* Oregon bottle deposit likely to double in 2017
* Central Oregon CCO improved on most fronts in 2015
* Central Oregon transport projects in line for state funds
* Hospital report shows success in some areas
* State collects about $15M in pot tax
* Editorial: Ferrioli prevents the state from doing a dumb thing — Opinion
* New Report: Union Pacific Failed To Maintain Track, Resulting In Oil Train Derailment
* Portland Marijuana Tax Could Mean Collecting $3 Million In Cash
* Oregonians Spent More Than Needed On Health Procedures Last Year
* Judge refuses to overturn Oregon grazing plans
* Agritourism: If you grow it, they will come
* Sales figures could make pot Oregon’s most valuable crop
* OUR VIEW: What we don’t know about marijuana — Opinion
* Water crew search leads to lead
* Local counties receive $3.8 million in PILT dollars
* More counties leave financial watch list — Opinion
* Port chief proposes a levee solution
* Stormwater projects top of the list in Port of Astoria budget
* Editorial: Just say no to gun ownership — Opinion
* Guest Column: Time to fix our broken federal coal system — Guest Opinion
* Editorial: Celebrating Linn County’s job numbers — Opinion
* Fire stations get seismic renovations to prep for the big one
* State: Pay-for-performance program has improved Oregon’s health
* Murmurs: Who Wants to Pay a Tax on Miles Driven? No? How About a Weed Tax?
* Oregon marijuana tax has raised nearly $15 million
* The best and worst states to raise children in
* Moda Given the Okay by Insurance Division
* PEBB Slides Under Cost Caps for Biennium at Negotiation Table
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UNION PACIFIC TO RESUME SENDING OIL TRAINS THROUGH COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE (Portland Oregonian)
State leaders reacted with grave concern Wednesday after Union Pacific announced plans to resume transporting crude oil through the Columbia River Gorge despite calls for a pause on oil trains in Oregon.
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45 PERCENT OF PORTLAND SCHOOL’S FAUCETS BREAK LEAD LIMITS (Portland Oregonian)
Portland Public Schools kicked off district-wide water testing at long-shuttered Humboldt School, and results made public late Tuesday are disturbing.
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ABOUT 300 GALLONS OF DIESEL FUEL LEAK FROM TRAIN IN COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE, OFFICIAL CONFIRMS (Portland Oregonian)
About 300 gallons of diesel fuel leaked from an eastbound locomotive Tuesday night in the Columbia River Gorge, a Union Pacific spokesman confirmed.
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REPORTS OF STATE GOVERNMENT WASTE SURGE IN 2015 (Salem Statesman Journal)
Reports to the state government waste hotline increased 35 percent during 2015, according to an audit released Wednesday by the Secretary of State’s office.
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$15 MILLION IN TAXES COLLECTED FROM POT SALES THIS YEAR (Salem Statesman Journal)
The state has collected just shy of $15 million in taxes from the sale of recreational marijuana this year, according to data released Wednesday by the Oregon Department of Revenue.
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GOV. KATE BROWN TAKES HEAT FOR DECLINING DEBATE (Salem Statesman Journal)
Gov. Kate Brown is setting her own terms for debates this election cycle, choosing not to debate Republican nominee Bud Pierce until September 1 less than seven weeks before ballots are mailed to voters.
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FOREST SERVICE PLANNING CAMPING FEE INCREASES IN OREGON (Salem Statesman Journal)
Campers will pay a little more to spend the night in Oregon’s great outdoors if a proposal from the U.S. Forest Service moves forward.
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OREGON DMV BEGINS ACCEPTING CREDIT, DEBIT CARDS (Salem Statesman Journal)
The 60 Oregon DMV field offices will accept credit and debit cards by the end of summer, said agency spokesman David House.
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AGATE RESOURCES INSIDERS MADE $34 MILLION ON SALE OF COMPANY THAT USED PUBLIC FUNDS TO PROVIDE HEALTH CARE TO LOW-INCOME OREGONIANS (Eugene Register-Guard)
A small group of insiders in a private Eugene company that managed medical services for low-income Lane County residents made about $34 million when the company sold last year to a large out-of-state buyer, documents obtained by The Register-Guard show.
For-profit Agate Resources owned and ran Trillium Community Health Plan, which oversees the Oregon Health Plan in Lane County, using federal and state government money to provide health care for about 94,000 low-income residents in Lane County and 2,000 in Douglas County.
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ARBITRATOR REINSTATES LANE COUNTY EMPLOYEE FIRED FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA USE (Eugene Register-Guard)
In a rare ruling, an arbitrator has found that Lane County government erred in firing an employee for his off-duty use of medical marijuana late last year.
Michael Hirsch, a 60-year-old prostate cancer survivor, will be reinstated to his job as a senior programmer and systems analyst next week and given $21,550 in back pay for the six months since he was terminated.
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OREGON DISPENSARIES SELL CLOSE TO $60 MILLION IN RECREATIONAL POT OVER FIRST FIVE MONTHS THIS YEAR (Eugene Register-Guard)
Nearly $60 million worth of recreational marijuana was sold in Oregon during the first five months of taxed sales, according to estimated figures released Wednesday by the state.
The sales estimate is based on the amount of recreational marijuana tax that retailers paid the state for the period of Jan. 1 through May 30.
The Oregon Department of Revenue received $14.9 million in recreational tax payments as of May 30, the agency announced.
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SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS EXPECTED TO INCREASE (Eugene Register-Guard)
Millions of Social Security beneficiaries would get a tiny increase in monthly payments next year less than $2.50, about enough to buy a gallon of gas.
Meanwhile, Medicare is expected to go bankrupt sooner than expected 12 years from now.
And some beneficiaries could face higher monthly premiums next year.
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A LESS CAR-RELIANT FUTURE — OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
Eugene’s new 20-year Transportation System Plan calls for a tripling of the number of trips made on foot, on bicycles or in buses over the next two decades. One common reaction: There they go again, trying to pry people out of their cars, when everybody knows the automobile is heavily preferred for reasons of convenience, necessity, geography and weather.
But the goal is realistic, even necessary, when placed beside the alternative.
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RED FLAGS FOR CHILDREN — OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
A new national study on the well-being of children includes some troubling findings for Oregon and for Lane County in particular.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation looks at four main categories in its annual Kids Count report: Economic well-being, education, health, and family/community.
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SENECA HAS COMPLIED ON TAXES, ENVIRONMENT — GUEST OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
Christian Wihtol’s June 6 article regarding Senecas biomass power facility is another in his long line of articles about our state-of-the-art renewable energy facility. Wihtol’s line of articles have included questions about our environmental compliance, the power contract we signed with the Eugene Water & Electric Board, and now our payment of taxes, both property and income.
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FINANCIAL ABUSE OF SENIORS BIG, AND GETTING BIGGER (Portland Tribune)
-Family members most common perpetrators-
After two and a half decades working in public and private litigation across Oregon, attorney Shawn ONeil decided to take up work closer to his home in Wilsonville. He opened his own firm in the city several years ago, and solicited for a range of services, from business law to personal injury and governmental affairs.
But he was surprised to discover a need in the community for a practitioner willing to take on another sort of issue: the financial exploitation of seniors.
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STATE TAB IN ORACLE CASE TOPS $10M (Portland Tribune)
Oregon’s legal tab to outside law firms has passed $10 million in the battle with Oracle over who is to blame for the $300 million Cover Oregon website debacle.
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GOV. BROWN REMAINS SILENT ON CORPORATE TAX HIKE (Portland Tribune)
-She outlines her economic priorities at Westside Economic Alliance breakfast.-
Gov. Kate Brown drew attention Wednesday for what she did not say to Washington County business leaders and public officials as for what she did say.
Brown did not say how she stands on a ballot measure, which has qualified for a statewide vote Nov. 8, that will raise corporate taxes based on Oregon sales.
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STATE POLICE CONDUCTING INQUIRY INTO EXAMINER AT PORTLAND LAB (Bend Bulletin)
-OSP analysts in Bend and at two other labs already being investigated-
Oregon State Police are investigating a technical anomaly involving fingerprint analysis at the agency’s forensic lab in the Portland area, according to a document obtained Wednesday by The Bulletin.
The state police have five crime labs throughout the state, and this latest inquiry comes as the Oregon Department of Justice is investigating Nika Larsen, a forensic analyst at the Bend lab suspected of tampering of evidence.
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OREGON BOTTLE DEPOSIT LIKELY TO DOUBLE IN 2017 (Bend Bulletin)
-The intent would be to boost beverage container return rates-
One by one, nearly 100 bottles and cans slide from Ken Turpins hands and disappear into the sticky surface of the reverse vending machine. It doesnt take long, and it appears Turpin has the bottle return process down to a science.
Turpin, from Bend, visits the Bend BottleDrop center twice monthly and says for him, its more convenient than when bottle returns were at grocery stores.
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CENTRAL OREGON CCO IMPROVED ON MOST FRONTS IN 2015 (Bend Bulletin)
-Group earned more than $10 million through incentive program-
For the most part, Central Oregon’s Medicaid enrollees got better care and had better outcomes in 2015 compared with 2014, according to a new report from the Oregon Health Authority.
The OHA assesses annually the states coordinated care organizations, the groups that administer the Oregon Health Plan Medicaid regionally, on 17 different measures, such as access to care and visits to the emergency room. It released its 2015 annual performance report today, which shows continued decreases in hospital readmissions and more access to primary care for kids.
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CENTRAL OREGON TRANSPORT PROJECTS IN LINE FOR STATE FUNDS (Bend Bulletin)
-Redmond, Bend, Prineville likely to make cut-
Four transportation projects in Central Oregon are in the running to receive a portion of $45 million in state funding that will be distributed later this year.
The states ConnectOregon program distributes grants to nonhighway infrastructure projects, including airports, rail, trails and ports using lottery-backed bonds.
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HOSPITAL REPORT SHOWS SUCCESS IN SOME AREAS (Bend Bulletin)
-St. Charles Bend struggles with infections, patient surveys-
Hospitals in Oregon continue to struggle with patients being readmitted after they’re discharged, according to a new report by the Oregon Health Authority.
Only three hospitals met a statewide benchmark of reducing readmissions to 8 percent of all patients, and St. Charles Bend was not among them.
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STATE COLLECTS ABOUT $15M IN POT TAX (Bend Bulletin)
-Nearly half the dispensaries fail to file quarterly tax return-
Sales of recreational marijuana in Oregon yielded $14.9 million in tax payments through May, according to the state Department of Revenue.
The state started collecting a 25 percent tax on recreational marijuana sales in January. Medical marijuana dispensaries may sell limited amounts of marijuana to recreational users until Dec. 31. A lower state tax rate, 17 percent, takes effect in the new year.
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EDITORIAL: FERRIOLI PREVENTS THE STATE FROM DOING A DUMB THING — OPINION (Bend Bulletin)
Just when it appeared Oregon state government couldn’t get any more weird, a state board came out against employees making sound financial decisions and against employee choice.
You might think that teachers and other school employees deserve to be able to pick the health care plan thats right for them without paying a penalty. But the Oregon Educators Benefit Board had a better idea.
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NEW REPORT: UNION PACIFIC FAILED TO MAINTAIN TRACK, RESULTING IN OIL TRAIN DERAILMENT (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
A new report from the Federal Railroad Administration released Thursday said Union Pacifics failure to maintain its track and equipment resulted in the derailment of an oil train earlier this month in the Columbia River Gorge.
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PORTLAND MARIJUANA TAX COULD MEAN COLLECTING $3 MILLION IN CASH (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Voters in Portland will get to decide whether to add a local tax to recreational marijuana sales.
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OREGONIANS SPENT MORE THAN NEEDED ON HEALTH PROCEDURES LAST YEAR (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Oregonians could have saved 28 percent on their health procedures last year if they’d shopped for the best price, according to a new study from the Portland cost transparency company HealthSparq.
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JUDGE REFUSES TO OVERTURN OREGON GRAZING PLANS (Capital Press)
A federal judge has rejected environmentalists arguments that grazing along Oregon’s Sprague and Sycan rivers unlawfully harms bull trout habitat where the fish doesn’t live.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Clarke has held that grazing plans for 10 federal land allotments comply with the Endangered Species Act and other environmental laws.
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AGRITOURISM: IF YOU GROW IT, THEY WILL COME (East Oregonian)
Umatilla and Morrow counties are home to a sweeping variety of agriculture, from rolling wheat fields to colorful orchards and rugged cattle ranches.
State tourism officials say those same farms could become a major selling point for visitors wanting to see and taste the authentic Oregon experience.
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SALES FIGURES COULD MAKE POT OREGON’S MOST VALUABLE CROP (East Oregonian)
Sales and tax figures collected by state agencies may finally solve one of Oregon’s long-running farm crop questions of whether marijuana is indeed the states most valuable crop, as cannabis advocates have always maintained.
Tight controls and reporting requirements by the Oregon Department of Revenue and Oregon Liquor Control Commission should result in accurate information about pot, said Bruce Pokarney, spokesman for the state Department of Agriculture. The department compiles an annual list of the states most valuable crops.
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OUR VIEW: WHAT WE DON’T KNOW ABOUT MARIJUANA — OPINION (East Oregonian)
Next Friday will mark one year of legal recreational marijuana in Oregon, and theres still so much we don’t know.
Because the drug is a controlled substance in the eyes of the federal government, serious study of its beneficial uses and harmful effects haven’t been undertaken by the FDA. And because of the patchwork of individual state regulations, and the short time since the first states voted to make pot legal, tracking its effects on public health has been spotty at best.
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WATER CREW SEARCH LEADS TO LEAD (Medford Mail Tribune)
-Pigtail’ pipe containing lead was carrying water to six homes-
A lead pipe providing water to six residences was found in Medford Wednesday on Oakdale Avenue near Central Medford High, a discovery that could point to more widespread problems in the city system.
Wednesday’s discovery was the fourth lead pipe known as a pigtail that has been found over the past few months in the city _________________________________________
LOCAL COUNTIES RECEIVE $3.8 MILLION IN PILT DOLLARS (Herald and News)
The U.S. Department of the Interior has allotted $451.6 million in natural resource funding to states and counties across the country, including $3.8 million to local governments.
The revenue is part of the Payment in Lieu of Taxes PILT program, which takes the place of income tax the government does not pay on federal land.
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MORE COUNTIES LEAVE FINANCIAL WATCH LIST — OPINION (Herald and News)
If you want to see a good snapshot of the finances of each Oregon countys finances and economy, take a look at the 2016 Secretary of States Financial Condition Review.
The office puts them out every two years. The first was in 2012. Each report includes a list of eight counties whose financial conditions may indicate a higher risk of distress than other counties, according to the 2012 review. Thats notable because its the last year Klamath County was on it.
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PORT CHIEF PROPOSES A LEVEE SOLUTION (Daily Astorian)
Local officials are hopeful the federal Bonneville Power Administration can help solve Warrenton’s levee problem.
Jim Knight, the director of the Port of Astoria, has proposed a plan to build new, higher levees farther inland from the existing barriers, which were recently decertified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for not being large enough to prevent inundation.
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STORMWATER PROJECTS TOP OF THE LIST IN PORT OF ASTORIA BUDGET (Daily Astorian)
The Port of Astoria Commission approved a nearly $15.9 million operating budget Tuesday, with about one-tenth of the money earmarked for stormwater treatment projects.
The state Department of Environmental Quality required the Port to install treatment systems by the end of June on the central waterfront and at North Tongue Point after above-benchmark amounts of copper were found in stormwater samples.
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EDITORIAL: JUST SAY NO TO GUN OWNERSHIP — OPINION (Daily Astorian)
Among the many sad ironies surrounding the U.S. cultural wars about firearms is the vast growth in gun numbers during the Obama administration, whose detractors routinely accuse of conspiring to end private gun ownership. Fear of this nonexistent threat has resulted in enough firearm sales to fight off an outer-space invasion.
Data on federal criminal background checks show a continuing surge in gun buying in Oregon and around the nation.
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GUEST COLUMN: TIME TO FIX OUR BROKEN FEDERAL COAL SYSTEM — GUEST OPINION (Daily Astorian)
This week in Seattle, the Department of the Interior is providing the public with the opportunity to provide input on the federal coal program.
Most people dont know that publicly owned coal makes up 40 percent of all coal burned in the U.S. each year but the rules governing the federal coal program havent been updated in three decades.
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EDITORIAL: CELEBRATING LINN COUNTY’S JOB NUMBERS — OPINION (Albany Democrat Herald)
The good news keeps coming about the employment picture in Linn County, and we should take time to celebrate the work that has helped get us to this point.
But we also should keep in mind how quickly jobs can be lost.
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FIRE STATIONS GET SEISMIC RENOVATIONS TO PREP FOR THE BIG ONE (Corvallis Gazette-Times)
Renovations at a Corvallis fire station likely wont save the building if a major earthquake hits, but they could help the firefighters inside get out so they can help assist the rest of the community.
A seismic renovation construction project is underway at Corvallis Fire Station No. 3, 1310 N.W. Circle Blvd. The project, which is expected to take six to eight weeks, involves reinforcing structural elements to the stations apparatus room and living quarters to make it more likely to survive an earthquake.
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STATE: PAY-FOR-PERFORMANCE PROGRAM HAS IMPROVED OREGON’S HEALTH (Oregon Business Journal)
Oregon Health Plan’s pay-for-performance program has resulted in three years of continued health care improvement for nearly all the state’s Coordinated Care Organizations.
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MURMURS: WHO WANTS TO PAY A TAX ON MILES DRIVEN? NO? HOW ABOUT A WEED TAX? (Willamette Week)
Last July, the Oregon Department of Transportation started a pilot program called OReGO to test the idea of a state tax on miles driven – a tax in which Oregonians driving fuel-efficient vehicles would pay more than they do in gas tax while those driving fuel-inefficient vehicles would pay less.
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OREGON MARIJUANA TAX HAS RAISED NEARLY $15 MILLION (KTVZ Bend)
-State reminds dispensaries: Tax returns were due last month-
As of May 30, the Oregon Department of Revenue has processed $14.9 million in marijuana tax payments this year, the agency said Wednesday. Medical marijuana dispensaries started collecting a 25 percent tax on their recreational marijuana sales in January.
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THE BEST AND WORST STATES TO RAISE CHILDREN IN (CNN)
Minnesota reigns as the most kid-friendly state to raise a family for the second year in a row, according to an Annie E. Casey Foundation study released Tuesday.
Parents in Mississippi and New Mexico, however, might find reason for concern as those states rank among the lowest.
The foundation’s Kids Count Data Center tracks ethnographic data in all 50 states to gauge the well-being of children across the nation, focusing on factors that affect the way children grow up.
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MODA GIVEN THE OKAY BY INSURANCE DIVISION (The Lund Report)
-The health insurer now has the green light and no longer faces sanctions.-
Moda Health can breathe a sigh of relief after the Oregon Insurance Division lifted the Feb. 6 consent order, which required the company to sell a variety of assets and take steps to improve its financial position so it could continue serving its members.
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PEBB SLIDES UNDER COST CAPS FOR BIENNIUM AT NEGOTIATION TABLE (The Lund Report)
The Public Employees Benefit Board signed off on 2017 premium rates for its menu of health plans, which after extensive negotiation, came in at a 4 percent hike, for an average of 3.2 percent over two years.
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