Author Archives: Jerry Curry

No criminal charges against La Bell on election allegation

But 2018 House candidate could still face civil action by secretary of state. Former House candidate Amanda La Bell will not face criminal charges for submitting a false statement to the 2018 Voters Pamphlet last year. The Oregon Department of Justice had investigated La Bell since last fall over her claim to have graduated from […]
Read More »

Pete Heley: Some ODFW rules could use some improvement

As I am writing my column, the trout stocking portion of the ODFW website is not available and hopefully will be available soon. Also of concern, IFISH.NET, possibly Oregon’s largest online fishing website, has not had any new posts in at least 10 days — hopefully this will also be corrected soon. I’m picking this […]
Read More »

Skip the line, apply early for controlled hunts

Don’t wait until the last minute to apply for controlled hunts this year, ODFW advises. There is always a rush the last few days before the May 15 deadline — last year, 83,630 of 471,262 total applications were submitted on the last day. ODFW expects even higher call volumes and traffic this year on the […]
Read More »

Electric-vehicle tax credit should be taken off the road

Some government foolishness has an educational value that compensates for its considerable cost. Consider the multibillion-dollar federal electric-vehicle tax credit, which efficiently illustrates how government can, with one act, diminish its already-negligible prestige while subtracting from America’s fairness. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., hope to repeal the tax credit, which probably […]
Read More »

Budget shortfall has county sheriff intending to resign

Citizens of Harney County, sheriff’s office staff, and commissioners, the Harney County Sheriff’s Office is not currently funded or staffed to provide adequate law enforcement or search and rescue services necessary to the citizens of Harney County. As well, our severely outdated county jail is not only underfunded, but is out of compliance with the […]
Read More »

Harney County sheriff plans to resign, citing funding concerns

Sheriff Dave Ward cited funding concerns in an op-ed announcing his plans to retire at the end of 2019. He said it’s his opinion that the lone way for Harney County to surmount a “current budget crisis” is to eliminate employee positions. The Harney County sheriff, who rose to regional prominence during the 2016 occupation […]
Read More »

Former Riverhouse employee alleges mistreatment of Hispanic housekeepers

State Library Ed. Note: Story included since thereis a very brief mention of a complaint filed with BOLI. Matthew J. Armstead claims he was fired after reporting discrimination. A housekeeping manager at Riverhouse on the Deschutes referred to Hispanic people with a racial slur and threw a carton of ice cream at an employee, according […]
Read More »

Dead trees marked for removal near Sisters

U.S. Forest Service crews are marking dead and dying trees they plan to remove alongside a 12.5-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 20 near Sisters. About 2,100 trees, mostly ponderosa pines, were killed by the herbicide Perspective, which was improperly sprayed alongside the highway to kill flammable roadside weeds. Source: Dead trees marked for removal near […]
Read More »

How will climate change affect Eastern Oregon?

Climate change is here: It’s time to talk about adaptation. Last week, I attended a meeting in Enterprise with range specialists, ranchers and Joseph Band Nez Perce people from the Colville reservation. The topic? Tracking and managing the precariousness that climate change is bringing to our local rangelands. Summers in Oregon are trending hotter and […]
Read More »

Americans’ energy use broke record in 2018

Americans burned a record amount of energy in 2018, with a 10% jump in consumption from booming natural gas helping to lead the way, the U.S. Energy Information Administration says. Overall consumption of all kinds of fuels rose 4% year on year, the largest such increase in eight years, a report this week from the […]
Read More »