Author Archives: Jerry Curry

After two searches, Kotek appoints insider to lead state water department

Ivan Gall will need to be confirmed as the new director of the Water Resources Department by the state Senate, which critics say is far from certain. After two searches within the last year, including a national sweep for top water managers, Gov. Tina Kotek has settled on an insider to oversee management of Oregon’s […]
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Land managers point to benefits of controlled burning in Willamette Valley

Land managers have been using ecological burns to maintain and enhance the native prairies in West Eugene. They say the practice also helps to reduce the risk of wildfires. At Meadowlark Prairie, Lane County Parks Natural Areas Coordinator Ed Alverson pointed to a unit that was burned last October. Blue camas flowers dot the grassland. […]
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Health officials say whooping cough is spreading in Lane County

Lane County health officials say they’ve identified at least 19 cases of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, a condition that is highly contagious and can be fatal for infants and newborns. Health officials say they’ve identified at least 19 cases of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, in Lane County. The true case count […]
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Jackson County gets $11.5 million in funding from state

Gov. Kotek signed Emergency Housing Stability and Production Package into law Monday. A series of recently passed bills focused on affordable housing, infrastructure and drug treatment will bring a combined $11.5 million to Jackson County for projects ranging from water system upgrades to the expansion of a new local drug withdrawal management program. The bills […]
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New Medford I-5 interchange could cost up to $323 million

Price tag of connection will depend on type of overpass, underpass or interchange design; in-person open house planned Wednesday; online open house runs through May 20. A new South Stage Road interchange in Medford could cost up to $323 million, according to a preliminary study. An ongoing $1.2-million analysis by Kittelson and Associates, a Portland […]
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Design options reviewed for South Stage Road extension

Online open house continues through May 20. A pair of open houses to discuss design options for the future expansion of South Stage Road drew a total of about four dozen community members Wednesday, generating questions on everything from bike and pedestrian access to noise pollution and seismic resilience. A daytime open house was held at […]
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SOU has lowest reserves of all seven Oregon public universities

President works to boost savings without further cuts, but likely will take more than a dozen years to reach reserve fund goal. Southern Oregon University is on the low end of reserves across all seven public universities in Oregon and President Rick Bailey is trying to find a way to boost the numbers in the […]
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Jackson County surveyor asked to clear 2nd job with state AG

Jackson County commissioners want the state attorney general to issue an opinion on whether county surveyor Scott Fein can work a second job as surveyor in Curry County. Commissioners this week directed Fein to seek the opinion from Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum’s office, calling it a “question of Oregon constitutional law.” Source: Jackson County […]
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Still much unknown on how marijuana policies would change in states under Biden plan

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland has proposed loosening the illegal status of marijuana at the federal level – but that doesn’t mean the federal government now condones recreational or medicinal use in the many states that have legalized the drug. Moving marijuana from the government’s list of the most dangerous and least useful substances, Schedule I, to […]
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Businesses, residents protest ongoing Postal Service delays

U.S. Postal Service’s 10-year consolidation plan under scrutiny. United States Postal Service officials claim they have resolved “early transitional issues” for Southern Oregon as part of an ongoing consolidation, but state and national leaders, as well as postal customers, say little has improved. The region’s postal workers have told the Rogue Valley Times that large amounts […]
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