GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
Election Day will answer a lot of Oregon political questions
The Bend Bulletin
Will there be a record low turnout for the primary? Will the race for commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries be decided Tuesday by having either former House Majority Leader Val Hoyle or Tualatin Mayor Lou Ogden win a majority of the vote? And will Phil Knight’s $500,000 bet on Buehler — in the form of the largest campaign contribution ever given by an individual to a candidate in Oregon — pay off?
More Women Are Running, But In Oregon It’s Not Only About Trump
Oregon Public Broadcasting
This election cycle, House Republicans have more women and people of color running than in previous years. “Our party, the Republicans, have enjoyed a long diversity of thought but we haven’t always done a good job highlighting the diverse voices that exist within our party,” McLane said. “And we’ve tried to rectify that in our recruiting effort this year.”
LOCAL
Rayfield offers legislative fellowship
Corvallis Gazette-Times
Fellows learn from subject matter experts through a guest speaker series. During a previous fellowship, participants also learned how to formulate policy and then competed through a mock public hearing at the Capitol. After the 2016 fellowship, the winning policy was drafted by Rayfield for the 2017 legislative session.
Local CCO examines ways to improve health care
Herald and News
Though rural and frontier areas are already struggling with retaining nurses, the entire state could experience more shortages by 2025, according to 2016 reports from Oregon Health Science University’s rural listening task force.
ELECTIONS
Primary ballot totals suggest lowest voter turnout in at least 16 years
Oregonian/OregonLive
As of 9 a.m. Monday, about 19 percent had turned in their ballots, compared with the previous low of 25 percent the Monday before the 2014 primary. Total turnout in May 2014, Oregon’s most recent non-presidential nominating election, reached just 35.5 percent.
AP to offer election voter survey to replace exit polls
The Associated Press
The poll’s methodology allows for results from every state holding a statewide election, Scott said, as well as details about the opinions of registered voters who elect not to cast a ballot. AP’s approach will deliver to customers more reliable information on what drives the choices of different segments of the electorate than is available from traditional exit polls, Scott said.
Republicans hope to make gains in Oregon primary
The Associated Press
Both Republicans and Democrats are watching the outcome of the gubernatorial primary as a bellwether for conservative Oregonians. As the first statewide regular election since the 2017 inauguration of President Donald Trump, the primary also is widely seen as a referendum on which candidates are appealing to GOP voters.
TRANSPORTATION
$300 million a year from I-5, I-205 tolls? New details on tolling options
Oregonian/OregonLive
Transportation consultants offered a sneak peek at their recommendations for how and where to charge drivers in the future to navigate local freeways. It appears that tolls could come to Interstate 5 first with the option to later explore future congestion pricing on I-205 or elsewhere.
NATURAL RESOURCES & ENVIRONMENT
State will seize transient boats dumping sewage in Willamette River
KGW
Many of the boats are bought from salvage dealers for a few hundred bucks by homeless folks.They don’t have working motors to get to shore and pump out sewage or drop off garbage, no lights or anchors to be seen, and some, like one seen two weeks ago along the Eastbank Esplanade are so dangerous, they catch on fire.
Senators Look To Expand Thinning Work In National Forests
Oregon Public Broadcasting
The projects under this program pairs timber companies with local communities to do work in forests that became overstocked after decades of suppressing natural fires. Those tightly packed trees and brush can increase the risk of forest diseases and for larger, more severe wildfires. The bill has the backing of a wide array of environmental and timber groups.
Oregon To Replace 450 Old Diesel School Buses
Oregon Public Broadcasting
The state of Oregon will pay to replace 450 old diesel school buses using some of the $72.9 million dollars it expects to receive through the Volkswagen emissions cheating court settlement.
PUBLIC HEALTH
Kids Are Taking Fewer Antibiotics, More ADHD Meds
Oregon Public Broadcasting
More children than ever are alive today because they’ve survived diseases that require medical treatment, he notes. Yet certain drugs are still overused. And in other instances, such as ADHD drugs, there’s disagreement about when treatment is appropriate.
JOBS
Oregon sheds jobs for the first time in 16 months as economic slowdown continues
Oregonian/OregonLive
In a study released last week, Oregon regional labor economist Pat O’Connor found state “wage growth slowing to a grinding halt” beginning last summer. The slowdown coincided with the weakening job market, according to O’Connor, but he said Oregon’s aging work force may also be a contributing factor.
TAXES
Grocers pour $2 million into effort to ban taxes on food
Oregonian/OregonLive
Grocery companies have raised and spent more than $2 million over the last year on paid signature gatherers, advertising and other costs to advance a proposal that would ban taxes and fees on sales of food, Initiative Petition 37.
OPINION
State water actions taken without first determining what the actual facts are
Senator Dennis Linthicum
My question is, exactly how does OWRD make their “determination” establishing that substantial groundwater interference occurs with a surface water right-holder? How does OWRD determine the transmissivity value or size and shape of the cone of depression?
Guest column: Install cameras in the classroom
The Bend Bulletin
This is the reverse of “1984” and “Big Brother.” With Orwell, it was to ensure only the approved point of view is shared. In this case, the cams are to ensure a variety of points of view are shared. To ensure the accuracy and quality of lesson content is maintained.
Commentary: Care about digital privacy? Then prove it
The Bend Bulletin
Students were asked to provide the email addresses of their friends to the researchers. To entice them to do so, some were offered free pizza. It turns out that if you offer the students free pizza, the likelihood that they will protect the privacy of their friends is cut in half. Surprisingly, this result was the same for students who reported high or low degrees of concern about protecting their privacy from businesses, the government and the public in general.
Portland teacher: Our union must make student safety a top priority (Guest opinion)
Oregonian/OregonLive
As a veteran educator and dedicated union member, I am shocked and disappointed by the failure of my union, Portland Association of Teachers, to make the safety of children our top priority. The Portland Association of Teachers must show willingness to revise any policy that discards records of teachers who have a history of any form of abuse toward protected classes, including race, religion, gender, sexuality and disability.
Guest column: Public lands should be for the public to enjoy
The Daily Astorian
While outdoor recreation continues to grow in popularity and economic impact, some barriers still exist. Well-intentioned but overly burdensome federal rules often stymie access to recreation on public lands while not providing any additional protections to our natural resources.