March 20, 2019 Daily Clips

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

Offshore Drilling Ban Heads To Oregon Gov. Kate Brown’s Desk

Oregon Public Broadcasting

A bill to ban drilling off Oregon’s coast is headed to the desk of Gov. Kate Brown, after passing the state House of Representatives on Tuesday. Senate Bill 256 makes permanent an existing moratorium on oil and gas exploration on state-controlled waters within 3 miles of Oregon’s shore. It also ensures state agencies don’t approve projects that could assist drilling in the federally controlled waters farther out.

Oregon offshore oil drilling ban passes state Legislature

Portland Tribune

Deepwater drillers will likely find no port of call on Oregon shores after a new ban passed the State Legislature on Tuesday, March 19. Senate Bill 256 now heads to the desk of Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, who is expected by environmentalists to sign into law a prohibition on building offshore infrastructure that supports drilling for oil, gas or sulfur in the deep blue sea.

Oregon lawmakers want to license county-run youth residential programs

Oregonlive

A proposal moving through the Oregon Legislature would give state regulators the authority to license county-run residential programs for children in foster care and the custody of the Oregon Youth Authority. Currently, only privately operated youth treatment and care institutions are required to meet state licensing standards. The Senate Committee on Human Services unanimously approved Senate Bill 181, which would add county-run programs to the list of child caring agencies that require licensure, last month. It is now at the Joint Committee on Ways and Means. It has not yet received a floor vote in either chamber.

Oregon Republicans Are Rallying Around the “Vaccine Choice” Movement

Childhood vaccines have become a highly partisan issue in Oregon. The “vaccine choice” movement is now all but a plank of the Oregon Republican Party. House Bill 3063 advanced from committee on a party-line vote, with seven Democrats in support and four Republicans opposed. On the floor of the Legislature, a similar pattern is expected—with a few dissenters, including two Republican sponsors. Former state Rep. Knute Buehler (R-Bend), an orthopedic surgeon, opposed requiring vaccines in his failed run for governor last year. Jonathan Lockwood, a spokesman for Senate Republicans, stood watching and lending support at a Capitol protest last week where anti-vaxx parents sang the national anthem.

Has Tennessee Solved Oregon’s Foster Care Crisis?

Oregon Public Broadcasting

The Oregon child welfare system is in crisis — and has been for years. A scathing audit in 2018 detailed how the state is failing its most vulnerable children. The agency has paid millions of dollars in settlements over the years after children were harmed while in its care. Meanwhile, children are being placed in hotels, sent to out-of-state facilities, staying in retrofitted jails or languishing in emergency room departments because there is no place for them in Oregon.

Cylvia Hayes settles with Oregonian over legal fees

Oregonlive

The parent company for The Oregonian/OregonLive has reached a settlement with former first lady Cylvia Hayes that slashes the $128,000 in legal fees a judge ordered her to pay the news organization after her unsuccessful lawsuit to stop the release of her emails.

LOCAL

Oregon wildfire jumps Santiam River, prompts evacuation orders, authorities say

Oregonlive

A wildfire southeast of Salem has jumped the Santiam River and prompted evacuation orders, state authorities said Tuesday night. The wildfire was reported Tuesday afternoon near the North Santiam State Recreation Area, which sits off Oregon 22 near Lyons, according to the Oregon Department of Forestry. It grew to an estimated 60 acres by that evening and was threatening about 35 homes and 30 outbuildings.

Level 3 ‘Go Now’ Evacuations In Linn, Marion Counties Due To Grass Fire

Oregon Public Broadcasting

Level 3 “go now” evacuation orders are in place for residents in Lyons, Oregon, because of a grass fire first reported Tuesday afternoon. The fire is burning near the North Santiam State Recreational Area off Highway 22 and had grown to an estimated 60 acres as of late Tuesday evening. What’s being called the Santiam Park Fire threatened 65 homes and outbuildings.

Local colleges lobby legislators for state funding

East Oregonian

Although there were no games scheduled for Pioneer Hall Friday night, Blue Mountain Community College put in an effort to create a home court advantage for the Joint Committee on Ways and Means Committee hearing. The college lined up blue-clad staff members in the hall leading up to the Bob Clapp Theater entrance to cheer on legislators as they entered, and even brought out Timber, the BMCC mascot.

Portland homeless camps clean-up program needs improving, auditors say

Oregonlive

Managers of Portland’s program for finding and cleaning up homeless camps need to do a better job, city auditors concluded in a report published Wednesday. They need to better communicate with people who report camps and with those who live in them, the audit found. Camps need to be strategically prioritized for clean up, it said. And tents, ID cards, credit cards and other property confiscated from illegal camp sites needs to be better catalogued and stored and more readily returned to its owners, the audit said.

Audit Calls For More Organization Of Portland Homeless Camp Clean-Up Program

Oregon Public Broadcasting

Portland’s auditor released a review Wednesday of the Homelessness/Urban Camping Impact Reduction Program — the city program that cleans up homeless camps. The audit calls for more organization, clarification and communication to prevent people who are homeless from losing personal property. It also calls for more follow-up when people file complaints.

Amy Kohnstamm files for re-election to Portland school board, the only incumbent so far

Oregonlive

The Portland school board may see at least one incumbent return for a second term in July. Amy Kohnstamm, whose Zone 3 encompasses Northwest Portland north of Broadway and schools feeding into Lincoln High, announced Tuesday that she’s seeking a second term. She won the seat in 2015, ousting incumbent Bobbie Regan in the most expensive race in board history.

Astoria may curb panhandling in the roadway

The Daily Astorian

The Astoria City Council is considering a new ordinance aimed at reducing panhandling in the roadway. The ordinance, which passed its first reading unanimously Monday night, would make it a $75 traffic violation to give or take something from a car window while a vehicle is on the roadway.

Eugene pegs cost of downtown riverfront park at $14 million

The Register-Guard

Eugene city officials expect to spend $14 million on the planned three-acre riverfront park, the showpiece of the community’s years-long effort to connect downtown with the Willamette River. And they anticipate spending another $4 million on the neighboring one-acre plaza, which will be constructed in a future phase.

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