http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/or-news/ en-us Sun, 5 Jul 2009 18:12:19 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286026/posts For Oregonians, many employers owe more benefits than their retirement plans can pay You think your 401(k) is in bad shape? Your pension could be worse off. Provided you even have one. Thirty-four of 36 large publicly traded employers operating in Oregon owe more retirement benefits than their traditional pensions can pay, an analysis by The Oregonian found. http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2009/07/pensions_in_peril.html The Oregonian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286026/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 18:12:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283893/posts GRANTS PASS, Ore. - A federal judge has struck down the Bush administration's change to a rule designed to protect the northern spotted owl from logging in national forests. U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken ruled from Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday that the U.S. Forest Service failed to take a hard look at the environmental impacts of changing the rule to make it easier to cut down forest habitat of species such as the spotted owl and salmon on 193 million acres of national forests. "I am hopeful that this is the last nail in the coffin to (President George W.)... msnbc.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283893/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 06:35:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283710/posts Regulation: Ignoring the first rule of holes, a bankrupt state passing out IOUs welcomes an EPA waiver allowing it to further kill its economy. Too bad the state can't stop the air pollution imported from a growing China. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday granted California its long-standing request — denied by the Bush administration — for a waiver to allow it to impose even more stringent air pollution rules than currently required by the federal government.The way is now clear for implementation of a 2002 state law requiring new cars to increase their fuel economy 40% by 2016.... IBD Editorials http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283710/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 00:16:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282904/posts GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday struck down the Bush administration's change to a rule designed to protect the northern spotted owl from logging in national forests. U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken ruled from Oakland, Calif., that the U.S. Forest Service failed to take a hard look at the environmental impacts of changing the rule to make it easier to cut down forest habitat of species such as the spotted owl and salmon on 193 million acres of national forests. AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282904/posts#comment Wed, 1 Jul 2009 00:58:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282333/posts 1. Alaska 2. Maine 3. New Mexico 4. Arkansas 5. Texas 6. Missouri 7. Oregon 8. Idaho 9. Virginia 10. Wyoming human events http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282333/posts#comment Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:33:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282257/posts PORTLAND, Ore. — A cell phone text exchange between Portland Mayor Sam Adams and the young man who was briefly his lover predicts "we are both ruined" shortly after the affair became public early this year. In documents released by the Oregon attorney general’s office on Tuesday, a four-page redacted summary of e-mail exchanges between Adams and Beau Breedlove last January show mutual concern for the breaking scandal. In one exchange on Jan. 27, apparently from Breedlove to Adams, Breedlove writes: "Well, now we are both ruined. Disgraced and ashamed. I’m sorry Sam." He continues: "I’m the felon, the slutty... http://news.bostonherald.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282257/posts#comment Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:06:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281327/posts CLACKAMAS -- They came by ones and twos Friday, quietly slipping into the pews at New Hope Community Church. They smiled at the words honoring a man whose faith made him an inspiration and whose exploits in three wars made him a hero. And when the last mournful drone of the bagpipes faded, they said goodbye to Col. Kenneth L. Reusser of Milwaukie, the most decorated U.S. Marine Corps aviator in history. "He was the finest gentleman I've ever met," said Harley Wedel of Fairview, a fellow Korean War veteran. "I'm really going to miss him." Reusser flew an amazing... The Oregonian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281327/posts#comment Sun, 28 Jun 2009 21:23:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2280584/posts COVE — What was supposed to be the first camping trip of the season for Wesley and Lisa Wynn of Cove unexpectedly turned into a nightmare on Mount Fanny that they will never forget. Road access to the Moss Spring campgrounds had just opened up, and the Wynns were eager to get away from it all and enjoy the quiet of the mountains for a couple of days. They arrived at the site mid-afternoon on Sunday, June 7, and set up camp. They brought their two quarterhorses with them and their dogs, Corona, an 8-year-old black lab, border collie mix... Lagrande Observer http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2280584/posts#comment Sat, 27 Jun 2009 11:36:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2280545/posts Every now and then, even in Oregon, environmental activists and property rights advocates find themselves on the same side of the political fence. One of those politics-makes-strange-bedfellows issues has been brewing in the Oregon Legislature and may still find its way to the governor's desk if Senate strategists can get it to the floor for a vote. House Bill 3058, which passed the House a couple of weeks ago, would allow private companies seeking to construct "linear utility or transportation" facilities to apply for removal and fill permits for wetlands on other people's property. These companies already have the considerable... Oregonian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2280545/posts#comment Sat, 27 Jun 2009 07:10:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2278846/posts PORTLAND, Ore. – Hackers defaced the home page of the Oregon University System, posting a caustic message telling President Barack Obama to mind his own business and stop talking about the disputed Iranian election. Attempts to access the university system's Web site were automatically redirected to another page, where readers viewed a message said to be from Iran that asserted there was no cheating in the election. That message was up for 90 minutes before university system technicians intervened Wednesday morning. Yahoo/AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2278846/posts#comment Thu, 25 Jun 2009 01:36:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2277160/posts The Supreme Court took the side of parents of children with disabilities today, ruling that they can claim reimbursement for the cost of private schooling if the public system failed to offer an appropriate program for their child. The 6-3 decision settles a heated and costly dispute that has arisen across the country. It also deals a potentially expensive setback to public school systems that are strapped for money. At issue was who must pay the cost if parents of a child with a disability withdraw him from public school and send him to a private school. In a case... LA Times/ Chicago Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2277160/posts#comment Mon, 22 Jun 2009 23:21:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2275412/posts The unemployment rates in eight states hit record-highs last month and only two -- Nebraska and Vermont -- did not report increases. The Labor Department says 48 states and the District of Columbia saw employment conditions deteriorate last month. The fallout from the longest recession since World War II, was the worst in Michigan. Its unemployment rate rose to 14.1 percent. The eight states that set records are: California, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Florida and Georgia. The West region reported the highest jobless rate at 10.1 percent. The last time any region had a rate of... FOXNEWS.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2275412/posts#comment Fri, 19 Jun 2009 19:27:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2272650/posts Part of a short-line railroad in Oregon's ruggedly beautiful Wallowa County has become a 30-mile-long parking lot for about 700 idled railcars, some blighted with graffiti. Many residents aren't happy. David Stein, for one, said mustard-yellow centerbeam lumber cars along tracks owned by the Wallowa Union Railroad have spoiled his view of mountains, meadows and pine forests from his home outside Enterprise. "What can you see?" Stein, 54, asked in disgust. "Trains!" The situation is a snapshot of a national picture. The economic slump has idled about 70,000 Union Pacific railcars, now sidetracked wherever space can be found, said Zoe... oregonlive http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2272650/posts#comment Tue, 16 Jun 2009 04:40:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2271838/posts PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Oregon Senate has decided concealed handgun permits will not be concealed, over the objection of county sheriffs across the state. Concealed handgun licenses are public records and senators affirmed their support of that policy by declining a vote on House Bill 2727, which would have allowed sheriffs to keep the permits confidential. KGW http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2271838/posts#comment Mon, 15 Jun 2009 02:39:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2270280/posts For decades, most of the nation’s renewable power has come from dams, which supplied cheap electricity without requiring fossil fuels. But the federal agencies running the dams often compiled woeful track records on other environmental issues. Now, with the focus in Washington on clean power, some dam agencies are starting to go green, embracing wind power and energy conservation. The most aggressive is the Bonneville Power Administration, whose power lines carry much of the electricity in the Pacific Northwest. The agency also provides a third of the region’s power supply, drawn mostly from generators inside big dams. The amount of... New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2270280/posts#comment Fri, 12 Jun 2009 12:49:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2269603/posts The Oregon Senate has failed to pass legislation that would increase taxes in the state to raise 733 billion in revenue. The bill failed due to one vote. That of Democrat Senator Mark Hass. The legislation required a 2/3rds majority and was the Democrats cornerstone for balancing the State Budget. Looks as if they will be forced to take a more conservative path, that of living within the State's means to balance the budget. Lets send him flowers shall we? http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2269603/posts#comment Thu, 11 Jun 2009 15:46:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2268624/posts The admissions team at Reed College, known for its free-spirited students, learned in March that the prospective freshman class it had so carefully composed after weeks of reviewing essays, scores and recommendations was unworkable. Money was the problem. Too many of the students needed financial aid, and the college did not have enough. So the director of financial aid gave the team another task: drop more than 100 needy students before sending out acceptances, and substitute those who could pay full freight. The whole idea of excluding a student simply because of money clashed with the college’s ideals, Leslie Limper,... New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2268624/posts#comment Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:04:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2268390/posts June 9, 2009 — “The findings add to a growing body of evidence in the past two decades that challenge some of the most widely-held beliefs about animal evolution.”  That statement is not being made by creationists, but by science reporters describing work at Oregon State University that cast new doubt on the idea that birds evolved from theropod dinosaurs.  The main idea: their leg bones and lungs are too different.     Science Daily’s report has a diagram of the skeleton showing... CEH http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2268390/posts#comment Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:33:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2268282/posts First Oregon death from swine flu reported in Marion County by Paige Parker, The Oregonian Monday June 08, 2009, 3:39 PM A Marion County woman with a confirmed case of swine flu died Sunday, the first Oregonian and 28th American to die of the infection, public health officials said Monday. Officials are not releasing the woman's name. She'd been hospitalized for eight days before her death, and suffered "multiple underlying health conditions," notable because it placed her at high risk of infection and complications, according to the state's press release. The death does not change the recommended precautions for... Oregonian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2268282/posts#comment Tue, 9 Jun 2009 21:49:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2267669/posts A suspected 'womb raider' lured her victim to her home by pretending to be selling baby clothes before killing her and claiming the baby as her own. Korena Roberts has been accused of murdering a heavily pregnant 21-year-old in the latest gruesome killing to shock America. US authorities are expected to reveal the baby boy, who did not survive, had been torn from the womb of Heather Snively. Her body was found stuffed into a crawlspace at the home of 27-year-old Roberts who had falsely claimed to friends and family that she was pregnant. Autopsy results on Snively and her... Daily Mail http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2267669/posts#comment Tue, 9 Jun 2009 01:40:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2267729/posts A woman who snatched her children from state social workers at a freeway rest area near Myrtle Creek was released Friday from the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville. Ruth E. Christine, who served seven years in prison after being convicted on robbery, custodial interference and auto theft charges, did not go free, however. She was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. snip Thw News Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2267729/posts#comment Tue, 9 Jun 2009 03:03:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2266943/posts An Oregon woman was charged with murdering a 21-year-old expectant mother and her unborn baby after faking her own pregnancy. Korena Roberts, 28, of Washington County, is being held without bail Sunday after allegedly killing Heather Snively — whose body was found in the crawlspace of a house in Cedar Hills, Ore., according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office. The nearly full-term fetus also died. FOXNews.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2266943/posts#comment Mon, 8 Jun 2009 03:27:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2266886/posts BEAVERTON, OREGON (WSAZ) -- A pregnant woman from St. Albans was found murdered in a home in Oregon. The Washington County Sheriff's public information officer says the pregnant woman has been identified as Heather Megan Snively from St. Albans. Snively was 21 years old and still has family in our area. According to KGW News, an NBC station in Oregon, Snively's body was found in the crawl space of a Beaverton home, and the woman who lives there is facing murder charges. Police held on to the details of the bizarre murder scene for more than 24 hours after making... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2266886/posts#comment Mon, 8 Jun 2009 01:56:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2263130/posts The rates have been set: A bed at the Springfield Municipal Jail is $60 a night. Springfield (OR) Registerguard.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2263130/posts#comment Tue, 2 Jun 2009 19:15:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2263743/posts With the world in crisis, forget the Army, Navy, Marine Corp, Americore or Job Corps. The Oregon legislature is about to pass a bill creating CLIMATE CORPS. Even though the Oregon general fund is $2 billion short, they are requiring the University of Oregon to create Climate Corps. This bill has passed the Senate and it moving through the House. Here's the text: Senate Bill 942 A BILL FOR AN ACT Relating to the Oregon Climate Corps; and appropriating money. Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon: SECTION 1. (1) The University of Oregon, after consultation... Oregon Legislature http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2263743/posts#comment Wed, 3 Jun 2009 14:30:21 GMT