* Oregon ranks 10th in the nation for the percentage of women in its Legislature
* Pipe bomb removed from Wallowa Lake
* The Atlantic magazine dubs Portland ‘the Whitest City in America’
* Exit Interview: Roy Saigo says he’s leaving Southern Oregon on right path
* Warm Springs Reservation fire grows to 1,000 acres in a few hours
* Crews make progress on fire near the John Day River
* Willamette National Cemetery added to historic register
* Will Oregon face a $1.4 billion deficit? It depends.
* Gun activists disagree with Gov. Brown’s gun safety agenda
* Oregon House Speaker to give address at DNC
* History, heritage and civil discourse — Opinion
* Shifting Geers in Oregon
* What is Bottle Bill’s aim? — Opinion
* Measure 98 key to high school students’ future — Guest Opinion
* New money available for mortgage help
* NW Fire Season Slow So Far, But That Could Change In August
* Lead Tests In Portland, Salem Schools May Be Skewed
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OREGON RANKS 10TH IN THE NATION FOR THE PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN IN ITS LEGISLATURE (Portland Oregonian)
Oregon has the 10th highest percentage of women in its Legislature, with 31.1 percent of the 90 seats held by women, according to a new analysis by The Associated Press.
Washington did even better, coming in fifth among the 50 states, with women holding 34 percent of its legislative seats. The states with the highest female representation in their legislatures are Colorado with 42 percent and Vermont at 41.1 percent, The Associated Press found.
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PIPE BOMB REMOVED FROM WALLOWA LAKE (Portland Oregonian)
Friday afternoon law enforcement agents from an array of agencies gathered to remove a pipe bomb that was discovered in the water near a public beach, reports the Wallowa County Chieftain.
According to Wallowa County Sheriff Steve Rogers, “about two weeks ago” off-duty Search and Rescue members found what they believed to be a possibly explosive device during a recreational dive on at the north end of the lake.
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THE ATLANTIC MAGAZINE DUBS PORTLAND ‘THE WHITEST CITY IN AMERICA’ (Portland Oregonian)
The Atlantic magazine on Friday published a stinging profile of Portland on its website, dubbing it “the Whitest City in America.”
The 3,500-word piece says Portland “known for its progressivism” — has earned that title among the nation’s big cities because of the 72.2 percent of residents who are white, and 6.3 percent who are African American.
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EXIT INTERVIEW: ROY SAIGO SAYS HE’S LEAVING SOUTHERN OREGON ON RIGHT PATH (Portland Oregonian)
Roy Saigo is retiring for real this time.
The 75-year-old came out of retirement in 2014 to be Southern Oregon University’s interim president. Oregon’s now-defunct State Board of Higher Education tabbed Saigo, a former university president and chancellor in Minnesota and Alabama, to step in at the Ashland-based university.
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WARM SPRINGS RESERVATION FIRE GROWS TO 1,000 ACRES IN A FEW HOURS (Portland Oregonian)
A fire that began Sunday afternoon on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation grew to roughly 1,000 acres in a few hours as it consumed grass and juniper trees, said William Wilson of the Federal Bureau of Indian Affairs Sunday evening.
The blaze began near Rattlesnake Spring along the Warm Springs River about six miles southeast of the Kah-Nee-Tah Resort Lodge in Warm Springs.
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CREWS MAKE PROGRESS ON FIRE NEAR THE JOHN DAY RIVER (Portland Oregonian)
The Scott Canyon fire northwest of Condon is 55 percent contained, according to an update Sunday from Central Oregon Fire Information.
The fire, which began Thursday, July 21, is burning on 33,587 acres of Bureau of Land Management and Gilliam County land. It is 9 miles outside of Condon and has come to within 200 feet of Highway 206. Fire crews have made progress of the fire, using dozers, air resources and burn-outs, among other things. The fire continues to burn light grassy fuel in the canyons of the John Day River.
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WILLAMETTE NATIONAL CEMETERY ADDED TO HISTORIC REGISTER (Portland Oregonian)
The Willamette National Cemetery in Portland has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The 1950 cemetery is about 10 miles southeast of Portland in Clackamas and Multnomah counties. It was the first national cemetery in the northwest U.S.
The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department says the 307-acre cemetery offers scenic views of four mountains, the city of Portland and the Columbia and Willamette rivers.
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WILL OREGON FACE A $1.4 BILLION DEFICIT? IT DEPENDS. (Salem Statesman Journal)
State agencies submitting budget requests for the next biennium are facing the challenge of planning for both growth and cutbacks, according to George Naughton, Oregon’s chief financial officer and acting chief operating officer.
He said the state may face a $1.4 billion discretionary spending deficit in the next biennium give or take $500 million. Officials have said that whether cuts occur depends in part on if voters approve a new corporate tax.
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GUN ACTIVISTS DISAGREE WITH GOV. BROWN’S GUN SAFETY AGENDA (Salem Statesman Journal)
More than 100 gun activists and locals gathered Saturday on the steps of the Oregon Capitol to protest Gov. Kate Brown’s positions on gun safety.
Armed with AK-47 semi-automatic rifles and conceal carry handguns, many said they considered the governor’s recent gun-related executive order and proposed gun safety plan to be a violation of Second Amendment rights to keep and bear arms.
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OREGON HOUSE SPEAKER TO GIVE ADDRESS AT DNC (Salem Statesman Journal)
Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, will give an address Monday at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.
Kotek’s speech will focus on the progressive policies of Oregon and what that means for the nation and the next president, said Lindsey O’Brien, communications director for Kotek.
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HISTORY, HERITAGE AND CIVIL DISCOURSE — OPINION (Salem Statesman Journal)
In stark contrast to the noise level of the Republican National Convention’s final night, a rapt audience of Salem-area residents gathered in the Dye House of the Willamette Heritage Center Thursday evening to contemplate how our state’s political history informs modern-day Oregon.
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SHIFTING GEERS IN OREGON (Salem Statesman Journal)
It all started in the early 1600’s when two orphaned boys, Thomas and George Geer, were sent by their uncle to America, arriving via ship in Boston. Four centuries later, descendants of the Geer boys are congregating this weekend at the GeerCrest farmstead in the rural Waldo Hills, located between Silverton and Sublimity, for the triennial national Geer family reunion, hosted by the non-profit GeerCrest Farm & Historical Society.
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WHAT IS BOTTLE BILL’S AIM? — OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
Oregon earned distinction as a pioneer in public policy, and triggered nearly a half-century of self-congratulation, by approving the Bottle Bill in 1971. The bill requires a 5-cent deposit on beer and soda pop containers, to be refunded when the bottles and cans are returned to retailers. But the deposit is slated to increase to a dime next year. The state ought to make certain that the 10-cent deposit, and the deposit-and-return system generally, is serving both its purposes.
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MEASURE 98 KEY TO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ FUTURE — GUEST OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)
In November, Oregonians will get to vote on a proposal that promises to make our education system better in ways you may not know about.
Measure 98 would provide all Oregon high schools the resources they need to ensure that all students who want hands-on education can get it. For many young people, hands-on learning opens doors to learning real-life skills and discovering careers that are satisfying and well-paid.
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NEW MONEY AVAILABLE FOR MORTGAGE HELP (Bend Bulletin)
A fresh infusion of money from the U.S. Treasury has breathed new life into two programs that helped Oregonians avoid foreclosure or get up-to-date on their mortgages in the wake of the Great Recession.
One of the programs began taking applications last week while the other is expected to start in September.
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NW FIRE SEASON SLOW SO FAR, BUT THAT COULD CHANGE IN AUGUST (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
This year’s fire season has had a slow start. The winter’s thicker snowpack and cooler temperatures this summer have helped keep large fires at bay, said Carol Connolly with the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center.
“Part of the difference is the weather,” Connolly explained. “We haven’t had the hot dry conditions that we’ve experienced the last few years. We have not had the lightning activity.”
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LEAD TESTS IN PORTLAND, SALEM SCHOOLS MAY BE SKEWED (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
The contractor hired to test water for lead in the Salem-Keizer and Portland school districts is not following the procedure recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
That could skew results, EPA officials said Friday.
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