Make the McKenzie Connection!
Make the McKenzie Connection!
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Rural voters in Oregon and across the U.S. tend to be swing voters and may decide the outcome of this year's presidential election. Their biggest concerns are the economy, threats to democracy, and abortion - according to a new Rural Democracy Initiative poll. Sarah Jaynes, executive director of the initiative, said these voters want elected leaders to prioritize lowering costs and increasing wages for working people, not cutting taxes for the rich or deregulating corporations. "They're very focused on working people as kind of the heroes of...
A sanctuary for stargazing in Oregon is the largest in the world and is set to get even bigger. In eastern Oregon, the organization DarkSky International declared 2.5 million acres of the Oregon Outback International Dark Sky Sanctuary in the first phase of its process in March. It plans to increase the sanctuary to more than 11 million acres in the next few years. Damon Motz-Storey, director of the Oregon chapter of the Sierra Club, recently visited the area. “Anybody who’s visited it on a cle...
Oregon is in the upper echelon when it comes to the number of women in higher office. Four of the five statewide elected positions in the state are held by women, including Tina Kotek in the governor’s office. It is a rare achievement. Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women in Politics, said the national average for women in statewide elected offices is about one in three. However, the number of women in the top positions in Oregon is guaranteed to go down in November, with m...
Supporters of a ballot measure that would establish an independent commission for setting the pay of elected officials have launched a campaign. If passed in November, Measure 116 would set up the Independent Public Service Compensation Commission - to decide salaries for elected officials including the governor, state lawmakers, judges, and district attorneys. Robin Ye is the political and strategy director for the organization East County Rising, which is supporting the measure. “It’s abo...
As Oregon is seeing its first major heat event of the summer, some simple tips can help you keep your home cooler. Most of Oregon was under a heat advisory over the holiday weekend. And with summer just starting, Cameron Starr - senior operations customer experience manager with Energy Trust of Oregon - said more hot days are likely ahead. He said one recommendation is to keep out heat by pulling down window shades during the hottest part of day, and open windows when temperatures cool down....
Wildfires have burned across Oregon this year, but a few tips could help people protect themselves against their damaging impacts. Fires have burned more than a million acres so far this year, in what has become an annual occurrence for Oregon. Scott Leonard, a program manager with Energy Trust of Oregon, said smoke from wildfires has consequences for people’s health. He said it’s important to keep unhealthy air out by closing gaps around windows and doors and sealing around air con...
More than $27 million is coming to upgrade forests in the Northwest for recreation. The investment is the latest round of funding from the Great American Outdoors Act, which was passed in 2020 and established the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund. The legislation is aimed at addressing the backlog of maintenance needed on public lands. Tracy Calizon, Northwest Region assistant director for recreation, trails, wilderness, and heritage, for the U.S. Forest Service, said 23...
The stage is set for a massive investment in Oregon’s plans to bring high-speed internet to everyone in the state. The second volume of Oregon’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment proposal has been approved by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, laying out its plan for investing nearly $700 million in federal funding. Nick Batz, Oregon Broadband office director says the goal is internet for all. “This is a historic investment. We’ve never seen this much money i...
June is Great Outdoors Month, which also underscores the importance of outdoor recreation in Oregon. As temperatures warm up, people are enjoying nature. Five years ago, Congress designated June Great Outdoors Month to highlight the trove of outside opportunities across the nation. With a half dozen national park sites also state parks, Oregon has a plethora of places for people to get outside. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said outdoor recreation provides a big boost to the state’s economy. ...
A new report analyzes the workforce dynamics in Oregon and how the state can address gaps for workers and industries. The 2024 Talent Assessment finds that Oregon’s economy is in a strong position, with significant growth in the labor market and more growth anticipated in the future. Christiana McFarland is director of the Center for Innovation Strategy and Policy with SRI, the firm that conducted the assessment. She said some factors could be barriers to achieving that future growth. “We kno...
The U.S. Forest Service has announced its intention to update a 30-year-old plan for managing forests in the Northwest. The agency has issued a Notice of Intent to amend the Northwest Forest Plan. The plan covers management for 19 million acres of forest in California, Oregon, and Washington and was adopted in 1994 but has not changed since. Nick Goulette, co-executive director of the Watershed Research and Training Center, said the plan needs improving, especially as climate impacts on the...
The pause on student loan repayments is over, meaning people will have to start paying back their debts for the first time in three years, starting next month. A few tips can help people prepare for this change. Lane Thompson, Oregon Student Loans Ombuds, said it is important to know who your servicer is. For many, their loans were transferred to another company during the pause. Thompson also noted some are paying loans for the first time and advised borrowers to use the federal government’s w...
Six projects to improve communities in Oregon have received grants from AARP. The organization has announced the recipients of its annual Community Challenge program. Oregon’s grant projects total more than $65,000. Stacey Triplett, engagement director for AARP Oregon, said this quick-turnaround program fills a gap for many communities. “Funding that’s local, that’s meant to be flexible, that comes right out within weeks of when it’s been requested is hard to come by,” Triplett pointed out...
The nomination process is open for a prestigious award handed out to volunteers in Oregon each year. The Andrus Award for Community Service award is named after AARP founder, Doctor Ethel Percy Andrus. AARP Oregon will select a person or couple age 50 or older, who performs services without pay in their communities. AARP State volunteer president for Oregon, Michael Schultz, said he has spent his whole career with nonprofit organizations and that these organizations rely on volunteers. “Our c...
A new survey found older Oregonians are concerned about the cost of living in many aspects of their lives. The Vital Voices research program from AARP dove into issues affecting Oregonians age 45 and older. Bandana Shrestha, state director for AARP Oregon, said the cost of health care and housing top the list of topics on people's minds. "One big takeaway from the survey is that Oregonians are really feeling affordability and the economic pressures in all aspects of their lives," Shrestha...
Under a proposal in the Legislature, Oregon’s service agencies could see spending cuts, which could hit hardest in rural areas. Under the Committee on Ways and Means co-chair budget, state agency spending would be cut by 2.5%. John Mullin, an advocate for the Human Services Coalition of Oregon, said the proposed budget could hurt health providers’ Medicaid reimbursement rates, which is bad news for rural Oregon. “There are really some very challenging issues about finding providers in rural...
A film premiering this week tackles the potential harms of the nuclear industry. Portland State University professor emeritus Jan Haaken directed the documentary “Atomic Bamboozle: The False Promise of a Nuclear Renaissance.” The film draws on historical lessons from the campaign to shut down the Trojan Nuclear Power Plant in Rainier, Oregon. The plant closed in 1992. Haaken said the nuclear industry is promoting a new design concept known as small modular reactors, or SMRs. Her initial int...
Imagine community projects that can be turned around quickly. Sounds unlikely? A program that does just that is now open for applications. Started in 2017, the AARP Community Challenge program provides grants to improve cities and towns for people of all ages. The city of Tigard is one recent recipient. The program helped fund what's called a Launch Pod food business accelerator. Lloyd Purdy, economic development manager for the City of Tigard, said two food cart businesses have been selected...
Oregon is pursuing an aggressive climate plan to switch to renewable energy sources, but it faces one often overlooked issue: enough high-voltage power lines to facilitate the transition. An Oregon law requires utilities to cut greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2040. However, the Northwest's aging transmission lines will need a reboot to ensure wind and solar resources on the east side of the Cascades make their way west. Emily Moore, director of climate and energy at the Sightline Institute,...
An audit of community colleges in Oregon has implications for the state's legislative session, which started this week. The report from the Secretary of State's Audit Division in December pointed to the need for a greater role from the commission overseeing higher education. Ben Cannon, executive director of the Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission, said there have been some modest gains in completion or transfer numbers over the past decade. Although overall numbers hover around...
It can be challenging for parents and caregivers to shield their children from bigotry and hatred online, but there are a few tips they can follow. Lindsay Schubiner, Momentum program director at the Western States Center, said the work is especially crucial because white nationalist groups are using the internet to recruit people. She pointed out young people are developing identities and ideas in relationship to everything around them, including what they see and hear online. "As hate...
Oregon is joining the ranks of states providing paid leave for all workers. In January, employees and employers will begin paying into the program. Workers will be able to apply for benefits in September. Karen Humelbaugh, director of the Paid Leave Oregon program for the Oregon Employment Department, said the program is important for the safety and welfare of communities. "Some of us have had paid leave through our employer, but many Oregonians do not have any form of paid leave," Humelbaugh...
With the election a little over a month away, some say caregiving and long-term care are issues too big for candidates in Oregon to ignore. There are about 460,000 family caregivers in the state providing $5.7 billion of unpaid care, according to a 2017 estimate. Yvonne Smith, a faculty member at Clackamas Community College, said some people may not even realize they are caregivers. "For example, if you are helping someone manage their medications if you're doing someone's grocery shopping if...
Crime rates among young people have dropped dramatically in recent decades - despite media coverage pointing toward a supposed "crime wave" led by youth. That's the finding in a recent report from The Sentencing Project, which shows the share of overall arrests of people younger than 18 was cut in half between 2000 and 2019. Deena Corso is the juvenile services division director for Multnomah County. "The trend very much for juvenile crime nationally - and then it's mirrored here locally - has b...
In an effort to boost workers in critical industries, Oregon lawmakers are considering a major investment in education and workforce development. Proposed by Gov. Kate Brown, the $200 million Future Ready bill is a package of proposals to lower barriers to construction, health care, manufacturing, and technology jobs. One of the proposals is $17 million for career pathways programs setting up short-term ways to earn credentials, with help from program navigators. Mark Mitsui, president of Portla...
