Make the McKenzie Connection!
Make the McKenzie Connection!
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One day in November of 2018 in a canyon at the Sierra Nevada foothills, one steel hook that held up a string of electrical insulators – little white discs that prevent electricity from moving between them – broke. The power line that was attached to the electrical insulators fell onto the nearby transmission tower, creating a continuous electric discharge that was estimated to reach between 5,000 and 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Molten metal fell from the tower onto the brush below, starting a f...
Dear Editor: I am a legally blind long-term subscriber to River Reflections. As my vision deteriorated, I struggled to read the local news. The addition of audio has enabled me to enjoy and appreciate a local news source. THANK YOU. Bernice S. West Sent from my iPad...
Over the last two decades, judicial decisions have made it harder for inventors to keep patent-infringing goods off the market. Intellectual property theft costs the U.S. economy as much as $600 billion annually, indirectly aiding geopolitical competitors like China, which is the primary IP infringer. The origins of the problem go back almost two decades. For most of U.S. history, inventors who proved that a competitor had infringed their patent could obtain binding court orders — called injunctions — which compelled the infringer to stop. Thi...
Those were the bad news headlines in the Corvallis Gazette-Times this week. The article explained that the 188-year-old Brownsville Times newspaper had published a paper the week before and was quietly shuttered. The story from the Sweet Home New Era was that its former publishers had to take back the reins and were contemplating whether the 95-year-old publication would continue to exist after the end of December. As most readers know, River Reflections faced a similar fate back in 2022 when the costs of printing and mailing a weekly...
The U.S. Supreme Court will now step into the national debate about regulating social media, a move that might be popular but is the wrong one at the wrong time – and maybe for all time. The court has agreed to hear a challenge to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, seeking to limit – or even remove – a federal law that gives tech companies sweeping immunity from lawsuits over user-generated content and how social media company algorithms surface that posted content. The justices will consider a lawsuit against Google brought by th...
The fires that burned down the Santiam Canyon over Labor Day weekend in 2020 were a disaster for the communities from Idanha all the way to Stayton. Recovery started right away, but rebuilding homes and public infrastructure has been tragically slow, delaying the healing of the community. Likewise in the burned forests; healing started right away, but logging those burned forests delayed healing. Oregon forests — from the coast to high desert — need fire to be healthy. When those Labor Day fires swept through on the force of a hot, dry and ver...
President-elect Donald Trump’s choice of Oregon’s U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer as labor secretary is among the more unusual and intriguing cabinet picks he’s made, and her appointment could have an impact on partisan politics — notably in Oregon. The Republican, who lost Oregon’s 5th Congressional District seat last month to Democratic state Rep. Janelle Bynum, has become an unlikely pivotal national figure. With only a single term in the U.S. House and a small-town mayoralty on her resume, C...
Words cannot express the appreciation I have for the overwhelming support and generosity at the Grand Opening of the library – shoulder to shoulder, wall to wall, standing room only! Frances O’Brien’s Legacy of a library in Blue River lives on. Your new Library hours are Tuesday-Saturday 11:00am – 5:00pm and Wednesday 11:00am – 7pm. Come and enjoy this community gathering place. With Gratitude, Connie Richardson President O’Brien Memorial Library...
Across Oregon, the flames from more than 2,000 fires this season have engulfed homes, ravaged landscapes and emitted dangerous levels of particulate matter, while burning through state budgets to rack up a large tab for taxpayers. Oregon’s current approach to wildfire budgeting is inherently incompatible with the level of risk it faces in a changing climate. In fact, the damages – hundreds of thousands of acres burned, dozens of homes and other structures destroyed – are only likely to get worse. The solution? A carbon price. Making pollu...
Months ago, Chani Demello, an energetic and optimistic McKenzie River resident, proposed an idea for a way to make the “dark days of the cooler months” a bit brighter: Invite everyone to Vida McKenzie Community Center to view a full-length independent film or a number of “independent shorts” and then discuss the film(s) afterward. I was skeptical until I started previewing the films. The production quality of the works was fabulous, and the content was both creative and accessible. The first of the “Films with Friends” series took place on Su...
Oregon had few surprises in the general election results that changed the political landscape very little. Tracking closely with similar kinds of results in Washington state, the light blue Beaver state stuck with its usual voting patterns, careful to rarely edge over into landslides. In most cases, Portland remained deep blue and most of the eastern counties stayed deep red. Taken as a whole, Oregon remained generally blue, even as much of the country was awash in red-tinged results. The state...
We are delighted to announce the Grand Opening of the O’Brien Memorial Library in Blue River. With the sustained support of our community, we’ve achieved our goal together. So, we want to extend this warm invitation to you, one of the people who made it happen. Please join us on Saturday, November 16th, from 2:00 to 4:00. Brief presentations will begin at 2:30. Tour the building, enjoy cake, and celebrate this exciting event! at 51771 Blue River Drive in Blue River. We look forward to seeing you at the opening! Sincerely, The O’Brien Memor...
Samhain, my Wiccan friends told me years ago, was the time of year when the veil that sits between the worlds is thinnest. During this time, we can reach out to the other side, speak to the dead and divine the future. It is also the time when the old gods, or other spirits, might walk in our world. An old European holiday that fell at the deepest moment of the fall, it may originally have been simply a marker of the season. But there are hints at something more interesting and obscure; a focus...
It already seems like a long time ago when McKenzie Locals Helping Locals sponsored the fourth annual McKenzie River Community Celebration at the Aaron and Marie Jones Community Track. As you recall, the event was held this summer on September 2, Labor Day, and we had a grand time celebrating our Community. A lot of effort went into the organization and implementation of the annual event and we would be remiss if proper acknowledgment of those efforts went unannounced or not recognized. Please accept our apologies for doing so later rather...
Certainly Tony Casad has done some good things as superintendent of the Blue River Water Board. He does deserve credit for those things. The question becomes: are the things the “good Tony” did outweigh the abuse, bullying and obstructionism that he has dished out to many members of the community. This of course remains a decision only the community of Blue River will make. It is not true that only Tony Casad can manage the Water District. It ran fine before he moved here and will go fine, likely better, if he leaves. There are still some sma...
Lane County “voters” should choose the members of the Lane County Board of Commissioners. A member of the Board of Commissioners should not be allowed to choose his or her “voters.” Ballot Measure 20-362 does just this. It does this by prohibiting the Commissioners or their allies from drawing the boundary lines for their own districts for their benefit. Drawing boundary lines to give a politician an advantage in an election is called gerrymandering. It is immoral and anti-democratic. Ballot Measure 20-362 will stop gerrymandering. Prior to the...
Our community deserves a representative who truly embodies the values of hard work, responsibility, and patriotism—someone who puts the needs of families and taxpayers first. That’s why Michelle Emmons is the clear choice for McKenzie voters. Michelle doesn’t just talk about values; she lives them. As a proven leader with a record of bringing people together, she knows how to get things done without compromising on what matters most—our families, our schools, and our future. On the other hand, Darin Harbick’s time on the McKenzie School Bo...
Almost everyone understands why friends and relatives of the parties facing a jury trial are not allowed to be jurors for that case. The full list of rules that prohibit tainting a jury verdict with conflicts of interests is comprehensive and designed to promote public confidence in the justice system. The rules are strict; an interest in just one of the questions to be decided by a jury requires a Judge to disqualify the ‘interested” person from serving on a jury. By parity of purpose and parity of reasoning we should expect a local government...
The League of Women Voters of Lane County (LWVLC) wants to help you prepare for the general election on November 5, 2024. We are a nonpartisan, grassroots organization working to protect and expand voting rights. The League empowers voters and defends democracy through advocacy, education, and litigation, at the local, state, and national levels. The League of Women Voters produces a digital voting guide called VOTE411 found at http://Vote411.org. “Election information you need. Brought to you by The League of Women Voters Education Fund”. By...
As president of McKenzie Valley Wellness, the local nonprofit rebuilding the Clinic, I interact with many people in the community. Usually that’s a fun part of my volunteer service. But not always. In spring, 2022, controversy had risen about McKenzie Valley Wellness (MVW), reflected in articles and letters to the editor in River Reflections. In April, 2022, I learned that Tony Casad was running as a write-in candidate for board seat #3, the position that I held, in MVW’s upcoming annual election of board members. On April 27, 2022, I cal...
While the Lane League wholeheartedly supports the establishment of an Independent Redistricting Commission within the Lane County Charter, we are strongly opposed to Measure 20-362. In a nutshell this is why: * An Independent Redistricting Commission MUST be truly independent and allow for a diversity of voices to be at the table, including minorities and communities of interest that have been traditionally shut out. * When and why redistricting occurs matters and should not be at the whim of elected officials who, for whatever reason, just...
After reading this week’s issue of the River Reflections, I saw that you had included another letter to the editor (is it the third one in less than 2 months?) written by a rep from The Cascade Policy Institute, a PAC I have researched extensively. Out of concern, I sent you a note, wondering why you are allowing this far-right organization to get free advertising for its singular intent on spreading disinformation funded by wealthy individuals and organizations connected to the fossil fuel industry (mostly Koch Bros. in this case). Had you don...
As public schools grapple with lagging student literacy, chronic absenteeism, and classrooms without air conditioning, they are now being pitched to bulletproof their school buildings and students. The reason is obvious – more than 230 school shootings in the last decade and a growing threat of online ideation to shoot teachers and classmates. The solution seems equally obvious – restrict access by minors to firearms and take online threats of violence seriously. But in a capitalist eco...
The Oregon Legislature has mandated that large utilities deliver 100% emissions-free electricity by 2040. Since coal and natural gas account for more than 45% of Oregon’s electricity generation, replacing those fuels with emission-free alternatives will be difficult. Moreover, the closer Oregon gets to a 100% reduction, the more expensive it will become. This challenge stems from the fact that the two preferred power sources—industrial-scale wind and solar—are weather-dependent. This will require overbuilding, plus batteries and back-up power...
On average, healthcare costs for patients with a chronic condition are five times higher than for those without one. Chronic disease patients are getting hit with high drug costs when cheaper generics are available. Many chronic disease patients rely on biologics, medicines made from living organisms and often administered by injection or infusion. Just like medications that come in pill form, biologics have generic versions, called biosimilars. These, on average, cost half as much as their brand-name counterparts. If more widely adopted,...
